Kapitel 29: Chapter 29
-Hinata's POV-
It's warm. That's the first thought I had when I woke in the morning.
Last night's memories returned over the course of a minute or two and it became apparent that the warmth under my fingertips was coming from Kiba's skin. For a moment, I was too scared to open my eyes, but knew I shouldn't be.
My eyes opened and I was stunned further when they landed on bare abdominal muscles, my palm pressed flat against them. His hand was resting near mine. The comfortable warmth I was feeling abruptly became almost unbearably hot.
Worried I'd wake the handsome man I was shamelessly cuddled against, I remained as still as possible for multiple minutes as I watched his stomach rise and fall with each breath. Oh did he smell good, too. It wasn't an overtly artificial scent either.
Once I realized he wasn't moving and was likely still asleep, I hesitantly moved my hand a few inches. The feeling of his firm muscles against my palm made my stomach do weird things. A blazing wave of arousal sank down into my lower regions when I noticed the blanket was strewn messily lower, likely because he'd gotten hot and pushed it off, and his jeans had ridden lower on his hips.
The sound of my heart beating frantically fast pulsed in my ears and I sucked in a breath. Closing my eyes, I slowly let it go and tried to regain control of my emotions and body. As I exhaled, the muscles under my hand flexed slightly. I reopened my eyes to see Kiba's hand move on top of mine, fingers interlacing.
My eyes were wide and my breaths were short and quick as panic started to set in. Has he been awake this entire time? I was too anxious to move back so I could look up at his face.
"Just breathe, it's alright." His voice was deeper than usual since we'd only just woken up.
Humiliated, I squeezed my eyes tightly closed and pressed my forehead against his side. It was only then that I realized his arm was around me because he calmly pulled me more firmly against him. Multiple minutes passed before I finally managed to stave off the panic attack that'd threatened to disable me.
"I'm sorry."
His fingers released my hand and instead he pressed his entire palm against it, "Don't apologize. I should be thanking you for sharing your bed." It was silent between us for a moment while I continued to feel his torso move as he breathed.
"About last night, I hope I didn't accidentally take advantage of you being drunk."
I made a negating sound, opening my eyes to study the gill-like muscles that ran down his side where his ribs were, "I-I normally can't do things like that so easily, but I don't regret it."
Kiba grabbed my hand from his stomach and pulled it up to press his lips into my palm before holding it to his cheek as he let out a sigh of relief, "You'll be my girlfriend, then? I wanted to ask last night, but…well, you were there. You know what happened."
I finally gathered the courage to look up and his warm eyes moved down to meet my gaze. A frown tugged at my lips, "I-I can't date anyone publicly, Kiba. Please don't force yourself to accept that if you're not happy."
The arm around my waist moved to force me to roll slightly on top of him, earning a small squeak of surprise. He grinned, closing his eyes as he seemed to enjoy being cuddled, "I really don't care about that kind of thing."
My face warmed and I got out my other reservations while I had the chance, wanting him to be completely sure of what he was getting himself into, "A-And I'm super inexperienced. Last night…that's the most…" I trailed off, losing my nerve and burying my face in his chest as I got embarrassed.
He chuckled, "I already know that. We can take things slow." I raised my head slightly and his grin widened, "Anymore warnings?"
A smile tugged at my lips and I let out a small laugh, "No, I think that's all of them."
"Alright then." Kiba moved to sit up and I removed myself from him so he could.
He stretched his arms behind his head as he yawned before running a hand through his hair and shooting me a sheepish grin, "I hate to step out on you so early, but I have to go in for a bit today."
I climbed off the bed as he did the same and watched him tug on the shirt he'd thrown off while sleeping. After putting his shoes on, he pulled me into a hug, "I really did have a great time last night."
I nodded into his shirt, face red, "Me too." Then he opened the door to the room and maneuvered around the few people who'd crashed in on the living room floor before finally leaving the dorm.
Once the front door was closed, I took a step out of my bedroom to survey the room. The thing that caught my attention first and foremost was Neji and Tenten sleeping on the couch. She was completely on top of him, but I could tell she hadn't forced her way there because his arms were wrapped tightly around her.
My mouth fell slack in disbelief. I didn't even know he was here last night!
It was also a bit odd to see him in such an unfamiliar setting and cuddling a woman at that. Of course my cousin's had his share of girlfriends in the past, but he's incredibly strict about public displays of affection and I've never even seen him hold hands with one of them.
