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Harder to Breathe - Supernatural - Part 2

FIRST PERSON – ALEX

I saw Sam flick his hair off his face and Dean place his gun on the table. “Before we… start, Alex,” Sam said. “We have to… you know,” he pointed to some holy water and a silver blade.

“Yeah, I know, go ahead,” I held my arm out and they poured holy water of it. Next, Dean took a blade out and hovered it over my arm, thinking about cutting me. I knew that he wouldn’t be able to do it. I watched him as he contemplated it. He didn’t do anything after about thirty seconds, so I took the blade from him, touching his hand in the process. He looked up at me, with teary eyes, and I softly smiled at him.

I pressed the blade to my forearm and slide it across my skin, cutting it open. Blood came to the surface and Dean quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around the cut, stopping the bleeding. “So,” I cleared my throat. “Why are you here?”

They explained the situation to me. I listened intently and had to hold back my cries when I realised how much shit they had gone through. They both had literally gone to hell and back. I didn’t know how much pain and suffering they had to go through. It just made me feel worse that they had to go through it without me. I cleared my throat when they had finished. “Now, we understand that you’re angry with us, and it’s okay if you don’t want anything to do with us. We’ve hurt you, we know,” Sam said.

“It’s okay,” I nodded, my head falling to look at the ground.

“No,” Dean said abruptly. “It’s not okay,” he walked closer to us. “But we will do everything we can to make it okay between us,” he said, his voice firm and clear.

I nodded, smiling, not letting my tears fall from my eyes. “So, you need a safe place yeah?” I asked. They nodded. “I know just the place.”

-

I directed Dean as he drove the impala to the bunker. I was at the library one day, and I was searching through all these old books and I found an address and key to this bunker. From as far as I can tell, this place is warded and secluded enough for no one to know it.

I smiled as I unlocked the door and led them in. “H-How did you find this place?” Sam asked, having a field day already. I shrugged with a smile on my face. I winked at him and he just laughed, looking around. I showed them around, Dean and I laughing at Sam’s excited comments about everything.

“How’s this then? Good enough?”

“Yeah, this is – this is great­, Alex,” Sam said, a massive smile on his face.

“Cool,” I sighed, flopping down into a chair. “Stay here for as long as you want.”

-

Sam and Dean decided that I should go back home. They said they didn’t want anything to happen to me because of them. I thought it was a stupid idea, because I was obviously safer with them than I was at home, by myself. Sure, I had a brief knowledge of monsters and stuff like that, but not as much as I would like to.

I sighed, feeling my anger starting to peak again at them. “Well, I better get going then,” I said, shaking my head and standing up. Sam walked me out to the car, Dean specifically said that I could take it for extra protection. I rolled my eyes at him then.

“I’ll see you later, Alex,” Sam smiled, pulling me into a hug. “It’s been good seeing you.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you, Sammy,” I sighed into his chest. Dean came up a couple of seconds later, and Sam went inside. Dean gave me the keys, telling me to be careful with his baby.

“Dean, I promise I will not hurt your car,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“She’s not the only thing I’m worried about,” he said, looking directly into my eyes. He pulled me close to his chest. I breathed in his scent, savouring it. “I’m sorry we’re doing this, Lex, but I need to know that you’re safe, and safe is away from me – I mean, away from us.”

“No, Dean, safe would be with you guys. You know, the ones that know stuff about monsters and how to kill them,” I said, pulling back from his hug, angrily.

“We’ve taught you how to kill most stuff, okay? You’ll be okay, I promise you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Dean,” I said, stepping into the drivers’ seat. “Bye, Dean,” I said, after rolling down my window. I paused, hesitant, “I love you guys.”

“We love you, too,” as I drove away the song that was playing was Harder to Breathe, by Maroon 5.

-

It had been a couple of days since I left Sam and Dean at the bunker. I had been watching Netflix for approximately 30 of those hours while eating nothing but frozen dinners. Sam would absolutely have a fit. I was watching PS I Love You, and crying all the way through it.

 I quickly wiped my face with tissues when I heard someone knocking on my door. I gulped some water and opened the door, clutching my phone in my hand. I didn’t recognise the person who was standing in front of me though. He was about Dean’s height, had light brown hair with blue eyes. He was wearing a white collared t-shirt with a low hanging tie and a trench coat. I noticed his white shirt had a big blood stain on it.

“Uh, can I help you?” I asked him, a worried look on my face.

“Y-you know Dean?” he gritted through his teeth. I nodded. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and I rushed forward, ready to catch him before he fell. I got him so his arm was around my shoulders and I dragged him into my apartment. I dropped him on the couch and pulled my phone out, calling Dean and putting him on speaker phone.

“Alex?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

“Dean,” I gasped out, hearing my voice crack with worry and confusion.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, knowing that something was wrong.

“T-there’s a man here, he showed up, um, he was looking for you. He’s bleeding, he passed out,” I stuttered, starting to cry.

“Who is he? Did he give you a name? What does he look like?”

“N-no, he didn’t give me his name. Um, h-he has blue eyes, he’s wearing a trench coat,” I paused, thinking.

“Okay, listen to me. His name is Castiel, and if he’s hurt, something bad is happening. Sam and I are on our way, okay? Just make sure he’s okay, Alex,” Dean said. I nodded, but I knew he could hear me. “Alex?” he repeated, his voice firm.

“Y-yeah, right, I got it,” and we hung up. I threw my phone on the table behind us and I worked on turning Castiel over. When I managed that, I loosened his tie so it wasn’t in the way and I unbuttoned his shirt. I found the spot that was bleeding and cleaned all around it with my first aid kit I kept under my coffee table.

The actual wound was round and deep. I took a deep breath and held a cloth over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. I thought back to my time at school when we did first aid one year, but my mind was blank. I heard my door burst open and Sam came rushing to me. Dean picked me up off the ground where I was kneeling in front of Castiel.

I stood away from Sam and Castiel, latching onto Dean with my arms wrapped around his neck. My face was buried into his chest, trying to hold back my tears, but failing. I could hear Dean whispering in my ear, trying to soothe me. I took a deep breath after a couple of minutes, but I could still feel tears falling down my cheeks.

“Is he gonna be okay? Is he gonna die?” I asked, looking up at Dean. I was still latched onto him.

His eyes looked teary. “He’s tough, he should be fine,” he cleared his throat, and I let go of him. He walked over to where Sam was crouching in front of Castiel. I watched their interactions. They were both worried. I walked closer, so I was leaning against the back of the couch.

I watched as Dean looked over him, tears in his eyes. I wondered who he was, exactly, and how he knew who I was. “I think we just need to let him rest now. We’ve done all we can do,” Sam said, standing up from him couching position. I sighed, nodding. I announced to them that I thought that we should all go to bed. “One of you can stay in my room with me, if you want,” I said, and walked to my bedroom. I took my pants off, and I realised that I was wearing an old shirt of Sam’s. I smiled and buried myself under the blankets, letting all my tears fall.

Soon, I heard my door creak open and light pour in. I looked over and saw Sam walking towards me. He had his boxers on, but no shirt. I smiled as he climbed into the bed with me. “Hey, Alex,” he whispered, making me smile.

“Sammy,” I said as a greeting. He looked at my face in the dark, squinting so he could make it out. He noticed that I had been crying.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, worried.

“It’s stupid, don’t worry about it,” I shook my head. He grabbed my hand.

“It’s not stupid if you’re crying over it, tell me,” he said, and in this moment, it felt like they had never left me. Sam and I were still telling each other everything that happened in our lives, Dean and I jokingly made fun of Sam for wanting to read his books rather than come for a walk run along the beach with us. I smiled, remembering what it was like to have these boys as a constant in my life.

“I-I just, I feel this is my fault. Like Dean blames me, kinda, for what’s happening to Castiel,” I said, shyly. “I can tell that they’re pretty close, you know.”

“Listen, Alex, that isn’t what’s happening. None of this is your fault – I mean, you don’t even know what’s happening – what Cas is!” he shook his head. “You don’t need to feel like that. Dean – or I – doesn’t blame you for what happened to Cas,” he whispered the last part, kissing my forehead.

“Thanks, Sammy,” I whispered, cuddling into his bare chest and falling asleep.

-

When I woke up, Sam wasn’t in bed anymore. I checked my phone quickly before I got up. I walked out of my room, a smile on my face, but it was soon taken over by a frown. There was no Castiel lying on the couch anymore. I checked the bathroom, the spare bedroom, the kitchen and anywhere else he – or Sam and Dean – could have been. All three of them were gone. I started to feel panic rising up my stomach. I got my phone and called Dean – there was no answer. I called Sam next, there also, was no answer. “Shit,” I whispered, calling Dean again, this time, leaving a message. “Listen, Dean, I just woke up and you guys aren’t here. Where are you all? I – I um, don’t care if you’re at the bunker or whatever, but just, call me back, yeah? I worry about you.”

I sighed, putting the phone down and flopping onto the couch. I can’t believe they’re gone again.

-

Effortless (Rock Lee x Reader x Shikamaru)

Synopsis: Shikamaru is, regrettably, on a team with you and Lee

Word Count: 852

Warnings/Tags: This is high key stupid, no other warnings @gera-gera-chan 

Notes: Eh, @simply-trash5, you’ve been real good to me lately. And you had a request in so this is my little gift to you. Somewhere along the way this turned into Shikamaru x Reader x Lee soooo

Afficher davantage

We Shouldn't Be Doing This || Neji Hyuga x fem!reader

A/n : Prompt 15 of the Smutember 2023

The list of promps is HERE

Smutember 2023 Masterlist ⚜

Warnings : mention of first time, erection, 18+ READERS ONLY and wrap it before you tap it

Masterlist ⚜

I don’t give permission to repost my work, if you want to share it just reblogue it

Word count : 1059

“We shouldn’t be doing this” ist exactly what came to his mind when he started undressing before you. After all, all his life he learned restraint, to stay clear-headed, and that went hand in hand with not having consummated the marriage until he was married. Yet how could he have held back and followed any of those principles instilled in him when you looked so... divine ?

Indeed, you and your friends were supposed to all gather to celebrate the success of a very difficult mission you'd completed. Everyone was going to be dressed to the nines, ready to dance and enjoy the party. You and Neji had decided to go together.

In fact, you'd been together for at least 4 years, and even though you'd been tempted to get engaged several times, you'd always followed Hyuga family customs. This meant waiting much longer before making the relationship official, and of course even longer before actually doing the do. Without lying, at times, it was pretty hard to stick to it. Even though you see each other every day, he wanted and needed to have you around more often, whether in the house or just for a moment of physical tenderness. Yet he always managed to put the rules "guaranteeing" the honor of his clan above all else.

Well, at least until today. Because when he came to pick you up at your house to pick you up to the party, he was quickly disillusioned. As the door opened, his white eyes fell on your face. And what a look 👀😩 Your d/c dress ( green for me) hugged your curves like he'd never noticed your clothes doing before. Your chest was pushed up, dangerously close to spilling out of the neckline, the cut showed off your waist and the shapes of your body that didn't fail to take his breath away, the skin the fabric showed off was close to making him, who was usually so restrained, drool.

Your make-up ( if you wear make-up, of course, you don't have to, I just wear lipstick ) gave you a deep look that managed to capture his gaze despite the temptation of your body, and your lips looked just too tempting to taste. Right away, on the doorstep of your apartment. For a moment he thought he could just take you to the party as planned, and not listen to his deepest desires. He himself had made an effort and put on a suit, but this was really not easy for him.

And he really thought he could manage to get his way out of this. One minute he was looking at you as you smiled gently at him, and the next he blinked, his lips were pressed against yours in that familiar way - yes, when you can't make love, you've all put on make-out sessions - as he gently pulled you back into your apartment. His hands, as if controlled by some wild force, grabbed your breasts. Feeling their softness and weight, he gently exhaled into your mouth, and that's when he realized that it was pointless to resist. That was it.

His foot closed the door behind you as he slammed you against the wall. With a degree of precision contrary to the envy that consumed him. In your passion, you began to remove his suit jacket before your hands went to his long silky hair. Your debacle continued until you reached your sofa. There he removed your dress in one fluid motion before undressing himself.

"We shouldn't be doing this" he said, revealing himself entirely to you. There was a certain paradox between his words and the hurried way in which he undressed, as if someone was about to come and stop you, as if he didn't want his conscience to get the better of him.

"Neji I've had enough waiting" you whined as you felt his hard throbbing cock press against your inner thigh.

He blinked in surprise at the sound that just escaped your lips. Could it be that "So that's what it was all about" he said, bringing his face close to yours, his voice dropping an octave "My little temptress"

You of all people knew how difficult it was to hold back the passion to burn between you, but now that it was launched it was almost unstoppable.

The lust in his eyes calmed for a second as he spoke softly "Are you really sure this is what you want ?"

You grabbed his arms, looking into his eyes "I'm not asking for more, but I don't want you to feel obliged-"

"Of course not" he cut you off gently as his face nuzzled against your cheek "It's just that with the clan rules..." he trailed off.

"Neji" you said as you took his face in your hands "You're the clan, you and the new generation. These rules are backdated and no one will ever find out what happened in my apartment" you tried to reassure him.

But Neji shook his head "It's not that" his fingers danced on your arm "It's just that once I've had a taste of it, I'm afraid I can't wait to make it official. I want to be part of your life, I want you to come and live with me" he felt very vulnerable as he spoke of this, but a twitch from his member reminded him of what a rush you were in "I need you too but it won't just be for once. All this is over from now on, I'm going to keep you close to me. Shame on those who will oppose it, blind to the beauty of our passion"

And with that as if he'd just said a prayer he sank gently into your tight warmth - a little difficult. Your inexperience wouldn't change the fact that you loved each other more than anything. Sure, you were going to miss the party organized by your friends, but this time will have enabled you to take an important step in your relationship. Suddenly, moving in together, getting engaged and getting married seemed much more attainable than before. And maybe even a baby... you should have just thought about using a condom though. In his defense, it was you who asked him to finish inside you, he just followed your advice.

We Shouldn't Be Doing This || Neji Hyuga x fem!reader

A/n : Prompt 15 of the Smutember 2023

The list of promps is HERE

Smutember 2023 Masterlist ⚜

Warnings : mention of first time, erection, 18+ READERS ONLY and wrap it before you tap it

Masterlist ⚜

I don’t give permission to repost my work, if you want to share it just reblogue it

Word count : 1059

“We shouldn’t be doing this” ist exactly what came to his mind when he started undressing before you. After all, all his life he learned restraint, to stay clear-headed, and that went hand in hand with not having consummated the marriage until he was married. Yet how could he have held back and followed any of those principles instilled in him when you looked so... divine ?

Indeed, you and your friends were supposed to all gather to celebrate the success of a very difficult mission you'd completed. Everyone was going to be dressed to the nines, ready to dance and enjoy the party. You and Neji had decided to go together.

In fact, you'd been together for at least 4 years, and even though you'd been tempted to get engaged several times, you'd always followed Hyuga family customs. This meant waiting much longer before making the relationship official, and of course even longer before actually doing the do. Without lying, at times, it was pretty hard to stick to it. Even though you see each other every day, he wanted and needed to have you around more often, whether in the house or just for a moment of physical tenderness. Yet he always managed to put the rules "guaranteeing" the honor of his clan above all else.

Well, at least until today. Because when he came to pick you up at your house to pick you up to the party, he was quickly disillusioned. As the door opened, his white eyes fell on your face. And what a look 👀😩 Your d/c dress ( green for me) hugged your curves like he'd never noticed your clothes doing before. Your chest was pushed up, dangerously close to spilling out of the neckline, the cut showed off your waist and the shapes of your body that didn't fail to take his breath away, the skin the fabric showed off was close to making him, who was usually so restrained, drool.

Your make-up ( if you wear make-up, of course, you don't have to, I just wear lipstick ) gave you a deep look that managed to capture his gaze despite the temptation of your body, and your lips looked just too tempting to taste. Right away, on the doorstep of your apartment. For a moment he thought he could just take you to the party as planned, and not listen to his deepest desires. He himself had made an effort and put on a suit, but this was really not easy for him.

And he really thought he could manage to get his way out of this. One minute he was looking at you as you smiled gently at him, and the next he blinked, his lips were pressed against yours in that familiar way - yes, when you can't make love, you've all put on make-out sessions - as he gently pulled you back into your apartment. His hands, as if controlled by some wild force, grabbed your breasts. Feeling their softness and weight, he gently exhaled into your mouth, and that's when he realized that it was pointless to resist. That was it.

His foot closed the door behind you as he slammed you against the wall. With a degree of precision contrary to the envy that consumed him. In your passion, you began to remove his suit jacket before your hands went to his long silky hair. Your debacle continued until you reached your sofa. There he removed your dress in one fluid motion before undressing himself.

"We shouldn't be doing this" he said, revealing himself entirely to you. There was a certain paradox between his words and the hurried way in which he undressed, as if someone was about to come and stop you, as if he didn't want his conscience to get the better of him.

"Neji I've had enough waiting" you whined as you felt his hard throbbing cock press against your inner thigh.

He blinked in surprise at the sound that just escaped your lips. Could it be that "So that's what it was all about" he said, bringing his face close to yours, his voice dropping an octave "My little temptress"

You of all people knew how difficult it was to hold back the passion to burn between you, but now that it was launched it was almost unstoppable.

The lust in his eyes calmed for a second as he spoke softly "Are you really sure this is what you want ?"

You grabbed his arms, looking into his eyes "I'm not asking for more, but I don't want you to feel obliged-"

"Of course not" he cut you off gently as his face nuzzled against your cheek "It's just that with the clan rules..." he trailed off.

"Neji" you said as you took his face in your hands "You're the clan, you and the new generation. These rules are backdated and no one will ever find out what happened in my apartment" you tried to reassure him.

But Neji shook his head "It's not that" his fingers danced on your arm "It's just that once I've had a taste of it, I'm afraid I can't wait to make it official. I want to be part of your life, I want you to come and live with me" he felt very vulnerable as he spoke of this, but a twitch from his member reminded him of what a rush you were in "I need you too but it won't just be for once. All this is over from now on, I'm going to keep you close to me. Shame on those who will oppose it, blind to the beauty of our passion"

And with that as if he'd just said a prayer he sank gently into your tight warmth - a little difficult. Your inexperience wouldn't change the fact that you loved each other more than anything. Sure, you were going to miss the party organized by your friends, but this time will have enabled you to take an important step in your relationship. Suddenly, moving in together, getting engaged and getting married seemed much more attainable than before. And maybe even a baby... you should have just thought about using a condom though. In his defense, it was you who asked him to finish inside you, he just followed your advice.

Bravo (Shino x Reader)

Word Count: 264

Warnings: None

Notes: Gif not mine! Serious props to the artist. 

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Wing-Dog? - Kiba Inuzuka

( @chaostheoryy ) Request: Alright, time to climb aboard the anime train. 👀 How about a Kiba X Reader where Akamaru serves as Kiba’s “wingman”? Maybe Kiba is crushing on the reader from afar so Akamaru runs away, leading him to the reader and forcing Kiba to talk to them? (I totally had the hots for Kiba so I had to cave and send a request…)

Notes: okay, so like HONESTLY, Kiba is fucking hot, dude. I completely agree with you and love you for sending in this request.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

ALL MASTERLIST’S Requests are OPEN!! See what’s acceptable here!

“Akamaru!”

His white little ball of fur was next to him one moment and gone the next. Kiba watched with wide eyes as Akamaru begun running, lips parted in a wide dog-like grin and panting as he put one paw in front of the other in a determined mission to lead Kiba off. 

Huffing, Kiba could only yield to his dog’s wishes, running off in an attempt to catch his crazy dog. He didn’t understand what was happening - normally, Akamaru was so well-behaved. Always listening to Kiba’s orders without defiance and doing anything his best-friend asked him off. It was expected, since they’d been by each other’s sides since they were both infants. 

So, it was obvious that Kiba was a bit baffled by Akamaru’s behaviour.

“Slow down, boy!” Kiba shouted, catching the attention of a few civilians as he ran desperately after his dog. The civilians hastily scrambled out of the way of the two ninja’s, narrowly missing being smack by both a dog and a full-grown teen. “Just what is it that has your damned attention!”

