9
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They ended up spending the whole afternoon by doing it again and again and … over again. Skipping altogether lunch and dinner, Hinata is left exhausted to even force her eyelids open, let alone leave his bed.
His bed…
Just… who would have known? Uchiha Sasuke had done nothing but deserted her once he had done what was needed. Yet, right after they went all the way, he hasn't let go of her easily ever since and she hasn't minded his treatment either. In fact, she has been willing and actively participating throughout their…newly established intimacy.
It is midnight when she rouses from her much needed sleep. Under the duvet, she is stark naked (his top on her has been removed at some point during the evening) and is still within his embrace. He doesn't let go, no matter how many hours it has been since their last sex.
What is this feeling? The barest minumun they know about each other is work related—personal life is an unknown ground, they went into a mission together once, then they had sex once (although in reality it was multiple, but they all happened in one occasion in this afternoon alone, so it doesn't count), but what is this comfortable feeling being engulfed within his embrace as if she's always known how it felt?
His chest feels the warmest and the liveliest, she can easily hear his calm heartbeat in this position. She can't help not to smile. She pulls away slightly so she can see his face if only she raises her head. When she does, her eyes meet the familiar enigmatic pools of obsidian. He doesn't do much aside from gazing back at her. She doesn't do much either except widening her eyes slightly in subdued surprise.
Then they are kissing. She doesn't know who kissed who first, she doesn't know where this will lead to, she doesn't know why she can't refrain herself from kissing him. There is this…unbreakable thread of attraction between them. It is the closest thing she can come up with to explain their situation. The line is invisible, but almost tangible as if is strings from where their skin is touching at each other.
She isn't even in heat. She wasn't too while they were having sex after the first one.
Sasuke moves more urgently as he smoothly changes position and climbs on top of her. He diverts his attention to her right earlobe, nibbling sensually on the cartilage, releasing hot breath to her ear canal. Hinata trembles at the tingling sensation felt on her ear spreading to her shoulder. Her captain then kisses her shoulder, deliberately stalling to part by fully opening his mouth and letting his tongue linger. Although she's been marked from her clavicles down to her ankles, Sasuke still has the rationality not to mark her on the places where it would show had she worn her summer mission gear.
His hand traces her on the other shoulder, down to her arm, until it comes in contact with her hip. Just as he is about to kiss her stomach, an overdue growl reverberates inside the otherwise quiet space.
Slightly widening his eyes, the Alpha places his face straight against her bare stomach. Another entirely different cause of rumble originating from the captain is felt on her stomach. Despite the embarrassment, she lets out a chuckle too to match with his.
"We've skipped lunch and dinner…" She offers regretfully.
Sasuke raises his head to stare at her, but instead on the eyes, his eyes are directed at the tip of her nose. "Of course. Let's eat," he agrees, sounding amused.
As he apparently rarely cooks and eats at home, Hinata offers to fix them something simple for dinner with only the barely available essentials inside his fridge. The two eat her humble yet delectable omurice in comfortable pace—despite the hunger—and silence—despite her prominent urge to hear his voice… for unknown reasons.
After they finished, Sasuke takes charge in washing the dishes and asks her to brew them tea. Hinata, feeling somehow elated by the request, asks him where the tea is with which he merely cocks his chin to her left, where the wooden overhead cabinet is set.
"Second door, lowest shelf," he reveals without looking up from the sink, "I may have gone overboard with samples collecting. So, suit yourself."
As a devotee of tea herself, Hinata eyes glimmer at the sight before her. Arranged neatly inside the cabinet are myriad types of paper bags, some are boxes, some made of wood, each packaging has its own authentic design—representing its origin territory. She has heard that the Land of Iron has only the finest quality of tea leaves. Smiling subtly, she reaches for the wooden box with silver rim on each edges.
At first, she thought everything about his apartment was cold, just like how she always thought that Captain Uchiha was an aloof and cold person. But someone aloof shouldn't have led her out of her self-inflicted predicament in the first place, but he has done that for three times in a row now and without inflicting harm on her when he easily could for his personal gain. Someone cold shouldn't have carried all the warmth needed by merely holding her within his arms, but he has held her and his body is the warmest she's ever felt.
Inside the small cabinet, on the lowest shelf, is the warmth she has unintentionally found inside his otherwise cold apartment. It feels like she just found his secret; a small bit of the real Uchiha Sasuke behind the Alpha-Anbu façade.
Sasuke finishes his task first, so he proceeds with setting the table and sitting on his chair to wait. Not long after, Hinata joins him with his porcelain teapot that is releasing steam from its narrow spout.
