Shikamaru + Eden

Eden and Shikamaru had been friends for ages. When Eden came back to Konoha after three years away, nothing had changed between them. Instead of lazing around his roof, watching the clouds, the two of them lazed around on the patio of her new apartment, chain smoking all night. On her first day back home, as the sun was setting, Shikamaru came over. The two of them sat on the patio and talked and smoked.

"Isn't it weird that we both picked up this habit?" Eden said.

"It's a little strange." He agreed.

"So how have you, like, been since I've been gone? I know you're not one for delving into memories, but you haven't told me about what went on while I was gone. How was life without me?"

"Okay, I guess."

"I heard about Asuma,"

"Yeah, that was tough for me. I'm fine now. How old are you now, anyway?"

"I'm seventeen. You're turning nineteen soon, right?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru was quite for a moment. "You look really good."

"Thanks," Eden was quite for a moment. "We're grown up now, we're not kids, but nothing has changed between us. I'm so glad for that. You got a girlfriend now?"

"Mmhmm. But she lives in Suna. I guess a nomad like you doesn't have a man holding her back." Eden laughed.

"You are correct," She said. There was more thoughtful silence as she put out her cigarette.

"So you're home for good now, right?"

"I don't plan on staying here."

"Why not? This is your hometown, aren't you tired of traveling..." Eden shook her head.

"It doesn't feel like home. I think home is whatever I make it."

"Promise you'll stay a few months at least."

"I will."

"Everyone was surprised to see you when you came back."

"Why?"

"You look different, like, really beautiful."

"So, I wasn't beautiful before?"

"No that's not it, you're making a lot of guys envious though, they're all like talking shit about you and I can't get them to shut up. Boys like new toys, you know how it is."

"As if...like who?"

"Uh, like Neji, and Kiba...and Naruto. They're others but they asked me if we were dating." Kita leaned back to rest on the wall.

"You said Neji, right?"

"He's too old for you."

"No he's not,"

"I shouldn't have said anything,"

"Oh, stop it. Do you still like to play shogi?"

She had been back in Konoha now for almost three weeks. Eden was seeing Neji and things were getting really heavy. She wanted to have sex with him really badly, but she didn't want to lose it to him. Eden felt conflicted and sulked around her apartment all day. Then, at dusk, Shikamaru came over. The two of them sat on the patio and talked. "Shika, I have a really big favour to ask."

"Ask away."

"But it's kind of weird and embarrassing."

"Okay, I'm biting, what is it?"

"I really like Neji and I want to be with him but he's a lot older than me."

"It seems he doesn't mind since you're already dating."

"Yeah, but he's older, and, uh, more experienced than I am." Shikamaru stared at Eden until his cigarette went out in his hand. He cocked his head and looked at her quizzically.

"What are you getting at?"

"I don't want to lose it to Neji." Shikamaru laughed.

"What, so you want to lose it to me?"

"Yeah!" Shikamaru continued to giggle. "You've done it, haven't you?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think..." He stopped and struggled to find his words as she looked at him pleadingly. "I have a girlfriend, Eden." Shikamaru said darkly.

"But you don't love her. You don't even like her. And if you still want to be with her despite that then I promise I won't ever say anything else about this. Ever."

"Why is it so much better to have me pop your cherry than for Neji to do it? You two really like each other."

"You're my best friend. I trust you, and I care more about you than I will ever care about Neji. I want to be with him, I just don't want to lose it to him."

"I have a girlfriend." Shikamaru said again, slowly and quietly.

"And I have a boyfriend, but we're doing this anyway." Eden got up and brought Shikamaru inside by the collar of his shirt. She kissed him softly and held his face to her so he wouldn't leave. When she pulled away she started to unbutton his shirt, and her blood ran hot in her veins. Shikamaru giggled, completely amused by his situation.

"This is supposed to feel weird, but I like it." She slipped his shirt off his shoulders and made for his belt buckle, all the while he stood in a sort of daze. "How did you know?" She pushed his jeans down from around his hips.

"Know what? Sit on the bed."

"That I don't like Temari." She shrugged as she sat on the bed too.

"Can you unzip my dress? I know you too well. There's no passion or love in your voice when you talk about her. There's nothing. You don't care about her at all." Shikamaru undid her dress and pulled it up over her head. He smiled.

"Did you ever think we'd be sitting on a bed in our underwear?"

"Did you ever think we'd be next to each other like this?"

"Like this?" She asked.

"Naked, sweaty, sticky, tired."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it all day." She said. It was hard to pull herself away from him when he was holding you like that. If felt natural being there next to him with his arms around her waist. It felt like home. He made her feel incredible, but it was better not to sit there and cuddle, she might start to like him like him. "Did it stay on?"

"Huh?"

