Naruto tugged at the color of his shirt. It was so new a part of him was still worried it might have price tags on it somewhere even though he'd probably checked at least five times. He felt odd in it, no matter how much Sakura had assured him he looked very handsome. It felt stuffy and like it was chocking him. He'd already undone and redone the top two buttons out of nervousness as he walked to the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
This is ridiculous. He'd fought in a war. He'd been through so much, practically died and came back. But no, none of that had a tenth of how anxious and to be honest terrified he felt right now. He'd known this woman almost his whole life. Fought beside her and been healed under her hands a few times. He'd seen her throw tantrums and break down crying while hugging a lifeless headstone. He'd been there with her through some of her lowest point and she'd seen a few of his two. They knew each other so why did he feel so nervous to see her now. It's just a date, he reiterated in his head for the hundredth time. But maybe that was just it. It wasn't just a date.
Naruto let out a steadying breath before walking into the flower shop. The sound of the bell rang loud and ominously in the small shop. Naruto could feel his heart rate pick up when someone called out from the back, "I'll be there in a minute!"
Naruto didn't say anything in reply, not knowing if he'd be able to get his voice loud enough with that nervous lump clogged in his throat. He glanced around the front of the store, finding the smell of the flowers oddly comforting. Should he have brought her flowers? It would probably look stupid considering…
The clink of heels against the floor was his only warning before Ino came around from the back of the shop, focusing on putting her earrings on. "Is there something I could help you with? I'm about to close the –" She cut off when she looked up and met Naruto's eyes. "Naruto?"
He smiled at her, feeling most of his nervousness slip away at the sight of her. "Hey, Ino."
She glanced at the clock behind the counter then back to him with a cocked eyebrow. "You're early," she told him in an annoyed voice, but she was smiling.
He looked at the clock to in surprise seeing he was nearly thirty minutes early, he must have overestimated how long the walk was to her shop from his apartment. Or maybe he had just walked fast out of anticipation… He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling his cheeks warm and shrugged. "Guess I was excited."
Ino laughed and when his eyes returned back to her, she was giving him an affectionate smile with a soft look in her eyes. She told him quietly, "Me too." Then, moved behind the counter and pulled out a small book. "You're lucky I'm already ready. Just give me a few minutes while I tally up what we made today."
Naruto nodded and tore his eyes away from the way her blonde hair fell over shoulder and across her bare collarbone. He wandered over to some sunflowers and rubbed his fingers between the petals. He was relieved he had made an effort with his outfit seeing how Ino was dressed. She had a little bit of makeup on and her hair seemed silkier than usual. Even her dress, which was just a simple lilac that stopped near her knees, accentuated her curves and made her look like she was going somewhere nicer than one of their local restaurants.
He looked back over at her with her chin propped up on her hand and her eyebrows scrunched together as she ran her finger down the pad of the paper. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. "You look really beautiful, you know."
Her head shot up to look at him in surprise and he backtracked feeling those knots in his stomach again. "I mean, not that you don't look beautiful every day. It's just different – not that it's better but –"
She saved him from his rambling with a chuckle. "I know what you mean, Naruto." She looked back down at her paper, a flush forming on her cheeks and a pleased smile. "Thank you."
Naruto sighed in relief and turned back to the safe flowers. Kami, was he going to be like this all night? He tried to shake it off as he glanced around, wondering if there was any flowers Ino didn't have and maybe he could bring them for her next time.
He got so lost in his own thoughts of trying to name every flower he could and seeing if it was there that he didn't notice Ino come up beside him until she spoke near his ear. "You know, those have always reminded me of you. Even when I was little."
He turned to her in confusion. "What's that?"
She nodded towards the sunflowers in front of him and tucked her hair behind her ear. "The sunflowers. I don't know if it's because they're yellow or just because…"
When she trailed off, Naruto bumped her shoulder with his and prompted with a cheeky smile, "Because?"
She rolled her eyes and looked back up at him, telling him bluntly, "Because they make me happy when I look at them."
Naruto felt his heart skip a beat and wondered how Ino could be so bold and confident like that. But then she blushed and stepped towards the door, changing the subject. "So, I'm finished with the books. We can head out now."
Naruto let it go and followed her out the store after she locked up.
"You know, I honestly expected you to take me to Ichiraku's," Ino admitted halfway through dinner.
