A/N: My second ShikaTem oneshot ever. Inspired by RamaChan's Day Off (go look it up on deviantart). After seeing it, I said I'd write her something and here it is. The OCs are hers. And the idea of fence crashing is also not mine; it is from The Hyuuga Persuasion by Silverlight. I didn't realize it'd be a twelve-page epic, but it appears Shikamaru's day off ended up being more busy than even I had anticipated.

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto, Hatsune, Asuma, or fence-crashing.

Day Off
by moodiful819

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Nara Shikamaru had the day off. Though the statement seemed innocuous and worthy of his trademark "troublesome," it wasn't. In fact, he was genuinely excited. You would be too if you'd been working six months with minimum break (he had a family, after all).

It all started six months ago. It seemed harmless enough. 'Go on a mission?' Fine, missions weren't too hard. Even when Tsunade gave him that second mission right after coming back from the first one, he hadn't complained too much. The third mission in a row had earned a tired grumble, but luckily Tsunade had run out of missions specifically for him. Unfortunately, just because there weren't missions, didn't mean there wasn't work.

Soon after those missions—as in 'right out of the shower after just coming home'—Tsunade had requested his help deciphering a strange scroll written in code. After that, he had to make five battle plans for an Anbu squad, help out the research facility in the basement of the Hokage tower, write mission reports, and then there were those clan meetings! Those meetings took forever to finish. The shortest meeting he'd ever sat through lasted three days!

And just when he thought he could catch a break—because he'd been working non-stop and collapsed in bed as soon as he got home and he wanted to spend some quality time with his kids—Tsunade had another request: she needed some more deer antler. Apparently the stock in the hospital had run out and given his family's position as caretaker of the deer population in Konoha, she turned to them to supply her.

Unfortunately, they had also run out of their on-hand stock, meaning he had to go out and harvest some. Though this was normally his father's job, Shikaku was on a mission and his mother had no idea where they kept the back-up stock. And rather than have her gored by a deer, Shikamaru, like any good son, took it upon himself to do the job; the very, very long, tedious job of walking around their family's large forest property looking for deer antlers. Shikamaru didn't remember much from that long three-week period he spent searching for and preparing deer antlers, but he did remember his adopted mantra of 'Shoot me.' Other than that, it was all a blur. (He liked to think it was because he was so traumatized and exhausted by work.)

And so, tired, exhausted, and probably looking like he had been dragged to hell and back multiple times, he delivered the antlers. Sure, he was still covered in burrs and small lint-balls from removing the skin off the antlers, and he probably could give Gaara a run for his money in terms of the bags under his eyes, but it had to be done, and on swaying legs, he dropped the antlers on a shocked Tsunade's desk before promptly collapsing on the floor.

Soon after that, he was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for exhaustion—(Gee, who would've thought?)—where he stayed for two weeks. Two whole weeks of rest and relaxation! Too bad that he spent most of it knocked out (he had trouble sleeping in hospitals. The beeping made it too troublesome to sleep), but luckily fate was on his side and he found out from his wife that Tsunade had given him a few days off as soon as he was able to take it. Not only that, but his wife had been given those same exact days off.

This was going to be good.

'Let's see…dropped the kids off at mom's and now for a day alone with Temari.'

Now, as much as he loved Hatsune and Asuma, he needed a break. During the past six months, when he wasn't doing work, he was at home playing with his seven-yr-old daughter Hatsune, or trying to keep Asuma out of trouble now that he had reached the terrible-twos.

'He's such a handful now. He really takes after his mother,' he thought grimly, remembering how Asuma had hit him in the face with a toy during one of his fits. Even though the toy was a small plush toy, it had surprisingly hurt. Even now, he winced at the memory, not realizing he was rubbing his jaw unconsciously.

That being said, during those six months, he had little alone time with his wife. During dinner, when they usually talked, he was struggling to keep awake. And at night, he was out as soon as he hit the bed. Luckily, Temari was understanding during this time, and he was eternally grateful.

'And now, I'm going to make it up to her.'

That was the reason he had dropped off the kids at his mother's. He would spend quality time with them during his days off, but the first day would be spent alone with his wife. She had been quite supportive during those six months and hadn't left his side during his stay at the hospital, and truth be told, he really missed just being with her in general.

