HELLO!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEMARI!

I rushed this one out in honor of OUR BEST GIRL. Thank you, Temari, for being the strong female trope every anime/manga needs.

Warning: This chapter contains a lemon. Just stop reading after she goes searching for food if that's not your thing. (That was really funny for me to type.)

Warning #2: This is my first lemon. This is also my first fanfic that I didn't write as a 12 year old (oh lord that is now literally a half of my lifetime ago shoot me), but definitely still my first lemon. I was soooo nervous about it because I suck at wrapping it up. How the fuck do you write orgasms? ha ha ha ha,ahahadlkfhas;dfh. I almost scratched the entire thing and wrote an alternative ending to this chapter.

Anyway, I just wanted to publish this on August 23. For the best girl. Have I mentioned she's the best? It is now 11:41PM PST and yeah. I will definitely be making small edits after I shower. I'm cutting it close. I'll keep disclaimers up there and random notes including notes to my reviewers at the bottom. Enjoy!

Appetite

Red.

That was all Shikamaru saw until the sound of Ino and Choji crying broke him out of his daze. Everything went black as he briefly shut his eyes, allowing them to adjust and focus on the sight before him when they opened.

"Sensei!" Ino's cry echoed in his ears.

Ino was in hysterics, crying into Asuma's bloodied flak jacket as he continued to bleed out on the floor. He slowly turned his head to look at Choji, who was trying his best to constrain the tears that were streaming down his face. When he finally looked down at his sensei, the red sky around them spun until it morphed into the Tailed Beast Ball before shooting off into the distance. His father's face was the last thing he saw before a white flash of light blinded him.

Shikamaru abruptly sat up in his bed. His eyes were wide in terror as he clutched his chest, trying to catch his breath. He began inhaling deeply to ease the painful pounding of his racing heart. It felt as if it was going to burst out from right under his sternum. Dropping his head into his hands, he attempted to synchronize his heart rate with his breathing. He pushed his face against the palm of his hands to wipe the beads of sweat that were rolling into his eyes.

Temari was laying next to him on her side with her arm under the pillow to support her neck. He had woken her up just a few moments prior from stirring around in his sleep. She felt her own heart tense up as she watched him struggling to compose himself. It was the same wrenching feeling she'd always experienced whenever she watched Gaara struggle with his own night terrors. She waited until he appeared to be breathing normally again before she spoke.

"Did I appear in your dreams?" she asked lightheartedly, hoping to clear the tension in the air. Temari was perceptive enough to recognized that most people hated being caught in a vulnerable state. If there's anything she's learned about Shikamaru after all these years, it's that he's just like her when it comes to dealing with his problems. He does it independently and privately. Unless they were putting themselves in any kind of physical danger, she'd always let people bring up their problems first instead forcing them to talk about it.

"W-what?" he stammered as he jerked his head in the direction of her voice. His nightmare had made him forget that she was there, causing him to jump in his skin when her heard her voice. It took him a few seconds to process her presence. Her eyes captured his in a soft, peaceful gaze as she smiled up at him. He sat there for several seconds, losing himself in the tranquility of watching the light from his window dance around the teal orbs. And just like that, he felt the weight on his chest slowly melt away.

"Did you have a nightmare about me?" she joked again when he didn't answer. She sighed and sat up to wrap her arms around his neck. "It's okay. I know I'm pretty scary, but I don't bite. You on the other hand…"

"Uh…" was the only sound he could muster up. He still couldn't formulate a proper sentence from waking up so violently.

"Ugh. Whatever," she jokingly grunted. She dragged him back down into the covers and pulled him into a tight hug, knowing well that it was what he needed but would never ask for. After a few seconds, she felt him finally easing into her embrace as he moved to bury his face into her neck. He exhaled deeply and wrap his arm around her while sliding the one facing the mattress under the pillow to keep it out of their way.

Shikamaru wasn't oblivious to what she was doing. Somehow, she managed to find a way to comfort him without bringing any attention to what just happened. He appreciated the gesture and her respect for his privacy. Unlike Naruto, he was never the type to vocalize his emotions. That's the thing about Temari though. She was intuitive enough to know when and when not to interrogate people. The only time she ever interrogated him was when he almost got himself killed during the secret mission in the Land of Silence.

Temari went on to to lay there without saying a single word, only moving to occasionally readjust herself. She wanted to give him as much time as he needed, but reconsidered her decision after an hour had already passed.

"Hey… Are you sleeping?" she asked quietly. When he didn't respond, she brought her fingers up to his nose and clamped his nostrils shut. Because his face was still nuzzled against her neck, it didn't take very long before he started to suffocate. She felt him squirm as he yanked his head back to breathe. However, she kept her grips on his nose, causing him to yell as he pulled his entire body away from her.

