Ino was known for being quick when it came to getting ready. She took less than three minutes in the bathroom for everything. She walked out, teeth and hair brushed, pajamas on to find a half naked Shikamaru dressed in only a pair of white boxers.

Ino stood behind him staring at his perfect back, his black hair grazing his shoulder blades nicely. Her cheeks coloured a shade of pink, warming her face. He didn't realize she was standing there until he sat back down on the opposite side of the bed. Ino gaped at him. He was even better from the front! The lazy expression on his face faltered slightly as Ino walked toward him. He watched her sit down on the other side of the bed. Ino was trying hard not to look directly at Shikamru; it was difficult.

Shikamaru felt the same way. Ino's pajamas consisted of silky dark purple boxers and a thin-strapped tank top of a lighter shade. The top clung to her chest, revealing her womanly figure. Why did she have to make it difficult for him to function? He stared at her, forgetting to check himself. To make matters worse, Ino had sprayed a delicious body mist over her hair before crawling under the sheets. Shikamaru left the room, giving the excuse that he needed to brush his teeth. Ino chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, not sure how the course of the night would go. Taking precautions, Ino rolled onto her side, as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

Ino was always being reminded of how 'troublesome' she was that it was second nature for her to tune out that word. It was like white noise to her now, along with the words pain, drag, tiresome, and woman. That's why Ino didn't catch the rant Shikamaru was going on as he stepped back into the room. His face looked as irritable as ever to Ino. She nearly laughed when she turned her head to the side to see Shikamaru scowling, arms crossed in front of the bed. She caught the words toothpaste and damn escape his lips.

"What's the matter?" Ino chuckled, inquiring after the frustrated brunette. Shikamaru turned sharply to face her, still frowning. Ino was trying very hard to look concerned, but found it too difficult. Shikamaru looked too damn adorable to her when he was upset.

"I think I forgot my toothpaste." Shikamaru repacked his toothbrush, quietly complaining about how 'troublesome' it was.

"Oh! Well if that's all, come over here."' Ino motioned for Shikamaru with her hand. 'I'll share." Shikamaru did as he was told, holding out his hand. But instead of handing him anything, Ino grabbed Shikamaru's wrist, pulling him closer to her. She placed a hand on his cheek, kissing him gently. Shock lingered on Shikamaru's face, even as they both closed their eyes. He held her waist for support, leaning into her. The kiss was soft at first, and then quickly became passionate and forceful. Ino slipped her arms around his neck, knotting them behind his back. She could feel herself falling backwards into the bed, dragging Shikamaru on top of her. She released him, letting Shikamaru kiss under her jawbone. Ino caught his earring between her teeth and tugged. Shikamaru moaned a little, allowing Ino to slip her hand into his boxers. Shikamaru slid his hand under Ino's shirt and unhooked her bra, holding her tight against his body with the other hand pressed firmly against her back. Ino crossed her legs over Shikamaru's hips. She could feel his pelvis press in between her legs. A wave of goose bumps swept over Ino; Shikamaru smirked slightly knowing he was responsible.

They stared at each other as Shikamaru removed Ino's shirt and bra. Neither of them blushed. They simply allowed things to run their course. Once he had joined Ino under the covers Shikamaru slipped off the only article of clothing he had on, throwing his boxers at the wall. Ino pulled their naked bodies together, once again entwining her fingers in his beautiful hair. They were crossing all kinds of lines, about to jump over the biggest one when they heard a knock at the door. They both froze, hearts hammering loudly. They were clearly in no position to entertain. Shikamaru growled under his breath, hanging his head. Ino frowned, tired and disappointed. Who the hell is calling at this hour? Ino whispered to Shikamaru, who was having an internal debate with himself over possible ways he could kill whoever the hell interrupted them. He rolled onto his back, trying yet again to mentally cool the jets.

Ino slipped out of bed, stepping back into her pajamas. She knew Shikamaru was still unable to stand, so she went to the door instead.

Ino sighed sadly to herself as she opened the door; nobody was there. Instead an envelope lay in front of the door, with no trace of anybody being there at all. She shut the door quietly, hoping Shikamaru wouldn't hear her coming back. Ino rubbed the sides of her face, starting to feel the beginning of a headache threaten in the darkness. She clambered back into bed, inhaling deeply. Shikamaru's eye's flicked over to her still form. What should he do? He wanted to say something to her, but the moment was lost; ruined. They both were avoiding the other, painfully yearning for each other. He wanted to throw himself on top of her and pick up where they left off. Instead, he asked her about the knock at the door.

"It turns out, we must have been hearing things." Ino half smirked at Shikamaru.

"Really? No one was there?" Shikamaru twisted his face into his trademark-annoyed scowl, not forgetting to fold his arms tight across his chest. Ino smiled gently at him, rolling on her side to face him. Shikamaru uncrossed his arms, folding them behind his back. He didn't know what to say. Everything had happened all so sudden between them. His heart wanted to burst whenever he looked at her. It was too painful to keep up any longer. Did she feel the same way? Could she love him? Shikamaru started doubting himself, shutting his eyes. He wanted to ask her so badly. His heart started to pound in his ears, drowning out his thoughts. Damn it. Shikamaru swallowed the lump in his throat, clenching his teeth. Ino's brow knitted together, watching her partner whom was shaking slightly.

"Shikamaru…" Ino placed a quivery hand on his chest, her nerves getting the better of her. She didn't know how she was going to start, but for Ino there was no turning back; he had to know. Shikamaru looked to Ino, pain written in his eyes. He wanted desperately for her to know. Ino felt like crying as she looked at him. They had been so close just moments before, why did he seem so upset? They had let their feelings for each other get the better of them, and now they were paying for it. The tension between them was bordering on physical presence.

"Ino, I…'" Shikamaru tried choking out a quiet confession, failing before he got to the punch line. He stiffened his body, trying to calm himself. He knew he loved her. He loved her so much it hurt. He tried to be brave, 'Ino… I have to know if you're just doing this, because you think you have to." He spoke sadly but without hesitation. His determined stare never faltered, even when his breathing hitched. Ino was shocked, but at the same time she wasn't. She didn't expect Shikamaru to be so blunt about it, but it was obvious to her now how he felt for her.

"I'm sorry… for toying with you Shikamaru.'" Ino responded with a soft smile. Shikamaru closed his eyes, heartbroken. He took the hand Ino had placed on his chest and returned it to her. Even her touched burned him. It felt like his heart was sinking into his stomach, swallowing up the light in the room and drowning him.

"I get it.'" Was all Shikamaru could manage to say as he forced himself away from her, rolling on his side. Ino really was crying now, laughing through her tears. Shikamaru could barely stand it. Was she honestly laughing at him? He knew it was all a joke to her, her feelings, and his love. How could he have let himself love her? He threw his legs over the side of the bed, angrily turning to face Ino. He had decided then to never tell her, no matter how much it would kill him. He would never tell her that he loved her. His eyes narrowed at the beautiful girl on the bed. His right hand flexed into a fist, and then relaxed. He hung his head, defeated. He couldn't even manage to yell at her. He felt hurt that she would lead him on, but he was even more in pain over his anger against her; it didn't feel right to him. Because when he looked back up at the blue-eyed girl sitting on the opposite side of the bed, he nearly cried. His eyes changed in a heartbeat from angry passion to heartbroken in an eye blink.

Ino had her face in her hands, crying. Whatever Shikamaru had promised himself earlier didn't matter. He stretched across the bed to her, taking her hand in his. 'Hey, why are you crying?" He whispered to her. Her feelings mattered more to him than his own. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, catching her tears with his thumb. With the other hand, Shikamaru cradled her to his body. She clung to him, sobbing into his neck.

"Y-you… are so stupid!" Ino hit Shikamaru multiple times, crying heavily. He didn't know what to do, or what she was talking about. He frowned at the insult, obviously missing something. All he could do was let go. He stood back up from her, turning to leave. Before he could do it, a tiny hand grasped his wrist desperately holding him still. He turned around bewildered. What was all this about? He frowned further, practically scowling at the blonde.

"What do you have to be so upset over Ino?" Shikamaru coldly asked the girl. Her mouth fell open a little, as if she were about to answer. She inhaled a little, gathering courage.

"I don't even know why I do… it's stupid, and you're even stupider for not realizing."' She smiled evilly at the shinobi through red eyes. 'I thought you were Konoha's sharpest mind Shikamaru?" Ino repaid him for his cheek. He scowled unpleasantly at the kunoichi. He knew well enough that he could be pretty dense at times, and didn't need Ino to remind him. But his curiosity overpowered his pride; he hated not knowing things.

"Why the hell am I stupid?" He retorted with a smirk. Shikamaru was half annoyed; and yet slightly amused at the same time. Ino laughed meekly; just enough to smile back at the man in front of her. But this time, she smiled warmly at him.

"Because I love you… idiot." Ino grinned, wiping tears out of her eyes. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. She started to rub her eyes, still smiling. Shikamaru was speechless. He really did feel like an idiot. He grinned widely, scooping Ino up into his arms.

"I see,"' Shikamaru kissed Ino, holding her tear streaked face in his hands. 'I guess I really am stupid." Ino laughed quietly between breaths. She placed a hand behind his neck, feeling his long hair through her fingers. Shikamaru stepped up onto the bed, folding his legs as he kneeled. Ino curled up in his lap, resting her head against his neck.

"Shikamaru…'" Ino yawned, her eyelashes tickling his collarbone. He could see she was tired, so he reluctantly laid her back down on her pillow. He didn't care about boundaries or rules. All he cared about was lying next to her. He resumed lying with his arms folded behind his neck. He scratched at his neck, still not used to having his hair down. Ino opened her eyes, sleep threatening to pull them shut again. 'Shika-kun… I have to warn you… about my bad habit." Shikamaru smirked at Ino, cocking an eyebrow. Whatever this habit was couldn't possibly be as bad as she led on before.

"What is it?"' He grinned devilishly. 'You sleep naked or something?" He asked, perhaps a little too hopeful. Ino smiled in spite of herself, hitting him playfully in the shoulder.

"No, but if I did that certainly wouldn't help matters." Ino frowned, blushing a little.

"Oh come on… I'm sure you're just blowing things out of proportion." Shikamaru nudged Ino with his fist.

"W-well…"' Ino stifled another yawn with the back of her hand. 'I tried to warn you." Ino concluded, drifting off. Shikamaru smiled at her, pulling the covers over them. Ino had fallen asleep. Shikamaru kissed Ino on the cheek, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Once he was sure she was sound asleep, he collapsed next to her sprawling over most of the bed. He glanced lazily over at her still form. I'm sure she won't care, Shikamaru thought to himself as he drifted to sleep.

Everything was quiet in the early hours of the morning, and eerily still. Especially Shikamaru whom was being choked half to death by a dreaming Ino. Shikamaru woke as something unidentified moved across his neck. It turned out to be Ino's hand snaking around his throat, tightening it's grip around his airway. Her leg joined in the movement, as she threw it over his waist. She nuzzled her face into his fanned out hair, tangling her other hand in it. He tried to detach himself from Ino without waking her up. He now understood what she meant by 'habit'.

He managed to free his throat from her grip replacing it with his hand, which she immediately resumed to grasp tightly. Even though Ino was keeping him awake and being troublesome, Shikamaru couldn't help but smile fondly down at Ino. To him, she seemed so uncharacteristically vulnerable. She breathed slowly, her chest pressing into his. He wasn't as comfortable as he would have liked, but he'd take this over anything. He could have laid there forever with her curled up to him. He fell asleep with his cheek resting against her forehead. For a moment as Shikamaru lost consciousness, Ino's eyes opened. It was only for a moment though, because she closed her eyes again. But before she fell asleep, a subtle smile crossed her lips.

They both slept soundly, each happily dreaming of completely different things except for one similarity, each other. Shikamaru was back in the field, watching clouds drift by. In his dream Ino ran to him, throwing herself onto him playfully. They rolled down the hill eventually coming to a stop, laughing. In his dream, Ino stood up, walking away from him. Shikamaru called her name, standing with his hands in his pockets. She didn't turn around, and eventually she disappeared from view. He broke into a run, desperately running faster than he ever cared to run in his life. When he finally caught up with her, he didn't waste anytime. Shikamaru quickly made a series of hand signals, trapping Ino in his shadow so she couldn't run. But when she finally turned around, he woke up.

Ino was still sound asleep, clearly enjoying herself. She started mumbling incoherently. Shikamaru listened hard, straining his ears to catch what she was saying. He caught the words no, forever, stay, don't, and why? She giggled to herself, starting to stir. Ino smiled drowsily at him upon waking up. It had been a rough night for Shikamaru, but as far as Ino could tell, he had survived.