Log: Complete

[lazy-kage-mane.livejournal.com]

When; November 30 (horribly back-dated, I know.)
Rating; PG-13
Characters; Nara Shikamarulazy_kage_mane, Akimichi Choujiheavierthanlife
Summary; Chouji's attempts to fix his best friend's bad mood lead to a heart-to-heart and a few revelations.
Log;
With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through loose black hair, clearing it from his eyes with a toss of his head. Getting to his feet from where he sat at the desk, the tall shinobi walked over to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open. "Come on in, Chouji."
Chouji's eyes widened a little at the sight of his disheveled friend. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his friend like that... "Hey... sake ok?"
Shika nodded, his expression something of gratefulness. "Yeah, sake's fine...Thanks." He knew he looked like crap, and he could tell that Chouji thought so too. Well, he supposed that was what happened when you hadn't slept in 4 days. He imagined he probably was starting to look like Gaara, with black rings around his eyes. He stepped back, returning to his somewhat cramped position in the chair. There were papers and scrolls scattered everywhere, balled-up pages evidence of the failed ideas. There were also a few broken pencils that attested to the lazy shinobi's frustrations.
Chouji handed his friend one of the bottles, before taking a spot amongst the debris scattered around the room. "What... what, ah, have you been up to? Looks kinda like it did before... you know... with Hidan."
The black-haired shinobi flinched at the mention of the Akatsuki member who had murdered their teacher. That had been his mission too. His failure. Just like that other mission. He pulled the cork out of the bottle and took a swig, brushing strands of black hair out of his face. "Yeah, I guess it does. I've been working, of course. Yondaime-sama needs all the information that he can get on not only Orochimaru, but on the Shinigami that he's allied himself with. So I'm looking for that." He glanced away before he continued quietly. "I'm not going to let someone else die because we didn't have all the information."
"Yeah... that Aizen guy, huh?" Chouji uncorked the bottle of his own and took a swig, leaning back comfortably. "I think I remember hearing Shizune talking about him. Find anything worth mentioning?"
Shika shook his head. "Nothing that we didn't already know. It's like this guy doesn't exist or something. Everything that the other Shinigami knew about him turns out to be another lie, another fabrication." He grimaced and rotated a shoulder, feeling the muscles clench in protest at the motion, their cells having already spent so much time contracted that they were disinclined to release on their own.
Chouji looked at Shika with eyes of concern as he watched his friend try to work the knots out of his own back. "Something wrong over there?"
"Shoulder. Just stiff." Well, that was really something of an understatement. It wasn't just his shoulder, but the entirety of his back and neck that was tensed up, the muscles corded into roped steel from the tension and frustration of the last 2 weeks.
Yeah... this won't be awkward at all, Chouji thought to himself before taking one last swig from the bottle before sitting it down amidst the thrown away papers and pencils. "Do...ah, Is there anything I can do to help? You know.. like a shoulder rub or something?"
He paused, one dark eyebrow raising slightly. While the prospect of a shoulder-rub certainly sounded heavenly, neither he nor the Akimichi had really spoken or acknowledged the effect that one weekend of curses had had on their friendship. It still remained, a thick awkwardness that showed itself whenever the situation turned to something that even remotely suggested a deeper dimension to their closeness. But...his shoulders were unbearably tense.... He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that would be alright."
"I mean, I just thought you might could use one, you know? You've been stuck in here for the past week or two, and your look a little... well, cramped. Something any friend would do, right?" He repeated that last line in his mind, like a mantra.
"Yeah... that's right." Shika scooted over towards Chouji, turning around with his back towards his friend. Pulling his dark hair up into a ponytail, he stripped off his shirt. "I..I think the shirt would just get in the way."
Chouji took a moment to look his friend over... it'd been a while since he'd last seen his friend like that. Not bad to look at at all... Chouji shook his head quickly. Not now.. he mumbled in his head. "Hey... when'd you get that?"
