Spend enough time working at a bakery and you can tell bread is done by the smell coming out of the ovens. After a long day of working dough Chouji decided to drop off the usual extras at his friend's houses, saving the most important stop for last. The security on Ino's door was top notch, her father may run a flower shop but he moonlighted work as a home security expert and to date nobody had successfully broken through a door he had installed. A key, a pass-code, and finally a finger scan opened the door. Letting out a quiet sigh of relief that he had not dropped the bread he was carrying, he took off his shoes and went inside.
Ino's apartment was darker than it usually was at this hour, but she kept everything clean and orderly. Checking his watch, Chouji finally realized that time had gotten away from him while taking to Naruto; he had a bad habit of losing track of time when talking to people (which is why he had adopted the smell check for baking instead of using timers). Placing the loaves on the counter Chouji finally saw the cause of the apartment being in this state. Slumped over a pile of books was Ino, pen still in her hand writing an incomplete note from her medical journals.
"Fell asleep studying again?" Smiling to himself, he carefully slid her out of the chair and raised her in his arms. He always thought it funny that there were bags of flour at work heavier than her, she was light in his arms but warm and… he let his thoughts wander a moment before carrying her to her room. Before her could set her down she wrapped her arms around his neck in her unconscious state and nearly pulled him down with her.
Being around bread all the time, his senses were somewhat attuned and anything outside of the usual was all the more distinct. Though asleep, she tightened her grip and he had to lean his head forward until he had a nose-full of her blond hair. That smell of flowers, natural and sweet, nearly sent his knees buckling.
Instead he sat down on the edge of her bed, with her still in his arms and lay down on the mattress. Her body adjusted until she was sound asleep on top of him. Thankfully her arms let go of his neck and supported her head on his chest.
It was a good twenty minutes before he finally worked his way out under her. Though not the first time she had fallen asleep on top of him, it never stopped being an awkward experience to get out from under her. There was one sound through that he was helpless against, the wordless murmur she made in protest as he tried moving. Giving up, he adjusted the pillows for his head and put the blanket over the two of them.
"I know you're asleep Ino, but I just need to say this. Perhaps it's easier to say now. You really are the best – no that sounds corny, I'm no good at this." Ino stirred but did not wake. He stroked her hair until she settled back down. "I'm not classy with words or anything, and you're doing brilliant at med school and I know you're going to be a brilliant doctor… oh I'll make you some bread in the morning. Maybe that's all I can do." He smiled as he looked at Ino sleeping on his chest. "Well, maybe not all I can do. I guess I make a good pillow too."