So here it is the promised Gaara's POV on Cuddler( s/12492065/1/Cuddler) please check it out for Shikamaru's POV
Gaara was a cuddler. He hadn't been like that when he was a child, maybe he had developed this habit since the bijuu had been removed from his body. He started to crave physical contact since then. No one outside his family knew, it was their secret, but that was not just that. There was a big secret that only they knew too.
He had a feeling for a certain Nara.
When the war ended, Gaara realized his feeling for the Nara. Temari found it out first even before himself while he was still confused, she said that she was happy for him then he asked didn't she have a feeling for him too because Shikamaru was always so close with her, Temari just snickered.
"Shikamaru? He's more like another brother/friend to me." That's what she said.
Kankuro overheard them one evening, when they confronted, he just patted his shoulder and then nodded. The support he got from his siblings made him warm and Gaara thought he had to make a move.
Not long after that Konoha decided to send an ambassador to Suna for political reason and made two villages closer, Gaara didn't expect it to be Nara Shikamaru.
It was also unbelievable that he looked forward to a monthly meeting that he used to dread just to see the Konoha nin again. While staying in Suna, Shikamaru would stay at the Kazekage compound, and he would go to the Kazekage tower with Gaara too so the two men spent a lot of time together. Then months passed by and he grew even closer to the Nara, he became his unofficially advisor and one of his best friends.
Not only that, his feeling for the Nara grew too.
It had become distracting, he wanted to see the Konoha nin more than just every month and longer than just a week. Gaara wanted to stay with him, held him in his arms, pressed their bodies together. He wanted to be with Shikamaru.
So when Shikamaru was going to travel back to Konoha, Gaara and his siblings along with some sand nins, walked him to the main gate. They said their good byes and he felt kind of lost, because it meant he had to wait for three more weeks to meet the Nara again.
He wasn't surprised when his siblings gave Shikamaru a bear hug, so did the one who was given it to. It became like a tradition to them since the Nara's first visit, for Gaara, he would just nod at the other or shaking hands, even though he wanted more he didn't have enough courage. While losing in his own thought, he felt a hand on his back, Gaara looked beside him and saw his sister smiled softly. The support from her made his confidence risen, so he stepped close to Shikamaru and wrapped his arms around him.
When he felt the warmth against his quite cold body, he almost sighed contentedly, but held himself. Gaara was shocked when the Nara hugged him in return, but glad that the other didn't mind his action. His eyes sparkle from a rare happiness that covered all of the lost feeling for a while when the Nara turned away.
That was why he had discussed with his siblings, became a selfish man that he was, he went on a business trip to Konoha almost four months later.
But of course, it wasn't just a business about the two village, there was also his special request too. So when they arrived at Konoha, he met the Nara waiting for them at the main gate, doing his duty as Konoha ambassador to Suna. They greeted each other, this time he hugged the other man without hesitation, and Shikamaru returned his action too. Once they arrived at the Hokage tower and greeted the Hokage, he requested to stay at the Nara compound instead of the hotel. Gaara saw Shikamaru sighed but he knew the other man was just tired, judging by the dark cycle under his eyes and dull expression that was different from the usual.
After showed them their room, Shikamaru walked to his own room while the Sand siblings lingered in front of Gaara's room.
"Gaara this is the time." Temari said once Shikamaru entered his room and placed her hand on his shoulder as well as Kankuro, he sighed but nodded anyway, he knew he had to finally make a move and this is his time.
"I will, thank you Temari. You too, Kankuro."
Gaara went out of the shower and lied on his futon, he waited, thinking about how to approach the other man. When he was conscious again, it had already passed midnight. Gaara got up, adjusted his sleepwear and walked straight to the Nara's room then knocked.
Knock Knock
There was no respond so he stopped and tried calling Shikamaru instead. Several minutes later, the door slid open, the Nara was in his yukata and had his hair down, yawning. At that sight Gaara was both relief the other opened his door for him and regretted because the other man seemed really tired.
"Is there anything I can help you in the middle of the night, Gaara?" Shikamaru must be really tired, he was lost in his thought so he didn't answer. Once he was back to the reality, he tugged the man's yukata to wake Shikamaru up then asked.
"Can I sleep with you?"
"What? Why?"
"I'm not familiar with this house yet and when we travel, I normally sleep in the same room as my siblings." Well, that was kind of a half-truth. It was his first time in this house and they slept in the same room when they travel together which was not much. But he just used it as an excuse, to get closer to the man.
"And why don't you knock on your siblings' rooms then?" he didn't know what to come up with so he looked down to the floor.
"…It…Last time it was the Chuunin exam…and…no I'd rather not." That was the truth, yes.
"And you decided to knock on my door?" Gaara felt more confident a bit that the Nara didn't refuse him.
"You are a good friend of mine, and you said if there is anything, knock." Shikamaru sighed a little but let him in anyway, Gaara hid his grin while walking into the room then sat down on the futon. The room's owner followed him and lied down quickly, so the man was really tired.
"Thank you, Shikamaru." Said person just hummed in respond then he thought the man had already slept. Gathered enough courage, he gingerly wrapped an arm around the man's waist then hummed. He liked the warmth against him so he moved closer to press their bodies together and nuzzled at Shikamaru's neck, smelled the soft scent of a soap that lingered. And Gaara drifted to his sleep peacefully.
When Gaara woke up next morning, he felt fully rest like he didn't feel before. He opened his eyes and saw a side of Shikamaru then he couldn't help but had his lips curved up a bit. Even though the meeting was in three hours, he didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay like this with the Nara in his arms, but duty is duty, that was why he got up and walked to take a shower in his room.
