4/4
Who: Temari and Shikamaru
When: June fifteenth, 2oo8.
Where: Some restaurant outside Tokyo, the Love Hotel, then the airport.
Warnings: Language, typos, uh...sex. Epic...ness.
Open? Nope, finished!
[ Part one] [ Part two] [ Part three] [ Part four]
“You have a long way to go before I even think of you in any way besides wanting to wring your skinny neck,” Temari informed Shikamaru, following behind him as they made their way out to the car. She took out her keys and unlocked the doors, signaling with a nod of her head for him to get in as she slipped into the drivers seat.
She started the car, turning her head slightly to get a good look at him, glaring at him and silently commanding him to put on that seatbelt if he knew what was good for him. She wasn’t going to liable for him, that was for sure.
“Where am I taking you?” Suddenly, the fact that they were sitting so close (less than a foot away) made her somewhat self-conscious. He was right there. If she moved her hand and he moved his, they could accidentally touch. She had no idea why she was feeling so flustered, so unlike herself. Usually, nothing could bother her (except maybe something about her brothers). But here she was, acting like a school girl. What a damn shame. She should have been able to reach over and punch him playfully, maybe even a little harder than what was considered “playful” just to fuck around. In an attempt to try to alleviate the awkward tension that was settling in her bones, she did just as she would have any other day and punched him right on the arm. “Hopefully it isn’t too far out,” she said, grinning wildly.
"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Shikamaru winced, bringing a hand up to rub the spot on his arm where she'd just pinched him. "Didn't you give me enough marks already?"
And right then, things got awkward again. Because he'd mentioned it, yet another time. And although they both knew what had happened, it seemed like if they didn't say anything pertaining to it, that perhaps it would just go away.
Of course, Shikamaru was smarter than that. But still, he hated knowing what had happened, he hated thinking about it--but another part of him wondered why the hell it had to be such a big deal at all. He was torn, and he needed time to figure this out, and he was certain Temari was feeling the same way. That was why he needed to get away from her, why he needed to go back to Tokyo, and why he didn't quite feel comfortable being in the car with her right then.
In the meantime, however, he was still going to pretend nothing had changed, and leaned back in his seat, glancing out the window at passing traffic. "Uh, the airport. I'm going to fly back, I didn't bring a driver."
“Take it like a man.” It was the only thing Temari had to say about the “marks” she’d given him. Glancing from the corner of her eyes, she saw him sit back and relax even as the temperature in the car went from around normal to “Holy Shit This is Fucking Awkward”, whatever that degree was. She sort of felt like the situation was bipolar-going back and forth from normal to awkward to angry to normal to hateful to lustful to whatever else there was. She was almost positive other ‘one-night stands” didn’t end this way. Not that she knew from personal experience. She didn’t have the patience to deal with a man who only wanted sex, anyway.
But here she was, driving her one-night stand, who also happened to be part-time coworker for the next few days or weeks or however long it took to complete the music video.
“Airport?” she repeated. She turned to look at him, to gauge his reactions, to try to figure out what was passing through his mind. Usually, Temari could read a person well, could figure out what they were thinking and what they would do and say. But Shikamaru was a mystery to her. He didn’t say much, and when he did, it was something she was half-expecting but not really. He left her struggling to figure out what he could possibly do and say. She knew he wasn’t a man of surprises (too lazy to be unexpected, obviously), even if she only knew him for a few hours. But then again, she mused as scenes from what had happened only moments ago replayed in her mind’s eye, he could shock the hell out her.
What the hell was she going to do?
She had a distinct feeling that Shikamaru was all the more eager to get the hell away from her, even if he had to go by plane. However, it wasn’t like she could do anything now. Everything that had happened was done, and there was only going forward. Wherever that was. “Airport it is.”
The drive only seemed to be taking longer and longer at this point; the more words they exchanged, the more he wanted to get away from her right then, and at the same time, it made him want her to stay right where she was. Next to him.
That was a scary feeling for a man who seemed to pride himself in hating all women. And the reasons why he hated them were repeating in his mind (; annoying, bossy, bitchy, selfish hags).
