SasuHina month 2017, Day 1 prompt: Trampoline.
**Inspired by Szajnie's Cheerleader!Hinata/Bad Boy!Sasuke AU art. (If some how you don't know this artist/writer go find her on Tumblr and AO3, she is awesome! She's also on FFN as Fairheartstrife) I don't really write high school, so this is a University setting.
Trampoline
"Can you believe this?" Naruto asked, rubbing his hands in excitement. "Free pass – free pass – to watch girls on trampolines."
"You are an idiot," Sasuke muttered, looking around the university's gymnastic facility, noting the exits, and mentally plotting multiple escape routes.
"Relax." Naruto nudged his shoulder. "No one will know you here. You can go back to being antisocial and 'I-hate-everything-because-I'm-a-badass' Sasuke in like, fifteen minutes."
"Why are we here again?"
"What, besides the girls and the trampolines?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him.
"Fine, fine," Naruto sighed. "Sakura wanted us to come check her floor exercise."
"Yeah?" He slid a wary glance at the person he still had trouble believing was his best friend. "And?"
"And... and Ino wants to see if we will help convince Sakura to convince one of her gymnasts to join the competition squad for a season. Just one season!" Naruto hurried to block Sasuke's exit. "She said their tumbling is still very strong, but they still need a star flier – someone that can pull off Tenten's old stunts."
"Then go get Tenten," Sasuke bristled, and Naruto mentally punched himself in the face for bringing up the one girl Sasuke had considered pursuing at University.
Granted, while Sasuke's interest had been genuinely piqued, it had no time to develop into anything serious. Tenten never caught on that Sasuke had any interest in her, and had any other guy in the planet other than Neji noticed and boxed him out, he wouldn't have cared. But it had been Neji and that pissed him off to no end, making Tenten a sore-bordering-on-taboo subject.
"Tenten graduated," Naruto reminded him. "So did Lee."
"I don't have time for your stupid schemes, Naruto," Sasuke frowned. "Or for any Ino-level plotting."
"Do you have time to help out Sakura?" Naruto asked, seriously. "You know that this scholarship is the difference for her between finishing her degree and getting to med school, right?"
"She's smart enough to get both paid for without all of this," Sasuke glowered at their surroundings. "She had a full ride."
"And now she has a sponsorship," Naruto interrupted. "Her full ride didn't take care of her the way the University takes care of its athletes, Sasuke. You of all people should know that. She's a serious contender for the Games, and if that pulls through for her, it will make all of the difference in her world."
Sasuke held his gaze.
The three of them had been friends since they were kids, and he knew Naruto was speaking nothing less than the absolute truth. Sakura's family was loving but had no means to pay for her education. With her father's current health problems, she was more determined than ever to shore up her finances and her future career, ensuring she could care for her family.
"Alright, fine," Sasuke muttered. "I'll help Sakura – but I want nothing to do with whatever scheme Ino is hatching."
Naruto's smile was relieved.
"I can live with that." Naruto's mobile buzzed in his hand, and he checked the message. "C'mon – Ino saved us seats."
Sasuke allowed Naruto to lead him to their seats in the stands, still minding the exits, as well as coming up with plausible emergencies that would require him to leave the second Sakura was done.
"Hey," Ino hurried them over. "Her routine is next."
Naruto scanned the room. "Are those the trampolines?" he pointed.
"Yeah," Ino checked the time. "They've got another fifteen minutes before they arrive."
The girl on the floor was marking through her routine with the coach before trying it with the music.
"Well?" Naruto looked to Sasuke
"Not bad."
"Not bad?" Naruto blinked. "That looked pretty incredible from here."
"Lines aren't clean enough," Sasuke lifted one shoulder . "Not bad height on her combinations, but her layout needs work."
"We could use you on the competition squad," Ino studied her nails. (They all knew she was teasing.) "Oh look! – There's Sakura!"
Sakura tumbled through a few combinations before nodding to the coach, and starting her floor routine. She was a powerhouse of a gymnast, and easily the best one on her team – but she had bigger goals at stake, and wasn't content with 'good enough.' That was something she and Sasuke had in common.
"Well?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke didn't answer. He got up and went down to floor level, where Sakura met him. They talked for a few moments, she listened intently, nodding as she took in his words, occasionally asking questions. When they were done, she signaled her coach, and the music started again.
"Wow," Naruto breathed. "I don't know what is better, but even I know this time was better. What do you think he said to her?"
"Dunno," she shrugged. "Can't beat his eye, though. Whatever it was, you can bet he was right about it."
Sasuke gave Sakura an approving nod, and she smiled back her thanks. Years ago, she might've hugged him. He might have even tolerated it. That wasn't either of them anymore. She gave a wave and cleared the floor with the rest of the team, moving on to conditioning.
"What are the chances he's going to actually come back up here?" Naruto eyed the exit nearest to Sasuke, who was studying his phone.
