The blonde sat across from his spinning a straw around the rim of a fizzling Diet Coke, teal blue eyes narrowed into slits.

Naruto swallowed. "I'm buying you lunch, why are you... glaring at me?"

Ino steepled her fingers, peering over at him like the King Pin. "What are we doing here?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, I try and do one nice thing." Naruto huffed under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"What did you say?" She voice dropped deadly.

"Bitches be crazy."

Ino's eyes bulged out of her head. "You're such a brat! Ugh, look you better have a good fucking reason, dragging me out on my lunch break. I know I'm hot as fuck, but if this is some kind of sick date or something I swear to god-"

Naruto blew his lips out in a huff. "What? Don't even joke. I don't like you."

If he had thought Ino was glaring before, it didn't hold a candle to the dangerous snake slits she was giving him now. It like staring down the barrel of a precious gem colored shotgun.

Naruto's hands came up above the table, holding her at bay like charging bull. "Calm down. Damn. Friend. Friend. Friend. Friend. Hinata's friend. In that role - that specific one, I like you very much. As Hinata's friend only."

Ino sat back in her chair, picking up Diet Coke and taking a long drink out of the straw. Keeping her lips pursed, scrutinizing him for a few moments longer. "Her best friend." She corrected.

Naruto conceded easily. "Yeah. For sure. A little pretentious, but whatever. You're Hinata's best friend. And, that, is why I asked you to lunch."

The admission felt heavy. His shoulders sagged a little, and he glanced around the little sandwich shop to see if anyone else had noticed them arguing.

It was New York, and nobody gave them even a glance.

"I need your help." Naruto huffed again, pulling at his collar.

He had worn a button up. This was important to him, even if he was completely bumbling it.

"Fuck, you're making me sweat." He felt less nervous locked in a cage with Zabuza "the cleaver" Momochi.

"I'm listening." Ino finally clipped.

Her face and demeanor still hard. Naruto had to admit, Ino was a bad bitch. A good ride or die for Hinata for sure. Especially since his babe was a little on the quieter, push-over, side of the spectrum. Ino really was a good "best friend".

"I'm going to buy Hinata a ring."

It was like a bomb had been detonated, right inside the Blimpie's. Ino's eyes widened, her hands came up shaking vigorously, and then started slapping his arms as fast as humanly possible. "Oh my god, oh my god, Jesus fucking Christ! Oh my god. What the fuck. You're going to propose! You're going to propose?"

She stopped, in a single second completely composing herself. "Don't you think that's kind of soon?"

"Soon? We've been together for four years. Almost five, actually." Naruto realized, almost shocked.

"Nah uh uh." Ino shook her head. "You're forgetting your little breaky breaky, right in there. Technically you've only been together for a little bit. Not even a couple months. That hardly qualifies you for rings."

"Wow. You are such a b-" Naruto stopped, realizing that, as previously made clear, that this was Hinata's best friend.

Who would definitely tattle on him if he called her a bitch.

"Beautiful person." Naruto sniffed, clenching his teeth, nodding so he wouldn't lose his mind. "And thank you. So much. For bringing up that little break we took. Really. That was so kind of you. And a perfect way to clear some things up."

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Hinata and I took a break. A little more voluntary for her than it was for me. Whatever. It's fine. And that was a perfect time to sort some stuff out. Ya'know. Clear my head, things like that. Got some priorities... prioritized."

Naruto closed his eyes, rubbing a hand down his face. He honestly couldn't have made this lunch more worse if he had tried.

"And, marrying Hinata, is on the top of that list." He finished, half expecting Ino to go back to hitting him.

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Naruto temper flared, for a moment, his teeth grinding together. He took a quick deep breath to tone it down. "You know what? I don't actually need your permission to marry Hinata. I love her. She loves me. I was doing this, as a courtesy. To her. Not to you."

"Courtesy? What like asking me for my blessing or some shit."

"Absolutely the fuck not. I just told you, I don't give a shit what you think." Naruto stalled again, realizing that this story was going to sound terrible when Ino was relaying it second hand to Hinata. "And I mean that with the utmost respect."

"Of course you do." She replied, monotone, glaring as she sipped her Diet Coke. "So what do you need me for, exactly?"

Finally. The crux of why he had even ask her to lunch. "I need help. With the ring."

"Like picking one?" Ino seemed to take a complete one-eighty, leaning back in her chair, face relaxed, leisurely sipping her Diet Coke.

"Not exactly." Naruto ruffled the back of his hair, awkwardly. "I want to get her something small and simple. Not because I'm cheap or anything, just cause I know she won't like it if I get it too big. Too flashy. Ya'know? And... I really want her to like it."

"Something 'Hinata'." Ino supplied.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah like her bracelet."

"Her bracelet?" Ino asked.

Naruto frowned. Yes, the bracelet she wore every single day and took immaculate care of. Her bracelet. What kind of best friend was she?

He nodded anyways though.

How many times had he thought about her bracelet and anguish over the fact that he couldn't get something like that for her? Now, he could. And he wanted to. And not just for shits and giggles. It was going to mean something. Something deeper than anything had ever meant to him, only rivaling the tattoo that he had got in homage of her.

