"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." – Ernest Hemingway

Naruto sleeps in.

Which wasn't surprising, all things considered.

He needs his rest, and after the emotional tumble he took yesterday, she's more than happy to let him slumber. She gets up quietly, moving about her apartment in the early morning, stifling a yawn, while Argus pads at her heels.

She debates on making coffee, but her own nerves are still a bit frayed, so she opts for some green tea instead. She puts on her electric kettle and feeds Argus. She'll wait until he's done eating before she takes him out. In the meantime, she fishes her laptop out of her work tote and settles herself on the loveseat.

She has a few work emails that require her attention, but nothing super immediate.

There's also no messages from Shikamaru-on her phone or her laptop. She's trying not to let that worry her-she is determined to focus on Naruto-but still...she can't shake the feeling that something has happened.

Sighing, she shifts, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position. She opens her secured files and scans through the documents she's either scanned in or taken pictures of. Police reports, incident reports, some witness statements. Things she is definitely not supposed to have, but were pretty easy to procure with the right push or the right amount of money.

Neji wasn't kidding when he said that these people were dangerous, but for her that's all the more reason to be involved. If dangerous people wanted to harm Naruto, then they'd have to get through her first.

After a few minutes of reviewing the information she already knows, she makes herself her tea and settles in to type up her log. The days she spotted someone following her, or that she felt uneasy. They day she got the photographs...and the day the flowers had shown up in her office. A lovely bouquet of Anemone. A bloom known to mean 'fading hope'.

While none of the events were direct threats, even she couldn't deny the pattern of intimidation. She frowns at her screen, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Neji was definitely not going to like her list...especially once she included yesterday's events. She debates leaving that info out, but she knows that Naruto's best chances are if she doesn't hide information that she doesn't need to.

So she emails Neji.

He won't be awake for a few more hours, so she has a little reprieve from the tongue lashing she will undoubtedly get. In the meantime, she creates another document, analyzing the events from the night of the attack, to previous events-like their fight night-and trying to see if there's anything...anything at all...that made sense.

The timeline seems pretty linear, which is frustrating.

They need Jiraiya.

She can remember him warning Naruto about fighting. Despite his perverted asshole demeanor, Hinata truly believed that Naruto's coach had cared for him. Which was why his absence in the face of all of this was so troubling.

If he wasn't directly involved, then he knew way more than he had ever told them.

She's brought out of her frustrated musing by a soft whine from Argus. He tilts his head-expectantly. She glances at the time, realizing belatedly that she's been working on this stuff for longer than she realized. A couple hours had passed already.

"Sorry, buddy," she whispers, setting aside her laptop. She slips into her room and grabs some lounge clothes before she changes and takes Argus outside to do his business. When they re-enter the apartment, they startle Naruto.

He's looking at her with wide eyes and a bit of confusion. She wonders if the drug is still in his system. She actually hadn't expected him to be up for awhile yet. She knows that her attacks keep her out for the better part of the following day. Of course, Naruto was different. He'd always been stronger than her.

She offers up a soft smile. "Oh, good morning sleepy head." She's about to unhook Argus when she spots her open laptop. Open with all of her investigative research and a list of incidents... "Wait, did you look at my laptop?" She asked quickly.

Naruto blinks at her. He still looks like he's catching up. Argus leaves Hinata's side and pads up next to him, brushing his fur against his palm. "Why would I look at your laptop?" He asks, slowly.

Hinata gives a little shrug, not wanting to sound accusatory-or like she was hiding anything. Side stepping off the welcome mat she moves forward a bit so that she can reach out and shut the open laptop. "I don't know, sorry."

She eyes him for a moment, taking in his disheveled hair and sleep rumpled clothes. "What were you doing?" She asks gently.

"Looking for my phone. To call you." He tells her, shifting awkwardly.

"I plugged it in for you." Hinata can feel her cheeks warm. He was going to call her? As soon as he woke up. It's...flattering and her heart beats a little quicker. He's always had that effect on her. She tries to sound nonchalant when she asks, "Um, you were going to call me?"

"Yeah," he admits, nodding slightly. "To apologize. Y'know, for… yesterday."

"Oh." She gives him a reassuring smile. "You don't need to apologize." In her mind there was nothing that he had done wrong. He had been hurt and confused and alone . It was enough for her that he was okay today. An apology was wholly unnecessary. Unless it was coming from her.

