"Choji! Don't eat so much! You'll gain all that weight back that you lost!"
"Oh leave him alone Ino, don't dictate what others can do with their bodies. It's so annoying." Shikamaru's almost bored reply reverberated around their little booth, "Besides, starving yourself for the sake of what you think is appealing is just as bad. If you're hungry then eat" He followed his words with a sigh, picking up a slice of meat from the barbecue grill imbedded in the table before him. He popped it lightly into his mouth, chewing the charred pork just as Asuma picked up the third to last piece, waving it slightly for emphasis as he added his two cents; "C'mon Ino, Choji defeated that sound ninja all by himself, I think he deserves it - I'm proud of you Choji!" Grinning, their sensei leaned back in his seat, chewing on the meat now in his mouth as he laid down his chopsticks with a soft 'clank'.
Shikamaru picked up the last but one piece of food, leaving the last for Choji, just as Ino snapped. "FINE! I'll eat then!" She snatched up the last sizzling slice of pork and stuffed it into her mouth before Choji could stop her. Shikamaru felt his best friend tense beside him at Ino's act of irreverence for the last piece of food. He started forward, ready to scold her.
"Calm down Choji, this is the last one left now, and it's all yours." In the spirit of mediation Shikamaru moved the meat trapped between his chopsticks towards his friends mouth, allowing the Akimichi boy to snap it up. "Mmm, thanks Shikamaru!" Choji chewed happily.
"Well then, I have to get going." Asuma said, leaning forward again, preparing to leave.
"I have to go too, I'm looking after the shop in about an hour" Ino rose with him and they both exited, Asuma paying on the way out.
Shikamaru turned to his team mate "I'm going to go lay by the river and watch the clouds in the clearing, if you want to come?" Choji grinned back at him, replying cheerfully "Sounds good to me Shikamaru. Lead the way!" They both stood and sidled from the booth, before exiting the building, Shikamaru in front. They fell into step side by side in comfortable silence, heading through the main village gates and into the woods just beyond them.
Choji looked down at himself, studying his newly slimmed down arms and legs. Even though he had managed to gain a little weight back, his body felt strange to him now. It was as though his mind was but possessing it for a while, and every time he passed a reflective surface he had to do a double take. He wasn't sure that he liked it at all. He looked over to his left, studying the face of his best friend and teammate, wondering what Shikamaru thought of his new build.
"Something on your mind Choji?" Shikamaru asked, still looking forward. The chunin's astute observation skills never ceased to catch him off guard. "Oh uhh, nothing really, I was just thinking about taking a dip in the river, it's pretty hot out." He smiled, lying quickly. "I might join you then." Shikamaru's voice took on an edge as he turned to look at his friend "If you're thinking about what Ino said, don't waste your time, she doesn't know what she's talking about."
Choji turned to look ahead, in an attempt to elude the knowing gaze directed at him, just as they broke through the brush into a small clearing. The tinkling sound of water filled his ears as the scent of summer flowers in bloom tickled his nose slightly. He heard his friends' contented sigh beside him and looked up, knowing that would be the direction of his gaze. Azure velvet filled his vision, broken only by the occasional bird and the fluffy white puffs that Shikamaru so loved.
Voicing an uncertainty he had felt for a while, Choji whispered "What if I never find somebody? No one looks at me that way." A moment passed, stretching out as they both stood, continuing to watch the rolling clouds pass over the circle of sky above, and Choji began to regret saying anything. As smart as his teammate was, he couldn't expect him to know everything. He opened his mouth to tell the other boy to forget his words, but was cut off by another sigh.
"We're still young, and women are so troublesome anyway" Shikamaru turned his face away from the sky, directing a piercing look at his best friend, who met his eyes, a tinge of embarrassment staining his cheeks. He started toward the water's edge, Choji falling into step with him once more. This time, when he spoke, he didn't meet the others eyes "Besides, there is one person who likes you already." He opened his chunin vest, shucking it from one shoulder and then the other, before laying it on the ground and taking off his shoes.
