Second Part to the Golden Ratio Tattoo!parlor AU. Here's a coffee shop extension because why not?

The Golden Ratio
Part II

At 3:42 PM on a Friday and after nearly a week of crazy hours and little sleep, Sasuke officially hit the wall and sent a terse text to Ino.

'When will you be home?'

'Project still giving you fits?'

'Yes.'

'Hit the gym and then meet me at the coffee place by the shop. We'll go for an early dinner and talk.'

Sasuke gathered his things and did just that. Talking about a project with Ino often helped him reorganize his thoughts and find his focus, and that focus was sharper if he got his frustrations out with physical exertion.

Sasuke was sitting in the small coffee shop by 6:00 PM.

He'd barely sat down with his drink (but not Ino's because she hated when her drinks cooled off, and they had an understanding about when to and not to order the other's beverages) when Hinata walked in looking doe-eyed and lost.

She didn't see him, flicking a glance up to the menu and then back to her phone while she texted furiously. Her dark hair was in a long braid – that told him she'd been working. She was wearing a raincoat that looked like it had originally been bought for a man, and was several sizes too large and long for her. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, ordered, and then stepped aside to wait, clearly lost in her own thoughts.

Sasuke frowned – she looked harried. Distracted. Upset.

Considering Sasuke had only seen her looking serene or shy (he lumped embarrassed in with shy) this was a noticeable discrepancy.

Sasuke didn't like discrepancies.

He liked order, and symmetry, and predictability in all things (except his best friend from childhood that he counted on to be unpredictable). He counted on Ino to be Ino, Tenten to be playful and down to earth, Neji to be an asshole, Sai to be just plain weird, and Hinata to be gentle and calmly focused.

She was very clearly not calm, and fighting for focus.

He was debating offering her a seat, but thought, perhaps, she was one that preferred her space when upset.

He counted his supposition as correct when she stepped away from the other customers and shrank into herself as if to will herself into invisibility.

She'd no sooner been called to collect her drink when her phone buzzed in her hand. He watched her read the text and then quickly turn to scan the restaurant, her eyes landing on him. She clearly had not expected to make eye contact, and flushed, accepting her drink from the barista, and surprising Sasuke by coming over to his table.

"Hinata," he greeted her with a nod and raised eyebrows.

Her smile was small and polite, but there were edges to her quiet.

"Would you mind if I waited for Ino with you?"

"Not at all," he indicated the chair across from him.

She murmured her thanks and slipped into the chair with an unobtrusive grace, and a heaviness that he hadn't seen in her before.

"I was hoping I'd catch her at the shop," she admitted, wrapping her fingers around the cheerful ceramic, "but when I asked if I could bring her something to drink she said she'd be by soon. I'd order for her, but you know how she hates cold drinks."

"And by cold you mean even a fraction of a degree cooler than just-made temperature."

"Yes," she gave a quick smile into what he suspected was a mug of hot chocolate. It was an unseasonably cool day, and the extra moisture in the air gave the chill a bite that could cut to the bone.

Still, even someone who got as cold as Hinata apparently did shouldn't be that cold today, should they?

Hinata's phone buzzed again, and he waved off her murmured apology as she checked it. Her brows flicked together as she scrolled down her screen, involuntarily pulling the corner her bottom lip in between her teeth. He half-wondered if adjusting his angle would allow him to see the message reflected in the pale of her eyes, and perhaps better deduce what was bothering her.

"Hinata."

"Hm?" she dragged her gaze up from somewhere he was certain was miles from their table.

"What is wrong?"

He wasn't even sure he had been the one to ask that question at first, but the weary slump of her shoulders told him it had been the right question to ask.

"Just… just a difficult project coming up."

"Project?"

"A henna piece."

His eyebrows raised fractionally.

"Is the piece the difficulty or the client?"

Something sad and sweet pressed her lips together.

"Both, actually."

Sasuke studied her over the rim of his mug.

"I didn't know there were such thing as difficult henna clients," he half teased. "I can understand tattoos, but henna? It seems only happy people get that done."

A small laugh slipped past her lips.

"I don't know that I can generally argue with you on that point."

"So. How does Ino figure in?"

