Shikamaru has a task. It involved looking after a certain Hyuuga who had returned from a mission injured and bitter.
Help Me See
The muffled thump was what woke him up, but the sharp tapping on Shikamaru's door was what dragged the lazy ninja out of bed. He grumbled darkly as the incessant tapping became more frantic. Shikamaru glanced at the clock on his wall and scowled deeply as he wandered to the door.
"What the hell do you want? It's barely 4am," he complained, before stopping suddenly when his visitor collapsed forwards through his front door. Shikamaru caught the young man just in time before carefully guiding him to his couch.
"Shikamaru-san?" the man said, his usually calm, husky voice sounding panicked, his breath coming in quick gasps.
"Yes, it's me. What are you doing here Neji?" asked Shikamaru, "Are you hurt?"
"I…no… Yours was the closest apartment…," gasped Neji as he almost slipped right off of the sofa. Shikamaru was about to ask how the Hyuuga knew where he lived when he noticed something strange.
"Neji…what's wrong with your eyes?" asked Shikamaru. The paler man's eyelids were shut tightly with two glowing white lines crossing each lid vertically, and then curving down over and around his cheekbones. It almost looked like thin pearl clasps had been placed over his eyes.
"Curse-jutsu," said Neji, his rapid breathing gradually slowing down, "Just as I dealt the final blow, it hit me. Barely made it back… I don't know how long it will last. It's completely blocked my bayukagan and visual chakra-points…I can't see at all," said Neji with a deep, frustrated scowl on his brow. Shikamaru immediately understood why Neji was so inexplicably panicked. For a man who was usually able to see almost three hundred and sixty degrees around him at any given time, being blinded was no small inconvenience. It must have been like how an average person would have felt if he'd had all five of his senses suddenly removed.
"Don't worry, Neji. Calm down, you're safe here," said Shikamaru, "Come on – you look beat. You should get some sleep."
Shikamaru wrapped an arm around Neji's waist and grasped one of the shorter man's hands and draping it over his shoulder before he carefully guided him into the bedroom.
"Thank you, Shikamaru-san…I didn't know where else to go…," said Neji, sounding embarrassed at having shown weakness.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're safe," said Shikamaru, "Take off your clothes; you can sleep in my bed, less chance of you falling off."
"I'm sorry about this," said Neji as he reluctantly removed his shoes and dirty garments. Shikamaru felt his face heating up at the sight of Neji in barely anything but his under-shirt, his pale skin reflecting the soft sunrise, giving him an ethereal glow as a few wisps of his long hair floated across his face in the light morning breeze. The Nara snapped himself out of it, guiding Neji onto his bed.
"I said don't worry about it," said Shikamaru, helping Neji under the blankets. He then picked up the dirty clothes on the floor and stuffed it in the washing machine, before taking out some of his own clothes and draping it on the bed for Neji to wear tomorrow. Finally, with a tortured sigh, he collapsed on the couch, closing his eyes so he could catch the last few hours of sleep before he would probably be called out to do something troublesome.
***
A loud thump woke Shikamaru with a start, before he realized that the sound came from his bedroom. He quickly got up and hurried towards his room before Neji hurt himself or broke something.
"Shit," Neji greeted the tanned nin as he bumped his foot on the corner of the bed while trying to pull his shoes on. Shikamaru was surprised that the man managed to find the clothing that was left out for him so quickly.
"What are you doing up so early?" Shikamaru asked drowsily as Neji fell back onto the bed in a defeated sigh.
"It's already long past noon, isn't it?" said Neji with confusion. Shikamaru glanced at the clock.
"It's two pm…how did you know?" asked Shikamaru, mildly surprised.
"I…don't know," said Neji, a small frown on his face. Then he blushed deeply when his stomach decided to choose that moment to make itself loudly known.
"That's probably how," chuckled Shikamaru, "come on, Neji; you'd better eat something before we head to the hospital." Neji nodded wordlessly. Shikamaru helped Neji up and guided him out of the bedroom, seating him down on the sofa once again before heading for the kitchen and digging through the fridge.
