Ino waited patiently as she knew her friend was on her way, going back to organizing some of the work she'd been left while she was away. It was a welcome distraction, knowing her friend was going through something that she needed advice on. Sure, boy-related meant that it wasn't serious, but it was enough to keep Ino distracted from the secrets she was being forced to keep.
The door opened, and Sakura walked in, closing the door behind her and standing with her back against it. Ino's gaze met Sakura's; she could tell her friend was high-strung right now, but not in a negative way. The doctor's face turned redder and redder the more they stared at each other, leaving her puzzled. It took a few moments as Sakura's expression changed for it to click in Ino's mind, and she began to smirk wickedly, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands as she waited for Sakura to speak.'
"Sasuke just undressed me with his eyes." Those words hung in the hair, forcing Ino to fight to keep her composure and let her friend finish. She tried, but the shock of Sakura's statement was too much; she began to giggle, then eventually started to laugh uncontrollably, leaning back in her chair as tears streamed down her face. In the process, she misjudged the angle of her chair, causing it to tip backward until her legs were in the air, and she had to roll sideways to get out. She managed but was curled up beside the chair, still laughing.
"It's not as funny as you think, you raunchy pig!" Ino heard from the door to the room as she tried to crawl out beside the desk. Sasuke had finally made some kind of move, and as expected, Sakura was flustered beyond belief about it. In comparison to Ino, Sakura could be considered a bit of a prude, although Ino never liked to describe her friend in that manner. More accurately, Sakura was the modest type.
"So he just like... you know..." Ino sat on the floor and mimicked what she thought Sasuke did, raking her gaze up from her friend's legs and ensuring she lingered on her assets just long enough to be beyond appropriate. Sakura's face started to darken even more, and it took everything Ino had not to start laughing at Sakura's reaction.
"Yes," Sakura responded. "And you know what he said? You know what-no," the pinkette quickly corrected, huffing and taking a seat. "I'm not telling you what he said until you're sitting on this goddamned couch because you're going to laugh until you suffocate." Ouch. Point for Sakura because it was the truth. "And that will bring me greater joy than your laughter." Double ouch.
Ino stumbled to her feet, chuckling and wiping tears of laughter from her eyes as she moved to the couch, sitting next to her best friend. "You know, I'd say I promise not to laugh, but you know I can't make that promise," Ino said. "What did he say?" Despite how amused she was by the situation, Ino knew that it was important for her friend and definitely territory that Sakura wasn't used to.
"Okay, well, you know how last tonight we went to the bar, right? And I told you about how all the girls were just all over him, couldn't keep their hands off him no matter how hard he tried? This morning he was running late to the crime scene, so I took the opportunity to tease him." Oh, that was a first for Sakura. Teasing of any kind of sexual nature had to be a new experienced.
"I asked him if he had to drop off a hot girl that was in his back seat or something," Sakura continued. "You know, just a little rapport, banter, because I knew that wasn't what he was doing at all. He's just a grumpy riser in the morning, so he probably took his time getting out of bed because he hates getting up early." Ino saw how Sakura's posture shifted, making it clear her friend was dreading the next part. That meant the next part was the juiciest part of the scenario, and it was leaving the blonde on the edge of her seat.
"So I asked him what she looked like, because he's obviously trying to dodge the question, and he looked me up and down and was like, 'oh, five foot three, petite, adorable, about a C-cup,' and then he adds, 'looks good in lingerie and in a towel.'" Sakura's hands instinctively covered her chest, and Ino felt like she was about to burst. Containing laughter was incredibly difficult in scenarios like this!
"I'm a C, Ino. I'm a c! And he-he's seen me in lingerie, and he's seen me in nothing more than a towel, too!" Sakura's voice had raised at least an octave, almost squeaking by this point, and she was turning red again. That sent Ino over the edge, leading to her nearly falling off the couch as she roared with laughter. Sasuke Uchiha had a lot more game than Ino had expected!
"Wait, hold on," she managed between giggles, fighting to maintain her composure. "So the lingerie thing I know about, but the towel thing... You mean he's seen you like that, and you haven't jumped his bones yet?" With this new information, Ino was shocked that nothing had happened yet. If Sasuke had that much game, how hadn't he made a move on Sakura yet? And how hadn't Sakura gone along with it?