Shika glanced up, looking over his shoulder. "Oh, that. I've had it. About a year now, or so. You never noticed it?" Well, he wasn't the one in back before, you know.. His mind spoke up. Frowning slightly, he shoved the thoughts into the back of his head.
Chouji shook his head a bit. "Nuh-uh. But I like it. It... ah, it looks really good on you, Shika." Chouji nervously laid his hands on his friend's shoulders, not really sure what else to do with them at this point.
His cheeks reddened slightly, but hopefully Chouji couldn't see. Shika wasn't used to compliments, and it didn't help that there were only few people in his life whose opinions really mattered. And one of them was currently sitting behind him. "Thanks.." He swallowed, shifting his shoulders. "So...am I getting a shoulder-rub or not?"
Chouji nodded, but Shika couldn't see it as he slowly began to rub his friend's tensed shoulders. "Hey, uh, Shika? Can I ask you something?"
He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing evenly as Chouji's fingers kneaded the tense and sore muscles. "Sure, Chou. You know you can always ask me anything."
And even though he heard the words from Shika's own mouth, something diverted his own speech. "It's about Tayuya... she... ah, she said you guys... you know. And thats why you kicked her out." Chouji was blushing quite a pleasant shade of pink by this point.
If he had wanted a reaction, Chouji definitely got one. Shika, in the process of taking a swig of his sake, promptly choked. Sputtering and gagging, he pounded on his chest with his free hand for a moment before setting down the bottle and gasping for breath. "Sh..she...she what? And you believed her?!"
"NO! No, I didn't believe her! I just wanted to know what really happened!" Chouji stammered, inadvertantly clamping down on both of his friend's shoulder with full force.
"OW! Dammit Chouji, that hurts!" He cringed, trying to pull away from the vicelike grip.
"Ah, sorry!" Chouji let go immediately, stumbling backwards, knocking over his bottle of sake to the floor with a crash.
He grimaced a bit, rubbing one shoulder. NOW they hurt more then before. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and yanking the band loose. He turned around to glance at Chouji. "Sorry, I just....for a minute it sounded like you actually believed I'd sleep with that piece of Oto-trash. I mean, come on Chouji. What sort of standards do you think I have?"
Chouji looked up to meet the eyes of his friend, while attempting to pick up the shards of glass now scattered by his feet. "I know you too well, Shika. I know you wouldn't... I was just wondering why she'd say that, I guess."
"Because she's a manipulative bitch, Chouji. Of the most troublesome sort." He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "You wanna know what happened? She came over here with some story about wanting to know why Konoha shinobi are different then other shinobi. Why we CARE so much about things and all. Then she decided she couldn't get that stupid Victorian dress off and begged me to untie the back of the thing. I thought she'd leave if I said yes. So I did, and told her to use the bathroom to change and get the hell out. Except instead of doing THAT, she climbs in my fucking lap and sticks her hand down my pants. So yeah, I threw her out. I had to actually kiss the woman to stun her long enough to get her off of me. Didn't you wonder why we're out of Scope?"
Chouji sat down, and leaned against the wall, and tried to keep himself from laughing. "Ooooh... that all? Sorry you had to go through that..." Chouji looked out the window, seemingly looking for the clouds to tell him what to say next. "Do you wanna try again?"
It took just a second for Shika to register that Chouji was talking about shoulder-rubs. He nodded and scooted back over, back to Chouji. "Sure."
Chouji smiled a little, and laid his hands back down, concentrating on working the knots out his friends shoulders. Same skin as last time, Chouji thought to himself, his mind wandering a bit.
That felt good. Shika let his eyes fall closed, purring slightly at the feel of fingers working the knots out of abused muscles. Chouji was good with his hands. But you already knew that... his mind whispered to him. He frowned momentarily, then shrugged slightly. Yeah, it was true, even if he tended to avoid thinking about it. He felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he was reminded of just WHY he knew it was true.
