A/N: The official start of SasuHina Month 2023 is here, and I humbly offer a story, for which each chapter will conform to the prompts of the day that chapter lines up with.

If you'd like to find out more about SHMonth 2023, look up sasuhinamonth on tumblr.

Day 1 Prompt: "Waiting for you"

Sometimes, Sasuke wants to die.

Like right now. He's sitting on the bus, staring at a tiny little moth that had the misfortune of wandering in, crawling along the windowsill. The people around him are mostly quiet, except he can hear the music coming from a set of earbuds in the person's ears in front of him, and he wonders why people constantly insist on ruining their hearing. Not that he actually cares about the person in front of him, some random older teenager probably off to vape with their friends or bother grocery store workers or bother grocery store workers by vaping.

No, it's more that by this person carelessly blasting their eardrums with the same shitty four beats, they are intruding on Sasuke's comfort. He's got a slight ache in the back of his neck, his knees press against the back of the chair in front of him, his hands don't feel comfortable in his own lap. Going to work isn't really why he's so miserable, either – a job is a job. It's not what little Sasuke wanted to do, like play an instrument professionally or make video games, but the harsh reality of doing something you're not a fan of was something he accepted a long time ago. So, it's not just that he'd rather be in bed watching old kung-fu movies, or scaling a mountain in the Alps, or volunteering at a soup kitchen or something.

It's just the all-encompassing life that makes Sasuke feel like he wants to die.

And he doesn't actually want to die. He knows it's not okay to say that kind of thing out loud anymore, it's not funny to joke about, fine. But he'd like to disappear for a while. Just sit under a waterfall until he either reaches enlightenment or dies.

This person – this teenager in front of him probably has no idea what that feels like, and Sasuke wishes he didn't feel irritated by that knowledge.

He flexes his fingers in his lap, clenches them into fists, flexes them again, then reaches into his pocket for his phone. Presses the power button, wrinkles his nose at the notification of a video sent to him by Shisui. Nearly every hour, he receives some 'funny' cat video snippet. Sasuke will never admit to Shisui that he enjoys the videos. Phone unlocked, he watches an orange cat try and fail to jump from one ledge to another, and a force of breath escapes his nose.

At the top, another notification.

Mom
 Dinner here tomorrow! Your brother just got promoted…

Sasuke has a permanent frown, Naruto once told him he had resting bitch face. Said it was something girls usually use, but thought it was appropriate since Sasuke is "a mean girl."

He pulls the notification down to finish reading it. His mom always plants an emoji at the end, this one with the hearts surrounding a smiley face, and she always signs off with "Love, Mama." Neither he nor his brother ever bothered to point out that it was cringe because they figured they should just let her live in her older generational bubble.

Itachi got promoted. Sasuke isn't even surprised or irritated anymore, the news is more or less expected yearly, or even more often than yearly. There's always a celebration dinner, and it's never really pleasant. His mom is fine, he's not fond of his dad, but that's not the part that he dreads. It's his brother trying to bring him into the conversation, trying to ask him how his life is, how his work is going, what kind of joys he's finding in his day to day.

Always the same. Always painful. Always forced.

"I dunno, Itachi," he mumbles to himself as the cat video continues to loop on his phone, "I've started listening to self-help books and I'm really enjoying the subtleties of deep breathing."

"You say somethin'?"

Sasuke snaps his eyes up to meet those of the teenager he was so annoyed with earlier. The deepness of his voice catches him off guard. He shakes his head, muttering an apology without actually acknowledging that he's a crazy person talking to himself.

When the teenager doesn't immediately turn back around, Sasuke grits his teeth and reaches up to pull the signal cord despite being two stops away from where he needs to get off.

Yes, Sasuke has decided adding 10 minutes to his commute by walking half a mile is better than suffering through more interaction with a teenager. He figures that's just how adult life is: avoiding teenagers.

He grabs his backpack and swiftly makes his way to the front of the bus, which is pulling over and the driver gives him the side eye. It's the same bus driver every day, and Sasuke knows she's judging him for getting off early.

"Good day for a walk," he mutters as if he has to have a reason for getting off early. He makes his way down the stairs and plants his feet on the pavement without looking to see if she'd respond, or maybe just squint harder at him.

