Chapter Text
Hinata stood outside on a drizzly Saturday. She waited for Tenten at the top of the steps of a local theatre while Sakura and Ino got tickets for some ghost movie. In perfect honesty, she didn’t care what they were watching, but it had been some time since she last went out for a movie, and she was looking forward to it.
Sakura opened one of the cinema’s front doors and walked over to where Hinata was standing. Two tickets were in her hand.
“There weren’t enough for four together, so we bought the tickets in pairs. Here’s your change, too.” She held it all out for Hinata and glanced around. “Isn’t Tenten here yet?”
Hinata thanked her as she put everything in her jacket pocket and shook her head. “I’ll give her a call; she might just be running late. I’m going to wait outside a bit longer. I’ll send you guys a text when she gets here, okay?”
The pink haired girl nodded. “Sure! I’m gonna go back inside, Ino’s in line for snacks. Want anything?”
“Nah, I’m set,” she said, pointing to her backpack. She mouthed the word ‘Cinnabon’ and Sakura rolled her eyes with a grin.
“Shoulda known. Catch up with us after the movie!”
Hinata smiled as Sakura dashed back inside. She was looking at the seats on the tickets - not bad - when her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hinata! It’s me. I’m sorry, you won’t believe this.”
“Tenten? Are you okay?” It sounded like she was outside.
“I’m fine, but my stupid car broke down!” Hinata’s phone nearly vibrated from Tenten’s frustration. “Lee’s on his way to get me, and I called a tow truck for the car. I’m sorry, I’ll have to miss today.”
“Oh no, Tenten! I’m so sorry.” She thought she heard the feisty girl kick it. “I hope you can get it fixed.”
“I’ll figure something out. Sorry, catch you guys next time.” Tenten hung up abruptly. Hinata hung up and looked at her phone in disappointment. She didn’t particularly want to watch a ghost story all by herself. As she lamented the situation to Sakura over text, she became aware of a conversation behind her.
“There were only two tickets left. Okay, who’s not going? I’m exempt. I drove.”
“Hey, that’s not fair!” A second voice protested. “I would’ve driven if I had a car. Plus, I’ve been waiting for this movie to come out for a year now, so I need to see it.”
“Hm. Okay, Choji, I guess that’s fair,” the first voice replied. “So, Naruto, why should you get to see it?”
“Wh-hey! You guys invited me!”
Those voices are familiar. Hinata wondered where she’d heard them before.
“I think Choji’s argument is more compelling. Okay, see you in a couple hours.”
“You guys are unbelievable!”
Hinata sent her message off to Sakura and turned around to study them as they bickered. The three men looked like they were in their early 20s, just about her own age. Two of their backs were turned to her, but the shortest man, facing her, had a ponytail full of spiky hair on his head.
He does look familiar. Maybe I met them at Sakura’s birthday party?
It was certainly possible. She got blasted at Sakura’s party (completely by accident, she would later protest to her astonished group of friends), and ended up passed out drunk in Sakura’s bedroom well into the next day. One of them stayed with her although she couldn’t quite remember who, and the other girls refused to tell her who it was.
They probably took turns. Probably won't tell me because I’d still be trying to make it up to them, Hinata thought ruefully. I was amazingly drunk.
“You’d really leave me here after inviting me!?”
Well, it couldn’t hurt, right? She walked over to them.
“Um, excuse me...”
The spiky haired ponytail turned to face her. She felt her shoulders go up just a tick under his sharp eyes.
“It’s just that I couldn’t help overhearing you, and I have an extra ticket…Maybe one of you would…?” She let the question hang in the air and held out the extra ticket.
“That’s perfect!”
Hinata turned to the voice’s owner and immediately found she had to look up. The tanned blonde man with a sunny smile was looking back at her. Her heartbeat instantly quickened.
Whoa, he’s gorgeous.
She didn’t realize he was studying her right back until his brow furrowed. “Wait, don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“That’s a pretty old pick up line,” the tall, bearded man said with a smirk.
The blonde man told him to shut up.
"Um!” Hinata pressed on in a rush to avoid them descending into bickering. “There’s just one thing. The seat is beside me, but if you don’t mind sitting together…”
A sudden frown darkened his expression. “No way. Did you get stood up?”