"Who is it?" Shikamaru heard the note of disbelief in his friends voice and turned back to face him, noting that the Akimichi boys feet were already bare like his own. "Gossiping is a drag." Shikamaru had hidden his feeling for so long already, never expecting to be put in a position to reveal them to anyone, let alone to the object of his fascination itself. Wanting to delay the rejection of his confession a little longer, and give himself time to think, he began taking off the leaf headband around his arm, changing the subject "Let's take that dip, you were right, it's way too hot today."
Knowing he wouldn't learn the identity of his supposed admirer just yet, Choji took off his own headband and dropped it beside his shoes. He unwound the bandages from his arms and legs, wondering if this 'admirer' actually existed, or whether his friend was just trying to make him feel better. They undressed in silence, until they stood at the edge in just their boxers. Beneath his lashes, Choji briefly eyed his friends lean body, the tiny spark of jealousy he sometimes felt, absent now in place of something a little warmer. Mentally he moved away from the strange thought and looked directly at his teammate's face, a grin spreading. "Last one to the other side pays for dinner!" He laughed heartily, wading straight into the cool water.
"Gahh - Choji!" Shikamaru dove forward quickly, not wanting to lose.
XxX
A long while later they lay on their backs in the deep green grass, looking up at the sky. Choji, having won two out of three of the races lay like a starfish, a smile on his face. He had been splashed in the face for his victory, which had led to an all out water war, that he had again won by using his partial expansion jutsu to slam a huge hand down in the water, drenching his best friend. Now cooled sufficiently, the two lay side by side, still in their boxers, watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky, carried by an almost negligible breeze. Choji rolled onto his side to face his teammate and watched him for a few seconds. He was lying back, interlocked hands cradling his head from behind, his gaze skyward. Though he looked relaxed, his astute perception missed very little. Before Choji could ask the question on his lips, it was answered by the shadow ninja.
"I've ran through about twenty possible scenarios of this situation, and most of them don't turn out well." He followed the path of a particularly interesting cloud across the blue expanse above them. Noting the uncomfortable look on his best friends face, Choji took the hint and rolled onto his back once more, hoping to ease the other boy.
"How bad can it be?" He laughed, a little nervous. Of all of the girls in the village, he couldn't think of a single one that could like him. To be honest to himself, he couldn't think of a single one that he would even want to like him, he just didn't think of them in that way. Silence reigned, stretching out around them like a bubble, broken briefly by Shikamaru's long sigh, before encompassing them once more.
"How troublesome feelings are." The chunin whispered on a drawn out breath. Having not expected to truly get an answer out of the other boy, Choji was surprised "Huh?" He questioned, a little confused.
"Don't you ever wonder why I refer to you as 'my' Choji?"
A recent memory flashed through the Akimichi's mind. A little over a week ago, when some prisoners had escaped the shinobi prison nearby, they had had to fight two behemoths, using a new Ino, Shika, Cho formation. Shikamaru's grinning face came into focus in his mind, and he heard the words again "That's my Choji!" At the time he had been filled with little other than pride, having been in the midst of a battle, but thinking back on the words Choji felt a blush stain his cheeks. Was his best friend really suggesting what he thought he was? The memory fading, he turned to look at the shadow ninja beside him, propping himself on his arm as he did so. Shikamaru's gaze was still fixed on the sky, but his eyes were unmoving, his brow furrowed and a light pink stained his cheeks too. Wanting to take away his anxious embarrassment, Choji chuckled softly, jokingly saying "Well, at least we won't have to worry about our parent's disapproval, they're so laid back, they wouldn't care if we got married tomorrow!" Shikamaru laughed along with him; knowing his dad's almost hopelessly romantic view of the world, he knew Choji was right. Their laughter died down as their eyes met, and Shikamaru's expression grew more serious once again. He rolled to his side to face his teammate, propping himself up on his forearm. "You understand that I've just confessed that I have feelings for you, don't you Choji? I'm not a woman, so I'll understand if you want to stay friends." Shikamaru stopped, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh, clearly torn. "Oh man, what am I saying? Feelings really are a drag..."
Smiling, Choji reached out and gently pulled the others hand away from his face to meet his gaze. "Relax Shikamaru, I'm happy that you told me. Honestly, I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else by my side." He grinned as a relieved smile spread across his best friends face, and he interlocked their fingers together, brushing the pad of his thumb over the back of his teammate's hand, jokingly adding "I will have to teach you to cook though."
