I do not own Naruto in any way. All rights belong to the makers of Naruto.
This is my first multi-chapter story on the site and my first long piece of writing in well over a year, so any and all C&C is greatly appreciated.
It centres around Shikamaru Nara, an unmotivated worker at the head office of a huge company based in London, and the lives of him, his friends, and his rivals. I've cast several Naruto characters well out of type, which I hope will make it a refreshing and fun story. Then again, I've been wrong before...
Hope you enjoy!
Drama Incorporated.
Chapter 7 – Highs & Lows
Generally, Shikamaru hated parties. Many times in their past Choji would drag himself away from festivities to see his unmotivated friend's back discreetly slipping away. The noise and the exuberance of so many people laughing and joking seemed like a chore to him, and while he had long since gotten used to the raucous company of his closest friends, the addition of thirty vague acquaintances to an evening was a sure-fire way to have him ducking for cover.
It came as a great surprise to everyone, including Shikamaru himself, when he admitted to be being reasonably excited by the prospect of Shino's birthday.
"See, you're such a dry bastard, I can't genuinely tell if you're serious, or this is just more sarcasm…" had been Sakura's reply to his proclamation. To her credit, she managed to keep the smirk from her face, if not from her eyes.
The group was occupying a booth in Jiraiya's bar; their usual haunt, and were going over the day's events with great enthusiasm.
"Good point Sakura. To be honest, the guy manages to even make 'good morning' sound sarcastic! Hey Shikamaru, is 'being grouchy' on your CV yet?"
"No. Is 'being obnoxious' on yours?"
Wicked canines flashed for a moment in Kiba's disarming, wolfish grin.
"Well you've got me there smartass… Fancy buying me another pint after verbally cutting me up?"
"Good call Kiba!" was Choji's cheerful input, which he punctuated by slamming yet another drained glass of cider onto the varnished tabletop. He directed his attention at Shikamaru and added. "You have most of our cash after this week's wager anyway."
Shikamaru smiled, something he'd been doing with uncharacteristic frequency since leaving Director Tsunade's office earlier in the day, before carrying on the conversation.
"Fine fine! Just let me finish mine first."
"Oh no you don't. You've barely touched yours. Hoping we'll forget about you if you stay quiet for long enough?"
Shikamaru's smile turned to mock outrage as he pretended to be wounded by Kiba's very accurate assumption.
"Just because I savour my drink doesn't automatically make me dishonest you know."
"I only trust people who can down a pint in less than eight seconds." Kiba offhandedly remarked, while allowing a smirk to colour his next utterance. "Surely you remember that."
His eyes twinkled with mirth while Choji perked up, scenting a challenge being made.
"Okay. What does Shikamaru get if he manages it in eight seconds?"
"I'll pay for my own drinks this evening." He carried on over the sound of Sakura snorting 'yeah right' into her drink. "And I'll pay for his as well."
"We're holding you to that mate." Said Choji earnestly. He was always serious about bets between his friends, no matter how trivial they might have been. "I assume the opposite is true if he fails?"
Kiba only nodded, and pushed Shikamaru's drink closer to him.
Many people thought Shikamaru was lazy, which wasn't entirely true. He could be a bone-idle shirker when it was unimportant, but if he found a task which he genuinely cared about the outcome of, he was infinitely capable of achieving with flying colours.
As he mused on his work-ethic, or lack thereof, Shikamaru realised that he hadn't even idly thought about his father's car in the garage a few blocks away for several days. Since you met her, in fact… his subconscious told him. It was right, of course, but somehow smug as hell.
"Lets get this over with then." He muttered, and lifted the glass swiftly to his mouth. "Eight seconds right?"
He managed it in seven. Shikamaru could hold his drink relatively well, but downing a glass always left him momentarily lightheaded. The furthest his gloating went was in raising a lazy eyebrow in Kiba's direction.
