A.N: Warning for smut this chapter. If you're not here for it, just stop at the page break after Naruto embraces Hinata. If you are here for it, read on.
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Sakura's unexpected arrival had annoyed the hell out of him, but now that she was gone Naruto half-wished he could call her back. He had known exactly what the women had discussed as soon as he saw their faces, and Hinata in particular had stared at him like she had never met him before. He didn't know what to make of it, but no sooner had Ino finally taken her leave than Hinata had made an excuse to disappear into the forest, making for the path with uncharacteristic haste. He wanted to follow after her again, but she hadn't invited him, in fact she had looked ready to deny him if he asked.
Time had never been of much concern to him before; as far as he knew he had an eternity of it. However, with Hinata he had only this one season if he couldn't persuade her to stay and if she couldn't spend even a day in his company how would she weather a decade or a century? Naruto better understood humans now; time had always been their enemy so they learned from the cradle how to thriftily spend it. He was a quick study when he put his mind to it. The first of his lessons was learning how to cope with passing time by ignoring it.
Instead of spending the day watching the tree line, fretting about whether Hinata was safe or when she would be home he set about weeding, watering what plants he wanted to thrive. He tried to imagine what sort of home would suit them best; somewhere quiet and filled with green, growing things, a bit of wildness in it such as Hinata had sought out on her long walks in the forest. Trees they could lie under, enjoying the shade and the hum of cicadas, soft grass the better for running barefoot, flowers for the sweet scent they left in the air.
It was harder work than he expected, but satisfying, and when he glanced up, alerted to another's presence by some sixth sense, he found Hinata had returned. She was watching him with open consideration in her gaze, something hesitant in the set of her face.
"It's good you found your way home this time," he called out to her, hoping to coax her closer. He couldn't shake the feeling that a wrong word would send her back into the woods, never to return again.
"I stayed on the path," a few steps closer but well out of arm's reach, "I tried to find where the illusion began but I couldn't. Sakura said it takes practice, but with my sight…" she trailed off even as she drew nearer, "I feel blind."
The last words were spoken so softly they barely carried to him in the stillness. Naruto reached out to lay a protective arm across her shoulder, guiding her back inside with undisguised relief. "It's just a different way of looking, you'll adapt."
"You're right."
"Besides, Sakura's a master of illusion and even she struggled to find the boundaries at first."
"Have you known her that long?" There was something wistful in her tone, but Naruto's heart warmed at the first sign of curiosity.
"Most of my life, as long as I can remember actually."
"What can you remember?"
"Just sort of… being here, I guess," his memories began when Sakura had stumbled across him, much younger then. He wasn't sure what life had been like before her, but he had clung to her like a burr during his childhood, such as it had been. "I can't remember much before Sakura and Sasuke. We were thick as thieves then."
Then had come the massacre, Sasuke's oath that had transcended any sort of loyalty he owed his companions. The years of silence and loneliness while Sasuke dedicated himself to destroying every connection he had and Sakura spent her every free moment with him, forcing him to acknowledge her at least. Before Itachi, all of them had assumed a thread could not be severed, fate could not be denied. Sasuke had thought he had found a way though, and Naruto still tensed when he thought of how near a thing it had been, Sakura walking a thin line between survival and death.
"What about you?" Hinata distracted him, pausing outside the bathing chamber, "You said Sakura was a celestial, Sasuke dragged her down. Where were you?"
"Hunting Sasuke," Naruto said shortly.
He wasn't sure what to make of the silence that followed; Hinata's face was studiously blank, her features schooled into that mask he wasn't sure whether he more admired or hated.
"You've spent your whole life with them," she said finally, considering something though Naruto didn't dare ask what it was. He wanted to encourage her questions, wanted her to know everything about him and choose to stay. "You're very fortunate to have such friends."