His eyes, which had previously been flickering from person to car, to another car, to anything at all he could manage to see, were now looking at Temari again, without Shikamaru even realizing he'd turned to face her again. Why did he need to look at her? Why the did the way her hair was so much more of a mess than it had been even this morning seem so attractive right then? Why did even the way she frowned, the way she spoke with some underlying hatred towards him, make Shikamaru wish they were back in the hotel room, in the bed, doing what they had just done again?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
"I-" (He what?)
Clearing his throat and glancing away from her (for the one millionth time that day), Shikamaru rolled the window down and exhaled.
"It's hot in here." He said this as though it was the most obvious thing in the world--and maybe it was, despite the moderate temperature that day.
Following suit, Temari rolled down her own window, trying to come up with ways to go back to how they were this morning (at least she knew how to act around him, then) but coming up short. Without realizing it, she flashed him a wide-grinned smile and said jokingly, in her low, almost boyish voice, “I have to admit I think I’m pretty hot, too.” But once the words were out of her mouth, she felt blood rush to her face, and if she wasn’t almost perfectly sure she was incapable of blushing, she would have sworn her face was going red.
After a few moments of strangling silence, she slammed on the brake, right beside the sidewalk just outside the neighborhood they had just come out of. “Look, stop making this awkward. I can’t stand looking at you!” she yelled at him, angling her body so she could have a better look at him. “You’re making the situation all the worse.”
"Oh, me?" He pointed mindlessly to his chest as he began, "I couldn't make this shit more awkward if I tried." Why the hell was she blaming him, anyway? It wasn't his fault. Well, maybe it was, kind of. But she was partially responsible. Even if he did kiss her, and...
Wait, no. Fuck that. He wasn't taking the blame for this. She was the one who started acting all sexy, she was the one who thought they needed to practice, she suggested the Love hotel (which actually had nothing to do with what happened, but it helped in his defense).
Shaking his head and lowering his hand, Shikamaru sighed. "Look, I know what happened was...weird. I know that, okay? It's not like I go around jumping in bed with women I don't know all the time or anything. I'm just as worried as you are." Wait, he was worried? Well fuck.
“Well, fuck you.” Brilliant retort, Temari. Fucking beautiful. If she hated herself as much as any other normal angsty celebrity, she might have been tempted to throw herself out of the car into traffic. Except, she didn’t, and she felt like she hated Shikamaru more and would enjoy watching him roll into traffic.
It was all his fault, come to think of it. Apparently, he couldn’t take jokes. If she’d known that, she wouldn’t have been all flirty (and slutty and all that stuff) around him. She would have suggested “practicing” (it was a damn joke!) and she would have definitely not suggested a love hotel (except it was the closest thing and damn gas prices were off the charts). If he hadn’t kissed her, they wouldn’t be in this awkward situation. They would have been in some other kind of awkward situation, probably involving her and her violent tendency to want to get rid of people that annoyed her.
But as his words registered in her mind, she blinked at him, almost stupidly. Worried? He was worried too? She was worried about a lot of things-her reputation, their reputation, her music, her situation, what would happen, how they would be able to work with each other, the music video, getting into a car accident because all she kept thinking about was him. “Worried?” she asked. “Worried about what?” Yes, it was a question, but the kind of question any normal guy would want to answer quickly since she looked just about ready to make him feel all kinds of none-too-pleasing pain that may or may not involve his genitals.
"I don't know," he replied, "about...people finding out, I guess. About--" he shook his head again. "Aren't you worried?" Asking if she was worried was practically asking if she was scared, and a woman would not admit their fears. Not Temari, anyway. At least, he didn't expect her to.
And now he looked like the woman, admitting what he had like that. He didn't want to tell her what he was really worried about, though; that would mean telling her that he didn't think he hated her as much as he had previously thought, that this wasn't only a mistake to him, but a blessing as well, that working with her after this would be unbearable because he couldn't look at her without wanting to rip all of her clothes off and toss her onto (or up against) the nearest flat surface.
This was all too much--it was insane. And, right then, he wanted to be the one behind the wheel, because this car needed to move, they needed to be away from each other, as soon as possible. Because the temperature in the car was ridiculously high, and he was either going to end up taking his clothes off and turning the air on; but the latter would make him seem strange, and Temari would have something to say about it. And removing his clothes wasn't an option.
