[Thread] You got me off the sofa, just sprang out of the air.

[lazyish]

Who: Shikamaru, Itachi, and later Nill and Naruto.
Where: Terra; Yosuke's apartment.
When: Friday the 13th..! After the sky turns yellow.
Summary: A little student-teacher bonding is misinterpreted. Maybe..?
Rating: PG-13?
Other: Oh sensei~~

Comments

[pogromanate]

Of course Itachi had gave Shikamaru a slight inquisitive glance as the bong was wiped out and inhaled -- but even if the teenager had offered it to for Itachi to take a hit, then it was simply refused. It was after a few rounds where Shikamaru decided that the floor was in fact a substitute for the shogi board that was right in front of them that Itachi had simply stood up, since Shikamaru found it entertaining to simply play with himself that Itachi’s absence simply went amiss, and Itachi had returned to reading on the couch.

His figure was stretched out, a book in hand and eyelids had lowered when his chest heaved and a knee was drawn up. But after a few pages his arm sank over the side of the furniture, book fell out of hand.

But the warmth that decided to crumble against him was unfamiliar, but it was not unrecognizable, and in Itachi’s half-daze he did not reject the way Shikamaru had decided to take a nap on him. His fingers reached up to let them drag through the black strands of Shikamaru’s hair as his other arm folded underneath his head.

It was a sort of peacefulness that let him exhale with relief. And Shikamaru sudden awareness of sleeping on his sensei went completely ignored as fingers continued to tuck away the stray strands of hair unconsciously.

[lazyish]

When Itachi's fingers began to stroke Shikamaru's hair, the boy's entire body tensed. The gesture was unfamiliar, to say the least, for someone who'd had neither affectionate parents nor a gently loving significant other. In fact, the last person who had touched his hair like that was probably Yaha. The association immediately made Shikamaru's face burn. Was Itachi even... aware?

Maybe he was, and maybe it was meant to be comforting. It was difficult to imagine: Itachi, comforting? Was that the sort of thing he ever troubled himself to do? In Shikamaru's mind, Itachi was a strict teacher foremost. Only recently had he seen any vulnerability in his sensei at all.

He inhaled deeply, and like a spooked cat, eventually that tender petting started to calm him down again. Still, he couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Sensei..?" he asked hesitantly.

[pogromanate]

Perhaps it was because in this particular apartment, with this particular company, Itachi had believed a sort of sanctuary where there was none other than a certain type of uncaring contentment. There had been similar cases in which Itachi would preform such gestures of affection: Soifon, no doubt. And also Kazama. However still, along with the warmth and throb of the other’s heart, Itachi was seemingly completely relaxed.

But when Shikamaru had spoken softly, even that was enough for Itachi to stop half-way through the gestures and let his hand slowly settle on the other’s shoulder blade, and even if outwardly the gestures were one of affectionate and comforting, it was unintentional to Itachi.

Only one of Itachi’s eyes opened, and that was only a delicate slit with red peering down at Shikamaru before he closed his eye again, and after a heavy exhale, he spoke indifferently to the situation, " -- Yes?"

[silencedbird]

Nill hadn't really felt like cooking that day (or attempting to cook, as she still often let things cook for too long. ...or the one time the food had been undercooked and everyone got food poisoning, but that was another story.) or having Yosuke or Shikamaru order take out for the three of them, so when she'd left earlier on her initial plan had been to stop someplace and make it one of those icecream-for-dinner sort of days. Half-way through this plan, however, she'd changed her mind and decided on a much better course of action.

After all, Naruto really did make the very best ramen.

And that was how she'd managed to convince Naruto to come back to the apartment with her, because Nill hadn't really had a friend over before and Naruto was as good a friend as any to try this out with. She didn't have to worry about not being able to talk too much on the way, because Naruto talked quite a lot, so she just grinned and nodded or shook her head at him as they went.

She wasn't really paying attention when she unlocked the door to the apartment until it had already swung wide open, and when she finally looked through the door, the sight that she was met with was... well. Surprising would've been putting it lightly.

[unfeasible]

Naruto liked Nill. She was sweet, and made for a great audience. A lot of personality for a girl who couldn't talk. And her wings were cool. Naruto made a show of his gestures and expressions to tell a story even more than usual just for her, because he liked watching her smile or laugh silently.

He also liked that he had friends - Nill living with Shikamaru was just a convenience, really; he got to spend time with two at once at this rate. He wondered if he'd be able to get the grumpy boy to crack a smile at one of his crazy regulars...

In fact, he'd been in the middle of the story of the time an angry customer had tipped the cart over when Nill opened the door. And his jaw dropped. Two guys...being...what--

"...The FUCK!?" was his intelligent, and loud, response.

[lazyish]

Shikamaru had only a few seconds to consider Itachi's neutral response before the sound of the key in the door lock caught his attention. Groggy as he was, he didn't have time to reposition himself before the door swung open. So there he was: disheveled, sprawled languidly over the couch with his body pressed against his teacher's, and the older man's hand resting intimately on his shoulder.

It wouldn't have been a big deal if it was only Nill. He could explain the situation to Nill.