Hinata hadn't had those sort of friendships, he knew. She spoke of her family the way one might acquaintances, and there were few names that ever earned more than a singular mention. Shino had appeared a time or two, before she had noticed how much any mention of the name annoyed Naruto. Neji was a constant fixture in her happiest memories, but he also seemed to be in all her most painful too.
Naruto laughed to break the silence, "Yeah, I guess I am. I don't what I'd be if they hadn't found me." He had caught a glimpse of it though, when they finally found Sasuke again, when he saw the toll it had taken on Sakura and how casually Sasuke had destroyed every part of her life outside of him. But for them, he could have been a demon in truth, and these peaceful days with Hinata might never have happened. That was a part of the story he didn't want to tell for years yet. Maybe not ever if he could help it.
"Still yourself," she shrugged awkwardly, dismissing her own childhood in that one gesture and acknowledging the woman she had grown into as a result. "I'll bathe first," she tacked on hastily, slipping through the door before Naruto had a chance to respond.
He didn't know what to make of her mood, of their sober conversation or the way she had pried into his life but not into their thread. There was a rehearsed quality to it, only he did not know what part she was about to play.
He lingered outside the door a moment longer, hand half-raised as though to knock before finally turning and heading to their room. She was distracted enough that she had forgotten to take a change of clothes, but he left it for her beside the door and went to pull out their cards once more. The rest of the evening would be as predictable as the rise and fall of the sun, he knew. They would cook together; Hinata making the most of their new ingredients while Naruto followed behind cleaning up. She would lose some of her reserve over supper, letting him prod her into spinning stories about her life, her day, what parts of it he hadn't shared. He would chatter at her, whatever came to mind and she would smile indulgently all the while.
Her eyes would light up every time he placed the cards on the table between them. Naruto thought he might have a chance at winning now that they had played dozens of hands, but he liked the satisfaction in her smile every time she laid down a winning hand, liked watching her brow furrow when he almost began to catch up to her, only to clear when she gained an obvious lead. It was peaceful, soothing, and he was going mad with how mundane and friendly it seemed.
They were friends of a sort now; Hinata didn't have so many that she would turn away another and Naruto hoarded whatever friends he could. The only trouble was that she was his wife, his fated wife, and were it not for the occasional flirtatious banter they could have been mistaken only for friends. Even the way she slept now, no longer hesitating to fall into the sheets beside him, dozing off without tossing restlessly, annoyed him even as he recognized their progress.
But he had promised he would make her ask, and it had been as much a promise for her peace of mind as a threat and a tease. Naruto knew he wasn't the only one that had enjoyed their wedding night, he suspected Hinata was frustrated from the way she met his eyes when she caught him watching to the way she sneaked coy glances in his direction when she thought he wouldn't see. He only hoped her newfound bravery would eventually extend to their burgeoning relationship.
In the meantime, he started a fire and warmed the pot, digging out oils and herbs, waiting for Hinata to show him how she meant to use them tonight.
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Hinata wasn't prone to making decisions based on passing emotions. Cautious, steady, predictable and stubborn once her mind was made up; she carried what could have been her strongest qualities to excess until they became flaws. She recognized it in herself, but until now there had been little reason to change. Her place in her family hierarchy had already been established, her strengths enumerated to her and her weaknesses ruthlessly exploited until her tutors had given up on ever correcting them.
She sank into the tub, enjoying the warmth that seeped into her skin as she circled back again and again to the thoughts that had kept her company on her long walk in the afternoon, examining them in light of what she knew about herself. Some splinter of dissatisfaction had pierced her when she saw the obvious closeness between Naruto and his friends, almost painful when Sakura had so casually drawn him into an embrace. Any respectable lady would have been scandalized at such intimate contact with an unrelated man, but then any respectable lady would have been offended at the notion of wearing the clothes Tenten had made for her or sparring in close quarters with a man.
Or, she thought wryly, eloping with a stranger and spending every night in his bed without the benefit of a marriage approved by her family.
