warning for smut! If you don't wanna read it, stop looking at "That's all I ask" and then you're safe again after the next line, at "it was two worlds..."

This is also the teeniest bit messy since it was only beta read till the halfway mark but I'd like to thank UnmotivatedGenius for being a betareading angel for me, and for everyone in our discord server for generally motivating me to get off my ass and write, I've been blessed

Her silence was deafening.

He heard it in the conversations they stopped having, and saw it in her paling complexion as she scrolled through the barrage of notifications that came in on her phone.

It haunted him, almost.

His feather light kisses to the tattoo behind her ear no longer made her laugh, just sigh-but it was okay.

She'd tell him when the time was right.

It was a mistake to type in those words, and Shikamaru damn well knew it. He didn't know what it was that had compelled him to go to the search engine and look up her name, but none of that mattered. What was the point in dissecting reason when the only important fact to note was that he did it to begin with.

He'd held off for so long though, hadn't he?

Once he'd entered his search, he was met with a myriad of tabloid-type articles from newspapers and websites. Half of them were utter shit- discussing her tattoos, conspiracies surrounding why she'd dyed her hair black four years ago, ridiculous things like that.

He found articles about their marriage, articles about their divorce, articles about a rumoured pregnancy from five years beforehand, which he remembered Temari stressing over. Somewhere, buried in the piles of fact and fiction, he found the article he'd most been dreading.

It was dated from just under half a year ago, and the hyperlink just said "Tema's Newest Heartthrob?!"

Reluctantly, though not reluctantly at all, he entered the site and scrolled half heartedly through the article, glancing at the blurred, backlit images of Temari chattering away happily with- her bodyguard, of course.

"We're starting back in four!" Came Ryuta's voice from somewhere to the left and Shikamaru hastily switched his phone screen off and dropped the device to his chest as a small group of crew members began walking to where he'd been "napping" under a blue striped parasol.

It was the last day of shoots, and Shikamaru couldn't have been gladder that it was almost over- a day ahead of schedule, no less.

Hauling himself out of the inclining chair he'd claimed as his own, tucked away beneath the shade of a parasol, and returned to the shack where the shoot was taking place.

The minute hand seemed to linger at the Roman numeral "vi" for an eternity, and Shikamaru wanted nothing more than for it to be so kind as to continue on its merry way back up to "xii" so that it would be socially acceptable for him to leave.

It was half past nine, and the first thing he noticed was Temari's empty seat. And then Taka's, her bodyguard's. And then Ryuta's. And Nako's.

Though maybe Nako's absence was more related to the odd tension he'd been feeling the past few days, sizzling between them like some kind of static charge in the form of her new, overbearing perfume.

"I don't like her, Shikamaru. She's hurt you once before, I don't wanna see you like that again!"

And Shikamaru had dismissed her. Nothing was going to happen between them outside of work. Really- nothing.

But now the volume of Temari's absence was amplified by the fact her bodyguard wasn't there either. Everyone noticed- of course they did. A few crew members glanced at him wearily, sensing the anxiety that was radiating from him in waves. The small group of people were holding a gathering, popping champagne bottles front right and centre, cheering and toasting to things as mundane as a successful struggle to return a telescopic tripod to its box.

Nobody paid Shikamaru much attention after a few drinks as the crew milled around the dining hall, selecting canape after canape and talking animatedly to each other as bubbles rose in champagne flutes but Temari was absent, and that's all Shikamaru's mind could process, even sober.

He stayed for a half hour- etiquette and formalities and all that jazz.

The moment the hour hand hit ten o'clock, Shikamaru excused himself from the small celebration and made his way up creaking stairs to his bedroom at the end of the spacious hall.

He walked slowly, not seeing any reason to rush, but a faint noise coming two doors before his own made him stop in his tracks. If he remembered correctly- which, of course, he did- that room belonged to Taka.

He tipped his head slightly nearer to the door and startled when what had first seemed like the gentle creak of a bed turned into the sound of somebody clearly being pushed up against the door just inches away from where his ear found itself.

Then silence.

Frowning, Shikamaru glanced towards Temari's bedroom which stood a few feet away from him, door ajar and contents empty.

"H-harder!"

Flushing, Shikamaru's concern and curiosity was replaced instantly by mortification and he began shuffling towards his bedroom, counting the floorboards he stepped over in an attempt to ignore Temari's empty room and to make his thoughts stop screaming "that was a woman's voice" at him.

