i don't own naruto.

happy new year everyone! i hope you enjoy this one shot.

this is unbeta'd.

p.s. reviews make me want to write a sequel. ;)

Renewal

- o -

The library at Konoha University usually wasn't too busy on Thursday afternoons, but for some reason, on the one day Neji Hyuuga had to actually go take out a book, the line for the front desk was ridiculously long. It also didn't help that there was only one person behind the counter, and that person seemed to be taking their sweet time in helping the library patrons. Neji, standing in the middle of the line after already having waited fifteen minutes, crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

Sighing, Neji stood on the tips of his toes and craned his neck, looking past all of the people to see what on earth was taking so long. When his eyes caught sight of a certain black haired ponytailed sophomore, he groaned. Ah. That explained it.

Shikamaru Nara was the laziest person Neji knew, so it was surprising that the other male was now working at the library. Neji was unfortunate enough to share an AP Calculus class with the younger male, and most of the time, the only thing he did was sleep. When the younger male wasn't dozing off in class with his face pressed against the desk, he could usually be found giving the professor some smart-ass answer.

But every now and then, there were occasions when Shikamaru wasn't doing those things, and those were the times Neji couldn't help but watch him. When he was working on a math problem, for example. His eyes would be narrowed in concentration while he solved it, and when he finally scratched out the answer, an expression of pure smug satisfaction would come over on his face. Or when he was gazing out of the window. Neji knew that he wasn't just staring into space; if he wanted to doze off, he would just lay down on the desk. No, whenever the ponytailed boy did this it meant he was thinking; calculating numbers and equations in his brain, his thoughts whirring so quickly you could practically hear the gears click. Neji had been watching the young male long enough to know this for a fact-- not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

It wasn't as if the Nara was uneasy to look at, either. He was tall, lean, not overly muscled but nowhere near skinny. He had a general air of disinterest around him, which could either be incredibly infuriating or ridiculously sexy, depending on who you were. Smooth skin, nice lips, and a strong jawline made him fairly popular with the ladies, and some of the guys as well.

…But besides all of these qualities, Shikamaru was still a lazy, conceited jerk. Neji didn't even know why Tsunade, the head librarian, would hire him anyway. He was obviously unsuited for the job, if the way he was currently conducting business was any indiction.

Chocolate brown eyes were nearly obscured by the other male's eyelids, seeing as he was on the verge of falling asleep as he stamped another patron's stack of books. Neji shuffled forward on the line, sighing in relief as the person in front of him took their books and left. He approached the desk. When he got there, he saw that the other boy's eyes had actually finally closed, and he was snoring lightly. Neji smirked. He would bet that Shikamaru wouldn't be holding this job for long.

"Shikamaru!"

The younger boy snapped awake. "…Huh? Oh! Hey, Neji." He looked genuinely surprised to see the older male. Neji couldn't blame him. He usually only left his dorm room for classes or meals.

"Where's Tsunade?" Neji asked, his hands in the pockets of his zip-up hoodie. Normally, his daily attire would consist of a white polo shirt and dark slacks, but today he had opted for something more casual, since he didn't plan on being outside of his dorm for too long.

Shikamaru yawned. "What does it matter to you?"

"I need her to help me find a book."

"That's actually my job now. See the nameplate?" The ponytailed male tapped on a sign at the front of the desk that read MR. NARA: LIBRARY INTERN.

"Oh. Well, I need a book." Neji crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I assumed that was why you're here."

Neji frowned. "It's on philosophical aesthetics, so I doubt that you'd know where it is. So, if you don't mind, Shikamaru, I'd appreciate it if--"

"Mr. Nara."

"--What?"

"Read the sign." Shikamaru grinned lazily. "It's Mr. Nara to you students."

"We're in the same math class. There's no way I'm calling you--"

"Next!" Shikamaru called, looking past Neji to the people on line behind him.

