I don't own Naruto.
Bump on the Head
Hinata shuffled around a bit to keep herself busy. Her second month on the job was wearing on her. Behind the counter, she swayed from side to side, sniffling feebly as she rubbed at her nose. She was pretty sure she was coming down with something.
Not many customers had come in that night, just a few perverted old men and an old lady in the wrong store. The sixteen year old boy working the cash register that night kept eyeing the adult section wishfully and Hinata was halfway tempted to let him have a look so he could get it over with. After three or more hours of swaying, the boy looked over at her with what looked like empathy.
"You look terrible. Go home and I'll take the rest of your shift." It was hard to tell whether he offered out of the kindness of his heart or just so he could sneak back into the porno aisle, but none the less she took him up on it. She drug her feet all the way home, so disoriented that she took two wrong turns before she found the right street. She wrestled with her apartment door for a few seconds before Sasuke came and opened it for her. His face lit up like a candle.
"Hinata!" he cried, "Darling, your home early!" He flung himself at her and wrapped both arms and a leg around her, rubbing his cheek against hers affectionately. She hadn't even noticed that it was raining outside or that she was wet until she felt Sasuke's warmth seep through her sopping clothes.
"I was going to go outside and meet you with a jacket when you got off work. Here, let me make you some hot tea." He said and rushed into the kitchen. She followed him dazedly. He filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove while Hinata walked aimlessly around the kitchen, awkward and out of place in her own apartment. For some reason it felt strange to have him there, and yet it was comforting to know he would always be waiting for her when she came home.
An unsettling sense of loneliness seeped through her and made her sag, earth's gravity suddenly too heavy to defy. Despair made her shoulders round even more than usual, and her back hunched over as she drug herself to the nearest chair. Sasuke sat down beside her a few minutes later with a cup of steaming tea. He studied her face carefully as he set it in front of her. It was hard to tell if she was crying or not because of the rain droplets still dripping down her cheeks.
When she didn't move to take it, he lifted it to her mouth and gently pressed the rim to her lips. She blinked and grabbed it, her icy cheeks turning pink. She didn't notice she was shivering, either, until Sasuke put a blanket over her shoulders. He didn't say anything, but merely sat back down and scooted closer to her side. She sipped her tea carefully and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She felt like a baby. She absolutely refused to start bawling in front of Sasuke.
After she drained the last sip of steamy tea, he rubbed her back in soothing circles, watching as she pressed her lips together and murmured a quiet little thank you before she stood up and went to her room. She hadn't even set foot in the doorway when Sasuke caught her from behind. His arms locked under hers and wrapped around her rib cage firmly. Nudging the collar of her wet shirt away, he kissed the frozen, wet skin of her should, causing her to gasp aloud as a soft, hot tongue bathed her skin. For a brief moment, Hinata thought about pulling away and getting on to her shower. Then she pushed the thought away.
Her left hand reached back to tangle in his hair and she titled her head sideways to give him better access, sighing as she let herself go. She'd only done this once before. He nibbled her neck tenderly, breathing deeply as he felt her body relax against him. He was less awkward than Naruto had been, she thought. She grimaced slightly and pushed the blonde out of her mind so she could concentrate on Sasuke. He was going to pass out any minute now, right?
He lifted the hem of her shirt gently, peeling the icy fabric away and allowing her a minimal amount of relief from the cold. Breathing in the smell of rain and Hinata's shampoo, he pressed his warm hands over her freezing belly to warm her. Hinata continued to stroke his hair, which was soft and fine, like silk between her fingers.
Sasuke placed his hands on her hips and gently turned her around, lifting his face to hers and tilting his head so that he could press his parted lips over hers. Her heart ached as he continued on with the gentle display, his tongue swiping over her bottom lip enticingly until she opened her mouth and touched her tongue to his. She got a little carried away as he withdrew, chasing the soft muscle back into his mouth with a tinge of desperation. He nipped at it once and pulled her tighter against him. Hinata sighed and rubbed her fingers over the soft baby hairs growing on the nape of his neck, loving the way his hands pressed against her lower back as though he could merge them together.