"Hmmm." Said his friend, grinning in his wicked way for the umpteenth time that evening. "If you need me, I'll be at the bar letting Jiraiya rape my wallet for drinks…"
Choji chuckled at this last remark, showing his bemusement at the situation with the genial smile he always wore when content, which he invariably was. Sakura was less composed, probably because she was also less sober. She was laughing silently at Kiba as he inched past her out of the group's booth.
"Fuck you Sakura." He laughed.
"Fucking Kiba."
Shikamaru was hungover again. He sat hunched over at the breakfast bar of his kitchen, cradling a perspiring glass of cloudy red liquid. The scraps of his hasty toast breakfast sat on a plate just in front of him as did an empty mug of coffee. Neither had helped, so he had fallen back to Shino's suggestion from earlier in the week.
Grudgingly he was forced to admit that it was helping yet again, although his headache hadn't quite receded yet. Having been such a state many times before, he knew that a long shower would restore him to normality.
"Taking my advice to heart I see." Came the near monotone of Shikamaru's roommate.
"Well it's working." He replied. "Happy Birthday by the way."
"Cheers."
"Anyone help you celebrate in style at midnight? Kiba'll want to know…"
"He's a nosey one isn't he?" said Shino softly, amusement plain in his voice even if he didn't crack a rare smile. "No is the answer. I took a day off. It's tiring work."
This time he did smile, but as always, only just. Shino's hair was immaculate and there was no trace of sleep in his face, despite the fact that he had clearly just gotten up. There was something very effortless in every aspect of him; a trait Shikamaru admired.
"I'd prefer it to my job at any rate." Muttered Shikamaru. "Looking forward to tonight?"
"Yeah. I haven't properly spoken to the guys from your work in too long. Don't think I've even seen Neji for a few months." Shino began making himself a cup of coffee, though he didn't look in desperate need of one. "Even Jiraiya is coming, who invited him?"
"Oh, that was Ino." Said Shikamaru casually. "She works with us, but also at the bar."
"Ino huh?" said Shino. "That's twice I've heard that name in the last few days. Who is she?"
"She moved up to our floor earlier this week. We all started to get to know her and it seemed like a good idea to invite her along to get to know us outside of work." Shikamaru was unable to stop himself shifting uncomfortably while talking about the object of his affection. It seemed like twisting the knife in his doomed attraction. "She wondered if we should invite Jiraiya, and since you two get along like a house on fire, we said she could ask him."
"She's got a boyfriend has she?" he asked knowingly, but without malice.
Shikamaru briefly scowled, irritated at how transparent he had been. I guess I had it coming, he thought to himself, Shino is famous for reading people like a book. He looked back at his stoic companion, and let out a pent up breath before replying.
"Yeah…"
"Unlucky Shikamaru." He said, with a grim cast to his face. He cared deeply about his friends and his calm, measured words were often a great comfort to Shikamaru when he was feeling low.
Shino approached and patted his friend brusquely on the shoulder as he reached over to pick up his coffee from the worktop.
"Don't give up straight away mate. There might still be a chance."
He then broke the sombre tone of the morning with a proclamation that shook Shikamaru from his burgeoning bad mood and into a short burst of consoled chuckles.
"I'm going for a shit."
Later in the day Shikamaru and Shino's flat was looking much more presentable. By the standards of Sakura's apartment, their own had been near spotless already, but Shino was meticulous in getting everything ready for the party. Every room had been vacuumed and every surface cleaned.
At first Shikamaru had been hard to motivate into helping, but as predicted, a shower did him the world of good and he was able to put the previous evening behind him and lend his roommate a hand.
They had been out on two separate occasions to ferry large amounts of alcohol into the flat, and then once more to get food. They were under no illusions as to just how much their friends could consume when in the party mood.
After sharing a pizza between them, there was only just enough time for Shikamaru to change into a crisp new shirt and then place as much beer as he could into the ice filled crates in the kitchen, before he heard the first knocking on the door.
Shino reached the door first and revealed who the first pair to arrive were before Shikamaru could see them himself. He walked up casually to stand just behind Shino's right shoulder and greeted the first guests for himself.