"Thank you very much for all of this," said Neji again, "I know how…well…troublesome this must be for you—"
"Seriously, Neji," Shikamaru interrupted, "For the third time, I really don't mind. If I did, I'd most certainly have said so. Now stop complaining or I'll change my mind."
"Sorry," said Neji before realizing what he'd just done. He heard Shikamaru scoff lightly, and bowed his head in embarrassment, a pink tinge on his porcelain cheeks at having been reprimanded.
"I'm afraid we've only got cereal. I need to buy groceries today," said Shikamaru, placing a bowl before Neji with a clink. Neji's stomach growled again. "Tell your friend to be patient," chuckled Shikamaru. He passed the bowl to Neji and placed a spoon in his hands. Neji carefully lowered the spoon into the bowl and lifted it to find that he'd gotten only milk. The second attempt was rewarded with two grains of cereal. Shikamaru give a frustrated sigh and took the cereal from Neji. "Ok, open up."
"I…I beg your pardon?" Neji stammered.
"Watching you is frustrating me. Now say 'ah'," the tanned ninja said, touching the spoonful of cereal to Neji's lips. Neji felt his face heat up as he parted his lips and allowed the other man to tip the contents carefully out of the spoon into his mouth.
Shikamaru had to fight back a moan at the sight of the trickle of the white liquid slowly sliding down from the corner of the man's soft lips as he chewed the food that he was fed. However, he couldn't fight the urge to reach forwards and gently wipe the milk away with his thumb, not missing the blush that deepened on the other man's cheeks. The Nara scooped up another spoonful and gently brought it to Neji's parted, moist lips, expending all of his self-control not to just lean forwards and push his own lips against them.
Once they were done, Shikamaru passed Neji a paper towel to wipe his mouth with, before standing up awkwardly and quickly adjusting his hard-on so it would stop pushing so uncomfortably against his pants, guiltily grateful for the other man's current lack of sight.
***
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it," said the doctor, after closely examining Neji's eyes. "You're just going to have to wait it off. This looks like the type of curse that will simply break once it's time is up, so don't worry about being blind forever. I'd suggest just going home, take a nice warm shower, and then rest until it goes away. Do you have somebody to look after you?"
Neji frowned lightly at this.
"Who else is at your home?" Shikamaru asked, catching the last part of the conversation as he re-entered the room, a bag of groceries hanging around his wrist.
"I…do not wish to return home in this condition," said Neji, his frown deepening into a scowl, "If Hiashi-sama saw me like this, I'd lose what little respect he has for me… I'd rather he not know about any of this."
"He can come home with me then," said Shikamaru. When he saw Neji begin to open his mouth to oppose, he quickly said, "It would be a good excuse to refuse all the troublesome requests I get from people like Naruto when they decide that they're a person short to go bar-hopping with." Glad that this made Neji stop what he was going to say, Shikamaru nodded at the doctor, "Thanks, doc. We're off then."
Shikamaru guided Neji back outside, before sighing in impatience.
"What is it?" Neji asked when he heard this.
"This is going to take forever," Shikamaru said. Before Neji could ask what, he suddenly felt himself lifted off his feet and pulled against a warm chest as he was carried, wedding-style, back to Shikamaru's apartment as the taller man leapt and sprung over the rooftops.
"So," said Shikamaru putting Neji down, who was gasping in surprise, once they'd reached his sitting room through the window. Shikamaru swiftly put the groceries away before turning back to the other man, "How about that shower then?" he said.
Neji turned his head towards Shikamaru's voice. "Sounds good," he said. Shikamaru guided him into the bathroom. Only then did the two men realize what taking a shower would imply.
"People really take these things for granted, huh?" said Shikamaru awkwardly as he gazed at the suddenly complicated looking contraption. Neji was silent; his cheeks dusted a delicate pink.
"I'm sure I'll be able to manage," he said, not sounding at all convinced.
"If we were at your place, I'd agree, but you've never been in my bathroom before…you have no idea where anything is. You might hurt yourself," said Shikamaru.
