Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Notes: Hello Loves! Sorry that I missed the update in October and November, I have been horribly busy with school and the Littles' events, so life just got away from me. I hope this longer chapter will be enough of an apology, the longest for this story yet haha. I will be aiming for longer chapters until the end. I'm sure some of you who have been here from the start will be surprised/shocked to know I have a tentative outline for the remainder of the story and the ending. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this, I hope that I can finish this in a way that holds up to all the support and love I have received for this over the years.
Shall we?
All my love, ~Luna
Hinata hears his footsteps returning as she is picking up the plates to carry them to the table. His body heat registers a moment later and then Naruto's hands are sliding from her shoulders to rest over her own, and she settles the plates back on the counter. She watches as his fingers link between hers and tilts her head to the side as he nudges her hair over her shoulder with his nose and presses his lips to the edge of her jaw. There's still space between them, the only points of contact his fingers between her own, his arms braced against hers and his lips on her jaw. Hinata feels the goosebumps rise and does nothing to fight them. This is something new, another layer to the comfort growing between them. There is a new depth to the feeling in her chest, a weight that presses on her lungs and makes her breath catch in her throat. Naruto uses his grip to push her hands to the counter, unlinking their fingers and sliding his hands to rest beside hers. Then he steps in and she can feel the full press of him along her back. He holds there, stilling against her as he turns his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. There is no tension now, just a relaxed air between them and Hinata relaxes into his body behind hers and rests her head against his own on her shoulder.
"Are you alright Naruto-kun?" She asks quietly when a moment has passed. "Hai" he says just as quietly.
He pulls back then, hands catching the plates before Hinata can and moving to put them on the table. Hinata turns to watch him, confusion sliding across the back of her mind. She can't quite wrap her mind around why she feels strange about the past few moments but then it doesn't matter because Naruto is turning back to her and the distance between them is gone in an instant. His hands are on her waist, lifting her to set her on the counter as his mouth brushes hers. Hinata squeaks in surprise, hands catching at his biceps. Naruto takes advantage of her parted lips to brush his tongue along the seam of her mouth and she gasps in and opens further for him. Then their mouths are connected and her arms are around his neck, one hand buried in the locks of his hair, the other gripping the material of his shirt.
Naruto's hands slide down to the tops of her thighs and he pushes out, spreading her so he can step into the space created. Then his hands are around her back pressing in to pull her closer to him. Hinata's mind is whirling, fuzzing out with pleasure as he deepens the kiss. She hears the small sound that slips from her at the same moment Naruto tenses and pushes closer. Grappling to pull her mind back to focus, Hinata instinctively pulls back on the hair in her grasp. Naruto does not fight her, lets his head fall back a bit, kiss broken but his body does not budge, still pressed tightly to her own. "Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispers into the space between their mouths. "Sorry" he says quietly, but he doesn't sound it and he's still not releasing her. "Can I?" he asks almost immediately after, and Hinata blinks once before she releases his hair and connects their mouths again. The warmth in her is growing and she is confused at the turn of events. Yes, they have been building this physicality and yes, they need it for the mission but this feels different. They did quite a bit of training the previous evening, they really need to talk now. There's planning to do, a long list of things to complete today and yet…her mind blanks once again as Naruto's hands slide to her bottom and pull her to the edge of the counter to press their bodies even tighter. A low sound comes from him and then his mouth is on her neck, sliding down to the junction of her neck and shoulder to lightly suck the skin there. There's an urgency between them now that was absent in their careful touches the night before. Hinata feels the warmth blaze higher. "Ah, Naruto-kun, wait" she gasps out, because it is building too fast. He slows immediately but instead of stopping as she expects, he slides his lips up her neck and then captures her mouth again. Hinata shivers as he moves back just slightly, the heated air between them instantly beginning to cool. A moment later and he is pulling back from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers and they each try to settle their breathing. "I..I'm sorry" Hinata says, not sure why she needed it to stop, startled by the flight response sliding along her limbs. This is nothing compared to what they have already done. Still, her heart is pounding and she can feel the jittery response of nerves starting to skate through her system and she is embarrassed. Naruto's hands come up to brush light touches along her cheeks, "No, I'm sorry. You're fine Hinata, you didn't do anything. You have every right to stop this if you want."
