Okay.

At first, she wasn't too sure about it; maybe he really didn't care that much, or maybe he hadn't even given it the time of day. There were ways to go about it, and while they could be somewhat annoying for both parties, it was never to an extreme point. He never complained or said much about it, and Hinata took that as him being all good with how things were going.

Oh, was she wrong.

Sasuke wanted skin contact.

Wanted.

And if Hinata was being honest, so did she. It would be nice to be able to hug him and kiss him and wash his hair without fear of severe burns. No gloves. No turtleneck sweaters or feathers in the way. Skin-on-skin, hand-in-hand, lips-to-lips contact. Shared warmth. Smooth skin against one another. She'd trace the lines in his palm and he'd twist his fingers in her hair and it would be nice.

But none of it could happen; because Sasuke had burning skin, and she was human.

And now that she was aware of it, she realized how … irritated it made him.

"If I were to be brutally honest," he stated when she asked him his true feelings on the subject the night after the whole …fiasco, "then I'd venture to say it's mostly your fault."

Oh yeah, definitely irritated.

Chapter 23

Through Trials and Tribulations, We'll Find A Way. Hopefully.

He was on the stairs of the library, smelling the lemon balm she had planted last spring. When approaching, Hinata made sure her footsteps were loud enough for him to hear her and correct his posture, for she knew Sasuke Uchiha wasn't the type to like to be caught smelling the roses.

"Oh," he said suavely as he stood with his cane in hand, "I was just leaving."

She still hadn't a clue how he knew it was her approaching, but Hinata swept the wonder away in the back of her mind and smiled, bringing her scarf close to her mouth as winter blew between them. "Can I get your help with something, please?"

"Depends on what it is."

"U-Um. Advice, I think. Or …" Honestly, Hinata didn't know exactly what to call it or if it was even a good idea to go and bother Sasuke with her problems. But she didn't have much of a choice. Kiba would get suspicious and Temari and Sakura would harp on her. He was all she had. "Can we talk hypothetically for a moment?"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sasuke Uchiha stood a foot away from her. He nudged a shoulder, gesturing for her to continue.

So, without a pause to stir hesitation in her chest, she did. "Say … your skin burned people when you touched them."

"God," he scoffed, "if only."

That got a bit of a smile from her. "Now say you have a girlfriend who you love very much. U-Um, obviously, there's an issue with intimacy because of the whole burning thing … ."

Her words died on her tongue upon the grimace twisting at his face.

"Your jackass of a boyfriend has intimacy issues, huh?"

That …

How did he …?

"N-No, I –"

"Cut the shit," he sighed. "At least have some respect for me and be honest."

This was exactly what she was trying to avoid with Kiba. Rubbing her hands together, the friction warming up her trembling fingers slightly, Hinata stuttered, "Th-This is hypothetical, S-Sasuke."

"Sure."

"If you burned everyone you touch but you want skin-to-skin contact, how would you –"

"Hinata." Her mouth snapped shut, heart drumming against her ribs. His cane tapped the side of her boot, and suddenly, he was right there. "Alright, let's play this game. I have skin that burns and you're my girlfriend." What? Her heart stopped drumming completely as he leaned forward. "I'd want to hold you and kiss you and run my hands through your hair, but I can't, right? Because if I did, I'd hurt you. But I want to. So what would I do?"

Wind roared and darkened as the sun was hidden behind grey, looming clouds. Ice bit at her skin, but Hinata did not move an inch. She couldn't. It was like she lost control of her body.

For a while, it was just wind and beating pulses and light breathing.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"I still wouldn't hurt you." Leaning back a bit, giving her room, Sasuke pulled the collar of his coat closer to his neck. "You're my girlfriend, and I love you. Why would I ever want to hurt you? Instead, I'd try to work around it. I'll find different ways to hold you, to touch you. If something as thin as a piece of paper is enough to prevent me from burning you, then I'd cover all of me in it. I'd try to get as close as I can, but I'd never jump over that line. Do you understand?"

She nodded, realized he couldn't see that, and cleared her throat. "Y-Yes."

His right hand reached out, hesitated, and landed awkwardly on her scarf, giving it a slight tug. "If he's hurting you," he whispered, "leave him and come to me. Alright?"

Smiling, she patted his hand. "He's not, but thank you, Sasuke. Really."

For a while, he did not move. His fingers stayed in her scarf, and his grey eyes stared through her. It looked like he was expecting something more, but when she couldn't understand what he wanted, he eventually sighed and pulled away.

"Sure. Whatever."

…

It was silly, putting on lipstick for something like this.

There was no reason to.

If anything, it would only make a mess.

But for some reason, Hinata felt the need to pull the pale red out of her vanity drawer and apply it to her slightly chapped lips. Her home was muted from the grey light coming in from outside. The color popped and definitely caught attention, and Hinata wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not.

It shouldn't be, right?

She wanted him to notice.

Securing the scarf around her neck, Hinata gave her face another once over before leaving the comfort of her bedroom. Sasuke would be home soon from Hell (it didn't even bother her how weird that sounded anymore), and by now, she usually had dinner finished so they could sit at the table together, her eating and detailing her day to him, and him listening contently.

That … wasn't happening tonight.

And with every minute that passed, it felt like an hour to poor Hinata.

She waited, hands wringing and feet tapping along the floor and eyes always glancing about. Her head snapped at every noise, and when she finally heard the door to her room creak open as Sasuke opened a gate to her room –

"Ah, welcome back!"

She was there in the hallway the second he showed up, and as expected, his eyes were drawn to the red of her lips when he looked down at her.

"What's … this?" he asked, slowly.

"U-Um." The cool pale of her face heated up. "I just wanted … to … u-um –"

Wait.

Why was she trying to find the words to explain it when she could just show him?

For whatever reason, Hinata supposed as she stood on the tips of her feet, she just liked to complicate things.

…

The fabric of her scarf was light and thin.

When she placed it between their mouths, she still felt everything without that familiar, burning sensation destroying any speck of joy she had at the moment.

It was long, too, and able to cover both of her hands as she reached and cupped his face with them, bringing him closer. She could feel the muscles flex beneath her touch. It made her heart jump into her mouth, bouncing, humming with glee.

Moving back an inch, catching her breath, Hinata said, "We'll figure this out. No matter what."

Sasuke stared down at her before dipping in and brushing his lips against hers again. "Of course," he breathed into the fabric, his own hands on her waist.

"So don't run away."

He pulled back and huffed. "I never run away."

Laughing, Hinata grabbed his horns and pulled him back in, molding her lips into his. When she closed her eyes, she forgot it was winter and soaked up all the heat from him.

Chapter 23 - End