"Kiba, Neji. Good to see you both."
"Hey guys! Are we first here? Excellent, first pick at the food!"
Kiba emerged out of the dark hallway and into the brightly lit apartment. He was wearing jeans and a comfy looking checked shirt which was tight over his well built torso. As always his blaring voice did more to draw attention to him than his muscles ever could. In one hand he held a half eaten meatball sub, in the other a near drained flask of vodka.
He ambled casually towards the snacks on the kitchen counter, turning around just before he reached his destination and adding a nearly forgotten afterthought.
"Oh, Happy Birthday!"
"Well remembered." Shino said dryly as he turned around to welcome the second new arrival. "How've you been Neji?"
The pair shook hands. Neji was as always, impeccably turned out. A tailored black suit hung perfectly over his lean frame, while his black hair was tied neatly behind his head. Barring Shikamaru himself, Neji was the closest friend to Shino in the entire group, so it always amused Shikamaru how their greetings to one another always seemed like the beginnings of a business meeting.
Neji's cousin was so quiet that she nearly had the door slammed in her face by Shikamaru. He spotted her in the gloomy corridor just before he went to lock up. He'd heard about her from Neji, but hadn't been expecting her to be coming along tonight, or to find out she was so good looking. She wore form hugging jeans and an airy blue top. It was a comfortable-looking, baggy jumper whose loose fit could do nothing to hide her prominent chest. Her dark eyes were set on a pale, pretty face and she smiled nervously as she wandered into the room.
"This is Hinata." Said her cousin to Shino and Shikamaru. "She was visiting this weekend so I thought I'd bring her along. You don't mind do you?"
"Not at all. The more the merrier!" he said, with a twinkle of interest in his eyes as he introduced himself to Hinata.
Neji shot a warning glance at Shino who nodded to placate him in response. He then proceeded to lean in to speak with Shikamaru whilst Shino lead his cousin over to Kiba and the drinks, chatting amiably.
"Look out for her tonight will you?" he said while throwing a caring glance over at her. "I have to leave early, but she said she wanted to stay right till the end. I've already warded off a clumsy advance from Kiba."
While worried for his relative, Shikamaru knew that he didn't hold any grudge against Kiba. He agreed to keep an eye on Hinata, and then the pair both shared a brief chuckle at the expense of their loudmouthed friend.
"He'll be a handful tonight for sure."
"Tonight?" responded Shikamaru with a weary grin. "I get tired just watching him."
Shikamaru had a drink and sat in the kitchen with the first arrivals, joining the conversation frequently due to his good mood. The topics on discussion were already veering into the gutter, courtesy of Kiba, but no-one seemed uncomfortable.
Once Hinata came out of her shell Shikamaru noted her sense of humour and personality bore similarity with Sakura. He knew that she would have no trouble fitting in amongst his friends, but hoped she would gain confidence as the night went on, since she still had a tendency to look shyly at her feet after offering something to the conversation.
Over the next hour, a trickle of other guest showed up at their door. Shikamaru didn't know any of them, but introduced himself politely while Shino tried his best to explain how he knew them. Shikamaru took little of this in, content in the knowledge that they seemed cheerful, friendly and unlikely to take away from the mood of the evening.
He noted with amusement that many of the new arrivals were strikingly attractive women and wondered for what must have been the millionth time what exactly Shino did when he was away from the group.
The flat was nearly full and filled with the buzz of cheerful conversation by the time Sakura and Choji arrived.
"We could hear Kiba from the street!" said Sakura gleefully by way of a greeting. "How're you Shika?"
"Great actually."
"Then smile! You look like you're at a funeral for God's sake!"
"Sorry." Said Shikamaru, abashed. "And you Choji?"
"Same old, same old."
"That good huh? I would do anything for your sunny disposition." Joked Shikamaru as he closed the door behind them. "Thirsty? Let's get a drink in you before we go and find Shino."
"Sounds good." Said Choji distractedly, as he noticed something out on the balcony. "Is that Hinata? I didn't know she was coming!"
