day 2 - secret lovers / torrid affair / romance
"late hours"
summary: "Incoming, trauma patient. Male, late twenties. Has a bullet wound injury to his abdomen and appears to have suffered a concussion as well. Has multiple lacerations down his right arm that might need sutures and a dislocated shoulder as well."
"Has the bullet gone through?"
"There are no signs of an exit wound."
"Shit."
It's been ten years since they last saw each other. After the sudden disappearance of one Uzumaki Naruto, Hinata tries her hardest to rebuild her life little by little. But it seems the one who broke her heart is back and now Hinata has no option other than to save her ex's life. The only problem is that she is now in a committed relationship with a detective named Kuro, and with Naruto around she finds herself divided between both men.
Oh, did I mention Naruto is a famous gangster wanted by the police, which just happens to be the center of Hinata's boyfriend's main case?
A.N: this comes way later than expected (sorry bout that) and it's more of plot with smut... It took longer than expected since I needed to add a few things so that it made sense (as much as I wanted to jump into the smut part it needed some build up and a somewhat logical plot...) there's a part of me that still wants to expand this, but I also wanted to keep it as a oneshot therefor some things might feel like they are 'missing' but if you have any questions you can leave them in the comments or ask me on tumblr!
so without further ado here's "late hours"!
2. late hours
"Tonight seems to be pretty quiet, wouldn't you say?" Ino enquired as she checked off a few boxes on her chart. "I mean, it's still pretty early so I suppose that's to be expected." Swiveling in her chair, the blonde focused on the Hyuga leaned over the counter going through some files in the main computer.
"Well, considering I've been here since 5 pm, I'd be genuinely thankful if there weren't any major cases..." Hinata glanced at the clock in the monitor, confirming she still had three more hours of work till her shift ended. Taking the night shift hadn't been something she had planned, but since the other doctor on call had to be excused due to paternity leave, the chief of surgeons had kindly asked if she could replace them for the time being.
At the time it seemed like an excellent idea, but now, after nearly two months of working this schedule, long hours standing up with no chances to sit down and rest, running on low-quality caffeine, and the will to help people, Hinata was feeling drained and in need of a small vacation.
Her hand shot up to her neck as she rolled her shoulders to relieve the stress accumulated from being hunched over the nurse's station for over an hour now. Ino didn't seem to be fairing better, having to fill out paperwork as well as keeping the newbies in check.
Sighing, she went back into her search for a particular file, hoping it would help her find more information in regards to a patient's recurrent visits to the emergency room.
"Agreed, I'm too tired to go into an OR right now… I mean, it has been a while since we had anything big happening. Quite boring around here." Ino swiveled in her chair for some time, sliding down on it so that her head lay in the backrest and she could stare at the ceiling and count how many times the light overhead would flick.
"Don't say that kind of thing, it's wrong." Hinata felt slightly uncomfortable by her friend's comment since she was a firm believer of karma and that you should only manifest good thoughts out into the universe. "You never know what might happen, besides, nothing good ever happens after 2 am." Glancing at the clock in the corner of the computer screen, the bluenette confirmed her suspicion that it was already fifteen minutes past the time stamp.
Snorting, Ino got up to make some rounds. "I'll be back in a few. Have fun staring at that computer screen for the next three hours." After waving Ino goodbye, Hinata picked up her coffee mug finding it empty. Deciding it was better to get a refill now while the emergency room was calm, she told the nurses around her that she'd be back in a sec.
The moment she crossed the door out into the hall that would eventually lead her into the break room, an ambulance pulled up outside.
Ino had just returned to tell her fellow nurses that a few patients needed an IV replacement or an extra blanket when the emergency doors were violently open, and in came the paramedics with a man that seemed to be in very critical condition.
"Incoming, trauma patient. Male, late twenties. Has a bullet wound injury to his abdomen and appears to have suffered a concussion as well. Has multiple lacerations down his right arm that might need sutures and a dislocated shoulder."
Ino helped the paramedics move the patient into one of the rooms there in the emergency room, making quick work of transferring him into the bed and checking his vitals. "Has the bullet gone through?"
The paramedic shook her head. "There are no signs of an exit wound."
"Shit." Ino bit her lip, they had to remove the bullet as quickly as they could before it caused any more damage. Turning to one of her fellow nurses, she quickly told them what needed to be done. "Page doctor Hyuga and book an OR. Order an MRI scan and an EEG." Nodding, the nurse quickly went on her way.
"Thank you, Sai." The other paramedic gave one of his enigmatic smiles before he and his partner excused themselves, letting Ino and her team work.
Hinata was currently in the middle of a battle with the coffee machine when her phone went off. Seeing it was coded as an emergency, she gave up on her fresh cup of coffee and ran back to the emergency room where Ino was already preparing the patient to go into the OR.
"And there goes our quiet night." Ino snickered after she filled Hinata in on the man's status. "At least I brought my comfy shoes." Hinata appreciated how Ino tried to disperse the tension of what was soon to be a very complicated surgery.
As the two prepared, Ino glanced to the side thinking about the familiar tattoo she had seen on the man's abdomen, weighing her options and whether she should tell Hinata that she was about to operate on her ex-boyfriend, the one who still haunted the Hyuga's dreams, or if she should wait until after.
She ended up going with the latter, not wanting to risk the patient's life due to Hinata being distracted. Ino quickly excused herself in hopes to hide the evidence that the person lying on the table was one Naruto Uzumaki.
The other nurse had already prepared the section where Hinata would be cutting, having cleaned the area and placed the sterilized blue drapes that thankfully hid the black tattoo from her friend's sight, while the tubes and bandages wrapped around his head hid the familiar whisker-like markings.
"Ready?" Ino called as Hinata was handed the scalpel.
Nodding, the trauma surgeon took a deep breath gathering her focus. Glancing down, she made the first cut of a surgery that would surely take at least a few hours. "Ready ."
Hinata had already expected some complications, but she hadn't thought the patient would be as troublesome as he had been. The bullet had hit his liver and caused a major hemorrhage leading to a blood transfusion. But since he had a rare blood type it was difficult to find the specific one since the hospital reserves were low. Then, they discovered that the patient seemed to have had similar encounters due to the amount of scar tissue, which made it difficult whenever Hinata was trying to cut into a specific area or close off a section.
After all of those problems were dealt with, Hinata gave the instructions for post-op and called it a night. But, unfortunately, another complication with the medicine arose. The patient was allergic to two of the drugs that would've normally be administrated, causing Hinata to stay an extra two hours to make sure nothing more happened.
It was 8 am when she was finally able to leave.
She wanted nothing more than to go home, have a nice long bath, eat some of the delicious food her boyfriend had left out for her, and then get some sleep before her next shift.
She had been so out of it, that she didn't even notice who the person lying on the bed was while she prevented the patient from going into an anafilatic shock.
Ino was surprised that her friend hadn't caught up to it yet but kept quiet.
Surely Hinata was doomed to find out that she had just spectacularly saved her ex's life when she came to work the next day.
Hinata held onto her boyfriend, head laying in the crook of his neck as he carried her to the bathroom. "Long night?"
"There was this gunshot wound patient that kept me there for way longer than I was planning. Every time I dealt with one problem two more came up." Scrunching up her nose, Hinata looked up at Kuro and pouted. "This is all Ino's fault. She's the one who kept complaining things were too boring, that we never got anything interesting enough to make Shikamaru and Karui jealous as they do with us."
Laughing, Kuro began undressing her, making sure to put her dirty clothes in the hamper before he lowered her down into the bathwater. "Seems to me that that patient loved you stitching him up so much, that he didn't want you to leave." After stealing a kiss from her, he sat on the bathtub's edge, watching as Hinata settled down amid the bubbles and expensive bath bombs she enjoyed.
The bluenette furrowed her brows, dead set on it being Ino's fault which only caused him to laugh even more. "I'll have to work late so don't wait up for me, love." With a sweet peck on top of her head, Kuro left for work, leaving Hinata to enjoy her relaxing bath alone.
Only after the skin on her fingers resembled raisins did she abandon the now lukewarm water to go to the kitchen and eat something before she went to bed. Her boyfriend not only had left a plate for her but had also closed off the curtains, cutting off the sunlight that filtered through the window.
Snuggling up to her fluffy pillow, she pulled the blankets over her head and fell into a dreamless slumber. The last thought that flew through her mind was 'I just hope tomorrow doesn't bring any more surprises'.
"So apparently those two are," Ino whistled using her fingers to showcase what she meant as she discretely pointed towards two residents who were shamelessly flirting with one another. "If you know what I mean…"
Grinning, Hinata shook her head, amused by her friend's antics as she checked on the patients.