"Okay, okay!" Neji hissed. "I'm sorry. Just please, can you get Tsunade for me so she can--"

"Apology accepted." Shikamaru interrupted smoothly. "Your book is in aisle H, second bookcase, fifth shelf from the bottom."

Neji scoffed. "How could you possibly know--"

"Aesthetic Relativity and the Philosophy of the Arts, right?"

Neji was floored. "Y-yes."

"Aisle H. Second bookcase. The fifth shelf from the bottom." Shikamaru repeated, as if he were talking to someone particularly slow.

"…Oh. Well. Thank you." Neji hurried away.

"No problem, Neji." Shikamaru said amusedly. His eyes followed the older boy until he disappeared behind a bookshelf.

The next patron coughed. "Ahem."

"…Sorry."

- o -

Neji ranted in his mind all the way to the bookshelf.

Goodness, that boy was infuriating! He led you into believing he was just some stupid lazy bum, then caught you off guard with how smart he actually was. What a jerk. It was such a shame that he was so attractive.

…Or not. Because it wasn't as if Neji would even entertain thoughts of being with the younger boy in the first place. Shikamaru was almost always slothlike, mildly obnoxious when he acted like he knew everything, and was probably only attending college for the 'experience', like many of the people Neji used to hang out with.

Although, he did get good grades. And he was charming, when he wanted to be be. He also had a really nice voice, now that Neji thought about it. It was masculine without being too deep, and slightly scratchy. It would sound positively wicked murmuring dirty words into Neji's ear….

Neji stopped walking, horrified. What was wrong with him? He resisted the urge to bang his head against a hard surface and started walking again. He shouldn't be having those kind of thoughts about anyone, let alone one of the most apathetic boys he knew. He had to stay focused on his studies.

During his freshman year of college, he had been so relieved to be away from his strict family that he had gone a little bit wild. Parties nearly every night, dancing and hooking up with strangers, waking up on the floor fifteen minutes before his first class started. When his grades for the first semester had been sent home, his uncle had been furious. He had come up to the college himself, and had screamed at Neji in front of nearly all of his teachers. He told him that if he didn't get his act together, he would literally disown him. It wasn't as if Neji's grades had been that horrible; it was just, in his uncle's own words, 'A Hyuuga has never been anything less than perfect'.

Ever since then, the only thing Neji that concentrated on was his schoolwork. He knew he messed up badly his freshman year, and had dishonored himself in front of his uncle. He could allow nothing to prevent him from getting less than stellar grades. He didn't even realize that he was overdoing it; he had cut himself off from all of his former friends, so going to class and then returning to his dorm to do homework was pretty much all he knew. No one even tried to make an effort to get him to have some fun anymore, so he was free to do absolutely nothing besides sleep, eat, and study. It was an almost sad existence, but a familiar and result-producing one (he was the top student in all of his classes), so Neji stuck to it.

At last, he came to the bookshelf he was looking for. He scanned the titles, running his finger along the books until he came to the space where the one he was looking for should have been.

It wasn't there. Neji's face fell.

He needed this book! He had an essay due in a week and he had to start it tonight or else he would most likely end up slacking off and failing out of school and being disowned and having to work at a ramen stand for the rest of his life. Leaving the library today without the book was simply not an option.

"Damn it." He hissed under his breathed, whirling around and stalking back towards the front of the library.

- o -

"The book isn't there!" After waiting on line for another ten minutes, Neji was in front of Shikamaru again, both hands slammed onto the counter.

"It's not?" Shikamaru said boredly, brown eyes flicking over to glance at the computer screen. He tapped at a few keys. "Hm… ah, yes. That particular book has been loaned out."

"What!?" Neji shrieked, causing quite a few people to look up from what they were doing and 'shhh' at him. "Why couldn't you tell me this before?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Guess I didn't notice it."

"Who has it?"

"It would be against the library's policy for me to tell you who has taken out this book." The other boy recited.