"You know her already?" asked Shikamaru, surprised that his friend recognised someone he didn't know he had met before.
"Yeah." He said, still staring out of the doorway to the balcony. He accepted a can of cider with an absentminded 'thank you' before continuing. "She visited Neji a year or so ago. We met back then and got along really well. I didn't expect her to be here tonight."
Shikamaru saw the looked of pleased interest on Choji's ever cheerful features and patted him warmly on the shoulder.
"Go and re-introduce yourself Choji. Shino'll keep till later."
"Good luck!" called Sakura as the pair's large friend smiled and departed into the fresh air. "I'm off to wish Shino a Happy Birthday Shikamaru. Go and tell Kiba to shut the hell up. I'll see you in a minute."
Shikamaru smirked as she wound her way across the room through the knot of people stood there. Shino could be clearly seen opening the door for Jiraiya at the far side of the room, whereas Sakura was making a beeline for the opposite wall, on which Neji leant, nursing a glass of whiskey and conversing with a man Shikamaru had met earlier.
"And good luck to you too Sakura." He muttered under his breath, before he wandered off to find out just how drunk Kiba was so far.
As it happened Kiba was eating, not drinking when Shikamaru had finally threaded his way through the crowded apartment and over to the bar stools in the kitchen area. He wasn't talking to anyone, just casually dipping nachos into a large bowl of salsa and cheerfully smiling in between mouthfuls.
"Hey Shikamaru!" he called as he saw his friend approaching.
"Yeah hey." He responded, swooping in to sit on the chair adjacent to his friend when it suddenly became available. "How're you feeling?"
"Good! Great, in fact! Where the fuck does Shino know all these women from?"
"I don't know." Admitted Shikamaru before noticing the meaningful look in Kiba's eye and adding "No, I'm not gonna ask him."
"Fine fine…" Kiba said, raising his hands in mock defence.
A comfortable pause settled between the pair as they took a few sips of their drinks each. Shikamaru valued Kiba's friendship as much for the boisterous social side to him, as the serious one. Being able to happily spend a moments silence in a friend's company was just what Shikamaru needed in the midst of the crowded party environment.
"Dyou think any of them would sleep with me Shika?"
"Jeez Kiba!"
"What?"
"We had a good thing going there. You ruined it!"
"What, that silence?" Kiba cried in disbelief. "There is nothing sadder than two grown men sitting silently in a room full of beautiful women!"
"Yes, by the way."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, some of them might sleep with you." Shikamaru grinned. "You're a nice guy Kiba, of course they will…. And they're drunk, which always helps with a face like yours."
"Fuck you, man!"
They both chuckled as Shikamaru reached for a pair more beers for them. Shikamaru would've preferred another, slightly longer, relaxing silence, but instead he restarted the conversation himself.
"You realise that sex isn't the only objective in talking to women right Kiba?"
"Yeah, yeah don't worry… I'm not some kind of male chauvinist you know! I just think there is a lot to be said for sex purely for pleasure." Kiba took a deep draft of his drink before continuing. "Besides, it's a fair assumption that a lot of these women have slept with Shino and I'm far more attractive than him!"
Kiba straightened his back at the last statement, giving a jokey arrogant smirk. Shikamaru snorted into his drink at the spectacle.
"And humble too!" he muttered.
"Damn right! I'm easily the most humble person here!" bellowed Kiba, well aware of the irony in his proclamation.
They settled down after laughing at that and Kiba turned to his friend with a quizzical look on his face.
"Hey, where the hell is Ino?" He stood briefly to scan around the people in the room. "Yeah she's not here… Unless she's in the back with Shino."
Kiba sat back down and grinned at his little joke. His face quickly fell when he saw Shikamaru's 'too soon, dude' look.
"I'm only joking!" he backpedalled. "Besides, Shino is right over there. Even he's not good enough to sleep with someone from outside the room."
