Warnings: Arranged (hence forced) marriage between a sixteen year old and a thirty six year old. Language. Angst. Feelings of betrayal. Huge rare pairing. Power dynamics. Strong language (because it's one of my stories, come on, I'm like Hidan sometimes). Nosy people. Inescapable Clan duties. Teenage angst. Oblivious friends that make everything a thousand times more difficult. And some more angst. Friends are kind of extreme jerks, really, and they don't even notice it. Did I, by any chance, say angst already? Mentions of alcohol and technically underage alcohol consumption. Assassinations- which means blood and violence. Lots of miscommunication.

~..~..~

"Dad. Step outside for a second."

Shikaku had expected to have his son ask for a moment alone with him after what he had just said. Because he had expected such a petition, he was prepared to give in and go with his son.

But... admittedly... one look at Kiba, and suddenly Shikaku felt a rush of worry come over him.

Even though he knew both Chouji and Ino were good kids, he was still overcome by a baseless sort of concern he knew was completely unnecessary. Neither of those kids would ever harm anyone over something as silly as a romantic partner. And even if they managed to attack Kiba in a physical way, the Inuzuka was more than capable of getting away...

Shikaku frowned softly when he noticed that a physical attack was not what had made him come down with apprehension. No, Ino and Chouji would never resort to such a thing. But Ino was not above mental run-arounds to get answers. And Chouji, even though he wasn't a confrontational person, was still capable of being harshly blunt when he deemed it absolutely necessary.

Was he... was he worried about Kiba not being able to deal with his friends?

Kiba could deal with his friends... normally. But he had only recently gone through a heavily traumatic situation. Afterwards, he'd been forced to kiss an old man in a restaurant because of an order from his Elders. This wasn't a normal headspace for the kid. Maybe he couldn't handle this.

What was he thinking? Was he truly thinking about denying his son a request? In lieu of attempting to protect Kiba from a situation he knew the kid could handle?

What... what was wrong with him?

He was tired. That must have been it. He was tired and so his brain wasn't as well at completely controlling his emotions. And he just wasn't accustomed to feeling so strongly because he was usually so well-rested. He was being overdramatic, he knew.

With a small sigh, Shikaku released the grip he had on Kiba. "I'll be just outside the door. Shikamaru'll tell me something and I'll be right back."

Kiba looked rather small in his arms... and Shikaku was at a loss with his feelings.

He walked out first. Shikamaru followed after him, closing the door behind them once they were both outside of the office.

There was a moment of silence between them both.

Shikaku was afforded one second- which he spent wondering more about how Kiba would deal with the likes of Ino than what his son wanted to talk about- before Shikamaru was leveling him with one of the coldest glares the man had ever faced.

"Okay, dad, what in the world are you even thinking? Kiba?" Shikamaru breathed in harshly, then closed his eyes, allowed his shoulders, and crossed his arms, "Do you even understand what you're doing to him?"

Honestly, he was completely caught off guard by the sudden attack... on... was Shikamaru accusing him?

That... Ouch.

"What?"

Shikamaru huffed sharply, clearly irritated as he opened his eyes once again. "You're a parent. And you're actually thinking about dating a teenager that is the same age as your son?"

He looked at his son... and was pained to see that Shikamaru was thinking the worst of him.

"Shikamaru, whatever it is you're thinking," breathing in, Shikaku shook his head, "It's not what's happening."

He had been so worried over Kiba's well being that he hadn't even begun to contemplate just what was running through his son's mind. He had allowed himself to be blinded to his own child's worries. He had... really dropped the ball with Shikamaru this time around.

"You're twice his age." Shikaku nodded. "You're his superior." once again, Shikaku remained silent. "You took him on a mission with you- which you returned from, suddenly dating."

Shikamaru allowed him a moment to collect his thoughts.

Shikaku was grateful for this. He didn't know what had suddenly come over him, but for a moment... he wasn't able to think. All he could do was feel. And he felt filthy and guilty.

