A/N: Nearly 3000 words, wow! I got a little carried away with this one...anyway, mornings in the Kazekage household. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
As the sun rose and Gaara was already up to start his day, he made his way over to his elder sister's room and knocked on the door softly.
Immediately Temari shot up, unwittingly tossing a sleeping Shikamaru to one side a little too roughly, shocking him from his slumber as well. "Who is it?" she asked carefully.
"Gaara," he replied. "Can I come in?"
"Uh, hold on a second," she called. She turned sharply to Shikamaru who lay in an uncomfortable daze. "Shikamaru, you're gonna need to hide."
"Hide?" he mumbled irritably, rubbing his eyes. "What for? You said no one would bother us!"
"Clearly this is a first. Just get in the bathroom, dummy."
Too tired to argue, he stumbled out of bed and into the ensuite, accidentally stubbing his foot on the scales.
"And don't make too much noise!" she whispered after him.
Once she was certain he'd sat down on the lid of the toilet, she relaxed. "Come in, Gaara."
The door slowly opened and it was indeed the Kazekage. He moved a little further into the room.
"I wanted to talk to you quickly about Shikamaru before I leave and you head back to the Leaf," he said bluntly.
"…sure."
"Temari, how long do you think this will last?"
She looked at him in surprise. "What makes you ask that?"
He sighed. "He's from Konoha, Temari. You can't stay there forever. Do you really think long-distance will work when you return to Suna? It's a three day trip, you're both still busy after the war, and he may get distracted when you're gone…"
"He wouldn't," Temari snapped. "He's not that kind of guy. And like I said to Kankuro before, this is between him and I. We'll decide what we want to do when we're ready."
"The last thing I want is for you to get hurt, elder sister," Gaara said solemnly. "I'm reminding you of all this now because the sooner you end things, the less pain it would be for you. So if you reflect on it and realise it won't work out, why prolong that?"
"I am perfectly happy with our current situation and I don't see it changing anytime soon," Temari replied adamantly. "Now, I'd love to keep chit-chatting, but it's five in the morning and I'd rather be sleeping."
Tch, Shikamaru smiled to himself. She's even starting to sound like me.
"Fine, I'm off," Gaara nodded. "One request, however – next time, give us notice when we're having a house guest. I can't stand having people see Kankuro's mess everywhere."
"Whatever you say, little brother."
"Oh, and did you get bitten last night? There are some weird patches on your neck. Maybe you forgot to close the window in your bathroom."
Temari dropped her face to hide her embarrassment. "That's probably it. Yeah, they've been itching like crazy."
"I'll pick up some ointment on the way back from the office tonight. See you later."
"Bye, Gaara." And he was gone.
Temari exhaled deeply as Shikamaru emerged sheepishly from the bathroom. "Insect bites, huh?"
"Still so innocent, bless him," she grinned.
"Well, if they itch so bad, maybe that's because you want a few more…" he said suggestively, sitting on her bed and leaning in towards her neck.
"I don't think you know how insect bites work, Nara," she rolled her eyes, rebuffing him. "Besides, I didn't even realise the marks were there until Gaara pointed them out. Now I've gotta cover them up before I forget and Kankuro sees."
He sighed. "If you must."
She planted a quick kiss on his lips before she got up and went to the bathroom to find some concealer.
He lay back on her bed. "It's nice how much he cares about you," he thought out loud to her.
"I guess, but it frustrates me how little faith everyone has in us," she responded, audibly rummaging through her bathroom cabinets.
"And in me," Shikamaru emphasised. "It's like they don't understand my feelings for you at all."
She peered around the door of the bathroom. "What do you mean?"
He struggled to find the words, not expecting her to call him up on his statement. "Uh, well, they don't realise how much I love you."
"What was that?"
"I love you."
"I know," she snickered, walking out of the bathroom and towards him on the bed. He sat up, and she stood in front of him, playing with his loose locks. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."
He rolled his eyes. "Troublesome woman."
"And yet here you are."
"Because I love you, of course."
She sat sideways on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, lucky for you, I love you, too."
Their mouths met again, but as he was about to move away from her face, she put a finger to his lips. "Not the neck, Nara."
"So you've covered it once, you can do it again…"
"You're just gonna taste skin makeup, and I promise you that's not pleasant." She gave him a little peck on the nose. "Once we're back in Konoha and out of my brothers' hunting range, you can lick all the concealer you want."
"Appetising," he murmured sarcastically.
"As sexy as this all is, I can think of a much less sexy but way more satisfying manner of spending the next few hours, and that is sleeping." She yawned and climbed into what had become 'her side' overnight.
"You really are starting to sound like me," he replied smugly, although his brain was also close to turning off. He shuffled backwards and then slid under the covers. He turned to face her back and rested his arm around her, burying his nose into her sandy blonde hair that was still tied back into four loosening bunches. "And one day," he whispered amongst her tresses. "I'm going to see what this hair looks like down, and then I'll know all your secrets."
