Life Finds a Way

[endless_scrolls]

Title: Life Finds a Way
Type: RP Thread
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Aburame Shino; brief mention of Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto
Pairing(s): Shino/Tenten
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Thread taken from the BLIND DATE MEME over at love_hotel_ooc.
Dedicated to: My love of the adorkable

[ There was no reason to have agreed to this. Nothing in the world to have compelled him to be standing here waiting. Well, nothing but the quiet look his father had directed toward him before sending him on this misadventure.

It was a cool night, so the fact that his collar was pulled high around his face wasn't surprising. He stood apart from the throng crowding the front of the movie theatre, watching for his date. It wouldn't be so bad if they could at least see the documentary rather than the romantic comedy... ]

[ Rolled it three times, and I still liked the first one (this one, promise ♥) the best~ Would you believe I have a scenario for this? I'm looking at you Ex~ Dress pretty and be there by seven. Those had been her instructions. Simple enough, she supposed. But the hardest thing when you were Tenten. Leave it to someone like Sakura to be pushy enough to get a 75% feminist, guy's girl like her to do just as she was asked. In a dress, no less. Nevermind that Tenten wasn't the sort to enjoy something like being set up on a blind date. But hey, anything could happen right?

That was just the thought running through her head as she walked up to the movie theatre, feeling positive as she always did and looking on the brighter side of life... that is, until her eyes zeroed in on one Aburame Shino standing under the theatre marque.

This was the last time she'd listen to Sakura. ]

[ Totally broke up when he went to Brazil because he thought bugs were more important than their relationship. :| It was a strange prickling at the back of his neck that caught his attention first. There was something familiar about it, like a scent in the air or a flick of energy through the crowd. His attention flitted over the crowd, searching for the source--

...but it had to be impossible that Naruto hadn't known. Everyone had known. So there was No Legitimate Reason the woman (in the really rather nice dress) staring at him should be Tenten.

His lips parted without words, the closest thing to stunned he was capable of expressing. ]

[ ...Even time has not damaged our synchronicity I see. Good. This is a good thing. ♥ The honest and truthful part of her was happy at the sight of him. It had been years - too long - since she and once called the gleam of his glasses familiar. But it had been a near devastating thing to re-adjust her life without him.

After Naruto left and before he returned from his whirlwind tour across the globe, Shino had been her best friend.

But she understood, and had accepted his choice. Shino needed to leave for him. His dream was in Brazil. And Tenten was not. Still, Sakura had been the one she turned to in that time. She knew how much his leaving had effected Tenten, why...

Taking a few steps closer - maneuvering around a couple in the middle of a fond embrace and doing her best not to let her reaction show - she took a deep breath and met the familiar reflection in his glasses. ] Please tell me you're waiting for Kiba.

[ bb I know our storyline. ♥ This wasn't how he had wanted to see her again. There were millions of drafts of emails typed since the day he had first left, years ago, none of which had ever lasted more than half an hour before being deleted. None of which had ever been able to fully express the depths of his...

His heart nevertheless skipped half a beat as she made her way over to him.

It would have been possible to text Kiba. To subtly pull his phone from his pocket, demand the other young man meet him at the movie theatre STAT. But this was Tenten. Even this many years later, he was dead certain that she had already caught the slackness of his jaw, the tensing of his shoulders, the lost daze in his general posture. There was no way to lie to her. ]

...I am not.

Sakura? [ I know, I know. I just have... various scenarios concerning it, is all. But you caught on quick. ♥ She had tried keeping in contact with him. With her uncle in China and him being her only living relative, Tenten had made sure to incorporate an international plan to her services. But every time she would dial his number, nerves would take over and Tenten found herself hanging up after the second ring. or sometimes, even, after hearing the familiar tones of his voice answering on the other end.

She was not usually one to be so unassertive or unconfident. But there was something about Shino that... hit on every insecurity she held, as small and protected as they were.

And damn, did he look every bit as handsome as he used to those few years ago. And it was with that thought that... she glanced down at her hands a moment before turning her eyes back to the dark reflection on his glasses. ] I... I didn't even know you were back from Brazil.

