7:43 p.m.

Sagging against the grit-laced parapet, Shikamaru laid the binoculars aside and rubbed at his eyes. Twenty or so minutes of surveillance with nothing significant to show for it was proving to be quite the mind-numbing chore.

True, Choji and Karui were just halfway through their entrée, the conversation Ino was dying for wasn't likely to start until after dessert, and so some downtime was to be expected, but this was just ridiculous: movement on the duo's part had been very minimal, and Shikamaru was pretty sure they'd been having the same conversation since the first course was served – which he couldn't follow anyway, because it was filled with all these little inside jokes and mushy stuff that couples of a certain closeness shared. Reading lips from this distance was a pain in the ass, too: he could barely make out what Choji was saying in between those large mouthfuls of food.

Thus far, it had been a complete waste of his time, and Shikamaru most assuredly wasn't looking forward to more of it – that long-awaited proposal (and his best friend's eternal happiness) be damned.

...Well, not really, because that would be selfish and terrible of him. Plus, Ino definitely wouldn't hesitate to give him flak for it, and what a real treat that'd be, huh?

Shikamaru breathed out a resigned sigh. Right. Because he just had to kiss the girl with over-the-top notions about romance and all its accompanying frills. He shook his head ruefully. Kami, what kind of idiot masochist...

But never mind that now. He had work to do – no matter how unsavory he was finding it to be. Ino, that veritable kicker of asses and draconian boss-lady, would be pretty upset if she caught him slacking. Probably best to cut the break short and return to his assigned duty.

So thinking, and with a rather reluctant groan, Shikamaru extricated himself from the comfort only a slouched position could offer and reached for the discarded binoculars.

As luck would have it, it wasn't exactly difficult to reestablish his former position. In spite of his early misgivings (which were very much justified, by the way), Ino had chosen their vantage point well: ten storeys afforded them quite the unobstructed view of Konoha's downtown district, and when one was spying from a distance, not having a bunch of stray telephone wires or a full clothesline obscuring the quarry's position was immensely helpful.

(Especially when one was spying only half-heartedly, but that was a thought for another time, yes?)

Shikamaru raised the glasses to his eyes and peered out in the direction of the Miyamotos' restaurant, which was located several blocks away. It wasn't that hard to locate it again either, as he'd identified a number of markers within its vicinity during the initial search. That way, he could find his way back easily: he just had to trace this (invisible) path from the neon green billboard in Main Street to the oden cart in front of the–

"What the hell?"

Shikamaru creased his eyebrows. Instead of the alleyways of Konoha, he was looking over the village again, which, from this height, seemed to be rendered in miniature. This was a fine sight and all, but, really, if the woman wanted things done...

"Ino," he groaned, almost pathetically, as he turned around to face his companion. "What do you think you're doing?"

Signature cheeky grin in place, Ino dangled the binoculars before his eyes. "Hey, you," she crooned, looking quite pleased with herself. "How's it going?"

She smelled like roses – well, more than the usual – and her fingers were stained with glitter. Shikamaru assumed she had just finished unpacking and preparing whatever the hell else needed to be unpacked and prepared, but what he didn't understand was why she had to go around bothering him after finishing her tasks.

(Which was not to say that he wasn't pleased to see her, of course.)

"Actually," he began, leaning back against the parapet. "I was just about to check on Choji and Karui, so if you could give those back, that'd be great."

Shikamaru stretched his hand out and looked at her expectantly, not quite certain if her interference was a good thing or not. On one hand, he wasn't currently being subjected to images of Choji scarfing down an exquisite dinner, but on the other, this stunt was only prolonging the time they were spending up on this freezing roof deck, and he'd like to cut that short, if it were at all possible, so he could go home and fall face-first into bed.

(Or was it 'they' now? He wasn't sure about that either.)

Regardless, he'd appreciate it if Ino gave an answer already. His position wasn't particularly comfortable – the parapet's surface being rather rough and uneven – and so he could feel the scattered bits of debris digging against his backside – a sensation which was not at all conducive for keeping an aloof calmness about things.

He sighed forlornly. What an absolute drag.

"Hey, you know what?" Ino piped up suddenly, making him look up from his one-man pity party. She smirked. "I don't think so."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, somewhat bemused by this declaration. "So, that's a no?"

