Sign Me Yours

Thank you to Mustang89 and MeLaiya for the reviews. ^3^

Mali played Tenten in this chapter.

--

"Checkmate," Shikamaru muttered, leaning back and stretching. He was actually impressed with how long the match had lasted. He knew Neji was a genius, but he hadn't said he played often.

Looking over the whole board, Neji confirmed that he was indeed in a check-mate. He was most certainly impressed by the younger.

"It was a good game," he commented with a small smirk, glancing over at the other.

Shikamaru mirrored the smirk and nodded. "It was. Only my sensei and otou-san last this long against me," he said, not bragging but just stating fact.

"Oh?" Neji raised an eyebrow, not knowing whether to feel good about his own accomplishment or exasperated over others' stupidity. He decided on a mix of both.

"I have only played against Hiashi-sama before," he said after a while.

"Did he teach you?" he asked. He started to put away the pieces, noticing that the storm had calmed down some and it was quickly getting dark and he didn't want to chance receiving a lecture if he stayed out any later.

"Yes," Neji replied with a nod, helping Shikamaru to put the pieces away. "I did not like it at first," he admitted with a twitch of his lips. Quite the opposite. He remembered having sulked a lot because his uncle always beat him. At least in the beginning. Then again, he had been a child back then.

Shikamaru chuckled, looking up from the table. "I thought it was pointless at first, but Asuma-sensei kept challenging me. I guess it just became a hobby out of habit," he said with a shrug.

"Hn." Neji agreed with him. "I used to be angry because Hiashi-sama always beat me at it," he admitted. Something was strange. Neji never spilled his guts to anyone, or ever admit he had, or had had, flaws, but something told him the other boy would not make a big deal of it, or use it against him other than maybe tease him lightly.

Shikamaru nodded. "That's why I don't usually play against my friends. Either they're not interested in it or they complain too much. It just gets too troublesome so I gave up."

"I see," Neji nodded. "I started enjoying the game when I sometimes managed to beat Hiashi-sama. It made me determined to become even better." He chuckled softly.

Shikamaru smiled and nodded. "I only got better so my otou-san would stop teasing me. Sometimes I think he regrets letting me progress so far," he said, smile shifting into a smirk.

Neji chuckled softly, imagining Hiashi tease him for losing instead of just looking disappointed at him like he always had.

"I bet he does," he nodded, agreeing.

"Unfortunately," he said, standing up. "I should probably start heading back home. I'm sure she didn't expect me to stay out this late."

"Probably not." Neji looked at the watch at the wall, almost shocked to see that it was already eight in the evening.

"Remember to thank her from me," he reminded the younger boy of his earlier words. It was just then that he noticed Shikamaru's wet umbrella from earlier, laying on his floor and making a small mess. Frowning, displeased at it, but he smoothed out his frown by force. It was too late now, and he could not really complain. He had made a small mess on his own when he got out of the shower. In fact, it was because he had dried up that water he had been late getting dressed.

Shikamaru went over and picked up the umbrella. He looked over at Neji and scratched his cheek. "Ah, sorry about the mess..." he mumbled, figuring the other wouldn't appreciate it if the rest of the apartment's cleanliness was any indication.

"Hn." Neji gave the umbrella and the puddle a glare before sighing. "No matter, it is just water," he replied, walking over to the door.

"...thanks for the visit," he murmured after a while. "It was not overly annoying." He smirked, letting the other know he was not serious.

Shikamaru let out a small snort, returning the smirk. "Mm, you're not as troublesome as I thought you'd be, either," he said. "Maybe we could play a game again sometime."

"Maybe." Neji nodded. "I think it would be enjoyable," he replied in earnest, lips twitching slightly.

"I will put up more of a fight next time," he added.

Shikamaru chuckled, nodding his head slightly. "Good, I'd hate for you to always lose and then hate the game again."

"Not a chance," Neji smirked, amused. However, he did not mention that he actually wouldn't anyway. And in any case, he could always beat Hiashi-sama.

