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Simpler Times

The evening sunset spilled in from the windows, flooding Shikamaru's office with a warm, orange glow. His shift had technically ended an hour ago, but he stayed behind because he knew it was where he could remain without being disturbed. He wouldn't have to run into any familiar faces on the street and get pressured into grabbing dinner or drinks. While his evening routine usually ended with him meeting up with some of the guys for a training session, he already informed Kiba that he'd be working late that night. Normally, he welcomed all the distractions but he was simply not in the mood to talk to anyone today. It had been a long, hard week at work and he just wanted to decompress by himself.

Twirling Asuma's lighter around with his fingers, he calmly watched the way the reflected light would dance across the walls. It eventually grazed over a small desk in the corner, bringing Shikamaru's eyes to the spot that Temari always occupied whenever she was in town for work. She had spent so much time working in Konoha with him that they decided to add a desk so that she could have her own space whenever she needed it. It was placed next to a bookshelf roughly six feet away from his own desk. Since the majority of their jobs consisted of reviewing documents together, they eventually wondered if the desk was even necessary because she always ended up in the chair that was opposite of his own anyway.

His eyes made their way to a small vase with a dozen dried roses that had been cured and preserved. The deep crimson petals were now almost brown with tints of yellow accents. Small, white carnations added a stark contrast to the bouquet. It reminded him of a particular evening with the Suna kunoichi, and how she came to attain the flowers back before the war.

It was around this same time in the evening a few years back. The streets of Konoha were decorated for Valentine's Day and he was accompanying Asuma on a rather intriguing errand: picking up flowers from Ino's floral shop. Long gone were the days where his sensei would try to hide who the flowers he frequently purchased were for. He was always a terrible liar and Ino, in all her sass, would ask their sensei to send her regards to Kurenai often enough that it became common knowledge.

When Asuma emerged from the Yamanaka flower shop, Shikamaru noticed that he was carrying two bouquets of roses instead of one. Because his sensei regularly brought Kurenai flowers, Shikamaru simply brushed it off as Asuma's way of doing something out of the ordinary. He didn't think much of it until later that day.

On their way back, three girls approached Shikamaru and offered him chocolates to which he awkwardly accepted just to be polite. Asuma made fun of him for it, of course. Shikamaru tried to brush it off by saying it was just a friendly gesture.

"But those are too extravagantly wrapped not to be honmei-chocos," He remembered his sensei telling him.

He was right. In Japanese culture, girls made two types of chocolates on valentine's day: giri-choco and honmei-chocos. Giri-choco were simple chocolates that were made to give out to friends, while honmei-chocos were always fancier and more expensive as they were meant to be a token of affection. The chocolates given to him had very intricate decor on the packages.

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru huffed as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Asuma laughed at him again, which embarrassed him at the time. However, Shikamaru now found himself smiling fondly at the memory.

"What are your plans this evening?" Asuma asked him curiously.

"Everyone's busy, so I figured I'll just finish the last of the paperwork from today," Shikamaru replied.

"Oh, alright then." Asuma smiled, but Shikamaru remembered it looking more like a smirk. It wasn't until later that he truly understood the reason behind the odd gesture that came next.

"Well, I accidentally put in an order for two bouquets. I can't give Kurenai both because she'll think I'm guilty of something. That's not a fight I want to get into this evening," His sensei laughed. "Here, take the other one."

Shikamaru blinked at his instructor. "And what the hell am I suppose to do with this?"

"I don't know, give 'em to your mom or something," Asuma shrugged as he turned to leave.

Shikamaru glared at his sensei's back. Give them to his mom? On Valentine's Day? Did Asuma think that he was some kind of loser? Shikamaru was almost insulted, but he just rolled his eyes as he was too lazy to care.

Carrying the bouquet in one hand and the chocolates in the other, he sighed loudly as he made his ways upstairs to his office. He was halfway down the hall to his office when he saw that the door was slightly hanging open, revealing a certain blonde kunoichi sitting at her makeshift desk. With no one else around, she allowed herself to comfortably rest her legs on top of the desk. The way she was sitting caused the dark fabric of her yukata spilled all around her, leaving her tan, athletic legs completely exposed. She uncrossed her ankles just enough to reposition her legs. The sudden movement flashed a little of her buttocks to him. He tried to swallow but struggled as he realized that his throat was now unusually dry. Although he was always a calm and collected man, he was still human. The sight of a very attractive woman who was almost falling out of her robe in his office would have gotten anyone as flustered as he was.

Looking back, Shikamaru realized that he paid more attention to the little details about her than a normal colleague or friend would have.

