Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Warnings: None for this chapter, just some language.

Author's Note: This is a very short chapter for me, but I don't think much needed to happen after the last chapter, just tie up a few loose strings and that's it.


The Next Day

"Would you just wait one second?' Kankurou asked loudly as he followed behind Shikamaru as the other man made his way through the busy streets of Sunagakure. The small brunette had been ignoring the Sabaku all morning. He had refused to even look at the older man, except to give him a black eye when he woke up and when he had been forced to shower with Kankurou. The Nara had found himself unable to move when he woke up, body sore and achy from the rough round of sex the previous night and afternoon.

Shikamaru had been less than happy about having to hold on to Kankurou to be able to stand long enough to wash, and Kankurou had even done that was well. His body just didn't seem to want to work right, but he was glad he had managed to punch the larger brunette in the eye.

When they had finished with the shower, Kankurou had changed the sheets and the Nara had gratefully flopped back down on the bed, too tired to want to force his body into any kind of action. Kankurou had laid down beside him, careful not to cuddle close to the other man. And when the Sabaku had gotten too close for Shikamaru's liking, Kankurou had found himself on the receiving end of one of the genius's death glares.

It hadn't taken long for the two of them to fall back asleep. They hadn't woke until nearly one in the afternoon, and that had only happened because Temari had gotten annoyed with her brother sleeping in so late, even though it was a Saturday.

The eldest Sabaku had gotten quite the shock when she banged opened the bedroom door to find Kankurou and Shikamaru cuddle together in their sleep. She was even more surprised when the younger male had woken up only to become instantly pissed that he was wrapped in Kankurou's arms. The Nara had dislodged himself form the firm grasp, pulled on his clothing, and stormed out of the house, fully intent on returning to Konoha, which was how they had arrived at the current situation.

Kankurou would have never in a thousand years have thought he would be acting like this, but he just couldn't bare the thought of losing Shikamaru a second time. He was seriously scared that it would break him. Never in his life had he ever felt so strongly about one person, not even his siblings. And now that person was madder than hell and fast approaching the entrance to the village, heading for his home.

"Damn it, Shikamaru. Wait," the Sabaku shouted, drawing the looks of many of the civilians standing on the street. The Nara ignored him, marching forward toward his goal. Kankurou grit his teeth and speed up his gait to finally catch up with the smaller man. He reached out and caught a hold of Shikamaru's bicep, squeezing as he halted the Nara's forward movement.

Kankurou ducked the punch that was aimed for the same eye that had been abused earlier in the day, and reached out to catch the brunette's other arm in an almost vice like grip. The Sabaku's patience meter was fast running out and the look on the Nara's face only served to make it run out all the faster.

"Look, I apologized I can't count how many times-"

"About 20," the Nara supplied, venom seeping into his voice. Kankurou raised an eyebrow but just continued with what he had been saying.

"Okay, whatever. I know it doesn't change what happened, but that doesn't mean you have to leave. You can be mad at me for as long as you want, but I'm not letting you walk out of those gates without putting up a fight. Stay with me. I need you here. I honestly don't know what I would do if you just disappeared out of my life again. I might tear apart the whole village, or myself, for that matter." Kankurou took a deep breath and hung his head; fingers tightened harshly as he said the last sentence. He meant every word of the small rant, and then some. The Sabaku didn't raise his head to see what Shikamaru's reaction would be. He was scared the Nara would just through it all back in his face and rip himself form Kankurou's grasp and leave anyways.

"You're hurting me, Kankurou," the Nara said gently. Kankurou's head jerked up, forest green eyes wide with shock that he wasn't instantly being left in the dust. He nearly head butted Shikamaru in the face, but the Nara managed to jerk his head out of the way in time. He regarded the older man with less angry eyes, but anger was still present in his expression.

"Still hurting me," Shikamaru ground out, unable to keep the irritation completely out of his voice. Kankurou blinked and then looked at his hands. His tanned fingers were digging into the younger man's arms, pressing against the muscled flesh there roughly. After a moment, he loosened his grip, but didn't let Shikamaru go completely.

Shikamaru stared at the hands gripping his arms for a moment, but said nothing else on the matter. He sighed to himself as he looked back at the pleading expression on the Sabaku's face. He had never seen the older man look so desperate in his life. Forest green eyes were pleading with him and the Nara felt his resolve slowly crumble under the look.

Yes, he was till pissed about the whole spanking ordeal, his pride had been thoroughly raped. Yes, he wanted to pummel the older man into the ground until he felt better, but he knew it really wouldn't help. The biggest problem he was having was the fact that he could feel the urge to embrace Kankurou and accept what he was offering in the back of his head. But he had too much of an ego to just accept the offer like that, even if his heart was screaming at him to do so.

"You will never, ever do that again," Shikamaru stated firmly, knowing Kankurou would know what he meant, "Unless I ask you to, of course." The Nara finished with a blush. Kankurou blinked at him for a moment, and then his mouth went slightly slack. The hands on Shikamaru's arms migrated up to his shoulders.

"You-are you saying you'll stay?" Kankurou asked a bit breathlessly. Shikamaru gave a small nod, not willing to say right out how he felt. But Kankurou figured it out anyways. Having known the younger man for so long, and so imminently, gave the Sabaku an advantage that not even Shikamaru's parents had to knowing how the younger man was feeling.

The Sabaku actually beamed, face lighting up with his smile. He reminded Shikamaru of Naruto and the thought had him frowning to himself. The look really didn't fit the older man very well, but the Nara didn't really get to dwell on that thought for any longer.

Kankurou's hands cupped his cheeks and his lips press solidly against the smaller man's. Shikamaru's instant reaction was to shove at the Sabaku's chest in an attempt to dislodge the other man. Kankurou held on tightly, hands sliding back to tangle in the Nara's ponytail. His kissed the younger man slowly, coaxingly. Shikamaru grumbled slightly before he gave up shoving the other man away, and let his hands rest against the firmness of the Suna nin's chest.

It was impossible for the Nara to keep his eyes open, and his lids finally fluttered shut to cover slightly irritated green eyes. Kankurou kept the kiss gentle, not wanting to anger the younger brunette any more. Shikamaru finally responded, pressing back against the older man's lips.

The Sabaku groaned softly and deepened the kiss slightly, swiping his tongue over the seam of Shikamaru's lips. The Nara let out a sound that was caught between irritation and pleasure. Kankurou made sure he explored every inch of the inside of the younger man's mouth, and coaxed Shikamaru into doing the same.

When Shikamaru finally pulled back due to the need to breath, he realized he had just been thoroughly kissed in the middle of one of the busiest streets in Suna. Irritation crept back into his features, and a blush spread across his cheeks. Kankurou chuckled, and caught the younger man's hand, lacing their fingers together. Shikamaru followed the larger brunette as he was lead back to the Sabaku's house, mentally plotting how to make Kankurou suffer in the most delicious way when they finally got home. He smiled to himself, and if the elder brunette would have looked at the Nara's face in that moment, he would not have been surprised in the least two days later.

"From your face, your eyes
Are burning to me.
You saved me, you gave me
Just what I need.
Oh, just what I need."

-"Crashed" Daughtry


Author's Note: So, that's all. It really did end up being a very short chapter. I hope it was enjoyed and please remember to go and vote on which one to three shot you want to see next. Thank you for reading and leave a review so I know how I did!