STICK vs. SKATE

Shino Aburame never really liked crowds. He preferred being alone with his thoughts. That's why now while his teammates were giving interviews signing autographs, he was already in the showers. The game went well, they won without any troubles. This was the first game of the Winter Olympics 2012.

The hot water was pouring down his skin. His whole body was sore; hockey wasn't exactly a light sport. His shoulder was pulsating with pain, and when he looked down at it there was a huge purple bruise. He lifted his head to meet the water. Shino left his thoughts wander as the water was relaxing his body. Unfortunately, his mind led him to his high school days. He never really liked high school to say the least, being the creepy "bug guy" didn't place him at the top of the popular kids. He smiled, well now he found it kind of funny, but back then it was hell. Of course, that was until he entered the hokey team. If it wasn't for his father he would never voluntary do that of course, but his father was convinced that he should participate in some sport and in his eyes chess didn't really counted as sport. That was when he met Kiba Inuzuka, he was the new guy. They didn't become friends right away, even in the hokey team he continued being the quiet guy, but for some reason, still unknown to him, Kiba seemed very found of his company, now that he thought about it, maybe it was because he him self wasn't very chatty, so Kiba saw in him the perfect listener for his never ending rants. But little by little Shino got used to Kiba being constantly around and then little by little he even grew to like him and then one day, Kiba became his best friend, and they even got scouted for the same team.

"My man!" Shino smiled, when he herd his friend's loud shouting "You are really missing on the chicks, muchacho. I mean those reporter girls… whoah!" Kiba wasn't the shy kind of guy, so Shino quickly put the towel around his waste and got out of the shower, otherwise knowing Kiba he would have to suffer another naked encounter with him.

As he entered the locker room his teammates were already getting ready to hit the showers. One hand wrapped around his shoulders as Kiba shouted at his ear

"Are you ready to party tonight my muchacho?" Shino was way too exhausted to be irritated right now.

"Kiba, we have to get up early for the practice tomorrow, you know that"

Kiba looked at him with those wolfish eyes of his and crooked an eyebrow as his grin begin getting wider

"Ah, do I have to always have to teach you" as Shino was getting ready to deny he realized that it was useless Kiba would just go on another one of his preaches "Do not fear! Let me just reveal the master plan as I show you this" there was a TV in the locker so that they could follow the other team games, so Kiba turned it on

"Ice skating?" there were very little times where Shino actually couldn't figure out what he was being told and quite a lot of those times involved the Inuzuka

"Not just ice skating, my friend! Not just ice skating! See that girl?" Kiba again wrapped his hand around his shoulders. Shino looked that the screen there was a couple skating the girl was beautiful to say the least. She had two buns on her head she was smiling, just the type of girl that he would never get a chance with.

"And?"

Kiba shock his head and sighed" Sometimes I wonder what you would ever do without me. Let me enlighten you. Look at that cute girl, she is pretty and she spends two years preparing for the Olympics. Do you know what that means?" He stared at him, and Shino felt like he was retarded because he didn't even had the slightest idea what that meant "It means that she was busy, every day, whole day, spending her all time training with that guy….I mean look at that guy" Kiba crooked his head looking at the screen.

"What is with the hair dude, He looks like a chick. No way is he straight." As he was talking, the couple finished their routine and now they were waiting for the judge to deliver. Shino didn't really understood ice skating, but judging by the smiles and the hugs going on between her and her partner, he decided that they did quite good. "See, after two years of training they got the fine scores, so that means, she's going to p a r t y hard tonight, bro. Look at me!" Kiba pointed two fingers at his eyes and the pointed them at Shino`s "Are you following what I am trying to say? Mucho grande!"

Shino crooked an eyebrow" That means "really big". "Kiba nodded slowly "And that is just what I meant. So you are going to pretend, that you are actually a real normal person tonight, not some alien sent from space to understand our ways, and you are going to be my wing man tonight. And we, are going to get you laid, because God knows you need it!"

"Okay, but just one drink and I am going back to our room at the hotel."

"Mucho grande, muchacho, mucho grande!" shouted Kiba as he was heading for the showers.

. . .

Shino was literally feeling the bass in his chest, the beat was pumping hard; he truly hated places like this. People bumping into him every two minutes, it was a challenge even to go to the restroom without someone elbowing you. When they finally managed to get a table, it was because the waitress recognized Kiba as "that totally hot guy, that played hockey" which much to Shino`s awe apparently made Kiba very proud of himself. This was so ridiculous; they were here for what, about two hours and Kiba were nowhere to be seen, probably trying to woo some drunken chick. And of course to his luck, just when he decided that he took part of this way too long than he actually had the nerves of, Kiba popped in front of him.

"Listen, muchacho, I'm going to ask you a favor and you can not say no okay"

"No." it was all he had to say, as he reached in his pocked to pay the check.

"Aw come on! Have I ever asked you for anything?"

Now this was getting even more irritating, if it wasn't for the glasses Kiba would have met Shino`s wide open eyes that if look could kill Kiba would be most likely dead by now.

"Look, Kiba…" as Shino started talking trying to keep his cool but Kiba interrupted him.

"Okay, do you see that girl over there" The young Aburame found himself looking at a tall blond girl, that was waving at them, with a huge grin on her face. "She's Ino Yamanaka. And if you actually were an actual person, instead of a robot sent from the future" Okay, now he was really getting pissed "You would know that Ino Yamanaka Is a model, and not just any model. She's Victoria Secret model. And if you truly are my best friend you would want me to score with her. And you would help me."