The Nara reached out and grabbed the doorknob, turning it. "So, I'll see y--" He cut himself off and looked down at the door, the knob not turning all the way.

Raising an eyebrow as the door would not budge, Neji sighed and, after a few tries to get it open, he grumbled to himself.

"I can't believe they still haven't fixed it," he growled annoyed.

Frowning, Shikamaru set his umbrella down again. "Does this happen a lot?" he asked. If it did, he hopefully got a discount on his rent if he had to pay any at all.

Neji was frowning by now, not at all pleased.

"Only when it rains and is cold outside. The door gets stuck, and it takes hours for it to be able to open," he sighed.

"I called a month ago about that problem," he muttered. Oh yes, those that would eventually come to fix it, would not meet a very happy Hyuuga.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced to the window again. It was nearly completely dark and he could still hear the rain. He could always go out there that way, but that meant using chakra...

Well, he could always just say they were caught up in talking and it was too late to go back home. His 'kaa-san would believe that, especially if he put emphasis on them getting along.

"...I suppose I'm staying the night then?"

"Seems like it." Neji nodded with a sigh. No point in waiting up. Who knew how long it might take. Looking at the clock again, he started walking to the kitchen. It had been quite a while since they ate the bento.

"I shall make us something to eat," he said quietly.

Shikamaru followed him back into the kitchen and took a seat at the table again. "You don't have to make me anything if it's too much trouble."

"It's not." Neji shook his head as he started making some sandwiches quickly. "It's not much anyway," he smirked at the other as he made them three each. It was perhaps too much, but it was better than too little.

"Here." He put the plate in front of the younger boy.

Shikamaru nodded, another smirk forming on his lips. "Itadakimasu," he said, picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a bite out of it.

Muttering the same, Neji did the same as the younger boy, taking one for his own. Chewing a bit, he watched the other boy.

"I apologize it is not as good as your mother's cooking," he said after a while.

Shikamaru shook his head, smiling slightly after he finished one of the sandwiches. "It's fine; I'm not picky about food. Besides, 'kaa-san doesn't usually cook like that."

"Good," Neji replied, slowly finishing his sandwich before taking another.

"Wait, she does not?" Neji blinked slightly confused. Why would she go so far as to make him something extra?

Shikamaru shook his head again. "No, she says we don't appreciate her enough or something so she doesn't bother putting in the extra effort. If she didn't nag constantly, I'd appreciate her a lot more," he said, muttering the last part to himself.

Amused, Neji shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"I see," he just nodded, not showing his amusement. Once they were done eating, other things came to mind.

"Ah... about sleeping..." he began.

Shikamaru leaned back on his hands, cocking his head a little. "I'll be able to sleep with whatever you have, I'm sure," he said, not worried about it. He could sleep outside easily, so why not in an almost-friends house?

Contemplating what Shikamaru was saying, Neji decided immediately that it was out of the question.

"You can have my bed," he said, and it was not a suggestion, it was a statement. He had already made up his mind.

Shikamaru blinked before sitting up straight again. "I won't throw you out of your bed," he said, frowning. "If you have a spare futon or even just a couple spare blankets I'll be fine. Really."

Neji was quite for a small while. "That... is sort of the problem..." he replied, sighing softly. "I don't have that. I have never had anyone sleep over before," he told the younger boy seriously.

"As I said, you can have my bed."

Shikamaru sighed, standing up. "How big is your bed?" he asked as he bent down and picked up the plates, putting them over in the sink. It was the least he could do for housing him anyway.

About to protest as the other put the dishes in the sink, Neji stopped himself. It was not like it would be of any use.

"The bedroom is in here," he murmured, waiting for the Nara to follow him, showing him his bedroom. Other than his towel from earlier, the room was spotless, just like the rest of his apartment, and in one corner was one bed, probably big enough for four people, if you were comfortable with one another.

Shikamaru stepped into the bedroom, staring at the bed for a few seconds before smirking and looking back at Neji. "It'll be big enough for both of us," he said flatly.