But there was Naruto. And the shout that alerted Shikamaru to his presence was also such a shock that he jerked back violently. If Itachi hadn't been holding him, he would have fallen off the couch altogether. As it was, he tottered precariously and then rolled back towards Itachi, coming to rest halfway on top of him thanks to gravity. In the meantime tried to offer up an explanation but the best he could manage (having just woken up) was, "Uh..!"

[pogromanate]

When the jingle of keys came to, Itachi peered through slit eyelids once again. The noise that came after -- a voice that Itachi itself was familiar -- made him more alert with his eyes fully opening and hand removing itself from Shikamaru’s back. And yet, his first thought was that it was Yosuke with the loud brashness, and without any hesitation Itachi would have picked up the book that laid upon the ground that he was formerly reading and threw it at Naruto.

The closeness that he physically experienced with Shikamaru was responded with nothing but dispassion and disinterest -- uncaring.

Fingers languidly ran through his own hair in a tired state as he moved to sit up. A deep inhale and he removed his hand to gaze along Naruto with a critical glance before lowering his head.

"...What are you doing here?" He slowly mumbled with apathy, however the words were neutral, exhausted, and mostly inaudible.

[silencedbird]

Nill's first reaction to the situation wasn't to cover her face or promptly shut the door, wasn't even to flail wildly and move to hide behind Naruto-- no, at first Nill simply stared at the two, her eyes wide and just a little confused.

Hidan wouldn't have been so strange. On the few occasions she had met Shikamaru's brother, they'd been pretty close (in their own sort of way) and catching the two in such a compromising position would've just... well. It simply wouldn't have seemed all that strange, because there were some things in the world that just weren't.

Even Yosuke she would have seen coming, and had it been them Nill probably would've just closed the door and left, because she wasn't entirely an idiot, and she could see the way Yosuke looked at Shika when he didn't notice, or when he thought no one was looking.

...But Itachi?

When the situation of what she was potentially looking at--despite Shikamaru's embarrassed surprise and Itachi's utter apathy towards the situation--finally hit her, blood rushed to the girls face and her cheeks turned bright red. Nill waved a hand infront of her face and looked to the side, which was the best she could do to convey something along the lines of "ohmygodI'msorryIdidn'tknowI'MSORRY".

It was right around this point that she was really, really beginning to wish that she hadn't brought Naruto home with her.

[unfeasible]

Something was rushing upwards - Naruto could only hear it in his ears; that coupled with the sight in front of him was clouding his thinking to identify what it was. He stepped forward, reaching an arm to the side to push Nill behind him. She didn't need to see this...this--

"Dude!" he finally managed to bellow. "What the fuck is going on here?!" He jabbed an accusing finger in Itachi's direction, glaring at Shikamaru. "Who's this asshole!? Did he do something to you!? That's just fucking GROSS."

He stomped angrily forward, and grabbed Itachi by his shirt, bring their faces very close as he bared his teeth. Looking into Itachi's passive expression, he realized what that rushing feeling was - he recognized him. Something told him not to fuck with the guy, he wasn't to be taken lightly. He mentally waved it away. He'd never met this apathetic man, it was impossible and stupid.

"Yo," he growled. "Some reason you're laying paws on my friend?"

[lazyish]

As Itachi sat up, so did Shikamaru. Very, very quickly, to disengage as soon as possible from this highly compromising position. He liked to think he was someone who didn't care what other people thought about him, but a situation like this was too embarrassing. His cheeks were bright red, and he found himself relying on Itachi to provide the reason for this scene. When he didn't, Shikamaru just slumped back and ran his hand over his face.

That is, until Naruto came rushing forward. Shikamaru got to his feet instantly. "Hey, hey, he didn't do anything, you idiot!" he snapped. "We were hanging out and then we fell asleep and just... woke up like that, okay? Not that it's any of your business." If it was Nill or Yosuke that Naruto was picking on, Shikamaru would have followed that up with a threat or an order like Get your hands off them! but... Itachi didn't need his help here.

[pogromanate]

The moment that Shikamaru had motioned to sit up and reposition himself so he was not in a intimate posture with Itachi, the Uchiha maneuvered to stand up, but was only halted when he felt a fist coil around his shirtfront. But even with such a embarrassing situation -- as they may have called it -- Itachi only faltered for a moment to have his fingers rub carelessly against the side of his eye before the red hues gazed along Naruto again, and what followed was a low exhale.

His expression was set impassive, one which matched that of his narrowed eyes that seemed somewhat dangerous even if his vision was still blurred around the edges. In all honestly, Itachi would have not hesitated to simply draw the blonde close and simply ram his knee into the other’s visage and simply have a gush of blood empty from Naruto’s nose. But it was rather unnecessary, an action that did not need to be committed so irrationally.

At least not while the others were in the room, much to his own distaste to the state he was in.

And thus he only broke up his own hand, thumb pressed against the throbbing pulse of Naruto’s wrist with a pressuring force to cut off the circulation unless the hand was limp and numb before he pried the other’s fingers from the material of his shirt and gave the appendage a careless shove and stepping aside, running a hand through his hair before speaking, " -- If you’ll excuse me." And headed towards a exit from the living room.

