Day 20 - Give and Take
"Does that make sense to you, Hyuuga-san?"
She stares down at the notes, charts, and spreadsheets spread across the desk and blinks. She can feel her lashes dampen from how much she has had to strain them to read the small print and scribbles before her.
Her life with Naruto was now categorized by assets, values, balances, accounts, percentages. It's color coded and neat, taking up most of the table. The chart is stapled with three sheets, still fresh from the printer. Itachi is waiting for her response patiently as she looks it all over, accepting the information before her.
In spite of their marriage only lasting 3 years, she's been with Naruto half of her life. Surprisingly, the fact that they'd been together collectively for 16 years or so did matter in Konoha's civil courts. At least, that's what Itachi was suggesting.
There's her car and his. The house they bought well before Souta was even conceived. They listed each other as beneficiaries, emergency contacts, all of it, well before their wedding date. She never pressed it; it was always Naruto's insistence. "We'll always be together anyway." He used to say.
Now, it's all just an Excel worksheet. Typed out, clean font, columns, just numbers. She chews on her lip as she sees how Itachi managed to fit her entire life with the man she did not want to love anymore.
Dragging his fingers across the rows, Itachi continues. "He won't argue against our request. Legally, you are entitled to half of everything. But I understand you don't wish to argue, so I recommend at minimum to keep all of your individual accounts, vehicles, and only split his retirement and the proceedings of the house. You haven't been in the workforce for some time, so you will need a head start to make up for that lost time. You could buy him out of the house or alternatively, he can buy you out."
She hears everything he says, but it still makes her chest feel heavy. It feels wrong to ask for anything, but he's right. She does deserve something that will help her move on and give her the ability to fend for herself. She had no desire to rely on her family more than she already has.
She feels a headache brewing the longer she stares at the papers. Having to even exert the effort to assess what works out best, what she wants, what she doesn't - all of it's too overwhelming. As much as it has truly hindered her to know very little of their assets (after all, he did it all!), a part of her wishes he could just divide it all for her. She doesn't want to think about what to do with any of it. Or how.
Being too dependent on her husband has made her feel naive, learning a new basic skill that everyone else already had a grasp on. She's learned bits and pieces since she moved out but still worries about how to ask for help over things she's never considered. What's the best investment for retirement? What about a college fund for Souta? Would she have enough to retire? Can she afford to start a career in a new field so late?
She doesn't care who gets the house. She doesn't want it. Why would she want to move back into a place where he betrayed her? It holds memories she had no desire in wanting to remember. Being there those weeks ago was harder than she thought it would be.
"If you agree to this, we can present this offer at mediation. Truthfully, these are the easiest things to settle. The hardest part will be custody."
She finally speaks up. "I don't think he'll be difficult. We've been civil so far." Naruto may have made comments before he hired Ino, but things have felt more or less normal. Quiet, but still better than the paragraph texts and endless voicemails he used to send her. Sometimes he sends her links to things Souta may like, and she'll react or reply, but beyond that, they are strangers. They share photos of their son, texts of arrivals and departures. Nothing else.
She still hasn't deleted their original chain. She's kept every text between them since she got this phone six years ago. It takes up half of her phone storage.
Itachi cracks a smile. "I don't believe that will last. With your son being so young, he will likely seek to modify it as he gets older on a regular basis. Most parents usually do it every 2-3 years. Given his past antics, I am inclined to believe he will want to push and pull for the sake of delaying the divorce."
"Uchiha-san, what should I anticipate at mediation?" She asks this because his confidence in her husband's potential behavior is now heightening her anxiety. The first hurdle was to be in a room with him, but now, she's unsure what else could go wrong. She wants to believe he would continue to act mature and to date, he hasn't given her any indication of acting differently.
Itachi pauses, before sighing. "In your case, it would be wise to anticipate the worst. Your husband is a wild card. I do not believe he will be as amicable should he discover your…developing relationship with his friend. I apologize for my intrusion, but this is my legal advice. Given that we are days away from meeting with him and Yamaka-san, I am bringing this to your attention so you are aware of the possibility of his unwillingness to settle."
