Day 12 Prompt: "Stay a little longer"
So, she's not crazy.
It's something that's been flying through her mind endlessly since she kissed his cheek a few nights ago. She was bold, a rare feat for her, and put her feelings on the line for this. Pressed her lips to his cheek and opened the door for what may come. The next day, she questioned herself.
He said he loved her.
Of course, logically, Hinata knows this is impossible. They've been friendly for a few months and gone on what seemed to be dates, but had never established anything like labels between themselves. They just seemed to get on so well, it wasn't like with Shino or Ino. Being comfortable without that underlying anxiety that she's annoying him. Feeling listened to without expectation of anything in return. And of course, attraction. Sasuke Uchiha is, objectively, attractive, and their compatibility just makes him all the more appealing.
It had to be a coincidence he had accidentally said it the day after she made that leap of faith to kiss him.
Squeaks.
A nickname, and it's cute.
And of course, the kiss at the end. Yet another kiss and run, but this time, she was on the receiving end.
Neither of them has addressed it, though they've been in communication on Discord every day since she set up the account. It was a Friday that he kissed her and she wonders if she's relieved or frustrated by that, because it meant she would get no quick resolution. Thinks that maybe she should be relieved because it gives her time to prepare for any possible rejection. But it also gives him time to mull it over and realize he's making a mistake.
Until Saturday night, he sends her a gif of a washing machine on fire, and he asks, 'is this how it is for you?' It was completely teasing; she responded with a laughing emoji and a sad nod back, enjoying this method of communication. Then he caught her off guard by reminding her he still needed to show her how to do her laundry, along with helping her fix her leaky faucet. Essentially invited himself over when he types, quickly, 'I'll be there around noon.'
Ino's there when it happens, laying next to her on her mattress. Music's on in the background, and she's talking to Hinata about a patient while Hinata taps away on her phone in her conversation with Sasuke. When the message comes in about coming over, she drops her phone right on her face.
"Owww…" she mumbles, the pain shooting up her nose. Ino throws herself up to sit, looking at her in concern as she reaches out for her phone. "Sorry…"
"You have to stop apologizing for everything," Ino scolds her, setting Hinata's phone on her stomach. "Everything okay?"
"Yes," Hinata breathes out a lie, because she's nervous. She looks out of the corner of her eye to see Ino glaring at her in a clear show of not believing her. Hinata bites her lower lip, turning her head. "I'm nervous."
"What's new?" Ino asks. Hinata folds her hands over her chest like some sort of vampire in a coffin, as if to protect her little heart better.
"I like a boy."
Ino snorts, completely un-lady-like as she moves to get on her stomach next to Hinata so their faces line up. Hinata smiles when she kicks her feet up behind her, like a girl about to indulge in high school gossip. "Is it the handsome emo boy?"
"Mhm." Hinata nods, pulling a hand over her eyes to shield them.
"Like him so much you drop your phone on your face?" Ino giggles and Hinata exhales an amused breath.
"He's coming over tomorrow," she continues, rubbing into her eyes. "He's going to help me with my laundry."
"Oooh, how intimate," Ino teases. "He'll see your panties."
Immediately, Hinata gasps and shoots up, too. Ino cackles next to her. "He will!"
"Relax!" Ino waves a hand, rolling onto her side to look at Hinata. "He's not gonna care. Hell, he'll probably be excited."
"Ino!" Hinata covers her face, feeling the heat of her cheeks on her palms. "That's horrible."
"Enough of that." Ino grabs at her wrists to pull her hands from her face, greeting her with a smile. "What do you like about him?"
Hinata gets butterflies when she thinks of his face. She's normally looking up at it, see's the point of his jaw and the mole on his neck. His hair tucking into his shirt collar and the way he sucks in and bites the inside of his cheek, making it hollow outside. She thinks of his laugh and his contemplative face. What a nerd he is and how you wouldn't be able to tell right away. The funny, obscure memes he sends her and how he laughs at the ones she sends. That he's never once questioned her about her meltdowns. All he does is comfort her in the moment and take her mind off it.
She thinks there are too many things to say, so she just responds in a quiet voice. "I just do."
