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“He’s still out there?” Temari asks softly. “Has he even moved?”
“No.” Tayuya murmurs back. She shakes her head, her arms crossed tight over her chest. Temari can see her nails digging into her biceps, that little touch of pain she feels the need to apply to ground herself from stress and emotion. It doesn’t help much, judging by the misery still plain on her face.
“I’ve asked him a dozen times what I can do.” she sighs. “He said nothing, he just wants to ‘think’.”
Temari swallows, reaching across to rub Tayuya’s shoulder as they stand side by side, watching their partner through the half-open back door. Dusk is approaching now but he remains in the same position he’s been in all afternoon, staring out at the rain pouring down on the yard, working his way through cigarette after cigarette…
Shikamaru takes a last pull from the stub between his fingers and when he exhales his breath trembles audibly, free hand scrubbing at his face. It makes Temari’s chest ache to watch.
“Come on,” she says decisively, nudging Tayuya forward along with her. “If he doesn’t want anything, fine, but I can’t just stand here.”
As Shikamaru flicks his spent smoke into the wet earth beside the back stairs he hears the door slide fully open. He doesn’t look up, focused on coaxing another stick from his near-empty pack. He jolts a little at the first light touch of hands on his shoulders.
Temari settles down at one side of him, Tayuya at the other, each capturing one of his arms to pull over their respective shoulders. A warm embrace winds around him from both sides, pressing him tight between them. Tayuya rests her head in the spot that she always prefers on his shoulder, her face half turned in to kiss his collarbone.
“I… I can’t…” Shikamaru begins to protest, hoarse and weary, but Temari presses a thumb to his lips to quiet him, lays a soft kiss on his mouth.
“Don’t talk. We don’t have to talk.” she murmurs as they part, feeling the shudder of relief that runs through him at the words, and the way he sags into both of their arms.
“But we’re here.” Tayuya adds, squeezing him around the waist a little more snugly. “Just let us be here, okay?”
She peers up from his shoulder with that softness that he knows she shows to no-one else, her brow creased with concern, and Shikamaru feels whatever last protest he was about to muster dissolve on his tongue.
“Okay.” he croaks, leaning his cheek on Temari’s head as she settles onto his other shoulder.
He pulls them both in tight.
They’re here, even if everything else is shit.