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Hinata flops onto the couch and lets out a heavy sigh as she rests her head on Sakura’s shoulder.
“What's up, hun?” Sakura asks, moving her drink to her other hand to prevent Hinata from spilling it.
Hinata doesn’t respond, only making a huffing noise and glaring at the back of Tenten's head. The older girl sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV, game controller in hand, knocking her shoulder into Neji’s trying to send him off the Rainbow Road.
“I’m the only single one here.” Hinata looks around the room, most of her friends jammed into Ino's small apartment living room (the kitchen size making up for that) celebrating their friend's Christmas.
Her cousin and ever-competitive girlfriend playing Mario Kart, Choji passed out with his head in Karui’s lap, Kiba playing with Ino’s cat while Tamaki took pictures (evidence for when he said he hated cats), Ino sitting in Sai’s lap while his arms stretched around him hold his game controller, Sasuke sitting at Sakura's feet also glaring at Tenten but only because he was trash at video games, and Shikamaru and Temari had left early for her brother's house.
“Just cause your man couldn’t make it doesn’t mean you’re single.” Tenten chimes in, her voice teasing.
Hinata laughs, “What man?”
“Naruto.” Three different voices saying his name.
“Naruto is not, my man.” Hinata blushed at the words.
“Yeah, sure, Hina. Then explain all the, ya know, what did you call it Tamaki?”
“You mean how domestic she and Naruto are?”
“Yeah, that!” Hinata rolls her eyes at Kiba, shaking her head.
“Wait you two aren’t dating?” Sai asks putting his controller down, turning towards Hinata.
“What do you mean?”
Sai smirks, “Exactly what Kiba said, you two are more domestic than any of us here.”
“No, we aren’t!” Hinata’s face went even redder with the words.
“So you’re telling me, Hinata, that if I asked all these fine people, for a time they thought you and our residential idiot were dating they couldn’t give me an example.” Kiba stands smirking at her.
“That’s beside the point Kiba, just because someone thinks two people are dating doesn’t mean they are.”
“That’s exactly the point, and as your friend it’s my job to prove it!”
Hinata groans “Tamaki, you let him have too much to drink.” The other girl only shrugged in response.
“No, I like this game, I’ll go first.” Ino sits up, clapping her hands. “A few weeks ago when Hinata drank too much Naruto carried her home and he didn’t just dump her on the couch.” Hinata crosses her arms over her chest.
“How do you even know that?” Hinata asks. She had a flash of a memory of Naruto gently laying her in her bed and pulling her blanket over her, not leaving before putting a glass of water and aspirin on her nightstand.
“Saw him leaving the building when I came in,” Ino says. “Asked him why he was here so late and all he did was shrug and told me he was ‘tucking Hinata’s drunk ass into bed’”
“Yeah, and he can do this cause he has a key to your apartment,” Sasuke adds.
“He waters my plants when I go home!” Hinata argues
“Sure, sure,” Sakura starts, “but he also waits for you outside of class, sometimes when your classes aren’t even in the same building.”
“Cause we’re friends and a lot of my classes are late this semester and he doesn’t want me walking around campus at night alone.”
The game abandoned, Toad sitting in his car in the middle of the screen, Tenten turns to Neji. “You don’t even do that for me! We’ve been dating for three years.”
“You carry a pocket knife, she doesn’t.” Neji shrugs. “As much as I hate to admit it, the only reason Naruto hasn’t asked you out is because he’s so clueless. No other reason for you two to be able to hold silent conversations from across a room as often as you do.” Hinata throws herself backward onto the couch.
“Do you guys know that when Naruto introduced me to Hinata he said ‘This is my Hinata’ not my friend Hinata and he didn’t even correct himself?” Sai shoots Hinata a sideways glance.
Tamaki laughs, “He did not! So when I met both of them, Kiba gave me a little pep talk first. We were having dinner at Hinata’s and he told me that I was going to whiteness the most outward display of denied feelings ever.” She shrugs. “He wasn’t wrong.”
“Same thing with me,” Karui chimes in. “And don’t get me started about how they bicker like an old married couple.”
At this point Hinata had covered her face with her arms, “Guys,” she pauses, taking a deep breath. “Am I dating Naruto without knowing I’m dating Naruto?”
“Hold up your phone and show the class your lock screen.” Sakura nudges her leg when she doesn’t do it automatically.
