"Sakura, I just got home after two weeks out." Naruto pleaded into his device as Sakura held hers to her ear. Perched on a bar stool, twirling a straw around her glass.
"Come on Naruto, we're all having a good time."
"Who's there?"
"Why does it matter it's my birthday!" She picks up her drink, making her way over to where the others were playing darts. Ino, teased Sai about his missed shot while Tenten and Hinata sat waiting for their turn. "Plus we're short a person for dart teams."
"Sakura I'm tired, I want to go to bed. You know I didn't get to shower for two weeks? Just rinsing in a cold ass stream. "
"It's Hinata who needs a partner. Come on, you don't want to disappoint her."
A heavy sigh sounds from the other end of the line. "Let me shower. What bar are you at?"
Sakura squeals with joy, telling Naruto where to meet them.
"But I'm playing with Tenten," Hinata states, hearing the end of Sakura's conversation.
"Switch me, I need to talk to Tenten about some weapon stuff."
"Who'd you force to come?" Tenten asks
"Naruto, he just got back to the village but it's my birthday so he can get over it!"
"Cue the freakout." Tenten laughs, setting her empty beer bottle on the table before walking off. "Godo calls though Sakura, I've wanted to see her drunk around him."
"Sakura you promised." Hinata whines, drinking the last of the colorful drink in her hand. "Said that he'd be out of the village so I didn't." She trails off, motioning to herself.
"You didn't what? Dress up, do your hair, come on, you look fine." Sakura's eyes run down her friend in front of her.
The two girls wore similar outfits, it was an unusually hot day for the end of March. Both sported Sakura's normal tight, mid-thigh length shorts. While Sakura's top stopped just above her belly button, Hinata wore a loose dark green top with one corner tucked into the waistband. Sakura had cut her hair short again after the war, differing from Hinata's waist-length hair that was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head.
"Please, he's seen you in everything from dressed up for a festival to beaten and bloody during the war. He's just a boy who doesn't understand that he loves you. So, you're going to play darts with him, be confident, maybe try flirting with the idiot and have a great night." Hinata gives her an unsure look. "It's my birthday, I demand it!" Sakura turns, taking half the darts from Tenten's hand, leaving Hinata at the table.
"Thought you might need this." Ino sets a new glass of whatever she's been drinking down in front of Hinata, her face soft.
"Thanks," Hinata says, trading her empty glass for the full one in front of her.
"Your ass looks great in those shorts by the way," Ino says walking away with a wink.
Hinata sits at the high-top table, watching her small group of friends play games in front of her. While most of their group was out of the village, off on missions, it was nice to still have their small group. Noise from the front of the bar draws her attention. You didn't need to be looking at the door to know when Naruto stepped into the bar. Ever the war hero, the village hero, the sound of the patrons clapping him on the back followed him through the room. A bartender puts a beer into his hand without asking for payment. Him, even though Sakura had said he had just gotten back and was tired, smiling at every person who stopped to talk to him.
"I heard you need a partner, ya known." Naruto greets her when he finally makes his way to the back of the bar and her table. His hair was still wet, long fingers curled around his beer.
"Oh, um, yeah if you want." Hinata blinks, the alcohol making her brain go fuzzy.
"Sakura making us play without chakra?" He asks, beer to his lips taking a long drink.
"Start complaining and I'll make you do it with your eyes closed." The pink-haired kunoichi appeared at his side.
"Drunk, blind, darts. Sounds fun." Tenten walks over, clapping Naruto on the back.
"You guys are idiots." Ino laughs, pulling Sai by his hand.
"You, Ino-pig, are no fun."
"Happy birthday Sakura." Naruto laughs, hugging his friend. "Come on, help me kick the birthday girl's ass." Naruto grabs Hinata's hand, tugging her from the seat.
"Shouldn't we be nice and let her win, it is her birthday after all." Hinata giggles, watching Naruto shake his head. His eyes go from her face to their still joined hands, dropping it suddenly.
The group played over the next hour. Drinks were constantly being dropped off either by one of them or by someone else in the bar. A thank you for either what Sakura had as a medical-nin in the war, her ongoing services to the Leaf, or for Naruto being with them.
Hinata had lost count of how much of whatever Ino had given her to start with she had drank. She laughed, teasing Tenten and Sakura as they missed shots along with Naruto. Turning her head into his shoulder, fingers lingering too long when he handed her the darts for her turn
"Where's Ino?" Sakura asks, suddenly looking around for her friend.
"She and Sai left together like thirty minutes ago," Hinata replies
She hadn't noticed Naruto watching her put the fruit between her lips, his eyes widening when she sucked it into her mouth, plucking the stem off and running her tongue over her red-stained lips. But Sakura had. She watched the way he groaned and ran his fingers through his hair, gaze following Hinata across the bar. Glued to her ass the whole way.
She was whispering to Tenten, both girls laughing looking from where Naruto was and back to Hinata. Sakura pushes herself off the table, walking across the room.
"Were you intending on making Naruto lose his mind with that little stunt with the cherry back there or?"
"What?" Hinata's voice is higher pitched than the music.
"Maybe you two just need to take advantage of the alcohol and just you know." Sakura waggles her eyebrows at her, walking away while Hinata blushes front the roots of her hair down to her toes. She moves to throw her dart, widely missing.
"Good view?" Sakura knocks her shoulder into Narutos.
"Shut up." Naruto finishes his beer. Dropping the bottle on the table, walking to Hinata's side.
"You dropped your elbow." He says, placing one hand on Hinata's hip, the other on the elbow in question. "Like this." He helps her go through the motions, like a small child learning to throw a kunai for the first time. The dart leaves her hand this time finding its way to the center of the board "You're perfect." Naruto smiles down at her, squeezing her hip before backing away.
"Sakura! I'm going to head home, Kakashi-sensei wants a report in the morning. Thanks for making me come." Wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "See ya Hinata."
Gods those shorts. Naruto thinks walking through the village, he was used to Sakura in them and had grown up with her always wearing them. But Hinata, Hinata in them was something he wasn't expecting. The tight fabric wrapping around an ass Naruto didn't know she had, with her normally wearing skirts around the village and her mission gear being loose enough in that area not to draw attention. Alcohol buzzing through his system, he had forgotten himself and just stared at her for most of the evening. She was his friend, he shouldn't be doing this.
She'd be disappointed if she knew.
I was going to say maybe you're not as dumb as I thought, but oh well
I'm not in the mood for cryptic things Kurama, just say what you need to and be done.
No, I think I'll let you suffer a little bit more. You'll get it eventually.