When logic fails ...

Unexpected Synchronization

Shikamaru needed a few seconds to think clearly again. Temari didn't release his hand, and he was grateful for it. He was sure that his body would otherwise have steered in the opposite direction. He inhaled deeply, sought stability, and found it in the warmth of her fingers.

"Shall we walk a bit?" he suddenly heard his own voice say.

The light of the streetlamps shimmered in her eyes. Temari breathed in and out calmly, took his hand more firmly again, and nodded to him.

The night literally flew by them. They didn't need words in that moment; the silence and the proximity of the other were enough for them. Hand in hand, they wandered through the park and other parts of the campus. The nervousness gradually faded away, and they enjoyed the small touches.

After a few minutes, Temari cleared her throat softly. "So... I absolutely want to clarify one thing." She looked at him sideways, the expression on her features warm and slightly amused. "How on earth did you come up with the idea that Kankuro could be my boyfriend?"

Shikamaru nearly choked on the air. "I... well..." His voice broke for a moment, and he ran his free hand over the back of his neck. "It was a misunderstanding. I just assumed that..." He closed his eyes. "It was embarrassing. I admit it."

Temari chuckled softly, not hurtfully, just genuinely amused. "My brother. Really?"

He made a face as if she had caught him. "I didn't know he was your brother." Then he winked back at her and used the sliver of confidence that had stirred within him. "Besides, you thought Ino was my girlfriend. You're not that much better."

Temari raised an eyebrow in surprise before a soft, disarming smile appeared on her face. She nudged his arm gently with her shoulder. "True enough. So we were both wrong."

"Pretty wrong," Shikamaru murmured.

"Then that's settled." Her voice sounded cheerful again, but also a little cautious. "I think both of us spent the last few weeks convincing ourselves of too many things that didn't even exist."

He nodded slowly. "Maybe because it was important to us."

She stopped for a moment and looked at him. The light of the streetlamps shimmered in her eyes, and he felt the world close in even more around this moment. Temari breathed in and out calmly and took his hand more firmly.

"I should have talked to you sooner," she whispered.

"Me too," he replied.

They walked on, this time closer together, their shoulders occasionally brushing, and each time something warm seemed to light up between them. The park was soon behind them, but they simply continued walking. Without a destination, without a plan, as if the movement itself were the conversation they had lacked until now.

When they arrived back at her house, the first streaks of morning light were already coloring the horizon a delicate orange. For a moment, they stood still, still holding hands, and looked at each other in silence. The world around them seemed to be asleep; not even a bird could be heard.

Shikamaru's gaze involuntarily wandered to the window behind which Ino was probably already lurking. He didn't even want to think about the questions that would soon rain down on him. As he looked back at Temari, he lifted his free hand and placed it on her cheek. His thumb stroked her skin gently, and he felt how warm she felt under his touch.

"I really enjoyed being with you," he breathed softly.

Temari closed her eyes and leaned into his rough palm, as if wanting to hold onto the warmth. Her breathing was calm, almost content. "Yes... I enjoyed it too."

A mischievous grin appeared on his lips. "Too bad you turned down my dinner invitation," he said in an unusually playful tone. "Otherwise, we definitely could have done this again." The grin on his face gradually widened.

Temari blinked at him in disbelief. She was about to respond, but got no further. His hand glided along her cheek until his thumb and forefinger gently enclosed her chin. At the same moment, he leaned down to her.

His lips touched hers, briefly and cautiously—it was barely longer than a heartbeat. Yet this single moment felt as if someone had ignited fireworks inside him.

When he drew back from her, she needed several breaths before lifting her gaze. Her eyes found his, and she lost herself for a moment in that dark brown. "Would it be too late," she whispered barely audibly, "to reconsider that?"

The mischievous spark in his eyes was unmistakable. The uncertainty perceptibly lifted from his posture, because now he finally knew where he stood. She had returned his kiss, she had allowed it, and all the unasked-for advice that Ino had provided him with over the years actually seemed to be paying off in this moment.

"No," he answered calmly. "Actually, I was expecting you to change your mind." He winked at her, but then took a step back. "However, it won't be that simple. You first have to cross your fingers for me to survive Ino's interrogation."

He gestured with a brief nod up to the windows of his apartment, and Temari followed his gaze. At first, she saw nothing, but then she recognized the faint outlines behind the curtain. A soft smile crept onto her lips.

"Then I at least want a proper kiss as a memory."

He was all too happy to grant this request. He wrapped his arms around her, held for a tiny moment, allowing the thought of the happiness in his arms to sink in. Then he lowered his head and sealed her lips again, this time significantly longer and more intensely.