The only conclusion Hinata was left with was that she was not as respectable as she had been. That even if she returned, her reputation would be irreparably tarnished, perhaps enough for the Aburame to reject her outright. She didn't feel much changed though. In fact, she felt more comfortable in her own skin, more confident than she could ever remember being. There was no taking back this fantastical interlude, no undoing the damage that had been done or wishing away the time she had already spent with Naruto and…
She glanced to her hand, searching for any sign of the fate Sakura said had bound her. She had decided to believe that; it followed that what had happened was only natural and right. Something that must have happened in its time, and that Naruto, for all he hadn't been the husband she intended, was meant to be her husband in truth. Hinata squirmed uncomfortably, still unable to make her peace with it; perhaps when she could see the thread with her own eyes it would do away with the last of her misgivings.
However, she had promised Naruto they would live together as husband and wife until the season turned, and after a long soak that left the water tepid and her skin wrinkled, she thought she might be ready to hold to that bargain. If she could find the courage to remind Naruto of it. Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of the tub, hissing with dismay when she realized she had nothing to change into. The idea of slipping back into her soiled clothes held no appeal, but if she could just sneak past Naruto to their room…
She noticed the yukata as she prepared to bolt through the door, white and blue, printed with flowers, something for her to shrug into while they passed an evening together. Naruto had left it for her, as he had left the water for her bath and the cloth to dry. Hinata changed quickly, anxious to see him the longer she thought on it; she had to approach him while she still had her courage.
He was waiting, slouched at the table looking forlorn while he played with the cards alone. Hinata found herself pausing to watch him again, fascinated with the side of him she didn't often get to see, when he wasn't moving, trying to find work, trying to tease or banter. She didn't have long; he had a knack for sensing her gaze and quickly glanced up to meet it.
The solemn expression disappeared, customary grin lighting his face, "I dunno about you but I'm starving, I have the fire going so we can cook quickly. What're the chances of noodles tonight?"
"Anything you like," Hinata agreed, voice subdued even for her.
Naruto perked up, shoving away from the table and making for the kitchen with the desperation of a starving man. Hinata waited a moment longer before following, quieting her thoughts as much as she could by immersing herself in the present. She was too cautious, but tonight she would ignore the voice of doubt that usually plagued her. She was fixed in her ways, and this truce that had sprung up between her and Naruto had suited her for awhile. It didn't any longer.
Tonight she intended to be the one to break it.
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Naruto knew something had changed between them, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He hovered and pestered her while Hinata tried to cook, but she bore it all with perfect equanimity; only sometimes he would catch her smiling to herself, or sometimes watching him from the corner of her eye like she was expecting him to play a prank. He was tempted to humor her, but didn't want to distract her from whatever thoughts had finally put such a peaceful expression on her face.
She had been nervous this afternoon, distraught, and he didn't want to summon the specter of that mood again. This evening she was playful, if quiet, batting his hands away from the vegetables she had chopped only to snag a clump of noodles from their pot and hold it out to him expectantly, giggling as he awkwardly tried to take it from her chopsticks. He liked this side of her, seeing something of who she must have been before her family had worn her down and shaped her to their needs.
Dinner itself felt rushed, Hinata slipping into her own thoughts again and simply going through the motions of eating. He had tried to tease her out of her shell again, but every time he tried she diverted him until he found himself spinning tale after tale of his own childhood. He tried not to look too pleased at her attention, but he didn't have her gift for tact and couldn't help but bask in her attention. Everything seemed normal, if a brighter version of it, until he reached for the cards.
"I'm tired tonight," Hinata reached out to lay a hand over his where it rested on the cards, "aren't you?" She wet her lips, swallowing tightly. "I appreciate all your work today, but it must have been tiring. Don't you think-" she coughed as she nearly choked on her words, "don't you think we ought to turn in?"
Naruto shrugged, oblivious to her distress at his words, "We have nothing we have to do tomorrow, no guests to expect," he said the last with a palpable air of satisfaction. A quiet word to Sakura and he had ensured they wouldn't be bothered anymore. Not for awhile, at least. "If you want to sleep the day away I won't wake you. Besides, the sun has hardly gone down. It would be a waste of light to turn in so early. Play a round?"
