The Writing on the Wall

The Writing on the Wall

By: ladygizarme
Beta: Houseki
Warnings: yaoi lemon in this chapter (for full story warnings, see chapter one)
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews for the first chapter! I’m glad everyone likes it, and I am definitely continuing! Oh yeah, forgot to mention: this is officially a response to vashta’s challenge.

Chapter Two:

Sasuke worked until closing. He was the night shift supervisor, so after a quick wipe down of his work station, he set the registers to print out the sales totals for the day and counted down the drawers while his crew handled the rest of the cleanup. When the nightly duties were finally complete (Sasuke having double-checked everything to make sure it was done correctly), and the rest of the crew had already left, Sasuke locked the safe and got his jacket and bag from the back before leaving through the Borders front entrance. His aunt would be there soon to pick him up.

As he was waiting, Sasuke noticed Shikamaru walking along the sidewalk across the parking lot from him. The spiky ponytailed man stopped at a bus hut and took a seat, obviously waiting for his bus. Suddenly, Sasuke had the inexplicable urge to run over to the other man and sit beside him. Inexplicable, but not unimaginable—they were friends after all; sometimes more than friends, but that wasn’t the point right now. He just felt the strong urge to be within the vicinity of the only person he considered a friend here for some reason. He ignored the impulse, however, since his aunt was due any second now.

A gust of autumn wind sent a chill down the back of Sasuke’s jacket, and he shivered. The chill didn’t disappear with the wind, however, and that’s when Sasuke noticed that he was no longer alone on the sidewalk. And whatever was beside him, it was not someone from the Borders night crew. It wasn’t even living flesh and blood. He knew this; he could feel it. He knew he didn’t want to look, but despite his fear, the impulse to look—that morbid curiosity—was so strong. He looked.

Sasuke literally felt his heart stop at what he saw. Standing beside him not even four feet away, as if he had not a care in the world, was his Uncle Teyaki. His aunt’s husband, to be exact. A man who had died. Five years ago. Standing there, definitely not a care in the world, because he no longer belonged in this world. Still, he didn’t look too much different from how he had in life. Fifty-eight, grey-black hair slowly turning to silver, a strong build with a bit of a gut. His pale skin wasn’t exactly the hue it should have been, but Sasuke could overlook that in the harsh spotlighting of the parking lot lights.

Indeed, he could overlook it. This was his uncle. And though he knew him definitely to be a ghost, Sasuke couldn’t find any more fear within himself once the recognition was there, his own heartbeat returning to normal. Uncle Teyaki wouldn’t hurt him. In fact, in life, he’d been nicer to Sasuke than he’d felt his own father had.

Sasuke found himself now having another inexplicable urge: the urge to talk to a ghost. This was an urge he’d never had before, and it felt strange. However, in the next instant, that all went away, along with the serenity that had settled so easily upon him.

His uncle turned to him, face red and growing purple, eyes bulging from his face like a frog, throat working as if he were trying to swallow. He clutched his chest, as if re-experiencing the heart attack that had taken his life. His mouth gaped open and closed in imitation of a fish. No sound came out. Then, suddenly, those bulging eyes turned an accusatory stare on Sasuke, and Teyaki staggered towards him, one hand still clutching his chest as the other reached out, grabbing for Sasuke. That mouth opened once again, but this time sound escaped. It was the sound of what Sasuke could only think to describe as a deathrattle, rolling from that gaping mouth like a tumbleweed in a sandstorm.

As if that sound had broken some kind of spell on his frozen limbs, Sasuke was suddenly moving, turning, running away before his uncle could reach him. No mind for who may see—how ridiculous he may look running for his life from nothing—Sasuke ran. His uncle was hot on his heels, screeching something at him in that dry, ungodly rattle. What his uncle was saying, Sasuke knew not. Fear and adrenaline surged his body ever forward, and he knew nothing but the mantra echoing through his head, ‘Run, get away!’

Sasuke felt a stitch developing in his side, but continued to push himself forward, ignoring the pain. His uncle—no, that thing was not his uncle. That thing was gaining on him, and he couldn’t allow himself to slow. He could feel its presence so strongly behind him, it was like it was breathing down his neck. Then, abruptly, that suffocating sensation was gone. Chancing a look behind him, Sasuke could find no sign of it. However, as he returned his gaze ahead of himself, he was suddenly blinded by bright light.

He hardly registered the loud screech of rubber on asphalt, his body unconsciously slowing in an act of self-preservation. Then he was lying across the hood of a car, luckily having collided with it from the side, after it had stopped.

“Sasuke!” he heard a familiar voice call out to him in worry as the driver’s side door opened, and realized it was his aunt’s car he’d run into.

Groaning, Sasuke pushed himself up on shaky arms, taking note that his body was sore—would probably be bruised later—but not broken. He shook his head, trying to clear the last of the cloudiness from it. Had that really just happened? Had he really been chased into a car vs. human collision by a ghost? Why? What was so special—so threatening—about him that the dead always felt the need to torture him so? What did they so have against him that they thought he should be dead, too? He didn’t understand.

“Sasuke, are you okay? What’s the matter, why were you running? Didn’t you see the car?” his aunt’s voice was high and rushed with distress; with concern for him.

