Walking along the streets of Konoha, I was bored out of my mind. It was at least eleven at night, but I had nowhere to go. Home was locked, and I'd forgotten my key again; there was no way I could get in the house without having to wake my drunk sister. She would complain and whine until she got angry enough to attack. I still had the scars from the last time; they never really did heal or stop bleeding, you know.
Still, I wanted my bed.
With a sigh, I pocketed my hands and watched my surroundings. It was never safe to be out alone at night no matter what age, gender, or ninja rank you were. I hardly paid attention to what happened to others before me, but I wasn't dumb enough to forget about how important it was to stay safe.
Suddenly, I caught sight of a boy sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. He was alone. His eyes were a little glazed over with fatigue as he stared at the night sky, glimmering with the lights of a thousand stars. I shivered but stayed calm and decided to walk by without communication...unless of course I knew him.
As I walked, his features were more eminent. I could make out the ponytail and Chuunin jacket easily as I approached. The boy never let his gaze waver from the moon, though; it was as if that was his only concern. Not even the fact that he was alone at night could jar him from his stare.
"Shikamaru," I said when I was close enough that he could hear me.
Finally, he glanced at me, if only for a millisecond. "____," he mumbled. "What are you doing out so late? Don't you know troublesome things can happen if you're out here at this time?"
"I thought I should ask you the same thing," I replied, crouching beside him. "Why are you all alone?"
He sighed and leaned back, keeping his eyes averted. "Mom kicked me out about an hour ago. Never said when I could come back. I tried about a half hour, but the woman wouldn't let me in. Chouji's out of town with his dad, so I don't have anywhere to go," he explained tiredly. "It's such a drag."
"Oh." I thought for a while. "What about Asuma or Ino?"
"Missions," he murmured. Obviously, this was boring him. After a pause, he spoke again. "Why aren't you home?"
Shrugging, I turned away from him. "I can't get in."
"Is your sister out of town or something?"
"Well, actually..." I tried to think of a good way to explain it without whining. "She's passed out drunk in her room with some random guy right now."
Shikamaru's eyes widened, but he didn't reply. Instead, he changed the subject. "Do you want some water?" he asked, pulling a bottle from his other side and holding it out.
I shook my head. "So why are you just sitting here?"
"I figure I can sneak back in eventually if I just wait," he sighed. "God, it's such a drag. Why are women such a pain?"
"Am I a pain?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Lying back, Shika stared blankly at the sky and curled his arms behind his head as a pillow. "Ah," he sighed, thinking for a while, "I guess you could be worse."
I shrugged and stared upwards, watching the few clouds drift lazily over the moon. "You know, I could enjoy it out here more than in the house," I said randomly. "At least it's peaceful."
"Coming from you, that isn't saying anything," Shika grumbled, eyes closed in thought. After a minute, he let out a long breath. "Can you quit hovering over me? Either get down or leave."
After thinking, I sat on the cold ground and leaned back. "Sorry," I mumbled, not really trying to be sincere. "Still, doesn't the sky kind of put you in a state of awe? I always think when I find myself gazing at the stars. Don't you?"
His eyes twitched slightly. "It makes me tired," he said with a tint of annoyance in his voice.
I bit my lip and continued staring. "Do you want me to help you sneak into your house?" I asked.
"What?" he replied, waking up from his half-sleep and opening his eyes. After catching my gaze, he rolled his eyes and closed them again. "No, I'm fine out here. It's cooler than usual."
"Yeah, a lot cooler," I murmured, rubbing my shoulder quietly.
Shika shifted. "No jacket?"
"No."
"What a drag."
"It was over seventy earlier. I didn't think this would happen." I rubbed my eyes and shut them tightly to get the image of being locked out of the house out of my head. I would get back in eventually.
He opened his eyes. "You cold?" he asked.
"A little."
"You want my sweatshirt?" he inquired, tugging on his long sleeves. "I have a shirt on under this thing anyway." He sat up and stared tiredly at me.
"Do you mind?"
He shook his head and tugged the sweatshirt off. I took it and watched him lie back down, closing his eyes and returning to his position as if he hadn't moved.
Pulling the long-sleeved shirt on, I hugged the sleeves to my chest and breathed in the fabric softener scent. "Thank you," I whispered.
"Hn."