Hinata narrowed her eyes, looking unaccountably vexed with him. "Hey, what's wrong? I mean, if you're that tired, sure, turn in. I'm not keeping you, but it's kind of tradition to play at this point, isn't it?" He wilted under her quiet stare, trying not to babble at her, trying to keep her with him as long as he could.
"I don't feel like cards tonight," there was just an edge of asperity in her tone, "I just want to go to bed."
"Alright." Naruto couldn't hide his disappointment, slipping his hand out from under hers where it still rested.
Hinata reached for it again, recoiled when he glanced up at her in confusion, hand still hovering over his though it was curling into a soft fist of discomfort. "I- I'd like it, if you…"
"I didn't catch that," he hadn't. Her voice was softer than the hum of the cicadas drifting in from outside, lost beneath her breath, but from the cherry-red blush stealing across her face again and the way she couldn't quite bring herself to meet his eyes, he had an educated guess as to what she'd said. He felt a hectic grin tugging at his lips but fought it down with an effort.
She cleared her throat, "I said I'd like it if you joined me."
"Eh, I'm not really tired enough to sleep," he lost the battle and grinned outright when Hinata's eyes flashed up to his, filled with naked shock.
"You're teasing me," she said, relaxing infinitesimally at the familiar sight of his grin.
"Only a little."
A puckish smirk settled at the corner of her mouth just before she pushed herself to her feet, "well, don't hurry to bed on my account. Good night, I'm sure I'll be asleep when you join me."
"Not fair! C'mon, I was teasing." He jumped up, wrapping his arms about her waist to drag her back to him. "Told you I'd make you ask, didn't I?" He whispered it in her ear, remembering how lovely her reaction had been the first time he had done such a thing.
She didn't disappoint, that blush spreading straight to the tips of her ears while she relaxed back into his hold, "you did." Her voice came out strangled, but he could hear the thin undercurrent of excitement beneath it. "But I'm not going to beg," she added, tilting her head back to catch his eyes.
"Not tonight, no, we'll try that later."
She drew a breath, doubtless to contradict him, but he caught her up before she could start the thought, clasping her to him and making for their room hastily.
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He set her down just beyond the threshold, holding her until he was sure she was steady on her feet; she was slow to release him, burying her face in his shoulder for a few seconds while she took deep, calming breaths.
"Second thoughts?"
Hinata shook her head, "No, just… I thought it would be easier this time." She stepped away slowly, and he could see the effort it cost her to look him in the eye. Except she had taken shelter in the illusion that it was a dream her first time. Now she had no such protection, no such fantasy to indulge in. Everything had been and would be real.
"Why are you embarrassed?" Naruto watched her trying not to retreat into herself, trying to stay with him in the present and losing ground, "we agreed, right? For now, we're married." He reached out, turning her around gently and she moved with him, no hesitance in her. She seemed to relax when he faced her away from him, tugging gently at the top of her yukata to bare the first inch of skin. Her breath shuddered out of her as he pressed a kiss there, "humans can't be so different, can they?"
Hinata considered; she wasn't meant to enjoy relations with her husband, it was supposed to be another act of duty. She certainly wasn't supposed to proposition him either, but no such rules existed between Naruto and herself. He would indulge her, she knew, would encourage her questions and curiosity in this respect the same as he did any other. And her enthusiasm, she had learned, was decidedly welcome too.
"I don't know," she said finally. "There were books in our library with etchings of… this." Naruto let it pass, too busy pressing soothing kisses down her spine as she slipped from her yukata at last, "but no one ever discussed it with me, except to say that it was a duty that would be expected of me."
Naruto snorted, "it's not meant to be a chore like fetching water."