"Sorry that I wasn't here to tell you how strong you are and how great you're doing. Sorry your asshole friends try to hurt you rather than help you. Sorry that I can't always be what you need.

"But, but I accused you of cheating on me," he reminds her, licking his lips.

She nods. He had, but not without reason. "Because your friend told you I was." Because he's a little shit. "Isn't that what happened?"

Naruto frowns thoughtfully for a second before he nods.

Encouraged, Hinata continues. "If Ino, my best friend, told me that she saw you with someone else, it would be hard not to believe her. I'd at least bring it up to you."

"You're just making excuses for me." Naruto resists. It's the same thing he said to her last night.

She frowns, hanging up Argus' leash before stepping closer to him. "We already had this conversation. Yesterday."

"I didn't apologize."

She tilts her head, gaze searching. "What could you possibly need to apologize for, Naruto?"

"For everything."

"You didn't really do anything."

"What are you talking about?" he questions, voice tight. "I freaked out like a psycho."

"You got upset." Hinata corrects. "How could you need to apologize for getting upset?" How many times in his life had people made him feel like his emotions were a reason to be sorry? That he had no right to feel them. That he had to justify and apologize for his hurt?

"You're not my punching bag. It not okay for me to just unload on you-"

"Punching bag? What on Earth are you talking about? You didn't yell at me. You didn't break anything," she tells him.

He winces a little at that, because they both know he had done so in the past.

"You got sad, Naruto." She enunciates slowly, carefully, as she takes the last steps to him. He has been using the loveseat as a barrier-keeping her at a distance. She didn;t know if it was because he didn't trust her, or himself. Either way, she wanted to remove the obstacle-and his doubt. "You were sad and upset. That's really all that happened. And you did everything that you were supposed to. You called your doctors. You talked to me. That's not something 'psycho' that you need to apologize for."

He rubs his hand against his nape, staring at his feet. "I ruined your night."

"I've ruined dozens of yours." Hinata reminds him with a soft, sad smile. So many she lost count.

Naruto's immediate reaction is to deny. He's always only ever seen her in the best light. "No you-"

"Don't." She cuts him off with a sharp shake of her head. "I have. And I probably will again someday. And it's okay. Because I love you. And you love me. And we're both just working on being better." It was all they could do.

He is still reluctant. "That's not true."

Hinata stops moving closer, looking up at him, searching for what he means. There's something heavy in his tone.

"You don't think I'm better," he clarifies.

Argus whines against his side, uncomfortable by the change of pace in the conversation. The atmospheric shift.

"That's not true." Hinata tells him.

"I can see it, Hinata. You still watch me the same. Still making sure I'm not going to fuck something up."

"Naruto," she reaches out, grabbing onto him, holding him by the wants him angled towards her, so she can look him directly in the face when she speaks-so he can see the truth of her words. "Don't be silly. You're so different. It's like night and day, really. In a good way."

His response is an eyeroll of Ino calabre.

"It's true," she insists, despite that. She takes a breath, because here is where he needs to hear her. Where he needs to understand. "And I'm sorry if you feel like I don't think that. Or, if I'm smothering you. It's just… it's just my own problems. My anxiety… I - I worry about you. Not because I don't trust you. I just...well... I love you." She holds his gaze, allowing her emotions to shine in her expression-unguarded. "It's not at all your fault that I worry. It's mine. The stress, from work, from your case, from... everything. I'm sorry. But don't even think for a second that I don't see how different you are. Or how amazing you're doing."

"Yeah," he scoffs a little, self-deprecating. "Pretty bloody amazing."

She shushes him. "That's not fair. You've been cooped up inside for weeks. This stress is enough to drive anyone crazy. I can't believe how well you've done, everything considering." She would have broken long before now. She doesn't say that, because he will only argue with her, but it's true. Naruto is the strongest person she knows. She angles her head to keep his eyes when he dodges her gaze to look at the floor. "This is why I wanted to stay home today," she tells him.

Naruto raises an eyebrow, silently questioning.

"So I could make sure you knew that I loved you and that you're doing so good." She's been doing such a terrible job of showing him that. She's been so caught up with trying to get the people that were after him off of the street so that they no longer posed a risk to him that she missed all of the other risks. "And I'm sorry," she says quietly. "That this has gone on so long." She wishes she had more answers-that she could do more.

"That's not your fault." He dismisses quickly.

She bit her lip a little, tipping her gaze away guiltily. Because wasn't it though? What if she just told the DA to shove his sting operation and to hell with Yahiko and his cronies? What if she told Naruto that he was free?