Akamaru only barked in response and thus begun the long path Akamaru led his owner through. Kiba was sure they’d travelled to the other side of the village by the time the dog finally yielded to a stop. Kiba, despite being a ninja, was left panting desperately to catch his breath, bending over to steady himself.

It was then that Kiba heard your voice.

“Akamaru?” Your soft voice pulled Kiba’s attention away from his dangerously raising heart beat to you. Peering up from his crouched position, Kiba watched as Akamaru nestled up against your side, mewling appreciatively as you scratched at his ear. “What are you doing here, buddy!”

When the dog glanced back at his owner, Kiba was suddenly all too aware of the dog’s intent.

That sly dog.

Grumbling to himself, Kiba did best to collect himself, straightening his back out and making his way over to you. Your bright eyes glanced up at him the moment you recognized his chakra, your gentle smile nearly pulling Kiba into a daze as you regarded the slightly taller man. “Kiba!” You exclaimed, “I was wondering where you were, considering Akamaru just arrived.” Upon mentioning the dog’s name, you crouched down to better situate yourself and allow both hands to fall on the dog’s fluffy ears.

“Yeah,” Kiba breathed. “I’m not sure why, but Akamaru seemed pretty set on someone. Nice to find out it was you.”

You chuckled softly, eyes not leaving Akamaru’s cute little conniving face. “Well, I certainly don’t mind. I love seeing Akamaru,” smirking, you glanced over at Kiba. “And you too, Kiba, of course.”

Kiba chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a small red-hue dancing across his cheeks.

Akamaru suddenly shifted, moving around so he was behind your legs. Kiba watched on in puzzlement, not noticing you as you stood back up until your body came tumbling towards him. Kiba easily caught you, arms darting around your waist as a small little squeal left your lips in bafflement.

Akamaru barked joyfully.

Flushing heavily, you leaned back in Kiba’s arms. “Sorry,” you mumbled, avoiding eye contact. “I’m not sure what happe-”

“It isn’t your fault,” Kiba grinned down at you, before sending a glare in Akamaru’s direction. The dog only wagged his tail in response.

Helping you back to your feet, Kiba smiled; “you good?”

Brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, you nodded. “Yeah,” you giggled lightly. “Thanks for catching me.”

Kiba chuckled; “it’s no problem.”

A moment of silence as the both of you, with red cheeks, smiled shyly down at the ground beneath you. Akamaru, noticing this, moved gently against your legs once again. Not hard enough to send you tumbling forward again, but enough to push you closer to Kiba.

You giggled shyly, looking up at Kiba. “I think you’ve got yourself a wing-man, Kiba.”

Kiba flushed - well, you knew now.

“Or,” you smirked, “should I say wing-dog?”

Akamaru barked appreciatively.

Kiba shook his head, taking a tentative step towards you. “I think wing-dog works,” he whispered, just so you could hear. Peering up at him through your lashes, you smiled, leaning forward.

Another little bump from Akamaru sent your lips falling against Kiba’s in a messy, awkward but unforgettable kiss.

“You know,” Kiba said, a little bit later, when it was just him and Akamaru. “You didn’t have to have me run across the entire village just to set me up with Y/N, Akamaru.”

Akamaru paused, halting Kiba’s movements as the dog sat down, before rolling over. With another wide grin, Akamaru looked expectantly up at his owner. Kiba sighed - damn dog.

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

Leverage - Kakashi Hatake

Request: could you write a kakashi x reader where the reader is kidnapped/tortured and kakashi is flippin his shit trying to find her and once he does it’s extremely fluffy like “i thought i lost you”? thank you!

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

Requests are CLOSED!

-

The enemy was standing between Kakashi and him getting to you. He had to get to you.

At this point, Kakashi didn’t even know if you were breathing. Your body laid crumbled on the ground, limp and still. You didn’t move a muscle and Kakashi was too far gone to think clearly and just use his damn senses and see if you were breathing. He was shaking with anger, the urge to just punch his way to you was damn tempting. But if it wasn’t the man standing before him, it was the other standing next to you, ready to hurt you, kill you, anything if Kakashi made one wrong move.

He didn’t dare move a muscle.

“Ah,” the man before him sighed. Kakashi, reluctantly, let his eyes fall before him in order to assess the situation. The interruption actually seemed to benefit Kakashi, as the realization that he was not alone in the room allowed Kakashi to take a moment to breath and find the best course of action. In that moment, he also tried to find a chakra signal from you.

And while it was faint, Kakashi caught it. This was good. That meant he wasn’t too late and you were alive.

“So the hero comes to save the girl.” Gen, Kakashi believed, spoke, hoping to further taunt Kakashi.

You’d been sent on a infiltration mission, along side Kakashi. Kakashi kept guard, gathered information from the sidelines and protected you while you infiltrated inside. Your job was to play the role of a waitress, and slowly grow close to the leader of a enemy organization. They had vital information on Konoha, Gen and his lacky, the one standing next to you. Kakashi believed his name was Hiroki.

Somehow, and Kakashi was still unsure, they’d found out your true identity. Kakashi hadn’t known until a day later because of his assigned role, and by then, as it was clear now, you were in more danger than Kakashi would’ve liked.

At first, he thought they’d kill you right away - but apparently, they believed you offered some sort of leverage for them.

“More importantly,” Hiroki leered from beside you, “Kakashi Hatake comes to save the girl.”

Ah. So that’s what they wanted. Kakashi figured they wanted the bounty on his head, and probably yours - since you were both in the bingo book. But it was a well-known fact that you and Kakashi were close to one another. You were bait for him.

Therefore, Kakashi had walked directly into their trap.

“It really is stupid for you to make your weakness so well known,” Gen taunted. 

“Makes it easy to get to you.” Hiroki finished and Kakashi watched with barely concealed anger as you were roughly kicked in the side, and your body rolled over. Your head lolled to the left, and it was then that Kakashi realized you were awake, not unconscious and you were now staring directly at Kakashi. 

“Kaka-…” His name died on your lips, and with one quick assessment, Kakashi realized you’d been drugged.

Normally, Kakashi concealed his emotions well in battle. He’d been trained to make every move with thought behind them. Unlike Naruto, he didn’t not rush into battle and use his emotions to his benefit. But now, at the sight of you, Kakashi knew he had no hope of fighting like he usually did.

“Didn’t even put up a good fight.” Hiroki kicked at you again, mercilessly and a cry left your lips. But it was quiet - weak. Kakashi felt his heart break.

Shifting into battle stance, Kakashi reached for his pouch and gripped the kunai, ready to lunge.

“Show me what you’ve got Sharingan Kakashi.”

Hiroki left your side, joining his boss in the fight. Hiroki was pathetically easy to knock down, it barely took Kakashi any effort before he was knocked out unconscious. He moved to kill the man, wanting to burn the man alive for ever hurting you but stupidly, he’d let his guard down on Gen and there was suddenly a cry. A very familiar cry.

Snapping his head up, Kakashi found you in the arms of Gen, a kunai pressed against your neck so tightly that a small trace of blood slipped down the expanse of your neck. Your eyes were stilled lulled with exhaustion, but Kakashi saw a trace of fear in your gaze.

“Take one step,” Gen threatened, pressing the kunai tighter against your throat. “And i’ll slice her neck.”

It seemed Gen and his lacky had underestimated Kakashi’s skills, despite the fact that they lured him here by reading the bingo book. And now, Gen was resorting to you, his bait, once again to get what he wanted.

“It’s pathetic,” Gen continued. “Emotions. Look at you know. One of the most feared ninjas in the world, turned into a mess by one measly girl.”

Despite your drugged state, you were not oblivious to the words spoken about you. Your eyes narrowed, catching sight of Kakashi’s tense form. You realized he was afraid to move, for fear of your life. You hated being a damn damsel in distress. It was already bad enough Kakashi had to abandon the mission to come save your sorry ass. If you didn’t play this carefully, not only would you die, but possibly Kakashi.

Knowing Kakashi for almost your whole life, you depended on him just like he depended on you. Even more so now because of your recent development in your relationship with the man. If you died, Kakashi would attack without reason or thought and possibly be killed as well.

Gen was also an idiot. He was a seriously pathetic ninja and neither him nor his lacky had noticed the kunai you’d swiped during your travel with them. You gripped it behind your back, where your hands were tied, hidden within your shirt. Gen, unknowingly, had placed a vital spot directly to your advantage.

When he was too busy taunting Kakashi, you slipped the kunai from beneath your sleeve, and angled it perfectly so it punctured his left hip. His disgusting words fell dead on his lips, blood splattering from his lips as he gagged. With your last burst of energy, you slipped from beneath his loosened grip and spun, raising your foot to kick at him. Gen stumbled back.

A flash of grey zoomed past you, and a attack of chidori was delivered directly to Gen’s heart.

It was only when the man was confirmed dead did you let your strength fall. Stumbling back, a whimper left your lips as you felt your body falling back. You never did hit the ground because Kakashi’s arms caught you and you were pulled tightly into his embrace.

“Kakashi…”

He was silent for a moment, cradling your tortured and weakened body against himself. His head buried into your neck, a sense of vulnerability Kakashi rarely ever let anyone see.

“I thought I lost you…” 

His fingers traced the light scar now adorning your neck, eyes, sharingan activated, scanning your body and finding the many injuries that had been inflicted upon you during your day stuck as captive. You were too exhausted to say anything, and opted for letting your hand fall on the one of your neck, nodding lightly.

-

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

Love? - Neji Hyuga

Request: hi!! could i request something (scenario or headcanon) of neji x reader with a gf/ s/o who’s kinda the opposite of him? not like polar opposite but more optimistic and affectionate and cute. thanks!!

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

Requests are CLOSED!

-

You loved walking through the peaceful streets of Konoha. It was a short moment of peace you often didn’t get to experience as a ninja and you relished in it. Even more so when you were joined by your boyfriend, Neji. 

Leaning against Neji, you loved the way his arm clasped around your waist. It wasn’t very often that the boy showed affection, so you appreciated what little you got and when you got it. Simply having him hold you against himself made you melt.

“Neji?” You questioned, after a few moments of silence. Neji hummed softly, inclining his head slightly down in your direction as a silent confirmation that he’d hear you. You smiled brightly up at him, eyes shining. “Why are you dating me?”

The question was definitely odd, so it was no surprised when Neji paused in response, and he pulled away from you. His eyes narrowed just a bit in utter bafflement, silently asking you why you’d ask such a blunt question such as that one.

“Well,” you begun, suddenly nervous. “It’s just i’m so different than you. You are more in control of your feelings, where as I can barely control mine. I basically let them control me. Not to mention i’m very clingy, and loud. And I know how naive I can be… I sometimes barely understand what people are telling me…” You trailed off, cheeks red in embarrassment.

You were pleasantly surprised when you felt Neji’s hand grab ahold of your chin, bringing your attention up and onto his eyes. He had a soft smile on his lips, as if he knew something you didn’t. “Y/N,” he begun, voice as soft as ever.

“Yeah?” You whispered.

“Those are the exact reasons why i’m dating you.” Neji explained, surprising. “Why I care for you.”

“Wh-What?” You questioned, eyes wide. “But… but those are such bad tra-”

“No,” he shook his head, his hair moving with his movements. “Those are wonderful traits and that’s what drew me to you. I don’t care if you need a little bit more attention that someone else might need. Or you constantly need reassurance of my love for you. Because I will constantly provide these things as long as you’ll let me.”

His words were sweet and warmed your heart beyond belief. But you couldn’t help but focus on one word; “love?”

Neji’s eyes widened a fraction, realizing in that moment what he’d said. But after a moment, he calmed visibly. “Yes,” he nodded, swiping his thumb over you cheek. “Love.”

You smiled, nodding. “I’m so glad.”

-

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

I NEED A KAKASHIxFEMALE READER WHERE HE’S JEALOUS AJSHSKDAJ PUHLEASE MAKE THAT HAPPEN 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 fluff/angst do whatever you want i’m down with anything 🤩

A/n: I find it hard to believe Kakashi would get jealous if a stranger flirts with you bc they have nothing on him but if its a close friend of his then he might get a little insecure just because he looks up to his comrades. Thats also just my opinion but I hope you like it :) ----UNEDITED

Warnings: some mild nsfw mentioned at the bottom 

Kakashi never really knew the meaning of true love. Not until today. Not until you showed up to where he and Yamato were training Naruto.

 Kakashi’s nose twitch (along with something else) as soon as he recognised the familiar coconut scent. He turns to your direction and stands up immediately when he sees a small wooden basket hooked on your arm. He makes his way towards you, meeting you halfway. 

Kakashi ducks down for a kiss through his mask before he grabs the stuff from your arms. 

“Hi, darling. What’s this nice surprise?” Although you could barely make it out, Kakashi was beaming at you from under his mask. 

“I brought some food for you and the others. This is only one of the baskets.” His heart soars at your caring words, and he wishes he could kiss you again.

“One of?” 

“Guy has the rest of it.”

“Guy?” He’s taken aback by the name and before he could question you further, his rival comes sprinting with four other baskets in hand balancing the water you brought for everyone and two blankets on his back. 

“Yep. We thought it would be nice to have a little lunch picnic since you all have been working so hard with Naruto.” You reach out and pinch Kakashi’s cheeks. 

It was a nice surprise up until you and Guy got into a conversation about…something but he could care less about what was being said. He was too focused on the way you’re with Guy. You’re laughing so much that you’re barely touching the food in front of you. 

He doesn’t eat his own food, ignoring any attempt Yamato makes to have a conversation. He even ignores Yamato when he asks why he hasn’t eaten Yamato frowns, thinking Kakashi is mad at him when he glares in his direction. Kakashi shoots his gaze back to his plate. He fishes his book from his bag, deciding that it would be better to seem busy than to make it any more obvious that he’s jealous of the attention Guy was getting. You love him. He tells himself.

But no matter how much you say you love him, there’s a deep deep fear inside of him that you’ll still leave. He knows his father loved him and yet he still wasn’t enough. His biggest fear was that he wasn’t enough.  Kakashi’s eyes dart down to the same page he’s been on for too long.  

He shouldn’t be threatened. It was Guy for God’s sake. It was his friend eternal rival. 

It wasn’t the fact that you were enjoying Guy’s company, because truth be told he enjoys his company too. You never know what you’re going to get with him, and it didn’t hurt that he was extremely charming. It was the fact that Guy also brought you this much happiness. And the fact that you hadn’t said anything to him in the last half hour doesn’t sit right with him. You came to spend some time with him too, right?

After everyone has eaten, Guy and Yamato help you pack up. He blinks twice when you snap your fingers in front of his book.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” You frown, “you barely touched the sushi I brought you.” 

Kakashi looks away from your concerned look to his plate. 

“I think I’ll save it for later.” He gives you a close eyed smile but he knows you’re not convinced, not with the way your hand is pressing against his forehead. 

“Are you feeling sick?” 

“No, no. I’ll explain everything when I get home.” He really wouldn’t, but it bought himself some time to think of any other reason besides the truth. How could he say that when you’ve proven yourself to him so many times. All the times that you’ve taken care of him when he comes home from missions. Or all those times you forced cough medicine down his throat. Or even all those times you tried to cook for him. He appreciates everything you do for him and sometimes he just feels like he can’t give you what you deserve. 

Guy probably could. Kakashi shakes his head physically and you move your hand from his forehead. 

“If you say so.” You sigh and move away from him. You move some stuff from the packed baskets into Kakashi’s. 

“Thanks for the food, Y/N.” Yamato and Naruto thank you. Guy grabs the baskets and starts to head back to drop them off at your house. 

“Guy, you really don’t have to carry all of that.” You call towards the retreating figure. He calls over his shoulder but you could only make out something about ‘the power of eternal youth!’

Yamato and Naruto head back towards the waterfall and Kakashi walks to the edge of the field with you. He grabs your arm and pulls you into him to kiss you deeply. 

The little gasp that escapes your mouth eggs him on and he moves you back against the tree. He moves your legs around his waist and presses into you further. Your hands are pulling him in close to you and you moan against his lips. 

“Come home soon.” You whisper when he pulls away slowly.

Kakashi smiles because you’re already pouting before you even open your eyes. He smiles and leaves two quick kisses on your lips to ease the frown that had settled there. 

Kakashi relaxes because he knows that other people can make you laugh but no one, no one got to see you smile and blush like that. He pulls his mask over his lips to hide his own pink cheeks. 

He straightens up casually and steps away from your body. His hands go to his pocket and his ego soars when he sees the state that you’re in. He loves that you’re so worked up from kissing him and he cannot wait to come home that day. 

“I’ll be home before nightfall.”

He watches you walk away until he can’t see you anymore. He knows that you’re loyal to him, and he trusts you. But him telling himself that is not enough so he’s going to make sure he has you underneath him, legs spread and taking everything he’s giving you. He’ll make you be vocal, just to stroke his ego. Maybe he’ll test his patience and your own and edge you for hours until you’re crying for him. 

All he has to do is wait until the sun sets and then he’ll make you all his, truly.

read more kakashi here x  

“You’re afraid to be happy” - Kakashi Hatake x Reader 1/2

Summary : Kakashi is in love with you…But pushes you away because he’s too afraid of loosing you, as every single persons he ever cared about died or left/betrayed him. 

PART 2

My masterlists  @ella-ravenwood-archives.

Some more love for Kakashi, because I’ve been binge watching Naruto Shippuden and I’m kind of in love with him (also, I received requests for fics about Luffy and Zorro from One Piece, and characters from FMA and more Naruto, so expect to see more anime around here), hope you’ll like it ! : 

__________________________________________________

It wasn’t often, that the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, talked about his feelings. Hell, it was so rare some would say he never does. 

But Yamato, one of his only remaining friend, knew better. 

Sometimes, when they were both very drunk, they’d talk. They wouldn’t always remember what about, but they’d talk.  

About their lives. What they like, don’t like, what make them happy, what brings them down…Your name often appears on Kakashi’s lips during those times.

Like today, or rather, tonight, while Kakashi helps Yamato to walk home. Or was it Yamato that helped Kakashi ? They were kind of slumped against each other’s, walking with difficulties, cheeks red because of the alcohol. 

After the scarecrow pronounced your name for the tenth time that night, Yamato finally dared to ask : 

-So, you love her ? 

-Who ?

-Who could I talk about ?

-(Y/N) ? 

Yamato nods. Or, tries to nod, because every movement that are a bit too vigorous makes him want to throw up. 

-Yes I do. 

-…I am confused, Kakashi-senpai. 

-What are you confused about, Tenzou ? 

-Don’t call me like that please. 

-Don’t call me “senpai” then. What are you confused about ? 

-Well, if you’re in love with her, and she is in love with you…why don’t you two just date ? 

-Because if we do, she’ll die. 

-…I’m even more confused now. Maybe I’m too drunk. Or you’re too drunk. 

-I’m definitely drunk, but I can still think straight. 

-I don’t get it. I don’t get you. She’s obviously madly in love with you ! And she’s beautiful, kind, caring, nice, extremely funny…

-I know all of that Yamato. But I can’t. 

-But…Why ? 

-Because everyone I ever loved either died or betrayed me that’s why ! She has to stay away, or something will happen ! It’s simple really ! 

Keep reading

“You’re afraid to be happy” - Kakashi Hatake x Reader 1/2

Summary : Kakashi is in love with you…But pushes you away because he’s too afraid of loosing you, as every single persons he ever cared about died or left/betrayed him. 

PART 2

My masterlists  @ella-ravenwood-archives.

Some more love for Kakashi, because I’ve been binge watching Naruto Shippuden and I’m kind of in love with him (also, I received requests for fics about Luffy and Zorro from One Piece, and characters from FMA and more Naruto, so expect to see more anime around here), hope you’ll like it ! : 

__________________________________________________

It wasn’t often, that the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, talked about his feelings. Hell, it was so rare some would say he never does. 

But Yamato, one of his only remaining friend, knew better. 

Sometimes, when they were both very drunk, they’d talk. They wouldn’t always remember what about, but they’d talk.  

About their lives. What they like, don’t like, what make them happy, what brings them down…Your name often appears on Kakashi’s lips during those times.

Like today, or rather, tonight, while Kakashi helps Yamato to walk home. Or was it Yamato that helped Kakashi ? They were kind of slumped against each other’s, walking with difficulties, cheeks red because of the alcohol. 