My bladder forced me to move on from the shocking sight and I tiptoed around the people on the floor toward the bathroom, peeking into Sakura's room through her open door as I passed. I half-expected to see her cuddling her boyfriend in there, but Ino and her were passed out sloppily on top of the covers, making me bring a hand up to my mouth to stifle a laugh.
Moving on, I entered the bathroom and grabbed a makeup wipe from the counter after seeing my disheveled reflection. I turned to shut the door so I could relieve myself, only to jump in shock when I saw Aiko passed out on the floor in front of the toilet. Its seat was up, meaning she'd likely been vomiting up all the alcohol she'd consumed. She had been noticeably more wasted than everyone else last night.
With a sigh, I removed my makeup, washed my face, brushed my teeth and hair, and begrudgingly headed over to the boys' dorm. No one responded when I lightly knocked and for a moment I thought perhaps they'd been amidst the passed out people in my own room and I'd simply overlooked them, but the door eventually opened to reveal an exhausted looking Sasuke in just a pair of black basketball shorts.
The moment our eyes met, I recalled the stunned expression on his face last night when he walked in on me and Kiba making out. What was worse was the incredibly fake casual response he gave afterwards and now I was feeling quite awkward about it all.
Embarrassed that his bare torso was glaring at me, attractive muscles tempting me to peek, I covered my eyes with a bright red face, "Your girlfriend's p-passed out in our bathroom. C-Can I use yours?"
No verbal response was given and I was forced to peek between my fingers. Sasuke rolled his eyes, looking irritated as he pushed the door open wider for me to pass by. I got the feeling I'd woken him up. My full bladder had me hissing out a quiet thanks before I rushed into the bathroom. When I came back out, the Uchiha man was pouring himself a cup of coffee.
I said my thanks once more, wanting to escape his glare, but he surprised me by grumbling out, "Want some?" My eyes shot up to his and I glanced at the doorknob in my hand before turning to join him at their kitchen island.
He wordlessly handed me the mug in his hand before grabbing another from the cabinet, filling it too, and then coming over to sit next to me. For a couple minutes, we just sat in silence and sipped our coffees in a somehow peaceful manner.
The awkward vibe was beginning to fade, but then he finally broke the silence, "You know she's not my girlfriend."
I looked over at him in surprise before getting a hold on my reactions and nodding, returning my gaze down into my mug, "Y-Yeah, I know." Why did he feel the need to say that to me? And why was I somewhat relieved to hear it?
"Do you have a bruise?" Some sort of confused sound rumbled from my chest because I had no idea what he was talking about. "When she shoved you, did it leave any marks?"
My eyes widened in realization and I turned to look at him again, shaking my head frantically, "N-N-No, I'm fine! She was just too drunk to know what she was doing i-is all." His dark eyes glared at his coffee mug, but he didn't respond. The terrifying look on his face when he got mad at Aiko last night had shook me to the core. If he ever turned that expression onto me, I'm sure I'd faint.
The awkward air returned and I felt inclined to address the elephant in the room, "About last night-"
He made a blunt noise to cut me off, shaking his head with closed eyes, "I don't want to know."
Confusion wracked me because usually Sasuke would be just as excited to hear about a sexual encounter as Ino or Sakura would. Furthermore, I figured he'd be eager to learn if I ruined the atmosphere by being shy or clumsy which was something completely in my nature.
My eyes slid closed and then I was speaking before I could stop myself, "N-Nothing happened, really. We d-didn't…" Why does it feel like I owed the explanation to him? And why does it feel like he wasn't opposed to hearing it?
The dark-haired man shook his head, glancing at me with an unreadable expression, "Why would I need to know that?" If anyone overheard our conversation, he likely sounded like he was being mean, but to me it seemed like he was asking not just me that question, but himself.
We held one another's gaze for a moment before I tore mine away and took a sip of my coffee, "I don't know."
The truth is, I was starting to figure it out. Last night when I realized it was him at my bedroom door was the first time I'd unintentionally allowed myself to see Sasuke as someone other than a friend and colleague. At the time, I was drunk and confused, but I've had time to reflect since then.