"Ah... okay," Neji was starting to feel slightly nervous. He had, as said, never had people sleeping over at his house, but that wasn't the whole truth, no... Fact was, Neji had never shared a bed with anyone, not even a distant cousin or something when he was little.

"It's plenty big enough," Shikamaru said, sitting down on a corner. "I'm pretty sure it's bigger than my parent’s bed anyway. I doubt we'll even brush against each other."

"Alright," Neji nodded, slightly relieved he had such a big bed; it would certainly make it easier to share with someone. At least, he assumed so. Grabbing his used towel, slightly embarrassed at the mess it made, he walked to the bathroom.

"I am afraid I don't have a spare toothbrush," he said, putting the towel into the box with clothes to be washed, "but I'll put some towels on the counter in here you can use." Looking at the Nara, he hesitated a little.

"Do you need to borrow night clothes?" he asked, having no idea what the Nara preferred. As long as he didn't sleep naked, that was fine with him.

"Ah... do you have a casual t-shirt I could borrow?" he asked. "If not, I'll be fine in just my boxers."

He shrugged off his cropped jacket, forcing himself to fold it and not just throw it on the floor like he'd do at home.

Amused as Nara seemed on the verge of dropping his jacket to the floor before starting to fold it, Neji went to look for a t-shirt he could use. Finding one, white with a soft, light purple pattern almost like a yukata, Neji went back to the Nara.

"Here," he told him, handing him the t-shirt.

Shikamaru eyed it in distaste for a second before nodding his thanks and taking it from him. He had no right to complain, even if it was incredibly girly-looking.

He un-snapped the clasps on his chain-mail shirt and took that off as well, repeating the process as he did with his jacket. He undid his two weapon's pouches before sliding off his capri pants and then finally pulled on the shirt. Which, he noted glumly, was long on him and made it look even more girly.

"What?" Neji raised an eyebrow, seeing the look Shikamaru was giving the t-shirt. Turning around to let him change in peace, Neji did sneak a peek every now and then without really thinking over it.

"You can put your clothes in the bathroom, on the chair," he suggested as the Nara had pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Nothing," he muttered as he stood up and gathered his clothes, walking into the bathroom. He set the clothes down and untied his hair, letting it fall around his face, putting the hair tie on top of his clothes. He ran his hand through it once and came back out, not caring about cleaning up. If Neji complained about it, he'd do it but otherwise he didn't care.

Blinking, Neji could not help but stare as the other let his hair down. That was a sight he had not seen before. It was probably thicker, and harder to keep than his own, so it didn't seem as girly as he had thought it would look.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at the older boy. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Neji shook his head, smirking.

"You just look different with your hair down is all." He let his eyes glide over the other's hair once more. Walking into the bathroom, he found his toothbrush, starting to brush his teeth.

Shikamaru blinked then smirked, glancing over his shoulder at the Hyuuga. He shook his head a little to himself before asking, "Do you prefer a side of the bed?"

"No," Neji shook his head. "Take whichever side you want," he added, his speaking slightly muffled as his mouth was full of toothpaste and his toothbrush. Spitting out and rinsing his mouth, he put the brush back in the cup he had standing by the mirror. Then he grabbed his hairbrush. He was not going to bed without brushing his hair and tying it up; otherwise his hair would be a right mess in the morning, and that took too long.

Nodding even though the other couldn't see, Shikamaru climbed onto the bed, rolling onto the far side so Neji wouldn't have to walk as far or climb over him to get there. He eyed the one pillow before moving it so it was fully on the other side for Neji to use.

Having brushed and braided his hair loosely, and put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt much like the one Shikamaru was wearing, Neji washed his face before he went to join the other in bed. Feeling slightly nervous, he got on the bed and, eyeing the pillow, he looked to the other.

"You can use the pillow," he said. "I rarely use it anyway."

"You sure?" he asked. "I'm already taking over half your bed." He could tell the Hyuuga wasn't very comfortable but he'd be more comfortable without a stiff neck in the morning tomorrow.