"Shika... um, there's... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.." If Chouji wasn't blushing already, he certainly was now, as his hands slowed down a bit, reaching the outer edges of Shikamaru's shoulders.
Shika was only halfway listening. He was too focused on how nice Chouji's hands felt as they kneaded and rubbed the soreness and stiffness away. Eyes closed, he didn't seem to realize that he was slowly leaning backwards, his head on a path towards Chouji's lap. "Mmhmm?"
Chouji squirmed a little as Shika's head fell into his lap. You're not making this any easier Chouji mumbled to himself. "It's about that curse weekend... the one about... you know. When you had..." Chouji lifted his hands to his chest, making a fair re-enactment of the perky breasts Shikamaru had acquired over the gender swap weekend.
It was rather hard to see someone's gestures with your eyes closed, so lids slid up from over chocolate-brown orbs. Those same eyes widened when he realized he was staring UP at Chouji. Which meant that his head was in his friend's lap. The blood rushed to his face as red bloomed across his cheeks, head frozen in place. He swallowed, trying not to think about how remniscent this was, Chouji's face looming over his own. "Y..yeah? What about it?"
"Well... you know... about what... what happened. Like on that no inhibitions day thing, too..." Chouji's ears were burning, and he could see Shika's doing the same.
His eyes flickered away from Chouji's. "Yeah....I know. But...what about it? It happened, that's it. Right?" There was something in his tone of voice, something that seemed to waver. Almost as if a part of him wanted confirmation that that WAS it. That there wasn't, in fact, something else there. But that same tone also seemed to have a hopeful strain to it, that didn't make sense. If that WAS all there was to it, then why did his tone seem almost as though he didn't WANT that to be all there was?
Chouji's breath caught in his throat. "I...I do--- yeah... yeah.. I guess that's all there was huh?" Chouji's tone inexplicably matched his friends. A ring to the voice searched for hope, maybe unfounded, that there WAS something there... but his friend didnt seem to think so. Maybe that was the end of that.
He watched Chouji's eyes, feeling his nerves start to tense up again. There it was again, that nagging sense that he was missing something. But that didn't make sense. Nara Shikamaru didn't miss things. He was always steps ahead, always prepared for everything. But this...this was different. He slowly shifted, turning around to face Chouji, still sitting between his friend's knees. "Is that all there is to it, Chou?"
Chouji sighed heavily, and lifted his eyes to meet Shikamaru's. "You know... I really don't know." His expression fell again, and his eyes went a little dull. What did he want? He knew he loved Shika, and he knew he loved Ino, too... but did he feel the same way for both of them? Could he?
Shika nodded slowly. He could always read Chouji, and right now he could tell that his best friend was in the same position that he was finding himself in. He knew Chouji loved Ino, just like he knew that HE loved Ino. But....he couldn't deny that he couldn't stop thinking about that one night. And neither could he keep ignoring the fact that he'd liked it, enjoyed it, even wanted more. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Troublesome..."
"Yeah..." Chouji reached for his bottle of sake, but only ended up grabbing at the handful of broken glass. "AGH! Dammit..."
Frowning, Shika grabbed his friend's wrist, pulling the hand towards him. "Hold still." With practiced skill, he carefully pulled the pieces of glass from Chouji's flesh. Rummaging in his pocket, he pulled out a roll of bandages and wrapped up the wounded appendage. "Dad does that all the time. Though with him, he usually just slams the glass down too hard on the bar and breaks it."
Chouji laughed a little. "Yeah... my dad's the same." After looking over his newly bandaged hand, his gaze turned back to Shikamaru. "Thanks, Shika... you're really my best friend..."
He nodded, turning his head and hoping Chouji wouldn't see his blush. "Yeah....you're mine too." He fidgeted slightly, unsure of what he should do next. In a way, they'd both admitted, though in a roundabout way, that they weren't exactly sure what their relationship really was. And that, in itself, was troublesome. But the question was, how to fix that. It didn't help that he had a pretty good idea of how. He swallowed, looking anywhere BUT at Chouji.
