POV: Temari. Temari is a senior on the softball and basketball teams. She is a confident and determined student with a go-getter attitude; majors in history with a minor in international studies. She rooms in a single but lives in the room right next to Sakura and Ino. Sings alto in the choir

Rating: K+? maybe a little more. There is some mild swearing

Genre: Cute friendship/minor romance. You'll see. This was honestly a fun, sweet chapter to write

This thesis is getting done this weekend or I swear I'm going to punch someone into the wall. Or maybe I'll punch a hole through the wall. Yeah, that sounds better.

It's 10:30 on a Friday night and I'm in my room huddled under a blanket because the heat isn't quite working yet. I think my eyes are starting to fry because I've been staring at the computer screen for so long. My hot cocoa supply is also dwindling.

This isn't what I'd like to be doing on a Friday night, but my sense of responsibility (and my anxiety) is much stronger than my desire to goof off.

I reread the next sentence and make a face. I want to change the wording but I don't quite know how to phrase it the way I would like.

The sound of typing fills the room, my fingers clicking on the keys.

The sound of the keyboard is interrupted by a completely different sound.

My stomach.

I put a hand to my stomach as I feel it growl. I'm really hungry. I haven't eaten much today because I'm determined to finish this thing. But I know that the hunger will keep distracting me until I eat something, and I can't afford to be distracted.

I sigh and throw the blanket off my shoulders as I stand up off my bed. I shiver as my skin hits the cold air of my room and head to the closet to grab a sweater.

I choose one and slip it on, feeling the warmth envelop me already. The weather is getting to be more winter-like and at night the temperature falls a lot. I have no clue why the college hasn't turned on this dorm's heat yet.

I open my door and wince at the light coming from the hallway. Jeez, I feel like a cave creature or something. Has it really been that long since I left the room?

I turn to the room next to mine at the end of the hallway and knock on the door.

Sure enough, Sakura answers with a puzzled look on her face. This quickly changes to excitement when she realizes it's me. "Temari!" She exclaims.

"Temari?" Ino's voice calls from in the room. I hear bed springs creak and Ino appears at the door. She looks delighted. "She's alive!" the blonde jokes.

"What's up?" Sakura asks, opening up the door and inviting me in. "Taking a break from the thesis?"

I continue to stand in the hallway and smile. "I'm hungry. Does anyone else want to go to the café with me?"

Ino's cerulean eyes light up and she hops in place. "Ooh! Yes, count me in!"

Sakura chuckles. "Sounds good to me too," she agrees. "Just let me grab some money and a coat."

"I have to put a coat and shoes on too," I say, heading back to my room.

I put a medium coat over my sweater, slip into a pair of boots, and shove a slouchy blue knit hat over my gross, unbrushed hair. I should probably fix it, but I don't have it up in my usual hairstyle and I know I should really take a shower instead of covering it up. There's no time for that, though. We're just going to the café.

It's not like we'll see anyone there.

...

"Oh, great, it's you three," his lazy voice drawls when we walk in.

And of course when I figure I won't see anyone there, the one guy I want to look pretty for is the one who's working.

"Oh, shut up you lazy asshole," Ino counters jokingly, immediately going up to the counter and leaning on it. She's got this shit-eating smile on her face and she's looking right at him.

Shikamaru.

He rolls his eyes at her and turns to a doorway behind the counter. "Hey, Naruto," he calls. "Some weirdo just came in. Can you take her order?"

Ino scoffs lightly. "Some weirdo?" She cries.

"Why me? Why can't you do it?" A shrill but familiar voice whines. The whisker-faced blonde walks through the doorway, carrying a huge bag of something. Looks like coffee beans, maybe. "You've already got me doing the heavy lifting!

His defiant facial expression softens when he sees that it's us and he gives us an excited smile. "Oh, hey, it's you three!" He says.

He then looks confused and turns to Shikamaru, setting the heavy sack down behind the counter with a grunt. "You said there was a weirdo in here," he says, puzzled. "Sakura's not that weird."

Sakura's face grows red and she storms over to the counter. "What did you say?!" She growls, picking Naruto up by the collar.

His face pales and he gives an undignified squeal as the pink-haired girl miraculously lifts him by his shirt. "N-nothing, Sakura," Naruto hurriedly tells her. "I didn't say anything! Wow, you sure look pretty today."

"I was talking about the blonde-headed demon," Shikamaru says, gesturing at Ino.

Sakura sets Naruto down and gives him the evil eye as she's pushed away by her blonde roommate. She's now hanging over the counter, hissing at Shikamaru's cheeky remark.

I sweatdrop as I watch all of this unfolding. Maybe I should have come to the café alone.

Shikamaru and Ino bicker and take stabs at each other all the time, just like an old couple. They have a long history that goes back to their childhood, and it makes me feel a little insecure when I watch them interact.

Shikamaru and I don't have that long history, and I often wonder if he maybe has a thing for her instead.

"So, did you guys come here just to annoy us, or are you actually going to get coffee?" Shikamaru drawls.

"I'm taking a break from writing my thesis," I reply, approaching the counter.

His eyes settle on me and he tries to look as indifferent as normal. He doesn't smile often, but when I do get to see a rare 'Shikamaru smile,' it makes me happy too. He's smiling at me through his lazy chocolate-brown eyes and it's cute.

He just looks adorable in his uniform. I know he probably hates it, though.

He's wearing a black polo shirt and khakis underneath a green apron. His hair is tied up into his usual short, spiky ponytail, and he's wearing a green visor to match the apron. Naruto's wearing the same uniform as Shikamaru, but I don't know... It looks better on the lazy genius. I might be biased, though.

"How's the thesis coming along?" He asks me, seeming genuinely interested.

"It's coming along great," I reply with a smile. "I've only got a little left to revise."

He smiles and walks over to the espresso machine. "That's so great!" He replies. "How about a coffee to celebrate? It's on the house."

"Free coffee?" Ino cries excitedly.

"Not for you," Shikamaru shoots at her.

My heart skips a beat and I keep a calm exterior. He gives me a sly grin and begins making a drink over at the coffee machine.

I'm going to try to keep a level head about this and not grasp at straws, but when he does little things like this, it makes me want to believe the feeling might be mutual.

And while he might argue and fight with his longtime friend Ino, he doesn't treat her with this kind of courtesy. Yes, he treats every woman with the same basic level of respect, but there's something different about the way he treats me. I hope I'm not just looking at this through hopeful eyes.

The whir of the coffee machine dies down and Shikamaru turns around with a steaming cup of coffee and a small smile. "One white chocolate raspberry latte for the lady," he says, putting a lid on the cup and sliding it towards me. "For almost finishing your thesis."

I accept the cup of coffee and feel a nudge on my side.

It's Sakura, and she's smirking knowingly, her eyebrows raised and her head nodding subtly.

I turn back to my coffee and smile, the aroma filling my nose and filling my chest with a warm sensation.

Actually, that's not the coffee.

He remembered what my favorite drink was. I didn't even tell him what I wanted - he just made it for me without asking.

This man is wonderful. I think I might have a chance after all.

That's it for Konoha University Chronicles! If you have any chapter ideas or prompts, please please don't be afraid to send them my way! I'd like to continue this, but this is all I have written for now.

I'm not really a Shikamaru x Temari shipper, but hey, it works here. I've been trying to get less hostile towards the idea ever since they became canon at the end of Naruto.

But seriously, thank you for reading! Let me know what you think :)

As always, much love

- Gallade