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Naruto prides himself in being observant. No, shut up, he is. He’s always realized when something’s going on with the people around him. So what if he’s not very aware of things going on with him? Or that directly involve him? It’s not like Hinata was very explicit about her affections towards him. And, okay, maybe he was too focused on Sakura finally saying yes to him that he didn’t realize he was hurting her… Again, he’s not very aware of things that involve him.
But!
But! He can see when other people go through stuff, it’s his gift. And he sees Sasuke. For all the brooding and the posturing, Sasuke actually knows how to care about people, and at this moment, in the way he’s holding Hinata… Well, Naruto can safely say that Sasuke cares about her. He just doesn’t know the extent of it yet.
*
So, he starts paying much more attention to them. He goes to visit them when he knows Hinata is going to be there, and Sasuke may think that he’s been subtle, but he really, really isn’t. The way he lingers around her when she’s in the kitchen, touching her hair, her arms, her shoulders… yeah. Naruto is ready to tease him once he comes back to the living room. But then he catches the way he looks at her, with exasperated fondness at how she blushes for something he said, like she hangs the moon and maybe Naruto doesn’t want to screw that just yet.
*
When she goes away to visit her father, Sasuke and him go with her to the train station to say their respective goodbyes. Naruto doesn’t find it awkward that she just gives him a hand wave and a thanks, but he’s very observant when she sneaks herself in between Sasuke’s arms and rests her head on his shoulder, eyes closed. They stay like that for two full minutes – Naruto counted them – and then she’s waving again and saying goodbye. Sasuke sighs and waits until the train leaves the station.
Naruto side-eyes the hell out of him but does not say anything at all.
*
In the weeks that Hinata spends out of town, Naruto visits Sasuke almost every day, when Sakura is at work. It comes to a point where he doesn’t even knock on the door anymore, he just barges in. Naruto knows that Hinata has been back for a week and a half, he knows it because the apartment is clean again, but he hasn’t been able to see her yet. After a party Ino organized at her place, Naruto goes over with three bags full of greasy, greasy burgers. He opens the door, making a lot of noise as he does so, and then promptly stops.
Hinata has her arms around Sasuke’s back, and Sasuke’s hands are holding Hinata’s face, both of them have their eyes closed and their foreheads are touching. Naruto is speechless. But only for a minute. He clears his throat and they jump apart, both going through different reactions: scared, embarrassed, angry on Sasuke’s part.
“Who’s ready for some hangover-cure burgers?”