Free but in danger, she reminds herself. She had to think long term. Still, in the short term she could make sure that Naruto was taken care of-loved on. "Are you hungry? Let me make you breakfast." She pushes to her tiptoes (he's so tall) and kisses his cheek. "I was thinking pancakes? And maybe some eggs." She smiles, taking him by the hand and leading him over to the little table.

"Sounds like a lot," he hedges, eyeing her carefully.

"I'm really hungry." She says, letting him sit down, brushing her fingers down the back of his head, pressing his hair down before kissing the side of his temple. She knows she's being overly affectionate-it's almost always been him that initiates their contact, but she wants him to feel how much she adores him. How in love with him she truly is.

As she passes it, she scoops up her laptop, placing it on the counter beside his little black box. The one that tied his ankle and the rest of his body to the apartment. She gives the box a little glower before moving to the fridge to get the eggs and cheese for omelettes.

She makes quick work of breakfast-it's an easy enough meal and one she's made a time or two. Before long she has a couple of plates piled with food and she's scooting into her seat across from Naruto.

"You didn't have to do so much." He tells her, looking down at his plate.

Hinata shrugs a bit. "My favorites." It's not entirely true, but she does enjoy them.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to make me fat again?" He teases her a bit. It's less enthusiastic than his usual teasing, but it makes her smile all the same.

"Shush." She mock glares at him from her spot across the table. "Eat your food."

He does.

He makes quick work of it, actually. He must have been hungry, she thinks, watching him. What kind of breakfast did he usually eat after she went to work, she wonders. He always had her coffee and sometimes her lunch ready before she was out the door. Was he eating properly while she was gone? Was he taking care of himself.

"So what do you usually do in the morning?" She asks, being sure to keep her tone casual. She wasn't trying to be accusatory-she was genuinely curious.

"I work out."

She nods, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Then I take a shower." He stops.

She waits a moment. Then another. When it becomes clear he's not going to provide anything further, she prods him. "And then?"

He shrugs and tucks his chin. It's almost sheepish. "Wait for you to get back."

Hinata watches his expression-wondering if maybe he's funning her. He's not. She tilts her head, curious."What? Why don't you watch TV or something?"

Naruto shrugs again-stiffer this time. "I dunno," he mutters. "I don't wanna waste your cable."

She blinks owlishly at that. "What? Waste it? It's already paid for." He doesn't comment, but looks a tad defensive. She pulls back on her questions. Instead, she smiles gently. "Well, let's definitely watch something then tonight."

"Why tonight? You can watch anything whenever." He glances at her television.

"Nuhhuh." She hums, smirking just a little.

"What?" He's confused. It's adorable, really.

"We have to workout first," she fills him in.

"We?" Naruto raises his eyebrows.

"Mm." She nods, biting her lip. "Ready when you are."

Or so she thought. The little work out he'd managed to create for himself had her sweating and her muscles thrumming. She missed a real workout. Her lunch break sessions with Lee were primarily focused on her learning how to break holds and a more intense form of her Bagua, but her sessions were only twenty to thirty minutes. Not enough time to really get into a zone.

While this session wasn't much longer, her muscles all felt awake.

Naruto had designed a super effective workout with limited equipment and space. She wondered if he realized how much talent that took.

"You do this everyday?" She asks him, her breath a little more labored than usual, her cheeks pink. She felt sweat creeping into her brows, so she quickly dabbed it up with the hem of her sweatshirt.

"Yep." He licks his lips and Hinata can't help but follow the motion. She feels a little pull in her gut.

He's so handsome.

She blinks that thought away, rolling her shoulders. "I don't know why you're so worried about me trying to make you fat."

Naruto's eyes narrow on her knowingly. "I knew it!"

She giggles a bit, but doesn't deny it. "Ugh," she glances down at her soiled sweatshirt hem. "No wonder you need a shower after. You weren't joking about being sweaty."

"Nope." He laughs a little, raking his hair up, the sweat sticking it in all different directions.

She smiles a little at that, quietly looking from his face up to his hair. It reminds her a bit of college. His hair was always in wild disarray-especially after a class he pretended not to sleep in. He looks young, she thinks.

Naruto's looking at her in much the same way-though she can't read his thoughts. "Ya know, we could take a shower," he suggests.

She blinks a little, because yeah...wasn't that next on the list?

"Right now." He amends, seeing her confusion. "Together."

