Hummm... I am apprehensive about this chapter. Forgive me in advance. bowbow (Oh, and here's where the smutty angst comes back ;))
IIX
Their mouths met and parted, as did tounges and hands and bodies.
Kakashi had a certain look that he got when he just wanted to get Shikamaru into somewhere dark so he could semi-undress him and take hold of his mouth. Shikamaru liked teasing him, sometimes, making him wait so that when that moment did come it was even sweeter.
Shikamaru loved seeing Kakashi's face naked, just for him, and Kakashi would be smiling when Shikamaru opened the gates by pulling that fabric off of his face. Shikamaru knew that Kakashi would never make the first move, other than hinting, and knew that there were problems that Kakashi hadn't even brought up yet, but he was content to wait.
Kakashi could tell that Shikamaru's mind wandered sometimes when they were kissing, but when it did, he stopped and Shikamaru would shake his mind free of whatever it was and smile a little and drag him closer again. Sometimes, though, Shikamaru would stop and back away and go home, grudgingly shrugging his shoulders on behalf of whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.
Kakashi had the urge sometimes to follow Shikamaru into his apartment and press for imore/i, but he always shook himself out of these desires and settled for a warm shower instead. He already felt like he was pressuring the younger chuunin into it.
Shikamaru knew about this insecurity of Kakashi's, and did his subtle best to convince Kakashi otherwise.
"Uhn..." Shikamaru's chin pointed upwards as Kakashi's lips trailed down his neck, making him flush in the dark. "Kashi..."
"Hmn?"
Kakashi's teeth grazed his collarbone and he spoke as if there was nothing happening at all. "Stay."
Kakashi slowed and only placed soft kisses along Shikamaru's neck as he straightened to look down on Shikamaru, taller by only a few inches. He had Shikamaru pressed up against his own apartment door. Shikamaru had gotten out his keys to open the lock and Kakashi couldn't stand the sight of him leaving.
The keys were still dangling from his hand and Shikamaru rested it on the doorhandle.
He saw the complicated fight in his superior's eyes, the dance between lust and love and that unknown reluctance. He carefully, slowly turned his back to him and fitted the key into the lock, twisting it open.
He looked over his shoulder and Kakashi was giving him the most pitiful look...
So Shikamaru took the gloved hand and pulled it inside, giving him more than permission. Inviting him. Kakashi shook himself like a dog that has been rudely awoken.
"Shika, I'd love to stay, but -"
"No excuses. I know your schedual, you know mine, and I'm perfectly of age. I can do what I want with whomever I want."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and smirked, challenging. His vest was already unzipped, a few hairs were falling out of his ponytail and he was still holding Kakashi's hand out in front of him, teasing.
Kakashi slumped a little and let go of the hand, burying it in his pocket where he fingered a sharp kunai, feeling it's razor edge press against his calloused skin.
"I can't, Shikamaru. You don't understand."
"If I don't, it's your fault."
The hand that had been abandoned tugged the elastic out of smooth black hair and massaged a tired head.
Kakashi stared. He had never seen Shikamaru's hair down...
"Just stay for tonight. We don't have to do anything."
There was a note of desperateness in Shikamaru's voice as he watched Kakashi fight his inner struggle. When there was a long note of silence, he walked around him and closed the door.
The click of the heavy lock falling into place awoke Kakashi and he seemed more resolute.
Shikamaru saw this and resolved to be as casual as he could, as if he wasn't all the rest of the time. Kakashi was walking on pins and needles, and he didn't want to scare him off. This relationship, though odd and questionable in nature, had become something to him and he didn't want to loose it to Kakashi's old demons.
"Do you want to have the shower first?" he asked, dropping his vest on a chair and leading the way into the tiny bathroom.
"Ah..."
"Alone," Shikamaru amended hastily, going out the door. "Of course."
Kakashi smiled, a warm, gratifying thing that made Shikamaru's stomach flip in interesting ways and the rest of his body relax. He had gotten one thing right at least.
"Thanks. I'll be out in a few minutes."
The door shut and Shikamaru rubbed his face as soon as it did, massaging aching pressure points under his eyes and at his temples. Everything was just so bloody troublesome...
When Kakashi came out in a towel, Shikamaru tried desperately not to stare, but Kakashi seemd to be in a better mood than he had been when he had gotten in, and wiggled his hips a little just to catch Shikamaru's eye.
When Shikamaru was in and out of the shower again, after giving himself a pep-talk on abstenance and trying to drown himself for a few unfruitful minutes, Kakashi was wearing a pair of Shikamaru's drawstring pants and looking through his bookshelf.
Shikamaru dug out a pair of his own and somehow got into them without dropping his towel to reveal anything that Kakashi hadn't already seen yet.
The theory of getting Kakashi into bed was a lot easier than the practice.
Kakashi was being easier now, kissing Shikamaru and crawling under the sheets first. He had carefully hidden the strife of earlier and Shikamaru wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not, so he just crawled in as well.
They touched hesitantly, finding a medium comfortable enough to sleep in. Shikamaru rested his forehead against Kakashi's and sleepily watched the two mismatched eyes, wondering what secrets they hid. Kakashi's hand was cupping one of Shikamaru's, and that's where those eyes were focused, absently, watching how their skin met and pressed together.
They did fall asleep eventually, although it was very late before either of them were tired enough to get over their discomfort.
Shikamaru concidered it a mild victory. He hadn't made Kakashi spill all his reluctancies so he could smooth them out, but he had opened the door.
Kakashi moved in informally soon after.
Okay, first off for the reviewers... I didn't write the date. Why? Because it is irrellivant. :P The date would have been tedious and tiresome to write, nothing would have happened except for that which you can assume happened by this chapter. I hope you don't hate me. Zenna, Sabriel, Yianne-21, thank you for your reviews.
Eveilae, in my mind Kakashi is way to impatient to wait a year, and I am too lazy to change the chapter, so I am letting you assume around a month has gone by. Also, you will notice that the weather is nice. And the supper thing... Yes, it really shouldn't have taken that long. But I was insinuating that Kakashi mentioned it, they moved on to another subject, sat around untill later that afternoon, Kakashi gets called away, Shikamaru says yes. I hope that clears things up, even if they didn't make sense initially. wince
And yes. The tags.
Review? Please?