There was little Temari could think to say that wouldn’t make both of them feel extremely, extremely weird. Not that they didn’t already, which was beside the point. To be honest, everything that was happening was as new to Temari as it was to Shikamaru-she didn’t sleep with every guy she met, especially one she hated; she didn’t then proceed to drive them home (or to the airport, same shit); and she didn’t feel compelled to stare at them all the time and remembering what sleeping with them in the first place was like.
“I’m never worried,” she responded to his question, not bothering to look at him, not sure how she could face him without revealing that she was lying-he’d probably catch it, anyway. So instead, she stared out the window, at the scenery that would have gone by much faster if the car were actually moving. But she didn’t trust herself to drive just yet. Her mind was too preoccupied for driving.
She sort of wanted to turn back to him and force him out of the car. She hated looking at him and he only proceeded to further infuriate her. The very fact he had made her act in ways she wouldn’t usually act in made her angry, at herself and at him.
Sparing him a quick glance, he seemed almost ready to throw himself out of the window. “I’ll get back to driving,” she told him, her voice calm and controlled. She was trying desperately hard to keep from revealing herself, from letting him know how uncomfortable she was beside him. “You seem so desperate to get away from me. I wouldn’t want to inflict any more torture on you.”
"Thank you." Shikamaru replied (although it sounded more like a retort) quietly, before he turned away from her to look out the window closest to him; he was having a hard time figuring all of this out, and really, he had no idea what was going to happen after all of this. Seeing her, talking to her again...he wasn't really sure how he would be able to do that and act like everything was okay.
But he'd manage. Somehow. He knew this much. For the time being, though, his thoughts, his feelings on the matter, were far too overwhelming.
This seemed to be taking forever. Much longer than the ride from the airport had taken. All those seconds that had passed where the car wasn't moving...well, they only became more and more unbearable, and Shikamaru found himself heaving a relived sigh once the tires had finally began rolling again.
"Uhm, look." He started, glancing over to Temari again. "I'll...call you and whatever when we need you again, okay? Those guys take forever to get anything done if you work through them." Good, he said something to her. That was better...right
All Temari did in response was shrug. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the awkwardness of the situation and she was in less of a mood to deal with Shikamaru and his way of dealing with the situation. Okay, so she was in some kind of awful denial, but if she was going to get to the airport with the car in one piece and without her having committed some kind of murder, it was crucial she didn’t try to have a conversation with him. She wasn’t sure if she could handle it.
Somehow, even though throughout the entire day the world had seemed to work against her, the day was finally going right. Traffic lessened, the roads cleared, and the airport loomed ahead in minutes. Sh
e’d be getting rid of Shikamaru and away from the entire situation in only a few more moments.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t face him that she was so eager to get away. She couldn’t face the situation they had just placed themselves in. It was worst than a one night stand, where chances of seeing the other person were slim and if it did happen, they were easily ignored. Their situation was one of sleeping with your coworker and having to face them constantly and having to pretend no amount of intimacy had ever happened. And while Temari could easily distance herself and be as cold as ice, there was something about having shared that kind of intimacy that made it all the more difficult to deal with.
Temari stopped in the airport, mentally shaking herself to stop thinking. She turned to Shikamaru saying, “Well, we’re here. I’ll see you when I see you.”
"Yeah, I guess so." He replied flatly, reaching down and unbuckling the seat belt. Then he gathered his things and gave a quick once over of the vehicle (; seats, floorboards...woman) to make certain he wasn't forgetting anything. When he saw nothing, he fastened his bag closed and pushed the door open.
He wanted to say something like "thank God" or "good riddance", but...that would be pushing it. And he wasn't really all that eager to get away from her, but rather, he wanted to distance himself from the situation altogether. And he was glad this horrible, fucked up day was finally over, as he threw Temari a short wave and exited the car, muttering a short thanks as he did.
Well, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't ever going to see each other again, or if she wasn't wh she was. Bu there were also benefits to things like that, and he could return home with the reassurance that his actions of that day would not become front page news. And that was better than nothing.