A pair of arms wound around him from behind. "How'd the kids take it?"

Shikamaru reached behind, burying his hands in thick sandy locks as a familiar smell wreathed his senses. He sighed happily. "They were excited for a chance to go play with their grandparents. Asuma threw a bit of a fit when I left though," he commented offhandedly.

Temari's eyes darkened, her brows knit with concern. Sighing, he turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know, I don't like leaving them as much as you do, but I want to spend the day with you. We haven't spent any time together."

Temari bit her lip and looked off to the side. "Still…"

Shikamaru sighed quietly and reached out to hold her. Secretly, he would admit to being somewhat of a closet-cuddler. "It's for the best. You know that Asuma's going through a phase. The faster he gets over it and realizes he can't have everything he wants, the better."

Temari hesitated, but dropped her head against his chest. "You're right," she sighed.

Shikamaru nodded. He knew how she felt. It was hard on him too, but it had to be done. "Now, are you ready for our date?"

Temari looked up at him from the corner of her eye. She smiled challengingly. "Depends, what are we doing?" the twenty-four-yr-old asked.

Shikamaru smirked. "Well, I was thinking maybe a walk around the village, some lunch, and then dessert back at our house," he said suggestively. Temari laughed and playfully batted away his encroaching hands.

"You pervert!" she laughed. Then again, she shouldn't have been surprised. Shikamaru might have been lazy, but when it came to having sex, he was the first in line.

"Troublesome," he muttered with a smile, shielding himself from his wife's batting hands, before an idea struck him. Ducking another blow, he charged at her and scooped her up, reveling in her bright laughter as he spun her around.

"Put me—put me down!" she shouted, smiling as he gently spun her down. His arms still not leaving her waist, they smiled at each other warmly before moving their heads to meet when—

"Shika!" Ino shouted, her voice piercing the air causing the two to wince. Shikamaru sighed. Troublesome woman.

"Ino," Temari greeted with a strained smile that surprised Shikamaru. She was taking Ino's interruption quite well. "To what do I owe the honor?"

Ino waved her hand dismissively. "Temari, you know you don't have to be so formal with me. As for why I'm here, it's Girls Day Out and I know you have a day off today, so don't even think about weaseling out"—Temari glared at that—"of this. Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten are going to be there too, so come on!"

"But I was going to—"

Ino tugged more insistently at Temari's hand. "Oh come on. You can spend a day with that lazy bum anytime, now let's go!"

"But—!"

"Shikamaru."

Said boy turned, finding himself looking at his father.

"Shikamaru. Great, you haven't left yet. The deer escaped the pen and I need your help rounding them up. Think you can lend a hand?"

Shikamaru blinked. "But I already made plans with—" he began, turning his head to his wife…only to see a vacant space. Ino must have stolen Temari away while he wasn't looking. And now he had no excuse not to help his father. Kami only knew where Ino was dragging the girls. He sighed.

"Troublesome," he muttered stuffing his hands into his pocket. He sighed heavily. This was looking like the beginnings of a troublesome day.

"Shikamaru?" his father asked, his tone urging for an answer.

Shikamaru sighed heavily again. "I'm coming."

"Thanks, Shika. Couldn't have done it without you."

Shikamaru merely nodded, too tired to do anything else as he lay back in the grazing area, a sheen of sweat on his face. Two hours. Two long hours of his day off had been wasted rounding up deer, and now he smelled like sweat and deer. First thing he'd do when he got home would be taking a shower, but first, he had to find Temari.

Getting up, he dusted the grass from his light grey long-sleeve, having chosen to go with civilian wear on his day off. Looking back, he saw his father jerk his head, wordlessly giving his son permission to leave. And with a nod, Shikamaru hopped the fence and walked away, only to hear the painful crack of what seemed to be the fence of his parents' deer pen. But that couldn't be possible, because he was just there and it had been just fine so why…

"Sorry!"

A figure leapt into the middle of the road, landing in front of the now-gaping hole in the fence. He'd recognize those markings and shaggy brown hair anywhere. It was Kiba.