He pulled his door open swiftly and stepped inside, shutting it harshly before leaning back against it and shutting his eyes to take a few deep breaths.

That was definitely a woman's voice.

He counted to ten before opening his eyes to go to bed.

"What the fuck?"

Temari smiled up at him from where she was, flopped down gracelessly on his bed, with her head hanging upside down off the edge, headphones blaring music. She waved at him cautiously before switching off whatever she was listening to on her phone and sitting up, a bottle suddenly materialising from behind her as she scooted over to sit cross-legged at the foot of the bed, her back pressed against a bed-post.

"Sorry," she half-laughed. "The others were being… loud..."

Shikamaru sighed at her tousled hair and easy smile and walked over to sit opposite her by the padded headboard.

"Its okay," he managed, getting over his initial shock he gestured vaguely to the bottle in her hand. "Is that sake?"

A grin blossomed on Temari's face as she lifted the item in question.

"Obviously."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and forced the fondness out of his voice as he replied:

"You've not changed."

"And you have?"

It was a challenge, and one which he felt all too eager to take her up on.

"You tell me."

Her reply was interrupted by a long, breathy call from two rooms across. Temari laughed lightly and Shikamaru's thoughts told him that that was definitely not a woman's voice.

"They're so loud!" He grumbled.

"Hmm," Temari agreed as she moved to open her bottle of sake. "Hence why I came in here."

"Can't blame you."

And her smirk came back as she took a swig from the bottle and extended it to him, wordlessly.

They continued in silence, passing the drink back and forth between unlinked hands, being careful not to let skin brush skin. Much like that time they'd stood across from each other on their neighbouring balconies, it was a familiar scene.

Their silence was occasionally interrupted by a non-PG sound effect which would leave Temari gasping for breath after collapsing into a fit of laughter.

"I'm glad those three got their shit together at last." She said at one point. "If I had to see Take checking out Ryuta's ass one more time without actually getting a piece of it, I'd have exploded."

Shikamaru hummed and took another long drink of the sake, hissing as it burned its way pleasantly down his throat.

"And don't get me started on your assistant ogling the pair of them. I think she hates me?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Okay, now I know she hates me," her pleased tone had shifted to bubbling laughter and Shikamaru was reminded once again of how soft Temari became after a few drinks- all good vibes and genuine humour.

"I don't think hate is quite the right word." Shikamaru offered. "Try 'strongly dislikes', maybe."

Temari laughed again and the sound of it seemed far closer to him than she felt.

A slamming noise came from somewhere in the other room and he passed the bottle back to the blonde, their fingers brushing as she gripped the neck. He was the only one to flinch, but she didn't seem to notice.

"We could have made a game out of this." Temari murmured eventually. "Take a shot every time Ryuta screams 'daddy!'."

Shikamaru finally felt a laugh break from his throat. "We'd have finished the bottle too soon."

She smirked at him and arched an eyebrow.

"Took you long enough to crack a joke." She offered as an explanation for her expression, and the younger shrugged.

"I've never been renowned for my humour."

"You make a fair point."

"When don't I?"

"And then-" Temari wheezed, clutching her side as she tried to smother her giggles with words. "- then Taka asked me if his ass looked 'do-able' in those trousers before marching up to Ryuta just to ask him where the nearest vending machine was!"

Shikamaru couldn't help a laugh of his own from rising up to meet Temari's in the warm bedroom, joining the lo-fi music which drifted softly from Temari's phone as Shikamaru wondered when that had happened. The other three had finally fallen silent after what must have been at least an hour of loud noises and filthy conversation.

The bottle of sake was well polished off, and Shikamaru liked the gentle slur that had established itself as a part of Temari's voice as she spoke of her bodyguard's attempts at wooing their project manager.

"Nako started wearing a stronger perfume since we arrived here." He contributed. "That Ryuta guy really has it in for the two of them, doesn't he?"

Temari made a noncommittal sound at the back of her throat.

"He's an attractive guy," she offered with a shrug, glancing down at the cuffs of her sweatpants and pulling them away from her ankles only to let them snap back down again.

Shikamaru nodded. If he'd been five years younger, he'd have easily been as whipped for the man's slender frame and excessive piercings and tattoos as Taka and Nako appeared to be.