After the scarecrow pronounced your name for the tenth time that night, Yamato finally dared to ask : 

-So, you love her ? 

-Who ?

-Who could I talk about ?

-(Y/N) ? 

Yamato nods. Or, tries to nod, because every movement that are a bit too vigorous makes him want to throw up. 

-Yes I do. 

-…I am confused, Kakashi-senpai. 

-What are you confused about, Tenzou ? 

-Don’t call me like that please. 

-Don’t call me “senpai” then. What are you confused about ? 

-Well, if you’re in love with her, and she is in love with you…why don’t you two just date ? 

-Because if we do, she’ll die. 

-…I’m even more confused now. Maybe I’m too drunk. Or you’re too drunk. 

-I’m definitely drunk, but I can still think straight. 

-I don’t get it. I don’t get you. She’s obviously madly in love with you ! And she’s beautiful, kind, caring, nice, extremely funny…

-I know all of that Yamato. But I can’t. 

-But…Why ? 

-Because everyone I ever loved either died or betrayed me that’s why ! She has to stay away, or something will happen ! It’s simple really ! 

Keep reading

“You’re afraid to be happy” - Kakashi Hatake x Reader 1/2

Summary : Kakashi is in love with you…But pushes you away because he’s too afraid of loosing you, as every single persons he ever cared about died or left/betrayed him. 

PART 2

My masterlists  @ella-ravenwood-archives.

Some more love for Kakashi, because I’ve been binge watching Naruto Shippuden and I’m kind of in love with him (also, I received requests for fics about Luffy and Zorro from One Piece, and characters from FMA and more Naruto, so expect to see more anime around here), hope you’ll like it ! : 

__________________________________________________

It wasn’t often, that the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, talked about his feelings. Hell, it was so rare some would say he never does. 

But Yamato, one of his only remaining friend, knew better. 

Sometimes, when they were both very drunk, they’d talk. They wouldn’t always remember what about, but they’d talk.  

About their lives. What they like, don’t like, what make them happy, what brings them down…Your name often appears on Kakashi’s lips during those times.

Like today, or rather, tonight, while Kakashi helps Yamato to walk home. Or was it Yamato that helped Kakashi ? They were kind of slumped against each other’s, walking with difficulties, cheeks red because of the alcohol. 

After the scarecrow pronounced your name for the tenth time that night, Yamato finally dared to ask : 

-So, you love her ? 

-Who ?

-Who could I talk about ?

-(Y/N) ? 

Yamato nods. Or, tries to nod, because every movement that are a bit too vigorous makes him want to throw up. 

-Yes I do. 

-…I am confused, Kakashi-senpai. 

-What are you confused about, Tenzou ? 

-Don’t call me like that please. 

-Don’t call me “senpai” then. What are you confused about ? 

-Well, if you’re in love with her, and she is in love with you…why don’t you two just date ? 

-Because if we do, she’ll die. 

-…I’m even more confused now. Maybe I’m too drunk. Or you’re too drunk. 

-I’m definitely drunk, but I can still think straight. 

-I don’t get it. I don’t get you. She’s obviously madly in love with you ! And she’s beautiful, kind, caring, nice, extremely funny…

-I know all of that Yamato. But I can’t. 

-But…Why ? 

-Because everyone I ever loved either died or betrayed me that’s why ! She has to stay away, or something will happen ! It’s simple really ! 

Keep reading

“You’re afraid to be happy” - Kakashi Hatake x Reader 1/2

Summary : Kakashi is in love with you…But pushes you away because he’s too afraid of loosing you, as every single persons he ever cared about died or left/betrayed him. 

PART 2

My masterlists  @ella-ravenwood-archives.

Some more love for Kakashi, because I’ve been binge watching Naruto Shippuden and I’m kind of in love with him (also, I received requests for fics about Luffy and Zorro from One Piece, and characters from FMA and more Naruto, so expect to see more anime around here), hope you’ll like it ! : 

__________________________________________________

It wasn’t often, that the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, talked about his feelings. Hell, it was so rare some would say he never does. 

But Yamato, one of his only remaining friend, knew better. 

Sometimes, when they were both very drunk, they’d talk. They wouldn’t always remember what about, but they’d talk.  

About their lives. What they like, don’t like, what make them happy, what brings them down…Your name often appears on Kakashi’s lips during those times.

Like today, or rather, tonight, while Kakashi helps Yamato to walk home. Or was it Yamato that helped Kakashi ? They were kind of slumped against each other’s, walking with difficulties, cheeks red because of the alcohol. 

After the scarecrow pronounced your name for the tenth time that night, Yamato finally dared to ask : 

-So, you love her ? 

-Who ?

-Who could I talk about ?

-(Y/N) ? 

Yamato nods. Or, tries to nod, because every movement that are a bit too vigorous makes him want to throw up. 

-Yes I do. 

-…I am confused, Kakashi-senpai. 

-What are you confused about, Tenzou ? 

-Don’t call me like that please. 

-Don’t call me “senpai” then. What are you confused about ? 

-Well, if you’re in love with her, and she is in love with you…why don’t you two just date ? 

-Because if we do, she’ll die. 

-…I’m even more confused now. Maybe I’m too drunk. Or you’re too drunk. 

-I’m definitely drunk, but I can still think straight. 

-I don’t get it. I don’t get you. She’s obviously madly in love with you ! And she’s beautiful, kind, caring, nice, extremely funny…

-I know all of that Yamato. But I can’t. 

-But…Why ? 

-Because everyone I ever loved either died or betrayed me that’s why ! She has to stay away, or something will happen ! It’s simple really ! 

Keep reading

Bravo (Shino x Reader)

Word Count: 264

Warnings: None

Notes: Gif not mine! Serious props to the artist. 

Keep reading

Wing-Dog? - Kiba Inuzuka

( @chaostheoryy ) Request: Alright, time to climb aboard the anime train. 👀 How about a Kiba X Reader where Akamaru serves as Kiba’s “wingman”? Maybe Kiba is crushing on the reader from afar so Akamaru runs away, leading him to the reader and forcing Kiba to talk to them? (I totally had the hots for Kiba so I had to cave and send a request…)

Notes: okay, so like HONESTLY, Kiba is fucking hot, dude. I completely agree with you and love you for sending in this request.

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

ALL MASTERLIST’S Requests are OPEN!! See what’s acceptable here!

“Akamaru!”

His white little ball of fur was next to him one moment and gone the next. Kiba watched with wide eyes as Akamaru begun running, lips parted in a wide dog-like grin and panting as he put one paw in front of the other in a determined mission to lead Kiba off. 

Huffing, Kiba could only yield to his dog’s wishes, running off in an attempt to catch his crazy dog. He didn’t understand what was happening - normally, Akamaru was so well-behaved. Always listening to Kiba’s orders without defiance and doing anything his best-friend asked him off. It was expected, since they’d been by each other’s sides since they were both infants. 

So, it was obvious that Kiba was a bit baffled by Akamaru’s behaviour.

“Slow down, boy!” Kiba shouted, catching the attention of a few civilians as he ran desperately after his dog. The civilians hastily scrambled out of the way of the two ninja’s, narrowly missing being smack by both a dog and a full-grown teen. “Just what is it that has your damned attention!”

Akamaru only barked in response and thus begun the long path Akamaru led his owner through. Kiba was sure they’d travelled to the other side of the village by the time the dog finally yielded to a stop. Kiba, despite being a ninja, was left panting desperately to catch his breath, bending over to steady himself.

It was then that Kiba heard your voice.

“Akamaru?” Your soft voice pulled Kiba’s attention away from his dangerously raising heart beat to you. Peering up from his crouched position, Kiba watched as Akamaru nestled up against your side, mewling appreciatively as you scratched at his ear. “What are you doing here, buddy!”

When the dog glanced back at his owner, Kiba was suddenly all too aware of the dog’s intent.

That sly dog.

Grumbling to himself, Kiba did best to collect himself, straightening his back out and making his way over to you. Your bright eyes glanced up at him the moment you recognized his chakra, your gentle smile nearly pulling Kiba into a daze as you regarded the slightly taller man. “Kiba!” You exclaimed, “I was wondering where you were, considering Akamaru just arrived.” Upon mentioning the dog’s name, you crouched down to better situate yourself and allow both hands to fall on the dog’s fluffy ears.

“Yeah,” Kiba breathed. “I’m not sure why, but Akamaru seemed pretty set on someone. Nice to find out it was you.”

You chuckled softly, eyes not leaving Akamaru’s cute little conniving face. “Well, I certainly don’t mind. I love seeing Akamaru,” smirking, you glanced over at Kiba. “And you too, Kiba, of course.”

Kiba chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a small red-hue dancing across his cheeks.

Akamaru suddenly shifted, moving around so he was behind your legs. Kiba watched on in puzzlement, not noticing you as you stood back up until your body came tumbling towards him. Kiba easily caught you, arms darting around your waist as a small little squeal left your lips in bafflement.

Akamaru barked joyfully.

Flushing heavily, you leaned back in Kiba’s arms. “Sorry,” you mumbled, avoiding eye contact. “I’m not sure what happe-”

“It isn’t your fault,” Kiba grinned down at you, before sending a glare in Akamaru’s direction. The dog only wagged his tail in response.

Helping you back to your feet, Kiba smiled; “you good?”

Brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, you nodded. “Yeah,” you giggled lightly. “Thanks for catching me.”

Kiba chuckled; “it’s no problem.”

A moment of silence as the both of you, with red cheeks, smiled shyly down at the ground beneath you. Akamaru, noticing this, moved gently against your legs once again. Not hard enough to send you tumbling forward again, but enough to push you closer to Kiba.

You giggled shyly, looking up at Kiba. “I think you’ve got yourself a wing-man, Kiba.”

Kiba flushed - well, you knew now.

“Or,” you smirked, “should I say wing-dog?”

Akamaru barked appreciatively.

Kiba shook his head, taking a tentative step towards you. “I think wing-dog works,” he whispered, just so you could hear. Peering up at him through your lashes, you smiled, leaning forward.

Another little bump from Akamaru sent your lips falling against Kiba’s in a messy, awkward but unforgettable kiss.

“You know,” Kiba said, a little bit later, when it was just him and Akamaru. “You didn’t have to have me run across the entire village just to set me up with Y/N, Akamaru.”

Akamaru paused, halting Kiba’s movements as the dog sat down, before rolling over. With another wide grin, Akamaru looked expectantly up at his owner. Kiba sighed - damn dog.

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

Leverage - Kakashi Hatake

Request: could you write a kakashi x reader where the reader is kidnapped/tortured and kakashi is flippin his shit trying to find her and once he does it’s extremely fluffy like “i thought i lost you”? thank you!

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

Requests are CLOSED!

-

The enemy was standing between Kakashi and him getting to you. He had to get to you.

At this point, Kakashi didn’t even know if you were breathing. Your body laid crumbled on the ground, limp and still. You didn’t move a muscle and Kakashi was too far gone to think clearly and just use his damn senses and see if you were breathing. He was shaking with anger, the urge to just punch his way to you was damn tempting. But if it wasn’t the man standing before him, it was the other standing next to you, ready to hurt you, kill you, anything if Kakashi made one wrong move.

He didn’t dare move a muscle.

“Ah,” the man before him sighed. Kakashi, reluctantly, let his eyes fall before him in order to assess the situation. The interruption actually seemed to benefit Kakashi, as the realization that he was not alone in the room allowed Kakashi to take a moment to breath and find the best course of action. In that moment, he also tried to find a chakra signal from you.

And while it was faint, Kakashi caught it. This was good. That meant he wasn’t too late and you were alive.

“So the hero comes to save the girl.” Gen, Kakashi believed, spoke, hoping to further taunt Kakashi.

You’d been sent on a infiltration mission, along side Kakashi. Kakashi kept guard, gathered information from the sidelines and protected you while you infiltrated inside. Your job was to play the role of a waitress, and slowly grow close to the leader of a enemy organization. They had vital information on Konoha, Gen and his lacky, the one standing next to you. Kakashi believed his name was Hiroki.

Somehow, and Kakashi was still unsure, they’d found out your true identity. Kakashi hadn’t known until a day later because of his assigned role, and by then, as it was clear now, you were in more danger than Kakashi would’ve liked.

At first, he thought they’d kill you right away - but apparently, they believed you offered some sort of leverage for them.

“More importantly,” Hiroki leered from beside you, “Kakashi Hatake comes to save the girl.”

Ah. So that’s what they wanted. Kakashi figured they wanted the bounty on his head, and probably yours - since you were both in the bingo book. But it was a well-known fact that you and Kakashi were close to one another. You were bait for him.

Therefore, Kakashi had walked directly into their trap.

“It really is stupid for you to make your weakness so well known,” Gen taunted. 

“Makes it easy to get to you.” Hiroki finished and Kakashi watched with barely concealed anger as you were roughly kicked in the side, and your body rolled over. Your head lolled to the left, and it was then that Kakashi realized you were awake, not unconscious and you were now staring directly at Kakashi. 

“Kaka-…” His name died on your lips, and with one quick assessment, Kakashi realized you’d been drugged.

Normally, Kakashi concealed his emotions well in battle. He’d been trained to make every move with thought behind them. Unlike Naruto, he didn’t not rush into battle and use his emotions to his benefit. But now, at the sight of you, Kakashi knew he had no hope of fighting like he usually did.

“Didn’t even put up a good fight.” Hiroki kicked at you again, mercilessly and a cry left your lips. But it was quiet - weak. Kakashi felt his heart break.

Shifting into battle stance, Kakashi reached for his pouch and gripped the kunai, ready to lunge.

“Show me what you’ve got Sharingan Kakashi.”

Hiroki left your side, joining his boss in the fight. Hiroki was pathetically easy to knock down, it barely took Kakashi any effort before he was knocked out unconscious. He moved to kill the man, wanting to burn the man alive for ever hurting you but stupidly, he’d let his guard down on Gen and there was suddenly a cry. A very familiar cry.

Snapping his head up, Kakashi found you in the arms of Gen, a kunai pressed against your neck so tightly that a small trace of blood slipped down the expanse of your neck. Your eyes were stilled lulled with exhaustion, but Kakashi saw a trace of fear in your gaze.

“Take one step,” Gen threatened, pressing the kunai tighter against your throat. “And i’ll slice her neck.”

It seemed Gen and his lacky had underestimated Kakashi’s skills, despite the fact that they lured him here by reading the bingo book. And now, Gen was resorting to you, his bait, once again to get what he wanted.

“It’s pathetic,” Gen continued. “Emotions. Look at you know. One of the most feared ninjas in the world, turned into a mess by one measly girl.”

Despite your drugged state, you were not oblivious to the words spoken about you. Your eyes narrowed, catching sight of Kakashi’s tense form. You realized he was afraid to move, for fear of your life. You hated being a damn damsel in distress. It was already bad enough Kakashi had to abandon the mission to come save your sorry ass. If you didn’t play this carefully, not only would you die, but possibly Kakashi.

Knowing Kakashi for almost your whole life, you depended on him just like he depended on you. Even more so now because of your recent development in your relationship with the man. If you died, Kakashi would attack without reason or thought and possibly be killed as well.

Gen was also an idiot. He was a seriously pathetic ninja and neither him nor his lacky had noticed the kunai you’d swiped during your travel with them. You gripped it behind your back, where your hands were tied, hidden within your shirt. Gen, unknowingly, had placed a vital spot directly to your advantage.

When he was too busy taunting Kakashi, you slipped the kunai from beneath your sleeve, and angled it perfectly so it punctured his left hip. His disgusting words fell dead on his lips, blood splattering from his lips as he gagged. With your last burst of energy, you slipped from beneath his loosened grip and spun, raising your foot to kick at him. Gen stumbled back.

A flash of grey zoomed past you, and a attack of chidori was delivered directly to Gen’s heart.

It was only when the man was confirmed dead did you let your strength fall. Stumbling back, a whimper left your lips as you felt your body falling back. You never did hit the ground because Kakashi’s arms caught you and you were pulled tightly into his embrace.

“Kakashi…”

He was silent for a moment, cradling your tortured and weakened body against himself. His head buried into your neck, a sense of vulnerability Kakashi rarely ever let anyone see.

“I thought I lost you…” 

His fingers traced the light scar now adorning your neck, eyes, sharingan activated, scanning your body and finding the many injuries that had been inflicted upon you during your day stuck as captive. You were too exhausted to say anything, and opted for letting your hand fall on the one of your neck, nodding lightly.

-

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

Love? - Neji Hyuga

Request: hi!! could i request something (scenario or headcanon) of neji x reader with a gf/ s/o who’s kinda the opposite of him? not like polar opposite but more optimistic and affectionate and cute. thanks!!

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that. If you want to repost my work. please ask first - but even then I might say no.

Requests are CLOSED!

-

You loved walking through the peaceful streets of Konoha. It was a short moment of peace you often didn’t get to experience as a ninja and you relished in it. Even more so when you were joined by your boyfriend, Neji. 

Leaning against Neji, you loved the way his arm clasped around your waist. It wasn’t very often that the boy showed affection, so you appreciated what little you got and when you got it. Simply having him hold you against himself made you melt.

“Neji?” You questioned, after a few moments of silence. Neji hummed softly, inclining his head slightly down in your direction as a silent confirmation that he’d hear you. You smiled brightly up at him, eyes shining. “Why are you dating me?”

The question was definitely odd, so it was no surprised when Neji paused in response, and he pulled away from you. His eyes narrowed just a bit in utter bafflement, silently asking you why you’d ask such a blunt question such as that one.

“Well,” you begun, suddenly nervous. “It’s just i’m so different than you. You are more in control of your feelings, where as I can barely control mine. I basically let them control me. Not to mention i’m very clingy, and loud. And I know how naive I can be… I sometimes barely understand what people are telling me…” You trailed off, cheeks red in embarrassment.

You were pleasantly surprised when you felt Neji’s hand grab ahold of your chin, bringing your attention up and onto his eyes. He had a soft smile on his lips, as if he knew something you didn’t. “Y/N,” he begun, voice as soft as ever.

“Yeah?” You whispered.

“Those are the exact reasons why i’m dating you.” Neji explained, surprising. “Why I care for you.”

“Wh-What?” You questioned, eyes wide. “But… but those are such bad tra-”

“No,” he shook his head, his hair moving with his movements. “Those are wonderful traits and that’s what drew me to you. I don’t care if you need a little bit more attention that someone else might need. Or you constantly need reassurance of my love for you. Because I will constantly provide these things as long as you’ll let me.”

His words were sweet and warmed your heart beyond belief. But you couldn’t help but focus on one word; “love?”

Neji’s eyes widened a fraction, realizing in that moment what he’d said. But after a moment, he calmed visibly. “Yes,” he nodded, swiping his thumb over you cheek. “Love.”

You smiled, nodding. “I’m so glad.”

-

let me know what you thought? remember, reblogging always helps!

I NEED A KAKASHIxFEMALE READER WHERE HE’S JEALOUS AJSHSKDAJ PUHLEASE MAKE THAT HAPPEN 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 fluff/angst do whatever you want i’m down with anything 🤩

A/n: I find it hard to believe Kakashi would get jealous if a stranger flirts with you bc they have nothing on him but if its a close friend of his then he might get a little insecure just because he looks up to his comrades. Thats also just my opinion but I hope you like it :) ----UNEDITED

Warnings: some mild nsfw mentioned at the bottom 

Kakashi never really knew the meaning of true love. Not until today. Not until you showed up to where he and Yamato were training Naruto.

 Kakashi’s nose twitch (along with something else) as soon as he recognised the familiar coconut scent. He turns to your direction and stands up immediately when he sees a small wooden basket hooked on your arm. He makes his way towards you, meeting you halfway. 

Kakashi ducks down for a kiss through his mask before he grabs the stuff from your arms. 

“Hi, darling. What’s this nice surprise?” Although you could barely make it out, Kakashi was beaming at you from under his mask. 

“I brought some food for you and the others. This is only one of the baskets.” His heart soars at your caring words, and he wishes he could kiss you again.

“One of?” 

“Guy has the rest of it.”