“Naruto!” The spiky haired man snapped. “Sorry, this guy doesn’t have a lot of tact.”
Hinata shook her head. “I-I’m here with friends,” she began before explaining the whole situation. “That’s why I don’t mind giving this to you. Um, but if sitting beside me is a problem, I’ll just–”
“Ah, no, it’s no problem. I was just wondering since it’s for two people, you know…” He had a sheepish look on his face.
A thought flew past her. Is he trying to ask if I have a boyfriend? She mentally shook herself. You’re just thinking that because he’s cute.
“Are you okay? You’re pretty red. Ah! They went in without us!”
Hinata looked around and sure enough, they were alone.
The man let out a despaired sigh. “Those guys. That’s so mean.” He turned to Hinata. “Well?”
“Ah, my name is Hinata.” She smiled up at him.
He laughed. “That’s not what I mean. Well, anyway, I’m Naruto! Let’s go.”
Hinata nodded and walked towards the door with Naruto close behind. Before she could put her hand out to push it open, Naruto’s arm stretched over her left shoulder to open the door with his hand beside her head.
His hand is huge.
“Hey, Hinata,” Naruto said as he passed through the doorway to walk beside her. “I know you said you were giving the ticket to me, but can I pay you back? Maybe buy you snacks?” he added, pointing at the concession stand.
“Oh, that’s okay, you don’t need to pay me back. As for snacks, actually, I–um.” She stopped short of telling him about the smuggled cinnamon rolls. What if he thought people shouldn’t smuggle in outside food? Some people thought like that, right? “…I-I’m not hungry, but thank you.”
Nice save, Hyuuga, she thought. Now how are you supposed to eat those cinnamon rolls? And they’re fresh, too!
“Hm, really?” He gave her a look that implied he didn’t quite buy it. “Then how about a drink? Coffee? At least lemme do that.”
“Sure, coffee would be great.”
He tilted his head at her as they waited in line.
“You know, something? It’s kinda like we’re on a date!”
“I-I guess it would look like that, huh?”
His smile utterly disarmed her. His disposition was so polar opposite to her own; Hinata could feel herself being charmed by his easy-going demeanor. She tried her best to return his smile.
Maybe I should keep some space between us.
Hinata took a small step away from him. Seconds later, Naruto shifted feet, and ended up leaning so far over that their shoulders touched.
“Don’t do that, Hi-na-ta.” he chided. The cashier looked at him expectantly. “Sorry! Hi, yes, we’d like to order a medium vanilla iced coffee and?” He turned to her.
“Oh, uh! Medium vanilla latte, please.”
After they collected their drinks, Hinata thanked him and held the precious, hot beverage between her hands in delight. It felt so good, so nice and warm!
Naruto bent closer to talk to her. “You’re cold after all, huh? It’s almost summer, but you’re still wearing a jacket.”
“I am a little chilly,” she admitted. “I think it’s because I was waiting for Tenten outside so long.”
Small wonder that he wasn't cold as well, Hinata mused privately. Naruto had on a bright orange zip-up hoodie – hard to miss, she thought – with a thick, black horizontal stripe through the bottom, along with cropped grey sweatpants and sneakers.
His calves look really toned. I wonder what he does. Student? Already working? If this date goes well, maybe I’ll ask…
She gave a start and nearly shook herself.
Wait, this isn’t a date!
They approached the ticket taker, and Hinata handed her drink to Naruto while she dug into her pockets for their tickets. Tickets ripped and mumbled directions to the appropriate theatre received, Naruto continued.
“So, who's Tenten? Your boyfriend?”
“Tenten is a girl,” Hinata corrected as they walked into the theatre. The house lights were still up.
Naruto nodded. “So, is Tenten your girlfriend?” he asked. All Hinata could do was laugh. “What? I’m asking the real questions here!” He protested with a grin.
“No, you’re right, but we’re not dating. I already said I didn’t get stood up, didn’t? I-I’m single,” she clarified with just a touch of embarrassment. “Um, I think our seats are over here.” She pointed to the rows of double seats on the right side of the theatre. She scanned the seats for Sakura and Ino, but was surprised to find that she couldn’t spot them, not even with Sakura’s distinctive hair. She hoped he didn't ask how long she'd been single for.
