Her Mask (Shikamaru x Oc)

Chapter Fifty-Three

“We’re here! Come on Shingami, why don’t we start with finding the boys something first?”

Shikamaru turned around with a groan. “We can dress ourselves, you know.”

“Yeah, but not in style.”

Choji didn’t have anything to say and instead chose to eat his chips in peace, giving Ino the okay to find him something to wear. Shingami also didn’t say anything but that was because she couldn’t care less about clothing shopping.

“Troublesome woman.”

Shingami sighed as Ino walked over to the racks with all kinds of dress shirts, Shingami turned to Shikamaru.

“Can you hold onto this for me?.” Shikamaru hesitated to reach out for it, he knew how much it meant to her and it meant a lot that she trusted him enough to let him hold it without her watching him do it.

“Are you sure?”

“What?”

“Are you sure you want me to hold it?”

“...Do you not want to hold it?”

“I do but do you want me to?”

“...I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you to.”

“Right, sorry.” He gently took it and held it like it was glass.

She smiled slightly before begrudgingly walking over to the blonde.

Choji just stared at the Nara for a moment as he watched Shikamaru’s eyes following Shingami’s every movement.

“You act like an idiot around her.”

Shikamaru just sighed and covered his eyes with his free hand.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of sad at this point.”

“Troublesome...”

Choji nodded in agreement. “When are you going to tell her?”

“I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“You said I’m obvious, so she probably doesn’t feel the same way.”

Choji stopped eating his chips and stared at his best friend. “...You know she has a hard time telling people things unless they ask.”

“I know…”

Choji pointed at the silver-haired girl. “So ask her.”

“Alright but not now. I want to get to know her better.”

“You’ve been saying that since she dragged Naruto into class by his ear."

"That's not-" he blushed but was cut off by his friend.

"You know it is. Now let’s go find a nice shirt or two so Ino doesn’t kill us."

Choji and Ino stood next to each other while looking through all the nice dress shirts Shikamaru hesitated for a few seconds but walked right over to Shingami who was glaring at a pink dress shirt telling him that if he ever put it on she’d kill him, which made him laugh a little even though he knew she was serious.

Choji stared for a moment before looking down at a light blue button up shirt. “She’s gonna destroy him.”

“He’d so be into that.” Ino smirked.

He pulled out a bag of chips and just stared at the blonde, not saying anything as he was too disgusted to think of a comeback for his friend.

"What? You know I'm right. And between you and me? I think Shingami's a little bit of a masochist."