Hinata is acutely aware of where they are still touching. His hands on her face, hers on his shoulders. Her legs bracketing his hips, everything pressed tight but the very upper parts of their chests. She can feel his response to what they have been doing, knows what stopping now will do. Even with that, she can tell he means what he says, there is no anxious tension in him, just arousal. The comfort is still there for him, and he is unapologetic for starting the encounter. "I was caught off guard, I didn't expect…I thought we would talk over breakfast and plan our day." Hinata watches as he digests her words before he slowly leans in to press a light kiss to her mouth, his fox grin spreading across his features as he pulls away and starts to put more space between them. "Yea, we should do that. Besides, the food you made will get cold if we don't eat it soon." He is moving as he speaks, pulling back and breaking the contact between their bodies as he lightly guides Hinata back to her feet. She goes from being mostly level with him to looking up at him, hands sliding from his shoulders to his forearms as his hands grasp her waist. She still feels off kilter, is still concerned that her need to slow down, to stop, will impact their interactions going forward. Naruto just leans down to kiss her again and she is struck by the number of kisses he has given her this morning alone. From chaste to passionate, there have been many and they have not been awake and in each other's presence for long. Her face flushes and her heart skips, especially as Naruto turns to fully break the contact between them. His back is turned to her but she can see the motion he makes as he steps away, can tell he is adjusting himself for comfort and her hands come up to cover her face as her cheeks continue to burn. She spins to face the counter, giving him her back as well to try and allow her face to cool. The last few minutes replay in her mind, and she cannot believe how quickly things had escalated. She can hear the sound of movement behind her but it's moving away, not closer as she hears Naruto call out, "I'll be right back, go ahead and start eating Hinata-chan."
Hinata moves quickly to the sink to splash cool water on her face. She is shaking slightly and so very confused. Surely after what they did the night before an encounter like what had just happened should not have thrown her so much. She is rattled, more than she can remember every being on another mission, even her first seduction mission. Brushing the water from her face and picking up a soft towel that she had laid on the counter earlier in the morning she dried the remaining moisture before turning to look over at the table, plates still waiting. It is not even that Naruto initiated it, he had initiated the interactions in his apartment just days ago on the night they had left the village. Why did this feel so different?
Still struggling with her thoughts, Hinata moved to sit at the table and took her first bite of food. It was cool already but she did not mind. She was just beginning to rise to warm Naruto's when he re-entered the room and took his seat across from her. "Gomen, it is cold now. I will rewarm it." She reached for his plate but Naruto shook his head with a small smile. "It's my fault so it's fine. I'm sure it will taste good, cool or warm." And just like that Hinata felt the heat begin in her cheeks again but ruthlessly pulled her body back under her control. She settled back in her seat with a nod to him and they both ate quietly. The quiet between them did not feel strained and Hinata began to relax as she accepted that Naruto really was not upset by the halt she had put on their actions. She cleared her throat after several bites of food and looked up to see his eyes rise from his plate to her, attentive.
"We should talk about a plan of action today. I think we should go out and familiarize ourselves with the village. Find our respective work locations, the club and gather a few more needed items for the apartment." Hinata spoke softly and then looked down to continue to eat while she waited for Naruto's response. The light was brightening in the room, even with the curtains still closed as the morning slipped past them. Naruto nodded, "That sounds great Hinata-chan. Can you help me reapply the concealer for my cheeks? I took it off last night without thinking but I'll try to keep it on from now on." Hinata nodded, "Of course, I would be happy too. I can plan to help you with it every other day if you want, that way it will not begin to cake. Also, we should not forget to change the lenses in our eyes on time and use the drops."