He turned to them, arching an eyebrow at Ino, who replied with an elegant shrug. Naruto looked between them, confused when Sasuke didn't immediately exit the arena, but actually rejoined them in the stands.
Before he could question, Ino pointed. "There," she grinned. "That's the team."
"They have a team for trampoline?" Naruto asked, genuinely baffled.
"It is new to the University this year, so they haven't started recruiting for it yet. The coach hand-picked a few gymnasts with a background in it – boys and girls. The one I'm interested in is actually a rhythmic gymnast."
"Oh yeah," Naruto watched the separate gymnasts begin stretching. "That's the kind with the sticks and balls and ribbons, right?"
Ino offered an Mm-hm, while Sasuke internalized a groan. He hated rhythmic gymnastics. Yes, he knew it was hard as fuck, yes he knew it required insane skill, but he had just never gotten into it.
Even when he still cared about these kinds of things, he hadn't cared about rhythmic gymnastics.
"So, who is his person you're so interested in finding?" Naruto asked. "And won't the coach be pissed if she tries to do two sports?"
"She won't lose her place on the team, or her scholarship," Ino said cryptically before side eyeing Sasuke, "but it would piss a few people off."
"Hyūga!" the coach called out. "You're up!"
"Ohh…." Naruto looked between Ino and Sasuke (who was ignoring him, instead focusing on the gymnasts, his elbows on his knees, his fingers steepled at his lips), "those people…."
The smallest of the gymnasts stepped forward, unzipping her oversized hoodie and draping it on the back of a chair. Her practice leotard was longsleeved and understated; midnight blue with a few swirls of silver over her hip and back. Her long hair - a shade of blue-black that almost matched her leotard - was in a high ponytail, and she looked comically small approaching the trampoline.
Ino had been clever in choosing their seats. It had afforded them a good overview for Sakura's floor exercise, but they were closer to the other gymnasts than Naruto initially realized.
She began to bounce on the trampoline, her first few bounces delicate and breathtakingly graceful. By her second or third bounce, though, she was actively gaining height, powerfully shooting her body upward.
"So…what?" Naruto watched. "They just see who can bounce… highest? Longest?"
Ino just nodded toward the trampoline. Several more powerful jumps, and Naruto had the answer to his question. He had no names or what she was doing – he remembered pikes and layouts and turns and somersaults from back in the days he'd goofed his way through gymnastics while Sakura and Sasuke trained to compete – but he couldn't even begin to describe her combinations.
"You see that pike?" Ino's grin was wolfish. "Look what that girl can do with some air under her! My boys can toss her that high – and I already know she can whip out a scorpion without a second thought."
"I have no idea what that is," Naruto said, entranced, "but it sounds cool as fuck."
"I need her," Ino crossed her arms. "With a flexible star flier like her, we could do some serious damage to the competition. So…" she leaned past Naruto to look at Sasuke. "What do you think?"
What he thought was he had never seen anything as delicately graceful or powerful in his whole life. What he thought was that this small girl had come closer to flying than anyone he'd ever seen. What he thought, was that it was a fucking shame she was a Hyūga.
"Good luck," he shrugged one shoulder dismissively. "I can't see her family going for your plan."
"I'm having a hard time figuring how to make her go for my plan," Ino grimaced. "She is soft-spoken in the extreme. Very shy."
"Sounds like perfect cheerleader material," Sasuke grunted, standing. "We done here?"
He glared at Naruto who was dumbstruck by the girl now climbing off of the trampoline.
"Whowhatnow? Oh. Yeah. You can go. They still have more turns, right?" he asked Ino.
"Sure," she sat back in her seat. "Their practice just started." She watched the Hyūga girl go to a corner to stretch, effortlessly dropping back into a backbend and a slow back walkover. Her series of stretches led Naruto to ask, in all seriousness:
"Does she have any bones?"
"Questionable," Ino was sneaking pictures. "But that move she just pulled, was a needle, and I need this girl. Let's go introduce ourselves."
"Yeah, sure," Naruto stood up a little too enthusiastically. "You coming, Sasuke?"
"Why would I?"
Ino's grin was sharp.
"I can think of a reason."
Sasuke glowered at her before muttering, "Fine."
Ino led the way, making her way to the floor, and striking up introductions.
"And this is Sasuke," she motioned behind her. "Sasuke – this is Hinata."
Hinata turned to him, and he braced himself for the icy cold eyes of a Huyga. Instead, eyes of the palest lavender met his, with none of the arctic pomposity of her cousin's. Her voice was soft and light as she gave a small wave.
"Nice to meet you, Sasuke." She peered at him for a second before asking. "Have we met? You look familiar to me."
"He just has one of those faces," Naruto laughed a little too loudly, putting his hand behind his head. "So. Hinata! Why don't you tell us more about – "
"Hyūga!" Her coach– a fierce woman with red tattoos on her cheeks, and wild brown hair - sauntered over. "These punks bothering you?"
"No, Coach Inuzuka," she dipped her head quickly. "I was just making their acquaintance."
