this story has been a long time coming for me 3 hope you enjoy
"Hi sweetheart, I'm on my way home now - we got done early. We'll be taking the train once we get into Fire Country, so I'll get to Konoha really late tonight. Tell Shikadai I say goodnight, and I'll see you in the morning. Don't wait up for me."
Click. Beep
"Hi sweetheart, I'm on my way home now - we got done early. We'll be taking the train once we get into Fire Country, so I'll get to Konoha really late tonight. Tell Shikadai I say goodnight, and I'll see you in the morning. Don't wait up for me."
Click. Beep
"Hi sweetheart, I'm on my way home now."
Click. Beep
"Hi sweetheart-"
Temari presses the button once again, this time to turn the machine off. She rolls onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.
She used to hate it when he called her that, would always roll her eyes and tell him to shut up, especially when he said it in public. He'd smile and say it again.
She's lost count of how many times she's played this message.
Temari breathes out slowly, trying to think of anything other than the empty space at her side.
It doesn't work. It never does.
She closes her eyes and reaches out.
Click. Beep
"Hi sweetheart, I'm on my way home now - we got done early."
Temari gets back from her mission on Saturday, Shikamaru leaves for his early the next day. They only get one night together.
"Kiri? What do you want to go to Kiri for?"
Temari shifts, resting her head on his chest and bringing an arm up to hug his torso. "I like the water." She states.
"We've got water here." Shikamaru snorts, his eyes closing.
She pinches the skin on his stomach, causing him to hiss and grumble. "Alright, alright. Why Kiri, though? You don't even like the Mizukage."
"It's not for political reasons. I'm not about to go and request an audience with Chojuro. If I needed something from him, I'd just send a letter."
"Yeah?" Shikamaru peers at her. "And what exactly are you sending letters about?"
Now she smacks his chest. "Ugh, don't be an idiot. Nothing - and stop trying to change the subject." Temari closes her eyes as she proposes. "I was thinking... it would be fun for us to get away. Just the three of us."
"Hm, yeah, that sounds nice." Shikamaru sounds like he's already half-asleep, but he's still tracing patterns on her bare thigh. "But if you want some alone time, we can have Dai stay with my mom - she won't mind."
He punctates his idea with a suggestive squeeze of her leg and Temari is quick to jerk her knee into his side.
"Men." She fumes, and tries to move back to her own actual pillow, but is stopped and pulled back to her spot on top of him. "Be serious, this is important to me!"
"Okay, sorry, I'm sorry, I was just kidding. Of course our kid can come." The tracing resumes. "Why the sudden urge for a trip?"
Temari sighs loudly, taking time to replan how she wants to approach this. Maybe it would be better if they talked about this during the day, when they're both fully coherent. But that wouldn't be for another week, and she can't wait that long. Doesn't want to.
"I was just thinking," she starts slowly. "That it would be nice for all three of us to spend time together, as a family."
Shikamaru only hums in response, a passive agreement. It's all she's going to easily get from him right now, but Temari is used to wrenching out reactions from him. And she has high hopes for her current topic of choice. "Then we can talk about what if it wasn't just the three of us."
"...We're inviting Gaara...?"
Temari sighs, resigned. She's lost him to his favorite pastime. "Nevermind it now, I just said we'll talk on our Kiri trip."
"Whatever you say, sweetheart." He mumbles. "Can we sleep now?"
She tuts and buries her face in the crook of his neck, tired of talking with no use. He starts to slowly rub up and down her back. "Tema," his voice rumbles deep in his chest. "What's wrong?"
Temari sighs but doesn't answer. It's not like she's annoyed, she knows he's just a little confused. Temari herself isn't too sure what she's feeling. She just wants to be close to him. She wishes he didn't have to leave in a few hours but she'll never tell him that - she would never hold him back from his duty.
Luckily for her, she's never needed to use too many words with him.
Shikamaru adjusts their position so they're lying on their sides, though he's careful not to put any distance between them. He covers them up to the neck with the blanket; he knows she always gets cold. Temari rests her hand on the back of his head, playing with the wisps of his hair, just as he pulls her closer by the waist.
He sighs in her ear. "I have to go tomorrow - I wish I didn't - but when I get back, I'll take some time off work for us. Seriously."
"For the trip?"
She feels his chest vibrate as he silently laughs. "Yes, troublesome woman. Just for your Kiri trip."
Temari smiles and finally lets her eyes close, falling asleep to the sound of his breathing.
She wakes up to the feeling of a kiss on the side of her head.
Temari groans, stretching her shoulders. "Are you leaving already?" She looks up to see her husband dressed in his shinobi uniform, complete with the vest.
"Yeah. I'm gonna grab something to eat then head out in a bit."
"Do you want breakfast?" She moves to get up, but Shikamaru drapes the blanket back over her, pushing her back down.
"Nah, it's fine. You go back to sleep, it's too troublesome to be awake right now." Another kiss lands on her forehead before she hears the door close softly.
Temari relents, and closes her eyes for five more minutes. Then the sound of the fridge closing echoes through the house and she sighs, giving up and reaching for her robe.
It's so much colder downstairs than in their bed. She wraps her arms around herself and finds her husband sitting at the front step, putting on his sandals in the dark.
She flicks on the light. "I thought you said you were going to eat something. Do you expect to travel for an entire day on an empty stomach?"
He glances back at her, a half-eaten cheese stick in his mouth. "I am eating." He mumbles around it.
"Those are Shikadai's school snacks, not a proper meal." Temari marches over to the fridge and takes out a bento she prepared earlier. "Honestly, what would you do without me? Live off of takeout and cigarettes?"
"You know I couldn't live without you." Comes his easy response, making her blush. "And I do have you."
Temari huffs at his arrogance and shoves the bento in his face, looking away as her face burns even more. "Here. You better eat this on the way, not that junk food they sell at the train stations."
Shikamaru gives her a knowing grin, trying to meet her eyes. "You made that for me? Tema, are you going to miss me?"
There's too much glee in his voice and it makes Temari scowl, but she doesn't deny it. So she argues. "We barely got to see each other. First, you had the whole Kage summit, then I was called away for that Daimyo escort mission that took longer than it should have, and now the Tsuchikage insists you come on this diplomacy situation that you aren't even really needed for!"
Shikamaru smirks as he takes the bento. "You know, sweetheart, some wives would be proud that their husband was personally asked to be part of a mission by the Kage of another land."
Temari rolls her eyes, pushing him. "Shut up. I know he called you just so you could play shogi with him, you stupid old man. Kurotsuchi handles everything now."
"Maybe." Shikamaru says as he places the bento carefully in his pack before swinging it over his shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you won't miss me."
He's grinning again, and Temari lets him pull her into his arms, her head tucked under his chin.
She wraps her arms around him tightly. "Come back soon. Your son misses you - though he never admits it." Temari mutters.
"Stubborn kid." Shikamaru chuckles. "Wonder where he gets that from?"
She punishes him for that comment with another push but immediately makes up for it with a soft kiss.
They used to be apart for months on end, but after having a life together... even a week drags on.