His son was accusing him of something unimaginable. On one hand, he was proud that Shikamaru felt confident enough in their relationship to flat out ask him about such things. On the other, he felt repulsed at knowing that his son doubted him before he doubted his friend.

But that was a good thing, right? It was good that Shikamaru wasn't blaming Kiba- because it wasn't the Inuzuka's fault! And Kiba already had enough on his plate. He didn't need a friend of his accusing him of taking advantage of their father's vulnerabilities... So, if it was good that Shikamaru wasn't questioning Kiba's intentions... why did Shikaku feel like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest? Why did he feel so incredibly old?

All he wanted to do... was sleep...

His guilt only grew deeper when he noticed that what he really truly wanted to do... was fall asleep with Kiba beside him once more...

"It looks bad." he allowed himself to croak out, his throat tight.

"Dad, you look like you've been grooming him."

Shikaku sighed softly and allowed his head to hang. "That couldn't be further from the truth."

He had done no such thing.

But this was a possibility he knew may have come up. With the suddenness of their supposed relationship, there would be all kinds of rumors flying around. And one of those rumors was going to be attacking his character and reputation. He had known this may have happened.

He just... maybe he just hadn't expected his son to think so lowly of him.

Kiba hadn't wanted to be left alone with Ino and Chouji.

He was... pleasantly surprised by what happened after both Nara Clan members left.

"Kiba, sit down. You look like you're about to collapse." Ino softly pushed him in the direction of the sofa, then began to make her way towards Shikaku's desk. "Chouji, give him something to eat. You've lost weight, haven't you?"

"Wait, what?"

Kiba blinked, absolutely taken aback by what he was hearing.

Chouji appeared behind him and placed his right hand on top of his left shoulder, offering a bento bowl that he had seemed to produce out of thin air with his left. Dumbly, Kiba accepted the package and allowed Chouji to push him the rest of the way towards the sofa. Then he sat down, jumping slightly when Chouji plopped down beside him.

"Kiba, answer the question."

What?

Kiba blinked at Ino.

"Why are you sitting there?"

The blonde was perched comfortably on Shikaku's office chair, with her legs outstretched on the desk before her. She looked... comfortable... and... curious. She didn't look pissed off... at all. Even though Kiba could swear he could smell irritation wafting out of her, even thoug, it was a rather mild scent... maybe he was imagining it? But... What was going on? Why wasn't she yelling at him? Why wasn't Chouji accusing him of taking advantage of a hurting man? Why weren't they trying to jump him and rip out his throat?

"Because Shikaku's chair is the most comfortable thing in the whole room." Ino shrugged with a small smile, then schooled her features into a more stern look. "Sakura and Hinata; we were all talking a few days ago. You've lost weight. Not a lot, but we've noticed. You're barely ever around your teammates anymore. And now you're suddenly dating my godfather?"

"Yeah, Kiba, we're kind of worried." Chouji chimed in, nudging the Inuzuka's arm with his own elbow in an attempt to get him to open the bento box. "And the whole running away thing... well, it made you look as if you were guilty of murder or something."

It felt wrong to see Ino seated on what was supposed to be Shikaku's space. Kiba felt the impulse to tell her to get out, that chair was only for the man. She was pushing in on territory that wasn't her own... And he couldn't help but feel... insulted at her having taken Shikaku's chair without even stopping to see if it was okay. Which he knew was a stupid thing to be thinking, but he couldn't stop himself.

And upon noticing this, he cursed himself for being so susceptible to his emotions.

Shikaku was supposed to be his alpha, sure, but in a fake marriage. Not... not in reality. He wasn't supposed to be possessive of the man's possessions. They weren't his to care about.

He remained quiet as he glared down at the white and blue container within his hands. His stomach was all up in knots once again. He wouldn't be able to eat anything now. But these two seemed focused on trying to get him to eat.