“Guy?” He’s taken aback by the name and before he could question you further, his rival comes sprinting with four other baskets in hand balancing the water you brought for everyone and two blankets on his back. 

“Yep. We thought it would be nice to have a little lunch picnic since you all have been working so hard with Naruto.” You reach out and pinch Kakashi’s cheeks. 

It was a nice surprise up until you and Guy got into a conversation about…something but he could care less about what was being said. He was too focused on the way you’re with Guy. You’re laughing so much that you’re barely touching the food in front of you. 

He doesn’t eat his own food, ignoring any attempt Yamato makes to have a conversation. He even ignores Yamato when he asks why he hasn’t eaten Yamato frowns, thinking Kakashi is mad at him when he glares in his direction. Kakashi shoots his gaze back to his plate. He fishes his book from his bag, deciding that it would be better to seem busy than to make it any more obvious that he’s jealous of the attention Guy was getting. You love him. He tells himself.

But no matter how much you say you love him, there’s a deep deep fear inside of him that you’ll still leave. He knows his father loved him and yet he still wasn’t enough. His biggest fear was that he wasn’t enough.  Kakashi’s eyes dart down to the same page he’s been on for too long.  

He shouldn’t be threatened. It was Guy for God’s sake. It was his friend eternal rival. 

It wasn’t the fact that you were enjoying Guy’s company, because truth be told he enjoys his company too. You never know what you’re going to get with him, and it didn’t hurt that he was extremely charming. It was the fact that Guy also brought you this much happiness. And the fact that you hadn’t said anything to him in the last half hour doesn’t sit right with him. You came to spend some time with him too, right?

After everyone has eaten, Guy and Yamato help you pack up. He blinks twice when you snap your fingers in front of his book.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” You frown, “you barely touched the sushi I brought you.” 

Kakashi looks away from your concerned look to his plate. 

“I think I’ll save it for later.” He gives you a close eyed smile but he knows you’re not convinced, not with the way your hand is pressing against his forehead. 

“Are you feeling sick?” 

“No, no. I’ll explain everything when I get home.” He really wouldn’t, but it bought himself some time to think of any other reason besides the truth. How could he say that when you’ve proven yourself to him so many times. All the times that you’ve taken care of him when he comes home from missions. Or all those times you forced cough medicine down his throat. Or even all those times you tried to cook for him. He appreciates everything you do for him and sometimes he just feels like he can’t give you what you deserve. 

Guy probably could. Kakashi shakes his head physically and you move your hand from his forehead. 

“If you say so.” You sigh and move away from him. You move some stuff from the packed baskets into Kakashi’s. 

“Thanks for the food, Y/N.” Yamato and Naruto thank you. Guy grabs the baskets and starts to head back to drop them off at your house. 

“Guy, you really don’t have to carry all of that.” You call towards the retreating figure. He calls over his shoulder but you could only make out something about ‘the power of eternal youth!’

Yamato and Naruto head back towards the waterfall and Kakashi walks to the edge of the field with you. He grabs your arm and pulls you into him to kiss you deeply. 

The little gasp that escapes your mouth eggs him on and he moves you back against the tree. He moves your legs around his waist and presses into you further. Your hands are pulling him in close to you and you moan against his lips. 

“Come home soon.” You whisper when he pulls away slowly.

Kakashi smiles because you’re already pouting before you even open your eyes. He smiles and leaves two quick kisses on your lips to ease the frown that had settled there. 

Kakashi relaxes because he knows that other people can make you laugh but no one, no one got to see you smile and blush like that. He pulls his mask over his lips to hide his own pink cheeks. 

He straightens up casually and steps away from your body. His hands go to his pocket and his ego soars when he sees the state that you’re in. He loves that you’re so worked up from kissing him and he cannot wait to come home that day. 

“I’ll be home before nightfall.”

He watches you walk away until he can’t see you anymore. He knows that you’re loyal to him, and he trusts you. But him telling himself that is not enough so he’s going to make sure he has you underneath him, legs spread and taking everything he’s giving you. He’ll make you be vocal, just to stroke his ego. Maybe he’ll test his patience and your own and edge you for hours until you’re crying for him. 

All he has to do is wait until the sun sets and then he’ll make you all his, truly.

read more kakashi here x  

 ꘎♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡꘎

endless pt. 2- naruto uzumaki 

warnings: cheating ment., pregnancy, angst still no happy ending, timeskip, things are rough for our boy rip, oh and some smut!! be forwarned. its just a flashback but still 

length: 6k 

a/n: commission for @dark-pinku that took WAY TOO LONG my deepest apologies. everything has been on the backend for the last few weeks because of the end of the semester + my grandad is really sick right now. i wanted this fic to be up to standard and it wasn’t happening but im finally at a point that i think it’s good and right. i apologize for the delay but i hope you enjoy! 

italics for flashback as usual. 

read part 1 here! 

It is a truly desolate feeling. 

Loneliness is, at least. It’s hard to stomach the feeling being alone, the realization that in a world filled with people, you are still left with nothing and no one. It’s a painful feeling, full of solace and anger. You learn loneliness only when you are surrounded by others, of which who pay you no mind. It’s the first feeling Naruto had every learned in his life. 

Naruto’s loneliness is not like a fire, but still water. For the first years of his life, there was no one there to pull him out of the warmth. He neither knew love, nor happiness, nor joy. As soon as he was able to walk freely, he was set free to a village who would only turn their back on him and a life that could’ve so easily gone awry. It almost feels like he was destined to hurt. That suffering was more than innate, but inevitable. 

He got adjusted to loneliness, but a child with so much love, never really learns to let go. When Naruto meets you for the first time - he didn’t know you were more antidote than girl. More lifeline than conceivable. No matter who or what came across you, you stuck to Naruto’s side. Asked him to protect you, just like you always believed he could. You cured Naruto’s loneliness in the midst of curing your own. 

Naruto never knew that you would the cure. That your smile would effect him so permanently that two decades later and he still finds him in the beautiful sound of your laughter. Laughter that hasn’t grown or matured, but only creeped more familiarly inside of him.

It’s difficult to put the pieces together in the days following your encounter. Why Naruto can’t seem to find it in himself to feel as much remorse as he should be feeling. You linger everywhere around him - the sweet smell of your body wash clinging onto his collars like an untouchable vice. Every moment afterwards, after it - seems so inescapable. 

From traveling down the hotel hallways, catching his own gaze in the reflection and seeing scratch marks and bruises littered against his back, to the elevator ride down where the music playing sounds like a tune you might hum. The drive back to his own place is just as gruesome, just as thick with your existence as everything else. He should be suffocated by the feeling, accustomed to feeling that way after a night with Hinata or likewise. He normally needs some time off, away from everyone to recuperate then. 

So why isn’t it that way with you, he finds himself wondering the whole way home. On the train ride back, when he leans his head against the windows and shuts his eyes - he isn’t trying to forget what happened. He isn’t even trying to pretend it didn’t. His remorse is a labyrinth of misinformation and cans of warms now opened and spilled. All of him - mind, body, and soul, are itching to be involved with you. 

You’re not there anymore. The days have passed and his on his way home and nows about the time he should be swallowing down bile with realization that he did something so terrible to someone who’s only ever given him love. He should feel pain for that person. He should. 

But he doesn’t. Instead, the nerves on his skin are wistfully burning the fire in his belly - craving your touch with unceremonious need. Like unlocking Pandora Box, and burying his aches in there. You are simply the medicine - the cure to Naruto’s loneliness in a way he could’ve never truly understood. 

He’s know - his whole fucking life, that he loved you more than he’s ever loved anything else. Now that the taste of your love has filled the empty space of his mouth, kissed and licked all the wounds of his memories, and your teeth have ripped out the heartbeat of his sorrow, he doesn’t know how to deal with this feeling. 

How could something objectively wrong feel so good? Feel so sound and secure? He has no idea, in all truth. How do you abandon the medicine that has healed the sickness of love you had carried your whole life? 

Keep reading

I Could Be A Concubine -Omega!Shikamaru Nara

A/N: Merry Christmas. Don't ever say I didn't give y'all anything. This is the sequel to I Burnt Bridges For You, Not For Concubines.

Warnings: attempted murder, poisoning, Nara Obsessions, Nara Bullshit, violence mentions, NSFW, bad writing, im sorry, blood mention, I know I'm missing warnings

Word Count: 20,151 - yes yes i know its long it took me so long

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The dark, dense Nara forest parts slowly the further you go into Nara territory. You hadn’t been able to pull yourself away from the window since your company reached the border, fascinated by the incredibly different terrain that is the Nara Kingdom. The tall trees, thick bushes, and clear air are markedly unlike the unyielding stone, frozen temperatures, and smoke that form your own kingdom and you are enraptured by the beauty of it. 

To anyone else, the treeline would have been intimidating. Nothing could be seen past the first few rows of trees and growth, a foreboding darkness and eerie silence shrouding unknown danger and warding off even the bravest of travelers from entering. 

To you though, it was the beginning of a new adventure. An ease spread through your chest as you eagerly watched the distance close between you and trees. Your guardian had long given up trying to pull you away, deciding the extra history lesson wasn’t worth the fight to keep your focus. Your current nanny tried to disagree, insistent that you were already so far behind your lessons, but she was silenced with a look. 

A small blessing for your exhausted brain.  

The forest canopy keeps the sun’s light from touching the ground but despite the darkness, you can make out the dense undergrowth of the forest floor, decorated with lush greenery and lovely flowers. Thick roots protrude from the ground, weaving and twisting around each other. The only break in the ground is an almost unnoticeable indent marking the edge of the path. If you hadn't been looking so closely, you would have missed it entirely. 

Only Naras know the ever-changing paths to the inner kingdom by intent and design. The Nara, in allegiance with the Yamanaka and the Akimichi, hold secrets unimaginable to those outside the Western Realm and the territories they rule over. The forest acts as their first line of defense, the density and darkness preventing enemies from getting too close too quickly. 

Those that attempt to enter without a Nara guide lose themselves before losing their life. Many armies have failed in their attempts to gain the upper hand in conflict using the forest, underestimating how difficult it is to navigate and control. The ground breathes and takes the air from the lungs of those it does not want around. It moves and undulates and drags people below to reclaim wasted energy and repurpose it to bringing new life to the undergrowth. 

It consumes as it lives. 

 As such, a Nara guide from the palace is dispatched every time permission is granted to enter the kingdom. 

Your Nara guide is a strict looking woman with a long single center braid starting from the front of her hair line and ending at her waist. The sides of her head are shaved, antler-like barbs tattooed on the bare skin. There is a scar across her throat, deep as it curves and disappears under her collar. Her eyes are golden-yellow, like the center of a fire. You hope you get a free moment out from under your guardian’s gaze to tell her that you think she is beautiful. 

It takes what feels like hours before the forest starts to thin but when the first rays of sunlight filter through, they do slowly and softly, gently illuminating your surroundings to your curious eyes. When the forms of wild deer appear, your nanny reprimands you for shaking the carriage in your excitement with a swap from her fan. The action isn’t intended to sting as much as it is to make you feel small and her scowl deepens when it does little to affect your mood. 

You don’t care about the dirty look. A killjoy Beta woman your guardian hired to make sure you were watched when you weren’t with them, she charged and demanded more than she was worth and you didn’t care much for her, her opinion, or her ugly fan. She knew it too and made sure to tell anyone who would listen about your impudence and disrespect.

Your guardian clears their throat, pulling your attention away from where the trees glittered in the sprinkling of light, “Remember your manners Y/N. The Naras are an esteemed and well-established noble family and offer us a great deal of resources that we are currently lacking. You are the heir to the throne. You would do well to remember your lessons.” The coldness in their eyes is unwavering, the disgust twitching along their upper lip ever-present. 

“Yes,” you nod solemnly, shrinking the tiniest bit under their stern glare. Their eyes narrow even further. 

Anxiety spikes through your chest as you realize your mistake. It's not very Alpha of you to cower. Correction will be given. The backs of your hands and legs throb.

You turn away, curling your body as close to the side of the carriage as possible. 

The room is dark when you awaken, the curtains drawn tight to keep the sun’s harsh direct light from touching your bed. There is a weight behind your eyelids, making it difficult to keep your eyes open. Sensation is lost to your body, limbs aching in their numbness. 

‘Wha…’ is all you manage before the pulsing in your head starts. The throbbing is intense, waves of agonizing pain dancing around the back of your skull and behind your eyes. Almost as if given the signal, parts of the rest of your body start cramping and pulling. Pins and needles and unpleasant tingles. It punches the air from your lungs and with a good deal of struggle, you manage to roll to your side. 

A quick peek at the side table reveals a pitcher of water and a glass half filled. Slowly and painfully, you reach over and grab it, wincing at the stretch of your arm. Your fingers struggle to get around the glass and lift it but you manage. The water is cool as it goes down, a balm on your throat. When the glass is empty, you place it back on the table and sit up slowly, taking pause when the movement turns blinding.

“Where am I?” you wonder when your vision stops fading to black, throat cracking from disuse as you look around at the room. It's smartly furnished with dark woods, a neutral earthy color palette, and various nature-inspired decor. Curiously, there is a pile of deer antlers in one of the corners of the room, cleaned but otherwise untouched. The bed you lay in is lush and conforming, the pillows beneath your head stuffed to the brim with feathers, and the blankets artfully and professionally crafted for maximum warmth and comfort. You don’t think you remember ever having such a comfortable bed. 

‘This isn’t my kingdom,’ you think groggily, eyes squinting in a poor attempt to make out the insignia on the door. It's a vastly different one than your own. Joy sparks dully in the back of your brain at the notion of no longer being trapped in the mountains, of never seeing your guardian’s face again. You dreamed of leaving that horrid place for years. ‘This isn’t my bedroom.’

A wild thought wanders to the forefront. ‘Is…is this my body?’ 

It's a silly thought but the fear that floods through you at the idea has you taking a peek at what lies under your shirt and pants. Finding everything as it should be, you breathe a sigh of relief. Your body may feel like it's been turned inside out but it is yours. 

Still, all things considered, it doesn’t answer the question at hand.

Where are you? 

If you aren’t in the mountains, then you are somewhere else. The sides of your temple throb at the attempt to form a more complex thought sequence.

‘Only one way to find out,’ you think, taking a deep breath.

Getting out of bed is a hassle when your arms and legs tingle painfully from disuse. The world shifts in and out of blackness for a few moments, stance wobbly. It takes several long moments before it stops but everything is still blurry. A spasm of electricity crawls up your spine, forcing you forward to face-plant into the bedding. There is a tightness in all your limbs as it shakes through you. 

There is a tugging in your chest suddenly, an urge to move forward. Tendrils of urgency trickle through your veins, prompting you to push through the pain and leave the room. Shadows of memory linger just outside of your reach but there is enough for you to grasp that you need to go somewhere. You need to be somewhere. There is something - or someone - waiting for you.

The door is heavier than it looks - or maybe you are just weaker than normal? - and by the time you get it open enough to slip through, you are short of breath and panting harshly. Thankfully, there is no one outside the room.

Peering down both sides of the hallway, your brow furrows, ‘Actually…’

It's pretty odd for there not to be at least one guard posted at your bedchamber door. 

“Maybe I’m no longer a royal?” you whisper aloud but it strikes you as wrong as soon as it passes your lips. Why were you in a very clearly marked royal bedroom if you weren’t a royal? A servant would be in a servant’s residence - either inside the castle or in town - and it wouldn’t be nearly as big as the room you woke up in. 

‘I could be a concubine,’ you think with the slightest bit of mortification. It would make sense though. If you were a favorite, you’d be granted more luxury than other concubines. If you were acting as a stud, you’d be granted access to the royal bedchambers for ease of access. Both options would explain the fancy bedroom.  It would also explain why you were left alone while suffering under what you could only assume was the aftereffects of an illness. Royals, nobles, and the like loved to keep their treasures close. ‘Do I suck cock for freedom?’ 

‘No,’ you point at yourself, eyes narrowed at your own finger, ‘Fool. You’d remember becoming a stud and you would gain nothing but a new prison if you had. Be quiet. You don’t suck cock for freedom.’

‘No, you suck it for fun,’ a smarmy voice echoes from somewhere deep in your brain and it makes your face warm in aggravation and embarrassment. 

‘You be quiet too. I’ve never sucked a cock in my life.’ 

The voice retreats with a snicker and part of you wants to chase after it in your brain and curse at it until your tongue is sore but the bigger, more reasonable, less insane part of you lets it go. 

Deciding that focusing on the reason behind the lack of people in front of your door is getting you nowhere, you carry on. Slipping the door closed as gently as possible, you look down the hallway in both directions once more. 

It is eerie. The hair prickles along the back of your neck and along your arms, a sense of foreboding pooling in your stomach. 

All of the windows in both directions were covered with thick curtains and the adjacent wall is covered in various portraits of presumed dead people and more of the same decor from the bedroom. The insignia of the royal family is embroidered many times on the long runner rug that reaches from one end to the other. The only light visible is on the floor beneath the windows where the curtains couldn’t stop it from bleeding in, much like it had been in the bedchamber, casting everything in a haunting glow. The only door is the one that led into the bedchamber. 

It's incredibly silent, eerily so. All you can hear is the sound of your own breathing as you wobble down the corridor, keeping a hand on the wall for balance. The edges of your vision are still bleary, the darkness darting in and out as you sluggishly turn a corner. 

The new hallway is longer than the one you just left but with less windows. and the walls were marked with seemingly endless dark doors. You don’t know where any of them lead but figure the big door, nearly encompassing the entirety of the wall and decorated with fresh flowers and greenery, will take you somewhere important. Maybe then you can get some answers. 

The world spins under your feets as you limp towards it with no small amount of determination. You regret leaving the bed. Part of you hopes it's the door to the library because libraries often have nice comfy chairs that one may sit down to rest in. 

A knot of anxiety twists low in your ribcage, pushing you forward at the idea. A chill dances along the edges of your skin as you open the fancy, decorated door. 

The sudden onslaught of light from the sun tells you that it was not, in fact, the door to the library. The brightness is painful and you collapse to the ground slowly but all at once. Nausea rips through you as your eyes work to adjust to the sudden exposure of stimulation. A gag settles into your throat but you are too stubborn to allow the vomit working its way up to escape. It goes back down with some resistance, your chest burning with the bile, but it's much better than puking all over a stranger’s rug.

Your eyes start to cross however, so you close them and focus on your breathing. The air is crisp, clean, and perfumed with a variety of different scents that all fight for attention in your nose. Aside from the gentle rustling of water from a fountain and the small chirping of birds, it's quiet outside. 

A different quiet though, than the oppressive and consuming silence from inside the castle. A quiet that feels tranquil rather than terrifying. You can’t hear anyone aside from yourself but it doesn’t spark the same sort of unease as it did before. The quiet inside is a dead stillness. The quiet outside is a gentle life. 

The contrast is stark. 

When the pain fades, you lift yourself back up to your feet and take in the view.

‘Yeah, I’m definitely not in the mountains.’ 

You feel giddy. The sun is high in the sky, casting light across the large expanse of land. On one side, there is a large garden sectioned off with thin but sturdy black gates. On the other side beyond the stone pathways that led to the castle, there is a meadow that spans several rolling hills. The entire meadow is tall grasses and dainty wildflowers flowers, perfect for frolicking and relaxing in. It splits the treeline in the horizon, creating a defined path to who knows where in who knows which direction.

If you squint, you can see the figures of several deer grazing by the trees along the split. 

Taking a deep inhale, you allow all the scents of nature to filter gently into your system. There is no smoke. No sulfur. No salt. Your lungs feel clear. Your skin feels clean. 

The nagging tugging in your chest appears again, pulling you further outside. You shut the door behind you gently and slowly, you wander down the beige stone steps.

You keep your hands on the thin black railing for support, and without thinking, turn towards the gates that section off the garden. The gate is partially open, allowing you to slip through without a fuss. There are several abandoned woven baskets besides several patches of harvestable vegetables, seemingly left in a hurry. Several of the new, unused beds have been disrupted, soil spilling across the stone walkways between them as if trampled on. 

Disturbed, you walk further in, past the fruit trees and the large deer statue arrangement and the lovely fountain waterfall, following the niggling feeling telling you to keep going. 

