Trust Me Once. Part 2
Shikamaru Nara x Reader
Shikamaru Nara x Reader | Slow Burn | Hurt/Comfort | Friends to Lovers | Post-War Konoha |
The village found out before sunrise.
Not because either of you told anyone.
Because secrets rarely survived in Konoha.
Especially when they involved Shikamaru Nara.
⸻
It started with breakfast.
You walked into Ichiraku alone.
Or at least…
You thought you had.
“Morning.”
You turned.
Shikamaru stood beside you, hands buried lazily in his pockets.
His hair was still messy.
He looked like he’d rolled out of bed five minutes earlier.
“You followed me?”
“I was already coming.”
“You live on the other side of the village.”
“…Troublesome.”
You laughed.
He tried very hard not to smile.
Failed.
⸻
Naruto nearly dropped his chopsticks.
“…WAIT.”
Sakura blinked once.
Twice.
Then looked between the two of you.
“…Seriously?”
Neither of you answered.
Shikamaru simply reached over, picked up the menu, and asked,
“What are you eating?”
“As if you don’t already know.”
“You’ll order miso ramen.”
“…”
“You always do.”
Naruto slowly looked at Sakura.
“They’re dating.”
“They’re dating.”
Choji grinned into his bowl.
“I’ve been waiting for this.”
Ino groaned dramatically.
“It took you two long enough.”
⸻
Not everyone reacted the same way.
Whispers followed you the moment you stepped back into the streets.
“So it’s true.”
“Nara?”
“Does he know who she’s related to?”
“He must.”
“Maybe she’s manipulating—”
“You’ve said that for two years.”
The voice cut cleanly through the crowd.
Everyone fell silent.
Shikamaru hadn’t even slowed his pace.
“If she were manipulating me…”
He glanced lazily over his shoulder.
“…I’d be disappointed she chose someone this troublesome.”
A few nervous laughs escaped.
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew one thing.
If Shikamaru Nara defended someone…
He had already thought through every argument against them.
Twice.
⸻
The whispers didn’t disappear.
But something changed.
People became quieter.
Less certain.
Because every insult aimed at you now carried the risk of being answered by the Hokage’s future adviser.
And nobody enjoyed losing an argument to a genius.
⸻
You hated it.
“They’re only stopping because of you.”
You sat beneath your favorite tree, knees pulled to your chest.
“They’re stopping because they’re running out of reasons.”
“They still don’t trust me.”
“They don’t have to.”
You looked at him.
“They have to respect you.”
He lay back in the grass, staring at the clouds.
“They only need to respect the truth.”
“And the truth is…”
He turned his head toward you.
“You’re one of us.”
The words settled somewhere deep inside your chest.
Simple.
Matter-of-fact.
Exactly like the first time he’d ever defended you.
A shinobi.
One of us.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
⸻
Weeks passed.
Peace returned to its slow rhythm.
Mission after mission.
Morning meetings.
Afternoons beneath the clouds.
Evenings walking home together.
You discovered that dating Shikamaru was…
Unexpected.
He wasn’t the type to shower you with compliments.
Instead…
He remembered everything.
Your favorite tea somehow appeared on his kitchen shelf.
The bench beneath your favorite tree was mysteriously repaired after winter storms.
He silently switched patrol routes whenever yours ended late at night.
When missions assigned you to different teams…
He always “happened” to finish his report near the village gates around the exact time you returned.
“You planned this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You do.”
“…Probably.”
⸻
“You know…”
Ino said one afternoon, watching the two of you from across the training field.
“I always thought Shikamaru would fall for someone loud enough to argue with him.”
Sakura smiled.
“He did.”
Ino frowned.
“…She barely talks.”
“No.”
Sakura watched as you quietly wrapped the hand of a young academy student who had scraped his palm.
“She argues with the whole world.”
“And she wins…”
“…by staying kind.”
⸻
It happened on an ordinary afternoon.
No mission.
No battle.
No danger.
Just rain.
You and Shikamaru took shelter beneath the awning of a small tea shop.
An elderly woman hurried toward the entrance, struggling with several heavy bags.
Before you could move—
Shikamaru had already stepped forward.
“I’ve got them.”
You blinked.
He carried everything inside without a word.
When he came back, you couldn’t hide your smile.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You smiled.”
“I know.”
“You’ve been smiling a lot lately.”
He looked away.
“…That’s your fault.”
You slipped your hand into his.
“I can live with that.”
He intertwined your fingers instinctively.
“So can I.”
For someone who spent most of his life calling everything troublesome…
Loving you had become the easiest habit he’d ever formed.
And somewhere between the whispers…
The missions…
The quiet afternoons…
And the hand he no longer let go of…
The village slowly stopped seeing the girl with the suspicious clan.
They started seeing exactly what Shikamaru had seen from the beginning.
You.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
———
Spring had returned to Konoha.
The village felt lighter these days.
Children chased each other through the market.
Shopkeepers argued over prices instead of politics.
Mission requests piled up faster than they could be completed.
Life…
Had finally become ordinary.
And somehow…
That ordinary life included you.
It still felt strange.
Sometimes you caught yourself waiting for the whispers.
For the suspicious glances.
For someone to remind you that you didn’t belong.
Instead…
Someone usually waved.
Or smiled.
Or called your name.
⸻
The flower shop was crowded.
Ino stood outside arranging bouquets while Sakura teased Naruto about forgetting yet another anniversary for one of Hinata’s dates.