"No, I gathered that much last time," Hinata turned again, forcing herself to stand straight and face him; he was watching her with equal parts bemusement and tenderness, at once trying to reconcile the woman she had been raised to be with the woman she had fashioned of herself as well as the curious surge of protectiveness he felt every time he watched her square her shoulders or set her jaw like she expected him to pounce. She was giving him such a look then that he really had no choice but to lean forward and kiss her.
Some of her old reticence crept back into her; he could feel it in the way she stiffened, then consciously relaxed against him, catching the hand he had laid at her hip and holding it. For a while he was content merely with that, pressing chaste kisses to her lips, teasing her by running his tongue along the seam of them just as she began to relax. It took more patience than he had thought he had left, but somehow he managed to outlast her. Hinata was the one to twine a fist about his collar and pull him close; she followed when he began to pull away, catching his lips with her own and coaxing him into the lingering kisses she had enjoyed on their wedding night. Her hand crept up to his hair, combing through it soothingly and he couldn't help but sigh with the satisfaction of it.
That pulled her back to herself quickly, and he nearly whimpered with disappointment when she began to pull away from him, that pretty blush staining her cheeks again. "I, um, your clothes? Shouldn't you-"
He was a wicked fox, Naruto mentally conceded, but then she was the woman fate had decided was his match. Besides, for days he had spent those late nights watching her sleep, imagining a time when she would trust him enough to let him touch her again. He wanted her to crave him as badly as he always did her, and after a lifetime of precious few gentle touches, he could think of no better way to encourage her than spoil her, if she was brave enough for it.
"Not yet," he answered, drawing her after him but bypassing the futon, "I want to try something first."
"Try…?" Hinata blinked up at him in undisguised confusion when he pressed her to the wall, leaning forward to press a soothing kiss to the frown lines wrinkling her forehead.
"Trust me?" She was still new to this, but if he had one regret from their wedding night it was that he hadn't had a chance to draw out her pleasure, hadn't had the chance to learn her body well enough to do it.
She nodded, wary, but her breath came short and fast. Curiosity overcame any reticence on her part, right until he knelt before her, fingers dancing up her legs, enjoying the twitch and jump of her muscles.
"I wanted to try this on our wedding night." He tugged at one leg and she yielded easily, letting him draw it over his shoulder, sighing softly as he pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. She froze as he moved higher, and Naruto nipped playfully, drawing her back out of herself before she could retreat into that cool shell she would have pulled about her like armor. She rested a hand atop his head and he could feel the beginning of a tremor in it, slight but telling. He paused to catch her hand, pressing a kiss to her calloused palm and the breath shuddered out of her as she began to breathe normally.
"Shouldn't we move to the futon?"
"Here's fine."
"Oh. Oh." She threw her head back against the wall when his tongue dipped into the crease at her hip, fingers digging into the skin of her leg in a warning to be still.
"Good?"
She nodded mutely, cheeks afire with shame and anticipation all at once. "G-good."
Naruto hummed, pressing another kiss slightly higher, feeling Hinata tense in anticipation only to hiss with annoyance when he didn't make any further move. "I've got another game."
"Now?"
Naruto hid a grin, trying not to laugh at the mingled annoyance and distress in her tone. "Why don't we see how many times I can make you come before it's too much?"
It wasn't hard to piece together what he meant, but Hinata wasn't certain she wouldn't spontaneously combust from embarrassment alone as she answered, "is there such a thing?"
"Let's find out."
She gasped as his mouth covered her slit, tongue lapping at her greedily, the fingers of his free hand spreading her, gathering her wetness. Unconsciously she pulled him closer, breath catching in her throat when he located that little nub, the edge of his teeth playing over it until she almost begged him to stop. She understood now that there was a fine line between pleasure and pain, and Naruto kept her hovering between it, coaxing her into arching against him even as she writhed to get away. She felt her muscles spasm, felt the sudden release of tension, only Naruto didn't pause, didn't give her more than a second to compose herself before he slipped a finger into her, his tongue swirling about her clit until she keened.
