A/N: This story came to me today out of the blue. Thank you Lavender–Long-Stories for encouraging me to post, otherwise this may have rotten in my documents.
Enjoy! :)
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It was freezing-ass cold. The cleaning cloth squeaked on the window. It smelled of window cleaning spray ammonia and even more numbing cold. A shiver went through her body. Yeah, this quick pass over the windowpane would have to do for the outside. It was already pitch dark and the snowstorm would anyways not take pity on her hard work. Sakura fumbled with the window handle longer than she normally would have. It was so fucking cold.
A warm shawl was draped across her shoulders – so warm, it must have been laid on top of a radiator for some minutes before. A giggle. It sounded like a wind chime in the summer breeze, like a pleasant tickle, like quenching her thirst with yuzu lemonade on a scorching summer day. She smiled back, meeting Hinata's crinkled eyes.
"Done with the bathroom?"
"Mhm, do you need a hand in the kitchen?"
"No, you can start the tea. I just have the windowpane inside. I'll be done in two."
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This tea had nothing on the varieties the Hyūga would serve, objectively speaking, yet to Hinata it was the tastiest – over brewed and improperly stored as it was.
She felt a buzz of warmth blooming in her chest. Maybe it was the feeling of... serving hot beverages on a cold day… or maybe looking into pools of deep green in a sea of white. It was as if she could witness the first spring flower blooming amongst patches of melting ice.
The snow outside continued falling mercilessly, burying their shared ground floor flat. It would soon get obscenely hot inside. The radiators were amped up to max and they would set out to make dinner soon.
Hinata thumbed the ceramic mug tenderly and took a sip. The smudged trace of Sakura's lip gloss was still visible on the rim. A hint of artificial cherry hit her tongue. Yes, this was definitely the best tea in all of Konoha.
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Laughter and sizzling pans filled the kitchen.
"Kami, they were so damned shocked to be told 'no' to. Imagine their reactions when I said that I had plans at home."
Hinata already started to tear up. She set the knife down on the wooden chopping board, blade facing outwards. She then gently proceeded to wipe the the corner of her eye dry using her knuckle.
"Sasuke-san must have looked like a wet cat."
"He actually diiid!"
Sakura's eyes crinkled in amusement, but did not lose their concentration. She still watched diligently over the pan on high heat, as she tossed the veggies.
"Naruto-san must have been more along the lines of…" Hinata's voice then changed to a slightly nasal tone. "Sakura-chaaaan, that's so unfair!"
Sakura shook her head in disagreement.
"Nope, surprisingly he was more reasonable than you'd think. Well– kind of. He just made some pretty explicit suggestions on how we could spend this afternoon together." She groaned. "Sometimes I even wonder if he's been with a woman before, based on his shitty advice."
Hinata lightly elbowed her. "Hey! He wasn't bad! And, on top of that, not everyone is a gold star like you," she muttered, yet her eyes were gleaming with mirth.
Sakura did not realise that she got lost in a laughing fit until she felt Hinata's hands taking over the handle of the pan. It did smell a tad burnt. Well, the fried noodles will be smokier tonight than usual.
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The taste of the fruity liquor still lingered on her lips. She was splayed on the couch, dressed in nothing but shorts and a tank top as the snowfall continued. Sakura was sitting on the floor, dressed just as inappropriately for the blizzard unfolding outside.
"Hinaaa, this floor heating is ah-maa-zing!"
"Mmm, but the couch is softer," she said, patting the spot next to her.
"Nooo, I can't join," she insisted, taking another sip of the intoxicating drink. "Then you would peek!"
Sakura hugged her pen and paper protectively over her chest, as Hinata couldn't help but laugh. They had decided to draw portraits of each other on a whim. She focused on getting Sakura's eye shape correctly. Mmm, something looked off. She needed Sakura to look up once more.
"So Sasuke-san really thought he could bake bread from scratch?"
"Without a recipe I might add." There it was. Hook, line and sinker. The upturn of the corner of the eyes… "He forgot the yeast. The dumbass didn't even know what that was."