Groaning, Hinata sits up, pulls her phone from her pocket, and turns it around. The illuminated screen shows a picture of her and Naruto. Hinata’s back pressed into his chest while his chin rested atop her head. One arm draped over her collarbones, hand holding her shoulder while Hinata’s hand reached up to hold his forearm.
Hinata sits up, unlocking her phone. “Whatcha doing Hina?” Kiba asks, she only waves a hand in his direction.
“Hey, Naruto, sorry to interrupt your family time.” Her words are cut off by Sakura harshly whispering “Speaker!”
“Nah you’re good, Jiraiya was just complaining that I didn’t bring one of your apple pies.” Naruto’s voice is light, his Godfather could be heard shouting something that sounded like “or just brought her.” in the background.
“Tell Jiraiya I’ll send Tsunade the recipe. He should have told you sooner and I would have made one for you to bring with.”
“What’s up then, something go wrong at Ino’s or something?”
“No, nothing wrong, I just, um, well I wanted to ask you a question.” Hinata stands, pacing a small path in front of the couch.
“You lock yourself out of your apartment or something?” Naruto chuckles. “I can be back in like thirty minutes, let you in, ya know.”
“No, um, no, I’m still at Ino’s.” Hinata toys with the loose strands falling from her ponytail, clearly nervous. “And, well, we were all just talking and I was wondering. Um, something, about you, I mean kinda you, but really about us.”
“You sound like you’ve had your share of wine Hina.” Naruto laughs.
“Maybe, I don’t think so.”
Hinata can hear someone yelling in the background, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right back, Hinata just had a question! Old man wants dessert.”
She sighs, not sure where to start. Her friends were right, Naruto was always there for her. Always spending time with her, ordering her food at restaurants, and tucking her favorite blanket around the both of them for movie night. Hell, he even shared his favorite ramen with her.
“You still there?” Naruto’s voice drawing her from her thoughts.
“Are we, um, Naruto are we dating?”
The silence is electric, Hinata bites down on her bottom lip waiting for him to respond. “You said you’re at Ino’s right? I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Wait, but Naruto…”
“Just give me twenty minutes Hinata.”
Hinata sits on the couch, drawing her knees into her chest. Mentally kicking herself for the phone call. The others laughed and joked around her while she contemplated locking herself in Ino’s bathroom so she didn’t have to face Naruto’s rejection in person. Only the pounding on the door drew her from her thoughts.
“Oh Naruto, how nice of you to join us!” Ino giggles opening the door. Sakura all but pushing Hinata off the couch.
“Hey,” Naruto says, that soft half-smile she loves so much coming across his face.
“Hi,” Hinata looks down at her bare feet.
“I, um, thought that I should answer your question in person, ya know.”
“It was a stupid question. I shouldn’t have asked it…”
“It was the best question I’ve ever been asked. I’d do anything for you to date me.” Naruto closes the distance between them, placing his hands on her hips.
“What?” The shock was clear in Hinata’s voice.
“Gods Hinata. I’ve been trying to show you for the past, I don’t know, year maybe? I’d do anything for you.” A matching blush comes up his neck and around his cheeks, when Naruto looks up and notices the room full of people watching them. “So yes, my answer is yes. If that’s what you want, I mean. If you want to date me.”
Hinata laughs, her head falling forward, forehead resting against Naruto’s chest. “We are so dumb! Yeah, yes, that’s what I want.” She says looking up at him.
“Thank the fucking gods,” Naruto utters before pressing his lips to hers, both going deaf to the cheers erupting from their friends.
Naruto woke to the smell of coffee the next morning in a familiar room, but an unfamiliar bed. He could hear the owner of the lavender duvet that covered him talking in a low voice from her kitchen.
“I could definitely do brunch, I’m exhausted and cooking sounds like such a chore,” Hinata speaks in a hushed voice, her phone clamped between her shoulder and ear while she leans into the fridge. Naruto watched the orange shirt, his orange shirt, ride up the back of her thighs.
Hinatas giggles “Yes we slept Sakura,” she pauses, “just not until late.”
“Jeez,” Naruto could all but hear the blush in her voice, her back still to him while she added milk to her coffee and he silently walked across the living room. “If you must know it was the best sex of my life.”
Hinata gives a small jump when she feels Naruto’s arms wrap around her waist, his chin resting on her free shoulder. “Why don’t we go back to bed and we can try to top it?” Naruto says pressing a kiss to her neck and plucking the phone from her hand.
“Morning Sakura, we’ll be a little late to brunch.”