Too much, the words danced on the tip of her tongue, but it wasn't. Not yet, or not quite. Just when she thought she would say it, Naruto would gentle his touch, pull away just long enough to dull the edge of her pleasure before he began again. She rocked into him slowly, off-balance but unable to bring herself to care. Naruto held her, kept her standing when she would have stumbled, even as her leg shook with the effort of supporting her weight.
Another finger slipped into her, pressing into a spot at her core that had her digging her heel into Naruto's back, hands looking for any purchase and finally tangling in his hair. He caught her other leg, and Hinata didn't have the strength to fight it when he drew it over his other shoulder, his hand moving to pin her hips to the wall, until she couldn't escape him, had no choice but to move with him. He growled against her and it was enough to tip her over the edge again, Naruto's greedy tongue lapping at her essence, dipping into her even as his fingers thrust deeper. Too much.
She tipped over the edge again, body gone limp against the support of the wall, allowing him to bear her weight. She didn't speak though, clenching even her cries behind her teeth lest the words slip free.
Naruto pulled away and she whimpered at the loss, hand carding through his hair in mute pleading. "Let me hear you,"
There was a hint of a snarl beneath the command, and even that was enough to wind her tighter until she almost sobbed with need. "Please," she managed, swallowed and tried once more, "please, again."
He grinned, the edge of something feral in it; it should have worried her, but she could feel anticipation coiling in her gut, fingers unconsciously looking for purchase in his short hair. She didn't muffle her cry when Naruto's thumb found her clit again, his tongue slipping into her in the same filthy, sensuous kiss he had pressed to her mouth not long ago. Tears beaded at the corner of her eyes, slipping free to trail down her cheek when she blinked. Too much and not enough all at once. He was careful with her this time, soothing rather than inciting, sensing that she had little patience left and determined to draw it out.
She tightened her thighs, fighting off the strange sensation that seemed to begin in her toes, but Naruto hummed and caught her thigh- fingertips pricking delicate skin almost like they were claws. His other hand played at her entrance, circling and teasing… she writhed when she felt them begin to breach her, slow but inexorable, finding that spot again and curling in her; Naruto groaned when he felt her thighs tighten about him again, her heels digging into his back as she clenched around him sporadically.
"Too much," she gasped out, "too much," she panted softly, struggling to get her legs under her again.
Naruto released her reluctantly, and she blushed with new embarrassment as she saw him licking his lips, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Hinata crumpled to the ground, legs too unsteady to bear her weight; Naruto stayed where he had knelt, resting his head against her shoulder as he caught his breath. Caught up in the curious intimacy of it, she tried to fix his hair, sorting the tangled mess into some semblance of order apologetically. Naruto huffed a laugh against her skin, but didn't move away from it.
"Good?" Naruto asked again, reduced to monosyllables himself. She was too damn perfect, beautiful and wanton, sensitive to every word and caress; he ached with the need to take her again, best intentions be damned.
Hinata nodded, struggling to look at him again, "Did you… can you enjoy that?"
"Hell yes," the question surprised a snort of amusement from him, even as he rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, working the stiffness from them.
"But-" Hinata cleared her throat, one hand playing nervously down his front. "But you didn't c-come did you?" The unfamiliar words felt clumsy on her tongue, and if ever she had prayed for the earth to swallow her live it was now, but they were married, and there would be no other women for Naruto as long as he had her. She was decided in that much. Whomever had come before had no place between them now; which meant this was also her duty. And pleasure.
The unexpected possessiveness had her skin darkening further, blush racing down her neck and across her chest.
"Not yet, but I can take care of it," it was worth it just to see Hinata grow more comfortable speaking with him like this, more comfortable with her body and his.
"No, I want to try," the words were soft, muffled in Naruto's shoulder while Hinata searched for her natural reserve and found it didn't come as easily as it had before.
Naruto paused, one hand catching Hinata under her chin to glance up at him again. It was a gesture she was quickly becoming familiar with, and she leaned into the casually affectionate touch, "hey, there is nothing you need to do tonight. It's all about you, y'know?"
