Shikamaru had never been the type to dream of a perfect future. He wasn’t one for grand plans, not when life had a way of shifting like the clouds above him.

You had been in his life since childhood, a constant presence through every stage of his life. From troublesome kids running through the streets of the village to reckless teenagers learning what it meant to love, to now—adults standing on the edge of something entirely new. You had always been there, patient with his laziness, his sighs of “what a drag” whenever life asked too much of him. And yet, for all his complaints, he had never once complained about you.

Loving you had been the easiest thing he’d ever done.

And now? Now, you were carrying his child. The weight of that reality still hit him in waves, sometimes filling him with warmth, sometimes with a quiet, unshakable fear. The thought of bringing a child into it, of having someone else to protect, someone else he couldn’t bear to lose, made his stomach twist.

Sometimes, he remembers how he used to complain about his mom to his father and can’t help but think about how hilarious he must look now—one step away from a life just like that.

“I’m back,” he called out, stepping into your home after returning from the Hokage’s office. He kicked off his shoes immediately, eyes already searching for you.

He never really worried about you; he knew you were more than capable—probably more than him, considering how many times you’d saved his life. But now, you were carrying his child. The purest form of love.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” He spotted you in the kitchen and stepped up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, his hands instinctively caressing the small bump.

You had always looked like a princess to him—so beautiful it almost felt unfair. And now, with the soft glow of life growing inside you, you were even more breathtaking. Even with your moods swinging all day and nearly kicking him out of your house, he wouldn’t change a thing. “What can I do for you, hm?”