Gaara didn't expect to see Shikamaru was still in his futon. The man curled up like a ball but the cover wasn't on his body, only his parted yukata. He wanted him to sleep but the Hokage had personally requested the Nara to be there, so Gaara woke the sleeping man. Shaking his body, calling his name, and when Shikamaru tried to reach for the pillow, he pulled it away and shook his head at the sight. He didn't know the Nara was so hard to wake. So he sat down, wrapped his arms around the Nara pulled him up in a sitting position. That finally woke him up, and he released the man even though he didn't want to.
"Dind't know you are so hard to wake."
"Didn't know you are a cuddler." He didn't see that coming, so he looked away. "Besides, it was my first sleep in 5 days, you know. Before, someone decided to disturb my peaceful slumber." If there weren't a meeting today, he would gladly let the man sleep through midday. Still the Hokage requested the Nara to attend the meeting so he must be there. Then Gaara got up on his feet and decided to leave Shikamaru to prepare himself.
"We'll head to the tower and the Hokage wants you to be there too, so get dress."
After that he headed to the living room, and Shikamaru's mother was there. He greeted the woman and sat on one chair, his siblings were nowhere in sight then he decided to ask her opinion on something.
"Nara-san, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, dear. What is it?" Nara Yoshino sat across him after set a tea cup for him, Gaara thanked her then asked.
"Shikamaru is a very good friend to me and…I want him to be my advisor in Suna, I will feel more confident in my position physically and mentally with him there."
"So you want Shikamaru to stay in Suna with you instead of going every month?"
"Yes, I'd like that." Gaara looked up in to her eyes and he saw a knowing look from her, did he that obvious?
"Well, you know, I'm okay with that I can see Shikamaru enjoys your company too. Do you plan to ask the Hokage?"
"Yes, on the last day before we go back to Suna." Yoshino nodded with a small chuckle, and Gaara was relief about the answer he got, he sipped his tea.
"By the way if you ask him on a date, I won't mind too." The red-haired man almost choked on his tea, he was definitely that obvious.
On the last day on their visit, he told his siblings and Shikamaru who was waiting to walk them to the main gate, to wait outside because he wanted to speak with the Hokage alone. Once they got the privacy he asked for he got straight down to business.
"So what do you want to talk?"
"I want to request something." Kakashi crooked his brow and nodded for him to proceed. "I want Shikamaru to stay in Suna as Konoha ambassador and my personal advisor."
"I see, you want him to stay permanently in Suna with you." Gaara nodded.
"Yes, but he can freely visit Konoha anytime he wants."
"Alright, I'll consider it. I'll send a letter to you when it was settled then." Even though Kakashi said that, Gaara saw some suspicious glint in his eyes. But he waved it off and decided to leave.
"Thank you, I'll see you in the next Kage meeting."
Not long after that, a letter was sent straight to Gaara. When it arrived via Kakashi's eagle, he was nervous. Was it a yes or a no? Gaara grabbed it as soon as he can and tore it open carelessly which wasn't like him, but he couldn't care less. Pale green eyes scanned the words on the paper quickly and found that it was a yes. Shikamaru would move to Suna next week.
Five days later, Gaara sent his siblings to Konoha to escort the Nara. He waited impatiently but looking forward to meet him.
When Shikamaru finally arrived at Suna, Gaara almost jumped to give him a bone-crushing hug but he didn't do it or else the other would sense something from him. Instead, he just gave him a handshake then wrapped his free arm around him.
"Thank you for accept my request." He said after released a hug, Shikamaru shrugged like it was not a big deal. But he knew it must be hard for him, parted from his family, his friends. Still Gaara was a selfish man. So he guided the Nara to his room in the Kazekage compound even though Shikamaru was familiar with the house already. The siblings left the Nara to settle in his room and back to the living room.
Inside, Gaara was satisfied, seeing Shikamaru here in his house, and knew he would be with him almost 24/7. He felt warm and fulfilled.
Months passed by and Gaara knew something was wrong. He might not know right away but the two persons who were with Shikamaru the most, Temari and Kankuro, told him one day that Shikamaru seemed different. Then he started to noticed it himself, Shikamaru seemed dull like he didn't get enough sleep. So Gaara decided after a long day of work and a bath, he was going to talk to him.
But Gaara knew he wasn't good at talking, his social skill was rusty. He involuntary knocked on the Nara's door and expected no respond, which would mean that Shikamaru was sleeping. But he didn't expect the door to be opened not long after he knocked, with curiosity, Gaara crooked his head a bit.
"You are quick."
"Can't sleep." So his assumption was correct, there was a sleeping problem going on with Shikamaru. He nodded then walked passed him to the bed inside before sat on the side that faced the wall, leaving a room for the other man. "What are you doing?"
"Sleeping." He answered then pulled the cover up after he lied down. Looking at Shikamaru who was still standing, Gaara waited for his reaction.
"I believe your room is not here." Even though the Nara said that, he walked to lied down with him. Once Shikamaru was in bed, Gaara wrapped his arms around the other like he had wanted to do all the time. To his surprise, the other man moved closer to him.
"Sleep, I need my advisor at his fullest for tomorrow's meeting." Feeling the urge, he moved one hand up to caress Shikamaru's dark hair gently. Feeling the man against him relaxed a bit.
"If you say so, Kazekage-sama." Then Shikamaru closed his eyes, Gaara chuckled at his saying, glad the Nara's mood had lightened up. He kept stroking the dark hair and felt a steady breath from the man in his arms, noticing Shikamaru was already fallen asleep. Gaara gathered up his courage then placed a kiss on the sleeping Nara's cheek before blushed lightly at his own action.
"Good night, Shikamaru."