The next on her list was the man she had operated the night before. He had been checked in as a John Doe since he had no wallet on that would have helped to identify him.
Ino was so lost in her rambling that she didn't notice in which direction they were heading.
"And according to what Sai told me, two of his coworkers are also interested in her, making it a super confusing love rectangle? Rectangle. We'll go with that." Smiling to herself, Ino grabbed the chart outside the room and handed it to Hinata who was glad to see that no more accidents had occurred since the day before.
"Oh, the nurses say he woke up around lunchtime, this is great! Not only will we be able to ID him, but run a more accurate examination." The moment those words left her mouth, she instantly regretted them.
Said John Doe was awake, yes, but he wasn't a John Doe to her. The hair color might be different but it was still him.
"Oh, the nurses are here," A hoarse voice met her ears, one she hadn't heard in a long time. "I'm ready for my sponge bath ladies." He turned his body as best as he could towards the door, a face-splitting grin adorning his features whilst Hinata could only stand there and gawk.
"What?" He opened his eyes and then understood why he was met with silence.
"Well, this is awkward. I need to make a few phone calls so I'll leave you two to it." Ino practically ran out, escaping the hand Hinata had reached with to stop her in her tracks.
To say Hinata was shocked was an understatement. Naruto Uzumaki was the last person she had ever expected to see. It had been ages since the two had seen each other last. There was a time she actually thought he was dead, due to the life he used to take and that no doubt continued to from the state he had been when he checked in.
"Hinata?! Holy shit," Hinata had hoped he would have reacted similarly to her, but that wasn't the case. His eyes seemed brighter, face relaxed, and that ever-lasting jovial energy coating his being. "You know, it has been some time since we last saw each other, but let me tell you," the now brunette held tighter to the pillow he had against his stomach, making it easier for him to lean forward with a leering grin. " You still look hot as fuck ."
And there it was.
That comment made her snap back into reality, a scowl taking over her delicate features as she marched out of the room. "Hinata? HEY! HINATA! DON'T ABANDON ME!" The bluenette was able to hear him call out all the way down the hall, but chose to pointedly ignore him as she made a straight line to where Ino chatted with some nurses and other physicians.
"You bitch." Hinata threw Naruto's chart on top of the counter, crossing her arms as she stared Ino down. "You knew." Ino was stopped mid gossip, her mouth opening and closing several times before she patted Hinata's arm, moving her to a more secluded spot.
"Well, I'm not gonna say I did," Ino laughed nervously, watching the other people scatter and leaving her alone to deal with the raging Hyuga. "Or that I didn't… BUT at least now you know he's not dead ?" Her hopes of sounding confident with her words dwindled after receiving the coldest glare of her life, making the blonde look even more like the cornered animal she now was.
To Ino, Hinata is one of the sweetest and kindest people she had ever met in her life, but whenever the name 'Naruto Uzumaki' came up, she turned into a wild beast that would bite the head off of anyone who dared speak of him.
Figuratively of course...
"Yeah, because I patched him up." Turning, Hinata grabbed his chart once again and walked down the hall towards her ex-boyfriend's room.
"Hold habits die hard, hey?" Ino tried to joke, alluding to the fact that Hinata was always dealing with Naruto's injuries from all the fights he got himself into during their teen years.
If looks could kill, Ino bet she would already be six feet under with how Hinata was fixing her.
"If it makes you feel better, I already called the cops. They're sending someone to speak with him."
"Good." It was the protocol that whenever a GSW came in, it was reported to the authorities to be properly dealt with.
Naruto who had been about to push the button to call the nurse, sighed in relief when Hinata and Ino walked back in. "For a minute there I thought you had abandoned me Doc." Naruto lay back down onto the fluffy pillows, looking both women up and down before meeting Hinata's pale lavender eyes. His blue orbs then shifted to the side, towards the bubbly blonde who was trying to stay composed. "Hi, Ino! Is great to see you as well."
"Hi!" Ino happily waved a hand, before it was rudely slapped down by one pouting Hyuga.
Hinata began checking his vitals, making sure everything was okay the best she could without touching him. "The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now is because I want you gone as fast as possible from here."
"Damn, you're mean. When did she get like this?" Naruto turned to Ino who had moved to his other side to inspect the IV lines and bandages that he kept messing with. The nurse simply shrugged, not wanting to make any sort of comment that might infuriate the Hyuga even further.
"So, Hinata, how are you today?" He looked up at her, finding it funny the way she was trying her hardest not to respond as she gently checked on his abdomen and his bad shoulder.
Hinata simply kept ignoring his attempts of having a casual conversation, treating him as if he was one of the dummies she used to practice with when she was in college.
She took a few notes that his body temperature needed to be monitored and that they should revise the pain medication that was being administered. She still remembered the ones Naruto was allergic to, so it made her job much more easier.
"All that frowning will cause premature wrinkles." Naruto lifted a finger to touch her cheek but was stopped by Ino, who might have pressed on his shoulder a bit harder than she should, earning a hiss from the now brunette. "Ouch. And here I was thinking that the fantastic doctor and nurse who handled me last night would be nicer." Tutting, Naruto watched Hinata with amusement. He could tell that she was nervous but instead of blushing madly and stuttering she maintained her composure and chose to treat him with indifference.
"I'm sure the other attending doctor told you all about the recovery process and the do's and don'ts. So I'm gonna leave you now since everything seems to be going well. A police officer will be stopping by later to ask a few questions about what happened, Ino can answer any questions you might have."
"Wait!" Naruto managed to grasp her left wrist before she could escape. "Not even a 'hey how are you?' 'nice to see you again? Nada?"
Hinata wanted to simply pull her arm and walk off but she knew how insisting Naruto could be when he wanted something.
"Hi, Naruto! I see that you're good, and it's most definitely not nice to see you again." She answered sarcastically with a tight-lipped smiled before exchanging looks with Ino that said 'deal with it' and left.
"Wow. She's really mad at me." He shook his head, looking up to Ino innocently.
Ino closed her eyes, sighing in exasperation before agreeing. "Well, if the person I loved pulled a heist that literally ruined my family and then disappeared without a trace only to show up ten years later and act as if nothing happened," She helped him get into a more comfortable position sitting up before she went for the kill, "I'd be pretty pissed off as well, probably would've let you die on the table. "
With that, she left Naruto alone to stir with his thoughts and the sound of the crappy tv that played some old eighties movie.
Hinata hid in the breakroom, sitting down in one of the comfy couches most doctors used to take naps at. The lights weren't on, allowing her to hide in darkness and confront the feelings that seemed to have cascaded down after seeing Naruto.
It had been almost ten years since she had last laid eyes on him.
He had just... left.
Disappeared from her life without an explanation, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her broken heart after all those shallow promises of a future together, of a life together.
Whenever she looked back, she saw how incredibly stupid and naive she had been. Getting involved with someone who was in a gang, who lived in the shadows of society, always in trouble… She knew it was wrong. But she hadn't care.
The two of them were never supposed to cross paths. But they had. And it had changed Hinata's perspective of life dramatically.
She had forgotten about the pain. The pain of having someone you love being taken from you all of a sudden. The pain of discovering everything you knew about said person was a lie and that you had lived in a fantasy for the greatest part of your formative years.
Hinata had always believed that he was the victim, that he had been the one wronged by a cruel and judgemental society that never gave him a chance. And there had been a time where Naruto had been the victim. But the moment he climbed up the ranks in his godfather's gang it all changed.
Hinata could never forget the mocking glances, the giggles of people whenever they saw how gullible she was.
Hinata had gone through all the mourning stages when news came out that he was dead.
Only for it in the end to be a plan. A ruse. He had used her. Taken advantage of her kindness and ingenuity. The only reason he got close to her was because of her last name. To fulfill some stupid vendetta he had against Konoha's high society.
Or so she believed.
What hurt her the most was that if he had told her all about his plan, she would've more than likely followed him and possibly helped him in his quest.
How blinded by love had she been back then.
That same blindness caused her to part ways with her family after everything happened. Her father and most of Konoha's men and women in power had fallen from their pedestals, ruining the legacies and lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with what had happened.
But there was no going back now.
She hated Naruto.
But most of all, she hated herself cause she knew, even after all these years, there was still a part of her who loved him and was willing to forgive him for everything he had done if he gave a decent explanation, a part of her still looking for closure.
Naruto is clever. Clever like a fox. And Hinata was aware that if he wanted he would have her revert back to that innocent and naive teenage girl who believed in all those fake promises he loved to make.
But she wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't.
It was difficult but she had remade her life, got through medical school, had a healthy, stable relationship with a man that was every girl's dream, and had somewhat fixed her relationship with her father.
She couldn't let Naruto ruin that.
She couldn't.