The shampoo she used smelled very tropical. He'd always catch a whiff of either passionfruit or mango every time she would lean over to look at the documents in his hand. Her perfume was an interesting contrast of the youthful characteristics of magnolia blossoms and citrus blended with the deeply sensual base notes of some kind of patchouli or sandalwood. She occasionally experimented with other scents. They were always lively and always floral. Still, Temari was a creature of habit and it never took too long before she gravitated back to her favorite perfume.

The thing that was branded into his mind the most was that dark purple yukata she has reverted to wearing from early in their jonin days. Although it covered up more of her body than all of her other outfits, it always unveiled just enough her skin in the right places and would leave him very curious. The neckline of the robe was modest enough for work, but not high enough to keep him from tracing the curves of her cleavage whenever he stood over her. At 5'5, she was considerably short so it was always in his line of sight. The slit that climbed from the hem of her yukata all the way to her hips had to be the most distracting part of her attire for him though.

At first, he found amusement in the way she was forced to sit very stiffly during their meetings to keep the robe from looking too indecent in front of the other officials. Her hands would occasionally slip under the table to adjust it every time she felt it move. However, the joke appeared to be on him because formalities flew out the window when they were no longer in front of other people. Outside of those meetings, Temari allowed her robe to do as it'd pleased. He recalled the way it hugged her hips just enough to hide her undergarments every time it fell open. The top half of the yukata lost every fight with gravity whenever she'd go to cross her legs, exposing the entire length of her leg to him. It never failed to be the source of his wandering mind. He always wondered how much of what she did back then was intentional.

Not wanting to startle her, Shikamaru cleared his throat and loudly approached the room to let her know that he was coming in. He figured the gentlemanly thing to do was to give her enough time to readjust herself. As he walked in, he noticed that her feet were now on the floor and her yukata was rapidly swaying around her ankles. Her hands fumbled with the fabric around her hips, adjusting it to ensure that the slit was now closed.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned him.

"It's my office," He replied flatly. "What are you still doing here?"

Temari rolled her eyes at him. "I thought everyone left for the day, and this is where I usually sit when I'm working in here so…"

"You're working right now?" He asked her, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah," Temari shrugged. "Everyone is busy and all the restaurants are booked. What else am I going to do?"

"Oh," was all he said back to her. In truth, he knew that he'd find her there for the exact reasons that she'd just mentioned. She was working on Valentine's Day in a foreign village. She didn't know very many people and the people she did know most likely all had plans. He convinced himself at the time that it would have been rude to leave her all by herself since he was her tour guide.

"Speaking of which, don't you have plans?" She asked, pointing at the roses in his hands.

"No. Asuma gave me these," He replied. He lifted the roses up to inspect them, but not before seeing the change her in demeanor. It was subtle, but he managed to catch the way she suddenly perked up.

Temari jokingly flashed him a questionable look and slowly said, "Oh... I see." She followed it with a wink.

"Not like that! Don't be gross." He hissed at her. "He bought too many and didn't want to Kurenai to think he was trying to make up for something he didn't do so he gave the extra one to me."

"What a smart man," Temari chuckled as she tapped a stack of paper against her desk to align them.

Shikamaru lazily made his way to his desk. Once there, he tossed the roses onto it, followed by the chocolates he had received during his walk back. As he pulled out his chair and was about to sit down, Temari's booming voice made him jump.

"Don't just throw those!" She scolded him.

Surprised by the outburst, Shikamaru felt his heart pounding lightly in his chest. He wasn't expecting to get yelled at out of nowhere. He finally slinked down into his chair and gave her a questionable look. "Eh?"

"Those are expensive!" She exclaimed as she marched over to him. Her fingers wrapped around the base of the bouquet so that she could pick it up to straighten out the roses. "These are impeccable. Such rich colors and the petals are so thick and velvety. Good quality roses cost a fortune, you know?"

"Since when were you an expert on flowers?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at her.

"Only succulents can grow in Suna so flowers are a luxury for us. The only time I get to see them is when I'm traveling. You might not appreciate it because you live in such a lush province, but I do." She explained to him, never taking her eyes off the roses.

He watched the way her eyes danced with excitement as her fingers lightly traced the rosebuds. It was rare for Temari to drop her tough exterior, but he always took notice whenever it happened. It always intrigued him how she could easily go from being a fierce and even feared warrior to an elegant young woman in just a split second.

"If you like them so much, you can have them." He shrugged. It was in that moment when he realized just how calculated Asuma was. He knew Temari was in town. He knew that she'd probably be here. He knew that Shikamaru was going to see her. The extra bouquet was no accident.

Asuma-sensei, you conniving little...