This... was so not what he was expecting to have happened when Shikamaru asked to speak to his father alone.

Admittedly, it was kind of nice. From the smells within the room, he could tell that neither Ino nor Chouji were preparing themselves for any kind of physical attack. And neither of them smelled even remotely angry. Just curious.

"Kiba."

"Yeah?"

Ino leveled him with steely blue eyes. "What do you even see in Shikaku?"

Now that question... There were so many different ways he could answer it. He could be honest- because there were so many things he saw in the man. But he could also lie and say the things he knew he was supposed to say, like his Elders would have liked. He could create a mixture of lies and honesty... or he could just keep quiet and refuse to say anything.

Clearing his throat, he shrugged. He couldn't blurt out all of his emotions just because he felt them. No... he needed to be smart about this. Strategic. Like... well... he had to think like Shikaku, for once.

He could... He could use this to cover up his past actions. Right? That seemed like a good way to play this... that his attraction to Shikaku had been the main reason for him to suddenly start acting so differently...

That's what he would do.

If they believed that all of his issues stemmed from Shikaku, then they wouldn't question him much more, he was sure.

Ino and Chouji were worried. Both of them knew something was up. They were worried that there was something worse than just an attraction going on around Kiba. If he wanted to make them think that everything that had happened with him was because of his feelings for Shikaku... then he needed to act as if he only thought the moon and stars of the man.

He could do that. Because... he kind of did...

"I guess I see what I want," he forced his lips into a soft smile- even though he noted it wasn't all that hard to do when he was thinking of all of Shikaku Nara's virtues. "He's incredibly selfless. To a crippling degree, if you ask me. He puts others' needs before his own and I find that to be so stupidly adorable..."

With another shrug, Kiba brought his right hand up to his face so he could scratch his cheek. He closed his eyes then, trying to focus on what he was saying rather than who he was saying it to. Because, honestly, thinking about Shikaku Nara and everything he found great about the man... it warmed up his body- made him feel nice. Safe.

"And he has a wicked sense of humor. He doesn't make me bust out laughing, sure, but he's always making me smile. And even though he's incredibly intelligent, he doesn't make me feel like an idiot when he explains something to me. I don't know where Shikamaru got that stick up his butt, but it's certainly not from Shikaku... This guy... he just... gets me."

It was natural to say all this.

And... it felt good to get it all off his chest. Even though these were Ino and Chouji- two people he knew, but didn't even know all that well... It was kind of refreshing to finally be able to speak his truth... He wasn't really acting anymore, was he? He had never even been acting. Everything he was saying... he meant it. These were all of the things he had come to know about Shikaku that he had slowly come to love; and it had taken him forever to notice his feelings.

He was an idiot.

"Even though he's twice my age, he doesn't make me feel like I'm too young for him. And..." he breathed in now, absolutely overwhelmed with being honest with himself and others for the first time in months. "He makes me feel safe. I've... I've never had that with anyone."

There was a moment of silence between them. Kiba's heart began to hammer in his chest, letting him know that now was the time to begin to freak out. Now may just be the moment when Ino and Chouji decided that he wasn't good enough for such a perfect man. And he... almost began to hyperventilate.

But then he heard Chouji whistle and his frenzied nerves slowed down, "You've got it bad."

Kiba's eyes flew open to look at the Akimichi, only to find him smiling warmly back at him. Then Ino knocked her knuckles against the desk, grabbing his attention.

"Kiba," Ino was smiling. Like, as if she was happy to have heard what he had said. "I think I agree with Chouji. You've got it bad for Shikaku." she shook her head then, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're adorable in love."

Kiba's heart stuttered.

Warmth began to fill his cheeks.

He ducked his head to keep Ino from seeing him blush.

He was in love with Shikaku Nara. There was no getting around that, huh?

