Shikamaru never imagined his first Christmas with his new wife to be like this. Instead of being in Konoha, he was in Suna. Him and Temari had been married for about six months and since before the wedding they had not be there. She didn't mind staying at their home because she had never seen snow but he argued how that wasn't a good point.
He knew how much she missed her brothers but she would never admit because of how stubborn she was. "My brother is Kazekage, I'm pretty sure he has Suna under control"
"I just asked did you want to see them"
"No, I'm fine and plus your mom is here"
"Tem She'll be fine, I know you miss your brothers so can you tell them that we're going"
"FINE"
At the entrance, Kankuro stood there with his puppet and his normal outfit. He was happy his sister was home because it reminded him of old times but now he had another brother, which he would never admit, he loved just as much as his blood.
"Tema, Shikamaru. Long time no see"
"I could say the same thing" She walked over and gave him a hug. She would usually never show public display of affection but It's been a while and sometimes she missed her brothers.
"It must have been awhile, Shikamaru has a goatee now. Six months never felt so long"
He reached his hand up and began to scratch his neck. "Hi to you too"
"You guys must be tired, It took you guys five days instead of the normal three. Things must've been hectic"
Kankuro stared at them, waiting for an explanation. It was burning hot and Shikamaru couldn't stand the heat as much as his wife and brother in law. He could tell the first thing he had to do when they got to the House was take a shower because he was so sweaty.
"So what took you guys so long"
Shikamaru looked toward his wife, he didn't know why they pretty much stopped at every village they passed through. He assumed it was for gifts to give her brothers, which was a lot. He hadn't seen her buy anything that looked like it was for him, but then again presents were a surprise. They stopped at a lot of tea houses too. She said because she really had a craving for tea, but every time they stopped she seemed tired.
"We went sightseeing along the way, It's not everyday a kunoichi gets a vacation"
"I guess your right, It's a little weird though"
"Look ass, we could've been home already. But because you decided to insult me were still at the entrance"
"There's my lovely sister, you talking about sight seeing really threw me for a loop"
"Let's just hurry up idiot"
oooooooooo
Shikamaru realized that he was now super cold. He always hated how the desert could be dry and hot during the day and windy and cold during the night.
He watched his wife unpack their stuff. He hadn't really chose any particular clothing. In fact he chose some dirty clothes because he was in a rush. He soon realized that was a mistake when Temari turned to look at him with anger on her face. 'Damn It, What did I do now'
"Tem what's wrong-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a pack of cigarettes came flying at him and hit his chest. He knew he was in trouble. She kept begging him to stop smoking, and he never knew Temari to beg. He understood how much that would mean to her so he stopped, at least that's what he told her.
When they got married, they promised that there would be no lies and there never was, until that moment. He tried his best to quit. When he first gave them up,he became irritable and known that was not him. After, he thought one wouldn't hurt and technically he did quit so that was a good enough reason to start again. He made sure to smoke when she wasn't around and hide the cigarettes in the box his dad told him to throw out. He knew that she would never look there and because of that he was sure that she wouldn't find out. He thought about all the scenarios that could happen if she found out and by the looks of it anyone of them could occur.
"Tem I'm sorry"
"NO YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE ONLY SORRY YOU GOT CAUGHT. YOU TOLD ME YOU QUIT BUT THE ONLY THING I FOUND OUT FROM THIS SITUATION WAS THE FACT I MARRIED A LIAR."
Before he had the chance to say anything else, she was on her way out the door, but he grabbed her arm just in time.
"Can you look at me"
"Why would I, now let me go"
There was no point to make her more agitated, she was already in one of those moods and he knew when she got like this the best thing to do was give her space. He knew the whole thing was his fault and felt like shit because of it. Shikamaru took a shower to clear his head but it only made things worse.
'I'm an idiot'
oooooooooo
Temari went to the bathroom down the hall even though her room had one. At this moment, she couldn't even fathom seeing him. The image of him made her nauseous which made her run to the bathroom. While she was in there, she began to cry. She was so stressed and the Shikamaru situation added even more weight to her shoulders and the only thing she could do in that moment was cry.
