AN: Here's a freebie for you in Shikamaru's POV. Hope you like it.

Enjoy :)

Shikamaru woke up to pounding on his door. He felt Sakura burrow more tightly against him, her legs that were entangled with his rubbed against his own as they tried to find a more comfortable position. He heard her mumble something unintelligible and smiled at her cuteness. His hand moved towards her back and started to caress her soft skin. He just couldn't get enough of her. He loved touching her, feeling her soft skin beneath his palms, the soft exhale of her breath as she pressed herself against him more firmly.

For a moment he forgot the pounding on his door, remembering their passionate lovemaking from last night, her mouth so perfectly pliable and inviting, her cheeks flushed a beautiful red as he slid against her, a small sheen of sweat on their skins as they moved in tandem…

The pounding continued and he heard Sakura groan. "Whosit?" she mumbled sleepily, her voice muffled from sleep. Shikamaru sighed as he contemplated his options. He could ignore the pounding and continue his thoughts from before and hope the intruder would take the hint and maybe come back later.

"Shikamaru! Open the fucking door! I know you're in there." Shikamaru sighed as he immediately discarded that option after hearing who it was. "Tsk, troublesome." Ino would much rather kick in his door than leave when she was in a mood, and it seemed Sai had finally made a move yesterday. It was about time, still, he would have appreciated a warning ahead of time.

"It's Ino, I'll go get it. Just stay here and sleep some more." Shikamaru placed a kiss on her forehead and saw her burrow deeper in the covers with an "Mhkay". With a regrettable sigh he climbed out of his bed and put on some loose pants and a tank top. Slowly he made his way towards the door and opened it to see Ino with a raised arm that was about to inflict some more damage to his poor door. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at her sleepily.

"What?" Shikamaru knew he was a man of few words, but he couldn't be bothered to put in more effort so early in the morning. Ino, who was clearly used to his morning grumpiness, ignored him and charged into his apartment as if she owned it. Shikamaru sighed in exasperation at his teammate's forcefulness and shoved the door closed with a practiced swing and followed closely behind her into his living room. He was infinitely relieved that he had remembered to close the door to his bedroom before opening his front door. Ino was very noisy when she wanted to be, but she wouldn't dare invade his privacy in such a daring way.

"Sakura's not home right now, she's probably with her mystery lover- ", Shikamaru tried hard not to react to that, "and so I came here instead. Guess what happened last night?". He knew that she was giddy with happiness, with the way her expression was bursting with excitement, and the way she kept on moving about as if she was too full of energy to just stand still on one spot. He arched an eyebrow he hoped looked like it was in question. He didn't have the energy to react in a more enthusiastic way, and anyway, he had long suspected about Sai's intentions before. So, the ring that he knew now adorned Ino's left hand came, in no way, as a surprise to him.

"What happened that made you come by at- ", Shikamaru paused and looked at the clock that hung in his kitchen and almost groaned out loud when he saw the time, "six o'clock in the morning?", he said in his most really-Ino-was-that-really-necessary-voice.

She pouted at his answer.

"You're supposed to guess Shika! Ah, whatever, I should have known that you would be this way. Anyway, you know how I was so worried about Sai cheating on me for the last few weeks?", she started to explain, and he remembered how anxious and sad his teammate and best friend from his toddler years had been, and how she had tried to forget all about it by putting on a fake cheery smile. It hadn't worked, and Shikamaru had almost gone up to Sai and made him spill his beans if it hadn't been for Sakura and her revelation about the incident over six months ago. After that, he had been sure that Sai had been planning this for quite some time and was only waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question.

"Well, I was totally wrong actually, it looks like he was planning this whole romantic thing that I won't bother to tell you about because you won't be interested in it, but…well…he asked me to marry him and I said yes!", she blushed and held up her left hand, on which a small elegant silver ring now adorned her ring finger. Shikamaru smiled at the obvious happy grin that now lighted up his best friend's face.

"Congrats Ino. You deserve to be happy."

