The Rubber Band Odyssey

A/N: Boy, have you guys gotten lazy with the reviews! It makes me all sad inside. Here’s the second to last chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. Reading it still brings a little tear to my eye. If you’re extra specially good, and review lots, I’ll post the last chapter (the one with the smut) soon.

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Chapter 4: Day Three…I’ve Had Enough

“Nara Shikamaru! Get your lazy bum out of bed! We’re supposed to help at the festival!” A groan came from beneath the thick down comforter. His mother’s voice was shrill as it thundered up the stairs. He stuck his head out, finding the room to be altogether too bright. With a sigh of resignation, Shikamaru levered himself into a seated position. This was his day off, and he hadn’t planned on spending it with his parents. He had wanted to hang out with Chouji, and harass Ino. Maybe even see if Naruto could pull out his hair tie…not be his mother’s gopher.

“Seems to be my lot in life.” He grumbled. Then, louder, he said, “I’ll meet you there in half an hour! Need a shower!” Something unintelligible and annoyed came up the stairs, but he took it as an agreement. He went to his closet. There it was, in the back: his festival kimono. It was a dark green, and plain. His mother hand tried to make him wear one that had a print once, but that had not gone over well. Instead, he insisted on something that was at least a little dignified. The narrow obi belt that he wore with it was blue with small white stripes. And then there were the sandals. His feet were going to be killing him by the end of the day.

Glaring at the offending pieces of clothing, he pulled them from the closet and shook them out. Not too dusty, at least. The bathroom that he had all to himself adjoined his bedroom, and he stepped into it. White tile glittered in the fluorescent lights when he flipped the switch. After starting the water in the shower, Shikamaru pulled off his baggy pajamas and threw them into the hamper. Wondering what he would end up doing for most of the day, he stepped into the shower and shut the door.

The water did more to wake him up than his mother’s voice had. It was, he thought, much more pleasant to wake up and get clean than it was to be screamed at. He thought at times that her voice would damage his hearing.

He hated the festival. It was loud, annoying, and more trouble than it was worth. And he always ended up with the stupid jobs. Last year, he had to help small children at a game booth. The year before, it had been cleaning garbage out of the bathrooms. That one had nearly made him vomit. Water ran down his face and into his hair, and he prayed that he wouldn’t have to do that again.

--

Naruto sat on a rock wall, looking at the people at the festival. He made it a point never to attend any of the celebrations. Even if the villagers were happy and carefree, as soon as he would show his face, they would go right back to being angry, even if they pretended not to be. His presence did that. Sakura had tried to make him go this year, but he escaped just before she was able to get him through the front festival gates. So now he was perched glumly on a high wall in his blue kimono, wooden sandals like the ones Ero-Sennin wore sitting next to him, and he wondered what the festival was like.

Fiddling with the edge of his sleeve, Naruto watched as a mother walked with her children. The two small girls were trying to pull the woman in two separate directions. They were laughing and happy. Naruto smiled sadly. What he wouldn’t give to have had that. Not that anyone should get the wrong idea. He had friends. But there had always been something missing. He never had the rough-and-tumble siblings Kiba did, or the nagging mother that Shikamaru always complained of. And he didn’t have any aunts, uncles, cousins or grandparents. In fact, even if those people had existed at some point, he had no idea who they were. He’d been told that he was a foundling. That he’d been abandoned, and that’s why Yondaime used him. Was that really true, or was it another one of the cruel things that the villagers said? Naruto decided that he didn’t want to know. It was easier not to.

--

Shikamaru glared at a man that jostled him as he approached the information tent. His mother sat at the front table. “Ohayo, Okaasan. What am I supposed to do?”

Handing him a slip of paper, she grumped, “It took you long enough.” Shikamaru knew better. She was having fun bossing people around. That was easy enough to tell by the smile curling the corners of her mouth.