"Well, when is it due back?" Neji demanded, only slightly on the verge of becoming hysterical. "Please, Shikam-- Mr. Nara. I really need this book."

Shikamaru looked surprised. "You don't really have to call me that, you know. I was just teasing you before."

"Whatever." Neji said, exasperated. "Just tell me when I can get it."

Shikamaru scanned the computer screen. "You're in luck. It's supposed to be returned today."

Neji breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."

Shikamaru straightened up in his chair and looked Neji in the eyes for the first time.

"You're welcome to hang around until it's returned." Shikamaru said casually. "As a matter of fact, I go on break in about ten minutes."

Neji blinked at the intern. "You want me to hang out with you?"

The other boy shrugged. "If you've got nothing better to do. We… we could go get some food, or something."

Neji suddenly felt very warm. A light blush rose up on his cheeks. "I… can't. I have to study."

"Really." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Neji said hastily. "I do. I'll come back when the library's closing. You should have it by then, right?"

"...Yeah. Are you sure you don't want to--"

"I'm sure!" Neji yelped, hurrying away from the front desk for the second time that day.

- o -

The library was exceptionally frightening at nine o'clock at night. Neji had foolishly dozed off in a comfortable chair near the rear of the library, and now, navigating his way through the tall bookshelves was the price he had to pay. The previous night he had forgone sleep in favor of studying for a test he had in his Logic class. Truthfully, Neji hadn't realized that he was so tired until he had fallen into the soft cushions. He had only intended to sleep for fifteen minutes, but now he was awake and it was nearly five hours later. Neji shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. It was nearly pitch black in the library, and on more than one occasion he had stumbled into a bookshelf or tripped over a cart.

Even though the library was normally a quiet place, being inside while it was deathly silent was a bit unnerving. It closed every night at 8:30pm, and that meant that Neji was half an hour late for his 'meeting' with Shikamaru. He hoped that the younger boy was still waiting for him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get his book.

There was also the small matter of being locked in the library after hours. Yes, he sincerely hoped that the younger boy was still waiting for him.

"Shikamaru…" He called, pulling his hoodie tighter around him. He had his hand out to the left, feeling for the bookcases as he passed them. Once he walked more than five steps without knocking his fingers into smooth wood, he knew he had reached the large, spacious area of the front of the library. The circulation desk shouldn't be too far off.

"…Shikamaru!" He said again, nearing the beginning of fear.

"Looking for someone?" Purred a low voice by his ear.

Neji nearly had a heart attack. He practically leaped away from the other male, clutching his chest. "Shit! Don't do that!"

"Jumpy much?" Shikamaru said, amused. He walked around Neji and over to the front of the library, knowing his way around by heart. A lamp clicked on in front of Neji, revealing the other male leaning against the circulation desk. The fingers of his left hand trailed idly over the cover of a thick, dark green textbook.

Neji sighed in relief as his eyes fell on the book. He stepped forward and reached for it, but Shikamaru held up a hand to stop him.

"You're late."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "So?"

"So…" Shikamaru pushed off from the counter, walking forward until he was standing inches away from Neji. The older boy could feel the heat emanating from the boy in front of him, and it nearly made him shiver. "…overdue books require a late fee." He cupped Neji's face with his hand, smoothing away a stray strand of hair with his thumb.

Neji's throat suddenly felt very dry. The logical part of his brain was telling him to just grab the book and go, but the other part of his brain, the part that like the feeling of the other boy's large, warm hand on his face, the part that wanted his personal space invaded, was telling him to play along. Physical contact with another person was an uncommon, nearly nonexistent occurrence for him, and now he realized that he liked being close to another person, even if it was Shikamaru.

Especially if it was Shikamaru.

Neji exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to nuzzle into the other boy's caress. "But… how can I be overdue? I was never checked out in the first place."

The other boy smirked. "Oh, I assure you, you were checked out." Shikamaru paused, allowed his gaze to blatantly wander over Neji's body. "Thoroughly."

