"What am I supposed to do mom?" Ino whined as she paced furiously around her bedroom. It was a day before Shikamaru's birthday and she had no gift. The pressure to find the perfect gift was unbearable for her. Sure he was a pain in the ass to shop for but she always found something suitable on her first shopping trip. Ino had visited all the shops within Konoha and left empty handed after all of them. It was absolutely positively, unbelievably, ridiculous! If only they were just kids, she could always get him some strange gift that he appreciated but now everything seemed too simple. Nothing screamed 'Shikamaru' to her.
"You're overthinking this Ino, just relax and an idea will come to you." Her mother sighed. She had been listening to her daughter rant for well over an hour on the topic and it was giving her a headache. Nothing could calm her down.
"You and I both know that won't work." Ino scoffed and slumped on her vanity chair. Walking around was becoming just as troublesome as picking out a present for her boyfriend. It felt like she spent the majority of her day sitting or laying down and she hated the lack of movement.
"Has he hinted about anything?" Her mother suggested. She assumed her daughter was too focused on finding a gift that she had overlooked plenty of good options.
"Nope and he hasn't told me anything about my gift either. How am I supposed to know my price range for this!" Ino grumbled and punched one of her pillows to let out her frustration.
"So you don't have any ideas?"
"Nothing seemed good enough."
"Well I do have one, but I don't know if you're ready for it." Her mother replied. It would be a very mature step for her daughter and big promise to make. However it could be just the right solution to her daughter's dilemma.
"Tell me." Ino ordered. She didn't care about the little warning her mother gave her. Any idea would suffice.
"Well it's what you're father gave me on my twenty seventh birthday, but you're going to have to tweak it a little. What he did was..."
"For goodness sakes Shikamaru it's about your present alright! Now stop asking me about it because I don't want to give it away before tonight." Ino finally surrendered after his endless questions. For the 'present' to work the moment had to be special and surprising for him like her mother had said. Everything had to be just right and that meant no spoilers about her gift.
"You've been this worked up over my present? Honestly Ino that's crazy, even for you." Shikamaru scoffed with a heavy roll of his eyes. He knew his tastes were hard to shop for but he didn't think they could make Ino that nervous. He knew wanted gift she got him would be great because they always had been. Sometimes a bit odd but always something he treasured. Speaking of his present he hadn't seen Ino's at all, did she even bring it? He thought it was a bit much to be that secretive over it but then again he was talking about Ino so it matched her perfectly.
"I just really want you to like it." She mumbled and sunk deeper into his sofa. She needed him to love it really. It was such a risky choice so it needed to be worth it.
"I'm sure I will." He assured and moved to the opposite side of the sofa to be beside his girl. During his questioning he made her go on the other side so she couldn't pull the same trick on him. He did admit her impromptu make out session had made him forget about his questions, but luckily Chouji had reminded him. However he wasn't going to fall for it again. Ino used that trick on him so many times and every time he fell for it so he had to plan ahead and keep her away. She pouted at him and grumbled all the way to the other side at a snail's pace.
"You said I had to stay away from you remember?" Ino sniffed and turned away from him.
"I didn't mean for the whole night." He groaned and brought his arms around her. His confident smirk turned into a frown when moved them off her. The girl was now just trying to be troublesome, he decided.
"I don't want to cuddle with you." Ino huffed and swatted his incoming hand.
"And why is that?" He asked. She always wanted to cuddle. Always. He enjoyed the activity as well. For one it was a very pleasant feeling to have her in his arms. It made his overprotective instincts lessen when he knew she was safely with him. Another thing cuddling did was offer a guaranteed happy Ino. It always worked to cheer her up and he knew it.
"Because you wrongfully exiled me." She pouted and turned around to glare at him. She did not appreciate being sent to the other side of the couch.
"I did not exile you, I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't pull that little trick on me again." Shikamaru objected. His idea seemed like a good one at the time but now he was regretting it.
"But you enjoyed it, and don't you dare say you didn't." She shot back. It was a sly move on her part but he would've never known. Chouji had to bring it up again and ruin it however. After the movie their friend had selected was finished Shikamaru successfully coaxed him into leaving the rest of the day to them. Ino had objected the idea but naturally Chouji left his best friends be. He probably thought they wanted to make out again.
"Of course I did. But you only did it so I would forget about your mood. Didn't you?" He smirked back at her. Ino guiltily grinned at him before hardening her features once again. She had to seem madder than she actually was. In truth she had gotten over her seat on the couch when he first moved closer but decided to have some fun with it.
"You were annoying me with all your questions."
"Well you're attitude was annoying me." He replied with another roll of his eyes.
