Naruto wakes up with a smile on his face because today is the day he's going to confess to Shikamaru.
He's been thinking about it for weeks trying to figure out if it should be grand or if he should buy flowers and chocolates like he sees a lot of people doing. Like when he saw Lee bringing Sakura flowers and she got all happy and blushy. Or when kakashi brought Iruka chocolate and they just looked at each other with heart eyes and well- Naruto wants that yknow?
So he thought about that but then reminded himself that Shikamaru was a simple person and maybe he'd think that anything too big and exaggerated would be a drag. Naruto didn't want anything in their maybe-relationship to be a drag. In the end he decided that it was best to go for something small and still sincere.
He stayed up late last night to make a couple sandwiches and a couple containers of chopped fruit (along with other picnic necessities) and looking at it now he's very proud of himself as he packs it into a wicker basket. Out of a drawer he pulls out another item, one that took him a lot of time and effort (but when has that ever stopped Konoha's number one knuckle-headed ninja).
For this gift to the Nara, Naruto had to ask the Leaf's resident wood style user for guidance. It was a hand-carved miniature deer with a metal hoop over its head that serves either as a beautiful halo or something to attach to to a necklace string. He spent hours making sure it was perfect and he really thought it was the cherry on top. After making sure he had everything and actually attempting to tame his wild hair for once, he set out.
First he looked by the Academy because sometimes Shika walked by there, however, the only person he saw was Iruka-sensei.
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" He waved his hand a bit to get his attention and didn't wait for him to look up before asking the question he wanted to. "I'm lookin' for Shikamaru, yknow? Have you seen him?" Iruka smiled a small knowing smile before switching to the big one he calls his Naruto-smile. "Hello there, Naruto! No, I haven't seen him." Naruto deflates a little but Iruka continues. "You might want to look by the Nara compound. I gotta teach a class soon but we should have ramen later alright?"
Naruto's big smile returns as he wonders why didn't he think of that! "Alright Iruka-sensei! See ya!" And he jogs off towards the compound where he sees choji.
"Hey Choji! Have you seen Shikamaru?" Naruto realizes he could have asked Choji this first and again asks himself Why didn't i think of that! "Hey! Hm, let me see", He watched Choji think for a small bit and then he hits his palm as an idea comes to him. "I think I heard him say that he was going to go skip rocks by that lake with the good view of the sky! Why? did ya need him for something?" He questions Naruto but he's pretty sure he knows what it is by looking at the little basket in his grasp.
Naruto blushes a bit and one hand goes to scratch the back of his neck while the other slightly hides the basket- something Choji definitely notices. "Oh," Naruto huffs out a nervous laugh, "Its nothin', See ya Choji!"
He waves as he once again jogs off to find his crush, leaving Choji with a knowing look on his face.
As Naruto jumps through the trees he finally sees the person he's looking for and stops for a bit as the rest of the nerves show themself for a second. He watches Shikamaru while he hypes himself up for this.
-
Shikamaru sits near the water holding a sandwich in one hand and in the other a rock or two.
He throws them one by one distractedly, he'd been thinking about Naruto and how close he's getting to him nowadays. He was trying to understand his feelings and today he had come to the conclusion that he liked Naruto, though that did not mean he knew what to do with that information.
Shikamaru was not used to not knowing things and this really puzzled him.
He tossed another rock and switched his sandwich into his other hand while he looked for more throwable rocks. Looking up and throwing again, he bit into what was in his sandwich hand and after a second he stiffened, realizing his mistake. With a mouth full of rock he looked out at his sinking sandwich with despair. Shika spit out the rock and facepalmed so hard he swore his father felt it. What a drag.
-
Naruto watched with a chuckle as he witnessed Shikamaru practically die inside. He thought, poor guy, good thing I packed us a lunch. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to hop down from the branch he sat on and join him. "What's up Shikamaru!"
"Oh hey, Naruto. Nothing I guess, what are you doing around here?" Shikamaru shifted his weight, the only sign that he was nervous. Naruto thought about how not to say Oh, yknow, just looking for you.
"I uh, wanted to share a lunch I made and i thought why not hang out with you, yknow? I um, I also wanted to tell you something." Naruto kept his big friendly smile on to hide how incredibly nervous he was, Shikamaru looked at him a bit baffled but let a small smile show when he said, "Yeah, I'd like that Naruto. What'd you want to talk about?"
Shikamaru was glad he could replace his fallen sandwich but he was also curious as to what Naruto wanted. A part of him was almost giddy with anticipation and another thought that this might turn out to be pretty troublesome.
"So," He started as he helped Shikamaru take some food out, one hand went to his pocket to check on the mini deer, "I feel like we've been uh.. closer as friends since i came back to the village and well, we hang out more now than we ever have so I've gotten to know you better yknow?" Shikamaru nodded, feeling like he didn't know completely where this was going. "And because, I know you better... I've come to really like you, Shikamaru." Naruto was now scratching the back of his neck, a sign of his nerves, and unbeknownst to him, Shikamaru's breath hitched.
"When i say like, I mean as in more than a friend, yknow? And well i guess that's all i wanted to say...." When Shikamaru was quiet for several moments Naruto felt like he had his answer and tried to 'save' the situation. "Ah.. You don't gotta say anything, I just wanted to tell you and it's totally okay that you don't feel the same." He gave a small self deprecating laugh and stood up to leave when Shikamaru grabbed his arm.
Naruto looked back at him and waited with baited breath. "Naruto...I'm- I like you too. I just didn't know what to say. Kinda crazy because well, I'm not used to not...knowing." He tried for a smile and to Naruto he looked like the most beautiful person on the planet. Naruto reached over and pulled him into a hug and after tensing up a little, the Nara relaxed against him and hugged back. Then Naruto remembered something, he pulled away and reached back into his pocket. "Naruto?"
"I got you something. I wanted it to be something that reminded me of you and then I remembered that deers symbolize your clan and-" He pulls it out and the Nara gasps, his eyes water a bit. "It's beautiful Naru. I love it." Shikamaru never thought someone would want to do anything this special for him, he actually thought that when the time came he'd have to do all the troublesome love-confessing. It's insane how happy he is that it's Naruto that's going this far for him.
He hugs the blonde again and when he pulls back they look at each other for a moment before leaning in for a small, hesitant kiss. It's their first one and though small, it holds all their feelings for one another.
The rest of the day they lay in the grass eating, cuddling and watching the clouds. Naruto is in bliss, and Shikamaru now knows that there is nothing troublesome about feelings after all.