"Well, what do you propose we do? I'm covered in dirt and blood…not exactly the best look…," Neji said with a sigh. Shikamaru cleared his throat in a determined manner.
"The only thing we can do," he said. Neji suddenly felt a pair of warm hands on his shoulders as the jacket he was wearing was pushed off and landed in a heap by his feet.
"What…are you doing…?" Neji asked, his voice sounding quite shocked. Shikamaru picked up the jacket, and then seated Neji on the lid of the toilet.
"Get undressed, then wait till I get back," said Shikamaru, pulling off his own shirt. He took the two items of clothing that he was holding and stuffed them into the washing machine after pulling out the clothes that Neji was wearing that morning and hanging them up. When he returned to the bathroom, he fought the gasp that almost left his lips, knowing that a furious blush was burning on his face.
Neji was standing with his back towards Shikamaru, completely naked, a hand propping him up as he waited for Shikamaru's return. The taller man allowed his eyes to travel languidly down Neji's pale back, mostly covered by his lustrous black hair. A delicious shudder ran through his spine at the sight of the man's tapered waist and firm, round bottom, leading down into a pair of long, sinewy legs.
"Right," said Shikamaru firmly, the crack in his voice betraying his inner uproar. Neji turned his head towards Shikamaru's voice, a blush on his face as he turned his faced his head over his shoulder. Shikamaru almost choked at that image, his cock pressing angrily at his pants. He mentally slapped himself before he walked calmly towards Neji. He gently touched the other man's arm to alert him of his presence and cautiously helped him towards the shower, dutifully averting his gaze from Neji's…lower member. "So what we could do is I can put you under my 'shadow puppet' jutsu and we work with that, or I'll just pass you what you need and we'll see how that works," he said.
"No offence but I'd rather not be completely under somebody else's control, even if they're trying to help…I'm sure you understand…," said Neji. Shikamaru nodded, and then remembered to voice his agreement as he turned the water on and tested the temperature before carefully leading the Hyuuga into the water, blushing at the Hyuuga's gasp of surprise when the water hit his skin. He handed the other man a bar of soap and waited as he lathered himself up. Shikamaru tried his best to avert his eyes, but failed miserably, his gaze lingering on the Hyuuga's neck as he watched the rivulets of water stream down the delicate skin, his fingers itching to brush away the strands of hair that clung on to the man's shoulders.
"Here's shampoo," said the Nara, passing Neji a bottle and watched as the liquid was squeezed out into long cupped fingers before it was brought up to the other man's hair and rubbed into a thick lather, a small groan from Neji's lips not escaping the taller man's ears. Shikamaru gulped as his eyes trailed down Neji's back, noticing how his spine curved inwards towards the base of his back before arching outwards again to shape the Hyuuga's pale bottom.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru cursed under his breath as he felt his dick twitch as his eyes delayed on the Hyuuga's butt and the droplets of water sliding down the smooth skin, some clinging on and gliding between the pale thighs.
"I'm sorry," Neji said, blushing in embarrassment, "I'll return to the Hyuuga complex or the hospital if you prefer—"
"Not you," sighed Shikamaru before Neji could finish, "Just finish your shower."
The rest of the shower went by with Neji oblivious to the other man's torture. Shikamaru wrapped a towel around Neji as he stepped out the shower.
"Um…," Neji hesitated.
"Hn?" asked Shikamaru, his voice strained.
"I…I need to pee…," said Neji nervously. Shikamaru closed his eyes slowly, before silently taking a deep breath.
"No problem," he said, guiding the Hyuuga towards the toilet. He steeled himself as he watched Neji hesitantly placing his hand around his dick. Shikamaru then placed his hands over the Hyuuga's and aimed him in the right direction. "Go for it," said Shikamaru.