Naruto nodded and finished his food before speaking again. Hinata still was not finished and he made no move to leave, seemingly happy to sit across from her and watch her eat even if it made her a bit overly conscious of herself. "Should we go back to referring to each other as our new names? It would be good practice and would be more cautious if we think they might actually try to check up on us." Hinata considered then responded quietly, "The wards I put up and the ones I know you used as well should make any conversation they overhear a jumble of muttered words, too muffled to hear clearly unless they feel they need to watch us closely enough to call someone in who specializes in deeper surveillance but I hope we have not raised enough concern for that at this point. And we have been speaking quietly this entire time, so that will increase the muffling of our words. That being said, you might be correct. We can go back to the other names for practice." Hinata finished her food after speaking while Naruto quietly rose and took his plate to the sink to rinse, he returned for her plate as soon as she was done. He quickly washed the dishes before turning back to her. "Hinata, did I overstep earlier?" He asked quietly, leaning back against the sink, arms folded over his chest and legs slightly spread to brace his weight. Hinata started to shake her head, parted her lips to respond but found the words would not come. When the quiet stretched for a minute, Naruto pushed away from the sink to move slowly toward her arms dropping to his sides as he did. Hinata watched him approach, a small frown creasing his brow and she wanted to reassure him that it was fine. Because really, it was, she still could not fathom why it had unsettled her so much. Naruto paused in front of her as she turned in her chair to face him about to rise but instead, he sank to his knees in front of her. He lifted his hands and let them hover over her knees, a silent question in his eyes as he found hers. Hinata winced internally, feeling terrible that he was hesitating when they had created such an ease before. She reached out to catch his hands and pull them to rest on her legs, just above her knees to show that touch was welcome. Naruto smiled at her, "I'm sorry Hinata-chan, if I made you uneasy earlier. I wasn't thinking it through. I should have been slower or realized that it wasn't the time to touch. I'll be more aware in the future."
It was the phrase "time to touch" that caught her. There was training and then there had been what had happened this morning. With an almost audible click in the back of her mind she realized that the confusion about this morning was because it had not felt like training. It had just been touching, and Naruto had been touching her all morning. Hinata searched his features for some sign of what it meant. Naruto was naturally affectionate, had been seemingly comfortable with touches from the beginning but this was intimacy. Naruto had not shied away from the intimacy, and that was what had thrown her.
Hinata felt her heartbeat pick up, felt warmth rise in her cheeks. "You did not do anything wrong, I am sorry if I made you think so Naruto-kun. I was surprised, yes, but I…I d-do not want you to change anything. It was not awareness on your part, or lack thereof that made me hesitate." No, it was the intimacy, the want that she had felt in his touches. Naruto had wanted to touch her, to be close to her physically and it would not have hurt the mission but it also had not been absolutely necessary. Even the dark voice in the back of her mind was quiet. It did not mean that Naruto had feelings for her, but the affection mixed with the touches had implied more than just duty. Hinata looked away from him as she spoke, "You don't have to ask permission to touch me, I am giving you permission now."
Immediately after, she felt his hands leave her legs coming up to capture her face and turn her so that he could press another kiss to her mouth. "Alright, and you have my permission as well. No need to ask anymore." Hinata nodded, eyes falling closed as their mouths touched again. Her hands rose to grasp his wrists. They stayed like that a moment longer, mouths brushing but light. When Naruto pulled back again Hinata released his wrists and let his hands fall from her face. Naruto moved to stand, holding a hand out to her to pull her from her chair as he stepped back to make room for her to rise. Hinata did not hesitate to take it.
An hour later, they were dressed and ready to explore the village. Naruto's whisker marks covered and mission personas in place, they stepped from the apartment as Miyu and Kei. Hinata walked quietly next to her 'husband' as he led the way to the shop he would be working for. It was a construction, civil works business that would require a lot of physical labor but Naruto did not seem to mind. When they arrived, Naruto bowed as he introduced himself to the supervisor. An older man whose face reflected a long life in the sun and elements, hard work, and wisdom. The man was cool initially but warmed quickly while speaking to Naruto as the blonde's boisterous energy bled into the interaction. Hinata smiled softly from just behind him, and blushed lightly during the introductions when Obo-san complimented Kei's choice in bride. The conversation as a whole took less than half an hour but set Naruto up nicely to start work the following day.
