MtL - Likely to worry if his alpha uses his given name instead of a pet name
(Incl. Iruka, Chouji, Shino, Neji, and Shikamaru.)
A/N: This is a Christmas gift for the wonderful @omeganronpa!!!! It's nothing crazy this year because of the ol' arm situation, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!! I wish you a very relaxing and merry Christmas and want you to know that I am honoured to have lived yet another year with you as my friend <3333
And a very merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to everyone!! 🎉
Warnings: Non-descriptive allusions to sex.
LEAST
Chouji
A normal, well adjusted king, we stan.
Pet names sometimes come into the relationship, but Chouji is equally okay with being called Chouji.
That's his name, why should he worry or feel weird? He doesn't have a guilty conscience like some others on this list 👀
In fact, he actually loves to hear his name from your lips. The soft voice, the love, the sing song tone. He revels in it.
There's something about you using his given name with him in private that makes him feel seen. You see him, all of him, the real him, and you love him.
And that's the most precious gift he could have.
Preferred pet names for you to use for him: His name or babe usually. Occasionally, super sweet ones like sweetheart or sugarplum, said with complete earnest.
Neji
Neji also likes to go by his actual name a lot of the time, so it doesn't raise any red flags for him to hear it fall from your lips.
Much like Chouji, he finds it entirely logical for you to use his given name, and he never assumes you're mad at him.
I only put him a bit higher on the list because he can sometimes get finickity about what you call him in bed.
If you call him by his real name, but you don't use a super gentle, loving tone, he doesn't like it and he WILL get grumpy.
It makes him feel a bit unloved, like the sex is transactional and you're just saying what you think you have to say.
He wants you to call him darling, prince, my love, or any other classic pet name when you're ravishing him, and if you have to use his name, it better be whispered into his skin with hushed reverence befitting the worship of a god.
Otherwise he can sometimes get upset. And because he's Neji, he won't say why he's upset, he'll just pout about it until you notice.
This issue doesn't crop up that often, but it's been known to happen, hence his slightly higher ranking on the list.
My beautiful princess with a disorder, please talk to me.
Preferred pet names for you to use for him: He adores the classic but slightly fancier pet names, such as darling, my love, prince(ss). And he's always willing to accept appearance based names, like beautiful, too.
Iruka
When it's just the two of you, or you're in the presence of close friends or family, you always call him Ruka.
Because he's your Ruka at home, just like he's Iruka sensei at the academy, or 'the shouty chunin' at the missions desk.
So it absolutely stands out if you suddenly call him Iruka and he will notice straight away.
But he's still on the terrifyingly small list of mostly well-adjusted shinobi, so he's not going to panic.
He kind of assumes that you're starting a conversation about something more serious when you use his full name. He zones in, fully focused, ready to problem solve whatever has happened.
This has the unfortunate consequence of snapping him out of intimate moments when you use his full name.
Iruka sat on the bed trying his best not to fidget with the comforter as he stared at the bathroom door. His mind was racing with possibilities and no amount of deep breathing or internal arguments about restraint were controlling them.
It had been an entirely normal day ten minutes ago. He'd taught his classes, covered for a few hours at the mission's desk for a sick colleague, and then stopped by a convenience store on the way home so that he didn't have to cook.
Not that you let him in the kitchen anyway.
But then you'd approached him, all coy smiles and well-placed touches, telling him that you had a surprise for him, but that you needed a few moments to get changed and that he should wait on the bed.
So now he was here, on the bed as directed, eagerly anticipating the opening of the ensuite door. Should he get undressed in preparation? No, no, that would probably be weird. But maybe he should take his hair down? Yes that sounded good; you loved his hair down and it would give him something to do while he waited.
He pulled it down and spent a few moments running his fingers through it and trying to arrange it as best he could, but then it was done and you still hadn't opened the door.
He just needed to be patient, you shouldn't be much longer.
Although that was easier said than done when his underwear was becoming uncomfortably wet.
There! He could hear shuffling approaching the bathroom door. He straightened himself out, ready.
"Iruka?" you called from behind the door.
He blinked as he registered his full name. Oh no. Don't tell him something had gone wrong. He was so looking forward to this! His mind conjured images of disaster. Maybe the outfit had ripped? Or you had accidentally hurt yourself? Or the sink had broken and was now spewing water everywhere.
"What's wrong?" he asked, getting up from the bed and approaching the door. "Are you okay?"
The door opened, and you stood on the other side, blinking at him in confusion. He tried not to focus too much on the new lingerie. There was a problem to solve first, he couldn't get distracted.
