Naruto Various x Reader ━━ One-Shots

Shikamaru Nara ━━ Third Time's the Charm

With a smirk playing on his lips, not visible to either of you, Kakashi leaned back in his seat. "Do either of you know why I asked you to come?"

You were the first to narrow your eyes. "To go on a mission, I presume?" Once you glanced over at the raven-haired man sitting beside you, the smell of cigarettes still lingering on his vest. Then, you forced yourself to focus on the Hokage again, trying to keep yourself from frowning visibly. "Together, most likely."

Merely from how you strained the first word, the Hokage could tell your lack of enthusiasm when it came to the mission. That was no surprise to him, he already had expected such a reaction from both you and Shikamaru, so he paid it no mind. He was following his very own mission, after all, and not even the two of you disagreeing would keep him from continuing on with it.

"I chose the two of you to complete this mission because it is of importance," Kakashi began, sitting a little straighter in his seat now. He really could have chosen anyone besides you and Shikamaru, but neither of you needed to know that fact and potentially mess with his meddling. "And I trust you to complete it. Together."

Both of you had to swallow down the groans of annoyance you were about to let out. It had to be a joke, didn't it? An unnecessary joke from the Hokage himself, in that case.

"Don't you two look at me like that," Kakashi felt like he was reprimanding two children, not two of the most capable and intelligent Shinobi. He shot both of them a warning look before he slid the information slip across the table for them to take, deciding that briefing them now would cause him more of a headache. "The mission begins tomorrow. I expect the two of you to get a good night's sleep and head off early in the morning."

Kakashi did not even need to dismiss the two of you, as you both willingly left the Hokage's office without a word to him or each other. The first to go had been Shikamaru, who stood up as soon as he had skimmed over the paper, pushing his chair back with a loud screech, before he pushed the door to Kakashi's office open and left. You quickly followed suit, with a few seconds of difference so you wouldn't run into the dark-haired male when outside of the office. The silence remaining was loud, to say the least, and left the room colder than it was before.

(That did not have the Hokage doubt his meddling, not even in the slightest as Shizune could see as soon as she entered the room with a cup of tea in her hand.)

The raven-haired woman let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips as soon as she sat down the tea on his desk. "What did you do now?" From the gleam in his charcoal eyes alone she could see he was up to something.

Kakashi leaned back against his chair, stretching out his legs and arms, listening to his joints cracking in the process. His playful gaze settled on Shizune, a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, you know, nothing."

Shizune knew that he was lying, and couldn't help but worry about what the man was brewing up.

***

You could still remember when you first met Shikamaru back in the academy when the two of you had still been young children starting their way of being a Shinobi. To you, it was like the memory was burned into your brain, something you knew you'd never forget due to the significance of that day to you.

Your first crush you would never forget, anyway.

Already within the first few months of starting the academy, you had begun to develop a crush on the raven-haired boy from your class. You weren't sure what it had been that had pulled you to the Nara, whether it had been his unmatchable intelligence, or his lazy attempts at humor, which often came out dry, you didn't know. At his witty jokes, you often were the first and only student to laugh, the only one to understand it immediately and also find it funny. Your attention was always drawn to him, your eyes always finding a way to settle on his slouched figure. Your chin would rest on your hand as you daydream of some kind of future together, wistful sighs pushing past your lips.