“I… I’m fine, Aunt Uruchi. I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going…” he felt like a child again, apologizing for doing something stupid that got himself hurt.

“Why were you running?” she asked again, laying her hands on his shoulders gently.

“I…” Sasuke forced himself not to bite his lip. “I just felt like running.” Really, what else could he say? No matter what he said, she would think he was crazy. And even if there was the slightest chance she would ever believe the truth, he could never tell his aunt who he’d been chased by. Never. “I was cooped up inside all night, I just needed to let off some energy,” he lied by way of explanation.

His aunt looked skeptical, but didn’t voice her thoughts. “Okay, Sasuke. Well… next time you need to let off some steam, for heaven’s sake, don’t do it in the middle of a parking lot!”

Sasuke nodded, then sighed, partially in relief, partially in exasperation at being spoken to like a child. He supposed it couldn’t be helped, though. He’d always be the baby of the family, wouldn’t he? As long as he still had to rely on the help of his family just to make it through his daily life, he would never be seen as grown up or independent, despite being twenty-five and having moved out some time ago.

His aunt confirmed his nod with one of her own, squeezing his shoulders before letting him go. “Well, let’s get you home, then. I want to be home in time for Larry King.”

Sasuke obediently got in the car and was driven home. The adrenaline formerly pumping through his system was now making him feel numb and hazy. He yawned as he closed his eyes to the streets blurring by, too tired to think about anything in particular, including things of the highly unpleasant variety. They reached his apartment, and Sasuke again thanked his aunt for the ride before exiting the car and walking up to his building.

Crossing the small entry area to bypass the elevators, Sasuke trudged up the usual five flights of stairs to his floor, finally coming to his door halfway down the dimly-lit hallway. He found his apartment key on his keyring, pushed it into the deadbolt and turned it before doing the same to the lock on the door handle. Turning the knob with his keys still dangling from it, Sasuke opened the door to his apartment, his hand immediately reaching for the switch on the wall next to the door.

Light flooded the apartment, and Sasuke blinked against the dazzle caused by the sudden brightness. Once his vision was normal, though, he wished it wasn’t as a deathly cold fear suddenly seized his body.

He’d completely forgotten about the horrific ghost from after his shower earlier, and it was still here, right in front of him, staring at him with those dead, blank, bulging eyes; that purplish, slack mouth; all that blood. Now that they were face to face, he could see that, though most of the blood covering it was crusted, there was still some oozing from the glaringly-apparent wound on the side of its head. He felt his stomach roil as he realized he could actually hear the blood seeping out, the smell of it suddenly washing over him, seeming to seep beneath his skin through his pores.

It felt like their staredown lasted an impossible eternity, but it was really only a matter seconds for the following sequence of events. Recognition of his current haunter sunk into Sasuke. A scream that couldn’t quite make it past his throat came out sounding like a squeaky chew toy that’s been chomped a few too many times by the dog. He scrambled back towards his still-open door, looking for all the world like he was attempting to perform a crab-walk, but on two legs. Having expected to back up against something solid, he faltered and stumbled a little as he passed through the doorway, but quickly regained his bearings, grabbing for the door knob and slamming the door shut. Hands trembling as he hurried to pull the key from his lock—never mind locking it!—he gripped the keys in his hand and ran on rubbery legs back down the hallway, towards the stairs.

The keys in his hand dug into the soft flesh of his palms and hindered the hold he was trying to keep on the stair rail, lest his unsteady legs fail him on the frantic climb down. Shoving the keys in his jacket pocket—and nearly losing his footing in the process—Sasuke wondered if he should have taken the elevator instead. The image of that thing showing up in the enclosed elevator cubicle, and him stuck with nowhere to run, immediately shoved that thought from his head, however, and he continued his desperate venture downward. Finally he made it to flat ground again, and ran back through the empty corridor to the outside.

Once outside, he forced himself to slow his run to a jog, and then to a fast walk once he got out to the main street, still busy with nighttime traffic. Hands gripping the strap of his messenger bag, Sasuke didn’t realize where his feet were taking him until he suddenly stopped and found himself at the bottom of the stairs that would take him up to the catwalk above a busy main thoroughfare. He had walked about ten blocks. On the other side of this street was Shikamaru’s place.

Sasuke bit his lip, wondering if he should continue. Was it too weird—too clingy—to run to Shikamaru after being scared away from his apartment? Even though they’d fooled around on occasion, and even slept together a couple times, they’d both decided not to make it a ‘relationship’. They worked well as friends, but agreed they wouldn’t work well as a couple. In truth, if Sasuke were normal, he would have liked to explore a deeper relationship with Shikamaru.

He liked the other man, a lot, and not only because he was attracted to him, or because they had similar interests and could hold intelligent conversations together. Shikamaru made him feel safe; gave him peace of mind in the small amounts of time they spent together. Somehow, Sasuke was able to relax in Shikamaru’s presence. That was probably why he was here now, actually crossing the catwalk, getting ever closer to Shikamaru’s apartment. Still, it didn’t matter what he would want if he were normal, because he wasn’t. And besides, Shikamaru had made the same decision. Sasuke would just have to be happy with being the other man’s friend, and enjoy the occasional romp between the sheets when the opportunity came.

