Nara OneShots

Someone Else

Shikamaru woke up in his bed alone. There was a scent lingering in the bed that reminded him of the person he no longer recognized. He took a deep breath and melted into the lavender scent that floated around his ex-boyfriend. A five-year relationship is gone. Down the drain. And Shikamaru didn't know how to feel. He cried and screamed but ultimately he was feeling hatred for his ex-boyfriend. It was the price he paid for all the red flags he ignored or passed over to keep the relationship going.

"Who were you? What were you?" Shikamaru asked out loud as he remembered the spiral of their relationship in the last year. Naruto was an angel sent from hell, those hypnotic blue eyes lured him in and trapped him. Locked him down in a toxic serenade He was always so two-faced, he was an angel to Shikamaru but to everyone in Shikamaru's circle, Naruto was the toxic bitch Shikamaru had the misfortune of picking up as a partner.

But the thing was that he doubted Naruto even knew who he was at the core. Whether he was an angel or a devil. He flipped between both personas to get ahead in life so much so the blonde doesn't know how to be himself when around loved ones or all alone. It was heartbreaking to see Naruto so fractured as a person but knowing that he couldn't change that unless the blonde admitted to needing help. Naruto never folded however, he never budged, he stuck to his dual personality even if it was burning everything down around him. He lies, lies, and lies constantly to keep up the facade even when Shikamaru had him cornered.

Later down in their relationship things became unstable. They were constantly fighting in their shared apartment, Shikamaru was getting paranoid that Naruto was cheating but Naruto held his defenses and reiterated that he was loyal. Shikamaru was being gaslit and he knew that but there was a one percent chance that Naruto was telling the truth and he didn't want to blow up a good thing because of his insecurities. He dreaded calling Naruto because he didn't know if he would get the angelic Naruto or the cold-calculating demon Naruto. It was all up in the air. Walking around on eggshells trying to keep the peace.

"Who were you really when I had my back turned? Why did it have to end this way? I love you so much, why are you like this?" Shikamaru began crying and was startled out of bed by a knock on the open bedroom door. He looked up to see Naruto standing there with his keys.

"I just came to return these," He said as he dropped them on the once-shared dresser. "I'm sorry Shikamaru."

"Why? Why are you like this?"

Naruto looked down at him and Shikamaru felt a shiver go down his spine. Naruto was looking at him like a dead body he just killed. "To be honest Shikamaru I'm sorry. But I cannot tell you for the life of me why I did those things to you and your friends."

"We're done Naruto, the least you can give me is an honest answer," Shikamaru snapped and the blonde sighed as he stepped into the room and pushed the door closed with his foot before jumping onto his side of the bed, propping his head up his arm as he faced Shikamaru.

"I'm not right in the head Shikamaru, I think you and your friends have pieced that together at this point," Naruto stated with a sarcastic chuckle. "I am riddled with several mental disturbances that it isn't even funny. I hate myself on off days for what I did to you but other times there's this part of me that takes delight in this, delight in the fact that you are in pain."

Shikamaru's eyebrows raise into his hairline as Naruto talks.

"It excuses nothing but I'm emulating what I witnessed growing up. Despite all the shit, my parents put each other through they stayed together. I wanted a relationship like that and with you being the one wearing the pants I emulated my mother. I wanted all the arguments, all the make-up sex, and all the paranoid behavior you showcased," Naruto sighed in nostalgia.

"I thought if I got you in the mentality that my father had we would be perfect but you have perfect sanity and a good support system," Naruto gestured in his direction. "I decided that the tricks I watched growing up were outdated so I tried the two-face thing and it started to work. But the more it kept working the more I could see your friends pushing back and that made me unstable, possessive."

"How are you calmly having this conversation with me now?" Shikamaru asked and Naruto smiled a bit.

"Because we're over Shikamaru, my romance view didn't alter you and ultimately you were brave enough to pull the trigger to kill this relationship. Don't be fooled, the minute I ever get back in a relationship that side of me will become unleashed again."

"So what you're saying is that this is the rationale for you whenever you're out of a relationship?"

"I never cheated on you, I only made an impression so you would get jealous but inside all I did was hammer the nails into our relationship coffin. Now looking at you I feel remorse for my actions but I know in myself that deep down a part of me takes pleasure in seeing you in pain."

"You're insane and twisted," Shikamaru scowled.

"I know baby, trust me I know. I'm glad I met you Shikamaru and good luck with your new relationship."

When Naruto walked out for the final time Shikamaru knew that deep down a part of him would always love Naruto. He was the angel from hell, the person who is aware of how toxic their actions were but continued. He was confident even if his confidence lies in being a toxic partner. He gritted his teeth as he heard the front door close and Naruto's motorcycle startup before taking off down the street. "You idiot."