"Thank you Shika. I know it's been hard for you knowing that Sakura is dating this mystery man-"Shikamaru straightened involuntarily because he knew that Sakura must have woken up fully by now and been listening to their conversation.

"Wait In- ", but she just talked over him as if he never said anything.

"But don't worry, I'm sure it's just a rebound and that you'll get your chance to get the girl you've been in love with for so long!", she finished cheerily, and Shikamaru sighed in defeat and hung his head.

"Thanks a lot, Ino.", he said dejectedly, but she must have thought it was because he was depressed over Sakura's affair with another man because she patted his shoulder in comfort.

"I have to go now and tell Choji, and then go search for Sakura, so see you!" And like the whirlwind she was, Ino disappeared leaving a slightly panicking Shikamaru behind.

"What a drag.", he ruffled through his hair once again trying to collect his thoughts and emotions, and then entered his bedroom, his sight immediately moving to the covered bundle on his bed. A bundle that was suspiciously unmoving in a way that could otherwise be interpreted as someone being asleep, if it weren't for the irregular breathing he could clearly discern by the miniscule movement of the covers. He sighed. This was not how he had wanted his feelings to be revealed.

He took off his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxers, and slipped in behind her, draping an arm over her side and kissing her shoulder. She snuggled back into him and lazily greeted him with a "Hey, is she gone already?". His hand slipped up her stomach towards the soft mounds and grasped one, kneading it and marveling at the fullness that fitted so perfectly into his hand. He could feel her nipple tightening beneath his palm and rubbed the peak with his palm.

"Mhhh, we're all alone." He traced a path up her neck with his tongue, as he took in her flowery scent that reminded him of the small meadow, his favorite hiding place within the forest, a small clearing with a green patch of grass that was perfect for lying down and watching some clouds. He didn't think she knew how delectably delicious she smelled, or how much he loved it when her breath hitched whenever he mouthed at the sensitive skin of her neck.

But he did love it. Very much indeed. Because for a very long time, all the reactions he elicited from her were either a flinch, a tired sigh or a smile that looked more like a grimace most of the time. So whenever she would sigh or blush, or smile, or do anything really that resembled a positive emotion, he soaked it up like a sponge. Sometimes, he thought he should be afraid of how utterly under her spell he was, but then again, he didn't want to have it any other way.

START EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT

She turned around in his arms, so she was lying on her back and he was on his side, and kissed him, her tongue hesitantly tracing his lips and coaxing them open. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feel of her body against his, and he could feel his cock stirring to life. Before his hand could move between her legs, she shifted them around so that she was straddling him, her eyes half lidded with desire and a wicked smile on her lips as she slowly rolled her hips over his hard length.

He groaned at the sensation his hips bucking, trying desperately to create more friction between them. His hands moved to her hips and gripped her skin tightly, guiding her hips over his length. He could feel the wetness between her thighs and imagined how it would feel, being buried in her tight heat as she rode him to completion. He almost came just from the image. His right hand moved towards her core and slipped into her folds in search of the small bundle of nerves.

She gasped in pleasure when he brushed over it, and he could see her thigh muscles tightening slightly at the sensation he brought forth. So naturally, he repeated the motion, and she stopped all movement of her hips in favor of arching her back and letting out a breathless moan as a reward. She pushed her breasts into the air, her nipples begging for attention.

He pushed his torso up, ignoring the strain it put on his stomach muscles, and sucked one of the tight buds into his mouth. Shikamaru loved her breasts, loved sucking on her nipple simply because of the way it made her frantic with desire. The way it made her hips buck against his length, and the way it made her moan without restraint. Every time he did this, he wondered if he could make her orgasm just from sucking on her breasts. He vowed to try it out later. Maybe when they were alone in the clearing…

"Shika…", he heard her whisper in a breathy sigh, and he almost came right then and there. His crotch had become uncomfortably tight, and he wanted to bury himself inside of her so bad, he visible tightened his muscles in his arms trying to restrain himself from going too fast. Something that has become the norm in the last few days whenever he touched her.