"Ow! What the hell?" he scowled at her.

"Do you usually sleep in so late?" she asked, rolling over on her back to stretch under his dark grey bedding. Grey. That was the only theme in his entire bedroom. His walls were a slate grey with silver curtains that contrasted the darkness of his room. Both the bed sheet and the fitted sheet on his king sized mattress was a paler shade of silver than his drapes, and was covered by a dark grey duvet. His pillows were a mix of of the two colors while the fleece throw blanket at the foot of his bed was a shade in between the rest of the bedding. It gave his room a very modern and minimalistic feel that she thought suited him.

He looked across the room where he kept his alarm clock. Walking to the other side to turn it off was the only way he managed to drag himself out of bed. "It's nine in the morning! On a Saturday for fuck's sake," he groaned and rubbed his nose which was now red from her pinch. "And, we didn't exactly do a lot of sleeping."

After getting barbeque, they went to gather her belongings from the inn. She was a light traveler so it was really just another change of clothes and a large shirt she'd slept in. They bickered over who got to carry her belongings on the walk back to his apartment. He made comments about how his mother drilled it into him that men should always carry things for women, and she snapped back with how ancient his perception of women was. However, he silenced her when he declared that he knew she was very capable and independent, and she just "needs to accept that sometimes people just want to do things to be nice for her." That got her to finally agree to let him to carry her stuff. He ran her a bath when she complained about the smell of barbecue in her hair, which opened the door for him to pick up where they'd left off right before dinner.

Temari flashed her infamous grin at him, "I'm hungry."

Shikamaru blinked at her. Groaning, he started to rub his eyelids with his thumb and middle finger. Don't tell me I like her because she's a combo of Choji and Ino…and my mom… and my dad. Without a doubt, Temari was the only person alive who could match his mother's temperament. However, she often reminded him of his father during their more serious conversations as well. In addition to being a highly intelligent strategist and political figure, she also shared his perspective and opinions on various things in life, proven during his conversations with both of them while waiting for Choji at the hospital years ago. Ino had made a joke about him having amazing taste in women when she pointed out the similarities with their blond hair and teal eyes, and their motherly role in their respective teams. Apparently, she also has the same appetite as Choji. I need to see a shrink, he thought to himself.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"You eat just as much as Choji," he partially admitted.

"I think in an ideal world, all girls would eat as much as Choji," she shrugged.

He thought of how Ino always talked about the all food she wanted to eat, but couldn't because she was always on some new diet. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. You don't seem to carry any extra weight though."

"That's because I have to do things like, I don't know, walk three days to get home tomorrow," she said sarcastically.

"You'd think they'd do something about that now that we're allies," he grunted, laying back down in his bed.

"That's a topic I'm bringing up in tomorrow's meeting," she began. "Someone approached Gaara about creating a route for a train that would connect Suna to all the other villages. It's still being debated amongst our council because being so isolated is part of our defense, but Gaara thought that this would be great just for our alliance with Konoha to start. It will allow the citizens to travel between the two nations and will make prepping for the chunin exams a lot easier for us," she explained. After the great war, there was in influx of industrial advancement now that people no longer worried about preparing for war. Trains were at the top of the list for investors because it would change the way people were able to travel. However, it was still too soon after the war and people were still nervous about borders and boundaries. Given the close relationship between Suna and Konoha, Gaara was intent on being the first village to break those boundaries in hopes that the other nations will move forward to do the same.

"A train?"

"Yeah. What would take me three days on foot will only take me an hour on the train," she continued to explain. When she realized he was getting comfortable in bed again, she pinched him. "What are you doing? I said I was hungry."

"Goddamn it, woman. Stop pinching me," he demanded as he rubbed the spot on his arm that she attacked. "Besides, I'm not hungry yet."

Temari groaned and started to make her way out of his bed in hopes of finding something to snack on in his kitchen. Her feet barely touched the rug on his hardwood floor when she felt something binding her arms against her body, keeping her from standing up. She looked down to find a shadow wrapped around her. Annoyed, she turned around to see him smiling innocently at her. "What?!" she snapped at him.

He used the shadow to pull her back into his bed. "You can help me work up an appetite," he said with a sheepish grin.

She snorted when he suggestively lifted his eyebrows at her. "Oh god, that was tacky."

