Summary: [VIGNETTE.] He never expected her to love him back. Shino/Ino. Fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rating: T. (shocking, I know)

A/N: I'm not sure where this one came from. February story #2.

Flower Patch

He came upon her when she was stooped in her flower garden. Colors rioted on the flower petals; there was the wash of floral scent, the insect hum around and in him. Her long white-gold hair streamed and swung over her shoulder under a wide-brimmed straw hat that protected her fair skin from the violent sun. She wore a thin violet sundress and no shoes.

Why was she beautiful?

He shoved his hands deeper into his coat's pockets.

"Ino," he said when he was a couple feet from her.

She glanced up. "Shino! Welcome." Then she stood, brushing off her dirt-smeared knees. Her hands were protected with dingy gardener's gloves and she held a trowel in one hand. Sweat glistened across her chest and dripped in paths along her neck. She kissed him, a quick peck. "I didn't expect you for another hour. I'm disgusting."

Inside him the bugs scrambled, nervous, embarrassed. "I'll leave."

"No. Please, don't. I could use the break. If you don't mind my appearance, come on and have a seat," she said and drew him to her greenhouse. She'd set up a white, two-person table and a couple chairs in a corner of the patio. On the table was a tray with lemonade pitcher and a couple glasses. "Lemonade?"

"Yes, thank you." He sat as she poured him a glass and accepted it.

When she adjusted herself at the table and scooted in, she smiled at him. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

He had worked up his courage to confront her. He'd slain countless enemies in battle, had become jonin before Kiba and Hinata, and had succeeded on multiple high-ranked missions. And yet seeing her frightened him. Put him in such a state that death was preferable. Kiba had been the one to convince him that either hurt or happiness, he had to be clear with his emotions and with hers.

"Ino," he said and set the glass on the table, "would you ever consider marrying me?"

She blinked, startled. "I'm…sorry? Are you…are you proposing to me?"

"This is not a proposal. I'm merely inquiring after your desires so as to be abreast of your feelings."

While he was quite serious, Ino threw her head back and laughed. Her laughter stung him and he stood to leave. "Shino! No, I'm sorry! I'm not laughing at you," she said, sobering, "just at the way you worded it."

Still on-guard, he remained at the table, but didn't sit. Ino stood up to face him and caressed his face with her capable fingers. Her touch streaked pleasure through him. The kikaichu hummed with his high emotions. They chittered, boiling over and out of his body. A few crawled onto Ino's hands and forearms. She didn't flinch from them.

"I'm sorry I laughed, but for someone who lives as quietly as you do, you are full of surprises. Shino," here, she leaned closer, even with his high collar separating them he felt exposed to her, "is this your cunning plan to admit you love me and want me to have your children?"

Heat crept up in a horrid blush at how she always got to the marrow of the matter. "Yes."

"You know I've been waiting for you to introduce the subject," she told him. Those fingers zipped down the high collar. He'd been humiliated at first with her, but she had allowed his insects to crawl on her- -giggling because she thought they tickled- -and had gotten used to their movements on her skin. He no longer minded when she undid his clothes. "I love you. Don't ask me when I realized it. It sorta happened."

"Oh." He couldn't think when her lips hovered so near his, those eyes thick with lashes. "I didn't know."

When she kissed him, slow and lingering, a groan escaped her throat. "Hm. Are my feelings clear enough for you now?"

Unaware of his insects' noise, enveloped in the warm, liquid pull of his need for her, he drew her closer and kissed her again. From deep within him, his heart opened up to her light, bloomed under her careful attention. Yes, he decided, he'd made the correct choice in speaking with her, in loving her. She loved him as wholly and as completely as he loved her.

A/N: A short thing to test-drive the idea of this couple. More of these two? Leave any comment or questions and thanks for reading. =)