"Yeah!" She smiled brightly and lifted her chin just a bit higher. "It is a no, Shika."

"Huh."

He peered at her curiously.

After a few moments, he exhaled a weary, "Well, alright then," before carefully stepping away from the parapet's edge. He couldn't get a proper read on what she wanted to do from this point forward, though the bashful-like quality of her smile told of a few possibilities.

"And what happens now?" prodded Shikamaru, as he walked up to loom over her. "Are we going to just... not do this anymore?"

Ino, her eyes glittering with plenty of mischief, reached a hand up and grabbed his jacket lapel. "No, silly," she whispered, urging him down with practiced ease. "You're going to show me how it's done."

"...Uh-huh." This impromptu closeness was doing terrible things for his comprehension. Hell, he couldn't even find it in himself to care that the woman was smearing glitter on the inside of his jacket. "And then?"

"We wait for the fun to start," Ino answered in a matter-of-fact manner, as she smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, her fingers leaving sparkling, telltale paths over his shirt. "And, Shika, that's when I'll need you the most." Her eyes flitted to his. "So, tell me, do you like this plan?"

Shikamaru thought about it hard, and for a good, long while.

"Yeah," he ceded, finally, his nonchalant acceptance accompanied by an equally nonchalant shrug. "I like it."

Ino released his jacket with a knowing smirk. "Mm, I bet you do," she spoke, as she glided past him, binoculars in hand. "Come on. I'll tell you what we're going to do."

She reached the parapet in three, quick strides, and, without pause, clambered onto it, swinging her legs over the edge to sit, her feet dangling about forty meters from the ground. Then, as if she hadn't just done something heart-stoppingly mad, Ino looked over her shoulder and grinned at him, as if to say, "What are you gonna do about it?"

Shikamaru looked to the sky and sighed. One moment she was flirting with him, and the next she was purposely trying to scare him with her antics. It was like she wanted to make his heart burst or something. "Troublesome woman," he grumbled under his breath, even as he made his way to her side.

True to form, Ino met his unimpressed glare with a giggle. "Sit with me?" she asked, sweetness personified once again, as she patted the spot next to her. "I promise I won't push you."

He narrowed his eyes at her but complied all the same. "Just so you know, if you try anything, I'm taking you with me," he vowed, tone serious.

"Oh, but wouldn't that be so poetic?" Ino teased, nudging him with her elbow. "Just imagine it: the two of us – falling together."

"To our deaths, yes," he mumbled, as he eyed the forty-meter drop. They were shinobi, true, but one (literal) misstep and a fall from this height could prove fatal. Now, add in the fact that, should it happen, he would have died while on. a frivolous mission to spy on his best friend's marriage proposal…

He cringed. He was not going to die here.

Seeing the look on his face, Ino gave a light laugh. "I'm kidding, sheesh! You know I'd never dream of it." Then she gazed up at him, her eyes softening as she reached out to squeeze his hand. "Besides, I think I'd much rather live, with you."

Shikamaru froze, his breath hitching slightly, and for a terribly long moment, all he could do was stare at this woman – this complicated, gorgeous, troublesome woman – and listen to her tell him things he didn't know he wanted to hear.

It no longer mattered that they were sitting on top of an abandoned building, or that his best friend was about to be engaged, or that these god-awful, emotion-led thoughts were ruling his judgment: all he could see was Ino and her pretty, blue eyes that sent all his doubts scurrying away, until suddenly, he couldn't imagine tomorrow without her.

He cracked a lopsided grin – because, really, what else could one do in this situation? – and held her hand, squeezing back gently. "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

A tremulous giggle spilled from her lips, sweet and lilting to his ears. "You're sure?" she prodded, smiling shyly. "Even if I'm troublesome? Or that I find little ways to annoy you? Constantly? That I'd probably nag you to death if you don't—"

Shikamaru pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her. "You can trouble me for the rest of my goddamned life, Yamanaka Ino. I don't care," he spoke, conviction lacing his words. "You can bang on my window at 3 a.m., demanding to be let in – I don't give a damn. You can drag me out of bed, mess up my apartment, force me into this dumb plan, bring shitty egg salads into my home, and all that crap, and I'll still think—"

Shikamaru broke off abruptly, a realization hitting him like a blast of cold wind. This was all absurdly, sickeningly romantic – Ino, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks; the warmth of her hand against his; this impulsive, shout-it-from-the-rooftops-style confession; the village lights twinkling beneath them; the millions of stars blanketing the sky; and all of it punctuated by little strains of music trailing from a nearby hall.

