A/N: I'm going through my old folders and sharing unpublished one-shots that exceed 3k. By unpublished, I mean that they weren't posted here. All my works can be found on Tumblr! Also, SH Month will be in June and I already have my first entry (yay!). Nightmares is going through revision and will be updated most likely this summer *crosses fingers*.
X
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The Song of the Moon
X
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The apartment isn't much.
The walls could use a new coat of paint, the floors a good scrub, the windows a wash.
Visually, it needs some serious tidying.
"...Do you smell that?" the girl by his side questions quietly, as if afraid to disturb the dust that hangs still.
Sasuke nods slowly.
The place may be lacking in every sense, but the stale odor is unarguably an undesired guest, penetrating the air with a musty intimacy his nose can't hope to evade.
Conditions will definitely improve once they open the sealed up space.
But first…
"We need cleaning supplies…"
Onyx eyes meet pale amethyst. "Want to go shopping?"
The Hyuuga's response is to immediately fit her feet back into her shoes.
X
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Living together isn't something Sasuke planned. In fact, it starts as more of a convenience than anything else.
Paying his own tuition fees doesn't come cheap when he can only work part-time, and so staying in a modest place is an adjustment and sacrifice he doesn't hesitate to make. Tokyo, after all, is expensive.
Hyuuga Hinata, a friend of a self-proclaimed best friend of his, has been in his family's social circle since they were children. Both quiet and reserved, they never spoke much, if at all...which makes the act of agreeing to move in together a lot more ironic.
Although not exactly short on money, the Hyuuga has her own set of circumstances he's not willing to question. Her personal life is her own and her privacy isn't something he'll disrupt.
He knows, for the long years of hearing about her reputation and character by family and peers, that Hinata herself will return the favor of minding her own business, and that's a bonus not many of his friends possess.
Besides...
"...Everything hurts," her tired voice moans. She lays on the floor, limbs thrown askew, hair tied up in a messy bun.
Sasuke grumbles something incomprehensible in response. His body mimics the Hyuuga's pose, his back muscles too sore to care about something as useless as dignity at this point.
The apartment no longer smells of mildew and old wood. The glass windows are open, letting fresh spring air inside. The walls were cleaned for future painting, and the floors polished until they shone.
Sasuke can't believe that underneath all that grime and filth, actual board floors were waiting to be discovered.
Besides, his thought finally resumes, she's tidy.
If there's something Sasuke can quietly appreciate, it's being organized.
That's a virtue many of the people he could have moved in with failed to maintain.
Hinata doesn't disappoint. The boxes with their belongings arrived separately early in the afternoon and now line the farthest wall of the living room in an orderly manner, all labeled and out of the way.
The apartment is gleaming clean and even some humble pieces of furniture have been set in place already.
It's a silent agreement that nothing else will get done for the day. The mere thought of moving is agonizing. There's nothing else he wants to do but rest.
Or so he thinks until his empty stomach announces its impatient appetite.
A surprised laugh escapes her mouth before she can stop it.
Sasuke's far too weary to glare.
"Hungry?" comes the amused inquiry.
"No," is the lie a second growl exposes.
Sasuke curses. The Hyuuga chuckles.
X
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One day, about three weeks later, he comes home early.
It's not a situation that happens very often, but his last class had exams, and once he was done, he'd left without hesitation.
His cool room is intoning his name and he hurries up the stairs of the complex, his only thought to fall on his futon with the AC blasting to the max. It's his day off from work and although some boxes remain unpacked, he's too mentally fatigued to consider them worthy of his time.
When he unlocks the door of the apartment, mindlessly removing his shoes, the sound of musical keys being pressed makes him pause.
A piano? He wonders, puzzled. He's attended too many social events not to know the sound of one.
He follows the melodic pattern and finds the source immediately; the Hyuuga, with her back to him, sits at a bench he's sure wasn't there this morning. A black piano takes most of the wall of the living room (which isn't big, to begin with) with sheets of music spilling from the music rack.
