Say what you mean the first time. Hinting is making someone else do your homework.

Hinting looks considerate and functions as outsourcing. You keep the risk of asking while the other person takes on the job of guessing, and if they guess wrong you get to be disappointed in them. Nobody can be held responsible for a message that was never sent. Most of the time a hint is not kindness, it is insurance against hearing no.

Think of something you have been circling for a week and say it in one plain sentence to whoever can act on it. Accept that a clear ask can be refused. That is the whole trade.