59Summary: [ONESHOT.] It's a game they play. Ino-centric. Kiba/Ino.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Rating: M for sex, cursing, & the usual.
A/N: I haven't written a fresh Kiba/Ino story in some time and I needed a breather from long, complex plots.
~ Game of Hearts ~
CHAPTER ONE
Ino stepped outside her father's flower shop and in the corner of her eye, she caught a dark flicker on the roof of the neighboring building. It was him again- -that stupid idiot Inuzuka. She pretended she hadn't noticed and locked the door to the shop, the bells jangling as she did so. Then she flicked her hair over her shoulder as she fought off the smirk. She felt his feral eyes on her back, tracking her as she walked her usual route to her apartment.
She wondered if he would race her home; or would he be impatient this time, grabbing her from a doorway or an alley to toss her over Akamaru's back? Usually he was impatient. Not just about seeing her, but impatient about handling her, kissing her, speaking with her.
When they started sleeping together, they had agreed that it was casual sex. She wasn't even sure how they managed to have such a great sex life but be so horrid to each other socially. Quite frankly, she blamed a six-month dry spell, and Kiba had looked so fuckable that she couldn't resist. Her stupid vagina slicked up when he approached with those wild eyes. She'd never noticed him before…except for their spectacular verbal spars, she didn't have the time of day for him.
He let her get through the door before he yanked her into a hard kiss. She heard her keys clank to the floor through the hot flood that engulfed her. His mouth on hers communicated an animal passion that left her breathless; hands were rough on her, shoving up under her skirt to her thighs and hips. Everything inside her pulsed, throbbed as he dragged her to her living room couch where he ripped her clothes in his haste to get her naked.
She wanted to bitch at him, but her irritation blipped out of existence when he pushed apart her knees and slipped deep inside her. Impatient. And then there was only his rhythm, the wash of his breath on her, her name inside each pant, and the rising tension that built at her core. She didn't care anymore about lady-like manners, not when he gave her what she needed when she needed it. Mere minutes felt like eternity until she came, hard, marring the skin on his back with her nails and practically howling his name for all of Konoha to hear.
They lay together in the soft afterglow, his fingers idly stroking her hip, her head tucked under his chin. It was nice being skin to skin with him, breathing in time and easing away from the small annoyances and stresses of her day.
"I've got a mission," he told her out of the blue. He shifted his head so he could pierce her with his gaze. "Might take a few days."
She scoffed and rolled out of the circle his arms made, annoyed and vaguely unsettled with his predator's eyes. "Why are you telling me this?" To emphasize her irritation she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder.
He sat up, watched with furrowed brow as she situated her clothing. "Didn't want you missing me," he said and fixed up his pants. "I know you'd die of agony, Ino-girl."
At first, she thought he bullshitted her, but the set of his jaw, the intensity of his look suggested otherwise. He knew their game, so why was he trying to change the rules? They were each other's casual fuck buddy, nothing more. She didn't need him to try and pollute the simple purity of what they did for each other.
"You can see yourself out." She retreated into the kitchen for a glass of water, the confusion angering her. After a minute, she heard him cross the floor. "Kiba? Why aren't you gone yet?"
He leaned in the doorframe, arms crossed, broad shoulders blocking the space, and stood quietly assessing her. Heat spread over her face for no good reason. Then he closed the distance between them to sweep her into a kiss that reeled her. It was rough and sweet and he didn't let her squirm out of it when she wanted. When he kissed her goodbye, her heart did strange and unforgivable dances.
"I'm coming home to you," he caught her hair in his fist- -she gasped with surprise, not hurt, "and you better be waiting." He ducked his head and gave her a fierce lovebite on her neck.
"Let me go, you asshole." She hissed it because she was ready to fight him, but he released her without comment and left. The weirdness and confusion muted her until she heard the door open and shut. She put a hand over the sore of his bite. To the empty apartment: "What the hell?"
And so with the aftertaste of that moment sour in her mouth, she filled her hours with hospital work and the flower shop and training with Shikamaru and Chouji. Whatever she did, however, his absence edged into her thoughts and feelings enough that she became bitter that he was gone. Even more than usual she flung herself into her life.
Three days passed. It was in the middle of a training session when Shikamaru called a team meeting. As they stood facing each other, close enough to brush shoulders, she became aware of her teammates' scrutiny.
Chouji spoke first. "Ino, is everything okay?" He rested a gentle hand at the base of her neck, under her wind-blown ponytail.
"Everything's fine." His question puzzled her. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well," anxiously he glanced at Shikamaru, "you seem kind of, I dunno," and shifted his considerable weight, "distracted."
"What are you talking about? I've never been more focused." Annoyed, she did brush off his hand. It had sent uncomfortable prickles through her skin. "Everything's fine."
"No, Ino," said Chouji. "You're not fine. You haven't been fine since Kiba left on his mission."
She rolled her eyes, still fighting it, still denying. "Whatever. There's nothing going on between me and Kiba." She needed to deflect the conversation. "Has that idiot been bragging? What did he say?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all. Kiba's been as closed-mouthed as you, if that's possible," replied Chouji. "But everyone knows that you and Kiba have been hooking up. We thought you and he were, uh," he searched for a tactful phrase, "settling down together."
