Hinata took a deep breath. Mustering all the courage she had, she squeezed her hand into a fist and knocked on Naruto's apartment door.
Knock, knock!
There was tumbling, fumbling and a crash from the other side of the door. There was a groan, a curse, then an annoyed voice which shouted, "Coming! Shikamaru, if this is about the mission, I alread told you I'm sorry-"
The door handle turned and rattled. There was more fumbling and clattering. A moment of silence.
The Naruto's voice could be heard again, this time hesitation in his voice. "I can't really open the door right now. So you can come in... But I'm still mad!" Naruto shouted through the door.
Hinata gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Oh, Hinata – it's just you," Naruto said with a smile, his anger subsiding. He looked at her fondly, a smile pulling at his lips.
Hinata didn't have the words to speak, because Naruto stood at the entryway dripping wet with one hand grasping a small towel over the front of his crotch. Towering over her, Hinata's eyes fell right smack onto his bare, muscled chest. She stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar.
From the lack of reply, Naruto realised how indecently he was dressed to greet the Hyuuga Clan heiress. His face changed to an expression of shock and he went,"Ack! Hinata! It-it's you!" He shamefully tried to shield his body behind the door but there simply wasn't enough space. "W-would you like to come in, Hinata? I'll need you to close your eyes for a second..."
Hinata blinked, coming back to reality. With his damp hair slicked back and the water droplets rolling down his abs - Hinata had almost forgotten why she was there. And gladly and walked in past Naruto's tall frame.
"Sorry for not being dressed, Hinata. I just was in the shower and it's a little harder getting ready with only one arm," Naruto admitted, kicking the door to a close.
One arm?
That's when Hinata shamefully realised that Naruto's bandaged arm was missing. "Naruto! Where's your arm?!" She exclaimed.
Naruto looked at where his bandaged arm used to be. It was just a stub, from the elbow joint upwards. A little more than he was left with the last time but still less than what he should have.
"It's a long story. But in a nutshell, there was an explosion and it's all Shikamaru's fault," he told her, shifting on his feet nervously.
All the frustration she had pent up during her chat with the girls fled her body. "Oh Naruto, that's horrible. Let me help you," she empathised with her boyfriend standing in front of her - her pitiful naked boyfriend. Something about that thought was very endearing to her. She stepped toward Naruto, arms outreached.
Naruto's face took a red blush and he in turn took a step back. "Urh- no, it-it's fine, Hinata – really! I-I was just about to shower and take a nap."
Hinata continued to walk towards him, every step she took a little quicker than the last, "I remember how much help you needed the last time," Hinata reminded him. Naruto himself continued stepping back to maintain the distance from Hinata's advances.
"Wh-what?! No- I did great on my own the last time," Naruto lied. Why was he lying? She was there the last time. She was the one who helped him eat, who changed his bandages, who even helped him get dressed that one time... and all before they were dating. Naruto cursed how he stupid he was for never noticing how much Hinata cared for him.
"I am happy to help you, Naruto. I want to help my boyfriend," Hinata insisted calmly. His back was against the wall now. She was in front of him. At almost an entire foot shorter than him, Hinata didn't actually pose a threat physically. She hadn't even touched him since she got here. Her tone was perfectly civil and courteous - as always. And Naruto knew if he really wanted to, he could just run away. But Naruto felt cornered today - maybe because he knew that with just one wrong turn he could accidentally flash her.
For weeks he'd been trying to maintain a good distance between them. He did his best to give her space and to treat her with the respect that a noble lady of her prestige required. So now, in his nude condition with only one hand gripping the hand towel over his crotch desperately, the last thing Naruto wanted was to have Hinata so close to him. This was not because he disliked her, oh no - it was the quite the opposite - he really liked her. So much so that he was getting a physical reaction anytime she was near. A touch of the hand, or a whiff of her perfume - once all she did was smile at him... Right now as he looked at her big opal eyes and her dark shiny hair, Naruto knew it was too late to hide his shame. Subconsciously, his eyes dropped down to his hand for a millisecond.
Hinata's eyes naturally followed his gaze and for the second time, today her mouth dropped open. "Oh!" Her hands jumped to cover her mouth.
There was a bulge forming behind the little towel, too large for Naruto to cover with one hand alone.
There was a moment of silence. Then Hinata asked quietly, "Is that for me?"
Naruto bit his lip, not sure how to answer that. Following the Moon Mission, Naruto's friends had all beaten into him that he had to be respectful with Hinata. As Shikamaru put it, 'she is a noblewoman and anything stupid or vulgar he had to offer would be unacceptable'.
Figuring the honesty was the best policy, Naruto told her simply, "I'm not sure how I can answer that without sounding stupid or vulgar."
Hinata's mouth opened wide with a laugh. Then to his relief, Hinata smiled at him, "Let me help you Naruto." Her hands reached down and pinched the towel by its edge. She leaned in towards him as one of her arms snaked around his torso to pull the towel taut around his hips. Not peeking at the shape behind the towel, Hinata managed to wrap and tuck the towel around his waist.
He felt a wave of gratitude, as he felt a little more decent now. Naruto was also smiling, enticed by the smell of her hair - jasmine flowers.
Resting her hands on his sides, Hinata looked up at him with those big beautiful eyes. "Now, do you still need help in the shower?"