"Well, that's pretty bad for a certain someone we know," Ino retracted her legs from the top of the desk and began to stand up. Kiba wanted to ask her just what in the world she was talking about, but she continued to talk over him, "But I kind of think we shouldn't give you a hard time. You seem like you really like Shikaku... Even though... you are aware of how shady your relationship looks, right?"

Painfully so.

Kiba hated it. Not because of the backlash he'd receive- he was an Inuzuka and he was accustomed to gossip and confusion about who he was and the things he did. No, he hated it because Shikaku didn't deserve anyone doubting him. He was a good man with a heart of gold. He deserved only the best. And... Kiba knew he deserved better than to be stuck with someone like him for the rest of his life. Arranged marriage or not, Shikaku Nara deserved so much more than Kiba Inuzuka.

"Yeah. I do. He just lost his wife and I just appeared out of nowhere..."

"Can you believe people are actually saying you're trying to get a promotion out of him?" Ino scoffed with a roll of her eyes, making her way towards the couch they were sitting on. "As if Shikaku'd ever be stupid enough to let anyone play him like that!"

She frowned, though, when she saw that the bento bowl had not even been touched by him.

"Eat, you nimrod." she did him the disfavor of taking off the lid from the container, then pointed down at the assorted meal within. "Do you have any idea how worried your team's been about you recently? And it's all been because of some crush on Shikamaru's father?"

Ino's words said one thing- just like her face and body language. But there was a hint of suspicion permeating her scent... and Kiba couldn't help but wonder just what in the world she was playing at.

What could Ino Yamanaka be suspicious about? Did she not believe his words? No... she smelled relieved, in a way... but... maybe he was imagining smells. Maybe his paranoia had finally got the better of him.

"I'm not hungry, though." he tried to push the bowl away, only for Ino to glare harshly at him.

"Do I have to get Sakura to remind you about proper nutrition?"

Kiba pursed his lips, "Ino, I'm not-"

He was lucky for the door to open right then and there. Because from the fire alight in Ino's eyes, he could tell that she wasn't about to let him get away with arguing about not eating. And from that very fire, he could tell that he hadn't imagined the smell of suspicion in her scent. She was calculating something. She was thinking too much.

Ino Yamanaka was up to something.

And Kiba's stomach dropped.

His son didn't hate him. Or, at least, that's what he insisted on.

"Look, I get that we just lost mom... and you're your own person- more than capable of making your own decisions. I know that you're not the kind of person to go through with impulses. So if you want to date Kiba, I'm not gonna stand in your way. But... There's going to be severe backlash on all of us. You, me, Kiba... I hope you're ready for that. And I hope you're ready to have to fight to keep this job. This whole thing... it's suspicious, dad. And at the end of the day, you're his superior."

Shikamaru was correct. On everything he said. And Shikaku had already thought about all of those worries; thought up of different reasons to give to different people that questioned the validity of his and Kiba's relationship.

But these doubts and worries... coming from his son... it hurt.

The last thing Shikamaru had told him before he had been allowed to walk back into his office had been simple, yet scathing. "I just don't want you to get hurt, dad."

Shikamaru was looking out for him. Shikaku knew this. And he was even, in his own way, grateful for it.

But he had honestly expected his son to question his intentions. He could stomach that from Kakashi and other jounin. He could understand it from the Hokage and other people in post of power. And he could assuage it from those Kiba's age... But he had not thought that his own flesh and blood would be the one to think of him in such a disapproving manner.

Now Kiba and he were alone once more. Team 10 had left them some ten minutes ago. Shikamaru had told him that he and Chouji would bring dinner home so they could eat together. He'd invited Kiba to come over if he wanted to; Akamaru too.

Shikaku knew that this was Shikamaru's way of extending an olive branch to the Inuzuka. He knew that this was his son attempting to show Kiba that there were no ill-feelings towards him and that there was some kind of acceptance to their relationship.

When Shikamaru and he had returned to the office, it was to find Ino standing directly in front of Kiba, glaring down at him in a way that clearly read of some kind of confrontation. But as soon as she had seen that he and Shikamaru stepped in, she had taken a step back and looked towards them, smiling over at him and his son.

