This is dedicated to SariaKasumi and Sabakyou who suggested that I try writing a fic with Shikadai in it. Sorry for the long wait. It took me a while to think of a plot line.
Also a huge thanks to spilihp17 for the continuous support! Please do check out this author's ShikaTema community (a work in progress) and stories, everyone!
To the guest reviewer: Sorry for the late reply! Please get a fanfiction account so I can message you easier and I have a username I can call you by. It's free to register! I'll let you know if I get any ideas for your request :)
Today marked the third day of their ongoing fight. Shikamaru could barely recall what caused the fight in the first place. There was no denying that Temari was furious. But after the nth time that she randomly smacked him upside the head, something in him snapped.
"What the hell is wrong with you, woman?!" he shouted irritably which caused his wife to be taken aback. Shikamaru rarely took the energy to raise his voice, not to mention actively fight back against her. Her wits recovered quickly.
"You have to ask?! What's wrong with me has an absurd hairdo and has a work ethic of a sloth!" she screamed back at him.
"Seriously? How childish can you get, wife? We both know those don't wash anymore. I get worked like a dog as the Hokage's advisor. And do I have to remind you what you really think about my hair?" He raised his eyebrow at her which he knew always made her bristle. And she did. Most magnificently.
"You asshole!" She stepped forward, raising her hands in his direction (most likely to strangle him) but something, or more specifically someone, made her stop in her tracks.
She was essentially frozen. Glaring at Shikamaru who seemed to be similarly in the same state as she, she told him frigidly, "Let. Go. I cannot believe you would use—"
A child's cry and sniffles sounded. "Mama, Papa, stop fighting please." A four-year old Shikadai stood by the doorway, his green eyes wet and forlorn. In his arms, he held his two favourite stuffed toys, a weasel and a deer. Shikamaru and Temari instantly felt and appeared guilty.
"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. Don't worry, we've stopped," Temari crooned softly, her eyes immediately losing that cold look. But she couldn't even turn her head to see the child. She could just see enough using her peripheral vision. She muttered sarcastically, "Now would be a great time to let go of your shadow jutsu, dear husband."
When she happened to look at him, a mixture of confusion and panic decorated his face. Then his pupils flickered downwards and his black eyes widened in revelation. "It's not me, Tem."
"What are you talking about? Stop wasting my time and - -"
"It's Shikadai."
"Excuse me?"
"Shikadai has us both in a shadow bind." His voice was full of awe.
When her eyes traced the origin of the shadow that bound her, she almost choked in surprise. Appears her husband wasn't lying.
"You're not mad at each other anymore, Mama?" Shikadai asked innocently, his precious eyes wide. Temari and Shikamaru glanced at each other warily. Both were silently asking for a temporary truce for the little one.
Temari sighed. "Yes, Shikadai. We're not mad at each other anymore."
"Okay, good!" Shikadai grinned toothily, a mirror image to Temari's own carefree smile. Shikamaru's heart sank as he hadn't seen that smile on her since they started fighting days ago.
The child then sat down on the floor and started playing with his stuffed toys. Giggling, he made the weasel and deer face each other. Shikadai suddenly shouted, "Battle time!" He took the weasel and made it charge head first towards the deer while saying "Riku-san, prepare to fight!" and headbutted the deer in the torso.
Shikamaru's eyes bugged out as he watched helplessly, rooted to his spot, as Temari move in the same manner as the weasel toy and hit him right on the solar plexus with her head. He smacked against the cabinet behind him and slid down, groaning.
"Oh god, Shikamaru, I swear it wasn't me," Temari spoke, worry etched in her features. She wanted to come near him and help him but she was still bound.
"I know... Shikadai somehow managed to channel us through his toys," Shikamaru gritted out, watching the child out of the corner of his eye. "I'm amazed he held both of us and for this long. Then again, I seem to remember when I might've done the same thing to my own parents..." Actually after thinking about it a while, he wasn't as surprised about Shikadai's abilities since Temari's genes must've given their son an extra boost in stamina and endurance that he was never gifted with.
"What do we do? Just wait til it's over?" Temari whispered.
"Probably," Shikamaru grimaced.
Shikadai then made the deer chomp its open mouth on the weasel's back, exclaiming "Kama-san, watch out!" Shikamaru stood and took a few steps to Temari and attached his mouth to Temari's shoulder which happened to be bare since she was wearing a tank top. She shivered in response, his teeth grazing her skin and his hot breath searing through her bones. Shikamaru nearly groaned since it's been awhile since they've made any physical contact (bar the smacking) since their fight began. Her skin smelled like lavender and it was warm and smooth.
The child made the weasel move back and jump on the deer, making the deer collapse onto the ground. What happened to his parents was that Temari jumped into his arms and they toppled over. Shikamaru grunted as his back met the floor with Temari on top of him, chest to chest and her legs entangled with his.
"Why does it seem like I'm getting the worse deal out of this?" Shikamaru muttered. Temari's laugh reached his ear and he saw her eyes twinkle. Stunning, he thought. Temari suggested cheekily, "Maybe coz he prefers the weasel over the deer?"
