They had come up with the perfect plan to see a movie without being hounded by their friends about why they wanted to be alone together in the middle of the day for something so domestic. Shikamaru arrived an hour earlier than the film was intended to start, purchased his ticket immediately and found a seat all the way in the back of the theater. Neji showed up ten minutes late, loitered around in the bathroom, bought their snacks and then finally joined the shadow wielder. They were ninjas for crying out loud so they shouldn't have felt any satisfaction or giddiness for pulling their date off without a hitch. Unfortunately, their problems arrived after the fact.
Since Shikamaru had gone in early, he left first and was followed by Neji nearly forty minutes later. On his way out, Neji ran into Konoha's hyperactive blonde shinobi. There weren't supposed to be witnesses! The single person who knew where Hyūga went that morning was Shino because the only activity Neji could explain his whereabouts with that the bug enthusiast wouldn't want to join him on was the movies. Bumping into Naruto hadn't been entirely coincidental as the orange-clad ninja was looking for Neji to bring him back to the Academy. Apparently, Tsunade was assigning group missions and requested the presence of all ANBU operatives as well as jōnin and a few chūnin.
Neji entered the conference room and naturally spotted Shikamaru first, but he did not allow his gaze to stay. To be safe, he sat on the opposite end of the table a little ways down and immediately engaged in a conversation with Lee. Shikamaru analyzed his every move like a predator waiting for the right time to strike. Anyone watching the spiky-haired man wouldn't notice anything to be amiss, he was slouched in his chair as per usual with his hands stuffed in his pockets looking positively bored. When Neji chanced a glance, and their eyes met, though, he knew he had Nara's full attention.
"Oh, Shikamaru, how was that movie you went to?" Chōji asked.
Right. Shikamaru hadn't bothered to lie to his friend about where he was going that morning because he didn't expect it to come up. A foolish miscalculation. He never went out to the movies; of course, Chōji would want to know more. The shadow manipulator remained passive and uninterested, but internally Shikamaru was grinning smugly at the recollection of Neji on his knees between his legs.
"Oh, hey!" Naruto practically screamed. "Neji saw a movie, too!"
"Did you guys go together?" Ino seemed surprised despite the fact that the roommates were known for going everywhere with one another.
Naruto didn't give Neji the opportunity to answer. "Nah, couldn't have. I just ran into Neji on the way over. Shikamaru's lazy butt has been here for a while."
"Well, now I'm curious." Chōji insisted. "How was the movie, Shikamaru?"
"Boring," Shikamaru answered.
Neji raised an elegant brow, and Shikamaru knew he'd made a terrible mistake.
"Oh? That's a shame. I saw a movie with lots of action." Neji spoke coolly.
That damn Hyūga and his troublesome word games. Shikamaru met the pair of opal eyes transfixed on him and arched his own eyebrow silently asking where Neji planned to go with this. He wasn't above speaking about their encounter in front of everyone if that's what Neji wanted.
"I'm not a fan of action myself." Shikamaru stretched and yawned. "The climax was wonderful, though."
"Did it make your heart race?" Neji sounded as uninterested as Shikamaru looked, but the crackle of tension between them was there.
"It left me breathless," Shikamaru confessed.
"Wow, this sounds like a great movie." Naruto chimed in.
Shikamaru had almost forgotten anyone else was in the room. Neji had that effect on him. Their comrades were invested in the conversation, eyes darting back and forth between the two geniuses like they were watching a ping pong match.
Nara shrugged and said, "It was alright."
Damn it to hell; he'd done it again! Obviously, he didn't mean what transpired with Neji was just alright, and Hyūga knew that. Shikamaru only wanted the others to stop prying and asking troublesome questions about a movie he hadn't paid any attention to anyway.
"I don't think I'll be going to any more movies for a long time." Neji mused.
"Just because of one bad movie?" Lee's already large eyes somehow managed to double in size.
"That's all it takes to turn me off." Neji shrugged. "It left a lingering taste in my mouth."
"Maybe you'd enjoy it more if you went with a friend," Sakura suggested.
"Perhaps. Someone who can appreciate movies that get you down." Neji's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Geez, Hyūga. Leave it to you to watch a sad action movie." Naruto grumbled.
Shikamaru was already twitching in his pants again. They were treading dangerous territory. He must've had a momentary lapse in judgment when he decided to engage Hyūga in a verbal game of wits. Neji possessed an obscure forte with his words which Shikamaru couldn't keep up with, and it seemed the long-haired shinobi could mask nonchalance far better than Nara as well.
"I'm sure you'll find another movie that strokes your interest," Shikamaru added casually.
Either Chōji and Lee had caught on to what the conversation was truly about, or they were both perverts because their faces became quite red at that moment. Shikamaru and Neji weren't a secret exactly, and they wouldn't deny being together if someone should ask, but they weren't in a rush to become public knowledge either. With Neji's psychotic family punishing him for whatever they damn well pleased, neither thought it was a great idea to be out in the open about their relationship. For the time being, they were content to keep things private. Shikamaru excused himself for the bathroom and Neji didn't need to lie about where he was going, their comrades knew better than to ask him personal questions.
On his way out he realized all of the innuendos went over Naruto's head as the blonde said, "Is it just me or does it always sound like those two are speaking their own language?"
