When logic fails ...

Unfathomable Glances

"You?" she asked after a few seconds of shock. She could hardly believe that of all people, he—a newcomer—was supposed to solve her problem now.
Shikamaru drew in a sharp breath and stepped further into the office. "I can just leave again if you don't want my help... but then you'll get your files back at the earliest tomorrow," he replied dryly, setting his bag on the chair in front of her desk.

"No... no... if you think you can manage this... please. I've already tried everything and I'm at my wit's end," she sighed, rising to let him take her place.
Shikamaru sat down in her office chair as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'll take a look... But next time, don't call right before closing time, especially not if you've already been sitting here for two hours trying to fix it yourself. Most clumsy attempts only make things worse... and a punctual end to the workday isn't to be underestimated either," he muttered, his eyes already fixed on the screen, fingers flying swiftly over the keys.

He didn't dare look up, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tackled her problem. At first, she sat opposite him and observed him closely. He radiated the same calm he had shown during the semester's opening speech, and that calm slowly seemed to wash over her. The frustration and mounting stress she had felt moments ago had almost completely faded since he entered the room. Yet the silence between them felt wrong to Temari. Her eyes wandered briefly through the room and stopped at the coffee machine.

"Can I offer you a coffee?" she asked, grateful for the chance to finally break the silence.
His gaze flicked across the screen for an instant, then he shook his head and buried himself again in the task at hand.

She poured herself a cup and sat down beside him. Once more the heavy silence set in, broken only by the steady tapping of his fingers on the keyboard. Temari briefly considered whether to try starting another conversation. Crossing her arms, she studied him skeptically.

"You could just explain to me what you're doing, then I could handle it myself in the future," she suggested, peeking at the monitor where lines of numbers and letters scrolled along. Shikamaru cast her a sidelong, wary glance. "Do you even know what a BIOS is?" he asked, then turned back to his work.
"No, but I learn quickly. If you explain it properly, it shouldn't be a problem."

With a hint of annoyance, he pushed the keyboard aside and turned toward her. Her green eyes were fixed firmly on him, almost like a small challenge.
"And why exactly should I do that? Explaining this to you would probably take weeks. I don't have the time or the patience for that... besides, it's my job to fix these things."

Temari's expression tightened as she grabbed her cup. He could see her wrestling with herself, wondering whether to keep arguing, but to his relief she abandoned her protest. "Fine, then not... How long do you think this will take?" she mumbled into her cup.
"If you let me do my job without interruptions, hopefully not too much longer," he said, pulling the keyboard closer again.

Shikamaru typed command after command, fingers flying, while Temari peered curiously over his shoulder. Every so often she leaned forward to see what exactly he was doing, though she avoided asking further questions.
The minutes dragged endlessly for her. She could do nothing but watch the young man from the side and wait for him to finish. He was still young, but already a small thinker's crease had formed on his forehead, and his profile in the dim light looked rather striking. The longer she watched him, the more details she noticed: a stud in his left ear, a faint mole on his neck. It struck her as strange, how intently she was studying him, yet somehow her eyes always found their way back to him, no matter what she tried.

"All done... at least as far as I can manage on short notice. Backup will be easier if you start saving your data regularly," he said at last, stretching and leaning back in the chair. Temari startled slightly, unprepared for his sudden words.
"What?" she blinked in surprise.
"I said I'm finished," he repeated.