Title: Tobikuma
Author: BrokenKage
Summary: "Let's name him Tobikuma," Shikamaru whispered breathlessly, tracing a finger down his son's cheek with a gentle finger. Neji cocked his head to the side in contemplation, Tobikuma meant Flying Cloud and it was a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning.
Genre: Romance/Family
Disclaimer: I don't own the sandbox, I'm just playing in it for a while.
Warning: Yaoi
Pairing: ShikaNeji
Rating: T
Authors notes: And I'm back! This time I come bearing a cutesy little oneshot that came out of no where and serves no purpose other than my own amusement and hopefully yours as well! Still no beta, but please enjoy anyway! If you have a moment, leave me a review and let me know what you think, if not I hope you liked it anyway!
Shikamaru had always loved the clouds. He loved the way they changed without rhyme or reason, and he loved that they were totally free from the troubles that plagued the world below them. He had loved watching them twist and turn for as long he could remember, often times his mother would look for him frantically for hours when he was no older than five years old only to find him lying on a tree branch in the Nara forest watching the clouds.
It only made sense that he had fallen in love with a Hyuuga. Hyuuga eyes had always fascinated him, almost as much as the clouds themselves had. He had been content in watching Neji from afar, never imagining that the boy with clouds for eyes would feel the same way he did.
Never once did he imagine that five years after the fourth great shinobi war he would be sitting on the edge of a hospital bed holding a small blue bundle in his arms next to the boy with clouds for eyes. He looked from the tiny face of their newborn son to the peaceful face of his sleeping partner, and smiled contentedly.
Even though the baby was unexpectedly early, and Shikamaru had consequently missed his birth, the Jounin was indescribably happy. It wasn't every day a man became a father, after all. He knew he was going to get an earful when Neji woke, but for once he didn't find the idea troublesome at all. He was in awe of his lover for giving him a child, and he was in awe of said child as well.
A soft knock caused the baby's face to scrunch up before smoothing out again with a gentle hush from his father. Hinata poked her head into the room, and smiled at the sight of Shikamaru sitting there holding the baby. "Hello Shika-kun, may I come in?" she asked even quieter than usual, and waited for his affirmative nod before stepping into the room. "I came by to make sure Neji-niisan was alright, but now that he has you here I have no doubt he will be fine." The younger woman grimaced briefly. "He's been asleep for almost twelve hours. How long have you been here?"
"About ten minutes. Naruto met me at the gate, I just returned from a mission. My last one before the baby was due." Shikamaru ran a finger down his son's soft cheek and looked at Hinata again. The younger woman looked exhausted, and Shikamaru noticed she was in her medical-nin uniform. "They brought the baby back from the nursery as soon as I got here. Were you with him when he delivered, Hinata-chan?"
Hinata nodded, brushing a stray strand of midnight blue hair off her face and pushing it behind her ear. "He was in labor for two days, Shika-kun. He stayed awake long enough to hold the child, hear that it was a boy and he passed out from exhaustion." Shikamaru's heart clenched and he stole a glance at his partner, regretting again not being there by his side while he birthed their child. "Oh, and before he fell asleep he said 'Hn, Shika gets to name him,'" she added, almost as if she had forgotten. Shikamaru chuckled, and stood to lay the infant in the clear cradle beside Neji's bed.
"We couldn't find a name we liked for a boy. The only game of Shogi I ever lost gave me the privilege of coming up with an acceptable name for a son." Hinata smiled and shook her head.
"I never thought I would be able to see you two work, Shika-kun. Neji-niisan is such a hard person to understand sometimes. You handle him well, and he understands you in a way none of the rest of us do." Shikamaru suddenly blushed and couldn't seem to find the words to say to the young woman. "I should get going, tell Neji I will stop by and see you guys when you get home."
"Bye, Hinata-chan," Shikamaru pulled the unsuspecting Kunoichi in for a hug, and pressed a brotherly kiss against her temple. "Thank you for being there for him when I couldn't be." Hinata blushed the darkest he'd ever seen and stepped back after quickly returning his hug.
"H-hai, Shika-kun." Hinata blushed, if possible, even darker. "I'm glad niisan has you!" With a soft squeak, she turned and practically stumbled in her haste to leave the room.
Shikamaru just stared after the woman, wondering how a Hyuuga could be so shy.
He lost himself to his thoughts and his exhaustion. He had been running for two days trying to reach home, with the feeling that something just wasn't right. It was all too much for the lazy Jounin, and he sat down heavily in the chair beside Neji's bed and started to drift off.
"She's right, you know." Shikamaru practically jumped out of his chair, spinning around to come face to face with the man that held his heart. The eyes he originally fell in love with were alert and focused, indicating that the older Jounin had been awake for a while, possibly the whole time Shikamaru had been there. Shikamaru brushed some hair off his face that had escaped the messy bun and took a step closer to Neji, dropping down on the bed and pulling the older man into a soul searing kiss.
They separated with a smile and Shikamaru reached up to cup Neji's face with both hands, pressing his forehead gently against the older mans. "What is she right about?" Neji smiled again, and his cloud like eyes brightened in a way Shikamaru had become accustomed to over their years together.
"I'm lucky to have you, we both are." Neji pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of Shikamaru's nose before pulling away with a barely there smile. "I'm not sure if I am allowed to get up yet, will you hand him to me, Shika?"
"Of course, baby." Shikamaru got up and carefully picked their newborn up out of the cot and lovingly placed him in Neji's arms. The sight before him when he stepped away took his breath away: Neji holding their son, long hair falling free from the messy bun atop his head brushed the baby's cheeks and the look of love and contentment on his partners face as he bowed his head to brush a kiss across the tiny temple made his heart swell with love for the pair on the bed.
Neji looked up him, his opalescent eyes shining with unshed tears. Shikamaru took two steps forward and stooped down to gather his family in strong arms. The tears he had managed to fight back when he first saw their son fell freely down his face the moment he had them both in his arms. He hadn't known he could feel so much love for two people, but he couldn't imagine his life without either of them in it.
Neji pulled away from the embrace first, expertly cradling their son against his chest. "So, have you thought about what we should call him?" Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, preparing to suggest that they name the small boy Shikaku, after his deceased father, and to continue the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, since Ino and Choji planned to follow the tradition as well when they respectively became parents. A small noise stopped him, and he looked down to see his son staring at him. Curious eyes filled with brightness and alertness. Eyes that were wide and opalescent, eyes that had Shikamaru's heart swelling even more. Hyuuga eyes.
"Let's name him Tobikuma," Shikamaru whispered breathlessly, tracing a finger down his son's cheek with a gentle finger. Neji cocked his head to the side in contemplation, Tobikuma meant Flying Cloud and it was a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning.
"I think it's perfect," Neji smiled, lifting his free hand to gently caress his lover's cheek. He glanced down at their son, only half surprised to see his own Hyuuga eyes staring back at him. This child would be a force to be reckoned with, Shadow and Cloud working together inside the child in perfect harmony. The Nara half of the child would be a master in the shadow manipulation that the Nara Clan was famous for, and the Hyuuga half of the child would probably easily surpass Neji himself in his mastery of their shared Kekkei Genkai.
Shikamaru smiled, one hand wrapped around Neji's, and the other cupping Tobikuma's face. He had never been so grateful for his love of clouds.