Shikamaru shot daggers at Sasuke Uchiha who seemed to be paying him no mind, which wasn't entirely a bad thing. After escaping from the conference room, he and Neji had met in his private office to pick up where they'd left off after the movies. Unfortunately, Sasuke had burst in a few minutes later and caught them in a compromising position. The only positive Shikamaru could take away from the experience was at least they were fully clothed still; things could've been far more embarrassing. Even now that he and Neji were together, it seemed Sasuke still found a way to come between them. Not that it was entirely the raven's fault; Tsunade requested their presence for assignment purposes. Shikamaru was plenty content to put the blame on Sasuke.
"Shikamaru Nara."
He lazily drew his eyes from Sasuke and settled on the Hokage with mild interest. She probably would've chastised him for being disrespectful if there weren't so many others around.
"You will be team lead." Tsunade commanded. "Does everyone understand their role?"
Wait, what? Shikamaru never received team lead when working with Sasuke or Neji. They both outranked him, and he was always given tactical duties since that's what he was best at. He wasn't the only one shocked by her decision. Kiba and Naruto were murmuring among themselves. Sasuke merely tipped his head but bore an oddly thoughtful expression. Neji did not offer more than his usual stoic facade in front of everyone else, but he caught Shikamaru's eyes momentarily and gave a small smile. No one spoke a word of disagreement though until they'd been dismissed and filed out in the hallway.
"So, Nara," Kiba called despite the fact that Shikamaru was obviously trying to escape. "How is it you get so many perks?"
"I don't know if managing a group of pain in the asses counts as a perk." Shikamaru debunked without bothering to look at Kiba.
"Yeah, right. It seems to me like you've been getting a lot of special treatment lately." Kiba instigated.
"You need to back off, Kiba," Neji warned.
"I wasn't talking to you, Princess, was I?" Kiba snorted.
Now he had Shikamaru's attention. The shadow master whirled around and nearly collided head to head with Kiba who had been advancing closer to him by the minute.
"What are you insinuating, Inuzuka?" Shikamaru asked.
"Even as much as I detest his Highness, I know he is a better fit to lead us than you are. He's got seniority after all." Kiba argued.
"My name is Neji Hyūga, and you will address me as such if you know what's good for you," Neji spoke in an eerily calm tone.
"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it if I refuse?" Kiba taunted.
"Kiba, come on. There's no need to be so hostile." Naruto attempted to help diffuse the situation.
Kiba snorted. "I'm not afraid of you, Prin—"
Neji cracked him square in the jaw and sent the dog lover staggering back several steps until he was flush with the wall, roaring out in pain as he cupped his face. Sasuke folded his arms over his chest and grinned. He always enjoyed watching Kiba get what he deserved. It seemed like the man would never learn from his mistakes. Irritation bubbled in the pit of Neji's stomach while he watched Kiba fumble forward, a dark bruise already forming where he'd been struck. Hyūga's patience was wearing thin when it came to Kiba who was continually starting trouble whether it be with Neji or other teammates.
"Relax, Nej." Shikamaru coached.
"If you had been paying any attention you would know that this mission puts us at risk of being ambushed and therefore my eyes are needed. Making me the team lead would be a distraction." Neji informed.
"Did you just call him Nej?" Kiba looked like he wanted to laugh, but the stinging in his jaw forbid him from doing so. "You get bumped up to captain status in a matter of months, you become a teacher, you're apparently Tsunade's private aid, you call the Princess by something other than his name, and now you're being pushed on us despite more experienced leaders on the same team."
"Why don't you just say whatever it is you're thinking and save us all some time," Shikamaru advised.
"You're doing special favors for Tsunade," Kiba stated simply. "There's no other explanation."
"Shikamaru has earned every opportunity he's been given." Sasuke intervened.
Several surprised eyes landed on him, Uchiha seemed just as shocked with himself for voicing the words.
"He has worked just as hard and in some cases harder than the rest of us, so don't give him flak because he's being noticed for it," Sasuke added. "If you hate it so much, Kiba, request a transfer."
"You know my rank will suffer if I leave an assignment." Kiba barked.
"Then I suggest you get used to the idea of Shikamaru leading the mission." Sasuke finalized.
Kiba didn't bother to stand and glare at any of them like he usually did after losing an argument; instead, he stalked off grumbling about being mistreated and how he would report Neji for the assault. Shikamaru stared at Sasuke once the three of them were alone, patiently waiting for an explanation because Uchiha was the last person he expected to hear coming to his defense.
"Don't make a big deal out of it," Sasuke warned. "I was merely stating the facts."
"You hate me," Shikamaru said.
"I don't hate you." Sasuke shook his head.
"You dislike me." Shikamaru pressed.
"I just caught you in your office about to bang my best friend, what's not to dislike?" Sasuke stated matter of factly.
"Technically, I was the one being pinned to the desk, so I think if anyone was about to be banged in my office, it was me." Shikamaru corrected.
Neji snorted and probably would've laughed if not for the side eye his ANBU partner shot. Sasuke wrinkled his nose and made a face like he'd just eaten a whole lemon. This both surprised and intrigued Shikamaru. Despite Sasuke's constant sexual jibes and teasing the thought of Neji Hyūga involved in anything erotic upset him. Probably because Uchiha thought of Neji like a brother and even though he was younger, those infuriating protective instincts made him a force to be reckoned with. Shikamaru stowed the information for later use.
"I guess I'm trying to say thank you." Shikamaru clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "I appreciate the support."
"Don't make me regret it," Sasuke grumbled with a lopsided smile.
