-Hinata's POV-

I woke up in the middle of the night to my hair being brushed out of my face. My brow furrowed slightly before I blinked a few times so my eyes would adjust to the dark room. Then, finally, I realized Naruto was laying on his side with his head propped up on his fist as he looked at me. Immediately, my face warmed at the realization that he'd been watching me sleep, but I was more happy to see him than anything else.

After talking to Sakura earlier and trying to cheer on her attempt at communicating with Sasuke, I realized something important. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the fact that I've been holding back from Naruto was just as unfair as what I thought I was avoiding by doing so.

"Hey…"

Gorgeous blue eyes beamed warmly down at me and the corner of his lips twitched as though he wanted to smile, "Hey."

Before I could chicken out, I spat the words out that've been on the tip of my tongue for weeks now, "I d-don't want to just be friends. It's selfish of me to feel this way for you, but you told me yourself that I need to be more selfish when you're involved, r-remember?" He told me that right before he kissed me for the first time while we were dreaming. That day felt so much longer ago than it was.

His lips did turn up into a smile this time and it warmed my heart to see a positive reaction to my confession. I thought he'd say something in return, but he didn't. Instead, he let himself fall back against the pillow at my side with a relieved sigh.

I turned onto my side so I could face him, "I-I hope it's okay I said that…"

He grinned widely as he looked up at the ceiling, speaking in a slightly amused tone, "Don't announce that you're gonna be selfish and then try and apologize," he turned his head to look at me, "I realized earlier that you're capable of much more than you and I have been giving you credit for."

Confusion was likely written all over my face because he continued, looking back up at the ceiling as he moved his hands behind his head, "Sakura told me I was underestimating you and she was right. I owe you an apology." Suddenly, one of his arms slid under my waist and I was pulled up on top of him, straddling his hips.

A small squeak slid past my lips and my hands instinctively pressed against his chest to lift myself upright, "N-Naruto!"

"Let's make a deal, Hinata."

My eyes were wide with surprise as I looked down into his off-puttingly calm ones. Something had definitely changed within his mindset because his approach was leaps and bounds more forward than before. The heat from my blush was incredible and I felt it flowing throughout my body, especially where it came into contact with his. I was very nervous, but forced myself to keep it together as I nodded so he'd continue with his proposition.

"You can be as selfish as you want with me if I can do the same with you. Agreed?"

To anyone else, his words might've sounded purely sexual, but I knew better than that. While some of the stuff he was referring to being selfish about would indeed end up being sexual in nature, Naruto was primarily talking about what we want to gain from one another.

I can't speak to what exactly he hopes to achieve by getting romantically involved, but I know a few things that I want. There are things that he's given me small doses of that have left me yearning for more: intimacy, comfort, passion, understanding. These things, and more, are what I've wanted since before I even realized I like him. Receiving them from anyone other than him was unacceptable. Because of this, I nodded without a word.

He tilted his head slightly, "I'm glad. I was gonna be-"

I cut him off by bravely pressing my lips against his with my entire being trembling with anxiety. He said it himself: I can be as selfish as I want. That meant I could kiss him even if my own body was questioning if I was ready for it or not.

Naruto froze beneath me for barely a second before naturally kissing me back while moving his hands up to hold my waist. After a few seconds, I pulled back and let out an exasperated gasp before letting myself fall against his chest so I could burn into a puddle of humiliation.

He laughed as he wrapped his arms further around me so I wouldn't fall off of him, "I mean, I'm thrilled, but you don't have to push yourself so hard you nearly faint."

A small laugh came from my lips and I pulled back to look him in the eye with my hands against the pillow on either side of his head, "I don't have to do anything." He nodded with a grin, meeting my lips for a softer kiss when I leaned in as though he could read my mind.

As bashful as I was feeling, his blatant encouragement gave me the strength I needed to say something that'd been on the back of my mind since I first woke up in this house, "We should t-take advantage of having our own room while we can."

His grin fell and eyes widened, "It sounds like you're saying-"

I cut him off again, mentally trying to keep my courage from shattering, "I meant what I said before. As long as it's y-you, it's fine."

Bright blue eyes seemed to glow with intrigue as he sat up underneath me, chest pressed against mine. My arms rested over his shoulders and he held my lower back until we were upright, when he pulled back slightly to look over my appearance, "You're serious, aren't you?"

Our emotions were barely ever not actively being shared these days, so I responded with a shy grin, "You know I am."

A light blush met his cheeks, but it was still nothing compared to mine. No matter how confidently I spoke, my red face would always betray my bashfulness.