Getting up, Hinata wiped away the stray tears that had fallen on her cheeks and made a promise to herself that she wouldn't get caught in his web of lies ever again.
An hour after that miserable encounter, Hinata found herself back on the same floor Naruto was, but not to visit him. No. She was dead set on maintaining the distance from him.
She had only come up from the emergency room to ask one of her coworkers about the status of a patient when she saw her boyfriend outside of Naruto's room.
"Okay. Okay. Gotta go. If you weren't real you'd have to be invented." Kuro's genuine laugh made Hinata's spine stiffen. When she walked up closer, he lifted his head up from the notepad he'd been scribbling in, "Oh hey, babe."
Her sweet, gentle, and kind boyfriend pecked her lips before pulling back a bit. "That patient of yours is a piece of work." Hinata could tell Kuro had fallen for that Uzumaki charm the same way she had a long time ago. What surprised her the most was that Kuro, one of the best detectives in the Konoha's force, had fallen for whatever lie Naruto had spun to trick him. Cause there was no way in hell where Kuro would've been so calm when dealing with a criminal of Naruto's status.
"Yeah… so, did he tell you about the gunshot wound?" Hinata enquired, pointing to her abdomen. Kuro's face still had that nice smile as he answered that it had been the result of a robbery, which checked out since all of his belongings were nowhere to be found.
But that excuse still didn't sit well with her. The Naruto she knew would never allow for some lazy robber to succeed like that. No. If she had to guess it was more than likely to be gang-related. Probably some type of deal that didn't go well and Naruto ended up being caught in the crossfire. But she didn't let that thought out.
"Well, I gotta leave, but I can pick you up later after your shift is done." Kuro offered, side hugging her as they walked towards the elevators. "I can get takeout from that ramen place you love."
"Sure," Hinata tried to hide the flinch when he mentioned Ichiraku, a place Naruto had introduced her to and the only thing that kept her linked to him after all these years. "I'll call you then." Smiling a bit forcefully, she gave him a quick kiss and left him by the elevators to get back to her work. She hoped Naruto wouldn't be a pain in her ass and would respect her unspoken wish of not bothering her.
But boy was she wrong…
During the week Naruto remained in the hospital he proved to be a real pain in the ass for her. He knew she was angry and wanted nothing to do with him, and still, he made sure that during her shift he rang the nurses at least five times, claiming he needed this or that, resulting in them giving up and calling her up to deal with his complaints.
The first two days, Hinata had done her best to ignore him, letting him talk to himself. Which at first had amused Naruto but after a while he got restless, wanting to hear her talk back to him.
When she finally relented and threatened to cut his pain medicine off, leaving him to wallow in misery like he deserved, he turned into a shameless flirt. To Hinata, it was all a ploy to see her go back to that blushing mess he was familiar with, but on those days she made sure to apply foundation so that the redness of her cheeks was hidden whenever he complimented on her hair, her clothes, or even her perfume.
She couldn't deny that he affected her. When she had to go in to check up on him Hinata had to take a minute or two to mentally prepare herself for what was about to come.
It was the ultimate test of her patience.
"I wonder what I did in previous lives to earn me this punishment." She sighed, complaining to herself every time she left Naruto's side.
The nurses, instead of helping her diffuse the situation, were awfully entertained by the raucous Naruto was causing. Even Ino, who was supposed to be on her side, had taken to defend Naruto whenever Hinata said something rude.
But now that hell was about to meet its end. And for the first time in sixteen days, Hinata entered the hospital with a genuinely happy aura that seemed to radiate and affect every person around with her giddiness.
Never had she thought she would be this glad of getting rid of a patient.
After she changed into her scrubs, put her name tags on, and pinned her short hair back into two braids, Hinata was ready for battle.
And that battle was the task of discharging one Naruto Uzumaki out of her peaceful life.
With newfound energy, she entered the room Naruto was staying at only to let her mouth drop open in shock.
"Thanks, man, I owe you big time." Naruto clapped Kuro's back, that ever-present fox-like smirk making Hinata's blood boil. "Oh, Dr. Hyuga. How lovely."
"Oh, hey babe." Kuro greeted, going to meet her by the door with a loving kiss. Hinata's eyes were fixed on Naruto's cerulean orbs who were shining with something akin to jealousy. "I was talking to Menma here, and I offered him to stay at our place for a couple of weeks until he's good to go back to his house…"
"What?! " Hinata couldn't hide the shock on her face, eyes blazing with fury as she turned to look at her boyfriend, completely astonished.
"Just a second, Menma." Kuro looked back to Naruto who had already masked the jealousy with a content expression.
Menma? Since when?
"What the hell are you doing? Inviting a complete stranger to stay at our apartment? Are you out of your mind?" Hinata tried not to yell but it was impossible to keep her voice from rising an octave.
Kuro took a deep breath, before sitting Hinata down on one of the chairs in the hallway. "I did a background check on Menma and he's a pretty squeaky clean guy. Besides," Kuro looked up and down the hall before he spoke the next part. "Menma will be a key witness in a very important case we have and I need to make sure he's safe and under close inspection. Can't let the people that are after him get their hands on him, babe."
"And him staying at our house is the best option?" Hinata wanted to scream. She wanted to yell at Kuro, tell him that he was an idiot, that he had fallen for a lie. That his name wasn't Menma Namikaze, that he wasn't a nice young man who had lost his grandfather a few months back and gotten with the wrong crowds.
Naruto is none of that.
She wanted to tell Kuro that his name is Naruto Uzumaki and that he was in a gang, that he was probably their leader by now and that Naruto was the person the police had been searching for for years.
How blind could they be? A famous criminal is practically handed on a platter to them and they choose to look the other way?
When she opened her mouth to speak all these things, nothing came out. Looking at the expression on her boyfriend's face, she understood how worried he was and the importance of this case to him.
And then there was still that part of her, that small part that belonged to that naive, madly in love teenager, that wanted to protect Naruto and figure out what was going on.
"Look, I'm the lead on this case, and if I manage to catch these guys, not only will I get one hell of a promotion, but I'll also be helping a lot of people that have been suffering at these people's hands." Kuro held her calloused hands in his equally calloused ones as he spoke softly. "Budget is tight since the chief is not confident in us catching these guys. If I risked placing Menma in a cheap hotel or even a motel, in the condition he's in… then our case could be blown to bits. Him staying with us is not the best of solutions, but I'll be hanging around more and you won't even notice his presence."
As much as Hinata wanted to say no, she couldn't deny her boyfriend. This was probably the case that would make or break Kuro's career, and although she didn't understand this whole Naruto/Menma thing she was willing to put up with it.
And since she still had two more weeks of the night shift, she doubted she would be seeing much of Naruto around.
After a few more moments of deliverance, Hinata reluctantly said yes.
"Great, I'll help him move into the guest room, and again, promise you won't even notice Menma around!" With a quick peck to her lips, Kuro went back inside the room, leaving Hinata to mellow in the hallway.
Later that night, she checked Naruto's chart one last time after signing his release that the name written there was actually Menma Namikaze. How she hadn't noticed that before she had no clue.
But she was going to try and understand what was going on as quickly as she could.
Normally, the moment she got home Kuro was preparing himself to go to work, having a plate with food ready for her to eat, and would occasionally draw her a bath instead of the quick showers she opted for.
She expected a similar routine, even if Naruto Uzumaki had found his way into her home. But the moment she passed through the kitchen door she was surprised to find Naruto flipping pancakes onto a plate laughing off some joke with Kuro.
It was, to say the least, bizarre.
Her bag almost fell to the floor but she caught it in time. "Can someone explain what's going on?"
Kuro got up from his spot at the kitchen table and hugged Hinata as a way of welcoming her home. Naruto placed the last pancake on a green colored plate before turning around and gifting her the sweet-smelling food. "Breakfast. Kuro here was telling me about your crazy schedule and since I'm about to leech off of you two," his arm then came around her shoulders guiding her to sit on the left side of the table. "I figured it would be nice of me if I helped around the house a bit."
"You should be resting! Just because you're out of the hospital doesn't mean you can go around doing what you want!" Naruto was slightly taken aback by how she spoke those words with genuine concern, almost forgetting they were supposed to be acting as if they were strangers when she used that oh so familiar tone.
Hinata then turned to her boyfriend who had to sit across from her since Naruto had taken the seat between the two."And you, he's on bed rest at least till the end of the week." Kuro used a mock salute to assure her that he would be making sure he followed all her recommendations.
After both men assured they would be on their best behavior, Hinata reluctantly cut into the fluffy pancakes Naruto had topped with honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Did he really still remember how I like to eat my pancakes? was the thought going through her head as she tasted the delicious food. Sure, she was hungry and the fact that it tasted so good could be attributed to that particular reason, but not even Kuro could get the honey-cinnamon ratio right.