"No, I-we haven't," Sakura confirmed. Ino saw the way her friend's posture changed; it seemed that Sakura was depressed by that fact. "Should we have?" The pinkette asked, her expression telling Ino she was looking for advice. Oh, boy. This one was going to be complicated. If Ino were in her position, she undoubtedly would have been in bed with him by now, but considering it was Sakura, it started to make a little more sense. She thought back to the things Sakura had told her about Sasuke, about how he acted around her, how he treated her, all of those things.
"I don't know about should," Ino began, thinking about how to phrase things to Sakura. "Things are different for you guys. I know you mentioned he got all awkward about taking off his shirt around you and all that, right?" Ino remembered Sakura telling her that story from when they'd gone to the lake house. "Because of his scars?"
"Yeah, he kind of was," Sakura confirmed with a nod. "Well... maybe not awkward. He seemed... self-conscious about them." It made sense from Ino's perspective. People tended to stare at that kind of thing, wanting to ask questions and not realizing just how insensitive those questions might be.
"So that's probably a factor," Ino said with a nod. "Look, if you ask me, hot as he is... based on what you've told me, I doubt he's been with a woman. I don't mean that in the sense that he couldn't have been, but more than he just... probably didn't want to, or didn't have the desire to, or was even afraid to. In other words, he's probably as awkward of a virgin as you are. Maybe even more so, given how he seemed to be in pretty unknown territory when it came to your guys' relationship." She'd managed to put more than a few pieces together, and while a firm answer could only come from Sasuke, Ino was confident her observations were correct.
"You really think he hasn't?" Ino could hear the disbelief in her friend's tone, but she was sure she was right.
"I'm about ninety percent sure, honestly. At this point, I think it's just about giving him time to warm up to you," Ino explained. "If nothing else, set it up a little. A nice candlelit dinner, maybe a romance movie, a little kissing, and just let it go from there." That would be how Ino would set it up if she wanted it badly. That being said, she knew Sakura was different and would have to approach it a little differently, too. "The thing is, Sakura, with you two, it has to be natural. It has to feel right, and if it doesn't, you need to stop, and you need to talk about it."
"I guess I could try that," Sakura agreed. "How should I talk about it if we do?"
"Well, that part's more up to you two," Ino replied. "Look, at this point, I don't think it matters how awkward of a conversation it's going to be. I think you two have seen worse than an awkward conversation about that level of intimacy. You're not going to drive him away with that." They'd been through a lot worse so far; this was just going to be the slightest road bump for them at this point.
"The fact of the matter is... it will happen when the time is right. Sakura, I know you. Yes, I tease you all the time about it, but you know I know how you are about this kind of thing." They approached sex and intimacy very differently as people; Ino knew that fact all too well. "For me, it's fun and racy and a shot of adrenaline, and I love it. With you, there's a little more heart involved in it. For you, it's a part of you, a huge part, and it's not something you want to give away easily, right?" Ino stared at her friend, waiting for an answer; Sakura's nod was enough for her to continue. "So just... don't sweat it. Let it be natural. And honestly, if he's really awkward, just give him time. If he's self-conscious about things as you described, it may take him time... and the more patient you are with him, the better off you two will be." Boundaries had to be respected, no matter whose boundaries they were.
"Okay. I'll-I'll try," Sakura said finally, and Ino could see her friend's mood had brightened. "Thanks, Ino." Of course, Ino couldn't let a conversation like this end without a bit of ribbing.
"When you do, I want details," Ino said, looking sternly at Sakura before mouthing the word 'details' again. Sakura rolling her eyes was exactly the reaction Ino had expected from her friend.
"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said with a wave of her hand. "I'm leaving before you grill me more for details. Bye." And of course, Sakura was quick to shut her out, leaving Ino pouting but waiting for the right moment. She still had one comment up her sleeve.
"Bye, sweetie!" She called behind Sakura as she left, grinning wickedly. "Remember protection!"
"I don't need it, you goof!" Sakura called, causing Ino to laugh as the door to her office closed.