"Lips Of An Angel"

The Differences Between Lovers

Beta'ed by feathersinmyhair.

Shika felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket; he pulled it out and saw that Neji was calling him. "I'm gonna go outside and smoke, babe!" Shika called across the house.

"Okay!" Kiba yelled back.

Shika answered the phone and whispered "Just a sec." He walked outside and put the phone to his ear. "You know you can't call me like this, Kiba would flip if he knew I was talking to you." Shikamaru heard the distinct sound of crying coming from the other end of the phone. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Shikamaru suddenly felt very protective of Neji. If that possessive bastard Sasuke had hurt him, he was going to wish he was never born.

"Shika, I miss you."

"I miss you too Honey." Shikamaru whispered, relieved that Neji was okay.

There was an awkward silence and Neji whispered thickly, "I love you, Shikamaru."

"I love you, too."

"Always."

"And forever."

They both hung up and Shika slumped down on the porch next to the door of the house he shared with Kiba. Their talks were always like that, full of pregnant silences. All the things they couldn't say to each other filled the void between them, Shika couldn't tell Neji that he wanted him back, he took off his wedding band and looked at it, something so small represented such a huge problem. His biggest miscalculation…

Shika slipped the band back on his finger, lit up a cigarette and took a long drag, blowing the smoke out on a sigh. Kiba came out and sat next to him. He looked at his husband, whose face was so unlike that of Neji's. Kiba was all sharp angles and muscled jaw, whereas Neji's face was smooth, almost feminine in its porcelain-perfection. Kiba leaned over and placed a kiss on Shika's lips. Kiba's lips were dry and rough, but Shikamaru took the escape Kiba offered and kissed him back.

"Let's go inside babe."

"Okay…" Shika put out his cigarette and followed his husband inside.

Shika went through all the motions, foreplay, stretching, and the sex. He had to admit Kiba was a wonderful lover, he was so wild and loud.

Shika held onto Kiba's hips hard enough to leave bruises as he took the other, Kiba swore and moaned his name, grinding unabashedly back against him. Kiba liked fast, rough sex, and Shikamaru gave him what he wanted using it to get out all his frustration over the conversation with Neji earlier. When they were finished, they collapsed on the bed, harsh breath filling the silence between them. Kiba stood and walked to the bathroom to clean up. After Kiba came out, Shikamaru went into the bathroom and took a quick shower, scrubbing his body roughly.

When he got out of the shower and joined Kiba in bed, the other was already asleep, and snoring lightly. He looked over at his partner, studying his features. How many times had he looked into that face and taken the vacation from reality that Kiba presented him. He was Shikamaru's break from the truth of his life as a ninja. Truly he loved Kiba, which is what made this entire situation so much worse.
--

Shikamaru woke the next morning to Kiba shaking him. He rolled out of bed and got ready for work for one reason only, he was going to get to see Neji today. Shika knew it was wrong, but he put on Neji's favorite shirt, and fixed his ponytail so that it was perfect. He kissed Kiba on the way out, feeling guilty about his plans for that afternoon.

His morning felt like it lasted forever, and when 2 o'clock finally came and he was off work, he left the building as quickly as he could. Neji called him on his way out, he picked the phone up and Neji purred in his seductive voice, "Room 21, I'll be waiting Shikamaru." Neji hung up and Shika started moving double-time toward his car. He drove out to their usual meeting place, a cozy hotel on the edge of town. Shika took off his wedding band before he got out of his car and hurried to room 21.

He knew it was the right room because Neji's hair-tie was hanging on the handle. Shikamaru took the hair tie and inhaled its scent, no one smelled like Neji, as beautiful as a woman, yet undeniably masculine.

Shikamaru opened the door and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the handle before making his way into the room.

As soon as Shika entered he was surrounded by Neji's scent, he briefly paused and closed his eyes breathing in as deeply as he could. He opened his eyes and turned to see Neji standing naked at the end of the bed. Shikamaru quickly shed his own clothes and joined his lover. He grabbed Neji and pulled him flush to his body. Neji tilted his head up so that Shika could kiss him. Shika placed a sweet kiss on Neji's lips, and trailed more down his neck and onto his shoulder. Neji moaned as Shika licked his way back up to his jaw where he nipped and sucked the soft skin.

Shika pushed Neji back onto the bed and crawled up his body in search of his lips. They kissed deeply as Shika reached for the lubricant on the nightstand. He coated his fingers with the liquid and reached down, coaxing Neji's legs apart. Shikamaru slid the first finger in and began to gently prepare him. He took great care in stretching his lover, savoring the moments that he never thought he would miss three years ago.