Hell, most days she herself couldn't.
"So, how's the food, doc?" Naruto interrupted mid-bite, watching as Hinata devoured the entire thing, a cocky grin splitting his face as he munched on his own food.
"Not bad. Thank you, Menma ." After wiping off her mouth with a paper napkin, Hinata quickly excused herself to take a shower.
She had made up her mind on the way home that she would be confronting Naruto with a few hours of rest first. And although he had mostly talked with Kuro during breakfast, Hinata needed a game plan.
Should she wait until her boyfriend had to go out or go in for the kill when Kuro was asleep?
Was it a good option to just throw in his face all the pent-up frustration of being abandoned all those years ago? Or be cordial and act as a 'proper Hyuga', questioning his motives in a subtle matter?
As Hinata scrubbed the suds off her body, she quickly came to the realization that whether she liked it or not, the more planning she did the worst it would sound out cause she could never go to Naruto with a pre-prepared speech.
It just wouldn't work. How many times had she tried as a teenager to confess to him with meaningful speeches only for her to stutter out something completely different than the original plan?
No, she just had to catch him off guard and stir the conversation that way, and then she would confront him.
Yes. That was the best plan.
With a reassuring nod to herself, Hinata stepped out of the shower and wrapped a lavender towel around her body. After making sure nothing was out of place, she picked up her phone and went back to her bedroom. Laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen and that unconsciously brought a small smile to her lips.
The apartment was usually so quiet, especially with Kuro leaving when she got home and her being so exhausted that turning the tv or computer on to watch something was extremely rare.
The same could be said for her work, but when Naruto was there it was like a hurricane had passed through there, and surprisingly enough not in a bad way since the other doctors and nurses seemed to enjoy his company and often commented on how much of a goofball Menma is.
Did he annoy her 24/7? Yes. But she couldn't deny that he had his tolerable moments.
Before any more positive thoughts about her ex could flood her head, Hinata got under the covers and prayed to whatever deity that was listening that the time Naruto spent living there would go fast and without any disturbances to her fairly quiet life.
Three days.
It took three days for Naruto's relentless teasing to begin.
Hinata had decided to take four days off due to her exhaustion and the hospital rules that she could only do a certain amount of hours per week.
Those days had already been scheduled for some time and Hinata wouldn't let Naruto's presence ruin her little four-day-cation. One she had almost forgotten due to his sudden reappearance.
But coincidently enough, Naruto had a problem with the stitches on his abdomen, the night before her break. Kuro apparently didn't mind that his girlfriend was tending to a stranger's wounds, alone so he stayed in their bedroom to set up their movie night.
The same stranger who didn't hide the fact he found her attractive, often commenting in front of Kuro how beautiful she looked.
It honestly bothered her a bit, but she chose not to say anything.
"Okay, let's see it." Hinata sat on the bed, facing Naruto who pulled up his shirt with a mischievous smirk, half-lidded eyes honed in on her figure as she rummaged through the small medkit searching for clean bandages.
Carefully, she took off the white strip of gauze that covered the wound and tried to see what the problem was. "There's a bit of blood but nothing worth worrying about." Picking up a cotton bud, Hinata cleaned and then disinfected the area watching as Naruto flinched whenever the rubbing alcohol came into contact with his wound. "Remember that this is your fault, I wasn't the one who got caught up in a gang war."
"It's not a gang war, Hime ." Hinata felt her chest tighten as she tried to repress the emotions that little nickname brought up. "I was actually robbed. Might have been a little out of it but yeah. What I told your sweet boyfriend is the truth."
Lavender eyes narrowed down on him, eyebrow quirking up as she said, "You don't actually think I'm buying this crap, do you?"
"I would never lie to you." Although Naruto's tone of voice seemed genuine, Hinata read in between the lines. He lifted his hands in defense once he saw how mad she was getting each second that passed. "You're much too important to me."
Hinata pressed harder against his covered wound eliciting a pained growl from the now brunette. "Oh really? You'd never lie to me? Cut the bullshit."
Naruto's blue eyes darkened, propping himself up on an elbow to close off a little of the space in between them.
"I never lied to you. I may have omitted some information but I never lied." Shaking his head, he tried to maintain his composure as he sat up properly.
"You may have fooled Kuro into believing you but I'm not stupid. Whatever it is that you want- No. Whatever it is that you think you can get from me, stop right there. Cause I'm not about to have my life left in shambles once more because of you." Standing, Hinata threw the extra gauze inside the medkit harshly and made sure to fix her gaze on his. "I fucking hate you. I want you out of my life. And-"
"So why haven't you told your boyfriend the truth?" It was as if the words she had just spoken entered one ear and flew out the other. "Why haven't you snitched already, huh?"
It was Naruto's turn to stand, towering over her as he slowly walked up to where she stood.
She tried to control herself as best as she could so as not to slap Naruto for invading her personal space. "It's exactly because of him that I'm keeping quiet," crossing her arms, she shook her head, making the short strands of hair tickle her shoulders. "who do you think you are? You show up here with a crazy made-up story and act as if nothing happened and now you start questioning me? And my decisions?"
Scoffing Naruto ran his hands through his hair as he paced around the room. "You're the one who's been attacking me. I've been trying to talk to you. To explain things, but every time I come close you get on the defensive."
"And can you blame me? After you backed out on me ten years ago? You were my everything… and you left me in ruins once I found out who you truly were." Hinata didn't notice her volume raising, how her cheeks were growing redder and redder, not from embarrassment but from anger, eyes watering with unspilled tears. "You can't just come out of nowhere and barge into my life hoping I'd welcome you open armed."
Naruto placed his hands on her forearms, drawing her closer, eyes sincere and devoid of any mischief. "I know I fucked up. Bad. And I know that I can't change anything in the past but I can still work on my future. On our future." His blues searched for hers, hoping to see something there that might mean he still had a chance. "I've wanted to come back for you. I wanted you in with me on the plan, but at the same time, I wanted to give you a shot at a normal life. If you had come with me you'd always be on the run. And that's not the life I promised you, hime. "
Leaning down, he wiped the tears off her face, taking time to caress her cheek gently.
"Hey, look at me." Tilting her chin up, he caressed her cheek lovingly one last time before stepping back. "I know that no amount of apologies from me will be able to make up for all the shit I did… But when I tell you that I never stopped loving you, that you've been haunting every second of my existence, I'm speaking the truth. Believe it."
Hinata didn't know what to say, she could only stare at those familiar blue eyes that were the cause of so many nightmares, the faint whiskered-like marks on his cheeks that reminded her of those cheeky grins he had always on and helped get through bad times.
She wasn't expecting this full-on confession. She was prepared for banter, but this? Him straight out admitting he wanted to come for her but didn't in order to protect her?
Was he telling her this cause it was what she wanted to hear or did the words come from his heart?
"I-"
"Is everything alright? Oh, Menma you should lay down." Kuro interrupted right on time, giving Hinata the excuse to escape towards their bedroom as she wiped the tears off, ignoring her boyfriend's calls. "Hey… What happened?"
Naruto watched her as she left, cursing Hinata's stupid boyfriend for interrupting them. Putting on the fakest smile he could, he turned towards said person, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told her my story… I guess it affected more than she thought it would…"
Frowning, the detective wondered if he should go to her or give her some space. Before he could act on the former, his phone rang. "Gotta take this. I'm going to order some dinner after. Any requests?"
Naruto simply shrugged, laying on the soft bed and facing the wall, giving Kuro his back. "I'm cool with anything."
Smiling, the boyfriend accepted the call and then said, "Hope you don't mind if I get Hina's favorite… ichiraku ramen."
At that, his ears perked up. "Perfect. "
Hinata avoided Naruto like one avoided the plague.
After he dropped that bomb on her Hinata needed some time to think otherwise she would just continuously fall down the rabbit hole. She managed to successfully avoid him the rest of her little 'vacation' by closing herself off inside the bedroom and/or clinging to her boyfriend.
The bluenette noticed how often Naruto's eyes would narrow, hands curling into fists whenever she and Kuro had a little PDA moment, so she took it as an advantage every time he entered the kitchen or the living room, making sure she took her sweet time kissing her boyfriend, guiding Kuro's hands to grope at her ass.
But she could only do so much, cause eventually, he caught on to it and purposefully interrupted the two even when it wasn't her faking to shoo him away.
So now not only was she afraid of what Naruto would do once he got her all alone but also incredibly frustrated. She never thought that little plan would actually backfire, but then again she was dealing with Naruto Uzumaki, the most unpredictable person she had ever met.