"I'm so sorry, Shikaku! We're training some new dogs, but they're just going crazy trying to find the scent markers. Oh man, I'm so sorry about this! I—"

Shikaku sighed. "It's alright, Kiba. Just go find your dogs."

Kiba nodded. "Thanks Shikaku. Just drop the receipt for the materials at my house later!" And with that, the boy leapt out of view. Shikaku dragged his flat gaze over to his son.

"Shikamaru…"

The boy sighed. "Right. Fix the fence while you round up the deer."

Shikaku nodded. Shikamaru could only sigh dismally. "Troublesome."

"There," Shikamaru said with satisfaction, wiping away the sweat on his brow as he surveyed his work. The fence was now fixed, but another hour of his day was gone. Troublesome, but at least it was only eleven now. He still had the rest of the day to find Temari and get back to their house.

Turning to his father, he watched him nod his acceptance. Nodding back, Shikamaru put away the tools in the shed behind his childhood home and jumped over the fence before strolling down the streets of Konoha. Temari was somewhere in the village, but where would Ino take her?

'Where would I go if I was Ino?' he pondered quietly for a few seconds, only to suddenly stop in the middle of the street and shiver. That vein of thought was much too disturbing to follow and he could already hear her laugh chortling in the recesses of his mind.

Hands in his pockets, he began to wander the streets. She wasn't at the jewelry store, or the baths (he'd asked the attendants). He'd checked her house, her family's flower shop, Ichiraku, the tea house—everywhere.

Shikamaru sighed to himself quietly. He'd never find Temari now that Ino seemed stubborn to hide her from him. Suddenly, a voice called out to him.

"Shikamaru!"

Turning his head towards the direction of the baritone voice, he blinked. "Neji," he greeted. The Byakugan user merely nodded as he adjusted the baby carrier on his back holding his one-year-old daughter; his four-yr-old son, Daisuke, stood at his feet. Trailing his eyes back up, he quirked a brow at Neji.

"Ino got Tenten too?"

Neji nodded solemnly. Obviously, he wasn't enjoying the idea of his wife being taken away by the blonde either.

Looking down, he found Daisuke staring up at him. Like his sister, he took more after Tenten. He may have inherited had his father's bone structure, but his eyes, temperament, and his hair (which was a warmer shade of brown than his father's) were like his mother's. He also had her sense of curiosity, which frequently got him into trouble and sent his parents into a frenzy trying to find him. Strangely Hisoka, their first son who took entirely after his father, was nowhere to be seen, but he remembered somewhere that Temari had mentioned the boy having entered the Academy.

Finding Daisuke to be still looking at him, he followed the young boy's gaze, finding a small roll of brown fuzz on his pants. Picking it off, he showed it to the boy. "It's deer fur," he explained, giving it to the boy. Daisuke took it in his small hands and watched at it swirled along the orange sleeve of his shirt and danced across his chest, only to fall and cling to the edge of the green T-shirt he wore. Reaching down, he picked it off and squeezed it experimentally in his hand.

"So what'd you need, Neji?" Shikamaru asked.

"Could you watch Daisuke for me while I change Eri?" As if on cue, the previously quiet child erupted into screams. Neji glanced back, whispering and cooing to his daughter in an effort to calm her before turning to the shadow-user with pleading in his eyes. He'd never known Neji to look at anyone with other than cool reserve, but then again, Neji didn't have three kids back then.

"Sure."

"Thank you," Neji said hastily, relief washing over his words like cool waves as he disappeared into a restaurant, leaving Shikamaru with Daisuke. Looking down, he could see the boy was still playing with the small ball of deer fur before turning up and staring at the man. They stared at each other for a moment and dimly, Shikamaru knew a moment was had. He didn't know what exactly was exchanged between them, but a moment was had and looking away, Shikamaru instantly knew he had helped Daisuke on his path to being a man.

Meanwhile, Daisuke continued to play with the lint and silently told himself he liked deer.

Ten minutes later, Neji picked up Daisuke and left. Apparently, he was taking his daughter to a play date.