The feeling dissipates when you find yourself at the entrance of an alcove in the middle of a large hedge wall, decorated by a netted curtain of strung wildflowers. Pushing them to the side, your feet take you through. Inside, you can see the top of the hedges have been trained and grown to form an arch, providing shelter from the sun and casting everything in shadow. There is just enough sunlight to keep from stumbling in the dark but it's clear that this was meant to be some sort of hiding place. 

The alcove doesn’t lead very far so it doesn’t take long before you find yourself in the center of the secluded area. What you see makes you pause. Held up by a few thick trees is a hammock. A small pillow and a throw blanket rest inside it, both obviously used and used often. A familiar smell wafts from it, a scent that feels familiar deep in your bones but, much like everything else, you are unable to place it.

Still, it lulls you to relaxation just the same, pulling at your already weakened and sore body. 

The stone path disappears at the edge leading into the center and is replaced by patches of cushy moss and soft soil and the same wildflowers as the ones you saw in the fields. The flowers don’t stand as tall as they do in the fields but they are undoubtedly just as beautiful. There is no rhyme or reason to their placement, as if whoever created this space took a handful of seeds and threw them randomly across the area and let it be. 

A warm giddiness spreads from the center of your chest as you stare at the flowers, a smile forming on your mouth without reason. Carefully, you walk through the flowers and moss to settle against one of the trees. The hammock is very inviting - cushioned and soft and obviously very well-made - but there was a pointed disinterest in it that resonates within you. Instead, you walk around the trees and settle against one of them, the moss growing on it in the shadows soft and fluffy against your back and head.

There is no more tugging. No more urge to wander. No more need to keep going. You may rest here and be patient. Rest and wait. 

“I’ll wait here,” you whisper, closing your eyes, “It's safe here.”

^^^^^^^^^^

King Shikaku and Queen Yoshino are waiting at the entrance of the castle when the carriage stops. An attendant opens the door and holds it open for you, your nanny, and your guardian. Your guardian slips out first. You follow them out quickly, hurriedly adjusting the ill-fitted clothes you were put into. Your nanny slips out from behind you, shoving you not so subtly forward as your guardian climbs the stairs and greets the other royals.

King Shikaku is as intimidating as he’s rumored to be, standing tall and confident. His shoulders are broad and his legs are strong from years of training and battle. Two deep scars cross his face, given to him during the last major war, and it only makes him much more intimidating. He’s dressed in dark green and gold, his crown made of golden branches twisting around his skull. There are no jewels encrusted anywhere on it but you can faintly make out a small little ‘Y’ on the sides of the two main branches that act as the support for the rest of the crown. 

Yoshino Nara is dressed similarly to her husband in dark green and gold and you marvel at how pretty she is. Her gown is long and soft-looking and her crown matches her husbands, though it was obviously crafted to appear softer and the metal was handled with a lot more care. There are little metal flowers added between her branches as they wound around her head. Her eyes are large and kind as she watches you approach behind your guardian, her red-tinted mouth pulled into a gentle smile. You feel shy.

When you catch up to the adults, you bow. The queen coos something softly that you can’t quite make out but it causes her husband to chuckle fondly. When you rise, your eyes catch sight of a child leaning behind Queen Yoshino. His brown eyes scan over you, his boredom and annoyance reflective across his face. He’s the spitting image of King Shikaku, right down to the tip of his nose. His hair was pulled back and up into a ponytail and he wore high-quality dark green clothing that matched his parents with a large embroidered insignia on the lapel that reflected his status.

It was obvious he was uncomfortable in the clothing, his fingers plucking at the collar and sleeves in irritation.

“This is my ward Y/N, heir to our kingdom,” you hear yourself being introduced and you quickly bow again, avoiding their eyes. Disapproval radiates from your guardian at the submission but you doubt anything will come from it. It's better to be overly polite than a fraction rude when it comes to forming alliances with kingdoms more connected than your own, after all. 

“This is our son, Shikamaru,” Yoshino introduces to your entourage, gently guiding him out from behind her gown and nudging him towards you directly. It is clear that she has no interest in having him interact with the adults. He resists, pulling a face at his mother, but she is insistent. 

Your guardian nods to him but otherwise completely disregards his existence in the same manner they disregard yours when they don’t need you for anything. It makes your skin prickle unpleasantly.

When the formal greetings are finished, everyone is led inside to the Great Hall. You don’t get a chance to look around and marvel at it before your guardian informs you that they will be adjourning to a separate room with the King and Queen and you are to stay behind with the Prince. 

“Remember our talk,” they whisper in warning before allowing an attendant to lead them away. 

When you open your eyes again, it is with more clarity and awareness. The sky is dark and cloudy, the air thick with the smell of petrichor. 

Stretching, you rub at your eyes and blink in confusion as you realize where you are.

“How did I get here?” you whisper to yourself, looking around the alcove. As if summoned by the question, the memory of earlier filters through your mind. Waking up in your bed alone, stumbling down the hallway in search of something that lingered just along the outskirts of your thoughts but stayed just out of reach, the anxious feeling of needing to get away, marveling at the beauty of the kingdom around you, collapsing in exhaustion in the special place your mate set up for you both. 

“Oh.” 

Looking around surreptitiously despite no one being in the alcove, you stand up and dust yourself off, embarrassment making your neck hot. It had been so long since you last ‘slept-walked’ that you had hoped that you had officially grown out of it. 

The thought made you snort. ‘Grown out of it.’ Right. If only you were afforded that luxury. 

And did it even count as sleepwalking? While you hadn’t the faintest idea of where you were or why you were there, you do know that you knew for certain you were awake at the time. 

You don’t get a chance to ponder it further, thoughts broken by the sounds of an earth shattering scream coming from the direction of the castle. It is quickly followed by what you can only describe as an Omegan wail- a haunting, high pitched, guttural dying sound that rattles your bones and sets your teeth on edge. It makes you lean into the tree for support, bent over as the nausea from before returns with a vengeance. 

More memories start filtering in rapidly as you struggle not to gag against the tree, the wail petering off like fog in the wind. Your head throbs as the last however many weeks start reassembling themselves inside your mind. Lord John and his Omega entourage. The investigation into his involvement in the incident on the outskirts of the Uchiha kingdom. The confrontation in the Great Hall. Feeling fuzzy and blacking out. 

When the nausea passes, you make your way out of the alcove and cut through the messy garden back to the castle, keeping your pace quick but your steps silent. You catch a whiff of a sour scent, sick and feeble, that burns your nostrils entwined with the scent you know unequivocally as your mates and you turn on your heel to follow it. Remarkably you don’t pass anyone on your way.

‘Where are all the guards? The servants?’ you wonder, alarm bells ringing in your head, ‘What is going on? Where is Shikamaru?’

The scent leads you back to your bedchamber. You can feel the blood start rushing through your body, all other thoughts fleeing from your brain. Noises from inside make you pause, hand hovering over the doorway. 

“Where is my mate!?” you hear Shikamaru wail, the sound immediately followed by the sound of something heavy and made of glass breaking. Probably a vase. Without a moment of consideration, you remove your hand from the door and take several steps away from the door to hide behind the wall to the adjacent hallway. 

Cowardly? Yes.

Smart? Also yes.

In the entire year of you being his mate, Shikamaru hadn’t gotten to a state that prompted him to fling furniture but there were a few close calls that had him leaping over random objects to do…whatever weird thing his instincts were telling him to do. 

There is another loud crash and you wince, knowing how insufferable he’s going to be once he’s calm and realizes he’s going to have to double up his desensitization training time in the coming months. You love him, desperately, but he’s going to use every trick in his arsenal to avoid doing it and it's more than likely going to fall on you to get him to agree to it. 

The door to your bedchamber opens suddenly. One of the medical assistants slips out quickly, backing into the wall opposite the door. You watch them shake for a moment, their face pale and terrified, before fleeing down the hallway away from you, fear clogging up their scent as it scatters in a haphazard trail behind them. 

Faintly, you can hear three other voices, two of which are mostly muffled even with the door cracked open. You can’t make out much of what they are saying but you would bet an entire gold bar that they are likely trying to soothe the distraught Omega. The third voice is louder and very familiar but you can’t quite place it. It's too smooth to be Shikaku’s...

“What have you done with my Y/N!? Where did you take them?,” you hear your mate growl again, the sentence quickly followed by vicious snarling and a loud crashing noise that jolts you back a bit. Your heart breaks at how desperate and pained your Omega sounds, “My Y/N! Give them back to me!”

The smooth voice speaks but the only words you manage to catch are “explain” and “calm.” Both of which you know won’t go over well with Shikamaru in the state he’s in. 

“They were in bed this afternoon, my Lord. I-I checked in on them twice. Once at daybreak and once right after lunch. I haven’t been back here since. I didn’t take them anywhere,” one of the voices stutters, though you give them credit for how confident their reply is in the face of your mate’s wrath. You recognize it as belonging to the castle’s head physician Kiyoshi. 

Shikamaru’s distressed growling becomes more high-pitched and wounded-sounding. It makes your hackles rise. You can’t make out what he says, his voice both too low and quiet but also too garbled from his growling for it to make much sense to you from such a distance. 

Kiyoshi’s response is also done in a much quieter register, “Yes…Yes I swear to you, they were alive when I left them. No…Look. I have my notes here….” 

There are some more muffled growling noises that you can’t distinguish.

“No sir. My assistants have been with me all day, including when we checked on them. They were still unconscious but very much alive. See, here…” 

The conversation dies down into whispers and for a moment, you think they’ve managed to talk Shikamaru down. Minutes feel like hours as you strain your ears to catch any bit of noise you can from the room. Taking a deep breath, you release the death grip you’ve had on the wall when nothing happens. 

‘Its okay. He’s okay.They got him down.’

“GET OUT AND DON’T COME BACK UNTIL MY Y/N HAS BEEN FOUND!” 

Or not. 

You wait a few moments before the door opens and you see Kiyoshi and another of his assistants exit. You can make out someone behind them and when you see who they are, your nerves all collectively set themselves on fire with worry again. 

Asuma Sarutobi. They had to call Asuma. It's never good when they have to call Asuma. It's really not good when they have to call Asuma when he’s supposed to be a country away dealing with Ino’s training. It’s extremely not good if Asuma failed at getting Shikamaru under control. 

“We need to find them,” he sighs, world-weary. The steady timber of the older man’s voice is deep and graveled in an odd mix of soothing and stern despite being laced with concern. The bags under his eyes are dark and deep, speaking of what must have been endless nights dealing with your mate. “Shikamaru will not be able to calm himself unless he sees them. He’s already hallucinating.”

“Even if they are…” the assistant trails off. He’s new, you recall. Sent from the Oasis as part of a new negotiation with King Rasa to exchange medical knowledge if the cut of his coat was any indication. His knowledge of Nara interpersonal relationships must be just next to none. 

“Especially if they are. He’ll need to see the body himself to know they are gone from this world. He’ll lead us all to damnation in search of his Chosen.”

The doctor nodded sympathetically, “Shikaku will have to choose a new heir to take the throne.” 

“Why?”

“Nara’s don’t live long after their Chosen passes unless there are pups born from their union,” Asuma rubs his face, “The Prince and his Chosen made the decision to postpone producing heirs for the time being. Navigating the longstanding effects of their separation has taken precedence. Shikamaru does not feel ready for pups and his Chosen prioritizes Shikamaru's health in all things first and foremost. If Y/N has died, Shikamaru will not be too far behind as soon as it's confirmed.”

The atmosphere in the hall is thick and heavy as the reality of the situation seems to take root in the three men. Discomfort licks along your skin. 

“Master Sarutobi!” 

Rounding the corner on the opposite side of the hall, Botan’s pace is as frantic and hurried as is appropriate for a royal guard. Their voices drop to whispers you can’t hear but the look on Asuma’s face suggests that Botan has brought them unfortunate news. All four of them turn and walk in the opposite direction, their pace as quick and hurried as Botan’s had been a moment previous. 

Everything is suddenly oppressively quiet again. 

‘I should probably go inside and get Shikamaru sorted out,’ you think belatedly, forcing your legs to walk towards your bedchamber door. You slip inside quietly, locking the door behind you. 

Shikamaru’s back is to you and you take a moment to look around the room before he realizes he isn’t alone. The damage wasn’t as extensive as you thought. He had indeed flung a vase, the remains of it scattered across the other end of the bedchamber. There was a broken chair laying across the small table Shikamaru liked to play Shogi on, also broken. Several of Shikamaru’s mounted antlers had found themselves embedded in various paintings and cushions. 

The thing that stands out to you most however, is the papers all over the floor. Neither you nor Shikamaru dealt with paperwork in your bedchamber. The desk was only equipped with smaller papers used to send notes or leave reminders.

When you look back at your mate, you notice him shaking and it's enough to break you from your silence.

“Beloved,” you say, keeping your voice clear. You wish to say more - even though you don’t necessarily know what it is you want to say - but your mate jolts almost violently to face you. Shikamaru’s face turns a deathly pale when his eyes lock onto yours, his eyes blown out as you enter the room. You don’t take your eyes off of him as you take a step further into the room, away from the door. The sour scent is thick in the room, poisoning the air as it radiates from your mate in thick waves, and you almost gag when an even thicker, more rancid scent bleeds into it. 

He is afraid. Down to his soul, he is afraid. 

Slowly, you start releasing a calming scent, letting it gently spread around the room, clinging to walls and floorboards to drive away everything else.

“I heard you were looking for me,” you start, cautiously. 

Shikamaru’s face reddens, rage dripping from his fangs as he hisses, “I’m looking for my mate.”

“But I am your mate,” you assert, “I am Y/N Nara, consort and Chosen to the Prince Shikamaru Nara.”

“How do I know you are who you say you are?” he growls, the sound hoarse, gritty, like footsteps over gravel. “Huh! How do I know you are not another deception? How do I know you aren’t Inoichi attempting to relieve me of my pain?” He crumbles, hands grasping over the back of the chair to hold himself upright. His body trembles violently.  “Don’t...don’t give me hope...Where is my Y/N? Have I lost them again?”

It hurts you to see him so broken. Blood pours from the wound behind your ribcage. 

“How do I know you aren’t a ghost coming to tell me I am alone again?” His voice is a whisper now, his eyes staring blankly at the wall to your right. You don’t need to look back to know he’s staring at your wedding portrait. It is his favorite possession, so much so that they had to remove it from the great hall with the rest of the royal wedding portraits because of how much of a distraction it became for him.   

You approach him slowly, carefully. He allows it, regarding you with all the exhaustion of a dying man. His pretty brown eyes are red rimmed and glazed, tears resting along the bottom but unwilling to fall as he stares at you, his hands hovering over your face as if terrified to touch you. Your heart squeezes at the darkness under his eyes, the sunken paleness of his face. 

“I am no apparition, beloved,” you whisper, reaching up to gently guide his hand to your face, “I am flesh and blood and love for you. Feel me.”

The noise he makes is choking and grotesque, “You...you are cold like death.”

You aren’t but it would do no good to point it out to him. Your mate is not within the realm of clear, coherent thought. 

“I have been without your warmth,” you croon, taking a step closer so your bodies are touching, “Breathe deeply Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru does as you say, his eyes flashing and pupil’s dilating when your scent finally reaches his nose. His delusion breaks, shattering like glass. Your arms reach forward to crush him close to keep him from cutting himself on the shards. You guide his free hand between your bodies to rest it over your heart, letting him feel the organ pulse under your skin. Shikamaru bawls in his relief, wailing into the fabric of your soft linen shirt.

“That's it,” you murmur quietly, letting your lips brush against the tip of his ear, “Let it out. I’m okay. I’m here. I’m so sorry I worried you.”

“I would have joined you,” he sniffs, biting into the fabric of your shirt to muffle his cries, “I can’t stand it otherwise. I can’t do it again.” 

“My Chosen,” you whisper, holding him tight as the waves of emotion crash into you, “I am so sorry.”

Your mate croons, removing his head from your shoulder. Keeping a tight hold on you, he pulls you forward and sideways  until his back hits the wall right beside the corner of the room. You crush against his front, pinning him tightly. One of his legs wraps around the back of your calf to keep you from moving back. 

You regulate your breathing - large inhales and large exhales. Shikamaru’s breathing changes to match yours, his belly pressed tight against yours. His scent burst around you both, saturating your clothes and skin with the scents of trees and linen. 

“Where had you gone?” Shikamaru asks finally, putting a little space between you both so his bloodshot eyes can run over the length of your body, “You were not in bed when I came to see you. You weren’t…” His mouth quivers the tiniest bit and it kills you. He catches himself, swallowing thickly, “We checked everywhere.”

“In our alcove. I was disoriented when I regained consciousness, some time late this afternoon. I didn’t know where I was or why I was there.” You clear your throat, the memory of thinking you were a concubine flashing to the forefront of your mind. 

“I wandered and ended up in our special place. Everything is a bit of a blur if I’m honest,” you admit, a tad sheepish, “I felt like I needed to get up and go somewhere, get away from the room. I found my way to our alcove and I distinctly remember the sensation of  “I’m going to go sit in the flowers because it's safe here.” I must have used all my energy because I fell asleep almost immediately.”

“Idiot Alpha-mine,” Shikamaru sniffs, clinging harder to your body and shoving his face into your throat, “Stupid Y/N. I hate you. You’re going to be swaddled every time you get in bed for the rest of your days and I’m going to be rough about it, I swear it on my life. I have never run so much in my entire life. I hate you.” He punctuates his words with a harsh nip at your throat, right below your mating scar. 

He doesn’t. You can smell the relief and adoration oozing from his body. There is an undertone of spice however and it's enough to keep you treading delicately. 

“I know. I’m the worst,” you croon, nuzzling as much of him as you can.

“No,” comes the immediate reply and it makes you grin the tiniest bit.

“But you hate me,” you tease gently.

“No,” the nip this time is harder, more insistent. His voice is hard, growly, and you bite your lip to keep a laugh from escaping. “Be silent.”

“Oh we both know I’m incapable of such a thing,” you grin, gently pulling him away from the wall. He looks more like the man you know him to be. His eyes no longer glitter with tears. 

“I have never hated silence more,” he whispers, taking a large purposeful inhale of your scent. “If not for your heartbeat, I would have lost myself to madness.” 

The air is pulled from your lungs at his statement. It shakes you still, how all encompassing his devotion to you is. 

“I adore you,” you whisper back with a watery smile. He presses his forehead to yours, his hands reaching up to rub along your arms and shoulders, pressing his fingers in wherever he feels a muscle. Slowly, his scent loses the sick, burning edge. 

You have no idea how long you spend entwined with him before you are reminded of the world around you. As if reading your mind, he pulls away from you, trailing a hand from your shoulder to yours to grasp it tightly. It is obvious he does not want to be parted from you entirely, and given the contents of your last bits of memory, you can honestly say you feel the same. Parting from him felt near impossible. 

“Now,” you start, unsure where to even begin, “can you tell me what happened?”

“It would be better to reconvene with my father and get answers from him,” he responds, face pinking before his hands tighten, “Please do not think I am purposefully holding information from you without reason.” His stare was as intense as it was panicked. “I don’t wish to inspire distrust. I just…” His face pinkens as he looks down at the floor, “I haven’t been well. I wasn't privy to a lot of conversations about the incident since my only focus was to make sure you stayed alive. I know some things but not all.”

“Alright, we shall meet with your father and figure out what's going on from there,” is all you can say, kissing his forehead. He sighs at the feeling.

Something white catches the corner of your eye and you are reminded of the papers on the floor. 

“Can you tell me why there are papers all over the floor?” 

Shikamaru tenses once more, his mouth wobbling in a shadow of a grimace, “Someone left these on your pillow.”

He pulls away from you to pick up all the papers from the floor, refusing to look at them directly even as he puts them back in some sort of order. He hands them to you before curling up against your chest, nose directly against your pulse and fingers wrapped in the fabric of your shirt. 

On top, there was a note, written by Lord John if the decidedly lazy scrawl was anything to go by.

I’ve taken the liberty to start these for you. 

Underneath the note are several documents. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had sent your mate spiraling. 

 On the top was a death certificate. Followed by an order form for a casket, a list of available priests should your next of kin decide for one, a copy of your will and testament with recent ‘changes,’ and several inheritance disbursement forms. 