[ :D ♥ He shook his head just a hair, the sort of minimalist movement that made his vocabulary with family and close friends.

Close friends. They had been...

She looked uncomfortable. Beautiful, poised, strong, but uncomfortable. Which was his fault, of course. His fault for just existing, here, back home where they could bump into one another on the street or... be pushed together by mutual friends at a theatre. ]

...just a few months. [ Six, actually. About half a year. He'd done his best to avoid the places she might be--helped, of course, by the continuing thesis he was researching in Tokyo now rather than Sao Paulo. It had flown by to the point of almost, almost not remembering he needed to call her, to actually touch base again. The guilt in his eyes was aptly hidden by his glasses. ] You're meeting someone...?

[ ♥ Forever~ So Sakura didn't send him here. Tenten could relax at that. However, that didn't stave her suspicion. One of the novelties of their relationship was that they were already part of a particularly close knit circle of friends. There was no need to introduce each other to friends. Because his friends were hers, and each and every one of them knew how the aftermath of their breakup went years ago. Who would be psychotic and cruel enough to... ] Oh, a few months? Back on break?

[ Winter Break. It was summer here and the Southern Hemisphere was experiencing opposing seasons than they were. She knew that much. And every Christmas and every June, she'd unconsciously keep her eyes out for a set of familiar glasses. For a crop of familiar hair. At least for the first year or so. She hadn't expected it now. ] Ah... Sakura told me to dress up and be here by seven. I... I thought I was gonna meet her here, but now... [ Another small lie, though part of her had hoped it would be Sakura who would be meeting her. ] Are you...?

[ He couldn't lie to her. So he simply said nothing, glancing toward the ground with a slight inclination of his head. Because really, it was absolutely horrible that he'd been back as long as he had to stay as long as he was going to without telling her he'd returned, without letting Kiba tell her he'd returned, without being able to ever send the half-written apologetic emails he constantly penned and deleted.

So he was looking at the pavement, not her face, when she mentioned Sakura. It brought a faint bit of relief to his shoulders. Of course Naruto hadn't told him to go on a date with... Even Naruto knew better. It was the sort of thing Kiba would threaten to do, but not a real actual threat.

Glancing back up, his glasses slid just a hair too far down his nose, allowing the briefest actual eye-contact. ] ...Naruto wanted me to meet a friend.

Ah... [ It was all clicking into place now. It wasn't just one culprit responsible for this serendipitous seeming encounter, but two. Nodding mostly to herself, she came to the ultimate conclusion to this awkward meeting. ] Naruto and Sakura. [ As long as she had known him and as close as Shino had gotten to her, it only made sense. Horribly torturous sense. Because it was hard seeing Shino like this after so long. It brought back every single emotion she had wanted to forget when he left.

Worse of all, she couldn't blame him for it. She understood. She still cared. She still...

And when she caught that little moment of eye contact with him, something she knew was a are feat for any member of the Aburame clan... she was gone. She was back. She stood no chance. ] I should've known... Sakura's usually not so adamant about set ups.

[ Naruto and Sakura? Naruto and Sakura...

...Naruto and Sakura.

There would be time to hide under Kiba's blanket. Time to sit and stare at tea with Shikamaru. Time to stare Naruto down for inflicting this. But that was all time that came later. Now, there was only time to deal with the fact that he hadn't told her he was home and she was wearing a nice dress and the few seconds their eyes actually met hurt like being punched in the gut.

A hand went rather more quickly than it should have to his glasses, settling them firmly back into place. Words, never ready for him, were completely gone. All that was left was the awkward, painful silence of their situation settling into the space between them. ]

[ And the silence said enough, at least to her. Because despite the years and despite the distance or the separation... she knew him and she knew him well. Once, she would've been proud to say that she was the best at reading the language of Aburame. But that had been some time ago. Certainly there would have been someone else to advance past where she had blazed a trail. Certainly, someone would've... taken her place by now.