"It's too fluffy and soft for me anyway." Neji smirked at him, pushing the pillow towards the other before laying down. It wasn't exactly true that he never used it, but he didn't need it. Having been on quite a few missions that had lasted about a week or so, had made him grateful for anything softer than his own jacket as a pillow. His bed was softer than his jacket, so Neji felt no need for the pillow.

Releasing a sigh, the Nara just nodded and grabbed the pillow, stuffing it under his head quickly before settling down again. He was actually glad that he didn't have to go home; it meant he could sleep more and not have to do any chores. Although he wouldn't be surprised if he'd have to clean the whole house tomorrow.

Watching the Nara from the corners of his eyes, Neji noticed that the other was settling down and closed his eyes. Focusing on nothing, as if he was meditating, he made himself relax a bit more as he readied himself to sleep. Come to think of it, it wasn't that uncomfortable having to share a bed with someone.

Shikamaru let out a yawn and closed his eyes as well, letting his mind unwind as he relaxed and started to drift off.

"Night," he muttered softly.

Almost raising his eyebrows, Neji nodded slightly.

"Good night," he replied just as softly before he made himself fall asleep.

--

Shikamaru grunted slightly, the bright sun waking him up unwillingly. He refused to wake up, clinging to the last strings of sleep, pressing further into the warmth surrounding him. He blinked open his eyes, it registering that this wasn't normal.

He pulled back-- or at least as far as the others grip would let him-- and looked down at the Hyuuga in confusion.

Frowning in his sleep, Neji hid his face in the Nara's chest as he tried to avoid the sun waking him up. Normally, the Hyuuga would have woken up long since, but the warmth beside him was so comfortable, and made him so relaxed, that he had slept in, not noticing what the warmth was or that it wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Shikamaru couldn't stop the small chuckle from escaping his lips, gazing down at Neji with an eyebrow raised. He studied the other boy, surprised at how different he looked when asleep. Looking so calm and peaceful and, well, pretty.

The Nara blushed slightly at that thought and minutely shook his head. He was probably still tired; that's why he thought it. He let out a sigh and settled back down, trying to sleep again, not wanting to wake the other either.

Then the door slammed open and in bounced a perky, yet annoyed Tenten.

"Neji!" she began, not yet having noticed that Neji was not the only one in the bed, "You're late for practice! Honestly, and you always remind us not… to be… late..." she trailed off, eyes widening as she took in the scene in front of her. A still sleeping Neji cuddling with... another boy. Nara Shikamaru if she didn't remember wrong from the exam.

"...What?!"

Shikamaru cracked open his eyes again, cursing his luck and the female population. He wanted to sleep more, damnit. He glanced over at the kunoichi, studying her and recognizing her.

Neji had said she wasn't like normal girls, but she sure screamed like one.

Opening his eyes, Neji sensed immediately that something was wrong and he sat up abruptly. Too sudden, seemingly, as it caused his head to swim. Looking toward the source of the noise, he raised an eyebrow.

"Tenten?" he asked, not at all pleased she had barged into his bedroom like that. It was rude. "What are you doing here?" he asked calmly.

"You... you're late for practice..." she said rather lamely before puffing up her cheeks slightly, looking almost angry.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend, huh? I thought we were supposed to be friends!" she accused, she'd be damned if she let him get away with this.

Shikamaru turned over and half sat up, supporting his weight on his arms, watching them both with disinterest through the conversation. His eyes widened at the last comment. This was getting too troublesome fast.

"W-woah, we're not..." he started interrupting.

"What?" Neji frowned slightly, what was she talking about? Wasn't he even allowed to have friends?

"I am sorry I am late for practice, now get out," he snapped, getting annoyed with her, although he was probably more annoyed with himself, letting himself oversleep like that. It just wasn't like him. "I'll be there in a moment."