All the papers were filled out with your information, the time and date of your ‘death’ aligning with the time and date you had fallen unconscious.

“Slimy little wretch,” you growl under your breath before tossing the papers on the desk.

^^^^^^^^^^

The adults disappear behind large wooden double doors, leaving you alone with the prince. Well, as alone as you can be with guards stationed everywhere. The Great Hall was massive and beautifully decorated. It was obvious a lot of care went into designing the castle, every nook and cranny you could see carved and detailed with precision. Countless paintings adorned the walls, lit by the sun through the open windows.

Shikamaru stands in front of you, his face still just as bored as it had been a few moments ago. It was obvious he had no intention of breaking the silence between you both.  Feeling anxious, you decide to break it yourself. 

“My name is Y/N Y/N, heir to the throne of the L/N kingdom of the Eastern Realm, ward of the palace and first of my name,” you introduce yourself with a smile and a bow. 

The Omega offers a more subdued, polite smile, “My name is Shikamaru Nara, heir to the throne of the Nara kingdom of the Western Realm, son of King Shikaku Nara and Queen Yoshino Nara and first of my name.” He mimics your bow. 

“A pleasure,” you hum, trying to remember all the appropriate forms of greeting.

“Agreed.”

Silence befalls the room once more as you stare awkwardly between each other and different parts of the room. It's reminiscent of home, where silence echoes along the illuminated hallways and bounces off all the gleaming, cold metal but in the same breath, vastly different. It felt warmer, somehow.

And in that moment you remembered.

“I wish to see the flowers,” you announce suddenly, reaching a hand forward, “They were very pretty from the carriage window as we arrived but I’d like to see them closer. Would you join me? Show me the way?” 

He perked up, “I can show you my favorite hillside. I like to nap there when I’m bored of my lessons.”

Shikamaru takes your hand, warmth immediately flooding your arm but you pay it no mind, more eager to play with your new friend than focus on why your hand felt tingly. 

The dungeon is located below the ground floor, underground and only accessible by a single winding staircase. There are several guard posts that must be passed to goon way or another. The first time you were brought down here, Shikaku informed you that many dungeons failed because they were above ground, often with windows and other doors as entry and exit points. There were too many ways for people to escape, especially if they had someone aiding them.

You told him that the dungeon in your castle wasn’t capable of being underground because it was built into the mountain so the dungeon was placed at the side of the mountain. If your prisoners wanted to try their hand, they had the choice of trying to get past the guards or going through the window to fall to their deaths because there was no slope or ledge for them to climb anywhere. 

Shikamaru enters the dungeon before you do, keeping a hand on you at all times. He pokes his head in through the door, looking back and forth before walking in and allowing you to follow him. Inside, you see King Shikaku and several guards on one side of the room, opposite of the numerous holding cells that went deeper underground

Shikaku greets you with a nod and a smirk, “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Great to be back, though I’d like to know why I left in the first place,” you chuckle lightly, allowing Shikamaru to curl up as close as he can while standing and throwing an arm around him. His face falls into your neck.

With Shikamaru preoccupied, you mouth, ‘How bad has he been?’

Your father-in-laws face says everything as he mouths back, ‘Don’t do it again.’

Rolling your eyes, you mime crossing your heart just in time for Shikamaru to pull away from your throat.  

“Where is the Queen?” 

“Upstairs dealing with a rather unpleasant turn of events.” The King’s voice reflects the ordeal everyone has been dealing with in your absence, “But that is a matter for another time. For now, follow me.”

He turns on his heel and you both follow him dutifully as he takes you all the way to the end of the tunnel-like room. It opens up a bit at the end, the walls pressed outward to create more space.  Inside the space, there is a table and a few chairs where you all seem to naturally convene around. One of the guards quickly lights the torches all across the wall, illuminating the space quite nicely.

Lord John is sitting in his cell, the one furthest from the single exit, bathed in the darkest of shadows. He wore the simple gown of a prisoner, his person stripped bare of all his pomp and accoutrement. His wrists and ankles are linked by a chain that is connected to the wall in several places. A bit unnecessary given his lack of real strength but you surmise Shikamaru insisted on it. 

He’s spiteful like that.

“How are you alive?” the Beta man screams when he catches sight of you, face turning a concerning shade of purple, visible even in the darkness. Spittle shoots from his mouth as he rages behind the bars. He throws his body forward but the chains keep him from getting far. 

It's enough to send your mate into a frenzy though, because of course it is. 

“No,” you huff, grabbing Shikamaru around his waist and pulling him back against your body as he lunges for the bars.

“Please,” he hisses back but he makes no movement to break away from your hold. Instead, he turns and puts his hands on you, strategically placed to know the moment you feel any sort of weakness that may cause you to tumble. 

The Beta continues to rage, speech degrading into nothing more than incomprehensible noises of anger and half-formed words. Shikamaru continues to snarl beside you, both hands tight around your body as he glares down at the wailing man from over your shoulder. 

“Do you ever get tired of the taste of talking?” Shikamaru growls before nodding at one of the guards, “Gag him. I wish for his silence.”

“What happened that night?” you ask, turning away from the cell. You didn’t really want to look at the prisoner any longer. “All I remember is falling into darkness. Someone screamed, I think.”

Shikamaru’s face turns pink but says nothing. You choose not to point it out. 

“Lord John made a direct attempt on your life. The chocolate balls you enjoy were laced. Lord John knew of your love of chocolate and my distaste for it so he knew I would not ask for one.” 

You resist the urge to snort. ‘Ask.’ 

“We ordered for his arrest, he tried to fight it by releasing shoddily made smoke bombs. When that didn’t work, he took one of the Omegas hostage. When that failed, he tried to run to the window but he could not fit through the opening and got stuck. We made the arrest after prying him out.”

You turn your gaze to look at the prisoner, eyes squinted in disbelief. 

“Unfortunately, we lost four of the Omegas. In the confusion, they fled under the cover of the smoke bombs.Our prisoner has been in this holding cell in the dungeon since you fell unconscious. He’s monitored all hours of the day and night.” 

“Only four?”

“Yes. Two of Omegas are accounted for. One is in the morgue..”

“The morgue?”

“Hmm,” your mate hums, “The short one that interrupted our mating. His hostage. Accidently cut her throat and she bled out on the floor.”

“Ah.”

“The four that managed to flee are believed to be heading towards the mountains. The Akimichi have been informed. Chouji is leading the search parties himself.” His eyes narrow as he thinks.

“You don’t believe that do you? That they are in the mountains.”

Shikamaru smiles gently over at you, softening impossibly, “You know me so well. No, I do not. Not for all of them at least.”

“And the other Omega? The second one we have accounted for…?”

“That would be me,” a silky smooth voice interjects. The redhead Omega sat a few feet away in a chair propped against a wall, unchained and unbothered as she cleans her knives. 

You look between your mate and your father-in-law in confusion, “Isn’t she the…?”

“The one who was ‘attacked’ by a Nara guard? Yes. Y/N, this is Maki Uchiha. One of the Uchiha Kingdom's finest intelligence agents,” Shikaku introduces as the woman stands and joins you all around the table.

“Oh, well. Nice to meet you. I think.”

You reach a hand out to shake hers but Shikamaru pulls it back and stuffs it into his jacket pocket. 

“Shikamaru,” you scold, “Was that necessary?”

“Yes. She poisoned you.”

“Oh I did not,” she bites back, rolling her eyes, “I merely paralyzed them.”

From the deep breath your father-in-law took, you know that this is not the first time they have bickered over the topic. Shikamaru huffs, leaning into your side and avoiding his father’s gaze.

“Anyway, yes I was the one who was ‘attacked.’” She pointedly looks away from your Omega to stare at you. Her eyes are a vibrant red, almost black in the low light, intimidating and seductive, “I was working undercover in the Usami District. My king sent me a letter and reassigned me to do resonance since he believed that our prisoner would head there. He was correct. Further instruction led me to following him here, with permission by the King and Queen Nara.”

She retrieves her bag from the corner and places it on the table, pulling out various papers and setting them on the table, “The prisoner in question arrived in the Usami district looking for Omegas in desperate need of money. His proposal was simple. Accompany him on his travel to a different kingdom as a status symbol and in exchange, he would pay a handsome reward.”

Fussing with a few papers on the top of her spread, she moved them over to Shikaku, “Here is the contract we signed.”

Shikaku reviewed the contents quickly before sliding it over for Shikamaru to see.

“How many of the Omegas are literate?” 

“Aside from me? Only one but his skill is no greater than that of an 8 year old.”

“So he gave them contracts they couldn’t read…” you murmur as Shikamaru scooted to the side to allow you to read it as well, “and lied about its contents if what I’m seeing is correct.”

“You would be,” Maki nods, “These Omegas are destitute, living in poor conditions with no formal education, and engaging in various illegal activities to get by. They were offered a sweet deal with pretty words and coerced into signing this instead. You were correct in your assumption that he was hoping the Prince would be single. His goal was, indeed, to try and be ‘Chosen.’ I don’t know much about what happened in my country but I could parse that Lord John did more than just have a finger in the pot and was desperately hoping Shikamaru would be his salvation.”

Shikamaru’s disgust was palpable, side-eying the Beta behind bars and tucking himself closer to you. 

“Why bring the Omega’s at all then? If his goal was to be mated to my Omega?”

“I suspect we were meant to be pawns, to be discarded far from home once he was done with us or left to take whatever punishment he garnered from himself,” she shrugs, “If you can’t tell, he doesn’t seem to form coherent, consecutive thoughts that make sense.”

“So…what? He arrived and decided to kill me?”

“Indeed. You were a threat to his path to promised immunity and safety,” Maki motions over to Shikamaru, red eyes gleaming in the candlelight, “And it certainly didn’t help that you were an Alpha and capable of besting him in combat. He believed that if you died, your mate would undergo another Choosing and well…” She lets her words trail off with a small nonchalant shrug that you know your mate does not appreciate. 

“Sneaky, underhanded cockroach of a man,” Shikamaru growled lowly, disgusting rolling off of him in waves. “Thats not how it works.” You felt similarly but pressed it down. You still needed answers.

“Okay, he realizes he won’t win in a duel so he…what? Poisons my snack? How did he manage to pull that off without scrutiny?”

Maki’s mouth pulled tight into a bitter smile, “Arika. The girl he killed. Originally, she and two others were meant to join you for your rut and kill you while your guard was down and your mind otherwise occupied. I was the distraction. He had not been expecting such…resistance from you.”

“Did he think of how Shikamaru would react?”

“No.”

“Of course he didn’t.”

“We were ordered to wait until he was asleep.”

“Shikamaru is allergic to sleep,” you huff, grinning at your mate. He grins back at you.

Maki ignores you both, “And when that failed, he sought to poison you. Arika, the girl he killed, was quite well versed in poisons and drugs. Knew her way around an apothecary. She was not meant for combat so she would drug the patrons that hired her for a night and stole wallets to keep her room at the Inn. She faced a life of slavery if she didn’t.”

“How old was she?”

Your mate looks at you carefully, his eyes roaming over your face intently as he tries to parse out why you felt the need to know. 

“18. Abandoned at 10, presumably for being another mouth to feed given both her parents are native to the district. Lord John offered her a way out, both physically and financially. She would have been a fool not to take it, even if it meant killing someone.”

It hurt you how well you understood this girl. There was once a time you felt a parallel desperation to escape the life you had.

“I swapped the vials before she went into the kitchen.The poison and paralytic look very similar so it wasn’t hard to switch them. The only drawback was that the paralytic is intense and if the dose is incorrect, it can cause organ pause. Your heart may have stopped when you consumed it, if only for a moment. Apologies.”

She offers you a small bow. 

“Apologies are necessary,” you reply simply, ignoring the protesting squawk your mate releases into your shoulder. At this point, there was nothing you could but forgive, especially if what she was saying was true. Better to suffer from paralysis than die choking on your own tongue.

“They are very necessary,” he hisses into your ear, his scent dipping into something darker, “She needs to apologize so I can never forgive her.” 

“Shikamaru…”

“No,” his voice is harsh, his stare hard as he looks between you and the Uchiha. 

“There was blood Alpha.” A hint of a whimper bled through his anger. “You fell limp, like all your life had been pulled from your body. Your eyes rolled back. Blood dripped from your nose. You were so…cold…” He takes a deep breath, “You were asleep for over a week. Close to a full fortnite.”

The Omega Uchiha shoots you a curious look, “You shouldn’t have bled…”

“No matter,” Shikaku interrupts, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers and his son huffs petulantly, “We…”

“Stupid Alpha-child!”

You close your eyes and take a deep breath at the interruption. It would seem that Lord John has freed his mouth from the gag. 

‘God, if you are there…’

Shikamaru’s hackles rise beside you, “You do not speak to them!”

“You do not tell me what to do, Filthy Omega Whore!”

“Oh what are you on about?” you complain loudly, and yes, you were aware you sounded like a child, but at this point, you just wanted to curl up in your bed with your mate and rest. Being the victim of an assassination attempt while being the future ruler of a kingdom was draining in the worst of ways. This annoying pest of a Beta was taking too much of your energy.

“You are a fool to fall for any of this nonsense,” the Beta spits angrily, “Blindly believing everything you are told. I was sparing you pain. Ask your Omega where he’s been. Ask him who he’s bedded while you lay dying. He certainly wasn’t having his needs and took full advantage of your absence..”

“The only need I had was for my mate to keep breathing,” Shikamaru states, cold and unfeeling. He doesn’t take his eyes off the man as he addresses you, “I was by your side every day. I laid next to you. I listened to your heart and felt your breath.”

“Ha! You really think-”

“Gag him again,” you order one of the guards, interrupting the horrid man, “Add a bite guard. Give him something new to choke on.”

Once he is silenced again, you turn back to Maki and Shikaku.

“What about the papers? The ones left in our bedchamber? How did they get there?” 

“They were sorted out beforehand and slipped into the room sometime during our search for you,” Shikaku murmurs, cracking his neck. “Shikamaru discovered the documents shortly before nightfall but they had not been there when we first discovered you missing.”

“You think it was one of the other Omegas?” you ask, looking back at your mate, “Is that what you meant by ‘not all of them?’

Shikamaru nods, “I reason that, instead of fleeing, one of them had planned to finish what was started with the poison…” his voice breaks into another growl, loud and vicious, face contorting viciously before clearing his throat and assuming his composure, “And when they found you missing, they left the documents on your pillow and joined in the search. They did not find you because you took a nap in the dirt like a gremlin.” 

With a playful, smug look on his face, he catches the hand you use to push him away from you to keep you beside him.

“Bite your tongue,” you bark out a laugh, struggling to get your hand and arm out of his grip.

“Never,” he croons mockingly, pressing an insistent kiss on your cheek.

“Ew,” Shikaku deadpans, face devoid of all emotion. Shikamaru pauses to look at his father, the most offended look you have ever seen forming on his face. You bite your lip and turn away, the laugh in your throat bubbling dangerously close to the surface. 

Picking up a pen from the table, Shikamaru twirls it around his fingers.. A quick glance at his side reveals that his favorite knife (and knife sheath) are missing. Given everything that has happened, it was probably for the best that he not be allowed to carry sharp objects. 

“That was part of the back-up plan,” Maki admits, shuffling the papers on the table again, “ This is a copy of the instructions he gave us in the event we were caught or if the poison did not work. We each had an assignment.One of us was to sneak into the royal bedchamber and suffocate the Royal Consort as they lay unmoving.” 

“And he wrote all this down?”

“Yes.” 

“Oh…bless the stupidity of egotistical men…” you exclaim, voice edged like razors. 

“Is there anything else that we need to know?” Shikaku asked, gathering all the papers from the table and rearranging them to his liking.

“This is as far as I’ve got. I don’t know where the other four are but I would assume that the three that took advantage of the distraction and left the castle have stolen aboard a ship by now. I do not think they are a threat.” 

The King nods solemnly, “Thank you, Lady Uchiha.” 

She says nothing as she bows.

He turns to you and his son, “We will meet tomorrow evening to go over other information we have found and prepare for our prisoner’s transportation to the Yamanakas. Rest now, both of you.”

With the papers in hand, Shikaku leaves you, his footsteps heavy as they echo off the walls of the dungeon. You politely wait for Maki to gather her things, even as Shikamaru starts herding you to the door as well. 

“Thank you for all your hard work,” you say, allowing Maki to walk ahead of you, “I appreciate you…uh…not allowing them to kill me.”

Her smile is a tinge sardonic, “My pleasure.”

Shikamaru huffs against your shoulder, hiding aggravated little noises in the collar of your shirt. The female Omega opens the door.

“Before I take my leave,” her entire demeanor shifted into that of a predator as she steps away from the door and glides around you, seemingly unaffected by the warning pheromones your mate was producing, “I must say, I do appreciate your….hospitality…It's very rare to find an Alpha willing to provide clothes to Omega prostitutes instead of the alternative…”

A light wash of her scent filters around you, detailing her interest. Her red eyes gleam mischievously as she looks between you and Shikamaru.

“Feel free to write…” she purrs sweetly, winking as she exits the dungeon.  

“You are never giving anyone anything ever again,” Shikamaru growls darkly, eyes stuck on the door Maki disappeared through. 

“Shikamaru…”

“No. Start being an asshole.”

^^^^^^^^^^

The castle was large but felt larger still as you weaved in and out of hallways behind Shikamaru until you found an exit that led to the fields. He didn’t stop until you were at the top of a large hill that oversaw much of the expansive fields. The flowers perfumed the land with the sweetest scents you’d ever smelt.

It didn’t take long for you to begin weaving a crown of the bright flowers.

“What are you making?” Shikamaru asked from his place beside you. He had immediately laid down in what he dubbed as ‘his favorite spot’ upon arrival. “Let me see.”

“A flower crown,” you respond, showing him your work quickly before wrapping another flower around the piece.

“But you already have a crown.” You laughed at the way Shikamaru’s face scrunched. You reached up to touch your travel crown before taking it off slowly. The jewels set in the cold white metal shone delicately under the sun. It was a good deal smaller than the normal one you wore at home, less heavy and harsh on your head and neck, but it was still unbearable to wear.

You shrugged, “Flower crowns are prettier. And I don’t get to see flowers often. Not ones like these anyway. We live in the mountains along the sea. Most of my people are miners and fishermen. We don’t grow from the earth, the weather and terrain make it nearly impossible.” 

Shikamaru reaches over to pluck your metal crown from your hands, running his fingers along it before dropping it into his lap with a start, “It's so sharp and heavy. How do you wear this?”

You shrug again, subconsciously touching the tiny scars around your temples, “I try not to. They hurt.” 

Shikamaru discards the crown to the side with a curled lip, choosing instead to roll onto his belly to watch you work. It didn’t take you long and when it was finished, you plopped it on your head. 

It felt infinitely nicer than your other crown, even if it was a bit sloppy and uneven.

“Do you want one?” you ask the boy, reaching over and plucking more of the flowers from the ground.

“I think so, yes,” he murmurs, face flushing pink. You smile and begin weaving. 

Shikamaru watches you intently as you switch between grabbing flowers and working them into a circular shape. When all the flowers in front of you are gone, you lean to the side to grab more.

“Oh,” you start, pausing from your work to pluck a white dandelion, “We can make wishes.”

The boy’s face scrunches in confusion, “How?”

“Here,” you hand him the dandelion. “Close your eyes and think of a wish. Don’t say it out loud but when you know what it is, blow until all the petals detach. If they all fly away, it will come true.” 

Shikamaru closes his eyes, makes a wish, and blows. 

The purring starts as soon as the door closes behind you. Your Omega is demanding, herding you towards the large comfortable bed at the back of the room that was to be your new bedchamber. Shikamaru was adamant that a new bedchamber was necessary since the other one was ‘ruined’ and ‘tainted’ and ‘dangerous.’ He didn’t want to sleep in the same room that so many people entered with ill-intent. 

You indulge him because when have you not? If the Omega has decided the den is not safe, it is the Alpha’s job to find them a new one after all. 

“Are you well?” he asks, keeping his body glued to yours. His hands do not remain idle as they wander over every part of you they can reach. 

You grin, pressing a kiss to his nose, “I am.” 

His eyes soften, “Good.”