"Oh man." Ino sits up now, too, turning her body to face Hinata. "That's serious."
"It is?" Hinata looks at her for answers.
"That means you're already deep in it."
After Ino leaves, Hinata goes to sleep thinking of Sasuke. He seems to occupy her mind more and more, now.
Now Hinata is laying in bed, staring at her ceiling, wondering if this is how she's going to have to confront all these feelings. In the laundry room of her apartment where it's incredibly likely, Sasuke will see her underwear.
In the morning, she starts digging through her laundry and removes every single pair of panties and bras she can find. It would simply be too much for him to see, she would never survive.
Hinata paces around her apartment from 11 am to 11:58 am. Grabs every little piece of trash she can see, picks at the lint on her couch, wipes the coffee table for the third time. Even puts her laundry basket right by the front door so he doesn't have any reason to come into her room. Double checks to make sure that door is shut, too. She has to stop pacing when she hears a knock at the door, and while she appreciates his timeliness, she was also secretly hoping she had more time. With a few deep breaths, she opens the door.
Somehow, Sasuke just looks effortlessly cool, leaning against her doorframe with his hands tucked in his jacket. One fit for snow and what looks like a hand-knitted scarf around his neck, and yet he still looks good. She waves him in and he gives her this soft chuckle she's come to burn into her brain. "Not going to say hello?"
"Hello," she says it as if she hadn't been tongue-tied. He steps inside so she can shut the door on the frigid air, then turns, eyeing her laundry.
"Might as well start with this so we can do the other stuff in the meantime."
"Other stuff?"
"The faucet, figure we can go through the basics of a dishwasher again…like a pop quiz."
"I do not like tests," she says in a flat voice and he shakes his head.
"The only stake in this is whether I judge you." She frowns, knowing he's teasing her again, but her heart is loud in her ears. He double-takes at her and clears his throat. "I'm not going to, by the way."
"I know." She nods and hates herself for making the tension in the space between them grow.
Hinata really wishes she could just sit him down and ask him what's going on between them. Sasuke coming to help her with chores feels like a thinly veiled excuse to see her without asking her out. Her patience is wearing.
Sasuke picks up either side of the basket and gestured at the front door. She opens it again, makes sure to lock it behind them, and leads him down the stairs. She curses herself for not grabbing her sweater, because the building doesn't have great heating in the halls, but powers through. Once they reach the laundry room, she realizes she forgot the change, and sighs, telling him she'll be back.
As she gets back up to her apartment, a horrifying thought crosses her mind: what if he sees what's in her laundry and thinks she doesn't change underwear? Or wear any at all?
"Oh no," she whispers, frantically unlocking her door. She grabs the change, then bites the bullet and grabs all the underwear from the corner she hid it away in and stuffs them in one of the hundreds of grocery bags she gets from delivery. Rushes out, making sure she has the change, and jogs down the steps to get back.
More horror. He's already loaded her laundry into the machine, and Shisui is leaning against the machine next to it, dropping change in to start the load.
"Doing laundry feels pretty domestic," Shisui teases as she approaches and she forces a smile, trying to casually pull the bag behind her back. "Brought goodies?"
"Erm, no," she says, feeling all of the heat in her body shoot to her face and neck, no longer needing that sweater in the slightest. "It's just…some extra laundry."
"Ah, sorry," Shisui says, waving a hand toward the machine next to it. "Why don't you throw it in with my stuff?"
If the floor opened up and swallowed Hinata whole, she wouldn't resist at all. Disappearing is the only solution now.
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke interjects coolly, stepping next to her and taking the bag right out of her hands.
Yes, death would be acceptable now.
"We can bring down your blankets or something, get it all done."
Hinata truly has no idea whether he knows or if he's just recognizing how awkward it is to put her laundry in with some random man. Either way, she's trying to appreciate it.
"Not a bad idea," Shisui agrees easily, unbothered as he shoves the door of the washing machine he's using shut. He pats it after swiping his card. "Funny I never made the connection."
"Connection?" Hinata questions, uncomfortable with Sasuke's silence.