Hinata was actually looking forward to finding and learning more about the school she would be working for. When they arrived, the secretary at the front desk was polite and quite happy to meet Miyu-san as well. Naruto was happy to wait outside while Akane-san introduced Hinata to the director and gave her a short tour of the school, including the classroom that Hinata would start in the next day. There were a few papers for Hinata to fill out before she could begin and they were very happy that she had chosen to visit and introduce herself early, asking her to take the paperwork with her and return it when she arrived for work the next day. This visit took a bit longer, closer to an hour or so, and when she was done Hinata was flushed with excitement and looking forward to the next day. There was no reason that she should not enjoy some aspects of the mission. The underlying reasons were serious and grim but if she allowed herself to wallow in those, she would only stress herself more. As a result, when she left the school to find Naruto leaning against the gate waiting for her, she did not shy away from smiling broadly at him. Naruto watched her approach with his own grin in place and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear when she was near enough. "All set?"
"Hai, all set! I am looking forward to tomorrow. I cannot wait to meet the children." And she meant it, working with children was one of the things she enjoyed the most of the work she did in the village at home as well.
"Great! What would you like to do next? Shopping? Then lunch before we head home?"
"You just want to find a ramen stand Kei-kun."
Naruto brought a hand up to rub the back of his head, "Heh, you got me. I am curious if they have a good ramen stand around here. Maybe we should have asked Hitachi, but exploring is more fun."
"Hai, let us explore more and then we can eat. Um, should we try to find…" Hinata let her words trail off on purpose, knew Naruto would know she was referencing the club. They had begun to walk while they spoke and now as they were away from the school, Hinata reached out to trace her fingers against Naruto's palm. It was a small touch but Kei and Miyu were not averse to small signs of physical affection while walking, perhaps because they were newly wed. This would continue to build the public presentation of who they were. Of course, they knew exactly where the club was, having received the information from Hitachi when they arrived yesterday. The information pressed into the palm of Hinata's hand. They had looked at the paper this morning and memorized the instructions. They would not approach the entrance to the club during the day, would keep their distance so as to draw less attention until they were ready to begin that phase of the mission.
Hinata had been surprised to find that the club was open 24 hours a day. As it was connected to a resort, she supposed that it catered to guests who came specifically for the purpose of enjoying the club's provisions and entertainments. If they arrived for 'vacation' and wanted to enjoy themselves and indulge it would be more beneficial to the club to be open at all times. Still, it made her uneasy as it increased the potential difficulty Naruto and she would face in finding Tsubasa and interacting with him. If he chose to frequent the club during the day it would be nearly impossible unless both she and Naruto happened to go on a day off. And given the restricted timeline, Hinata did not want to assume that luck would hold for them if that was the case. Setting those thoughts aside for the moment she focused on the light back and forth conversation between herself and Naruto.
The resort was similar to those Hinata has seen in other villages. This one boasted the presence of a hot spring bath and the club, which from the outside would look like most other nightclubs found in other villages. The difference would not be found until entering, where the entrance split in three and a receptionist greeted and directed guests to the correct entrance based on their interests. From the information Hitachi had given them, it was best to be plain in their request. The leftmost entrance led to a nightclub like all others, dancing, and drinks available for guests and locals alike to enjoy. The middle entrance led to fetish rooms that could be rented by couples or small groups and catered to specific interests and kinks. The rightmost entrance led to the fetish club itself, consisted of multiple floors and had very strict rules for each level. Hinata had been to similar clubs in the past, enough to have a minor idea of what they would be walking into, though she knew each one was slightly different.
There were two entrances from the outside, one from inside the resort most often used by guests of the resort itself. The second was set next to the entrance of the resort itself, allowing access by locals and travelers not staying at the resort. The entrance was nothing special, there was not even a name above the door. Just a sign that said "All are welcome" which could be lit up at night.