"Yes?" you answered, the question clear in your voice. "Why are you at the door? I told you to wait on the bed."
Before his mind could catch up, he asked, "Is the sink broken?"
There was a pause.
"Why on earth would the sink be broken?" You sounded entirely baffled.
"Well, I'm not sure, but-"
"Did you do something to the sink?"
"No!" he defended, crossing his arms over his chest. "I haven't touched the sink."
"Then why are you asking about it???"
"Because... because..." Iruka paused when he realised how stupid it would sound to explain that he'd assumed something was wrong because you called him by his full given name. He rubbed at his scar bashfully. "It doesn't matter, sorry, I was being... never mind, don't worry about it."
You blinked at him, and he coughed awkwardly.
"Okaaaaaay," you drawled, stepping back into the bathroom. "Should I close the door again and pretend this never happened?"
"Please."
"Right."
And when you opened the door this time, he was waiting on the bed, stunned speechless by your lingerie and ready to end his normal day in a particularly extraordinary way, bathroom sink forgotten.
Preferred pet names for you to use for him: Ruka is his favourite by a wide margin. He doesn't mind babe or baby either, nor omega specific names.
Shino
If you're in public, he fully expects you to use his actual name.
In fact, it's for the best that you do, because pet names in public will make him embarrassed enough to try and hide in his coat.
But when you're at home, just you and him... he will immediately assume you're upset with him or signalling a need for space if you use his given name.
Because Shino basks in the loving pet names you lavish him with. He doesn't have to be Shino with you, or at least, he doesn't have to just be Shino with you. He can be your love, your honey bun, your sunshine.
Every time one of those names is whispered in his ear or spoken against his lips, Shino squirms in pure joy. There is nothing else that can brighten his day so quickly and effectively.
And you can absolutely get creative with pet names for Shino!
Excluding the most ridiculous ones, and some of the appearance based ones, Shino loves them all.
But calling him his name is :(((
He will anxiously and sadly wring his hands together every time 🥺
You let out a relieved breath through your nose as you finished the penultimate page of the paperwork you'd been forced to bring home.
One more. Just one more and you were free for the evening, then you could run it by the jounin commander tomorrow morning, and this whole situation could be behind you.
Work disasters were the absolute worst.
You took in one more big breath before letting it out slowly. One more. You could do one more.
But just as your pen was about the make contact on the paper, movement from the corner of your eye drew your attention out of the little paperwork bubble you'd cocooned yourself in. It was Shino. He was lurking in your periphery like a shadow, idly rearranging knick knacks on the shelf but glancing over in your direction every five seconds.
Now that you were aware of him, you were also aware of the anxiety swirling in his scent. You may have wanted to get this paperwork done and out of your life as soon as possible, but you could hardly ignore your mate's unusual behaviour now that you had been made aware of it.
"Shino?" His head snapped to you instantly. "Are you okay?"
He dropped the eye contact and went back to fiddling with a rock from the shelf. "I'm fine," he said simply, the lie extremely obvious.
"Shino..." To your surprise, he flinched. What?
"I'm... fine." The lie was somehow even more obvious this time. He was either consciously or subconsciously hoping to pull your attention onto him with a lie so blatant.
You stared at him intently, trying to figure out what was wrong. Why would he...?
Oh. Your face relaxed into understanding when you figured out what you'd done.
"What's wrong, lovebug?" You made an effort to push as much affection into your tone as you could. He looked at you again, some surprise colouring his gaze. You patted the seat next to you on the couch in invitation. He immediately accepted, coming over in quick steps and slotting himself against your side. You pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "Is this better, lovely?"
Shino hummed gently, resting his head in the juncture of your shoulder. You grumbled a comforting noise to reassure him.
"I think this paperwork kept me in work mode even after I'd got home," you explained. "I forgot that it was just us here."
Shino hummed again, acknowledging and forgiving you in one noise.
"All the more reason to get this paperwork over and done with so we can relax. It shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. Is that alright, honey bun?"
He purred his approval, so you returned to the paperwork, but this time, you had one hand focused on holding your omega.
Preferred pet names for you to use for him: Anything extremely cute and sweet will make him melt. Honey, sweetie, lovely, etc. Lovebug is one of his special favourites 🤭
Shikamaru
Two words: Guilty Conscience.
He's another one who goes by a shortened name by default, Shika, so calling him Shikamaru will immediately grab his attention.
And he will assume he's in trouble with you every single time.
Sometimes it's pretty funny to watch, but other times his stomach drops and his mind races to try and figure out what you could be mad about.