The minutes go by a little faster as he passes the same scenery that he usually only sees as mostly a blur on the bus. Stone walls shield neighborhoods from the busy street, torn-up sidewalks from overgrown tree roots that are dying to expand but keep getting paved over. Whoever said going on walks helps clear the mind was either lying or happier than Sasuke.

He passes the bench of the bus stop he should have gotten off at, and turns to come face to face with an industrial area. Tall, large buildings, gleaming under the rising sun. Just shy of 7:30 am, ready for all the busy little worker bees to flood in and get ready to discuss lawsuits, dental care, real estate, banking, and loans.

And in Sasuke Uchiha's case, insurance.

And in Hinata Hyūga's case, eye care.

He isn't expecting to see the mousy girl from the floor above him, but she's there, frantically digging through her bag outside of the main entrance. He stops to observe her as she mutters something incoherent quietly to herself and it actually makes the corner of his lip tug up. He's not sure why, figures maybe he's a little sadistic, getting enjoyment out of others suffering. Maybe it's the way her eyebrows scrunch together, her lips twist, her nose wrinkles.

He doesn't encounter her often, and he only knows her name because he knows the Hyūga name from a more distant cousin, Obito, who had been a brief fling with a Hyūga. They're a big family like his, he's heard, but he knows next to nothing about them except that they're all eye doctors of some kind. From what he's heard, they're stuck up, but Hinata's always offered a smile when they pass, so he figures they're not all bad.

He checks his watch, knowing he can't just sit here and stare at this girl for too long before he needs to go inside himself. Intentionally averting his eyes, he walks up and scans his ID card. He hears her gasp quietly next to him, and he enters the now unlocked building, almost giving into the amusing thought of just letting the door swing closed before he grabs the handle. He holds it open, peering out to see her staring at the open door with her mouth open. He rolls his eyes because that's his natural instinct, then waves his hand towards himself.

"Oh my goodness, thank you," she says it in a breathy way, clearly flustered as she pushes her hair behind her ears. She gives him this look of gratitude that forces a snarky comment in his head that he'd never say aloud. "I feel silly, I'm pretty sure I must've left mine in my desk, but I can assure you I do work here—"

"I know you do," he cuts her off in a flat tone, shifting his eyes away so he doesn't have to look at her lean her head back as if he's just yelled. "Hyūga, fifth floor, optometrist office."

"Ah, yes…" Hinata blinks at him before shaking her head as if just now realizing she's holding him up by not simply coming inside. "I apologize, I don't know if I'm familiar with where you work, Mr…"

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke." She bows her head slightly as the door swings shut behind her and she hurries to catch up with him to make it to the elevator. "My name is Hinata."

He hums in acknowledgment, bobbing his head slightly, trying not to give off the impression that he actually is interested in this bit of information. They stand awkwardly next to each other after he presses the button, and he watches her from the corner of his eye. She's got this big baggy sweater on over what he assumes is a set of scrubs and those slip-on shoes he always sees nurses wear. He looks down at his own outfit and judges himself. Looking like some white-collar desk jockey while this girl stands next to him, doing something meaningful in life, like fixing eyes.

It's awkward silence that sits between them, probably because he never actually addressed where he works, and to be totally honest, he doesn't want to reveal that anyway. It's not exactly something he likes to brag about, coercing people into paying too much for insurance plans and denying claims of obviously ignorant and desperate people who never chose to have a tree fall on their garage in a freak accident. In fact, if Sasuke could pretend at this moment to be unemployed, he would. Having an employee badge makes that a little difficult.

The elevator doors part for them, and he does the polite man thing and waits for her to get on first, not that it matters. An annoying voice calls out –

"Hey, Uchiha! Hold the door!"

Sasuke ignores it, but Hinata steps forward and puts her palm on the edge of the doors to prevent them from closing, and a tan, rough-looking Kiba slides in.

"Ah, thanks Hinata," he huffs out, smiling down at her before throwing a snide look Sasuke's way. Sasuke clicks his tongue and averts his eyes.

"Uchiha?" Hinata inquires gently from the side.

"This guy!" Kiba belts out. Sasuke sighs deeply when a rough hand lands on his shoulder, shaking him. "Saucey Uchiha."

