Cross-posted from AO3
Lovely cover image is by the incredibly talented GiuStoArt from tumblr.
When she stuttered, it was okay.
When she blushed, it was okay.
When she fainted, it was okay.
But when she cried, it wasn't okay.
When Hinata entered the Aburame household with puffy cheeks and a wet nose, her collar lifted in a sorry attempt to hide her face, Kiba knew something was wrong instantly.
Kiba straightened his back out with his tea in hand, glancing down at Akamaru, who also picked up on her abnormal demeanor. Akamaru trotted over to Hinata and nuzzled his face into her thigh, to which she subconsciously responded by resting her hand on his head. Shino pushed his chair back as he rose, strolling back into the kitchen to prepare Hinata a tea. Hinata reluctantly pulled the last chair out and settled in, head hanging as she looked at her hands.
"Now that we're all here, let's get started." Shino spoke without any sign that he had also picked up on Hinata's troubled state, simply setting the tea in front of her.
"Right." Hinata's soft voice rang in Kiba's ears as he watched her, tuning out Shino's voice. He scrunched up his nose as a spike of cortisol hit it, in addition to the apparent lack of serotonin. She was stressed and sad, but that was already apparent from the way she walked in and immediately wound in on herself. While she wasn't the most excitable person, she was usually at least bubbly and positive when she came to team meetings. Her face was flushed, her eyes low. Akamaru hadn't left her side for the 5 minutes Shino had been talking.
"Kiba, I know you do not normally listen, but you usually at least perk up when you hear your name."
"Kiba?" Hinata finally raised her eyes to him, the tears on her face dry now, but eyes still wet.
"Huh?" Kiba shot his eyes from Hinata to Shino, eyebrows raised.
"Let me repeat." Shino sighed as he sipped his tea. Kiba shook himself out of his funk and turned his body towards Shino, making an effort to hear his role.
As they wrapped up their meeting, Kiba turned his attention back to Hinata. "Hey, Hinata?"
"Hmm?" She stopped as she pulled her coat back on, turning to look at him. Her usually bright eyes looked so dark today.
"I'll walk you home."
"Oh-no-I-I'm fine-"
"Wasn't a question." Kiba pushed the door open for her and Akamaru, giving Shino a wave as they exited. They walked in silence as knots formed in Kiba's stomach, unsure of how to broach the subject of her emotional state. He was dying to know what happened. Could it by something with the Hyūga clan? Something else? "Hinata."
"Mm?" She didn't raise her eyes to meet him, simply continued staring at the ground as they walked.
"Are you alright?"
"O-of course." She spoke defensively, and a hint of adrenaline struck his nose.
"Hey-it's okay." He stopped, putting his hand on her arm to stop her. "I'm not accusing you of anything."
She finally lifted her eyes to meet his, and it felt like a punch to the gut to see them welling up again. He tilted his head at her, then opened his arms to offer a hug. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when she fell into him, burying her face into his coat. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, the knots in his stomach tightening. It wasn't a good time to push for more information, so he simply held her, thousands of thoughts running through his brain. Without realizing it, he began stroking the back of her head, smoothing over her purple locks and using his other hand to massage to small of her back with his thumb. He tried to control his breathing, attempting to impart a sense of calm in her, something he had became accustom to doing.
When her shaking began to slow, to the point she was able to control her breathing along with him, he loosened his grip slightly. He didn't want to let her go, but he didn't want to invade her bubble, either. She brought her arms to his front and rested them on his chest as she pulled her face away, rubbing the tears on her sleeves.
"I'm sorry, K-Kiba. Your coat…" She frowned as she began trying to wipe at the coat, but he caught her hand with his.
"Don't sweat it." He offered her a smile, opting to hang onto her hand if she let him. She let out a puff of air, looking up to meet his gaze. Red immediately began spreading over her cheeks and the cortisol hit him again. He searched his brain for the right words. "I'm always here for you, Hinata."
Silence swept over them as her eyes lowered on their hands, unintentionally curling her fingers around his. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but savor how good it felt to have her in his arms. Then he panicked.
Shit, Naruto.
"Uhm-anytime." He continued, gently pulling away from her as he watched Naruto walk across the way. He hadn't seemed to notice them, thankfully. "Sorry, got carried away."
"Oh," she sighed as she released him as well, eyes falling again as they continued walking. When they reached her unit of the Hyūga home, she unlocked her door and opened it, turning around to Kiba hesitantly. She finally met his gaze, noting the concerned look on his face as he leaned against the support beam in front of her door.
"You need anything, let me know." He stalled, choosing to linger until she made the move to end their interaction. He watched as her breathing quickened just a bit, her fingers fiddling with the door handle.
Then, she spoke quickly. "Come inside? I have some sausages in the fridge for Akamaru."
He grinned, looking down at Akamaru whose ears had perked up at the proposition. Without Kiba's approval, Akamaru had already begun heading inside. Hinata finally showed the first positive emotion all day with a small smile and giggle towards Akamaru.
Good boy.