Oh.

Oh.

Yes, please.

"Okay." She whispers, blushing. It's daylight and though her bathroom isn't large, there's a little window that streams in a fair amount of sun. Sex with the lights on was something she still struggled with even after four years. But today...she wanted him. Wanted to love him and be loved by him.

Naruto grins at her-a flash of white teeth. "Let's go." He reaches for her-hesitating on which arm to grab before he settles on the one not injured in the attack. She feel sher heart soften a bit at his consideration. He's excited, but he always thinks of her.

He tugs her along, his steps so eager that she can't help but giggle. Argus trots along with them, curious, but happily wagging his tail, before Hinata makes a hand signal at the door. "Sorry bud, we'll be out soon," she tells him.

"Soon?" Naruto angles his head down to scoff. "What, 'soon'? I'll show you soon."

Hinata covers her face, realizing how that sounds. She giggles a bit, blushing harder. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Suuuure." Naruto drawls it out, teasingly, nudging her into the bathroom before pressing the door shut behind her. The angle puts his arm over her shoulder and his chest close to her face. She tips her head up and finds his blue eyes focused on her mouth. "Sure you didn't."

He quickly grabs the hem of her shirt, pulling it up, over her head. It's a jerky lift due to the sweat on her skin and for a moment she fears it's going to get stuck, but he shimmies and then it's off, skewing her bangs. She giggles a little at his eager expression, reaching up to pull him in for a kiss.

He goes willingly, his mouth hot and slick over hers. His hands and mouth are everywhere, Tugging off the rest of her clothes, sliding over her skin. He crowds her into the shower, trailing his teeth along the lines of her neck.

"Naruto," she sighs, clutching at the wide breadth of his shoulders, shaken with the depth of her love for him.

He's overwhelming to her senses. He's working her like he has something to prove. He's so much hotter than the water slicking over their skin. She wants to show him how much she loves and wants and needs him as well, but he's not letting her catch her breath.

His hand is between her thighs, fingers rubbing along her clit as she gasps his name into his shoulder. "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto" she chants. She's so close to coming already. He feels it and turns her. She arches her back, pushing onto her toes as he adjusts his stance, sinking deep.

She moans, long and low, and presses her hands to the tiles for balance.

"I love you." He breathes into her ear, one of his hands braced beside hers on the shower tiles, the other on her hip as he pounds into her.

Her breath hitches in the back of her throat as a reply. She can't speak.

She can only feel.

He's so hard and so deep and…"Oh, God," she gasps when the hand on her hip slides around to the front, finding her still sensitive clit. He rubs in slow hard circles-a contrast to the steady rhythm he's established. She gasps a little, reaching over her head to grasp at the back of his neck.

"You're so good," he tells her, panting against the shell of her ear. "You feel so good."

It's him that feels good, she wants to argue, but the words get lost or turned into moans-she can't tell which-as he pushes her over the edge. Her hands leave their place on his neck to slap against the tile, her fingers curling as she cries out his name, her hips moving with the waves of her orgasm as it rolls through her. He brings her to a second one within minutes, moving in long hard thrusts, crooning in her ear that she's perfect and how much he loves her. When he finally comes, it's with her name on his tongue and his arm banded tightly around her waist.

After, when they are properly cleansed, Naruto wraps her in one of her oversized, fluffy towels. He makes sure to kiss her tenderly at every chance. He holds her hand as they stroll to the bedroom. They put on some clean clothes-still loose sweats and tees-but stay cuddled on the bed for awhile with Argus hopping up to join them. They get the pillow wet but Hinata can't even begin to care. She's wrapped against Naruto, sharing slow, leisurely kisses as they whisper back and forth how much they are in love. Her life is perfect.

After awhile though, she knows that she needs to check her phone and her laptop. If Shikamaru was trying to reach her...

"I have to go work on some stuff." Hinata plays with the hem of his clean tee shirt. She doesn't really want to get out of the bed. She wants to stay here with him. Wants more kisses.

He presses a kiss to her nose, appeasingly, letting her know that he's not bothered by her unvoiced request. "Yeah, I still have some boxes to go through."

"I told you we could get a bigger dresser." She reminds him. She hates the idea of him giving up things he cares about to 'fit' into her apartment.

He shakes his head, mouth set. "No, it's okay it's mostly trash," he insists.

"But… you love those." She glances at the box of familiar well-worn shirts.

