Lesson #20: Affection
Affection: The action of showing a gentle feeling of fondness and liking.
"Affection from Sasuke-kun is rare. Actually, in order to even achieve some sort of affection you have to be close to him, which is difficult since he closes himself from everybody else. Basically, your chance of having Sasuke-kun initiate any displays of affection with you is one in a million." – Ino Yamanaka
Goal: Get Sasuke to initiate any display of affection.
Ino's Tip: Good luck.
She knew from the very beginning that a relationship with Sasuke would be one which had affectionate displays deemed a rarity. He was never the affectionate type in the first place, never willingly initiating skin contact unless forced to or if angered enough. Having been surrounding by hordes of girls each day, Sasuke had grown annoyed with the mere mention of affection. He was showered with unwanted hugs and clingy girls each day of his life, it really was no wonder that he disliked skinship.
However, she knew that one of the main reasons why it was such a rarity in their relationship was because of the awkwardness Sasuke held. He couldn't express his warm and positive feelings properly, especially since he had been dealing with such negative emotions from early on in his life. He didn't know how to approach a situation with warmth and optimism; it was only natural that he didn't know how to initiate intimate displays of affection.
But that's why she was there. Tenten was determined to get Sasuke to open up, and urge him to initiate some sort of skin contact with her. She didn't care if it was only a tap on the shoulder or hand holding, as long as he initiated something it was fine with her. She wanted to get him out of his cold shell. After growing up without a family for so long, she had come to realise that the boy was lacking warm affection from someone who held true feelings for him. It was time she showed him how it was like to feel warmth again,
"Sasuke!"
The brunette's enthused voice sounded from afar as the aforementioned male turned back to see his girlfriend running toward him with a smile on her face. He paused in order to allow her to catch up as she finally reached him, taking a few deep breaths to calm her breathing. She was panting hard; Tenten had been running straight from her apartment just to find him.
"What is it Tenten?" He questioned when he noticed her breathing had stabilised. Tenten looked up with her bright smile in tact as she moved closer to him, Sasuke's eyes watching her every move.
Without hesitation, Tenten grabbed his right hand and intertwined it with her own, surprising Sasuke in the process. He stared dumbly at their now entwined hands, a questioning expression alight on his face. "What are you doing?"
"Isn't it normal for couples to hold hands?" She asked slyly, her smile still not fading.
He shrugged, "I guess."
At his nonchalant response, Tenten squeezed his hand tighter, marvelling at how small her hand was compared to his. "Let's walk together," she proposed suddenly, a hopeful glint twinkling in her hazel eyes.
"If that's what you want," he replied calmly as he took the lead, beginning to walk with their hands still entwined. Tenten's smile grew wider as she quickened her pace to keep up with him, her eyes occasionally glancing at their hands in pride.
The pair walked serenely through the park in a comfortable silence, hands tightly intertwined as they took in the scenery present around them. Tenten admired the beauty of nature with a wondrous expression, Sasuke glancing to look at her naive face. A light smile graced his lips at the sight. She looked like a kid who had seen the candy shop for the first time. It was a refreshing sight from her usual determined expression or her angry scowl which he was usually the cause of.
Deciding to be bold for once, Sasuke let go of Tenten's hand before placing an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to his body as they walked. Tenten, who had been busy gawking at a few carnations, was surprised at the sudden move, having had to look up at Sasuke in confirmation of his actions. He ignored her staring as he continued nonchalantly walking, his arm still settled firmly around her shoulder with no intentions to let go.
Tenten grinned when she realised this as she turned her attention back to the scenery around them, a small pink blush staining her cheeks. "It's about time you showed me some affection," she quipped suddenly, completing ruining the mood.
Sasuke frowned in response. "You killed the mood Tenten."
Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean I killed the mood? There was no mood in the first place," she protested hotly.
"I disagree. There was clearly a romantic ambience surrounding us that you were so enthused about cutting," he replied, disappointing lacing his voice.
Tenten had to bite her lip from almost bursting out with a chuckle. "Romantic ambience? I never knew you were the romantic type of guy Sasuke," Tenten returned cheekily.
He scowled. "I'm not the romantic type. I'm just acutely aware of my surroundings unlike a certain someone," he insinuated with a smirk.
Tenten lightly elbowed him in the side. "Well excuse me Mr Acutely Aware of His Surroundings, but that certain someone thinks he shouldn't be the one talking because he still hasn't noticed that we're walking the wrong way," she pointed out, her eyes directing toward the sign in front of them.
"We're not walking the wrong way. We're going straight to my house." Tenten looked at him questionably.
"What do you mean we're going to your house?"
He glanced at her for a moment, surveying her lost expression. "It's exactly what it means, we're going to my house."
"But why?"
He smirked. "I thought you wanted me to show you more affection so I decided that we should cuddle on the couch like in those books Sakura always reads."
Tenten punched him in the stomach, though that didn't stop the blush from painting her cheeks a scarlet red.
"Cheesy bastard."
Lesson Outcome: Ladies and gentlemen, shinobi and kunoichi, I am proud to announce that theice cube has finally displayed affection.
Feedback: He reads romance novels?