Getting kicked out of his apartment wasn’t really on his bingo card for the night…well most of this night hadn’t been on his bingo card but here he was sitting on some random bench nursing his sore and quickly bruising cheek.. What a troublesome night. He pushed out a watery breath as he leaned his head back blinking back rapidly forming tears. What a truly god-awful night. “Naru?” The younger boy immediately straightened up and wiped his eyes “Shikamaru?” The Nara nodded and scratched the back of his head “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be dead to the world right now?” Shikamaru laughs as he shuffled over and sits on the bench “My parents are arguing.. really it’s a drag” Naruto nods “That sucks I’m sorry” Shikamaru shrugs as his eyes drift over to the blond “what about you?” Naruto’s hands fist his shorts as he gives a smile that doesn’t exactly reach his ears “Me and Sasuke got into an argument” he decidedly left the parts out that he got violent and kicked him out “I just needed some fresh air you know!” Kurama huffs which Naruto meant the fox knew he was lying “Feels like you two have had a lot of those lately” Naruto laughs quietly as he lets go of his shorts his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shorts “Yeah we’ve certainly had our fair share of arguments”
“Lier” his eyes widened but he quickly shook his head, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he took in the younger, his cheek had a blossoming bruise on it that the Nara was only going to get darker his arms were black and blue but as far as Shikamaru was aware the younger hadn’t gone on any missions lately.. and from what he could see they looked more like defense wounds than anything else… Naruto was trying to protect himself from somebody. Something twisted in his stomach “What did you two argue about?” Naruto blonde “Um…I don’t even remember, clearly something silly” Shikamaru leaned forward and then stood up looking back at the blond “You would tell me if something was wrong right?” Naruto nods quickly and smiles “Of course!” Shikamaru nodded then sighed unzipping his hoodie and throwing it at Naruto “Just don’t freeze to death alright” Naruto nodded and wrapped the hoodie around himself “Thank you shika” the Nara sighed one last time “Whatever you troublesome blond” he spared one more glance to the blond before walking away some sick ugly feeling twisting in his stomach.
What a drag this was going to be
~
Shikamaru started paying attention to the two…and to the outside world they seemed like the perfect couple, but if you paid closer attention you could see the little things, like how Naruto would flinch if Sasuke raised his hand a little too fast or how Sasuke would whisper something into sakura's ear that made her giggle and blush.. but if Naruto spoke to one of his friends the Uchiha would call Naruto back into his bubble he wanted to keep a leash on Naruto and sadly it was working. His glass cracked as he watched for the 100th time that night Sasuke openly flirted with the pink-haired woman “Shika?” Naruto’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts “what” he felt a soft grab his and turn it over “your bleeding” shikamaru looked down to his hand, there was a decent size cut in the middle of his hand it was bleeding steadily but he just shrugged “it’s fine clearly don’t know my own strength” Naruto frowns and shikamaru wants to sooth it Naruto was never supposed to frown, he watched Naruto turn to sasuke “I’m going to go help him clean this up” the uchiha gave a curt nod and he was gentle pulled to bathroom, were his hand was placed under warm water “not like you to be so spaced out” shikamaru averted his gaze to the youngers wrist were his jacket had been pulled up enough to show the hand print shaped bruises on his wrist, his jaw tensed “just a lot to think about” Naruto frowns as he dried off his hand then lifted his own hand a soft green glow admitting from his hand covers his own hand “it’s not baa-Chan but it should start the healing process nicely” shikamaru nods and flexes his hand. Naruto smiled and nodded to himself and started walking out but Shikamaru gently grabbed his wrist “Naruto” the younger man hummed and looked back, shikamaru dragged down his sleeve “This isn’t love you know that right… I need you to know that” a sad smile flashed across his face “I know shika” he shook off the hand “sadly I’m stuck” he gives one more sad smile before walking out, he feels something twisted stir in his gut, Naruto is supposed to be free not some caged bird.
He walks out well Naruto and Sasuke are saying their goodbyes which makes Shikamaru grimace.
