Shikamaru wandered into the empty classroom. He was early, he was always early. It was the best way to avoid everything, everyone. It wasn't as though he didn't like people, he did enjoy hanging out with his friends, but recently it had just become a drag. One of his closest friends asked him out and without a real reason to say no, he'd just said yes. Hanging out with Ino suddenly went from lazy fun to tense dates. As a friend she was fun to make fun of, as a teammate for tests she was surprisingly reliable and could take a hit, he admired her for that. As a girlfriend suddenly he wasn't allowed to make fun of her and she had so many rules. Rules which he memorised, stuck to and hated. If dating was meant to be fun then they were doing something seriously wrong. But she seemed happy and that was enough for him... Theoretically.

He sighed as he laid his head down on the table. It was after the whole dating mess had started that he'd noticed him. It was stupid really. He'd just wanted to help. He saw what most people missed, he saw what Neji went through, saw the truth behind the pale eyes, saw what drove the prodigy and something in him wanted it. He couldn't seem to find anything to encourage himself to try in the slightest but that man had a fire that burnt bright. A fire that looked like it was close to being extinguished. He wanted so badly to help, to protect it. He was actually willing to try, whatever it would have taken he would have been willing to do. But instead he'd kissed him.

He growled and shifted in his seat, sitting up a little to glare out the window. He knew more than most what Neji was going through so thought it was a great move to throw another obstacle into his path. Idiot!

A breathy chuckle interrupted his thoughts. He hadn't heard the door open, there was still ages before class and there certainly wasn't anyone in here when he'd entered. Despite the obvious solution that he'd just imagined it his eyes wandered the room falling onto the thin figure leaning against the wall. His pale eyes set on him, a loop of his long hair slipped over his shoulder and was quickly pinched by those long delicate fingers and threaded back behind his ear.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he pushed himself off the wall and took three carefully measured steps towards Shikamaru. The movement seemed so much like a dance that Shikamaru stood, as though forced to respond himself and stepped around the table towards him. Smirking slightly as he sat back on the table. He hadn't moved far but there was nothing between them anymore which somehow seemed like a huge change.

Neji paused, head tilted ever so slightly to the side in a curious pose, but with his perfect posture it seemed like a giant change.

"You seem…" Neji paused, as though searching for the right word. "apprehensive." The words seemed as though they could express concern. But his tone gave away nothing of the sort. His tone gave away nothing at all, in fact it sounded like he was bored.

Shikamaru smiled easily with a slight shrug. "Me? I'm not even sure is I have the mental abilities to manage something like that."

Neji paused, eyes trailing down his body. His messed hair barley contained in a hair tie, his shoulders slouched, mesh shirt tugged across his obviously well-built chest concealed just enough by a vest so no one who wasn't looking for it would notice. He was so much his opposite, not just in looks either, his marks were the second last in the class, beaten only by Naruto. How was it that this messy idiot caught his attention? More than that, this idiot held his attention.

Shikamaru took advantage of the pause and pushed himself off the desk to take another step forward. Reaching out, the back of his fingers gently grazing down the side of Neji's cheek as though he was worried any more would hurt the delicate skin. Neji's eyes were sunken, his cheeks thinner than they used to be. He'd never seemed particularly happy but he'd never seemed unhealthy either. Shikamaru's forehead creased. They'd only talked a few times, each time it seemed like more was said then the words they exchanged. There was undeniably something between them, a lot more then there should be in any way. But, for now at least, there were more important things than their dance.

"There is an extra credit mission coming up. Week long. You're signing up." Shikamaru's voice came out strong and a lot more decisive than he felt. For a moment he thought Neji would argue anyway. But beneath his touch Neji gave the slightest of nods. There was nothing Shikamaru could do to help him when he only saw him at school. He was too controlled and it was at home that he suspected the real damage was done. If he could get him away for a while maybe he had a chance.

He lent forward and gently brushed his lips across Neji's pulling back just as smoothly and walking back to his seat, sitting down just as the first of his classmates walked into the room. Neji turned without pause the second the contact between them was lost and strode out of the room. Hiding perfectly the pounding of his heart. The simplest of words, the briefest of touches, how did Shikamaru make so little seem like so much every time the two of them were alone?

A week away, it wouldn't be just the two of them, but seemed dangerous. It seemed exciting.