"The client is …unclear about what she wants. Her daughter has said she mentioned a certain kind of flower, but I don't have much more to go on than that. I'm hoping if I talk to Ino I will have some more insight on if it has some meaning I'm unaware of - to the client or in general."

"Ino knows the client?"

"Mm," Hinata hummed into her cup.

Sasuke watched her carefully, both identifying with the problem as well as not seeing why it had her so upset. He decided to try from a different angle.

"What makes this client different from the others? Is it a higher end customer?"

She took a deep breath.

"No. Gratis."

"Gratis?" Sasuke's confusion compounded. "Not that I am surprised you take pride in your work – clearly you are excellent at what you do – but why are the whims and caprices of a gratis client enough to send you spiraling into the bottom of a mug of hot chocolate?"

A small almost laugh - nothing more than a puff of air barely strong enough to stir the rising steam from her mug - escaped her, and he felt pleased to have coaxed it from her.

He raised his eyebrows to her.

I'm listening.

Her nod was nigh imperceptible, as was tiny steadying breath she took before asking:

"Did Ino ever tell you about Asuma?"

"Her teacher? Died when she was younger?"

Hinata nodded.

"His wife. Kurenai. She was my teacher. As for being a gratis client," she took a deep breath. "It is a service we offer to customers undergoing chemotherapy – especially after they lose their hair. I do a henna head piece, and usually a full back piece. Something to give them back a little of themselves. Something to make them feel beautiful again."

Sasuke felt all words abandon him at her kind, sorrowful smile.

"Kurenai has had some problems with memory as well lately. Her daughter Mirai is in the process of moving to be closer to her mother, and she is the one that has been communicating with me. It's probably silly," she shook her head. "But she gave so much to me as a young girl. I just want to give her a little something back. Any happiness I can give her, well…." she shrugged.

"I see," he mused.

"I suppose I could just wait for Mirai to clarify," Hinata said sheepishly, "but I just found out, and well…I guess I wanted to speak with a friend."

"I can call Ino," he offered. "I'm sure she will come if she knows you need her."

"No, it's alright," Hinata met his eyes, and he saw the dried tracks from tears. "I can't really do much until Mirai gets back to me. Besides," the corners of her mouth tipped into a soft smile. "I'm already speaking with a friend."

Sasuke sincerely hoped the warmth he felt in his chest was not spreading to his face.

"Well," he cleared his throat. "In that case, the least I can do as a friend is get you another hot chocolate."

Her phone rang quietly, and her eyes went wide. "That's Mirai," she murmured, "Please excuse - "

"Answer it," he said, standing and taking their empty cups away.

He returned to find her scribbling notes, something a little more focused and driven in the angle of her spine and the light of her eyes.

"What did she say?" he put the mug down in front of her.

"She managed to get a few more particulars of the flower, so that is something. I'm sure Ino will be able to tell me what it is."

"I do live with a florist," he said dryly. "Care to give me a try?"

"Well," she consulted her notes, "Mirai said that Kurenai was very tired when they spoke, so it took her a minute to figure it out, but she thinks she said it is a rose from Scotland. Kurenai mentioned something about macintosh…but then she started rambling about apples and wondering if honey crisps were in season, because she likes them so much better than macintosh, and well," she gave a half-amused shrug. "That's all I know."

Sasuke reached for his phone and pulled up an image.

"Charles Mackintosh," Sasuke turned his phone to her. "He was an architect and designer out of Glasgow that heavily influenced the Art Nouveau movement."

She started to flick through the images, eyes wide.

"One of his signature design elements was a stylized rose, sometimes called the Glasgow rose."

"Sasuke," she breathed. "You're a genius!" She scrolled through more images, tears beading in the corners of her eyes. "The Great Gatsby," she smiled. "She loved that book – and I remember seeing some of these prints in her old apartment – and one had that rose element."

She went through a few more images, her whole face brightening. "Okay…Okay…" she murmured to herself. "I can work with this…."

She handed him back his phone, and pulled out her sketchbook to do a fast free-hand of the rose and make a few notes.

She was halfway through her second sketch when Ino messaged them both, saying she was stuck at work with a difficult customer, and would have to stop for coffee later.