Not sure if I'm up to admit I've been single my whole life, she thought ruefully.
“Single, huh?” Naruto repeated as they climbed the stairs to their seats. “Me, too.”
“Mm, is that right?” Hinata tried to keep her voice noncommittal and ignored the pounding of her heart. She got so caught up in finding their seats that she barely registered Naruto’s comment that he couldn’t find his friends Shikamaru or Choji in the audience.
Once all belongings were shuffled around, cups deposited in their respective cupholders, and they were settled in, Hinata quickly found herself shivering in her seat. The A/C was on full blast despite the cool weather outside.
It’s only May! She thought miserably. Can’t they at least wait until June before turning it on?
She rubbed her hands over her arms. She was wishing she’d worn a thicker jacket, or at least a thicker dress than the knee-length one she had on underneath. Before leaving, she was tempted to tug on a fancy pair of shoes, but opted for her runners instead; she was glad for that choice at least. That said, it was true that her jacket was a bit thin, and she wasn’t wearing socks…
Hinata squirmed further back into her seat in a useless attempt to absorb more heat. She crossed her legs and tucked them under her chair, cupping her still hot coffee preciously.
“Are you still cold?”
She nearly jumped in her chair. His voice is so close! “Um, a bit, but it’s okay! You bought me coffee.” She held it up as if to say, ‘See? I’m fine!’
“Hm.” Naruto leaned even closer to her and spoke in a low tone, so only she could hear him. “You know, there’s no reason to be so scared of me. I won’t bite ya.”
Please bite me, a small part of her whispered. She mentally swatted the thought away and rushed to clarify herself. “I’m not scared! You're really nice! I’m just not used to…” she waved a hand vaguely. “…You know, this.”
Naruto fixed her with a look and raised his eyebrows. “What is…you know, this?” he asked, repeating her hand gesture. She giggled in spite of herself.
“You know,” she repeated once again with emphasis, avoiding his eyes, “d-dating.”
Naruto made an appreciative sound. “Ah. Gotcha. Well,” he grinned cheekily, “maybe I’ll help you get used to it.”
"Geez!" Hinata replied, eliciting a laugh from her seatmate. The house lights dimmed, masking the flare up on her cheeks, and Hinata slumped in her seat as the previews rolled. Saved from an answer. She had no idea how she’d get through two hours beside him with her heart intact.
It was true that she wasn’t accustomed to dating. She never paid much attention to anyone romantically before, and if anyone was romantically interested in her, they never made it apparent. Her classwork was important to her, and Hinata poured everything she had into it. Dating just sort of got put on the back burner. Sure, she thought she’d come around to it someday, but she had to admit, she never pictured anything quite like this happening…
“Hey.”
Hinata straightened up with a start. His voice, soft and low, was right next to her ear, dangerously intimate. Naruto’s bicep pressed against hers and his arm occupied their shared armrest; he nearly glowed with warmth.
“So, are you gonna eat those or what? I can smell 'em from here,” Naruto whispered as he pointed at her backpack, safely tucked between her feet.
Oh my god, the cinnamon rolls!
He gave a small laugh at the look on her face. “I knew you had them in your bag from the start. It’s okay, I’ll help you eat ‘em.”
Naruto winked.
Heart, please calm down.
She unzipped her bag during an especially noisy preview, opened the packaging as quietly as possible, and handed him a particularly sticky cinnamon roll along with a couple napkins; she’d stuffed a whole bunch at the very top of her bag for easy access.
“Mm, thanks.”
Naruto took the cinnamon roll and napkins from her. Fingers from both of his hands touched her own. When he pulled away, one hand came back sticky with sugar, and the other clean with napkins. Hinata could see so quite clearly.
She also very clearly watched as Naruto licked off the fingers from both of his hands.
Turning red as a tomato, Hinata picked up a roll of her own to delicately devour as the previews continued to roll on. She was halfway through it when she realized Naruto was staring at her.
“Um, do I have some on my face?” she whispered.
“Yeah, ya do,” he drawled. Naruto gently wiped his thumb against the corner of her mouth, then licked the icing off of his thumb.
