Shikamaru was a normal guy. And he was aware of that; there was nothing special about him. He was smart, sure, but beside that? Only a handful of special jutsus, no extraordinary speed or taijutsu, not even a random special talent. He couldn't draw, he couldn't play an instrument, he couldn't cook, he wasn't a good kisser, nothing of that sort. The only thing he was good at was being lazy. That was why he had never understood why- Why was she still with him?
And like that stupid idiotic bastard he was, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Under that thin layer of calm and seductive, she had that little sarcastic touch that pleased him, and she had temper at times, one that made him jump and move his lazy ass when needed, she was a fighter with outstanding hand to hand combat, different from the other girls he knew, different from Ino and Sakura, she was special. She was not perfect, but she was special. If she wanted to, she could find another man. He had noticed the way men looked at her, because she was spunky and that sparked their interest, sure there was one or two she would have liked to know better too. One or two that would have been better than him, one or two that could go out and take a drink without her having to drag their passed out bodies back to the apartment. Yet, despite it all, she stayed. She was there, with him, every evening, to look at the stars. Even if it bored her at times, but she lighted a cigarette and smoked in silence, waiting.
It all weighed on him. The doubt, the questions, what if she was with other men sometimes? They still had different apartments after all. It wouldn't be that hard for her to hide it well. But there was never any hint of anything, so he tried to drop it, failing miserably. He thought about it every day, it troubled him, beside all the other stuff that he encountered daily that were a drag to overcome.
When they were alone on the roofs again, he decided to close the case once for all. Unable to look at her, he stared at the clouds, these fluffy clouds floating without worries, and opened his mouth, inhaling one last time. It could be the very last breath as a content man.
"Naka?"
"Yes?" came her voice, calm and clear.
"Why... I never quite understood why you would want me," Shikamaru paused, already anticipating the answer, "and not another man."
And after a dreadful silence, he heard her laugh. Loud and free, who was there to stop her? It was a laugh that made him frown, sit up and glare a little, purely because he knew she was mocking him in a quite unsubtle way.
"Very amusing," he grumbled, plopping back down, "Haha."
"Oh Shikamaru," she chuckled one last time, "I thought you had understood. How could I have known that the great, strong Shikamaru Nara, who doesn't give a flying fuck about what people think, had self-doubts."
For whatever reason, Shikamaru was now glaring at the clouds. "I'm not great, I'm not strong. And that's the point, I'm painfully average... And you are-"
"I am what?" she sighed. "Shikamaru, this is about you."
"Yes, but why?"
A shuffling of feet and then she was beside him, leaning down to give him a soft kiss on the lips. She hovered above him, contemplating with a small smile on her lips.
"Because in a world full of ninjas in orange jumpsuits shooting fire blasts and fighting inner demons, shattered friendships and epic battles, there's still a somewhat normal guy in the bunch. And it's nice to know it's you."