The Way Things Are

Ah, time for the next installment. ^_^ I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! :D No smuttyness from Shikamaru or Neji in this chapter. Mainly fluff. >_< Sorry.

REVIEW REPLIES

Tyra: Oh they will come out eventually. It'll just take a little time. Yay for kissing with wet muscles! lol I like Neji in read. I just think it works well with him. :) Thank you!

Word_Slave: Your welcome! I'm glad you like it.

AngelicChaos: I'm so glad that you liked it. ^_^ Getting high off of a story? That's a new one. lol I hope you'll like this chapter as well.

Ino-chan: Yup. Breaking him in. XD After all, wouldn't want to just jump right into a bed, right? At least in my opinion. >_> And a blushing Neji is a good thing. lol

Chibi-Berry: Thanks for all the reviews. ^_^ You didn't have to do so many, but thank you nonetheless! It didn't bother me at all. I love reading them. I'm really glad you liked the chapters and thank you so much for all of the compliments! :D Made me happy!

ElfenDream: I wish I could draw. I'd draw a staredown between Shikamaru and Sasuke with Naruto and Neji chibis and title it that (battle of the semes). XD I'm so glad that you liked it!

Kat: lol Cliffy queen, huh? I'll have to remember that one! haha Hope you'll like the new chapter!

Anemone: Yes, poor poor Naruto. Thanks for the compliments and I hope you'll like the update!

qwerty: They really are. ^_^ I might write something up for that later. Maybe...lol

Im The Dobe: Oh, I'm so glad that you're liking the plot. ^_^; I was nervous there for a moment. I'm so glad that you like this. Thank you!

SG21: Oh, Shikamaru won't be scaring Neji away. I don't know why, but I prefer Sasuke as the seme. Just my personal opinion I suppose. Actually, I'd love to do a bunch of oneshots and I've set up a couple places where I could do a break off from this story. ^_^ lol Lee/Gaara, huh?

jess249: Yes, bad Sasuke! Bad! And cookies are good, right!? :D

XoXgaaraXoX: Ahahahahaha! I'm slowly making the Shikamaru/Neji fandom grow! Yes! Bwahahahahahahaha! *ehem* ^_^; Glad you're liking it!

Drivven Labyrinth: I think this is the 4th or 5th time I've made someone's day better with my stories. O_O I'm glad I can do that. ^_^ I hope you'll like this chapter.

D.A. Maxwell: I'll try to be a better person at catching those little things. ^_^; I'm really glad you enjoyed all that you did. It makes me happy to know that someone's loving it. :D

Anaheyla: Aren't they? They're my favorite couple!

Dying Dreams: Yes, we need more Shikamaru/Neji in this world. :D Hope you'll like the new chapter.

Serenity: Yes, Sasuke got a big lecture for it though. lol Hope you'll like the update!

natalie: She is isn't she? Oh, they'll be making it all the way to home on the wedding night so no worries there. XD lol Thank you!

Syake: They probably would cost a lot of money...dang...lol And he's MUCH better looking than Hinata. XD

charmpit: ....^_^; It's going to be a while? *hides* I'm sorry! Oh and no worries. Neji will get the sexin of his life when it comes up. kukukuku...

PossessedMuse: I'm not a big fan of Sakura either, but for the sake of the manga, I deal with her. XD No, it's not bases. More like steps. ^_^;

Joslin1: Aw, I'm glad you can review now! He does? I'll try to fix that. They're so hot together. ^_^

yaoilovergirl: Yay! I'm glad that you like it. :D I hope you'll like this chapter!

ShikaChouFan4Life: I'm so glad that you liked the cookie. XD lol I hope you'll like where things go. :D

pen_name: You'll be waiting a while I'm afraid. AT least till the sexin. lol When I said that Neji was a virgin, I mean he was a virgin (like myself...) I hope you'll like this chapter.

digiditz: Nope. Not bases. Steps. XD I'm so cruel...Thank you!

Lonelydove: Yay! ^_^ Hope you'll like it!

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Chapter 14

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

Neji’s eyes were as wide as plates and he was staring at the Nara as if he had committed some heinous crime. And to a degree, in Neji’s mind, he had. He was not very open to the idea.