Realizing he was already halfway down the stairs on the other side of the catwalk, Sasuke thought he better call Shikamaru first and make sure it was okay to come over. He thought it was annoying when people came by unannounced, and Shikamaru probably felt similarly. Pulling his phone out, he hit the speed dial number for Shika’s cell, and held it to his ear.

*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*

Shikamaru had just gotten on the bus when he saw a flash of movement from outside the bus. It was hard to tell in the dark and at a distance exactly what it was, but he figured it must be Sasuke jogging over to his aunt’s car. Shikamaru had just seen her pass the bus stop in the opposite direction—heading toward the shopping center parking lot where Borders was located—when his bus had pulled up.

His bus ride home went as usual. There were a few people on the bus that only he could see, but he ignored them as he usually did when in public. Most of them probably didn’t even realize they were dead, anyway, and behaved just as most people do on public transportation. When he got off at his stop, Shikamaru was glad to note that none of the ghosts followed him. He only wanted to deal with one ghost tonight, and that ghost should be waiting for him up in his apartment, ready to settle in for another night of talking to Shikamaru as he wrote.

Shikamaru took the stairs up the outside of his apartment building, turned to the first door of four on the balcony, opened the door to his studio apartment, and flipped the light switch as he closed the door behind himself.

“I’m back,” he announced to the ghost in his home.

“Ah,” the blond man said, peeking his head out from behind a partition that separated Shikamaru’s “bedroom” from his “living room”. “Welcome back, how was work?” the man asked genially, a smile curving his eyes as well as his mouth.

“Troublesome,” was Shikamaru’s reply.

The older man chuckled. “You say that every time.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “It’s true.”

He moved into his kitchen area and made himself a sandwich for dinner. He knew how to cook, but it was troublesome to cook just for one person, so he hardly ever bothered. He watched the blond man watching him eat, and suddenly wondered aloud, “What do you do around here all day? You can’t really turn on the TV or something, can you?”

The shaggy blond head shook in the negative. “I don’t stay here all day waiting for you, if that’s what you’re asking.” He chuckled again, “You make me out to be some sort of stalker.”

Shikamaru raised a dark brown eyebrow, noticing that his original question hadn’t really been answered. “Well, if the shoe fits… you did keep popping up all over the place until I finally agreed to write down your story. But I suppose I’m used to it, after all. It’s not like you’re the first dead guy to ever waltz up to me wanting to tell me about his death.”

Some people in Shikamaru’s position may choose different wording—perhaps saying ‘life’ instead—wanting to be ‘gentler’ with the ‘fragile psyche’ of the spirit. Shikamaru found it ridiculous when he saw “mediums” on TV do that, as if they were trying to be P.C. even with things thought of as “supernatural”. He had no interest in sugar-coating, however, especially when the spirit already knew full well they were dead.

“I’m just a bit more on the pushy side than most?”

The blond man said it in a teasing tone, to lighten the mood, but Shikamaru knew the subject was about to become much heavier. After all, they would soon continue the nightly ritual of this man telling Shikamaru how he came to die.

“Than most,” he agreed, finishing his sandwich and turning around to wash his plate. “Not all.”

“It’s just that…”

When the ghost paused, Shikamaru turned to regard him again. Those blue, blue eyes had become clouded over with sadness, and were hazy, as if lost in memory. Shikamaru supposed, for a ghost, memory was all they really had left.

The blue eyes cleared a bit, and looked back up at Shikamaru.

“It’s been twenty years… and I can’t move on. Wouldn’t you be a bit pushy?”

Dark brown eyes regarded bright blue, deep and serious, not needing to answer. The look said it all.

“Well then,” Shikamaru said, stretching his arms up to release some tension from his back. “Let’s get started.”

Shikamaru retreated into his “bedroom” to change into something more comfortable than work clothes, choosing dark grey sweats and a fitting, faded green T-shirt to wear. Then he grabbed his notebook and pencil from the desk pushed up against the “living room” side of the partition. After a trip to the bathroom to copy down the notes he’d made earlier before work, Shikamaru wiped them off quickly and headed back to his desk. The blond ghost stood nearby, first regaling him with more tales of his life with his family. Then he moved on to filling in some more details, as he’d already told Shikamaru the short version of the story when he’d first accosted him several days ago.

It would be easier if he could just record everything on audio; unfortunately, Shikamaru had come to find out after several tries with different types of recording that it was extremely hard to pick up a ghost’s voice on a recording. Even harder to get it clear, without fuzziness or interference. In the end, it was actually simpler to just write it all out by hand. Sometimes he would type straight to his computer, but he didn’t feel like staring at the bright screen tonight. After so many years of writing, Shikamaru was pretty fast at it, even writing by hand. He’d even developed his own shorthand for taking dictation, though he still sometimes preferred to write things out completely when making his own notes on things.

The time flew by, and before Shikamaru knew it, he’d outlined the skeleton for this newest story he had to tell. He was just making a few more notes on his outline when his cell phone rang. He recognized it right away as the ringtone Sasuke had set for his number (after having told Shikamaru that what he found troublesome was people not answering his calls simply because they didn’t know it was him), so Shikamaru picked it up.

“Hey, Sasuke,” he answered casually.

“…Shikamaru,” Sasuke’s voice replied hesitantly, instantly making Shikamaru curious. Sasuke was the kind of guy that normally sounded very sure of himself; at times, even a bit haughty. If Sasuke was uncertain, something wasn’t right.

