Hinata rested her head back, feeling the breeze of the courtyard shift her hair. She tucked her nose down further into her club jacket to block out the setting sun and the others talking. Kisame's soft snoring was drowned out by the rest of the Akatsuki's studying.
It was rare Kisame could make it anymore, so it was nice when he was there, but he was exhausted, and Hinata wanted him to get some sleep, and he looked comfortable, so she laid down too.
Eventually, she noticed the bickering stopped, as did the snoring, and the sunlight was gone.
"Let's get you home, mouse." Kisame yawned.
"You know, if you guys are just going to sleep together, why don't you just go back to use Kisame's new bed, yeah?" Deidara teased, picking up his bag.
Kisame's face lit up, and he glared at Deidara, who had backed out of his arm's reach before making the comment. "Don't say shit like that. We already had issues with rumors."
"I wasn't thinking about that kind of 'sleeping together.' Where is your head at, uh?" Deidara got Kisame's bag hurled at him, only missing him by a hair. Which Hinata was going to assume was intentional because Kisame could have absolutely hit him in the face with the bag full of books at the range and caused some serious damage. Deidara stuck his tongue out as he caught up with Sasori.
Kisame grumbled until Hinata broke his thoughts, tugging on his jacket. "I really don't think he meant it maliciously."
"He just needs to be careful saying stuff like that. It doesn't look good for you, and that's not fair." Kisame got up, grabbing his bag and hers.
Hinata stifled a yawn. Sleeping in the grass made her stiff, but despite that, she really didn't want to get up. "I want to go back to sleep."
"I'll get you home, and you get to go to bed." Kisame got down for her to get on his back.
Hinata wrapped her groggy arms around his shoulders and was reminded how comfortable he was. He was big and warm. She was a little disappointed her nap couldn't have been longer. "You're comfortable to sleep with." Her eyes closed again as she felt Kisame freeze for a moment before continuing on his trek home.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Kisame repeated to himself. Hinata was half asleep, and she didn't know what she said. That was what he was going with. He didn't want to think about her sleeping on the futon she made any more than he already did. His heart nearly flew out of his chest when he found her curled up in the crook of his shoulder, somehow making herself smaller by bringing her legs up to rest at his ribs. Her whole body could fit in the circle of his arm.
She was too cute. Hinata was going to kill him by saying something so innocently.
Now Kisame was going to have to go home alone to wish that they could just take another nap together.
Hinata made a small noise on his shoulder as she adjusted in her sleep, and his brain stopped. Maybe she was actively trying to kill him?
"Again?" Kisame caught Hinata's arm, noticing another bandage peaking out from under her sleeve. "You can't keep getting hurt."
"That's rich coming from you," Sasori commented without looking up from his sketchbook.
Hinata pulled her arm back. "I was trying to take the old can back. I think he thought I was taking his food away."
"You need to show me this cat," Kisame grumbled. "I'll catch the damn thing, so this can be over with."
Deidara titled his chair back. "Maybe if you didn't work every day this week, yeah."
Hinata kicked at his chair to get him to shut up. She knew that the Sasori and Deidara were just trying to help, but she really didn't want to guilt Kisame.
Kisame face twisted, not wanting to explain himself. Hinata took his hand under the desk. His eyes flicked down, and his cheeks turned purple as he turned away to his upset.
Hinata wanted to know what was going on, but she knew that he wasn't ready to talk about it. She just didn't know how to make everyone else stop bringing it up until he was ready.
Neji sneezed again and cursed under his breath. Hinata pressed her lips together to hide that she knew why. After another, Hinata reached into her bag to give him a tissue.
"Let's just get what we need and get out of here." Neji huffed, walking ahead of her in the grocery store.
Hinata wondered if she bought tuna instead of wet cat food if she might be able to sneak it past Neji.
Kisame and Neji stared at each other for a moment longer before they both tried to actively go back to what they were doing. Kisame made more dumplings, and Neji faked having homework to do so he could be in the room to keep an eye on them.
Bet he regretted that now that Hinata left them in the room together alone.
Hinata came back before long, unaware of the tension that had built up in the room of just the two of them occasionally glancing at each other.
Kisame stepped closer to Hinata just to watch the veins in Neji's forehead budge. What would he do if he heard what she said the other night? Lock her in a tower, probably, maybe put a dragon and a moat in for good measure.
"You're getting better at this." Hinata hummed as Kisame put down another dumpling.
Kisame wasn't sure about that, but the smile Hinata gave him was cute, so he wasn't going to argue.
Hinata put the cat food out in the open this time and crouched down to wait. "He has been looking better now that he's eating regularly."
The cat came out to sniff the food and eye her as he ate.
"It's mangy." Kisame commented.
"I think with a good bath and a brush. He would be a beautiful happy cat." Hinata rested her head on her umbrella tucked in her arm. "But I can't catch him. I think he probably needs to see a vet for his back leg. Which is why I think why he hasn't left this area."
"Free food isn't a factor?" Kisame wondered.
"If he were healthy, he could catch his own food." Hinata pouted, looking at the black cat scarf his food. "I kinda hope he is just a hardened street cat that had a bad day because I think being thrown out by a family he may have loved sounds so much worse."
Kisame sighed as the cat finished eating and tucked himself back away. "Want me to try to get him out?"
"Hidan-san already tried brute force. I don't want to go back to the hospital." Hinata warned him.
Kisame got closer to the mess that the cat called home. "I was just gonna see how he reacts."
Hissing came out from under the pallets before Kisame could get too close, but he ignored it and put his hand out under the lip of the mess. "How old do you think he is?"
"He looks pretty old." Hinata wasn't sure if his age had to do with how mean he was being or if he was just feral.
"Come on, bud," Kisame called, rubbing his fingers together.
A small black nose came out to sniff. Hinata was surprised, she had tried that a few times, but all she got was growled at.
Kisame backed his hand out until the whole head came out. "Do I smell like fish? I swear if you bite me, you'll go to the vet in a duffle bag." Hinata covered her mouth to keep from making the happy noise that want to pour out as the entire cat came out and accepted a single-face pet from Kisame. "Hidan thought this thing was vicious?"
"We couldn't get anywhere near him," Hinata explained. "Maybe he just really likes you."
Kisame gave the matted cat a few pets before reaching a hand under him and picking him up. "Well, I thought that was going to be harder." He held the cat to his chest and walked toward her to give her him, but the moment he pulled him away from his chest, the fluff ball started to hiss.
"See, he really doesn't like me," Hinata waved her hand. "I think you're going to have to get him to the vet."
"How are you going to keep him if he won't come near you?" Kisame wondered, waiting for her to get up since he couldn't get close enough to help her up.
"I can't. Neji-san is allergic," Hinata explained. "I was hoping the vet could point me to a place to get him adopted instead of just fixing him up and putting him back."
"I'm not taking the damn thing," Kisame answered quickly.
"That's sad. He seems to like you." Hinata reached her hand out to let the angry ball sniff, but he just backed his head up.