“It’s called PDA, or public display of affection,” Shikamaru sighed, “and I don’t see what’s so wrong with holding your hand when we’re out in the village together.”

OK, so maybe he was overreacting, but Neji had never done something like this before. It was all new to him and as excited as he felt about doing something as simple as holding hands, he was uneasy about it too. He knew how it made others feel to see a couple walking down the street. Especially those who were suffering from an unrequited love. That’s all there was to it. And Neji may have been a cruel person at times, but this was one thing he didn’t like.

“Look, Neji, I know all of this is new for you and that you’re unused to such contact,” Shikamaru stated softly, “but you’re going to have to get used to it. Get used to the way people stare at you, get used to the way people feel when they see something they don’t have. It’s a part of life.”

“But-“

The Nara placed a hand in front of the Hyuuga’s lips and gave him a stern look. “I know what you’re going to say and I know exactly how it feels to be one of those people. But there are so many more that would look at us and be happy. You know how rare it is to see this kind of thing. On top of that, I want to hold your hand. Is that such a bad thing?”

Neji smirked, pink slightly dusting over his cheeks. “Never knew you were a romantic, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru smirked. “Well, to a degree, I am, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. So, are you willing to let me, at least, hold your hand?”

Neji bit the inside of his cheek before he let out a sigh. Nodding his head, he held his hand out to the Nara, who grinned as he took it and gently pulled Neji closer. It was odd, as they walked down the streets, to see all different kinds of looks that were made in their direction. Yes, there were those that looked at them enviously, but as Shikamaru had stated, there were many more that were giving them a small, understanding smile. It was simply odd.

The Hyuuga, however, couldn’t help but smirk at some of the looks that were practically thrown at Shikamaru. “You’re getting quite a few glares.”

“Probably your fan club,” Shikamaru replied. “Half think that this is hot. The other half probably thinks they could be a much better fiancé for you than me.”

“I’d like to see them try to compare,” Neji stated softly.

Shikamaru chuckled softly. “So, where would you like to go for lunch today?”

Neji shrugged. “I don’t really care.”

“You sound kind of like Chouji,” Shikamaru smirked. “Why don’t we go to the market and see what we can find?”

“Sounds good to me,” Neji grinned, tightening his fingers momentarily in an appreciative squeeze. Maybe holding hands wasn’t such a bad thing. It allowed the Hyuuga to ‘transmit’ messages to the other without having to say anything.

As they walked through the streets of Konoha, Neji’s mind wandered. Three months. That’s all the time they had before they were going to be officially married. During that time he’d be carted off to various placed, mainly for wedding clothes and ideas. It would mostly be Hinata and Hanabi with him, but occasionally, other Hyuuga female members would accompany him. He wasn’t really looking forward to that. As his mind ran along the ideas of marriage another thought came to him.

“I just thought of something,” Neji said, as they looked at various stands.

“What’s that?” Shikamaru asked, looking down at the Hyuuga.

“You’re going to have to teach me how to cook.”

Shikamaru stopped dead in the street. “No.”

“What?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Neji, you’re not built for that kind of thing.”

The Hyuuga frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You, frankly,” Shikamaru stated, “would get so frustrated in the kitchen that you’d break everything. You’ll let me handle all of the cooking.”

Neji sighed. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

Shikamaru smirked. “Fair or not, that’s the way it’s going to be. I’m putting my foot down on that. You can always help me in cleaning the house though.”

Neji blushed with embarrassment. “…you’ll have to teach me how to do that properly too…”

Shikamaru laughed. “Gods, you’re pampered, aren’t you?”

Neji’s blush grew. “It’s not my fault.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t,” Shikamaru grinned. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll have no problems learning that one. Let’s just worry about getting something for lunch, eh?”

Neji nodded slowly and allowed the Nara to take him to various food stand, still feeling rather embarrassed that he didn’t know how to clean anything. Sure he understood the basics, but he never really got a lesson on when and how deep things should be cleaned. It was several minutes later when the two finally decided on something to eat. They thanked the vendor after paying him and made their way to the roof tops, heading towards the park.

