Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

Hi, everybody! Here's my story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami's Day Five Prompt, "Laughing, Joyful, and Free." Enjoy!

"Shikamaru, where are we going?" Sakura griped to her boyfriend as she continued to take blind, unsteady steps in the direction that he was smoothly guiding her in. Both his hands were currently eclipsing her vision, so she was forced to rely only on his insistent but gentle pushing and soft nudges of his knees into the back of hers. When he had dropped by her house this morning to announce that he had a surprise for her, she hadn't envisioned that he would trek her through what felt like half the village to deliver it, blindfolding her no less. "Shikamaru!" she whined in a high-pitched voice as he continued to ignore her, only turning her slightly to push her forward some more.

"Pipe down, will ya? Just be patient." Sakura had plenty of patience. One could argue based on her years' worth of pining after Sasuke that she had too much patience. Eager to live up to that good name, she obediently fell silent, but she damn sure poked her lips out in a childish pout to illustrate her displeasure. Shikamaru's hands shook lightly as his shoulders jumped in a throaty chuckle. "We're almost there. It'll be worth it. I promise."

"Okay…"

Shikamaru and Sakura getting together had taken everyone by surprise, especially themselves. Their friend group thought Sakura had never abandoned her lifetime crush of Sasuke, and most of them had a bet pool going on when Shikamaru was going to get with Temari (because apparently guys and girls just couldn't be best friends without something between them). If someone asked her, Sakura really couldn't tell them how the crush started; a few happenstance meetings, a handful of joint missions, a couple of generous walks home and some seemingly innocent dinner dates had apparently been the recipe for a budding relationship. The first time he kissed her, she was caught completely unawares- but she still kissed him because it felt way nicer than it ought to. Now, here they were a year and a half later and still going steady. It was funny how life worked out that way.

"All right. We're here."

"About time," she carped, "I thought my feet were going to fall off!" Her tone was playfully chiding; honestly, she was bristling with excitement to see whatever Shikamaru had been so adamant about showing her, because it wasn't every day he came knocking on her door with surprises. As far as romantic gestures went, he was as low-key and relaxed as the rest of his lifestyle. It made the rare instances where he put forth substantial effort all the more worth it, in her opinion. His hands fell away from her eyes. She had to flap her lashes a few times as they adjusted to the sudden sunlight; gradually, the landscape cleared before her.

It was breathtaking.

"Oh, Shikamaru, it's beautiful," she breathed aloud, unable to do anything but stand there entranced by the scene that unfolded before her. Tucked away in one of the village's many forest training grounds had apparently been a spacious clearing that was currently bursting with wildflowers bursting in spring blooms. The colors weaved together like an ornate quilt- brilliant whites, summery yellows, cheerful pinks, rich violets, all accented by the fresh greens of stems and shoots. Every time the wind rolled over the small meadow, the blossoms bobbed back and forth like they were droplets in a crashing wave, spilling their petals into the air to decorate the wind and be carried off into the bowels of the forest. Sakura breathed in deeply to inhale the melodious blend of their aromas. She turned around to beam brightly at him, finding him watching her with his hands in his pockets and a serene smile on his face. "How did you find this place?"

"I stumbled upon it during early-morning training. I thought you would like it," he remarked casually, but the happy twinkle in his eye belied his excitement that was so delighted about his little gift. She crouched down to inspect the flowers closer, giggling with pleasure as she poked the pollen-coated stamens and brushed her fingers over the silk-soft petals. She heard soft crunches behind her as Shikamaru approached to stand over her, feet planted on either side of her legs as he leaned over slightly to watch her pore over the blooms. Sakura was tough and maybe even a little tomboyish, but thanks to her perpetuating friendship with Ino, she really did have a soft spot for flowers. It warmed her heart knowing that it was something Shikamaru remembered about her. Her fingers glided back and forth through the thin stems. The flowers swished in tandem with her movements.

Suddenly, she whirled around to grab Shikamaru's arm and yank him down. He yelped in surprise as he was knocked off-balance and crashed roughly into the greenery and earth, landing awkwardly on his side with his legs splayed out on either side of her. "Hey, what's the-" He stopped midsentence and flushed the color of a rose as Sakura shimmied up his body, laying herself across him with her lower half resting snugly between his long legs. Smirking demurely, she crossed her arms against his chest and rested her chin on them to flutter her thick lashes at him.

"Let's stay here a while."

"You- what- okay." He acted for a minute as if he were going to argue, face contorting in confusion and concern, but Shikamaru was never the type to pass up an opportunity to laze about. With a deep sigh, he reclined into the loamy soil, bending a few of the flexible plant stems as he pushed his head back into the thick growths. His hands lazily meandered up to Sakura's slim shoulders to begin tracing abstract patterns into her deltoids. The smile on her lips stretched further as she rested her cheek against her arm and closed her eyes to enjoy the feelings of the warm sun on her skin and Shikamaru's ministrations across her upper back. She felt as if this place were separated from the rest of the world, and for this short sweet time, Shikamaru and herself could abandon all their responsibilities and worries to simply bask in the simple harmony of nature.

