Warnings and disclaimer in first chapter.

Author's note: this chapter is unbetaed! But I will update a betaed version as soon as my beta has some spare time.

Chapter 03

Neji shivered slightly as Shikamaru chuckled. The deep voice sounded very sexy in his opinion and he couldn't help but smile slightly, no matter how flushed his cheeks were or how fast his heart beat at the moment.

He felt the bed dip at the extra weight as Shikamaru sat down onto the mattress. With a small frown he turned his head a bit to look at Shikamaru's face, which was etched with amusement.

Smiling, Shikamaru brought his hand to Neji's face and caressed his cheek gently. "Why don't you make some room?" He asked, nudging Neji's side with his other hand, indicating he wanted to lay down next to the long-haired male.

Neji smiled and wiggled himself a bit to the side, watching with a blush on his cheeks as Shikamaru lay down, their sides touching in Neji's single-bed.

Neji, feeling childishly nervous and giddy, lifted his arms, crossing them over his chest in an attempt to lay comfortable.

As he heard Shikamaru sigh he turned to lay on his side so he could watch the other with a somewhat panicked expression. It only took a short moment before thoughts started racing through his mind. Did he do something wrong? Was Shikamaru dissatisfied because their sides were touching?

While Neji was nervously awaiting Shikamaru's explanation for the sigh the other had also turned to lay on his side, facing Neji.

Shikamaru smiled lazily as he gently lay an arm across Neji's waist. He pulled him closer, only a bit since Neji immediately tensed at the for him unfamiliar contact.

"Is this all right?" Shikamaru asked with a small smile.

Neji, who's cheeks were as red as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's nose, turned his eyes away from Shikamaru's face to look at the pillow his head was resting on.

Even though he felt nervous and embarrassed at this new position they were in, his heart fluttered at the way Shikamaru held him and asked if Neji was all right with it. Besides, "it is more comfortable." He muttered softly.

Shikamaru chuckled softly at the shy, almost uncomfortable reply. He knew Neji hadn't been in a relationship before. That, together with the seclusion the other was raised in, made that Neji was rather shy when it came to intimacy. A shyness Shikamaru would love to break through and wouldn't mind doing so.

As Shikamaru was imagining several not-so-innocent ways to break Neji from his shyness, Neji was feeling worried all of a sudden.

It was Heaven, laying in Shikamaru's arms like this. Shikamaru's warm breath ghosting over his cheek and his gentle fingers drawing tickly circles on his side. It made Neji feel all warm and gooey on the inside, a feeling that was completely new to him.

But he liked the feeling a lot. It made him feel so very loved and if he closed his eyes he could lay like this for an entire day. That was not what was worrying him.

What worried him was that Shikamaru still hadn't answered his timid question from before.

Did that mean that Shikamaru didn't think that they were boyfriends, or had he simply forgotten? Neji, never one to simply believe something as stupid as forgetting such an important matter, sighed softly.

Immediately Shikamaru picked up on Neji's distressed mood. He lifted his hand from Neji's waist to caress his cheek. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss Neji tenderly for a short moment. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

Neji, although he felt a bit flustered from the kiss, avoided Shikamaru's gaze. He wanted to know if he could call Shikamaru his boyfriend. But how would he react if the other said they weren't? And then there was Ino…

Neji felt anxious for the answer he could receive and his nervousness projected in his voice as he spoke quietly. "You didn't answer my question."

Neji waited nervously for the other to answer. Did he now think Neji was childish or insecure? Neji nervously looked at Shikamaru only to be taken by surprise as a pair of lips were almost desperately pressed to his.

Neji, although shocked at first, seemed to forget everything in the world as he felt Shikamaru's tongue lick his lips sensually and felt hands roam over his body.

Instead of worrying about a reply or where this was going, he wrapped his arms around Shikamaru's neck and let himself be pulled closer. He almost purred as Shikamaru's fingers brushed over a sensitive spot behind his ear.

When Shikamaru was about to pull away from the kiss Neji leaned forward to kiss Shikamaru himself. He closed his eyes in bliss. He loved the feel of Shikamaru touching him, hands wandering everywhere over his body, finding sensitive spots that made Neji shiver.