He looked away awkwardly as the Hyuuga relieved himself, helped the man clean himself up, and then lead him into his room, pulling out some new clothes for Neji to wear. Shikamaru felt his eyes being drawn down the other man's defined collarbones and then over to his pale, lean chest, topped with two delicious pink nipples, puckered into little buds in the cold air, begging to be sucked. The Nara couldn't stop himself as his eyes wandered further downwards, over the lithe abs and sparse trail of dark hair that lead to the treasure covered by the towel.
"Take a nap or something. I'm just going to go for a shower too," said Shikamaru casually, helping the other man find the bed. He then hasted for the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind him as he quickly pulled off his pants and boxers, sighing as his raging hard-on was finally released. He scowled at it, mentally cursing the damned thing, before turning on the shower and stepping in, sighing as the lukewarm water hit his skin, feeling cool as it licked against his hot, leaking organ. Shikamaru then debated whether he should take a cold one, or give himself the release he'd been craving all afternoon. His penis won the argument, debating that it would simply get hard again, and fast, if it were simply doused in cold water.
Shikamaru moaned quietly as he turned up the hot water, and then wrapped a hand around himself and squeezed gently, images of Neji's naked skin writhing before his mind's eye. He gasped as his thumb brushed over his tip, picturing the droplet of milk sliding down from Neji's parted lips, imaging those lips wrapping themselves around his dick and sucking in his length. His grip tightened as he brought his fist up to the tip and then pushed back down, a groan escaping his throat as the Neji in his mind bent over in front of him, waving his pert, creamy butt from side to side, and inviting the Nara in. His fist sped up as he rapidly pumped his organ, his breath coming in quick, sharp gasps as he tried to contain his groaning lest Neji should hear them from the other room. Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and, at the sight of Neji's flushed face, Shikamaru felt himself release with a loud, guttural groan.
"Shikamaru-san? Are you all right? I felt your chakra flaring significantly and I thought you might be in trouble," said Neji with concern. Shikamaru couldn't help the short burst of laughter that escaped his lips at this declaration, not to mention the relief he felt that Neji hadn't figured out the truth.
"I just bumped my head. There's a high shelf in the shower that I keep forgetting about," Shikamaru lied. Neji frowned, not looking entirely convinced. "Ever the Hyuuga, playing superhero," said Shikamaru, cleaning himself off, "What would you have done if I really was in trouble?"
The Hyuuga blushed at this and as the concern on his face was replaced by an angry scowl.
"Excuse me for caring," he said, his head disappearing from the doorway. Shikamaru chuckled good-naturedly at this, causing Neji to smile reluctantly as he slowly felt his way back towards Shikamaru's bedroom, seeing the humor in his actions, despite his embarrassment. A few minutes later, Shikamaru entered the room and quickly got dressed, blushing slightly at being naked in the same room as Neji, even though he knew that the Hyuuga couldn't see him. Once fully dressed, he turned to face the Hyuuga, who was sitting up in his bed, a frown on his forehead.
"Not sleepy?" the Nara enquired.
"I'm tired, but I can't sleep," Neji sighed, sounding frustrated, "I just can't stand how useless I am like this. It's an obvious battle strategy to blind me. If, and when, this happens again, I'm defenseless. This is a huge weakness that I have no idea how to surpass," he said, his frown deepening. Shikamaru regarded him for a second before smiling.
"Come on let's have some supper. Then I want to show you something," he said, helping Neji up and leading him towards the kitchen. He quickly made supper, carefully helped Neji eat it, finished his own food, before draping a jacket over the Hyuuga's shoulders.
"Mind if I pick you up again?" said Shikamaru. Neji blushed.
"I suppose I don't have much of a say. I don't want to be a hindrance, after all…" he began. Shikamaru didn't bother waiting for Neji to finish before picking him up in a sweeping movement, pleased when, in surprise, the Hyuuga wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck.
The Nara nimbly leaped over rooftops and balconies, then sprinted a small distance before placing Neji on his feet in the grass. It was already dark outside and a light breeze played with the Hyuuga's long silky hair.
"Where is this?" Neji asked, puzzled at the silence and cold air.
"The valley. I come here to relax. It's just outside the village, close enough to be safe, but far enough so that bothersome people don't come here," said Shikamaru, standing behind Neji.