It was cliché and representative of everything he hated about all those stories and films she loved so much.

But it was also perfect, and he couldn't bear to deny her this moment. Not now, or ever.

So Shikamaru drew a breath and looked straight into her eyes. "I'll still think," he started, continuing right where he left off. "I'll always think: I can't do better than this. I know I can't."

And without any hesitation, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss – gently and languorously, like the way she kissed him before, in that rundown theater lobby in Taiko Avenue, in front of that aghast receptionist some four or five hours ago. He could remember feeling confused and a little mortified then, but he was certain now – more certain than anything in his life – that this was right, this was for them, and this was exactly how he'd like to kiss her for the rest of their lives.

"Ino," he whispered, after they had broken apart, their faces flushed and breathing ragged. He pressed his forehead to hers gently, watching as her eyes fluttered open, dazed but glittering.

"Um, hi, Shika," she managed, with a self-conscious giggle. "Hey, that was..."

"Amazing?" he supplied, smirking.

Ino scoffed and hit his arm. "Ugh, don't flatter yourself."

"Ow! Jeez, is that how you say 'thanks' in the Yamanaka household?"

"Yes, so you better get used to it," she replied, snippy.

Shikamaru exhaled heavily. "Ah, I already regret this decision."

Ino chuckled and poked his side playfully. "Well, unfortunately for you, there's a no-backsies rule in place, mister. You are tied to this one for a very long time."

He clicked his tongue in mock annoyance and shrugged. "Hn, I guess I should've read the contract."

"Yes, you should've," she agreed, and raised the binoculars to her eyes. "Now, let's get back to business. So, before we were interrupted by this moon-eyed lover boy—"

Shikamaru glared at her.

"—we were just about to check on Choji and Karui, whose table is right over..." She squinted at the lenses, shifting an inch to the left very, very carefully. "Right over... There! Ha! See, Shika? I found them, too!"

"Never said you couldn't do it," he drawled. "And it's not that hard."

"Oh, they're already halfway through dessert," exclaimed Ino, ignoring him and providing the commentary he didn't ask for. "Hm, chocolate ganache – classy. Hey, do you think Mr. Miyamoto could give us a slice or two of that? Ugh, this is making me hungry."

"Yeah, well, now you know the struggle."

"I'm serious, Shika! I am hungry! Hey, you know what? We should get dinner after this. There's a nice place a couple of blocks from here. Sakura says they serve really good tempura, but I don't know if I should trust the taste buds of a woman who would eat anmitsu every day if she could. That's super disgusting, because everyone knows pudding is the best. Anyway, tempura – is that okay? Or would you rather go somewhere else?"

Shikamaru smirked, feeling oddly thrilled at the prospect of Ino asking him out. Weird how things turn out, huh? "Tempura sounds good."

A wide grin crossed her lips. "Alright, great!" she cheered, her excitement palpable in her tone. "Ugh, I cannot wait to get out of here. Oh, gods, can Choji just please propose already? He's on his last bite of cake, and Karui's just about finished with hers – it's perfect timing! I don't understand why he won't just..."

Ino trailed off suddenly, her mouth agape.

"Oh, my god, she whispered, her grip tightening. "He's got the ring." She lowered the binoculars in one swift movement and turned to him, practically yelling, "He's got the ring! Choji's got the ring!"

Shikamaru took this as his cue to move. "Okay," he sighed, standing up and heading for Ino's crate of supplies and surprises.

There wasn't much inside. Most of the space was taken up by the glitter-streaked petals, and the only other item was a satchel of scrolls – Wind-type, he guessed, based on the small stamped marks. He would've wondered where exactly she got those from – Elemental jutsu wasn't really in her wheelhouse – but he didn't have the time for it, if Ino's excited gasps were any indication.

He dragged the box as close to the parapet as possible. An idea on what she wanted with these items was fomenting in his mind. It was ridiculous, but which Ino-led idea wasn't? In fact, it was so ridiculous, he was 95% sure it was exactly what she planned on doing.

Shikamaru glanced at her discreetly.

No, he thought, make that a hundred per cent sure.

Resigned to his task, Shikamaru began selecting all the scrolls he could use and stacked them nearby. He laid the satchel and the rest of its contents aside – they'll have to return them to whoever they belonged to at some point – and took a deep breath.

"Well, this is it," he muttered to himself, before piling a mound of rose petals on the parapet's surface.

Then he looked at the village, searching for the approximate point where the Miyamotos' restaurant stood. He'd have to get it right the first time; a proposal could only take so long.

Satisfied with his calculations, Shikamaru took a step back and unfolded the scroll, turning the seal towards the petals. Elemental scrolls weren't part of his usual gear, either, but he'd tried them out before. Hopefully, this wouldn't turn out disastrously wrong.

Steadying his breath, he gathered chakra in his hands, coursing it slowly through the paper and towards the inked seal. A light gray aura began to grow around him, and Shikamaru braced himself for the possibility of recoil. Most likely, there wouldn't be any, considering how comparatively small the amount of chakra he was actually filtering through, but one never really knew. Hell, he didn't even know how old these scrolls were, or if the person who sealed them was good at his job or not.

Regardless, he'd still have to fire the thing – sooner, rather than later – and, already, he could feel Ino's gaze boring into him from a meter away...

A column of wind rolled from the middle of the scroll, sending the petals hurtling into the air and towards downtown Konoha. Shikamaru followed its progress with narrowed eyes. If his calculation was correct, the whirlwind would start to dissipate a block away from the restaurant, disappear completely over the adjacent establishment, and drop its contents on the target roof deck.

In spite of himself, he felt a tinge of nerves as he looked over at Ino, who was peering through the glasses again. There was a stilted strain to her stance, and he could hardly blame her – this was her plan, a sort of realization of dreams (in more ways than one). As much as he detested the work, he'd hate it if she ended up disappointed in the end.

Slowly, though, a smile began to crack on her lips. "Shika," she squealed, as she swiveled around, jumping off the parapet and running towards him as quickly as she could. "Shika! You did it! You actually did it!"

Ino flung her arms around his neck, sending him staggering back a few steps, but that was alright. She was happy, and that was all that mattered, really.

"Oh, Shika, it was amazing," Ino gushed, her eyes shining with delight. "You should've seen the look on their faces! Choji was so shocked, he could barely get the words out, and Karui was just in awe. You know what? Everything was so worth it, just for that." She looked up at him and smiled. "And it couldn't have happened without you."

Shikamaru scoffed, waving dismissively. "It's nothing," he answered, only half-lying. "I'm glad to be of help."

"Still," she said, grasping both of his hands firmly. "Thank you for everything."

He shrugged. "Hn, I'm just glad I'm not receiving your gratitude Yamanaka-style."

Ino laughed and, with a glimmer of coyness in her eyes, proceeded to draw him closer. "Well," she whispered, rising on tip-toes slowly. "I think you deserve to be thanked some other way, hm?"

Shikamaru regarded her advance with interest. "Really, now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," she growled low in his ear, before abruptly pulling away with a cheeky grin. "I'll buy you dinner," she announced, before flouncing off to resume her surveillance.

Momentarily confused, Shikamaru watched her depart with a bit of a sense of betrayal. "Hey, Ino, what the hell was—"

"Be quiet for a minute, darling," she ordered, lifting a hand to silence him, her eyes focused on the scene below. "I've got a fireworks show to choreograph with Konohamaru. We'll talk later. And, also, if you would be so kind..."

Deftly, she pointed at her crate, still half-full with petals and glitter.

Shikamaru sighed. Right, of course.

Walking back to his station, he picked out another scroll to use and, like before, built a pile of petals on top of the parapet. He squinted out at the village, reconfirmed the target's location, and unfurled his scroll.

"Ready?" he called out, warming up to this.

Ino looked at him, still grinning, and winked. "Ready."

Shikamaru smirked back.

Really, he wouldn't want it any other way.

Author's Note: And, done! I am so very sorry I took so long to write this out, but if you're still waiting for this, thank you very much, and I do hope you enjoyed the ending! If you see any errors, please let me know as I am on my phone right now writing/editing this out. Oh, and I will try to squeeze in a birthday fic or two (because it's ShikaIno Week, you guys!) on the weekend, so maybe stick around for that! Again, thank you for reading my overly fluffy fic, and I hope you have the greatest day!