The girl that plays doesn't seem to need them, however, for her fingers fly over the keys with disturbing familiarity.
Sasuke stares, the idea of sleeping the afternoon off quickly dissolving. Something else has begun to crowd his mind.
The Hyuuga played? And played really well?
What the hell, he thinks, utterly baffled. Since when?
He flips through his memories, seeking clues as to how this scene came to be.
It's uncertain how long he stays still, but by the time she finishes her second piece, his feet are numb with lack of circulation.
The last note fades, and suddenly, her shoulders tense as if sensing, for the first time, that she's no longer alone.
She begins to turn around-
And almost has a heart attack when she sees him.
"Uchiha-kun!" she gasps, palm clasping her heaving chest. "O-oh, oh you scared me. I didn't- I didn't hear you come in," she smiles sheepishly, lips trembling.
His mother would tell him to apologize that very instant, as he ought (the poor girl is shaking) but he doesn't. His eyes rest on the keyboard for a moment and then travel to her face.
"...When did...?" he gestures vaguely with a hand.
The Hyuuga blinks, and then her smile is reinforced in a way that emphasizes the dimples on her cheeks. "It arrived this morning. I, um, I hope you won't mind?"
Her answer should have cleared some questions, but it does the opposite by confusing him further. "How did you even manage to bring it up to the second floor?" he demands, not bothering to censor his incredulity.
The Hyuuga stands, pressing her hands together, fingertip to fingertip. "It was dismantled, so I brought everything up piece by piece. Would you like some tea?"
Would he like some tea? Tea?
...tea…
God. He can't even keep up with this person. So why bother?
"...tea would be fine."
X
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When, at around 8 p.m, the mellow sound of keys starts anew, Sasuke rolls off his futon and sneaks into the living room, his blanket trailing after him.
Once there, he tip-toes to the couch, not wanting to startle the woman that plays.
She's pushed the curtains of the room aside, letting in the moonlight of late spring. Its silver tint illuminates the Hyuuga with a metallic sheen he can't look away from.
X
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Sometimes, stress, anxiety, or unknown factors keep him awake at night.
To his misfortune, final's week is already upon him and stress, anxiety and other unknown factors have mixed together to produce a hellish product. The deep, dark bags under his eyes are proof of that.
Light footsteps catch his attention for a split moment. The Hyuuga, dressed in a long-sleeve sweatshirt and pajama bottoms too big for her frame, skips into the kitchen, humming something under her breath. Compared to his monotone and aggravated self, the girl is spilling sunshine and good fortune.
Sasuke's face sours.
It's at that moment that she reaches for the water pitch at the low table that she finally notices him.
"Oh! Uchiha-kun. W-what're you doing here?" she questions, surprised.
"I live here," comes the biting remark.
"A-ah," her brows raise, and she looks at him quizzically. The expression clears when she notices the notebooks, books, pens, and notes scattered. "...Finals, right?" she says knowingly.
"Hn."
"Can't concentrate?"
Sasuke sighs.
"I see," she murmurs and leaves.
Minutes pass and the words before him blur, completely meaningless.
He frowns, stubbornly striving to at least finish reviewing that last page without much luck.
Frustrated, he stands, opting to give himself a break.
When he ventures into the living room, he finds her at the usual spot, her socked feet at the piano's pedals, her slim fingers merely ghosting over the keys, eyes attentive as she reads the music sheet before her.
Involuntarily, he wonders what piece it is this time. He approaches. "What are you doing?"
She screams in surprise.
Sasuke's eyes are blown wide, startled himself.
"O-oh, you must really stop doing that," she admonishes in a tone he can't take very seriously.
"You, on the other hand, need to get some self-awareness," he shoots back in defense.
The Hyuuga doesn't look happy with his response. She murmurs, "One of these days, you'll kill me of fright."
Sasuke snorts, his muscles easing their tightness. "Whatever. You'll be fine." He nods to the music rack. "Why are you reading but not playing?"
The girl looks between the piano and the Uchiha. "Well...you were in a bad mood...I didn't want to interrupt your studies."