"What? Really?" She asked excitedly. "But wait, wouldn't it be weird to give out roses to a girl randomly like this on Valentine's Day? Wouldn't it send the wrong message?"

What a troublesome woman. Shikamaru almost laughed at the idea of Temari replying like that to someone who could have gotten her the bouquet on purpose.

"If you don't want them, then just throw them away," He said nonchalantly.

"No!" She exclaimed as she took the seat across from him. "They're too pretty for the trash. I'll take them," She smiled.

"Women are so troublesome..." He muttered to himself.

He could feel Temari's beaming smile as he went to flip through the paperwork on his desk. Temari was often wrongly painted as being aggressive and ill-tempered, though that technically wasn't entirely wrong either. The reality of it is that Temari was just very emotional. She feels everything wholeheartedly. When she's mad, she's furious. However, when she was happy, she would smile so big that it was contagious. She didn't care that it wasn't always ultra-feminine and that it even looked goofy at times. Her smile was honest and that was what made it so special. Her laugh was no different, it always filled up the entire room and she never cared if she was the only one that was laughing. She was completely comfortable with herself and he found it very admirable.

"So, you really don't have any plans?" Temari asked suddenly, pointing to the pile of what appeared to be over a dozen chocolates on this desk.

"No," He replied. "Besides, don't you think this holiday is a little... cheesy?"

"What's wrong with cheesy?" Temari smirked at him. "There's nothing wrong with cheesy. Are you inferring that it's lame because it's cheesy? Sometimes 'cheesy' things can be fun. What's actually lame is missing out on something because you think you're above trying something new."

Shikamaru gave her a dumbfounded look. He was surprised by her answer. He had fully expected her to go on a tangent about how lame the holiday was and how it made women conform to gender roles. Although, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Temari had always been an independent thinker. She spoke for what she felt was right, regardless of anyone else thought. She didn't care to go with or against the grain.

"I don't know if it's because I like cooking or arts and crafts or stuff like that… but I think the idea is cute if you don't take it too seriously. I probably wouldn't have minded making one." She shrugged.

"So did you?" He asked, watching the way she suddenly tensed up and blushed from his question.

"Don't be silly. With what time? I spent the past three days traveling here." She replied quickly, still fidgeting with the flowers.

"Hm..." Shikamaru simply shrugged. He reached for one of the heart-shaped chocolates and pulled off the envelope that was attached to it. Tossing the letter to the side, he unwrapped the candy and offered some to Temari.

She glanced down at it before looking back up at him. "Really? Someone literally pours their heart into making you some chocolate and you're going to give it to another girl?" She asked him with a coy smile.

"Tch," He grunted. "Don't be annoying, either we eat it or it goes to waste in the trash anyway." If there's anything Shikamaru learned from being with Temari all the time is that she loved food and was not one to turn down an offer. He broke the chocolate in half and handed her the piece that was still in the wrapper.

Temari looked at the heart-shaped chocolate that was now broken directly down the middle. "How fitting." She smirked as she accepted it.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before turning back to the paperwork with the piece of chocolate gritted between his teeth. He thumbed through the piles of paper once more before taking the candy back out to ask her, "Did you finish all the work while I was with Asuma?"

"I guess I did," She shrugged as she tossed the last bit of her chocolate into her mouth.

"Well… That was all the assignments for the day. I think we're done here then," Shikamaru said with a little relief in his voice. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was now 6:30, which explained why his stomach felt so empty. "Do you want to grab dinner then?" He asked her.

He almost regretted his question when Temari flashed him her devious smile. He mentally groaned, realizing that he had just given her ammunition for a jab at him.

"Are you asking me on a date?" She asked him suggestively. She made sure to exaggerate the question so he would know she was joking.

That was the first time they've ever spoken those words to each other. That was why it was particularly funny to both of them when the sequence played again after she rescued him Gengo years later. They had no idea at the time that it would go on to be one of their many inside jokes.

But this was back when the idea of dating each other seemed ludicrous to both of them. They were both adamant that nothing was brewing between them despite the fact that the two entire villages could feel the overwhelming amount of chemistry between them. So, Shikamaru would just sigh and tell her that she was annoying again and Temari would respond with one of her famous laughs.

"I don't know where we'd even go," He said after she finished laughing. "Every place is going to be crowded and have an overpriced set menu."

"Well, do you have a kitchen?" She asked him.

"Yeah," He answered. The Nara Estate actually had three kitchens. Two of them sat idly in the wings of his house that were only utilized when visitors came from out of town.

"Then I've got an idea," She winked.

