NaruHina: Postscripts

Eleven

here's a drabble request! Naruto and Hinata's first huge fight as a couple (because Naruto's a very stubborn man and Hinata's not really good at communicating) and them making up

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Drabble Request: The Last!NaruHina; Hinata running on a treadmill while connected to a heart monitor as part of a stress test, Hinata's heartbeat getting faster and faster, harder and harder, causing Naruto to become concerned about her health.

"No! I can do this," Hinata said, her voice strained. She was running, her pace a good speed.

Naruto tried to smile, hoping she would forgive him and get off the damned machine. "I never said you can't do it."

But she ignored him. She pushed a button on the panel in front of her, making the treadmill go faster.

"Come on, Hinata! There's no need to do this."

She shook her head. Her breath was coming in short puffs but she pointed to the door of the medical room. "Naruto, just go and leave me alone."

"I can't leave you alone when you're angry and you won't even talk to me."

Her jaw only clenched and she pressed the up button again.

"God! Hinata!" he yelled as he glared at her. "Don't be so freaking stubborn!"

Again, she ignored him and her finger hovered deliberately over the button that would speed up the treadmill. She pushed it—twice.

He watched as her heart rate spiked on the monitor.

"Hinata, this is ridiculous. There's nothing to prove," he said. But he could feel his frustration mounting as she continued to run in resentful, simmering silence.

She didn't bother to respond, much less glance at him. Her strides widened, her pace increased as she pressed the button again.

Naruto tried a different tack as he took a deep breath and tried to rein in his anger. He gentled his voice. "There's no need to push yourself this hard. I didn't mean anything by it. And I'm truly sorry."

Peep. Peep. The treadmill only went faster, and Hinata's breath became labored as she sprinted at full speed.

His anger suddenly disappeared and turned to worry. He could see that in a few seconds, she was going to be in trouble. The machine monitoring her heart rate was flashing a warning, but she didn't stop. Something inside was egging her on to almost hurt herself.

In a blink, his hands weaved their seals and he created a shadow clone. Before she could realize anything, that clone quickly walked the few steps to the wall and pulled the plug on the treadmill, causing Hinata to shriek in surprise and suddenly fly forward, the cords ripping away from her body when the machine stopped abruptly. But the original Naruto was there to catch her before her impact against the wall.

"Hinata," he murmured against her hair even as she struggled to break free of his hold. She was breathing hard and pushing against him. "I'm sorry, Hinata!"

She let him hold her until she could calm down. But it took a while because her heart still felt like bursting.

This time, when she spoke, her voice trembled. "I knew you were joking but I just didn't need to hear at that time."

Naruto flinched.

"I just don't want to be reminded that I'm slow."

He'd joked about her being a slowpoke, that she'd struggled to keep up with him and the rest of the team on their mission together yesterday.

She'd taken it to heart, a jibe that had gone farther than he'd intended.

"I never meant anything bad about it," he said.

She shook her head. "I don't want to feel like I'm dragging everyone down on my missions. You wouldn't understand because you've got superhuman strength. Some of us don't have that! We have to make do with our own regular powers."

Of course, Naruto would have the speed. He had Kurama. He'd arrived at the rescue mission first while despite her best, she'd huffed and puffed and gotten to the place a bit slower than the others.

And yes, they were together. Hinata loved him with all her heart, no question. She was proud of Naruto and the way he helped others whenever he was asked to. She never wanted to take that away from him, the way people rightfully admired him.

But sometimes, it made her job as a shinobi a little bit more difficult. Sometimes, it was just hard being in the shadows, constantly being outshone by the sun.

He was contrite, though. She could hear it in his voice. "You weren't dragging everyone down, Hinata. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be arrogant but I guess it came off that way. It was just a thoughtless joke."

"You're always joking, but sometimes, that's not what I want, or need."

His eyes were sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I misread the situation. I'm still trying to figure out how to gauge your reactions. I'm trying, Hinata."

And Hinata instantly felt churlish—because she was doing the same thing, too. She was trying her best to adjust to her new role as his girlfriend.

They were still new and figuring out how each other ticked. His constant need to tease and joke around still hid his doubts about his self-worth. Meanwhile, this fit of anger from her was an outpouring of her own inner frustrations of feeling not good enough to be the only woman in his life.

She sighed, feeling like a fool. But his arms tightened instinctively around her because he seemed to sense the softening in her heart.

And this was what it was like, this journey of clashing, talking, forgiving—of building a relationship together.

"Damn it," she whispered as she hid her face into his uniform. "I'm trying, too, Naruto. And I'm sorry for getting so mad at you."

He didn't know what to say to that so he only repeated again, "I'm sorry, Hinata." But he looked into her face and tried to erase her doubts. "I don't think you're slow at all or that you could ever slow anybody down. You've been training in taijutsu at a young age so you're a really good shinobi. I hope you never doubt that I believe that."

She squeezed him. "Thank you."

And because she was filled with guilt and shame, she answered with her own honesty. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I think I let my bad mood get the best of me today with the treadmill. Next time, I'll talk to you about what's bothering me."

"Yes, Hinata," he said. Then he looked into her eyes and added, "Please. And I will listen because I won't know what your boundaries are, how far to tease you, what you want from me if you don't tell me."

"Okay," she said and heard him sigh with relief. "Ditto."

"Yeah, we'll figure this all out together."

The hug they shared was a promise.