Neji moaned as long fingers combed gently through his long hair. Before getting together with Shikamaru, Neji could never have imagined loving his hair being touched this much.

Shikamaru caressed Neji's cheek again and with a chuckle pulled away. With a grin he kissed the tip of Neji's nose, making the other blush slightly.

He then kissed his way to Neji's ear, loving the way Neji wiggled with a mixture of embarrassment and uneasiness. He could easily see that Neji was new to these kind of situations. Oh, how he wanted to let Neji get used to them!

As he reached Neji's ear he gently kissed it before whispering: "You silly Hyuuga. I'm a lazy guy. After all the trouble I went through to get you in my arms, I'm not planning to let you leave them anytime soon."

As Neji lay silently on the bed, panting softly with rose-colored cheeks, Shikamaru teasingly licked the ear-lobe that was so invitingly presented to him. "Of course you're my boyfriend."

"S-Shikamaru…" Neji looked at his boyfriend breathlessly.

He couldn't help the goofy smile that adorned his face. Boyfriend. A year ago he'd never have thought that he would ever feel so happy to call someone his boyfriend. But right now, feeling very loved and slightly excited as Shikamaru nipped his neck, he certainly was floating on a bit pink fluffy cloud.

Neji's blissful moment was interrupted though as Shikamaru touched the bottom of his shirt. Neji stiffened and gasped softly as he felt fingers touch abdomen. His excitement and bliss had made room for a nervous and anxious feeling.

Deciding that this was going a bit too far for his liking, Neji gently touched Shikamaru's hand.

Immediately Shikamaru halted his ministrations to look up at Neji with a small frown of confusion.

"Shika… uhn," Neji started but now that Shikamaru was looking at him felt he couldn't find the right words. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

"I-I'm not… could we just kiss?" He muttered softly, his cheeks burning red from embarrassment and he buried his face in his pillow in an attempt to avoid Shikamaru's gaze.

"Heh," Shikamaru gently lifted Neji's head, forcing the other to look him in the eye. He smiled at Neji and said: "Of course. I'm sorry." He answered with a peck to Neji's lips.

Neji muttered a quiet "thank you" and smiled shyly.

Suddenly Shikamaru laughed and Neji frowned. "What?" He asked.

"Did no-one ever tell you that you're adorable?" Shikamaru asked on a teasing tone.

Neji's eyes widened and he pouted. "I'm not cute." He muttered and buried his head in Shikamaru's chest, the other chuckling softly.

Neji knew the moment that Shikamaru entered the dinning-room that dinner tonight would be fun. Fun on Neji's behalf.

Hanabi was already sitting at the table when the two of them entered. She was grinning excitedly and pointed to the chair next to her. "Shikamaru can sit here!" She exclaimed with shining eyes.

Neji raised an eyebrow. He didn't mind that Shikamaru would sit next to his cousin, in fact, he was glad she was so accepting of his boyfriend. He just felt a little confused why she would want to sit next to him.

Shikamaru didn't answer immediately and Neji grinned at his reluctance to say something that could perhaps upset Neji. It was very sweet, Neji thought.

Neji walked towards the table, leaving a confused Shikamaru behind, and ruffled Hanabi's hair as he passed.

Hanabi squealed softly and stuck out her tongue. "Tease." She said.

Neji just raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "And aren't you planning on doing the same to Shikamaru?"

"No!" Hanabi exclaimed innocently and looked at Shikamaru. "Because Shikamaru is nice."

Shikamaru, by now understanding that Hanabi was planning to tease Neji, smirked. That would be fun. "Why thank you ever so much. Passing me such compliments, I'm certainly sitting next to you during dinner." He said and with a teasing smile towards Neji sat down next to the young Hyuuga.

Neji rolled his eyes with a chuckle as he sat down on the other side of the table, facing Shikamaru. "You just wait."

Shikamaru frowned for a second before completely ignoring Neji and turning to Hanabi. "What's he talking about?" He asked as he leaned against the back of his chair and stretched his arms.

Hanabi giggled. "Father." Was all she said as an answer.

