The first time Hinata invites Naruto to live with her, it's because he really doesn't have anywhere else to go-and she is afraid that if he leaves her sight, she won't ever see him again.
She asks because she needs the reassurance.
She asks because she is afraid.
It's a terrible, terrible reason to want someone to live with you-being afraid that they might vanish if they don't...or worse. To want them close out of fear, not out of love.
She knows when the time comes for that step again-this time-it will be different.
It already is.
"What should I do about my apartment?"
The question catches Hinata off guard-which is unusual, because lately she's been feeling particularly 'guarded' almost twenty-four hours a day. Still, she wasn't actually expecting a question. They'd been sitting in relative, comfortable silence. She looks up from her salad and blinks a few times, realigning her thoughts to a new direction-away from case files and missing persons, and the fact that every lead they had was being stonewalled...
"Okay," she says, shifting in her seat, giving him her full attention. "How much money do you have left? Do you have enough for next month?" She asks quietly.
Across from her he swallows, angling his head away from her. "No. I would've. If I had been working." He defends before she can say anything.
Hinata nods, tucking her hair behind her ear before clasping her fingers together. She lets go, then clasps them again, before letting go to just twist her bracelet. She's tempted to offer to loan him the money for the rent, but at the same time...she doesn't really want that either. She's just not sure if he wants to take the next step yet. The talk of kids the other night seemed to spook him.
She decides on a different approach."What happened to your savings?"
Naruto glances pointedly at her ring finger.
Her eyes followed his and she feels warm and light the moment her gaze finds her dainty ring. She nods, acknowledging him and how hard he must have worked for that money. "Okay." She breathes again. It's now or never, really. "Well, I guess we could sublet it. Or have someone take over the lease," she suggests.
Naruto shifts in his seat, reaching back to rub his nape. He looks at her, uncertainly. "Um, are you sure?"
She evens her lips out, watching him. Not answering. Because yes, she is. She wants this for them. Not because she's afraid he can't make it without her, but because she knows he can , but she wants him to choose her anyway.
But it has to be his choice.
"Are you sure?" he asks her.
"It's okay. It makes sense, for us to move in together. We're engaged now. It seems like a normal transition," she reasons. She doesn't want to pressure him. She reaches over to place her hand on his. Whatever he decides, she will understand. "We can find a way for you to keep it, if you'd rather, you know, not…?"
He gives a subtle shake of his head, but still looks dubious. "You're sure?" He repeats.
She nods. "Yes. I'll call the landlord tomorrow. I'll need to go take some pictures of it, put it online." She lets go of his hand to grab her will need some help gathering the rest of Naruto's things, plus she will have to stop by Iruka's and give him their new address.
"Do you need me to do anything? Or sign anything or something?" Naruto hedges, eyeing her as she types.
She shakes her head no. This was almost trivial, compared to what she did for work-handling complex contracts. Switching out of a lease was easy enough to handle-and a nice distraction from her other endeavors as well. "I'm still on the lease."
Naruto nods, distractedly, and Hinata can't help but wonder if he really wants to make the switch. She watches him for a few more moments, before he gets up and kisses her cheek. "I'm gonna shower. Have a nice rest of your day."
Hinata watches him walk down the hall and listens for the bathroom door to close. She knows he is frustrated. She wishes she could put his mind at ease, but there's nothing that she can say. Pieces and people were being put into motion, and for now...all she could do was try and keep him safe. She just hoped that when it was all said and done, he would still want to be there. With her.