Naruto and Hinata could hear the music from across the street, though it was well muffled by the soundproofing. They walked by without stopping, though Hinata knew both of them were noting and memorizing as many details as they could while they kept up the conversation they were having, currently discussing what to pick up at the market for dinner. There was miso soup, which Hinata had made that morning, and they settled on tonkatsu to go with it. Already making a list in her head of several meals for the next few days, Hinata absentmindedly slid her hand around Naruto's arm and allowed him to lead her to the market while she planned.
The market was relatively quiet given it was near midday on a workday and Hinata took advantage of the lack of bustle to really familiarize herself with the layout and vendors, a small grocery store was also available near their apartment but the market had the freshest ingredients, not to mention the added likelihood of gossip for information gathering. Not that Hinata expected Tsubasa to frequent the market but his lieutenants might. Either way it was close to the club and would be a good excuse to walk by on a regular basis just in case there was something to observe. She knew she was grasping at straws a bit, Tsubasa had been meticulously careful and there was no reason to expect he would slip up now.
Hinata made her selections and thanked the older woman in the meat stall who offered her a small straw bag to carry her purchases. Hinata gave her an extra coin as payment and thanks, before moving on to another stall and before long the bag was full. Naruto slipped it from her hands part way through and just smiled at her when she protested. As they waved their goodbyes to new acquaintances, many of whom were older women who fussed over the newly married couple and offered small treats as congratulations even though they were new to the village, Hinata reflected that people here seemed quite warm and friendly. Naruto and she had been lucky in that respect at least. Though Naruto's infectious energy helped of course and Hinata's ingrained politeness stood her in good respect as well.
They were flushed and laughing lightly, smiles on their faces as they made their way back to their apartment to drop off their purchases. "Should we eat at home Kei-kun? We need to put away the groceries and then perhaps we could go back out to get the rest of the household items and look for ramen. Would that be alright for dinner?" "Sounds perfect!"
Lunch was a cozy affair, Hinata cooking while Naruto chatted with her, sitting at the small table behind her. When the food was ready, he rose to help her move it to the table much as he had with breakfast. It marked the first time he had approached her after helping her put away the purchases when they had returned. Hinata noted that the many touches and kisses from the morning were absent, almost as if Naruto were restraining himself. Or perhaps she was reading too much into it.
Hinata smiled and thanked him for his help as she joined him at the table and they began to eat. The conversation naturally tapering off, continued in murmured responses between bites. Hinata reflected that the conversations over the past few days had been the most she had spoken with Naruto, perhaps in the entirety of knowing him. While it was mostly focused on mission specifics, or casual conversations carried on as their mission personas, Hinata was surprised by the ease with which they had settled into speaking. She had half expected that her stutter would reassert itself but she found herself laughing quietly, smiling often, and relaxing under the steady gaze of the man across from her.
They were nearly finished eating, conversation settling into silence as they cleared their plates. Hinata looked up at Naruto as she took her last bite, contemplated the words she wanted to say next and then exhaled a calming breath. "Shall we go tonight?" she asked quietly. Naruto looked up from his plate to meet her eyes, "Yes."
Hinata nodded, "We should discuss ground rules and comfort before we go. Let me clean up here and I will meet you in the other room so we can talk." Naruto smiled and nodded, then helped her clear the table, bringing the dishes to the sink for her to wash before moving to the bedroom to retrieve the mission file from the sealed scroll hidden there and bring it to the living room for them to review as needed during the discussion. Hinata cleared the leftovers of their meal, putting any remaining food in the refrigerator before washing the dishes quickly, drying them and putting them away. Once the kitchen was clean, she let her nerves roll through her system before moving to join Naruto in the living room.
The blonde was sitting on the futon, in the same spot as the night before, leaving the seats on either side of him open. Hinata felt a slight blush warm her cheeks remembering the night before, but her movements did not falter. She moved to sit to Naruto's left, turning just slightly to face him a bit better and settling in for the conversation. "I've been thinking," she found her eyes focused on her hands in her lap, "we would probably be more comfortable as voyeurs. I do not think either of us know enough about the intricacies of some of the fetishes that will be on display that we would be able to present a believable front." Naruto nodded without looking at her, "It's the control that Tsubasa likes anyway, right? The file isn't super detailed but it definitely seems to imply that he likes power imbalances and when the 'less' powerful partner controls the other." He blinked once he had finished and then turned quickly, hands coming up in a pausing motion, "Not that I'm saying you're less powerful than me, you're really strong Hinata and our techniques are so different that they can't really be compared, I mean…" Hinata just smiled and reached out to touch his forearm, "You did not insult me Naruto-kun, in terms of both brute strength and chakra you are exponentially stronger than me, those are just facts. Though I appreciate your concern."