It wasn’t hard to find an empty spot in the grassy areas of the park and they quickly settled down to each their lunch. It was something new, something Neji had never had before, but he liked it. They quietly conversed as they watched what was going on around them, talking about random subjects that no one would ever expect to hear either of them talking about. Shikamaru couldn’t stop teasing him it seemed as there were a few times that Neji would try and hit the other for a comment.

They discarded their empty boxes in a nearby trash bin and started to walk aimlessly around the park. Neji was glad that neither of them had missions and that his uncle had been more than willing to ‘kick him out’ of the house upon Shikamaru’s request. Tsunade had also told them that unless it was an emergency, she wasn’t going to assign them to as many missions, in order to let them get to know each other better. At first that had frustrated the Hyuuga, but the Hokage hadn’t given him any room for an argument.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt an arm wrap around his waist. He almost squeaked out of surprise. He looked over at the Nara, frowning, and his eyes demanded to know what the other was doing. Shikamaru merely shrugged and pulled him closer as a response, smirking at the Hyuuga’s bewildered expression. Neji struggled a bit at first, but slowly relaxed and got used to the warm feeling around his waist. Shikamaru really did know how to calm him down.

“You’re getting better at this,” Shikamaru said as they walked. “Ignoring the looks people give you.”

“You’re to thank for that,” Neji replied.

“Oh really?”

Neji nodded. “You…calm me. It’s an odd feeling.”

Shikamaru grinned. “Glad to hear that. It wasn’t too long ago that I made you uptight it seems.”

Neji frowned. “That’s when I hated you.”

“You don’t hate me now?” Shikamaru asked, smirking.

Neji glared at him. “Do you think I’d kiss someone I hated?”

“If so, I’d love to see what you’d do to someone you loved,” Shikamaru teased.

“The only thing I hate about you is that brain,” Neji growled, making the Nara laugh.

They walked in silence for a moment before they came to a bench and Shikamaru asked if he would sit down. Neji smirked. “Walking to troublesome for you?”

“No,” Shikamaru responded. “Just wanted to sit next to you for a while.”

“You really are a romantic,” Neji mumbled as they sat down.

The Nara chuckled. “It would appear that you’re the same. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing any of this with as little protest as you have been.”

“Maybe just a little,” Neji said softly, resting his head on the other’s shoulder. It felt good, sitting like this, next to the Nara. He let his eyes close and he felt the other shift, so his arm was now resting on the Hyuuga’s upper back and was wrapped around him. He smiled gently when he felt Shikamaru’s head rest against his own, welcoming the pressure. He didn’t mind it. If anything, it was only more proof that the other was truly there.

He stiffened slightly when he felt the other’s lips on his head and shivered as they started to travel lower. “Shikamaru, this is pushing it, don’t you think?”

“If they don’t like it, they can turn away,” Shikamaru whispered, pressing a kiss to the Hyuuga’s forehead. “I have every right to kiss you.”

Neji hummed thoughtfully. “As long as you’re planning on not letting these kisses get obscene.”

“And what, exactly, would you classify as obscene?” Shikamaru asked as the kisses went over the other’s eyes and on his cheek.

“The way you kissed me last night,” the Hyuuga breathed, turning his head to the attentions. “That’s obsce-mphf!”

Neji’s eyes fluttered underneath his closed lashes, melting as Shikamaru’s lips pressed against his gently. Neji moved his hands upwards, one grasping almost desperately on Shikamaru’s arm the other clinging to the front of the other’s shirt. Shikamaru’s free hand came and rested underneath Neji’s chin, the chaste kiss pushing the older male back slightly. Neji moaned under the attention and almost let out a disappointed whimper when Shikamaru pulled back.

“Was that public worthy for you?” Shikamaru breathed, smirking.

Neji slowly opened his eyes slowly, only to close them again. “Yes.”

“Glad to hear it,” Shikamaru grinned, his eyes half lidded.

“What time is it?” Neji asked softly, his fingers loosing their tension as he traced small circles on the other’s shirt with them.

“Why?”

“I’m supposed to meet Lee today,” Neji sighed. “We’re training with some new move he’s created.”

Shikamaru sighed as he stood up, pulling the Hyuuga with him. “Does he ever rest?”

Neji snorted. “No, I don’t think he does.”