Shikamaru frowned and admonished him lightly "I'm not gonna be your stay at home wife Choji! We're both guys, it'll be equal." "But I'll be bigger than you." The Akimichi boy countered teasingly, the grin on his face spreading. His best friend sighed, releasing his hand, and rolled once again onto his back, eyes skyward. He offered his closest hand to the other to hold once again, whispering almost to himself "Man, I've got to say, this is not how I imagined this would play out." His usual bored tone was back as he composed himself, but Choji saw the small smile on his lips.
"Well, I hate to break it to you Shikamaru, but I'm about to throw another spanner in the works." Choji moved to his knees and leaned over his teammate, bringing their entwined fingers to rest on the chunin's chest. Then, without giving him any time to think, Choji leaned down and pressed their lips together.
Shikamaru started at the light peck to his lips, his eyes widening as his teammate pulled away to look down at him. Silence surrounded them as they both blushed. "That was my first kiss Choji..." "Mine too..." The chunin reached up with his free hand to cup the back of his friends head "Good." He whispered, before pulling him back down, meshing their lips together. Tentatively he ran the tip of his tongue along the centre of choji's parted lips, gaining a murmur of approval, before sliding it briefly into his mouth, retreating again to repeat the action. They continued for long minutes, exploring each other's mouths, learning one another leisurely in the seclusion of their quiet little clearing.
Choji broke the kiss, pulling back to catch his breath, his cheeks darkened with arousal. He pulled his hand from his friends, moving it to cover the tented front of his still damp boxers "Sorry, I um..." He was cut short as Shikamaru took the hand at his crotch, moving it to his own. "Me too." He grinned almost sheepishly up at the Akimichi, pressing his hand firmly on top of the others, seeking relief from the tightness in his loins. Choji tensed briefly at the unexpected action, before wrapping his fingers around the chunin's length, the damp material moulding to the engorged flesh beneath. Shikamaru turned towards his teammate, as the other boy did the same, placing them but a breath apart. He leaned in to capture Choji's lips once again as he slid his hand into his boxers, gripping the thick length within.
The Akimichi moaned into their kiss at the intimate contact, hooking a finger into the waistband of his friend's boxers, he pulled them hastily down at the front before taking the exposed member in his hand, squeezing the base hard. Shikamaru pulled back from their kiss with a hissed in breath at the forceful grip, but as Choji apologised and loosened his fingers, he stopped him. "No, it feels good. It all feels so good..." Murmuring his agreement, the Akimichi increased the pressure once again, leaning back in to lick the seam of his best friend's lips.
With heated breaths and muted moans they continued their ministrations, taking each other higher, until they could they could take it no longer. Shikamaru broke from their kiss, leaning his head on his friend's neck, biting his lip to remain quiet. "Stop. Hnn- Choji stop..." His face scrunched in his effort to hold off "Stop, I'm gonna -ahnn-" He felt himself fall straight from the pinnacle of his desire, shattering as he came into the Akimichi's hand, and over both of their stomachs. Choji moaned low in his throat, aroused painfully at Shikamaru's loss of control, unable to stop himself following him into oblivion. He felt his desire pump from him, coating his friends hand and the inside of his boxers. He fell back into the temperate grass, pulling his best friend with him to rest in the crook of his arm, and tried to catch his breath.
The two lay in silence beneath the circle of blue above them for long minutes, not wanting to return to the bustle of the town just yet. As though on cue, Choji's stomach rumbled. Laughing lightly Shikamaru sat up and suggested they get dressed. After rinsing their boxers and shoving them hastily into pockets, they donned their clothes, stealing meaningful glances at each other as they did so. At the edge of the clearing they shared one last chaste kiss, before stepping through the brush to take the same way back. They fell into step as they usually did, the ease of the silence between them the same as ever, but this time a little more knowing. As they passed through the main village gates, heading towards Ichiraku Ramen, Choji pulled a bag of chips from his side pouch. As they walked he munched on his favourite snack, before offering his best friend the bag.
Smiling affectionately, Shikamaru dipped his hand in to find the very last chip