Hinata offers to pour his cup first, Sasuke only nods.
Noticing how his attention is focused on her hands as she does her work, Hinata catches his forefinger and middle finger twitch, before he utters, "Did you take your suppressant yesterday?"
Hinata doesn't flinch, but she does pause her doing before eventually filling her own cup. She waits until the steam from her tea easing off, then looks up.
Sasuke isn't looking at her, instead he takes a sip of his still steaming tea.
It hadn't come to her until he mentioned it—the thing that has been bugging her since her arrival at the Anbu Headquarters yesterday morning. The thing she hadn't done when she should have.
Why is this man relentlessly surprising her?
How is it that he seems to know her better than she knows herself? "I've just reminded of the issue after you mentioned it..."
Sasuke puts down his cup and nods. "That… explains your unsuppressed heat."
Her eyes widen. That is why what had always been enough was not enough yesterday.
Hinata nibbles on her bottom lip, eyes focused on her steaming tea but mind everything but. Her hand itches to reach to her waist pouch, but refrains from doing so in fear of drawing unwanted attention from the man. She is sure she has her emergency injection there. But why…and how is it that her supposedly all-time first line life savior was easily forgotten?
"Your tea is getting cold."
Still in a daze of perpetual wondering, Hinata blinks twice before finally seeing her tea for its true form. Its steam has long gone indeed. But the cup still transmits warmth when her hands come in contact to bring it closer to her lips. She finishes the first sip with a smile; the tea still tastes delightful.
Hinata places down her cup once she downed the whole thing. When she is about to reach for the teapot, Sasuke beats her by taking it first then filling her cup before his. He surprises her yet again when he opens another issue she hasn't yet dared to start but dying to.
"I won't expose you, if that's what you're so dying to know."
She should just straightway give him her gratitude and close her lips shut. But having been sharing intimate moments with the man has inexpicably allowed herself to self-claim the privilege to proceed further. At least that is how she feels. "Why?"
Sasuke shrugs a shoulder. "It has nothing to do with me and I am not among people who are proud of our system."
Hinata diverts her eyes to her lap. It has nothing to do with him… My problem has nothing to do with him.
When she still falls silent, he finally looks up. They lock eyes for the first time after fully clothed that night as he continues, "Look, administrative requirements aside, you are here because you've proven that you have the competency to become an Anbu. You are a capable Anbu, whatever your traits is. I regarded you as my comrade then, I do now, and I will always do in the future. It's as simple as that."
When she is still silent, he chooses to take a sip of his tea. At first she thought he has finished, but then he continues, "Besides, you're the first Omega-Anbu in history. You should be proud."
Sasuke has made her tongue-tied.
She…honestly doesn't know what to say. One thing, though, seems to resurface and threaten to escape her sense of rationality.
Is mentioning about her heats and his choice to help her will be regarded as stretching his kindness to its extreme?
Yet, he beats her to it. Again.
"Hyuuga."
Startled by the sudden mention of her family name, her voice finally comes back. "Y-yes?"
"Stay away from me as far as you can if you don't want to be exposed as an Omega. If you still want to be an Anbu." Sasuke holds her gaze and she can't seem to look away. "We both know I won't expose you deliberately so there has to be another reason." He pauses, eyes not leaving hers ever so slightly, as if trying to see her thoughts through a set of opals. "And I think you've already known it."
"I'm afraid I don't follow." Hinata clenches her teeth. She can feel an impending storm of emotions is ready to strike at any moment. "You've always helped me…. You have done all but helped me when you didn't have to! Why do I have to stay away from someone who has helped me through it all?"
"Hinata."
When he calls her by her first name, a tear escapes her left eye. It is the first time, but why does she have the feeling it would be the last time?
"I am the one you should be most afraid of. You just don't know yet what I am capable of doing to you."
Author's Note:
hohoho Portside Crowds is back so here's an update!
I just finished my OB-GYN rotation in my assigned hospital and woah did it interest me so bad. I am having this dilemma where I want to be family oriented (in the future, so no chance for major departments that are the most time-consuming [surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, and OB-GYN]) and at the same time I want to pursue my dreams. I know I can be both, but anyone can't be good equally at both, right?
So yeaaaah, I'll think about it later and just write more lol XD
Btw, dear, 420anime-pothead, I sent you a sneak peek to chapter 9 as a birthday present seeing that I couldn't give you a chapter update then xD. Anyways, happy late birthday! I am wishing you a happy birthday again in case you haven't seen my message. Take care :)
See you next update!
- Crowds