āShould I post this fic-ā literally always yes. Always YES!! You wrote something that you WANT to share with the fandom because you, despite whatever writing experience you may or may not have, sat down and loved a story so much that you WROTE IT!! If you want to share it, then yes, you should always post it. You donāt need permission!!
Or : how to deal with poor English education at school by writing some ShikaTema fanfiction
It was at least the seventh time she had come here. Same hour, same place, same order. Each time with a different guy. Taking a deep breath, Shikamaru clicked the top of his pen and judged the scene by looking at her and her latest date. This one was handsome. Broad shoulders, sharp features, nice hair.
āWelcome to Buffet froid. Do you know the concept?ā
Fuck that. He had followed Inoās advice and applied to this stupid cereal bar and nowā¦ And now he had to welcome all these stupid losers with a bright smile stuck on his face.
āNo, itās my first time,ā she said, taking the guyās arm. āDo you?ā she asked him.
Shikamaru kept a smirk from spreading across his face. Yeah, he knew that line, he knew it too well. At least one Sunday morning a month, the pattern played out.
The guy shrugged, shaking his head. His left eyebrow rose as he looked around the place, his lips twitching. He wasnāt the kind of customer this place usually got, anyway. No surprise.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue and prepared his speech. First, he placed them at the far back of the room. He didnāt have to ask them where they wanted to sit. As far from the window as possible. Always. Then, he delivered the standard spiel and held the menu out to them.
āOh, nice.ā She smiled at the man. āI canāt decideā¦ I need time.ā
She looked at her date, letting a finger tap her lower lip. Three times. Always.
Shikamaru left them alone, going back to the counter, and set up the percolator. He knew well enough what she would order. An espresso, strong, bitter, and a bowl of insipid cornflakes. No sugar, no flavour.
At the far end of the room, he heard them whispering. Shikamaru was never the kind of guy craving gossip. But for herā¦ With a napkin slung over his shoulder, he glanced in their direction and frowned. Looking at her was painful. Every time, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.
Blonde, cute, her almond-shaped green eyes studying the other guy. She had crossed her legs, leaning into him with a crooked smile. Her finger reached his chin, pinching it while biting her lip. This guy was clueless. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Then she raised her hand, calling Shikamaru back.
āIāll take an espresso.ā She blinked softly, sweetly. āSame for me,ā the guy added.
With a huff, Shikamaru asked, āWould you like some cereal?ā
It was a fucking cereal bar. She was so annoying. Every. Time.
āOh, I forgot about the cereal thing.ā She waved her hand around and giggled, looking at the guy. āIām so bland, so you know. Just cornflakes, please.ā
She blinked again, softly, her lips slightly parted. Eyes on Shikamaru. Her deep green eyes, her long blond lashes. His lips pressed into a thin line. She was always too much.
āIāll take the same,ā the guy added.
Shikamaru nodded, wrote the order on his notepad and left again.
This guy was doomed. As Shikamaru prepared two bowls of cornflakes, he looked at the couple, keeping his eyes on the blonde woman. He loved this part.
First, she leaned back into the couch, her smile fading away. Second, she spoke to him. Shikamaru never knew what she always said to them, but it seemed rude. Thirdā¦ Things changed from time to time. Some guys stayed until they finished their bowls. Others left without a warning.
This oneā¦ Wellā¦
āGo fuck yourself, Temari. Youāre a fucking psycho.ā
He stood up, shoulders stiffened, and shook his head, looking at her with furious eyes. Then, he was gone.
The blonde woman inhaled slowly, her chest rising. She looked at the ceiling. For a long time. Until Shikamaru came back to her, two bowls of cereal and two espressos on a plate.
āShould I take back his order?ā asked Shikamaru, pointing toward the exit with his thumb.
His customer took a deep breath, glaring at him wearily. āTake back both and bring me some chocolate flakes with cute bunnies on them. And a creamy hot chocolate, please.ā
It took him a bit to act. Her eyes on him were overwhelming. The cute little blonde girl who had brought her one-night stand was gone. Instead, he got the hot single grumpy woman. He liked her way more.
Eventually, he brought her order. She looked disillusioned, sighing slightly at him when he put the bowl and the mug on the table.
Back at his counter, Shikamaru poured the espressos down the sink, packed the untouched cereal into a Tupperware without taking his eyes off her. She seemed frustrated, slumped on the couch, eating her cereal one by one with her fingers.
