Shino looks decidedly uncomfortable.
The girl talking to him looks pleased and not entirely innocent, letting a wayward hand drift down his unusually bare arm. Her green eyes are striking and her posture suggestive, in a way that would probably be terribly attractive to anyone who was not Shino Aburame.
You almost wonder why the poor girl hasn't given up yet, because the look Shino is giving her very nearly screams Fuck someone is trying to talk to me. What the hell do I do now?
Kiba is seething.
It's terribly ironic considering that this was his idea to begin with, but nonetheless as the two of you peer furtively out from the corner, his abnormally sharp nails are clenched against his palm and if he scowls any further he'll be baring his equally sharp teeth.
You look silently back at Akamaru, who whines in quiet exasperation at his owner.
It's been a long day.
It had all started with The Sunglasses Incident, as you had taken to calling it within the relative safety of your own mind.
Needless to say, both yourself and Kiba had been rather surprised to find that Shino had very, very nice eyes.
That seemed to be the consensus, so long as your definition of nice equated to heated, intense, and just this side of seductive.
You think maybe it has something to do with the fact that his eyes are sensitive, and thus always half-lidded when not covered with his trademark glasses. After all the Aburame have more self control then to go around squinting or anything so childish.
Either way, you couldn't help but think that maybe your canine loving teammate might have become just a touch too absorbed in taking advantage of the fact.
"He seriously needs to get laid." Kiba said casually, as if that in itself explained everything, when all it really did was make you blush. "Or a girlfriend at the very least. You know, someone to get him out and doing things. He's always way too stuck in his own head. He's going to snap one of these days at the rate he's going. It's not healthy, not healthy at all. You know? Besides his birthday's coming up and we need to get him a present. "
You nod weakly. "I… I guess… but why the optometrist?"
Kiba grins mischievously.
"You'll see."
Shino looked down warily at the two packages that were unloaded into his lap. They were wrapped rather colorfully and looked suspiciously like…
"Happy Birthday Shino!" "Ha-Happy Birthday, Shino-kun."
He stared down at the presents silently. You almost feel a little bad for disturbing him, as he had seemed so contented with his book and the cool shade of the tree he was sitting under.
"The gesture is unnecessary…" He began stiffly. Kiba frowned at him. "…but nonetheless appreciated."
"Well? Aren't you going to open them?" Kiba asked excitedly, crouching down as if to get a better look.
"Must I?" He replied uneasily, looking to you for support on the matter.
'Just go with the plan. No worries.' Kiba had said.
"A-Actually, if you w-wouldn't mind…"
Shino let out a slight sigh of resignation. "Very well."
Taking the smaller of the two boxes, he methodically peeled away the tape, removing the wrapping paper in one undamaged sheet. Lifting the lid to the box revealed a small bottle of liquid and a case for—
"Contacts?" He said with the barest hint of confusion. "I don't need a prescription though…"
You fidget nervously. This is technically your part of Shino's overall birthday present. "Th-They're not p-p-prescription… they're …special…"
Feeling the need to investigate further, he opened one side of the case and pulled one of the contacts out. It was tinted, in a manner rather similar to his sunglasses.
Kiba was kind enough to take over the explanation.
"We had the guy at the eye doctor's make them especially for you. So that you wouldn't have to wear your sunglasses all the time. They even gave us a discount because the Aburame Clan does so much business with them!"
He seemed to mull the idea over somewhat skeptically, and placed the contact back into its case.
"I appreciate the thought. Thank you." He said formally. You could tell he was trying to hide that he thought the idea was rather ridiculous.
Kiba seemed none the wiser.
"Alright! That was part one, now for part two!"
Shino looks to the larger package, repeating the meticulous process of removing the wrapping paper. Kiba's wrapping job was notably less precise, and thus took longer to undo, and your rambunctious teammate looked ready to tear the paper to pieces by the time Shino finished.
This time, the lid opened to reveal clothes.
This was Kiba's part of the collective gift and it showed.
The topmost item was a deep grayish-blue shirt with a short collar and mid-length sleeves. It was rather tailored, probably a little more than the quiet boy was used to. Below it was a pair of black pants that, like the shirt, would probably fit more snugly than he would have preferred.
Shino glanced between the contents of the box and a proudly grinning Kiba.
"Pretty nice, huh?"
"Kiba…" Shino started hesitantly. "While once again, I appreciate the thought… why?"
"Well obviously you're going to need something for tonight, and I kind of doubt you'd have anything good in your wardrobe."
Shino's posture became suspicious. "Tonight…?"