And that, my friend, was the trail of thought Tenten had been trying to avoid. Because though it had been a while, the thought hurt that there was someone else. that there could be someone else. He... he had been hers.

And yet not. Not anymore...

Her thoughts, she decided, were getting dangerous. ] You... you don't have to if you don't want.

[ And there it was, waiting on the edge of both their consciousness, she was sure: an out. A reason and an excuse. Because she would never force something on him that he didn't want. She never could. Everything Tenten introduced Shino to by the pull of his cuff was something she knew he wanted - needed - but was unsure to ask for. This, though... this couldn't be comfortable. This wasn't safe. ] I don't mind seeing a movie by myself.

[ It was... difficult. It hurt. It was 'dangerous.' They shouldn't push too far down this path. The problem was that walking away was also going to rip a deep, painful hole in his heart.

No good paths to take. They were here now, in this impossible situation, and all the tactics and chess moves he'd ever learned were for nothing. ]

...

We're already here. [ It was almost abrupt. His tone was even as ever, his expression its usual slate, but the timing was all wrong. The words tumbled out all wrong, too fast, too little thought behind them. ] If it's not inappropriate it-- [ And the flow stopped, faltered, went back to his habitual slow pace. ] ...it would be nice to see you.

[ And that... will get him a small little smile where others would blush - his first in years - because who could not smile at a statement like that? ] It'd be nice to see you too... Shino. [ And that... would be the first time she had spoken his name in years that she knows of.

It was a familiar beat of her heart and a comfortable flow that seemed like the most natural thing in the world. It was as if they had never been apart at all, though she knew differently. And yet still, there was so much weight with the name. So many memories. So much happiness that had made it so much harder... ] We'll throw popcorn at the screen like old times. [ One beat - ] - Or, I'll throw popcorn at the screen, and you can pretend to be embarrassed.

[ He likes the way she says his name. It still sounded very comfortable in her voice, coming from her lips. Her own name stuck in his throat, didn't even make it up to his tongue.

But there's... time. He'll get there. She might even let him. ]

...that sounds... very nice.

[ It was... getting easier, at least. The tension that had appeared at their initial meeting had lessened a great deal. Indeed, there was still a few layers standing between them and how they were back then. But at least... they were trying. And they were making progress. Still, barriers were barriers. And they were nothing if not experts at the waiting game.

Releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, Tenten let her shoulders relax a bit more as she stepped up to the ticket booth. ] One please. [ Because set up or not, she wouldn't assume - not now at least - to make him pay. It was not his choice to knowingly come. It was not his choice... to see her again. This was achingly... relative. And with that knowledge in mind, she reached behind her to take out her wallet. ]

[ It was unknown layers. Before he'd left, there had been a comfortable accord between his traditional upbringing and her feminine leanings. There had been a sort of wordless vocabulary between them--when he was allowed to pay, when he should let her open the door for herself, when it was nice to walk together with linked pinkies, when it was best to smile at one another and enjoy their differences.

So he let her buy her own ticket, stepping sideways to another window to purchase his own before glancing back toward her. ] May I pay for your popcorn...?

[ She half expected him to insist on buying both their fares. He had always been a gentlemanly sort when it came to women. And while it had been nice to be treated so courtly, there were times where she wanted her own independence. He understood that. He accepted that, and they had adjusted so that both parties could be content with the arrangement. All the same, there was no surprise in feeling his shadow shift over to the next line. Things were too disjointed. They were still too far apart from what was and what could have been.

But they were making strides. And as they walked side by side - no pinkie holding, though there was a flash of memory to a time when they had - Tenten could not help but smile at the question. ] Yeah, sure. [ And despite the distance between them, both physically and emotionally, she could make out every detail of his outline. Of his person. And her heart raced to have him so near again, no matter what the circumstances. ] If I'm gonna throw it, the least you can do is pay for such a waste.

...seems fair. That way we're both... participating.

[ Things had always been easy with her. It was strange to see what still felt easy. Even under the painful sting of the very acute distance between them--before he'd left, abruptly, they had walked together like normal human beings, rather than here, at a larger distance, where everyone else walked for an Aburame. But words were coming to him, little jokes, fully formed thoughts he wanted to express to her.