Smirking, he shot back, “Nag, nag.” Shikamaru started walking away before his mother could really start sputtering. As he made his way through the crowd, he looked at the paper he’d been given. Stopping dead in his tracks, he stared at the small, neat handwriting. It read: Kissing Booth. He was not working in the kissing booth. He hated even looking at it. There were always giggling girls all over the place, and they all wanted a crack at you. Asuma worked that booth once, and he had run away screaming when the Hokage tried to kiss him. Of course, that had been a bet between she and Shizune, which she had lost, but still.

Swallowing hard, he thought. Was it too late to skive off? Or maybe he could kill himself? Yeah, that might work. No, he was pretty sure that he could somehow get over the emotional scarring of having to kiss girls. Even if they did giggle. Then again…Shikamaru wasn’t exactly popular. If he was lucky, then no one would want to kiss him, and he’d just end up manning the cash-box. Now that, he could handle.

Upon arriving at the bright red booth, he found that there were not only men waiting to be kissed, but women, as well. Sitting on the stools were Shiranui Genma, Inuzuka Kiba, Yuuhi Kurenai, Haruno Sakura, and Shizune. Swallowing hard, he approached the empty stool next to Sakura. Instantly, Genma began laughing.

“Awww. Poor little Shika’s gotta let girlies kiss him? You sure you can afford to use that much energy, Nara?” The elder Jounin twirled his senbon between his fingers, lounging on his stool. Shikamaru made an unintelligible reply and plunked down on the tall stool provided.

Sakura patted his arm. “Don’t worry about him, Shikamaru. He’s just nervous. I don’t think he’s had a date in about…what was it, Shiranui-san? Six years?” Genma sent the girl a deadly glare, which she returned with an innocent smile. Shikamaru smiled gratefully at her. Her voice turned a little to the darker side. “Shikamaru, you haven’t seen Naruto, have you?”

“Not today, no.” he wondered what this was about, but he wasn’t going to ask, since there was a large knot of mid-to-late teenage girls giggling nearby, and looking in their direction. He just had to keep reminding himself that this was like community service. It was to keep him in the good graces of two very ill-tempered women: his mother, and the Hokage. The giggling girls were coming closer, and he tried his best not to look annoyed. Off to one side, there was an old man taking credits, and on the table he sat behind were rolls of tickets. Each were a different color. Kiba’s were brown, Kurenai’s were red, Sakura’s were pink, Genma’s were blue, Kotetsu’s gray, Shizune’s white, and Shikamaru’s were green. The girls all swarmed around the table, and when the old man had done being harassed, there were three girls holding gray tickets, two with brown, and one with blue. Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief.

Sakura frowned as she watched Genma kissing a fourteen-year-old girl with green hair. “I’m just kind of worried about him. He’s not his usual cheerful self today.” Shikamaru didn’t say anything. He thought it was better that Naruto actually be true to himself rather than smile all of the time if he wasn’t happy.

--

Naruto rubbed at his bottom. It had gone numb sitting up on that stupid wall, and now he had to find a new place to hide, since the old woman whose house was next to the wall actually hit him with a broom to get rid of him. “Old hag…” he grumbled, finding himself standing next to a wooden fence. He could hear the festival on the other side of it. People were laughing, yelling, talking, running. He didn’t feel like doing any of those things. He didn’t even feel like finishing his bet with Ino anymore.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious. He did think it would be interesting to see Shikamaru without that silly ponytail. It was just that after having been around him for a while, he kind of respected him now. And he really didn’t want to do that to Shikamaru now that he respected him. Naruto decided that he would just go home. Pushing himself off of the wall with the intent to do just that, Naruto heard a voice from the other side, practically yelling.

--

Shikamaru leaned back. This was getting to be rather entertaining. Sakura was trying to fend off Lee. “I don’t care! I’m not going to kiss you that many times, Lee!” The green-clad young man simply stood there, a fist full of pink tickets, and tears in his eyes. Genma was trying very hard not to laugh, but Kotetsu was not even trying. Kiba looked sympathetic. Shikamaru and Kurenai simply watched. The red-eyed woman glanced at him, her smile slightly amused, but mostly, it looked like she felt pity for Lee.