~
Naruto was elbow-deep in dishes when Sasuke walked over and leaned against the counter “What did you two do in the bathroom?” Naruto's eyes shifted over to Sasuke for a moment before they went back to the dishes “I healed up his hand that’s all” Sasuke rolled his eyes “That all? You show up in his hoodie then disappear into the bathroom together? Looks suspicious to others Naruto” Naruto rinsed off his hands “Stop projecting your insecurities onto me” he dried his hands but dropped the towel and yelped as he was pulled back “My insecurities? Kami please Naruto if anybody is insecure in this relationship it’s you!” Naruto struggled against the hold “And what about you disappearing for hours on end? Who are you going to see Sasuke!” Sasuke gripped the back of his head yanking it back “My business is none of yours Naruto” the blond scoffed as his hands gripped Sasuke a wrist “I bet Sakura is sure happy huh getting her perfect guy right” The pain that blossomed in his cheek made tears prickly in his eyes then suddenly he’s being dropped to the ground his hand holding his cheek as he crumpled to the ground “we aren’t in love Sasuke” the Uchiha stops looking back “so why stay?” Naruto was staring at the floorboards his hand holding his cheek “Because I do love you Naruto” Naruto laughed as he dropped his hand “Please just stop” Sasuke walked over and crouched down “Who’s going to date you Naruto? Last I’ve seen you aren’t exactly the most popular person in this village” Naruto looked into onyx eyes “Then I would rather date nobody! Then be here!” This slap was harder and had Naruto crying out “Get over yourself Naruto” he stood up and walked off towards their bedroom.
Naruto let out a quiet sob as he sat there “Naruto” he shook his head “Please just leave me be I just need a moment” the fox huffed but stopped talking but didn’t disappear “I’m so tired Kurama” the fox purred softly “I know my child”
.
“What happens to Your hand?” Shikaku asked as Shikamaru picked up a shogi piece “I wasn’t aware of my own strength” his father raised a single eyebrow “That’s not like you my I think the world is ending” his father let out an airy laugh but Shikamaru just keeps his focus on the board “I have a friend” Shikaku blinks “I’m aware you have friends son” Shikamaru rolls the piece in his hand “they have a partner and this partner is very abusive” his father frowns and crosses his arms “do you have any proof of this or merely going off of assumptions?” Shikamaru put the piece on the board “The self-defense wounds they have on their arms suggest they are protecting themselves from them” Shikaku nods “Are you asking my opinion on what you should do?” He watched his son's eyes drift away from the board “I’m merely talking allowed” Shikaku blinked once more but before he could say anything yoshino stepped out a frown on her face “There’s somebody at the door for you shikamaru” The youngest Nara nods and stands up.
.
When he walked out his heart dropped to his stomach “What in the hell happened!” He rushes forward grabbing the youngers chin and twisting his head side to side, Naruto sighs and gently pushes away the Nara’s hand “I just took a fall nothing more nothing less” Shikamaru scowls “Naruto we’ve been friends for a while and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a significant bruise on you” Naruto meets his eyes and something in the blue eyes beg for him to stop “even I have my bad days shika” his thumb drag over the bruise “come in for a minute let me make you a cup of tea” Naruto shakes his head “I told him was dropping of your hoodie if I stay any longer he’ll..” Shikamaru's teeth clenched. He grabbed Naruto’s wrist and dragged him in, dragging him up to his room. He closed the door behind him and sat Naruto down on his bed and crouched down in front of him “Naruto please what we’ll make you see that he doesn’t love you that this isn’t healthy for you” Naruto looked away “he sees it! Naruto he is trying to help you! Please let him” kurama practically begs Naruto could feel him restlessly pace “I’m stuck shikamaru” the Nara eyes widen in shock as he grabs his hands “I’ve tried to leave.. I’ve tried multiple times he threatens me with anything and everything he can” tears start to steadily fall down the blonds face “and if I do leave where do I go? I have nothing Shikamaru” Naruto lets out a broken sob shikamaru pulls him to his chest “I got you Naruto.. I got you” Naruto buries his face into Shikamaru's chest well Shikamaru gently threads his fingers through the blond hair
.
Shikamaru isn’t sure how long they sat there but it is for some time, Naruto’s sobs turn into quiet sniffles then even breaths “Feeling better?” Naruto nods and they go back to sitting there quietly for a few more minutes before Naruto finally sniffles and sits up “I’m sorry” Shikamaru raises an eyebrow “For what?” Naruto frowned and fiddled with his hands “I ruined your shirt and kinda spilled everything out” Naruto kept on with his rambling which had Shikamaru sighing, he leaned forward and captured the youngers lips, Naruto’s eyes widened but he quickly melted into it. When Naruto finally backs away he has pink dusted across his cheeks “Troublesome blonds” Naruto's eyes narrowed “You mean troublesome Nara’s?” Shikamaru laughs as he captures Naruto’s lips again… yeah definitely troublesome blonds
.