And during those dramatic times, because Shikamaru can't be normal for even five minutes, he oftentimes jumps to worse case scenarios where he's failing to make his obsession happy and you might leave him because of it.
You never know which response you're going to get when you call him Shikamaru. He's either going to claim his innocence in regards to an imaginary misstep, or Panic™️.
The only exception to the rule is during moments of heightened emotions and extreme vulnerability.
For example, if he's very sad, saying "oh, Shikamaru..." will push him over the edge into tears immediately.
And groaning out his full name at the moment of your orgasm is a one hit K.O. for him without fail.
If you want to avoid the Nara dramatics, better stick to Shika most of the time 😉
"Shikamaru?" He heard your voice clearly from his position on the tatami mats of his office where he was playing a solo game of shogi. Usually, hearing your voice after a long day was a balm that soothed the nerves he hadn't even realised had been frayed, but now, those same nerve ends were crackling with the beginnings of anxiety.
Oh no.
You had used his given name. That couldn't mean anything good.
Shikamaru uncrossed his legs and stood from the floor as his mind raced. He could see the situation clearly in his head. You had come home from work, exhausted, and immediately been confronted by some kind of chore or errand that Shikamaru has said he would run on his day off and then fucking forgot about like he always did! Now you were going to be annoyed with him and his plans for a peaceful evening would go up in smoke because he couldn't even remember what he was supposed to be apologising for.
He heard your footsteps coming up the stairs. "Shikamaru? You in your office?"
Think, think, think! What did you ask him to do? There must have been something! Probably something you could have seen not long after walking through the door, likely in the living room or kitchen.
Shikamaru tugged on his ponytail in frustration as your footsteps reached the landing, just outside his door.
Did he have to wash the cushion covers in the living room? No, he did that last week and there was no need to do them again so soon. Did he promise to make dinner in time for your arrival home? No, no, he specifically remembered you saying that you were going to cook dinner together tonight. Then what could it possibly-
As the door swung open, the answer struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"There you are! Why are you just standing in the middle-"
"I didn't buy soy sauce!" Shikamaru blurted, his voice much louder than he had intended.
You jumped at his shout, blinking at him in surprise. Shikamaru felt the rush of heat that flooded his cheeks. He awkwardly cleared his throat and tried again.
"I forgot to buy soy sauce today." He managed to keep his voice somewhat level this time. "I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean to forget, it's completely my fault."
Shikamaru tried to analyse your face to see how well his apology had landed, but all he saw was confusion. Right, that made sense. You were confused as to why he was apologising when he should be just going out to fix it.
"Sorry, I'll go and grab some now, it shouldn't take long." When he tried to move past you, you grabbed his arm and halted him.
"You forgot to buy- what? No, I only asked in a 'if you happen to go out today' kind of way, you don't have to go out now, it's not a big deal." You squeezed his arm. "Relax, it's fine."
"But, but we're going to cook dinner together tonight," Shikamaru protested.
"And we'll live without soy sauce for one night." You stared at his face, eyes narrowed like you were trying to solve a puzzle. "What's got into you today?"
Shikamaru's thoughts whirled for a moment, trying to figure out if that question was some kind of trap that would soon reveal the real reason you were upset with him. But soon the energy needed to keep up that level of questioning collapsed, and instinctively, he moved to directness.
"Are you mad at me?" he asked, hating the insipid imagery of needy omegas that jumped to mind at the question. This was so stupid, what was he doing?
Your brows furrowed and you gently cupped his face in your hands. Shikamaru shivered as you ran your thumbs against the space underneath his eyes.
"No," you said softly. "Did you think I was?"
His mouth feels dry all of a sudden and he can't form the words, so he just nods. You coo at him, a deep noise in your throat, and Shikamaru is embarrassed at how well it drains the stress from his muscles.
"I'm not angry, Shika. I'm so happy to be home with you, my love."
With your use of his shortened name, the last anxious fog clears and Shikamaru is left only with the stark and sudden realisation that he was being absolutely ridiculous.
You must have noticed the clarity returning to his eyes because you laughed. You laughed at him, all gleeful and knowing. The heat returned to his cheeks and he dropped his head onto your shoulder.
"Shut up."
"I didn't say anything." He could hear the smile in your voice.
"These instincts are more trouble than they're worth."
"You're such a liar, Shika."
Yeah... yeah, he was.
Preferred pet names for you to use for him: Shika is the go-to, but as long as the pet name is simple and mostly serious (babe, omega etc.) he's fine with it. If you call him something ridiculous like pookie or nugget, he will assume you are making fun of him. And if you aren't making fun of him, he'll make fun of you for thinking it was a good idea.
MOST