Hinata heard herself gasp in shock, as they both started to laugh at the Uchiha's expense.
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Their half finished sketches lay littered on the floor, the two glasses forgotten on the coffee table. Head tilted back, Sakura could see the mess they left behind from earlier through the frame of the bathroom door they had left open. Hinata splashed her with water.
The brunette approached her painfully slow, until she was close enough to kiss her chin. Her breasts had left the water and Sakura's treacherous eyes followed the water droplets and bath foam as they slid down Hinata's body. She reached out with a hand lathered in soap.
Their lips met tenderly, yet the sounds echoing in the bathroom were obscene because of the humidity. The water, the steam, the wetness of every surface made the kiss feel ethereal. Sakura wanted to keep kissing her until she lost her breath.
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"Fresh bed sheets!" Hinata gushed.
She jumped into bed, fresh pyjamas on, ready to roll around and smell the fabric softener. Sakura watched her cuddle their thick blanket and chuckled. Hinata stuck her tongue out.
"This does smell the best out of everything we tried," she triumphantly announced, blanket firmly pressed over her mouth and nose.
"Hmm… I liked the lavender one too." Hinata blushed, remembering how Sakura had mentioned whom the lavender smell reminded her of.
Hinata watched the mess of tangled pink hair splayed next to her from the corner of her eyes. She reached out her fingers to comb through it. It was soft, silky and still damp. Something inside her stirred and she wanted nothing more than to drag her under the blankets and embrace loosely as they whispered. To press her cheek against her chest, to feel the softness of her breasts and pass her palms over Sakura's clothed nipples in undemanding strokes.
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She rolled over. "I still can't get over how much of a dumbass one has to be not to know about yeast."
Hinata hummed, staring at the ceiling. After pondering for a while, she finally spoke. "We could do better."
"We could."
Hinata smiled back indulgently. Wait, why was she entertaining her stupid idea?
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They kneaded dough like idiots at midnight. It was sticky, wet and sloppy, so they added flour… and kept adding. They watched a movie as the dough rose. They set a timer for the oven and went to sleep.
Hinata dreamt of a flaky crust and warm, fluffy bread. Sasuke-san was an idiot.
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Morning light poured over the icy landscape outside. The snow blanket which had fallen last evening had meanwhile crystallised; it was a light spectacle. But she had missed a few spots on the windowpane, she now noticed. Sakura sighed. Hinata was still immersed in the landscape. The light poured over her face in a lovely way. Her eyelashes casted shadows over her high cheekbones, as they fluttered shut and then open again.
She would have wanted to float over and pepper light kisses all over her features. But she was seated and the screech of her chair would cruelly dispel the magic of the moment. Instead, she shoved a bite of their midnight bread in her mouth.
The bread was hard. Too much flower. Fuck, they had forgotten the salt. It honestly tasted like shit. Hinata must have heard her grunt of disapproval, as her attention shifted back to their kitchen. She took an experimental bite out of her own slice and flushed.
"Why did… why did we think we could make bread without a recipe?" she almost squeaked.
"Alcohol," Sakura clarified, almost sulking.
Hinata smiled kindly and stood up, her hip resting against their table. "French toast? We still have the strawberry jam Kurenai-sensei made."
"I'll have mine to go. My shift starts in 30 minutes."
Hinata nodded, as Sakura headed back to their bedroom to get changed. Her mind then spaced out, thinking about the schedule ahead. The hospital was busy as Tsunade had just stepped down. Reforms were being implemented and the paperwork associated was insane. Sakura sighed, rubbing her face.
As she prepared to run out –she would be late otherwise– she felt the smell of eggs and cinnamon attack her senses. She slowed down to indulge just for a few seconds. Hinata interrupted her musings by pressing a lunch box into her hand. Sakura brushed Hinata's bangs away with her free hand and pecked her on the forehead.
"Good luck, today."
"You too, those Academy brats better be nice to you!"
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A/N: I might be planning on writing a multi-chaptered SakuHina story one day, I had so much fun with this one! :D
I would love to hear your thoughts on my story!