This had the potential for creating more of a spectacle than it already was. He might get smacked for this, but Shikamaru simply didn’t care. It would solve the problem quickly.

--

Naruto pulled himself up on the fence, curious. What he saw was not a little disturbing. Apparently, they had set up a kissing booth, and Sakura was one of the workers. In Naruto’s opinion, she should have known that Lee would buy a butt-load of tickets. What was really surprising, though, was the fact that Shikamaru was holding her still with his shadow jutsu while Lee gave her kiss after kiss. They were all small, and all on her cheek, but Naruto counted thirty-six of them. Sakura had quieted, and was now standing still without the aid of any jutsus. What Sakura had not seen, and what Naruto did, was that Lee still had one little ticket.

Now, Rock Lee might be awkward, loud, and funny-looking, but what he did next could only be described as smooth. In a move somewhat reminiscent of his taijutsu, the boy swept Sakura into his arms, and before she could protest, he had moved her into a dipped position, and lay a kiss on her that Naruto was sure curled her toes. “Daaaay-uhmn…” he heard Genma say, before Sakura was set back in an upright position. Her green eyes were a bit glassy, and when Lee whispered something in her ear, she smiled a little.

“Slick bastard…” Naruto didn’t realize he had spoken until a pair of very dark eyes met his. After the initial light of recognition, there was something there that he couldn’t really identify, but that he had seen only once before…Naruto’s own eyes widened at the little smile that bent at Shikamaru’s lips. As long as he had known Shikamaru, he’d only really seen him smile a few times. It was because everything was so ‘troublesome’, he supposed. Perhaps it was because it was a rare sight, or maybe it was because he was in such a generally dire mood himself, but he got a sudden warm feeling when he looked at that smile. He almost squeaked as he let go of the fence and hit the ground running. It wasn’t that he was afraid. He was just…surprised. Yeah, that was it. Shikamaru surprised him.

Naruto’s feet took him to parts unknown as he questioned himself. Why was he running? What was he running from? Where was he going? He didn’t have any answers. All he had were questions swarming around his brain like bees around a disturbed hive. They ranged from little queries like what would the festival be like to ones of metaphysical proportions such as why am I here? What the Hell am I doing with my life? Those questions entered his mind, ran around, and gathered others until he simply stopped in his tracks in the middle of the forest, holding his head in his hands and groaning.

Everything was so complicated, so annoyingly difficult to deal with…he just wanted it all to stop. What was he doing, training like mad? He had to bring Sasuke back. Why? He promised Sakura. Why had he done that? Because it gave him an excuse to bring Sasuke back. Why did he need an excuse? Sasuke was his best friend, so no excuse should be needed. But he did feel like he needed one. Like he was grasping at straws. Why? Since the previous afternoon, he had been questioning every facet of his life. That was all thanks to time spent with Shikamaru. The dark-haired boy had made him be honest with himself about the fact that he may very well be forced to kill Sasuke. What, if anything would happen after that? Could he allow himself to go on living after murdering the one person in life that he really—

“Naruto.” Chakra flaring, Naruto jumped, landing in a defensive position. Shikamaru was standing there, a look of concern on his face. “Are you okay, Naruto?”

He gave the young genius a good wry stare. “Depends on your definition of ‘okay’, really.” There was a familiar light of inquisitiveness in those dark eyes, as if he were trying to solve a particularly difficult mathematical problem. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto took a step back. “Why?” His tone held suspicion.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “You’re very troublesome, you know that? Why do you think I would chase you down to ask if you’re okay? I was worried. You pretty much fell off that fence, just because I looked at you.” That was a statement that Naruto couldn’t really refute. He had fallen because of Shikamaru looking, but not for that reason only. It had been the way that he had looked at him. Naruto had only seen eyes like that on one person, and only at one time. That spot below his heart hurt. No, he couldn’t allow this. It needed to stop, before he got himself hurt again. Before he drove himself mad.

