20 / consider tiny ino falling asleep after staying up all night chillin w/ chouji
20. Carrying while half asleep
If only because he has had to keep up with rowdy children all day, Chouza is particularly tired, though he doesn't dare even consider napping until he knows for sure that they are at least on the brink of sleep, the threshold of which Chouji appears to have passed a bit ago (if how he's sprawled out on the floor is any indication).
Ino isn't too far behind the other child, but just as she usually does, she refuses to sleep (tries to, anyway; he's found that her staying away is only about a 50/50 chance) until she can talk to her own father and tell him that if she has to go to bed, then he must as well.
Equal parts amused by her attitude and the prospect of Inoichi getting an earful from his daughter yet again, Chouza agrees without the slightest argument, and the girl lifts her arms, just as she has always done when she wants to be picked up, and of course, he complies.(It's cute, how she insists that she could reach the phone by herself sometimes and that asking to be boosted up is only done to make him feel better.)
Though he knows he won't drop the child, he stands as still as he can manage (the task made easier by the fact that Ino already seemed drowsy) while also quietly murmuring the numbers she needed to press to call her dad, which she does, a proud little smile on her face when the phone rings.
Being so close, Chouza can't help but to overhear most of the conversation, the girl's voice steadily growing softer and softer as she talks, leaning against the chest of the man carrying her for support, until the phone slips from her grip.
He tenses, prepared for her to try and squirm away to catch it--except she doesn't, and he listens carefully, holding his own breath, his heart skipping a beat when he can't hear her own.. only to heave a sigh of relief when he realizes it's because she had turned her face toward the fabric of his shirt.
To reassure himself that Ino was okay, he listens for a few more seconds, then finally picks up the phone from where it dangles on its cord, hissing a quiet 'Shut the hell up, she's fine; Just dozed off in the middle of talkin' to you, idiot.' into the reciever end of the device, more hushed murmuring following about how yes, it was okay if Ino stayed the night and no, it wouldn't be a problem to walk her back home tomorrow, eventually hanging up.
Scowling at the phone, he just barely manages to hear the quiet 'Be nice...' Ino murmurs, and any irritation Chouza felt vanished near-instantly, an amused smirk on his face instead as he uses his now-unoccupied arm to readjust his hold on her, carrying her back into the living room to help her get her blankets situated, just as she liked.
