A/N: They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. They're not wrong.

A ShikaTema romance/fluff one-shot, with some mild smut thrown in for good measure. It's Valentine's Day, after all! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

It had been three months since Shikadai was born, and neither had caught a wink of sleep since. Exhausted, irritable and scatterbrained were just a few adjectives to aptly describe their state as recent parents. With Temari on maternity leave and Shikamaru working long hours to support his new family, it was as though they had forgotten how to love anything but the little, dark-haired baby boy they had brought into the world.

Just before their son's birth, Temari had made it abundantly clear that she intended to resume her duties as a full-time kunoichi as soon as she was back en forme. Naturally, her husband had his qualms about this.

"Tem, you can't be serious. Who's going to look after him?"

"Hey, I'm not giving up on everything I've worked damned hard for because of this kid. I refuse to be a stay-at-home mom who does the dishes and has dinner ready for her husband when he gets home."

"I'm not asking you to, Tem. And I didn't mean indefinitely, either. But someone's gotta take care of the baby until he's less troublesome, and we can't rely on my mom all the time."

"Why is it always the mother who's expected to make the sacrifices? Why can't I work, and you confine yourself to this house and raise our kid?"

"Because you need to recover, Tem. There's no way I'd let you go out on a B-rank mission or higher when you've just expelled a human from your body. Even a C-rank would be pushing it."

"Don't patronise me. I'm stronger than you think."

"I don't doubt it. It's not that I don't think you can manage it, it's purely my selfish concern for you. I want you safe and well, because childbirth is not a walk in the park for anyone, and I don't think I'll cope well with seeing you in more pain than is necessary."

"Should've thought of that before you did this to me, idiot."

"It takes two to tango, Temari!"

"I was joking."

"I know." He sighed. "You know I'll be there to help as much as I can. I want to watch this child grow up as much as you do. But that dipstick Naruto needs me, and the more I can do now, the better for our family in the long run. I want to give you and our kid, or maybe kids one day, the happy and fulfilled and comfortable life you deserve."

"You promise you'll be there?"

"I can't make any promises. But my intentions are very clear, and I intend to follow through with them to as great an extent as I possibly can. I love you, Tem. I know you can do this, I just don't want you to overexert yourself by taking on too much at once."

"I just hate the vision of being bedridden with a screaming infant attached to my nipple twenty-four seven, while everyone thinks, 'Her life's over now that she's a mom'. I'm a kunoichi first, and a mother second."

"I wouldn't speak too soon. You might not feel it now, but that kid is going to become your whole world, and you won't mind one bit. You'll welcome it, even. Unconditional love and all that."

"You're saying that you'll be a father first and foremost?"

"Well, first and foremost, I'm yours." He surprised her with a kiss on the lips; soft and sweet, as if it were the first time all over again.

"Don't say that," she mumbled when he pulled away. "People don't belong to people."

"That's true; I don't belong to you," he nodded. "But I do belong with you."

She knew it was a sensitive subject. Every time there was the mere mention of the word "work" during her pregnancy, he would dismiss the idea immediately. It wasn't like him to be stubborn - no, that was definitely her job - but he never was without good reason. So he was an over-protective husband; better than one that didn't give a damn at all. But things were tense nowadays what with their lack of rest and quality time together...and sex. God, did she miss the sex. If she remembered correctly, the last time they'd made love was just before Shikadai was born. Months ago. While she was heavily pregnant, no less. If they were able to get it on then, why was it so difficult now?

Well, there was the issue of a whole new person keeping them company and demanding their attention twenty-four seven. Both were perpetually tired and stressed; Shikamaru always came home late and by that point all he cared to do was sleep; neither even had time to think about the real, raw intimacy they enjoyed so frequently and fervently before. They used to always be on the same page, but now their minds never seemed to align. Their arguments rarely intensified beyond typical couple spats, but they happened more often. But at the end of the day, they would still share a bed and hold each other and remember that they were new to this, and it took a little getting used to, and then business could resume as usual.

"I'm home," a familiar voice called.

Temari heard shoes being kicked off in the hallway and a coat being thrown onto a hook. Then the matching face came into view; it was weary and drained as was often the case these days, but in a surprising twist, a smile formed there upon seeing her. He loosened his tie from around his collar and asked, "How was your day?"

"Shh," she said, hushed, as he walked towards her sitting at the dining table. "I just managed to put him down for the night. If you wake him, I swear to God..."

"Nice to see you, too," he smirked, gently grasping her shoulders from behind and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

She touched the hand that was on her left shoulder and fiddled playfully with the tips of his fingers. "You're in a good mood."

"Well, the Sixth gave me the day off tomorrow."

"You deserve it," she nodded. "Have you had dinner yet? I left some stew on the stove if you're hungry."

"I ate on the way back," he replied. "Actually, I'm hungry for something else..."

