Hello! So I don't know what the situation is in the rest of the world, but here in the UK we've just been slapped with yet another lockdown. To keep my spirits up (and hopefully some others as well) I'm going to attempt writing my first long fanfiction! This is an idea that's been kicking around in my head for a while now so hopefully you guys like it. Based off B99, this is a modern day fanfic about ShikaTema as detectives with lots of fluff and maybe (maybe) some M rated content. As always, let me know what you think, your comments always make me laugh and keep me going when I start things like this!
Chapter 1: First Day Back
The sunlight filtered through her blinds as she woke up. She yawned and stretched away the sleep that desperately wanted to take over her body again. She wouldn't be late on her first day back; she had been waiting for this day for months and she was finally back in her dream job. She threw the covers all the way off the bed to make herself get up, and quickly, neatly rearranged them. She couldn't stand people with messy apartments.
After showering, eating some breakfast and getting dressed, she started her walk to work. She sipped her coffee on the way, inhaling the city air fondly and enjoying the chaos of the streets around her as busy workers pushed and shoved their ways to their jobs. Man, she had missed it.
Her three-month hiatus from work had been rough; she was used to constantly being on the go and pushing for the next goal in her life, not sitting around at home watching TV until some psychologist told her she was fit for work again. However, she had definitely needed a break from work. She was used to being the caretaker in her family after everything they'd been through, so yeah, she definitely did blame herself and take it pretty hard when her youngest brother attempted suicide. Neither her nor her other brother had any idea the stress he was going through or the depression he had been dealing with for so long. Three months of helping her brother recover had also meant three months of addressing her own problems, grief and fears. She wasn't usually one to linger on feelings so the whole recovery process had been uncomfortable, albeit necessary for her. But she was back at work now, doing what she knew she loved and did best. She chucked her coffee cup in the trash outside the police precinct and strode up the steps to where she belonged.
They had all known she was coming back today. While she had been vague about the reasons to most, she had confided in him that she was going through a lot with her family and that her youngest brother needed her. So, although Ino and Sakura were putting up "welcome back" banners, and Choji was eating the cakes he'd brought in, and Kiba and Naruto were fighting over what to shout as she came in, Shikamaru sat calmly waiting for the clock to hit 8:30. He knew she was never a minute late.
Like clockwork, the elevator dinged at exactly 8:30 and he caught the first sight of her he'd seen in months. Her hair seemed more vibrant than before, her complexion less worn out and she walked with a renewed sense of purpose and cocky gait that he'd missed more than he was willing to admit to himself. But more than anything, as soon as the doors opened his dark eyes met her teal ones, as if they were magnets being pulled into the others gaze. He smiled as a reflex to her presence just before chaos erupted from the rest of the squad.
"WELCOME BACK!" They all screamed, Naruto and Kiba popping party poppers at her and the rest running to hug her. She laughed her lilting laugh as they all piled on her, hugging them back only slightly as she was still not used to all the physical contact. He slowly got up from his chair and wandered over to the commotion.
"Welcome back Temari." He smirked as he extended his hand.
"Good to be back, Shikamaru." She returned his smile as she shook his hand and laughed.
"Listen up squad. I know we're all very excited to have Detective Sabaku back but today is still a working day, this is still a precinct and you are all still detectives. So get back to it." Captain Kakashi announced from the doorway of his office with his arms crossed. Everyone quickly dispersed, for the most part understanding the captain's wishes with only Naruto complaining about what a killjoy he is. "Detective, my office." He gestured to Temari.
She quickly put her bag down by her desk and removed her jacket before entering the captain's office. "Welcome back, detective. How was your leave?"
"Uneventful. I'm definitely glad to be back and working, sir."
"That's good to hear, but I've looked through the reports from the psychologist. I'll be easing you back into field work with a few low-profile cases first if that's alright with you."
"With all due respect to the professionals sir, I feel fine to get back to my normal job."
"Temari, after any period of absence it's good to start slow. As your commanding officer it's up to me to take care of your wellbeing, physical and mental. And, as someone who cares about you, I think it'll be a good idea to take it easy for a few weeks. I understand wanting to jump back into things, believe me, but it's important to remember you took time off for a reason."
"Yes sir. Understood." She bit her lip to stop protesting more; she respected the captain and in matters where experience was key she trusted his opinion implicitly. "What kind of stuff do you have me on then?"
"Well, Detective Nara has also been in a bit of a funk recently so I was hoping to put you two on some cases together. Who knows, maybe your being back will instill some of that competitive spirit back in him?"
She turned in her chair to look at Shikamaru through the office window. She was a little confused; it wasn't like him to get himself down and even less so to let that affect his work. The man was a genius, by far the best detective on the squad, and as long as they had been working together she hadn't known him to ever slow down.
"Of course sir," she said with a smirk, "I'll see what I can do."