As Shikamaru's expression faltered for a second Neji felt proud of himself of making the other hear something unexpected. Then again, no-one could predict Hiashi's behavior during a dinner such as this.

"Should I be worried?" Shikamaru asked all of a sudden sounding nervous and looking at Neji with a frown.

Neji simply shrugged. "With Hiashi, you never know." He simply said.

With a glare Shikamaru hissed: "Couldn't you have warned me?"

"Warned you about what, Nara?" An amused voice filled the room.

Shikamaru flushed and looked up with widened eyes as he saw Hiashi Hyuuga sitting down in the chair next to Neji. "Ah, nothing." He muttered embarrassed. "And it's Shikamaru, please."

Hiashi chuckled good-heartedly as he watched his nephew's boyfriend. "Formal, aren't you?"

Shikamaru was stunned for a moment. Yes, he had met Hiashi Hyuuga once or twice, but never was the man this care-free and, dare he say, teasing?

His confusion showed on his face apparently as Hiashi smirked. "We are part of a very old Clan which is regarded with high respect. Also, as a powerful and influential clan we have an image to uphold. Joviality does most of the time not work in ones advantage."

Hiashi greeted his eldest daughter as she shyly entered the room, silently sitting down next to her father. But to Shikamaru's surprise, Hiashi continued.

"We may come across as stern and stoic, but I can assure you that is an image of the entire clan, not of the individuals. I must admit that I was guilty of being stoic and stern at one time, but just like Neji I also learned new things after the Chuunin Exams." He said with a fond smile.

Shikamaru was a bit put off at this information. He had never expected Hiashi to be this kind and open. It made it hard to belief for him that the man that talked so freely about himself could ever be stern.

But the story did explain the wrong image most people had off Neji. Because although Neji was probably a more private and reserved person than his uncle, the image of the Clan also branded Neji. It was exactly as Hiashi said. People saw Neji and didn't look further than the Hyuuga name.

Hiashi, noticing the way Shikamaru's expression changed as he was thinking smiled. "You are a bright boy, Shikamaru."

"Yes, Neji is so lucky to have caught Shikamaru's interest!" Hanabi said as she looked at the boy sitting next to her with an admiring look.

Hiashi chuckled and, as he looked Shikamaru in the eye, said: "We don't know that yet. Perhaps after dinner…"

And even though Shikamaru's heart seemed to have stopped beating when Hiashi said that, things turned out to be all right.

It was a dinner Shikamaru would never have expected to see in the Hyuuga-household. It was a typical family-dinner with everyone speaking about their day happily.

Shikamaru was also glad he had decided to sit next to Hanabi this evening. This way he could see Neji's face clearly and listen intently to all the gossip the girl was willing to spill on her cousin. Which was quite a lot actually.

And Shikamaru loved it when Neji's cheeks flushed as he told Hanabi in a stern tone to never mention things about 'murdering the kitchen staff because Neji was a touchy kid' to anyone ever again.

It was the after-dinner part that Shikamaru was now nervously attending.

Apparently Neji had known this would happen since when Hanabi and Hinata both left the room he had mentioned for his boyfriend to stay seated.

Shikamaru could guess what was going to happen now, of course. Because no matter how jovial Hiashi might be inside his own house, it still was the house of a Clan. And perhaps Shikamaru should have praised himself lucky it was Neji he was dating and not Hanabi.

Because at least now he wouldn't have to talk about things like unplanned pregnancy during their relationship.

As if talking about your relationship with the father of your boyfriend wasn't hard enough already.

Shikamaru, if he would admit it honestly, felt like a little child waiting for his father to scold him for something bad.

And he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, since he sincerely cared about Neji. But with Neji looking down at the table a bit nervously and Hiashi looking at him with that stern Hyuuga expression he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty of converting Hiashi Hyuuga's nephew to the gay side.

Because that was a problem certain to arise. Since now Neji couldn't produce an heir. Shikamaru suppressed the urge to sigh. Boyfriends not even three hours and already he was going through all of this. Neji was going to owe him a lot of kisses and hugs when this meeting with Hiashi was over.

TBC.