Immediately he had known that Ino was up to something. Much like Chouji. He just didn't know if Shikamaru had put them up to it or if they had acted on their own accord. But all three had left his office rather quickly afterwards, leaving him with Kiba once again.

They were alone.

Why did his office feel so suffocating?

"Shikaku, I've got something I've got to tell you."

Kiba had been glaring down at his hands for a while. Shikaku was seated at his chair, even though it felt somewhat off- as if someone had pushed the back a bit downwards so he was leaning back more than he actually enjoyed. But he hadn't moved to see if anything had changed to the chair's usual settings. He had been much too busy thinking to pay attention to such a thing.

Numbly, he blinked himself back into reality. Then he looked over at the teenager, only to find him seated stiffly on his couch. He had a small frown on his lips and his eyes were clouded with worry.

He was... very tired.

"Scooch over, kid." he mumbled while he dragged himself up from the seat, then slowly made his way towards the couch. "Don't you feel like taking a nap?"

Kiba's eyes followed him as he moved towards the couch. Shikaku could tell the kid was worried, but he really just wanted to lay down and close his eyes, if only for a moment.

Today wouldn't be a productive work day, he was aware. But he may just be able to rest a little bit before the day was over.

"You look like you've just gone three rounds against Lady Tsunade." Kiba remarked with a slight huff, "You sure you don't want to go back to your house? I can close up shop here."

He couldn't sleep all that well at his house. Maybe it was because it felt so empty. Maybe it was because he had so much stress built up around his shoulders and neck that he just wasn't comfortable in his own bed. Or maybe it was simply because he had so many issues running around in his life that he just couldn't rest properly anymore. But there was one thing Shikaku did know- he had been able to sleep a bit with Kiba near him.

"Nah, it'll just be for a few minutes." he breathed out heavily as he collapsed on the couch, a few inches away from Kiba. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"It's kind of serious." Kiba let him know after a few minutes of heavily silence. "Maybe I should leave you alone while you rest."

He hadn't noticed he'd closed his eyes until he opened them upon hearing Kiba's tired tone. So he turned his face to the left, so he could check up on the kid, only to find him looking him over with worry clear on his face.

Great. Now Kiba was worried.

"No, I can talk. I'm just pretty tired, is all." he sat up a bit, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded towards the Inuzuka. "If it's serious enough you want to talk about it, I've got no issue doing so right now. Besides, no way I could rest properly if I was worried over a serious talk."

He was incredibly tired.

But suddenly seeing Kiba so worried about him made him alert. He was supposed to be the adult in this situation, after all. And here was the kid suddenly worried about his own sake because he was letting his stupid emotions get the better of him.

He was just tired; that's probably all it was. All of this illogical feeling and worry- all born from the fact that he hadn't been able to get a proper night's sleep last night.

Kiba frowned, but soon sighed and looked away. "Well, it's two things I gotta tell you. First of all, I'm sorry for ditching you last night... I kissed you outta nowhere and ran... It was a dick move."

It was.

But Shikaku didn't blame Kiba for having done such a thing. He was aware that this was Kiba Inuzuka: a teenager, an Inuzuka, and a person under incredible amounts of stress. While kissing him out of the blue had completely caught him off guard- specifically because of the way that Shikaku had suddenly felt... Shikaku hadn't minded. And he'd understood the running away afterwards.

"You don't have to apologize." he shook his head.

"I do." Kiba stated sternly, "I should've at least warned you about the kiss. And then I ran away... and the I show up at your office with those three trailing me... It's no wonder you're so tired."

Shikaku understood why the kid felt that he had to apologize. But there really was no need for it.

Slowly, he raised his left hand up to Kiba's head. Once it was directly above his hair, he pressed down softly and patted him reassuringly. And as he did this, he allowed his eyes to close.

"You're forgiven."