Naruto dropped his hands but did not turn back to face forward, instead settling in a mirror of Hinata's posture. Half turned to face her, he let his knee press to hers and moved to catch the hand she had only just removed from his arm. He linked their fingers together and smiled a sheepish grin, "Gomen, I spoke without thinking and then got worried." Hinata gave his hand a slight squeeze and said "No need to apologize, truly. I am not upset. You are right in the assessment, and the Hokage thought the same. It is most likely the reason she chose the two of us for the mission so we cannot overlook it. However, I have some reservations on how we can present such a dynamic." Hinata let her eyes drop to her lap once more, resisted the urge to remove her hand from his and took a shallow breath.
"A truly intimate relationship with that type of dynamic is hard to imitate. There would be unspoken cues, gestures, and reactions that come from time and development of the relationship. We have come a long way, certainly we have developed a type of ease that I was worried at first, we would not be able to achieve so quickly but this…well I will need to treat you differently while in the club, and you will have to respond in just the right way. We could probably keep it simple tonight, as we are new to the club and any uneasiness could be interpreted as nerves or lack of comfort with the surroundings." Hinata chanced a glance at Naruto, half expecting him to be bursting to speak, to reassure her if nothing else but what she found was a shadowed expression and a stillness in the blonde that she did not know how to interpret. It threw her train of thought for a moment and she stuttered upon continuing. "I-I think if we discuss some minor cues, we can practice them tonight when unfamiliarity can excuse any stiffness, and then work on them or adjust them as needed before we go again. As we start our respective jobs tomorrow, we could excuse our absence from the club for a few days as a lack of time while we settle in. Though, given the timeline to interfere with Tsubasa's plans I do not want to stay away from the club for too long." She paused after speaking, realizing that her nerves were causing her to start to ramble, the exact opposite of what would normally happen to her if she were nervous. The unusual silence of the man beside her continued to set her on edge. Hinata looked back to Naruto's face, trying to read some expression or indication of his thoughts. After a moment of quiet Hinata squeezed Naruto's fingers again, "Naruto-kun?"
Naruto squeezed her fingers in return and then let go of her hand. Before Hinata could get upset by the removal of his touch, Naruto was moving. Hinata watched as he shifted to face her fully, and then his arms were reaching for her. She went willingly, body relaxed as he lifted her to settle her in his lap. Taking a few seconds to adjust her positioning to make it as comfortable for them both as she could, Hinata slid one arm around Naruto's neck and let her other hand settle on his chest. Naruto moved to settle back into the cushioned surface of the futon, his arms circling her waist, both hands coming together on the side of her left thigh just below her hip. "Hinata-chan…" he said quietly, and Hinata looked at his face again, bringing her eyes to meet his as his lips brushed hers. "You worry too much."
Hinata blinked at him in surprise as a smile slid across Naruto's face. He brushed his lips to the crest of her cheek, brushing up to the corner of her eye and then pressing to her temple. "Just believe in us, we've done fine so far." Hinata felt herself flush, cheeks beginning to burn as he pulled back to look at her. The words had a conflicting effect on her, at once reassuring and troubling. Yes, they had managed to build at least a somewhat believable public facing relationship if today was any indication. The next step should be no different, but she knew there was still a level of intimacy missing from their interactions. Even as she sat in his lap, she could feel the last bit of distance between them. Couples could be intimate without love, this she knew, but she found that her need to protect herself was still very much an instinctive response. 'It's just acting, you've done it before,' she thought.