"Alright," He shrugged. He was curious as to what she had in mind but figured he'd find out later anyway, so he didn't ask her.

Both of them gathered their belongings and straightened out their desks. Temari fastened her tessen on her back and reached for the bouquet of roses. She brought them her face so that she could smell the sweet aroma of the buds. As she exhaled, she peeked up from her lashes to see Shikamaru throwing away the envelope that came with the chocolate they shared without even reading it. It made her smile secretly into the flowers.

"Alright," Shikamaru said as scanned the office once more. "I think that's it."

A handful of women were lingering outside the building when Temari and Shikamaru emerged from it. Temari pretended not to notice, but she could see the way the smiles fell from their faces when they saw her walking next to him with the roses. She looked at Shikamaru from the corner of her eye to see if he had noticed as well, but he just kept his eyes on the road as he led her to the local market.

He was aware of the women who were waiting for him outside. He also realized how he and Temari might have looked walking side by side despite not holding hands or showing any kind of affection that Valentine's night. It only now, four years later, that he could admit that he was actually quite amused as they walked off together.

Later that night, Shikamaru found himself staring at all the different ingredients scattered across the center island counter in his kitchen. They were in the northeastern wing on his property. Even though he was just having dinner with a colleague after work, he didn't want to risk running into his parents coming home from their dinner reservations. His mother would embarrass him for sure, and Temari would never let him live it down. They were very similar in that sense.

Across from him, Temari was hastily slicing through a batch of scallions. Asking if she knew how to cook would have been a waste of breath, it was clear from the speed and dexterity of her hand that she knew her way around a kitchen.

Shikamaru's cheeks were already burning from the whiskey. He was almost finished with his second glass that night and he had been drinking on an empty stomach. He wasn't sure if it was the booze or the commercial holiday, but the sight of Temari in his mother's navy apron was quite captivating to him. She looked very… domesticated. The thought of Temari as a housewife was something he would have never pictured on his own, so he allowed himself to drink in the sight before him. He sat across the island from her in his thoughts, swirling his drink around the heavy, intricate glassware as he kept her company. He had already offered to help earlier, but Temari told him that he would only slow her down. So, she made him a classic Old Fashion and instructed him to sit. And so, he sat.

"A bartender and a chef? What can't you do?" He playfully jabbed at her. "I'm willing to bet that you would have had plenty of options for plans if you were still in Suna."

"Oh, you're funny," She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Cooking isn't that hard. You look up a recipe and you follow the directions. Having fast reflexes can help though... I think people who claim that they can't cook are either too lazy to try or are too clumsy to. The latter is more forgivable though."

"Well, you know I'm very much the former," He chuckled before polishing off his drink.

Temari playfully stuck her tongue out at him before throwing a bowl of rice into the wok. After combing through the aisles at the market earlier, she determined that the large selection of steaks and wine on display was too much of a "Valentine's Days date" meal. Instead, she opted for the most unromantic option she could think of: omurice with a stiff drink on the side.

However, her attention to detail and her need for a proper presentation made what would usually be a common street food look nothing less of extravagant. She transferred the rice to two plates and molded it with a spatula until they formed two ovals. Then, she proceeded to meticulously wipe the space around the rice until it was spotless. Making the egg for omurice is usually a very tedious task. Most homemade variations may pass the taste test but they are often not very aesthetically pleasing. The egg required the cook's full attention as it needed to be whisked on a sizzling pan the entire time in order to attain a soft, scrambled texture. This process can make the egg rather wrinkly. Temari was able to mold the egg into a perfect oval that came out smooth and fluffy like the topside of a pancake. After carefully transferring both eggs to sit on top of the rice, she sliced the omelet in half vertically, releasing the partially scrambled pieces inside to ooze over the dish.

"Okay, now that takes skill," Shikamaru said admirably.

"It's Gaara's new favorite dish," She explained as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Just lots of practice making it."

"How humble of you," He chuckled. "There are people who can follow a recipe, and there artisans who are highly skilled at their trade. Ma'am, I believe you are truly a master of your craft."

"I try." She smiled and shrugged as she set down both plates on his side of the counter. Grabbing the bottle of Japanese whiskey, she refilled both of their glasses. "Hope you don't mind it neat this time, I don't want to egg to overcook." She said before taking the apron off and seating herself next to him.

They continued their night as normal colleagues. The more they'd drink, the more openly they'd complained about work. They'd laugh at funny memories from previous chunin exams, and he'd smile and listened as she told him stories and jokes, even though she wasn't very good at it. She'd always laughed too hard at the punch line before she could even deliver it, but he didn't care because her struggling to speak was always funnier than the story itself.