"The condom, it didn't come off or break or anything?"

"Uh, no."

"Didn't feel like it was there."

"They have to feel like that, don't they?"

"I guess. It's almost morning, I'm going to go get coffee." She was about to get up when Shikamaru's arms came from behind and pulled her towards him. It was a bit creepy.

"Eden, didn't you like it?"

"Kind of. No. It hurt, and you didn't stop when I told you to."

"That's just how it works, you have to keep going."

"Says you." She quiet for a moment, savouring the feel of his smooth chest against her back. "I guess it was okay." She whispered. What she meant was, 'I want to do it again.' She got up and Shikamaru's arms dropped, no longer holding her back. She pulled on last night's clothes. "So, I'll see you later." She said, standing by the door. Shikamaru nodded and walked up straight towards her. he thought he was going to hit her or something, but he came and gave her a perfect kiss. He kissed Eden like her father had always kissed her mom. She started to tear up, but instead laughed nervously to cover it up. She walked out of the door. Shikamaru watched Eden from the window, as she walked right past the coffee shop, towards Neji's house.

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It had been almost two months since she came back to Konoha. Her relationship with Neji met a bitter end two days ago. He gave mind blowing, sublime sex that Eden craved day and night. But he wasn't right for her. Something didn't fit, and it hurt a lot to tell him. She had been waiting a long time for her period to come and the PMS was overwhelming. She was moping on her couch, trying to ease the strange nausea she felt. She asked Shikamaru to go buy you a pregnancy test. She was afraid because she knew Neji was sterile, but Shikamaru didn't. When he came home with the groceries she grabbed the test from the bag. Shikamaru came into the bathroom about ten minutes later when he heard her crying in there. "Eden," He said, crouching on the floor next to her. "Eden, please don't cry." He sat next to her on the bathroom floor and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'll be here for you, Eden, for you and our baby, you don't have to cry, I'll be here for you, I won't leave you alone." Slowly she stopped crying and shook your head.

"It's not yours, we were wearing a condom. It's Neji's."

"That's weird. I remember taking off the condom before we started, and Neji can't have kids." She shot up off the floor like a bullet.

"What the fuck are you saying? You took it OFF? What the fuck is wrong with you! Why did you do such a fucking idiotic thing? So it would be one iota better for you? You're a fucking douchebag, Shikamaru, you're such a fucking cunt I can't even look at you without wanting to bash your fucking douchebag face in!"

"Eden I love you. And not as a friend. I want so badly to be with you, to keep you here with me. I want us to be together."

"That makes no fucking sense."

"You would have left! I thought if I gave you myself, and if we had a baby you wouldn't go away anymore and you'd stay here and we'd all have a home together." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her shoulders shook from sobbing, she'd never felt this many emotions in quick succession and her heart was beating horrendously fast.

"You always wanted a plain wife. One that's not too pretty, or ugly. Is that who you've made me? Am I going to have a girl and a boy, just like you always wanted? You think you can make me into whatever you want me to be?"

"I was wrong. I don't want a wife like that, I want a wife like you. Someone who's gorgeous, who makes everyone envious but doesn't know it, who makes me feel grateful to be in her presence alone. You're everything I want and you're all I need." Eden started getting itchy and he panicked a little, but Shikamaru stood up and held her right up against him and she didn't flinch a muscle.

"You love me," Eden said.

"I've always loved you. Life was shit without you here, I can't live without you."

"You've always loved me?"

"Yes always. I've always loved you. I'll never stop loving you. Those years without you were so dark. Eden, stop crying. We were supposed to be together, we're soul mates. I would never have touched you if you didn't invite me to, you know that."

"I know,"

"Then what's wrong?"

"I just feel sick."

"That's not me, right?"

"No, but it's you're fucking fault." Eden pushed Shikamaru away from her and tried to wipe her face dry with her sleeve. "So you're really going to help me?"

"Of course I am, you're my woman, I have to take care of you."

"Ew, don't call me that."

"Sorry,"

"Can you go back to the store for me?"

"Yeah, what do you need?"

"Decaf coffee and that gum with the nicotine." She eyes met Shikamaru's and he started to cry.

"Are we going to be together?" He asked, tearfully.

"Yeah. I think I have to be with you now, after all that stuff you said." She kissed him, and he kissed her back hungrily. Eden laughed. "You're a dirty old man."

"Eden I'm sorry I'm such a loser. I really didn't mean to hurt you, it kills me to have you staring at me like that."

"Well, you're an idiot."

"Yeah, I am. Can you forgive me?"

"I trusted you, Shikamaru. How am I supposed to do that again?"

"I'll make it up to you, I'll earn it back, I promise you."

"Okay. If you're gonna try then I'm gonna try."

"I love you."

"I love you too, darling, but I'm going to need that gum."