[Log] [Jacket Weather] [Ino and Hinata] [Closed]
Hinata, despite Ino's deepest reservations, loved sweaters. And jackets. And all manner of "unappealing" clothing. And so, when the winter months drew closer, and the air grew cooler, she was quite happy to take them back out again. She'd let Ino convince her not to wear them in the summer, but even Lysgar's heat couldn't protect her from the biting cold of winter.
And it was good to be back to wearing something familiar and comfortable.
She was unpacking her clothes and folding them neatly when Snuggles meowed from the other room and quickly ran in and jumped on Hinata's bed. Frowning slightly, she reached over and scratched her kitty behind the ears; Snuggles usually only did that if someone was coming. But Hinata hadn't really been expecting any visitors.
Ino too liked winter and winter clothing. Warm and snuggly and pretty could not be wrong in any way. She still preferred skirts over pants, though, and since it wasn't too cold yet, decided on a shirt with black leggings and hot leather knee high boots with buckles around it that she had been saving for just for such an occasion. Then again, Ino liked to dress up every day but that was besides the point. Hinata would approve of her sweater choice, soft and high necked, a pretty pink color that went nicely with her suede jacket and headband. Mmm, it felt so nice when everything matched. The world just seemed right.
"Hey!" she opened Hinata's door, peeking her blonde head in. In one hand was a large bag, tucked under her arm. "Door was open so I just came in."
Ah, Ino? Hinata smiled a little, leaving her bedroom to go and greet her friend. "H-hello." It was nice to have unexpected visitors. Although when she noticed the bag under Ino's arm she paused, wary. Was this another attempt to make Hinata wear some strange piece of clothing...?
"...W-would you like something to eat? Or drink? You can set your bag on the couch, if you want..." She wasn't always the best hostess, but she tried to be.
"No thanks, we're not staying long," Ino tugged at her collar lightly. The apartment was warm, which was almost a shock. These apartments almost never got warm, except in the summer and then it was too warm. "I just came to give this to you and then we're going out for a bit." She practically threw the package at Hinata, weaving around her to look at Snuggles. The kitten was getting so big but was still adorable and playful. Ino stayed a good distance away-there was no reason to get cat hair all over her pretty black clothes. "It's a little apology gift for giving you so much trouble."
Actually, when she saw this jacket on sale it just screamed Hinata and Ino couldn't tear herself away. It was soft and beige, suede with cream colored wool on the inside. Four round, brown buttons rested by the hem. It was warm, cute, and practical. In the pockets were some matching gloves that Ino knew would fit Hinata's small hands.
Curious, Hinata took the bag and opened it, gasping softly. "...Did you...?" She had.
Pulling the jacket out, Hinata admired it, turning it back and forth in her hands and feeling the fabric. It looked so good, and perfect, and where had Ino found the money for this? Honestly, she was going to give Hinata a complex if she continued to give her clothes.
....And what did she mean about going out?
"...Wh-where are we going?"
"Just go out, maybe for some hot chocolate," Ino shrugged, tying the belt on her coat tighter. "Why don't you try that on? See if it fits!" They needed to go before her boots starting hurting her even more than they already did. Her ankles were in excruciating pain. They were clearly "date boots", meaning they were meant for walking to a car and sitting. Pretty to look at but not very comfortable.
She liked giving. If Ino had the money, she wanted to give things to the people she liked. Hinata never wanted to buy pretty things for herself. Pretty things always made a girl feel good about herself. Even if she could just give Hinata a little bit of confidence…
"Don't worry, it was on sale."
Hinata nodded, although she still felt a little guilty. She would have to find something wonderful for Ino, and give it to her as a present. The other girl couldn't refuse a present, right?
Slipping into the jacket, Hinata was happy that it did, indeed, fit. And it was extra warm and comfy, just like she liked. Ino really was amazing with clothing.
"I-it fits lovely, thank you." She smiled over at her friend. "And hot chocolate sounds good. Let me get my money and we can go..."
She dipped down to pick up Snuggles, not really minding the cat fur as she took the kitty to her room and set her on the bed. Neji could feed her later, and Hinata would probably give her a treat later. Giving the kitty a quick kiss and a goodbye, she slipped out of her room and back to Ino.
It made her so happy when things worked out. Hinata looked happy, the coat fit nicely. All in a day's work for Fashionista Yamanaka. Hinata had an unhealthy obsession with that cat, though. She really needed a boyfriend. Someone who was here and not off somewhere like Kiba was. Hinata deserved better than that!
"Have you heard from Kiba lately?" Ino asked, hopping down the last step to the outside world and trying to sound casual. Was Kiba neglecting her? Probably. It was sad as Hinata was such a sweet heart. Maybe the blond could find her someone better. Someone here.
"Ah, y-yes. He sent a letter a few days ago." The amount of letters had decreased a little with the onset of school, but she was still extremely happy to hear from him. She really did miss him. "He's doing well."
She wrapped her arms around her to ward out the chill and any other bad feelings trying to get in. It was hard, thinking about him sometimes.
Ino tied her scarf tighter around her neck, rolling her eyes at a couple of teenagers who were trying to get her and Hinata's attention. They couldn't have been older than sixteen and were still wearing braces. Oh men. They were so silly. Who would fall for stupid lines like that ones they were shouting? She weaved her arm through Hinata's, tugging the shorter girl closer to her side.
