[Reader x Various] Various Kisses

Shikamaru Nara - Make-Up Kiss

If it was one thing you couldn’t stand, it was cigarettes. You hated the way they made your eyes water and how suffocating it felt to breathe in the smoke, not to mention the damage it could do to a person’s body. Even though you had an extreme distaste for smoking, the love you harbored for Shikamaru allowed you to overlook the fact that he was a smoker, up until your father died of cancer last year. After his death, you could hardly stand to even look at a box of cigarettes without crying, let alone watch your boyfriend smoke the exact same brand your father used to. Naturally, Shikamaru decided that year to kick his habit out of respect for you and your father. Despite his efforts, that didn’t stop his cravings of wanting to sneak one after a long day of work. Up until today, he had managed to keep his craving under control. 

‘Hard to believe it’s been a little over a year since I smoke one of these…’ Shikamaru sat on his back porch and leaned against the shoji door, watching the smoke from his cigarette dissipate into the night sky.

With the combination of stress, pulling two all-nighters to finish some last minute paper work and an overbearing Hokage for a boss, Shikamaru felt the need to splurge after work and bought a pack of cigarettes. Even though the voice in his head, well your voice, insisted on how upset it would make you if you found out, his cravings for the cigarettes held a more convincing argument. So he decided once he had his fill, he wouldn’t splurge on cigarettes again. Or he would at least try…

After one last puff from his cigarette, Shikamaru put it out in the ash tray sitting at his feet before he picked it up off the floor.

‘I should probably get rid of the ash tray while I’m at it. If I’m gonna go and stay cold turkey, I gotta make more of an effort.’ Shikamaru glowered at the ash tray he held in his hand before he gave a tired sigh.

While Shikamaru did feel extremely guilty after he had promised you he would quit smoking, the effect it had on his body was a feeling he could hardly describe himself. The feeling was short lived, but it allowed him to escape from the troubles and hassles he called his life. As his eyes met with [e/c] ones once he slid the shoji door open, those feelings suddenly fleeted from his body. 

“H-Hey, you’re uh… home early.” Shikamaru awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and looked off to the side.

He realized the damage he had done once he saw the sadness, hurt and anger in your eyes. Your gaze hardened as you stared at your guilt-stricken boyfriend before you slowly reached out with both hands and took the ash tray from him.

“You promised me Shikamaru, you promised me that you would stop…” Your bangs hovered over your eyes before you raised the ash tray above your head and threw it to the ground.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for Shikamaru as the ash tray became mere remnants of glass. His gaze moved from the broken glass onto your face as hot tears streamed down your cheeks. You clenched and unclenched your fists before shoving Shikamaru, causing him to stumble back a bit.

“[N-Name], wait I–“

“Do you know how much my father suffered after smoking for almost twenty years? How much it hurt just watching him try to pull through his pain?! How the hell can you not see that Shikamaru? Just how…?”

Shikamaru knew at that point if he tried to explain how rough the past few work days had been on him, it would only be an excuse. And those past few days wasn’t anything compared to the final days your father had to go through with lung cancer.

“I’m sorry; I… I just thought having one would help me get through tonight.” Shikamaru gradually took a step forward, staring down at your forlorn form.

A bitter chuckle escaped your throat. “Would you prefer to have a feeding or breathing tube to get you through tonight?”

Shikamaru’s eyes widened a fraction as you choked back a sob.

“I don’t want another reason to be worried about you Shikamaru because your job as a shinobi worries me enough. And you know that I’ll still support you regardless of how I feel about your job, but I’d never forgive myself if I just sat and watched your life slip away the same way my father’s did.”

As you quietly began to sob into your hands, you felt a sudden tug at your wrists, pulling your hands back from your tear stained face. Your startled gasp became muffled as you were pulled into Shikamaru’s strong arms. His hands moved up to cup your face, using both his thumbs to wipe away more tears.

“Then I won’t let you shoulder anymore worries than you already have been… “Shikamaru smiled weakly. “And that’s a promise I intend to keep.”

“You promise?” You struggled to smile.

Shikamaru leaned in slowly and gave you a brief yet tender kiss on the lips before he pulled away with a small nod.

“Yeah, I promise…”