This carried on into the night, and they eventually migrated over to the fireplace after finishing their meals. Though it already stopped snowing that February, the late winter nights were still cold and Temari wasn't used to lower temperatures in Konoha. After polishing off the last of the whiskey, Shikamaru figured it was best to clean up before letting all the alcohol settle. He left her curled up by the fire as he cleaned everything in the kitchen. When he returned, he found that she had already dozed off with her whiskey still in her hand. He took it from her and inspected it. There was still about a shot left in it, so he polished off before setting the glass in the sink.

He returned again with a thick down blanket and laid it over her. Temari, who was now out cold, barely flinched as he covered her. After turning off the lights, he laid down so that his head was next to hers even though he was vertically opposite from her. He stared at the upside-down view of the back of her head as the familiar scent of her shampoo and perfume filled his nostrils.

Temari suddenly turned around in her sleep to face him, narrowing the distance between them. Shikamaru didn't flinch even though their faces were now only a few inches apart. It allowed him to closely inspect all the details of her face. Her eyebrows were a dark ash blond color, and he could see how dense they were even though she had them perfectly groomed into a subtle arch. Both her lower and upper lashes were longer than any man or woman he had ever encountered in Konoha. They were twice as long and twice as thick as the average person's. He wondered if it was a genetic trait for those from Sunagakure because of all the wind and sand. While they usually added drama and intensity to her eyes, the way they were fanned across the top of her cheeks as she slept softened up her strong features. He continued to trace the outline of her nose until he reached her lips. Ino once mindless raved about how Temari had what people called, "bee-stung lips." They were full and plush and pillowy, making them look very sensual and inviting.

The alcohol circulating in her system was making her breathe in and out rapidly in her drunken state. Every time she exhaled, he could taste the booze as her hot, wet breath washed over his lips. It was thick and syrupy, just like the notes in Nikka Coffee Grain Whiskey from earlier. It made him curious as his lips hovered just inches away from hers. Would her lips taste the same?

He wouldn't find out until years later.

Perhaps he was too young. Perhaps he didn't know any better at the time. Perhaps he wasn't ready yet. Perhaps they weren't ready yet.

Part of him wished that he had made a move. Part of him was glad he didn't because it might have been inappropriate at the time and could have ruined anything that happened between them later. And now, part of him wondered they should have nipped it in the bud before everything unraveled.

The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

Shikamaru sighed at the irony of everything as he recalled the quote he once read somewhere. Despite the fact that they were preparing for a war that could have ended the entire world, things were so much simpler back then. No strings. No Emotions. Nothing troublesome.

Was that what he really wanted though? The way they were before he actually mustered up the courage to ask her out on a real date? Was it better to not have known all of her secrets? How she'd behave when no one else was around? So soft. So tender. So vulnerable. The way she'd blush and bashfully smile once he started flirting with her? The way she would feel underneath his hands, the way she smelled, the way she tasted?

The thought of not knowing her intimately brought back the familiar sinking feeling in his chest. He took that was his heart's way of telling him no.

Tch. How troublesome…

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes and sighed, remembering why he wasn't allowed to be alone with his thoughts for too long.

I have a lot of ideas for bits and pieces of their interactions prior to the war, but not enough for a full story. I figure I can sprinkle some of them in here as flashbacks. That way, they won't go to waste and you guys can get your ShikaTema interaction. I already have ideas for a sequel but that's so far away. Hahaha.

Some of you guys are brutally honest about the skipping over non-ShikaTema scenes. I love it, hahaha. I don't do that anymore, but I know the feeling.

I've been very into Chinese dramas and Kpop lately, so they're really helping me with the drama inspirations. Some of you guys mentioned a love triangle! Interesting idea to play with. When I was younger, I hated the thought of reading my favs with anyone else, even if it's just briefly insinuated that they're seeing other people. However, I've grown up since and I see how it plays into the Hurt/Comfort genre and people are huge fans of that. Just more food for thought I guess.

On the note of Asian entertainment, who would ya'll fan-cast for ShikaTema? I recently learned of real-life couple Jin Akanishi and Meisa Kuroki, I think they are perfect for it. Meisa just never fails to deliver the badass femme fatale look and Akanishi totally rocks the "totally-sexy-while-looking-indifferent-to-everything" expression. If you can find pics of them in kimonos, you'd totally agree! Maybe... Even their relationship sounds like a popular plotline for ShikaTema fics: secretly married despite making everyone else angry and popping out a kid the same year.

Anyway, quarantine has me writing up a storm. I'm considering getting a Tumblr just to communicate with some of you guys more instead of these very long author notes/through DMs. Lots of love!