absence makes the heart go...???

Chapter 7

The ceremony is a beautiful one, or at least Naruto thinks that's how it should be described, but he isn't really an expert on the subject of weddings. It is nice, at least, to see two of his good friends together and so happy, but he has to admit that he's really distracted throughout the whole thing. This is the first time he's really seen Shikamaru since their mission, and, though they haven't had a chance to interact yet, he keeps stealing glances at Shikamaru.

He's sitting with his team- and Ino has Lee at her side- but Naruto isn't sure if he's looked back at him. All he can do is try to keep focused on the actual ceremony, until things are over, and everyone makes their way to the reception. Of course, it's extravagant, being hosted by the Hyuuga clan, but for once, Naruto doesn't care much about the free food, ready to finally get to talk to Shikamaru.

"Good luck out there," Sakura says to him, seeing the way he looks across the room.

"H-huh?" he asks, before giving a nervous laugh. "What would I need good luck with?"

She doesn't answer, giving him a nudge forward. "Good luck, Naruto."

"Yeah, thanks," he says with a nod. It's not like he can continue to play dumb now that he's come to terms with his feelings anyway, especially not when he's about to finally do something about it. So he takes one step followed by another, crossing the room and closing the distance between the two of them, until he's face to face with Shikamaru.

"Long time, no see," he says, with a small wave.

"It has been a while, huh?" asks Shikamaru.

Choji, who is at his side, says, "Hey, Naruto! Great to see you! Sorry to run off, but my plate's getting empty, and, you know..." It's not the best of excuses, but it works, and if Naruto weren't pretty sure that everyone was in on this, then he would have fallen for it, no question. Either way, Choji practically vanishes, leaving him alone with the one man he's wanted to see.

"So...been kinda busy huh?" he asks, not really sure where to start. He told himself that he was going to go for it, but he's still diving in without much of a plan beyond that. Plans have never been Naruto's strong suit, after all; Shikamaru is far better at things like that.

"We've both been pretty busy," Shikamaru says with a nod, giving Naruto a half-smile. "Been a real pain in the ass, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say! So...uh...I was wondering..." He trails off.

Shikamaru raises a brow, and Naruto finds that he has no idea what he should say. There is a silence that he can't figure out how to break, until Shikamaru laughs, shaking his head. "You're not very good at this, are you, Naruto?"

"Hey, shut up!" he protests. "If you're so good at it...whatever you think it is, then why don't you...you know! Do it!"

"Well, obviously I'm not very good at it either, considering it's taken us this long," he says with a shrug. "Not that that's entirely our fault either, all things considering."

"So, what...what are you talking about?" asks Naruto, not wanting to get his hopes up even though it seems that he and Shikamaru are on the same page here. "Where do you think this is..."

"Come on, are you really that stupid?"

"Hey! You don't have to be mean about it! I just wanted to make sure before I said anything else and made myself look stupid!"

"When do you not look stupid, man?" Again, he shakes his head. "Just say whatever it is you wanna say, alright? We made it this far, didn't we?"

"We haven't even really done anything."

"But it's been just as hard on you, hasn't it?" It's so hard to get across what they mean, and it's harder still for Naruto to be sure that he's correctly interpreting what Shikamaru is saying to him. But after all this time, it seems kind of lame that this is their big confrontation, that this is supposed to be the moment where it all happens.

"Can we go somewhere after this?" he asks, sounding more frustrated than he intended to. "I just mean...I want to catch up. I dunno on what, we just need to catch up!"

"Naruto, I really wanna say, 'you know I'm not as stupid as you are,' right now, but..." He sighs. "I think I might be, at least where this is concerned. But, at the same time, I'm pretty sure I can at least figure out that that was your lame attempt at asking me on a date. Am I right?"

Naruto flushes, hearing it put into words like that, but he nods. "I mean...if that's what you want to do, or we could just hang out, or...no, but yeah. I want to see where it goes. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that mission, and I think that I...you know."

Is it just him wanting to see it, or is Shikamaru blushing now too? He looks off to the side as he says, "Yeah, it's been like that for me too. Not really sure what any of that means, but..."

It isn't much progress, but they're getting there, and at the pace things have moved up until now, Naruto doesn't think they're doing too bad at all. He grins and says, "Hey, you know, it'll be better to give me a chance anyway, since I'm not a woman! So I'll be easier to deal with, right?"

At that, Shikamaru actually bursts out laughing. "Man, I just want you to know that you're probably way harder to deal with. Just because you're not as complicated doesn't mean-"

"Watch it!" he interrupts with a scowl. "Do you want me to take it back before I even go out with you?"

"No," says Shikamaru, and there is a different look on his face now, one Naruto has never seen before on anyone, but especially on his friend. He moves in a little closer, and the room is getting pretty hot now. "No, I don't," he says, and now that their faces are so close, Naruto can't help but gulp. Just what is he getting at now?

"S-so," he says, trying to continue, trying to press on and hide how nervous the sudden closeness has made him, after all the distance that's been between them, "better watch what you say then, cos if I could change my mind any time, you know, if I felt like it, and..."

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"You talk way too much sometimes. It's kind of a pain."

This is the point where Naruto would, normally, protest, but with how close they are, it's no big deal for Shikamaru to close the remaining distance between their faces, and just like that, like it's nothing, he puts his lips to Naruto's. It's just for a moment, so fast that anyone could have missed it, and then it's over and Naruto's head is swimming.

"Better go find Choji," says Shikamaru. "Meet me after, alright?"

"I...alright," he says, because he's so thrown from the kiss- a kiss! Shikamaru kissed him! With no warning!- that that is all he can think to say. Wherever they go from here, he'll just have to take that as it comes, but he's glad, at the very least, that they finally made it to this point.

~X~

Shikamaru has no idea where came over him in that moment, and is glad that he was able to play it cool enough that Naruto could not tell just how nervous he actually was.

-

End Note: there was no way for me to shoehorn it in, in the end, but Temari was never actually into Shikamaru when Ino thought she was, I was supposed to write her with Tenten but it felt too forced, so just know in your hearts...