"You know calling me annoying really isn't helping your chances of cuddling." Ino muttered and crossed her arms. Her back was now turned to him again. She felt him get off the sofa. Did she go too far?
"Where are you going?" She asked and turned to see him by the stairway. Her eyebrows were raised at him in anticipation for his answer.
"To get something that will raise my chances. Close your eyes." He replied and waited for her eyes to shut before heading to his bedroom. Ino wondered what on earth he was doing but if he was willing to put in some extra effort then she was all for cuddling.
"Keep your eyes closed alright." He announced when she heard his footsteps coming back down the stairs. Ino remained blind to the world but sighed at how painfully slow his footsteps were being. It was like he was trying to make her more anxious for his surprise. She remebered it was Shikamaru so he definitely was.
"Will you hurry up!" She barked once her patience began to thin. Obviously he understood how impatient she was because instead of walking around the sofa to sit by her, he hopped over the backing of it and onto the cushion beside her. He smirked at her squeal of delight. He was surprised she had listened to his order and kept her eyes closed.
Ino felt warmth engulf her and snuggled closer to the soft material. She hadn't even registered it as his arms until he told her to open her eyes and saw him smiling down at her. She was wrapped in the softest material that had ever clad his arms. All her false anger had disappeared at that moment.
"This is so soft." She stated happily. It made the butterflies in her stomach take a break to allow her this moment.
"My mom got it for my birthday. In fact she got it for this precise reason." Shikamaru replied and silently thanked his mother. Now he had another way to get Ino in his arms, even when she threw little fits like this one. He could also hold it against her.
"You know I'm going to make you wear this all the time." Ino warned and snuggled until she was practically buried in the material. It felt just like a fleece blanket around. She had never felt more comfort than being cuddled in his arms. Her mind had completely erased her anxiety.
"I love you." She murmured softly. The phrase rolled off the tongue to her now.
"I love you too." Shikamaru replied. He lifted Ino's face and was met with a pout from removing her from snuggling her nose in his sweater. That pout melted when he captured her lips in his. However it was his turn to pout when she pulled away after only a few seconds.
"Why'd you stop?" He questioned in a less than content tone.
"Silly Shika, I can't kiss you seriously when you're wearing a sweater like this. It's purely a cuddling sweater." Ino replied like it was a scientific fact. In her mind it was.
"Okay so if this is a purely cuddling sweater than what would be a purely kissing garment be?" Shikamaru asked curiously. If there was such an article of clothing then he would definitely hit the mall if need be. That would be something worth the investment.
Ino tilted her head to the side in deep thought. She had never thought about it before. Maybe a leather jacket could work? Ino couldn't imagine her boyfriend wearing something that however. At least not the cool biker kind that she was imagining. A wife beater shirt was another option. She had seen him wear them during summer but it seemed so out of place in winter. She was sure there was a garment of clothing that existed. Or maybe there wasn't...
"There isn't one." She stated. She could see the disappointment in his dark eyes and smirked.
"In fact the only thing that would be a definite kiss would have to be wearing no shirt at all." She added. Her teasing smile made Shikamaru wish she wasn't so close to his front as it was getting very hard.
"Well I suppose that makes things a bit easier."
Ino stared nervously at the two bags in front of her. Their mothers had stopped by the Nara residence a few minutes prior. Ino had received an over night bag because she didn't get the memo that she was sleeping over, alone. Her mother had also given her a small bag with the physical aspects of the gift. Ino hoped she had good taste when she picked them out. Her mother had also given Shikamaru a present, one that made Ino blush darkly. Her mother had given a warning glare and a box of condoms.
"I don't want a second grandchild anytime soon." She warned. With that her and Yoshino had departed for a 'mom' day. Ino knew it was just an excuse to leave their children alone. She didn't know what they expected them to do however.
"So what now?" Shikamaru asked as he lifted himself up onto a sitting position on his bed.
"You pick, it's your birthday after all." Ino replied with a shrug.
"Sleep sounds nice." He mumbled and set his head back on his pillow. Ino rolled her eyes at his laziness. Only he would take a nap on his birthday. However if that really how he wanted to spend his birthday then she'd let him.
"Hey when do you think we'll use these?" Ino asked and held the box of condoms.
"I guess whenever you feel ready after the baby is born." He replied.
"But won't you have to be ready too?" She asked all too innocently. His low chuckle at the question made her realize her mistake. His sly smirk made her punch his leg.
"Perv." She huffed.
"I'm a teenage boy Ino, what did you honestly expect?"
