Temari's integrated alarm woke her at half past seven.
She stirred lightly in her half-sleeping state and opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the early morning haze.
When she turned to face the wall that she was leaning against, she was surprised to see that the wall was in fact another individual.
Reacting completely on instinct, she slammed the other person away from her, except considering the fact that she was only after waking up, her muscles were still a little tired, so it was more like a rough shove.
That said, the other person (whom she realised was her chauffeur when she was halfway through kicking him out of the bed) was light and vulnerable in their sleeping state, so the attack had its intended effect.
Just as it dawned on her that the person was Shikamaru and not some weird dude who had crawled into her bed during the night, gravity took over and finished the job, causing him to fall to the ground with a dull "thump" noise.
"What woman the what why what did I do what?"
"Shit, sorry."
He sat up and stared at her.
" ' shit sorry ' ?" He asked, laughing in a high pitch. " 'SHIT SORRY ' ?! Woman, you could have killed me!"
"I'm sorry. Impulses, y'know."
"You really do act before you think."
"If it weren't for instinct, the human race wouldn't be as developed as it is now."
"And if intelligence had been valued sooner, we'd be a far more developed species by now."
She huffed and offered a hand to him, helping him back onto the bed.
"You don't know that for sure."
"Yes. I do."
She sighed and lay back down.
"Whatever genius. Hand me my notebook." She mumbled as she closed her eyes.
After a few seconds shuffling, she felt a light weight being dropped onto her chest.
"You're welcome," he said before she'd even opened her eyes.
"Thanks."
She flicked to the appropriate page and scanned it quickly.
"What does the weather look like?" She asked.
Shikamaru shrugged as he lay down beside her and glanced at the page.
"Go check the weather." She demanded.
"I'm your chauffeur, not your bitch."
"Yes, how many chauffeurs sleep in the same bed as the person hiring them and paying for their lodgings?"
"I'd say a few."
"Lazy-Ass, check the damn weather."
He rolled his eyes and stood up again, padding over to the window and shifting the curtain to one side.
"Not great. Drizzle. Looks cold. Overcast and the likes."
"Okay. That's alright then."
"Why, what are today's plans?"
"Well, I allowed for one blank day which I could fill in whenever it was raining or if my chauffer died or whatever, so we can have that today. The only problem is..."
"Is...?"
"Well, it means we won't be changing hotel, so unless you'd rather move to a different place..."
"Nah, this is fine. Unless you're going to dramatically wake me up again, in which case we should definitely change."
"Shut up."
He laughed and sat back down on the bed.
"So what's on the rainy day schedule?"
"Pick up a hobby and night club."
"... Night club?"
"Yes, night club. Would you like me to say it again?"
"Why have you planned to go to a night club?"
"Because reasons, Shikamaru. Why have you planned to exist?"
"Actually, my existence didn't come about out of my own volition."
"Shut it, Lazy-Ass."
"So what hobby do you plan to pick up?"
"I don't know. Teach me something. Anything."
"Um... Do you play chess?"
"No. It may have escaped your notice, but I'm not an elderly man."
Shikamaru sighed and made his way towards his bag, pulling out a small foldable chess travel set, magnetic and all.
"You're kidding me."
"You said, and I quote: Something, anything. Here is your 'something'."
She sighed and watched as he set the game up, naming each of the pieces and their moves as he placed them down onto the black and white squares.
"Lets go for a test round,"
He pointed out any mistakes she made and recommended a few moves at certain points in the round, but she found herself enjoying the game.
After two test rounds, they played a real game which resulted in a defeated Temari in less than five minutes.
Not letting that dishearten her, she quickly replaced the pieces where they belonged.
"Again."
She could see that she was getting better as the matches lasted longer and longer, but she still hadn't managed to beat him yet, much to her dismay.
"I'm hungry," she said after what could easily have been their sixteenth game. "Lets get breakfast."
He got up and went to the bathroom to shower as Temari picked out the clothes she was going to wear. Figuring she'd only be leaving for breakfast, she decided on a hoodie and a pair of jeans, she would shower before heading out that night.
"Ready to go?" Shikamaru asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, dressed and all.
"Sure."
-IOIOIOI-
"AGAIN?!"
"I may have forgotten to mention this, but I was chess champion in my high school."
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh my, I feel threatened." She sighed. "Considering the fact I've only picked this up today, I'd like to think I'm doing fairly well."