Shikamaru's characteristic flicker of a smile told Kiba that he had managed to make up for his distasteful remark. He knew Shikamaru could be prickly about things he took seriously, so made sure to not antagonise him without good reason. Unfortunately he had to dive straight back into the topic of Ino.
"Seriously though Shikamaru, she said she'd be here by around 8." He looked down at his watch with concern. "It's well past 11 now. Closer to 12 to be honest…"
Shikamaru's forehead was stuck in a perpetual frown, but his brow creased an unnoticeable fraction more as he realised Kiba was right. How did I not notice that…? he mentally berated himself. She's all you've thought about for an entire week and then when something might be wrong you barely bat an eyelid!
"Yeah you're right… Wonder what's keeping her…"
"It's probably nothing Shikamaru." Kiba reassured his friend. "Just give her a ring and find out what's going on."
"Nah, I can't… I only gave her my number, I didn't get hers…"
Kiba chuckled lightly at Shikamaru, causing him to look up questioningly.
"Oh it's nothing… I just wish I hadn't mentioned her now." He smirked in explanation. "You'll only fret about this all night now."
Shikamaru attempted to ward off an evening full of mockery for being a worrywart by laughing it off in front of his friend, though he couldn't help but secretly continue to be anxious.
"Fuck off Kiba! I don't fret! Besides, we both know that Ino is perfectly capable of taking care of herself."
"Damn right we do!" bellowed Kiba as he grabbed a couple more beers and began to lead Shikamaru off into the midst of the party. "And Uzumaki definatly does!"
Ino arrived just as Neji left the party. He had to travel overnight to get to a meeting in Belgium, so he wouldn't be able to stay for the whole evening. Shikamaru had known this beforehand and had seen Neji saying his goodbyes from across the room, so he had made his way over to the door to let his friend out.
He had been worming his way through the knot of people who occupied the centre of the apartment when he heard raised voices ahead of him, and he sped up to find out what was going on.
"What do you mean you 'have to go'!" yelled Sakura. "This is the first time in ages all of us have been hanging out together! It's your best friend's birthday for Christ's sake!"
"Look, I agreed to go to this meeting months ago so that the chairman could have the weekend off." Explained Neji in his calm measured tones. "I'd love to be able to stay, but I can't back out on my commitments."
"This is fucking typical…" muttered Sakura, in a surprisingly quiet voice. "The first chance we get to properly talk in weeks, and you have to fly off to kiss some Frenchman's ass…"
"It's a Dutch company based in Belgium." Corrected Neji, before a wince crossed his normally smooth features at the glare that Sakura threw at him. He tried again, but Shikamaru could see that he was only making it worse. "Besides, this isn't the first time we've talked in weeks, we talk all the time."
For a smart guy, he really isn't picking up on Sakura's obvious feelings for him… thought Shikamaru grimly.
"Fine." Whispered Sakura, raising her hands in defeat. "Fine. C'mon Kiba, lets find me a drink…"
Neji looked bewildered for a few seconds, reeling at the casual dismissal he'd received from Sakura, before he whirled around and left, slamming the door behind him.
Shikamaru felt bad for his friends, but knew that there was little he could do. Neji was on too tight a schedule to chat to anyone now, while Sakura had a tendency to bite the head off the first consoling friend to approach her after an argument.
At least most of the guests have gone by now…These things are always worse with an audience… mused Shikamaru. It was nearing three in the morning, and only 5 or 6 of Shino's other friends were left at the party. As Shikamaru stood alone in the flat staring out of the windows at Sakura and the remaining guests on the balcony, he was spared the decision of whether or not to go and join her, when Ino finally knocked at the door.
Shikamaru had barely opened the door and realised who stood outside, before Ino stormed past him into the room. He was startled to see tears shining on her face as she spun around to face him. He shut the door and leaned back on it, trying to take stock of the situation.
Despite the tears, Ino looked beautiful. She had chosen her outfit for the party with obvious care, not that she ever presented herself with anything less. Her dress was made of an airy, lilac fabric and square cut at the chest; displaying her ample bust. It came down to her mid-thigh, where pale purple gave way to impossibly smooth, toned legs.
