When it comes to planning their son's first birthday, Shikamaru and Temari may just be the worst parents ever.
Much to his party-planning mother's dismay, Shikamaru took to his father's side in that he never really wanted to do anything on his birthday. Like... That's the point, right? Getting a hall pass to sleep as long as he wanted or to play shougi or go cloud watching without anyone harping on him? Yoshino once tried to have Chouji and Ino over for a surprise-attack party-but all that came out of that was Chouji eating the entire birthday cake and Ino informing her that Shikamaru had snuck off into his room to sleep through the entire thing.
As for Temari... Well. Her family didn't celebrate birthdays, and that was that.
So when his wife walks into the living room announcing that their son's birthday is tomorrow, Shikamaru is surprised she even said anything.
He glances over at the calendar on the wall, murmers an "oh, look at that... It is," before returning to the scroll he's been reading over.
From his peripheral vision he sees her awkwardly shift.
"Well... Aren't we going to do something?"
He lowers the scroll and stares blankly at her.
"I mean-like- for a first birthday aren't we supposed to throw a party... Or something? Isn't it some big deal over here?"
"... Do you want to throw a party?"
"I don't know! Maybe...? Just-stop staring at me like I'm growing a second head! For God's sake, I just want to be a good mother!" She is blushing, and Shikamaru likes her best like this-flustered, near spitting with frustration-and he resists the urge to smile. Might as well save himself a smack to the head.
"Do you want to invite people over...?"
"Oh my god, no. Hell no."
"Okay. So a party with the just the three of us."
They look helplessly at one another as their son gurgles spit bubbles in his sleep the next room over.
...
To start off, they all sleep half the day away.
Luckily both of them had the day off, and while Temari plans a whole activity-filled day she didn't plan on sleeping in until noon.
"I blame marrying you," she grumbles as she patters off to their son's room. She comes back moments later, looking slightly baffled.
"Your son is still asleep."
"Heesh morr shun tuh."
"I swear I will literally push you off the mattress if you don't stop doing that."
Shikamaru lifts his head from the pillow. "I said he's your son too."
"I mean, he went to bed at 7:30 last night!"
"Mom says I slept around nineteen hours a day."
"I mean, yeah, when you're a baby..."
"Up until I was three."
She stares. "Jesus, Shikamaru."
He shrugs. "So what's on our itinerary?"
...
It was to go to the lake for a beach day, but well. It rained.
Poured, actually. Thunder and lightning and everything. Temari spat out curses at the damned unpredictability of Konoha's weather as Shikamaru taught his son shougi-
Which resulted in Shikadai swallowing a piece. Shikamaru swears his wife nearly turned blue.
"It shouldn't be a problem getting it out," Sakura assures them in the hospital waiting room. "No longer than a couple of hours, really. Oh! It says here in his files it's his birthday today. Are you doing anything to cel-"
Temari glowers. Shikamaru sighs. Sakura skitters off to go repair their son.
...
The cake is burnt.
Temari slowly, methodically frosts it as her husband and son silently wait at the table, her back turned to them.
"Happy birthday," she murmers, bring the cake to her son-and stops stock-still.
"... We forgot to buy candles, didn't we."
At her answering silence, Shikamaru can't help it: he laughs.
Shikamaru may scoff or chuckle or smile, but it's very rare that he'll laugh. Temari is furious and red and her hair is frizzing from this fucking rain and there is definitely dirt or sand in her eyes that's activating her tear ducts. She cuts cake quickly, precisely and throws it onto a plate for Shikadai before stepping back to the sink, now very keen on washing all of three dishes in the sink.
Her husband finishes his guffawing, finally, and she hears him step closer to her. She knows exactly what he's going to do and she's going to kill him right here, right in front of their son for it.
"Don't. You. Dare."
"Temari. Come on. It's hilarious."
"No, it's not! Of course you think it's funny, though, this is just another day for you! Another day of you being right and Temari being a hot ass mess of a mother, right? Ha fucking ha! And you-you've grown up celebrating birthdays all your life. Parents' birthdays, friends' birthdays, your birthday..."
A beat passes as Temari furiously scrubs at her eyes with the back of her hand. Damn dirt/sand/whatever.
"That's what this whole thing is about?" She feels her husband rest his chin on her head, feels his arms come around her waist and she can't help it-she melts into him, like she always so-damn-typically does.
They stay like that for awhile before she feels Shikamaru turn his head.
"Shikadai likes his cake."
"No, he doesn't. He likes the sugar in the store bought frosting."
"Well, and the cake, right?"
A pause.
"You forgot to put sugar in the cake."
"I'm not a fucking pastry chef."
"This is true." He presses kisses into the top of her head. "Well, you did have a great day planned."
"I slept in late."
"Eh. You never do that. You deserved it."
"I wanted us to go to the lake."
"It's the end of summer. The lake would've been full of crowds and gunk anyway."
"Shikadai swallowed a shougi piece."
"Toddlers are known to do that."
"I forgot the fucking candles-"
"Temari." He turns her to look at him and he's smiling his infuriating know-it-all smile and she hates (loves) him even more. "Who cares?"
Then, as if he didn't ever change her life completely for the better, he saunters off to play with their son at the table. She leans against the counter, smiling and watching her two boys.
Maybe they aren't such bad parents after all.
...
"You know, you could've let me plan it," Yoshino responds to their story tarttly, bouncing their son in her arms. Shikamaru rolls his eyes, about to say, Yeah, you wish mom- when he catches a strange, almost thankful look in Temari's eye.
Shikadai's second birthday party becomes the hottest event in town six months before it even happens.