*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*

“What’s going on?” Sasuke heard Shikamaru ask through the phone.

“Um…” Sasuke started, biting his lip. Then, noticing his actions, he released his lip and instead grit his teeth a moment before answering more confidently, “Nothing much. I was just… bored, so I thought I’d take a walk and I ended up near your place. Mind if I come over?”

There was an extended pause, and Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, his lip caught between his teeth again, waiting for the negative answer. Of course Shika wouldn’t want him coming over! It was late, and he probably had a morning shift tomorrow. What was Sasuke thinking, just calling him out of the blue and asking to come over?! However, his worry was laid to rest as Shikamaru finally answered.

“Sure, Sasuke, come on over.”

“Yes?” he asked, just to make sure he heard right.

He heard Shikamaru give one of his typical long-suffering sighs. “Yeah, Sasuke, I said yes. Don’t be troublesome, just get over here. How far are you?”

“Five minutes.”

“Okay, see you then.”

The trace of a smile crossed Sasuke’s lips as he put his phone back in his pocket and hurried on his way.

*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~*

Shikamaru was still trying to figure out the strange, almost timid quality of Sasuke’s tone when the other man asked to come over, so he took more than a moment to answer, but agreed once he realized this. He didn’t mind Sasuke coming over, and would actually like that a lot. Besides, he wanted to see for himself what was bothering Sasuke, as it was evident to him that something must be.

They hadn’t hung out together very much in the past few months, since Shikamaru had been wrapping up his last novel and preparing to send it to publishers. Shikamaru had sort of been missing Sasuke, he realized now. Sasuke was good company, something that was rare to Shikamaru, who spent so much time in the company of the dead that the living were often more trouble than they were worth. Sasuke was different, though. He couldn’t really say why, but there was just something about the other man that made Shikamaru like being around him. It was nice just to be near another living person sometimes, and be able to enjoy their presence rather than thinking they were annoying.

Of course, the fact that they were friends with benefits didn’t hurt, either. Shikamaru was glad they’d been able to cross that line of friendship and still remain comfortable with each other. If things had gone bad between them, he would have been regretful, especially because he recognized the potential for deeper feelings between them. Sasuke had suggested that they just keep things casual, so that they could remain friends even if they decided they no longer wanted or needed the “extras”, and Shikamaru had agreed. Not for lack of wanting more, obviously, but because anything more would be troublesome. His life was already pretty busy, always being followed around by ghosts, being compelled to basically play the part of their therapist/biographer. How would he juggle a committed relationship with a living person when the dead already took up so much of his time? He couldn’t imagine that telling a lover he had to break plans because he had to talk to the ghosts would go over too well.

Speaking of which, Shikamaru turned his attention back to the blond man patiently waiting on him.

“We’re finished for tonight, aren’t we? I have a friend coming over now, so would you mind coming back after I get off work tomorrow?”

“Are you kicking me out?” the blond man asked with a smile.

Shikamaru shrugged and sighed. “It would be troublesome if you were here while I’m trying to concentrate on Sasuke.” He saw no reason to beat around the bush.

The blond nodded his understanding. It must be hard to be someone who could see things most people couldn’t, and have to ignore those things while in others’ presence.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said, holding his hand up in farewell as he disappeared through the nearby wall.

Shikamaru shut his notebook and put it in his desk drawer, then turned on the television to relax while waiting for Sasuke. A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door. He answered it, finding just who he was expecting on the other side of the door.

“Come on in, Sasuke,” he said by way of greeting.

The black haired man nodded and stepped inside, shutting the door behind himself before following Shikamaru into the “living room”. Sasuke took the bag off his shoulder, and then removed his jacket, laying them both neatly beside the couch before sitting down on the opposite end from Shikamaru. It seemed a little odd to Shikamaru that Sasuke would be out taking a casual walk wearing his messenger bag. He kept his thoughts to himself, though, as he took note of the rest of Sasuke’s appearance.

Sasuke was still wearing his black slacks and white button-up from work, and his black shoes were the ones he wore for work, as well. His hair was a little messier than usual—the spikes not as spiky and looking a little wind-ragged from his walk. Sasuke’s skin, despite the bit of pink in his cheeks from the chill outside, looked paler than normal. What Shikamaru noticed most of all, though, were Sasuke’s eyes. Those deep, obsidian eyes that he often couldn’t help but stare into were somehow not as clear as he was used to, as if clouded by something. The skin around those eyes was tight, making Sasuke look weary, perhaps even… scared?

Shikamaru frowned at that thought. What could have frightened Sasuke? What had happened since the time he had left work until now?

He laid a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, wanting to look him straight in the face rather than examining him from the side, but pulled his hand back quickly when his touch caused Sasuke to flinch slightly. Sasuke’s eyes widened even more than Shika’s at his own reaction, and he unconsciously bit his lip before opening his mouth to apologize.

“Sorry. It’s… been a rough night. I think I hurt my shoulder, it’s a little tender.” Saying this, he rotated said shoulder, trying to work out an apparent kink.

In truth, nothing was wrong with Sasuke’s shoulder, of course. He was just trying to cover for his reaction to Shikamaru’s touch. He guessed his walk over hadn’t calmed him as much as he’d thought.

