Chapter Text
Day 1: Beginnings & Ends
Sasuke walked up to the door and noticed there was a sign on the outside of the window:
BE BACK SOON – CLOSED FOR LUNCH
He hesitated at the door, but pushed it open anyways, while holding tightly to a bag. The store was full of shelves and pillars that spread across the center of the floor, full of ceramic art. He noticed that the colors of most of the work were done in light pastels and neutrals, but occasionally he would see a splash of color, as though her mood changed with each creation. Sasuke wondered if the artist herself used color when she was most happy or sad—
“I’m back here!” a soft voice pulled Sasuke from his thoughts.
Sasuke let go of a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and switched the bag from one hand to another, before finding his way to the open doorway behind the register.
Hinata was looking down, marking down something in what looked like an accounting book.
“Sorry, I’m not Naruto. He couldn’t actually make it.”
Hinata jolted with surprise as she heard Sasuke’s voice and raised a hand to her chest, “Oh Sasuke, I-I’m so sorry.”
Sasuke quickly shook his head, “It’s my fault—"
“No,” Hinata said, pulling her phone to her face to check her messages. “Naruto did mention something, I was just so busy with this, that I didn’t check...”
“It happens, you were working after all…,” Sasuke mumbled, rubbing the back of his head a bit abashedly. “Ah, I was asked to bring this. I think he means for it to be a peace offering.”
Hinata took the bag and opened it to reveal a cinnamon bun. It was still warm and apparently Sasuke had lived near the bakery she loved most, which is how Naruto came to beg him to bring it to Hinata. He mentioned something about a last-minute lunch meeting and sent money to Sasuke before he could even respond.
Still, he was curious about Hinata. She had been dating Naruto for the last five years. Naruto asked her out when they were graduating from college, from what Sasuke remembered, but he had been traveling too much to really get to know Hinata.
Hinata was always a background character in his life. They knew each other from the beginning of school, having been in each other’s class since kindergarten. Their parents had respectful partnerships when it came to their businesses, so Sasuke would occasionally see her outside of school. They would typically go to the same friend gatherings; someone would invite Sasuke and someone else would invite Hinata and that’s just how it went.
Naruto would occasionally talk about her over the phone and Sakura would send him pictures if they ever did anything fun, so Sasuke knew that she was a constant.
Sasuke never would have expected her to open a ceramic business, though. He remembered hearing about her doing art, from his brother Itachi of all people, but he didn’t realize she was this serious about it. Her family was full of lawyers, which wasn’t exactly similar.
It made him very curious indeed.
“Thank you,” she smiled at him, but he noticed that the smile didn’t quite reach her pale eyes.
“I wanted to congratulate you for opening the shop,” Sasuke said, switching topics with ease. “I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been.”
Hinata smiled politely at that, “Thank you.”
She moved to close the lid on the cinnamon bun, before looking back up at him. “Would you like a tour?”
“Sure,” he shrugged, following her to the door on the other side of the room. Hinata opened it and turned on a light, showing the basement. He could smell the burning of the kiln and the earthy smell of clay.
“Down here is where I make everything,” Hinata explained as they walked down the stairs. “I was thankful that I found a place that allowed me to have a kiln. It took awhile trying to find the right area in Konoha, but I think I really lucked out.
Sasuke hummed in agreement, “Yes, this is an excellent area. There’s a lot of people who come here for artisan goods. Have you heard about the Farmers Markets? I think they’re every Sunday morning, but I can’t be sure.”
“I just noticed them,” Hinata smiled, “I was invited to participate, but I’m not sure yet.”
“It would be a good way to build your brand,” Sasuke suggested, taking a look at the shelves full of pottery that wasn’t quite put in the kiln yet.
“Ah, that’s stuff I’ve been working on. I might not put all of it out, because sometimes things don’t come out how I want after I put them in the kiln.”
“How often does that happen?” Sasuke asked, intrigued by the idea of these pieces looking completely different once they’ve been in the kiln.
“Not often, but it depends on a number of factors.
Sasuke hummed, “How often do you work on your art?”
“Mostly in the mornings, but there are nights when I come down here if inspiration hits. I just try not to burn myself out, but sometimes I like the motions of creating something, even if it’s just small dishes. That’s why I settled on a ceramic shop, because it was easier for me to create this type of art.”
Sasuke nodded, completely understanding what she meant by that. That’ s how he felt about his writing.
“What’s your favorite type of art then?”
Hinata looked at him, a bit taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you said it’s easier to create ceramics, but that doesn’t mean it’s what you love doing the most. Naruto said that you graduated from art school but didn’t really clarify your emphasis.”
Hinata hummed at that, “I actually quite like working with oils, but I also dabble with digital art.” Her face turned to look at him, “You know, you’re actually quite perceptive, Sasuke.”
Sasuke shrugged it off, regardless of how right she was. It was one of his curses, according to Itachi. Sasuke had gone to a dark place when their parents died in an accident, back in high school. His big brother allowed him to go anywhere for college and so he took him up on it and went as far away as he possibly good. He met new people and learned to watch them carefully. Itachi was good about giving him space but reminding him that he was still his brother and only guardian. Sasuke traveled to his heart’s content and found himself always coming home to Itachi.
It wasn’t until recently, when Itachi announced that he was going to marry his longtime boyfriend that Sasuke realized he wanted to be back in Konoha. He loved to travel, but he knew deep down that he wanted to settle in the city where his family and friends were settled.
So, now he was casually getting by. He was applying for jobs, but Itachi never pressured him about finding one or even joining the family business.
“I have different types of clay,” Hinata moved to the end wall, where various types of clay sat. He noticed buckets of different glazes as well.
“You’ve got quite the selection,” Sasuke commented and noticed Hinata smiling widely.
“My father became more supportive of me once I earned awards on my art,” Hinata explained with a blush, “He realized that perhaps my strong suit isn’t quite arguing in a courtroom but creating things with my hands. It’s thanks to his, uh, generous investment that I am able to explore with a lot of different materials.”
“Itachi gets the same way, so I completely understand. In fact, he’s worse. I mentioned to him that I was interested learning how to do origami and the next day I was sent boxes of origami paper to use for practice.”
Hinata laughed at that, “Oh, I actually have made an origami figure. I can show you upstairs.”
Sasuke followed along and she showed him the main floor. There was an area full of small figurines she’d done, painted with care. The origami figure looked like a crane, done in a light yellow. Bigger pieces were on pillars spread across the gallery. There were vases big enough to hold plants and trinket trays for jewelry. She had an area with dishware, mugs, and bowls of all sizes to choose from.
There was one mug that Sasuke noticed that was a rich navy color. As he pulled it up and closer to him, he realized that it was specked with bits of a deep red. The inside itself was red and was hidden from the rest of the world.
“How much is this?”
“Oh, I can give you the friend discount—”
Sasuke frowned, “No, I’m going to pay the full price.”
Hinata shook her head, but Sasuke insisted.
“It’s $80.”
Sasuke looked at her before shaking his head, pulling out a larger bill. “You undersell yourself, Hinata.”
Hinata blushes a deep crimson and Sasuke recognizes the action. It was one he saw often, back when they were in school. Mostly from her talking to Naruto.
Naruto didn’t give many details about how he and Hinata finally got together, but Sasuke knew that his friend had been with her long enough to understand why. Hinata was clearly very talented, and she was generous to her friends and family.
“Let me wrap it in paper for you,” Hinata said, reaching out. He watched her take the mug to the register and pull out some paper to keep it from getting harmed. She wrapped it delicately and placed it in a bag that was stamped with the logo of her gallery.
“Here you go,” she smiles, handing him the bag. “I truly appreciate your business…and also bringing the cinnamon bun. I know that Naruto has been busy lately. Have you been able to see him since you got back?”
Sasuke rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, we’ve had dinner quite a few times this week.”
Hinata’s eyes got big and then Sasuke realized that she didn’t know that. He instantly felt guilty and knew he would have to speak about it with Naruto later. “He also mentioned that you were pretty busy…with the new store and everything.”
Hinata nodded, “I suppose you’re right…and I do have to feed my cat after dinner, I guess.”
“Ah,” Sasuke said, “How far away do you live?”
“Just upstairs,” Hinata said, looking down at her fingers. Sasuke felt another heavy weight in his stomach.
“I guess Naruto does live and work on the other side of the city, plus works weird hours,” Sasuke tried, but felt like he was failing miserably. This is exactly why he didn’t typically engage in conversation, even though Hinata was doing a great job at not blaming anyone but herself.
“Yes,” Hinata said, but her mind looked far away. “Thank you for dropping off the treat. I suppose I should eat the rest of my lunch now.”
Sasuke knew it was an invitation to leave, but he hesitated.
“I live around this area too,” he began, “There’s this really delicious sandwich shop a couple blocks away. Have you tried it yet?”
Hinata shook her head, “I haven’t really left during my lunch.”
“Well,” Sasuke continued on, not quite wanting to give up. “Isn’t making up your own hours part of the perks of being your own boss? Plus, we haven’t had the chance to catch up.”
Hinata was graceful enough not to mention that they had never caught up once in their lives. Sasuke and Hinata orbited one another from their connections through family and friends. In this moment, Sasuke felt as though they had finally collided. He truly did want to talk to her, get to know her a bit. Who was Hinata Hyuuga and why did his best friend enjoy dating him? Why did Itachi praise her, and Sakura savor her company? Hinata Hyuuga was the wallflower, but now he found himself staring directly at her.
After some consideration, Hinata looked at the time on the wall before nodding her head. “Yes, I guess I can go to lunch. Let me just put up a closed sign.”
Sasuke waited patiently outside before she joined him.
It wasn’t until later that night, soon after Sasuke had come home from dinner at Itachi and Kisame’s condo, that he noticed he had a missed call from Naruto along with a text.
Naruto: Hinata broke up with me