Why, why am I even still speaking to him, Shino was mentally hitting his head in the wall, but the only thing he said was "Okay, but this is the last time you'll ever make me go out, and I'm not doing anything for you anymore."

"Sure, sure. I promise I'll never make you behave like a human being again and I'll let you be …"

"Enough!" Shino felt that he was this close of hitting him in the "totally hot" face. "Just tell me what you need me to do so I can go to the hotel room as soon as possible."

"Okay, well I need you to take Ino's friend to our room tonight."

Pause. It actually took him several seconds to realize Kiba wasn't kidding.

"I won't!"

"Come on Aburame! You know couch won't let me take a girl in my room. He's already pissed at me, but he wouldn't say anything to you, you know that. I simply ask to take the girl to the room and go to sleep. That's it."

"Fine. Whatever, just let's go."

"Aw. Thank you for taking care of my friend, really. She's just a little drunk it's just that when she told me to get her ice tea I thought that she wanted Long island ice tea." Shino got the feeling Ino Yamanaka wasn't the sharpest pencil in the bunch.

"So we are leaving. This is her purse" She put in his hands a tiny shiny wallet like thing that apparently was a bag of some kind. As Kiba and the supermodel were leaving, Shino looked at the girl at the table. She was turned away, so the only thing he could see was her back. Her long brown hair was almost reaching the middle of her back.

"Hey" Shino realized he didn't even know her name." It's time to leave." The girl turned her head to him, and he felt his heart speeding, it was the ice skating girl. She had a black smoky make up on her huge brown eyes and her hair was down but there was no mistaking it.

"Who are you? I don't know you."

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to take you to sleep, okay. Why? Because you are really drunk and your friend asked me to. And since apparently I'm a very generous guy, I agreed. So, here is yours ….wallet-thingy. Take my hand and let's go, okay." She nodded and took his hand looking at him childishly

"Why are you wearing glasses in a club? It's not sunny here." She looked puzzled.

But all he could think about now was the small hands, which were clenching his biceps. He was a guy after all, a guy that hadn't been this close to a girl in years.

Aburame paid the taxi driver and pulled escaped the car as soon as was humanly possible.

"It was nice meeting you Rajesh I hope your kids and wife are okay in India I really hope that you can bring them here soon. Bye bye." Tenten had her good byes with the driver.

After silently suffered trough hearing the whole life story of Rajesh the Indian taxi driver he tried his best to stay calm.

"Come on" he pulled the drunken girl to the hotel.

"Good evening Mr. Aburame" the receptionist gave him strange look "Is the young … lady, going to stay the night?"

What is it with tonight? Seriously, first Kiba, then the girl, the Indian driver whom now Shino knew more than he knew his own father, and now that annoy French guy. Just try not to punch anyone until the evening is over, he thought to himself.

"Yes, she is."

"Wonderful. Are you going to be requesting any room service?"

"No, we won't"

"Then maybe a wake up call?"

"No, thank you. " He toyed with the idea about strangling that guy for a moment "Just the key to my room"

"Ah, the young gentleman is so eager." He flashed him a huge smile while handing him the key.

Just a couple more minutes and this whole night would be over he thought in the elevator as he tried to stay calm while the girl next to him was almost asleep at his shoulder. He felt pathetic. Tomorrow he would have to suffer trough another one of Kiba`s "you brought a girl in your room and you didn't try anything" rants.

He looked down at her. She was still clinching his biceps hard, resting her head on his shoulder. Her skin was pale, like porcelain and now in brighter place, he could see that her hair was actually chocolate color she looked so peaceful nothing bothering her, not even the fact that some unknown man was taking her somewhere. He lifted his hand to pick up a lock of hair behind her ear an urge that wasn't like him, but this whole night wasn't like him.

So as he tried to put the hair where it belonged, she opened her eyes and looked up to him. He swallowed dryly and cleared his throat as he looked away.

As they walked in the room he showed her the coach.

"Stay here for a bit, okay? I'll be right back."

She nodded with her eyelids closed, she was falling asleep already. Aburame went back in his room looking for some of his hokey shirts that would be big enough for her to wear as something like a dress.

"Here. Take this and change."

This is nightmare, he tough when a movement caught his eye. Of course, now my life is beggining to look like a bad romance comedy, he thought to him self when realizing that he could clearly see the shadow of her changing clothes.

Again his pulse speed up while she was taking her clothes off just couple of feet away. He was just a man after all and he couldn't help the mental images of her body rushing in his head.

"All done." She showed and he swallowed dry again, looking at her pale tights showing under his shirt. Could this be more torturing?

"Umm. Yeah I'm just going to make the bed for you and you can go to sleep." He didn't really he just needed to go to the other room to collect his thought because right now he was acting like a hormonal teen. He looked at the clock it was near 3:00 and at 6:00 he had practice.

"Hey, listen…" when he went back to the room she was sleeping curled on the couch. He sat next to her and tried to wake her up. And the next thing he knew she murmured something annoyed at him for waking her and maybe in her sleep she tried to find a pillow but the only thing her hands found were his legs so she rested her head in his lap and went back into sleeping happily.

Shino put his hands trough his hair. All of a sudden he was back at high school. All that confidence that he had build as an adult went right trough the window and now he was afraid to wake her up.

You are such an idiot, he thought to him self, and I'm not going to wake her up, am I.