"Settling down?" The idea steamed her, very nearly made her speechless. "That's what everyone thinks? Oh, please. Kiba's the last man on the planet I'd settle down with. We're having casual sex. That's all it's been, all it's ever gonna be, so drop it."
Her tone left no room for further argument, but Chouji, helpless, silently appealed to Shikamaru, who had observed the entire conversation thus far with magnanimous neutrality. He'd grown straight and tall, much like the trees in his sacred forest, and he and Chouji towered over Ino. He had never outgrown the hooded gaze, the lazy gaze, the tired, old-man gaze but the eyes he turned on her were anything but hooded, lazy, tired or old-man.
"Ino-" he started.
That's as far as he got. She was not going to let him lecture her. "Don't. Even. You both stay the fuck out of my sex life."
With that, she pushed chakra into her feet and charged into the rustling trees at full speed, ditching her teammates for solitude. To punish them for their nosiness, she served them a chilly helping of the Silent Treatment. Four more days passed.
Ino was in the hospital lounge, nursing a cardboard cup of lukewarm tea. A throb had started at the base of her skull and no matter how much she tried to ease it with chakra, it wouldn't leave her alone. Exhaustion, she knew, but didn't care. Her eyes were gummy, her hair greasy, her bones stiff. She had worked a double shift at the hospital three of these last four days. She hadn't spoken to those boneheads she called teammates since their last team training, and she didn't plan on speaking to them anytime soon.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes to the harsh florescent lights overhead. Behind her eyelids, she saw blood-red triangles and a beautiful, toothy smile. She loved his sharp canines and she loved the scars across his stomach and she loved his heat when their skin pressed together under her sheets. Where was that idiot? He better not be dead in a ditch somewhere. And that stupid mutt better be looking out for him. And he sure as hell better be in one piece when he got home or there would be a severe ass-kicking in store.
Stupid idiot Inuzuka. She could see the flex of his muscles under his skin, his disheveled hair when he rolled out of bed, and could hear the timbre of his voice, how it changed to work a miracle on her and got her doing what he wanted. She could hear him laughing, whispering to her, speaking in friendly tones to their friends. Then she realized she was sleeping, but it felt good to let go and float in her dreams. Sometime later, a creak indicated the lounge door had been opened. Light footsteps across the carpeted lounge floor; a body settled on the couch where Ino sat.
"Ino? Ino, you awake?"
It was Sakura. Ino forced open her eyes, stared at the blurry pink in front of her. "Need me?" Hard sleep had rusted her vocal cords.
"No, not right now." Sakura leaned closer. Ino's vision cleared so she could see the pale green of her best friend's eyes. Sakura stroked a finger across Ino's cheek to tuck the lose bangs behind her ears. Caring. Compassionate. Something was up, Ino knew. Sakura's next words confirmed her suspicions. "Ino. We need to talk."
"You're right. We need to talk. We haven't had a girls' night in forever." Even her words were sluggish. "I'm not up for it right now, but we can go out tomorrow night. I'm free then. What do you say?"
"I say tomorrow night's not good. Not when you're acting like this."
Ino sighed. Her bones had melted into the couch. No way could she move, not unless she had ten minutes and a complex pulley system. "I'll murder those two boneheads."
"You're wrecked. You know you are. You won't let your closest friends talk to you and you've been barely civil to everyone else!"
"Hn. I like working hard. Nothing's wrong with that."
Sakura grabbed Ino's hand and shoved it in front of her nose. "Just as I suspected!" Sakura declared. "Your nails are hideous! Look at those cuticles and the polish is chipped! The Ino-pig I know wouldn't dare leave the house with nails like these."
"I've been busy with my life, billboard-brow, so leave me alone." Ino was too tired to fight, even though she knew what was coming. She pulled her hand free of Sakura's accusatory grip and with Herculean effort, drew up to her feet. "I've got rounds. See you later."
"Oh no you don't," Sakura said and too quickly blocked the door. "You're in love with Kiba and you're missing him so much it hurts and that's okay. You can miss the man you love most in the world."
Ino's heart took a sharp turn in her chest. There was a clot in her throat and an irritating sting in her eyes. Anger and dangerous fear thudded her heart against her chest. "You're wrong, Sakura. I don't love Kiba. I hate his guts. He's stupid, smelly, and stubborn. His dick is the only redeeming quality about him and I'm not talking about our private affairs with you. So if you could please move? Thanks."
But Sakura had a stubborn set to her brows, and she strafed into Ino's way. "Why are you so afraid of feeling something for him? It's okay to be in love."
"No, no it's not," Ino said. Her tiredness couldn't allow for any more calm or patience. Her words tasted as bitter as they sounded, and they would be believable because she took the expected way out. "Because the last boy I was in love with turned traitor and left us high and dry for our village's sworn enemy. Because the last boy I was in love with didn't love me back, and the last boy I was in love with tore one of my closest, best friends from me. So sorry if I don't want to be in love and sorry if I just want to get laid once in a while."
With that hanging in the air between them, Ino elbowed Sakura aside and exited the lounge. The rest of the night she was left in peace to do her job, which she threw herself at until her mind blended together the minutes and hours.
A/N: I'll get Part Two up here sooner or later. I'm juggling projects to try and get everything done. I didn't realize how much unfinished stuff I have lying around! Let me know what you think and share some love. =)
5/27/18 - light editing & revisions
11/17/19 - "PART" to "CHAPTER"