Sasuke's instinct is to snap at the Inuzuka, tell him to keep his oh-so-clever nicknames to himself, but he figures that would invite more 'conversation', and at this point, he just wants to get to his office. He jabs the 4 button, then the 5 button, and folds his arms, doing his best to make space between himself and the other two. They are, apparently, friendly and Sasuke finds little point in small talk. Especially if it includes the security of the building.

He fights the urge to jab at the buttons in the vain hope it would speed this whole thing along. If he knew he'd be stuck in an elevator with Kiba, he probably would have just left the Hyūga outside to puppy-dog eye someone else. But here he is.

"Sucker anyone else into a full coverage plan for their in-ground pools or obscure barns out in the boonies?"

Kiba's specialty: annoying Sasuke.

"You work in the insurance office?" Hinata asks and Sasuke sucks in an irritated breath, glancing at the pad of numbers to make sure 4 and 5 are still highlighted.

"He sure does," Kiba keeps chatting with Hinata on behalf of Sasuke, and he's not sure whether he's relieved by it or irritated. Probably irritated. "All while big bro is out there managing one of those Fortune 500 companies, you know, one of the ones that produce glitter or something – ah, I dunno, my sister knows all about it. Kinda tune out when they're talkin' 'bout all that stuff."

He sees the lit-up '1' slowly turn into a '2' and he reflects on why he's working in a 20-story building that has the slowest elevator known to man.

"Oh, you're family, then?" Hinata asks, curiously. Sasuke forces a breath out of his nose in genuine amusement.

Imagine being family to Kiba Inuzuka. What a horrible existence. The '2' turns into a '3'.

"Nah, my sister's engaged to his brother – now I got all this useless Uchiha knowledge in my brain."

"Oh! Congratulations!" He hears her voice, bright and clear and genuine. "To your sister and your brother."

"Congratulations or condolences?" Kiba quips just as the '3' turns to a '4', the doors part, and Sasuke hits the 'close door' button before stepping out, ensuring it will immediately shut behind him. Kiba barks a sarcastic farewell, Sasuke can finally breathe and he lets out a puff of air he had been holding in.

He's not even sure why Kiba irks him so much. Maybe it's the fact his presence is just another reminder of Itachi. Kiba always likes to bother Sasuke, and usually in the form of talking about how he thanks God if his sister is gonna be with an Uchiha, it's with the older one. Sasuke isn't a violent person but it does make him want to ram his own head against a wall. He pretends like he could care less about Itachi and the older Inuzuka being together, but inside, it stirs jealousy in him. Just like everything else, Itachi is the one succeeding.

The inhale he takes is strawberry-scented, lingering from what he assumes is the Hyūga's perfume. He rolls his shoulders, hikes his backpack up, and makes his way down the hall until he's greeted with the plaque on the wall showcasing the dreaded office: 'Leaf Light Insurance'.

He scans his ID again to get into the office and is greeted by a new set of fluorescent lights and fake plants, but now with an orange head of hair casting kind eyes up at him. It's his first smile of the day, half-cocked with a little nod at the man comically large for his seat at the front desk which typically might house a bright-eyed, cheerful, perhaps a tad sardonic, young woman. No, before him sits Jūgo, friendly and warm, but also the responsible uncle type that pulls customers aside to let them know when they're out of line.

"Good morning, Sasuke," Jūgo greets.

"It is a morning," Sasuke unintentionally snarks out. He actually does try not to be overly sassy with Jūgo, but it does come out sometimes. To his left, Lee is already at his desk, taking calls and fixing everyone's problems, and the office manager, Shikamaru, is nowhere in sight. He sees a box of Lee's special 'energy balls' sitting on the table ahead and he makes a face.

With a sigh, he drops his backpack on the ground and pushes it with his foot under his desk before falling into his chair.

The Hyūga flashes through his mind and he thinks about the way she smelled. It makes his nose crinkle.

He looks to his left, then to his right.

He wishes there was a window in here.

A/N: If you made it this far, thank you! Remember, it is NOT cringe to leave a comment on early chapters of an in-progress fic, or on any chapter of a fic that is completed. I guarantee you that if you leave a comment, no matter what, the author will be over the moon. Feedback is love, feedback is life.

This will likely not be completed within July, but over half of it will be. It will run into August a bit, but regardless, there will be 31 chapters. I hope you enjoy.