A quick drabble based on the 'Kleptomaniac' prompt from SH month 2017. Set in my Tattoo parlor AU; Ino and Sasuke are roommates, and Hinata is the Henna artist at the Dragon and Phoenix tattoo parlor, owned jointly by her cousin Neji, and his more-than-girlfriend Tenten.

The Golden Ratio
Part III: Klepto

"Sasuke," Ino stood in the doorway of his room. "This has to stop."

"Agreed," he replied, not looking up from his drafting table. "Go bother someone else."

"I'm serious, Sasuke," Ino crossed her arms. "You have a problem."

"I know. So go bother someone else, and that will no longer be the case."

Ino marched over to his desk and took his chin in her hand, jerking his head toward her, and studying him critically.

Sasuke's 'what the fuck' reaction was close on the heels of his shock, but before he could initiate the Uchiha Glower™, Ino stunned him by swiping her index finger across his lips and rubbing it rapidly against her thumb and then pausing to take a whiff.

"I knew it," she hissed before pinning him with an accusatory glare. "Lavender."

She released his jaw, as if burned.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Hard to say," he narrowed his eyes. "But I am fairly certain you officially lost your mind in the last minute or so."

"Did I, Sasuke?" she fisted her hands on her hips. "Did I?"

Her eyes landed on it before his, and she darted a hand to snatch it from the corner of the bookshelf.

"Ah-HA!" she brandished her find in triumph. "Busted!"

"Oh, no," Sasuke dead-panned. "You caught me. Whatever shall I do."

"You will stop stealing my lip balm," Ino held up the tube menacingly. "I need this stuff, and I've had to replace it at an alarming rate lately – so back off."

Sasuke gave a snort of annoyance. "I am not stealing anything. This is from the box of samples Hinata asked me to test."

"I call bullshit," Ino snapped. "The box she left you is unopened at the top of the supply closet. The box she left me is on the middle shelf, and you've been taking a ridiculous amount of what's in there."

Sasuke frowned, finally getting up to see what Ino was talking about. He hadn't noticed the rapidly dwindling supply in the box – although he hadn't gone to the box much lately. True, he had put a container of the balm in his car, at his desk, in his bag, at work, in his gym bag, in end table next to his chair…

"Share my supply and pretend we don't have a problem?"

"Deal."

Just something for a smile. More to come! - GL