Stripped bare by your mate’s persistent hands, he nudges you to sit upright in your bed, back against the pillows and headboard. Once divested of all your clothing, an equally nude Shikamaru crawls into your lap. His legs bracket yours as he gets comfortable. The vibrations in his chest get louder as his skin meets yours.

“Come here,” you insist, cradling the back of his head and tangling your fingers in his hair, loose from its normal tie, and bringing it down to your throat. Scent made sweeter, you guide his breathing so he inhales as much of it as possible. A hot, wet tongue meets your gland, lapping at it until it's swollen and pulsing, secreting enough scent to drown a fish. 

It feels heavenly and you convey that with a purr of your own. 

With your free hand, you rake your claws over the skin of his back gently. His body shakes and shudders in your arms. You slide it down to cup one of his cheeks, a finger rubbing against the furled skin of his asshole. While Shikamaru may not prefer anal, he does like when you tease that hole like you tease his other one. He arches further into you with a breathy little mewl, sticking his ass further into your palm.

The smell of slick is heavy on your tongue, your lap damp where he is sitting above you.

Gently you pull him away, using your hand still fisting in his hair to guide his head up and back, giving you unlimited and unrestrained access to his throat. Scraping your fangs against the skin, you kiss and mouth along the stretch of skin, making sure to leave several little red marks behind. You nip at his scent gland, encouraging it to pump out the heady smell you are addicted to. 

You hum happily against his skin.

Leaning back further, he adjusts so he can open his legs wider. He grips onto your knees, displaying himself to your greedy gaze. His body glistens with a light sheen of sweat, pink spreading down his chest and across his face as he exposes the entirety of his body for your consumption. His cock twitches against his belly, a glob of precum dripping down the side. The lips of his cunt are parted the tiniest bit, letting you glimpse the hidden treasure inside. 

“Aren’t you delicious?” you croon, trailing a hand from his throat down his body, groping his muscles and flicking at his nipples as you do. The little buds pebble under your attention. Shikamaru lets out a shaky breath as your claw traces over the nubs gently. “Such a strong Omega. I am blessed to be mated to one so handsome.”

You run the hand back up, cupping his jaw and forcing your thumb into his mouth. His eyes flutter as he closes his mouth around the digit. He doesn’t suck so much as he open-mouth kisses it. 

You take your spit slick thumb and gently swipe it against his clit as you descend onto his chest, biting and sucking at whatever skin you can reach. You decorate his chest thoroughly, making sure the skin will bruise because you know he likes to press on them. He likes to have reminders throughout the day that everything is as it should be. 

A happy moan escapes past his lips at the attention, “I love when you play with me like this.” 

“Oh?” you quirk a brow, lips tilted up in a smirk

Your Omega nods, licking his lips as he rocks against your thumb, “Yes. I think of little else than the feeling of your touch on my body.” His voice stuttered around a whimper as he grinds, hips twitching as you rub smaller circles on his clit. “Ah-h. Like that. Just like that. Play with me. Ah-ah. I’m yours. I’m all your-ah.” 

“I adore you,” you whisper, shifting your hand to insert two of your fingers inside of him without removing your thumb. His cunt squeezes at the intrusion, slick dripping down over your hand and wrist. He groans.

“That's it,” he croons, arching, “Touch me. I’ve missed you.”

“So tight beloved,” you moan, eyes fixated on the way his slick trailed down your hand and wrist, “And so wet. How fucking needy you are.”

“I have been without you,” he parrots your words back at you, 

“No one has touched me in your absence,” your mate insists, “I promise. No one but you has laid with me. I’d never…I don’t think I could take it if someone besides you shared my bed.”

“I know my beloved.”

“You believe me?” Your poor Omega looks so devastated at the very idea that you wouldn’t. You really wish you could kill Lord John. String him up by his guts and hit him with a stick like a pinata until the rest of his organs fall out. 

“Of course I do,” you insist, crooking your fingers inside of him just to press on his sweet spot and make him shiver.

“That's-thats it? Just like that? On my word alone, you believe me?” 

The confusion in his voice makes you wonder if there is more that has been said in your absence. The look in his eyes confirms it. 

“Of course,” you reiterate, pausing your ministrations to look at him directly, “Shikamaru?”

“I can prove I haven’t taken anyone to bed!” Your Omega insists, his scent spiking with anxiety, “I can prove my fidelity. I’d never stray from you. I didn’t…please…I…”

“Remember who you are speaking to. You don’t have to prove anything. I believe you at your word Shikamaru.” You press onto his mating mark with the hand that wasn’t buried inside of him. 

His face changes gradually as he mulls over your words. You pump out a wave of calming pheromones. After a few moments, he slumps, relaxed, “Of course you do. Of course I don’t.”

The smile on his face is lazy and soft, his body losing all tension. You move your fingers again, slower. Gentle. Your Omega purrs, going back to rocking on your hand as you bring him gentle pleasure. 

“I originally intended to take you in my mouth,” he murmurs, quietly as he stares into your eyes, “Taste my Alpha once more. Slip into the soft Omegaspace you bring me to when you use me in such a way. But now? I want to feel you grow inside of me. Are you amenable?”

Shifting up, he pulls your cock from where it was resting under his ass. Needy brown eyes look down at it where it's resting against his cunt and under his own cock. Even mostly limp, you were impressive. 

“Absolutely.”

 You remove your fingers from him, grinning at his disappointed whine at the loss, but it's quickly wiped away when he smears his own slick over your hardening flesh. Once it's sufficiently coated, he rolls you both over until he is underneath you. 

Settling between his open thighs, you slide into him easily despite the lack of hardness. You let out a shaky breath as he slowly took you in, the muscles expanding and contracting to welcome you. The moan he releases as you bottom out is nothing short of divine, one of his hands curling around the back of your head to bring your face down to kiss you. 

“Don’t move just yet. Let me feel it. Ohhhhh….” Head thrown back, he releases a deep, primal Omegan growl. It triggers your own growl, a response from your Alpha to his Omega. Ducking down, you bite and suck at the skin you can reach, brightening the marks you already left. His body trembles under yours.

He pants as your cock grows and pulses inside of him, dark eyes fogging up as he loses himself in the connection, the feeling of you growing more and more aroused inside of him. His legs twitch as your sides, his cunt clenching and unclenching around you as it's stretched. Slick spills from around your intrusion, dampening the sheets below you.

The pleasure is nearly blinding, the feeling of your Omega’s slick cunt around you second to none.. When it becomes obvious that you aren’t going to get any harder, your cock not getting any bigger, Shikamaru’s chest heaves, his mouth twitching up into a dazed smile as you melt into one being. 

“You fit inside me so perfectly. I never want this to end,” your Omega murmurs slowly, pressing gentle, chaste pecks on your mouth. 

“I won’t let it,” you whisper, lowering yourself down so your body is flush with his, cock throbbing against the soft gummy walls of your Omega’s cunt, “Never.”

“Yea?” he slurs, eyes rolling back a little as he feels your cock leak hot sticky precum inside of him, “Promise me?”

“We are going to grow old together,” you smile down at him, resting on your forearms. His eyes shoot open, dilated and wet and radiating awe up at you. “We may have spent 13 years apart but we will have the rest of them together. Fifty…sixty…seventy years. And nothing is going to stop us. I will not allow it.” 

He whimpers breathlessly as he nods, clenching around your cock again, “Yes, yes, yes. I’m yours for the rest of my lif-ah, ah, ah. You’re mine too right? All mine. My Alpha. My conso-ah, fuck.” 

You groan around a purr, “I’ve never been anyone else's. I’ve belonged to Shikamaru Nara since he made a wish on a dandelion.” 

“Love me,” he urges, momentarily snapping out of his haze to shoot you a look of utter desperation, “Please. I’m ready. Need you to move Alpha-mine.”

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” you promise, bracing yourself as you withdraw from the warm, wet heat and slide back in. Slow, gentle, repetitive rocking. 

“Yes. Yes. Yessss…,” your mate purrs and your heart swells with pride. Petting a hand down his side, you roll your hips a little more insistently. Shikamaru makes a low, beautiful noise and pushes his hips up against yours, his arms wrapping around you tightly. You are reminded of how horribly he wants you and you hardly know what to do with the feeling. Beyond words, you lick into his mouth.

When you pull away, you lift up and slide a hand down to wrap around the cock that was trapped between you, flicking your thumb over the head and using his own precum as a lube to ease the glide. Your mate is large for an Omega, thick and hot in your hand and you know from experience how good he tastes. His back arches with a loud keening noise and you take the opportunity to lean down to suck at his chest, flicking the pebbled nipples with your tongue.

“That's it. Let me hear you. Let your Alpha hear you.”

The slow, wet slap of flesh echoed through the bedchamber and you were positive that anyone who passed by the door could hear it.

‘Let them hear,’ your Alpha snarls as your knot begins to expand and catch along the rim of Shikamaru’s cunt, ‘Let them know that only you are allowed in this Omega’s bed. Only you have the privilege of mating with this strong, handsome prince.’ 

“Oh.Oh. I’m cumming,” Shikamaru breathes, whimpering as his body tightens, “Please. Please. I need it. Please.”

“Go ahead beloved. Cum for me. Just like this.”

“Say my name,” he pleads, “Cum inside me. Need to feel your knot break me open. Need to hear you.”

“Shikamaru,” the sound is strangled as you start to crest into your own orgasm.

Your knot popped in and out of his hole deliciously until you couldn’t move it anymore, keeping your pace as gentle as possible. Shikamaru’s arms let you go to splay above him on the bed, leaving himself completely open to you as he kneads the blanket under him. His eyes, doe-eyed and soft, never left your face, even as they flutter in pleasure. He doesn’t say much outside of his cooing moans and breathy sighs but he doesn’t need to. You know. 

“Such a good Omega,” you whisper, dropping gently on your forearms to kiss his mouth, “I love you.”

“I love you,” he responds, wispy and gentle, like it was the easiest thing in the world to say. You relish in the softness you rarely see outside of the privacy of your quarters.

Your orgasms are gentle, softly cresting as your bodies locked together. His tie milks your swollen knot as he spills over his own belly, encouraging you to empty inside of him. Shikamaru’s legs tremble as he’s filled with warmth, his mouth dropping open as his eyes flutter closed. Feeling you orgasm, your sticky cum plugged inside of him by the thickness of your knot, was always the most overwhelming part for him.

You were, after all, putting a part of you inside of him. 

“I love you,” he repeats, chuckling wetly, tears rolling down the sides of his face as you both come down from your euphoria, “I can’t stand a world without you in it.”

“You are everything,” you gently wipe the tears away, “There is no me without you anymore.”

He leans up to catch your lips, his tongue shoving its way into your mouth. His purring stutters with every pulse of cum you release inside of him, sending shivers of pleasure down his spine. Soft incomprehensible words pass his lips as you take control of the kiss.

In an unexpected burst of energy, you are flat on your back with your Omega on top of you. Still connected by your knot, he grinds down, pulling at the connection to encourage oversensitive bursts of pleasure to crash through you. His internal muscles clench exquisitely, forcing a gasp out of you as he moans, loud and unabashed.

“Again,” Shikamaru pleads, rolling his hips on your deflating knot, “Love me again.” 

You indulge him because when have you not?

^^^^^^^^^^

It all happened so fast.

One moment you were happily eating dinner in the Nara castle’s dining hall with Shikamaru, his parents, and your guardian, nanny, and guards. Talks had gone well from what you had gathered from the pleased scent wafting around your guardian but you hadn’t cared much to inquire about it, as Shikamaru had taken a seat beside you and the way he was playing with your fingers was much more entertaining to you. 

In the next, everyone was yelling and you were being yanked in two separate directions. The loud rumbling growl that erupted suddenly from your guardian was something you never heard before and it sent shivers of terror along your spine. A rough, clawed hand circled your arm and dragged you from your chair. 

“What's going on?” you cry, eyes tearing up at the pain of claws digging into your skin. You try to tug free of them but you are no match for their strength. A smaller hand latches onto your other arm, tugging frantically. Shikamaru’s face is pale, eyes blown in fear as he fails to free you.

“Let them go! They’re mine!” the Omega boy yells, tears furiously pouring out of his eyes as you are yanked harshly from his grip, “You're hurting them! My Y/N!”

“Silence, you horrid demon child,” your guardian snarls at him, to which Yoshino drags her wailing son into her arms, dark eyes glowing in her fury. Her lips curl around her teeth, her own growl low and predatory. A growl worms its way to your throat, sounding no more frightening than a kitten’s yowl but with all the ferocity of an enraged Alpha. 

“Don’t be mean to him!” you spit, struggling with every bit of strength you could manage, “Let me go! Shikamaru!”

“Enough,” your guardian yells, smacking you in the mouth before handing you over to one of the guards roughly. Their arms wrap around you in a hold you had no hope of breaking. Shikamaru’s angry scream rattles the walls in the dining hall. “Our deal is off! We come asking for aid and you dare take advantage? Casting your Nara sorcery upon our only heir?” 

Shikaku’s face is incredibly dark but he says nothing, letting your guardian dig a hole for themselves. Yoshino’s impossibly black eyes dart between her mate and you, her face softening and hardening in turn as you cry and thrash in tune with her son’s distressed wailing. 

“I am not cursed,” you argue loudly, chest rumbling in aggravation, “All we did was play in the flowers! We are going to be friends forever! Let. Me. Go.” You sink your baby fangs in the sliver of bare skin between your captor’s gloves and armor, delighting in the angry hiss he releases. 

“Hold your tongue!” Your guardian hisses, fiery eyes glinting dangerously at you. The fear from earlier is gone, dissipated in your own burning anger. They don’t take their eyes from yours as they address the guard holding you, “Take them back to the carriage. We are leaving.

“No! No! Nooooooo! My Y/N! Stop them! You have to stop them! Please!” is all you hear as your guard lugs you out of the dining hall.

You wait for Shikamaru to fall asleep before you slip out of bed. It's a challenge, what with Shikamaru’s death grip on your body, but you manage without much fuss. He stirs briefly, his face pinching in disgust at the disturbance.

 “It's okay. Go back to sleep. I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back,” you whisper gently, running a hand through his loose hair. He hums and settles into the warm spot you just left behind, a quiet “Be quick” murmured into your pillow. You kiss his head. 

Slipping on your robe and soft shoes, you grab a candle and leave the confines of your bed chamber. The castle is silent, foreboding in the shadows and darkness, but you fear nothing here. You nod at the two guards who are standing in front of the door, both looking wide awake. You gesture that you are going down the hall. They nod back in acknowledgement, though one of them cheekily tapped their bare wrist at you. 

You roll your eyes playfully. 

The dungeon is cold, much colder than it had been earlier, but it makes sense since its no longer lit by a row of torches. It's also no longer midday, the coolness of the night somehow chilling the underground. 

You nod at the guards at each post and inform them of why you are down there and they allow you passage as long as you promise to not murder the prisoner. Somehow, they don’t believe you when you say you only had intentions to speak with him.

The ‘we wouldn’t blame you if you did’ was unspoken but it was heard nonetheless.

You keep your footsteps light as you walk down the long narrow room.

Lord John is still bound at the other end of the cell, his beady little eyes narrowing in rage as you pull a chair up to the bars, making sure it scratched against the floor unpleasantly as you did. His gag has been removed, likely so he could eat his dinner. The sound was horrid against the stark silence. 

“Good evening,” you start, happy and pleasant.

“Go to hell,” he bites, a pathetic attempt at a growl forming in his throat.

“A wise leader knows to never give their opponent the home field advantage,” you respond, leaning against the back of the chair, “But there is no need for hostility. I’ve merely come to chat.

“I have nothing to say.”

“Well I do so I guess I’m going to monologue at you again and you are going to sit and listen,” you pause, tilting your head back and forth, “I mean, it's not like you have a choice. You aren’t going anywhere. Not for a few days at least.” 

The Beta huffs, irritated and angry and you can’t find any part of you that cares. 

“You caused quite the scene since you’ve arrived,” you start, crossing your arms over your chest, “and inspired distress amongst everyone you’ve come into contact with.”

“Have I touched a nerve?” he sneers, the hint of a smirk on his face.

“I thought you had nothing to say?”

His mouth clamps shut, his Beta scent souring unpleasantly. 

“I still don’t understand what you hoped to achieve by killing me. I don’t think I care to think about it any longer if I’m being honest. You were never going to replace me even if your plot had worked,” you sigh, mild exasperation in your tone, “The Choosing doesn’t work like that. Even if Shikamaru survived after my passing, he would Choose someone who is worthy of being a Chosen.”

Fixing your gaze to his, you drop your normal speaking voice to your Alpha one, “You are not worthy.”

Lord John’s forehead vein makes an appearance even as he recoils, body shuddering to reject the sound and the danger it threatens, and it brings you such delight. The Alpha voice is always intimidating, especially when the Alpha rarely ever uses it. 

You reregulate your voice to sound normal, “A Chosen is something rare and sacred, a built in protection against trauma bonds. If you had bothered to learn anything about Nara history, you’d know that but I understand if it was too many words for you.” 

Lord John continues to say nothing, which you weren’t expecting to be honest. He loved the sound of his own voice. Maybe having the Alpha pheromones stripped away also stripped his confidence?

One can only hope. 

“And if you had tried to force a bond while he was deep in despair, the Queen would have summoned all of hell to come down on you,” you continue, “Shikaku may be the King but Yoshino is the one to be feared. Again, something you would have known if you bothered to look into the Nara's involvement in the last war.”

“And then there is the matter of you…writing all your plans down…on paper…multiple times…but we don’t need to rehash all of that.”

You sigh with all the exasperation of a child’s tutor, “Based on all this, I’ve concluded that you are just stupid.”

That gets a reaction. The prisoner shouts angrily and thrashes against his bindings. You watch with passive interest until he gets tired of getting nowhere. You made those chains yourself in the forge with a special blend of metals that you learned in the forges in your homeland, you know how strong they are.

Sweating and panting, Lord John eventually collapses back to the floor. 

“Are you done having big feelings?”

The prisoner huffs angrily.

“You asked me what a Nara provides for their Chosen and I never answered, which is quite rude of me. Do forgive my slight.”

You cross your legs and lean forward, resting your arms over your knee.

“You said that Naras don’t provide anything to their Chosen. It's all one-sided. Much like with everything else, you have been wrong.” 

Taking a deep breath, you think of the way Shikamaru smiles at you and embrace the calm it provides. “The power I hold over him is unimaginable. It is all consuming. I can ask anything of him. My desires are his. If I so chose,” You drop your voice to a whisper, slipping the tiniest bit of Alpha inflection in it, “I could. I can. He would allow me anything. Follow me anywhere. A lesser person would crack under the weight of such a responsibility.”

Lord John’s gaze wavers under yours but not enough to look away completely.

“Make no mistake. It is no burden. When you become a Chosen, you assume responsibility of your Nara, yes, but you also assume the truest version of yourself. I know myself when I am with him. When I stand beside him, my mind is clear. I search for him in every room I walk in because I wander, lost in a daze - quite literally might I add, I ended up in the garden- you know what, not important- when he is not with me. I have a purpose. He gives me a purpose. I am a foil, a mirror, and a friend as much as I am a lover or a mate. We are a match.”

You stand up, brushing nonexistent dust from your pants and robe as you do. You return the chair to the table before looking back at him through the bars.

“You could never be a Chosen. You are too selfish, too egotistical, too unwaveringly…pathetic. You care little for others, take advantage of those you feel to be below you, and demand for things that do not belong to you. You do not have the courage or compassion to stand as one with a Nara.”

You approach the cell again, slowly, a rolling hunter’s gait. Repelled, your prisoner jerks to press himself against the wall.

“T-to what purpose did you bother coming down here?” he stutters, fear bleeding through his scent for the first time since you’ve known him. He must finally sense the danger he was in.

Better late than never.

“This is the last time we will cross paths,” you grin, giddy, “And I wanted to make sure you knew that you will never have what you so desperately crave. You will go to the Yamanakas for further interrogation and then to the Uchiha for punishment while I stay here, living the life you desire.”

“It was either we have a nice little chat,” you lick your teeth, flashing your fangs at the portly man, “or I give into my rage and pluck your eyes from your skull for looking at my mate, cut your tongue for speaking poorly about my mate, and break every bone in your hands for thinking of putting them on my mate. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel when I came down here.” 

