Sakura Haruno was in desperate need of a boyfriend.
"And this motherfucker called me ugly! Can you believe that? Me! Ugly!"
So much so that she was taking … questionable precautions.
It was late in the afternoon when customers began to shuffle in after their 9-to-5 jobs, and for a good most of it, Hinata has been kindly listening to the barrage of stories from her coworker. For about a week, she's heard, Sakura had been using some up-and-coming dating app, and the amount of weirdos and scumbags she's found there has been sending her in a fit. Hinata couldn't really say she was surprised. Dating apps never seemed like the hotspot for decent, mature people.
But then again, her devil boyfriend was currently doing well in avoiding her, so she supposed she didn't have any room to talk.
Chapter 13
How Would You Feel About Dating My Coworker?
"That's awful," she said as she counted the change of a customer. "You don't believe it, right?"
Sakura's cheeks puffed. "Of course not. If you think this –" She swiped a hand through her pink locks, "– is ugly, then you're clearly not worth my time."
"Yeesh." Kiba came up from behind them, wiping his hands on his black apron tied at his waist. "Complaining again, Sakura? What was it this time? Someone said your head was too big?"
Green eyes flashed his way. "Fuck off, Kiba. You're just jealous you don't have as many matches as me."
"Wanna bet?"
Behind the counter, he pulled out his phone and tapped the app open. Hinata watched his face light up with a smirk before he turned and waved the screen in Sakura's face.
"Look at that – I matched with you." He gave her a look, then dismissed the match. "Too bad I have standards."
"God, please." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Like I'd wanna be anywhere near your face."
"Too handsome?"
"Choke."
Hinata glanced at her two tables that were occupied, saw that no one needed her or the bill, and sighed at her coworkers. "Maybe you should just stop using the app," she suggested, gently, because she knew a wrong word could send Sakura off when she was in this sort of mood. "No one is piquing your interest there, so maybe it's best."
"Or maybe the good ones just need to be pushed to get the app." Sakura gave Hinata a pleading look as she touched her arm. "Hey – you know someone, don't you? I mean, you're friends with, like, everyone at your college, right?" Hinata did not feel the need to correct her, so she simply shrugged a shoulder. "Can you tell the decent ones to get the app? Maybe I'll match with them – then I won't have to deal with all the other assholes."
Kiba snorted, "Making Hinata do all the dirty work, huh? God, just speed date or something."
"I-It's okay." She didn't want them to start another argument, so Hinata took the hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze as she smiled at Sakura. "If I can think of anyone, I'll ask them about it, alright?"
A customer waved Sakura over, and green eyes gave her a thankful look before she whisked away. Kiba shook his head and pushed his phone into one of his back pockets.
"You're way too nice, Hinata," he said. "Don't worry too much about it. She'll get by fine."
She nodded and smiled, but in her head, she was already beginning to gather a list of names.
…
The first one that came to her was, of course –
Knock knock.
"S-Sasuke."
Not her Sasuke, but Sasuke Uchiha, naturally.
And it was probably a really stupid idea – he didn't seem interested in dating anyone at present, and with how he ignored the girls at college, it was very possible he might never be. But Sakura Haruno had a type for dark and edgy men, and Sasuke Uchiha was definitely that.
It took only ten seconds for the door to open, and Sasuke leaned out, eyes lidded and staring in the area of her chin. "What?"
"U-Um." This was weird. Now that she thought about it, she shouldn't have agreed to the job. Hands wringing together, she asked, "Can I come in? I want to talk to you about something."
His head tilted, and then he moved back and allowed her inside his apartment. Hinata went to the couch and sat down, and he found the chair and waited for her to speak, fingers tapping on the armrest with obvious impatience.
"This is going to be a weird question –"
"That's fine," he said. "Ask it."
If she stalled anymore, he'd get annoyed, so Hinata breathed in through her nose, and asked, "Are you … d-dating someone right now?"
Everything stopped. The tapping, the breathing, the jump in his left leg. It was so still and quiet for a second, and then he leaned almost completely out of his chair.
"No," he breathed, "I'm not."
"O-Oh. Good."
"Good?"
He hacked, and she panicked.
"No – I mean – not good that you're not dating anyone. I didn't mean it, um, like that." God, she was making a fool of herself. Shaking her head, Hinata tried to get back on track. "What I mean is – or rather – are you interested at all in dating –"
"Hinata," he hissed. "Spit it out."
Startled, shoulders jumping, Hinata did exactly that.
"My friend is looking for someone."
Everything stopped again, but it felt different this time, for whatever reason.
"Your friend," Sasuke repeated. "Your hypothetical friend?"
"N-No, my real friend." Pressing her back as far into the sofa as she could, Hinata looked away from him and gathered her wits. This was a bad idea. Such a bad idea. But there was no way around this. "She's my coworker at the cafe, and she's been trying to find a boyfriend on this dating app. And, um, she asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested, and since you are –"
"I'm not," he interjected.
Her eyes widened. "Y-You aren't?"
"Not in her." His lips twisted in an unpleasant sneer as he jerked back into his seat. "And next time, lead with the friend part. Jesus."
Hinata looked around the place – at the neatly organized bookshelf and the simple, black leather of the couch; anything to keep from staring at his angry face. "So, u-um, you won't get the dating app, then?"