Hinata wanted to pass out.
Instead, she stammered out a thank you as the lights dimmed even further; the movie chose that moment to begin. The two settled into their seats quietly.
Barely thirty uneventful minutes into the movie, Hinata found herself regretting that she hadn’t voiced an opinion about which movie to see.
This is dreadful. She frowned at the screen and sipped on the last of her still warm drink. When does it get scary?
After another ten-odd minutes of what she supposed was supposed to be tension, Hinata began to wonder if it was just one of those movies that aren’t supposed to be scary. Ghosts weren't particularly that scary after all. She turned her head to say something to Naruto when she noticed his grip on the armrest.
No, she thought. It can’t be.
Her eyes flickered up to his face. His mouth was set tight, drawn so thin his lips nearly disappeared, and Naruto had a fierce frown between his eyes, but they were hardly open. He was actually grimacing!
Is he weak to ghosts? This guy?
A giggle nearly escaped her, and she quickly turned her head back towards the screen. She was chiding herself for laughing at his obvious discomfort when a piercing scream came from the heroine on screen, and she jumped a mile in her seat.
He shifted closer to her.
Oh, no. Does he think I’m scared? Now she really wanted to laugh. It was true that she jumped, but that was a cheap shot! Anyone would have. That's so cute though, she thought. Maybe I'll let him think I'm scared, too.
Hinata took another peek at his face. One look at the firm clench in his jaw and the squint in his eyes - could he even see the movie? - said it all.
He’s really scared!
Oh no, nonono. That’s way too cute. So he’s scared of ghosts? He looks like such a tough guy! She could feel laughter bubbling up inside her. Oh my god, do not laugh.
A small sound escaped her lips, and she clapped both hands over her mouth.
In the very same instant, another cheap jump scare appeared on screen.
Naruto leaned over to whisper to her. “Are you okay?” He held his hand out. “You can hold on to me if you want.”
He misunderstood!!
Her heart leapt into her throat.
But…isn’t this a good chance? Her mind reasoned. After all, she did want to hold his hand. What was wrong with treating this like a date, anyway? He was doing it, too. I'm gonna go for it, Hinata thought, determined. She turned her huge, pale eyes towards him. “Is it really okay?” she whispered.
To her surprise, his cheeks turned red. “Y-Yeah, of course!” he reassured her, perhaps a little too loudly. A voice behind them shushed them for talking, and Naruto grumbled behind them in response.
“Nevermind them,” Hinata whispered. “H-Here.” She leaned into him, her long hair cascading over his arm, and gently placed her hand in his.
He squeezed her hand. The heat immediately radiated into her cool fingers, and left her feeling invigorated. Naruto rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand…and suddenly let go.
Hinata sagged in disappointed, but he began to fidget beside her after withdrawing his hand. She tried to focus on the movie when he draped his hoodie around her shoulders.
“Wear it. You’re freezing, and I’m warm,” he whispered; his lips were so close they brushed the shell of her ear. Although he pulled back again, Naruto didn’t slide all the way back in his seat, and he kept one arm around her shoulders. The back of her head rest against his arm like a pillow.
She decided to be bold.
She held her hand out on their shared armrest, palm facing up.
Naruto looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Here," she repeated in a whisper.
He leaned closer and covered her hand with his free hand. Hinata laced her fingers through his, and squealed inside when he did the same.
There’s no way another date will ever top this, she thought dreamily. Hinata tugged his hoodie over her thin jacket with her other hand and snuggled into its warmth. Although next time, it would be nice if the movie was good.
Sure enough, the movie continued to disappoint Hinata although her seatmate appeared to repeatedly struggle with the content. Naruto jumped, gasped, and tensed during the rest of the movie, and Hinata would’ve found it funny! She really would have. It would’ve been funny, that is, if Naruto didn’t press closer whenever he got scared. Or tighten his grip on her shoulder. Or stroke circle patterns on her skin with his thumb…
Although she repeatedly felt the urge to snuggle into the heat of his torso, the rational part of her mind was mortified by the idea of doing so to a stranger.
