Barely escaping alive from a human trafficking ring, Arron finds herself running for her life as her captors seek to hunt her down, either to end her life or to torture her, she does not know. She doesn't want to find out either. Sweaty, tired, ligh...
It took the rest of that day for Arron to calm Noot down. He was an oddly angry shadow. Arron thought Mothball had been bad. She was just glad Noot didn't have really usable arms or legs. He'd probably have eaten Shikamaru by now if he did, but all he could really do was roll. Albeit, he could roll very, very fast. He just wasn't big enough to be intimidating, and it wasn't like he could grab things.
It had been almost a week since then, and Mothball had completely settled in. Noot's behavior problems decreased with each scolding, and with each lightbulb he was fed. For some reason, he wouldn't eat LED lights, which was odd because Trexx and Mothball were never all that picky. But they went with it anyway, treating him to his favorite fluorescent bulbs when he was good.
Despite how long Shikamaru had been back, Arron's clinginess remained. But hey, the young Nara wasn't complaining. In fact, he adored having Arron stick to him every hour of every day. Sure, while he was training, Shikaku did insist that she went off to the side so they could work, but ever other moment was spent with some form of physical contact. Save for showers and bathroom breaks, of course. Arron didn't seem happy about that.
"Save water." Shikamaru could remember her shrugging. He'd almost been tempted to say yes, but turned her down with an awkward smile and red cheeks. She'd sighed as though it burdened her. Her sense of humor was returning to her in crashing waves.
"Arron, you really should start sleeping in your own bed again, you know. I'll take the cot if you want the bed." Shikamaru offered. They'd given her the cot because it was, oddly enough, more comfortable than Shikamaru's bed happened to be. The Nara wasn't sure how, but it was, so he'd allowed Arron to continue using it rather than taking the bed. But now she'd started crawling into bed with him every night. He liked it, definitely, but he knew it wasn't really appropriate. He wasn't sure Arron realized what she was even doing.
"Not want me here?" Arron asked curiously, her tone soft. She wasn't trying to make him feel bad, he knew, or trying to guilt-trip him in any way. Despite her genuine question, Shikamaru still felt himself panic. He didn't want to upset her.
"Of course I want you here." He said hastily. "But I'm a boy, and you're a girl, and we're at that age where..." He trailed off awkwardly, cheeks turning pink. "I like having you here, it's just that some things are troublesome. If my parents find out..." Shikamaru had been good at waking up before them, or Arron would already be up, but it was only a matter of time before one of them figured out Arron hadn't stopped after the first night he got back from the forest.
"Okay." Arron answered quietly with a nod, but she didn't move, instead burying her face into Shikamaru's chest. He was undeniably warm, and he smelled good. "I like it here."
Shikamaru chuckled at her, shaking his head with a sigh. Arron had no idea what social norms were anymore, which was fine. "Ino invited you out tomorrow. You should go." Shikamaru noted. "It would be good for you to get out a little bit without me. You did it before."
"You will come with?" Arron asked, her voice soft as ever.
"No, I have to train. Besides, then you'll have something to tell me when you get back about your day." Shikamaru offered. Arron seemed to think about it a moment.
"Maybe." She shrugged, her voice muffled by his shirt. He looked down at her. He wondered, briefly, if she could hear his heart pounding in his chest. It was racing so fast he thought it might rip right through his skin. Not only that, but it was loud enough that he could hear it pulsing in his ears. He momentarily cursed his teenage hormones; though, he knew he couldn't blame all his feelings on the chemicals his body produced alone.
They fell asleep like that. Shikamaru was afraid the whole time that he wouldn't wake up in time. As Arron progressed, her trauma faded ever so slightly, dulling into the background as her personality took center stage. Eventually, her parents wouldn't just see her as traumatized. They'd see her for what she was; a teenage girl. And they'd see Shikamaru as not just her support, but as their teenage son.
In short, they'd remove her from his room to prevent anything from... happening. Even if Trexx, Mothball, and Noot were there to watch them.
Arron was the first up, but only because Mothball and Noot were fighting.
"Spit out!" Trexx bellowed, punching Noot over the head. Mothball's stubby little legs flailed wildly as he was slowly consumed by the forever-angry-faced Noot.
"Noot!" Noot responded, though it was muffled.
"Bad!" Arron panicked quietly, grabbing Mothball's small legs. "No lightbulbs for 'ou!"
Noot released Mothball immediately. Arron put the short-limbed creature in the corner for timeout before returning to Shikamaru to wake him up. It would be only a few minutes before his parents came to get him up, and Arron knew he liked to be up before them, for whatever reason. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling he wouldn't answer if she asked anyway.
"Shikamaru." She whispered, stroking his cheek affectionately. "Shikamaru, wake up."
The Nara stirred, cracking his eyes open to gaze at her. "I love you." He muttered. Arron blinked at him before smiling.
"I love you too." She responded, her voice just as soft as ever. Shikamaru's eyes popped open, his cheeks going red with surprise. Arron tilted her head ever so slightly at him as he jolted into a sitting position. He took a deep breath.
"I uh- we need to get dressed." Shikamaru realized, looking at the time.
"Together?" Arron asked hopefully.
Shikamaru's cheeks reddened, and he scowled at the girl, who was smiling at him with the most innocent look on her face. He honestly couldn't tell if she was bullshitting him or not. "What a drag." He sighed, looking at the ceiling. "No, Arron. Not today."
"Tomorrow." Arron nodded, standing up.
"Su- wait, Arron!"
~
A few people have asked why Arron has been so sexual in her innuendos and such despite her age and uh
She's had sex before, unfortunately-----------
She knows sex feels good and that it's something you do with someone you love. Age isn't an issue in her mind, if that makes sense. They obviously aren't going to be doing it at the age of twelve, so don't panic. I just thought I'd let you know about her thought process if that makes sense hahahahahdalkd god I hope I didn't just offend someone-
Y'ALLL I'VE BEEN GETTING SO MUCH AMAZING FANART LATELY LIKE I DON'T DESERVE IT AND THE EFFORT IS SO AMAZING AND THE ART IS FLAWLESS AND
SCREAM
I had to update JUST to show you this masterpiece. Like for real I'm awed. This art is by whoops_hello_there. They do have an art book, so please go check it out. They draw some truly, truly amazing work.
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LOOK AT HERRR AND I LOVE THAT SHE'S DRAWN WITH THE SHORT HAIR STYLE TOO IT'S SO CUTE ON HER AHHH
