Shikamaru woke up the next day to the sound of water running in the kitchen. Unsure of what was causing the noise, he dragged himself off of the couch. Sleepily, he made his way into the kitchen and was shocked to find Luna, awake and dressed.
"What are you doing?" he asked her as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Just cleaning up, dishes and such. I figured since you're so kind to let me stay here, I'd help out a little. Seems like young men don't do their dishes often," she replied with a giggle before going back to wash the dish she was holding.
Shikamaru blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I do them sometimes. Just not as big of a need since it's only me living here."
"I get that," Luna was still chuckling. "But just so you know, this is a onetime thing. I won't be your housemaid forever." She hated cleaning, but she figured it was one of the few ways she could even begin to repay him.
Luna jumped slightly as Shikamaru came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Well, thank you," he whispered, his voice still sleepy sounding. He gave her a hug before letting go and walking out of the room. Leah felt a blush spread across her face, pushing the thought and desire for him to do that again out of her mind as she continued to wash the dishes. She'd do his dishes any day if it meant getting a hug like that again.
Shikamaru couldn't believe he was actually awake. First, Luna was in his kitchen doing his dishes. Second, he had actually hugged her, which was so unlike him. He felt himself blush as he thought about it, which made him more embarrassed.
Later as they were playing shōgi again, Luna was thinking about how weird it was that Shikamaru hadn't questioned her about what had happened before they had met. He hadn't questioned her mark on her headband either. She wondered if he wasn't allowed to or was trying to not make her feel awkward.
As they were playing, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Shikamaru called, unwilling to interrupt the game. It was near the end, and neither side had a clear advantage.
"Hey kids, just me," Kakashi called as he walked in. He paused as he spotted them, sighing as he waited for one of them to win. After Luna won, the two turned their attention to Kakashi.
"Lady Tsunade would like to speak to you Shikamaru. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long," Kakashi reported.
Shikamaru glanced at Luna, whom looked uncomfortable at the thought of him leaving her alone. Kakashi seemed to notice it to, because he added "Oh don't worry, I'll stay here with Miss Luna while you're gone." She still didn't look very happy, and Shikamaru wondered if she was nervous about being left with someone she didn't know in a foreign village. He knew he would if he was in her position.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. I'll even pick some dinner up on my way back," Shikamaru told her with a smile. She smiled back, but it seemed forced.
After Shikamaru left, Kakashi and Luna decided to see if Shikamaru had any good books to read to pass the time. After looking through his bookshelf in his room, Kakashi settled on the chair by the desk and started reading the book he had in his pocket. Luna, picking an interesting looking book off the shelf, sat on his bed.
Shikamaru returned about an hour later, which since Luna had been intently reading hadn't seem like that long of time. Once Kakashi heard the door open, he waved Luna a silent goodbye and disappeared.
"Luna?" Shikamaru questioned once he shut the door behind him. He found it weird her and Kakashi weren't waiting for him in the living room.
"I'm up here," Luna replied, too into the book to get up and go greet him. It was about the history of the leaf village, something Luna had never heard anything about. I'm too curious for my own good.
Shikamaru walked up the stairs, instantly spotting her as she sat on his bed. He sighed as he looked around the room, seeing Kakashi had already left. "Miss me?" he asked her as he walked up, smiling as he watched her intently read the book she was holding. It was insanely attractive to see such a beautiful girl reading on his bed.
She mumbled a yes as she nodded. She flipped the page of the book, marked it, and then shut it. She set it in her lap and looked up at him with a smile. "Enjoy your meeting?" she questioned.
"Eh, it was boring." Shikamaru answered with a shrug as he set the bag of food in his hand on the ground. He sat down beside her, looking to see what book she was reading. "I'm much happier to come home to a beautiful girl reading in my bed." He realized what he said too late, and he looked at her, seeing her blush. He felt his cheeks redden too, but she didn't say anything about it.
"Well, you have a comfy bed and very interesting books," she replied, laughing.
He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Where are all these crazy thoughts coming from? This is so unlike me. He hardly knew her, they had met only a couple of days ago. He knew nothing about her past, but somehow none of this mattered to him. They had clicked in a way that he hadn't with anyone else.
He should make a move already. Luna wasn't sure why she was so comfortable around him, this boy she had barely met. Maybe it was because of how nice he had been to him these past couple of days. Maybe she enjoyed his laidback and somewhat silly nature. Whatever it was, she sure didn't want these days with him to end.
There was a silence between them as they sat there together, neither of them moving. "Well," Shikamaru said. "We should eat our food before it gets cold."
"Okay," Luna replied with a smile. Shikamaru picked the bag up off the ground and pulled out the two boxes of food, handing one to her. "Thank you," she said as she took it from him.
A girl who isn't afraid to eat and have a little meat on her bones. Shikamaru remembered his talk with Choji many years ago when Ino was in her diet phase to impress Saskue. Luna was that girl, she ate everything Shikamaru had given her without a single complaint.
"You leaf people have such interesting, but yummy food." She told him as she closed her empty box and set it down in front of her. He took his box and her and set them back into the bag. "I feel so lazy now." Luna announced as she flopped backwards, laying out on his bed.
"Yeah, a good meal should always be followed by a nap." Shikamaru replied as he set the bag onto the floor.
"Hey, come lay here." She told him, which caught him off guard. Nervously, he laid down beside her. She turned and rolled onto him, resting her arms on his chest so she could look at his face. "There are some things in the book that don't make sense, would you explain them to me?"
"Sure, ask away." He told her, wondering if he was blushing from how close she was to him.
"Thank you." She replied as she laid her head down on his chest. As she began to talk to him about the things she had read, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. She didn't seem to mind, so that was a good sign for him.
They talked for a while, but eventually she began to yawn and look sleepy. "Maybe we should stop for the night." Shikamaru suggested.
"No, I still have so many things I'm curious about." She replied in a sleepy, soft voice. "Like, the statues of the faces…"
A few minutes later, she was asleep on his chest. Should I get up? She seems so comfy though, I don't want to wake her up. Not to mention I'm really enjoying cuddling with her. I guess staying here wouldn't be a bad thing. Eventually, he too drifted off to sleep.