When: June fifteenth, 2oo8.
Where: Some restaurant outside Tokyo, the Love Hotel, then the airport.
Warnings: Language, typos, uh...sex. Epic...ness.
Open? Nope, finished!
[ Part one] [ Part two] [ Part three] [ Part four]
“You have a long way to go before I even think of you in any way besides wanting to wring your skinny neck,” Temari informed Shikamaru, following behind him as they made their way out to the car. She took out her keys and unlocked the doors, signaling with a nod of her head for him to get in as she slipped into the drivers seat.
She started the car, turning her head slightly to get a good look at him, glaring at him and silently commanding him to put on that seatbelt if he knew what was good for him. She wasn’t going to liable for him, that was for sure.
“Where am I taking you?” Suddenly, the fact that they were sitting so close (less than a foot away) made her somewhat self-conscious. He was right there. If she moved her hand and he moved his, they could accidentally touch. She had no idea why she was feeling so flustered, so unlike herself. Usually, nothing could bother her (except maybe something about her brothers). But here she was, acting like a school girl. What a damn shame. She should have been able to reach over and punch him playfully, maybe even a little harder than what was considered “playful” just to fuck around. In an attempt to try to alleviate the awkward tension that was settling in her bones, she did just as she would have any other day and punched him right on the arm. “Hopefully it isn’t too far out,” she said, grinning wildly.
"Ow, what the hell was that for?" Shikamaru winced, bringing a hand up to rub the spot on his arm where she'd just pinched him. "Didn't you give me enough marks already?"
And right then, things got awkward again. Because he'd mentioned it, yet another time. And although they both knew what had happened, it seemed like if they didn't say anything pertaining to it, that perhaps it would just go away.
Of course, Shikamaru was smarter than that. But still, he hated knowing what had happened, he hated thinking about it--but another part of him wondered why the hell it had to be such a big deal at all. He was torn, and he needed time to figure this out, and he was certain Temari was feeling the same way. That was why he needed to get away from her, why he needed to go back to Tokyo, and why he didn't quite feel comfortable being in the car with her right then.
In the meantime, however, he was still going to pretend nothing had changed, and leaned back in his seat, glancing out the window at passing traffic. "Uh, the airport. I'm going to fly back, I didn't bring a driver."
“Take it like a man.” It was the only thing Temari had to say about the “marks” she’d given him. Glancing from the corner of her eyes, she saw him sit back and relax even as the temperature in the car went from around normal to “Holy Shit This is Fucking Awkward”, whatever that degree was. She sort of felt like the situation was bipolar-going back and forth from normal to awkward to angry to normal to hateful to lustful to whatever else there was. She was almost positive other ‘one-night stands” didn’t end this way. Not that she knew from personal experience. She didn’t have the patience to deal with a man who only wanted sex, anyway.
But here she was, driving her one-night stand, who also happened to be part-time coworker for the next few days or weeks or however long it took to complete the music video.
“Airport?” she repeated. She turned to look at him, to gauge his reactions, to try to figure out what was passing through his mind. Usually, Temari could read a person well, could figure out what they were thinking and what they would do and say. But Shikamaru was a mystery to her. He didn’t say much, and when he did, it was something she was half-expecting but not really. He left her struggling to figure out what he could possibly do and say. She knew he wasn’t a man of surprises (too lazy to be unexpected, obviously), even if she only knew him for a few hours. But then again, she mused as scenes from what had happened only moments ago replayed in her mind’s eye, he could shock the hell out her.
What the hell was she going to do?
She had a distinct feeling that Shikamaru was all the more eager to get the hell away from her, even if he had to go by plane. However, it wasn’t like she could do anything now. Everything that had happened was done, and there was only going forward. Wherever that was. “Airport it is.”
The drive only seemed to be taking longer and longer at this point; the more words they exchanged, the more he wanted to get away from her right then, and at the same time, it made him want her to stay right where she was. Next to him.
That was a scary feeling for a man who seemed to pride himself in hating all women. And the reasons why he hated them were repeating in his mind (; annoying, bossy, bitchy, selfish hags).