Finally, the under-scent on the jacket hit me and made me smile. "It smells like my dad," I mumbled to myself. "It's shockingly thought-provoking." I breathed deeply and closed my eyes, content.
"Hey, you better not be crying. I don't want any wet stains on that," Shika chimed in from beside me.
I looked up curiously. "What was that?"
He shrugged. "I don't want to see you cry."
"Why do you care so much?"
Sighing, he shifted and sat up yet again. "I guess you strike me as the kind of person who'd break someone's heart when you cry." He smirked a little. "Every troublesome woman like you is just way too much for me to handle."
"But..."
"____, just don't cry," he interrupted, lying back down. "Lie down and relax. We're not getting out of here anytime soon."
Shrugging, I lay down beside him and stared at the sky, waiting for sleep to come to me so I could head home faster.
After almost a half hour of silence, I heard Shikamaru take in a deep breath. "I'm cold," he grumbled, more to himself than to me. "What a drag."
Jarred from my slumber, I shifted and turned onto my side to stretch a little. "Do you want the jacket back?" I asked with a yawn.
"Go back to sleep," he ordered, a little irritated but unwilling to do anything.
Still stretching, I felt my hand hit him in the side. With an inward gasp, I realized that he was practically frozen. Sighing, I shifted a little closer and grabbed his hand.
He pulled it away. "What are you doing?"
"Ever hear of huddling for warmth?" I countered, closing my eyes tiredly. "They do it all the time in icy lands and areas."
"They're not in public," he grumbled, gently nudging my hand to get it off of his. "They're in some kind of cave with their team and need to huddle in order to survive in the climate. This isn't a cave."
I sighed and let go of his hand. "You've got a lot of knowledge in that brain of yours," I complimented. "It's too bad you have no common sense or openness toward new ideas though. What a shame."
"Hn."
"You know, you have girls after you," I continued, unable to stop my tired ranting. "If you weren't so cold, you would have them by now. No pun intended." I paused and let out a long breath. "Still, you're pretty attractive, even with the laziness and fear and foolishness. I'll always be your friend, if that means anything."
Shikamaru shifted onto his side and grabbed my hand slowly. "Will you shut up if I do whatever you want? I mean, come on," he asked, irritated.
Blushing, I hid my face in the oversized sweatshirt. "Yes, sir," I murmured, looking back up and opening my eyes. "Sorry. I guess when I'm tired and cold, I get a little..."
Suddenly, Shika leaned forward and pushed his mouth against mine. Inwardly, I screamed furiously, but physically, I was staring at the face right in front of me. He kept his lips planted on mine firmly, unmoving. His breath ran across my cheeks. His hand stayed on mine. My heart pulsed faster and faster under the pressure. After a few more seconds, he pulled away and rolled his eyes tiredly with a huge blush.
I continued staring, waiting for a silent or audible excuse. My cheeks were a fire under the frozen night sky; I was warm now.
He finally looked back. "You talk too much," he griped, though it sounded more playful than insulting. He waited a few seconds before shrugging. "I think that's the only way to shut you up. You haven't said anything yet. That's a good thing, in my opinion."
My mind couldn't process his words. I let out a barely audible, "Uh...," and furrowed my brow at him in confusion.
Rolling his eyes again, Shika stared directly at me. "What's with the weird look?" he inquired, giving me the same look back. "You're starting to scare me." As I cocked my head to the side and tried to think, he shook his head. "Okay. Now would be the time to say something, if anything, about what I've done. Free reign. Go ahead. Talk like you always do."
Finally, I smiled softly, ran my hand up to his elbow, and bit my lip. Glancing at his mouth, I felt my blush grow substantially.
He smirked back. "Good enough," he mumbled.
I leaned forward, touching my mouth very lightly to his. He pushed back with his amused smirk and set his hand on the back of my neck. His breath was quick, as was mine. Our hearts raced together. We pulled away at the same time.
Chuckling, I tackled him and rested my head in the crook of his neck. His arm hesitantly wrapped around my back, and I knew he was worried about someone seeing us like that.
He let out a long breath. "I guess huddling for warmth isn't too bad in this case," he admitted grudgingly.
"You'll be all right?"
"Shut up and go to sleep already," Shika laughed, tugging on a strand of my hair. "Just don't kick me or anything, man."
I smirked. "No promises, cutie."