[silencedbird]

Simply blinking in response to Naruto moving to "shield her eyes" and push Nill behind him, the winged girl looked up at him, then peered around him at Shikamaru--who looked pretty mortified, all things considered. she'd never seen his face that red before.--and then Naruto was gone, across the room with his fist in Itachi's shirt, and the color drained from Nill's face. She didn't bother with shutting the door and immediately hurried to the blonds side, pulling on the sleeve of his free arm and giving him a slightly pleading look. 'Don't fight, please, Itachi is really strong, stronger than any of us, you'll get hurt and fighting just brings unhappiness, so please--'

There was a brief pause in her actions though when Naruto exclaimed that what they had been doing was "gross", and Nill just stared up at him uncomprehendingly, a slightly confused expression on her face. Sure, Itachi was older than Shikamaru, but not by that much... right? She glanced at the usually apathetic teen out of the corner of her eye, as if looking for an answer, but didn't really get one. ...though it made sense that they'd fallen asleep like that, as opposed to other things.

--and then Itachi was walking away, and it didn't seem like any real fighting had happened, but... still, it had been pretty quick. She watched after him as he walked off, just standing there for a second or so, and then made a quick gesture towards Naruto in an attempt to indicate that she'd be back in a minute, before following after the Uchiha.

After something like that, she doubted Shikamaru would go join his sensei for awhile, and Naruto would probably just get mad, so really... it made sense for her to be the one to check on him, didn't it?

[unfeasible]

There really had been a mini-explosion of activity once Naruto made that first move. And it seemed Itachi was up and gone before he realized, even though his wrist HURT. Naruto rubbed it, glaring after Itachi, thinking he should have listened to his instincts a little bit more. He finally turned to pineapple head after a minute of awkward silence.

"Who the fuck IS that guy, anyway?"

[lazyish]

Shikamaru stepped back and let Itachi go without protest. He could apologize for this scene later, when they didn't have an audience. It seemed to him that the further Itachi got from Naruto, the better off they all were. For reasons that seemed to go beyond this single incident, Shikamaru didn't want the two of them even remotely close to one another.

He watched Nill follow Itachi out, glad at least that his sensei might further enlighten her since his own explanation was lacking. God, it was really bad. But it was the truth. What could he say?

Breathing a wearied sigh, Shikamaru turned to face Naruto. He was only mildly concerned about the blonde. That wrist wasn't broken, he figured, or Naruto would've screamed. He kneaded his forehead with his knuckles, then pulled his hair back to fix his ponytail, which had mostly come undone. "He's the guy who bought me after I was killed," Shikamaru said, opting for the explanation that would most likely get Naruto to back off. "So I'd appreciate it if you didn't act like a complete retard in front of him."

[pogromanate]

Itachi was not oblivious to the small figure that followed him, but he did not turn around to acknowledge her until they were out of prying eyes. He made his way to the kitchen and gave Nill soft expression, endlessly tired (Even with his ticket into society was given back by his mentor, he did not end his search for Kazama) and said quietly, "It’s nothing of importance, what Nara said is the truth." His words trailed off into a low murmur as he reached to the fridge and pulled out what looked like to not be grease-induced.

Laying them carefully on the counter as well as turning the kettle on and settling them on the counter, he made himself some tea as well as made something for Nill to eat. And of course, it was very typical for him to be silent with the whole process, but where Shikamaru and Naruto were, he did not belong. Not yet, not until he told Shikamaru about what he knew of his invited guest.

He leaned against the counter and pulled the cup to his lips and closed his eyes, feeling a certain tug of anxiety pulling at his mind. Even if Naruto had been completely wiped of his previous memory, he was still a danger and a threat if Madara somehow knew that Naruto was still alive.

[silencedbird]

At the Uchiha's slightly soft-spoken explanation of what had gone on, Nill merely nodded unquestioningly, no sign of doubt or distrust in her eyes; if Itachi said that what Shikamaru had said was the truth, then she had absolutely no reason to doubt either of them, and so in her mind the simple statement was fact. The two had merely fallen asleep, and she and Naruto had taken it the wrong way. She almost blushed again at that, though, because... well. even if they'd been wrong, it had still been quite a thing to walk in on. (There was no way she'd mention it to Yosuke.)

Taking a seat at the kitchen table and leaving Itachi to make tea and put something together, Nill watched him in silence, offering a small smile of thanks when he offered her the food. Of course Itachi would use the stuff in the apartment that wasn't greasy. It just seemed like something he would do-- even if he didn't take care of himself very well. She nibbled on the food a bit as Itachi drank his tea, glancing back towards the door every so often to make sure nothing was going on (even though she couldn't see through the thing) that might've been bad.

After a few moments of this though, she hesitently reached out and tugged on the man's sleeve--having learned from Kazama that not everyone liked to be touched--tilting her head to the side in a somewhat questioning way as she did so. (was it just her, or did it not seem like he was totally there?) Carefully, she mouthed out the words, "sorry about Naruto" once she'd gotten the man's attention.

She then added, a bit more quickly, "what's wrong?"