"I see…," said Neji vaguely. Shikamaru chuckled.
"I'm sure you don't," he said. Neji shrugged lightly. "Listen," said Shikamaru. Neji concentrated, but couldn't hear anything significant.
"I don't understand," he said.
"Listen carefully…," said Shikamaru softly.
"What am I listening for?" Neji asked. Shikamaru gently placed his hands on Neji's shoulders and leaned in close. He spoke softly into the other's ear, causing the pale cheeks to turn rosy.
"Everything," whispered the Nara, his breath gently brushing against Neji's cheeks. Neji silently concentrated, and then suddenly, as though a dam had broken, he heard. The gentle chirping of crickets, the whisper of the grass as each strand brushed against another. He heard the distant sound of water and the whistle of the wind as it slipped between branches, tickling the leaves, and causing them to shiver and flutter. There was a scraping by his feet and he looked down, startled.
"Field mouse," said Shikamaru, noticing Neji's reaction. "This is what peace sounds like," he continued. "If there was danger, the crickets would know, and they keep quiet. The field mice stay underground, and, if there are more than three people standing low, the grass stops sounding as silky," he continued, "If you notice your surroundings, and spend time with them, they will trust you, and you can trust them in turn."
"I think I understand…," said Neji.
"Take a deep breath," Shikamaru said. Neji did as he was told, filling his lungs with the fresh air. "Can you smell it? Spring grass, crisp, slightly less earthy than summer… Willow trees…not as aged as oaks… Soil; slightly damp…it's going to rain soon…"
"You…," Neji said quietly.
Shikamaru was not expecting that, and glanced at Neji in surprise.
"You smell like the same soap and shampoo that I used earlier, but with a more…," Neji stopped and blushed.
"More what?" Shikamaru asked, his curiosity rising.
"Nothing," said Neji, turning his head so that it was facing away from the taller man's voice.
"Tell me," urged the Nara with a grin, appreciating the Hyuuga's cute blush as he tried to hide his face.
"More…spicy," said Neji, looking down so that his curtain of hair hid his face. He jumped slightly when he felt gentle, calloused, but warm fingers brushing his hair behind his ears and he lifted his head in surprise.
"You know… You're prettier than Hinata when you blush," he heard Shikamaru say idly. He scowled at this, causing the Nara to laugh at his indignation. "But it's the truth," said Shikamaru pleasantly, gently nudging the scowling Hyuuga, causing the pale nin to grin reluctantly.
The two men stood in silence fore a while, peacefully listening to the sounds of the valley.
"Did you know that only male crickets chirp?" said Shikamaru.
"No," said Neji.
"Well, the male's rub their legs against their wings, which makes the sound. It's almost as if they are playing a tiny cello. They chirp every night, non-stop, declaring 'here I am, notice me,' until a female decides that she likes his song and…well, you know," said Shikamaru.
"Cute," said Neji, listening to the many different chirps, "I bet that guy gets plenty of action," he said, indicating a particularly loud chirp coming from some direction behind Shikamaru.
"Aw I'm not that popular," said Shikamaru, mock-bashfully, causing the Nara to scoff playfully.
"Are you cold?" asked Shikamaru when the Hyuuga visibly shivered.
"A little," Neji admitted, running a hand up his arm. Suddenly he felt warm arms wrap around him, pulling him against a strong chest. He felt himself blushing again and mentally berated himself for being so easily influenced by the tanned nin's actions. Shikamaru merely picked him up to head back home. Neji couldn't help himself, however, as he leaned his head against Shikamaru's warm chest, snuggling in sleepily as he breathed the Nara's delicious scent. Because he was the number one rookie back when he was younger and a lethal jounin now that he'd grown up, Neji had learned never to let down his guard. But when he felt Shikamaru's strong arms tighten around him protectively, for once in his life, he let his guard down, and felt safe.
