AN: thank you for all the reviews! Please, send me your thoughts! Haha!
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Neighbors 2.5.1
"Some of us are going to the gym after this, Hinata. Do you want to come?"
Hinata blinked three times slowly. "The what?"
The blonde teacher laughed. "The Gym as in where you work out?"
She packed up her things and closed her eyes as if she was really considering. "I a-actually have plans so..."
Ino was her name. She sighed softly and gave a dismissive wave. "I'm not forcing you or anything but you don't really hang with the other TAs. It's always good to have a circle."
Hinata was actually a segment type girl. She smiled softly, "I'll see Yamanaka-san..."
Ino stood. The woman was unfairly beautiful. "Well, here's my number," she wrote down a number. "Geesh, and just call me Ino. Invite a friend if you'll be more comfortable."
"Y-yes." Hinata nodded.
"Later Hinata."
::
"You should go."
Hinata watched Sasuke give a girl a back tattoo of a rose for her twenty-first birthday. The Hyuuga couldn't believe she had gotten over fainting from looking at this. "I...I don't k-know them."
"You don't trust them," corrected Sasuke. "She said you could bring a friend. Get Temari to go."
The blonde peeped in. "Nah, I don't do sweat."
Hinata pointed a hand as if showing him example A. Sasuke looked at the girl lying on her back. "You want to go to the gym with my girlfriend?"
"S-Sasuke!" Hinata blushed.
The girl simply laughed at the couple. Sasuke huffed and continued making thorns on her tattoo. "Would you like for me to go with you?"
"Would you?"
Sasuke sat in his chair and sighed. "I supposed," he turned to the girl. "Gaara is going to color you in."
She nodded. "Can I take a look so far?"
He waved his hand. "Don't keep him waiting." She scurried out of the room. Hinata watched the younger woman before looking at Sasuke rubbing his neck. "Bending is killing me. The Gym is perfect."
Hinata smiled until Gaara walked in. Their relationship was full of whimpers and glares. "Sunshine."
"G-Gaara..."
The red head looked at Sasuke and motioned him to the door. The dark haired couple took the hint. "He's really warming up to you."
Hinata grumbled under her breath.
::
"Hinata, you made it!" Ino smiled brightly. "Great!" Turquoise eyes landed on the tattooed male behind her. "Uh..."
Hinata turned to Sasuke. "This is Ino. She's a fellow TA," she turned back to Ino. "This is Sasuke. He's my b-boyfriend."
"Whoa," Ino crossed her arms. They contrasted painfully. Hinata was wearing a lavender shirt and simple grey sweatpants with matching shoes. It was looked new. Truth was, she had no work-out clothes so they had to go shopping.
Then there was Sasuke. He stood a bit more of a head over her, covered in tattoos. Ebony tresses were pulled into a messy ponytail. His face was sharp against her cotton one. He wore a black tank-top and shorts with sneakers.
"I'm going to lift." Sasuke announced. He didn't quite like being openly stared at. "Look, Ino, right?"
"Yes?"
"When she faints I'm three on SpeedDial." Hinata pouted but didn't deny the fact that she could and would probably faint. "Remember to drink water, okay?"
Both women nodded as he walked away. Ino threw her arm around the shorter woman. "Now I see why you don't hang out with us. He's every dad's nightmare."
Hinata blushed darkly and tried to laugh it off. She never realized until someone pointed it out.
"Well, let's run!"
"R-run?!"
::
Gym had three letters, well so did Die. Hinata clutched her heart after jogging the first lap with the other Teacher Assistants. She waved them on. "H-heart attack..." The Hyuuga cupped her knees and wheezed. She was so out of shape. "Ima die..."
Of course, she left her water at the resting area. Ino lapped her. "Hey!" She ran up to the crumbling woman. "H-Hinata? Are you okay? Should I call Sas-"
"No!" She swallowed dry air. This was it. This is how she was going to leave the world. "He's going to y-yell at...me." She fell to her knees.
Well Ino did call him and he was pissed but he didn't yell. He squatted in front of the lightheaded woman with his bottled water. "Drink." He lifted the bottle. "Didn't I say stay hydrated?"
She nodded, greedily drinking his water. "V-vaguely."
"And here we are."
Hinata closed her eyes. Didn't Sasuke know saying 'I told you so' was counterproductive. "None of the other TAs c-carried their water."
"You're not them, idiot." He put a towel over her head. Hinata peered at him. He was already sweating. Everything on the man was glistening. Black strands of hair stuck to his jawline. Hinata blushed at her pseudo-supermodel boyfriend.
Ino walked up to them. "Is she okay?"
"Barely," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She had fun. I'm taking her with me."
"W-what? I was h-having fun with m-my friends."
Ino watched the couple bicker. It was cute and full of care. She was already seeing that Sasuke was only gentle when it came to her. "You guys are so cute."
Hinata blinked and blushed. Sasuke just took her hand. "She needs to start at the basic next time."