Naruto spends the night and the next morning they walk over to Sasuke's apartment, shikamaru stops them just before the stairs “Remember what we talked about?” Naruto nodded and played with the sleeves of the hoodie “Just clothes and anything important” Shikamaru nodded “Good” They walked up the stairs and to the door, he unlocked it and walked in. It takes a few minutes but eventually, he walks out with his bag “The key is on the table with the note” Shikamaru smiles and places a gentle kiss on his lips “Good job”
~
It turns out Naruto is very different behind closed doors. He was quiet and way more relaxed. Shikamaru found that he loved this side of Naruto, but his favorite thing was when Naruto leaned against him well he and his father played shogi, Naruto usually had a scroll in his hand or just worked quietly. He smiles and shakes his head “What’s got you so happy” Shikamaru looks up and then back down “Just thinking” his father hums and looks to the side, Naruto was passed out against Shikamaru's back snoring softly “About what?” Shikamaru shrugged “Nothing interesting” he mumbled his father laughed “Tsunade has been unbearable lately” the younger Nara raised an eyebrow “Since those two broke up she has made sure to make Sasuke and Sakura's life hell” Shikamaru failed to suppress his smirk “couldn’t have happened to better people” Shikaku rolls his eyes “and don’t get me started with Kakashi he has made it clear that he doesn’t want to associate with those two” Shikamaru moves a piece “team 7 crumbling to the ground” his father eyes him for a moment “what will Naruto do?” Shikamaru shrugs “Whatever he likes” shikaku smiles “Naruto is meant to be free not to be caged up” his eyes drift slightly to the blond “I agree”
.
Ino felt her patience running thin normally these little clan meetings were bearable because she could usually drag Shikamaru off but Shikamaru showed no interest in her right now “You should just let me tie it up” She could see ocean blue eyes shift to look at honey brown “so I can have a pineapple ponytail? No, thank you” Shikamaru laughs as he grabs a strand of Naruto’s hair “I can do other hairstyles than that” Naruto rolls his eyes and moves away from the counter to the stove “Do you not like it down? I thought you said you liked me growing out my hair” Shikamaru rolled his eyes “I love that you're growing out your hair but it’s getting to the perfect length where you can do hairstyles” Naruto walked back over to the counter “Just once naru please” ino blinked a Nara begging… is like an akimichi giving up their food! “Fine” Shikamaru smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek “Thank you” Naruto blushed and handed the cup to the older “Whatever” The two walked past them and Ino stood up “Can we tag along please we're bored out of our mind” the two share a look before nodding “thank kami” choji and Ino follow them out to the porch where they all sit. Naruto sat next to Shikamaru and went back to looking through the scrolls he had spread out while Shikamaru started working his hands through Naruto’s hair “What do you do nowadays Naruto” Choji asked as he opened a bag of chips “mostly just work for baa-Chan I give an occasional hand to the hospital every once and a while as well” he closed a scroll and pushed it to the side “what about missions?” Naruto shrugged “Every once and a while” he continued to look over the scrolls well they all quietly sat their “naru” he hummed “Hold this for a moment” Naruto easily grabbed the bundle of hair as Shikamaru got up and walked inside “when did you start growing out your hair?”
“Oh hmm I don’t remember” ino leaned forward “I’m so jealous it took me ages to grow out my hair and it feels like you just started and it’s almost waist length! What products do you use?” Naruto blinked “Shampoo and conditioner” ino eyes widened “That’s all! No way you must use some sort of product right” Naruto shakes his head Ino gasps and stands up “Stay here I’ll be back” She runs out of the house well Naruto and Choji share a look “I think you look very pretty naru” Naruto smiles “thank you shoji” he nods and goes back to eating “we’re did Ino go?”
“We have no clue” Shikamaru sits behind Naruto and takes the hair tying it up in a pretty bow “Done” Naruto smiles “Hmm you do know more than one hairstyle” the Nara laughs and sits next to him “I told you” Naruto smiles “even a Nara can be wrong once and a while” choji snickers at the jab
“Back!” Everyone blinks and looks up to Ino as she rushes over and pushes Shikamaru out of the way “ok these are before you shower you just let them sit in there for a few minutes and then wash them out these are for after you shower you rub them in and let them stay in and you use this brush” Ino kept on her rambling to a very overwhelmed Naruto as she pushed different things into his hand “you only use this once during the week k” Naruto nodded as she pushed something else into his hands “you’re hair looks thick so maybe ribbons would be good for”
“You're overwhelming him Ino” ino looks back and rolls her eyes “You’ve let your beautiful boyfriend go without a hair routine which is truly just a sin!” She looks back “And maybe I could teach you a few hairstyles to keep your hair out of your eyes”
.