“Sorry I made you worry.” Naruto’s voice was dull, and he looked away from those probing eyes. “I have to go…” He sniffled, staving off the tears that were trying to fall. Why was he trying not to cry? What was making him need to cry in the first place? Those were questions he could think about on the way back to his apartment. When he was safely away from Shikamaru. His feet began the walk to the southwest, and he closed his eyes for a moment as he walked. In the darkness behind his eyelids, everything seemed simpler. Maybe he should take up meditation, like Neji did. That guy seemed pretty at peace with the world since he started sitting in high places with his eyes closed…

--

Shikamaru watched as Naruto walked away, and his stomach felt like someone had dropped a brick into it. There was something upsetting the shorter boy, to the point where he apparently seemed unable to function properly. This was a far cry from even the Naruto of yesterday. He seemed…depressed. Once he stopped to think of it logically, Shikamaru realized that it was probably something he had said to the usually chipper blonde that put him in this funk. Deciding to follow him at a safe distance, Shikamaru melted into the shadows of the trees. He needed to make sure that Naruto was really all right. Though he wasn’t really sure why, he was certain that he did want to ensure Naruto’s physical safety, if not his emotional well-being as well.

Really, he felt that it was his fault. And if there was anything he could do to make it right, he would.

--

It wasn’t long before Naruto found himself at his door again. The sounds of the festival were still evident, even in the hallway. That meant that if he were in his apartment, he could probably hear them, too. After fumbling for a moment with his keys, he found the one for his door. The lock disengaged with a sharp click, and he stepped inside, instantly removing his shoes. There was a little dirty spot right next to the door where he always put his sandals, and today was no exception. He put them where they belonged, and then closed the door. As he had suspected, he could still hear them. All those happy people…it was making him nuts. Going to where he kept his small bookshelf stereo, he turned it on, switching the disks until he found one that suited his mood.

The music was brooding: an aria. Somehow, the woman’s voice soothed him. It made him feel as if he weren’t the only one hurting on this day of celebration. Maybe he should just go to sleep? Tomorrow, the festival would be over, and he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Everything would be back to normal: the villagers still eyeing him with thinly veiled hatred. They wouldn’t pretend to like him. No one would pretend to be his friend. It was fine with him that they hated him, feared him for what lay deep in the pit of his stomach.

He wasn’t supposed to have anyone.

--

Naruto was just standing there, in the middle of his apartment. Just standing. From his perch in the tree, Shikamaru could see the dark cloud of depression and resignation settling itself over eyes that usually shone. It angered him. When the blue-clad boy did move, it was slowly, as if through water. Dexterous hands opened a trunk, and then began removing the blue cotton kimono that Naruto was wearing.

Shikamaru watched as Naruto folded the kimono, obi, and under-kimono, then put them carefully back into the trunk. Now standing in the middle of the floor wearing only his underwear, Naruto was staring down into the trunk at something that Shikamaru could not see. Suddenly, the half-naked young man delivered a vicious kick to the trunk, and it slid backward about six inches, snapping shut. Hands flew to the sides of his head, just as they had in the forest, and Shikamaru saw rather than heard him yelling something. He wasn’t that great at reading lips, but he could tell that Naruto had just screamed, “Damn you!”

What the Hell was in that trunk? He watched, horrified, as Naruto fell to his knees. Shikamaru had never seen anyone so tormented. Sure, he had felt like shit when he had nearly gotten Naruto, Neji, Chouji, and Kiba killed, but this…this was different. He had been a leader, stressed over his team. Naruto could only be thinking about Sasuke. It amazed Shikamaru that he could still feel anything but hate for the Uchiha, after all that he’d done. He’d betrayed not only Naruto, but the village as well, and then he’d tried to kill him. Twice. That was not what friends—or anyone who cared about you—did. Back then, when they’d gone to chase him down, Shikamaru had told Naruto that Sasuke was his comrade, and that even though he wasn’t his friend, he would go to save him. That assertion, as he watched Naruto rocking forward and back, trying to keep himself from going insane, was no longer true. He hated Sasuke for what he had done.

Contrary to what most people thought, Shikamaru wasn’t completely idle. He did his fair share of training, and he was relatively fit. His stamina was as good as that of most Jounin, and he was just as capable. It was just that he didn’t care to exercise that ability where others could see. There had to be a damned good reason for him to go out of his way and make an effort. Either he did it for missions, or to annoy the Hell out of Ino. But this was a completely different situation. Whereas he normally would pretend to have followed at a moderate pace and go in through the door, he needed to get in there right now.

Shikamaru judged the distance from the branch to the window to be no more than ten feet. He could jump that with ease. The only problem—not truly a problem in his book—was getting the window open. That was what shadows were for. Using the shadow of the tree, Shikamaru’s jutsu was able to creep up the side of Naruto’s building, and slowly inch the window into an open position.

Luckily, Naruto didn’t notice. He was too busy gripping his head and whimpering. After taking a deep breath, Shikamaru dove through the window, and then performed a passable tuck-and-roll, landing in a crouch on the other side of Naruto. Dazed blue eyes looked at him for a long moment through a screen of tears before they actually registered what was going on.

“Shikamaru? What are you doing here?” Naruto asked in shock, his eyes growing impossibly wide. Without saying a word, the intruder rose from his crouched position and moved to the couch, where he plucked up a blanket. Unfolding it, he draped it over Naruto’s shoulders before pulling him to his feet.

Gesturing to the sofa, Shikamaru said, “Sit.” Naruto did as he was told. That in itself was a measure of just how overcome the boy was. Had he been told to sit—on any ordinary day—by someone who had just jumped through his window, he would normally protest, if not attempt to deliver a physical beating. “Naruto,” he said carefully as he sat opposite his friend, “What is it? What’s wrong?” Shikamaru was glad that Naruto seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that he had been followed, spied upon, and that he was being comforted by someone who had broken into his apartment and nearly flattened him in the process. As it was, Naruto was so absorbed in his own anguish that he simply answered.

Cobalt blue eyes fixed themselves onto a spot on the floor, and remained there. “I’ve just had enough, I guess.”

“Enough?” Gentle probing…leave it open for him. Don’t push, or he’ll shut himself off from you. Shikamaru had to be careful. Naruto was in a very delicate state of mind, and if he did anything too harsh, it could be very bad indeed.

“The pretending.” Naruto’s voice cracked a little, and he took a deep breath. “I’m always pretending. That everything will be okay, that I’m happy…but nothing’s okay. Not really. Everything I work for just slips away. Everything I’ve dreamt of…it’s like water. I can’t hold on to it!” His eyes squeezed shut. “And everyone else pretends, too. I can see it. In their eyes. They pretend not to hate me. But I know that they do. I can see through them. I can see their hate. I see the fear in the eyes of mothers when I come too close to their children. They see me, but they don’t see me.” Shifting in his seat, Shikamaru gripped at the cloth of his kimono. He had not expected this. He had thought that it had been about Sasuke. But he wasn’t finished. Again, Naruto surprised him. “And you know, the villagers…they’re not even the ones I really care about. He pretends to hate me. He’s the only one that actually doesn’t. He just hates everything else. But he’s lost to me. He’d just as soon be dead to me. All I have is the hate that I see in the eyes of everyone I know. Which reminds me…”

Naruto’s eyes opened, and his head turned to look at Shikamaru. There was ice in his stare. Somehow, that stare clawed at his heart. It was angry, sad, and full of something that Shikamaru could only identify as desperation. “Why are you here, Shikamaru? You’re one of them. You hate me too, don’t you? Why are you here?”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Liar.” Naruto’s brow furrowed, the corners of his mouth turned down. His hands started to make fists.

“Naruto, why would I lie to you? What reason would I have to hate you?”

“Because…” his hand strayed to his stomach. Shikamaru wanted to sigh.