Still rotating his shoulder, Sasuke noticed the other pains he actually did have, though. He’d nearly forgotten about his run-in with his aunt’s car that evening, but his body was remembering it well now that all the excitement was wearing off (again) and he was starting to feel the pain again. Forgetting about his shoulder, his hand that had been mildly rubbing at it moved down to his chest, feeling the tender area through his shirt with his fingers. He winced a little, pulling his hand away to rub at his now-sore knees.

“You’re hurt? What happened?” Shikamaru asked him.

Sasuke’s eyes slid sideways to regard Shikamaru, an expression of concern on that normally bored-looking face. Sasuke wondered quickly what he should tell his friend. He hated the thought of lying to him, especially since it seemed he’d been doing a lot of that already tonight. He decided a partial-truth would be sufficient, though.

“I sort of… collided with my aunt’s car.”

Shikamaru’s brows rose at that, and Sasuke fought the blush that threatened to color his cheeks in embarrassment.

“How did that happen?” Shikamaru wondered aloud.

Sasuke scowled as the blush won the fight and spread warmly across his cheeks. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away, slumping against the back of the couch and facing the television as he muttered, “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Okay, suit yourself,” he said casually, though he couldn’t help but be curious. He wasn’t too worried, since it was obvious Sasuke was able to walk around of his own volition, but he did still wonder what had happened, and how banged up Sasuke was under those clothes.

The thought of what was under Sasuke’s clothes sent warmth slowly pooling in recently-neglected regions so, to distract himself, Shikamaru asked, “Do you need some painkillers?”

Sasuke looked up at Shikamaru as he stood, “Sure, that would be great.”

Shikamaru went to his kitchen to fish some painkillers out of a cupboard, but Sasuke’s voice behind him stopped him.

“Actually…” Sasuke said, rethinking and following Shikamaru into the kitchen. “How about a drink instead?” Maybe that would help take the edge off his still-wired nerves.

“Vodka okay? It’s all I keep on hand.” Keeping his cupboards fully stocked with varieties of liquor was a bother, since he was single, rarely had living people over, and didn’t tend to drink by himself.

“Vodka’s perfect,” Sasuke answered, watching Shikamaru pull out the large, ¾ full, glass bottle.

“Shots or mixed?” the ponytailed man asked, moving to get the glasses.

“A shot to start would be great,” Sasuke said, taking a glass from his friend’s hand. “What do you have for mixing?”

“I think there’s some soda in the fridge,” Shikamaru answered, confirming his suspicion when he opened the refrigerator door.

While Shikamaru pulled out a couple cans of cola, Sasuke poured himself a small amount of vodka in his tall glass and gulped it down, pouring another. After that one was down his throat, he poured again, but this time the can of cola was added to it. The two men returned to the couch with their drinks and settled in to watch TV, Sasuke pulling his shoes off first and setting them by his bag and jacket.

The show Shikamaru had been watching—a science documentary on weather patterns and the formation of clouds—had ended while they were getting their drinks, and now a rerun of Mythbusters was on. They spent the next hour watching that, drinking and commenting on the show together. They sat partially facing each other, making it easier to talk and feel more relaxed. They’d each finished a second drink and Sasuke had poured himself a third. Shikamaru was feeling a bit buzzed, but didn’t feel like getting drunk. He had the morning shift tomorrow and waking up early was troublesome enough without the aftereffects of alcohol to deal with.

Sasuke was feeling a nice buzz, getting ever closer to that pleasant place just the other side of the line that separated ‘buzzed’ from ‘drunk’. He was getting very full of liquids, though, and he knew all the sugar in the cola would irritate him come morning, so he decided to take a break and put his glass down on the side table just as the show was ending.

“Bathroom,” he told Shikamaru simply as he stood and headed off in said direction.

After relieving his bladder, he returned to the living room, only to stop two steps from the couch as he saw what show had come on after Mythbusters. It was only the opening narrative, but even that was enough to put him on edge, especially with the opening clips they were showing. He could not watch this show and retain his current (quickly dwindling) level of relaxation.

“A H-haunting?” he asked, cursing his vodka-loosened tongue for allowing himself to stutter in apprehension.

Shikamaru looked up at him. “Huh? Oh… yeah, Mythbusters ended while you were gone.”

Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed deeply, opening them quickly and focusing on Shikamaru’s face instead, since closing his eyes seemed to make the world tilt a little bit. Keeping his gaze on the brown haired man, Sasuke sat on the couch again, his body completely turned towards his friend’s now, both feet pulled up on the cushion.

“Do you mind if we watch something else?” he asked hopefully, at the moment uncaring of the pleading tone that slipped into his words a little bit.

Shikamaru blinked at that tone. Sasuke almost sounded like a child when he said that, even his deep voice had softened a little, filled with uncertainty as it was. That tight line of anxiety was returning to the skin around Sasuke’s eyes, as well. Not wanting to see it reappear completely, Shikamaru grabbed the remote and flipped to Comedy Central.

“Better?” Shikamaru asked.

The sigh of relief from Sasuke as he nodded was quite audible, but Shikamaru didn’t mention it. He also couldn’t help but notice the long gulp Sasuke took of his drink then, and that he would mention.

“Maybe you should slow down, Sasuke. It would be troublesome if you puked in my place.”