He'd missed her this much more than he had allowed himself to know. ]

[ It made no sense, she knew. And it was hardly fair. But it was the only reason she ever got popcorn when she went to the movies. Butter-free of course, always salted. Tenten wasn't much of a popcorn eater. But without it, there were very little other snacks as equally innocent and harmless. All the same, she appreciated him playing along. And if he wasn't... well. Same old Shino, the young woman supposed. ] That's a good way to look at it.

[ She will... get her own chocolate mints, sour gummi worms and Reese's bites. Because as he already knew, the girl has an appetite and a sweet tooth. And at the very least, it's a healthy bottle of Lemonade instead of a bottle of pop. He would still, possibly, be amazed at how much she could jam into her tiny body. But that was just typical.

It was typical them. ] Another would be that you're supporting my acts of delinquencies.

[ It's part of who they are. He'll never get more than a bucket of popcorn for her to throw and a paper cup of ice cubes for himself, but that leaves space in his arms to carry some of her treats if the list becomes overwhelming.

The familiarity felt nice. They had done this before. There was an old routine to it, something comfortable underneath the layer of pain that came with remembering how things used to be.

Although he couldn't stop himself from flattening his lips a hair more than usual and carefully throwing in: ] ...someone has to.

[ He had been gone a while. Someone else had probably funded her delinquencies in his absence. Someone else had possibly even held her hand and told her she was beautiful. It bore clearing from the air. ]

[ The pile of snacks varied from trip to trip, but Tenten had her staples. And this was Shino. And this would be their first... date since he left. There was no reason or cause or want to bombard him with an overflow of sugar-filled somewhat expensive confectioneries. She was already haunted by enough memories. Him making a subdued but clear attempt to be calm face when he tried the sour gummi worms for the first time. The instance when they had gone to see a silly horror remake that ended with the both of them falling asleep before the end.

There were a lot of good times.

But at the subtle push for information, all Tenten could do was stare at the ground before she answered. ] There... hasn't been anyone for a while. [ She tried the same with Naruto. He had ended up joining her in her antics. And with Professor Uchiha - Itachi - he had disapproved, but said nothing against it while refusing to sneak into another in order to at least get their money's worth. It just wasn't the same as it was with Shino... ] Not for a long while.

[ It was... awkward. The correct response, the muted response, was to feel sympathy. No one should have to be alone. Someone as kind, intelligent, beautiful as Tenten shouldn't ever be without someone to worship her. She was independent beyond belief, of course, but she deserved to be pampered and protected and loved as often as she would allow it.

But, at the same time... he was rather pleased to hear. There was no explanation for it. There was just something to the confirmation that this was a (strange, abnormal, unique) date without anyone else complicating the picture.

So he simply nodded in silence, glancing away to scan for their theatre. ]

[ Not that she didn't try to fill in the void that was left from his departure from her life. No one just seemed to fight the right way. Itachi had been close to the mark, but there wasn't quite a balance of his conventions and quirks that Shino held. And the potential to bring a little fun into the young professor's life had resulted in... being called immature. In the nicest way possible, mind you, she wasn't hurt by the comment at all. But it was a while afterwards before she became willing to try again with another guy...

Which had led to this supposed set-up... ] So... what do you think they thought would happen when we saw each other again?

[ For Shino's part, Brazil had been incredibly lonely. There had been offers (incredibly awkwardly graphic offers toward the end), but somehow no one had ever stood up to his memory of even simple friendship with...

A slight shake of his head prevented memories from taking the foreground. His nose wrinkled a hair as he focused on the question, the faintest frown tugging the corners of his lips down. ] ...it's Naruto and Sakura. They probably assumed there would be... some grand moment of romance overcoming all... adversity. [ A nod toward the nearest movie poster. ] Something... light.