'Maybe a warm bath would help.' On the way to her room to get some clothes, she passed Kankuro. He knew something must've had happened between her and Shikamaru by her body language. She was walking with her head down and fidgeting with her fingers. From many years of living with her, he knew not to ask.
"Hey Tema, I'm about to grab a bite from the ramen place. It's late and I know you guys are hungry from traveling"
"I'll take Kenchinjiru and he'll get miso"
He noticed the tone of her voice even had a sad undertone. This wasn't her and he didn't plan to spend the week without the sister he know. He knew how stubborn she was and she had never apologized. But he wished they talk it out.
"I don't mean to pry into your business or anything, but maybe you should try talking to him. I know he's probably the one that fucked up, but has he done anything in the past that was really horrible"
She hadn't responded. She just continued to walk down the hallway which let him know that she heard.
She knew Kankuro was right. He hadn't done anything in the past. 'Everyone makes mistakes.' Now she was starting to feel bad. 'Maybe I'm the reason he smokes, I can be a handful. Let me take a bath first then I'll talk to him'
She walked into the room and heard the shower going, which allowed her to easily grab her clothes and head to the bathroom down the hall.
oooooooooo
The bath cooled her down a bit. She was now calm and ready to deal with her husband. When she got out the tub, she realized that she grabbed one of Shikamaru's shirts instead of her robe. She didn't want to put it on, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in her glory. So she put it on and instantly it smelled of fresh grass and mint. 'I just washed this shirt before we left, and yet it smells just like lazyass'
She went into the room and saw two bags with food in them. She also saw Shikamaru sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless. She realized that he had waited for her before he started eating. She looked at him and their eyes met. He smiled and he usually did this after arguing indicating that he was ready to make up.
"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, YOU LYING TO ME"
"Tem I didn't mean to lie to you, I tried to quit but it was hard"
"Konoha's number one strategist couldn't find a way to quit smoking"
"You don't think I did, but stress with work and missions just pile up and smoking was the only way to release it"
"Was it the only way or the easiest"
"You know what I mean"
"NO I DON'T, WHAT I KNOW IS, YOU DON'T TRUST ME ENOUGH TO TELL ME YOUR PROBLEMS"
"You're right, I should have told you. And I promise, I will never hurt you like this again."
"I'm not hurt cause you lied, I'm hurt because you didn't trust me enough to tell me you were going through"
"Tem, I do trust you. I just didn't want you to think I was too lazy to quit"
She could see that he was angry at himself. This meant a lot to her and showed how hard he really tried. She couldn't be mad at him for trying to quit. After all, she felt him being mad at himself was punishment enough.
She sat on his lap and began to squeeze him tight. She always knew what to do to calm him down and cheer him up.
"You know you can talk to me"
"I know, and I promise it will never happen again"
"I'm glad to hear that"
She gave him a peck on the cheek and began to walk over to the food.
"Now since that's solved, let's eat because I am starving"
They sat on the bed talking like nothing ever happened and eating their food. She finished first and fast. Shikamaru barely took one bite before he noticed her bowl was empty.
"Shika, are you going to eat that"
"I planned on it, but you can have it if you like"
"You can eat it, I'm pretty sure Kankuro has snacks in his room"
She went to her brother's room and returned with two huge bag of chips. Shikamaru noticed how fast both bags became empty. 'She must've been starving, five days without a good meal can really take a toll on you'
They finished their food and Temari finished her task from earlier unpacking the clothes hoping not to find anything else. Shikamaru also helped her to ensure he was on her good side.
"What's with wearing my shirt"
"I thought it was my robe, and technically anything in our house belongs to both of us. Why don't you have on a shirt anyways"
"That was my only clean night shirt, majority of my clothes are dirty"
"I assume you want me to wash them"
"That was kinda the plan"
"Well how about I help you"
"Sounds good to me" Shikamaru said yawning.
Temari stood up and pulled his ponytail out. She then kissed his forehead realizing that he's cold.