Naruto felt that uncomfortable feeling tugging at his collar again, but he tried to ignore it. He gave her a casual shrug. "I wanted to take you somewhere nice." He hadn't even actually been to this restaurant, just went on a recommendation from Shikamaru. He personally didn't even like what he'd ordered, but Ino was happily eating away at her food so that was all that mattered.
She rolled her eyes at him with an amused smile. "I wouldn't have minded. I know it's your favorite restaurant and I'm not picky."
Naruto smiled at her as he felt his shoulders relax. "Next time, then."
Ino leaned over the table towards him with a spark in her eyes. "Already planning a second date, Naruto? Is this one going that well?"
Naruto rubbed at the back of his head. Well, he thought it was, but… "I mean if you don't –"
Ino interrupted him with a laugh, reaching across the table to cover his hand with hers. "I'm teasing you, Naruto. I do think it is going well and I want you to plan a lot more."
His face was probably redder than the lipstick on her lips, but he gave her a wide smile and promised, "I'll plan as many as you like."
Her laugh felt infectious and squeezed at his heart in a pleasant way. She winked at him and moved her hand away. "Might take a lot of time. I'll pick up the slack and plan a few myself."
They'd been enjoying a quiet walk near one of the fields when Ino reached out and intertwined her fingers with his. Naruto had been so distracted by his thoughts, she took him by surprise and he almost jerked his hand away. She must've noticed because she frowned at him. "Naruto, is something wrong?"
"What? No." He chuckled nervously and glanced away from her.
But Ino saw right through him and pulled them to a stop. When he looked down at her, she merely raised a perfectly arched eyebrow back at him in challenge. He sighed and just told her honestly, "I'm still trying to figure out why you said yes."
Ino's face fell and she asked, "Why I said yes to this date?"
Naruto nodded and looked down at the speck of dirt that had gotten on one of her heels. He heard Ino huff beside him and then he was being pulled down to her. His face was just a few inches from hers and she caught his face in her other hand. Her eyes were serious as she spoke, "Because I like you, you oblivious moron. I have for years if you haven't noticed and I like you for you. So, don't feel like you have to impress me or anything." She moved her hand to tug at the collar of his shirt and looked at him meaningfully.
Naruto looked back at her a bit dazed. "What do you mean?"
She smiled softly at him and her hand went to his neck, "You've been messing with your shirt all night."
Naruto chuckled. And he'd thought he'd been subtle about it. He complained to her, feeling that tension he'd had finally slipping away at last. "It's so stiff and confining."
Ino laughed and stepped back from him, still holding his hand. "Well, just wear whatever's comfortable next time. Just because I like dressing up doesn't mean you have to."
Naruto walked beside her as she continued their stroll again. He teased her, "Next time, huh?"
She blushed and elbowed him in the side. "Oh, shut up. You already promised me a lot more dates. Can't back out now."
He just laughed in response and Ino started telling him about all the work she had waiting for her in the morning at the shop since she was working her cousin's wedding. Naruto listened quietly to her, adding a comment now and then and offering to help her if she needed it. The way her eyes lit up at that sent a rush of affection through him.
He didn't mean to interrupt her but when he spotted the flowers, he couldn't help but go over and pick one. Ino had quieted beside him, watching him curiously. When he turned around and tucked the small sunflower behind her ear, she stilled. Naruto told her softly, "If this flower reminds you of me because it makes you happy, then I'm going to start thinking of you when I see it too because you make me happy."
Ino didn't say anything back and simply reached up to plant a sweet kiss on his lips. It was chaste but made Naruto's world feel like it had stilled. When she pulled away to give him that warm smile of hers, he couldn't stop the wide grin from stretching across his face.
"Is there like a rule or something about the time between dates?" She asked him suddenly, throwing him a little off guard.
"Um, not that I know of. Why?" He asked her back, then she turned them back around towards the village.
She looked over her shoulder at him as she started to walk, dragging him along by their hands. "Then, let's start that second date at Ichiraku's. I'm in the mood for ramen."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Really? Because I remember you cleared your plate at dinner not even an hour ago."
Ino shrugged and replied with a smile, "Maybe, but you barely even ate off of yours."
Naruto pulled her closer to them as they walked and told her near her ear, "I think you're the best date I've ever had."
She laughed and leaned into him. "Best date you'll ever have."
Naruto agreed with a laugh of his own and a kiss to her hair. It was too soon to tell, but he could already see himself falling in love with Yamanaka Ino.