She swayed slightly where she stood, more from her distress than the precarious black heels, whilst she wiped under her kohl-blackened eyelashes with the heel of her palm. Her hair was elegantly piled on top of her head, with her usual blond fringe causing her to tilt her head almost coyly as she addressed Shikamaru.
"Could I have something to drink please…?" She grinned sheepishly. "perhaps some whiskey?"
Shikamaru stood dumb for a moment, taken aback by her swift entrance, before finding himself again and responding.
"…Yeah, yeah of course Ino…" He began to wander over to the kitchen area as he turned to her with concern. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Drink first." She gave a grim smile.
"You look like you've had plenty Ino…"
"Drink Shikamaru… Isn't this supposed to be a party?" She smirked. "Mind if I sit?"
"Trust me Ino, I wouldn't force Sasuke Uchiha to stand up for a moment longer than necessary in heels like that."
She laughed in a strained but honest way as she slumped down onto one of the leather sofas in the living space.
"I had a feeling you might be able to cheer me up a little Shikamaru." She accepted her glass of whiskey with a nod as Shikamaru sat down opposite her with his own. "That's about the only reason I came out at all after the evening I just had."
"What happened?"
Ino opened her mouth with a pained expression on her face, before a gale of laughter gusted into the room from outside and cut her off before she even began.
"Looks like Sakura and Shino are doing shots." She observed as she gazed out of the balcony doors at the remaining clutch of guests. "Mind if we go somewhere a little quieter?"
Shikamaru could tell that she wanted to get something off her chest, so wordlessly stood back up and led her through to his bedroom. He felt oddly like he was taking advantage of her, but considered the alternatives; the bathroom, or Shino's room, where literally anything could be going on, and decided he had little choice.
He waited for her to choose somewhere to sit, then sat as far away as possible, slumping down against the wardrobe at the foot of the bed. She was already in his bedroom and he didn't want her to feel even remotely like he was taking advantage of her in a vulnerable state.
"Don't be such a fucking prude Shikamaru!" she muttered in exasperation. "There is plenty of room for you to keep your distance whilst still sitting on the bed with me!"
Then again, thought Shikamaru wryly, I don't think Ino is ever completely vulnerable…
"Fine." He sighed in defeat. "Are you going to tell me what's happened?"
He sunk down into the mattress on the right-hand side, turning to face Ino and balancing his glass on his stomach.
"My boyfriend has been cheating on me…"
"Ah… That sucks Ino, really."
"It's almost funny how brazen they were about it." She gave a snort of un-amused laughter then looked back at Shikamaru darkly. "Almost. I got ready for Shino's party in plenty of time to get here by 8 like I said. I got halfway down the street to the bus stop when I remembered that I'd forgotten my phone. Came back in and found my neighbour with her pretty little legs wrapped around his waist. On my fucking dressing table no less…"
This time she did laugh. She drained her glass with a single gulp, then coughed softly as the burning liquor rushing down her throat.
"Anyway, my neighbour left in a hurry; streaming out apologies. I spent the next 7 hours getting to the bottom of things with my scumbag boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend." She corrected herself.
"Did you?" Shikamaru asked tentatively. He was really unsure how to proceed in situations like this, so kept his input short and to the point. If she needed to offload, he would listen, but any advice he tried to give would no doubt make things worse.
"Oh yeah. The asshole has been with my neighbour for at least 3 months, and other women before her." She bent forwards and took off her black heels, flinging them into the corner and stretching out her slender legs on the bed. "Once the cat was out of the bag he was completely unashamed of it all… According to him, he has been driven to it because of me being such a lousy girlfriend."
Shikamaru took a sip of his whiskey in the pause that followed, knowing that she had more to say. He was finding it hard to comprehend how anyone could be so dissatisfied with Ino that they would seek other women.
"I guess I just wasn't enough for the greedy bastard…" she gave another bitter chuckle.