"Let's get some sleep"
Everynight, he wrapped his arm across her waist and pulled her close to his chest. That way he could feel her every movement. She enjoyed cuddling with him because it made her feel safe and she would snuggle in his chest.
Tonight was different, Temari constantly got up to go to the bathroom. Shikamaru knew she would usually get up once, but tonight it was about ten times. He couldn't go to sleep. Something was wrong with his wife and she wouldn't tell him.
"What's up"
"It's nothing, go back to sleep"
"I can't, you keep getting up. And now I'm worried about you"
"I'm fine, I won't get up for the rest of the night"
"Are you really okay"
"Yes, now lets just go back to bed"
"Troublesome woman. I'm tired right now, but tomorrow we will talk about this"
oooooooooo
It was early in the morning and Temari woke up to the smell of a delicious breakfast. She could tell it was Shikamaru that was cooking because Gaara and Kankuro had no idea what to do what a stove. She always thought that it was a miracle that they survived this long.
She went downstairs to find her brothers and husband at the table talking. She seen a plate had been set for her and it had pancakes, eggs and fruit. She took a seat next to her husband who seemed to completely forget about last night.
"Thanks for cooking Shika"
"How do you know it wasn't me"
"Kankuro, you couldn't cook to save your life"
"I know, but who expected lazyass over here to be a chef"
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me"
Kankuro smirked at his brother in law. He had planned to spend the whole day with him to go last minute shopping because Christmas was tomorrow.
"Shika, could you hand me the sour cream"
"What for"
"The pancakes, now could you hurry up"
He handed her the sour cream. Lately she has been eating things that she normally wouldn't. Before they arrived she had eaten squid and Shikamaru knew how much she hated it, but she ate it like it was the best food in the world.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this lovely breakfast, but me and Shikamaru has important things to take care of"
"KANKURO, DON'T GET HIM INTO ANY TROUBLE"
Temari knew Kankuro's hang out spot and it was a place that included handing out a lot of money to barely dressed females that danced seductively.
"We're not going there, besides we went there for his bachelors party and let me tell you-"
"What the hell is he talking about"
"Nothing, Let's go now Kankuro"
He ran out the house as fast as he could, dragging Kankuro with him. Temari already knew where he went, but he didn't know that. She just wanted to get him out the house as fast as she could so she could wrap his present without him around.
While they were gone, her and Gaara washed the dishes and caught up on things that were happening in each other's lives.
"How's Matsuri"
"She's well. She will actually be joining us for Christmas"
"That's a step in the right direction"
"What do you mean"
"I'm just happy that she's coming, that's all"
"Well thank you for coming. I must be going now. I have a lot to do at the office"
"See you later Gaara"
Now that she was the only person there, She wrapped everyone's present and hid them in a Good spot. Now she was bored so the only thing she could think of doing was getting ready for Christmas which was less than 24 hours away. 'I might as well go grocery shopping'
oooooooooo
"So what did you get my sister"
"I didn't get her present yet, that's why I'm shopping today"
"How can you wait to the last minute, to buy her something"
"I didn't wait for the last minute, I had ordered it the last time we were here. I just have to pick it up"
"Was it expensive"
"Yeah I guess"
"How much did it cost"
"200,000 Ryo"
"YOU SPENT THE WHOLE PAYCHECK OF AN
A-RANK MISSION ON HER"
"Pretty much"
"Man, she has you whipped"
Shikamaru just chuckled, he knew it was true and couldn't argue against him. As they were walking past the shop, Kankuro noticed something in the window.
"I'll catch up with you later. I found Tema the perfect gift that will be ten times better than yours"
"I didn't know it was a competition"
"I just turned it into one. See ya"
He continued walking until he reached an old looking shop. When he walked in, an old short lady greeted him with a smile. "Shikamaru-san, How are you doing"
"Well and yourself"
"Good, here is your gift for Temari. I'm pretty sure she would like it. Due to it took six months to make"
"Thank you, and I'm pretty sure she'll like it"
He walked out and headed to another store to buy things to wrap the present. In the store, he ran into Kankuro who was holding a tall and skinny box.
