title: Born to Be Three
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2015
rating: K-M

summary: oo1: Naruto and Hinata suppose the least they can do for their best friends is to help them (finally!) find happiness in each other.

dedicated to: my baes on tumblr - i love you all!

NOTE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE MONTH: I wanted to add Sarada in many of these prompts, because she's a part of this beautiful family too /sobs forever at my babies having babies/ but sometimes I either couldn't find a way to fit her in and, to be honest, I have little experience writing about her! Hopefully that will change in the future!

.oo1.
Matchmaker

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Naruto and Hinata suppose the least they can do for their best friends is to help them (finally!) find happiness in each other.

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Hinata's tiny hand in his never felt more natural. He gave her two squeezes—the first one tight and warm; the second a faint echo of the last. Naruto adored how he would catch her staring at his prominent whiskers, before she averted her timid gaze once she knew he had caught onto her act.

"Ah, so, Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke. A cruel blush gave way to her embarrassment. "How have Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun been?"

"Who?"

Hinata pressed her palm against his bulky forearm, in a manner that meant to be a playful slap but was instead a soothing touch. He caught her fingers in his and brought the pale knuckles up to his dark pink lips. And since he'd never tire of her darling reactions to his ostensible romancing, Naruto emitted a deep chuckle and enclosed Hinata within his arms.

"I'm kidding," he laughed. "They're doing alright, I suppose."

Hinata wrestled herself out of Naruto's embrace, despite the blond struggling to keep their bodies glued together like animals huddling for warmth.

"You suppose?" Hinata asked. Now, Naruto noted with a smirk, she was trying to act angry. Her eyebrows formed a meek V on her forehead, and her mouth, usually puckered into a sheepish smile, frowned at the corners. Her arms were crossed. Her foot tapped in an erratic beat.

"Look, the thing is…they've been, well, awkward around each other. I don't know how else to say it, Hinata, but I think they might be…jealous of us."

"Aa?!" Hinata's mouth sprung open. Her irises, circles of watered milk, were merely pinpricks of dull color in her white corneas. "You mean they still haven't—" she looked around to see if anyone could overhear, before leaning in to whisper, "—gotten together yet?" as if she had uttered a dirty phrase.

Naruto bit his lip. "Uh..."

"Naruto!" This time, Hinata really was mad. Naruto knew nothing good could come out of Hinata dropping the kun from his name.

Naruto watched, a helpless observer, while Hinata slung her bulky purse over her shoulder and tied her silky blanket of violet hair behind her. Then, without any sort of formal Hyuuga goodbye—as he'd been accustomed to—she dove off and left a trail of dust behind her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Where are you going?" he called.

To his surprise, he was shocked to hear the resonant ringing of her call: "To help my friend!"

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Sakura was shocked when her friend, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and soon-to-be-wife of the future Hokage (though Kiba still had his eye on the position), appeared looking nothing like her usual self. Her hair, always smooth and pristine, looked as if it had nested wild birds. Strands curled and bent erratically, and Sakura had to stifle her laughter at the resemblance of a frizzy cotton ball.

Meanwhile, Hinata's clothes had taken a turn for the worse. Rubble managed to slip into individual crevices of her skirt, and the petal pink hue of her shirt dimmed into a dusty rose.

Sakura was frank. "You look like hell."

"I know." Hinata put her hand over her chest and caught her breath. "I'm sorry, please give me a moment."

"Take your time," Sakura said. She couldn't help but smile at this adorably casual, discomposed Hinata.

After Hinata straightened herself out and let loose her ponytail, she began to tell Sakura why she was here.

"I want you and Sasuke-kun to, um, become a couple."

The words came out so briskly that Sakura was sure she had misheard.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, encouraging her to clarify.

"You two deserve happiness more than anyone else in the world. Even more than me and Naruto-kun." Hinata began to twiddle her fingers—a habit Sakura thought she'd broken long ago, but apparently only did when nervous.

Sakura attempted to ease the situation by letting out a relaxed laugh, but what came out of her throat sounded like drowning chokes. Hinata obviously took note of Sakura's anxiety and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. This time, she would be the one to help her friend pursue the love she deserved.

"So let's get started."

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Hinata always remembered her father drilling his credo into her: always have a plan. Remember, keikaku means plan. And right now, Hinata had none. With her hand gripped around Sakura's fingers, Hinata wandered together with her without any sense of direction to where she thought Sasuke might be seen.