But things cooled off, that tension easing up once she got back to work since they didn't see much of each other as Kuro had promised, so she got some time to reflect on the true meaning of his words.
And by reflection, it meant going over every detail with Ino. Hinata was worried she might start believing his lies the more she thought about that conversation. Her blonde friend was her best option since she tended to be direct and gave Hinata no time to second guess her decisions.
"That fucker… don't listen to him Hina." Ino grabbed onto her shoulders squeezing them hard as she continued on with her rant. "He knows what you want to hear. He must have some ulterior motive… maybe he wants you to help him sell contraband to the hospital or steal from here! Whatever the fuck it is don't give him the chance. You don't have the emotional stability to deal with that asshole."
Sighing, Hinata agreed with her friend, knowing that all too well. "But how am I supposed to avoid him for the rest of the time he's there? You and I both know that when he wants something he doesn't stop until he gets it."
"You can come to my place." As much as Hinata loved Ino, sometimes she blurted out stuff without thinking.
"And how would I explain that to Kuro? Naruto is an exemplary guest! Besides, Kuro actually likes him, they have this weird best buddy kinda vibe..." Ino bit her nail, trying to come up with a possible solution.
"I mean, the way I see it there's only two options." Hinata's head perked up from where she sat on the breakroom's couch. The blonde lifted two fingers to tally off as she went on, "One, you keep the charade up until you find his true motives and not the bullshit he's trying to sell…"
"Or?"
Ino smiled sympathetically, sitting next to her friend and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Or you tell Kuro the truth. About all of it. Who Naruto is, what he did to you and how much it hurt you… and when it all sinks in, you tell him Menma isn't really Menma."
Closing her eyes, Hinata leaned in towards her friend's comforting touch, she had been kicking herself for not telling Kuro about Naruto sooner, but Hinata had been so shocked to see him back that her mind blanched and refused to formulate the words necessary for the exposure.
"It's just- part of me wants to truly confront him, but when we were in that room together… I couldn't focus. I can't focus when he's around. I feel all this anger and revulsion, but at the same time, part of me wants to hold him tight, make up for the years lost, and just... It's a constant battle of my mind and my heart trying to figure out a solution to this problem,
"So when I tried to confront him I tried to tell him how much he had hurt me, how much I hated him… but then he talked about how much he wanted to have built a life with me and I froze." Hinata sniffled loudly, trying to prevent the tears that threatened to spill from falling. "What's worst is that I feel like I'm not making any progress, it's like I'm walking backwards and slowly reverting to who I was when-"
"No! No, and no. You're not letting that sick bastard mess you up. You're stronger than that! You're Hinata freaking Hyuga. Once disgraced heiress turned into a phenomenal surgeon that kicks butt every time she steps foot inside the hospital." Ino crouched down in front of her friend, hands holding tight onto hers to help keep the bluenette grounded. "Naruto is good with words. Always has been. He's smart and cunning like a fox and whatever it is that he wants from you, you have to resist, cause you and I both know that once he 'leaves' he won't stop bothering you until you're under his influence again." Ino made little air quotes whilst still holding Hinata's hand, thumbs stroking her knuckles.
"You're right. You're absolutely right. But I don't know when I'll be able to confront him. Kuro is always home and rarely lets me leave his sight. Which I'm very grateful for, cause then Naruto can't corner me like some bunny."
"We'll work something out," Hinata leaned down for a hug, head hiding on the crook of her neck as she finally let the tears fall. "we always do."
"I don't know man… she's been acting weird."
"Weird how?" Naruto asked nonchalantly, sipping on the coffee mug Kuro had passed him.
"I told you about her ex. How she refuses to talk about him and whatever it is that he did to her in detail, but yesterday when she was getting ready for bed, I caught her going through this old box she has where she keeps all kinds of important stuff to her and she was reading this card the ex gave to her when he confessed his feelings. And I don't know… she's been acting weird." The detective continued on with his domestic affairs, mumbling to himself that something must be wrong since she was perfectly fine a few days prior.
"Maybe it's stress-related and she was looking to throw some of that shit away." Naruto tried to mask the giddy feeling that threatened to seep out in the form of a cocky grin, but it was hard.
Hinata was re-reading the confession letter he wrote her.
So that must mean he's doing something right.
"Then why was she smiling whilst reading it and put it back exactly where it was? I'm telling you… I think she's having second thoughts. I bet she ran into the dude and some weird chemistry rolled between the two, and now she's wondering if she should give it another try."
"I don't know why you're stressing about this… she said yes to you, right? The first long-term relationship ever since that painful heartbreak. Why would she be questioning you guys' relationship?"
"Truth to be told, in a way she never got over him. She told me as much. The only thing that's giving me some sort of relief in all of this is the fact that the guy apparently is a criminal and screwed up really bad with her. So there's no way in hell she would leave me for that scumbag."
"...Right" Naruto tried to hide his annoyance, plastering a fake smile on his face.
What he had just said was music to his ears.
Minus that last part.
The man is so sure that Hinata would never leave him… boy was he about to be proven wrong…
If, and only if, Hinata gave him the chance to fully explain himself.
But when she finally did, it was over for the cop.
"Besides, if the dude ever showed up in the city I'd have him locked up and thrown into a far far away prison cell, preferably in the middle of nowhere." A few chills ran down Naruto's spine, not liking to have accidentally envisioned that outcome.
"I bet it's work-related. Working in the ER is not easy, it's quite stressful and with her, on the night shift I bet it's only worsening her anxiety." Naruto carefully sat down on the couch to watch some hockey game Hinata's boyfriend loved so much. He placed the still steaming cup of coffee on the side table and got comfortable in his seat, taking advantage of the chaise long to try and get a nap.
The damned pills Hinata had given him were messing with his system. He was always tired, free of any pain, but tired and groggy. Which he concluded it had something to do with that little plan of hers to avoid him. But time was ticking and he only had three days left until he had to testify and disappear once more.
And hopefully, Hinata would be by his side.
"I'm taking her out for lunch. After she rests we'll be going to one of the restaurants she likes. I've booked a table already." Grinning, the man took his phone from his jeans pocket to go through the to-do list he had set up. "A colleague of mine will be keeping you company until we get back. Hope you don't mind."
"Oh, no! Not at all!" Lies. "We gotta do everything we can for the women we love right?"
"Thanks, man!"
And do everything he could, he shall. "Hey, do you mind closing off those blinds about halfway down? The sun is bothering me a bit."
"Sure!" Kuro promptly got up and did as Naruto requested, often asking him if it was okay or if he needed to lower them some more.
"Thanks, man, you're the absolute best!" Naruto grinned, happy that the hotshot detective was as blind as they come. Said man answered humbly, saying that it was his job and he had no need to be constantly thanking him.
But what he didn't realize is that thanks to him, Naruto now had a free pass to Hinata for the rest of the afternoon, up until she had to leave for her shift.
Naruto meant what he said about doing everything in his power for the woman he loves.
Therefore, he wasn't about to lose Hinata for a second time.
Hinata came home around nine. Having needed to stop at the grocery store to buy some of her favorite snacks and pastries. She planned on taking a nice, long soaking bath, but with Naruto still living in the apartment, she couldn't let her guard down at any minute, opting for a quick shower. So she contented herself with a box of premium cinnamon buns and cheesy rom-coms instead.
"I'm home!" Hinata announced cheerfully, taking her time to remove her boots before padding her way through the apartment. "Kuro?" Walking through the door that led into the kitchen, she put her snacks on top of their kitchen table, before calling out to him again. "Babe?"
After putting the dairy in the fridge, Hinata decided to inspect the living room since a faint sound came from the tv. "Probably fell asleep." A smile blossomed on her lips as Hinata went in, but it instantly dropped towards a more cautious expression.
"Welcome home, love ." A voice she didn't want to be greeted by answered instead of her boyfriend. A lighter shade of brown hair, bright blue eyes, and that god-awful smirk that almost made her pull her hair off appeared in her line of sight.
"Where's Kuro?" Hinata asked the leach, who was currently sprawled over her couch watching an old re-run of his favorite anime.
"Out. Said something about it being work-related and that he'd probably be out the entire day. You just missed each other, he left like five minutes ago. One of his buddies should be dropping by soon, to wait outside and surveil the place." Naruto kept his eyes trained on the tv, never shifting to look at her mildly annoyed expression.
"What did you do?" Standing right in front of the tv so he had no choice but to look her in the eye, she gave him her most intimidating glare.
Rolling his eyes, Naruto returned her annoyed look whilst playing with the corner of the pillow that sat atop his stomach. "Why would I do something to that clown?"
Rubbing her temples, Hinata tried to maintain her calm. It isn't worth losing my patience over this. Kuro wouldn't leave without texting her, so the likelihood of Naruto actually be speaking the truth was very small. "Because I know your ways. And you don't seem to have changed that much, so I bet you did something to get him out of the apartment."