[ In fact, the thought made him glance over his shoulder. He wouldn't put it past that pair not to be hiding somewhere, watching. Maybe even cheering. ]

Hm... [ A light little tug will pull at the corner of her lips, molding it into a knowing little smirk. She did know her friends well. Or at least well enough. And after a decade or so of being Naruto's bestie, she should have known. ] He always was a hopeless romantic. Didn't think she was but... what do I know?

[ Not a lot, obviously, if he had been back and she hadn't known. Hadn't been told. And what's worse, Naruto - and probably Kiba - had known before her. Why wouldn't they say... ] Wait... so... are you Kiba's new roommate? [ And if so, then he had been back for some time.

That explains why we never hang out at the apartment anymore... ]

[ What did either of them know, trusting those two to set them up in the first place? Shino is almost, almost most of the way from his frown to a small lip-quirk that might be about to be a smile--

--when dots get connected and everything falls back into that painfully raw place he'd been hoping they were starting to claw their way out of finally.

There's a thickness to the silence that settles briefly over his entire person. It's more than a pause in conversation; every bit of expression shuts down, retreats, blanks out. His lips press flat; his face turns slightly away from her. Then the silence lifts, and there's an apology in the slight slump of his shoulders.

His monotone is in tact, just slightly softer than usual. ] ...there was never... a good time to get in touch.

[ Things were falling into place. She was doing research she hadn't intended on doing, and finding the answers to questions she never knew existed. He had... been back. And he was back in that apartment where it had all began. Like she intended.

It never felt right to leave the apartment they shared, and she had tried for some time to keep it while searching for other roommates to share the space with. Because she wanted a place for their friends to come home to... for him to come home to. But Naruto had left soon after he moved in, and Kiba had been a big mess of irresponsibility the first time, and Haku's friend Zabuza was always hanging around and making a bit of a mess whenever he got it in his mind to have a party there.

And then she had moved in with Itachi... and moved right back out sometime later when things didn't work out.

It was Shino's life. He had every right to do what he pleased without her knowing about it. Once, she did, but now... ] I guess I don't really have any right to know. I'm not... [ Your girlfriend. ] ...We're not... [ Together....

Breathing out a soft exhale, the young woman turned to him and offered up a reassuring smile to go with her reaffirming words. ] ...It's ok.

[ There was nothing to excuse his behaviour. There was nothing to go back in time and send the half-written emails, the fully typed text messages, the partly voiced desire for Kiba to go tell Tenten because he couldn't do it himself. There was only the trailing off of her sentences into the What Ifs that were swiftly flying from 'what if we got back together' to 'what if we never see each other again.'

Shino almost wanted to touch her. It might have helped, really, but he was fairly certain it was far from allowed. Maybe, if he hadn't hidden, they could have moved forward. Now, with this tumbling out within the first half hour of seeing each other for the first time in years... ]

...I'm sorry.

[ There was nothing else to say. ]

[ Tragic was the only word she could think to describe his expression, even by Aburame standards. Even by normal standards. And... it was heartbreaking to see him in such a state. Tenten had not meant to accuse. She would never accuse; Shino would never give her a reason to accuse him. It was just... an unexpected revelation that she had hoped wasn't true. But she understood, as she always had. It was too hard. It was too painful. Tenten understood that he hadn't been ready to face her yet. She supposed he probably hadn't been ready to face her today.

What they had meant too much for it to go away that easily... obviously it still hurt... ]

Hey! [ Unable and unwilling - unwilling and unable - to see him suffer so, tenten acted without thinking as sh always did. Impulses were her friend, after all. But before she realized what that entailed, she was already taking one of his and sandwiching it between her own. And with a hard look into the reflective surface of his dark shades, she made her message clear. ] It's ok.

[ So few people were allowed inside his personal space bubble. Tenten's hands on his still felt exactly right.

It was entirely instinct to curl his fingers, very carefully, in to hold loosely onto hers. It helped. The simple instinct to hold onto her rather than shove her away helped, but the distant pulse of her heartbeat, a little closer with her hands on his, helped most of all. It helped him bring his eyes to meet hers behind his glasses, taking a low steadying breath.