Sasuke pauses on his way to the small couch. He sighs, then takes a seat. "I didn't mean to snap." His facial features twist with discontent and he looks away, swallowing with difficulty. "Sorry."
"Mm," she shakes her head, long tendrils of black hair shinning indigo blue under the light of the moon that dilutes through the windows. "I understand."
Sasuke scoffs softly. "It doesn't bother me, you know."
"Eh?"
He looks away again, pretending that the freshly painted walls are interesting structures to behold. "Your playing. I don't mind it."
When she doesn't say anything, he dares to glance in her direction.
The girl has gone still, mouth parted in astonishment.
"What? You're not gonna do it?"
"A-ah! Y-yes!" she stammers, turning around on the bench. She pauses for a moment, seemingly considering an idea. "Is there anything you'd like to hear?"
Sasuke makes himself comfortable on the cushions. "I don't know any songs, so no."
The Hyuuga nods. "I'll practice the songs for my recital, then. Is it okay?"
Sasuke closes his stinging eyes, feeling his fried neurons stirring to renewed life. "Doesn't matter."
Soon after, a dark and melancholic set of harmonics flows into the apartment note by sullen note.
He breathes out, allowing his weight to drop completely.
After the fourth melody, she chances a look at him.
She finds him asleep.
X
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It becomes routine.
She plays, he concentrates on homework.
She attends nightly recitals, he stays up and waits for her to return home.
She does the cooking, he does the shopping, and they both do the cleaning.
It's a nice balance, one he hopes will last.
When she comes back one night, dressed in an evening gown that pronounces her shapely silhouette, she holds something in her arms, cheeks flushed.
One look at her face and he knows something good has happened.
The corners of his lips lift in amusement. "What is it?"
Wordlessly, she brandishes the golden trophy she hid under a black shawl. Her clean nails tap on the plaque at the bottom.
He only has to read her name and the number '1' to understand what has her so happy. "Congratulations."
She beams.
"What song did you use to bribe the judges into giving you this?" he teases, hands on his hips.
She sticks her tongue out. "I used my skills."
"Uh-huh."
"You don't believe me?"
Of course he does, but before he can tell her that, she's grabbing his hand and pulling him into her corner of the living room.
"Sit, sit," she pats the unoccupied space next to her, pulling at her long dress to accommodate it in after he does as he's told.
"Where's the music sheet?"
"Don't need it," she says, lifting the fallboard to expose the black-and-white keys. "I have it memorized by now."
Sasuke whistles. She giggles, placing her fingers in the correct places, and begins.
The music starts with a long, pronounced hum. The notes come slowly, deliberately, trickling one by one, making his blood run with anticipation at what's to come. He's not left with disappointment, because then, almost instantly, her speed increases to a mad rush that shouldn't (by looks alone) sound as surprisingly good as it does. Her fingers are almost a blur as she glides expertly over the keys, not once missing the placing.
Sasuke can only stare with enlarged eyes and question his entire existence.
Just as it began without warning, she relaxes her tempo, slowly turning the quick melody into a calm, almost entrancing, experience.
And he watches, baffled and impressed because when did she practice that? He doesn't have the heart to interrupt her and ask, so he listens and is enraptured by the sound and sight of her slim fingers against white and black keys, closed eyes, and high cheekbones. Her makeup isn't flashy, except for her lips that are painted a crimson red he's never seen on her before.
His stare lingers there longer than it should.
"What's the name of the piece?" he finally manages to ask, averting his gaze.
Hinata opens her pale eyes, the dark mascara making them look bigger. Clearer. Sharper.
"Fantasie impromptu," she says, smiling cleverly.
"...You sound smug," he notes drily.
She makes a face. "It's a hard piece to pull off, you know."
But not once has her movements ceased or faltered and so he's not sure how much trust he can put on that statement.
"Yet, you play it with your eyes shut."
She squares her shoulders as if to make herself taller and brag from a higher point. It's all pretence, that of bragging, but he can tell she's proud of what she's accomplished and he can't blame her. Not by a long shot.