He laughed with her before letting go of his shadow sewing technique to climb over her. She searched his eyes, hoping to find what his intentions with her were. Although they appeared tired from whatever was haunting him in his sleep, she saw a longing look in them. It wasn't quite love, nor was it lust. Not entirely, at least. It made her feel wanted, maybe even needed. She couldn't quite explain it, but it sent overwhelming emotions surging through her body. She knew she cared for him and at the same time was immensely attracted to him. The chemistry was there. The chemistry has always been there. But, there was something that was still falling short for her. It muddied the lines between their friendship and whatever they were doing right now, making it hard for her to determine where they stood with each other. All she knew was that it never took very much for her to completely omit those boundaries when he touched her.

Her legs slid open to accommodate the width of his hips as dropped on his elbow next to her head to support his weight. His other hand roamed under the white crew neck shirt that she had stolen from him and reached for her breast, lifting the shirt up in the process. He dropped his head until he could feel her breath against his lips and stared at her, his gaze searingly intense. Capturing her mouth in a deep kiss, he lightly bit into her bottom lip and dipped his tongue inside when she opened her mouth to let out a sigh. He tasted her in long, leisurely licks. His lips found their way to her neck as he dug his fingers into her breast.

She didn't protest when he lightly bit down into her skin. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt her body silently beg for more when her hips started to grind into him.

He bit as hard as he could without breaking her skin when he felt her pushing against his entire length, causing her to cry out in pleasure. Shikamaru had quickly learned that Temari is very vocal during sex after their first time together. Back at her inn, he made it a game to see how often he could foil her attempts to suppress her moans. It proved to be way too easy given how sensitive her nape was. She scolded him after the third time he made her scream, and then proceeded to threatened that she was going to make him cry out. With her fists. Unfortunately, that was a game he couldn't play now that they were at his apartment, but he equally enjoyed every sound he'd earned from her.

Shikamaru gently tugged the shirt over her head and tossed it off the side of his bed. Grasping both of her breasts in his hands, he gave them a firm squeeze before slowly running them down her stomach. When he reached her hips, he dug his finger tips into the hem of her underwear and dragged them down her legs. Once they were completely removed, he circled his fingers up her thighs until they were between her legs. A smile tugged on his lips when he felt that she was already wet.

Temari had a love-hate relationship with that smug smile of his. He always worked with an abundance amount of patience, never failing to make her entire body ache with anticipation. His hands were always tender, but just aggressive enough to make it impossible for her to forget how he would touch her.

"Shikamaru!" She whimpered his name when he plunged two of his fingers inside her. His palm rested against her clitoris as he stroked his fingers against the wall of her sex. Her hands shot up to grip his forearm as her hips started to grind against his hand. She tossed her head back and moaned as she dug her nails into him. He leaned forward to bring his lips to her neck again, leaving a trail of kisses on until he reached her breast. Another sigh escaped her lips when he wrapped his mouth around her nipple, followed by a loud groan when he bit down on it. Despite her complaints the other day about his bite marks, he discovered that she was the most responsive when he would get a little rough with her.

Feeling her fingers slipping into the waistband on his boxers, he snatched her hand away and pinned it over her head. Unlike Shikamaru, Temari was always brash and impatient. It made teasing her that much easier for him. "No," he ordered as he began to move his fingers more aggressively inside her.

"Please…" she sighed.

The sudden rosiness that was burning across her cheeks made him smirk. He brought his lips to her ear and gently tugged on her earring with his teeth. "Please what?" he asked in a low voice.

Temari turned her head away from him and shut her eyes, trying to fight the battle that was raging on inside her. She found Shikamaru's assertive demeanor to be wildly attractive, but hated giving him the satisfaction of making her bend at his every whim.

When she refused to answer, he gently placed his hand on top of her neck and grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger forcing her to look at him. Her usual brilliant green eyes were clouded with lust. "Tell me," he demanded.

Fuck.

She didn't have to say anything. Her body was giving into his command. The way it kept pressing into him gave him the answer he wanted from her. Her eyes glanced down to follow his hand when she felt him remove his fingers from inside her, but he kept his other hand around her neck, preventing her to see beyond his chest. Suddenly, she felt the tip of his erection sliding against her entrance. She realized that she was no longer in control of her body when she couldn't stop the moans and whimpers that were now rolling off her tongue. Her legs locked around his hips as she tried to pull him into her.

"No," he growled as he pushed his hand down harder on her neck, applying just enough pressure to keep her in place. A smile crept on his face when he felt a warm liquid ooze out of her entrance. "Tell me what you want," he whispered. He released her chin and traced his fingertips down the length of her torso.

She resented the way he was stroking her, but her body lit up under his touch. The area between her legs was begging for attention. "You…" she heard herself admit quietly.