"Little miss detective, let me tell you two things. First, I couldn't care less about what your boyfriend does or doesn't do, and second," The now brunette threw the pillow towards the other end of the couch. "I'm not the devil you paint me to be."
"Oh right, 'cause you're such an angel, right?" Scowling Hinata turned to go into the kitchen to grab her phone and check if she had any new messages.
"I'm just trying to watch some television, I haven't done anything to you that justifies this ." Naruto stood up, hand reaching for her shoulder.
"Don't touch me." The bluenette did a three-sixty to shove his hand off of her, "And don't try and bait me to tell you off." Per Ino's advice, Hinata acknowledged what he was trying to do before he did something, and went to lock herself back in her bedroom so as not to fall under his spell.
"Wait, Hina, please," he followed after her, but that just made Hinata take longer strides. "please, just hear me the fuck out." Naruto managed to put himself in between her bedroom door and her nervous self with swift movements, blue eyes wide and hands lifted high as a sign of peace. "The trial is coming up, and once I've done testifying I'm gone. I'll leave Konoha and you'll never see me again."
"What? "
"Please, Hina." He begged, eyes pleading. "Just let me talk to you."
"Fine. Go on…" Curiously, Hinata allowed him to have a minute of her time to explain himself. If what he said was interesting enough, she might, keyword might allow him a few more minutes.
Nodding several times, Naruto tried to take her hand in his but she crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow up as he prepared himself to say the words that would eventually lead to the ones she'd be expecting for a long time.
"I came back to deal with some unfinished business with one of the local gangs, and on my way back to the hotel I was staying at, a group attacked me and took all of my shit. I obviously fought back, but due to the importance of the meeting I wasn't carrying any gun, but one of the others were and they shot me and left me for dead there." Naruto spoke as fast as he could, trying to say as many words as possible in a short amount of time in an understandable way. "I have no idea how I ended up at your hospital, trust me if I had to pick I'd go somewhere where I wouldn't run into you. I didn't want you to know I was back in town.
"But then, when I woke up and the nurses talked about how Dr. Hyuga had saved my life, how you had done a spectacular job and kept me alive, I froze."
Hinata listened intently, nodding along so he would continue after a few intakes of air.
"I was panicking cause we hadn't seen each other for almost ten years and I knew that once you saw me you'd rat me out to the cops. Luckily you didn't, but of course, to top it all off, your boyfriend had to be the one who was called in, and apparently, the guys who beat me up were connected to a case of his, so I had no choice but to use this other persona I created for when I needed to come here, Menma ." Naruto ended, letting out a loud breath before leaning against the doorframe with his left hand, the other resting atop his heart.
What he said made some sense, but the fact that he went into a meeting with other gang leaders and took no weapon and no escort? That was the part where Hinata based all of her doubts, cause no one in their right mind would risk such a thing. "Wait, so, you're telling me that gang leader Naruto Uzumaki, one of the most feared persons in all of Konoha, went all by himself to a meeting like that, with no weapons whatsoever?" Scoffing, Hinata shook her head as if to say "Idiot."
Back in the day, Naruto always always carried a gun or a knife.
"I know, but I had a contingency plan in case things didn't work out. A plan that didn't include me being robbed on my way back to the hotel."
"Sure…" Hinata tried to gauge whether his sincere expression was genuine or just another façade. But he looked so desperate that Hinata had no choice but to begin giving him the benefit of doubt. And also because she was tired.
Before he could speak again, something he had mentioned ringed in her head. "So if you actively avoided me then why the hell did you come to live here? In my home. "
Rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto cringed a bit as he admitted it hadn't been the best of plans. "But hey, your boyfriend was the one who offered me to stay with you guys! I didn't volunteer!"
Hinata threw her hands up, frustrated with her boyfriend's reckless decision. "And why the hell did he?" Sometimes, Kuro could be way too naive when dealing with certain people. "You know what? Never mind, I already discussed it with him, and thinking about it is giving me a headache… wait, have you been to Konoha other times, or is this your first since the incident?"
Gulping, Naruto tried to look for the right words whilst Hinata tapped her foot impatiently. "I have… on certain occasions."
If he had been to Konoha before why not try and talk to her earlier? "So why the hell didn't you look for me before? Why are you now insisting on explaining things?"
"Because now I can't leave without telling you all about my motivations back then, my motivations now. I feel tremendously guilty for what I've done. And seeing you, seeing that disgusted look that is tinging your eyes right now and every time we're in the same room, makes me realize that it's much worst than I thought."
Hinata closed her eyes, in hopes to center herself before she let her temper get the best of her in this situation."You have no idea I much I've suffered." She didn't know if the tears that had threatened to spill before she closed her eyes were from anger or hurt.
"Oh, but I do. Cause these last ten years, I've been haunted by you. Whenever I tried to get into a relationship it was as if your shadow was looming over me, reminding me of how much I fucked up. That's why I kept tabs with people here, calling in favors for them to protect you. Keep you safe from the enemies I made that know exactly how much you mean to me."
So, not only had he been to Konoha before, but he'd also been protecting her? The bluenette let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Why?
Her mind was slowly trying to comprehend what Naruto was trying to say, but before she could reach any conclusion, calloused hands met with her cheeks, cupping them.
"I know all about your life in these last ten years. I've known how much you struggled, in a sense, the same way I did. So two years ago I came up with a plan. With a way of trying to get us to reunite and for me to explain things to you to see if we could both get some closure and move on… But- I can't. I can't stomach it. I can't move on from you Hinata. And I can't stand seeing you with that detective doofus. I can't." His eyes darkened once Kuro was mentioned. Filled with anger, jealousy, and something else Hinata couldn't pinpoint. Once there had been a time where she was able to read him like an open book. But now, standing so close to him, those corrupted blues that had seen so much were merely a ghost of the ones she had cherished so much.
Eyebrows crunching, she shook her head to get out of his hold, out of that spell, to try and get a word in. "You've been stalking me?" The thought of having people spy on her for Naruto made her shiver. And not in the best of ways.
"No," Naruto lifted his right hand up, preventing her from rambling on with theories that apparently were wrong. "I asked local gangs here to not bring you into this life. To shut you out so that I could protect you when I wasn't here. I had my people keep tabs on you to see if you were going through with your life, away from anything related to who I was. Who I still am."
So that explained why they all laughed in her face back then. Why no one gave her answers and instead insulted and told her to go home. All that shame and utter embarrassment, weeks and months of laying in bed with insomnia, haunted by those people who mocked her for her innocence, for loving someone who they claimed only loved himself.
But the reason why he had done what he did was still amiss. What truly kept her from moving on was still a mystery to her.
"But why? Why did you pull that heist? You ruined so many lives… have you been keeping tabs on the others as well? Protecting them and making sure they were able to move on with their lives?" If he went to such lengths to shut her out, had he done the same for the other innocents that were caught in the middle of all that mess the same way as her?
"I don't love any of the others. They weren't part of the reason why I did what I did." His blues turned steely, body moving closer so he could entrap her against the wall. "They weren't the ones who gave me the push to go through with it."
"So it's my fault now?! You used me to get close to the people you wanted to hurt." Her fists met with his chest with the intention to hurt more so than push him away. "You put my dad in jail Naruto! We lost everything." The tears were flowing freely down her face, lower lip trembling as Hinata did her best to keep the sobs in. How dare he claim she was the reason why he crushed Konoha's high society? How dare he say she is the reason why her father is still in jail?
How dare he say he still loves her?
"No. No. No. I admit that at first, I got close to you only to use you, yes, but that's because I thought you were just another spoiled rich brat. But once I saw how your family treated you, how your father was constantly tearing you down, telling you how worthless, how unfit to be the Hyuga heiress you were, how it should have been you and not Hanabi in that car... shit that is far from the truth and that a father should never say to a child… I couldn't take it. I couldn't stand how you still stayed by his side and acted as the perfect daughter even when he was a piece of shit to you! So I decided to do this for you as well." Naruto's voice rose up, not towards her, it was a direct response from having touched those memories. Ones that most days Hinata herself decided to gloss over. "I originally did this to avenge my parents, I told you they died when I was born, but I never told you that it was your family and the others, the ones responsible for their deaths.
"I wanted to hate you Hinata, I swear I did. But I saw how you were as much of a victim as I was. They had been pushing me for so long, but I always refused, tried to buy more time, but you became the incentive I needed to go through with it. I wanted you in. I swear on my parents' graves I did. But Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't trust you or my opinion of you, saying I was an idiot in love that couldn't see the truth in front of him. But they were wrong, and I regret not fighting harder for you." He pulled on his hair as he spoke, eyes wild and voice cracking every now and then.