When she began bringing these guys here, Shikamaru was bewildered. She always started as a shy smiling girl, waiting for some dudeās validation. But, as soon as the guy flew away, he was faced with another woman. Bold, never smiling, sharp green eyes.
Two different women.
They never talked to each other. He was just a waiter, taking orders, bringing cereal. But Shikamaru sometimes thought about asking her what she said to scare them off. And why here. And why always on a Sunday morning. And, most importantly, why tasteless cornflakes.
He was curious. Too much for his own good.
And he was attracted to her for some reason too. Perhaps because of her eyes. Each time, he lost control of himself, sinking deep into them. Sometimes she furrowed her brows. Sometimes she raised one. Sometimes she bit her lip. It was always brief, unintended, but, deep inside him, Shikamaru sought it.
He didnāt know her. Never will. But he pictured her in a way he liked, and it was enough for him. So, when she finally stood up, her heavy stare piercing him while paying him at the counter. He was caught in it again. Deeper this time. He held her gaze longer, his heart beating hard. Then she bitted her lip, hiding a smile at the corner of her mouth, and left the bar.
Shikamaru leaned into the counter, his chin on his hand, watching her back moving away from the window.
Sheāll be back soon. He knew it.
- ā ā
Ā« I always wanted to write a cute coffee-ish trope story. Now it's done, i'm good.
Writing in english is a nightmare, omg. I lost all my words working on this short OS. The story isn't really deep. I was just practicing. I hope it was ok (at least).
It's late here. I have to vent. (and to train my english in the meantime).
Things I strongly believe are canon in Naruto but arenāt because of Kishimoto, PG13, or my rotten brain :<
- The fourth shinobi war lasted at least nine months (maybe a year) because wtf 2 days ??? No I refuse š āāļø itās WAR ! People died. Their deaths should mean something. BOOM. EXPLOSION.
- Land of Fire people tend to be more talkative about love and feelings but less about sex. Itās the opposite for the Wind people. I imagine them as more detached about intimacy. Like, maybe they donāt care about the concept of nudity, or how they're perceived when flirting, or even talking about their sex lives.
- Naruto is older than Sasuke, Sakura and the others. He failed three times at the academy exam. Soā¦ Iām not good at math or š ???
- Shikamaru fell in love first (yuuus).
- in the blank period, the characters have already encountered love one time or more, and already were in relationships before (unless I explicitly describe them as such). I donāt believe in the one true love trope. I never met someone being in a relationship that lasted forever. I can't picture this in my mind.
- Naruto's world is almost free of "complex engineering" (like long distance phone call & radio transmission, elevator, television, videogame). Even though I know it exists. My mind refuses to agree with it. For me, they live almost in an obscure fantasy middle ages (or magic-ish edo era I guess ?).
- The Sand shinobi ignore what the purpose of love is. The academy taught them to be strong, infallible, to never listen to their feelings.
- Yashamaru was a dick. I hate reading him as the family support in AU fanfic. Wtf guys ??? He was fine killing Gaara and obeying Rasa. He deserved death. He deserved more imo.
- Temari and KankurĆ“ refused the crown at Rasaās death. Temari because she hates being on the frontline. KankurĆ“ because he wanted to be a ninja, living a chill life, pressure-free.
- The Naruto worldmap we all know is just a continent. I'm sure some oceans and countries exist on the other side that we never see.
- Shikamaru and Temari began to flirt when they were proctors at the chƻnin exam. It was light, never pushy, like they weren't even trying.
- The Land of Iron is far more technologically advanced. In my mind, the country is full of clever engineers. They work hard on it especially during the blank period. And that's why by chap 700 everything looks more modern and high-tech.
(i will continue it one day, it's a never ending work) (did this short rant train my english ? fuck yes, omg I will do it more)
Being a non-native English writer is a pain in my ass. Cause I want to be part of the ship fanfic communities but my lack of vocabulary keeps ruining my chances.
I canāt have a conversation with others. I struggle translating my work. I write basics comments on fanfics I like but I have more in mind.
I remember a time when frenchies were everywhere in the Naruto fandom. But time flies. Now they're stuck in HP and Kpop fandoms, or write solely in english. I feel lonely. I hate it.
Please, French ff communities. Come back in the French fanfic world. We need you. I need you.
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