His words were met with a dark glare that clearly said, “As if I would puke.”

Nevertheless, Sasuke set his drink down and turned his attention back to the TV, his body following the action. As he turned, Sasuke’s slightly unsteady movement, plus the softness of the couch, caused him to fall against Shikamaru. He muttered an apology, blushing at his clumsiness, but Shikamaru merely hmm’d indifferently and waited patiently for Sasuke to right himself. However, when Sasuke was finally seated comfortably, he was still touching Shikamaru, their sides pressed together as he borrowed a little bit of Shikamaru’s stability to keep the world from tilting again.

This felt nice, Sasuke thought. Shikamaru was warm and his presence was calming and comforting. The combination of drinking and being with Shikamaru had nearly erased the horrible occurrences from earlier from Sasuke’s mind. The only sobering thought in his head now was that it was getting late and he would need to leave soon. He didn’t want to. Sometimes, it was nice to just not be alone.

Apparently, he’d said that last thought aloud, because Shikamaru looked at him, a look of contemplation on his handsome face. Sasuke barely had time to think how easily that calm-yet-calculative look could turn him on, and no time to chastise himself for the longing he suddenly felt, before Shikamaru was talking to him.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

In Sasuke’s alcohol-hazy thoughts, the correct answer to this question was to lean over and put his lips on Shikamaru’s.

Sasuke’s eyes had already settled on Shikamaru’s lips long before Sasuke took any action, so the brown haired man wasn’t actually surprised when the kiss came. He was no less welcoming to it either, though, and quickly turned the light press of lips to something firmer, turning his body towards Sasuke’s as the raven haired man’s arms came up to grasp his shoulders. Shikamaru’s back pressed against the arm of his couch as Sasuke’s mouth moved against his, Sasuke’s body pushing forward, wanting more. When Shikamaru felt Sasuke’s lips parting more and more with every kiss, the soft, wet sounds of their lips meeting accompanying Sasuke’s own low appreciative moans, Shikamaru parted his own lips and sent his tongue out in search of Sasuke’s.

When their tongues touched, it was like setting flame to fireworks. Sasuke let out a loud moan before instantly surging forward, his legs moving him up to his knees, only to quickly scoot them forward, straddling one of Shikamaru’s legs. His arms slid over Shikamaru’s shoulders, and one hand moved to rip the hair tie from Shikamaru’s ponytail, allowing his fingers to dig greedily into thick, wavy brown locks. His other hand clutched the back of Shikamaru’s shirt as their tongues found a fast but sensual rhythm, writhing together and causing Sasuke to mimic the action with the rest of his body.

Already half-hard from the sudden surge of lust, Shikamaru groaned at Sasuke’s sudden actions, the raven haired man undulating his body against Shikamaru’s, instinctively searching for more contact; more friction. Shikamaru felt the erection in the other man’s pants rubbing against him with every forward motion of Sasuke’s body, Sasuke’s leg pressing against Shikamaru’s stiffening cock, both of them searching for more. Putting his hands on Sasuke’s thighs, Shikamaru maneuvered the two of them so that Shikamaru was leaning against the back of the couch, Sasuke now straddling his entire lap. In this improved position, Shikamaru could feel Sasuke’s erection rub against his through the layers of their pants, the angle and friction so much better now. He could tell Sasuke agreed, as he gave a growl of appreciation before starting to buck harder against Shikamaru.

They were both panting harshly now, Sasuke’s bucking never stopping, Shikamaru’s grip on his hips urging him to move faster still. The pressure was building so deliciously, making Sasuke heady. Shikamaru’s buzz was increasing with Sasuke’s hot, demanding kisses. It was so good, so good, but…

“Unh… it’s not enough,” Sasuke panted as their lips parted, diving back to Shikamaru’s mouth immediately, seeking something… “More, I need more, Shikamaru,” he insisted, his hands flying down to the band of Shikamaru’s sweatpants, impatiently attempting to pull them down, but having little luck as he was currently sitting on them. “I need to feel you,” he almost whined, and if Shikamaru had been completely sober, he might have been concerned at Sasuke’s uncharacteristic behavior.

As he was now, though—devouring Sasuke’s mouth, tasting the vodka on his tongue and finding it not unpleasant, becoming drunk on Sasuke—those words simply went straight to Shikamaru’s already aching cock. Now feeling that he was the drunker of the two, Shikamaru watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Sasuke slid somewhat-clumsily from his lap to the floor. The raven haired man immediately tugged at Shikamaru’s pants again, urging Shikamaru to lift his hips so the offending clothing concealing his body could be removed. Shikamaru’s boxers came down with the pants, and soon he was bare from the waist down, Sasuke between his legs, staring hungrily at the hard flesh standing proud between Shikamaru’s legs.

Shikamaru barely had time to register that ravenous look before Sasuke’s tongue had slid out to lick away a pearl of precum that had collected at the tip of Shikamaru’s cock. Sasuke continued his path around the head, his warm, wet tongue making the skin slick before putting his lips around the mushroom tip and sucking lightly. Shikamaru’s hand squeezed Sasuke’s shoulder in encouragement, but after only a short moment Sasuke pulled away. A thin string of saliva mixed with precum connected his lips to Shikamaru’s cock until he licked his lips, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth momentarily to savor the taste he’d gotten.