"Sasuke crashes on my couch a lot," Shisui chuckles, tucking his card into his pocket. Hinata looks up at Sasuke, who is looking away. "Must be 'cause he's visiting a certain someone."
Shisui does this circling motion with his index finger in front of her face. Hinata follows it with her eyes while Sasuke slides his fingers around her elbow. "Let's get going."
"Oh," Hinata breathes, looking back at Shisui, who wiggles his eyebrows at her. She nods. "Pleasure to see you, Shisui."
"Yeah, same." He salutes her with two fingers, collecting his things while Sasuke drags her away. She speeds up her stride to match his, trying not to think about the way it feels right for him to be holding onto her while they walk.
"You've been spending the night at Shisui's?" she asks in a quiet voice, like it's a secret.
"Not always," he responds, quickly, huffy. "The leaky faucet is in the bathroom, right?"
Deflection, his specialty.
They get back and Sasuke makes quick work of picking through her starter home repair set that Shino got her ages ago that she's only touched once or twice. He shows her which bolts to tighten, points out rust. She's just a little surprised that he knows so much about being handy, but figures maybe it's his own way of distancing himself from his family's lifestyle. Or maybe it's exactly how he was raised and this is his way of accidentally falling in line, whether he realizes it or not.
Hinata watches him with her arms crossed over her stomach from the doorway of the bathroom, thinking Sasuke looks kind of nice like this. Ducked under the cabinet of her sink, fixing things, waving her down to shine a flashlight at a certain piece of pipe. Trying his best to tell her what to look for and where to slot the wrench, how to do it finger tight and come in later with a better grip. Actually making sure she understands instead of brushing her off. Trusting her to pass him tools and listen to his instructions. He doesn't belittle her like a lot of people do, assume she's just dumb and unworthy of speaking to like a real person.
After he's done, he joins her in the kitchen for chips and sliced vegetables she has on hand as a snack, a beverage for his efforts. Then he helps her carry blankets, doesn't even try to grab her bag of underwear she's still terrified he actually knows what's in there. This time he guides her on the right amount of detergent, helps her move her clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, points out the settings, and says it slowly so she has time to catch up.
When they get back to her apartment, it's a lot colder. She finally pulls on a sweater at the same time he pulls off the scarf. She compliments it.
"My mom made it."
Hinata's a little surprised. Sasuke never gave off signs as a mama's boy, but honestly, there's no reason why not. He doesn't say it in any type of way, as if he treasures it or hates it, just that it is, and he wears it. Perhaps because it's practical and he likes it.
"I like it," she tells him, trying to come off as nonchalant, too, as he gets comfortable shedding clothes. "It's done well."
"I like it, too." He shrugs as he says it, making himself comfortable.
Hinata relaxes now that she doesn't feel like anything else can go wrong. That's another thing she likes about Sasuke. He doesn't harp on things.
It's no surprise that it feels like the hours turned to minutes with their conversation. Every time they go down to the laundry room, he sets a timer on his watch so they know exactly when to come back down. She firmly insists that she does not need help putting her clothing away. It feels like a step too far in terms of whatever this friendship…or relationship, is.
As they're carrying the second load of laundry up and the possible embarrassment of Sasuke seeing all of her underwear has passed (just the lingering thought of whether he wonders why someone would separate them out), they stop at the lobby to see nothing but white behind the glass doors leading outside.
"Oh shit," Sasuke says under his breath, craning his neck. "Is it blizzarding?"
Hinata guides them back to her apartment for the final time and opens her curtains. Pure white fills the entire rectangle of glass, so she clicks on the television to the news channel, where they see the spread of the blizzard.
"First of all," Sasuke says as he steps in front of the television, "you still have cable?"
"That's no good," Hinata whispers, pulling her hand up to bite the tip of her thumb. "You took the bus."
"It's…probably still running." She hears the hesitancy in his voice as his eyes cast towards the window. Little piles of snow accumulate on the corners and he looks back at her. With a sigh, he shrugs. "I can just stay with Shisui, I guess. "
She swallows, watching him start to gather his wallet and keys. Decides to be bold, again, since it's been working out anyway. "Why don't you stay?"
"Stay?" he questions, his movements slowing as he looks at her. "Here?"