He didn't need an apology. But he was aware that Kiba would just keep pushing until he accepted it. So he may as well give in before Kiba continued drowning in his own worries.

A few minutes of silence passed between them. Shikaku's hand slowly ran down to the back of the kid's head, wrapping his fingers into soft dark hair. And the feel of it... was nice.

"Hmm... what's the second thing?"

Kiba could tell that Shikaku was tired.

But he really needed to tell the Nara the truth about his feelings.

He couldn't stand seeing Shikaku like this. Not only did he look tired, but he also looked defeated. He didn't know what in the world Shikamaru had told him, but it had clearly affected him more than his own talk with Ino and Chouji. Whatever it was that Shikamaru had told his father, it had seemed to age him unlike anything else that had happened in the past few months.

Shikaku had lost a wife, forced into an arrange marriage, and had found all the amount of work he had to tend to multiply in the last few months. But all of that, the guy had taken in stride. He hadn't complained; he'd just accepted it all. But now...

Kiba hated seeing Shikaku like this.

But... he had to admit... it felt really nice to have the man's hand in his hair. He wasn't moving it or anything, it was just there. But it felt reassuring, calming... and from the fact that he hadn't pulled his hand away from his hair, Kiba guessed that Shikaku found some kind of comfort in the action too.

He needed to tell Shikaku how he felt. He needed to explain why it was that he had ran away after forcing him into that kiss. And he needed them to clear the air between them as soon as possible.

His life was filled with enough drama as it was. He didn't want to add 'feeling awkward around Shikaku' to the long list of shitty things in his life.

Sure, addressing his true feelings may make Shikaku feel awkward around him. But Kiba didn't like the fact that he was essentially taking advantage of Shikaku's kindness without the guy knowing the truth of his intentions.

He wanted Shikaku to show him physical affection. He loved the man's attention. But it was wrong to luxuriate in such comforts when Shikaku was giving them without knowing his reality.

Besides, that conversation with Ino and Chouji... it really had let him see how much he enjoyed just being near the guy. And now that he knew his truth, he was sure there was no way he could continue acting as if his feelings for Shikaku had never evolved. Because they had. And if there was one thing Inuzuka were horrible at, it was keeping their passion hidden.

"Shikaku, I like you."

He had to treat this confession like a band-aid. He needed to just get it over with as quickly as he could before he stopped himself because of his doubts and worries.

The hand in his hair froze.

Kiba winced and closed his eyes, bringing his elbows to rest on his knees, then his chin onto his raised hands.

Now, all he needed to do was prepare himself for the eventual rejection coming his way. Shikaku was probably going to try and spare his feelings- the guy was still incredibly kind, after all. He would probably just tell him that it was nice and all, but he probably only started thinking he liked the guy because of the situation they were in.

Damn.

Had he screwed up?

Oh fuck, he had, hadn't he?

Why was he so damn impulsive? Why couldn't he ever stop to think before he put his damn foot in his mouth?

Honestly, he was preparing himself to run away again. His body was coiled before he had even noticed it- subconsciously, he'd readied himself to bolt as soon as Shikaku rejected him.

It was all for naught.

The hand that had frozen in his hair began to rub soothing circles into his scalp with its thumb. And he heard Shikaku sigh softly.

Minutes had passed before Shikaku answered him.

"I like you too, kid."

Kiba frowned- for once, actually feeling patronized by Shikaku.

He turned to look at the man, only to find him with his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips.

"Dude, you don't-"

"Kiba," Shikaku interrupted, cracking one eye open so he could look at him.

Kiba could only blink at the absolute warmth within those eyes.

"If you're going to get sappy on me, kid, we're going to have some issues."

Okay...

"You're confusing me."

Shikaku had never been one for romance. He hadn't even been the kind to get crushes, when he was younger. So, no, he wasn't the kind of person that would be able to consider himself any good at romance.