Walking around the village some more, Shikamaru sighed. He'd walked around the entire village twice and still no sign of Temari. To make it worse, he'd stopped in the shopping district of Konoha. He hated shopping. It was a long, arduous, troublesome business walking around, looking at things he'd never wear and then having to carry everything. Though Temari wasn't the girliest kunoichi he knew (far from it), she seemed to love shopping as much as any girl and she expected him to carry it. Luckily, years of being friends with Ino had prepared him well for carrying large packages and precariously stacked boxes and bags. Unlike Ino, however, Temari always had a reward waiting for him when they got home.

A dreamy smile made it onto his face. On second thought, he'd amend that statement. Shopping wasn't troublesome at all…

But only if he was doing it with Temari.

An arm slinging around his neck pulled him out of his thoughts. "Shikamaru! Just the man I was looking for!"

Shikamaru winced at the assault to his eardrums. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Hi Naruto."

The whiskered blonde gave his trademark grin. Shikamaru sighed. "What do you want?" he asked, only for Naruto to move his head uncomfortably close to his—someone had to teach this boy about personal space—and looked around with a conspiring gaze.

"Well, you know how my three year anniversary with Hinata is coming up, right?" Shikamaru nodded. "Well…I need your help picking a tie."

Shikamaru stared at him flatly. "A tie…?"

Naruto nodded rapidly. "Yeah. See, I wanna make it special for her—you know, dress up a bit—and I was going to ask Sasuke-teme but he refused to come out of his house, so I left and went to ask you," he explained, nodding wisely to himself. Shikamaru sighed. Sasuke was right to have just stayed inside today. Why hadn't he have been that smart? Troublesome.

"So will you help?"

The shadow-user raised a finger up and opened his mouth to answer.

"Great! Come on, I know just the place!"

And with that, Shikamaru was hauled roughly by the collar of his shirt into a men's wear shop. Troublesome. He didn't even get to say no.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked along the narrow roadway that passed by his parents' home. He'd decided to check around the village once more after he'd left—escaped—Naruto. Though, he did help his friend—don't get him wrong. In the end, they'd chosen a dark-blue tie that would contrast nicely with his blue eyes and bring them out more; Shikamaru was still aching from that bear hug Naruto had given him as a thank you.

At the memory of the hug, he unconsciously moved his hands to his ribs—Naruto should really learn to control his strength—and idly, Shikamaru let his eyes flit to his parents' house. It was a little past one. The kids should be down for their naps right about now; a small smile slowly spread across his face. Asuma might have driven them crazy when he was awake, but he was an absolute angel when he was asleep.

That smile still on his face, he walked past his childhood home…only to hear the echoing frantic screams of "Daisuke?!"

Shikamaru turned around, watching as a dust cloud approached him, Hyuuga Neji at the front. His normally neatly-kept hair was frazzled, errant strands spilling here and there. Some twigs were embedded in there as well as some leaves. His eyes continuously darted around, head absorbing its surroundings in short, nervous, jittery bursts, a look of sheer terror on his face. Daisuke must have gotten lost again.

"Shikamaru, have you seen—oh God!" Neji shouted, his voice rising in volume and panic-level at the end. Shikamaru followed the man's gaze into his family's deer pen. There, in the middle of the fenced-off greenery riding atop one of the male deer, was Daisuke. A wide grin on his face, he seemed to spot his father because his grin grew as he chirped happily, "Deer, tou-san!"

As if in response, the male deer kicked up its hind legs, bouncing the giggling boy up. The deer had bucked the boy against a tree and the boy naturally grabbed onto the tree, seeming to find glee in the texture change under his fingers and began to scale the tree with ease. If it wasn't for the fact Neji seemed so scared out of his wits, he would've been proud of his son (they'd never taught him how to climb trees); Daisuke merely smiled and waved down at his father, seeming completely unaware of the danger he was in.

His father, on the other hand, was not so lucky. In fact, if it was possible, Neji seemed more horror-struck and nervous than before, and Shikamaru wondered how the man hadn't been struck with a heart attack yet, or at least a few grey hairs.

Eyes widening even further as if they'd fall out of their sockets, he watched his son bounce happily on the tree, his stubby limbs reaching out awkwardly to reach the tiny figures of his father and his "uncle Shikamaru" when he suddenly pitched to the left. Air was flying through his short brown trusses and he squealed with glee, waving his arms like he was flying.