His only real response was a slight nod of acceptance. ]

[ It was comfortable. It was instinctual. It had been something that was theirs.

It felt right.

But the moment and the impulse was gone all to soon as reality settled back in and Tenten realized... he wasn't hers anymore. She no longer had the right to invade his personal space like this. Like she used to. But at the very least, it got the message through to him. And that was all she wanted... not enough of what she wanted.

A nod was given in response to his, and then very carefully, very hesitantly - there was a difference - she guided his hand back to his side and relinquished her hold on him. And before either one of them thought to, they were moving towards the their theatre once more. ]

...I'm glad you moved back there - to the apartment. [ A soft wisp of breath; a faint indent of a smile. ] I always wanted you to have that place if you ever came back... when you came back.

[ It was a bit like running away, really. The theatre was dark and safe. It had rules. They would sit a decreed distance from each other. They would look straight ahead. It would be safer than floating into and out of each other's spaces as they were now. ]

...it was... just supposed to be for a little while. To... get back on my feet.

[ Which was true enough. Returning had been like a blow to the head in a lot of ways--time difference, language difference, focus difference. Having somewhere familiar to go, having Kiba's loud busy life on the other side of a thin wall while he worked, helped bring him back to solid ground.

The next step was supposed to be getting back in touch with her. ]

[ And in a sense, she was running. Running from the feel of his touch. Running from everything they had been - should have been - and everything they could have been. But most of all, she was running from the overwhelming desire to ask the one question they had been avoiding since their intentional meet up: Could they, again... ]

You don't need it. [ Glance. Gentle smile. ] You've always been firmly planted on the ground. Except...

[ Except when she showed him how to fly. When she picked and prodded at his barriers and broadened his perspective a little bit. Because she had wanted to give him the best of everything. She still did...

Slowing down her pace a little, they entered the dark theatre, fumbling a bit for a seat a bit separated from the rest. Tenten at least shared this with him: she didn't really like sitting near a lot of people at the movies. ] ...You'll be fine.

[ He couldn't stop himself. His hand moved without meaning to. Before he'd had a conscious thought, Shino's hand was gently holding onto her elbow as she fumbled in the darkness for seats.

Because this was how things had once been. She would push, propel them both out into the universe, and he would catch, hold them both up again on solid ground. She would make him try gummy bears; he would pick her up from the airport in the middle of the night when her plans changed. It was their balance.

He would be fine. When he found his balance again.

It would just be hard if his balance didn't want him around. ]

[ Suddenly, it was if time had never happened. Shino had never left for Brazil, and Tenten had never had to deal with the missing half of their perfect circle. They were still where they were those years ago, and there were no more barriers separating who they were supposed to be. And even though a glance said everything and her breath was heavy with a dream that had once missed its cue from being turned to reality, even though the touch burned just as much as it healed, she did nothing to remove it.

It belonged there. And truth be told, it was hardly noticeable... only it was...

For proper popcorn throwing opportunities, she always chose a place down near the front. It also, conveniently, tended to be where there were few people save for the scant number who enjoyed craning their neck upwards at a ninety degree angle. Tenten was fine with a modest thirty. ] You think it'd be a bad thing if I threw popcorn at the previews I thought were bad too?

[ Things are flicking back and forth, really. He's almost unsteady with the movement of their emotions. The hurt, the perfect synchronicity, the almost thrill of being close to her again. He's almost giddy. It's amazing.

Shino kept his hand in place until they'd found seats. Then, of course, he let go, shifting to settle himself deep into the seat. It was part of sitting this close, after all. ] ...only if they're genuinely deplorable, Tenten.

[ It felt nice to say her name to her face again, rather than murmuring it to Kiba. ]

[ Her heart skipped - one beat, two - at the sound of it. And even though the warmth of his fingers were no longer there, the loss was well worth hearing him speak her name again. The tone, the inflection, the softer beat of the second syllable. She had missed it all. And the chance to hear it again would have made all of this - the confusion, disjointedness, separation - well worth the trouble.