For some reason I felt bad that he'd seen us, like it was inconsiderate of me to let such a situation arise in his midst. That wasn't true, obviously. Sasuke sleeps with a different woman each week and while I don't like the unhealthy habit, that's his prerogative. I bet he doesn't get that guilty feeling whenever I meet one of them, either, so I need to get it together and shove those emotions back into their compartment in my brain and lock them up tight.
The Uchiha man is my friend, a close friend at that. Sakura and Gaara even said they think he likes me more than them. Our shared trauma of being raised by corporate powerhouses likely has a lot to do with it, but that's not all there is. Since I came to Evolution, he's gradually become more considerate of my timid nature despite being annoyed by it.
That effort meant a lot to me and I tried to return the favor by accepting him for whichever person he chooses to be, whether it's his true personality or the fake one he more often dawns. He knows that I know he's a big fat liar and it pisses him off, I can tell.
The only thing that I know for sure is that I need to focus all of my sexual feelings towards Kiba. He's a great guy that I'm attracted to and I know he feels the same way for me.
"Good morning, Hinata. Sasuke."
I was pulled from my thoughts as Gaara rounded the corner of the counter to grab a coffee mug. Both of us wordlessly greeted him. He looked awful, for lack of better words. The dark circles around his eyes were thicker than usual and his skin seemed a bit pale.
"Did you get any sleep?" I hesitantly asked.
The poor young man suffers from insomnia and there have been days over the past two months where it'd get bad and he'd end up looking like this. He shook his head before taking a drink and leaning his elbows on the counter. Sakura and I did some research on ways of possibly helping him only to find that most of the techniques for managing it could only be done by Gaara himself. Since he refuses to take any medication for the disorder, we felt it'd be futile to ask him about it.
"You shouldn't drink caffeine." He and Sasuke both looked at me and I felt my cheeks warm, averting my gaze down into my mug, "I-I heard you should avoid it if you…have insomnia…"
It was quiet for a moment before I heard liquid being poured and looked up to see the redhead had turned to empty his mug down the kitchen sink. Then he came around the counter so he could return to his room, laying a hand on my head for a moment as he passed, "You're right."
Blush heated my face and Sasuke looked at me once we heard his roommate's bedroom door close, "He almost got in a fight with Sasori last night. I bet that's why he can't sleep."
My brow furrowed in disbelief, "W-What?" Sasuke and I both aren't the type to gossip, but when it comes to our bandmates, it's a different story. Besides, we only ever talk to each other.
He shrugged, "Don't know why."
We shared a knowing look. If Gaara was picking the fight, he had to have thought Sakura was in trouble. Just like Sasuke and I are a bit closer, he and my pink-haired roommate are kindred flames. Maybe it was because they're dancers and we're singers or perhaps it was something else, I don't know.
With a sigh, I finished my coffee and went into the kitchen to clean the mug I'd used, "My dorm's trashed."
Sasuke scoffed, "I'd make Sakura and Ino clean it if I were you."
I shot him a grin as I dried my hands before wordlessly waving as I headed toward the door so I could return to my own room. He silently returned the gesture, not bothering to turn around.
When I entered, I was surprised to see Sakura was the only person left inside. She was standing in front of the open refrigerator door drinking a bottle of water with a look on her face that told me she seriously regretted partying so hard last night. The girl didn't even glance at me as I headed towards my room so I could change my clothes, but I heard her grumble something about ordering food delivery.
Deciding to just shower since I'd slept without washing my face, I climbed into the steamy water with a relieved sigh. Before I could even grab the shampoo, the door to the bathroom opened and Sakura said in a surprisingly perky voice despite how she'd just appeared moments ago, "I heard Kiba stayed the night! How'd that go?"
A blush and smile rose to my face, "He asked me to be his girlfriend."
Normally that type of news would emit a squeal of excitement from her, but she seemed to be too hungover for such a thing and settled for eagerly congratulating me, "Aw, good for you, Hina! Your first boyfriend!"
The word reminded me of Sasori, her boyfriend, which brought to mind what Sasuke said had happened last night between the man and Gaara. "H-Hey, why'd Sasori and Gaara argue last night?"
There was a long pause and I peeked my head out from behind the curtain to see she looked stunned, "They argued? I don't remember that." I gave her a knowing look, to which she mirrored. Sakura went way overboard with the alcohol last night. "I'll ask Gaara about it later."