"Ha," she chided. "If you think that's the extent of a girl's secrets, you're in for a treat, Nara."
He rolled his eyes out of sight. "Whatever." Although he soon stopped caring, sated in his own happiness at just the feeling of having her in his arms, warm, loved, protected. He fell asleep so easily with her here; while it had always been his favourite pastime, since Temari became the single point around which his world orbited, he'd been restless whenever night fell and she was away.
But here in the early hours of the morning, they were simply enjoying each other's existence; they were mentally connected, and that was all the intimacy they needed for now.
He awoke first, as he usually did. Sometimes he wondered if he automatically did that simply because he wanted to watch her as she slept; the most peaceful expression on her face, one that she never consciously wore, for that was weakness in her eyes and her face gave too much away as it was. But she was beautiful in her slumber, and quiet for a change, although her soft snoring always lingered in the background like a comforting white noise. It might as well be a lullaby, he thought.
He felt her stir, her strong yet slender body still entwined in his arms. He leaned over just enough to kiss her on the cheek. "Morning, beautiful."
Eyes still closed, she smiled. "That's a new one."
"What are you talking about? I always tell you you're beautiful."
She turned to face him, their bodies impossibly close. It was then she looked at his chest. His bare chest. It took a second for her to register.
"Yes, but you've never addressed me as that, before," she said softly, brushing a loose strand of his chin-length hair away from his face. "And since when did I say you could take your shirt off?" she added playfully.
He smirked. "It's damn hot in Suna. Excuse me for not wanting to die of heat exhaustion."
"We have boundaries, Shikamaru," she teased, letting her fingers tiptoe lightly across the planes of his chest, her eyes watching them trace along the lines and grooves.
"Didn't you say 'we were never ones for rules, anyway'?" he chuckled.
"Maybe," she conceded. Her gaze returned to him, and instinctively she went in for the kiss. As their lips met, her hand moved to his face and his neck, her nails lightly scraping his skin in unspoken desperation for closeness. He wound his arms around her waist, pulling her torso into his. The contact, even through her nightie, was electric.
She pulled away briefly and smirked at him. "Does this honeymoon phase ever end?" she questioned.
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not complaining."
"It's gotta get old at some point, though, right? We fall into routine. Nothing will excite us anymore. You come home to the same person everyday, have the same conversations, the same sex. I don't see us being able to put up with that kind of life, you know?"
An anxious look crossed his face, and not just because this was the first mention of the word 'sex' between them. "What are you saying, Temari?"
She laughed at how worried she'd made him. "Relax, darling. I'm agreeing with a view you've upheld since we first met. Marriage is a drag."
"Especially if it involves pet names like that."
"Not a fan, honey?"
"Stop that."
"It's just a joke, love muffi-"
He kissed her just to shut her up. She loved winding him up, and it was something that both frustrated him but felt entirely natural and necessary. Maybe he'd never warm to the idea of cliché spousal nicknames, but it was a chance for him to come up with his own.
When their lips parted, she threw her head back and laughed. "That was rude."
"It was for your own good, beautiful."
"Now that's a name I could get used to."
"Well, it's what you are."
"Explains why my other term of endearment is 'troublesome'."
He chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Just as he was about to go in for another steamy makeout session, she sat up and stretched. "Breakfast time," she teased.
"Or we could stay in bed-"
She tugged gently at one of his dark locks. "Breakfast, Nara."
He reluctantly took her hand from his hair and she dragged him out of the covers and off the bed. She kicked his shirt from off the floor into the air where he caught it with his other hand. "You're gonna need that."
She folded her arms as he put his shirt back on and grinned sheepishly. "Let's not give anyone any ideas."
"I thought your brothers left early?"
"Well, Gaara did. Kankuro's a bit lazy, sometimes."
"It's a wonder we're not better acquainted," Shikamaru joked.
"You will be," Temari reassured him. "But just for safety, I'm going out in the corridor first. I'll let you know if it's clear, then you can trail behind as if you just came out of your room and we bumped into each other on our way downstairs."
"Specific," he smiled, smoothing his hair up into its usual slick ponytail. He loved how fearless and independent this woman was, so it amused him that her kryptonite was far closer to home than one would imagine.
Temari wandered out into no man's land, scouring the immediate area for signs of her brother. She beckoned Shikamaru out onto the landing.
As they reached the kitchen, Kankuro called, "Oh, if it isn't my beloved sister and her roomie."
Shikamaru froze at the bottom of the steps. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.
"How did you know…?" Temari asked slowly.
"Didn't until just now," Kankuro grinned slyly. "Gotcha."
Temari moved to sock him with her first, however Shikamaru quickly restrained her with his shadow jutsu.
"Relax, Tema," Kankuro laughed lightly. "I don't mind."