You shrug, slipping your hands in the pockets of your robe, “The Uchiha said that you needed to be brought back alive. They never said you had to come back in one piece. The Yamanakas know how to extract information from the deaf, blind, and mute so you didn’t need to be whole for them either.” 

“You are insane,” he spits, tiny eyes filled with an odd combination of hate and fear. His scent grows even more sour, burning into your nostrils.

“I am in love,” you correct with a twisted grin “A common mistake since one so often looks like the other.”

The journey back to your bed chamber is uneventful. There are new guards at your door. Both of them give you a curious look but you wave them off. They crack the door open for you.

Shikamaru is sitting up in bed, propped by God and spite, and he’s glaring sleepily at you as you enter. You smile at him, endeared by the messy hair and mismatched blinking.

“Where…you?” he mumbles crankily, messily swiping the hair away from his face. 

“Here. I am here,” you croon sweetly, approaching the bed. Without prompting, he shifts to his knees and ‘walks’ to the end of the bed to greet you. He is still naked from your earlier escapades. He smells of dark, rich earth, sleep, and sex as he barrels sloppily forwards into your open arms. It's divine.

“Bed?” 

“Yes, I’m coming back to bed.”

“Sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Sex?”

“Later,” you pause, adding on a quick, “if you want.”

A slow, lecherous smile forms on his tired face as half-lidded brown eyes blink at you slowly, “Always.”

A huffed laugh punches from your gut, quiet and soft as you kiss his brow, “Okay beloved.”

Just as you are about to discard your robe and climb back into bed, the room shakes with rapid-fire knocking on your chamber door. 

‘Quoth the raven nevermore.’

You shake your head at the intrusive thought. 

Shikamaru hisses at the door, claws digging into the fabric of your robe and sleep shirt as he jerks to complete wakefulness, “What now? Can’t I have a moment’s peace?”

“Apparently not. Put on some clothing. I will get the door.”

Reluctantly, you separate from him. 

Gaia is outside the door, looking incredibly nervous as they pace back and forth in small circles outside the door. They mutter to themselves under their breath. The other two guards look at eachother and back towards you nervously.

You don’t fault them for their anxiety. Life has been rough in recent times. 

“I hate to interrupt but the Queen has sent me,” Gaia breathes once Shikamaru joins you from the bed, his own robe wrapped tightly around him, “The news cannot wait any longer and it is best if you hear this now before word gets around.” 

You share a nervous look with your Omega.

“Go on.”

“A Choosing has happened.” 

^^^^^^^^^^

The moon is high when you set off. Getting out of the castle was easy enough, granted that you were now of age to set off on your own without any of your guardian’s lackey’s following you. You took great delight in firing each and everyone of them the moment the clock struck midnight the day of your birthday. Your guardian had been none too pleased but their opinion did not matter any longer. 

You are an adult now, capable of ruling a kingdom without aid. Your coronation had seen it so. 

If that is what you chose, however. 

But it wasn’t.

Your letter to Shikaku Nara had not been returned and you could only hope that meant he understood your intentions and was waiting for you, ideally without any hostility. In the years following the disaster of a dinner, your guardian did everything in their power to burn bridges between your kingdom and the Nara Kingdom. While smaller than the Nara’s, your kingdom had a monopoly on a vast majority of the mountains and the sea and all its contents on your side of the country. The Akimichi may have their own mountain region but their mountains yielded very little in terms of resources and skill needed to handle such resources. Nothing like what your kingdom could provide. 

Still, even if there was hostility, even if you were walking into a trap, it would be worth it to see Shikamaru one last time. It didn’t matter if he hated you. If he executed you himself.

He was worth taking the risk for. 

It took a few days but all your cessation paperwork was complete, leaving the entirety of the kingdom to a cousin of yours. She is a few years older and had been in line for her own throne until her parent’s suddenly produced an Alpha heir and removed her from her position. She may dislike you but the whole situation left a bad taste in your mouth and she would be a better ruler than anyone currently in line for your throne. 

While you may not love your people enough to stay, you loved them enough to leave them in capable, competent hands. She would take care of everyone. 

She also hated your guardian as much as you did so that was a plus.

Traveling from your old home to the Nara Kingdom was treacherous and long. You avoid main roads for most of the journey, trekking along the more dangerous paths to keep from being tracked. No one with a sane mind would pass through the canyons deep in the north side of your mountain but with your choices being ‘get caught’ and ‘ traverse through horrible terrain’, you have little choice. You have no real allies. You have no real connections. There is no one to help you if you are dragged back to the kingdom you abandoned. 

Word spreads of your departure and abandonment quickly, which puts a damper on your plans. Your journey becomes much harder and requires several disguise changes before you are safe enough to rent a room to sleep in or a carriage to take you through the desert. Throughout it all, you go back and forth on how you are going to plead your case to Shikaku.

You’ve made peace with all the possible outcomes but still, it felt right to offer some sort of apology or…something. You didn’t have money for a gift but you were capable of working so maybe you could offer free labor. 

There was no guide waiting at the treeline of the Nara forest and for the first time since you left, you felt trepidation. 

The forest is still as magical as you remember it being. You step over into the growth and the path reveals itself to you. The indents in the forest floor seem clearer, like it is sucking in a breath to make the path more prominent. You stay on the line as closely as possible, keeping your eyes towards the total blackness. 

The journey through the forest seems a lot shorter than when you were a child but you chalk it up to the world being so much larger to a child than to an adult. When the trees start opening up and you can see the sky again, the sun has risen, glittering between the branches and leaves at the canopy. 

The path stops abruptly as deer start emerging from behind the brush. They pay you no mind however, walking past you as if you were a normal part of their environment. You don’t pay them much mind, however, as the gate to the castle comes into view.

You see four guards - two on each side of the gates - and your stomach sinks when they all look at you in tandem. 

‘Well, at least I managed to change my clothes before I showed up,’ you think to yourself, straightening your shoulders. Faux confidence comes easy to you as you take a deep breath and approach.

“We’ve been waiting,” one of the guards - an Alpha male - smirks before you can open your mouth, “You took very long.”

“I was on foot for most of it.” 

“Welcome,” another says before the Alpha can respond again and you recognize her immediately. Her hair is much shorter now but one of the sides is still shaved, displaying her inked skin. The tattoos have been added to and obviously outlined in recent years. 

“It's nice to see you again,” you greet, bowing your head slightly. She grins a little, flicking her hand and allowing the gate to open. 

With a deep, shuddering breath, you walk through the gates, long enough to catch the tail end of whatever the king was saying to his son.

“But don’t take my word for it. Ask them yourself. They’re here.”

In a flash, Shikamaru meets your gaze, dark brown eyes focused on you as intensely as they had been in the fields and the world falls away as you approach the castle. 

The following week is a mess of meetings and deliberations. The King and Queen ultimately decided to leave the decision of the matter to you and Shikamaru, a test of your ability to lead. They will offer you aid in your decision-making but will leave the final verdict to you. They will enforce whatever you and your mate agree upon.

“This is a matter that pertains directly to you both,” Yoshino had said, a small sad smile on her mouth as she gently grasps your hand in hers, “Only you can decide what is appropriate. I trust you will make good choices.”

This was a good idea in theory but proved to be more tumultuous than predicted, since Shikamaru spent most of the time being in a very unforgiving and spiteful mood during deliberations. The full force of his brutal tactician training had come forth intensely, laying a fifty part argument at your feet about why he favors one side of the argument and why it's the best course of action.

You, on the other hand, countered his arguments from a less practical, more forgiving heart, something that left him frustrated and sitting with his back to you on your lap and refusing to hold your hand. To his credit, he took your words in and contemplated them, asking follow up questions once he got past the initial aggravation. He heard you and was listening, even though he really felt strongly in his stance.

Once a decision was made, preparations quickly followed, and before long you found yourself sitting on the throne that will one day yours. Shikamaru sat to your left, on his father’s throne, dressed in the royal blue attire you are so fond of. Your own attire matched his, something he was quite insistent on.The King and Queen stood off to the side of the podium. There were two guards at the door.

The Great Hall was empty otherwise.

“Let them in,” Shikamaru ordered, keeping his eyes steadfast on the door as it opened. Two figures walked in, arms wrapped around the other, and the door was quickly closed behind them, the sound terrifying in the silence. The guards stayed outside.

“Approach,” Shikamaru ordered again, back ramrod straight against the back of the throne. You mimicked his posture. 

Kohaku Nara, loyal guard and lifelong friend to Shikamaru, stepped forward, arm wrapped protectively around one of the Omega’s from Lord John’s entourage. You hadn’t paid much attention to him during his stay, the only interaction being when you asked him if the clothing you had provided for him was good enough. 

He is a sweet-looking thing with large blue eyes and golden blonde hair. He’s a good deal smaller than Kohaku and much more beautiful. In another life, you imagine he would have taken your fancy. 

The two stop a few feet away from the throne podium, dropping to their knees to bow before you both. Jin’s body shakes in fear, his normally sweet Omega scent bitter with it. Kohaku does his best to calm him, a burst of calming scent wrapping around the Omega. His hand reaches over to stroke one of Jin’s. 

“It was brought to our attention that you have Chosen,” Shikamaru begins, keeping his voice purposefully neutral as he addresses Kohaku, “and that your Chosen is the Omega Jin. From my reports, you apprehended the Omega as they attempted to sneak out of the castle and the Choosing occurred then. Is this accurate?”

“Yes my Prince,” Kohaku raises his head, “My Chosen is Jin Mugan.”

“I am sure you are aware of the dire circumstances they have found themselves in,” your mate says, waiting for Kohaku to nod before continuing, “And of the punishments for the crimes they have been a part of since entering the kingdom, both under duress and of their own discretion.”

Kohaku flinches, tucking his lips around his teeth to keep from baring them. You shoot Shikamaru a warning glance.

“My mate and I have spent a week in negotiation about what to do with you both. You can imagine that I am not his biggest fan.”

“Please!” Kohaku interrupts, frantic, “I beg of you! Please let them go! We will depart and never step foot in the kingdom again! I swear it on my life!”

“Quiet,” Shikamaru bites, exhaling roughly. His hand reaches over to hold your own, letting them lay together on the cushioned table between the two thrones.

“That will not be necessary. You are not being cast away. Jin will live,” Shikamaru’s eyes are sharp as he looks between Jin and Kohaku, “But he will work outside the castle. I have contacted Lady Berta down in the village and she is willing to train him in her craft and keep him under observation. He will not be allowed to move about the kingdom freely. He will be under intense supervision until I have decided he is worth trusting. As for you, you will be temporarily stripped of your titles and guard uniform while you undergo your desensitization training and adjustment to your new conditions.”

“Thank you My Prince,” Kohaku bowed, his voice trembling, “I cannot say enough about what this means to me and Jin.”

“Unnecessary. I know what it's like. Choosing is powerful,” Shikamaru addresses the guard, words heavy with meaning, “My mate has convinced me that he is deserving of a second chance, if only because all he has done was deliver a parcel of documents on Lord John’s behalf. A messenger that was paid to be a messenger. He is harmless.”

Shikamaru does not mention the instructions Lord John had given Jin in case the poisoning did not work. He does not mention that Jin hid in the castle instead of fleeing like the others had. He does not mention that Jin had been ordered to cut your throat while you slept and that, if you had not gotten up and wandered away, he would have done so. 

His face hardens as he turns to the Omega, who flinches the tiniest bit. Kohaku, with great restraint, suppresses his snarl. “Given that my Chosen is the one whose life was nearly stolen, I am willing to concede to their wish to pardon you. They have a large heart. You would do well to remember their kindness and remember that you are alive because they wish it so. If at any point you step out of line, I will personally execute you.”

The Omega nods frantically before bowing once again, “I shall. I shall do everything I can to prove that I can be trusted. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Lord John has been sent over to the Yamanaka kingdom for further interrogation and from there will be sent to the Uchihas but that doesn’t mean much given your particular circumstances,” you decide to chime in, the look on your mate’s face telling you that he is beyond done with this interaction, “Thus I have taken the liberty of having an escort retrieve your mother and relocate her to the village.”

“What?” Big blue eyes stare at you in amazement. Kohaku eyes you warily, the beginnings of jealousy bubbling under the surface.

“Lord John purposely went after Omegas who were vulnerable and in need of resources without the ability to obtain said resources. From a reliable source, I found that you signed your contract because he promised you that your mother will get the medical treatment she needs. I consulted our physician who informed me that while the medicine is cheap, it is incredibly expensive to have it sent to the Usami District. Your mother will get her care here from now on. We have excellent doctors in the village.”

“Thats…thats too kind,” the Omega blurts out but his body loses all tension, as if he were a puppet who had their strings cut. Perhaps, maybe he was. “I.…”

“I do not believe in punitive justice, especially in cases where a much more peaceful resolution can be made.”

You watch as the couple embrace, nuzzling at eachother happily. Shikamaru rolls his eyes and ushers them out quickly, his threshold for patience overflowing. Shikaku and Yoshino leave their posts to squeeze your and your mate’s shoulders.

“Well done,” the King praises, clear approval in his voice. It fills you with pride.

“You are both on the right path, “Yoshino agrees, forcing a kiss to her son’s cheek. He squirms away and you laugh at him. 

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru grumbles, getting off the throne and yanking you out of yours, “I’m taking my Alpha to my room for a nap. I don’t want to be disturbed until dinner time.”  

He doesn’t allow anyone to say anything about it but you do hear your in-laws chuckle as the doors close behind you.

“I’m proud of you,” you smile, kissing his temple as you walk down the corridor at his side. He grumbles petulantly but the pink on his cheeks tells you he’s thrilled about pleasing you.

“I am mind but you are heart. I value your opinion in all things, even if it pains me,” he sighs, “You have the training to rule and will have equal say over how we run the kingdom once we ascend to the throne. I trust in us as partners.”

“So sweet beloved,” you coo playfully, pinning him to the closest available wall to kiss at his mouth. 

He allows it before nudging you lightly, “But if you ask me to forgive another person who made an attempt on your life, I will lock you in the deer pen. I can’t handle it a third time.”

“I know, I know. I give you my word that the next time someone tries to kill me, you can roll around in their blood like the little psycho I know you are.”

“Shut up,” he bites your mouth.

“Never.”

^^^^^^^^^^

Shikamaru pulled you into the garden hastily, not giving you a moment to change from your sleep clothes to something more appropriate. You had woken up less than an hour ago, startling into full wakefulness when his face immediately appeared above yours. He pressed his nose to yours, purring happily at seeing that you were waking. 

“Come with me,” he had said, gently herding you out of bed with gentle but insistent touches.

“Where are we going?” you can’t help but ask as you slip on some soft shoes.

“I have a gift for you,” he smiled brightly, dark eyes sparkling before looking away nervously. Two of his fingers wrap around two of yours hesitantly, unsure. You squeeze the digits between yours and his face pinks beautifully.

The opening of the alcove is hidden by a curtain of wildflowers. He pulls it back and allows you to enter first before walking in front of you. He pulls you down the short pathway before turning around to face you.

“It's not finished but…this is my wedding gift to you,” he demures, pressing against your front sweetly. “This is our place. Me and you. No one else.” You smile at him, wrapping an arm around the small of his back.

“Show me.”

He does, walking backwards until you are standing in the opening of the large circular part of the alcove. 

“I plan to put a hammock between these two trees. The weaver I hired will be done with it by the time our honeymoon ends,” he says, pointing at the aforementioned trees.

“It's lovely,” you croon, looking around the inner alcove in complete awe.

“Oh well,” your intended’s face turns pink, “I’m glad you like it.” He coughs, not meeting your eyes, before he starts to gently tug at your hand, “Come. Sit with me.” 

The floor of the alcove is completely covered with soft mosses and the same wildflowers as the ones in the field. He sits you down against one of the trees and climbs into your lap facing you. His arms wrap around your neck.

“I…” he clears his throat, “I originally intended to bring you here after our marriage ceremony before the reception but the more I thought on it, the more I thought bringing you beforehand was the better idea.”

“Why?”

Brown eyes dilate as he pauses to examine your face. His fingers knead at the muscles in your back and shoulders. He is heavier than he looks, all strong, lean muscle, but the weight is comforting. 

“Years ago, I closed my eyes and wished for my Chosen on a dandelion. I opened my eyes and there you were,” he murmured shyly “Naras all know about the Chosing. We are told as soon as we are old enough to ask where babies come from. They say we get a best friend,” He huffed a small chuckle, playing with your fingers. “It can happen at any moment so it's pertinent to be informed but no one can really prepare you for when it happens.”

His face turns sad, “I wanted to always remember that day so I had the gardener work a blank patch of garden to create this spot for the day you returned to me. It took years to get the plants to grow into the shapes I needed but it worked well enough in the end. I could come here and think of you when everything got to be unbearable.”

The look on his face brightens considerably, “And now you are here. We are getting married in less than three days and I decided that I want you to kiss me here,” his voice drops to a whisper, closing the gaps between your faces, “I don’t want to share our first kiss at the altar for everyone to see.” 

“I didn’t know my mate was such a romantic,” you couldn’t help teasing as you pulled him closer. He crawled over your lap, settling with his legs bracketing yours. It went over his head, his face flushing intensely as he looked down on you. Dilated brown eyes locked onto your mouth before a shaky finger reached up to touch your bottom lip. 

They widen when you take his hand and turn it over to kiss along his palm and finger tips. 

“I’ve thought of little else besides you,” you admit cautiously, “You and the flowers. It has gotten me through some truly awful times and I knew that as soon as I was of age, I would make my way back to you somehow.”

He purrs happily in response.

“And while we barely know each other,” you continue, “I will pursue the knowledge as a starving Alpha. I will know you. I will give you everything.”

“I only need us.”

Gently, you guide him down and press your mouth to his….

The sun is warm where it filters through the branches and leaves through the top of the alcove. The hammock sways lightly as you and your mate rest together. There is nothing innately indecent about your touching but one could argue that having your hands resting under Shikamaru’s trousers to knead at his plump ass was far from innocent.

It didn’t matter though, because Shikamaru liked it

“I’m bothered,” he huffs, giving up on his latest quest to get you to slide your hands down lower.

“About what?”

“The blood.”

“What blood?”

“When you collapsed from the paralytic. Blood ran down your nose. The Uchiha said you weren’t supposed to bleed and the physician said you were in perfect health.”

“Oh. That was probably just a nosebleed.”

The alcove goes deathly quiet, Shikamaru tensing as he removes himself from your chest to hover above you to meet your eyes.

“A what?”

“A nosebleed. It's spring. I have allergies.”

Shikamaru blinks at you, the gears in his head turning so slowly you wonder if he’s malfunctioning. You can see the moment everything clicks in for him and the laughter escapes you before you have a chance to swallow it down. 

“You are going to kill me,” Shikamaru groans at you, rolling over to flop on top of you once more. His annoyance bleeds into his scent, “I am going to die of hysteria because my Alpha is made of a single good luck prayer and cheese.”

“Don’t bring cheese into this. It did nothing wrong,” you nudge him half-heartedly, grinning when he goes lax to keep from being moved, “This is our first real spring together. It slipped my mind to tell you that I occasionally have nosebleeds.”

“You’re telling me that the exact moment you ate a chocolate ball and fell unconscious, you had a nosebleed and that's why you bled all over my shirt?”

“Yes. It was quite serendipitous.”

“I will kill you.”

“No, you won’t.”

“I’m not okay with blood coming out of your body. It doesn’t belong out here,” he chuckles, peeking up at you from his resting place on your chest. The light, happy look on his face quickly falls away into one of annoyance as the familiar wetness in your nose makes itself known. 

You try not to laugh as the blood drips down to your top lip. You reach into your pocket to grab a cloth and tilt your head back with it pressed against your nose. 

“You did that on purpose,” Shikamaru huffed, deeply offended as he rolled so he was facing away from you. “Troublesome Alpha. I’m telling my mother.” 

“Of course I did,” you respond sarcastically, the sound distorted thanks to the cloth, “I can control my nosebleeds. You’ve found me out. I was going to keep bleeding with the sole purpose of aggravating my beloved.” 

He huffs again, moving his head to bite your thigh gently, “At least you admit it.” 

^^^^^^^^^^