Wandering Shinobi

6

It was early morning when Narui opened his door for one Shikaku Nara. He had noticed that Shikaku had started to avoid him, the rumors of his divorce circling the inner shinobi circles and Narui had been pleased to know that his best friend's father wasn't a slag. It would have been quite a thing to work over should they enter a relationship. 

But here he was at 6 in the morning looking haggard with puffy eyes. Narui vaguely wondered why Shikaku would seek him out for comfort when others much closer to him were available. 'The fixation is at an all-time high, he's been actively avoiding being in your presence. It only makes the longing worse, a deep painful ache. He probably couldn't stand it anymore,' Was the answer Kurama filtered in his mind. 

Still, Narui wondered about the limits of the fixation, he felt like he was dancing on a tightrope. "Shikaku?" His voice alone was enough for Shikaku to jump him. Narui stumbled back before landing on his back with a groan of pain as he was aware of his door being closed curtsy of Shikaku's shadow. "Ow! What is wrong with you?" 

Shikaku straddled him, his hands carefully tracing his whisker marks. Narui's eyes widened at the bizarre actions but he didn't push Shikaku away. He understood that the other man needed this and he would lay there and take it. Shikaku's hands were rough like his own, callouses tracing his face before feeling the contours of his neck roaming his upper body. He felt a bit hazy at the touch but he kept his body from reacting in a sexual way. They were not there yet. 

Narui began to feel sleepy under Shikaku's calming touch and he dozed off, still aware but submitting to the fact that he still needed sleep. He had been on a mission yesterday and he was injured. He let Shikaku feel his torso which was covered with his bandages. The frantic feel of Shikaku's hands lifting his shirt made him jump awake before he slid back into a doze. He didn't register Shikaku's anger who had snapped out of his tunnel vision desire to see Naruto after avoiding him. 

'He looks so handsome sleeping like that,' Shikaku leaned down, their lips so close yet so far. His heart pounded so painfully for him to kiss the other but he couldn't. Not like this, not while he was unconscious and injured. Shikaku jumped him while he was injured......he was an asshole. He worked up the courage to stop straddling his fixation and carry him to the sofa. 

He sat on the ground beside the sofa and rested his head on Narui's chest, his heartbeat keeping him at peace until he too finally fell into a fitful sleep. He would leave soon, he just needed a bit of Narui's warmth. 

************

"And when I woke up he was gone," Narui explained to his cousin and husband who knew what was going on since Narui could sense their unease. It was funny watching them like that but he had to play coy like he didn't know. "I thought I had dreamt it up but I was on the sofa and breakfast was made for me. And to make it worse I've been trying to back him into a corner but he keeps scurrying away like a skittish baby deer." 

They hung in silence for a while before Minato broke the ice. "I'll talk to him about it, see if I can crack why he did what he did." 

"Thank you, Minato," Narui held his hands clasped in thanks. "If I didn't know any better it was like he was under some intense desire to see me, the way he touched me was so full of longing like he didn't believe I was under him. I would think he has a crush on me but he's married so that doesn't make sense." 

Kushina perked up at this. "Didn't you know?" 

Naruto looked at her confused. "Know what?" 

"He and Yoshino are getting divorced." 

Narui's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Oh." 

He quietly got up, kissed Naruto goodbye and headed out. He latched onto Shikaku's chakra and started to make his way over there. He wanted answers, even though he knew them he wanted it from the source. And the confirmation of divorce just made it all the sweeter. 

"You've dug your grave," Inoichi was blunt and unforgiving. Shikaku snarled at him before deflating under the glare his best friend sent him. "If you hadn't avoided him this wouldn't be happening and you wouldn't be dodging him like a missing-nin." 

"I messed up I admit that now can you please hide me," Shikaku whined as he leaned on the counter of the flower shop. 

"No." 

"Ino come on, he's persistent." 

"Because you jumped him on his threshold and groped him up to the point he fell back asleep," Inoichi wrinkled his nose. "Imagine how long you must have been at it for him to go back to sleep." 

"He didn't say anything in protest," Shikaku defended. 

"Silence doesn't mean consent, he was probably uncomfortable being in that situation without knowing what to do and you dodging him when he clearly has questions isn't going to ease him. You're making it worse." 

Shikaku knew he was but he was just jumpy. He didn't know how Narui would react to the news of Shikaku basically tying himself to the crimson-haired shinobi for the rest of his life. That Narui could only have him as a partner. He didn't feel worthy which is why he avoided the other male until his shadows walked him to his apartment that morning. 

"Are you crying?" Inoichi looked concerned and started his mother henning as a way to get the other to stop. 

"Am not crying asshole," Shikaku murmured but his eyes were blurring with tears. 

"I would hope not," Came a voice and Shikaku tensed up when he realized it was Narui. "You have some explaining to do." 

Before either could react Narui clamped a hand down on Shikaku's shoulder and pulled him away from the safety of the flower shop Inoichi's clan ran. They landed in a training field with Narui's eyes set on Shikaku's frame who curled in on himself. "I've never seen you look so vulnerable." 

It was said offhandedly but Shikaku didn't feel good at being called out like that. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." 

"Firstly I would like to know what happened. Stop running and avoiding me, it makes me feel like I can't handle what you're going to say to me." 

"Because you probably can't," Shikaku found himself blurting out which was so unlike him. Judging from the way Narui's expression became deadly serious he was thinking the same. 

"You don't get to decide that for me," It was snarled, like a wild animal and Shikaku felt a lump in his throat. "Open your mouth and talk. If you run away again then stay away from me." 

It was an ultimatum. 

'Great our first argument and we aren't even a couple.' Shikaku thought but it was his fault that this started, it was time to get it out and take the rejection he was bound to get.