Leaning forward, Shikamaru pulled the blanket aside. Replacing Naruto’s hand with his, he applied a little chakra to the area around his navel. The swirl of the Yondaime’s seal rose black against tanned skin. Naruto gasped. “I know about it, Naruto. But I knew you first.” When he removed his hand, and looked back up at his friend’s face, he saw Naruto’s eyes, wide with surprise. “I don’t care, Naruto. Not about the thing that’s inside you.”

Naruto jumped to his feet, screaming, “Liar! I can see the fear in you right now! Don’t you goddamned lie to me, Nara Shikamaru! You’re scared right now!” The blanket fell away from him, revealing that his chest was heaving. His heart was most likely hammering in his chest right at that moment. Shikamaru sighed.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll admit it. I’m scared.”

The manic mood Naruto was in seemed only to heighten at Shikamaru’s admission. He leaned forward, a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he jabbed a finger in the dark-haired boy’s direction, “See?! I knew it! I knew you were—“

“I’m scared for you.”

Naruto stopped, his mouth hanging open. “You…what?”

Shikamaru’s dark eyes met Naruto’s, and held them. “I told you. I’m scared for you.” Naruto blinked, confused. “Look at yourself. You’re desperate. Do you really think that no one cares about you? That no one could possibly care for you other than someone who is utterly unworthy of your concern? I think you need to open your eyes, Naruto.”

“I’m not blind, Shikamaru. I can see—“

“Yes, you can see their fear. But can you see how worried Sakura gets when you’re depressed? Can you see how Kakashi stops reading his porn to train you? No. Do you see the way the Hokage looks at you when you’re injured? Apparently not. And for another thing, why would I let you get away with attacking me, just so you could win a bet?” Shikamaru was on his feet now, looming over Naruto. He was staring down into bright blue eyes, which were wide, the light of recognition dawning in them. It’s about damned time…

“You…you knew about it?” Naruto breathed, taking a step back. His rant apparently forgotten, Naruto was simply in shock. Well, Shikamaru couldn’t exactly blame him. He would feel completely deflated if he were in the other boy’s position.

A satisfied smirk came over his face. Shaking a finger lightly at Naruto, he said mildly, “Correction. I know about it.” He glanced at the clock beneath Naruto’s television. “According to the time Ino gave me, you still have five minutes.” The blonde boy looked at him askance. Taking his hand, Shikamaru placed it on his ponytail.

--

“Here. Go ahead.” Shikamaru said as Naruto’s eyes widened further, and he stepped closer to give the smaller boy better access to the rubber band in his hair. Naruto was unsure if he should. Did it even matter anymore? He at least knew now that he had those who cared for him…but had he ever really forgotten? The only new information he got from Shikamaru was that the genius was one of those that cared. He had even gone to great lengths to make sure that Naruto knew it. “What are you waiting for?”

“I…” He couldn’t get any words out. All he could think about was the fact that there was someone who cared, and that someone was right here, able to be reached. Shikamaru was looking at him now in that same way that he had earlier. It was slightly painful to keep looking into those lazy eyes, for some reason. His hand trembled where it rested on Shikamaru’s head. Somehow, warmth of body and spirit were radiating off of him, and it only made Naruto tremble more, feeling a bit weak.

In a barely teasing tone, he heard the taller boy say, “Do you need help?” Again, he felt Shikamaru’s hand touch his. It was warm, calloused just like his, but slightly larger. That hand grasped his, pushing his thumb under the band securing his hair. “Pull, Naruto.” Shikamaru’s voice had taken on a quiet, almost smoky tone as his hand fell away. Naruto did as he was told, still looking at Shikamaru’s eyes, feeling quite strange.

As the rubber band left his hair, Naruto watched the dark brown mass fall to Shikamaru’s shoulders like strands of silk, lit by the sun streaming in from the window. His hand moved on its own, touching a few tresses that had fallen near the side of the other boy’s face. “It’s so soft…” He didn’t realize that he’d spoken aloud until he saw Shikamaru smile. Naruto tried to pull his hand away, but he found it trapped by both of Shikamaru’s. “Um…” He was starting to feel a little exposed. After all, he was wearing nothing but his underpants, and Shikamaru was looking at him. “Ineed’aputsomeclotheson!” He blurted, and yanked his hand away before scurrying over to his dresser.