"What am I even going to say to him when—or if—I see him? He might still be out on his missions."

Lies, Hinata smiled. Naruto-kun couldn't stop talking about how different it was without you at the boys' meeting a couple nights ago. Perhaps Sasuke-kun felt lonely without you by his side, again.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What are you smiling about?"

"Ah," Hinata stated. She turned away again. "Nothing."

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"Why do I have to spend what little time I have with you again?" Sasuke snarled, as he pried Naruto's arm off around his shoulders.

"Because," Naruto emphatically emphasized. "Hinata left to go help Sakura with something, and when I don't have Hinata I turn to either you or Sakura-chan to relieve my stress."

"What stress could you possibly have?" Sasuke scoffed. "And don't call her that."

"What? Hinata?"

"No." The color rising in Sasuke's cheeks hid under his long, black fringe. "Sakura."

"Sakura-chan?"

"Yes. No. Fuck, just don't call her that in front of me."

"Why? I've called her that in front of you many times."

Then, as if someone had struck Naruto over the head with realization, Naruto let out a widely obnoxious grin that only made Sasuke want to vomit.

"You like Sakura-chan, don't you?"

In a rapid turn, Sasuke gripped Naruto's collar and lifted him off the ground. He brought the blond toward him, so close that if a passerby accidentally knocked into Naruto, his and Sasuke's lips would touch once more.

"Shut up."

Though he could sense he could quite possibly be inches away from death once more at his best friend's hand, Naruto laughed and ruffled Sasuke's hair. The blush was apparent now, and Naruto noted that it was a nice touch to his normally pale skin.

"Want me to help you get her?"

Naruto fell to the ground with a thump. He groaned at his sore bottom, whimpering "Teme!", as Sasuke sneered.

"Tch, annoying."

"But you want my help, right?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't accept. But he never said outright that he refused help, either. With a sigh of irritability, Sasuke extended his hand to help Naruto up.

"Alright, 'ttebayo!" Naruto cheered. "Let's play matchmaker!"

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Hinata had gone through several make-believe scenarios between Sakura and Sasuke. Although Sakura appreciated the advice, she knew that Sasuke wasn't the type of man to openly admit his feelings over a ramen dinner—even with alcohol involved—nor was he the person to bring her soaring up to the moon for a fairytale kiss. In fact, Sasuke probably wouldn't even say anything. He'd simply do some obscure gesture, like poking her forehead. Maybe this time he'd do something more...modern, like holding hands?

Hinata stopped in her tracks. She reached for Sakura's hand and squeezed—one tight, one soft.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, looking down at her hand. "Why did you stop?"

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Hinata!" Naruto called. He waved at her excitedly, arm propelling back and forth in a windshield wiper motion, while Sasuke elbowed Naruto in the stomach for who knows what. Knowing Naruto's blatant foolishness, Sakura didn't blame Sasuke.

"You're just the people we wanted to see," Naruto groaned. He fell to his knees while clutching his stomach. "Ugh, Sasuke, I think I'm going to vomit."

Hinata, realizing Naruto was less than helpful in reaching their common goal, pushed Sakura towards Sasuke. As if she were twelve again, Sakura's face reddened profusely. She couldn't bear to look Sasuke in the eye; she was so embarrassed.

"Practice what we learned!" Naruto whispered, loud enough for everyone and their ancestors. Sasuke winced, but Sakura gave no notion that she heard. She was still refusing to face him, and that made him upset.

In a gathering of silence, Naruto on the ground and Hinata cupping her hands to her face, wondering whether she should intervene, Sasuke reached for Sakura's wrist, fumbling, and said, "Let's go to dinner."

"Can we come too?" Hinata interrupted. She knew that without external support, this "date" would fall apart miserably and their chances of successful coupling were just as likely as discovering Kakashi's true face. "Naruto-kun and I are hungry as well."

And just like that, with Sasuke awkwardly holding Sakura's wrist as a poor attempt at seduction, and Hinata wondering what keikaku she and Naruto would need to put into action next, they had a date.

PART 2 is tomorrow, "No Filter"!

I'M BACK IN BUSINESS BITCHES (prob just for this month because who can resist SSM).

Please find me on Tumblr as well! SasuSakuForeverandEver, and I'd love it if you liked/reblogged/shared/anything :) Thank you for your endless support! I miss you guys!