Star Boy ~ Shikamaru x Fem Reader

Chapter 3

You awoke from your dreams of Shikamaru to the sound of a few pebbles hitting your window. You check the clock on your nightstand. 'Who's here so late?' You click on your fairy lights hanging from your open blinds and watch as they flicker in the darkness. You groggily pull yourself to the window to find the lazy ninja sitting in the grass smiling up at you, with some pebbles at his feet. 'Am I still dreaming?' Shikamaru had never come to your house before, and surely not in the middle of the night.

He gestures with his head for you to come down. You obnoxiously yawn at him and mouth 'What a drag,' mocking his catchphrase. You run down the stairs, trying to contain your growing excitement. 'Oh, my God, he's your best friend and your neighbor, it's not a big deal if he's at your house!' you tell yourself as you almost trip down the stairs.

You pass the hall mirror but stop for a moment to stare at yourself. You notice you weren't wearing any pants. You scoff at yourself 'Of course I'm not wearing any pants, I just got out of bed.' You consider going back upstairs to throw some sweatpants on, but don't want to keep Shikamaru waiting. You turn in the mirror to see yourself entirely. 'I think this T-shirt is long enough, it'll be fine,' you tell yourself over and over again. 'We're childhood friends, everything's fine.' Try to tell that to your beating heart in your chest.

You exit through the front door, knowing that you won't be reprimanded since your mother left you home alone for a week. The second you step outside, your sweet aroma fills Shikamaru's nose, he pretends not to notice it. He's waiting for you, leaning against the old 4 runner that's been parked in your gravel driveway for quite some time, ever since the battery died. You purposely make your voice a little quieter and a little drowsier so he doesn't know how excited you are at seeing him through your window.

"It's a little late for you, isn't it?" you tease. 'Keep your voice tired, you aren't excited to see him.' You feel his eyes on you as you join him against the fender. The scent is stronger now. His cheeks turn a shade of pink you've never seen on him before, as his gaze trails up towards your eyes, where you expected them to be in the first place, even though you were half-naked. "What is it, shadow boy?" Shikamaru feels his heart do cartwheels at your nickname for him, but yawns to make sure you know he isn't interested in being there.

"Took you long enough to get down here," he says with a slight smirk. "You know I don't understand why you women take so long." You let out a scoff and gently attack his shoulder with little punches. He smiles without holding back, retaliating by going to his go-to tickle spot that took him years to find on you. You let out a high pitched scream amongst the laughs and lean your weight backward at his gentle touch on you. However, at the unexpected weight, the car both of you are leaning on lets out an exasperated creak. You and Shikamaru jump off the fender, both your eyes growing wide and laughing lightly.

"When did you get this car anyway y/n?"

"To be honest, I think it's as old as me." You reach your hand under the latch of the trunk and push the door up. The scent of old leather hits both of your noses as memories of you as kids playing in the car come back to you. You turn to face Shikamaru with a gentle smile, knowing the same memories came to him too. 'God, he's beautiful,' you hold eye contact for a little longer than you should and frantically turn away to hold yourself back. You hope Shikamaru didn't see that.

Like you were a little kid again, you jump into the trunk of the car and sit down. Your mother always used to keep an emergency kit under the driver's seat, so you reach back and pull the blanket out from the pack, it still cold from sitting under the seat dormant for who knows how many years. Shikamaru watches you sit in the trunk wrapped in the blanket only for a moment before sitting down himself, next to you. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch him sitting a bit too close to you, watch him blush, and adjust his seating a bit more to the other side. But you show no knowledge of knowing this to not embarrass him. And also as to not give him the impression that you would've even wanted him to move.