Neji swallowed hard. "Wh- How much is the fine?"

"Well… I can waive the fee, if you'd like… but then you'd have to do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

Warm fingers cupped Neji's chin and gently pulled him closer, until the younger boy's lips were next to the Hyuuga's ear. Neji's eyes widened as the other male murmured his request.

Neji's first response: "You want me to--"

"Mm-hm."

Neji's second response: "Here?"

"Where else?"

Neji's third response, which really should have been his first: "Y-you can't blackmail me! I'll--"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to blackmail you."

And suddenly Neji found himself pulled tightly against Shikamaru's hard body. His breath caught in his throat at the feel of the other boy's hands on his hips, holding them flush against his own.

"I'm just trying to give you some… encouragement. You think I don't know how you look at me in class? I'm not always asleep, you know."

His voice was low, a gentle rumble as he revealed to Neji something the other male had barely even acknowledged himself. "But you're far too proud to admit something like that, aren't you? So I have to force it out of you." Shikamaru's breath was warm against the edge of Neji's jawline. His fingers had crept under Neji's shirt, and were gently stroking the sensitive skin on Neji's hipbones.

"I know you. All you do is study. You don't speak to anyone unless you absolutely have to. You don't have any friends."

Neji bit his lip. So what? Friends would distract me. I don't need them. I need to graduate. I need to… Oh, God, that feels nice.

Soft lips teased a trail up to his ear. "I could be your friend. If you let me."

That was starting to sound like a really good idea. Neji blinked, tying to clear his mind.

Shikamaru abruptly released the longer haired boy. "If you want the book, there it is. But if you want something else… well, then you know what to do." He stepped back until he was leaning against the counter again, hands in his pockets.

Neji instantly missed the warmth of the other man's body and his alluring touch. His body was feeling alive for the first time in ages. He didn't want to walk away. He couldn't. He wanted more from the younger male, and Shikamaru had told him exactly what he had to do for it.

Besides, he told himself, ivory eyes rising to meet the other boy's expectant gaze. If you had to do this with anyone… it might as well be with him.

Slowly, Neji took two steps forward, then sank to his knees.

Shikamaru grinned.

Neji reached forward and shakily placed a hand on the front of the intern's pants. He popped the button on the other boy's jeans, then slowly lowered the zipper. Shikamaru's cock was already half hard, and was warm and solid in Neji's hand. He felt excitement mixed with apprehension well up in his chest, and he took a deep breath before looking up at Shikamaru for further instruction.

"Your mouth, Neji."

Oh. Right.

The Hyuuga leaned forward, and tentatively flicked his tongue against the tip. Shikamaru sucked in a breath. Neji continued, licking a long trail of warm saliva down the other boy's shaft, as if he wanted to taste all of it. It was musky, and tasted like sweat with a hint of salt. He continued his oral exploration until every inch of it was glazed with his saliva. By the time he was done, the younger boy's cock was fully hard.

Neji wet his lips. With a final glance upward at Shikamaru's face, he closed his mouth over the tip, pushing forward and feeling the decadent slide of Shikamaru's cock past his lips.

The younger boy's hips rocked forward into the wet heat of Neji's mouth. Shikamaru could hardly believe that his little gamble had worked. To be quite honest, he had expected the other boy to adamantly refuse, even going so far as to report him for sexual harassment. But there he was, on his knees in front of him, his pale pink lips wrapped around Shikamaru's cock. It had been a risk, but the prize was more than worth it.

Shikamaru had known he wanted the Hyuuga boy since the first time he saw him in their calculus class at the beginning of the semester. The first and only time he had approached the other male with a simple 'hey', Neji had simply glared at him, then gathered up his things and walked away, mumbling 'lazy jerk' under his breath. Shikamaru took it in stride. He had asked around, and discovered that Neji was exactly what he looked to be on the outside; quiet, studious, rarely seen outside of class. But after digging a little bit deeper, he had found out that Neji used to be far more outgoing in his freshman year-- nearly a completely different person.