Shikamaru followed the actions of Sasuke’s lips and tongue, mesmerized, wanting that mouth back on him and groaning at the frustration he was beginning to feel now that Sasuke had apparently settled down a little, behaving less frantically.

“Don’t stop, Sasuke,” Shikamaru encouraged, the hand on Sasuke’s shoulder moving to card through the back of his messy, black hair.

Sasuke’s dark, lust-clouded eyes looked heatedly up at Shikamaru as he huskily replied, “I told you, I need to feel you.”

With those words, Sasuke began impatiently tugging at the buttons of his shirt with one hand, the other moving to attempt undoing his pants, neither action working too well at the moment. Eager to see more of Sasuke’s skin again, Shikamaru moved his own hands to help, and together they soon had Sasuke divested of every last bit of clothing. Then, once he was blissfully naked, Sasuke moved to straddle Shikamaru’s lap again, his hands sliding up Shika’s thighs, to his hips, dragging up his stomach and taking his shirt along with it. When Sasuke was seated again, and both hands had pulled the shirt up to Shikamaru’s armpits, arms lifted to allow it to be pulled off, and Sasuke quickly threw it aside.

Sasuke’s hands spread over Shikamaru’s freshly-exposed chest, reveling in the feel of the slightly-defined muscles under his fingertips. His hands greedily stroked over as much of Shikamaru’s body as he could reach as Sasuke once again leaned in for his partner’s mouth. Their tongues quickly found each other, and Sasuke sucked on Shikamaru’s tongue as his hips again began moving, now skin-against-skin. Their erections bumped and slid against each other, causing them both to groan softly, and Sasuke reached down to fist the both of them together—not stroking, but applying a pleasant pressure with a firm-but-gentle squeeze.

All too soon, the black haired man let go, moving once again so that Shikamaru’s hard cock was now underneath him, pressed lengthwise between the cheeks of his ass. Sasuke wiggled, wanting to feel more, and began thrusting his hips again as his mouth moved from Shikamaru’s to trail wet, open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and down his neck. He ran a hand down Shikamaru’s arm, grabbing the wrist of a hand splayed across his hip and tugging it, blatantly showing Shikamaru where he really wanted his touch. Shikamaru’s fingers obediently stroked along the slightly-spread seam of Sasuke’s ass, going lower and lower with each encouraging roll of Sasuke’s hips and moan from his mouth. Sasuke wasn’t satisfied with this, however, and his grip on Shika’s wrist tightened as Shikamaru’s fingers finally slipped between the crevice, ghosting a touch over his puckered entrance.

“Shikamaru…” Sasuke pleaded, not needing to say more than that, as his tone said it all.

Shikamaru pressed his finger against that little hole, feeling it tremble beneath his touch, opening slightly to allow him to press his finger in a bit. Sasuke hissed in a mixture of pleasure and slight discomfort as the dry finger finally pressed into him. The alcohol and burning lust made the pleasure override any pain, though, and Sasuke still craved more. He pressed back against the finger, wordlessly demanding for Shikamaru to go deeper, however Shikamaru grunted with dissatisfaction, pulling his hand away.

Sasuke groaned a protest, but Shikamaru told him, “I’m going to get some lube. If I don’t, you’ll regret it in the morning.”

Reluctantly, Sasuke moved off of Shikamaru, allowing him to get up and head to his “bedroom” for the lube he kept in the nightstand. Sasuke followed, immediately accosting Shikamaru as he turned around with the retrieved item. With a quick, hungry kiss, Sasuke pushed Shikamaru back onto the bed and crawled after him, dragging his tongue over a taut stomach and chest on his way up. His tongue laved over Shikamaru’s nipples, moving back and forth from one to the other. Sasuke lapped at them like a cat several times to make them perk up, then nibbled on them, smirking as he heard Shikamaru moan in appreciation.

Sasuke was too impatient for much foreplay, though, and soon sat up, once again straddling Shikamaru’s legs. He grabbed the lube from Shikamaru’s hand and squirted some onto two of his fingers, rubbing it over them with his thumb until they were coated with it. Then he leaned forward, bracing his weight over Shikamaru with one hand on the bed as the other reached behind him and found his entrance, pressing in and working quickly to prepare himself. As he did so, his and Shikamaru’s erections came in contact, and Shikamaru moved a hand down to fist them and lazily pump them together, watching Sasuke’s arm move as he stretched himself.

It felt good, and Sasuke moaned as his body accepted the intruders eagerly, unable to decide whether it felt better to ride his fingers or thrust into Shikamaru’s hand. Soon, though, Sasuke pulled his fingers out and wiped the remnants of the lube on the bedsheet. He didn’t want to wait any longer, he needed Shikamaru inside him now. He pushed Shikamaru’s hand away and grabbed for the condom Shikamaru had dropped on the bed when Sasuke had pushed him onto it, tearing it open with his teeth and urgently rolling it onto Shikamaru’s stiff cock. Then Sasuke poured more lube into his hand and made Shikamaru’s gloved cock slick with it. Finally he brought himself right over Shikamaru’s manhood and, with a hand guiding it to his waiting hole, slid down on it, not stopping until the other man was fully sheathed inside him.

