The restaurant was a mite fancier than Shino was used to. In fact, Shino had been casual all his life, so the odds of him ever dining at this establishment (outside of his current situation) were nonexistent. He was increasingly uncomfortable, until they were seated in a rather private booth in the back of the restaurant. The hostess was nonchalant about Sakura, but one look up into Shino's eyes, and suddenly the hostess was about providing premier service, which others who were awaiting a seat didn't fail to notice. The hostess, who was kind enough to drop her name to Shino only a dozen times (much to Sakura's dismay), seemed to notice Shino's discomfort, and guided the couple to the secluded table. Once there, he felt more at ease, no longer being the center of attention. The hostess bowed and complimented Shino, really it began to make Sakura a bit ill. When the third wheel was finally gone, Sakura stared across the table at Shino, who tried to smile.
"Well, we should have expected that." She grinning, "See? You're a cutie. She'd have sat down right here if I weren't around."
"I doubt that." Shino said. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact that women did stop and actually look at him now. The stares of one older wife waiting at the front of the restaurant with her husband was making him particularly uncomfortable. This sort of attention would get old, fast, which was a funny thought, considering he could remember himself thinking of how much he hated to be ignored in the past. And now with Sakura at his side gaining all the attention of every man within a ten mile radius, they'd never get any peace if not for the cozy booth they'd been given.
The waitress arrived to take their drink orders, and the games began again. The woman nearly forgot that Sakura was even there, and almost forgot to take her order. By the time drinks, then appetizers had been served, Sakura was tired of dealing with it, and Shino was feeling socially exhausted. He couldn't help but notice that Sakura was annoyed by the waitress, but even moreso that she seemed to glower whenever Shino responded to the waitress' flirting. That had to be a mistake, right?
"There's a cure for this." Sakura suggested as the waitress sashayed away. "Who even does that?" Sakura thought. Sakura took a sip of her drink, which for all Shino could tell, was some sort of fruit punch spiked with liquor, and decorated with maraschino cherries. It had some fancy name, but no man he knew would ever order it. Except maybe Might Guy. He would order it loudly, and create a pose intended just for during enjoyment of said beverage as well. The edges of Shino's lips curled upward at the thought- he would have to be sure never to come here with Guy.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Shino answered her after a long moment, having gotten lost in his thoughts, amusing for once. He was popping a shrimp dipped in sauce in his mouth when Sakura stood, catching him off guard. Was she leaving? Had he done something wrong?
He realized quickly that he'd misjudged the situation as she moved to his side of the table and slid into the booth next to him, flush against him. He nearly choked, but managed to swallow his shrimp as she manipulated his arm until it was around her waist.
He didn't know what to say. What was there to say? There she was, leaning against him, in what might be the most low cut dress he'd ever seen her in. She slid one leg beneath his and locked his left ankle between her feet, smiling all the while. It was a crying shame for him that he didn't have his jacket collar and glasses to hide behind, because he was absolutely sure that his face was a glowing shade of crimson, and that his expression was one to behold indeed. Shino, in this state, would be a failure at poker.
"Now." Sakura said, "I want you to follow my lead. Got it?"
Shino swallowed. Hard. He didn't know what she meant by that, but he would soon learn. She seemed to wait until the waitress was in sight. Sakura burst into giggles and nestled her face in the crook of Shino's neck.
"Sweety, you are too much!" Sakura exclaimed. The waitress ventured nearer, pretending to be clearing the booth directly behind them. Sakura leaned up to whisper into Shino's ear, though loud enough for the waitress to hear, "You should really save some of that energy for tonight." Then she giggled again. With that said, the waitress made a swift exit of the vicinity, and they wouldn't see her again until it was time for the main course to be delivered.
Shino sat frozen in place as Sakura finished her fit of giggles, which had gone from being an act to a joyful response at the waitress' quick departure. As Sakura caught her breath, she looked to Shino, who was still bright red, and only then catching his own breath. It was then that Sakura seemed to realize what her actions had done to poor Shino.
"Oh.. I'm sorry." Sakura detangled herself from Shino, but still remained at his side, "That might have been a bit much, huh?"
Shino shook his head and settled back into the booth, glancing over at Sakura. She was gorgeous, and he didn't know what to do with her, considering their agreement. This was all supposed to be a chirade, but he'd watched her turn a bit green with envy as he responded to another woman's flirting. That couldn't have been his imagination, right? Particularly when she'd pulled out the big guns to make her statement clear. He tried not to dwell too much on the thought. But it wasn't lost on him that her reaction to the waitress was contradictory to their agreement and plans.
"I'm just not used to it, that's all." He was the one who needed a real drink. He'd order something when and if the waitress came back. Luckily, it wasn't long before she returned with his steak and her grilled chicken. It was a welcomed distraction, but he still ordered some saki, just to be on the safe side, and because Sakura hadn't moved from his side, he took a few drinks of it during dinner, just to take the edge off.
Sakura realized that she'd come on a bit strong. She'd have to beware her strategies in the future. And for that matter, wasn't the whole point of them going out to help make Shino more attractive to other females? Sakura shrugged to herself, chalking it up to the fact that the waitress wasn't on Shino's level. No, Shino needed a real catch, perhaps a skilled, lovely kunoichi. After all, he was a clan heir.
She glanced over to him. Kunoichi's were a rare breed, but with Shino's looks and a bit of training, he'd be quite worthy and capable of securing the love of any woman he chose to pursue. So it was all in good practice. Perhaps with a bit more practice and exposure, Shino would be less shy and more forward. Perhaps a lot of things.
They lingered at their booth after the meal to finish their drinks. Though it wasn't perhaps the best thing, the alcohol did make them more relaxed, and the conversation flowed more naturally. Shino learned about Sakura's family and childhood. He returned the favor, without revealing family secrets, of course. He didn't know that she'd been picked on as a child, or that she had an overbearing mother. All of those things had escaped his notice. He was, after all, a guy, and like most guys, the general things he knew about Sakura, or any girl, were limited to public knowledge of ranking and ninja scores. Then there were the baser bits of information, like how attractive she was, and not usually, but from his uncommon vantage, even he could take a guess at her actual bust measurements. Those were things he could catch Kiba, Choji and the like hem hawing about on a guys' night, but he never participated- he had little reason to. It was rude, ungentlemanly. He probably wouldn't have even thought of it if he hadn't had a few drinks.
But, damn she was beautiful. He had drank just enough to sneak a few glances at her, taking in new details each time. For instance, she had a few freckles- they were very faint and scattered, and he wouldn't have even been able to see them if he'd been wearing his glasses. Still, without his glasses, he couldn't chance longer glances at her without feeling awkward or alerting her to his stares. It was problematic because he wanted to stare at her without worrying about how he looked while doing so. Why did she have to be so damned attractive?
What Sakura had previously known about Shino was limited as well. She had no idea the hours he had to put into his training, or that his home life was relatively normal. As a young girl, Sakura had been scared to bits of the Aburame clan's area. It was off limits, and not just because they valued their privacy, but because Sakura wanted none to do with spiders and snakes and the lot of creepy crawlies, or whatever else lurked behind those walls. Looking back, her generalization was just like any other information that would be exaggerated by children, and used to pick on or bully others. They'd both felt some of that as children, he moreso than her, as the stigma attached to him as a bug-weilder had remained in tact into adulthood, wheras having a big forehead doesn't really matter past grade school.
Shino struck Sakura as someone with layers worth exploring, and not just his usual layers of clothes, though the thought made her blush ever-so-slightly. Shino was a good looking guy. The more she looked at him, the better he seemed, and she had to really concentrate on not staring at him. And the best part? He was a good guy. All those good looks and no ego, no extra huffuffle to deal with, no added drama. She had to admit that being around him was almost too comfortable. She could make a habit of it. Would that be a problem?
When the bill came, Sakura reached out for it, not thinking. But Shino snatched it from her and refused to let her see it. After a playful argument, she relented, finally allowing him to pay and tip, and they headed out. She felt a little awkward about it, but he was being proper. She hoped no girls decided to take advantage of him in the future, and hoped she remembered to remind him of this. But for the time being, she enjoyed her time with him.
It was nearly across town to Choji's home, and well past dark when they left the restaurant. Regardless, they decided to walk leisurely the way there. It was a mild evening with a clear sky, and it was easy to lose track of time walking and chit-chatting, so before they knew it they were at Choji's home, where the festivities were in full swing already. They ascended the steps and before they could ring the doorbell, on cue, Choji slung the door open and stared directly at them. He'd had several drinks, by the looks of him. He steadied himself on the doorframe, eyeing them for a long time.
Shino cleared his throat.
Sakura smiled vividly, "Hello, Choji! Sorry if we're a bit late!"
"Well... well.." He looked back and forth between them and continued, "Well, well, well. Well, I'll be damned. Look at the two of you. I didn't believe it when I heard it but Kiba... where'd Kiba go?" He looked behind him, "Oh, well! I see it wasn't an exaggeration.. come on in you two."
And so they did, into the fray.