Full Summary: As the jounin ambassadors for Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand at a coronation ceremony, celebrations and inauguration meetings in Country, Shikamaru and Temari have to stay at the royal palace. Only – there's been a mix-up, and the only rooms they have available for the two jounin is a spacious suite… with only one bed. Romantic (/ lemony) goodness ensues. ShikaTem; M for later adult stuff

Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto or its characters or anything to do with it, really, aside from a few manga books and random fan trinkets... so yes, the characters dont belong to me, i just enjoy reading fanfics about them and dreaming up a few of my own...

Author's note: this is still unfinished. i have yet to write the lemon, which probably wont be posted here, but on adultfanfiction (once its back up and im finished, that is)... my apologies for Temari's lack of aggressiveness (and other general OoC-ness) here... i promise she'll be more aggressive later... especially during the lemon :D

And without further ado... the story!

A Matter of Accommodations

"Here is your suite, sir ninja, madam ninja." The servant unlocked the door and opened it, offering them each a key.

The two worn jounin accepted them in weary silence.

"And, once again, our sincerest apologies for this inconvenience."

Feeling a little more gracious at the sight of the clean, comfortable suite of rooms, Temari recovered enough to smile and say, "It's no problem, master (A/N: sir?) Chamberlain. Our best regards to your master."

The servant smiled, reassured.

Also relieved at the prospect of indoor accommodations, Shikamaru nodded politely at him.

The servant bowed once more to them and left.

With a contented sigh, Temari stepped into the room and dumped her heavy backpack by the door. She stretched out her back, beginning to smile at the thought of a long hot soak and washing a week's worth of grime off her weary body.

Shikamaru grinned slightly at her and stepped in as well, closing the door behind him with one foot. He dropped his backpack beside hers and grimaced as he straightened, noting the trail (A/N: halo?) of dirt and sand his backpack had left on the plush, cream-coloured carpet. And I'm probably no cleaner. He thought with another grimace and headed to the bathroom, which was visible through an open door to the right. Thank God for indoor plumbing.

Temari, noticing Shikamaru's sudden move towards the bathroom, called out hurriedly, "Dibs on the bathroom!" It was a sudden, selfish, childish reaction, she knew, but … She cringed at the thought of how dirty she must be. She could feel the sand and mud caked into her hair, darkening it to a dirty blonde instead of its usual pale yellow.

Shikamaru halted in the doorway to the bathroom and turned around to look at her, leaning against the doorframe casually with his right arm. You've got to be kidding me… of all the troublesome things… He thought, exasperated.

Temari flashed him a cheeky smile. "Oh, come on. Ladies first!" Too late to take it back now, she thought. At least he knows me well enough to not judge me for it.

Shikamaru blinked at her. It was always hard to stay annoyed when she smiled like that. He sighed at last, and shifted so that he was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom.

Temari grinned wider in victory and turned to root through her bag for her toiletries. Finding them, she straightened, turned, and sailed past Shikamaru into the bathroom, that familiar cheeky smile plastered on her face, rubbing it in silently.

Slightly put off, Shikamaru grumbled under his breath (something about females and bathrooms), but it was just for show. A little while longer with the dirt on him wouldn't be that bad when he knew a hot shower came after the wait. And she'd be more comfortable that way. And more pleasant to deal with, he thought with an inward grin.

Temari took one last look at him before she closed the door to shower and her victorious expression softened. He was cute when he grumbled like that. She moved to close the door and a sudden, wicked thought struck her.

One part of her didn't want to do it – rejected the idea, scandalized.

The rest desperately wanted to see his reaction.

In other words, she couldn't resist.

She turned, and stood with her back facing him and her right hand on the doorknob, as if she had simply paused in closing the door behind her. "You know, we could shower together, if you like. There's more than enough room in their tubs here."

Shikamaru blinked. Great - apparently, he got sand in his ears, too. That was going to be near impossible to get out. And, God, he must be so tired, to think he heard that of all things. He shivered inwardly at the tantalizing images that popped into his head unbidden, and forced his thoughts away from them, valiantly trying to ignore the sudden tightness of his pants.

Temari bit her lip to stop herself from grinning at his stunned silence and the faint blush on his cheeks. Her gaze wandered from his profile and fell upon… the bulge in his black uniform pants. She didn't know whether to laugh or to blush.

Realizing that he had to answer her somehow, Shikamaru turned his head to look at her and said innocently, "Sorry, Temari, what was that?"

Temari, releasing her bitten lip, said with a knowing smirk, "You heard me."

Shikamaru decided to call her bluff. "And if I say yes?"

Temari grinned at him again. "Then we shower together, Mr. Genius."

Shikamaru stood up slowly and decided to call her bluff once more… just to see where it'd lead. Or at least, that's what he'd convinced himself he was doing it for. "Alright, then."

Temari started, caught off guard. Now what? She hadn't expected that. She had only meant it as a joke – to make him react, to see his reaction. Her thoughts wandered, unbidden, to the tenting of Shikamaru's pants. She felt a little thrill of desire and looked down, avoiding his gaze. Who was she kidding? She wanted to see his reaction for a reason, not just as a joke. She rarely did things just for kicks.

Shikamaru stepped closer to her - closer, into her secure, safe personal space, closer than he'd dared to step during their trip here. "Do you want me to shower with you?" he asked softly, gently, genuinely curious and wanting to know… and a little turned on, he had to admit. But for some reason, he got the sense that his heart lay behind that question – lay on the line, not just a need to relieve his erection.

Temari shivered. Her eyes fluttered shut. Did he know how seductive that sounded? Some part of her inside laughed at that. Of course he didn't – this was Shikamaru. He was being considerate, polite… serious. And she would have to be, too. And, in all seriousness, she did want him to. She'd wanted it for a long time. "Yes." She whispered at last, looking at their feet. She'd wanted it since those long, aimless walks around town together whenever she visited Hidden Leaf, or whenever he visited Hidden Sand, not knowing why they did that, not fully realizing what brought them together for those walks.

If Shikamaru hadn't been so close, he wouldn't have heard her soft response. But as it was, something leaped in his chest, and he lifted a hand to gently nudge her chin upwards so that she looked up into his deep brown eyes. As he gazed down into her dark blue eyes, he felt a strange tug in his chest – a tug towards her.

Temari's eyes fluttered shut and her lips fell open with a little intake of breath in desire. And he gave in. He gave in to what he'd secretly wanted to do for so long, to what she so clearly wanted. He pressed his lips to her own full ones, and delighted in her soft moan as he slipped his tongue between her lips to explore her mouth.

Temari reached up to bury her fingers in the soft brown hair at the back of his head as she slid her tongue against his, thrilling at the sensation...

Still working on it... what dyou think of it so far?