“I remembered!”
“You remembered because I reminded you.”
“I still remembered.”
“You literally asked me what day it was.”
Choji laughed so hard he nearly dropped his snacks.
Shikamaru sighed.
“…What a drag.”
“You love us.”
“I tolerate you.”
“Liar.”
“…Yeah.”
You smiled quietly beside him.
Peace looked good on all of them.
⸻
Then—
“You call this peace?”
The voice cut through the laughter.
Everyone turned.
A man stood across the street.
Older.
A visiting shinobi from another village.
His eyes landed on you first.
Then Shikamaru.
A smirk spread across his face.
“So the rumors are true.”
No one answered.
He laughed.
“The great strategist of Konoha really ended up with the girl nobody trusted.”
Naruto’s smile disappeared.
The man continued.
“I expected better from the son of Shikaku Nara.”
Shikamaru’s expression didn’t change.
Not even slightly.
He had heard worse.
Then—
His gaze shifted toward Ino.
“And you…”
“You used to be one of the brightest kunoichi of your generation.”
“What happened?”
“You spend your days selling flowers and pretending this outsider belongs here.”
Ino’s jaw clenched.
“You should—”
She stepped forward.
You stopped her with one hand.
Everyone looked at you.
Even Shikamaru.
Because…
You never interrupted.
Never argued.
Never fought words with words.
Until now.
⸻
You walked forward.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Stopping only a few steps away from him.
“You know…”
Your voice was soft.
“So many people have said things like that to me over the years…”
He smiled smugly.
“I stopped caring.”
His smile widened.
Then yours disappeared.
“But today…”
Your eyes met his.
“…You weren’t talking about me.”
Silence settled over the street.
“You insulted Ino.”
“The woman who rebuilt friendships after a war.”
“The woman who carries her father’s legacy every single day.”
“Ino Yamanaka has done more for this village than you’ll probably do in three lifetimes.”
The man’s smile faltered.
You didn’t stop.
“And then…”
“You insulted Shikamaru.”
A tiny laugh escaped you.
Not amused.
Disappointed.
“Do you know what’s funny?”
“You think the smartest man in Konoha somehow failed to see through me.”
Your voice became steadier.
“As if Shikamaru Nara—who can predict battles before they begin…”
“…would spend years beside someone he didn’t understand.”
“You think you know him better than he knows himself.”
Another step.
“I almost pity you.”
The street had become completely silent.
You looked around.
At the villagers.
At your friends.
At the home you’d fought so hard to earn.
“For years…”
“I let people speak.”
“Because I believed that if I kept proving myself…”
“…one day they’d stop.”
You smiled sadly.
“I was wrong.”
“They stopped because the people who truly knew me…”
“…never listened to those voices in the first place.”
You looked back at the man.
“So here’s something you should understand.”
“My worth…”
“…has never depended on your opinion.”
“And neither does theirs.”
You gestured toward Ino.
Toward Sakura.
Toward Naruto.
Toward Choji.
Finally…
Toward Shikamaru.
“My family isn’t the clan I was born into.”
“It’s the people who chose me.”
“And the beautiful thing about being loved by people like them…”
A small smile returned.
“…is that I no longer need strangers to believe in me.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
The visitor opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He looked around.
Nobody stood beside him.
Not one person.
After a long moment…
He lowered his eyes.
“…I spoke out of turn.”
Then he walked away.
No one tried to stop him.
⸻
The street remained quiet.
Naruto was the first to speak.
“…That…”
He blinked.
“…was awesome.”
Choji nodded enthusiastically.
“I’ve wanted to say something like that for years.”
Sakura folded her arms with a grin.
“Took you long enough.”
Ino laughed.
Then suddenly threw her arms around you.
“I LOVE YOU.”
You laughed into her shoulder.
“I love you too.”
“You made him look like an idiot.”
“He did that himself.”
Everyone laughed.
Even Sakura.
Even Naruto.
⸻
Shikamaru hadn’t moved.
He was simply…
Looking at you.
You turned toward him.
“…What?”
He let out a slow breath.
“I’ve been trying to find the right word for you.”
Your eyebrows lifted.
“And?”
“I was wrong.”
“About what?”
“I used to think your greatest strength was your kindness.”
He smiled.
Small.
Proud.
“It’s your courage.”
“You stayed kind…”
“…even though you were strong enough not to.”
Your cheeks warmed.
“I wasn’t courageous.”
“You were.”
He stepped closer.
“So courageous…”
“…that you even scared me a little.”
You laughed.
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
“For about five seconds.”
Naruto burst out laughing.
“I’ve never seen Shikamaru admit that!”
“Neither have I,” Sakura said.
Ino smirked.
“We’re witnessing history.”
Shikamaru ignored all of them.
As usual.
He reached for your hand.
Then, without caring that the busiest street in Konoha was watching…
He pressed a gentle kiss against your forehead.
“So…”
he murmured.
“You finally trusted yourself.”
You smiled.
“No.”
Your fingers intertwined with his.
“I trusted you.”
For once…
The silence that followed wasn’t filled with whispers.
It was filled with laughter.
With friends.
With home.
And beneath a sky scattered with slow-moving clouds…
Shikamaru looked at you the same way he had all those years ago.
Not as someone’s daughter.
Not as someone’s clan.
Not as someone the village had doubted.
Just—
You.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.