#shikatema

[mallowmollusc]

Chapter 39 is out!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

"Shikamaru stood up and walked to the bathroom in order to have a look at himself from the mirror. After reaching his destination, he was faced with quite a miserable sight, to say the least. The bags under his eyes were dark, deep and massive. That was the case probably because he had barely been able to sleep the night before due to the physical and mental wounds of the previous night."

[sixtyr]

She liked her flakes with cute bunnies on them

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.

“Welcome to Buffet froid. Do you know the concept?”

Fuck that. He had followed Ino’s advice and applied to this stupid cereal bar and now… And now he had to welcome all these stupid losers with a bright smile stuck on his face.

“No, it’s my first time,” she said, taking the guy’s arm. “Do you?” 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 wasn’t 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 didn’t 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.

“Oh, nice.” She smiled at the man. “I can’t decide… I need time.”

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 her… 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.

“I’ll take an espresso.” She blinked softly, sweetly. “Same for me,” the guy added.

With a huff, Shikamaru asked, “Would you like some cereal?”

It was a fucking cereal bar. She was so annoying. Every. Time.

“Oh, I forgot about the cereal thing.” She waved her hand around and giggled, looking at the guy. “I’m so bland, so you know. Just cornflakes, please.”

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.

“I’ll take the same,” 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. Third… Things changed from time to time. Some guys stayed until they finished their bowls. Others left without a warning.

This one… Well…

“Go fuck yourself, Temari. You’re a fucking psycho.”

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.

“Should I take back his order?” asked Shikamaru, pointing toward the exit with his thumb.

His customer took a deep breath, glaring at him wearily. “Take back both and bring me some chocolate flakes with cute bunnies on them. And a creamy hot chocolate, please.”

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 dude’s 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 didn’t 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.

She’ll be back soon. He knew it.

- – —

« 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).

Bye. »

S ·

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“you can hear it in the silence”

“and for once, you let go of your fears and your ghosts. one step, not much, but it said enough”

BABE THE ENTIRE FUCKING SONG like?

shikamaru and temari don't need to constantly verbalize their feelings because their relationship is built on all those tiny things that become second nature. the comfortable silences. sitting beside each other without needing to fill the space. knowing what the other person means from a look. temari knowing when shikamaru is genuinely exhausted versus just being lazy. shikamaru knowing when her irritation is real and when she's teasing him.

“you are in love” it’s as simple and heavy as that. and truly it’s either one of their peers who simply just said it and they just acknowledge that yes, they are in love

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“a moment, a love, a dream, a laugh”

like? because THAT feels like the texture of their relationship. it’s not just one enormous romantic moment. it’s all these little pieces accumulating over time.the arguments, the missions, the conversations, the teasing, the rare moments where shikamaru actually laughs because of her, the quiet familiarity that develops without either of them noticing.

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“there’s not many people i’d honestly say i don't mind losing to but there's nothing like doing nothing with you”

hello? like imagine them just cloud watching or walking around like they always do? ugh.

shikamaru spends so much of his life calling things troublesome, wanting to lie around and look at the clouds, acting like he’d be perfectly happy doing nothing forever—and then temari becomes the person with whom doing nothing actually means something

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me”

classic, timeless, oasis. like shikatema

because i like imagining that as the thing shikamaru would never actually say out loud. temari becomes this wall he can lean against. not because he's incapable of standing on his own, but because she's the person he trusts enough to finally stop standing alone.

and that's basically their entire love story to me; two incredibly capable people who don't need rescuing, but eventually find someone with whom they don't have to carry everything by themselves.

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“you call the shots babe, i just wanna be yours”

honestly majority of shikatema fans and artists have this one in their playlist and couldn’t blame you, babes. i listen to this and daydream about them.

i wanna be yours” is actually so shikamaru-coded in the most humiliatingly romantic way, because the song doesn’t feel like a grand confession. it feels like someone who has already fallen and is trying to disguise the depth of it by turning his feelings into something casual, almost practical.

“i wanna be yours,” i don’t picture some lovesick shikamaru dramatically pining from a window. i picture adult shikamaru lying beside temari after a long day, half-asleep, listening to her talk, and realizing with that quiet little ache that this; her voice, her presence, her being there—is the life he actually wants. and that is devastatingly shikatema to me.

[temarisbffffff]

songs i think that are shikatema coded

“it’s just you and i tonight why don’t you figure my heart out?”

“heart out” feels so painfully shikatema-coded to me because their entire relationship is built on that quiet, almost reluctant realization that they care about each other far more than either of them ever intends to admit.

there’s something so shikamaru about wanting someone while pretending it’s all just a little inconvenient, like he could intellectualize his way out of having feelings for temari if he tried hard enough, only for her to become this constant presence in his life that he notices, trusts, relies on, and eventually can’t imagine being without. and temari, for all her bluntness and confidence, has this softer side with him that makes their dynamic feel so intimate without ever needing to be overly sentimental.