"I don't want that," the words were decisive, if hardly above a whisper. "I want to-" she searched for the words, chin setting in that stubborn way he was quickly becoming familiar with. "I am your wife, for now," she added hastily, eyes widening. "And," she swallowed, voice growing stronger, "I want to do everything a wife would do for you."
Naruto hardly heard her, too busy reveling in her thoughtless admission, I am your wife. He ignored that "for now"; for the first time since they had first struck their deal he was certain he could persuade her to stay, no exceptions or provisions. He kissed her, the bitter sweetness of her still on his tongue, and this at least had become familiar enough that she leaned into him, following him as he pulled away.
"Alright," he clambered to his feet, offering Hinata a hand she gingerly accepted, giggling with relief when he only pulled her back to the futon.
It was her turn to surprise him, pushing him lightly so that he tumbled down as she had on their wedding night and lying down beside him. She smirked mischievously when she saw the open surprise on his face, curling in on herself in sudden modesty when she felt his gaze linger a second too long on the picture she made sprawled beside him. "Can you show me how?" She let her hand play down his front again, resting on his hips to enjoy the feel of muscles shifting beneath her palm.
Strong as she was, she could feel more power in him than he ever allowed himself to use against her in their sparring matches; impossibly the thought sparked new warmth in her. She clenched her thighs, willing herself to ignore it and focus on her husband. She shied away from the word, even in her thoughts, but it was slightly easier to think now that she was lying beside him, thoroughly worn out after what he had done to her. Anticipating the lessons the rest of the night could bring.
Naruto swore under his breath, "you're wet again."
"I'm sorry," Hinata clenched her eyes shut, fighting the urge to bury her face in the blanket, but Naruto rested a hand atop hers where she had clenched it in the fabric of the coverings, drawing it back to his body.
"That's not something to be sorry for, Hinata," she opened her eyes slowly, searching his face and finding nothing but honesty, "trust me, really."
She nodded, past speaking; Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought, studying her, assessing her in much the same way he did just before he called a break in their practice. Hinata met him stare for stare, wondering what balance she was being weighed in now.
"D'you think you could come again?"
"Maybe." She would speak, she would; she had nothing to be ashamed of here, and she wasn't going to let shyness keep her from enjoying her first proper night with her husband. Naruto expected honesty equal to his own from her, she knew, and she would give it because he deserved that much at least.
Naruto considered her a moment longer, frown lines appearing at the corner of his mouth only to disappear before he finally spoke, "straddle me?"
"You mean like…" she slid a leg over him, pushing herself up to kneel above him. Somehow it was even harder to look at him like this, with him staring up at her mouth half open while he watched her move. "Like this?" She finished, sure it couldn't be right.
"Exactly like that," his hands ghosted up her hips to her waist, raising goosebumps everywhere they touched, fingers pausing to trace every scar or freckle they found. "This was supposed to be your night," he griped.
"I don't mind," Hinata interjected quickly, worried he would break this new entente between them, worried he would cut the tension building in her like a string pulled too tight.
"Hell," he snarled, hands leaving her to tear at his own clothes impatiently. More careful, Hinata joined him, gathering the discarded garments and tossing them away, enjoying the sight of him as much as she pleased while he was distracted. She enjoyed knowing what she did to him, enjoyed the frankly admiring gaze that swept over her form, the hand he reached out to comb her hair over her shoulder so that it fell between them. Even his haste only matched her own impatience. It was only fair she let him see the effect he had on her as well.
She gave in to her own impulse, trailing her fingers down to his erection, pleased at the whine she heard catch in his throat, the way his hands clenched on her hips as he rolled into her touch. "Is this good?"
