Shikamaru really should go to sleep.
But he can't. Really, he should've gone to sleep a long time ago, school starts in no more than three hours after all. But he can't, he had an important job to do. To finish the long quest he started approximately an hour ago, to finish the half drank beverage standing tall beside him, on his black computer desk, watching him carefully, noticing his every single mistake.
He was obviously hallucinating. If he didn't know better, he would suspect himself as a body filled with dangerous substances. But Shikamaru has never tried drugs, so he wouldn't know how to suspect such a thing.
The room was as dark as any at three in the morning, only the light of the giant monitor brightening the room, blinding him little by little. It was a miracle how his eyes still functioned.
He was tired. But he wanted to play more. He was very close to leveling up, just a little more grinding to get there and he will catch that small amount of sleep.
Or he could sleep in class, he pondered, he does that most of the time anyways so it didn't make much difference. But the school desk was not as enjoyable as his wonderfully soft bed, so he needed to at least try.
His fingertips, besides his lazy nature, moved fast across the keyboard, swiftly, with precision. He was skilled.
The quest was coming to its end, he could leave soon, he thought victoriously. But unfortunately, fate was not so kind to him. He noticed something rather interesting. A girl, in the game at least, one too under-leveled for such a place and time as this. This was a hard quest to come by, one for more experienced players, she shouldn't meddle, she will die easy death if she does.
So he did what every normal person would, he asked her an easy question.
He wrote lazily.
-What are you doing here?
-What do you mean?
-You are too low level, you shouldn't be here.
Then he sat there for five minutes, waiting.
She was taking her time to reply, Shikamaru thought, was his question that hard? Probably not.
Was she a fool? Maybe.
But Shikamaru noticed something. Her equipment was something exclusive, something only crazy rich would even think of buying, at such a low level at that. Yeah, she was a fool, he decided.
-I can do whatever I want, what is your problem, I don't remember asking for help, stranger.
Mean. She was an extreme asshole. How could anyone get insulted by a simple helping hand?
Shikamaru griped the energy drink on his side and drank it all in one swing, this person annoyed him extremely. Why did he even try to help?
-What is it, trying to get a girl maybe, for all that you know I might be an ugly, old dude, have you thought about that?
-I just tried to help, why are you so pressed?
That's the moment when he decided, it was enough.
He turned the game off, stepped into the total darkness, and flopped onto his comfortable bed. He had just half an hour of sleep left and he would take what was left.
That bitch used up his time.
The sunny day was too clear for its own good. So much light to wake him up after a sleepless night. Karma maybe.
With the night of staying up late comes a wave of regret. He was tired, he wanted back to bed.
Shikamaru always sat in the back of the class. He tried moving seats only a couple of times throughout his repetitive life with a repetitive routine. But that routine was fine for him, when you get used to something, it felt safe and comfortable.
And Shikamaru liked the feeling of safety.
After a couple of useless seat changes, he decided that view beside the window was the best one, at no more than the fragile age of a fifth grader.
He sat in his uncomfortable chair in an uncomfortable classroom with the uncomfortable air around him and lay on the uncomfortable school desk trying to get some sleep.
It was all her fault he decided.
Yes, he's being childish, but he needed an excuse for his dumb decisions.
A genius making dumb decisions, really?
He was nothing more than a child. And children are supposed to be childish, right?
The good old age of sixteen was for children to take as theirs, right?
The school wasn't supposed to be this loud, right?
The thought crossed his mind as he heard a loud thud like someone's fist caught the flesh of a human body.
How did he recognize such a distinctive sound?
Such incidents were hardly a rarety in school settings. After all these years anyone would perk their ears at the sound of the punch in the face. Or was it just him?
Shikamaru body froze, only his head moved in the direction of the sounds creator.
In front of the classroom, that one place he dreaded the most, the beefy body of one of the bigger classmates lay on the cold floor screaming bloody murder, his cheek as red as they came, and an angry girl before him standing proudly like she took the victory of punching him so hard, even if she would pay the price later.
Temari.
An infamously rumored girl people would babble random nonsense about quite often but never acknowledge in reality or any form. To be honest she reminded him of someone, or rather something.
She was nonexistent but the center of attention at the same time, an unusual combination.
He would stay away from the front lines.
Because if someone who punched people left and right, indulged in martial arts, and was rumored to have illegally done tattoos sat there, it was far from a safe space.
And Shikamaru liked the feeling of safety.
Front seats were indeed a dangerous game to play so he wasn't even going to try.
He slept through all of his classes. An easy feat, but he was still sleepy non the less.
He was sitting in the old field, the one easily found in a small town like this one. It was, for sure someone's property but he never cared. He would hang out alone, with the company of himself only since who knows when his whole life maybe. Or did it start in the second grade? He forgot. It was okay. Because I was important anyways, no one ever tried to deny his spot.
When his form was much smaller, he would come empty-handed, to just watch clouds float carelessly, to imagine himself as one, but with time he couldn't. He was lonely, he needed company for some unknown reason. So his hands became weighted with cigarette packs and half-empty energy drinks.
Today a cigarette kept him company, dangling from his mouth, filling up his empty lungs. Warming up the lonely spot as he lay on soft grass, closing his eyes.
But his peace was short-lived.
He heard a rustling sound, something plopped beside his head, staring at him intently.
The unknown creature smelled like alcohol, he discovered, and it carried a strong aura that crawled through his skin, under his fingernails, he felt goosebumps all over his body sticking for a little too long.
So Shikamaru opened his eyes. And what he was utter danger.
It was blond and it carried itself with pride. Its eyes were vibrant, curious. And for the first time, he noticed at its face was a freckled mess. It was kneeling to look at him in the eye. It terrified him, but he kept his composure, he would not break the wall of nonchalance he created.
"You reek of nicotine." the "danger" mouthed.
"And you reek of alcohol." It was a miracle how that too wasn't included in the rumors yet. „What do you want?" He asked to maybe soothe the risk of probably getting devoured by just its stare.
"Go away."
"I'm not moving."
"Well, I'm not moving either then." The danger then lay beside him on the grass, caressing it carefully, it too looked in the direction of the serene sky.
"You do you, Im still staying here." He was letting danger win, why would he fight back? It was not useful to do so. "So why are you here?"
Shikamaru could never imagine how that question was the first of many and how his spot wouldn't be so lonely anymore.
For some reason, Shikamaru would come to feel safe in a dangerous presence.