Hinata was too shocked to say anything. To have the truth laid out for her. Something she had been waiting for what seemed like forever.
And to know that her biggest fears had been right and so wrong at the same time. She knew of her father's businesses with the city's dark side. She had been witness to many atrocities but had learned the hard way not to speak about them.
So it wasn't that difficult for her to believe in Naruto's motivations. To believe that his parents had been victims of her family's ploys to become the most powerful.
Her chest hurt. Heart filled with sadness and regret. She had noticed how Naruto always acted differently whenever they were around her family, how his posture turned stiff, and as much as he tried to maintain his composure, the nights would always end in messy fights with her father, and Hinata having to sneak out of the house to run after him before he could do something reckless and endanger his life.
After everything that happened, it was easy for her to make Naruto the bad guy in all of it. But in reality, things seemed to be way different. If Hinata dared to look at it from a different perspective, Naruto's perspective, maybe she could find within herself the willpower to forgive... right?
Suddenly every memory of the past events became one huge mess, Hinata's head hurt because of it. The more she tried to fit in all the pieces, pieces of a puzzle that now looked complete, the more she felt like Naruto's actions really had been the best given the situation at hand. Little by little, in her fragile state she let her guard down, allowing the now brunette to take another step forward and let Naruto hold her close, his chin rest on the top of her head as she sobbed into his chest, fists clinging onto the fabric of his shirt as she in between sobs muttered over and over "I'm sorry."
"I regret not stealing you away when I had the chance the day after everything went down and we were on the run. But as I said, I didn't want you to have that life. The three years after the heist were hell. We were feared as much as we were hated. It was harsh and only after we were able to take down the rest of the other gangs that worked for the families, did we have peace, or as close to it as it can get. I could have come for you back then, but you were in college. You looked so happy surrounded by your new friends, working your way up into becoming the best in your class, the best in your internship." Hinata felt his lips touch her hair, his left hand playing with the short strands as he spoke softly. "I didn't want to ruin your life a second time. I wanted you to live 'Nata. Free of your family's clutches. Free of your dad, of the life he was forcing you into. Free of me. "
"But I never wanted you to go away… you just did what you thought was best for me. I needed you." Sniffling, she wiped her face with a hand, the other laying itself on top of his heart. "After all that we had been through… even after everything I would have left everything behind for you." Hinata couldn't stop the shakiness in her voice, hands pulling her hair behind her ears as she took a few deep breaths to settle her nerves.
"I know, love. And I'm back now. To correct all mistakes from the past."
"We were a team. You made all those promises and broke every single one of them…"
Sighing, Naruto acknowledged once again the stupidity of his actions. "I'm trying to fix things. Trying to find a way for us to rebuild what we lost. Together."
"Oh yeah? And how do I know that you won't simply disappear like last time? I don't know what to believe anymore Naruto. I don't know what to do…" Her head was a mess, thoughts were invading her mind at a speed she couldn't form any coherent thought. The more she tried to find a thread that would help her make sense of everything, the more lost she got. "I just…"
Naruto opened the door to her room and guided her towards the bed where the two sat with Hinata leaning her elbows on her knees, hands holding her head. "I don't expect you to forgive me right this instant or ever, to be honest." His left hand rubbed her back in soothing circles trying to calm her down.
"Then?" Lifting her head up, Hinata let him pull her towards his chest. That familiar scent that so characteristic of him, but also different, more 'grown up', bringing her a sense of calm she tried to cling to.
"I told you already… I just want you to give us another chance. Give me a second chance to make things right."
"But what about keeping me safe? The dangerous life you have out there? All those things you wanted me to stay away from." Naruto shifted his gaze to the side and Hinata swore she could see the gears turning in his head.
"It's all been dealt with. You have nothing to worry about." He was so sure in what he had just said that part of her wanted to believe him and just say fuck it and go.
But the rational part…
"And what about my job? About Kuro? I can't just leave! People will look for me… Kuro won't let me simply disappear. I can't do that to him." Hinata couldn't do to Kuro what Naruto had done to her all those years ago. She couldn't leave without a plausible explanation.
Besides, he had the resources and connections to find her.
Chuckling, Naruto pulled her chin up. "Do you really think I'd let that clown get in between us? Say the word and you won't have to worry."
"You're not killing him Naruto!" She was horrified that he'd go there. As much as she tried to consider Naruto's offer, she also loved Kuro. Killing him was a huge no-no.
Hinata thought she heard him grumble something akin to "Would make my life easier" but he quickly corrected himself. "Fine. We'll figure something out."
"I never said I agreed to all of this." The bluenette peeked up at him through her eyelashes, only to find his eyes studying the emotion written in hers. That mischievous smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he touched his forehead to hers, eyes closed as he muttered, "you'll change your mind."
Hands settled against her waist while his lips touched hers briefly, almost immediately pulling back to adjust a few loose strands of her hair behind the ear. Closing her eyes, Hinata let his hands drift along her body, eyelids fluttering once his right hand met with her jaw, angling her face so he could properly kiss her.
Maybe the tiredness got the best of her, or the repressed feelings she had shoved down all those years ago were the reason, but the moment their lips met, she let herself enjoy the moment. If this were to possibly be the last time they'd be together then she'd make the most of it.
"Don't sound so confident." The moment the words left her mouth, Naruto pulled back with an unreadable expression, eyes focused entirely on her parted lips, and seconds later they were once again connected, the hand on her jaw slipping down to squeeze her neck.
Instinctively, her hands pulled him closer by his shirt, lips parting as tiny whimpers left them and his tongue swiped against hers, warm and hot and the kiss continuously grew in intensity.
Naruto let his hand fall from her neck so that both could feel her supple body through the clothes.
That made Hinata stiffen for a moment, knowing how much her body had changed over the years and that now she may not be Naruto's 'ideal' type, or at least that was the thought going through her head as his hands skimmed over her stomach, roaming lower and lower until he got to the button of her pants. The bluenette wiggled a bit, enough so it would help him in his task of removing her clothes.
Naruto gave her no time to overthink, as he chuckled and mumbled something she couldn't quite understand that sounded like "just you wait and see"
Before she could answer, his mouth had her entranced in another hot kiss as her own hands fisted the material of his shirt, pulling him incredibly closer to the point where Naruto was hissing when her knee bumped into his wound as she tried to pull him down to the bed with her. "Sorry." It was hard for her not to smile, a cheeky grin that had the brunette pull back to admire it, which in turn made Hinata's heart beat faster once he roughly pulled her pants off, scoffing as he worked on her top as well. "And here I thought we would be playing nice…"
Panting, Hinata's cheeks burned when she was left wearing only a plain grey cotton bra and matching panties. It wasn't her nicest but it was practical and one of her comfiest bras, still it didn't stop Naruto's blue eyes from glistening with excitement.
To her, he looked like he was seventeen again, seeing her naked (or as close to) for the first time, hands splaying on her stomach once more, only to make their way up so his fingers thumbed the underside of her breasts.
"You're perfect." Naruto wrapped her legs around his hips and leaned on his good arm so he could nip on her lower lip, all while Hinata felt the muscles on his shoulders and chest flex as he moved.
The feel of his body made her realize how badly she had been yearning for that moment. Try as she might, she couldn't deny that Naruto had grown even more attractive over the years. And having him declare himself to her, saying that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her… it was naive of her to fall into him so easily but Hinata had always been weak for him, never been able to run away from his intensity.
That whole time, maybe all that revolt she had been feeling could be blamed on that yearning to feel him again, feel that burning passion that seemed to accompany Naruto in everything he did.
His hips ground against hers, the only two pieces of clothing separating them being her underwear and his sweats. Hinata propped herself up to kiss his jaw, making her way down to a specific spot on his neck, licking and biting at it to throw him off his game and tease him the same way he was trying to do with her.
"Cheeky little thing." Soon Naruto sat himself up, hands splayed on her legs, calloused fingers tracing patterns up to her tights. Hinata allowed herself to settle back onto the pillows, the feeling of him playing with the waistband of her panties had her biting on her lip as she worked on removing her bra herself through the front clasp.
That irritatingly attractive smirk never left his mouth as he got tired of playing and got rid of the article of clothing separating him from their fun. He then returned to the original position, her legs wrapped around his hips as his clothed erection ground against her and his mouth went back to kiss her senseless.
But what had her writhing in her spot was the way two of his fingers gently pushed into her as his thumb traced lazy patterns on her clit. Enough to leave her flustered but still not giving her what she wanted completely.
"Stop teasing me!" Hinata bit down harshly on his lip, immediately pouting after doing so.
