Call Me Dad

17. Bonds

Tenten ran a shaky hand through her short hair, grimacing when she realized her palms were beginning to pool with a bit of sweat. Gross. She should just turn around, maybe pretend she forgot, or anythi—

"Ten?" Ino opened the door, her blue eyes lighting up when she saw the familiar brunette.

The Hatake blushed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Hi! Sorry, am I late?"

Ino grinned and pulled her inside. "There's no such thing as being late to a movie party! Besides, it's just us, so it's okay."

Tenten only flushed darker but nodded, eyes scanning their surroundings as she was tugged to the back and up the stairs to Ino's room. While the family shop was connected nearby to the Yamanaka compound, Ino's room resided above the shop in a show of independence.

Her room was different than what Tenten imagined. It was large, more like a whole apartment flat than a single bedroom, and was full of blue and purple colored items and bloated bookshelves.

Ino, who was kneeling beside the TV to set up the first few movies, glanced over to see Tenten inspecting some of the books. "Oh, those are mostly stuff for my clan techniques. We're intelligence gatherers and interrogators, so those are all kind of boring. Tou-san is always insisting I read more."

Tenten hummed in affirmation as she skimmed over the spines and titles. While she was distracted, Ino couldn't help but stare at the brunette.

They didn't know each other that well until a year ago. Ino had always only been friends with Naruto, and Tenten was Naruto's sister. But one coincidence  meeting led to another, and a year later they often spent time together outside of the usual friend meetings among Naruto's massive friend group.

It's just...Ino didn't mean to stare, but Tenten was really pretty. Her short-cut, messy brown hair looked so soft, Ino wondered what's it would be like to run her hands through it. And, it didn't help that Tenten was so fashionable. They had very different styles, but Tenten pulled off her style really well. She wore a simple white shirt with some obscure design on the back, black ripped jeans, a red hoodie tied around her petite waist, and enough bracelets that Ino couldn't see either of her wrists.

Stop it, Ino! Quickly, Ino snapped herself out of it in time to turn her head back to the movies she was putting up on the screen. She distantly noticed Tenten's gaze on her before it was directed to the screen as well. Where's your dedication to Sasuke-kun? And—And, girls can't like girls! You know that!

"Ooh, I love movies like this." Tenten grinned. "This is a cult classic, right? I've never seen it before. It's apparently really good."

Ino nodded and turned it on.

Eventually as the movie dragged on, they eased into the blankets and snacks and curled up beside each other.

"Hah! There's the title of the movie. Finally." Ino snorted into her popcorn. Tenten chuckled, and they were so close Ino could feel it. Her face burned as they continued watch.

"Shit!" Ino shrieked, her hands flying to cover her eyes as the guard on the screen screamed bloody murder.

Tenten didn't remove her stare. "What did you expect, Ino?" She said teasingly. "He's literally called Hanibal the Cannibal."