A/N: Another long chapter, the way we like it! Just an advisory: there may be some strong language scattered throughout this fic. I definitely see both Shikamaru and Temari as partial to expletives, though Temari more so. My way of staying true to their characters!
Also, thank you for the lovely words of encouragement so far! I'll try my hardest to weave your wishes into the story, but if not, I plan on posting more ShikaTema fics soon so hopefully there will be something for everyone. Now, on with this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
The sound of birds in the tree outside the apartment woke Shikamaru in the morning. His arm was draped over Temari's slender yet curvy figure, encased in the plain tee and lounge shorts she had worn the entire day before. He, on the other hand, stripped down into his vest and trackpants before he went to sleep. Their bodies were so close they may as well have been spooning, but Shikamaru had been careful not to become too entangled with her just yet. He had already pushed the boundaries of their fairly new relationship by staying over and sharing her bed.
He gazed at her admiringly, knowing that even though he couldn't quite see her face, she was the image of pure serenity at this moment. The quiet hum of her snoring was akin to a heartbeat; regular and predictable, yet uniquely hers.
With his other hand, he gently played with the tips of her bunches, spiky and disorganised after a night of sleeping in them. She stirred, slowly turning to face him.
"Morning, troublesome."
She smiled blissfully. "What did I tell you about my hair?"
"I'm not messing it up, I promise," he whispered. "It's already pretty scruffy since you didn't let it down last night," he teased.
"You on the other hand," she gestured towards his dark, pin-straight locks that fell about his shoulders. Even though it was dry, it seemed to cling to the sides of his face and neck like a male model walking out of the ocean. "I've never actually seen your hair down. Or at least, not in good lighting. Everything is just shadows in the dark."
He stroked the edge of her mouth with his thumb. "Do you like it?"
She took a section between her fingers and flicked it around. "It's…pretty."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're describing a man's hair as pretty?"
"Well, it is," she insisted. "Some of the prettiest hair I've ever seen, men and women included."
He almost blushed. "I guess I'll take the compliment, then. Now, when am I going to see THAT mane set free?"
"Not if I can help it," Temari said adamantly. "There is no way you're seeing it in its natural state."
He sighed. Women.
Temari rolled back over to glance at the alarm clock on her desk.
"Shit!" she cursed, jumping out of bed and scaring her boyfriend right out of his almost narcotic state. She yanked open her dresser and pulled out her typical attire. "We have that meeting!"
"What meeting?"
"The one I told you about yester-" she stopped abruptly as the truth dawned on her. "Fuck. Nara, you idiot!"
"What did I do?"
"You kissed me, you asshole! Now we're both screwed."
He laughed. "Most girls would find that incredibly romantic."
"Don't you get it? We're both about to be late to a very important meeting with the Hokage and the daimyo, and what excuse do we have? I tried to tell you about it, you distract me, and now look at this mess."
"Relax," he said calmly, dragging his sweatshirt and flak jacket off the floor. "The tower is five minutes away from here, and they always start a little late, anyway."
"Shikamaru, it's not in the Hokage tower," she said gravely. "It's at the Shinobi Union Council."
His eyes bugged a little. Hurriedly, he pulled on his sandals and fixed his hair up into its usual ponytail. Temari grabbed her fan and tied on her forehead protector.
"Let's go."
When they arrived, out of breath and twenty minutes late, Kakashi almost laughed. It didn't help that in the morning rush, both of them were looking a little dishevelled with their appearance, pointing to other possibilities.
"Where have you two been?" he asked curiously.
"My sincerest apologies, Lord Hokage – council," Temari gasped, bowing her head to everyone sat around the table. "We, uh, forgot it was here and went to the Hokage tower instead."
He didn't buy it for a second. "Whatever, I'll speak to you both afterwards. Just sit down."
Shikamaru and Temari took their respective places opposite each other at the table. They exchanged nervous glances whenever a passive aggressive comment on their tardiness was made, in contrast to their usual smirks and smiles.
When the council was dismissed, Kakashi gestured for them to join him in a smaller, more private room.
"I know I'm not one to talk about being late," he began sheepishly. "But as you two are working directly under me, it's not a good look when two highly respected jonin from the Sand and the Leaf can't make it to a meeting on time."
"We're sorry, Lord Sixth," Shikamaru mumbled in his usual apathetic tone. "We…lost track of time."
"That's another thing," she said. "If you're going to be late, at least present yourselves better than this." He motioned up and down towards their slightly untidy appearances. "Not only does it reflect badly on me, but on your reputations as well. From what it looks and sounds like, you let your amorous exploits interfere with your work."
"No, no, it's nothing like that, Lord Hokage," Temari insisted. "We simply overslept, that was all. No-", she cringed at the phrase, "-'amorous exploits' occurred."
He sighed. "I know you two are in a relationship, and as I've already mentioned, it was about time," he said with a hint of humour in his voice, looking directly at Shikamaru. "But you cannot let it affect your duties. You are representing your villages and I do not want future meetings to become a reality TV show for your personal lives."
"I understand," Temari affirmed sternly. She looked expectantly at Shikamaru, who sighed and added, "It won't happen again."
"Good," Kakashi nodded. "Dismissed." As they turned to leave, he noted, "Everything said, I think it's great you two are giving it a go."
Temari shot Shikamaru a stunned glare as they walked out into the corridor.
"Great," Shikamaru muttered. "We'll be the new 'power couple' before we know it." He turned to her and smiled, showing that he didn't exactly loathe the prospect.
"I'm serious, Shikamaru," she warned him. "We're not getting ourselves into that kind of situation again. That was way too humiliating."
"Hey, they were all young once-"
"We're adults, Shikamaru. We need to be professional; as much as a tabloid would like to disagree, we have lives outside of this relationship."
He exhaled, accepting she was right, as she always was. "I know." He would never let on his true disappointment that they were essentially only a couple within the confines of their accommodation, and even then, they had to be careful it didn't disrupt the careful balance of their lives.
As they headed out of the building and into the streets of Konoha, they were but mere friends, acquaintances. Part of him wanted to parade around a flag that said, "TEMARI AND I ARE DATING", just to get it over with. But he respected her too much, and if she wanted to keep things low-key, he would oblige.
Then, much to his surprise, she laced her fingers in his.
"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked cluelessly.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Temari countered. "I'm holding your hand, crybaby."
God, she really wasn't going to let that go, ever.
"But I thought you said-"
"I know what I said," she began. "But we're off duty for the moment, and as we've just learnt from our talk with the Sixth, people will find out sooner or later. They've already been talking for years."
He couldn't help but allow the biggest smile to spread across his face.
"That's odd," Temari observed, looking at him grinning stupidly. "I would've thought you'd find all the rumours and suspicions troublesome."
"Not as troublesome as having to deny them," he replied, kissing her on the cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as he did so and she laughed.
"If you think that's troublesome, just wait," she smirked.
"Why, where are we going?"
"Where are we going?" she repeated mockingly, enjoying herself too much at what she was about to say next. "Why, we're going to tell my brothers, obviously."