For ohwhatsherface
Pairing: ShikaSaku
Word count: 770
Prompt: shades of blue
Notes: 1,000 reviews! You guys rock.

-x-

Shikamaru sighed.

“Go away,” he said to his companion – though perhaps ‘companion’ was the wrong word for it. It wasn’t as if he had invited her, or particularly enjoyed her loud and distracting company.

“But I don’t want to,” Sakura said, not even turning to look at him. She kept her eyes closed, face turned to the sky. Shikamaru was offended.

“You’re just lying there,” he said. “You’re not even looking at the clouds. You can do this at home.”

“But then I wouldn’t have the pleasure of your company, would I?” she replied. “Now shut up, you’re annoying.”

Shikamaru snorted. He was annoying? He wasn’t the one who had completely taken over another person’s cloud-watching spot. Still, he fell silent, trying to ignore the girl lying beside him, not that it was easy.

He had been sent on a mission with Sakura and Lee a few days ago. They had returned to the village exhausted, so of course Lee ran off to bench-press trees. Shikamaru had shuffled off to his favorite cloud-watching spot and Sakura, not realizing that the mission was over and she didn’t need to follow him anymore, followed. Shikamaru hadn’t had the energy to send her away, so the two of them dropped down and passed out until evening.

The only problem was, she was back. And she kept coming back, every day. Didn’t she have a job or something?

“Don’t you have a job or something?” he demanded.

“That’s rich, coming from you.” Sakura opened her eyes and flipped over onto her stomach, eyeing him. “I’m doing the night shift this week.”

She stared up at the sky, cupping her chin in her palms, swinging her legs in the air. “The sky is very blue.”

Shikamaru could feel a headache coming on. “Yes, Sakura, the sky is blue. I thought you were smart?”

“Someone’s in a bad mood,” Sakura observed.

“I wonder why,” he said, folding his arms behind his head to stare up at the sky. She was right: it was very blue, very clear. It was a nice day.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sakura sang. When Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled. “That the color of the sky is the same shade of blue as Ino’s eyes.”

Shikamaru grunted. “Is it?”

“Not really,” she said. “More like Naruto’s.”

Whatever. Blue was blue was blue. He wasn’t getting into this discussion with her. He wasn’t getting into any discussion, actually. He wanted to sleep.

Sakura rolled over onto her back again. Shikamaru was very aware of her soft breathing beside him, the tips of her hair brushing his arms. Annoying woman.

“Shikamaru? Are you asleep already?”

“Yeah,” he said, keeping his eyes closed. He felt Sakura move to prop herself up on her elbows, could imagine her scowling down at him. So troublesome.

He opened his eyes. “What.”

“I’m bored.”

“Then sleep.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“What do you want me to do, then?” he asked. “Sing to you?”

She brightened. “Would you?”

“No.”

Sakura sighed. “You’re no fun.”

“And you’re troublesome. Go away.”

Sakura huffed and sat up. “Fine!” She got to her feet, scowled down at him. “I’ll leave. But you’ll miss me! You’ll be begging me to come back!”

Shikamaru sincerely doubted that, but he didn’t say anything, just let her stomp away.

Then he closed his eyes. Ah, peace and quiet.

-x-

The peace and quiet was getting on his nerves.

Shikamaru sighed, drumming his fingers on the hard earth beneath them. It had only been three days of being back to his regular, un-Sakura-filled routine, and he was so bored.

Then sleep, he told himself, closing his eyes. A moment later, they flew open again. I can’t sleep, he thought, and remembered having this very exchange with Sakura just a few days ago.

What do you want me to do? his brain asked him (he wasn’t quite sure how that worked).

Shikamaru considered.

-x-

Shikamaru came up behind Sakura silently as she left the hospital for home, looking tired. She could use a good nap, he thought, and leaned down to tell her so.

She jumped, startled, when her breath hit her neck, his voice hit her ear.

“I think the sky’s the exact shade of Ino’s eyes today.”

“Nope,” she said automatically, already turning around to face him. “It’s Naruto’s.”

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah? Prove it.”

Sakura stared at him, then broke out into a wide smile. She slid her hand into Shikamaru’s, tugging him in the direction of his – their – favorite cloud-watching spot.

“You know,” she said, teasing, “You could’ve just asked me back.”