"You are," he said, surprising her by sounding genuine. "I'm actually impressed by how fast you got the hang of it."
"You shouldn't doubt me." Temari snapped.
"I wasn't doubting you, I just didn't realise you were more intelligent than I thought."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do I seem stupid?"
"No, but you don't seem to be the highly intelligent type either. You seem average. But you're a good bit above that, it would seem."
Temari didn't know wether she should feel more annoyed or proud.
She decided to punch him in the arm (fairly hard) and thank him at the same time.
She smiled widely at his annoyed reaction and he seemed to hesitate and hold back whatever words he was planning on saying after he saw her expression.
"Temari?" He asked, sounding suddenly serious.
"Yes?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"Playing chess?"
"No, this," he held up his arms. "This whole trip?"
She shook her head.
"That doesn't matter at all." She said with a tone of finality, putting an end to the conversation before it began.
He opened his mouth to continue with his case, but Temari held up her hand.
"Shikamaru, I mean no offense when I say this, but why I'm doing this has nothing to do with you. Hell, getting friendly with you wasn't a part of the plan to begin with, so I don't want all of this to fall apart before we finish the list, okay? Please don't ask any more questions about that."
He nodded solemnly.
"Alright."
-IOIOIOI-
"I'm going to take a shower, entertain yourself for a while."
She took a bundle of clothes with her into the bathroom, no way was she going to forget them again.
"Kay," he said, reaching into his bag for a photo album.
She allowed the water to scald her a tiny bit as she showered and she dried herself off with a big fluffy towel.
Sifting through the clothes she'd brought, she decided not to wear any bright colours. She'd been wearing vibrant tops and hoodies every day so far, so she picked out a simple grey t-shirt dress which she wore with fishnet tights and a pair of Converse. She wasn't big on heels.
She considered taking her hair down, but decided against it-she prefered having it tied up.
After a quick application of mascara (She didn't trust herself with eyeliner) and some dark lipstick, she looked herself over in the mirror and smirked.
She washed up pretty damm well when she made an effort.
"Righteo, lets go," she said a she left the bathroom.
Shikamaru didn't look up from where he was seated on the bed and simply nodded before slowly closing the photo album.
"Sure,"
He glanced up and raised an eyebrow when he saw what she was wearing.
"You never struck me as a dress kind of girl."
"Shows how little you know me," she smirked as she pulled on a leather jacket and re-tightened her hair.
"You good?" She asked, turning around and expecting to see him with his shoes on and ready to leave, instead she found him looking at her with a thoughtful expression.
She cocked her head to the side and put her hand on her hip, waiting for him to snap out of his haze, which he did fairly quickly.
"Sorry, what?"
"I asked you if you were ready to go?"
He stood up and pulled on his shoes.
"Yup, all good."
-IOIOIOI-
The rain had eased up a little as they left the hotel and was replaced with a misty haze.
"Where to?" Shikamaru asked as they walked to the car.
"Wherever the closest night club is. A pub or bar will do too. I just want a drink to be honest."
After a few minutes of driving, they settled for a simple looking pub which wasn't completely empty, but looked to have some seats available.
They walked in and sat on a couple of the taller stools by the counter, talking about something or another.
It was pleasant.
The bartender came to them and asked what they wanted.
"I'll have a Guinness and Black," Shikamaru said, which caused Temari to snort.
"I'll just have a Guinness. Straight please."
When the bartender left to get their drinks, Shikamaru turned to Temari and frowned.
"What was that about?"
Temari chuckled.
"Guinness and black? How weak are you?"
Shikamaru shrugged.
"I just don't like bitter tastes that much. Blackberries are nice, and besides, I'm driving. I don't want to have anything too strong."
Temari nodded and kept her gaze on him, smiling lightly.
Their drinks arrived and Temari drank hers slowly. She wanted to make the night last, and downing a pint would not cater to that.
After she finished her pint, she called for some water to help it go down.
She was no lightweight, but she wasn't some steel-livered lush either. She just knew her limit and understood the art of drinking without getting drunk.
Her approach to bars was simple: Eat beforehand, drink water between alcohol and take it slow.
The holy trinity of nights out.
A second beer and a cider later, she decided to ask for something stronger. Shikamaru, who wasn't even halfway through his first drink, looked startled when he heard her place her order.
"Temari, you sure that's a good idea?"
"Sshh, it's just a little bitta rum. Calm down."
He rolled his eyes and took another small sip of his Guinness.
"And you say you're not an old man?"