“What are you doing here, Shikamaru? I’m pretty sure it’s your day off, if you're here to get some work I’ll gladly give it to you” Shikamaru shook his head “No I’m here to ask a question” Tsunade looked surprised “A Nara asking a question my I think I’ve fallen ill” Shikamaru laughs and sits in the seat in front of her desk “but no seriously what’s up? Shouldn’t you be clinging to Naruto’s side?” Shikamaru stuffs his hands into his pocket “he’s shopping with Ino” Tsunade nodded and leaned back in her seat “Ah yes I saw the skirt he was wearing the other day truly adorable but I also guess the Yamanaka’s doing” Shikamaru nodded “he’s exploring his style she’s helping ” Tsunade smiled softly at the thought of her grandchild “and his hair oh my that is an uzumaki trait if I’ve ever seen one” shikamaru smiled “he’s proud of his hair” Tsunade puffs out her chest “as he should be! His mother would be so proud as would his father! My grand baby should be proud!” shikamaru held back his laugh at Tsunade’s blatant favoritism “your Naruto’s only family and the one he is closest too” tsunade immediately looked at him a questioning look on her face, he pulled the little box out his pocket and placed it on the desk “you're also the only one I can get a blessing from” tsunade snatched the box and opened it eyeing the ring then the Nara
It was a slim ring, a green jewel of some sort in the middle with the Nara symbol engraved into it “You want to marry my grandbaby?” Shikamaru nods “And why should I let you, maybe you're like that Uchiha trash and want to hurt my baby?” Shikamaru has to stop his scoff “I would never lay a finger on Naruto” She closes the box and slides it back towards Shikamaru “If I ever see so much a hair out of place Nara I will gladly beat you into bloody pulp” the Nara smiles and grabs the box “deal” Tsunade smiles “good” she folds her hands “you have my blessing to marry Naruto” Shikamaru nods and bows “thank you, lady, hokage” Tsunade rolls her eyes “whatever get out of my office before I change my mind” Shikamaru walks out quickly where he almost runs into kakashi “if you ever hurt him Shikamaru I know places where your body we'll never be found” Shikamaru gave a quick nod and then quickly walked away
“Well, what did she say!” Shikamaru looked over to choji “Other than threatening and fawning over her grandchild I got the ok” choji smiled and about crushed him in a hug “Thank goodness” Shikamaru sucked in a breath as choji let go “Now let’s go Naruto can only take so much of Ino”
Shikamaru followed choji smiling when spotted the two Naruto had a small bag in his hands well Ino had quite a few bags in her hands “And how many stores did she drag you to?” Naruto practically deflated “So many” Choji laughed as he patted Naruto’s arm sympathetically “What did you get” Naruto lifted the bag “A necklace I broke my other one” choji frowned “How?” Naruto cocks his head to the side “On a mission… just wasn’t paying attention but it’s all good!” Naruto pulled out the little box and opened it for everyone to see, he felt a quiet huff “I’m sorry my child” Naruto just smiled softly and shook his head
It was a teal jewel that was an emerald cut with a silver chain. It reminded Shikamaru of the first necklace just a tad bit different “It’s very pretty” Naruto smiled and closed the box “Thank you” he placed it back in the bag “How about food? I’m starving!” They all nod and follow Ino, Naruto falls back to link arms with Shikamaru “Where have you been all day?” Shikamaru taps the end of his cigarette “There was some paperwork I had to drop off” Naruto hums as he shifts his bag to his other arm “So fun stuff” Shikamaru brings his cigarette to his lips and inhales “oh so much fun” He exhales a cloud of smoke, Naruto giggles and it’s like music to his ears, they get dragged into a restaurant where they order their food and wait “oh you never guess who I say the other day!” Everyone sighed and looked at Ino “Who did you see?” Ino leaned on her palm “I saw Sakura for the first time in a while” Naruto put down his tea cup “Did baa-Chan finally let up?” Ino shakes her head “I don’t think so she looked exhausted. She was leaving the Uchiha compound though so maybe she and Sasuke were just you know..” Naruto’s face twisted at the thought of them sleeping together “It’s not long before she is going to be pregnant” he mumbled mostly to himself “I’m surprised she isn’t already” Everyone’s face twisted at that “Aren’t you bitter Naruto?” Naruto blinked and shared a look with Shikamaru “Why would I be bitter if I was the one that broke things off?” Ino leans on her hand “I don’t know, it just feels like you put a lot of time into Sasuke just to split up” Naruto laughs “We weren’t happy Ino he had his eyes on a different person so why stay?” Ino nods “I guess I get that plus you and Shikamaru look much happier together” The two don’t comment and just share a soft look
They eat dinner and go their separate ways Naruto holds his bag close to himself before he smiles “I got you something” Shikamaru yawned and looked over Naruto dug through the bag “You seem like a bracelet person” he pushed the green bracelet towards Shikamaru “I got a matching one” he pulls out an orange one and shows it to him. Shikamaru stops and looks at the two bracelets “Switch me” Naruto looks up “Huh?” Shikamaru grabs the orange bracelet from Naruto’s hand and slips it on then takes the green one and puts it on Naruto’s wrist then nods to himself “Better” Shikamaru interlocks their fingers together and walks home
~