"What a moron" Shikamaru surprised himself by uttering his thoughts in an undertone, despite planning on keeping his feelings guarded during the conversation.
Ino's hard eyes softened at the inherent compliment hidden beneath Shikamaru's insult of her ex-boyfriend.
"That's sweet of you Shikamaru…" She smiled at him kindly when he looked up, surprised that his slip-up had been well received. "I suppose I'm partially to blame as well…"
Shikamaru was about to speak up in outrage at her last statement, but was cut off by her continuing.
" No, seriously! I must be a real idiot if he got away with all this for so long without me having the vaguest clue."
"Or he's just a particularly devious bastard…"
Ino laughed, in a restrained but genuinely amused sort of way.
"Or that, yeah…" Her brief smile receded as a contemplative silence grew between the pair.
"I'm gonna get another drink." She announced suddenly. "You're nearly empty too Shika, let me get that for you." Ino spun away from Shikamaru and padded softly out of the room with only the ice clinking in the empty glasses to give him an indication of where she was.
When she returned, she had let her hair down.
"All that effort for nothing, huh?" she smirked, glancing upwards to indicate the tumbling sheet of blonde that fell gracefully down to her shoulders.
"You looked beautiful Ino." Said Shikamaru softly, staring down at the drink he had just been given.
"I don't anymore, do I?" she replied, arching an eyebrow in wry amusement.
Shikamaru looked up, mortified at the implied insult he had paid her.
"Calm the fuck down you tit!" She laughed at him, perching herself back on the bed. "Wouldn't know a joke if it hit you in the face…"
Since first sitting on the bed, Shikamaru's usual appalling posture had gotten more and more pronounced, to the point that only his head and neck were actually propped up, with the rest of his body lying prone. He too had kicked off his shoes in favour of comfort.
The sprawled out man felt his entire body tense up as Ino leaned back to rest her head on his shoulder. She lay directly next to him, with her feet tucked up under his left knee, and there bodies touching at the side. He could feel how cold her feet were even through his jeans.
He had been completely unprepared for such physical contact from the woman he felt such attraction for and only a few seconds later could he feel the tension beginning to seep back out of his limbs.
"Shikamaru?"
"Ye…yeah?"
"Do you mind if I stay the night? I told him to be out of the apartment by lunchtime tomorrow, but I don't really want to be there while he is…"
She took a sip of her drink, and Shikamaru followed suit, not yet sure how to respond.
"I'll take the sofa if you and Shino are okay with it."
"Don't take the piss Ino." Exclaimed Shikamaru. "You can take the bed… Me and the sofa are old friends…"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I am." He muttered quietly. "I might not be a good host, but I'm not a completely crap one…"
She laughed lightly at Shikamaru's self-deprecation, the tremors reverberating pleasantly down his side. She nudged him fondly in the ribs with her elbow, murmuring her thanks.
"Cheers Shikamaru, this means a lot."
"No problem…"
The pair lapsed into a companionable silence, with Ino, who had consumed a fair amount of alcohol, beginning to feel her darkened eyelashes getting heavy.
Before long, Shikamaru noticed the change in her breathing rate that signalled her falling asleep. He lay prone beside her for a few minutes more, finishing his whiskey and breathing in her intoxicating scent deeply.
He placed his glass on the table to the side of the bed, fighting to stay awake himself and determined not to fall asleep beside Ino, not sure of what compromising position he might wake up in. He slipped gently away from her, gently lowering her head onto the pillow and taking away the glass that she clutched loosely in her left hand away, placing it beside his own.
He sighed and looked down at his peaceful companion. He felt like he'd crossed some sort of line in lying next to her the way he had. Hell, he felt like he'd crossed a line just by bringing her into his room. Even though it had been her suggestion that he sat on the bed and her who leant on him, she had been drunk and emotional and Shikamaru knew he should have probably stopped her. He couldn't deny that it had felt nice to have her lying so close to him though. No matter which way you slice it, women are troublesome… thought Shikamaru as he exhaled painstakingly.