Neji's eyes narrowed decisively. "BYAKUGAN!!!"

And that was the last thing Shikamaru heard before a twenty-foot dust cloud rose into the air and Neji launched into the pen through the fence with a sickening crack. Though he couldn't see through the dust, Shikamaru's mind produced an image of the fence cracking under the Byakugan's power. Even if it was just his imagination, just the mental image of that wood splintering under Neji's hands was enough to make Shikamaru cry inside. Not only would he have to fix the fence, he'd have to round up the deer again, no doubt startled out of their minds and scattered to the corners of his family's forest.

Even before the dust cloud settled and Neji was stepping through with a happy Daisuke in hand, Shikamaru had already gathered the materials to fix the fence yet again. Setting the boy on the floor and making sure he would stay there with a stern glare, Neji turned to Shikamaru to apologize, only for the words to die on his tongue. The hatred was practically pouring off the man in waves.

"How many times…"

"This will be my…third time," he gritted out, a bitter mix of pain and sorrow, a look of defeat on his face. Neji winced. He'd never seen the strategist so disheartened.

Shikamaru sighed heavily and slowly stood up from his stooped position. Unwanted, his eyes immediately flickered to Daisuke who was pouting, but still in the same place he was before. Good.

"It's fine," Shikamaru assured with a sigh and a scratch of the head, not even looking at Neji as he spoke.

Neji bit his lip in indecision. "Shikamaru, it was my fault the fence is like this. Let me help you and—"

"Don't." The word had been so unexpected that Neji stopped in his efforts to move forward. He blinked a few times to assure himself that he had not been hallucinating as an alien feeling began to settle in the pit of his stomach. He was beginning to feel insulted and was about to argue with the man when he turned to face him. His dark eyes met with his own pale ones and suddenly, Neji understood. Though the sentiment was nice, Daisuke was sure to wander off somewhere and this cycle of chaos and fence-breaking was sure to continue, and that was not something the haggard Nara wanted to deal with.

Nodding in understanding, Neji placed his hand on his son's back. Bowing in apology and promising to pay the man back, he gently, but firmly began to steer his son back home. The boy was surely going to be in for one hell of a lecture when he got home, Shikamaru thought to himself before looking at the fence and sighing. Hopefully this was the last time he'd have to fix this fence today, and with that, he began work once more.

Shikamaru sighed heavily to himself as he once again walked the narrow lane that ran by his parents' home. It was now 3-something in the afternoon. The fence had taken another hour and just when he was going to go search for the deer again, his father appeared with instructions to do a delivery for the Hokage. It wasn't too bad of a deal he guessed, seeing how his dad was going to round up the deer in exchange.

Of course, after he delivered the package to a stunned Tsunade ("What are you doing here? I thought you had the day off?"), Shizune came by asking if he could deliver a gift to his mother. Apparently, his mother had given her a wonderful recipe for taiyaki and she wanted to repay her. And of course, he accepted (he had to check if that fence was still standing, after all) and delivered the package (yup, fence was still standing), and now he was on the way home.

He kicked a rock in the path and felt annoyingly petulant. It was a troublesome feeling to deal with, but then again, this was a troublesome day. His plans for a quiet day with his wife was in shambles, and he was tired, sweaty, and irritated. How troublesome.

He kicked the rock again with his sandaled foot, watching it skip across the dirt before flopping pathetically into the ground. Around him, he could hear the busy milling of the villagers and the shouts of the vegetable shop owners as they shouted their prices. Glancing up, he realized he was near the center of the village near the tea shop. Actually, tea sounded good right about now. He hadn't really had anything to drink or eat since his quick stop at Ichiraku around noon and exhaustion was starting to creep in. Looking out of the corner of his eye to see how many people would be inside, he felt his eyes widen.

There, in the window, was Temari.

Temari sighed to herself as she sat in the window booth at the tea shop. Her hand was cradling her head as she struggled to look attentive to Ino's story (something about some boy or some outfit. She hadn't kept track), but her mind remained elsewhere. It had through the entire day, she realized.