That was how much it meant to her. That was how much she had missed him.

Settling in her seat, arranging her purchased treats around her, she leaned her head back against the cushion of the seat and angled her face a bit to the side towards him, just enough for her eyes to catch the curve of his nose on the edge of her vision. ] So I have to turn to you for your approval before I can throw things?

[ They had done this before. The familiarity was reassuring--and tugging at his heartstrings painfully. Without having to think, his own head tilted slightly to the side, toward her, eyes forward as if still paying attention to the screen. Natural. Simple. Like touching her elbow had been. ]

That seems appropriate. I would hate for you to be wasteful.

[ It was getting to be that old sweatshirt feeling like it had been before. Comfortable, convenient, cherished. Time-honored. Extra emotions got in the way of it sometimes, but there was one clear truth from all this: Time did little to really... break what they had with each other. It was still there, and it was still ready for them to take the reins. They just needed more time to prepare for all the things it would incorporate.

Their friendship was still there as it always had been, nothing could change that. Their relationship was something else entirely.

The smile came easily just as the full turn towards him was. And as the breathe was bushed out in a short and soft scoff, she felt the old life coming back to their movie routine as well. ] What if you have terrible tastes in movies?

[ Many things didn't fit quite right the first time you put them back on; perhaps they scratched, or fit wrong, or weren't as warm as remembered. That didn't mean that, 9 out of 10 times, it was worth fighting through the confusing discomfort to get that old comfy sweatshirt back. ]

It isn't a matter of taste, just... standards. [ She could throw popcorn at all the horrible romantic comedies she wanted to. He would draw the line at her chucking popcorn at, say, an acclaimed documentary because it didn't have cute penguins in it. ]

[ Brow quirk. ] And you question my standards? [ Because, of course, that could be the only reason he insists on approval before she threw her popcorn at the screen looming overhead. It was a comment that held little to no weight to it, and something she would always bring up when he seemed to show doubt in her.

It was just all part of the routine. But then, it had been years and maybe he didn't get the joke anymore... ] I'll have you know, Aburame, my standards are excellent. [ And the tone clearly impressed that there would be no argument about that... even though a small part of her hoped that maybe there would be.

Routines were routines were routines... ]

[ The routine was perfect. It was almost more comforting to hear his surname in that mildly haughty offended tone. They'd done this millions of times.

So it was instinct that he turns in the semi-darkness, the faintest quirk to his lips and the glimmer of amusement in the sliver of eyes visible over the tops of his glasses. ] I do.

[ His mind almost, almost let him continue the way he might once have: "you picked me." Instead, he pulled back, let his expression soften slightly, and substituted in: ]

You picked this film.

[ It comes unintentionally, but with comfort and ease, there comes tendencies that... are hard to forget. Hard to change. And without any knowledge of it, her lips took a softer edge to them. A fonder one to match the lighter tone that came with the sentiment. ] Yeah, well... it's no documentary. [ Because she knows, knows, knows that's where he'd prefer to be. Tenten knows him well enough to understand that much.

But you can't throw popcorn at a documentary.

And with that thought in mind, she takes a kernel and flicked it at the screen for emphasis. ] But it gives room for self entertainment.

[ It's a quiet comfortable place. Not perfect, but very close. ]

...only if one has a low standard of entertainment, Tenten.

[ Still, he shifted the bucket closer to her. It could be snatched away if he needed to, but for the moment, well... It was harmless fun. And it made her grin. And that felt wonderful. Because if he were completely honest with himself, that's what he wanted to get out of the night.

Time watching her smile. Solid proof that she was happy. ]

[ There's that name again, along with the usual flutter of her nerves at the sound of it. How could anyone say her name so beautifully? How could anyone make it sound so extraordinary?...

And a grin he will get, like so many others she had given him in the past. Like so many other moments where they spoke in whispered tones and were... forced to lean in to hear each other's commentary below the drone and drawl of the movie and previews. ]

It's been known to vary from person to person.

[ He's never been known to be a toucher. He's never been good at touching. But he shifts, slightly, and sets his arm carefully between them on the arm of the chair between them.

