קгєץ 🕷 [ⲛⲁⲅⳙⲏⳕⲛⲁ]

Like A Puppet On A String

"That's the one," Kiba confirmed, eyes twinkling in her direction.

Blushing a shade below crimson, Hinata shook her head, "He's not-"

"Gotta say, I'm impressed," Ayame crowed, "didn't know you liked the bad boy aesthetic. You go girl!"

"A-Ayame-san-" Hinata sputtered.

"What we gossiping about?" Tenten asked, stepping into the kitchen from the back room, tying her apron.

"Hinata's new boyfriend," Ayame and Kiba answered.

"You mean Mr. Moneybags?" the double-bun waitress clarified.

"Yep," Kiba confirmed.

"He's not my-"

"Oh come on, Hinata. Live a little," Kiba ribbed, "long as I've known you, you haven't gone on a single date, you barely go out at all. That tatted up stud asks you out, you better go or I'm stealing all your tips for the next three years at least."

Feeling a bit put out, Hinata mumbled, "maybe you should ask him out yourself, Kiba-kun."

"He don't swing that way," Kiba shrugged, "trust me, I'd know if he did, and sweetheart, if you didn't want him, I'd be all over that. Besides, he's made it clear he's determined to be all over you."

Embarrassed and scandalized, Hinata did the only thing she could do when Kiba teased her.

She hit him with 'the face'.

Unbothered, Kiba poked one of her puffy cheeks.

"Don't pout," he chuckled, "it's too cute."

Hinata snorted a laugh, unable to hold her 'chubby bunny' pout, as Kiba called it, any longer.

"Seriously though, all jokes aside," Kiba said, amusement tapering, "you gotta learn to enjoy your life, ya know? You spend way too much time wrapped in that fortress you've built around yourself. Come out of the tower sometime, okay?"

Though she couldn't say she'd actually do it, Hinata nodded.

Kiba didn't understand.

Her fortress kept everyone safe.

"Order up!" Ayame called, placing a steaming bowl on the serving counter.

"That's your queue," Kiba said, giving her bottom a swat, sending her lurching in the direction of the order, "go get em' tiger!"

Hinata whirled around, hands to her tush, contemplating giving her wayward friend 'the face' again.

"Go get em' Hinata," he winked at her, then wagged his brows, "for both of us."

It was official.

She was convinced all of her friend were nuts.

Shaking her head, Hinata picked up a serving tray, loaded up the meal and headed out.

Fate was truly shinning on her today, because when she returned to his table, he was speaking quietly into a cell phone, though she was surprised to hear the guttural language coming out of mouth.

It wasn't Japanese, nor was it English.

The language sounded foreign and kind of old.

He watched her as she placed his meal on the table.

Her heart was racing a mile a minute as she resolutely focused on the task at hand rather than him.

Once finished, she gave him a half bow, careful not to disturb his call and, like earlier, skedaddled away.