His eyes squeezed shut as his brows furrowed, and that was a clear enough answer for her.
"What's the point of me even getting it?" Sasuke snapped, then huffed. "It's all petty – go for the prettiest face or some shit. I shouldn't have to explain to you that I can't see them."
She was well aware of that. But, still – "Y-You can fall in love with someone when you don't know what they look like."
"I know that." His mouth stayed open, as if to say more, but nothing came out. His sneer slowly morphed into a frown, and then he pursed his lips for a moment. Hinata waited, hands pressed between her knees, a bit uncomfortable with the sudden silence. But then, finally, he spoke again. "I mean that it's more difficult to do so when you're using something that's designed around people's looks."
At that, Hinata smiled. "I understand what you mean."
"Don't tell me you're on that app."
"Oh. No, I'm not." Should she mention she was already taken? Would that sound like she was bragging?
Another minute, and when he asked for the time, she told him it was a bit after seven. "You might as well stay for dinner," he said as he stood and made his way to the kitchen. His cane was by the door, and when he walked, there was no hesitation in his steps. It seemed he was already used to his new home. "I'll cook this time, I guess."
"You can cook?" Hinata stood and followed him to the kitchen.
"I'm not helpless."
Ah. And it was back to that, again.
…
"Can I ask another weird question?"
"It better not be about your friend. I'm not interested."
She finished washing her plate and dried her hands on the rag hanging from the faucet. The last rays of day were shining through the window, casting harsh shadows against his dim apartment. It was getting dark inside, and Hinata flicked on a light.
"Say, hypothetically, you liked someone." He grunted from behind her, signaling for her to continue. "We both know that you can like someone for more than just their looks, but is it just personality-based for you? Would there be something else?"
"You talk as if we can't be as vain as any other person," Sasuke muttered. "Voice is important. If I don't like how you sound, I'm not interested."
Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious about her stutter. "I … see."
"Your mannerisms, how you present yourself – tone reveals a lot about a person. You usually sound like a damn slug with the complete lack of backbone in your voice."
"I-I'm sorry."
His grip tightened on the back of his chair. "Don't be. I never said I hated it."
"Is that all, then? Voice … mannerisms … ."
"I'm as human as you, Hyuuga," he said. "I can like or hate someone for the same reasons as you."
Her face heated up as she returned to the dining table. "I know," she whispered. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you."
"And just because I can't see doesn't mean I'm never curious."
The sun finally set, and it was just the one light in the kitchen. Everything else was dark, like the very person who lived in that apartment. But like the artificial light of the kitchen, there was a spark of something in him. Not in his eyes, which stayed as they always did. But … somewhere in him or about him, he was lighter than usual.
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"I wonder how people look," he explained. "I don't care, usually, but I wonder." Slowly, his hands lifted from the back of the chair, and he stepped to her. "I wonder about you."
She smiled. "I just look normal."
His right hand reached forward, found her shoulder, and then trailed the side of her neck. "For whatever reason, people think that a blind person can tell how someone looks by touching their face." His thumb pressed against her pulse, which raced. "We can't. It doesn't work that way. But we can get an idea, usually."
Her mouth felt completely dry. "U-Um … ."
"Can I?"
The idea of him touching her face felt way too intimate, but Hinata reminded herself that Sasuke wasn't interested in dating, and especially not in her. They were friends … probably. If she could not see, she'd be curious about how her friends looked, too.
"Go ahead."
So he did, the whisper of his fingers light, barely pressing against her skin. He traced her cheek, the curve of her ear, then went to her brow. He traveled down the bridge of her nose, dipped into the dip of her philtrum, then stayed on the bow of her upper lip. His hand stayed and stayed, and then, he found her chin and finally pulled away.
"Huh."
Just one word that revealed nothing to her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No," he said, "just wasn't what I was expecting."
Her eyes fluttered, then bowed. "Sorry."
"No, it's a good thing. You're … symmetrical." He pressed a hand to his mouth and turned away. "Probably."
And despite herself, Hinata laughed. "Did you think I wasn't?"
When he pulled his hand away, Sasuke revealed a rather dashing smirk. "Who knows."
…
When she got home, it was burning. She was burning.
Sasuke was there.
When she looked, there was no soul in his hands, and the usual, impassive purse of his lips was replaced with something more … pained.
Pained?
"Are you okay?" She rushed over, and there, in front of him, she saw his hand pressed against the center of his chest. "Is something wrong, Sasuke?"
He did not speak, just glared down at himself. His dark eyes were narrow with confusion. His fingers curled into the fabric of his cloak.
"It feels like something's in there," he muttered, "but there's nothing."
Something in his chest. Hinata leaned forward, but heard nothing; no heart, no subtle hum of a soul that she's trained herself to hear after being so close to Neji's for the past few days.
It was empty. He was empty, just like he always was.
"Can we talk?" she asked, voice edged with a plea. "Can you not leave right now?"
His eyes stayed on his hand, but he said, "Not tonight."
"Then tomorrow," she pressed.
It was getting tiring, sitting around and waiting for him. She wouldn't let it continue like this for much longer.
And he must have heard her resolve, for he finally looked up and met her gaze.
"Tomorrow," he agreed.
Chapter 13 - End