The music stilled for a moment and was replaced by a buzzing sound as Temari's phone vibrated to inform her of an incoming notification.

And this was a familiar scene too- watching her blanch slightly and scroll through her phone for a moment. Except this time it was for more than a minute, the seconds seemed to drag by, and Shikamaru watched as his ex wife turned her screen off and allowed the music to play again, only to be replaced almost instantly by more notifications. She rolled her eyes and turned off her phone completely, leaving the pair in what had now become an awkward silence.

"Sorry." She offered with a sigh.

"Don't be."

He'd stretched his leg out at one point, and he was acutely aware of how close his ankle was to her knee. The sudden realisation made him want to draw his leg back in to protect it, but the alcohol flowing through his veins urged him to keep it where it was.

"Shikamaru." Temari said suddenly, her eyes pinned somewhere to the left of his face. "If tomorrow was the end of the world, what would you do?"

He rolled his eyes. What kind of a question even was that?

"What could I do?"

Temari glared at him and he cleared his throat as a form of apology.

"Probably get pissed drunk and sleep through it."

Temari pursed her lips and was clearly trying hard not to start laughing again.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you were expecting that very answer. What would you do?"

Those were clearly the wrong words to pick, because the moment they'd left his mouth, Temari's expression darkened.

"Definitely something that involves a bed," she replied in a low tone. "Not sleeping, though."

Shikamaru knew exactly where this was headed, and everything in him was telling him that this was a bad idea. A really fucking bad idea. She'd had alcohol, she was tired and they're divorced, damit.

And suddenly, there was only a thread of air between them. When on earth had Temari's hands made their way to his jaw?

"T-Tem, this is a bad idea…" he stuttered out as her fingers began trailing down, ghosting over his throat and settling in the dip of his collarbone.

"Why?" She hummed out simply, her eyes finally on his.

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk." Temari snapped. "I'm just tipsy enough to know what I want, and to go for it."

"You'll regret it tomorrow…"

At that, the blonde let out a low laugh.

"Weren't you listening, Shika?" She was whispering now, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she spoke, and her fingers trailing along his shoulders. "There is no tomorrow."

Shikamaru hesitated, taking in her deep gaze and mussed up hair as she peered up at him through her lashes in a way that was simultaneously so Temari and so Un-Temari his heart ached.

"Don't you want this too?" She breathed.

Of course. But I don't want just this- I want you.

When he said nothing, Temari sighed and pulled back away from him, her smile turning into something more sombre. Something more sincere.

"It won't have to mean anything." She explained.

Maybe not to you.

"Please?"

And how could he say no to that? To those eyes that screamed I have you but I still want you to try take it for yourself. To that tiny winning smirk and messy hair and the mole right on the lash line of her left eye, and to those fingers inching up his arm, tracing the ridges of his shirt.

How could he possibly say no?

"One night." He conceded, breathlessly.

"That's all I ask."

And suddenly her lips were on his jaw, working their way down to the hollow of his throat as she moved up the bed to straddle his lap, her hands frenziedly working away at the buttons of his shirt and Shikamaru wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or to cry when her teeth grazed the sensitive juncture where his shoulder met his neck.

"C'mon, Shika." She mumbled against his skin and he remembered that he was meant to do something too, so he slipped his hand under her shirt and began trailing his fingers up, up, tracing the arch of her spine as she pulled her mouth away from his throat for just long enough to suck in a sharp breath at the touch.

He wasn't sure when exactly his shirt got thrown off, but suddenly he was topless, leaning back against the headboard as she pulled her own top off and tugged the band out of his hair in a quick motion.

"Nice bra." He smirked.

"Don't get me started." Her eyes rolled as she said that with an annoyed tone, but he didn't miss her tiny smirk as she reached back to unhook the annoyingly fluorescent-orange garment and let it fall from her shoulders before placing a hand on his chest, her fingers covering the constellation tattoo that was etched into his skin.

He didn't tell her she's beautiful. What they were doing- what they had- it was nothing to do with beauty. There was nothing beautiful about this.

Her sweatpants were the next to go, then his jeans, he looked around at the mess they'd made- the mess she'd made of him- and then when their eyes met something stopped. Like a final string snapping, cheeks flushed, panting, naked bar a few flimsy pieces of cloth. Something had changed and he sees her moving towards him, eyes set on his lips like a predator going in for the kill and there's something familiar about this too. But he won't let that happen again.