"Poor Ino," Hinata tucked her phone in her bag. "Guess I'd better get over to the library and do some more research. I have an 'at least two not-internet-based' reference resource standard," she closed her sketchbook. "I am sorry for having intruded on your privacy, but I can't thank you enough for your help."

"How many sources do you need?"

"Depends on what I find," she shrugged. "Sometimes I use one, sometimes I use ten."

"Well, would multiple art history books, several Art Noveau compilations, and a graduate level presentation be of any use?"

Hinata blinked at him.

"I suppose?"

"Then my education has not been in vain," he stood and pulled his trench coat on. "Come on. It is going to storm. I'll drive."

"Drive to?"

"Our place. I have everything you need. You can stay and work there – Ino will probably be home sooner rather than later – or I can drop you off at home."

"I could't possibly impose," she hugged her sketchbook to her chest.

"It isn't an imposition to help a friend."

He let the sentence hang between them a moment, and she finally dropped her gaze with a grateful smile.

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Sasuke."

"Put that in your bag," he motioned to the sketchbook. "Don't want to risk damage to your art."

Her smile was small, but it did strange things to his internal organs, even more so when she ended up winding her arms around his while they shared an umbrella, or when she climbed into his SUV and couldn't reach the floor.

The storm was severe enough that he managed to convince her to sit and work, and he kept her company, answering when she had questions about design elements, or possible other ideas.

When Ino came in the door, she blinked twice, clearly trying to decide if she was hallucinating or not.

Because even in her wildest dreams, she wouldn't have imagined Hyūga Hinata curled up on the couch with Uchiha Sasuke, books around them, and multiple sketches done by them both, and discussing life as if it had always been theirs to live together.

And when Hinata told her about Kurenai, they hugged and cried together, and she showed her all of their work, and they cried again and shared stories until it was too late for anyone to drive home.

Ino insisted Hinata sleep in the guest room and lent her some clothes (and she called Tenten and told her everything, advising her to edit for Neji's consumption as she saw fit ) ((and Tenten simply told Neji that Hinata was crashing with Ino before joining him in bed, thereby keeping the conversation short)) (( or at least delayed until after morning coffee))).

Sasuke waited until Ino's door gave it's telltale 'click' before double-checking the doors and pausing outside of Hinata's room.

She pushed open the door, and looked up at him, weary but at peace. Her hair was unbound, and Ino's button-up PJ's were too long on her, and therefore rolled at the ankles and wrists.

It was at once the most alluring and innocent thing he'd ever seen.

But she gave him that grateful smile, and all he could see was the kindness and gentleness that was Hinata.

"Thank you again, Sasuke. For everything. Especially for listening."

"It was my pleasure, Hinata."

"I…" she hesitated. "I'm really grateful I am getting to know you. I'm glad we are friends."

Sasuke's smile was small, but she understood the understatement of sincerity.

"Me, too, Hinata." He tapped the center of her forehead with two fingers. "Now get some sleep."

"I will," she grinned. "Thanks."

He waited until he was behind his own closed door to rake his had down his face. He was certain she had no idea what his gesture had meant – he hadn't even been sure until he had done it – but he knew something with a startling and awful clarity.

"I am so fucking screwed."

He went to bed firm in the knowledge that he was falling fast and hard for Huyga Hinata, and there wasn't a damned thing to be done about it.

"Might as well enjoy the ride," he yawned, and drifted into dreams of painted gardens and gentle smiles.

This was based off of real life inspiration: my friend is undergoing chemo for breast cancer. A local henna artist does the headpiece art and a backpiece, should the client want it, and a photographer takes amazing pictures. My friend's pictures were amazing, and I read her and other patient's comments on the experience. So many women commenting on how they felt beautiful or more empowered in the face of the disease and its debilitating treatment.

This story came out of that overspill of emotion, because I am certain this Hinata would do that for people for no charge and Sai would help with pictures.

Although I switched this 'story' to a series of oneshots, I have a couple more ideas for this incarnation of Sasuke and Hinata. Also, I have a larger fantasy AU SasuHina/NejiTen coming in August that I hope you will come back and check out!

With love and appreciation,

- Giada