"That's great, but is it really okay to be dating someone so far away?" Kiba didn't even visit, did he? If he really loved Hinata, he would come see her no matter what, wouldn't he? Maybe Ino was being stubborn and sticking her nose in where it didn't belong but Hinata was her friend!
The coffee shop was in sight and Ino was glad because her fingers were starting to grow numb. Next purchase would definitely be gloves or mittens.
W-well...it's alright..." Hinata glanced at the group of teenagers uneasily before looking back at Ino. "I don't mind..."
Although she did, a little. She missed having him around and actually there. And talking about it like this wasn't helping that longing at all. So she did what she usually did and changed the subject.
"We're here..."
How could Hinata not mind? Ino didn’t even like it when Chouji didn't call her during the weekend to see how she was doing. Maybe Ino was just higher maintenance. Every girl wanted to feel special and cared for though. Poor Hinata. The suffering was obvious, as was the upset look on her face. Kiba, that moron. He didn't even know what he was missing out on. This girl was beautiful, kind, and smart. A blind man could see how much she cared about her absent boyfriend.
Men. So stupid.
"Let's sit!" Ino shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair, smoothing out her sweater and sitting primly. Her feet were screaming and she had nearly slid on a wet spot on the floor, but it felt good to know you looked so good.
Hinata sat as she was told, although she didn't remove her coat. It was warm in the coffee shop, but she felt safer in her jacket, especially after having a conversation that brought up bad feelings. Of course, she was expecting Ino to demand she remove the jacket eventually...but she'd keep it on as long as she was allowed.
She ordered herself some hot chocolate when the waitress came by, eager for something warm. That always helped when she was sad.
"I didn’t mean anything by that, Hinata," Ino said, looking concerned. Hinata looked as though she was ready to bolt out of the door the next time Ino looked away. Me and my big mouth, she thought with a wince. "It's not my business. I'm sorry. If you're happy then, that's fine with me." She forgot that Hinata wasn't like Sakura, who readily yelled with and at Ino over everything and anything. Hinata was sensitive. Maybe some of it would rub off on Ino.
Probably not.
When the waitress came back with their hot chocolate, Ino licked the whipped cream off the top gleefully. She wondered what Hinata thought of her. Did she consider them friends? Or was Ino just a (hot) pushy girl who Hinata was scared of?
The other girl looked up and smiled shyly. "I-it's alright, Ino. You didn't do anything wrong." She hadn't known how Hinata would react, after all; it wasn't like she'd said that to be malicious or anything. Hinata didn't know Ino very well, but she did know she wasn't mean for no reason.
Or at least, she hadn't ever given Hinata a reason to think she was.
"...Thank you for bringing me out here," she finally said as she sipped at her cocoa. The whipped cream kept sticking to her nose, making her blush as she brushed it away. "It's nice to get out of the apartment."
Ino shook her head, blond hair falling around her shoulders. "No problem! It's nice going out with you. We should do this more often. The only girls I hang around with are Kin and Sakura and they are definitely not sane. It's nice to be with someone who has all of her marbles." She really shouldn’t take Hinata's friendship for granted. The hot chocolate tasted great, which was a plus, and it was warming up her insides. All felt right with the world.
"Ah, thank you? They don't seem so bad, though..." Although to be honest, Kin scared her and Sakura... Well, she didn't really know Sakura. She knew that when her and Ino got together, though, there was usually much yelling.
"...Maybe we should all do something?" Except Hinata didn't do well in large groups, really, and having someone she wasn't exactly comfortable around--like Kin--would be very difficult.
...So maybe they shouldn't, after all.
"We could do that, though I don't know why you would want to," Ino joked, rubbing her cheek with her knuckle lightly. "Both of them are out of their minds. I think Sakura wants to do some sort of scientific experiment on me and Kin… you're not allowed to hang out with her alone." Who KNOWS what she could try to go to poor, innocent Hinata. "You should hang out with me, Shikamaru, and Chouji! We're not exactly sane ourselves, but we're fun."
And not dangerous.
That was the most important part.
Hinata blushed and nodded. "A-alright..." She didn't know Shikamaru or Chouji very well, either, except that they'd been Kiba's roommates. Which just brought her back to the thoughts she'd just been trying to banish, and that wasn't very helpful at all.
"What...would you suggest we do? I'm not really good with large groups of people..."
Ino tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "We could just have dinner and drinks or whatever. It doesn't have to be anything special. We'll just hang out, it'll be very fun," she assured her, finishing off her drink. She looked down at her watch, letting out a tiny shriek. "I'm late! I'm supposed to go over the kid's after school center and check on things. The kids had a bake sale at their school to raise more money. It was so sweet."
She took out her wallet and put a few bills down on the table. "It's on me, okay?"
"Huh?" The change in topic only managed to confuse the pale-eyed girl, and she didn't even have time to protest the fact that Ino was paying for everything. The other girl always moved so fast, Hinata could never follow her.
"A-are you sure...?"
"I'm sure," Ino waved at her before walking out the door. All in all, it was a good day. It looked like Hinata was coming out of her shell, just a little bit.