"For dinner," she clarifies, quickly. "Since you helped…I should—"
"Repay me," he finishes for her, smirking a little bit as he shakes his head. "It's always about repaying me."
"Well, yes." She steps forward, gesturing at her kitchen. "But also, I'd…like to spend more time with you."
He sucks in his lips, clearly thinking over the proposal. She hopes she hasn't come across as disingenuous. "I can stay."
It's really nice how comfortable she's become with him.
It's even nicer how they seem to have a comfortable routine.
Sasuke's not the type of guy that just sits back and watches someone else take on the whole burden. He steps up and immediately starts wiping her spills, washing the dishes, putting away seasonings she gets out. Cleaning as you go, as he described it. He tells her about how his mom taught him to do it when he was a kid and eager to know what she was up to. Hinata thinks that's very endearing and inquires more about his parents. From what she could tell from her brief interaction, Mikoto was fairly friendly while Fugaku came off as more reserved.
He speaks fairly fondly of his mom, as fondly as he can seem to muster. Talks about how she was the only one that listened to him ramble about the goblin boss in the RPG he would play, even though she didn't like video games. It makes Hinata smile to hear a man actually seem to like their own mom. He's quiet when it comes to his dad, but she kind of figures she knows why. Thinks about how she's not even jealous that he gets to talk about his mom this way because his genuine happiness makes her feel happy, too.
"This is strong stuff." He points to the top of her refrigerator where a couple of bottles of alcohol sit, none of them that she's bought for herself.
"Those are all from Ino," she says, stir-frying vegetables in a pan. She decided she'd do something heavier on vegetables based on what he told her about his own diet.
He doesn't even ask before plucking a bottle down, a white wine that she recognizes. It's lighter and fruitier, but also dangerous because it's got a high alcohol percentage. That's what Ino told her, anyway.
"I usually use them to deglaze," she tells him, to which he leans away with raised eyebrows, looking confused. "When it gets all sticky and kind of burnt at the bottom of the pan. You can use liquid to deglaze, and wine is common to use."
"This is expensive," he says, flatly, pulling it to his chest.
"I didn't take you for a drinker?" she questions, blinking up at him.
"I'm not." He shakes his head, heading to a cupboard with the drinking glasses. Seems he's actually learned the layout of her kitchen fairly well somehow. "But money is money. This should be drunk."
Hinata can only laugh at the weird things he gets caught up on.
She finishes cooking with almost zero dishes left outside of the pan and utensil she was using, and she thinks this could be really nice to get used to.
Sasuke took the liberty of pouring some of that expensive wine she's been using for cooking into glasses for them, even sets the table, like he says his mom taught him. She wonders what kind of person she would have been if she had grown up actually being taught life skills like this instead of her nose being pushed into books.
Like always, their meal together is enjoyable. He even gets up early to finish the rest of the dishes, tells her it's just equal work between them. Teases that he's 'repaying her.' It makes her chest feel tight because she wants to tell him that's not all it is.
Hinata likes looking at his face. Likes the way his hair falls in his face, the dimples in his cheeks, the pearliness of his teeth. Wonders if this is what the beginnings of love might feel like, which makes her panic a little.
It's when they move to the couch and he suggests putting something on that she becomes a little nervous again. Usually when she watches movies on the couch, it's with Ino, Shino, or Hanabi.
With Ino, she'll cuddle right up into Hinata, even fall asleep there. With Shino, they amicably take the opposite sides of the couch, but still share a blanket. With Hanabi, she'll rest her feet in Hinata's lap or sit upside down until Hinata has to tell her to sit right or she'll give herself blood clots.
With Sasuke, she sits on one side and he sits on the other. It's not unusual, she's just not sure what to do with her hands. Doesn't know whether it's okay to talk during the movie, not that she can really focus on it. He gets comfortable quickly, legs spread to the point the tip of his toes brushes against her foot and his arms rest comfortably behind his head.
With each drink of wine, her nerves relax just a little. So she sucks a little more down, even if she's not a huge fan.