Black eyes keely continue to scrutinize the speed of her hands.
"...How come your fingers don't fall off?"
She laughs and he can't help but stare again.
X
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When a man and woman live together, certain things are bound to happen.
Sasuke, for a while, is excellent at ignoring the fussing his family and friends do when they discover he lives with someone of the opposite sex.
After all, Sasuke has no interest in dating, sexual intercourse, or relationships in general.
Or so he assumed.
Slowly, and day by day, more intrusive thoughts begin to pester him.
When she cooks breakfast, his arms ache to wrap around her waist, his fingers yearn to get lost in her long hair.
When she's groggy, he wants to cradle her face and squeeze her cheeks until they are apple-red and hear her protests and tease her until she swats him away.
When she wears those large T-shirts that slip past one shoulder, his mouth waters at the notion of kissing her exposed neck and run his his fingertips on the raised flesh of her collarbone.
Sasuke hates it.
Why can't things just be the way they always have been?
To add to matters, she becomes busier, having competitions week after week.
Sasuke's unsure whether it's a good or bad thing. On one hand, he misses her stumbling around the house, humming at her own rhythm. On the other, it's gotten easier to avoid her on the days their schedules don't match. He's sure she knows he's acting strange, but he can't afford to care because...
He's free of temptations. And god, does he find her tempting.
"I'm going crazy," he mumbles one night. He's alone in the apartment, sprawled on the living room's floor. It's summer and the weather in Tokyo is hot and that just makes the boiling in his blood worse.
His eyes trace Hinata's bench, empty and cold. The urge to approach and sit on his usual spot overcomes him, but he fights it.
He sighs.
And besides, when did he start calling her by her first name so easily?
"You got to be kidding…" he rubs his face, tired of fighting with himself.
"-thank you for bringing me here. "
His ears perk at the feminine voice coming outside the door.
Hinata? She's not supposed to be back until midnight, he thinks, checking the time. It's barely five past eight.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? Is anyone home to take care of you?" another person speaks. Male. Definitely male.
Sasuke raises to his feet, ignoring the slight wave of dizziness that comes from getting up after staying down for so long.
He doesn't hesitate in opening the entrance. What his eyes find knock the air from his lungs.
Hinata, looking as pretty as a porcelain doll, stands there, her indigo gown shimmering in the moonlight.
By her side, a young man in a tailored suit holds her by the left arm, providing support.
Whatever they were discussing comes to a halt, both of them turning in his direction.
"U-Uchiha-kun," the woman exclaims.
"Hinata," Sasuke greets in return. "You're back early. Did something happen?" his distrusting eyes settle on the red-haired youth as he asks.
"Ah, just a little accident," she breathes, chuckling airily. "Nothing to worry about."
"Hyuuga-san," the man protests.
"Really, I'm fine!"
Sasuke doesn't believe that for a moment. By the disapproving way the other guy purses his lips, he guesses he's not the only one.
"What happened?" this time, he asks the other person.
"Uchiha-kun-".
The red-haired companion interrupts her. "Hyuuga-san fell from the stage. Her left ankle twisted on the way down, and her right wrist is sprained."
"Sabaku-san!"
Aquamarine eyes hold Sasuke's own. "My sister and I took her to the hospital. She's to keep her weight off her ankle for the next month. Please, take care of her."
Sasuke's stomach, which had dropped, returns to its place, leaving him feeling cold and nauseous. Numbly, Sasuke blinks, his jaw clenched. "Thank you for bringing her all this way." He bows slightly, his pride nowhere to be seen.
Sabaku nods, passing Hinata's weight to Sasuke's waiting arms.
"Take care, Hyuuga-san. Temari will most likely visit tomorrow after you get some rest." With a bow and a respectful nod to Sasuke, he departs.
Sasuke doesn't say anything as he helps her inside, nor when he sits her on the couch and places a pillow under her injured ankle.
The one who surprisingly breaks the silence is her.
"I'm sorry."
