Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.
Not everything worth saying is said in words.
Hinata had watched from the sidelines for so long before Naruto had seen her standing there, waiting ever so patiently with a shy smile just for him.
Shino saw that smile every day, but it wasn't the same as being on the receiving end of it. It was like eating candy that belonged so someone else, or putting on his father's sandals. It just felt... wrong.
But no matter how much Shino wished Hinata would have chosen him to bestow her smile upon, no matter how much he longed to run his hands through her hair, or feel the satin-smooth surfaces of her lips, he knew he would never let her know how he felt. As long as she continued to wait faithfully for Naruto, Shino would never interfere.
Not everything worth saying is said in words, but Hinata's disinterest couldn't have been clearer.