The Nara forest was the best place for naps or quiet dates with your boyfriend or both if you asked Shikamaru, Naruto was sprawled out on his chest quietly humming to himself well shikamaru twisted a piece of his hair mindlessly, the sun was setting creating a beautiful hue among the trees, he smiled and reached into his pocket “hey” Naruto hums quietly “here” shikamaru pulls out the box and gently places it in the younger hand “what’s this?” Shikamaru pillowed his head with his arms “Just open it” Naruto slowly opened the box gasping when it was completely open “A lot of your jewelry is simple so I kinda just based it off that” Naruto threw his arms around him his fingers gripping the shirt the box firmly held in Naruto’s hands.. it was a silent yes but one nonetheless
Shikamaru gently pried the box out of his hands and grabbed the ring out of it and easily slipped it onto his finger “It's beautiful shika” Naruto held it up and smiled “Thank you” Shikamaru smiled and nodded. They sit there tell the sun goes and then quietly walk home
“There you two are! My Kami I thought we were never going to eat!” Naruto slipped off his sandals “Sorry we lost track of time" Yoshino sighed “Clearly the sun is down!” Shikaku places his hand on his wife’s shoulder “It’s alright you two just go wash up” he gently pulls his wife into the kitchen “Look at Naruto’s hand” Yoshino focuses in on Naruto’s hand then she squeals shaking her husband's shoulder “my little boy is growing up!” Then her face got serious “Was he even going to ask us I should beat him? What about Naruto’s family… I mean” Shikaku laughs “Shikamaru does what he likes therefore no he was never going to ask us second I heard he asked Lady Hokage.. let them be young Yoshino” She sighed and nodded “Fine”
They walked out a few minutes later and sat at their spots and quietly ate, Yoshino wanted to reach over and congratulate the two but Shikamaru not even bring it up meant the younger Nara didn’t want to talk about it yet.. but she was also happy for the two, Shikamaru was happy with Naruto and from what she could see Naruto was happy with Shikamaru.. she wasn’t exactly sure when he started showing interest well that’s a lie she remembers Shikamaru bringing Naruto up a few times on how sweet the kid was but nobody dared to talk to him, she remembered her husband asking Shikamaru opinion and the look the young Nara pulled made her want to laugh. She remembers it so clearly
“He’s troublesome but kind overall he’s even nice to choji and in return, choji brings him snacks” she laughed to herself as she placed her chopsticks down. The two were always meant to be together fate just had a funny way of putting it
.
Naruto scratched his head then looked up and then back down “Any other symptoms?” The pink-haired woman shook her head “No just those” Naruto stared at the paper “How long have these been going on?” Sakura looks away “A little over a month” Naruto nods and grabs something from behind him “There’s a bathroom over there” Sakura nods as Naruto hands her a cup “Go pee in this” She nods and stands up walking towards the bathroom. A few minutes later she walked out and handed the cup to Naruto “It will take a few minutes but you’ll get your answer eventually” Sakura nodded as Naruto walked out handing the cup to a nurse “Quickly please” the nurse nodded and walked down the hall “and here I was trying to surprise you” Naruto smiles and walks over “I had a patient” Shikamaru pushes himself off the counter “anybody fun?” Naruto places do the clipboard “We’ll depending on the answer I get in the next hour or so depends on the story you get when I get home” Shikamaru lifts an eyebrow “My interest is peaked” Naruto laughs “Well I brought you lunch” Naruto smiles and takes the bento “did baa-Chan say you could take some time off” Shikamaru averted his gaze “you dumbass if she’ sees your gone she’ll throw a fit! Go!” Naruto pushes him out the door “You're such a drag” Naruto gives him one more push “Go!” The door closes as Shikamaru walks away the blond opens the bento and takes a few bites but his lunch is interrupted when the nurse walks over and hands him a paper “Thank you mio-San” The woman nods and walks away. His eyes look over the paper quickly then sighs
He walks into the room and leans on the desk “Well you’ll be thankful it’s nothing deadly just a lovely headache for the next 9 months” Sakura's eyes about pop out of her head “I’m pregnant?” Naruto nods “Yup” he hands her the papers. Her eyes repeatedly read over the paper “Oh he is going to be so excited!” Naruto rolled his eyes and turned to the desk “I’ll write you off to one of the other doctors and you’ll see them for more regular checkups” The room went quiet which made Naruto’s skin crawl before he heard a loud deep breath “I heard you got engaged” he nods and turns back around “to Shikamaru right?” Naruto tears off the paper “Yeah” he folds it up and hands it over “you’ve changed a lot.. your hair your clothing the way you talk hell you’ve started working at the hospital I wasn’t even aware you could do medical ninjutsu” Naruto looked down to his clothing
It was a black Shinobi shirt with the Nara symbol on the sleeve tucked into a long gray skirt with a slit in it a pair of dark leggings and black sandals.. his hair was in a messy bun truthfully he looked like a hot mess “I learned from baa-Chan” he finally says as he leans against the desk. She frowns as she tucks the paper into her pocket “Nobody wants to talk to me anymore” Naruto shrugs as he pushes himself off the desk “That isn’t my fault Sakura” he grabs the doorknob and twists it “I know” he steps out shaking his head “have a good rest of your day”
.