With that, he reached under her thighs and gripped her hips to pull her closer to him. The walls inside her tensed around him as he slowly slid himself inside her, pausing when he was halfway in. Just as she caught her breath, he slammed his hips into hers. He traced his fingers across her lips to hush her when she screamed out loud, not wanting to draw attention from his neighbors because he was sure that his apartment wasn't entirely soundproof. However, he ceased to care when she wrapped her lips around his index finger and lightly ran her tongue against it. "Hn," he grunted with a devilish smile. "Aren't you fun?" His compliment earned a small smile from her, but it quickly disappeared when his pushed into her again. He savored the way she cried out every single time he hit the back of her cervix. After a few minutes, he felt her hands push against his abdomen. She kept trying to distance herself away from him, preventing him from being able to fully penetrating her.

"Stop squirming!" he hissed at her.

"I can't!" she complained.

He stopped to look at her, confused. "What do you mean you 'can't'?"

"I-it's… it's too much," she mumbled, glancing away from him in embarrassment. When she looked back at him, she saw a concerned look on his face. "You're… kind of uhm. Big. It gets a little intense," she admitted under her breath.

Shikamaru stared at her blankly for a few seconds, unsure of what to think. "You're lying," he accused.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Like I would try to find ways to feed that stupid ego of yours," she barked.

"Tch," he grunted, seeing some truth in her comment. "You'll be fine," he reassured her. Keeping his arms under her thighs to elevate her hips, he reached over to her forearms to pinned them to the mattress.

"Hey!" she yelled at him.

Shikamaru ignored her and slowly inserted himself all the way inside her again, causing her to moan his name loudly. He would pull out just enough so that the tip remained inside her, forcing her feel every inch of him with every slow stroke. When she tried to squirm away from him again, he would simply pull her back with the grips he had on wrists. He smirked at the way she'd scream out in pleasure each time he pushed himself all the way inside her. Unable talk over the moans he was forcing out of her, she tried to push into him for more but he ignored her and maintained his pace. She waited for him to succumb to the pleasure, hoping he would move against her more aggressively as he'd try to finish.

She waited, and waited, and waited. He would bring her close enough that kept her dripping wet with pleasure, but never allowed her peak. When she finally looked over at his clock again, she realized that 50 minutes had past since he started torturing her. Her mouth felt dry from all the panting despite her body being completely drenched with sweat. The constant friction made her insides so sensitive that she began push away from him again.

"Does it hurt?" she heard his concerned voice.

"No," she replied, trying to catch her breath while peeking up at him through her matted bangs. "The sensation was just a little too intense again."

"Tch," he closed his eyes and grunted again. He rolled off her and climb out of his bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"No where," he answered before leaning over to yank her hips to the edge of his bed. He threw one of her legs over his shoulder and began to enter her again. This time, his trusts were shorter and faster.

She heard him moan under his breath when her walls tensed up around him. A scream erupted from her when he slammed into her hips again. She felt him lower his weight over her while maintaining the speed and intensity of his strokes. Her fingers tore through his ponytail and gripped the hair by his scalp as she tried to hide her screams in the crevasse of his neck.

"Shikamaru… I…" she panted into his ear, but the sensation that crashed down into her body kept her from finishing her thought. Her nails clawed into his back as her body curled up against his. The burst of endorphins from the scratches she left on his back and the cried into into his ear brought him to his limit, allowing him to finish with her.

He placed a kiss on her neck before peeling himself off to lay next to her. The two of them laid in silence as they tried to regulate their breathing. After a few minutes, she reached for the pack of cigarettes and Asuma's lighter that was sitting on his nightstand before laying back down next to him. He watched as she opened the carton to pull one out between her slender fingers. Her cerulean eyes danced in the light as she rotated the cigarette in different angles to study it. Setting it between her index and middle finger, she slowly brought it to her lips and asked, "Why do you do that to me...?"

Tell me what you think, please! I read all of my reviews and they make me really happy and keep me going. 3

DragonWriterZZ, spiritedarray, ohud63, Nasterac, Fallen Leaves The Bronze Tree, SnowHusky20, .fox, sylversmith and all my guests!

Thanks so much for all the support and feedback. I love it when you guys point out which parts you like (usually the dialog) because I'll find ways to keep incorporating it in my story.

I also have the "formal summary" of my fanfic in chapter 1 in case you're wondering what direction I'm going to take with this fic. I didn't quite know myself when I started writing either but I have up to chapter 15 planned out already and I'm super excited to write all of it. It's definitely going to be more drama-romance-comedy very shortly but who knows. That can change.