"Tsume," she corrected before eyeing the other three. "Not to you three. You can call me Inuzuka before you get the hell out of my practice."
"Sorry," Ino's smile was brilliantly kind. "I heard so much about the new trampoline program, I had to come see. I –"
"Stuff it, Blondie," Tsume scoffed. "We have work to do here." She paused and eyed Sasuke. "I know you," she narrowed her eyes. "You're an Uchiha. The littler brat – not the one that went gold some years back. The fuck you hanging around here for?"
Sasuke's jaw tightened, even as recognition spilled across Hinata's gentle features.
"I was just leaving," Sasuke turned on his heel, not waiting for the others to make their apologies and follow.
"Well she's scary as fuck," Naruto muttered, as Sasuke dropped back to let him pass as Ino stormed past them both. "Aw great," he raked a hand down his face. "She's going to be super determined now."
Sasuke shrugged. "Your girl, your problem."
Naruto sighed and headed after her.
Sasuke spared one last glance at the Hyūga, who met his eyes steadfastly.
'The flier I want is Neji's cousin,' Ino's text had read. 'If I get my way, he will be royally, royally pissed. Also, I'll keep all sleepovers with Naruto at my place, and I can guarantee you at least one Naruto-free week… say, around exam time?'
If the first half of the text piqued his interest, the second half sealed the deal. But holding the girl's gaze until she got called away did something to him… and now he wasn't quite so sure what the fuck he was thinking. Her eyes were gentle with an open honesty, but he felt like she could see beyond his carefully cultivated air of indifference; past the ink that wound around his skin, and the sinew and bones underneath to someone he wasn't even sure he knew anymore.
He didn't realize he'd stopped and was openly staring until another gymnast said something to her, startling her into breaking their connection. She'd given him an apologetic smile before turning her full attention to her teammate.
He watched her for a heartbeat longer before slipping out of the facility, and going the opposite direction from Naruto and Ino.
Deciding he wanted to avoid that shitshow, he left campus entirely, opting to take the long way home. His father would've had an aneurism if he'd lived to see Sasuke flying by on his Ducati (even if he was never reckless and always wore a helmet) which was probably why he found such gratification in his rides. And his tattoos. And his perfect GPA.
As he cut the engine and swung off of his bike, an image of Hyūga Hiashi flashed through his mind – another disapproving father with an all-too familiar disapproving face. If Hinata was Neji's cousin, then Hiashi was her father.
"Fucking shame she's a Hyūga," he muttered gruffly (and perhaps with something between sympathy and regret) as he leaned against his favorite tree on his favorite spot on the highest hill over-looking all of Konoha. He lapsed into a meditative state, allowing the bliss of a late summer afternoon to absorb the edges in his air.
When he left, the image of her followed him, quiet and unobtrusive. It was still there the following Saturday morning, when Naruto crashed into his room and jumped on his bed, bursting with the news that Hinata had agreed to help Ino out.
Sasuke might've taken the news better, had he not been jolted from a very pleasant sleep to be bounced out of his bed and land on his ass on the floor. He grabbed the first thing he could put his hands on - a heavy book he'd fallen asleep reading - and sent it sailing toward Naruto's head. He dodged it just in time, popping back up to fist his hands indignantly on his hips.
"Hope you're in a better mood tonight," he said airily.
"Why? You leaving?"
"I might have plans," Naruto shrugged. "For after dinner."
"Dinner?" he rubbed his head, still trying to reconcile himself to the injustice of being ripped out of sleep to deal with his idiot of a roommate. "What dinner."
"The one we are taking Hinata to tonight."
"Have fun with that."
"Oh, see, you are part of that we," Naruto crossed his arms. "I already RSVP'd for you. Ino seems to think it will make her more comfortable. I told her she was crazy-"
- Sasuke was just about to agree with him -
"- but she said that once she mentioned you might be there, she agreed to go. Probably wants to apologize to you for her coach; Sakura said she felt just awful about it."
"It's fine," Sasuke raked a hand down is face. "I don't need an apology from her or anyone else."
"That's what I said," Naruto snorted, "but Sakura told Ino she is 'most insistent,'" he air quoted. "Seems that being stubborn really is a Huyga thing."
Something began to beep from the kitchen, and Naruto bolted for the door - undoubtedly having burnt something. Again.
Sasuke blinked at the now empty air.
She wanted to see him.
"Bastard!" Naruto yelled up the stairs, the sound of something being chucked in the bin. "Get down here - it's your turn to make breakfast!"
"Idiot," he grumbled, pulling on sweats before going to deal with his roommate, and ignoring the warmth sliding in his abdomen that felt suspiciously like anticipation. He heaved what was meant to be a deep sigh of resignation, before shaking his head.
It really was an absolute fucking shame she was a Hyūga… because he was in danger of actually not minding one of them hanging around...
Thanks for reading! (and special thanks to Ink Child for reading this one over for me!)