He shifts the bags from one hand to another as he takes off his sandals “Shika! You home?” He walks into the kitchen and places the bags down slowly taking the items out “Yeah” the Nara shuffled into the kitchen yawning as he did so “you’ll never believe who showed up at the hospital today!” Shikamaru blinked slowly and raised an eyebrow “Sakura came in with all of these symptoms and so I ran a few tests and found she was pregnant” Shikamaru just shook his head “Not even married yet” Naruto rolled his eyes as put away the ingredients “not like you’ve stayed faithful to that either shika” Shikamaru shrugs “didn’t hear you complaining” Naruto walked by placing a kiss on his cheek “I wasn’t” he walked out the kitchen and up the stairs “clean up the table your parents are coming for dinner” Shikamaru sighed.. the one drawback of marrying an Uzumaki was when they asked you to do something you did it the first time and couldn’t push it off or maybe it was Senju bloodline, Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.. maybe it was both “Shikamaru Nara! I can hear those cogs turning from up here stop thinking and get to it!” His eyes widen and he quickly grabs the rag and shuffles to the table, ok maybe the drawback was the temper, and knows that that's what Tsunade and his mothers doing.. from what he’s heard minato was a saint with his father’s personality
He cleaned off the table and sighed.. he wasn’t sure Naruto remained him of every one of them.. he had his mother's temper sure but he also had his father's patience and his ability to stay calm under any circumstances but then throw in a sprinkle of Tsunade with that crazy strength and that look that could make even the most feared villain crumble.. he wasn’t exactly sure which one he resembled most, all he knew that all of that made his lover. He laughed and dropped the rag into the sink “What’s funny?” Shikamaru spun on his heel “Nothing just thinking” Naruto cocked his head to the side “About what” Naruto walked into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle “Tsunade always says you remind her of your mother” Naruto raised an eyebrow as he filled the teapot with water “I’ve been told I act like her” Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pocket fingers spinning his lighter mindlessly well his eyes followed Naruto “but do you remember the stories we used to hear about your dad all the time?” Naruto turned on the stove “My father was calm and collected he was one to admit when he made mistakes he was humble and always gave other compliments but struggled to take one himself” Shikamaru felt surprised by this he shook his head “he was also patient” Naruto nodded as he grabbed two cups “sometimes I feel like you have the patience of a saint I even feel like certain things got on my nerves and I look over to you and your giving that kind smile and still working with the person” Naruto let out a light laugh “it just means that you make a poor Nara” Shikamaru sighed and walked over wrapping his arms around Naruto’s waist “you stay calm and collected even when the world is constantly pushing against you… Some of the things you have gone through would have made others snap but here you stand” Naruto grabbed the kettle and poured the water into the cups “You give compliments out constantly always praising others but you shy away when people try to give you one you realize when you fucked up and try to fix it to the best of your ability.. and the most important thing your dad was known for was being kind to his opponents even those who wronged him” Naruto placed the kettle down and sighed “shika” Shikamaru spun him around “you forgive your opponents Naruto even the ones that don’t deserve it” Naruto looked up to honey brown eyes “are you saying I’m my father?” Shikamaru laughs and places a gentle kiss to his nose “no I’m saying you're a perfect mix between your mother and father.. you have your moments are you are very hot-headed but at the same time there are moments where you are calm and collected” Naruto laughs “I love you Shikamaru” The Nara smiles and kisses Naruto “I love you Naruto”
~
Wedding planning was stressful if Naruto wasn't getting pulled away by Ino he was getting pulled away by Yoshino there had been no moment where he had felt like he could breathe without being asked two hundred questions, he had finally snuck off at some point, and hid in baa-chan's office “overwhelmed?” Naruto nods as he slides down into the chair kakashi is on the other side giving him a sympathetic glance “I’ve had Ino show me about a hundred different wedding dresses but none of them are great you know” Tsunade nods “I thought you and Shikamaru were planning more traditional” Naruto sighed and leans back “we were but nobody is listening to me!” Kakashi and Tsunade share a “You want the traditional type wedding kimono no?” Naruto nods “Yes” Tsunade nods and grabs a pen and paper “And Shikamaru wants the same?” Naruto rolled his eyes “Yes baa-Chan” she scribbled something down and handed it over to Kakashi “You deal with him” Kakashi nodded and grabbed the paper “And if anyone interferes turn them down” Kakashi nodded and wandered out “Shizune! Clear my schedule!” Naruto could hear the screech the woman let out from here “Baa-Chan?” She stood and slammed her hands against the desk “My grandbaby is getting the wedding they want! I will make sure of it!” She walks around the desk and grabs Naruto's hands “Now let's go!”