Hinata stood. "What's more basic than a track?"
::
Hinata was really in her element on the treadmill. Earphones in and watching the subtitled sitcoms on the TVs in the front. Sasuke was beside her running.
If he wasn't sweating before, now his clothes were sticking to his body. Very...very nicely built body. Why hadn't she ever noticed how fit he was? The Uchiha lifted his shirt to wipe his forehead. Hinata felt her body burn at the sight of sweat beads rolling down his abs...
Hinata shook her head. "Focus," she coached herself. She chugged down majority of her water. How does one Thirst-Trap their own boyfriend? Hinata picked the pace up. No, no, these thoughts weren't good. She made a promise to herself.
"Princess!"
She looked over to see Sasuke panting lightly. He stopped his machine and pulled the shirt over his head. "E-eh!" She pulled out an earphone. The Uchiha dried his face and neck off.
"Are you-"
Hinata lost her rhythm and almost fell off the treadmill. Luckily she didn't fall. "S-sorry!"
He removed hair from his cheek. "You ready?"
All she could do was nod.
::
They battled over the shower first. Sasuke won on account of- "I just got a new piercing, I can't afford for that to get infected."
After Hinata was finished, Sasuke was reading a book. "Are those r-reading glasses?" She pointed to the thin frames on his face.
"Sensitive eyes," he told her.
Hinata crawled towards him. "I t-think I want to cut my hair."
He peered over his glasses like an old man. "Why?"
"I t-tried cleaning the drain...it's so troublesome." She took her navy ponytail. "I could give it to charity."
"Do what you want."
Hinata smiled. "H-how would I look with a bob," she jumped off the bed and into the mirror. "M-maybe shorter?" She tilted her head. "My bangs are much too long."
"I should probably cut mine," he moved his bangs away. "I should just go bald and get my head tat-"
Hinata jumped back on the bed, a habit Sasuke deemed childish, and took his hands. "No."
Sasuke almost laughed. Almost. "No? You said that about my tongue ring. But you like it now."
Hinata wrinkled her nose. "I d-don't see any point in it."
He lied back against the headboard with a smirk. Sasuke kept her hands in his. "There are plenty points. Mostly decoration." He continued before she fainted.
Hinata smiled weakly in he brought her closer. "S-Sasuke..." She muttered seeing onyx eyes fall to her lips. Her own eyes fluttered when they closed off the space between them. Hinata tried to focus on kissing him and not the hands gliding at her waist.
"I..." Sasuke started, when he pulled away first as he normally did. Hinata covered her face after plopping down by his side.
"W-what?" Hinata watched him fight himself on something.
"I think..." He, the great Uchiha, stumbled to get his words out. "What I mean to say is that I think...that a short haircut would be nice on you." They both deflated. Sasuke looked away in shame. "Do you have the slightest clue what I'm trying to say."
Hinata looked at her lap. "I t-think so."
Sasuke sighed. "Then there."
"No, n-not 'then there' it..."
"Do you feel the same way?" He asked suddenly. Hinata was silent. She... She...
The petite young woman nodded weakly. Sasuke visibly sighed. Hinata mumbled, "There then."
Well yeah, then there.
It got awkward until Storm came into the room. He easily jumped on the bed and curled up in between them. Hinata rubbed his chin. "Um, goodnight." He grunted and turned the opposite direction. "...there then."
"Then there," he replied.
Hinata covered her face in embarrassment. Odd, they both knew exactly what it meant and yet refused to say the real thing.
::
"And how much do you want gone?"
Sasuke sat in the opposite chair getting months of hair chopped off. Hinata licked her lips and hummed. "J-just something manageable."
Then years of hair growth fell to the floor. Opal eyes widened horribly. She hadn't had short hair since she was twelve and now almost twenty-four... She made a almost thirteen year decision in one night!
"Why are you crying?" Sasuke asked.
"My h-hair!" She wept and looked down at the many inches that fell into her lap now.
"You said you wanted to cut it."
"I know...I know..." Her chest heaved. "I-"
"Hey," he called her attention. "Then there."
Hinata swallowed her heart and took a deep breath. "...mm, there then." The Hyuuga quietly let the woman do her job.
Hinata touched her neck freely. It was a bit shorter that she imagined but she liked it. Pixie cut. Sasuke just got his hair cut to its original length.
"You're becoming more impulsive, Princess." Sasuke led her out of the shop.
She touched her hair and smiled towards the chilling sun. "It...it feels good." They were rubbing off on each other.
::
The next morning, Sasuke was woken up by a short scream and a cry. He and Storm bounded for the bathroom. Hinata sat on the floor with a hand mirror face down. "What the hell?"
"I thought," she rubbed her short tresses down. "I t-thought that was a dream!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and went back to bed. Storm stared at his weird female servant. He waited until she looked up at him to go back to sleep. The cat jumped on the bed. "Just ignore her," the male servant yawned and went back to sleep.
As if he needed to be told.