She seemed to have gotten the same idea though, as she grasped his length within her hands, and raised her hips. He helped her by lifting her up by her ass, and finally, he felt himself being enveloped by her tight wet heat. Inch by inch she lowered herself on him, and he hissed in pleasure into her chest, her nipple already forgotten as she sunk down on his hard length.

"Sakura." He looked at her face then, at the red tinge on her cheeks, her eyes that were closed as she focused entirely on the sensation of their joined bodies, and her mouth, open slightly, short gasps leaving those puckered lips. She looked so damn beautiful. He wanted to kiss her. Sometimes, he never wanted to stop kissing her.

"Yeah, baby, you're doing so well.", he murmured encouragement at her, and he saw how the blush on her cheeks deepened in color. He loved making her blush even deeper. It was one of the reasons he talked to her like this during sex. He had never been vocal during sex, sometimes grunting and moaning, but never talking dirty to the girls that shared the same bed with him. But with Sakura, it was different. He loved seeing her flustered. But what he loved even more was the way she reacted to his words, when her motions become more frantic, her eyes darkening even more with the growing passion. He knew she secretly loved it when he talked to her like that. And he would do anything for her if it meant making her happy.

He pushed himself upwards while she slid down on him, and finally, he was buried to the hilt in her. She was tight and hot, and he had to keep a tight control over himself to not come inside her just yet. He wanted to see her come first. Wanted to see her moan in abandon, throwing away all propriety that has been drilled into her since she was a child. He wanted to see her come undone.

He gave her an open-mouthed kiss then, and she responded eagerly, her hips moving upwards, her hole delectably clenching his cock. He helped her raise her hips, lifting her up, and meeting her hallway when she sank down on him again. He groaned with every thrust and she moaned into his mouth as he hit that spot inside of her.

He wouldn't last long. He never did with her. She had a way of making him lose all control and calm. One of his hands moved between her legs, the other moved to grasp on of her breast, rubbing a nipple between his forefinger and thumb, while his other thumb circled her clit. She increased the speed and met each of his thrusts with eagerness, her hole clenching delectably around his length.

"Shikamaru, please!", she pleaded as she arched her back in pleasure, and he groaned, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Sakura, come for me." He pinched her clit with just enough pressure, and she clenched around him, her hole becoming even tighter as she squeezed him. He watched as she opened her mouth and moaned in pleasure while she came around him, as she opened her eyes in wonder at the sensation his cock made her feel.

She didn't stop riding him, and with just a few more thrusts, he came inside of her with a groan.

END EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT

They both collapsed on the bed trying to catch their breath, Sakura still on top of him. He didn't mind that thought, his arms still around her, holding her close. He remembered a time when she flinched away from his touch, and how it hurt him seeing her so vulnerable, knowing that she had been like this because he hadn't intervened. Because he had hesitated thinking that she needed to be by herself to grieve.

A decision that had almost cost him her life. Never again would he leave her alone like that. He had vowed it to himself that same night he had found her when she had been on the cusp of taking an overdose. His chest tightened as he thought back to that day, when he had almost been too late.

Almost.

When he watched her from the shadows in her rooms, knowing that something was wrong, but unable to see the full picture yet. And there he had seen her, sitting on her bed, exhausted from the mission.

From life.

And his heart filled with dread when he saw her almost empty out the bottle of pills, and with anger and sadness when she lifted it towards her mouth. For a second he couldn't believe his eyes. Sakura, beautiful dependable Sakura, who had always been there to lend an ear to her friends in times of needs, who had been there for him in his darkest moments, who had saved his life in war, had now been contemplating suicide. No, not contemplating. Committing.

She had needed someone to be there after the war, and they had failed her because they had been too preoccupied with life. With grief. And Sakura was too kind to ask her friends for help, always putting her friends' needs above hers. Sometimes, he thought, she was too compassionate. But it was one of the reasons he fell in love with her. And in that moment, he had vowed to help her, to protect her, and to make her happy once again, like she had been before the war had taken away the last bit of her happiness.