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Shikamaru blinked as he was dragged along by his father “I think I should be working no?” Kakashi shook his head as he patted his pocket “Nope you got the day off” Shikamaru gulped that didn’t exactly sound great “Poor Naruto is overwhelmed and came to spill his heart out to his grandmother” Shikamaru felt himself pale. He knew Naruto was getting overwhelmed, he offered to tell everyone to back off but he declined “Naruto wants a traditional wedding and well his grandmother is now taking this into her hands” Shikamaru was going to die! “So she stuck me on you to get your montsuki haori hakama fitted. Well, she gets Naruto’s clothes sorted” his eyes darted around quickly “Couldn’t I have done this at some point by myself?” Kakashi shoots him a pointed look “Shikamaru you are marrying the 4th Hokage's son you realize that no?” Shikamaru looks at his dad pleading for any sort of help “I’m aware” Kakashi spins on his heel and points a finger at Shikamaru “Truthfully I don’t think Naruto we’ll ever find anybody good enough for him.. and maybe that’s the minato in me talking” he shakes his head and opens the door to the shop “ah good afternoon do you have an appointment?” Kakashi shook his head and pulled out the note “This is from Lady Hokage” The man unfolded the note and read it, his eyes widened, and looked up “Yes of course! Come on in” Shikamaru sighed he was in for a long day
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“Baa-Chan look at the price!” Tsunade shook her head “Don’t pay attention to that” she pointed something out to the woman who was pinning something to the dress “he doesn’t want the traditional headpiece maybe I can find someone to do your hair” Naruto smiled “I want Ino to do my hair” Tsunade nods “now let's talk venue” Naruto blinked “well something outside would be nice” she nodded and looked over to Shizune who nodded “I want the clam symbol on the back” the woman nodded “which one lady hokage” she opened her mouth but Naruto quickly cut in “the Nara one aoi-san” Tsunade looked over “why not the Uzumaki?” Naruto smiles softly “Me and Shikamaru talked about it..this day is about us not about are clans” Tsunade shakes her and smiles “Fine”
He is poked and prodded for a few more minutes before he is finally free “It will take a couple of weeks Lady Hokage” She nods and places a pouch on the counter “Deliver it to the Nara compound” She nods and bows “You didn’t need to do that baa-Chan” Tsunade looks over “shush Naruto it’s your wedding and you deserve it I’ll take care of everything you just need to sit back and relax!”
~
The wedding was beautiful Shikamaru will give her that. Her graby baby was involved which meant she was going to give it her all. He sighed as he wiped his hands off for the hundredth time “Nervous?” Shikamaru laughed “Obviously” his father laughed “Wasn’t really expecting Naruto as my son-in-law” Shikamaru let out another laugh “I wasn’t expecting to fall so hard” his father placed a hand on his shoulder “Are you happy?” He scoffs as if his father had personally offended him “Of course I’m happy” his father squeezes his shoulder “Naruto brings out a part of you I’ve never seen.. your willing to put in the effort for him” Shikamaru nods “Of course, he deserves the effort” his father smiles and squeezes his shoulder once more “oh my baby!” Shikamaru flinched at his mother's voice “Mom” she was particularly sobbing as she walked over “Oh you're getting married I never thought that this was going to happen!”