Temari's eyes widened with shock. When Shikamaru was sure she was no longer in attack mode, he released her, and her raised right arm dropped to her side.
"Then why did you make such a big deal about it last night?"
"I wanted to see if he had the guts to disobey my direct orders," Kankuro explained casually. "You always call him 'crybaby', after all."
Embarrassment washed over Shikamaru, who looked at Temari with annoyance and disdain.
"So this wasn't just you being overprotective?"
"Hell no," Kankuro chuckled. "Even I don't stand a chance against you, Tema, so I doubt he would try to wrong you in any way. This was just a little test of courage on his part."
Temari rolled her eyes. "All this undue stress."
Kankuro looked at Shikamaru, who was still standing sheepishly at the foot of the stairs. "Congrats, you passed. Do as you please, just keep it PG-13. At least when I'm in the house."
Shikamaru exchanged an apprehensive glance with his girlfriend across the room.
"Sure thing."
"I'm off. See you both later."
"Bye, Kankuro," Temari said absently.
"Later," Shikamaru added.
When the door closed, Shikamaru moved over to Temari who was hovering by the sink in a state of utter confusion. "That was odd," he finally said.
Temari nodded in agreement. "He's my brother and your senior, isn't his test of courage supposed to be beating the living daylights out of you and seeing if you flinch?"
"Why is this always the assumed outcome?" Shikamaru complained. "You Suna-nin sure have a twisted understanding of how relationships work."
Temari smirked. "We live in a shinobi world, what do you expect? Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
"I don't mind. Let's make something."
Shikamaru swung open the fridge door to reveal four eggs dotted about, some butter, milk and jam. He thought for a moment. "Do you have any flour?"
"Probably," Temari answered, doing a quick search through the cupboards before pulling out a half-full jar of it. "What do you have in mind?"
"Pancakes."
"Romantic," Temari replied sarcastically.
"Just shut up and start on the batter."
As they gathered the ingredients and Temari started mixing, Shikamaru stood for a moment watching his girlfriend from behind, admiring her late morning perfection. Hair still dishevelled, nightie loose and creased all over, huge open-toed slippers on her feet.
"Too lazy to help, Nara? Or just too weak?"
He rolled his eyes and walked towards her. As she was about to move aside to let him do some of the whisking, he encircled her arms from behind and gently placed his hands on hers. He leaned over, his chest pressed against her shoulder blades, chin resting on her shoulder.
"Happy now?" he whispered in her ear, stirring the mixture, his hand controlling hers.
She blushed bright red, not that he could tell. "Someone's a big cuddler," she teased.
"I'm a crybaby, after all."
She laughed. Conversation with her was always interesting; somehow, they always had this dynamic interplay that was often sarcastic and flirtatious, but never soppy and cringeworthy. Even the simple, mundane act of making breakfast would be something to look forward to if she was with him.
"Time to cook them."
She took the job of pouring the batter into the pan, while he was in charge of flipping.
He impressed her with a hat-trick of perfect pancake tosses.
"Okay, now let me try."
Temari took the handle and after some mental preparation, launched the pancake into the air. However, she used a little too much force and ended up with a hysterics-inducing pancake face mask.
Shikamaru doubled over in laughter as the pancake began to split in half while sliding down her face. "I can't breathe," he spluttered, tears forming from his amusement.
Temari knew there was no avoiding the humiliation, so she simply stood there and let the pancake sit on her nose and mouth, her face still to the ceiling from when she looked up to watch it as it flipped.
Eventually Shikamaru stood up straight and leaned towards her. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, "You look…delicious," then promptly bit a chunk off the edge.
"I'm glad it's not going to waste," she finally spoke from underneath the pancake. Then she tilted her face back to its normal position and let the pancake fall into her hands, open and ready.
"The first one's always a reject," he smiled. "Put it on the plate for now. Come on, I'll show you how to flip it properly."
He wrapped his left hand around her waist, holding her close, while his right hand took hers. "Okay, batter in. Good. Rotate it so it covers the base."
"I know all this, idiot," she muttered, but she relaxed into his embrace.
"Just checking," he chuckled. "Now we wait half a minute or so, and it'll be ready."
The time came for the first attempt. "Let's do it!" he said encouragingly, using their hands to shake the pan slightly and loosen the pancake. "One…two…three!"
The pancake was tossed forward and up, turned 180 degrees and landed back in the centre of the pan with a satisfying plop.
"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" he teased.
"You did all the work," she mumbled.
"Just remember, other than pancakes and rice, I can't cook to save my life."
That did make her feel better. They went in for another flip together, before he let go so she could try on her own. When gravity pulled the pancake back towards the pan, it landed slightly off-centre, so that a third was caught on the edge of the pan and subsequently broke off.
"Damn it," she hissed. "So close."
"You'll get there."
"Maybe you should teach me again."
So he moved in behind her and complied.