They both groaned together, Shikamaru’s hands gripping Sasuke’s hips as Sasuke’s blunt fingernails dug into the mattress and Shikamaru’s thigh. He was too euphoric at the moment to worry about the slight pain from the pressure on his earlier-abused nails, or the aches and still-forming bruises from his collision with the car. Soon, he slowly slid up off of Shikamaru, only to swiftly drop back down. He did this a few times, getting his body adjusted to the large intrusion and making sure the way was completely slicked with the lubrication he’d applied to Shikamaru. Then, once things were moving smoothly, and the initial discomfort from having something so big inside him was beginning to pass, Sasuke began a more fluid rhythm.

His thighs and hips pistoned him over Shikamaru’s rigid length, faster and faster, still seeking something more; something deeper. The other man’s presence was such a comfort—so calm in the aftermath of Sasuke’s troubled night—he couldn’t bear to let this wonderful feeling go. He wanted to imprint himself with it from the inside out, to keep Shikamaru with him like a talisman against the horrors he faced seemingly everywhere but here. Sasuke needed to feel Shikamaru so badly, he found his drunken, lust-crazed mind nearly wishing to be wrought in two by the man below him, just so he could feel more. With that thought, Sasuke’s movements became faster, rougher, nearly-frantic; craving a pleasure so strong it was painful, or a pain so high it crested and numbed into pure bliss. At this moment, the two were one and the same thing. Sasuke felt tears prick his eyes from the force of his actions and the suddenly overwhelming need, but they did not spill over as he merely cried out for more and obeyed his own request. The ripping he’d expected did not happen, though, for Sasuke’s body moved and stretched to accept Shikamaru’s presence, and Sasuke found himself panting and moaning, his breathing heavy and voice becoming hoarse as he cried out in tandem with every drop of his hips.

Sasuke looked and sounded so wild above Shikamaru, the brown haired man couldn’t help but be spurred on by it, answering with his own sounds and actions. Gripping one of Sasuke’s thighs, Shikamaru urged his movements on, meeting Sasuke’s downward drop with his own upward thrusts, feeling Sasuke’s insides squeeze around him as Sasuke’s balls slapped against his pelvis, the raven’s dick bobbing with the up and down motions. Shikamaru’s brown eyes were captivated with the sight of Sasuke riding him—his messy black hair flying around him in time with his body, his arm and stomach and thigh muscles flexing with his movement, his lower lip occasionally being abused and bitten as moans and groans escaped between his teeth. With his eyes still trained on Sasuke, Shikamaru grabbed Sasuke’s bobbing cock with his other hand and let the raven’s own momentum use Shikamaru’s hand to jerk him off.

Already feeling himself approach the edge just from his rough riding of Shikamaru, the addition of Shikamaru’s hand around his manhood made Sasuke suddenly race for the finish. It was rumbling up within him like a storm that could not be stopped, and he cried out as he suddenly exploded in Shikamaru’s hand, his cum shooting out and splashing against their bodies and the sheets below. Sasuke’s arms and legs shook as he tried to keep thrusting against Shikamaru, to bring him along with him. It was nearly impossible, though, as his orgasm had swept through him so harshly it made him dizzy and nearly mindless, unable to control his limbs as if he were no longer inside his own body. Shikamaru was right at the edge though, and a few more harsh, staccato thrusts into Sasuke’s spasming body while Shikamaru’s hands moved Sasuke’s hips for him brought Shikamaru over.

Shikamaru groaned with his climax, the sound being answered by Sasuke’s satisfied hiss as their bodies lazily thrust together a couple more times, finally stopping completely to allow them to drown in the calm, sated feeling washing through them. After a moment to catch their breath, and for Sasuke to regain relative control of his muscles, the raven haired man grabbed the base of Shikamaru’s waning arousal and pulled himself off of him. He immediately dropped to the side, finding his limbs not very graceful at the moment, and lethargically pulled the condom off of Shikamaru’s member to toss it haphazardly into the nearby trash can.

That was about all his body could handle, apparently, and though Sasuke tried to fight the sudden somnolence overtaking him, it was no use. His eyelids blinked closed rebelliously, his body slackened against Shikamaru’s side—one leg still tangled between Shikamaru’s from the clumsy way he’d dropped to the bed, an arm thrown over Shikamaru’s stomach while one of Shikamaru’s arms was trapped underneath Sasuke’s body—and Sasuke fell victim to a deep sleep.

His bed partner having succumbed to his sudden tiredness, and himself firmly anchored to the bed by the other man’s limbs and body, Shikamaru rolled his eyes even as a smile crossed his face. It looked like Sasuke had gotten what he needed to relax, whatever it was that had made him tense in the first place earlier. Grabbing the nearby edge of his sheet, Shikamaru used a corner of it to wipe some of the mess off of them. Then, folding that part over, he pulled the clean majority of the sheet up and over their partially-entwined bodies, curled his trapped arm over Sasuke’s shoulder, and allowed sleep to overcome him as well.

TBC

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A/N2: Like I said up top, I’m definitely continuing this. I’m going to try to devote October to working on this story. Um… that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a LOT of updates, though… I have kids that take up a lot of time and energy. I will work hard on this, though! So please review to let me know if my work is worth it.

As usual, if anyone wants e-mailed when I update this story, tell me so in a review and leave your e-mail addy.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! See ya next chap!!

&hearts

~ lg