His eyes, which had previously been flickering from person to car, to another car, to anything at all he could manage to see, were now looking at Temari again, without Shikamaru even realizing he'd turned to face her again. Why did he need to look at her? Why the did the way her hair was so much more of a mess than it had been even this morning seem so attractive right then? Why did even the way she frowned, the way she spoke with some underlying hatred towards him, make Shikamaru wish they were back in the hotel room, in the bed, doing what they had just done again?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
"I-" (He what?)
Clearing his throat and glancing away from her (for the one millionth time that day), Shikamaru rolled the window down and exhaled.
"It's hot in here." He said this as though it was the most obvious thing in the world--and maybe it was, despite the moderate temperature that day.
Following suit, Temari rolled down her own window, trying to come up with ways to go back to how they were this morning (at least she knew how to act around him, then) but coming up short. Without realizing it, she flashed him a wide-grinned smile and said jokingly, in her low, almost boyish voice, “I have to admit I think I’m pretty hot, too.” But once the words were out of her mouth, she felt blood rush to her face, and if she wasn’t almost perfectly sure she was incapable of blushing, she would have sworn her face was going red.
After a few moments of strangling silence, she slammed on the brake, right beside the sidewalk just outside the neighborhood they had just come out of. “Look, stop making this awkward. I can’t stand looking at you!” she yelled at him, angling her body so she could have a better look at him. “You’re making the situation all the worse.”
"Oh, me?" He pointed mindlessly to his chest as he began, "I couldn't make this shit more awkward if I tried." Why the hell was she blaming him, anyway? It wasn't his fault. Well, maybe it was, kind of. But she was partially responsible. Even if he did kiss her, and...
Wait, no. Fuck that. He wasn't taking the blame for this. She was the one who started acting all sexy, she was the one who thought they needed to practice, she suggested the Love hotel (which actually had nothing to do with what happened, but it helped in his defense).
Shaking his head and lowering his hand, Shikamaru sighed. "Look, I know what happened was...weird. I know that, okay? It's not like I go around jumping in bed with women I don't know all the time or anything. I'm just as worried as you are." Wait, he was worried? Well fuck.
“Well, fuck you.” Brilliant retort, Temari. Fucking beautiful. If she hated herself as much as any other normal angsty celebrity, she might have been tempted to throw herself out of the car into traffic. Except, she didn’t, and she felt like she hated Shikamaru more and would enjoy watching him roll into traffic.
It was all his fault, come to think of it. Apparently, he couldn’t take jokes. If she’d known that, she wouldn’t have been all flirty (and slutty and all that stuff) around him. She would have suggested “practicing” (it was a damn joke!) and she would have definitely not suggested a love hotel (except it was the closest thing and damn gas prices were off the charts). If he hadn’t kissed her, they wouldn’t be in this awkward situation. They would have been in some other kind of awkward situation, probably involving her and her violent tendency to want to get rid of people that annoyed her.
But as his words registered in her mind, she blinked at him, almost stupidly. Worried? He was worried too? She was worried about a lot of things-her reputation, their reputation, her music, her situation, what would happen, how they would be able to work with each other, the music video, getting into a car accident because all she kept thinking about was him. “Worried?” she asked. “Worried about what?” Yes, it was a question, but the kind of question any normal guy would want to answer quickly since she looked just about ready to make him feel all kinds of none-too-pleasing pain that may or may not involve his genitals.
"I don't know," he replied, "about...people finding out, I guess. About--" he shook his head again. "Aren't you worried?" Asking if she was worried was practically asking if she was scared, and a woman would not admit their fears. Not Temari, anyway. At least, he didn't expect her to.
And now he looked like the woman, admitting what he had like that. He didn't want to tell her what he was really worried about, though; that would mean telling her that he didn't think he hated her as much as he had previously thought, that this wasn't only a mistake to him, but a blessing as well, that working with her after this would be unbearable because he couldn't look at her without wanting to rip all of her clothes off and toss her onto (or up against) the nearest flat surface.
This was all too much--it was insane. And, right then, he wanted to be the one behind the wheel, because this car needed to move, they needed to be away from each other, as soon as possible. Because the temperature in the car was ridiculously high, and he was either going to end up taking his clothes off and turning the air on; but the latter would make him seem strange, and Temari would have something to say about it. And removing his clothes wasn't an option.