"You trust me, right?" Naruto asked, breaking her from her thoughts. Hinata nodded in response, because of course she did. Naruto smiled wider and Hinata missed his whiskers. She brought her hand up to brush along his cheek without thinking. "Do I look strange?" he asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. Hinata nodded again, "A bit, you are you but not. It is a little…" she trailed off, trying to think of the right word. "Good or bad?" he asked, a quiet huff leaving him. An almost laugh that had Hinata smiling back finally. "I prefer your whiskers" she said without thinking, then flushed again. "Oh, heh, thanks!" Naruto's smile shifted, eyes crinkling, teasing tone leaving his voice. He said "I prefer your eyes, this blue hazel is pretty but your eyes are better." Hinata blinked at him and felt the flush deepen to a full-on blush. "Oh! Arigato, um." Hinata turned her head a bit to try and hide her flustered expression but Naruto just huffed another laugh and brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "Besides cues, what else can we do to help you worry less before tonight?"
Hinata shook her head slightly, felt Naruto's thumb slide along her cheek before his hand dropped to rest once again against her thigh. "The cues should be enough. As you said, I am probably overthinking and worrying too much." "Alright, so cues?" He asked, still smiling and Hinata felt his fingers begin to rub back and forth over the material of the leggings she wore. "Hmmm, I am not sure. When I have worked with Ino in the past we never explicitly decided on cues other than those needed to indicate 'danger' or 'mission complete'."
"Then let's start there. What cue should we use for danger?" Naruto was still looking at her, Hinata met his eyes and tilted her head slightly to the side as she answered. "Usually, I would avoid touching my neck, if I ever touched it then Ino knew that I felt we were in danger. For mission complete, I would rub my eye. Would those be alright?" Naruto nodded, "Sounds good, should I use the same cues or would you prefer something else?" Hinata was quiet for a moment, thinking through possible actions. "Perhaps for danger you could use the same cue, for mission complete you could clasp your hands behind your head. That might be a more believable action for you, it would appear more natural. Does that sound alright?" "Hai, that makes sense." Hinata shifted slightly. She was not necessarily uncomfortable, but Naruto's fingers continued to brush along her thigh. His right hand had more range of motion as it wasn't supporting her back, and while they had been speaking that hand had shifted from light brushes to a mini massage from her upper thigh to her knee and back again. Hinata had to fight goosebumps as Naruto's hand shifted once again, now massaging the top of her leg, thumb pressing more toward the inside of her thigh.
The touches that Hinata had noticed were missing during their lunch were certainly back and she tried to decide if she was grateful or nervous. It felt good and relieved her concern that there was continued space between them. As she tried to refocus on the conversation and start to configure cues that could be used to support the power dynamic, they were meant to portray she felt Naruto's breath on her cheek once again. Then his lips brushed the corner of her mouth and she turned without thinking, closed her eyes as Naruto pressed his lips to hers. It was brief, another reassurance. Hinata found herself following his retreat, chasing the moist air between them. The arm around his shoulder tightened, and she kissed him again. Another light press but she wanted to be the one to initiate, wanted to show him that she was alright with these casual kisses and touches. Now that she had them, she wanted to fight the flight response and keep them.
If they succeeded in the mission and were able to stop Tsubasa then all of this would end. She would go back to a passing acquaintance to Naruto, perhaps still receiving some affectionate touches here and there when they happened to meet but this close proximity, this intimacy would be done. She needed to commit to the connection between them, allow the final level of intimacy to make sure their time at the club was as successful as possible. So Hinata reached up with the hand that had been resting on his chest and caught Naruto by the chin. She used the hold to tilt him to the angle she wanted and then pressed their lips together again. Naruto followed her, opened his mouth to allow her to deepen the kiss. When they parted again, they were both breathing more deeply. Hinata pulled back, let her hand drop to rest on his bicep. His hand was still massaging her thigh, she did not repress the shiver that skittered over her as he pressed a bit higher. Naruto let out a low sound before moving to shift them again.