After finishing my shower, my roommate took one as well, and then we got to work cleaning the messy dorm with some soft music playing through the same speakers that'd been bumping the night before. It took about an hour to finish up and there was a knock at the door just as I was returning the vacuum to its designated spot in the storage closet in the bathroom. Sakura answered it and when I came back into the family room I saw that she'd ordered breakfast and had it delivered.
We sprawled out on the living room floor with our song idea notebooks and she passed me a bagel sandwich with egg and sausage on it and a tall cup of coffee. I took a bite immediately, not realizing I was so hungry until the smell of the yummy food met my nose, but she surprised me by frowning at her own sandwich as she held it.
"Are you gonna be sick?"
She shook her head, sighing as she sat it back down on top of the container it'd come in, "I think I will be if I eat right now." I gave her a pitying look before flipping open my notebook and casually reading over the most recent ideas I'd jotted down.
A loud groan caught my attention and I looked up to see she'd laid on her back, her notebook open on top of her face. Feeling like the distraction would help her, I swallowed my pride and finally asked for help with my songwriting, "H-How do you do it? I can't finish a single song."
The young woman took the notebook off her face and sat up, looking a little green, "I don't know…I guess I just write down what I'm thinking as I think it rather than how I'd say it out loud. Does that make sense?" I nodded slowly, vision glazed over as I tried to mentally follow her advice.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock at the door, but it opened before either of us could move to get up and answer it. Tenten pushed the Prestige boys inside before following and shutting the door behind her, "Good morning, my babies! How are we all feeling?"
Gaara and Sasuke looked irritated, but sat with Sakura and I on the floor when our mentor motioned for them to do so. The sandwich in my hands was taken and I looked over to see Sasuke stealing a bite of it, eyes trained on Tenten as though he didn't care if I was annoyed or not. With a sigh, I took it back and tore it in half before giving him one side and refocusing on the popstar myself. I noticed Sakura wordlessly scoot her untouched sandwich towards Gaara with the same sickened tint to her face.
"You're hungover as hell, aren't you Sakura?"
Said girl gave Tenten a weak glare, "Don't ever let me drink that much again."
The brunette cackled loudly, but moved on from the topic, instead bringing up the event we'll be attending tomorrow night, "Outfit concepts for Masquerade: any preferences? Do you want to be colorful and fun, sleek and sophisticated, black and white? What're we thinking?"
The boys both shrugged, "Let them decide, we don't care."
Sakura and I glanced at one another and I gave her a reassuring look before dropping my gaze to my lap as I anxiously awaited her decision. To my surprise, she made an irritated sound, "Come on, Hina. This is a group decision! What do you prefer?"
I looked at her before glancing over to see Tenten was also staring at me with an expectant expression, "U-Um, black and white is always a safe choice, right?"
My roommate nodded eagerly, "Black and white and classy then!"
Tenten gave us a thumbs up with both hands, reminding me of Might Guy, "Ino and Karin will pick out clothes and have them brought over tomorrow afternoon! I'll go call them now." Without further ado, she left the room with her phone already in her hand.
Sakura surprised me by immediately saying, "Have you guys been having trouble with songwriting?"
Gaara shook his head with his usual soft smile, "I'm already done with two and I'm working on a third."
I noticed Sasuke stealing my coffee out of the corner of my eye and gave him an incredulous look, to which he responded by smirking.
"I'm almost done with my first one! Wanna compare?"
He nodded and immediately left to go grab his notebook from his room. We looked at Sasuke and he rolled his eyes before following his redheaded roommate. When they returned, we spent the rest of the entire day as a group, working on our songwriting and recuperating after all the partying we'd done last night.
By the time we called it quits, it was dark outside and everyone was fighting to keep their eyes open. A random detective show was playing softly on the television and loose papers and notebooks were strewn about the floor near our feet as we sat with our backs to the sofa.
A weight on my shoulder snapped me out of my half-asleep daze and I looked over to see Sasuke's sleeping face before also noticing Sakura was resting her head on my lap as well. A smile tugged at my lips. Am I just a pillow to everyone now? I glanced over and saw that Gaara was slightly slumped over with his arms resting atop Sakura's legs, eyes closed as he finally got some rest.
Tears threatened to rise to my eyes. The sheer amount of happiness flooding through me was almost unbearable. Never in my life did I think I'd be close enough to a single person to end up in this type of situation, much less three people. I sighed in defeat before letting my head rest gently against Sasuke's, one of my arms over Sakura's side, and let sleep pull me under once more.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein