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It was nearly a quarter past six, rain pouring outside the Nara house. Yoshino was in the kitchen preparing dinner and Shikamaru was lounging around on the living room couch half asleep when there was a knock on the door. The boy grumbled at the disturbance, rolling himself over sluggishly to get up and answer it.
Who the hell would be out in this? He mused to himself.
Shikamaru mumbled aloud, "There'd better be a good reason-". When he reached the door, he nonchalantly opened it. The boy stared ahead with half lidded and tired eyes, only to be woken up by the sight of her. His breath hitched.
Ino was standing there drenched from head to toe in a dark purple dress, thin leggings, and black sandals. Her hair was loose and concealing most of her face. Shikamaru scanned her features, noting her running mascara and puffy reddened cheeks.
The blonde's empty gaze drilled holes into him and he could see the hint of hurt in her eyes. Shikamaru reached for her wrist and grabbed it firmly, pulling her inside. "Ino, you're soaked!" He rubbed her bare upper arms hastily to warm her up when he saw her shivering from the cold rain. Ino slowly kicked her sandals off as he shut the door behind her.
When Yoshino overheard someone being let in, she left the kitchen to greet their unexpected visitor. At first her face lit up when she saw Ino, but her smile quickly faded when she realized there was rain dripping off of her. "Oh honey, let me get you a towel!" And she rushed off towards the bathroom.
Shikamaru gently grabbed Ino by the shoulders, leading her over to the couch to sit her down and knelt down in front of her. He brushed Ino's wet blonde hair from her face to get a better look at her.
Yoshino returned with a towel, draping it over the girl and gave her son a worried glance before retreating to the kitchen to finish making dinner.
Shikamaru could handle the rest.
He set a gentle hand on her shoulder and broke the long silence between them. "Are you gonna talk to me or what?". And he tilted his head, in that curious yet patient way that he did.
Ino wrapped the towel around herself, stood up, and made her way to Shikamaru's room. Whenever she felt the need to talk, she'd go there first. His room was always comforting to her...as was her friend's presence.
The Nara followed her in and closed the door behind them. They both drifted over to his bed and sat on the edge of it. Ino drew in a shaky breath. "Sasuke and I broke up..." She stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with the boy sitting next to her.
Shikamaru furrowed his brows and followed his friend's gaze into the empty void she was looking into. He drew a quick breath. "He's an idiot. I had a bad feeling about him from the start...". He paused and grit his teeth.
"You can do better than that guy, you know." The dark haired boy turned to her with a sympathetic look.
The blonde slowly nodded and exchanged glances with him. "Yeah...I know." She sighed and looked back into the void yet again.
Ino took in another shaky breath. "Sakura was there, too."
Shikamaru never took his eyes off of his friend. He watched her intently, taking in everything; her running makeup, her damp hair, her dark lipstick which was surprisingly still intact, her reddened cheeks. Underneath he could see the hurt, pain, and betrayal.
He bit his bottom lip. "What did you even see in a guy like that anyway?" Shikamaru leaned back on the bed, laying his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling. "I don't get it."
Ino stayed put. She mulled it over in her head a few times. What did she see in him? Sure he seemed cool on the outside, but he wasn't that honest or genuine. He was kind of a jerk. And he was so full of himself.
She leaned back next to her friend. "At first it was for my mom. I didn't wanna disappoint her." Ino closed her eyes and hummed.
The thought of her mother started making her angry. "She'd guilt trip me about how he had a good reputation, how he was part of a rich family, how good of a guy he was…as if she'd known him."
Shikamaru rolled over to look at her, brows furrowed. "And you let her get to you?"
He now had his head propped up on his arm. The Nara could feel the anger radiating off of the Yamanaka and he was ready to calm her if needed. He was the only one who knew how.
Ino looked as though she was beating herself up on the inside, a look of regret washing over her face. Instead of answering his question, she derailed, almost flying right off the tracks. "He forgot that we had a date tonight." The girl pursed her lips. "Sakura was there at his house."
Tears started building up the more she went on. "So I ended it there." She closed her eyes to compose herself. When she opened them again, she rolled over to look at her friend still at her side. "And the worst part is...he offered me a ride home."
Shikamaru raised a brow and stayed silent a moment. He quickly realized she hadn't accepted the offer out of spite. And then he looked back up at the ceiling. "If you had called me...I would have picked you up, Ino."
"I didn't wanna be a bother…" Ino blinked at him, pursing her lips. "And it's raining so-"
He cut her off. "I don't care, it's better than you getting sick." Shikamaru reached over to ruffle her still dampened hair, then pushed himself up and off of the bed.
The boy moved towards the door. "It'll be dinner soon, I'll drive you home." But he felt a tug on his sleeve and when he turned around, Ino was sitting up and leaning forward just enough to reach him before he got too far.
"I don't wanna go home." Ino looked up at Shikamaru with a somber look on her face that ate at him. He narrowed his eyes at the implication and turned towards the door again.
"I'll let mom know you're staying for the night. Your spare clothes are still in the guest room…" He opens the door and looks back at Ino before leaving. "...and please get a hot shower before you catch a cold, alright?".
Shikamaru rarely said please.
She mouthed a silent "Okay" at him before he disappeared down the hall. Shortly after, Ino whipped out her phone and contacted her mother to let her know she was staying at a friend's place for the night.
Ms. Yamanaka didn't bother her about the details nor did she even ask how the date had gone.
Thank god. Ino had mused.
She wasn't ready for her mother's disapproval. Not that she wasn't already used to it. Unbeknownst to the blonde, Shikamaru had stopped a few feet from the door when he heard Ino calling her mother.
He didn't like listening in on other people's conversations, but he just happened to catch the seemingly one-sided discussion as he was returning from talking with his mother.
The apparent lack of concern for her daughter on the other end made his stomach churn. He didn't like her or the way she treated Ino. Things seemed better when Inoichi was still around, but after his passing...everything got worse.
Ino hung up the phone with not even a 'good night' or an 'I love you' from either end of the line and slid off the bed, heading for the door. When Shikamaru realized this, he acted dismissive and said nothing about the exchange.
He lightly smiled at her. "Mom is more than okay with you staying. She's looking forward to you having dinner with us too."
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sometimes I swear she loves you more than me, her own son."
Ino chuckled. "Nah, you know she loves you plenty!" Her faint smile dropped at her own statement. So did Shikamaru's. He reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. "Mom thinks of you as her own daughter, you know..." And then he let her go.
"I'm gonna go take that shower now." And with that, she retreated down the hall and into the bathroom.
Shikamaru stood there in the doorway of his bedroom, unmoving. He dropped his head into his hand and growled quietly.
He cursed Ms. Yamanaka. "Damn that woman…" and sauntered back out of the room, down the hall, back to his place on the living room couch, the cushions still slightly moisture-laden from the rain drenching Ino earlier.
The Nara looked over at the sandals by the door, and then up at the ceiling. "And damn that Sasuke too." He mumbled.
I hope she'll be okay… He pondered as he drifted off for another nap before dinner.