Naruto nodded, speechless as she had been; hovering over him like this, watching the red blush racing across his own chest, the way his breaths shuddered out of him gave her a peculiar feeling of power. "Let me," he managed at last, grasping her hand tighter than she had expected and running her clenched fist up his length torturously slow. "Fuck, here let me…"
Hinata couldn't bring herself to watch as he guided her over him, fingers gathering her slick so that he slipped easily inside her; she focused on breathing, adjusting to the sensation once more. There was no discomfort this time, just the fullness of him, that sensation of completeness, and the instinctive urge to move. He rocked up into her and she moved with him, searching for some way to brace herself until he caught her hand, twining his fingers with hers, letting her lean her weight into him.
His other hand found the place they were joined and her newfound rhythm stuttered slightly as his fingers drifted over her sex, teasing but never quite giving her the contact she needed to tip over the edge once more. She didn't care, hardly noticed, too caught up in the newness of it all; he clenched his eyes shut, clenching his jaw and swallowing. He was blushing as deeply as she, and she finally understood why he had asked for her voice. She wanted to hear every sound he swallowed down.
"I like your voice too," she murmured, unsure how else to ask, unable to mimic his command yet.
His breath hissed out between clenched teeth, muffled profanity and praise falling from his lips in equal measure. "Harder, please Hinata."
She loved her name when he said it like that, the breathy growl just beneath it, the sheer desperation in the words. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Won't," he gritted out, his eyes locking on hers, an impossibly bright blue. She obeyed, abandoning herself to it, letting him guide her and bear her weight, clamping her legs to his sides as tightly as her weary muscles would permit. The extra friction was all she needed, and she cried his name as she felt her intimate muscles spasming around him, her body losing the fight to stay upright as she tensed and relaxed all in a second's time, sprawling over Naruto, his hands the only thing keeping her upright.
Gently Naruto lifted her, guiding her to lie beside him. She winced at the feel of their mingled essence seeping down her thigh, but didn't object as Naruto tucked her into his side. "That was nice."
"That was better than nice," Naruto's laughter was muffled in her hair. He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and Hinata dared to edge a little farther into the crook of his arm, nearer his body heat.
"I think I'd like to try it again-"
Naruto's heartfelt groan cut her off, "you are trying to kill me."
"Another night," Hinata finished with a giggle, letting her fingertips play with the wisps of hair trailing down his stomach, delighting in the warning glance he shot her.
"Any night," Naruto agreed, "you were perfect."
Hinata wished the room was darker to hide her face, but she forced the words out anyway, "you were too. I-I enjoyed it." Even the nagging voice of doubt that had been her companion since her youngest years didn't plague her now. She had seen for herself how much Naruto had enjoyed it, had enjoyed her. There hadn't been any other woman on his mind tonight, she thought smugly, it hadn't been Sakura's name on his lips whatever bond they shared.
"You're quiet," Naruto said finally, combing her hair back from her face the better to read her expression; it slipped through his hands like a silk ribbon, smooth and straight. He wanted to run a comb through it, pin it up for her, teasing her neck with kisses all the while, enjoying the feel of it and the intimacy of performing such a task for her.
"Just thinking."
"Of what?"
She didn't answer, and it wasn't long before her breathing leveled out in sleep. Careful not to wake her, he drew the blankets over them, curling about her protectively; it would make things far easier if he could read her mind, or if she was as forthcoming with her thoughts as he. However, then she wouldn't be Hinata, and it wouldn't be his thread bound about her finger. Whatever was on her mind, he would coax it out of her in the days ahead. They had plenty of time, and he had finally begun to puzzle out the riddle of her.
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A.N: Two updates in one week? I am as shocked as you are, but that next chap is going to take time. I'm trying to keep the word counts reasonable but this relationship has to move and the smut really eats up the words. So take these last couple chaps as a gift to tide you over. :)
I have no way of responding to guest reviews individually, so to the anon confused by Hinata's outfit: I'll go back and edit that to see if I can make it clearer on the page. The description will remain a little vague, mostly because Hinata herself wouldn't have the words for it, but that's a limitation I should learn to work around. Thank you for telling me!