While Hinata expected him to shift them into a more intimate position, he surprised her by instead placing her back in her prior seat next to him. Her back resting along the low arm of the futon, legs stretched across his own. Naruto ran a hand through his hair before laying his arms across her legs and beginning to massage her calves. His hands tightened just slightly more than comfortable before settling into a pleasurable pressure that had Hinata melting into her seat. She reached out to grasp the fabric of his shirt over his bicep. Hinata studied his face while he seemed intent on watching his hands, focusing on his self-set task. After a moment in which neither of them said anything and their breaths slowed to a normal rhythm, Naruto looked up to meet her gaze. "So, the other cues?" he asked. Hinata blinked, collected her thoughts, and then answered, "Um, perhaps if I want you to be silent, I can squeeze the cuff on your wrist? Or if I need you to follow an instruction I can…honestly, I am not sure." Hinata could feel her brow crease, a furrow of frustration taking over. "It won't be natural, I really don't know what to do."
Naruto nodded, hands still working up and down her legs, rubbing now more than massaging. They sat in silence for another few moments before Naruto turned his head to look at her. "Well then, let us just let it be natural. Like I said before, I think we've been doing just fine. We've played off each other's cues so far. This just takes it up a level, and if we are both aware of it and watching we should be able to react alright. If we allow for a bit of adjustment, I don't think it will be that far off. The more real it is, the better right?" Hinata frowned but nodded after he had finished. "Besides," he continued, "we are newlyweds. We've only just moved into this phase of our relationship. Most people will accept and expect us to be learning each other, and if we present it as something that you want and I'm learning to give you that should help too. You have more experience in these types of environments and such."
Hinata blushed at the phrase "something that you want and I'm learning to give you" it was true. The closer to reality that they stayed, perhaps the better off they would be. Tsubasa, if they made contact with him or one of his subordinates, would have a harder time reading deception from her or Naruto if there really wasn't deception there. She looked back to Naruto who was once again watching the progress of his hands up and down her legs. "Hai, I think you are right. I really was overthinking everything. Gomen, I am usually more settled during a mission. I know we have not worked together very recently so I apologize for giving you such a hard time."
Naruto looked up, eyes searching her face. "No," he said with a shake of his head, "there's nothing to apologize for. There's always something to adjust too with missions and since I'm completely new to this type of mission there's going to be some unease there. You have to account for me as well, so I understand. You're amazing Hinata-chan, I don't doubt it." He was smiling as he spoke, reaching a hand out to brush a strand of hair back from her face and tuck it behind her ear. Hinata smiled a small smile back and shifted her hold from his shirt to slide palm flat along his arm to catch his hand and link their fingers again. "Arigato Naruto-kun." Naruto pulled their linked hands up to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand before letting them drop to his lap. His other hand had stopped moving.
They sat quietly, each in their own thoughts for a moment before Naruto spoke again. "So, we will go tonight, after dinner?" "Yes, after we find a ramen stand or shop" Hinata said with a quiet laugh. Naruto beamed back at her, face gradually softening before he asked "Are we done planning then?" Hinata tilted her head to the right, a bit confused by the question and nodded. "Yes, I think we are done for now. Did you want to go finish the shopping now before dinner? We still need to get a few things for the apartment and finish exploring the village." Naruto was already shaking his head no as she finished. "Oh, alright. Was there something else you wanted to talk about instead?" Again, Naruto shook his head. He pulled her hand back up to press another kiss to her knuckles before continuing to pull, and Hinata followed. Leaning forward and then sliding along the cushion under her to move closer still until Naruto let go of her hand and moved his hand to catch the back of her neck. His mouth found hers and the kiss was brief, a questioning sweep that instantly started the warmth building in her lower belly. "Hinata, lay down" he said quietly against her mouth and Hinata realized she is shifted far enough forward she could now lay down completely across the cushions if Naruto moved a bit further down the futon. She hesitated for only a second before shifting with him as he moved away and then leaning back on her elbows. Naruto continued to move, levering himself out from beneath her legs and up to hover over her. Hinata arched her neck up to meet his mouth in another kiss and then laid back as he followed her down.
End Notes: Bear with me for the next chapter, we will finally get to the club and I want to give that the detail and attention it deserves. Expect the next chapter by no later than mid-January. Stay safe and well!