"Hey, have you seen Shino?"
Hinata glances over at Kiba when he asks the question, a little smile forming on her lips. "Last I saw, he was still downstairs chatting with Sakura."
Kiba's eye twitches. "Hmph. The hell is he doing down there? He should be up here with m- us," he grumbles, taking a swig of his punch. Yeah, it's totally spiked. Is he drunk?
Maybe, but you can't prove anything.
Hinata rolls her eyes, though her smile doesn't fade. "You know, Kiba, you've been acting pretty...territorial with him lately. Is there a particular reason why?"
"No!"
She stands, going to the door of the bedroom they were sitting in and closing it. "Come on, there has to be a reason. You can tell me, no one else will hear us now." There is concern in her voice alongside curiosity - so she knows something is wrong.
He hesitates for a few moments, rubbing at his chin. There's no use trying to avoid the issue forever - she would never let it drop, not now that she was onto him. "I mean...well, it's kinda complicated Hinata. I'm just...I dunno…" he trails off, struggling to find the right words. "I just...want him to be spending time with me and not Sakura, I guess…" he shrugs. His brain is sluggish with booze and he's not entirely sure he should really be saying this aloud - he's been internally wrangling with it for...well, the two years, really.
When he had first met his now roommate, Kiba had thought Shino was weird. And, well - he is weird, but it's kind of charming now. More than kind of, really. When Shino had asked to be roommates again, Kiba had been genuinely delighted. He's still trying to grapple with why, exactly. He knows how he feels towards friends, and it...well, it isn't this. It isn't sweaty palms and a fluttering heart, or his stomach feeling weird and almost queasy whenever they were chatting…
Ugh. Whatever the feeling is, he's not sure he enjoys it. Hinata is staring at him patiently, her arms folded in her lap now that she has sat across from him on the floor. "Hm...I think I know how you're feeling. It's sort of like me with...Naruto." She fidgets with her hands. "When you like a friend in a way that...isn't very friendly."
He nods, taking another gulp of spiked punch. "Hm...I don't know…" he isn't certain he wants to admit to himself that he has a crush on Shino Aburame of all people. Especially because that means coming to terms with the fact that he is, at the least, bisexual...maybe even gay. His cheeks turn a little pink at the thoughts that come after that - yeah, he guesses that kissing Shino does sound pretty nice...and cuddling him when he's too depressed to leave bed on the weekends, and telling him that he is loved and cherished and that he does belong-
Kiba is lost in thought quickly, and Hinata snickers. "Earth to Kiba! I think we both know that my assumption was correct."
He groans and rolls onto his back, covering his face with his palms. "Fuck. I think I have the hots for my stupid weird roommate. What the hell am I gonna do, Hinata?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but I don't think insulting him is the best way to go about it," she covers her mouth as she giggles. "You could, you know, ask him on a date or something."
"Right, because you've asked Naruto on a date, right?" he grumbles, resting his hands on the floor now so that he can look at her.
"Well, that's different," she protests. "I'm not best friends with Naruto. Shino is your best friend! You know him really well already, and it shouldn't be difficult to approach him...I can barely even get Naruto's attention sometimes, let alone try to ask him on a date…" she sighs a bit wistfully, but Kiba is too far gone to really notice.
"Uh huh…" he rolls onto his stomach. "Whatever...I probably won't even remember this conversation in the morning. Can we go get Shino so we can go home? I'm whooped."
Hinata rolls her eyes. "I'll be reminding you of it in the morning. Why don't you go get him? I'll grab us some food to take with us for lunch tomorrow while you do."
Reluctantly, Kiba peels himself off of the ground. "Fine, fine. Grab me a cider or something too, will ya?" Without waiting for affirmation, he walks out of the room and down the stairs, his steps heavy. Hinata watches him leave with concern - perhaps sending him was a bad idea, but at least she has good intentions.
