And I'm back! Why was I gone so long, you ask? I've already written a novel about it in the latest chapter of Rapture, but to make a long story short, I had finals, then I had to fly back home, then the Fire Nation attacked and Zutara ruined my life.

I actually planned on updating the last prompt for Zutara Week before updating this one, but it is becoming so long it's ridiculous, and this short little thing has been floating in my head for a while. Hope you enjoy!

I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't halt a war for an entire chapter just so Kakashi could give a lecture on space-time jutsus. I mean, seriously, villains in shonen manga are so considerate, waiting patiently while their enemy openly strategizes in the middle of a battle for chapters on end.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she made her way through Konoha's streets, dodging people as she went. A million thoughts ran through her head, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.

Before she knew it, she was at her destination, her stomach clenching and her mouth dry. Why was she so nervous? He was her best friend. She could talk to him about anything. This wasn't a big deal.

Feeling stupid and slightly intimidated, she smoothed down the material of her blue sundress, too much in her own world to notice the curious looks from passersby. She ran a hand through her hair, hoping to tame any fly-aways, then, taking a deep breath, pushed open the door to the barbeque restaurant.

He was right where she had left him, and she was simultaneously relieved and horrified. She noticed that he was just sitting there, not eating any of the meat in front of him, a sure sign that something was bothering him. It took her a few seconds to gather up the courage to walk to his table, but when she did, he looked up in surprise.

"Ino."

She really should have sat down, should have made small talk and eased her way into the subject. But her brain could only focus on one thing, and before she knew what she was doing, the words had spilled from her mouth. "Do you love me, Choji?"

He physically recoiled from the question, eyes widening and cheeks immediately blooming with color.

Other customers were looking at them curiously and she felt her own face heat up. She really wished she could control her mouth. "As more than a friend, I mean."

And now that the question was out there, she found she didn't want to know the answer. If he said no, everything would be okay and they could laugh about how silly she was being, but she knew that a small part of her would die. If he said yes…

She wasn't sure what would happen if he said yes.

Choji was her best friend, her teammate. He was always there, through her good times and her bad, always willing to be a shoulder to lean on, always able to put a smile on her face. She had never thought about him in that way before, had always gone after guys who shattered her and then allowed Choji to help put her back together. If he said yes…

Choji's mouth opened and closed several times, the silence hanging between them. Finally, he nodded.

Ino practically collapsed into the chair across from him. "Really?" she whispered, blue eyes wide.

The Akimichi seemed to regain his voice. "Always," he replied just as quietly. "Always."

His face was red, clearly embarrassed, but he was looking her straight in the eye, refusing to run away. Ino resisted the urge to stare at the table. She had already run once before. She wasn't going to do it again.

She felt so unlike herself. She hadn't been this awkward and unsure since her crush on Sasuke. Ino prided herself in being confident, in having no shame in going after what she wanted and saying whatever she pleased. Now, she felt more like Hinata, blushing and stumbling through conversations and feeling like she might faint.

She couldn't pretend with Choji. He knew that she was selfish, rude, and sometimes shallow. He knew that she was loud and flirty and narcissistic and cared way too much about what others thought about her. He knew what she looked like without her makeup and fancy clothes and brash confidence. He knew every single one of her faults. And he loved her anyway.

She had never had this before in a relationship, never felt so bared open. It scared her.

"I'm so sorry, Cho." She noticed his face fall at this. "God, I am so stupid."

He looked alarmed. "You're not stupid, Ino."

"Yes I am." She placed her face in her hands. "Everyone has been telling me about how you felt for years, and I've just been ignoring it!" She gasped in horror. "I'm worse than Naruto!"

Chojo couldn't help but smile at that. "You're not worse than Naruto."

Ino peered at him in disbelief. "I had a magical fortune-telling ball thingie tell me that all of this would happen!"

He paused, his smile widening a tad. "Okay, you're a little worse than Naruto."

Ino groaned in mortification.

"It's okay, you know." His smile faded. "You don't have to love me back. We can't control how we feel."

"I don't know how I feel." Ino caught his gaze, placing a hand in his. She exhaled slowly. "But I'm willing to find out."

She watched as hope filled his big brown eyes, as fear slowly disappeared. He swallowed. "So what now?"

"Now?" she mused softly, her thumb rubbing patterns along his skin. Her heart was still jittery, but it no longer felt trapped. She was feeling freer by the second. "Now, we finish our dinner. Then we should head over to the hospital, because Hinata's in labor."

"Really?" He smiled excitedly, and Ino wasn't exactly sure if it was because of Hinata or something else.

She liked to think it was her.

Suddenly, she noticed how everyone's eyes were on them. "Can I help you?" she snapped loudly, pleased when heads hurriedly turned around.

Scoffing at their audacity, she turned her attention back to her maybe-more-than-a-best-friend, who smiled warmly at her despite her crankiness.

Ino felt herself smiling back.

A/N: A little something to tide you over until I can get my shit together. I've always felt that Ino is actually a very sensitive person, and she isn't as confident as people think she is.

Let me know.