Naruto pulled his arms from around me before slowly undoing the tie holding my thin bathrobe closed. My eyes widened slightly at how quickly he'd decided to go for it, but I forced myself not to panic. He was moving slowly so I'd have a chance to stop him, but he knew I wouldn't. Instead of focusing on my nervousness, I mirrored his goal and gently pulled his shirt off over his head at the same time the silk cloth of my robe slid off my shoulders.

I thought for sure he'd take at least a moment to stare since the only item of clothing left on my body was my underwear, but he shocked me by eagerly pressing his lips against mine instead. A small shocked sound was muffled by his passionate actions and I let myself go with the flow of it.

Despite his excitement, he gradually deepened our interaction so I'd have time to adjust and figure out how to react to each little change. Naruto's the first and only person I've kissed in my life, a fact he's well aware of, so he was giving me time to learn rather than forcing himself on me.

Warm hands gently ran over the bare skin on my arms, back, chest, stomach: whatever he could reach. My fingers trembled slightly, but I eventually worked up the courage to touch his chest. Firm muscles flexed under my touch, making a wave of something I physically couldn't ignore run up through my spine and then down into the pit of my stomach. My curiosity was interrupted when Naruto slowly worked his tongue into my mouth before coercing me to interact with him by angling his head and leaving me no room for escape.

My breasts pressed firmly against his chest when another wave of that unique emotion surged through me and instead of holding back in fear I'd make a fool of myself, I let my body react to it naturally. My hips moved ever so slightly against his and the small bit of pleasure the act caused made my breath hitch.

One of his hands suddenly came to my back to hold me against him as he moved us so I was laying against the mattress and he was on top of me. Once there, his hand moved from my back to firmly caress my waist before squeezing my breast.

I could tell how much he desperately wanted to be more rough by the short bursts of emotion being sent my way and tried to wordlessly communicate to him that I was okay with it so long as he'd stop if I told him to. The message seemed to get across quickly and clearly because he pressed his leg in between my knees before forcing them apart and sliding in between them.

Another small sound got lost in between our mouths when I felt a pressure against my underwear, which was likely a very specific part of his body. The new sensation felt surprisingly good and a gasp came from my lips.

Naruto gently grabbed my jaw and made me arch my neck in a way that gave him plenty of access so he could press hungry kisses there. My legs bent further until I couldn't help but lift them up around his hips so the short, rhythmic bouts of pressure he was putting against my lower regions would be easier for him to perform.

One of my hands wrapped in his hair and the other ran over any of his bare skin that I could reach, whether it be his torso or back.

He pressed against me again, but this time the placement was just right and a wave of intense heat coursed through me that brought my body beyond my control. A soft moan left my lips and my back slightly arched.

"I never thought I'd hear you make sounds like that."

My eyes shot open and I looked over to see his face was still buried in my neck. A grin tugged at my lips and I held his body more firmly against mine before closing my eyes once more to return to enjoying the wonderful sensations he was spoiling me with. His lips slowly moved down from my neck to my collarbone, then, in between my breasts, before he took the nipple of the breast he'd been kneading into his mouth.

The blazing heat of my blush, which had started to fly under the radar with everything else going on, flared back up when he glanced up at my face to see my reaction. Hot breath dusted against my damp skin as he let out a chuckle from where he was, "You're so shy."

My brow furrowed. My eyes squeezed closed and I wanted to respond, but he moved his mouth from my breast down to my ribcage before completely freezing all his actions at once. I looked down at him again, only to see him rise up to his hands and knees with his eyes trained on my stomach.

Did I do something wrong?

Why did he stop so suddenly?

"Naruto?"

Blue eyes lifted from my body up to my face and I was stunned to see tears welled up in them. I sat up beneath him, causing him to sit back on his knees, "Naruto, what's wrong?" He gave me an unreadable look and I sensed a heavy wave of distress.

The blonde man gently lifted a hand to my stomach and goosebumps rose to my skin when he lightly traced the scar from the emergency surgery I'd had after Hidan had shattered my ribcage. My own eyes watered when I finally realized why he'd stopped. He saw the scar and was reminded of that awful time. I suppose I was lucky he hadn't also reacted to any of the lingering bruises from the awful chase I'd been a part of the other day.

My chest warmed at the tender way he was suddenly treating me and I realized we weren't going to go any further tonight. That was fine by me. We'd taken a giant step today. Naruto was finally able to understand my feelings for him and that was enough for me.

I gently grabbed his free hand and guided him to lay down beside me. He obeyed my wishes and kissed me sweetly for a few moments after pulling the covers up over us. One of his hands remained on my waist so he could softly run his thumb over that terrible scar as we settled down.

For a moment while we were making out, I'd gotten so lost in the heat of the moment that I'd forgotten how strongly we cared for one another. We were friends first, so regardless of what this relationship ended up evolving into, our emotional bond will always be the strongest aspect of it.