Kumo No Naka Ni Atama

Boys Will Be Boys (Shikamaru's P.O.V.)

Hey everyone! I just got back from a week long vacation and I'm ready to jump back into things. This chapter is juicy and it's in Shika's p.o.v. so naturally, I agonized over trying to make it in character, especially since this is an AU and I don't have ninja related content to fall back on. We're gonna start to see Shikamaru use that big brain of his when it comes to figuring out how he feels...finally! Cause we love a slow burn, but I won't put y'all through an Inuyasha/Kagome situation...I'm not sure I could take it either. As always, flashbacks are italicized and marked with the '^^^' symbol. Also, I didn't know if I needed to point it out, but if you see a non italicized word in flashback dialogue or character's direct thoughts it's not a typo, it's just meant to be read with emphasis. So without further ado....Chapter 13!

***

Ever since I had gotten home from school Thursday afternoon, this week had been a fuckin drag. I had walked into a silent house. I drug my ass up the stairs and into my bedroom. I wondered if shit had already hit the fan at Raki's. I hoped she would listen to my request about waiting to call me, I could already feel my eyelids getting heavy as I sat on the bed. In the end, I was only able to enjoy the peace and quiet until about six when they came home.

^^^

I knew Mom had seen my shoes because the sound of two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs and making a beeline for my room is what woke me up.

No knock, just a loud 'bang' as my mom practically knocked the door off its hinges. Her backup, not that she needed it, towered behind her gazing into my room. She wasted no time in reaming my ass. I only made it worse when I thought I had justified it by telling them I had been out with Raki.

"You had that poor girl out, in the storm, awake until the wee hours of the morning, on a school night!" She lectured me while I fought the urge to yell into my pillow.

"What a drag, she showed up here mom. Crying. She told me she wanted to go for a walk, we just lost track of time. I said I'm sorry."

"You've scolded him enough Yoshino. He knows what he did was stupid," my dad began ushering mom out of my room.

Ever since I had brought up Kumaraki crying his facial expression had changed and he seemed to have relaxed somewhat. Mom had already walked down the hallway, but Dad paused in my doorway and turned to look at me.

"She was crying, I couldn't let her go alone," I pleaded my case man to man.

He didn't say anything, just nodded before pulling my door shut as he turned to leave.

^^^

Friday didn't get any better. We were sitting on the bench by the road at the end of lunch. Naruto was arguing with Sasuke about what year the first Riot City Rampage game came out. I inhaled two lung fulls of smoke when I heard my phone 'ding'. I pulled it out of my pocket and opened my texts.

U. Obito:

Kuma said she was with you the other night.

'Fuck. What a drag.' I should have expected her to play the same card as me, but in no world did I want Obito Uchiha to be mad at me. Choji must have seen the grimace on my face, because he shot me a concerned look. I hadn't told anyone about the other night just like she hadn't. I think she was embarrassed about breaking down. I wished I could figure out how to tell her that it was okay and we- her friends- were here for her. She didn't have to always act indestructible in front of everyone. I shook my head at him in dismissal and turned my attention back to my phone. The only thing I could do was text him back with enough of the truth to not reveal anything I figured she hadn't told him.