Third person pov
That night, Arron still refused to leave his side unless he needed to use the restroom. Even then it was pushing it. So now, lying in bed, he wasn't surprised to find her lying next to him once more. She'd fallen asleep fairly fast despite their long nap earlier, and Shikamaru could feel exhaustion weighing on him. But he couldn't help but gaze at Arron, who's face was inches from his own. Watching people in their sleep was creepy, but honestly, Shikamaru lacked the ability to stop himself.
He'd never really see a girl so pretty. Her skin was naturally pale, but not too pale. Not like the Uchiha. It was pale in a creamy way, and her hair was so dark it nearly blended in with the lightless-room. Trexx was asleep in the middle of the room, and Mothball had made a nest at the end of the bed. Shikamaru could barely see them.
Her hair was pretty too, but not as pretty as her smile. He loved to see her pink lips, which he could confirm were soft, curve up with joy. Her eyes were darker than his own, being pitch black. He could barely see her pupil, honestly.
Everything about Arron, to put it simply, was beautiful. Her laugh, and her voice. The way her eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and the amusement that danced in her eyes right before she dropped an unexpected pun or roast. The way she'd duck her head when embarrassed or shy. The look on her face when she told her she loved him, like she was pulling the words right from the bottom of her heart and displaying them for him to see. It was all just... beautiful.
"Arron, I love you." Shikamaru muttered. He'd never felt so creepy and at peace in his life. The mixture was terrifying yet comforting at the same time. "I really, really love you."
The pair both slept soundly after that. And as Shikamaru was drifting off to sleep, he swore he heard her tell him she loved him too.
~
"I suggest we start training as late as tomorrow. Arron, you're free to join us. We'll just be in the courtyard." Shikaku said as the two teens shuffled in for breakfast. Shikamaru groaned at the thought of doing more work. His body ached from all the five harsh days he spent in that damned forest. "Maybe you can work more with you kekkai genkai, Arron."
"Oh yeah, you made Mothball, didn't you?" Shikamaru seemed to remember. Mothball looked away from the light in response to his name. The light Trexx was slowly reaching for. Yoshino slapped his arm with a spatula to get him to stop. The creature simply slumped, letting out a rather sad sounding noise.
Arron gave a nod, picking the creature up and settling him on her lap. He was quite the comfort creature. He was cool, small, and made weird noises when you squeezed him. Overall, he was like a puppy, but he didn't pee on the floor and chew up shoes. Actually, now that Arron thought about it, if Trexx and Mothball didn't use the restroom... what happened to all the crap they ate?
"Did you two have a good night?" Yoshino asked as she set down their plates. "No funny business?"
Shikamaru froze, and Shikaku ducked his head to hide his laughter. "If only." Arron muttered so quietly Shikaku and Shikamaru barely heard her. Yoshino was back at the oven by the time she managed to get the retort out, turning around again just in time to see Shikamaru spray his water across the table, and Shikaku break out in laughter. Arron simply shrugged, moving her food around with her fork.
"What?" Yoshino asked. "You didn't actually do anything to poor Arron, did you?!"
"What makes you think it would be me who did it?!" Shikamaru defended. "What a drag."
"As if Arron would ever initiate such a thing." Yoshino scoffed. Shikaku was having trouble breathing, still laughing over her previous sassy retort. Shikamaru's face was red: a scowl painted across his face.
"Well..." Arron whispered, trailing off. Shikaku lost it all over again, and Shikamaru's face got redder. He groaned, resting his forehead down on the table.
"Troublesome!" He exclaimed through his embarrassment. Yoshino was confused as she sat down, her eyebrows raised. Arron shrugged innocently as though she hadn't just hit on Shikamaru in front of his family. In her lap, Mothball chittered.
The rest of the morning was fairly quiet, consisting more of Shikaku and Yoshino asking Shikamaru about his time in the forest. Arron listened closely, seeming concerned despite the fact that he was now safe. He appreciated it, and he appreciated the fact that she was holding his hand more. God, he was getting creeper by the day.
He and Arron went on a walk, during which she once again refused to let go of him. Shikaku was waiting for them when they got back. He'd taken a month, yes, a whole month, off of work. Shikamaru was mortified to say the least. Arron could understand that. The boy did, after all, greatly enjoy his sleep.
Arron sat at the edge of the courtyard as Shikaku began to teach Shikamaru more about their kekkai genkai, and the ways to utilize it. She stared down at the ball she was forming between her hands. It was a shadowy ball that came up to her knee, about. She watched it grow small horns, very small legs, and stubby little arms that really wouldn't do much. She frowned, urging them to grow bigger. It didn't work.
Trexx and Mothball sat next to her, gazing up at the sun sourly. Mothball made a chittering noise, to which Trexx gave a nod of agreement. "Eat sun." The larger of the pair grumbled. Arron was quite sure Mothball couldn't talk. She turned her gaze back down to the shadowy mass she'd formed onto to see a pair of eyes staring at her. She flinched, dropping it in surprise. It's expression looked permanently angry.
"Noot." It said aggressively. Shikaku and Shikamaru both turned around. "Noot."
"You made another?!" Shikamaru blinked.
"NOOT!" The creature shrieked, beginning to roll rapidly towards where Shikamaru stood. The boy stumbled out of the way. The thing was rolling so fast it was a blur. He was reminded of Choji's special jutsu that essentially turned him into a human boulder.
"His name is Noot." Arron offered quietly as Shikaku joined her. Shikamaru yelped, diving out of the way as the new creature barreled towards him.
"Noot!" The creature growled. "Noot! Noot!"
"Still no intelligence?" Shikaku asked as the thing rolled after Shikamaru.
"No." Arron shook her head with a sigh.
~
ANOTHER SHADOW BOI HECK
Noot is an angry son
Sorry I drew this in like 5 seconds. That's like a uh... size scale or something, and to the right is Noot with his tiny little feet and stubby arms. There's like,,,, two more shadow things Arron has to make later. Maybe three, actually. I don't remember aksdja
Also my dear child TheInfoBroker drew this Trexx Cult and I'm honestly living for it.