“Mom!” He hissed “It’s useless she’s been like this all morning” Shikamaru scoffed and looked away “Go you two the ceremony should start soon” his dad laughed as his mom wailed “Yoshino come on let’s go” She let out another sob as her husband dragged her away “if I knew getting married was going to be so exhausting I would have just stuck to a small ceremony” he hears an airy giggle which has smiling immediately, “I think I kinda agree” he heard light footsteps as Naruto came to stand next to him but shikamaru kept his eyes firmly set on the outside world “how are you feeling?” He hears Naruto shift slightly “I’m nervous” Shikamaru nods his head in understanding “We can do this together” he feels a soft hand grab his “I know” his voice was barely above a whisper but he heard it nonetheless. He took a deep breath and finally looked over “Let’s get this over with” Naruto nodded and smiled “Let’s”
~
Naruto sighed as he shifted from foot to foot as he watched the people move around him quickly “This is a drag” he let out a quiet laugh as he shifted the bundle in his arms “It’s not a drag Shikamaru it’s an important event” Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he bounced the baby in his arms. Shikadai always perfeard his mother more than his father well his twin seemed content in his father's arms.. not even one yet and there already picking sides “For him not for us and yet here we are dragging our children to this” Naruto looked over smiling softly “If it makes you feel better we can leave a tad bit early though it seems shikadai is rather content” boruto on the other hand seemed to be giving Shikamaru a run for his money “yeah well your child is proving to be a little mini you” Naruto raised an eyebrow and gave a pointed look “if i remember correctly it takes two to make a child” shikadai lets out a little cooing sound as he poked out a hand and grabbed his mothers finger “isn’t that right baby your father is just silly” the baby let out string of giggles like his mother had said the funniest thing alive Naruto smiled and poked the child’s cheek “I know silly isn’t he” boruto made grabby hands towards his mother which made shikamaru raise an eyebrow, the younger twin very rarely actually wanted Naruto’s attention normally being happy with just his fathers well shikadai seemed to constantly need Naruto’s attention a lot like his father.. but moving along “I can’t hold both of you” Naruto laughed lightly but to the baby this seemed like the worst news alive!
His lip wobbled as tears started to swell then he let out an ear-piercing scream which had both of them quickly scrambling to swap children “Hey hey it’s ok mama got you” he bounced the baby as Shikamaru fixed the bundle Shikadai was in the baby seemed to glare at his father not openly crying but making his displeasure known “are they being handfuls?” Naruto looked past Shikamaru and smiled “Eh when are they not” Yoshino laughed and walked up looking between the two. Naruto was rocking boruto well Shikamaru had a staring contest with shikadai “Aren’t they just the cutest!” Shikamaru rolled his eyes “Absolutely adorable” Mismatched eyes blinked at him slowly then the baby sighed and then looked over to his mother frowning “he just sighed..this child just sighed” Naruto rolled his eyes “he was probably breathing shika don’t do dramatic” shikadai sighed once more as to prove a point to his father… like he was annoyed at him
Shikamaru felt his eyes twitch “Are you two staying long?” Boruto started settling into his nap as Naruto shook his head “We want to get the little ones home but I’ll congratulate him when I see him next” Yoshino nodded as she looked over to her son who seemed to be having a silent argument with his kid “well I’m sure he thanks you for coming truthfully I didn’t even expect you to show up! But now that I see you it looks like you haven’t even had twins” naruto blushed and looked away “ah you're being too nice yoshino-san” she shakes her head “are you back on active duty?” Naruto nods “I’ve been back on active duty for some time now” he could see his mother pale at that “What about rest? Or time with the child?” Naruto smiles “I felt fine
After a few hours but that’s probably more kuramas doing than anything” Yoshino shared a look with her husband “The nine tails?” Naruto nodded and gently dragged his fingers down a whiskered cheek “he just healed you?” Naruto nodded “he has the ability to do that?”
“Mom! That’s enough” he hissed “Let’s just continue with the ceremony” she nodded looking a little embarrassed “Sorry” Naruto gave a soft smile “It’s alright nothing wrong with being a little curious”
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Naruto placed the sleeping baby in the cot and then finally laid on the bed Shikamaru easily making room for him “Finally asleep” Naruto nodded “Well boruto is Shikadai seems to be wide awake” Shikamaru groans and Buries his face into Naruto’s neck “he’ll fall asleep eventually” shikamaru sighs “no he won’t he’ll start crying you’ll do that thing where you let him cry for a few minutes and then whine and go bring him to bed” Naruto mumbled something like a no. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and laced their fingers together “Sure” he dragged their hands up and placed a gentle kiss on the ring “I love you Naruto” Naruto smiled “I love you Shikamaru”
Yeah, the blond was troublesome but he was worth every minute of it.