A/N: Thank you again for the overwhelming support! Every comment puts a smile on my face. :)
Kudos to KilJoius, as always, for the help and support. ;D
I hope you enjoy my take on the prompt of Day 8 - "Talk to me."!
"No, sensei, it's too embarrassing!" Hinata emphasised, waving her hands. The redness had crept down from her face till the seam of the neckline.
"Aaah, don't be silly, Hinata," Kurenai replied while pouring her student a second glass of wine. She was well into her fourth. "Do you think Mirai right there," she said as she pointed vaguely in the direction of her daughter's bedroom, "was delivered by the stork?"
She knew her eyes gleamed with mirth. Hinata looked even more mortified and double checked the soundproofing seal placed on Mirai's bedroom.
Ah, poor soul.
"Ano… I know you won't force me to talk about it and–"
"That's where you're wrong, I insist! Talk – to – me." She made eye contact and dropped her voice down to a whisper with meaning. "You don't come barging in every night asking for booze. I know you want to discuss something."
She smiled kindly and waited.
Hinata's eyes looked to the side for a moment and her lips moved as if she was silently encouraging herself to open up.
"U-Uchi– no, I mean Sasuke-san kissed my fingers today!"
Sasuke-san? Kurenai burst out laughing wholeheartedly. The alcohol she had had that night had slowly but surely eroded her self control. I guess it can't be helped. Ne, Asuma, had we also been just like this?
"...he even smirked afterwards!" Hinata then supplied in a muffled voice, pouting, as if trying to feed Kurenai the punch line of a joke. It did the job of interrupting her inner musings. The woman had to carefully dab at the corners of her eyes and continued to laugh wholeheartedly.
After she managed to recompose herself, she reached for Hinata's hand. "Is there more to it?"
"W-Well… We have met a lot during the past year at the cemetery. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we just acknowledge each other. He watches over me if I fall asleep there. He said it's dangerous. We never went too much in depth because…because I…" Hinata looked at Kurenai, hoping she would understand. The latter nodded.
"You were concerned about what he thinks of you because of how things went with Naruto?"
"Yes." She licked her lips. "Everyone pitied me since my pinning over the years has been quite public. I…I can't help but feel like to everyone, even to most of my friends, I am just the girl Naruto rejected. And especially to someone as close to him as Uchiha-san…Err… Sasuke-san."
"So you thought Sasuke-san was checking up on you for Naruto?" Kurenai raised her eyebrow.
"Mhm."
"So let me guess… You thought he was just there to appease Naruto's sense of guilt?"
Hinata nodded. "Today he told me I don't get it and that it's not like that. A-And that, I quote, 'I should stop with my stupid evasiveness.' He clarified he wasn't there for…um…'th-that idiot.'" Hinata's eyes showed panic. "I was still quoting."
"I guess he just likes the hard to get type, am just guessing here!" Kurenai offered while taking another sip.
"Sensei!"
"Was that all?"
"Then there was the kissing my hand part, but I managed to pull it away."
Kurenai's eyebrows shot up. "You pulled away?"
"Mhm. I asked him if we could talk later after the shift." Then, Hinata groaned. "And I am sure Sakura-san knows too…" The Hyuuga started rubbing her temples.
"Hm?"
"Her eyes were begging me to talk about it. I mean she had discussed dating Naruto-kun openly with me. I just…I just didn't know where Sasuke-san and I stood."
"And then? Did he confess his undying love for you?" Kurenai took the glass back to her lips. It was empty. She had to stand up to grab a new bottle. She thought that it was a happy coincidence, since Hinata might feel more comfortable talking about it now that no eye contact was involved. She was right.
"Not exactly," Hinata said and then giggled as if remembering something of an inside joke. "He said he finds me okay and not annoying. A-and he asked me out."
The new bottle popped open. Kurenai unscrewed the cork and placed it on the table. Then she spun around and headed back to the table, pouring herself the fifth glass for the night.
"Romantic, really." Kurenai finally sat down. "Are you ready to move on?"
"I think I am."
"And how do you feel about him?"
"I…I told him that I feel comfortable around him and would like to get to know him better. I made no promises. He seemed good with that."
"Cheers to you guys?"
"Cheers to us!"
Asuma, are you watching? Our kids are all grown up.
.
.
.
The next morning, Mirai made sure to rattle Hinata awake just in time for the sunrise. The latter seemed to be nursing a hangover – not that the toddler seemed to care.
Oh, boy! Hopefully she doesn't have a shift at the hospital today.
Kurenai looked at her girls fondly, letting her face bask in the early morning rays which entered her apartment. She then kneeled down to speak levelled to the child. Bare feet slapped against the wooden floor.
"Mira-chan, want to make some pancakes for Hina-nee?"
Hinata looked apologetically in Kurenai's direction. The latter only smiled and turned around to assist the toddler in the kitchen.
Up next: Neji's POV where we'll see the progression of our main couple's relationship as seen through his eyes. He isn't delighted with the idea of Hinata dating Sasuke to say the least. But wait, isn't Neji dead?
See you on Day 10!