Her nose brushed his and he jolted his head to the side- something about kissing her seemed far too intimate, which he knew was ridiculous given that his hand was literally tracing her collarbone and he could feel bruises blooming from where her mouth had just left his throat, but a kiss seemed like too much. Her lips found his jaw instead and she stilled for a moment, clearly getting the hint.

With a decisive huff, she reached down and rested her fingers at the waist of his boxers, tracing his length over the material because teasing was something she could never quite seem to resist but shikamaru wasn't about to complain- any friction was relieving at that point.

His hand dipped lower to cup her breast, massaging softly and she sighed against his skin, her hips jutting slightly forwards as she sank her teeth into the skin right beneath his jaw. He skimmed his thumb briefly over one of her hardening nipples as his other hand curled around her waist.

"Stop." She painted suddenly and he let go in a hurry, his eyes snapping up from where they'd been observing the muscles in her arms tensing and relaxing as she braced it on the headboard, fist clenched right by his ear.

She clambered off him and stumbled out of the room. Shikamaru sat on the bed thinking well shit. Time for a cold shower and felt anger rising in him the moment she hustled back in, still in nothing but her black panties, and shut the door behind her, regaining her place on his lap.

"What was-" he began but she raised her hand in answer to his incomplete question, showing two small foil packets. He didn't question why she'd brought lube and condoms with her to a short photo shoot, but he also didn't have the time to mull over it as she brought her hand back to his erection with a devilish grin.

"Ready?" She smirked, and he nodded.

"How do you want this?" She asked, her head tipping to the side as she pulled down his boxers, and then stripped herself down too. Wordlessly, he maneuvered her into position, on her stomach with her arms crossed in beneath her head, legs bent at the knees. It wasn't because he wanted to see her vulnerable, it really wasn't. Shikamaru just wasn't sure he'd be able to look her in the eyes that night- or any night- without screaming or crying or telling her he loved her, he missed her.

He tapped the side of her thigh and she wordlessly reached her hand back to pass him the two packets she'd brought back from her room. He rolled the condom on and ripped open the lube, warming it between his hands before applying it to his length. He knew not a lot of couples used lube (not the straight ones, anyways) but it was something he'd always preferred and it seemed to have grown on Temari too.

"You ready?" he asked, stroking himself a few times to relieve some tension. He couldn't see her expression very well, just a sliver of her profile beneath her blonde hair, the plane of her back, but he saw her nod slightly.

"Words, Temari," he sighed, bringing a hand to trail down her back, resting at her hip.

"Yes." She whispered. "I'm ready."

It was two worlds colliding. A tide. The constant ebbing and flowing of a wave. A wave that shouldn't have formed in the first place. Shikamaru swore he could feel their world breaking apart only to click back into place, piece by piece, breath by breath, heartbeat by beautiful heartbeat.

Her breathing had barely returned to normal when she sat up and picked her sweatpants and t-shirt, legs wobbling, before sitting on the edge of his bed to pull them on.

He glanced at her figure from where he was sprawled on his back, still basking in the afterglow of his orgasm. With a final look in his direction, she stood up and his arm shot forward, fingers curling around his wrist to hold her in place.

I love you.

I miss you.

Don't leave me again.

Stay.

"Stay." He breathed. Temari gave him a careful look, eyes sleepy and hair sticking up every which way. Her eyes, god, her eyes, dropped down to his tattoo and a sad smile curled onto her lips.

"Okay," she whispered, sinking down onto the mattress beside him and letting his tired, heavy arms wind around her waist and hold her there, close to him.

"Stay he mumbled again, into the hot skin of her neck, as if casting some kind of spell.

He drifted off to sleep like that, with her pressed close where he couldn't help but feel she belonged, and when he awoke the next morning the empty space beside him was cold enough to give away the fact that she'd left the moment he'd fallen into his slumber.

A/N: hellooo! 0% of me is sorry for this ;)

One chapter to go *woohoo*

We have a Discord server now! If you wanna join the shikatema community, the code for the server is ZMSxJ43 just pop that in to find the community and just chat, were chill and don't bite I swear, and there are actually a lot of writers from the community who I look up to (a lot!) Who have joined so if I seem a bit starstruck now you know why~ as always, please follow/fave/review!

-L