Her drink arrived, and she downed it with far less inhibition than the last few.
"Okay. That's enough, it's only midnight Temari."
"Hush, kid. I can handle it." Temari said, her smile wide. "I can."
She frowned as she thought of what she was going to say.
"I can... Yeah.. I can handle it."
He shook his head and said nothing.
She stood from her stool.
"I'll be back in a sec, I just need to pee."
She shuffled to the toilets and surprised herself by being dizzy as she walked.
When she got back, she found that her seat had been taken by someone else.
Scowling, she made her way towards the person and slid between her and an uncomfortable looking Shikamaru.
"Hello there," she said as she looked at the girl.
She was wearing a (very, very) tight red dress which showed more skin than Temari had ever seen on another human being.
"Oh," she said, as she continued to stare at the girl. "Hello there,"
She gave the pretty girl her winning smile, to which the stranger gave her a disgusted look before standing and leaving.
Temari frowned and regained her seat.
"That was rude. I was only hitting on her."
Shikamaru stared at her for a moment.
"Er, thanks?" He said. "She was being kinda... Clingy."
"No prob bro." Temari grinned.
"Er, I just need to go to the toilet."
He excused himself and left. A quarter of his drink was still in his pint glass, and Temari considered drinking it, but thought the better of it.
"Hey babe," came a voice from behind her.
She swivelled in her chair and smiled at the older man.
"Hello stranger," she said in a sweet voice.
"You look lonely," he said, sliding into Shikamaru's seat.
Temari didn't let her smile falter, she knew what men like that were like.
"Do I now?" She asked, sounding concerned.
The man licked his lips and nodded. His eyes were nowhere near her own.
"Very lonely."
Temari shrugged.
"I'm not lonely." She dropped her voice and leaned in closer to him, whispering. "The voices keep me company..."
The man frowned but didn't move away, clearly thinking that a deranged girl would be easier to bag.
"Well babe, I can keep you company too." He murmured, placing a hand on her thigh and smiling a charming smile.
She giggled and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Is that so?" She asked, biting her lip for effect.
"Mm," his face was getting closer and she seized the moment, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling his face closer to hers to give the impression that she was speeding things up for him, but she stopped inches from his face and breathed heavily.
"Leave me the fuck alone." She let go of his collar and he stumbled a bit as nothing was supporting him at that point.
He looked confused for a moment, but then he glared at her as he walked away.
"Fucking bitch," he grumbled as he stalked off.
She smiled and waved when he turned back to her.
When Shikamaru came back, she ordered another drink for herself before they headed off.
Shikamaru's driving was slightly lopsided, but there weren't many people on the road bar them.
They headed up to their room, laughing a little when Temari stumbled over her own feet.
"SSSHHHH," She laughed loudly.
"Shh," Shikamaru corrected. "Shhh,"
She laughed loudly at that and they got to their room.
She pulled on her pyjamas, not warning him as she took off her dress and slipped into shorts and a tank top.
"What?" She asked when she saw him staring at her.
He just raised an eyebrow at her as though her question had been dumb.
"Nothing, troublesome."
"Heyy, that's mean," Temari pouted as she sat herself down on the bed. "You're mean."
He nodded and sat down beside her.
"Yeah. Sure. Now go to sleep, woman."
She crossed her arms and refused to lie down.
"Make me," she demanded.
He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down onto the bed in such a way that they were like two spoons stacked away in a drawer.
She chuckled when he kept his arm where it was.
"Temari. Stop laughing and sleep. Please. I'm exhausted."
She leaned back against him and held onto his arm as she felt his second one slip underneath her so that he was hugging her.
It felt nice to seem liked, and she fell asleep with that thought in her mind.
How nice it would be to have that forever.
A/N: Heeyyyy. I had an audition today for some show, and I only did it cos my friend asked me to play the guitar whilst she sang, and I can never say no to her. Oh well, it went pretty well though, in spite of my lack of enthusiasm. What bothers me though is that my Ex was one of the panelists, so she might pettily reject us (Which is funny cos my friend ALSO dated her. Ah, fun.)
Anyways, a cultural note about this chapter:
Guinness and Black is basically Guinness with some blackberry juice diluted into it to make it weaker.
Okie. I swear swear swear SWEAR that I'll get onto the reviews, but my exams start TOMORROW and I seriously need to start studying. Thank you all sososo much for All the support!
Please follow/fave/review!
~Lee ;)