Shikamaru had wanted to see that personality. He wanted to see Neji unrestrained, without inhibitions. He had already become enamored with the boy's looks, but his true disposition, what he kept hidden behind stacks of books, was what he really wanted to know.

True, coercing the boy into blowing him wasn't exactly the most tactful way to do that. But Shikamaru knew, that morning in the library, that today would be his only chance to get to discover what lay beneath the boy's icy exterior. He had intentionally just wanted to hang out with Neji for a while; but when such as small request was denied, Shikamaru knew that he had to resort to much more unconventional tactics. Seduction was his best bet. And it had to be done tonight-- Shikamaru knew that the chances of him ever finding himself in a position where he could hold something over Neji's head were slim to none.

And, luckily, his plan had worked. Almost too well.

Neji took the boy's cock deeper into his mouth. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on his task. He wasn't a complete stranger to the act, but his last sexual encounter had been nearly two years ago. He wasn't too sure if he was doing it right, but, judging from the noises Shikamaru was making, his efforts were at least passable. He bobbed his head slightly, then pulled back, swirling his tongue around the head before taking the whole thing in once more.

"F-fuck.. just like that… yeah. God, Neji, you're--" Shikamaru cut himself off, moaning as he threaded his fingers through the older boy's rich, glossy brown hair.

To Neji, his task was quickly becoming less of a job and more of an indulgence. He found that his attraction for the younger boy had increased dramatically within the last couple of minutes; What he had initially mistook for cockiness on the other boy was confidence instead-- the confidence to go after what he wanted, and it aroused something in Neji that had been dormant for so long.

Neji's slender fingers were curled around the base, and he moaned softly as he sucked harder on his mouthful. His other hand was resting gently on the front of Shikamaru's denim clad thigh. Saliva slid out from the seam of his lip as he went forward and back on the hard shaft that was invading his mouth.

Shikamaru fought to keep his eyes open as the wet pressure on his cock became almost unbearable. He didn't want to miss any of part of the experience. He wanted the image of Neji on his knees, dark hair falling into his eyes as he pleasured the younger boy burned into his brain forever.

"I'm close." Shikamaru warned with a groan. "Shit, Neji, I'm gonna… FUCK." Shikamaru couldn't help but tug harder on the older boy's hair, hips thrusting shallowly into Neji's mouth as he came. Neji nearly choked as the first spurts of Shikamaru's release hit the back of his throat. To ease the burden, he exhaled through his nose and swallowed as best as he could.

Neji's eyes were closed as Shikamaru pulled him off of his dick. His lips were parted, shiny with spit, and his face was flushed with something other than exertion. A quick glance to the older boy's crotch confirmed Shikamaru's suspicions: Neji was hard. He had enjoyed sucking him off.

"Was that so bad?" Shikamaru asked breathlessly as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the strands that had somehow escaped from his hair tie. He tucked himself back into his jeans as Neji opened his eyes.

"...Can I have the book now?" The Hyuuga asked softly, partially out of embarrassment, and partially because he didn't know what else to say.

"No." And once again, Neji found him pulled against the other male, a strong thigh pressing in between his legs. Shikamaru kissed him soundly, entwining his tongue with the other boy's without even bothering to coax permission from him. He gently guided the other boy against the counter, reversing their positions.

He broke the kiss and leaned in to Neji's ear again. "I want you to make yourself come." He murmured huskily, emphasizing his statement by pushing his thigh further in between the other boy's legs, drawing a light gasp from him.

Neji's eyes were half lidded. What was essentially his first kiss all over again had left him dazed. "Mm… what..?"

"Here-- I'll help." He placed one hand on Neji's lower back, pressing him closer to his body, and, as a result, sliding the boy upwards on his thigh, creating a pleasurable friction. Neji gasped, and, before he could stop himself, pushed back down to create that delicious feeling against his nether regions once more.

