"Oh my God, I feel like I'm having a hangover."

"Morning, well evening, you missed the rest of Christmas, it's the 27th." Shikamaru poured out two Aleve and bottled water. "Here." He handed them to her.

"Thanks." She grabbed one of the two pills, and the water

"Aren't you going to take the second pill, get rid of all the pain?"

"Do I look that fat?" she said, looking down at her stomach.

'No, uh sorry, it's just most people need two pills by the time they're thirty."

"Twenty eight." She popped the pill, and took a large swallow of water.

"Right."

"And that's because guys are naturally larger, and most girls have had a kid by now."

"Then why haven't you."

"Do I look like a slut?"

"No Ino, you don't."

"Thank you."

"So, that means that you are waiting to find the right guy?"

"I found him, but he doesn't like me, so it doesn't matter."

"Me too, or well Hinata says differently, but I'm not so sure.

"So who is she?" Ino stood up, and started looking in the fridge, leaving Shikamaru sitting at her table alone.

'At the risk of sounding like you back in our genin days, do you like me?"

"What?"

"Hinata said that that night you were crying because of me."

"Hinata's full of crap."

"Oh."

"You, people!" Sakura hopped out of the cupboard.

'Sakura? Why were you in my cupboard?"

"Making sure Shika didn't try to hurt you, why, because he likes you, and you need to get over me telling her, because she likes you too!" Sakura walked out of the kitchen saying something about idiots in love.

"Shika? Is that true?"

"Yeah?"

"She was right across the board."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Or troublesome?"

"A little bit of both," he said smiling as he walked over to her, "hey Ino?"

"Hm?" She rested her head on his chest.

"I have an odd request; can you say merry Christmas to me?"

"Merry Christmas?"

"No like you did before."

"Oh." She snuggled up closer, and laced her arms around his back, "Merry Christmas Shika-kun."

"I love that now, but some day I know it's going to be troublesome."

"What ever happened to that word?"

"I knew you didn't like it, so I dropped it."

"Until I was fourteen I didn't."

"Huh?" he pulled away.

"My birthday, I felt it too."

"You really are troublesome."

"Oh you so love it, so shut up."

"You got me." She pulled her head off of his chest, and looked up at him. "Can I kiss you with out being called a rapist?"

"For now." She smiled, as he leaned in, she followed suite; and they stood there the sensation of fourteen years ago back, and much appreciated. Finally she pulled away for air, "God I missed that feeling."

"Oh?" he picked her up bridal style, and she kissed him again, this time more of a peck though.

"One second." He set her down. She opened the cabinets, "all clear." He kissed her again, this time with her pinned down on the counter.

"This year, it's my birthday." He grinned devilishly.

"Your birthdays only one day before mine!" She said misinterpreting what he was implying.

"That's not what I meant." He counted on his fingers, "January" one "February" two "march" three "April" four "May" five "June" six "July" seven "august" eight "September" nine "you get the first kiss, I get the first kid, sound fair?"

"Shika!" she laughed as spoke

"What?"

She laughed, "that was one where you just accept that I said your name and get over it."

"You're going to be saying it a lot more tonight."

"Oh am I now?"

"Yes." He kissed her again.

"Oh Shika!" she said using sarcasm and mellow dramatics.

"Like that without the sarcasm" he carried her behind closed doors that are not meant for this fic.

Fin.