"But..." Tenten frowned, looking from the Nara to the Hyuuga. Interpreting their reactions, there seemed to be nothing between them, especially seeing as she knew Neji had no clue about relationships and such. Still, there was nothing to explain the cuddling she had witnessed. "What is he doing here then?" she finally asked, now confused.

"Hm? Oh," looking at the Nara, Neji shrugged. "The door still hasn't been fixed," he explained.

Shikamaru sighed, slouching forward and bringing one hand up to rub at his eye, hair falling down and covering his face from view. He blocked out their conversation for the most part, wondering if he would be allowed to stay here and sleep for a while longer and avoid everyone else...

"...that's all?" Tenten raised an eyebrow, not really believing it.

"Should there be more?" Neji just countered, getting confused. "Look, just get out, go to Lee... or something. I'll be there right away."

Shaking her head, not thoroughly convinced, Tenten just exited the room. It was obvious that she wasn't getting anything more out of them right now. But she was so going to do some research on this. Neji Hyuuga, don't think you can keep any secrets from me...

Shikamaru glanced up as she left, looking over to Neji. He could tell that he was annoyed and confused as well. He let out another sigh and asked, "You don't care that she thought we were boyfriends?"

Looking back at the younger boy, Neji tilted his head slightly. Why did it seem so horrible if people thought they were friends? Which, they weren't quite, but who cared?

"Why should I care what she thinks?" he asked. It was not like other peoples' opinions mattered much to him.

Shikamaru blinked, nodding after a few seconds. He wasn't completely sure that Neji understood, but it would be too troublesome to explain either way. And he did have a point.

"That's true," he said, voicing part of his thoughts. "I guess I should get dressed and go, hm?"

"Mm," getting out of bed, Neji stretched slightly to get rid of any eventual stiffness, but surprisingly, there wasn't any. Shrugging it off, he told the younger boy he could have the bathroom first. In the meantime, he went to prepare breakfast, that is, after having washed his face and hands in the kitchen sink; he wasn't going to let his hygiene go off like that just because he had visitors over.

While he prepared breakfast, he made sure he would have to ask Tenten about her peculiar behavior this morning.

Shikamaru was quick in relieving himself and washing. He frowned a little to himself, knowing his breath couldn't be pleasant, but he couldn't do anything about that anyway. He shed off the borrowed shirt and slipped back into his own clothes. Not sure where to put the used shirt, he just folded it (albeit messily) and put it where it own clothes had been.

He re-tied his hair as he walked out of the bathroom and made his way out into the kitchen, not caring if his hair looked perfectly tied up or not.

Looking up as the other entered the kitchen, Neji's lips twitched a little. The Nara's hair looked really messy, although it was probably because he didn't have a hair brush to use.

"Could you finish making breakfast while I get ready?" Neji asked, wondering if he was asking too much of his guest. Then again, it was kind of a forced visit, so he decided it hadn't been rude to ask.

Shikamaru smirked slightly and nodded. "Sure, just don't blame me if it's not up to your standards," he said, teasing as he went over and looked at what he was cooking, hoping that he could actually help make it.

"I'm sure it will do," he shrugged, knowing that his own cooking wasn't exactly of high standard either. Giving him some quick instructions as how to finish the food and making sure the Nara knew where to find the necessary tools, he went into the bathroom, frowning slightly as he saw how his braid had loosened during the night.

Shikamaru sighed and pulled a chair over to sit at the stove. He was still tired and if he didn't have to stand, why do it? He did what Neji had instructed, idly poking the food with the spatula as it cooked.

Finally ready, Neji cast a last glance at himself in the mirror, thankful for the fact that his hair was easy to take care of. Knowing nothing was out of place he went back into the kitchen, wondering if the food was done or if it needed a few more minutes cooking.

Shikamaru had fallen into a light sleep in those few minutes, head resting in the crook of his arms on the counter next to the stove. The food was starting to get overcooked, ignored by the Nara.