"You really wasted your money, look how small it is"
"Size doesn't always matter"
"In this case it does. Anyway what are you getting from here"
"A box and wrapping paper"
"There's no point in wrapping that little thing"
"This is such a drag, I'm heading home"
He bought the stuff and began to walk home with Kankuro walking beside him. In the distance they saw Temari sitting on a bench with a bunch of groceries. In one of the bags he noticed a necklace that looked really expensive. 'Who is she getting that for'
"Where did you guys come from"
"Nowhere, why are you sitting here Tema"
They quickly hid their presents behind their backs, which let Temari know that they were for her.
"I was watching the kids play at the park, they look so happy"
Kankuro knew she never been one to openly like kids. It's not that she doesn't like them, she just didn't like to be around them.
"Tema, you've been acting strange ever since you got here is everything okay"
"Yes jackass, everything is fine."
"Just asking"
oooooooooo
Night had fallen and now Shikamaru and Temari was laying down in each other's arms. "How are presents exchanged since there isn't a Christmas tree"
"We just hand them to each other"
"So who are you handing the necklace to"
"Matsuri, Gaara had invited her. I know you've been looking for you present and I didn't forget about you"
"I wasn't looking for anything"
"Yea you were, and you was jealous. Your gift is way more precious than theirs. I promise."
They went to sleep and the next day everyone was busy helping around the house. Even though it was only five of them, Temari wanted everything to be perfect. Matsuri eventually showed up and helped Kankuro clean the living room. Temari and Shikamaru were busy cooking the food and Gaara was finishing the last of the paper work.
With everyone's help, everything was finished in a short amount of time and now the Gaara was home, dinner could start. During dinner they laughed and talk and Christmas actually felt like Christmas. After they ate, they went into the living room to hand out gifts.
Gaara, Kankuro and Matsuri all received their gifts and they seemed really happy about them now it was time for Temari to get her gifts.
"Tema, as your favorite person in the world, I want to present you with the best present ever"
"Pretty confident are we" She said as she opened her gift which was the prettiest fan that she had ever seen. Even though it was more for decor than use she still loved it.
"Are you sure you picked this out"
"Yes, and I knew you would love it"
"I do, probably the best thing you ever gave me"
She put the fan down and Shikamaru handed her the gift. It was wrapped in a box with tessen on the wrapping paper. She could tell how much thought he put into her gift based on the wrapping paper. We she opened the gift and her jaw dropped. Shikamaru took that time to smirk at Kankuro who in returned frowned at him. When she took the present out the box, she hugged it. It was the same exact blanket her mom wrapped her up in when she was born. She remembered every detail, the pastel green color the pretty red roses in the color. If she hadn't known the other one was long gone, she would've thought this was the original.
"How did you get this"
"I have my ways"
She always slept with the blanket when she was younger, but when her mother died, her father destroyed anything that reminded him of her. But the blanket in her hands brought all the good memories back to her. "Thank you, Shika. This really means a lot to me. So I guess it's time for me to give you your present"
She handed him a small box. "It's pretty light"
"Just hurry and open the damn box"
"Okay,Okay. I'm opening it"
When he opened it, it was something he never expected. It was a black and grey picture. He really couldn't make out the figure, but he knew it was an ultrasound picture. "Are you serious Tem"
"Yes I'm serious"
We walked over and gave her hug. "Don't tell me your going to cry" Tears began falling from his eyes.
"No I'm just really excited, when did you find out"
"Right before we left, you can't see nothing on the picture because I'm only two weeks. But I needed some indication so this was the best thing"
Everyone was looking confused.
"Can someone tell us what's happening"
"You're going to be an Uncle"
"YOU'RE PREGNANT"
"Yes"
"This is great Tem, I can finally have a puppet buddy"
"Absolutely not, my child would not even be left with you"
"This is the best Christmas ever Tem" He said touching her stomach lightly.
"I told you, your gift would be precious"
"This is beyond precious"
oooooooooo
Authors note: just a Christmas one-shot that I had been planning to write for a while.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto