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Hinata hated group projects.
Her only real friends were not in her class, them being separated since sixth grade. Every time any teacher suggested a group project, she would always try to find a way around it, argument that no one else shared the vision she wanted to take, or that everyone already formed groups and she was left out.
Some times it worked, some times she was put in any random group of friends that didn't really want her there, and would either give her a simple, stupid task so she would not interfere much or have her to the whole assignment by herself. She didn't mind either way, she just wanted to be done with it. She hated being put in large groups of people and having to present to a whole class.
So when the art teacher announced an art project as the final assignment of the year, she was relieved for a millisecond, thinking she could get away for at least one semester, having no other group projects left, until he announced:
"This a duo project, that will be presented at the fair and, before you all make those faces, there will be food, a party and prizes for the best projects. Please pick a partner and write your names together on the paper on my desk. Take your time to decide while I write the instructions on the board."
She felt her stomach drop, and she started fidgeting immediately.
This was obviously worse. A group project at least had shared attention, and people usually just cast her aside anyway. But a duo? There was nowhere to run.
She could already feel the anxiety growing, her heartbeat picking up, eyes scanning the room with a bunch of excited students over each other's desks. She counted the number of students again; 28. An even number. There was nowhere to run.
"What? How could you pick Shikamaru over your best friend?" Her eyes followed the high pinched indignant tone of Naruto Uzumaki, standing over an unbothered Sasuke Uchiha, who just keep writing on his notebook.
"You're not my best friend. And you were a disaster in our last project." Sasuke made sure to look him in the eyes for that line.
"Me? You were the ones picking on me the whole time, that's why we took so long– but we got an A anyway! Wait, what the hell? Of course I'm your best friend, you bastard!" Naruto put both his hands on Sasuke's desk, making the pen jump from the boy's hand, and the desk tremble violently.
Sasuke had a menacing look on his face, and Hinata was starting to worry before Mr. Umino stepped between the two.
"Naruto, enough of that. No screaming in my class." He held Naruto by the collar of his shirt, as if he was a wild cat, and for a second Hinata couldn't hold back a chuckle. The class was a little silent, so the noise was louder than she intended it to be, and Naruto locked eyes with her.
She froze, breath catching, mouth opening in an attempt to explain there was no malice in her laughter, but brain holding her back from using her voice and embarrassing her self with her uncontrollable stutter.
Surprisingly, Naruto smiled back at her.
The moment seemed to last forever, but then Naruto sat down and showed Sasuke the finger, then turned back to chat with some other friends as if he hadn't just made a lightning bolt go through Hinata, and left her paralyzed in her seat, probably looking stupid.
She held her hands next to her stomach, pressing her palms together, wondering about what to do.
With the positive reaction from Naruto, she felt inclined to ask if he wanted to do the project with her.
Problem is, apart from her usual shyness, she had a crush on Naruto since forever. And all that time, she could barely say more than "Good morning", "Bye, see you later" or "Good job". He once told her he found her a little weird, but that she was also cool. She weighed both words on her mind constantly, trying to make up something about herself.
Since last year, she started seeing a therapist, without her father knowing. Her aunt, Nana, would take her to her house on the weekends and then take her to the therapist office on saturday morning. It was helping her with building confidence, controlling her stutter and anxiety, creating plans for a future away from her father. She felt like she was moving for the first time in her life. Growing to be the person she wanted, instead of being molded by her father's expectations.
But was she already that person, the very best version of herself?
Could she do something so insignificant and yet so grand as stand there and ask the boy she liked to be her partner in a project he probably wasn't worrying about as much as her?
Would she be weird or cool in his eyes?
She stood up fast, fists clenched at either side of her body, moving towards him like the world was in slow motion.
She kept rehearsing the words in her head, breathing in patterns like her psychologist tough her.
When she saw herself standing in front of him, while he had his body turned to chat with someone else, she spoke before she could lose her sudden courage.
"Naruto-kun." She breathed out.
He turned, eyes going up to stare at her. Soon enough, that same playful smile was back on his face.
"Hi, Hinata! What's up?"
She blinked once, twice, and started feeling uneasy. She had suddenly lost the words she rehearsed. She could feel his friends staring at her.
"Are you okay? Your face is getting red." Naruto tilted his head at her, eyebrows furrowed. She felt the urge to run, suddenly feeling ridiculous standing there.
"I...I'm fine. I just..."
"Come on, sit down. You look like you're going to pass out." He got up and quickly grabbed her pulse, maneuvering her so she was sitting on the chair he had been sitting. He sat down on his desk, standing tall above her. "Feeling better? Do you want some water?"
She shook her head. Once she realized she was staring at his eyes too intensity, she averted her gaze and realized it was easier to think while not looking at him.
"I'm fine, thank you, Naruto-kun." She was back at twisting her fingers, under the table he was sitting on. "I was...Just wondering if you wanted to be my partner for the art project. If you don't have anyone in mind, that is, of course—"
"You want to be my partner for the project?" He asked, a little too loud, throwing his body towards her until he bended enough for her to feel his breath against her neck. Her eyes widened a little at the invasion of her personal space, and she knew her face was heating up.
"Y-yes?"
"Like, for real? You want to do this project with me?" He was now fighting a smile, his eyes squinting at her.
"I do." She nodded, not knowing how to interpret his behavior.
"Yes!" He cheered. "You're like, super smart and talented. And I already have some ideas. We're definitely winning first place."
"Oh...Thank you so much." She pressed her hands against her chest, feeling moved by his words. She knew she was smart, or rather, she studied enough to have good results, but knowing he noticed her efforts meant a lot to her. "You're very smart too, Naruto-kun. I think we'll make a good team." She offered a small smile, very restrained and singular in comparison to his big, all teeth, smiles. He seemed pleased enough, though.
"You might be the only person in the world to think that." He laughed it off.
"Ah...But you are. Your projects are always very creative a-and you speak very well."
He stared at her for a while, biting his cheek. Then he shook his head, and threw his arms behind his neck, in his usual laid-back posture.
"So, do you want to go to my house this weekend? My foster parents don't mind."
She felt a little tingle at the implication of spending time with him for the first time since they knew each other, and had to ground herself on the fact it was all over a school assignment.
"Hm, if it's okay with you, I would rather if we went to my house. My dad...My dad is a little strict." She hugged her midsection, immediately feeling uncomfortable at the dad talk.
"Hm. Will it really be better for me to go there, though? Your dad is quite scary, I've seen him at events. Will he order to kill me if I like, cough at your house or something." He seemed actually very worried, having moved his hands to his tights and staring at the distance.
"Oh, he...He won't be there. He's been traveling for some weeks. My aunt will watch us, she's...She's very cool and...open-minded." She cringed at herself by her own description. But again, he just laughed.
"Okay, then. Your castle it is." He got up after sliding off the table and stared at the board. "'The heart of Konoha'....Create a piece that connects us to what represent our country's beauty...Blah, blah, blah. Mr. Umino is so pretentious." He tried whispering only for her to hear, but he was never the best at controlling his tone.
"Heard that, Naruto." Mr. Umino commented from his chair, not lifting his gaze from his paper. "You better work hard to impress my pretentious self."
"Yes, sir!"
Hinata giggled, and when Naruto looked back at her smiling, she felt silly for spending years being nervous to talk to him.
Nothing had ever been as easy for her as loving that boy.