"See? You like it."

"Mmm..." He whined and repeated the action, unwillingly drawing a moan from his parted lips. Was he really doing this? Was he really going to come in his pants, intimately pressed against someone who he had barely spoken two words to before today?

Shikamaru slid his hand up Neji's shirt, catching a rosy nipple and caressing it with the rough pad of his thumb. Neji cried out as his hips grinded a seductive rhythm on the younger boy's thigh.

Shikamaru leaned down and started trailing hot kisses down his neck. He moved his hands to firmly grasp Neji's bared hips, subtly controlling the other boy's movements. Neji had his arms beneath Shikamaru's, wrapped around the younger boy's torso, nails digging into his upper back. He moaned and tilted his head back, giving Shikamaru's lips more access, while his lower body rolled against the other male's leg.

If he were in his right mind, he would be wondering how the younger boy could allow himself to be violated like that, or why the hell he was participating in sexual acts in a library, for goodness' sake; but he was too caught up in this unfamiliar ecstasy to care about anything anymore.

"Haah… ahhn…" Shikamaru pulled away from the other boy's neck and captured his lips in a deep kiss once more. Neji arched against him and kissed back frantically, moving increasingly closer to the edge. The kiss broke and Shikamaru rested his forehead against Neji's, their lips barely touching as the older boy breathed heavily into the space between their mouths. Neji removed his hands from Shikamaru's back, choosing to clutch the front of the younger boy's shirt tightly instead.

"Oooh, Shikamaru… yes, yes, yes--" Neji practically sobbed his orgasm into the younger male's shirt, as the ultimate pleasure invaded his body. Shikamaru slid his arms back around his waist, holding him close as his shudders subsided.

Neji panted into Shikamaru's neck, his mind racing now that it was cleared. Oh, God. He had disgraced himself once more. He had let himself be drawn in by the pleasure. He was a slut. He was going to fail out of college just because he had a moment of weakness. Shikamaru was going to leave him on the floor and never speak to him again. He…

Shikamaru cupped his face and kissed him again, passionately, as if watching the older male come was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Neji kissed back, the corners of his eyes damp with moisture.

When Shikamau pulled away, he smiled at Neji. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

- o -

Neji sighed as he closed the door to his dorm room behind him, grateful for the fact that he was finally home after the long walk across campus. He quickly changed into his sleep clothes, brushed his teeth, then got into bed with the textbook he had received and his laptop.

After what Neji had titled 'The Incident', Shikamaru was extremely courteous. He had unlocked the bathroom for him so he could clean himself up as best as he could. He had also nearly insisted on walking Neji back to his dorm room, but Neji had declined, preferring to walk back with his thoughts instead.

Now, Neji wasn't sure where he stood with the boy. Shikamaru had kissed him on the cheek right before they parted ways, but they hadn't exchanged phone numbers or anything, like friends or potential sex partners were allegedly supposed to do. He didn't even know if Shikamaru liked him, to be quite honest. Neji hadn't exactly been the nicest person in the world to him.

He sighed again, rolling over onto his stomach. Oh well. It had felt good to let himself go for just a small amount of time. Planning a relationship, and actually being a part of one, would be too distracting. It was probably for the best.

Neji opened the front cover of the book, planning on finishing at least half of his essay tonight. His eyes narrowed in confusion. This wasn't a library book-- there was no stamp indicating it belong to the university, nor was there a pocket intended for the card that would tell Neji when it was due back. This book was someone's personal copy. A certain someone named Shikamaru Nara, according to the scrawled signature in the upper right hand corner.

Neji's lip twitched.

He turned to the next page. There was a post-it attached to it. It read:

Neji,

The library's copy of this book wasn't due back for another week. I decided to lend you mine instead. Feel free to return it whenever you want.

Shikamaru

P.S. Study date? Friday? You know where to find me.

Neji closed the book and hugged it to his chest, unable to stop the smile that spread across his lips.