Kiba let himself inside as well, softly shutting the door behind him as he let the scent of lilac and cinnamon fill his nostrils. Her room was always so calming, it was one of his favorite places to be. He glanced around the room. Since Hinata and Naruto became an item, he had been spending less and less time here. At first, he had gone the machismo route and tried to intimidate Naruto, essentially laying claim to his time with Hinata. He was jealous, and he didn't really care if Naruto knew. But when Hinata sat him down for a talk, a heart to heart about the behavior, he settled down out of respect for Hinata, and to some extent Naruto. He couldn't deny that they at least seemed happy, and who was he to try to ruin that for his best friend?
So it had been weeks since he was last here. It was refreshing to come back. He rested his eyes on her couch and grinned, launching himself into it. He let his nose be buried in one of the throw pillows, savoring the scent. It brought on good memories. Before Naruto became her beau, there were many nights that Kiba rested his head on this couch, on Hinata's lap as they watched dramatic T.V. together. Times when he would be sitting up and she was resting her feet in his lap, giggling as his foot massage turned into full blown tickling. Meals eaten together, tea together, cuddling with Akamaru, and many close calls that always brought Kiba an ache. Every time they had always managed to pull back, agreeing that it wouldn't be good for the team dynamic.
But Kiba didn't really agree. He didn't really give a shit about that, but even if he did, he didn't see why it would actually change anything. But Hinata always insisted, and he always respected her wishes. He loved her enough to understand it wasn't worth losing her. So they kept it platonic. An incredibly close, touchy-feely, borderline romantic, but yet platonic friendship. He never felt led on, she had always set boundaries. But to say he didn't feel a tad betrayed when she confided in him that her and Naruto were officially seeing each other, well, that would be dishonest. He put on his best fake grin and ruffed up her hair.
"Guess that loser finally came to his senses, huh?"
"Kiba, please."
Apparently he had, to Kiba's misfortune. But who was he kidding? This was always how it was gonna turn out.
Kiba pulled his nose away to rest his head at the sound of Akamaru's approving yip. Hinata's giggle filled his ears and he sighed a breath of relief. At least there was still some hope.
"You got comfortable quickly, huh, K-Kiba?"
He loved the endearing way she stuttered out his name.
"You bet." He teased, snaking his hands behind his head as she gently pulled his feet off to take a seat herself. He launched up into a seated position, leaning over onto his knees and facing his head towards hers. She was twisting her hands together. "You wanna talk?"
Hinata let out a labored sigh as her eyes locked in on her hands.
"I can tell somethings wrong."
"I know." She let out a breathy chuckled, visibly digging her fingers into her own palms. "That sense of yours."
"Yep." He tapped his nose, smiling down at her despite her lack of returning eyes. "So tell me. I'm your best friend, you can trust me."
Hinata gave another sigh before letting her hands and head fall. "I left Naruto."
Just like that, Kiba's heart lifted. Involuntarily of course, so he had to restrain himself. His body went still. "Yeah?"
"Yes." She whispered, almost ashamed sounding. He frowned, subconsciously twiddling his own thumbs now. He sucked in a deep breath before he continued.
"Well, I bet he deserved it." He huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back.
"He didn't." She sounded deflated, leaning back as well next to him. He turned his head to face her, eyes full of concern. He had no idea how to probe this subject. "I-I thought…I thought he was perfect. And he is. But h-he…wasn't what I actually wanted."
Kiba audibly gulped as his gaze lingered on her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath, hands wrapping around her own middle. He watched her intently, taking in every scent she exuded. He was almost desperate to get a whiff of serotonin off of her at this point. "Wanted, or needed?"
She gasped quietly at his words, her fingers coming back together to twist. He didn't let up his stare. "Both, I suppose?"
"You deserve the world, Princess." He spoke softly, slipping his hand into her conjoined ones, breaking them from their dance. There it was. The serotonin.
Her hand was frozen in his. He broke out "Princess" only in times like these. He wasn't one for honorifics. It was his term of endearment for her, reserved only for times when she needed support. And like a charm, it worked. He squeezed as her lovely scent hit him in all the right spots, that feel good hormone a drug to him when it came from her.
"K-Kiba." That stutter. That adorable stutter. He wanted so badly to yank her into him, pull her on top and bury his nose in her neck and take her in. But he didn't. He knew his place.
"You don't have to say anything else, Hinata." He gave another gentle squeeze and let his lips upturn at her return squeeze. "You wanna watch something?"
Finally, she looked at him. With those big, bright eyes. And he could've melted into the couch at that tiny smile she offered him, hand still in his. She nodded, and he reluctantly pulled his hand from hers to get up and dig through her collection, grabbing one of their favorites.
"I'm taking care of you tonight." He spoke bluntly as he put the tape in, turning on his heel to face her. "Stay put."
With that, Kiba quickly prepared her favorite tea and scooped her favorite ice cream that she luckily had on hand. When it was ready, he dropped to his knees in front of her, as if honoring her, as he set her items before her. The giggle she let slip was worth it.
"You don-"
"Sh." He hissed, climbing back onto the couch and grabbing her ankles, pulling them onto his lap. She let out another squeak of embarrassment, burying her face in her hands. He squeezed the arch of her foot teasingly. "Quit that! You're my best girl and I'm treating you. Suck it up."
Finally, Hinata had a smile plastered on her face. And that was all Kiba wanted, for now.