He shrugs indifferently, removing his arm from her waist. She rolls to a seated position, her still damp hair slipping forward to brush his cheek as she bends to kiss his mouth. She lingers a bit, smiling at his soft sound.

"Well, it's up to you," she tells him as she pulls back. "Okay?"

He nods and she reluctantly walks out of the bedroom.

In the living room she checks her messages. There are none yet, but she does actually have a few more work emails that she really should handle. She takes her time, going over the contracts, using the quiet of her home and how relaxed (satisfied) she is to her advantage.

She checks the time, realizing that Neji will probably have read her email by now. She's not looking forward to his reply-but when she checks her personal account, there's nothing. The radio silence is a bit unsettling, but she tries not to dwell on it.

She shoots off an email to the DA. She wants an ETA on when they were going to make Naruto's release official. She knows he's trying to build a bigger and better case against Yahiko and his goons, but her priority is Naruto. His freedom will mean nothing if he breaks mentally from being confined.

She works on her actual job for another hour or so before calling it a day. Really, she's just ready to get back to Naruto. She closes her laptop and shuffles to the bedroom.

"Hey, babe?" Hinata asks, knocking on the door for a second before entering, standing at the doorway. Naruto was laying on the bed, slightly turned away from her. "I just finished up."

Naruto glances over at her, waiting.

She has to bite back a smirk. "I thought, maybe for dinner, that I'd order ramen."

His eyes go wide and he opens his mouth a bit before closing it. He does that a couple of times and her smirk turns into a full giggle. "Whaahhn?"

"I'll go order it, okay?" She steps over to the bed, stooping to pet Argus, who was still hovering around Naruto. She crawls a bit onto the bed, leaning forward to press her lips against naruto's temple. He smiles at her and his eyes crinkle. It's her favorite smile. She kisses him again before scooting back off of the bed to go and call in their order.

She's in the living room, dialing, but Naruto hasn't followed. She turns a bit, peeking down the hall, but there's no motion. Maybe he opted to lay there for a bit more? It's no big deal. She knows his order by heart anyway. She's told it'll be about forty-five minutes to an hour before they'll deliver. Hanging up, she makes her way back down the hall. Sure enough, Naruto is on the bed with his eyes closed. She's about to close the door, thinking he may want to nap but she catches the tension in his jaw.

It's clenched.

Tight.

He's...angry?

"Babe?" She calls out to him. It takes a few times before his eyes open and he turns towards her. "I thought you fell asleep but your jaw looks… intense."

He shifts his mouth around, forcibly relaxing it.

"Are you upset?" she asks, brow furrowed.

"No." Naruto promises her quickly. "I was just thinking."

She tilts her head, inquisitive. "About what?"

Naruto shrugs instead of answering.

It's his second method of deflection. It causes a little shiver of apprehension to run through her. Was he still suffering and she was being blind again? "A lot on your mind?" she ventures. Because of course there is-with everything, considering.

Instead of directly answering he takes a breath and fakes a smile. "What movie do you wanna watch tonight?"

"Whatever you want." She allows the topic shift, deciding to let him set the pace.

Naruto purses his lips a little, shaking his head. "You pick."

She blinks at that. He never really seemed all that interested in the shows she liked. "Me?"

Naruto finally rolls over to face her. "Yeah. You." There's something possessive in the way his eyes travel over her in the doorway.

It makes her blush. "Okay. Well, come help me." She clears her throat and holds out a hand.

Naruto, in turn, lifts one of his own lazily.

Hinata rolls her eyes, before stepping closer to help him up. "Don't pull me down." She warns. She knows this trick...

"I won't." Naruto smirks.

His fingers lace fully in between hers before he yanks her down on top of him.

"You!" She wrinkles her nose, laughing.

Naruto laughs a little before- "Ow!" He rubs the spot on his arm she pinched.

She stands back up, giving him a little glare. "Come on." She tugs at his arm a little. "Up."

"Alright. Alright." He smiles and this time it reaches his eyes.

She smiles back.

They decide on a comedy. Neither one are in the mood for drama or tension. The ramen will be there soon so there's nothing to clean up or prepare. Hinata decides to take Argus out before the food gets there.

She's just taking him into the grass behind her complex when her phone vibrates.

A text.

It's Shikamaru.

'Tried to call you at work. Where are you?'

'Stayed home.'

'Good. Stay there. Don't leave. No matter what.'

Hinata frowns at her phone. 'What's going on?"

'We found Jiraiya.'