There was little Temari could think to say that wouldn’t make both of them feel extremely, extremely weird. Not that they didn’t already, which was beside the point. To be honest, everything that was happening was as new to Temari as it was to Shikamaru-she didn’t sleep with every guy she met, especially one she hated; she didn’t then proceed to drive them home (or to the airport, same shit); and she didn’t feel compelled to stare at them all the time and remembering what sleeping with them in the first place was like.
“I’m never worried,” she responded to his question, not bothering to look at him, not sure how she could face him without revealing that she was lying-he’d probably catch it, anyway. So instead, she stared out the window, at the scenery that would have gone by much faster if the car were actually moving. But she didn’t trust herself to drive just yet. Her mind was too preoccupied for driving.
She sort of wanted to turn back to him and force him out of the car. She hated looking at him and he only proceeded to further infuriate her. The very fact he had made her act in ways she wouldn’t usually act in made her angry, at herself and at him.
Sparing him a quick glance, he seemed almost ready to throw himself out of the window. “I’ll get back to driving,” she told him, her voice calm and controlled. She was trying desperately hard to keep from revealing herself, from letting him know how uncomfortable she was beside him. “You seem so desperate to get away from me. I wouldn’t want to inflict any more torture on you.”
"Thank you." Shikamaru replied (although it sounded more like a retort) quietly, before he turned away from her to look out the window closest to him; he was having a hard time figuring all of this out, and really, he had no idea what was going to happen after all of this. Seeing her, talking to her again...he wasn't really sure how he would be able to do that and act like everything was okay.
But he'd manage. Somehow. He knew this much. For the time being, though, his thoughts, his feelings on the matter, were far too overwhelming.
This seemed to be taking forever. Much longer than the ride from the airport had taken. All those seconds that had passed where the car wasn't moving...well, they only became more and more unbearable, and Shikamaru found himself heaving a relived sigh once the tires had finally began rolling again.
"Uhm, look." He started, glancing over to Temari again. "I'll...call you and whatever when we need you again, okay? Those guys take forever to get anything done if you work through them." Good, he said something to her. That was better...right
All Temari did in response was shrug. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the awkwardness of the situation and she was in less of a mood to deal with Shikamaru and his way of dealing with the situation. Okay, so she was in some kind of awful denial, but if she was going to get to the airport with the car in one piece and without her having committed some kind of murder, it was crucial she didn’t try to have a conversation with him. She wasn’t sure if she could handle it.
Somehow, even though throughout the entire day the world had seemed to work against her, the day was finally going right. Traffic lessened, the roads cleared, and the airport loomed ahead in minutes. Sh
e’d be getting rid of Shikamaru and away from the entire situation in only a few more moments.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t face him that she was so eager to get away. She couldn’t face the situation they had just placed themselves in. It was worst than a one night stand, where chances of seeing the other person were slim and if it did happen, they were easily ignored. Their situation was one of sleeping with your coworker and having to face them constantly and having to pretend no amount of intimacy had ever happened. And while Temari could easily distance herself and be as cold as ice, there was something about having shared that kind of intimacy that made it all the more difficult to deal with.
Temari stopped in the airport, mentally shaking herself to stop thinking. She turned to Shikamaru saying, “Well, we’re here. I’ll see you when I see you.”
"Yeah, I guess so." He replied flatly, reaching down and unbuckling the seat belt. Then he gathered his things and gave a quick once over of the vehicle (; seats, floorboards...woman) to make certain he wasn't forgetting anything. When he saw nothing, he fastened his bag closed and pushed the door open.
He wanted to say something like "thank God" or "good riddance", but...that would be pushing it. And he wasn't really all that eager to get away from her, but rather, he wanted to distance himself from the situation altogether. And he was glad this horrible, fucked up day was finally over, as he threw Temari a short wave and exited the car, muttering a short thanks as he did.
Well, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't ever going to see each other again, or if she wasn't wh she was. Bu there were also benefits to things like that, and he could return home with the reassurance that his actions of that day would not become front page news. And that was better than nothing.