Before she knew it, he was kissing her, really kissing her; this wasn't a goodnight peck, or an "I'm off" peck, this was an "I need you now" kind of kiss in its intensity. She rose from her chair, her lips glued to his all the while, until they were standing facing each other with his hands cradling her face and hers flat against his toned chest.

She pulled away, but only far enough so that their foreheads remained in contact. "Shikamaru..."

"One step ahead of you."

In an instant, he had swept her up into his arms and was carrying her bridal style to the bedroom. He laid her reverently on the sheets and she sat up slightly to pull off everything that clothed his upper body. She allowed him the honour of unbuttoning her shirt and admiring her simple, unabashed beauty. Her bra was quickly unfastened and she let it gracefully slip from her body, emphasising her delicate collarbones, the fine muscles of her arms, every curve and crevice in her skin. He proceeded to lean over her, letting his mouth journey from her lips, to her jawline, to her neck, and further south. He slipped her skirt off and without a second thought, tossed her wine red underwear across the room.

Her breathing hitched as he found the spot and continued to explore down there. How long had it been since she'd experienced this kind of pleasure? And it was just the beginning. In this one night, they needed to make up for lost time. Their love, their desire, their passion; it had to bleed into every limb and extremity, flow through and flood their nervous systems to end the drought. Temari had spent far too much of her life in the blistering heat of the desert; now all she wanted was the relief of the rain.

Before she became overwhelmed and incoherent, she sat up and pulled his mouth back to hers. It was pure lust and fire and desperation to be close to him...all she could think about was how this very moment was beyond perfect, beyond even the most brilliant of her dreams.

"Your turn," she smirked breathlessly, then pushed him onto his back so she could take his trousers off and return the favour.

He loved the way his wife liked to take control sometimes. She'd always had quite a straightforward, dominant personality as it was, but he enjoyed how she mixed things up and made things new in the bedroom. If sex was a game, she always won. She knew how to please him, whether that was to let him be in charge for the night or to take matters into her own hands. He often complained about what a hardass lady she was, but it was also one of the things he loved the most about her; especially here, and now, when she was in her domain, exuding confidence that was sexy as hell. How he'd gone three months without this was beyond his comprehension; not only that, but for a similar length of time, he hadn't fully expressed his gratitude and his love for this goddess-like woman. He intended to show her as best he could tonight.

Although at present, she was showing him.

"Temari..." he said through gritted teeth as her mouth sent shockwaves through his body.

"Shh," she whispered between licks and caresses. She gazed straight at him with desirous intensity. "He'll stir."

"Mm."

Tensions were high between them; when Shikamaru couldn't resist the temptation any longer, he brought her face back up to meet him and kissed her hungrily. In one deft movement she was on her back and he hovered over her, desperately craving her closeness. She wasted no time clutching him to her and locking her legs around his lower back to invite him in. The initial entrance stole her breath for a moment; this sensation had been absent for so long, it felt new and exciting and dangerous. Soon they became entangled in heat and sensuality and amour feu, immersed in their love for each other, unable to think or speak or do anything other than feel.

She wouldn't let him have it all his way, though; if there was one thing she liked to remind him about, it was the balance in their dynamic. She mustered what strength she had left and rolled them over, pressing him into the sheets as she climbed on top, lowering herself slowly so they could both savour the moment.

He definitely wasn't complaining about their new arrangement - his wife knew how to put on a show, and he had the best seat in the house. He enjoyed watching her lose herself, the way she stopped caring about everything else and focused only on him, if she could even focus at all. He couldn't help but wonder just how he got so lucky - in both senses. Honoured and fortunate and privileged didn't begin to describe how he felt when he was with this woman; there were many other words he could use, none of which came to mind as he felt the crest of the wave approach.

She contracted around him and her pleasure seemed to surge and bounce off the walls. He followed suit, her ecstasy fuelling his own as he hit the ceiling and slowly sunk back down, euphoric and breathless. Funnily enough, a similar but far more literal version of that had happened once before, when she was saving him from Gengo all those years ago. Even now, she still left him stunned.

"Wow," she whispered, heart rate still erratic.

"I second that," he added, taking her hand in his own.

"Maybe we should do it less often if the sex ends up being that good," she chuckled.

"Eh, I don't know how I'd feel about that..." he mumbled uncertainly, pulling her close to him.

"I'm kidding, of course," she laughed. "But that wait was sure as hell worth it."

"Not enough to keep me away from you," he growled in her ear, nipping it lightly with his teeth. She smirked as she turned to connect their mouths once more, ready for round two.

Suddenly their heated make-out session was interrupted by high-pitched wails from the other room. Though they momentarily tried to ignore them, their private bliss would have to come to its inevitable end.

Sighing, Temari broke away and began to get dressed.

"Stay," he said, then moved to put on his own clothes. "I'll get this one."

Sometimes they didn't need to say "I love you" at all; they both already knew.