Guiding her to the bathroom he turned on the hot water, kissing and undressing her as hot steam rose into the air. Finally naked, they stepped into the shower. Hinata swallowed against the lump in her throat, feeling as humiliatingly exposed as she had with Naruto, and began to regret their escapade immediately, thinking of ways to jump out of the shower without him catching her. Sasuke however, was fighting for breath as he looked upon her curvaceous porcelain body. He somehow managed to remain calm, fighting the onset of drowsiness that was threatening to overcome him. The heavy look of lust on the Uchiha's face built a temporary dam to distill the flood of self-doubt.
He kissed the tops of her breasts and stroked her sides, sucked at her neck and gently massaged her tense and trembling muscles. He acted like he'd seen it all before, and was utterly relieved to see it again. His fingers kneaded deep into the tissue of her back, bringing relief to the dull ache from the cold. The warmth of the shower finally began to seep into Hinata's frozen muscles, and Sasuke's gentle rubbing brought the frozen nerves back to life.
He nipped and sucked at her chest, leaving a trail of warmth in his wake. He paid equal attention to her abdomen, even pausing to dip his tongue into her belly-button which, to her surprise, she found incredibly erotic. His thin hair looked like ink as it clung to his head, contrasting with his chalky white face, and yet he was strangely beautiful. Hinata's stomach tightened as she looked at him, several upraised scars marking his shoulders, chest and stomach.
He reached up and took her hand, kissing her knuckles and palms lovingly. Brushing her fingertips over his lips, he opened his mouth and lapped at each digit in turn all the while maintaining unwavering eye contact. Dipping her middle finger inside his mouth, he closed his lips around it and ran his tongue over the tip, and then pulled the last digit inside. He was speaking to her with his onyx irises, methodically erasing any self-doubt the dam may have let out.
(Thursday 1:46 PM, Tsunade's Office)
Shizune had been badgering Tsunade constantly, trying to get her to change her decision, but she was stone solid. No amount of bribing or threatening could change her mind. Going on day-long shifts with only five hours of sleep a night to run on was getting old. She didn't even bother to contain the drool anymore, and let it run down her chin in thick, unpleasant globs. Her office door flew open and Shizune popped in, just as grouchy and tired as she was. After all, her shift was not much better than Tsunade's. The young woman raised one elegant eyebrow and frowned. Tsunade took the hint and wiped her chin.
"What?" She asked, half afraid of the answer. Last time Shizune had come by, it was to tell her that three genin were in critical care, two in danger of bleeding out internally.
"Hinata's here to see you. You asked me to get her, remember?" She asked testily. Tsunade nodded dreamily, drifting in and out of reality.
"Send her in then." She said. Shizune walked away for a moment, and Hinata entered the room a few minutes later.
"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked, a little bit worried. Tsunade just nodded.
"Yes. Please, sit." Taking out one of the massive medical textbooks that sat beside her desk, she plopped it in front of the younger woman and flipped through the pages. This was the best way to explain. She'd promised Shizune that she'd at least give Hinata a rundown of the procedure, so as Sasuke's guardian, she'd know what the risks were of the operation. Shizune thought it might make Hinata feel a little bit guilty if nothing else.
She pointed at the drawing of a human brain on the paper, pointed to where she assumed the damage was in Sasuke's, and then pointed out all the blood vessels and crucial parts of the brain around it. She knew Hinata wasn't stupid, and would understand if she used the medical terms of surgery, but she needed to get this over with rather than having a long debate over it.
"So what do you think? Do you want to risk it?" Tsunade asked shortly. She looked up from the book to Hinata's face, which showed no signs of life, like she'd gone completely brain dead in a matter of seconds.
"Hinata?" Tsunade repeated, raising one brow. The young woman's head snapped up from the book to look her directly in the eyes.
"No." She stated simply. "I won't do it." Tsunade raised the other eyebrow, taken aback. But whatever, right? Sasuke wasn't her problem anymore, since Hinata had just taken full responsibility for him.
"Hokage-sama, I was wondering if we could remove Sasuke's ankle monitor and implant? I don't think he needs them anymore."
(Thursday 6:46, Hinata Hyuuga's Residence)
It took three long hours before they were finally seen by a medic qualified enough to remove Sasuke's ankle monitor and the cube implant. But it had all been worth it, Hinata was sure. Sasuke had her pinned against the wall before the apartment door was even closed, kissing her with renewed enthusiasm. It had been very disappointing night for both of them the night before when he started swaying in the shower and she had to drag him out before he drowned in the spray.