Care: Breakfast in Bed
He was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. There was a sheet covering him from the waist down, and warm rays of sunlight were gently caressing his back. He was lying in his own bed, on his stomach, hugging the most snuggable pillow ever (a gift from his boyfriend on his birthday).
He was content and sighed as he buried his head further into the pillow, but as he became more and more conscious of his surroundings, and sleep was slowly losing its firm grip on him, he also became aware of himself and the discomfort in his body. Memories flooded his foggy mind and he released a suffering groan from the remembrance of his ordeal.
"Shikamaru?"
His name had been spoken so softly he'd missed it and so, when hands were placed on his back and his name repeated, he jumped. Strong hands immediately and gently held him firmly against the bed.
"Careful. We don't want you to reopen your wound." There was a sense of relief and a hint of concern in the voice. A voice Shikamaru knew very well.
"When did you get back, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked and sighed as the hands that had prevented him from moving, now gently and firmly started to massage his abused back. Chakra was flowing through them and into Shikamaru's body to sooth and comfort as Sasuke reassured himself that his lover was well.
"Two days ago. I met Naruto and he told me what had happened."
Two days? Shikamaru frowned and his lover sensed the change in his body.
"You've been asleep for a day and a half. You're body's not healing properly and it was better to keep you unconscious for at least 24 hours." Sasuke had been quite worried, and still was, over his lover's condition, and had only left Shikamaru's side to eat and use the bathroom. Neji and Kiba had been by yesterday to collect Sasuke's mission's report, which they needed for their own mission, and Kiba hadn't been shy about telling him just what the Hokage had said over his negligence even though the dog-lover fully approved of his care for the Nara. Sasuke couldn't have cared less over what she thought, not when Shikamaru was hurt, and had asked his colleagues to inform their Hokage that he was taking time off until Shikamaru recovered. He knew he wouldn't be allowed more than three or four days off, but that in itself was a small miracle and only possible because he would be taking care of Nara Shikamaru; one of the greatest assets of Konoha.
"You've kept me asleep for over a day?" While Shikamaru completely understood Sasuke's worries, it still annoyed him a great deal.
"Yes." And Sasuke was fully aware that Shikamaru didn't like it. "You need to take your painkillers."
Shikamaru sighed as he allowed Sasuke to help him sit up and lean back against the headboard of the bed, surrounded by pillows for support. He still hurt but thankfully it was bearable and with the painkillers he would soon be relieved from that discomfort. Sasuke handed him a glass of water and pills, and watched him as he swallowed them. He wasn't going to be overbearing, knowing Shikamaru hated to be mothered, but he needed to calm his aching need to know that his lover was going to be alright. Shikamaru often felt watched, and at the beginning of their awkward relationship it had been discomforting, distrusting, but once he'd understood the reason behind it, the need, he'd come to draw comfort in the fact that his lover was always watching him. It was the socially awkward man's way of showing care, concern and love.
The painkillers quickly did their job but Shikamaru had slept so much they did nothing more than fuzz up his mind. Sasuke took the glass and as he did so he placed a kiss on his Shika's forehead, murmuring against his skin that he was going to get him breakfast. At the mention of food Shikamaru's stomach growled even though Shikamaru's mind was to cloudy comprehend what that meant, and Sasuke left the room with a smile on his lips. He let the bedroom door remain wide open and while he moved around soundlessly in the kitchen he paid close attention to every noise coming from the bedroom. He soon returned to his lover's side with a tray and placed it on the nightstand. Shikamaru's eyes lit up at the sight of food and his stomach made another growling noise. He frowned when Sasuke prevented him from reaching for the food and had to scoot forwards when his lover pushed gently at his lower back. He soon got the idea, even with his foggy mind, and moved further to make room for his lover. Sasuke slipped in behind him on the bed and once Shikamaru leaned back against his chest he picked up the tray in one hand and placed it over his lover's lap. Though Sasuke enjoyed watching his lover, they usually kept a distance between them, except, when in bed. Lying in their bed Shikamaru would always lie on his stomach but what was used as his pillow would vary, depending on whether or not he was sleeping alone. On nights when Sasuke was out on missions Shikamaru would sleep on his favourite pillow, but when they were both home Shikamaru's pillow was Sasuke.
Sasuke picked up one of the sandwiches he'd made and feed both Shikamaru and then himself. He kept this up, feeding his lover pieces of bread, and fruit and cookies, and holding the glass while Shikamaru drank his favourite juice, all the while keeping the Nara tucked safely against his chest and eating over his shoulder. His left arm was wrapped carefully around his lover's waist and his hand was caressing the smooth skin on his lover's hip. His anxiety over his lover's condition was slowly ebbing away as the physical contact, as well as the fact that Shikamaru was awake and eating, reassured him that Shikamaru was going to be just fine.
Once they'd emptied the plates Sasuke picked the tray up in one hand and placed it on the nightstand once again. He leaned back against the headboard and pulled Shikamaru with him. The Nara turned and pulled the covers up over them and relaxed into his lover's arms. He smiled as he felt hands rubbing over chest and back and remembered when this had all been new and he'd been a bit uneasy about the Uchiha's need to touch him. Sasuke himself had been confused, at the time, of his sudden need to touch his new lover when they were alone but soon gave into that craving and now it had almost turned in to a fetish. They had certainly enjoyed many breath taking moments where Sasuke did nothing more than touch Shikamaru all over.
"I'm sorry I worried you." Shikamaru said softly and frowned slightly when Sasuke's hands stopped caressing, as he knew they would.
"You don't have to apologise."
"Yeah, I do. It was a stupid mistake on my part that got me into this situation, you found out from Naruto who's not the most capable person when it comes to giving bad news, and then you came home and saw that scene with Neji. So, I'm sorry."
Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he hugged Shikamaru just a little tighter. He'd been scared, really scared. Scared in a way he'd only been a couple of times in his life. Scared in a way that made him unable to think, to act, to understand. Sacred in a way that made 'what-ifs' eco in his mind.
What if you'd died?
What if I'd lost you?
What if I'd never seen you again?
What if you'd left me?
"It's alright. I forgive you. Just… don't leave me."
Well, I'm done with this now. I feel proud of myself! =)
I wanna apologize for my little rant at the end of the first chapter. I won't erase it 'cause I don't regret it but I sound mean (which was my intention but I get a feeling it destroys the atmosphere of the story).
Anyway, thank you for reading this and a BIG THANK YOU to the people who reviewed the first chapter (saiyanprincekills and Grey) and thank you to anyone who'll review this chapter.
I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it (believe it or not), and please, tell me what you think!
Hopefully this isn't the last of my SasuShika fics for those of you who like the pairing but it'll certainly be some time until my next one.
(P.S if you've already read the first chapter and skipped directly to the next one then I just want to say that I've changed a few things in the first chapter. Nothing big, just some sentences that I wasn't happy with and corrected what errors I could find. You might not even notice a difference.)