When Neji was ready, Shikamaru applied lubricant to himself and placed his shaft at Neji's opening. He leaned down and kissed his lover, penetrating his mouth with his tongue as he simultaneously entered his willing body. Shika began to move, and broke the kiss so he could take Neji's nipple into his mouth. "Touch yourself Honey," Shikamaru instructed, tickling the other's nipple with his hot breath. Neji reached between them and began to stroke his own erection. Shika loved the small whimpers and moans that escaped Neji as he brushed against his prostate repeatedly. Shika knew he was getting close and could sense that Neji was too. He slammed back into him three times before they came together, crying each other's names.

Shika pulled out and lay next to Neji, pulling him to his body and holding the other as he lightly brushed strands of soft hair from his face. As they lay in bed, Neji and Shikamaru held on to each other as if their lives depended on their lover never leaving their embrace.

Finally Neji looked up at Shikamaru and whispered, "We should take a bath." Shikamaru helped Neji up, and followed him to the bathtub.

Neji sat on the counter nude as the other ran a bath for them. What Neji loved most about Shikamaru was how comfortable he was with him, the first time he showed Shikamaru his curse seal the other had briefly glanced at it and never looked at it again. Even when Neji would have his head wrappings off to shower or brush his hair, not once did he ever catch Shikamaru looking at the tattooed markings. Sasuke on the other hand often stared at his markings when they were revealed. He didn't know if it was because Sasuke had his own curse seal, or because he didn't understand how much he hated the symbol, so Neji kept his forehead covered as much as possible around the Uchiha.

Shikamaru came over and motioned the Hyuuga into the bath. Neji settled himself into the warm water, Shikamaru slid in behind him, holding the white-eyed man firmly to his body. He ran the tip of his nose back and forth over the Hyuuga's exposed shoulder taking in his scent. Neji shivered at the contact, making Shika smirk. He pressed his lips to the soft skin and kissed a lazy trail all the way up to his ear where his suckled the lobe. Shikamaru placed his forehead against Neji's shoulder. "I'm sorry…" Shika whispered, mind going back to the night that this all started…

Shikamaru supposed that the very beginning was his and Neji's breakup. The two of them would squabble over nothing, and they were getting tired of it, but their breakup came as a surprise to both of them. He and Neji had been sharing an apartment, and one day during a particularly heated argument Neji told Shikamaru to leave their apartment, and not come back. Shikamaru quickly packed a bag and left, he went back when he knew Neji was on a mission and picked up the rest of his belongings. Neji never actually wanted him to leave, those words were said in anger, and he regretted them every day.

Shikamaru had been broken, but Kiba had been there to pick up the pieces and return his precious heart to some of its former glory. He guessed that was why he asked Kiba to marry him after a mere six months. If only he had known that Neji wanted him back, he never would have made that commitment to Kiba. He had no idea how huge the effect of marrying Kiba would be. His biggest miscalculation was that of how the human heart changes over time. Yes, he loved Kiba, and still did, but he loved Neji more. Maybe if he had put more thought into it, he would not be in his current situation. He had tried to solve an equation where he knew none of the variables, and he truly knew that it was his fault he and Neji couldn't be together. Shikamaru didn't actually talk to Neji for an entire two years after their breakup, he had no words that could make their situation better, so he simply avoided the problem.

Ino and Chouji had thrown him a party on his 21st birthday, and they had invited everyone, including Neji and his new boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha. Shikamaru hadn't known how much he would hate seeing Neji with someone else until he saw the beautiful man being held by a possessive arm. Shika wanted to go over to the Uchiha and rip Neji out of his arms, but it was not his place. He had moved on - what gave him the right to tell Neji that he didn't have that same right? Eventually, Neji came over and wished him happy birthday. Shikamaru just smiled his sad smile and downed the rest of his sake. Neji slipped a small package into his pocket and whispered in his ear for him to open it later.

After the party, Shikamaru went home with his husband. While Kiba set up the bedroom for their romantic evening, Shika sat on his back porch smoking a cigarette. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small parcel Neji had slipped to him. He opened the tiny box and pulled out its contents: it was the necklace Neji had given him for their two year anniversary, a round piece of glass, the color of the sky with clouds carved into it, hanging on a silver chain. He smiled and went to put the necklace back in the box, when he noticed a tiny note at the bottom of the box which said, "I never really wanted you to leave." Shikamaru took a few deep breaths to quell the tears that were threatening his eyes. When he was finally relaxed he put the necklace on and headed into the house to his husband.

A few months later Shikamaru was doing the troublesome duty of shopping, Kiba said his clothes were getting too old and faded, and told him to go out and buy some new ones . So Shikamaru went to his favorite clothing store and started glancing through the racks when he noticed Neji looking through a shirt stand. He went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Neji turned around and gasped, "Shikamaru! What are you doing here?"