Though Temari was up for a girl's day out as any other girl, she had found herself thinking of her husband. Nothing seemed to distract her from him; not the trip to the spa, not the trip to the onsen, not even the trip to that fancy restaurant with the cute waiters managed to distract her (okay, they did for a minute)—but her mind seemed centered around Shikamaru. She even found him on her mind when they went to the river not too long ago.

Of course, Temari wasn't so stupid as to not know why she was seeing him everywhere: she missed him. It was as simple as that. They had gone six months without any real contact and just when she thought she could spend the day alone with him, Ino pulled her away. She felt guilty that she had abandoned him, and it was evident in the way she stared into her lap with a frown on her face as Ino continued her story.

"What do you think, Temari?"

The older woman looked up, startled. "Oh! Uh…" Crap. If she didn't answer, Ino would throttle her, and even she was slightly worried about an enraged Ino. Luckily, she was saved by a hand grabbing her arm.

"We're going home. Now," a voice said gruffly and Temari looked up and felt like she was going to cry. Salvation at last!

Ino slammed her hands on the table. "Hey, you can't just take Temari with you, Shika! We're in the middle of a girl's day out! You can't just pull her out of this!" she shouted.

Shikamaru looked at her from the corner of his eyes as if to say 'I'd like to see you try to stop me.' Clearly, he was not in the mood and Ino could only blink, flabbergasted at his foul mood as he stepped away.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" she asked aloud and he gritted his teeth against the urge to go back and call her out on it, but thought better of it and tugged Temari along to make her follow his swift pace, slowing slightly when she continued to stumble trying to catch up to him, but not stopping until they reached home and the deadbolt had fallen shut. Safe at home, Shikamaru allowed himself to relax and he sighed in relief against the door.

"Home at last," he said thankfully before opening his eyes and looking around in slight alarm. Where was Temari?

"In here," she called out from the bedroom as if reading his mind. Smiling to himself, he pushed himself from the door and walked towards their bedroom, carefully stepping over the various toys in his path as he made his way to his wife who welcomed him with open arms. Gazing at her lovingly, he smiled warmly at her and promptly collapsed into the bed, exhausted.

Temari looked down at him amusedly and smoothing back the stray strands of his hair, kissed his forehead. "Thank you for saving me back there. You know Ino was about to tell us what lingerie she got for Chouji?"

Shikamaru smiled tiredly. "You're welcome, then."

Temari nodded. "What happened to you? You look horrible," she said with a teasing smile as she sat on the bed. Reaching out, he grabbed her legs and she let herself be pulled towards him, his head resting cradled in her lap. He smiled into her skin.

"I feel horrible," he murmured in reply.

Temari quirked a brow. "Really? How so?"

Shikamaru sighed tiredly and recounted his day from the start. He told her about fixing the fence, then repairing it three times; babysitting Neji's son; finding a tie for Naruto; then walking around the village over and over again looking for her; not to mention the various deliveries he did as well.

"This day has been so troublesome," he confided in her with a depressed sigh. Temari stared down at him with concern. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair before tying it up again. "It's just…I wanted to spend the day with you and only you, and now the day's over. How troublesome," he grumbled with a huff, not noticing the look on Temari's face. She smiled.

"You know…" she began. Shikamaru quirked a brow and looked up at her, "the day isn't over yet. We still have three hours until we have to pick up the kids."

As she spoke, her voice had dropped to a husky tone. Her teal eyes had darkened with her lust, filling every pore of her body, even the fingers slowly walking over his chest and over his rapidly-thumping heart. The digits, long and slim as if carved by a master sculptor, danced over his skin, leaving burning trails in their wake and he felt himself buck into the air at the bone-melting feeling it had ignited in his body.

He smirked. Two could play that game.

Reaching up, he let his hands tangle in her tresses. His fingers brushed against her silken hair, pulling the bands from her hair and watching it fall over her shoulders in golden waterfalls, feeling her doing the same to him. They stared at each other, eyes twinkling with faint smiles on their lips. With a murmured 'I love you,' he covered her lips with his and began to pull off her shirt, her giggles tinkling in his ears like glass as the shirt slipped to the floor.