((A/N: Yes, the word 'troublesome is used a lot in this chapter. I know. I did it on purpose. Oh yeah: this is fanfiction, biotches. The characters are bound to be alittle out of character. So please don't bug me about it, I care so little you wouldn't believe it. ))
Chapter One: Converse
Shikamaru, in an effort to make up for having left Chouji behind (not to mention the fact the Chouji had almost died) had spent quite a bit of extra time with his friend. Most of it up on the roof-top, staring at the clouds just like they used to. For the most part, these moments (which sometimes lasted for hours, depending on their schedule) were silent, with the exception of the quiet munching that followed Chouji everywhere.
"Eh, Shikamaru?"
The first change in their routine since Chouji had been discharged from the hospital.
"Uh?"
"D'you like Ino?"
Shikamaru grunted, closing one eye in discomfort. "Meh… she's a good fighter. I guess so."
"No… I mean… If she asked would you go out with her?"
"No." There was little thought to it. He didn't see any reason to lie.
"What about that Temari girl?" Chouji asked, sitting up and looking at his friend. Shikamaru made a face and tried not to think about that too hard.
"No."
"Sakura, then."
"Chouji!" Shikamaru groaned pressing his fingertips to his forehead. "Knock it off."
The Akimichi boy grumbled for a moment, then popped another chip in his mouth, chewing contentedly. Just as Shikamaru started to relax again, Chouji guessed again. "What about Tenten?"
"None of them, Chouji!" Shikamaru snapped, closing his eyes. "I don't want any of them, alright?"
"Oh. That's good."
Good? That was good? What in the name of…
Where had this stream of conversation come from anyway? Shikamaru supposed it was normal for teenagers to think about love and sex and the relationships of others, but normal teenagers they were not. None of the young shinobi were, and Shikamaru had thought that the only two stupid enough to openly pretend they had time for dating and gossip were Sakura and Ino.
And why would Chouji care who he was interested in anyway? They had never even mentioned it before, it was such a stupid thing.
"Oi, Chouji?"
"Mm?"
"What about you?"
Such a stupid thing, and yet Shikamaru wanted to know as well now. Some ungodly need to know that his friend was still just his friend.
Chouji shook his head. "Girl's don't pay much attention to me. I don't know any of them except Ino." A brief pause while the larger boy chewed thoughtfully on a chip. "And she's too shallow to go for someone like me."
That didn't seem very fair. Sure, Chouji wasn't really… well, attractive in a general since of the word, but he was brave and kind and a real friend. Shikamaru made a vague attempt at articulating this, failing miserably, and the Akimichi boy laughed.
"And overweight." He added, and Shikamaru could see his smile was forced. "None of the girls are gonna want a guy like me. You're the only one who's ever really wanted to be my friend."
Shikamaru grunted. It was the truth, but he still didn't like it pushed out in the open.
"One good friend is better than a hundred fakes." He said, thinking of something he'd heard his mother chide.
When Chouji only grunted, Shikamaru turned his face back up to the sky. It was true that they didn't really have time for dating, but they were still people with feelings- no matter how troublesome those feelings tended to be. He had a lot of feelings for his friend, but until now he'd never really thought about where they might lead.
He liked Chouji. Chouji was the one friend he knew he could rely on and always come to with a problem. Even if the larger boy couldn't solve the problem, he was always ready to do his best. When he'd seen his friend in the hospital, he'd felt sick and hurt and lower than ever in his life because… because there was the most important person in his life, hurt so badly from trying to save his friends. He'd risked his life to help him, and Shikamaru understood that, even though it made him feel odd. It made him feel he owed Chouji more than he knew how to give.
He shut his eyes against the sky. How troublesome, these circling feelings. Yes, he liked Chouji. He liked him quite a bit, maybe more so than he should. And for the longest time, he had been sure his friend was as straight as they came. But here they were, going on seventeen, and the Akimichi boy had yet to show much interest in anything other than food, training (and only mild interest in that, at times), and Shikamaru.
Shikamaru had known for a while that his feelings for Chouji had extended beyond the normal bounds of simple friendship. It wasn't all that hard to tell, when he thought of the other boy all the time.
"-boys, then?" Chouji's voice finally pulled him away from his thought.
Looking up, Shikamaru saw a his friend staring at him with a light blush playing over his face.
"uhm.. What?"
Chouji made a little sound, something half between embarrassment and irritation. "I said, what about boys, then?"
Blinking, Shikamaru tried to keep the blush from his face. Sometimes it seemed Chouji knew what he was thinking, and it was never a good thing. Always something Shikamaru would rather he not know.
"Relationships are troublesome." He said finally, not looking at his friend.
Hopefully that would be the end of that.
"Well, what about just for thinking…?"
Or Chouji could keep it going.
Shikamaru was not a good liar. He could conceal the truth, and he could play word games all day long, but when someone asked a direct question, he had trouble.
"Whatever." He grumbled, shutting his eyes again. He heard and felt Chouji shifting restlessly beside him, and forced himself to remain blinded.
"I think I'm gay."
The tone was casual, but the softness suggested that Chouji was just as nervous as anyone would have been. Shikamaru opened his eyes and glanced at his friend, who looked like he expected something to explode in his face.
"Uh…" he didn't know what to say. "Who?"
Chouji's face reddened and he looked away from his friend. "I told you, you were my only real friend…" he mumbled, chips laying forgotten now.