It was eleven at night now. Ino was about to burst with anxiousness. They usually opened gifts closer to midnight but Ino couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Can I give you my gift now?" She asked desperately. His dark eyes looked at the clock and then back at her in confusion. She was very strict with traditions and never attempted to break them. Well until now.
"Don't you think it's kind of early?" He asked to make sure she was aware of the time.
"Only by like half an hour. I just really can't wait." She responded even more desperately. She was afraid she'd lose her nerve if she waited any longer. But she needed to spit it out.
"Fine but you're not getting yours until after midnight." He replied. If this was a ploy to get her gift early than he wasn't going to fall for it. She'd have to be patient.
"That's fine." Ino nodded and inhaled deeply. She didn't even know where to start. She had hardly practiced this because she wanted it to be genuine but she regretted that. There was so much she was supposed to say but it was all leaving her mind. Her palms were sweaty and her throat was dry. God she wanted to just get this over with.
"Alright I'm probably going to ramble a lot but hear me out alright." She began and felt her heart racing. He patiently nodded for her to continue.
"So gift giving for you is really, really hard and I had an extremely tough time trying to find something. Apparently my dad did this for my mom one year and I thought it was perfect so here we go." Ino continued shakily. Her voice was shaking just as much as her hands. Shikamaru was beginning to understand why she had been so nervous all day if this was his she was acting about a present. Still he didn't interrupt her speech and waited when she took a moment to take a deep breath.
"Besides my mom, you're the only person I can trust with anything in the world. I hope I'm that person for you too. I've loved you longer than I realized and you'll always be the starring role in my heart. You're always there for me and I will always be there for you. No matter what you need. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I don't even want to think about it. It would b-be unbearable." She carried on. Tears were welling up in her eyes that she hadn't expected to form this early. She was well aware she'd get emotional over pouring her heart out but it still felt so strange. She was only in the middle of the speech.
"And what I'm about to propose for us is something I never would've imagined saying. I know I'm supposed to get on one knee but that's kind of impossible at the moment. I want to marry you Shikamaru Nara. I've never wanted something more in my whole life. But I don't mean we have to do it right away. I don't even mean when we're eighteen. In fact I want to wait and see what the future holds for us. When we're b-both finished with college and have stable jobs and are taking care of our little baby, then I want to make it official. I know marriages based on pregnancy rarely work so that's why I want to base it off our l-love and not the fact I'm pregnant with your kid. We can do it. That's why even though it's very early for me to say this I'm doing it anyway. So I suppose this isn't really a proposal...but more like a promise. A promise that one day I will marry you. And before that and after I will remain o-only yours and...you'll be only mine." Ino resumed. Thin lines of tears were falling down her face and onto her lap. She knew they weren't stopping anytime soon. She wiped them off with her sleeve anyway and picked up the small bag with two velvet boxes. One was dark blue velvet, Shikamaru's and the the other was purple velvet, Ino's. She picked up the dark blue box carefully in her trembling hands.
"So if you accept this promise wear this ring to remind you of it everyday." She stated and opened the box to reveal a simple silver band. Please say yes, Ino begged in her mind. Shikamaru's hands were shaking as well as he slid the band onto his finger.
"Of course I do Ino." He beamed. He had never felt a feeling of pure happiness before this moment. Everything felt like it clicked in place at that exact second. He felt her tears of happiness against his cheeks when he dipped his head to kiss her perfectly pink lips. Apparently the fact he was wearing his cuddling sweater didn't keep her from kissing back. He swore his hold on her was never going to break. He was glad her eyes were closed so she wouldn't see his misted over eyes.
"I love you so much Ino." He declared into her lips. She couldn't muster any words, now being in a state of hectic joy. Every year she shed was out of happiness and there were lots of them. Anyone else would've thought she was an emotional wreck, just not the good kind that she was experiencing.
"I'm s-sorry for cr-rying so m-much." She hiccuped as she pulled away and hugged him tightly.
"It's alright Ino." Shikamaru reassured and cradled her against his chest. He probably would've cried that much if she hadn't done it for him. That didn't stop a few stray happy tears from slipping out of his eyes.
He eyed the bag on his bag and saw another box peaking out. He assumed it was her ring too. He opened the purple velvet box and saw a thin silver band with a tiny diamond in the middle.
"I needed o-one too." Ino commented. She was beginning to finally feel calm again. She reached for the box to place the ring on her finger but he held it out of her reach.
"Let me." He ordered. He slowly slid the ring onto her finger and smiled at how perfect it looked on her. He planted a light kiss on her hand as well. Now everyone knew they belonged to each other.
Man my present can't top this, Shikamaru inwardly groaned.