She lay entirely on one side of the double bed and, not wanting her to get cold during the night, Shikamaru softly lowered the other half of the sheets over her sleeping form.
He cracked open the door as quietly as he could, before peering out and cursing under his breath at what he saw. Whilst the other guests clearly remained out on the balcony, Kiba was chatting up one of Shino's hugely attractive acquaintances as they both sat on the sofa.
Shikamaru could feel himself becoming drowsier even while he stood, yet he didn't want to ruin his friend's evening. Making a snap-decision, he crossed the wardrobe and removed a spare sheet, pillow and a bedroll.
He spread it in the corner of the room near the foot of the bed, stripped to his boxers, crawled under the sheet and lay down. He only hoped that Ino was understanding about him sleeping in the same room as her, after saying he would use the couch.
He soon lost grip on these worries however, as he fell swiftly into a deep sleep.
Shikamaru woke with a start, to the sound of soft panting next to his ear.
As his sleep filled eyes drifted open, he became aware of Ino lying atop him, grinding her hips against the sheets under which he was straining in arousal.
Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, feathering fleeting kisses along his shoulders and chest in between intermittent gasps of pleasure.
As he realised the extent of the scene he was awakening to, he tried to sit up, and reached out to stop her undulating hips from rubbing against his manhood. A low moan that was almost a whimper sounded in his ear, followed by Ino pleading.
"Don't stop me Shikamaru, you want this too…" she whispered huskily, her exertions making her voice a little less soft than usual. As Shikamaru replied, she dipped her head again to nip playfully at his earlobe.
"You're still drunk Ino" he replied. "We can't do this." He kept his hands on her thighs, firmly holding her away from his pelvis so that she couldn't see how much his body disagreed with his words. He could feel the damn sheets clinging to his skin, already wet with Ino's desire.
"You…Don't…Believe…That…In…The…Slightest…" she murmured silkily, punctuating each word with a chaste kiss. As she finished her sentence, she bit him just above the collar-bone, on the tender flesh of his neck, causing him to gasp in discomfort and more than a little pleasure.
This new, dominant Ino wasted no time in capitalising on his open mouth, capturing him in a fierce, overwhelming kiss. Caught by surprise, Shikamaru released his hold on Ino's legs for just a moment, which had been just what she was waiting for. She swiftly resumed her ministrations down below, moving herself sensually up and down Shikamaru's length, with only the thin sheets separating their writhing bodies.
Rapidly losing his will to fight, Shikamaru found himself responding to her passionate kiss in kind, exploring every inch of her mouth with his skilful tongue. Before long he was even bucking his hips below the blankets, in time with his partner's own movements, earning him heady moans of pleasure and small gasps of appreciation.
Completely giving in to his animal need to be with this woman, he wrapped his toned arms around her waist and rolled over in one fluid motion. She now lay on her back, with Shikamaru supporting himself above her, her legs now tangled in the same sheet that still imprisoned Shikamaru.
He took a moment to drink in the perfect, beautiful sight of her. In the darkened room he was still able to note the slight flush in her cheeks, and the slightly pink shade of her lips, swollen from kissing. He also couldn't fail to observe the rise and fall of her heaving breasts, as she drew in shuddering lungfuls of air in her arousal.
He breathed in deeply before leaning down to kiss her again, finding himself kissing nothing at all as the scene faded around him.
The last thing he sensed before waking up, perspiring and almost painfully erect, was the faintly spicy, woodland scent of Ino and beneath it, the subtle musk of female arousal.
Hi guys...
So, this is what happens when I promise to have a new chapter out soon...
Sorry for another ridiculous wait! I've been really busy at work and had plenty of other stuff to be getting on with, and unfortunatly this story had to take a back seat :/
But at long last here is Chapter 7! All is forgiven! Right guys? Guys? Where are all going...?
Please drop me a review to let me know what you think; whether good or bad!
Alright, that's all for now...
Let's try some reverse psychology: Expect a new chapter in absolutely ages! ;)