"Say the magic words, Hime and I'll do whatever the fuck you want." As he spoke, he removed his thumb, only to slightly curl his fingers and let the heel of his palm grind against her clit. "Say you'll come."
It was dirty of him to have her this vulnerable under him, pulling the sweetest moans out of her mouth as his fingers abandoned their lazy teasing pace and gave her a taste of what was to come. Legs shaking once he found that spot inside of her that had Hinata crying out for him, her hips thrusting up to fuck herself onto his fingers and get that release that had been building up.
"I'll stop if you don't say it Hinata." His nose brushed against one of her taut nipples, tongue licking the hardened nub.
"Please, Naruto. I-" Chest heaving, Hinata was finding it hard to contain herself, but at the same time, she didn't want to fully give in to him. "I can't. I can't." But the way he kept increasing the sensation of him, her breath catching in her throat every time his fingers matched with the rhythm he had set when rutting his hips against her leg.
As much as she wanted to tell him yes, she couldn't. Even when he pressed harder on her clit, lips switching to the other mound and giving it the same attention as he had to the other.
Tutting, Naruto stopped his ministrations, making Hinata whimper at the loss of contact. "Say it, baby." His left hand came up to his mouth, tongue slipping out to lick across his fingers. He can see her struggle, how much her body yearns for him but at the same time, the fire in her eyes tells him that it won't be an easy task to convince the Hyuga to comply with his wishes.
Hinata shakes her head, eyes closing and hands bunching the sheets together. "Please. I can't."
The brunette shrugged, as he traced the swell of her breasts with his lips and tongue, sucking and biting the skin leaving pretty red marks behind as he went. Gripping her hips, one of his hands moves down to her ass, fondling it before he landed a hard smack there. Before she could protest, he moved his lips back onto Hinata's to silence her with another sultry kiss.
The next instant, Hinata was flipped, the surprise of it caused her to let out a yelp as she was now the one leaning on her elbows, with her lover's hands still gripping her hips. "I knew you were stubborn Hinata. But you won't be for much longer."
Hinata felt something hard pressed against her inner thigh, this time free of its clothing restrain, and his hand continuously stroke up and down his length. "Let's make a deal shall we?" Humming to himself, Naruto ran the tip along her folds, using her slick move better as he brushed the head against her clit. "I'll only let you cum if and only if you tell me you'll abandon this place and come live with me. If you keep fighting what I know you want to do, I'll leave you a blabbering mess and you'll have to contend yourself with that clown of yours, who I doubt will be able to give you what you want…" At that point, Hinata was already bucking back against him, forehead resting against one of the pillows. "So it's really a one option type of thing. It's a win-win for us both."
Her thoughts were starting to get foggy. The fact that Naruto had been effectively cock blocking her the whole time he'd been there and was now using her own release against her made her incredibly mad. But at the same time, she could only vocalize whimpers and focus on her movements that were alleviating that heat within her core.
"C'mon Hinata, be a good girl and say yes." Naruto did his best to maintain his composure as the head of his cock began pressing and stretching her tight hole. The bluenette raised her head from her pillows, face red and hair all over the place, "You're mean."
"The worst!" smirking, the brunette grabbed a fist full of her hair at the feel of her walls clamping down on his cock as he finally bottomed out.
He gave her a few seconds to adjust to him, all the while hissing as Hinata ground her hips against his. "You look so pretty, princess. Taking me so well." Groaning, once Naruto got bored of the slow pace he was using to savor his lover, he angled her body so that her back was arched perfectly.
Hinata herself couldn't hold her loud cries from falling from her lips each time he rolled his hips just right, panting as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm, one she'd be deprived of if she didn't comply with his absurd request. She figured that maybe he'd be so lost in it that he'd accidentally let her come, so she braced herself better in her forearms and tried her best to match his intensity.
"I see what you're trying to do, princess. But I already told you," another smack landed on her ass, hand rubbing the area as he used his free one to toy with her clit. "You have to say the words first."
"No!" Hinata swore her lip must have bled from the force she was biting at it. The way the veins on his cock were dragging perfectly against her inner walls, his length filling her so nicely that she was slowly becoming an utter mess.
"You sure babe?" Naruto was incredibly close himself, he wanted to hear her say the yes but if she ended up denying him, then he'd play some more. "The way you're clenching tells me you don't have much longer."
Hinata punched the bed once, twice, her resolve on not giving him what he wanted still there.
But he was right.
Naruto's always right.
So when she noticed his thrusts were becoming irregular, the telltale sign he was about to come and he pulled his hand away from her clit to go back to hold her hips, she gave up.
After all, she could always go back on it.
Right?
"I'll go. Fuck I'll go. Just- Oh god." Her arms gave out, legs shaking as he finally pushed her through the edge, and finally came undone. She heard him curse several times, but she was almost certain he was grinning like a mad man.
Naruto came a few moments later, after no longer being able to deal with the sensation of her tightness clamping down on him, his eyes focused on the way their bodies connected and how perfectly the two of them fit together.
Hinata felt the way his cock twitched as he came inside her, her mind not processing the possible consequences of such actions. Still reeling from the aftershocks of her orgasm as the now brunette slumped against her back.
"Shit." He groaned, lifting himself slightly so he wouldn't crush her. "I fucking love you, Hinata Hyuga."
She only nodded absentmindedly, the feeling of his lips kissing her shoulders and neck contributing to her small piece of heaven.
"Better clean up this mess, princess." With one last kiss to her reddened cheek, he fixed his clothes, tucking himself back into the sweatpants, and left to go to his room.
After what happened finally registered on her it was already too late. She had ended up falling asleep and woke up with Naruto knocking on the door. "The clown's here and he's making dinner. You should probably take a bath before he sees you."
Winking, he left the room once more to prowl into the kitchen and talk with Kuro. The bluenette felt her limbs stiff, and uncomfortable feeling between her legs as she remembered what happened only a few hours ago.
"Shit." Rubbing her eyes, she slowly got up, pulling the dirty sheets along with herself towards the bathroom. Once she hopped inside the shower, she lightly hit her head against the tiles, thinking about how stupid she had been.
Now how was she going to break up Kuro, quit her job, and completely disappear in just a few days?
It was impossible.
So Naruto ended up giving her two weeks to do so.
After the trial, he left to go to a friend's house, making an absolute show of saying goodbye to Kuro, all the while he kept stealing glances at her, the hidden darkness in them reminding her that 'time is ticking'.
But instead of doing what he had asked, Hinata found herself postponing what she had to do.
Her heart was split. On one side she knew the right thing was to stay, to tell Kuro the truth, and finally put Naruto and his gang behind bars.
But on the other side…
She wanted to go and live the life Naruto had promised her all those years back. To be free to do whatever she wanted, not being bound by crazy work schedules and rules, and just be herself with the man she loved.
But did she have the strength to pull through?
The answer to that came three days after the deadline Naruto had given her. When he didn't go after her, Hinata was somewhat hurt. Thinking he'd left her once again and that what he had told her had been nothing but a lie just to get his dick wet.
During her shift, Ino had noticed the way her friend kept staring at nothing, letting out sad sighs, and scrolling through medical articles without actually paying attention. When the blonde asked her about it, Hinata would shrug and simply say, "It's nothing."
Every time Ino went to dig further there was something else that required her attention, so she ended up leaving the Hyuga alone.
When the time to go home was approaching, one of the nurses gave her an envelope. He said he knew nothing about it, that some guy had asked to be delivered to her and then left.
Outside behind the west entrance's parking lot.
Frowning, Hinata picked up her coat and put it over her scrubs before going to said place.
She was met with a back to blonde Naruto, leaning against the hood of a sleek black sports car.
He didn't look that happy. Lips formed a tight line and brows furrowed into a frown. "You and I have a deal Hyuga."
Hinata shifted a bit where she stood, not being able to meet his eyes as she hummed in agreement.
"You missed the deadline, love." He stood tall, walking towards where she stood. His boots appeared in her line of sight as she kept her head down, twiddling with her fingers.
"Naruto, I-" His fingers pulled her chin up, she hadn't realized she had tears falling down her face until he wiped them away with his thumb.
"I love you. I always have and always will," His forehead touched hers, hands cupping her cheeks as Hinata reached for his chest. "If you changed your mind and want me to leave you alone..."
"No!" Hinata shook her head, eyes tightly closed as she did her best to keep from full-on crying. "I'm just scared."
Scared of not knowing what the future holds. Scared of not knowing what the right choice was.
Smiling softly, Naruto pecked her lips before pulling away and taking a couple of steps back. He extended his hand out towards her, blue eyes instilling a sense of calmness that she hadn't felt in a long time.
She knew in her heart what was the right thing to do, and in the end, she didn't regret a thing.