Shikamaru must have been thinking that he was a madman, tearing across his apartment like that…but Naruto didn’t want to hang out in his boxers. Not with Shikamaru. Once he’d thrown on a pair of old track pants and a t-shirt, he felt like he could breathe easier. The room seemed a lot smaller when he turned around. Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at him. Remembering the talk he’d had with Ino, he decided that Shikamaru wasn’t like Iruka-sensei at all. Unlike their teacher, Shikamaru still looked masculine, even though his hair was longer. But it did have a softening effect. It made his face seem rounder, and his eyes weren’t quite so piercing. That didn’t mean that Naruto was any more comfortable with the way those eyes were looking at him. On the contrary: he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking away. He could feel his cheeks turning red.

Why was he blushing? He wasn’t twelve years old anymore…and he wasn’t a little girl. What in the name of the Yondaime was happening to him? Naruto was alerted to Shikamaru’s movement by the creaky board in the middle of the floor. When he glanced up, he saw that he was staring at a green kimono, which was very close to his face. Tilting his head back so that he could see the face that now looked down on him, he saw Shikamaru smiling. “Is your curiosity satisfied?”

What that meant, Naruto had no idea. He had been somewhat curious, before, as to what Shikamaru would look like with his hair down, and now he had seen it. So, in a way, he supposed that his curiosity was fulfilled. Naruto nodded.

“Good. Now I can satisfy mine.” Before Naruto could ask what Shikamaru meant by that, he felt a very warm hand on the right side of his face, and saw the other boy lean down toward him. His eyes grew wide when he felt hair tickling the skin of his face, and lips pressed against his. They were firm, but not demanding, and Naruto’s shock only lasted for a moment. Then, the warmth of the other boy’s mouth was gone. In its place was a sort of tingle that he didn’t understand.

All he could really do was stand there, blinking as Shikamaru looked down at him and smiled. “Um…what just happened?”

“I kissed you.”

“Okay…” Naruto mused confusedly, “…why?”

Shikamaru leaned down toward him again, and something started moving around in Naruto’s stomach. It was like Shino’s insects had suddenly taken up residence there. When the other boy stopped just short of his mouth, Naruto heard him speak. His voice sounded deeper somehow. “I’ve been wondering…for years now, what that felt like.” Years? Shikamaru had wanted to kiss him for years? What on earth was going on? There was an odd ticklish feeling on his lips now, as if he could feel Shikamaru’s lips on his, but he knew they weren’t really close enough for that. “In the classroom that day…that accidental kiss…” Warm breath curled around his skin, sending a small shiver through him that wasn’t really unpleasant.

So, if Naruto had it right, then Shikamaru had wondered for three and a half years what it would be like to kiss him? All that time, he was so…fixated that he never even saw. That was almost too sad to contemplate.

Now it was like the other boy was teasing him in some way. Like he was waiting, challenging Naruto by not closing that miniscule gap between them. He hesitated. What if he got hurt? What if Shikamaru didn’t really care about him? What if…what if he did? All of those uncertainties flitted through his head, trying to make him doubt. After a long moment of listening to those misgivings, he did one of the things he was best at: he just stopped thinking.

It was like something was pulling him. He wasn’t sure if it was for comfort, or out of hope that he could somehow have found another person who could love him, but Naruto pushed himself up onto tiptoe, his lips finding Shikamaru’s. There was an odd dizzy feeling in his head, which went right along with the one in his stomach, but it was actually kind of nice. Unlike the stories that Jiraiya had made him read, there was no fire in this kiss…only a certainty. It was a promise of sorts. Shikamaru’s promise was that he would always be there to give comfort, and maybe even love. Naruto…he promised to keep his eyes open.

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A/N: Remember boys and girls…you must tell me what you think!