Sakura doesn't know how to react at first when Kiba Inuzaka comes charging towards her and Shino as if on a warpath. "Come on Shino, we're going home!"
She blinks a few times as Kiba brushes past her completely, grabbing onto Shino's arm and trying to tug him away. "Hey, wait! You can't just interrupt us like that!" She grabs onto Shino's other arm, tugging him back.
"Can you let go-"
"I sure can interrupt you, just watch me!" Kiba sticks his tongue out at her and wrenches poor Shino out of her grasp, ignoring the quiet protests.
"Stop it, you drunk asshole! At least let me say goodbye to him!" Not ready to give up just yet, Sakura makes an attempt to grapple Shino back into her arms. However, he manages to slip out of both of their grasps by sliding out of his hoodie.
"Stop it," he says, his voice quiet. "Kiba...just go wait in the car," he mutters, snatching his hoodie back and putting it on once again. Sakura had caught the shirt underneath - black, with a little buzzing bumblebee on the pocket. She smirks at Kiba triumphantly.
"See! He wants you to leave, Kiba." She crosses her arms. "Trying to muscle your way through things doesn't work."
"Wh - you were doing the same thing! Wasn't she, Shino?"
"You're both causing a scene…" Shino's voice is still quiet, and he is shifting uncomfortably as most of the room stares at the three in curiosity. "Why? Because you're being….obnoxious," he sighs and he rubs his temples. He doesn't put his hood back up, and Sakura is not shy in staring at his hair, and...well, his whole face, really. It's the first time she's seen him almost entirely uncovered. It's black and spiky - not entirely what she expected. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips firmly pressed into a frown.
Kiba grits his teeth. "I'm not being obnoxious, she's being obnoxious!" he protests. "I just want to go home and you're not coming because of her?!" He asks incredulously. "Come on, Shino!"
"...You're still drawing attention…"
Sakura is about to add to the argument when as someone else enters the fray. Sasuke Uchiha grabs her by the wrist. "Just let them go," he says, his voice dark as he glares at Shino. "She doesn't want to talk to you anymore anyway, so scram."
"...I figured that much. Why? Because her intent in talking to me was to make you jealous." Shino has turned away from them now, though it is clear from his frown that he is thoroughly unamused.
"That isn't true, Shino. I really want to be your friend," Sakura attempts, but he shakes his head. Sasuke releases her wrist but crosses his arms in an attempt to remain threatening.
"Let me explain. I was already suspicious when you approached me, because we have had little interaction prior to this and few care to get to know me. Your desire to speak with me coincides rather conveniently with the fact that you and Sasuke recently broke up, and that I am one of the few single males remaining in our circle of friends." He pushes his sunglasses up his nose. "As we talked, you became increasingly pleased with yourself each time Sasuke walked past us or glared at me. I'm able to surmise - quite accurately - that there is some secondary motive to you seeking me out tonight. My hypothesis is that it is because you want to make Sasuke Uchiha jealous, and I think I am correct." Shino glances over his shoulder at her. "If you truly desire my friendship, please feel free to get my number from Hinata." He walks towards the door. "Kiba, come on...let's go home."
They leave Sakura somewhat dumbfounded, though she recovers quickly once Sasuke has rounded on her again. "Bug boy was right, wasn't he?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing. "I knew you wanted to get back together with me, Sakura. Come on then, I'll drive you home."
"In your dreams," she replies, sneering in response and brushing away his hand when he attempted to reach for hers. "I may have wanted to make you jealous, but more so you can know what you're missing out on. And don't call him bug boy - he's Shino, and he's clearly smarter than you Sasuke. Besides, I'm going home with Ino anyways."
Sure, she may have just been supremely roasted, but she can hardly blame Shino for feeling upset about the situation. She'll most certainly have to text Hinata after she gets back to her room for his number. Sasuke glares at her fiercely, then gives up for the moment to sulk in the kitchen instead of pick another fight.
