A/N: Hi friends, thanks for coming back. Some of you may have noticed the title change! This is because I decided to go in a different direction than what I had originally intended and just needed to distance myself from it, though there are still references in earlier chapters. Anyway - hopefully this isn't too troublesome to you all. Thanks for the follows/likes/favorites - you guys are the best. :)

- x -

His eyes were hooded as he looked down at her, his face inches from hers. The finger Temari had pressed against his chest was now her whole hand, grasping the front of his shirt, to both pull him in closer and to control the distance between them. He was radiating heat. She wanted him, or perhaps needed him. She wanted the inferno.

"Shikamaru," She whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse. She didn't meet his eyes, staring only at his mouth, his lips slightly parted in a smile she could just barely make out in the light of the moon and streetlamps.

"Temari," He countered, his voice soft, almost teasing her. His breath tickled against her neck. She shivered, her own heartbeat hammering in her ears.

"I-" She started, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Temari," Shikamaru repeated, his voice lower this time, barely a murmur from between his teeth. As he leaned in closer, Temari was overwhelmed by the smell of him. Whatever he had been drinking, smoking, of sweat and pine needles.

"Is this a bad idea?" She finally said, her voice still hushed, but her question betrayed her actions as her fingers clasped tighter around his shirt, subconsciously pulling him even closer until his chest was almost touching hers.
"Maybe," Shikamaru sighed, but didn't pull away. Temari finally looked into his eyes, they were glossy - undoubtedly high - but she sensed there was a bit more behind it. Lust. Wanting. He didn't look away, and neither did she, wondering if the dark pools of his irises could swallow her whole. "But I don't care if it is."

He closed the distance between them and kissed her. Softly, slowly, carefully, as if he were waiting for her to pull away.

"I don't care." He whispered against her lips before deepening the kiss as she parted her lips, pulling his hands off the railing beside her and pressing them against her back, pulling her closer. He wasn't sure she could be close enough. Temari melted into him, both of her hands now snaking up his chest and behind his neck, her fingers intertwining and brushing against the hair at the nape of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. She sighed as he pulled away from her, kissing down her cheek, her jaw, her neck, finally burying his face in her shoulder. Shikamaru's arms wrapped around her fully, embracing her. Temari held him in return, not wanting to separate from him.

"Temari," Shikamaru said, his breath against her neck again and suddenly sounding much more sober than he had just moments before. She loved how he said her name, like it was the only word he knew. Temari cupped his face in her hand as he finally pulled away to look at her again. "I know it seems unlike me, but I'm really good at being casual. Either I do all of this or none of it."

"I know," She said, smiling as she brushed her thumb across his cheek. His skin was still so warm. "Then do all of it. With me. Even if it's for a little while."

"I want to.." He trailed off, knowing he was merely prolonging his own heartbreak, knowing that he was fighting the inevitable. It was terribly unrealistic to assume they could carry on, world's away from one another. "We can try."

"We can try." Temari repeated, seemingly unconvinced as she cleared her throat. He could see the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, her fingers trembled as she pulled them from his cheeks and laid them back against his chest. She was so gentle and deliberate. He nodded, trying to reassure her, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Can I-" He began, but she quieted him with another kiss. He cupped her face in his hands, the tears that once lined her lashes managed to spill and roll over his fingers. Maybe she was breaking her own heart as well. This was, to some extent, what Shikamaru feared most. Finally allowing themselves a taste of what they had denied themselves for all these years, knowing that it would be fleeting. Knowing that this line they drew in the sand couldn't be uncrossed. But he wanted her for the summer, the night, the moment, any second that he could call her his. Until duty called, and it would be over.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Shikamaru asked as he broke their kiss, breathing heavily almost as if coming up from deep waters for air. His eyes were hooded again, he stared at her lips. "We can go back to my place."

"A little hasty, don't you think?" Temari raised an eyebrow but didn't pull her hands off of him, a smile tugging at the ends of her mouth as she roughly wiped the streaks of tears that were left on her cheeks.
"Not like that.. I promise." Shikamaru laughed, standing upright and rubbing the back of his neck. A pink hue returned to his cheeks, Temari recognized it definitively as a blush this time.

"We have all summer to do this," She said, roping a finger through his belt loop and tugging slightly. His blush deepened almost immediately to a crimson, laughing nervously.

"Let's just enjoy the party. We can go back to your place ?"

"Okay." Shikamaru agreed, pausing and looking back to the glass balcony door that still hung open. The sounds from the party still echoing out into the night. "There's going to be questions, you know. Kiba doesn't know when to shut his mouth."