Sasuke looks up, brow furrowed. "Why are you apologizing? For not winning against the law of gravity? For injuring yourself? For having someone I don't know bring you home? Or for not calling me to tell me you were hurt? Which is it?" he demands.
It's the angriest she's ever seen him, and her eyes quickly glimmer with unshed tears. "I-I'm sorry for bothering you." Her good hand grips the edges of the sofa tightly.
"For bothering me?" He can't believe this person. "Are you serious? Do you think I'm upset because you're bothering me? Hinata, you fell off a damn stage! Knowing the places you usually perform in, it wasn't a small fall either. I think there are more important things than something as stupid as the idea of you bothering me."
The tears spill before she can help it, and Sasuke stops, overcome with the bitter taste of guilt.
"Tsk." He runs his fingers through his locks, aggravated with himself and the situation. He took a seat on the floor by her side and his eyes study the lines in the wood. "Sorry. I shouldn't be lecturing you like that."
She says nothing, her mascara running down with her tears. Twin streaks of black soon stain her cheeks.
Sasuke sighs and looks around for the box of tissues they keep around. "Here."
She doesn't take them.
He purses his lips and angrily snatches the tissues out to wipe her face himself. He stands on his knees, facing her. "You look like a damn raccoon, you know that?" he mumbles, holding her chin steady.
A wet chuckle bubbles to the surface, but she pushes it down immediately. "D-don't make me laugh, I-I'm supposed to be mad at you!"
Oh my god. "Mad? You? What do you have to be mad about?" he questions, squeezing her cheeks together and trying desperately not to snap.
"B-because you!" she speaks through fish-like lips. "Y-you were avoiding me, and now you're yelling at me. Of course I'm m-mad! Do you think I haven't noticed the way you ignore me, you- you stupid, stupid Uchiha!"
He lets her smack his hands away, knowing that she's right. He was a fool for thinking those sharp eyes wouldn't notice his cowardly actions.
"...I'm sorry."
She sniffles. "You were acting strange, b-but I didn't want to push you." If a bunny could glare accusingly, Sasuke thinks this would be it.
"Sorry…" He's never apologized so much in a day.
"So?"
"Huh?"
She frowns, her hair mussed and her nose red. "Why were you avoiding me? Did I offend you? Am I too annoying?" Her lips tremble and Sasuke can't bring himself to lie.
He groans, covering his face with his hands.
"Uchiha-kun-"
"Give me your left hand," he says.
"Eh? Why?"
"Just give it here."
She considers his request for a split moment but gives in.
Sasuke takes her only working hand carefully, slowly placing it over his chest.
Thump.
Hinata jolts.
The strong acceleration of his heart can be felt through his skin and onto her own and it shocks her senses.
"Uchiha-kun…"
His ears are red as he speaks. "You feel that? It's weird, isn't it? When I see you, it's like my heart's going to burst out. It's really irritating."
Her mouth parts, eyes widening, tears completely fogottten.
"I figured that if I didn't see you for a while, I'd go back to normal." He pauses, considering the results of such a plan. "It didn't work, by the way."
She stares, muted for so long Sasuke doesn't know what to do with himself other than grip her fingers tightly.
Eventually, she must have gathered her thoughts, because she speaks. "Ne, Uchiha-kun, do you know the name of the song I like to play every time you're around?"
It's no secret he can't keep up with all the pieces she plays, and she must know this, because she begins to hum a familiar, gentle melody.
"Do you remember the one?"
"...Yeah. But I don't know the title." He doesn't remember seeing a music sheet when she played it, either.
For the first time in days, a smile stretches her lips. "It's called 'Kiss Me in the Rain'."
Sasuke stares, digesting that piece of information, and then does a double-take when it finally sinks in.
She laughs, as she usually does, but can't bring herself to meet his eyes. "For a time, I was just content with living here, with you. I couldn't have asked for more, so I didn't."
"...Are you now?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Are you content with just living here?"
She finally looks up, doubt splashed all over her face. "...Am I allowed to ask more of you?"
