Chapter 18
“I loved you first,” Hinata whispers, lips pressed against Naruto’s ear. “I’ve loved you longest.”
She can’t quite bear to pull back and see his face, to see his reaction to her words. She’s never felt this way before, with jealousy curling viscous and catching in her stomach. She understands, fundamentally, that jealousy is a normal reaction when controlled.
Yet, she hadn’t known that it would be so difficult to control.
She can feel his breath on her neck just as well as she can feel her hands shaking, not from anger, but insecurity. Naruto has a lot of fans, more so now than ever, and there are so many people that are special, smart, beautiful. It seems impossible that he’d choose her, out of everyone else, her—to have, to hold, to keep.
But she wants it. And she wants to fight for it.
She swallows heavily, building her courage as she pulls back and dares to look into his eyes at last. She studies his expression, stark with surprise, and finds the lack of disgust a sign of encouragement. She moves in cautiously, pressing her lips to his like a question. For a moment, she thinks he won’t respond, won’t even move, but then—it’s just easy, the way his hands come up to cup her cheeks and he presses into her.
She kisses him with intent, then, courage bolstered and love outpouring; she pushes forward and licks into his mouth, breathing in his surprised exhale, and the way his hands pull her closer. She kisses him like they’re running out of time, even when his reciprocation means that they have all the time in the world.
Hinata pulls him to her and whispers, “You’re mine,” and Naruto shivers against her, breathing, “Damn right.”