She sucks in a breath, absorbing her lawyer's words while also fighting the rising heat on her face. How did he know about that? Well, he's his brother. She supposed it shouldn't surprise her that her attorney would be this observant.
Stumbling on her words, she scratched her cheek. "Uchiha-san, I haven't-, I'm not, and we aren't…dating. I have not…I do not plan to tell my husband about any of this until the divorce is finalized."
"I'm not judging you, Hyuuga-san. As your attorney, I just want you to be aware of all possibilities and how they could affect the outcome of your proceedings." She can tell his eyes are softening just a bit, but she still digs her nails into her knees, nodding slowly at his words, trying to ground herself in the chair.
He takes the sheets and tucks them into the vanilla folder for her. "I think you are otherwise well prepared for the meeting. Just get some rest, review the notes, and if you have any doubts, feel free to email me. Otherwise, please be dressed and ready for the meeting next Friday."
She nods, giving him a smile. "Thank you, Uchiha-san. I appreciate your advice and do not take it lightly."
As she gathers her things to leave his office, Itachi calls after her. "Hyuuga-san."
Turning, she gives him a questioned look. "Yes?"
"I know he cherishes you. Please take good care of him." Her eyes widened when he stood to bow. Unable to respond verbally, she stiffened a hum in acknowledgement.
She was relieved he never looked up to see her reaction. She felt like she was on fire.
"I need to tell you something."
Sakura eyed her friend, pausing from painting her nails. When Hinata asked her to meet, she assumed it was just to doom stroll through her streaming services for something shitty to watch and talk over. She knew her friend's mediation was coming up and had seemed tense since she brought it up. On the rare nights they could coordinate childcare to have a kids-free evening, it usually included Ino. With where things stood, it just wasn't the smartest idea.
"What's up?" She asked, feigning ignorance. She had an inkling who it could be about when she saw Sasuke's shaved head two weeks ago (his flushed face when she teased him about it certainly gave it away), but was content to see her friend trying to bring up on her own. She had no intentions of broaching the subject herself, and was more or less threatened by Sasuke to not meddle further.
Hinata looked at her, lower lip between her teeth. She's twirling her wine glass, looking up at the pinkette, blinking away developing tears. "I kissed Sasuke." More than once, she adds internally, but can't bring herself to admit outloud.
The words leave her mouth in a hurry, because the days leading to see her friend have felt like torture since it last happened. The uneasiness in her stomach, the bile she's sure is creeping up her throat. No amount of alcohol could quench the nerves in her body.
Hinata was expecting many things to happen. A slap to the face, yelling. Insults. Reasonable reactions to your friend admitting to you that she kissed someone you were married to. She was prepared to be hurt and anticipated her punishment for betraying her closest friend.
After a few moments of silence, Sakura laughed."Really? How was it?"
Hinata paused, eyes widening. "What?"
"I was waiting for this to happen. Took you long enough!"
She couldn't stop herself from reiterating the word "What" again. "I don't-"
Sakura laughed again, blowing at her freshly painted toes as she rested her extended legs on her coffee table. "I know Sasuke likes you. It's okay." She says this with a smile, and it's genuine.
Hinata's not convinced. "Sakura…I really don't understand."
"Do you really think he's the kind of guy that wouldn't tell me he likes my friend?"
Her mind travels back to Ten Ten, who said the same thing. But she's not sure she wants to answer it. Namely, because she's sure Sasuke would not give Naruto the same courtesy. She had no intention of speaking to Naruto about her life, either. And then Itachi! Oh, she's still reeling from embarrassment at his astute observation.
Still, she flushes, slowly processing the confirmation that Sasuke does have an interest in her (because outside affirmation doesn't hurt), and that her friend is not upset in the slightest at her confession.
"Who do you think kept sending him to your house? I wasn't avoiding you on purpose, I just wanted to give you two a nudge." Sakura shrugged. "You're both important to me and I'm in no way affected by it. I think it's cute."
Hinata sets her glass down after downing the rest of its contents. In spite of her friend's acceptance, she still can't swallow the lump down her throat. The tears are falling anyway, and she's not sure if it's from relief of getting it off her chest or guilt for enjoying being around him as much as she had been without telling her sooner.
"Hinata." Sakura's sighs by her side now, smiling at her friend with her index finger swiping away the fat tears that were trickling down her jaw and throat. It feels like a dream that Sakura can still be so gentle with her. It doesn't matter what she just said, Hinata doesn't feel deserving of it.
"I was so afraid you'd hate me, too." She says between chokes. Because she knows that Naruto hates her and will hate her more when he finds out what's happened. He'll blame her for breaking up his decades long friendship, for not trying on their marriage, and who knew what else. She wasn't ready for their cordial interactions to end. Not when the mediation was so close. Another expense, another thing to prepare for. Another fight.
Sakura shakes her head, sighing. "Hey. I promise we're okay. And I'm happy for you two. Truly." She places a palm on her knee, and squeezes gently.
When Hinata looks at her, she sees the woman who's stood by her through it all. Dating Naruto, her marriage, her pregnancy, and now her divorce. It's almost comical how similar they are in life experiences. Her emerald eyes are warm and she has never been more grateful to have such a light in her life.
Hinata sighs, trying to find the words to thank her for all she's doing; for her kindness, her warmth, her acceptance, her love. She doesn't think she will ever believe she deserves all of it.
Sakura gets up and returns from the kitchen, bringing back a bowl of microwaved popcorn, settling it between her and Hinata. "Do you like him, too?" She asks, popping a kernel in her mouth.
After wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Hinata grabs a few pieces of the kernels and chews slowly. She remembers the first meeting, the texts. The late phone calls. Washing his hair. The ice cream, the soup.
The kiss, then kisses. The long conversations, the way he says her name. Him.
Her lips curl up. "I do. But, I don't think I can do anything about it. The timing is..and then Naruto.."
Sakura rolls her eyes, turning to face her. "We are way too grown to be holding our happiness back over someone else. Especially Naruto. Fuck that." She bites into more pieces of popcorn, brows furrowing. "Will he be mad? Probably. But it's not like you planned any of this to happen. At the end of the day, you deserve to enjoy your life and he doesn't get a say anymore."
When Sakura falls asleep on her couch, Hinata cleans up the crumbs and washes the dishes from their takeout and snacks. She turns the television off and tucks her in with a blanket. She takes the opportunity to smoke a cigarette on her back porch.
Taking her phone out of her pocket, she hovers over his name. She's sure he'll respond in spite of how late it was. A part of her thinks he's aware she's thinking about him, feeling her cheeks warm up as she types her message. It was Sakura's suggestion and she had nothing to lose.
This may be too forward, but I'd like to see you soon.
Flirting was far from something she was capable of initiating. She feels herself lose confidence after sending it, realizing her message was so proper. She should've used an emoji!
Her eyes widen when she sees the bubbles on her screen that he's typing a response. She almost shuts her screen off, embarrassed to be caught to have seen that he was typing.
She waits and bites back a smile when he responds.
How did you know I was going to ask you that?
She grins. You were?
I was going to wait out of respect for your mediation, but I'd rather see you sooner than that.
Her fingers type without filter, modesty be damned. I would say now if you didn't have Kazumi.
She's with my parents..
Her cheeks freeze, almost paralyzed. What does she say to this?! She doesn't know!
He types again and she sits on the steps of Sakura's balcony, feeling her knees weaken.
Only if you want to. I'm waiting for you anyway.
She does. I don't have my car with me.
I can pick you up.
A part of her wanted to turn her phone off, embarrassed of the idea of being with him. Alone. No kids.
It's a small enough feeling that she could ignore it, though. She sends him her location anyway, accepting that he will pick her up in ten.
When she heads back inside, Sakura is yawning, grinning at her. "Tell him I said hi."
When she texted him, he was in the middle of repairing his reading glasses. Kazumi sat on them by accident earlier in the day and it was proving to be more difficult than the repair kit let on.
He had to hold one of the lenses to his left eye to make sure he read her messages right.