Hurrying over to the stove, Neji pulled it off and turned the stove off then he gave the sleeping Nara an irritated glare. Honestly, who couldn't stay awake to watch the stove for a few minutes? Huffing to himself, he let the Nara sleep while he prepared the food and put it on the table. Then, smirking, he turned to the sleeping boy on the counter and pushed him down, knowing he'd fall face-down on the floor, hopefully without breaking his nose.

"Food's ready," he just told him, a small, smug smirk on his lips.

His eyes snapped open just before he hit the ground, the impact forcing a grunt out of him. He pushed himself up with a groan, wiping the bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.

"You could've just shaken me awake," he grumbled, not pouting up at him. Because men did not pout, especially not Nara men.

Neji just shook his head. He really couldn't have, it had not brought anything close to the satisfaction of watching the Nara like that. He also found it particularly amusing that the younger boy was pouting up at him. He did decidedly not just think that it was almost becoming on him; no, he certainly did not.

Shikamaru sighed, standing up and brushing off his pants more on instinct than anything else. If he was any less passive, he'd have done something back to Neji, but as it was he just eyed the food.

"I didn't mess it up, did I?"

"No," Neji shook his head, sitting down with folded legs at the table, waiting for his guest.

"It's still edible," he just said, making himself a mental note not to ever let the Nara close to a stove again if he could help it. Not that he would have any use of it another time; he really didn't think they would ever be in a situation like this again.

Shikamaru nodded and sat down cross-legged on the other side of the table, not bothering to hold back a yawn though he did at least cover his mouth. "So you're going to train again?" he asked.

"Mm," he nodded, putting some food on his plate. "I always do my morning training with my team once a week." He put some food into his mouth, chewing carefully on it before swallowing. There was one thing he was wondering at though... how could he have overslept? Even worse, he had slept through his alarm, and usually he woke up before it even rang.

Shikamaru did the same, though taking a decidedly less amount of food. He made a sound of acknowledgment but otherwise kept quiet, noticing the other was lost in his thoughts and he always liked to be left alone when he was.

Pushing away those thoughts, Neji decided not to fuss over it, even though it was strange. Looking over at the Nara, he sighed.

"Aren't you going to train?" he asked, having been wondering when the younger boy trained, seeing as whenever he saw him, he was only watching him do his exercises.

Shikamaru shrugged, swallowing his bite of food. "I will eventually. My sensei hasn't called any meetings since the funeral so I don't see why I should bother if he's not going to be there helping."

Raising an eyebrow, Neji almost didn't believe his own ears. So there existed someone that didn't train unless he was with his team.

"That is strange," he just replied, giving the younger boy a strange look.

"What is?" Shikamaru asked before taking another bite of his food.

"Nothing," he just replied. "Still, you should train some more. It would do you some good."

"I guess. I can't really train properly unless it's with someone, though," he said, putting his chopsticks down, finished eating his share. He didn't like eating much in the mornings anyway.

"Hn." Nodding once, Neji finished eating his share as well, noticing there were leftovers. He had thought the other would eat some more, but he guessed that when someone used as little energy as him, one didn't need to eat more. Gathering the dishes, he left them with the dishes from yesterday, still irked that they seemed to be piling up, before he put the leftovers in a box.

"Ready to go?" he asked the other, seeing as he had to leave soon because of his friends.

Shikamaru nodded and stood up, holding back a sigh. At least he could still avoid his mother until that night.

Putting the empty bento box in a bag, Neji handed it to the younger boy.

"Tell your mother I am sorry I didn't wash it before returning it," he told him, pulling on his jacket.

...Well that plan was ruined. He didn't want to wander around the village holding a bag that would end up smelling in a few hours.

"It's okay," he muttered. "Doubt she expected it back clean anyway." He bent down, picking up his umbrella.

Nodding, Neji locked them out, although, frankly, when living in a ninja village simply locking a door was foolish; half of the citizens would be able to enter your house at any given time should they want to.

"Well, I'll see you," he gave the other a slight inclination of his head as a good-bye.

"Yeah," was all he said, lifting a hand in a slight wave as he started walking off towards his home.