"Are you ready for graduation?" Sasuke uncapped a bottle and handed it to her.
Hinata sipped it. "As I can be, I guess."
Sasuke nodded, looking out at the water. Exams were over. They could rest for a few days before all the family shit started back up after graduation day. "My mom's going to be pissed."
"Why?" Hinata side-eyed him.
"I'm going to propose, and she is going to think it's not fancy enough." Sasuke rolled his head to the side to see Hinata blush, trying to look annoyed. "She's been in my ear since before finals. She wants me to make it a big event at a gala or something."
"Why are you telling me?" Hinata wondered. "You didn't before the last attempt."
"That was for you. This is for everyone else." Sasuke nodded his head toward town.
Hinata looked up at the street where his bike was waiting for them. "Do you second guess all this?"
"Do you?" Sasuke asked. Hinata's eyes slid back to tell him. She wanted him to answer the question. Sasuke took a deep breath and thought about it. Would he have done anything differently? What would he be doing right now if he didn't ask her to marry him that night?
He would probably be panicking about after graduation right now.
Sasuke knew that it would still be a problem for them. They might have bought some time between the graduation and being forced into the office with a wedding and settling them in a home, but it was still coming, but he just wasn't scared of it anymore.
Was there still shit they would have to deal with? Yeah. Hinata probably didn't know what she was doing either. She was trained to run a company, but that didn't mean as much when you were really dealing with it, but he wasn't alone anymore. If he was scared, he could turn to her and tell her the truth. "No."
Sasuke turned to her for her answer. Was she thinking about backing out? Was this the point where Itachi was proven right, and Sasuke would have to deal with heartbreak and all of his other problems?
"Good." Hinata looked up at the stars.
Sasuke tilted his head. Wait, she wasn't checking his answer first? "What?"
"I was worried as we got closer to when it got harder to back out that you would realize that I was useless and couldn't help you and I had just become a liability, and I was going to give you a chance to voice that." Hinata hummed, closing her eyes.
Sasuke's eyebrows knit together. "You think I thought something like that after planning our whole night on the pier."
"I think things like that more than I would like to admit, and I don't want to hide that from you." Hinata turned to look at him. "Just because you treat me like enough doesn't mean I will always feel like I am." Damn it. Sasuke felt that in his chest. He fought the urge to just grab her face and distract her, but this was a moment he should show that he was taking it seriously. "Unfortunately, dealing with things like this is something you have to do in a marriage." Hinata tightened around herself.
"Is that meant to deter me?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"I guess not." Hinata closed her eyes again.
"I'm surprised he showed up," Sasuke commented, looking over his shoulder. Hinata followed his eyes to see Itachi sitting with his parents among the families gathered to watch their kids graduate. "Naruto didn't."
Hinata covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She wasn't surprised. There was no rule that said you have to show up to graduation to get your diploma, as much as the administration would like to act like there was. She was surprised that Sakura didn't make him come on principle, though.
"Is your dad out there?" Sasuke eyes focused on her sister, but she was alone.
"Probably not." Hinata hummed. "He either doesn't think it's enough of an achievement, or he doesn't think that it's something to be celebrated because I should have done it anyway."
"But he was at Hanabi's." Sasuke countered. Hinata gave him a look that told him everything she thought about that. "Well, he's going to miss more than that."
"When are you planning…?" Hinata's face fell as Sasuke grinned, telling her she wasn't going to find out until it was happening. She was going to hate this, wasn't she?
Graduations were long, monotonous, and boring. You spend hours calling each student to the stage, showing them off for a movement for their family, and then going to the next. It was probably the most efficient way to do it, but it was really not enjoyable for anyone for more than the few moments they were on stage, and for someone like Hinata, it wasn't enjoyable to be up there at all.
Luckily, when going through alphabetically, she was in the middle. Not too close to the front, so by the time they got to her, everyone had lost interest in paying attention, and not so close to the end that people were ready for it to be over.
Sasuke was nearly last sitting in the back, which meant she couldn't look at him to watch him make faces and jokes to get her through this. When did she become reliant on his commentary to entertain her?
Toward the end, she zoned out, clapping when she was meant to, but mostly, she was just agonizing about if she stayed on stage for too long. Hanabi knew she wouldn't care to have more photos than the university took, but Mikoto didn't seem to know that because she ran down to take some. The surprise made her awkwardly stand on stage for a few moments longer than she meant to, and those few moments were eating her alive.
It was possible that no one else would remember it, but she would, and that's all she really needed to torture herself.
Hinata zoned back in as she heard Sasuke's name, but she really wished she hadn't because the moment she looked up, she watched as he circled around her side of the seat instead of back the way he came.
She knew what was happening.
Hinata covered her face as Sasuke got down to one knee, and there was a round of gaps and a particularly loud squeal from Ino. At least she was excited because this was inputting her being called next.
Hinata could die.
If she nodded, could they get this over with faster? Hinata peaked through her finger to see Sasuke practically laughing at her with his hand on her knee waiting for her to recover. He knew this was going to make her shrivel up.
This was so much worse than what his mother was thinking, and Sasuke knew it. He was doing this on purpose! If turning him down wouldn't put more attention on them, she may have just done it because of how upset she was that he was doing this right now.
Was her face this hot because she was embarrassed or because she was mad at him for doing this.
Hinata quickly reached behind her to unclasp the necklace to give to him to get this over with quicker. Sasuke slid the ring off the chain and held it up to her. If he said something, she couldn't hear him through the pounding in her ears. She just nodded hoping this would end.
Sasuke put the ring on her hand, and there was an excited cheer as she re-covered her face to hide as he went back to his seat to let the rest of the graduation go on. There weren't many people after him, Ino being one who gave a big smile at Hinata, still melting into her seat as she went back to her seat.
Hinata just suffered until it was over, and the moment they all were off-stage, she turned to Sasuke. "Why?"
Sasuke grabbed her red cheeks while he chuckled. "I had to embarrass you a little."
"A little!?" Hinata squeaked at him.
"Look here!" Mikoto waved at them, holding up her phone to take pictures. "Oh, I am so excited!"
"Hinata, oh my god!" Ino and Sakura appeared from nowhere to drag her into a circle of giddy engagement excitement, and Hinata whimpered, looking back at Sasuke, who just waved, proud that he had thoroughly made a scene. She would have to get back to scolding me later.
Hinata couldn't be too mad, though. Just like his public announcement, this served its purpose, and it wasn't his actual confession, and it wasn't like he didn't warn her, but he might be trying to make sure he was a widow before they even got to the altar if he was going to do something like this too her.