Yes, she was asking to see him. Screw what time of day it was. She was asking him. Logically, he put on a sweater and drove to get her. Why the hell wouldn't he?!
It's late enough that he can speed through the back roads to Sakura's house. Hinata told him she'll wait outside out of respect for her, and he thinks that he needs to get Sakura a gift as gratitude for her support. He'd figure it out soon.
He feels weirdly nervous about seeing her. It hadn't been that long since the last time (well, two weeks, but he was obviously not keeping track of this), but he rushed out of his apartment so fast he didn't think to change out of his pajamas. What an impression I'm leaving. He thinks, mad at himself for his eagerness to drive for her.
When he sees her outside with a bag slung over her shoulder, he feels the bubbles from the sparking water he drank earlier simmer in his stomach from nerves. The feeling continues to linger when she slowly opens his passenger door, a small smile on her rosy face.
It felt easier to type his thoughts than to verbalize and it seemed she felt the same. Neither spoke the entire nine minute drive back to his condo. Even fishing for his keys to his front door felt oddly unnerving. It was a miracle she gave him her bag when he stuck his arm out awkwardly to take it after he parked his car.
When he opens the door to let her in, she slowly takes off her sneakers, quickly finding the pair of guest slippers on the shoe rack by the door to slip in.
He scratches his cheek, trying to remember how to speak. "This is it." He manages to spit out, cursing himself internally for his dryness. What the fuck was he doing? She'll want to leave now, for sure.
"It's very clean!" He bites back a laugh at her statement, reassurance washing over him at the realization that she's likely as nervous as he is.
"I don't have a guest room, so I can take the couch and you can take my bed." He wants to throw himself off the building's roof out of embarrassment, feeling the sweat beads on the back of his neck. Why would he assume she's spending the night?! He was rushing her, and he felt like a moron.
"I can't do that. I can take the couch." She insists, her face even warmer than his.
Observing her, he wants to laugh. It humors him how awkward they both are about the idea of where they would be sleeping. He shakes his head. "The sheets are clean. I can sleep here." He points to the couch, wanting nothing more than to already be laying on it. He thinks it'd be better than to talk her ear off and further ruin the mood.
She shakes her head. Somehow, the back and forth was stressing him out more than trying to fix his broken glasses. He slides his palm on the back of his head, instantly regretting touching his prickly buzzcut. The sensory overload briefly distracts him from his hesitation when he blurts out. "Or you could just sleep with me."
When he realizes how his words sound, he immediately apologizes. "I didn't mean it that way." Nope, now he actually wants to die. Who the fuck says that! Pouring more salt into his mistake, he continues. "It's late, I just really think you should take the bed. I can stay here." He hopes his correction eases the tension between them.
He hasn't had a woman come over in over a year. If it were just physical, this wouldn't be so painful. But it isn't, because he does like her and now he's convinced he's ruined any opportunity to make things better. He sighs. "Sorry. I'm a bit nervous."
She looks up at him in what he hopes is relief. She gives him a small smile, slowly releasing her lower lip. The gloss shines even in his dimmed hallway. "I am too…please don't apologize. I'm imposing on you again!"
Before he can shake his head and say No, you aren't, I'm actually really glad you're here, she shyly tucks her hair behind her ears and says "I'm…comfortable sharing it…er, your bed, if you are."
He blinks, instantly accepting her offer with a nod before either could change their mind. He decides to fight through the pain of his burning ears and walks to his bedroom, placing her duffel bag on the left side of his bed.
He points the door to the right and says "Bathroom.", regretting how automatic he sounds. She nods, quickly running to it with her bag without looking at him.
When she shuts the door softly and he sees the light turn on, he immediately turns the bedroom lights off, getting under the covers in hopes that it's easier to talk to her in the dark. He lays on his back, staring at his ceiling as he hears the softness of her toothbrush buzzing, of what he can only assume is her washing her hands, turning off the sink, and the swift motions of her brushing her hair.
He holds his breath, hyper aware of her exiting the bathroom in what he can barely gauge in the dark as her in her own pajamas. When she slides under the covers on the opposite side, he can feel her added weight on the mattress as she sinks into the memory foam. She turns her back to him, her hair free from the loose bun she wore earlier.