"My troublesome husband is making me buy new clothes." But Shikamaru noticed that Neji wasn't listening to him, his eyes were fixed on the small necklace that hung around Shikamaru's neck. "Look, I can explain—" "Shikamaru…" Neji looked up at him with the most brilliant smile he had ever seen on his face. "Thank you."

Neji helped Shikamaru pick out a variety of clothes, then pushed him into the dressing room and threw the clothes at him telling him, "Try these on." Shikamaru began trying on the clothes. The only thing he was quarreling with was one shirt that he personally thought was too tight. He opened the door to tell Neji that the shirt didn't fit, but as soon as he opened the door he was assaulted by Neji's lips on his. Shikamaru kissed back in earnest. His mind didn't register that he was cheating on his husband, all he could think of was how good Neji tasted and felt. Soon they were naked, and Shikamaru was moving inside his beloved. This was nothing like how they used to make love, it was fast and desperate, and both frantically searching for the white-euphoria that came with orgasm.

When they both finally reached their peak, it was like the dam of emotions broke and both of them couldn't stop telling the other how much they missed them and loved them, and Shikamaru couldn't stop apologizing. When they finally calmed themselves, Neji looked Shikamaru in the eyes pleadingly asked, "Can I see you again?"

Shikamaru sighed, "I'm married. God… and I just cheated on my husband. Fuck! Why?"

"Just meet me so we can talk, there is so much I want to say to you. It doesn't have to be about sex Shika."

"Okay." Shikamaru agreed, but deep down he knew that it wasn't really about sex which actually made it worse, because it was about love.

So often they fooled themselves thinking that these meetings were only about sex, but they meant so much more than either of them could put into words. They both felt guilty for cheating on their respective partners, but neither could stop themselves.

"Shikamaru?" Neji said, snapping Shika out of his reverie.

"Yes?"

"Don't think about it, it helps."

"Yeah…"

Shika's lips descended on his lover's and he kissed him passionately, tongues tangling together. Shikamaru couldn't help but feel guilty as he thought about his husband, and the fact that he never kissed him the way he kissed Neji. Shikamaru broke the kiss and grabbed the bar of hotel soap and started to wash away their sins.

Neither of them wanted to leave, they stood at the threshold of the door locked in each other's grip. Both were holding on, trying to buy more time in the arms of their lover, but they both knew their time was short. Shikamaru had to get home to Kiba, and Neji to Sasuke. Shikamaru placed one last kiss on his lover's lips, causing the tears in Neji's eyes to spill over. Shika kissed Neji's tears away and gave him one last peck on the cheek before he walked to his car.


--

It was two days before Shikamaru talked to Neji again. His phone vibrated in his pocket and when he saw that it was Neji, he yelled to Kiba. "Going out to smoke!"

"Okay."

"Hey, Honey." Shika whispered into the phone.

"Shika, I dreamed about you last night."

"I dreamt about you too." Silence… "Where's Sasuke?"

"On a mission. Where's Kiba?" "In the house." Their usual loaded silence followed."I'll see you on Friday."

"Okay… I love you Shikamaru."

"I love you too."

"Always."

"And forever."

--

Kiba went outside and sat next to Shikamaru, he snuggled in close, and Shika distantly wrapped an arm around him. They sat like that for a few minutes until Kiba started kissing his neck. Shika leaned his head to the side and gave him better access. Kiba kissed the soft skin, nuzzling his neck like a puppy. It was moments like this that Shikamaru felt the most guilty.

Shikamaru never talked to Kiba during their fleeting moments of passion. He always replaced Kiba's face with Neji in his mind, and had almost called him by the wrong name on more than one occasion. Every time they cared for those needs it was like a one-night-stand, Kiba's body so unfamiliar; it wasn't the body of the lover he knew. And Kiba was so unlike Neji.

As their fervor slipped away, he was left feeling hollow and more fragile than before. They never cuddled or held each other, but that was the way his and Kiba's relationship worked. Neither of them were particularly cuddly. Neji was actually the only lover he had ever had that particular tendency with. He had a good relationship with Kiba, they understood each other. Both of them put their duty as a Konoha Ninja before anything else. Their sex was used more as a release from the real world, from responsibility. Neither of them had to make any life or death decisions: to give that sort of pleasure and release to someone was a beautiful thing in their eyes.

--

Once again Shikamaru found himself outside the house internally dealing with another talk with Neji.

Inside the house Kiba answered a call from Shino.

"Hey precious, what's wrong?"

Reviews Please!