Giftfic for LeyaBell from Archive of Our Own.

It wasn't easy finding time to spend together these days. Between exhausting missions, dealing with ambassadors, clan politics, and just plain, everyday issues - like shopping- it was nearly impossible to make time for one another. So when a lull in missions and politics came Shikamaru was quick to secure a day off. Neji was supposed to be back by just before nightfall. This meant that the Nara would have time for a nap before getting up to make supper.

It had been a while since the two of them had been able to have a meal together at home, much less a home cooked meal. For this reason Shikamaru had decided to make Neji's favorite, herring soba, for their evening meal. A quick run to the market and Shikamaru had everything he needed. Once he was home and all of the items he had bought put away the Nara headed for their bedroom and set the alarm clock. As much as he liked his naps it wouldn't do to oversleep. Not when he had a nice night planned for the two of them. Shikamaru checked the clock a second time to ensure that it would go off on time before he stretched out on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Neji didn't expect much in way of greeting when he returned to Konoha. As busy as things had been he honestly wouldn't be to surprised to find the house dark and Shikamaru curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Lately he'd had to coax the Nara off the couch to get him into their bed due to how tired Shikamaru was. Therefore, it was quite the shocking change to see the fully lit up house in between the trees surrounding their home. He stepped onto the porch, extending his senses to find only Shikamaru home. The door was unlocked, which meant that Shikamaru was definitely awake. Neji opened the door and was greeted by the smell of what was clearly a home cooked meal. "Shikamaru?"

To the Hyūga's surprise, Shikamaru appeared in the kitchen doorway looking bright eyed and more energetic than he had in the last three months combined. Bemused, Neji said, "You look well rested."

Shikamaru smiled at him as he replied, "I got the day off. So I was able to get a good night's sleep and a nap today."

"That certainly explains it," Neji said with a soft laugh.

"Mm, you don't look as tired as I thought you would be," Shikamaru commented.

"We finished the mission surprisingly early and decided to take our time in returning to Konoha. TenTen, Kiba and Akamaru were happy with the sedate pace even if Lee was chomping at the bit, so to speak, to get home quickly," Neji answered. "What have you made for supper? It smells good. Much better than our mission rations."

"Your favorite actually. I thought that since I had the day off I'd cook something instead of us going out to eat," Shikamaru stated with a grin. "I figured it would be nice to spend some time together by ourselves. We've both been so busy lately and it's seriously cut into our personal time. Not to mention that it's a nice evening. We can have supper out in the yard and just relax tonight."

Neji smiled and teased, "A candlelight picnic, Nara? How cliché."

"Are you complaining about my plans, Hyūga?" Shikamaru asked as he began to stalk towards Neji in a menacing way. His playful grin, however, gave the game away.

Neji pretended to be frightened by the Nara, amused by Shikamaru's playful mood, and backed away as the other advanced on him. "I am most certainly not complaining," he said as his back hit the door.

Shikamaru pressed himself against the Hyūga and curled his fingers into Neji's robes. "It certainly seemed that way to me," the Nara purred, his eyes were half closed but Neji could see the amusement dancing in the dark brown depths when Shikamaru tilted his head up slightly to look him in the eyes. "Welcome home."

Neji smiled down at him and ducked his head to drop a kiss on the Nara's own smiling mouth. "I'm home...and very hungry."

Shikamaru burst into laughter and leaned against Neji for a few minutes until he could calm down. "I hear you. Go get a blanket and some candles. I'm going to finish the fruit tray I was making for dessert and then I'll start bringing everything outside."

"Sounds good."

Supper, Neji decided, had been fantastic. He and Shikamaru had merely sat together and talked as they ate, getting back into the routine of simply relaxing in the presence of each other again. Afterwards, they'd fed each other fruit, sometimes making a game out of it and laughing and teasing as they played. All in all it had been perfect. Now, the dishes were set to one side and Neji jumped a little when Shikamaru grabbed him and pulled him down on top of him as the Nara flopped back on to the blanket.

Neji chuckled as he sprawled over Shikamaru's chest. "Tired already, Nara," he teased.

"Nope. Just wanted to lie here with you. Like I said, it's a nice night. Look," Shikamaru pointed upwards. Neji twisted off of Shikamaru and settled on his right propped up on an elbow and pressed himself against the Nara's left side as he followed where Shikamaru pointed with his eyes, "you can see just about every star in the sky out here. How many times have you actually looked up just to look at the night sky? It's beautiful, isn't it?"

The sky was clear, completely untouched by a single dark wisp of cloud, and the stars shimmered and danced with pale light in a cloak of the deepest blues and black. The moon hung large in the sky and gave the nighttime world a luminescent dusting of silver over everything, including them. Neji smiled when he heard the undisguised awe in Shikamaru's voice and couldn't help but agree. "It is. And as for your previous question - not often. A shame truly. The view is breathtaking. I'm glad you suggested this. Though I do wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"Is stargazing better than your beloved cloud watching?"

To Neji's surprise, yet again, the Nara's cheeks darkened in a slight blush.

"A little better," Shikamaru admitted. He looked away, "but only because you're here to look at the stars with me."

Neji froze and for a long time all that could be heard was the sound of the wind in the trees. A Barn Owl hooted from somewhere close by followed by the faint noise of hungry chicks. Finally, Neji smiled down at Shikamaru as he relaxed. "You're in a rare mood tonight," he commented quietly. "Normally it's like pulling teeth to get such an answer from you."

Shikamaru's blush darkened and he shrugged, not making eye contact. Neji laughed softly, "I never said it was a bad thing. It means I'm always pleasantly surprised when you do say things like that without any prompting. Though, I do admit to liking this side of you. Perhaps this is something we could do more often. It's nice just lying out here with you like this."

Shikamaru smiled up at Neji a bit shyly. "I think so too. And yeah, we can definitely do this more often."

Neji leaned down and kissed Shikamaru chastely before he laid his head on the Nara's chest. His hearing picked up the sound of Shikamaru's slightly faster than usual heartbeat as he curled up close to him. He felt Shikamaru's hands come up, one settling around his waist and the other tangling in his hair. Neji smiled to himself. He'd been surprised by Shikamaru's admittance but the feeling was eclipsed by the warmth in his chest. Nothing could be better than knowing you made someone happy just by being there at that person's side.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Is not part of the From Then to Now series but can be considered as part of the universe in which they live.