He gulps, unsure what to do or say. He wonders if it's too pathetic to just text her that he's going to sleep, but then feels her slowly turn to face his direction. He turns his head slowly, noticing the way her brows furrow and her lips twist in hesitation.
"Sasuke." Hearing his name on her lips is making everything worse. Why is he so nervous?! They've kissed before!
"Yes?" He feels stupid looking up, so he shifts his body to face hers, swallowing air. He almost feels like throwing up when she inches closer, the smell of her perfume infiltrating his nostrils.
He's surprised when she says it. It doesn't feel real, because for all he knows he's dreaming. This must be a sick joke that he's bound to wake up from in the next few minutes. The circumstances leading to this moment should be fiction. It had to be.
But her soft words feel like bombs going off in his ears. Each syllable rolls off her tongue with haste, as if it couldn't stay on her lips anymore. He wants to hear it again and again, wishing he could rewind time and play it over and over until the cassette breaks.
"Sasuke. I like you."
Even in the shadows he can't help but be envious of her confidence to say it before he could. He's held the thought for months. He wants to groan, because he should have said it first. But she beats him to it and all he can do is pull her closer to shut her up with his lips.
I. Kiss. Like. Kiss. You. Kiss. Too.
They're light like feathers and tickle her all over. He peppers them at the corner of her mouth, on her chin, her jaw. His fingers weave into her mane and she can feel her ribcage ache from the pressures of adjusting to the softest of his lips.
It's easier to lean into him in the darkness. Her shyness disappears as quickly as her shirt does. She tosses it behind her, mewling into his mouth when she feels his fingers pinch and twist her nipples. She finds her own wander under his shirt, pressing along his stomach and chest.
She gasps when she feels his palms on her rear, bringing her on top of him. He idly rests his hands on her hips, their lips never parting. She can feel the heat on her cheeks drain and surface between her legs, her need pressed against his own.
"Ah." He mumbles into her neck, his cock twitching against her. He can't help it. She's so warm, so soft. Softer than he remembered. Softer than he imagined. He wants to rub it in his teen self's face.
"I want you." He says into her ear, his need desperate in his voice. She grinds against his hardened member instinctively, unable to pull back. The deeper his voice, the harder it was for her to stop.
"Sasuke." She sighs his name as she rolls against him, adjusting her position when she feels his fingers dive between her folds. She pulls skin against his throat as he curls them, pumping them in her with ease.
She didn't give a fuck how wet she was for him. Maybe she would have twenty minutes ago. She bites back a moan when he pulls them away, bringing them to his lips to lick off.
A man has never done that with her before.
"I want you." His tongue trails down her neck, between the crevice of her breasts.
"I want you." She arches into his touch, his mouth abusing her bud.
"I want you." She strokes his member through his sweats, delighted there wasn't anything under them.
"I want you." He guides her hips onto his cock, teasing his tip at her slit.
"I want you." She bites into his shoulder as she sinks onto him, moaning without restraint.
"I need you." He moves into her, savoring her sighs, drowning in her gasps. He kneads at her thighs, grateful for life, for air, for this. For her.
He manages to roll her on her back, hooking her legs over his shoulders, unable to bite back his growl. He's so deep in her and keeps thrusting, kissing her in hopes her lips are bruised so that there's proof that he was in her, with her, on her.
He wants her to remember him, cementing why it should only be him now.
She lowers her legs to lock at his waist, the soft slaps of her breasts and her moans being the only sounds exchanged between them.
"Hinata." He says her name and instantly feels her tighten again, so he repeats it, over and over, wanting to make her remember that he's staying.
When she cries out his name, he releases into her, spent. I think I love you.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, for semi obvious reasons. I hope this was worth the wait! I am not sure I'll have time to do the extra chapter this month before my trip but I'll try. I locked my stories on AO3 due to bots, and am hesitant to continue to cross post this for the same reason amongst others. If you don't like this ship, please don't read this! Truly, I am not offended. But if it isn't your cup of tea, don't read. :') Let me know your thoughts and thanks again for reading!