Shikamaru gently put Neji down on his bed, smiling affectionately when he had to reach up and physically pull the Hyuuga's arms from around his neck. He pulled off Neji's jacket and shoes before covering him with a blanket. He was tempted to kiss the other man's forehead as he carefully tucked the blankets around his waist. He started heading out when he heard a drowsy moan come from the man in his bed. He turned around and spotted the Hyuuga slowly sitting up, his entire body screaming exhaustion.
"Go to sleep, Neji," said Shikamaru in concern.
"I feel bad about making you sleep on the couch when I'm the one imposing on your company," said Neji sleepily.
"You aren't imposing on anything," said Shikamaru, Except maybe on my libido, he thought.
"That's what you keep saying but…," Neji sighed, "Just, sleep in the bed, alright? I can tell it's big enough. If you don't mind my presence then I have no reason to take up the entire bed."
Shikamaru couldn't help being surprised that the other man still hadn't figured out the Nara's attraction towards him. He smiled lightly at the Hyuuga. Such a deadly foe, yet such a naïve man.
"Alright, if you don't mind," said Shikamaru, smirking at the light blush on the other man's cheeks, a colour that he was becoming pleasantly attached to. He pulled off his shoes, shirt and jeans, and climbed into bed besides Neji.
Neji woke up the next morning feeling extraordinarily well rested and comfortable. Then he realized just why. He was snuggled up in Shikamaru's chest, his hands pressed gently against the other man's firm and, Neji blushed, bare abs. He could feel the taller man's arm wrapped around his shoulders, a hand cupping the back of Neji's head, holding him close to the Nara's chest. Neji closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, breathing in the other man's scent, trying to burn this image into his memory. He was tempted to lean forward and kiss whatever warm patch of skin his lips would come into contact with, but he brushed the thought away and rolled away from the warmth, careful not to disturb the other man lest he woke up to find them in this embarrassing position.
"Mmh…," said Shikamaru, frowning as a comfortable heat rolled away from him. He reached an arm out, eyes still tightly shut. When his fingers brushed against warm skin, he popped open an eye and drowsily gazed at the figure before him. "Why are you all the way over there, Neji?" he asked curiously, closing his eyes again and waiting patiently for a reply.
"W…what do you mean?" asked Neji's voice timidly.
"Now I'm cold. What have you got to say about that?" accused Shikamaru.
"I…I don't know what you…," mumbled Neji uncertainly. He blushed as a strong arm wrapped itself around his waist and dragged him bodily into Shikamaru's chest.
"Troublesome Hyuuga…how do you expect me to sleep with you moving around all over the place," muttered Shikamaru groggily. He wrapped the Hyuuga's warm body in his own and draped a leg over the other man's thighs, nestling his nose into the crook of Neji's neck. Shikamaru breathed in deeply and smelled his soap, as well as a touch of lavender that was definitely Neji's own.
"Sh…Shikamaru?" Neji said quietly.
"Mmm?" drawled Shikamaru lazily,
"Why are you…what…how… do you feel…about me…?" asked the Hyuuga anxiously.
Shikamaru smiled into Neji's neck, "How would you like me to feel about you, Neji?" he asked. There was a shy silence from the other man.
Neji may be vastly different from Hinata when it came to confidence in battle, but when the obstacle was affection, they're uncannily similar, Shikamaru thought affectionately.
"Do you…," Neji tried to ask. He froze as Shikamaru languidly dragged the tip of his tongue up the side of Neji's neck, causing the Hyuuga to release a delicious little gasp.
"I do…very much," said Shikamaru gently into Neji's ear, before kissing it lightly. Neji moaned softly, closing his eyes, relishing those words.
"Thank you...for everything...," whispered Neji, closing his eyes, listening to the slow beating of the other's heart. Shikamaru smiled into Neji's neck and tightened his hold on the Hyuuga as they close their eyes to picture dancing leaves and cricket song.
***
A/N: I don't know if you caught it, due to my haphazard editing, but this fic origionally contained smut in the end there, but I removed it on account of my fear of authority. Might start an AFF account one day, and put all that there, but ye we'll see. Anyways, thanks for reading. Sorry if it ended a bit weirdly.