A/N: you guys are lovely! you're all great and wonderful; here's another chapter before i ghost for finals
Her phone buzzed, announcing the arrival of a new message.
The corners of her mouth instinctively turned up when she saw who the text was from. It was from Sasuke, who was saved in her phone with a little tomato emoji next to his name.
She recalled the day she learned about his obsession with the vegetable… Fruit? They actually had a debate about this via text and neither individual was swayed by the other. Hinata held fast to her idea that while tomatoes were technically fruits, she considered them vegetables because they were more savory than sweet. Her friend did not agree - going as far as replying with a screenshot of the dictionary definition of a fruit and asserting that tomatoes were classified as such.
The only thing that quelled their argument was finding out that they were both correct, courtesy of a quick Google search.
When they started studying together two weeks prior, Sasuke brought a small container of tomato wedges to eat during one of their breaks.
"Is that your lunch?" She asked while pulling out her bento.
He finished chewing before he answered, "Kind of. I'm going to the dining hall after this for real food, if you could call that real food."
Their next session, Hinata brought a second bento - intended for her study companion.
She tentatively nudged it towards him during their food break. "I figured you might be tired of dining hall food, I know I was after a month," she rambled. "But it's okay if you don't want it, I can just-"
"I'll take it," he said a little too quickly, eager to accept her thoughtful gift. "Thank you."
His thanks was awkward and bashful, for him at least. He was much more used to rejecting lunches and other presents from girls (and occasionally boys) than accepting them.
"It was no trouble at all," she insisted and watched intently as he picked up the chopsticks. She picked up her own pair as well, so it wouldn't look like she was simply staring at him, waiting for his reaction to her cooking - which she was, but that was beside the point.
The ascent of the piece of karaage seemed exaggeratedly slow until it finally reached his mouth.
Now for the moment of truth; she was scared he would hate it or think her weird for even bringing him lunch in the first place…
His eyebrows lifted in astonishment and he replied sincerely, onyx eyes boring into hers.
"It's delicious."
Her insecurities were dispelled with that two-word sentence and a smile bloomed on her face.
"You're sure this is allowed?" Hinata whispered frantically as Sasuke took the empty seat next to her.
He pulled out a pen and a notebook and shrugged.
"It's fine, there are over 200 students in this lecture," he scanned the packed room. "Besides, I'm already paying tuition for physics two, I should be getting complete lectures."
She pursed her lips and looked around the room nervously, as if her professor would descend from the rafters and berate them.
"He won't even know I'm here," he assured her. "We're not the kind of assholes that talk the entire lecture."
Morino Ibiki chose that moment to march into the room, through the usual doors, silencing the class with his imposing presence.
His back was ramrod straight and he announced, "Good evening, class."
The girl next to him began to fidget as the professor swept his gaze over the class. God, he was going to find out that Sasuke wasn't in this class and then he would kick him out! Or would Dr. Morino kick both of them out? She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, old habits resurfacing.
A warm, comforting hand engulfed hers and squeezed lightly - her anxiety was momentarily forgotten.
"Attendance is looking better today, I see," he stated approvingly.
Then the teacher began his tirade, "Today we will be learning about statics…"
Sasuke shot her a triumphant smirk and she responded with a relieved grin.
Thus began Uchiha Sasuke's unofficial enrollment in PHY 2000, section 3, with Hyuuga Hinata.