It's nearly halfway through the movie when she becomes acutely aware that they've dipped into the middle of the couch. Maybe it's from shifting on their legs, like sitting on her left leg then switching to the right, or him tucking his legs into his chest and leaning towards her. But either way, they're just a few inches apart now.
She wants to bring her thumbnail up to bite at it but resists the urge because Hanabi said it looks gross. Instead, she lets it go limp to her side, and when she glances down, his hand is right next to hers. So close, she can almost feel the skin of his knuckles brushing against hers.
Then his fingers stretch out and grasp onto hers. His index and middle finger hook around her pinky and ring finger. All of the air inside of her chest escapes at once, and even so, her fingers curl instinctively around his.
Slowly, she feels his tug. It's slight, as if he's unsure, too. But she lets her hand move with his willingly, not quite limp, just enough to let him know it will follow. And now he's tugged the hand so far that now her arm follows, and her body follows, and suddenly, she's right up against him.
Hinata's right shoulder now presses to Sasuke's left shoulder, and she awkwardly turns so their faces line up, chest to chest. Her eyes blow wide while his lids hood his eyes. He almost looks intoxicated, which shouldn't be surprising, because they've been drinking just a little bit—
His lips press to hers and she freezes.
It's what she wanted, wasn't it?
His other hand cups her cheek while he pulls away. There's no resistance because she feels paralyzed.
"Sorry," he says in the quietest voice possible. "I didn't ask."
I didn't ask.
Something triggers in Hinata, and she uses her free hand to grab the wrist of the hand that was holding her cheek. She presses into the kiss, greedy and hungry in a way she didn't know herself capable of.
Too often, Hinata's felt taken advantage of. Like men don't care about her feelings. Like all they want is for her to just calm down, let them kiss her and peel off her clothes, let them take advantage of her.
Just calm down.
Those are words she's never heard from Sasuke's lips.
Hinata presses her chest to Sasuke's and nearly climbs into his lap because it just feels so urgent. The need to keep this moment going. The softness of his lips on hers, the way he keeps holding her hand anyway, even as the hand on his cheek slides down to guide her hips. Clearly catching on to what she's thinking, he encourages her weight on him, hooks the hand around the back of her knee so she'll straddle him.
Heat pools so, so very quickly in Hinata. Still, his hand cradles hers. Her free hand grabs his shoulder because she has no idea what to do right now, all she knows is she wants to kiss him, wants him to kiss her. Wants his hands on her and wants to put her hands on him. Electricity: that's all she can describe what runs through her. It's electricity.
He's so much more tender than she ever imagined. His lips are soft and gentle against hers, the hold on her unbearably light. She pushes herself down and his grip tightens.
Hinata is full-on making out with Sasuke before she even knows it. It's entirely new to her, to have her legs set around someone else's, how close it is. The funny thing to her is he still holds her hand despite it all. Instead of wrapping his arms around her torso or waist or hips, even if that's where she wishes that hand was. But the feel of his fingers under the back of her knee feel so incredibly right, there's no argument in her mind to be had.
She feels herself becoming softer and softer against him until it's him who pulls away abruptly.
"Shit," he breathes out, looking down at their joined bodies. Dread fills her heart at the surprised look on his face. "Sorry, I don't know—"
"I'm sorry—"
"No, I am—"
"I should—"
They talk over each other, panic teeming both of their voices. She scrambles off of him, back slamming against the couch as he climbs to his feet. He turns his back to her, one hand rubbing the back of his neck as she stares at her own lap, clutching the cushion of the couch. Slowly, he turns, and she looks up just enough to see him in her peripheral. His hand runs over his face, then he claps his hands together in front of him.
"I am sorry," he says, then faces his palms out as a signal for her to stop when she instinctively wants to argue. "I should go."
Hinata feels her upper lip tremble slightly as she inhales a shaky breath. Quietly, she says, "okay."
"Thanks for dinner."
Sasuke's already at the front door, pulling his shoes on and grabbing his sweater and scarf. Within seconds, he's gone, locking the door as he leaves.
She slides sideways on the couch until she's on her side, hands under her cheek as she tries not to cry out of pure shame. Wonders if she was wrong about what was happening between them.
Wonders what could be wrong with her.