"Well, you're in luck Naru." Ino smirked. "I know the exact jewelry store she got the bracelet."

Oh. She was that kind of best friend.

"And, for the record, you do have my blessing."

Naruto sat back, looking at Hinata's best friend in a new light. He had known Ino just as long as Hinata. She had dated Sasuke, for a moment. She had been around for a lot of the shit they had all went through.

"Thanks." Naruto accepted, awkwardly.

"And if you ever hurt my girl again, I'll beat the shit out of you. I don't care what kind of moves you got now. I'll do it." Ino punctuated her points and pressing down on her napkin, threateningly.

"Eye-eye cap'n." Naruto gave a floppy, half hearted two finger salute. "Now, the address to the jewelers, if you don't mind."

Ino burst into laughter. "If you think I'm going to miss out on a second of you picking a ring, you have another thing coming. Get the fuck up, let's go."

She moved to grab everything on the table, before Naruto saved the last bit of his sandwich. "Relax. Jeez."

"You're just lucky I'm going to keep this a secret. Hinata would freak if I told her you were eating white bread. I thought you were on salads only." Ino pinched his cheeks.

Naruto rolled his eyes, grabbing his drink and sandwich. "Everyone obsessed with what I eat now?"

"Well, Hinata wouldn't worry if you weren't trying to drop pounds like a thirteen year old bulimic."

They made their way out of the Blimpies, and out onto the street. "I don't think there's anything I could do that Hinata wouldn't worry about."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Give your babe some credit. You do some stupid shit."

Naruto shrugged, tilting his head to her before taking another bite of his sandwich.

She wasn't wrong.

"So, when are you gonna pop the big Q?" Ino asked, leading them down to the bus stop.

Naruto knew exactly when he was planning on asking. And where. It was already planned out. But he couldn't even let a hint of that get out, lest Ino prove her big mouthed reputation.

"We have some things to talk about first." Naruto deflected.

Which was true. They did. He had some apologizing to do. Hinata herself had more than just hinted that there were some things that she was also dealing with, that he was ready to hear. Whenever she was ready to share.

"Are you even sure she's going to say 'yes'?"

Naruto scoffed. "Of course."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Like ninety percent sure." He paused. "Maybe eighty. Seventy-five at least." He blinked a little. "Wait do you think she'll say 'no'?"

Ino just rolled her eyes. "You better have that talk quick then, Lover Boy. You sound like an election poll."

Naruto rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his sandwich, mumblings mimics of Ino's voice.

"Aye! You gonna eat the rest of that?"

Naruto stopped, and glanced over at the the random homeless guy, maybe mid thirties, dirty, wearing three layers of clothes with a couple different bags.

His hands shook and his eyes were shifty. Either on drugs or was something from some kind of mental disorder that was untreated. Probably both.

Where was this guys family? His friends?

Is this who Naruto would've been? Without Sasuke? Without Hinata?

"This?" Naruto looked down at the food in his hand. "This ain't shit. Trust me."

He reached into his pocket for his wallet, watching the guy evenly for any signs that he might lunge for the whole thing. Not that one kick to the chest wouldn't blow the guy into next week. He turned a little away from Ino, his shoulder blocking his wallet from her glance. He didn't really have that much cash on him, he'd been mugged a lot so far in life, and there were ATMs on every corner if it was really necessary. But he had a couple fives and a one. He grabbed them folded, with the one dollar bill on the outside, trying to make it appear that he was only giving him a single.

"There's a place on East 114th. It's my girls favorite." Naruto dropped that on him casually.

The guy stalled for a minute, probably getting a lot more "fuck off"s than hand outs. He started fumbling along with the "God bless you"s and Naruto quickly waved him off.

"No worries. Stay safe man."

Turning quickly away from the stranger, and finding Ino much closer than he expected. He grabbed her arm lightly, pushing her a few feet away.

"Don't talk to strangers." He admonished her, ironically.

"Holy shit." Ino stared at him.

"What?" Naruto sighed, bracing himself for the legendary Yamanaka sass.

"You're a big softy!"

"Psht." Naruto's lips snarled upward, distastefully. "Fuck off."

"You are! Hinata was right, you're just big old teddy bear. A little sweetie pie."

Naruto could feel the heat on his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Her and Kiba got into it one time, about you being an asshole. Hinata swore up and down that you're just a little rough around the edges and heart of gold. I wasn't buying it, but whatever. Us girls all have our favorite flavor. Who am I to judge? I mean, I dated Sasuke, I can't warn her off assholes, know what I mean?"

Ino talked with her hands a lot, Naruto noticed. He watched her somewhere between mild distaste for the topic of conversation and complete regret for ever seeking her out in the first place.

"But she was right! My girl. Can you imagine? You. Naruto Uzumaki, a nice guy? Wow."

"Look, I just didn't want him around. I gave him a dollar and sent him down a couple blocks. Get over it." He took another hate bite of the last of his sandwich.

Ino shook her head. "No. Uh uh. I'm not buying that."

"You can buy whatever you want." Naruto spoke through a mouth full of bread.

"Close your mouth." She scoffed. "Plus, we have to focus on what you're buying."

Yes. 100% regret for including her.