Work Text:
“You are such an idiot,” snaps Temari, passing Shikamaru a canteen full of lukewarm water. “Remember when I told you to bring water from home? And to drink it regularly? You’re in a desert, doofus, of course you’re going to overheat if you don’t stay hydrated.”
Shikamaru gulps down the water so fast that some of it dribbles down his chin. “I’m sorry,” he says, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. She’s absolutely right—it was stupid of him not to bring enough water. He’s traveling to the desert at the hottest, driest part of the year, and The Sand Village doesn’t have a whole lot of water to spare. Not being used to it, he needs constant hydration, and he’s hardly been drinking at all. He knew that, but somehow it had completely slipped his mind. He gets stupid around Temari, because she, like his mother, has a tendency to take charge of everything. When this happens he defaults to inaction, and he’s even more likely to do that when he’s distracted.
Distracted by what? Not sure. Too busy now with his pounding heart and sweat pouring down his back, and the blobs of color dancing in his line of sight. He can’t catch a breath, can’t keep walking with the sun beating down on his back. It’s too damn hot, and the water hasn’t helped much. He needs to rest, but he doesn’t want to tell Temari. She’ll think he’s pathetic, and she’ll be right.
“Sit down,” Temari says, as if reading his mind. She kneels down, sets down her backpack, and finds a woven blanket which she spreads in the shade of a cactus. “Lie down,” she says. After he does what she tells him, more water finds its way into his hands, and he drinks it gratefully. Temari sits down next to him, and pulls his hair out of its ponytail. It’s more comfortable that way, easier to lie down. “Don’t worry about this,” she says. “I know I told you how to prepare, but you probably thought you were drinking enough, right? This climate is rough on everyone, but especially people who aren’t used to it.” She gulps down some water from the canteen. “Konoha is one of the most temperate places I’ve ever been. It’s weird. Whenever I go there, I always bring really warm pajamas because I’m expecting it to get cold like it does at home, but it never does. You’re not used to the desert, so don’t worry about it. You’ll get used to it.”
“We h-have to…have to…I’m supposed to…Kazekage…” He can barely choke out the words. His chest is still heaving. What he means is that they’re supposed to do a mission together, courtesy of the Kazekage. That it will look unprofessional if they’re late. That he won’t be lucky enough to be assigned missions with Temari again if he can’t even deal with walking through the desert. Though why he’d be lucky, he doesn’t know. He struggles to sit up, and Temari pushes him back down.
“Gaara can wait,” she says, angling her face toward the glowing sky. “Anyway it’s not like it’s absolutely crucial that you complete this mission. Someone else could do it, but I requested you.”
“Why?” He wipes a sheet of sweat from his damp, red forehead. He hopes that that’s all he said, because he’s thinking something stupid. He’s thinking, this desert is almost as hot as you. But of course, he’ll never say it. He probably doesn’t even really think it. It’s just the heat bearing down on his brain.
Temari shrugs. “No reason. I’m just sick of working with Kankuro. He’s making a new puppet and he won’t shut up about it. You’re less likely to talk about boring bullshit, you know?” Maybe it’s the heat, but somehow, that actually seems flattering, and he can’t stop a grin from creeping across his face. Temari shoves the canteen under his nose. “Drink more water,” she snaps. Shikamaru obeys.