Still, Hinata mused, he doesn't feel like a stranger. Earlier, when Naruto asked if they'd met before, Hinata had completely dismissed it, but as the date went on, she wasn't so sure. There was something familiar about his looks, his warmth, and even, she admitted to herself with a touch of embarrassment, his smell. Not to mention there was some quality of his that she couldn't quite pin down which drew her to him.
She tried to remind herself that this man is a complete stranger. She argued that he might just be faking nice to take advantage of her, and here she was, falling right into his trap.
But, try as she might, Hinata couldn’t convince herself. Could you really fake the genuine warmth that radiated from him so readily? She supposed it might be possible, but she reasoned that she could probably keep this date? non-date? unplanned date? as a nice memory.
Still...
Hinata couldn't deny she felt the pull to see him again. She squeezed his hand.
He squeezed back.
I wish we could stay like this a little longer.
She could clearly see the movie bringing itself to a close, so she knew their time together would be over soon enough. Hinata turned her attention back to the screen just in time to see the credits roll.
“Eh? It’s already over?” She got so caught up in her thoughts, she missed it!
“Whaddaya mean, already?” Naruto detached himself from her with a mock glare. “I’ve been waiting for this thing to put me outta my misery for the last half hour!”
She raised her eyebrows and attempted to hide at grin. “Naruto-kun, is it possible you’re weak towards ghosts?”
“No! Maybe! Just a little!”
Hinata let out a laugh at his contradictory statements. "Right, how could a big, strong guy like you be scared of a little ghost?" she teased.
"Ooh, what's that? A big what now? Me?" Naruto placed a hand on his chest in mock surprise as he turned the tide of teasing back to her tenfold. "Why, Hinata, I had no idea you were looking at me like that."
"I--! Oh, you know how I meant it!"
"Hm, I don't think I do. Mind explaining it to me? I'm slow, so you better explain care-ful-ly."
"I just mean...y-you're tall and muscular. Geez," Hinata murmured, "you're kinda mean, Naruto-kun."
"Ehe. Maybe just a bit. You get pretty cute when you're flustered."
"Wha-! I am not!"
Naruto laughed, obviously pleased with her reaction, while Hinata hid her blush by removing his hoodie. She quite pointlessly folded it neatly in half and handed it back to him with a thank you. As Naruto slipped his hoodie back on, he conceded that he may, in fact, possibly be just a little bit scared of ghosts. Hinata replied that she never would've guessed as she absentmindedly pulled out her phone to turn her notifications back on…
..and found a slew of texts from Sakura.
She didn’t want to be rude, so she only glanced at them quickly. She wasn’t surprised to read that Ino and Sakura missed the movie after all because Ino felt sick. The two girls ended up in the diner across the street – the one with the nice bathroom, Sakura added, so Hinata assumed there was some kind of, ah, tummy trouble – where they were now waiting for Hinata. The texts assumed she’d watched the movie alone.
Hinata replied with a salacious “you’ll never believe what just happened to me,” followed with another message telling them she was on her way.
“So, I don’t really feel like I’ve paid you back for this ticket, y’know.”
After she pressed send, Hinata looked up at Naruto. They still hadn’t moved from their seats.
“I think you’ve done more than enough to earn it, though,” she said shyly.
“Well, I disagree. How about I take you to dinner?”
“Eh!” No way, was he asking her out? Her mind raced. “Dinner? When?” she squeaked.
“Hm, how about right now?”
The grin on his face scrunched the whiskered markings on his cheeks.
Cute.
“I’ve already got plans, actually,” she said ruefully.
“No problem. Tomorrow?”
She laughed. “Isn’t that a little soon?”
“Is it? I wanna know more about you already." He paused. "Like, on a real date. On purpose."
She flushed at his sincerity.
“I'd really like that.” Hinata tilted her head to the side. “It will be hard to top this, though,” she added quietly.
“No way, it’ll be even better than today. I’ll definitely make you fall for me!” Naruto grinned.
Hinata swatted his arm playfully and he laughed. They collected their belongings (namely, Hinata’s remaining cinnamon rolls and backpack), and exited the theatre.
The clear, black sky sparkled with stars above them. Hinata was shocked to find it cold outside, but she thought with a twinge that it might be due to the loss of Naruto’s warmth.