At a point, his fingers abandoned their artistry on her shoulders to slip into her short pink hair. He continuously threaded his slim fingers through the strands, starting at the roots and traveling all the way down to the lightly curled ends and starting over again. He always did love playing with her hair; her meticulous shampooing routine always kept it soft and luscious, and he just loved the feeling of the silken hairs under his fingertips- or so he said. The way the pads of his fingers brushed softly over her scalp was so soothing that she never even entertained the idea of complaining, of course.

Sakura cracked an eye open as she heard the low-pitched buzzing of a honeybee. The fat yellow-and-black insect hobbled into her vision, bobbing around the head of one of the purple flowers before it docked on the thick petal. Its wiry antennae wiggled about to find purchase on the clump of powdery pollen at the center. The little spores coated its fur as it gathered the nectar; the way its bulbous back end shook about made it seem like the creature was partaking in a dust bath instead. After it had collected its fill, its clear wings fluttered to lift it into the air, and it bumbled onward to another flower nearby. Seeing the insect hard at work reminded Sakura that they unfortunately could not lounge in the flowers all day.

"What time do you have to report to Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired, turning her head and walking her index and middle fingers up his chest. It had been mid-morning when they had left her residence, about nine or so, and she had no idea how much time had passed since then.

"Ten-thirty. But he'll live if I'm a little late," he puffed without opening his eyes. His hand snuck over the top of her head to catch hers that was walking little lines about his pectorals. Eyes still shut, he brought it to his lips to press little kisses across her knuckles, before he wrapped it in a light grip and held it at the space over his heart. Sakura laughed lightly at his blatant disregard for the Hokage. As devoted as Shikamaru was, he still held onto some of those lazy, unbothered tendencies.

"We should go."

"Why? You got a hot date I don't know about?"

"Yeah. I got a spicy rendezvous with Lee scheduled for ten-forty-five, and I'd hate to miss it," she joked with a teasing wink. It was then that he cracked one of his dark eyes open to glower at her. "Buuuuuuut, I suppose I could push it back to eleven," she pressed further. The corner of his mouth twitched in the mixture of a smirk and scowl.

"You're hilarious."

"I know. Just another one of my endearing qualities," she quipped with a click of her tongue. He rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh again. With a grunt, he snaked his other arm around her middle to pull her up his body so that her face was resting completely over his. Their entwined hands were crushed between their chests, but he made no move to release his grip. Sakura cocked her head slightly as she stared down into his dark irises. "If it makes you feel any better, I wish time would stand still, too," she murmured gently. He grunted again in response and closed his eyes again, tilting up his face to run the tip of his nose sensually along her jawline before pressing a long kiss to the joint just below her ear. Sakura bit down lightly on her bottom lip at the pleasurable ticklish feeling of his lips skipping over her cheekbone. It felt reminiscent of a feather being brushed over her skin, sending sparks of electricity jumping through her stimulated nerves.

"Then let it stand still," he mumbled at the corner of her lip as he pressed another kiss there. Abandoning herself to his affections, Sakura turned her face to allow her lips to smooth into his, like half-melted chocolate spilling into a mold. A pleased rumble purred in his throat at her action and his arm bent around her waist in a nearly crushing hold. A soft sigh fluttered past her lips as they rhythmically moved against his repeatedly in long, passionate kisses. Just as she was thinking that she could easily resign herself to wasting the day away in this secluded meadow, she felt Shikamaru abruptly heave beneath her. He jerked his face away with her with a strangled grasp and began frantically pawing at his ear.

"What? What?!"

"A goddamn bug crawled up the side of my face," he spat angrily. She blinked down at him, and then in the next second began laughing hysterically. "Hey! It felt weird!" Chest heaving with uncontrollable giggles, she leaned forward to press her forehead into his shoulder. She could tell by his tensed muscles that he didn't appreciate her laughing at him, but slowly, they relaxed and his arms wove around her again. "I guess it was kinda funny," he grumbled in defeat. After another minute or so, her laughs had dissolved into occasional hiccupy snickers. She settled her face into the crook of his neck as she continued to release bubbly chuckles. With each breath, she inhaled Shikamaru's earthy scent of sage and oakwood, and it slowly settled the remaining laughs fizzling up inside her. "Didn't you say we need to get going?" he asked after a minute.

"Yeah, but…" she murmured sleepily. Held in his arms with his warmth and aroma embracing her, Sakura had no care to see to their responsibilities at the moment. "I changed my mind."

And so, they dozed off together with the endless blossoms to stand guard over them, there in the place where time stood still.