Chouji reached out his uninjured hand. "C-can I have some of yours, Shika? Your sake." Chouji tried to eke out a smile for his friend, but it couldn't help but look anything but strained.
"Uh..yeah. Sure." He handed the bottle to Chouji, growing somewhat irritated by the thick atmosphere that reeked of awkwardness and weighted words. He knew what he could do about it, but what he DIDN'T know was whether Chouji would hate him if he did. He settled for a sigh, and leaning back against the bed, head in Chouji's lap again, though he wasn't really paying attention to that fact.
As Shika's head came to light again in his lap, Chouji didn't react in the same way that he had just a moment before. This time... he settled into it, and laid a hand on Shika's shoulder, before leaning back himself, head to the wall.
He sighed slightly, glad that Chouji didn't freak out the way he had before. Shika had to admit, this felt....nice. He tentatively raised his own hand, laying it on top of Chouji's. "Ne, Chou? What...what if things were different? I mean...what would happen to...us? You know?"
"I dunno... I don't think things'd really be any different at all. I mean, we're best friends, right? And we both love Ino. And she loves the both of us, doesn't she? What'd change?" Chouji stared at the ceiling during his entire speech, each word that escaped his lips further convincing himself of their truth.
He nodded. Chouji was probably right. Afterall, they shared everything else. Who was to say that they weren't meant to share more then they already did. He glanced away, turning slightly red. "Yeah, you're probably right. But...you know something? I...I never told you, but....that night when I was a girl? I uh...I sobered up when you shoved me against the wall..."
Chouji shrugged a little, smiling. "Yeah? Because I wasn't as drunk as I was acting either..."
Well, that was news to Shika. He glaned up at Chouji, head cocked to one side. "Then....why? You love Ino. Why would you..."
Chouji squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "Well... ah... who... um... who says... I guess... that... I don't love you, too?" And Chouji flinched, like he had never flinched before.
To say that Shika was surprised would have been an understatement. He knew very well that although Chouji was better at expressing his feelings then the tall shadow-user would ever be, Chouji was STILL the shyer of the two of them when it came to things like this. He stiffened, swallowing hard. He hadn't expected his friend to say that. But....wasn't it true? Like Ino had said that one time, when she'd told them that she loved them both. Didn't they all feel that way? But...to say it in a time like this would imply that it went beyond the deep bond they already shared as teammates, reaching to something deeper. Well, there was one way to find out. He took a deep breath and turned around, standing up. With a gulp, he leaned forward, placing one hand on either side of Chouji so that his face was only a few inches in front of the other man. Eyes locked with the other pair that rested in the face of the one who leaned against the wall. He swallowed again, trying not to blush. "Ok.....then what are you going to do about it?"
Chouji froze for a moment. They hadn't been this close since the last time... and Chouji knew what he wanted. And he was almost sure it was what Shika wanted, too... but was he risking something in the process? What if he lost what he already had? But you know what? He had come this far already. Both of them had... and it was what they both seemed to want. Chouji lifted a hand slightly, not in protest, but to Shika's shoulder, and leaned forward, his lips touching those of his friend's.
Chouji's slight affirmation was all that Shika needed. Hesitantly, as if afraid that Chouji would back away, he kissed back, pressing his mouth softly against his friend's, one hand coming up to thread it's way through Chouji's hair as his eyes slid closed. Not usually one to be nervous, that was all he could feel as his heart thudded in his chest. It seemed so strange, to be in this sort of situation with his best friend, but at the same time, it felt strangely right. And Chouji hadn't seemed to mind.
Chouji would've smiled if he could have, as his hand fell, resting gently on Shika's side. What was I so scared of... Chouji thought to himself as his lips locked around his friend's.
Shika could feel himself relax as he felt Chouji relax. He'd been right. There wasn't anything wrong with this. It was just him and Chouji. Together. He pushed forward slightly, deepening the kiss. Chouji had really soft hair, he realized, other hand coming up on the other side of Chouji's face.