“Can I drive you home? Or to a bus station? Let me do something,” Naruto pleaded.
Hinata shook her head. “I'm sorry, I would, but I don’t need a ride. I’m about to meet friends at The Mercury.” She pointed at the glowing neon diner across the street.
Naruto mimicked her pointing. "That one right there, huh? Can I walk you?"
Hinata nodded with a smile. “I'd like that.”
“Great.” The two began the walk over together. Hinata was worried she wouldn’t have anything to say, but Naruto easily kept the conversation alive. She found him interesting to listen to, albeit a little outside her own reality.
“…so, I’m standing in the bathtub, ankle deep in water and frogs, when the doorbell goes. I’m like, do I yell that I can’t come to the door, or hope they go away? And that’s when I remembered it was probably the crickets I’d been waiting for, so I couldn’t ignore it.” He paused. “Is this hard to follow?”
“Maybe just a little bit. Why were the frogs in the tub?”
“I needed them all in one spot.”
“That’s fair. What did you say you do again?”
“Field research assistant."
"Wow, sounds hard," Hinata said in complete seriousness. It sounded meaningful.
"Nah, they’re fancy words for 'plays with frogs.'" Hinata laughed and he grinned before continuing on. "And actually, the tub turned out to be a horrible idea, but I think I’d better save that for another time. I don’t wanna keep you from your friends.” Naruto stopped and looked up at the blazing neon sign for The Mercury diner then back down at her. “Here we are.”
“Here we are,” she echoed. They stood together in silence. Hinata clasped her hands in front of her; her ’goodbye’ stuck firmly in her throat. She wasn't quite ready to part.
“Hey, so….I know this date wasn’t exactly planned, but I do really wanna see you again.”
Her head snapped up. Naruto wasn’t looking at her, but off to the side. She even thought she could see a faint blush across his face. Hinata stared at him and wondered if he could possibly feel the same pull that she did.
“M-Me, too. You're a lot of fun.”
His face split into a huge grin. She loved it. Every single grin he shot her way tonight was even better than the last. A smile was never far from his lips, and they warmed her from the tip to tail. Naruto held his phone out, and she nodded, pulling out her own phone. After the ritual of exchanging numbers, he spoke, his voice low and his words cautious.
“So, I’ll see you soon?” he prodded.
“Anytime," Hinata said breathlessly. "I mean, just text me. I'm looking forward to it.” She tucked a loose hair behind her ear.
Naruto smiled back at her. His gaze had gone tender, half lidded, but focused entirely on her face. “Sure. I definitely will.” He took a step forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Night, Hinata.”
“G-Goodnight!” she stammered. The fleeting sweetness of the kiss left her stunned. If she concentrated, she could still feel the brush of his lips. Her fingertips tapped the skin where they touched. She turned abruptly, walked up to the diner door, and hastily pulled it open. Behind her, Hinata heard his retreating footsteps suddenly stop.
“See ya! Hinata!” Naruto called out from behind her.
When she turned to look at him, he was already gone. Hinata turned back into the diner. For once, she had a lot to say to Ino and Sakura!
Meanwhile, already seated inside, the two women wore nearly identical expressions of shock. Ino snapped out of it first and gave a still frozen Sakura a sidelong glance.
“Did you think this was gonna go so well?”
“I did not think it was going to go this well, no,” Sakura instantly replied, mouth still slightly agape. “I did just see him kiss her, right?”
“Yeeeeep. Didn’t expect that either.” Ino noticed Sakura waving at someone outside and looked. Naruto had spotted them through the window on his way back, and was giving them both a very surprised wave. Ino returned his wave and looked back at Sakura. “Shit, are we busted? Do we tell her?”
“I doubt it. Besides, even he doesn’t know about it, right?” Sakura cast a sideways glance at Ino. “Shikamaru set him up, didn’t he? Well, anyway. Maybe she’ll find out, um, organically. Heeeey, Hinata!” She called out as a flushed, smiling Hinata approached the table. Sakura felt reassured by the happy look on her face.
“You guys will never guess what just happened to me,” Hinata said as she slid on the diner bench.
Sakura couldn’t help smiling.
“Tell me everything.”