Emotions were troublesome. Feelings were more trouble than they were worth. Life would be so much easier if people actually thought about things logically before they acted on impulse.

But Kiba was the personification of such a human nature... and Shikaku, honestly, couldn't find it within himself to be bothered by such a nature.

There were many truths to his relationship with Kiba. At this point in time, there seemed to be more truths than lies in their supposedly fake marriage.

And there were quite a few things that Shikaku enjoyed about the kid. There were many flaws the kid had that should have bothered him... but they didn't. There were virtues he could only admire. And there was a magic to his presence that Shikaku had never admitted to himself; but hadn't denied either.

He didn't know just how much Kiba liked him. He didn't even know what the kid meant, exactly, by what he had said.

But Shikaku did know it was only a matter of time before they were officially married and living in the same house. And he also knew that there were worse people he could have ended up with.

He wasn't very good with emotions or feeling... but even he could admit to himself that having Kiba Inuzuka around, in many ways, made his day better.

With a small smile, he patted the teenager's head one final time before he began to pull his hand away.

"I mean that you're not the worst person to like. And I like you too. Don't know how much. But I may as well be honest about this much." he murmured with a shrug, hand slowly falling down to fall on the couch cushions all the while he closed his eye once again.

He was sure that this conversation was supposed to be heavy and serious. But now all he could feel at the moment was... peace.

Instead of his hand meeting with the cushion, it fell on top of an upturned palm. And Shikaku questioned what in the world that meant, but he soon figured out that Kiba had placed his hand in between Shikaku's own hand and the couch.

"Wait a sec, Shikaku..."

With a small groan, Shikaku opened both of his eyes and looked at Kiba. He took stock of the absolutely shocked look to the kid's face... and smiled softly. "Like me enough to give me a couple minutes of shut eye before you continue trying to wheedle me into such a heavy conversation?"

Had...

What...

Kiba stared in complete astonishment as Shikaku closed his eyes one final time.

He had just confessed to Shikaku. And Shikaku had... had Shikaku just said that he liked him back?

Kiba was confused. He was absolutely lost at the moment.

But Shikaku still had not moved his hand away from his own, even now as he made himself more comfortable on the couch to be able to finally get the shut eye they both knew he deserved.

There were a thousand different thoughts flying around his head. The one that bothered him the most was the one that let him know that Shikaku had only said such things to shut him up so he could go back to sleep; Shikaku had lied just to keep their relationship amicable.

The man wasn't above lying, he knew... but...

"Kid, close your eyes. Take a nap with me. I can hear your brains turning."

"But, Shikaku-"

The hand above his curled around him. And then, without really saying anything, tugged his hand upwards and towards him. Kiba's eyes narrowed as he looked at the hand, but he quietly allowed Shikaku to pull him close. Slowly, he had scooched over so he was sitting right beside Shikaku. Then, once they were shoulder to shoulder, Shikaku's hand let go of his so his left arm could wrap around his shoulders.

Beside himself, Kiba felt heat rise up in his face as the heat from Shikaku's body began to seep into his side.

"Y'know," Shikaku's voice was low and tired, yet, somewhat content. "I wasn't able to sleep all that well last night. But something strange happened when I closed my eyes for a while with you beside me; I was actually able to sleep for a bit. So let me have a few minutes of silence. Maybe you'll get some nice sleep too."

Kiba's heart slowly began to pick up, the fact that he was pulled in so tight beside Shikaku suddenly dawning on him.

But the man's words... they were... really nice.

He had no idea what was going on or what they were doing. But he was at least sure of one thing: the best sleep he had gotten ever since he had been told he would have to marry Shikaku had been when Shikaku was nearby.

So... yeah... he could enjoy this for a bit.

Allowing his head to relax against Shikaku's chest, Kiba decided to close his eyes.

..~..~..

I'm not incredibly proud of this chapter. But it's been a while since I last updated and these are the scenes I had planned to write to continue, so... it's something, I guess.

Please review!