Hinata swallows and then begins to unbutton her shirt. Her eyes are squeezed shut and blood is pounding in her ears. He is saying something, but she can't quite hear it. Before she can shrug off her top, a hand halts her.

"—op. Hinata, stop."

She opens her eyes. Shikamaru is clutching her shirt closed, his ears red, and his gaze focused solely on her face. Something in her withers a little.

"I—I'm sorry. I did something wrong, didn't I?"

"Hinata," he says, eyebrows pinched, "we don't have to consummate our marriage right away. Our parents aren't expecting a grandchild until we finish college."

"…Yes."

He removes his hand, so she buttons her shirt back up with a red face.

"I don't—I don't want you to feel like you're being forced."

She breathes a little easier at that. "Okay."

There's an awkward moment once Shikamaru crawls back into bed, because Hinata will have to lie down beside him after failing to seduce him. With shaking hands, she lifts the covers and settles herself as far away from Shikamaru as she can possibly be on the mattress. They face opposite directions.

Neither of them falls asleep quickly.

Hinata curls in on herself, staring hard at the wall in the darkness. "Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she whispers.

She feels the bed shift as he turns around briefly to look at her, before flipping over again to face away from her. He doesn't respond, but she thinks he doesn't need to.

They're both in this together.