Because she was much better at touching. ]

That should not change the relative height of high and low standards.

[ But she's far better at respecting his space. Because Tenten knows Shino is not much of a toucher. So while she acknowledges the shift, it doesen't even get a glance. ]

To each their own, as the saying goes.

[ To each their individualisms. She feels she doesn't need to say more. This was a usual and typical conversation they had often. One that neither ever really agreed on beyond only to disagree and keep peace. ]

[ The fingers of his hand lift briefly, ceding the 'argument' to its usual stalemate as the lights dim the rest of the way into darkness for the start of the film. After all, if Shino's not a toucher, he's also not a talker, particularly where talking is verboten.

Not that they don't communicate during films. It did--fortunately? unfortunately?--tend to involve touching. A touch to the back of the hand, a nudge of shoe against shoe; little wordless pieces of communication that turned to glances and private shared smiles.

If they were still touching. ]

[ He was often saved by the dimming of the lights. Tenten was sometimes known for being stubborn and continuing their conversation even beyond the previews and opening credits. But that had eventually molded into one of their silent agreements as well. No getting kicked out of the theatre for disturbing other patrons unless it was a plot twist worthy of popcorn-throwing. So she settled for picking up the topic later, afterwards. If they remembered.

They often didn't.

Tenten will, however, move to quietly open her bag of gummi worms - which are never quiet at all - and resumed to watching the chosen film. With no touching. No intentional touching, in any case. If she happened to brush against his hand, well... ]

[ ...well, he was going to roll with it.

Because she was so good to him. He'd left her, broken their truly amazing relationship into pieces by heading off to the other side of the world without her. His own life, his personal desires, had trumped their mutual life together. She could ask for almost anything, and he would be obliged to do it.

So an accidental brush of skin against skin--an accident, nothing more--gets his hand arching slightly against hers, fingers spread carefully, offering what they both seemed to be slowly slowly angling toward without saying anything about it. ]

[ It's a thing that one must deal with while at the theatre, especially when there is only one arm rest between two seats. Especially when the occupants of those two seats were sharing snacks and rights to popcorn ammunition. It was only natural that elbows would bump together. That fingers would touch and that... one palm would slide into the hold of the other.

It was only natural. It was only right to accept the wordless offer. They would end up there eventually. Who was she to deny progression?

Because he had been good to her, understanding of her filled to the max schedule and her need to time out every hour of every day. She had her way and was habitual about sticking to it most of the time despite his chivalrous conventions. And he had been there to offer the mere comfort of a touch those rare times when soothing words and intentful gleams could not do enough to chase away the shadows that occasionally haunted her.

He had been everything once. Still, maybe. She could accept this one gesture if he was willing to give it. ]

[ It feels good to let her hand rest on his. It feels even better to lace his fingers, infinitely carefully, in with hers.

There weren't other people he wanted to touch like this.

Wherever they were, whether hiding in the back of the theater or elsewhere waiting for end of the night phone calls, Naruto and Sakura were probably flipping with excitement. Because as much as neither Shino nor Tenten were the romantic comedy type, and as much as both would balk at the idea that they were falling into a stereotype, the sparks (such as they were) were flying again. ]

[ Well, wherever they are and whatever corner they managed to hull themselves in while Tenten and Shino had been awkwardly maneuvering through their awkwardness, they would have cause to celebrate. Because as cliche and dangerous as their plan had been, it appeared to have worked. At least for the moment. Shino and Tenten were in the midst of their own romantic comedy, shuffling towards that happily ever after everyone was always hoping for. But if their lives truly followed such a formula, then there certainly would be more bumps along the way.

This however... Tenten would be content to remain at this break in the story a little while longer. She'd missed the touch of another. But moreso, she missed the way his hand seemed to be just the right size to wrap around her own comfortably. Not to big and not too small. Not too tight, not too lose.

He was just right.

Leave it to Tenten to make light of the moment by reaching for the tub of popcorn and flicking a few kernels at the giant screen. ]