"Let there be questions. I'm not embarrassed, are you?" Temari asked, cupping his chin in her hand, brushing her thumb along the corner of his mouth. His skin tingled beneath her touch, he'd light himself on fire if it suited her. He was so fucked and he knew it. He gulped, swallowing what little resolve he had left in him.

"Never. Not of you." He said, his voice low. How could I be? He thought her question to be almost ridiculous.

"Then be obvious. Who cares."

"Who cares." He mirrored and he couldn't help but smile widely as she laughed, pulling her into another embrace. He knew how viscerally this would hurt them in the end, how deep this cut would go and yet, in the moment, he didn't care. She was infectious. She felt like everything he ever wanted. He wanted to fall and fall deep.

Temari laced her fingers with his, leading him back through the party and to the kitchen where Sakura, Shino and Kiba were - all three silent as soon as the pair entered. Kiba and Sakura couldn't hide the grins that fell over their faces, though Sakura did make an earnest effort as she covered her growing smile with a closed fist, her eyes glossy. Shino, in typical fashion, remained blissfully unaware of the entire situation and continued to make a drink in the corner of the room only looking up in confusion after several moments of prolonged silence.

"Nice, guys, real obvious." Shikamaru said flatly, recognizing their orchestration in leaving the pair alone, but still draped his arm over Temari's shoulder. Temari felt a blush crawl over her cheeks - she hadn't realized how quick he would be to actually be obvious himself.

"I mean, you practically made me force your hand, man." Kiba said, crossing his arms, leaning back against the refrigerator door. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I did what needed to be done."

"What needed to be done?" Tenten asked, entering the kitchen followed shortly thereafter by Neji.

"Getting these two together," Sakura chimed in, her voice nearly cracking from holding back another fit of giggles. .

"Oh my God! Finally!" Tenten nearly shrieked as she pressed her palms to her cheeks and bounced up on her toes. Neji looked to Shikamaru and nodded in acknowledgement, remaining silent. He knew that they would inevitably talk more about the topic later, but their chats were usually in private - much to both of their preferences.

"Wait, I thought you two were already together?" Shino asked, pointing at the two and tilting his head slightly. Sakura deadpanned, raising both hands and shaking her head in confusion at his confusion.

"How did you bag my sister and be this much of a moron?" Kiba groaned, pulling Shino into a headlock and shaking him slightly.

"Quit it." Shino said before launching a punch into Kiba's side. He stood upright, brushing his hand down his shirt to get rid of the wrinkles before grumbling. "Hana thinks it's cute.."

"You guys are really doing too much.." Shikamaru said, his voice trailing off as Shino and Kiba continued to bicker, and Tenten, Sakura, and Neji started up an unrelated thread of conversation. He breathed a sigh of relief. looking down to Temari who met his gaze with bright green orbs. She smiled up at him, pressing a hand to his chest. Her touch gave him goosebumps, or perhaps his skin desperately wanted to rise to meet hers. He was, for the briefest moment, annoyed at how quickly his resolve waned the moment she reciprocated, the second she willingly crossed the invisible barrier they built between them. But how could he be when she looked at him like that.
Like a moth to a flame, he was drawn in.

Just bad, bad decisions.

- x -

The walk back was silent, but comfortable. The night was still warm and, oddly enough, the streets were still teeming with life despite the late hour. Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets, fiddling with his lighter out of habit, and Temari made no attempt at further contact. Crickets hummed loudly, the purple clouds that hung in the distance earlier in the evening now rumbling low with thunder.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Temari said clearly as she inserted the key into the doorknob, unlocking it with a dull thud before looking up behind her. Shikamaru's expression was soft, but his gaze was penetrating, filled with the same feeling that crept up her spine and twisted through her stomach. Wanting. Her voice softened as she spoke his name. "Shikamaru."

"I've got some work I've been shoving off, but I can come get you for dinner." He said, seemingly disappointed at the persistence of his responsibilities that just continued to stack the longer he remained as an aid to the Hokage. Temari found it admirable, truly, that as much as he complained about having such responsibilities, he took them quite seriously. Well, as seriously as he was capable of. He yawned, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.

"I promised Tenten I'd meet with her for dinner, she demanded to know everything. She's really just as bad as Kiba." Temari said, rolling her eyes and leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, if you're interested, my offer for you to come to my place is still up for grabs." Shikamaru didn't wait for her response before giving her a brief kiss and backing away, already making his way down the road and waving. "I'll get you after dinner."