"No way, he's a Nara!" Shikamaru protested. Temari just giggled. He couldn't help but smile.
Shikadai pushed the deer to move its head to bump the weasel off him. And Shikamaru found his face mashed against her chest for a few glorious seconds before he managed to push her off him. Temari noticed his flushed face and smirked. "Tch," was all he said.
Shikadai suddenly exclaimed, "No more fighting for you two! Time to make up!" He made the stuffed toys embrace each other. Thus, Temari found herself wrapped in her husband's arms. At first she was stiff but eventually let her body become pliant. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the moment.
Shikamaru longed to tighten his arms around his wife but he contented himself with filling his lungs with her scent and rejoicing in her temporary surrender.
The toddler spoke excitedly, "Kama, you give Riku a kiss like Mama and Papa!" Maneuvering the weasel's head, he made the weasel move forward and attached its lips to the deer's for a few seconds before letting go. Giggling, Shikadai commented, "Yucky!"
Temari's head did likewise and she and Shikamaru stared at each other during those precious seconds before she backed off. Her lips tingled. Shikamaru was giving her that half-lidded stare.
"Mama! Papa! Hungry!" Shikadai demanded as he walked towards them. Temari snapped out of it and found that she was able to move normally. Heaving a sigh of relief, she scooped up the child into her arms. "Is that so, honey? Well, what are you hungry for, huh?" she said teasingly as she tickled his stomach, making the child squirm and laugh. "Mama, stop! ... Um Pancakes!"
She suddenly felt him behind her. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around the both of them and whispered, "I know what I'm hungry for." Temari blushed. She then placed down Shikadai on his dining chair and turned around in her husband's embrace. Taking the spatula on the kitchen counter behind him, she placed it in his hand, saying, "Work for it, husband. Come on, Shikadai, let's wash our hands."
Groaning good-naturedly, he went to work on those pancakes. While he was cooking, he happened to look back at them, sitting back at the table, waiting patiently. Shikadai smiled adorably at him, asking, "Pancakes done, Papa?"
"Almost, sweetheart." But before he could turn back around, he caught his wife's eyes drop to his ass and bounce back up to his face. Smirking, he turned around to transfer the pancakes onto a plate and served it on the table. "Seriously, Temari, being inappropriate in front of your child. Have some shame." He tsked. With a pinkish hue on her face and neck, she growled at him and threw a bottle at his chest while the kid wasn't looking.
"Ow!" He shouted, clutching his chest.
Shikadai asked loudly, "What's inaporate? And papa, you have an owie? Let Mama kiss it. Mama's kisses make my owies feel better always."
Shikamaru had a shit-eating grin on his face while Temari moaned in embarrassment. "Maybe later, Shikadai..."
"No, mama, now! So Papa not hurt anymore!" Shikadai urgently said, worry rounding his eyes. The kid kept staring at her expectantly which forced her to grumble under her breath and walk around the table towards her husband. Not looking at the wide smirk on his face, she dropped a quick kiss on his chest and started walking back to her chair.
"Mama, you didn't do it right! Too fast!" Shikadai cried out, lip trembling. Temari paused and sighed deeply. Turning back and stepping close to her husband again, she heard him smugly say, "Not too fast, eh."
She heard the mirth in his voice and her eye twitched. With her head covering the kid's line of sight, she made sure it lasted a few seconds all right. Through his thin shirt, she pressed her lips over his heart. Then she made a deep breathy moan in her throat that she knew drove her husband crazy during their nightly activity. Which they hadn't indulged in for quite some time. He sucked in his breath while his eyes darkened. She smirked.
When she turned back around, Shikadai was already digging into his pancakes. Crumbs and syrup were strewn all over his face, making her laugh. "Slow down, sweetheart," Temari said, wiping the mess from his face.
"Well, he certainly didn't get his eating habits from me," Shikamaru said, chuckling.
"Which is a good thing so he'll grow up big and strong," Temari retorted. "Isn't that right, Shikadai?"
The kid merely scarfed down his meal, oblivious to his surroundings.
"Amazing that he doesn't notice anything while eating. Wonder where he also got that from," Shikamaru said wryly. Temari just grinned and stared at her son fondly.
"After eating, let's go to the park, the three of us?" Shikamaru offered silently to his wife, wondering if she will take the peace offering.
She looked at him in an assessing way, tilting her head in a manner that made him want to kiss her. But he refrained. "Okay," she said simply.
"Really?" he said in wonder.
"Yeah." She smiled pleasantly at him. He smiled back, knowing everything was forgiven.
As they watched Shikadai run around the playground from the bench, Shikamaru's arm went around her shoulders and Temari's head rested on his shoulder. He gave her a gentle kiss and she sighed happily.
"Papa, that's yucky!"
"Don't worry, son, your mom likes it!"
Temari smacked him on the chest and glared at the onlookers who promptly looked away from the renowned fearsome wind shinobi.
All was right in the world again.
Father, thank you for our bloodline jutsu. Seriously.
