Painfully Aware with So Much to Learn

Chapter Twenty-one: Sleep it Off

Previously:

"But don't you realise, Shikamaru? Even back in the academy, I always considered you a friend. I've always been there for you, even when you didn't want me."

Now:

Shikamaru felt his stomach drop to his toes as the small voice, slurred with sleep, told him that Naruto was always there for him.

'I was such a drag!' He thought to himself as he reflected on all the times he had ignored Naruto, left him out and avoided him with his 'troublesome's being his only excuse. He saw a shop owner throw him like a sack of potato's and he just watched. Guilt ate him alive as the blonde peacefully slept on his shoulder.

'This is beyond troublesome, why did I ever push him away? How many times have I ignored him? Why couldn't I see past that stupid smile he wore? Do I even deserve to have him as my fixation? How can--' the Nara's thoughts trailed on and on about how amazing the blonde was and how he ignored him for too long, eventually he found himself in the late hours of the night. Spiraling silently as to not wake the guardian saint of his life, how could Shikamaru ever not want Naruto?

He heaved out a sigh, looking as the few ongoers took notice and glared down the blonde. He absentmindedly reached out and stroked the blonde's thigh, receiving a sigh of content from the unconscious teen on his shoulder.

Shikamaru found that this cleared his mind, something that had never happened before but he was too dazed to acknowledge it.

A Nara is always thinking, calculating, observing and strategizing even without realizing. But here, watching as the sky faded into total darkness, in the middle of a sidewalk, supporting an unconscious blonde, he felt so at peace.

To Shikamaru it was like a constant ringing had vanished from his head, this was what a fixation was for, and he was more than grateful to the jinchuriki for giving him such peace.

Eventually he realised that it was night, and very cold. He gently shifted so he could drape his chunin vest onto Naruto and picked him up bridal style before heading to his house. He was quiet and quick, making it to his house in five minuites. He was about to open the door to his house when he froze. Naruto had nuzzled himself into his friend's chest and the other boy was frozen and beet red.

His father, sensing his presence, opened the door only to find his son, blushing brightly and carrying a snoozing blonde. Shikamaru quickly got passed his father and was halfway up the stairs when he heard a huff of a laugh.

"Oi! Wait until he wakes up and keep the door closed." Shikaku said, mostly joking. He saw steam coming out of the heir's ears as he continued to his room to set the blonde down, it wasn't like Naruto was by any means heavy, but under the flusteredness Shikamaru felt almost proud he could carry the one he loved across town.

He set Naruto down on his bed and put the blankets over him, getting some blankets for himself so he could sleep on the floor.

He was going to sleep, he tried, but he couldn't help but watch the harmonic breathing of the teen in his bed. At one point he thought Naruto was waking up, but he just grabbed a pillow in his sleep and wrapped himself around it like a koala. After that his sleeping was sound, for a while.

But just as Shikamaru was about to fall asleep, he heard a small whimper. It was tiny, but it made him whip around to face the other teen.

Naruto was thrashing a little and was clutching onto the pillow so tightly he was almost sorry for it. Shikamaru quickly got up, going over and putting his hand on the blonde's shoulder, he was going to shake the blonde awake but before he could do so, with ridiculous agility Naruto grabbed the older teen's arm and rolling until he had the raven pinned.

Shikamaru would be embarrassed by the fact he was bested by someone in their sleep but he had bigger fish to fry. The pillow forgotten, Naruto instead clung to Shikamaru like a koala, sighing in contentment at the warmth.

The pure Nara genius brain had completely short-circuited as the blonde happily snoozed.

With a huff of "troublesome" Shikamaru also dozed off, secretly reveling in the blonde blanket he had acquired.

Shikaku saw his son let loose a calm and genuine smile that only a fixation could give a Nara and he had realised that his son had grown up.
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Another short chapter, I'm sorry, I'm trying to think of where to go next and I haven't slept since dinosaurs were a thing so I'm sorry if the chapters are bad. I do love it when you guys comment and stuff, you're all so nice and I love ur support. Thank you for reading!
                                                      ~Gracie