He brushes her bangs away from her eyes, her hand still pressed over his sternum. "You may if I get to kiss you at least once."
She shivers and her pink tongue slowly wets her lower lip.
This woman's gonna be the death of him, confirmed.
"Pull back if you don't want to," he says, and closes the distance slowly, giving her a chance to refuse him.
Hinata stays where she is, eyelids lowered.
The first touch is a slight brush, but it sets their nerves on edge. Sasuke waits for her to slap, shout, or even bite him.
He's braced for the worst. The worst, though, doesn't come.
Instead, her fingers pull him by the shirt, a bit demanding, a bit insecure.
Sasuke complies easily and presses his mouth against her again, her warmth a captivating sensation he wouldn't trade for anything else. Although chaste, this feels good. This feels right.
But then their lips part and the angle changes and suddenly, there's nothing chaste about the way his tongue touches her own or the manner in which she cups his jaw or whispers his name.
The desire withheld has turned impatient and primal, almost suffocating.
He feels her lipstick smearing on his skin and doesn't care enough to stop. A soft sound of surprise is emitted when his teeth sink gently into her bottom lip. The heat of his ears spreads to his cheeks and Sasuke can't complain. He's too busy drowning in the smell of her hair and skin to grant anything that isn't her lips a slip of a thought.
When they stop, his lips are burning and tingling, sensitive and bruised and his lungs are crying for much-needed oxygen.
God.
He feels like he's walking on air.
Then he looks at her and- "Why are you crying?!"
"B-Because I can only hold you with one hand!" she sobs. "I've wanted- I've waited for this, and I-I can barely circle your neck!"
Sasuke almost facepalms. He still can't keep up with this person, but he knows he doesn't always have to. "Silly girl. You're driving me crazy, you know that?"
She nods, completely aware. "Mm. But even so...I can kiss you again, right?"
He pinches one of her cheeks. "So this is your true nature finally showing, eh? When did you become so greedy?"
Inwardly though, he flourishes with delight.
"You don't want to kiss me, then?"
He cups her face in his large hands. "I didn't say that," he grumbles, and kisses her again.
X
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A/N: :D
Bonus scene because I loved this AU and y'all will have to pry it away from my cold, dead hands:
His legs are crossed in the open space underneath her bench, his back pressed against the front of the piano, his arms wrapped securely around her waist.
The sound of keys comes to a gradual halt, gentle and whimsical, just like her when she's bathed in moonlight.
His lids lower. It's late but she's not going to bed with him until she finishes writing this particular song.
"Five more minutes," is the excuse she keeps mumbling and after the fourth time, he'd given up and just invaded her personal space in retaliation.
She hadn't mind this manner of pettiness and instead ran her fingers through his hair when she could, the weight of his head on her lap a welcome one as she composed.
When she reherses the crescendo once again, Sasuke inhales deeply. "Are you trying to make me fall asleep?"
"...No," she says, but wears the guilty expression of someone caught red-handed.
Sasuke grunts, oblivious to her look. "This isn't even a lullaby, is it?" he slurs and Hinata giggles quietly as she stops playing.
"Nope. Not at all." She glances down fondly, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. "It's a song. An original."
"Hmm. The melody. It reminds me of you."
"Oh? Does it?" she rubs the shell of his ear and sees his nose twitch. She holds back a smile.
"Yeah," he sighs groggily. "The song of the moon. Your song."
Her cheeks lit with color, her heart palpitating wildly inside her thorax.
"The song...of the moon," she whispers.
A noncomical sound of agreement comes from the man below.
She blinks, looks at her music sheet marked with corrections and notes and a great deal of black and red ink...and smiles.
"Ne, Sasuke?"
"Hn?"
"Let's go to sleep."
This piece...she would continue it tomorrow. For now, all she wants to do is snuggle under the bedsheets with his warmth by her side.
January has come and with it, the intensity of the winter cold.
She couldn't wait to see what the new year brought.
.X.
A/N: Okay, now it's truly over ;_;
5.15.20