Shikamaru and his friends had a tradition. The night before one of their birthdays they would all go to a bar and drink until it was their birthday. Tonight it was Kiba's birthday, and for the record Shikamaru would have been content to sit in the booth and drink the whole time, but his friends forced him to buy rounds for them all. So Tom begrudgingly got up and moved over to the bar, which is where he saw Temari.
Temari is an art major at Empire State, she also minors in drama. Of course Shikamaru didn't know any of that yet. In fact he didn't even know her name. What Shikamaru did know was that there was an attractive woman sitting on the bar stool to his right. She had her blonde hair done up in four ponytails. She was also wearing a black dress that cut off at her mid-thigh. The part that really got his attention though were the ripped fishnets she was wearing. She seemed to possess a kind of dangerous beauty.
"It's rude to stare." The girl said without even looking up from her drink.
"What are you my mother?" Shikamaru asked.
"Do you normally stare at your mother like you want to make a sleazy porn with her?" The girl retorted.
"No, and I don't stare at random bar floozies that way either." Shikamaru shot back. The bartender came and Shikamaru paid for 'the finest lager in the house.' which from the looks of the bar would be much cheaper than what was charged. Then, after a second take of the girl next to him he also ordered a beer for himself. The beer came first which Shikamaru quickly opened and took a swig from it. Now maybe it was the three and half beers in him already, or maybe he'd already been planning on saying something along these lines to her but either way Shikamaru was grateful for the excuse of alcohol. "Look," Shikamaru said turning to face her after the bartender handed him a pitcher of beer. "I just came up here to get beer for my friends." Shikamaru indicated the booth his friends were sitting at. "I have to go give them this booze now, so the way I see it you could either come with me and try to act civil or," He added in his bored tone. "I could just come back and we could continue this pointless argument."
"I have never been known to make things easy." Temari said mimicking his bored to death tone.
"I don't doubt it." Shikamaru said walking back over to his friends and giving them the beer.
"Dude." Kiba said. "Who's the babe?"
"No idea," Shikamaru said simply.
"I'd do her." Naruto said, Shikamaru just rolled his eyes.
"You'd do anyone."
"I'm offended."
"Well it's true." Ino said cutting in. "Seriously though you seemed to be hitting it off with her."
"Hitting it off?" Shikamaru mocked. "What is this the sixties?"
"Hey save the witty banter for her." Ino said in a way that was more an order despite the friendly context. Shikamaru just shrugged and walked back over to the bar.
"Sorry about that, where were we?" He asked sitting on the stool next to her.
"Well you were just childishly insulting me," Temari said. "But I'm not really sure where you were going with it."
"Eh whatever," He muttered. "My name's Shikamaru and you are...?"
"Thinking you'll have to try harder than that." She said sipping out of her glass.
"I'll buy you another drink." He said.
"And why would you do that?" Temari asked.
"Well for starters it's trying harder isn't it?"
"I guess," She said with a shrug. Then she turned and called down the bar. "Bartender, this guy's buying me another hurricane."
"You had to pick the most expensive drink?" Shikamaru asked.
"Please, nothing's really expensive in this place." Temari said. Shikamaru had to agree.
"Ok, so," Shikamaru said handing her the drink. "Name?"
"Temari," She answered.
Shikamaru was about to continue trying hit on Mia when his friend came up and broke the law of guys. He C-blocked.
"Shikamaru, Kiba's gonna start a fight if we don't get him home." Chouji said. Shikamaru groaned. Unfortunately he was the only one with a car at the moment so he'd have to take everyone home.
"Sorry," Shikamaru said getting up and putting his jacket on. "I'll have to try harder another time."
"Oh I don't know," Temari said casually sipping her drink. "You might've done enough for one night. Besides your friend looks pretty out of it." Shikamaru looked over to see Kiba literally falling out of the booth. He turned back to Temari only to be faced with a napkin being shoved in his face.
"Huh?" He asked intelligently.
"My number, give me a ring sometime." She said as she crossed her legs, an act which effectively removed any doubt from Shikamaru's mind about whether or not he'd be calling her.
"Alright, Goodnight Temari." He said heading out the door where Kiba was literally being carried out by Ino and Chouji. Shikamaru's car was a faded green pick up. With him driving, although technically drunk he wouldn't let anyone else drive his car. Ever. Ino and Chouji had managed to get Kiba into the bed and sat there with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Which left Naruto in the cab.
"You're a little to good at flirting," Naruto said as Shikamaru reached for a cigarette. "Anyone ever tell you that."
Shikamaru quickly lit and took a drag from his cigarette. "Someone might've told me it once." He replied. "Why? Besides you're not exactly helpless."
"Yeah but you man," Naruto whistled, he also rolled down his window. "You can find a willing female without even trying, it's like art."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Shikamaru grunted. "Last time I checked I got the LEAST amount of action in the building."
"Well yeah, but that's only because you refuse to try." Naruto said. "Kiba hooks up with anyone who's willing-"
"So do you." Shikamaru said.
"Touche, and Chouji and Ino have wall to wall sex like every other hour."
"So it's simply through lack of trying?" Shikamaru said in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, the smoke doesn't help women see your finer qualities." Naruto said.
"I'm a college drop out who works at a grocery store five days a nights and a gas station those days." Shikamaru said. "I don't have finer qualities."
"And yet still you got the girl's number." Naruto said.
"Heh, I did didn't I?" Shikamaru chuckled as he looked at the numbers jotted down on a cocktail napkin. When they got to the apartment building the sun was already coming up over the skyline. It painted the whole city a faded red through the polluted haze. Shikamaru went around back and helped Ino and Chouji with Kiba and they carried him up the front steps while he mumbled on about something. Naruto held the door open to his and Kiba's apartment and the group dumped Kiba rather unceremoniously on the couch.
"Well, goodnight guys." Shikamaru called over his shoulder on his way out. He walked the three flights up to his apartment and opened the door. Shikamaru's apartment was by no means glamorous. As mentioned before he didn't exactly have a pro-ball career. It was pretty bare, with white walls and wooden floors. The kitchen was separated from the living room by a counter, the living room doubled as a bedroom thanks to the mattress flopped down on the floor, and the only part of the room that actually showed character was the bookcase in the corner brimming with books from as far back as his childhood and as recent as the David Copperfield and Great Expectations he had purchased last week. Next to the bookcase there was a Lay-Z-Boy, which was probably the most expensive thing in his apartment, and a lamp. Most nights, when he did sleep, Shikamaru fell asleep with a book in his lap in the Lay-Z-Boy. As the sun pierced the sky Shikamaru's apartment was illuminated the same melancholy shade of red as the rest of the city. Tom surveyed his apartment and gained a sense of comfort from the room. No matter what ever happened, no matter how bad a day he had, he could always come home to his familiar, if somewhat drab, apartment. It wasn't much, but it the pale red light of a city sunrise it was home. As Shikamaru looked his apartment over once more he noticed something that might pose a problem when contacting Temari. He didn't own a phone. Oh well, He thought. I'll figure something out in the morning.