"You knew that Sai was going to ask her to marry her, didn't you?", he was suddenly brought back to reality by Sakura's question.

"Hmm, I was on many missions with him after the war, and we often collaborated on those recon missions on the rebel pockets. Spending so much time together, we naturally talked a lot about ourselves, and he told me about his time with team 7, how working together with you and Naruto made him realize what is important about being a shinobi and life. He told me that he wanted to create a better world for the next generation, and for his important people. And when you told me how you helped him select a ring, but how he hadn't asked her out I connected the pieces. The rebel pockets threatened the peace that the hidden villages worked so hard to create, and he wanted to take care of this threat before he could ask Ino be his wife. At least that's what I think happened."

She didn't reply immediately, but from her question it became obvious to him that she had heard the little titbit about him having fallen in love with her. What a drag. He knew that this whole thing was new to her and he didn't want to spook her. She was still dealing with her grief, and slowly becoming reacquainted with herself, so he didn't want to pressure her into something that she wasn't ready for.

She pulled herself up so she could look at his face.

"Ino said that you…like me, is that true?", she asked, her cheeks tinged a fiery red. With his fingers, he caressed her cheeks trying to chase the color with his fingers.

"You heard that, huh? Well, it's true, I like you. I've liked you for a long time. Since before the war actually." Ino had teased him mercilessly. Of course, his teammate had immediately recognized his feelings, even though he was quite the expert at hiding his facial expressions. But Ino had shared a cradle with him and Choji, and she knew him better than anyone else, and she had picked up on his feelings.

That day, when he had waited in front of the tower for Sakura, she had teased him as well when he admitted that he was waiting for her. Ino told him to take the first step, and he had. it was ultimately thanks to Ino and her teasing that day that he had finally given in to his urges and kissed Sakura. He couldn't get her words out of his head. And then, Sakura had hugged him, and he had tried to resist, but then she had looked at him and he had seen the want in her eyes. And he hadn't been able to help it. He had kissed her.

And how he had loved it. The first touch of their lips had sent a tingle through his body. In that moment he had known that it was the right thing to do. That she was the right one for him. Nara men had always been drawn to strong women. And Sakura, although going through a rough spot, had always been the strongest person he had known.

"Why did you never say anything?"

"Well, you were all over Sasuke at that time. So, I thought I didn't stand a chance and…well, and then I tried to work it out with Temari. And after the war, everyone just assumed that you would get together with Sasuke, and it was just recently I finally figured out that the two of you weren't even attempting to date."

"Sasuke and I would have never worked out. I realized that before the war. To be totally honest, I had a little crush on you back then when we went on so many missions together. But, well, I thought you weren't interested because you started dating Temari." He almost laughed out loud at the irony of the situation. So much time had been wasted. But they were together now and that was all that mattered.

"Well we did get there eventually, even if it was through lots of detours." He gave her a peck.

"Yes, but we did it the wrong way around! We haven't even gone on a date yet." She pouted, and he chuckled at that.

"You know, I did try to ask you out on a date before, right?" He turned them around so that he was above her and kissed a trail to her neck.

"What? When?" she asked, surprised.

"That day when we laid beneath the oak tree, before the mission, and that troublesome ANBU interrupted me." She thought back on that day and finally remembered how he had tried asking her something, but she had been called back for an emergency.

"Oh really? Maybe if you ask again nicely, I might answer you this time." He chuckled.

"Do you want to have dinner with me?"

"I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Finally.", he mumbled, and she laughed out loud, the sound making his heart squeeze in happiness. It reminded him of the mission they had taken to tea country, when she had shoved the dango into his mouth by force, and she had laughed so hard at his dumbfounded expression. It had been a long time coming, but finally, he was able to hear her laugh happily again.

He smiled and pulled her down for another kiss.

-The End-