Chouji's hand slid around to the small of Shikamaru's back, pulling him a little closer to his body. His heart beat against the chest of his friend's, as Chouji elet Shika's kiss sink into him.
Yes, he was right. This wasn't that bad. Not that bad at all. Except that he was losing his balance...Mentally, he calculated and shrugged. Oh well, not like the situation wasn't already extremely "compromising" already. Shifting forward, he climbed into Chouji's lap, one leg on either side of Chouji. That made it a lot easier.
Chouji froze as his friend threw a leg over him and sat into his lap. Sure, it was probably the next logical thing to do, but it had taken him this long just to get used to kissing Shikamaru. Slowly, though, reluctantly, Chouji laid a slightly shaking hand on his friend's side, his eyes shut tight as his lips stayed locked with the shadow user's.
He felt a shaft of insecurity cut through him as he felt Chouji stiffen. That was it. He'd gone too far, and hadn't thought to not let the ease of the current situation go to his head. He pulled back and glanced away, chewing his lower lip for a moment, cheeks flushed. "I...gomen, Chouji. I...I guess I went too far." Letting his hands drop from Chouji's hair to the other shinobi's shoulders, he shifted in Chouji's lap as he moved to stand back up.
"Wait, Shika... y-you just suprise--" Before Chouji could finish his sentence, he raised his hand back to his friend, and took him by the side, sitting him slowly back down. "You-- ah--- you just surprised me, is all... you're fine, really..."
He raised one dark eyebrow at Chouji, as if he wasn't quite sure whether he believed the long-haired young man. He sat back down, though he was still tense, as if ready to bolt at any second.
Chouji moved one hand back to his friend's shoulder, and leaned in, still a bit nervously, before catching Shikamaru's lips in his own.
His nervousness only lingered for another moment or two before he was kissing Chouji back, once again threading long fingers through his friend's hair. But this time, one arm tightened around Chouji's neck, pulling the two of them closer together as Shika's tongue slid along Chouji's bottom lip.
Chouji smiled for probably the first time that evening, as Shikamaru's tongue glided against his own bottom lip. Feeling his friend pull himself closer, Chouji bit down on the Nara's bottom lip gently, before resuming the kiss, his hands comfortably on the small of his friend's back.
He let his eyes drift closed as he felt Chouji's teeth tug softly on his lip. Taking a slightly more aggressive stance, he pushed back against Chouji until he felt the back of his friend's head touch the wall behind them, pushing his tongue between Chouji's lips and shifting closer to the other nin.
Chouji let his tongue touch Shikamaru's briefly, holding his friend's between his own and his front teeth. Leaning against the wall, he let his friend press harder against him, Chouji holding him as close as either of them dared to get.
After a few minutes, Shika pulled back, somewhat reluctantly. With a sigh, he simply let his forehead rest against Chouji's shoulder, allowing his body to relax against the larger bulk of his best friend. Chouji was comfortable...
Chouji was smiling again, and turned to rest his chin on the top of the lazy-nin's head. Arms gently draped around Shikamaru, Chouji spoke up. "So... I guess that was about as much talking as we needed, huh?"
There was a small chuckle as arms tightened fractionally around his chest. Shika sighed and shifted, nuzzling his nose against the juncture of Chouji's neck and shoulder. "Yeah...I guess it was."
Chouji nodded happily, his eyes growing heavier. His friend was keeping him very warm, and honestly, he was quite comfortable where he was... his head turned down a bit, so his nose was in Shikamaru's hair, before his eyes shut completely.
Chouji wasn't the only one who was getting drowsy. The combination of alcohol, lack of sleep, stress, and worry had taken it's toll on the lazy shadow-user. He shifted slightly, mumbling something unintelligable before snuggling up against Chouji's shoulder. Within seconds he had dropped off to sleep, snoring softly.