“Well, I might as well as walk with you over to his place,” Shikamaru stated, putting his arm around Neji’s waist again. “It’ll give me something to do.”

Neji gave him a small grin before he hesitantly lifted his own arm and mimicked Shikamaru’s action. The Nara gave him an encouraging smile and the Hyuuga applied the same gentle pressure the other was. They walked slowly through the park as they headed for Lee’s apartment building complex. Neji leaned into the other, smiling inwardly when the Nara’s grip tightened around him, pulling him even closer, were it possible.

“I’m glad that you’re not so scared to do something like this in public,” Shikamaru stated.

“I’m a fast learner,” Neji smirked. “I’m still slightly uncomfortable with the deeper kisses, but I’m alright with this.”

Shikamaru chuckled. “Well, I can make sure to give you enough practices with the kisses.”

Neji blushed faintly and gave the other a wry smile as they walked up the stairs towards Lee’s apartment. Once in front of the door, Neji knocked and waited patiently for a moment. When there was no answer, he knocked again, this time more loudly. Again no answer. Neji turned to look at Shikamaru who shrugged and nodded his head forward. Neji sighed and activated his Byakugan. He wasn’t going to barge in unless it was necessary.

He immediately blushed and choked on his own breath. Lee and Gaara were in the kitchen. Most people wouldn’t be put off by this fact, but they weren’t seeing what Neji was seeing. Both were completely naked, a sight that was the cause of Neji’s blush. The fact that Lee had Gaara against the wall in a very questionable position was another factor. Neji looked away, blushing like it was the coolest thing to do. He started to walk away, eyes back to normal, when Shikamaru’s hand caught his arm.

“Hey wait a minute, what’s going on in there?” The Nara asked, giving Neji a confused look.

“I don’t think you need to know,” Neji stated, going even darker in color. “I didn’t either.”

Shikamaru stood there quietly before a grin spread across his face. “Is that what they're doing then?” Snickering to himself, he walked over to the door and lifted his fist.

Neji jumped towards the other, fully determined to stop Shikamaru from pounding on the door. It sent the two of them down to the ground, Neji doing his best to keep the Nara away from the door. “We don’t need to interrupt them!”

“Why not?” Shikamaru smirked. “Seeing their flushed faces mig-“

“Ah! Stop! Don’t say any more!” Neji exclaimed, covering his ears. Normally he wouldn’t have been acting like this, but with the circumstances, no one could blame him. It was one thing knowing your best friend had a lover. It was another thing to see that your best friend had a lover. Neji wasn’t able to get rid of the image completely from his mind, but he was doing the best he could to keep it at bay and think of other things.

Shikamaru started to chuckle, which turned to full blown laughter upon seeing Neji’s reaction. He couldn’t stop himself and it wasn’t long before Neji, who was blushing furiously, was trying to get him to shut up. The Hyuuga had never seen the Nara laugh so hard about anything before and although it would be found endearing at any other time, Neji couldn’t help but get annoyed. When it looked like the other wasn’t going to stop, he huffed and got to his feet, fully intent on leaving the other there to be killed by Gaara’s sand.

“Hey, hey, wait!” Shikamaru snickered, getting to his feet and running after his fiancé. Still snickering, he wrapped his arms around the other. “Calm down. I’m sorry, OK? I’m sorry.”

Neji frowned. “A sorry person wouldn’t still be laughing. And I wasn’t angry.”

“Just embarrassed then?” Shikamaru snickered as the pair made their way down the stairs. “Well, as long as it’s out of your system.”

“Shut up,” Neji mumbled as they walked through the streets of Konoha. “I can’t believe I just did that. I feel so perverted.”

“Kissing me might fix that,” Shikamaru said slyly.

“Just trying to get a kiss, aren’t you?” Neji stated, to which the other male snickered. “Fine.”

Not hesitating at all, the Hyuuga grabbed the Nara’s head and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before he pulled away. Shikamaru smirked, the glint from the night of the engagement party back in his eyes. “Two down.”

Neji frowned, but made no noise to question the other. Just what was Shikamaru planning and executing in that head of his?
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OK, OK, I'll move away from the fluff now, OK? I'm sorry! >_<

Please review! (how original...NOT)