Kiba only grinned wider, savoring the fact that he finally had Shino stumped for once.
"That's part four! Kurenai's present is part three. She's letting us take a break from evening training so we can get you ready!"
While Kiba was talking, Shino took on a slightly defensive position, no doubt already planning escape routes.
"Ready for what, pray tell?"
Kiba's grin only grew wider. "It's a secret. You just have to trust us!"
Shino looked anything but trusting and you somehow managed to speak up before he executed one of the aforementioned escapes.
"Um! Shino-k-kun, I know you probably d-don't want to go along with this, but… Kiba… and I… we wanted t-to do something nice for you. As teammates. C-Couldn't you please just humor us?"
It was a low blow, pulling the teammate card that Shino himself used so often, but hard as it was to imagine, you wanted this for Shino almost as badly as Kiba did.
Shino was a very contented sort of person. He wasn't really competitive in the sense that he wanted to be the best of the best, nor did he strive to gain acknowledgement from his peers. He was already regarded as strong (creepy, but strong) and he trained and improved at his own rate. It was system that would work for very few other people, but he had utilized it well thus far.
But really, you worried for him. With that complacency, you felt like Shino never really challenged himself, pushed himself any further than was necessary, which left the tremendous amount of potential he had to go to waste. The only time he ever seemed to step out of that steady schedule of self-regimented training was in dire emergencies or when he felt like Kiba needed a lesson in modestly. So you thought, maybe, that if Shino could find someone he loved, more so than family and teammates at least, then maybe he would find in himself the need to improve, to protect that precious person.
That and, heartfelt reasons aside, Shino really needed to get out more.
Really.
As in even you could tell.
Of course, unaware of these sentiments, Shino was giving you a rather disbelieving look, considering that this was probably the only time you had ever sided with Kiba on one of his ridiculous ideas.
"P-Please?" You repeat hopefully.
Shino's shoulders slump slightly with resignation.
"…Very well. Shall we depart then?"
You were becoming increasingly sure that you had lost your mind.
Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata were chatting in hushed voices in your room, no doubt discussing the details of the night that they felt no need to inform you of.
It was… concerning. But you trusted them not to drag you into anything too traumatizing. You knew they had your best interests at heart. They were your teammates after all.
Or at least that was the thought you consoled yourself with as you stared down your strangely foreign image in the mirror.
The clothes were rather… fitted, to say the least, and Kiba's more attention-grabbing sense of style showed through them clearly. Not to mention your eyes. They looked rather different. Darker. No doubt because of the shaded contacts
"Hey Shino, are you almost done in there!? I swear you take longer to get ready than my sister!"
You scowled slightly at Kiba's snide remark and surprise yourself, as your expression was now unobstructed by both collar and glasses.
I'll have to work on that.
"My apologies Kiba," You replied without any real regret, finally exiting the bathroom. "I am unaccustomed to this particular mode of dress."
And they stared.
Or at least, Kiba stared and Hinata turned red and became inexplicably absorbed with petting Akamaru.
"What?" You asked, smothering the creeping uncertainty that had been stalking you ever since the beginning of this nonsense, and tried to look unaffected.
Kiba finally seemed to get a hold of himself.
"…Damn Shino, this is going to be easier than I thought." He said with no small amount of awe. "Although…"
You're not sure what to make of his sudden approach and reacted just a touch to late to stop him from grabbing fistfuls of your shirt and pulling up to untuck it from your pants. By the time he finished you managed to step back and bring your arms in front of yourself protectively, by force of instinct alone. This proved ultimately fruitless however as he next reached up past your arms to generally ruffle your hair, his face coming entirely too close to yours to be strictly comfortable.
He stood back and gave you a quick once over, grinning proudly.
"There, now it's perfect!"
You felt vaguely violated, but refuse to acknowledge being bothered by it.
"Kiba, would you mind informing me of what sort of activity we will be participating in that requires this change of attire?" You said with the last of your god-like patience.
Kiba huffed.
"What? So you don't trust Hinata and I? You can't even bring yourself to have faith in your own teammates?"
Damn it he just had to drag Hinata into this…
"No," You replied placidly. "I'm merely curious as to what would entail this sort of prerequisite."
Kiba gave you that look that communicated his distaste for you choice of vocabulary.
"Well if you have to know…" He grumbles. "…we're going to find you a girlfriend."
This time you stared.
"I beg your pardon?"
"WE-ARE-GOING-TO-FIND-YOU-A-GIRLFRIEND." Kiba repeats irritably. "What does your lack of glasses mess up your hearing, too?"
You continue to stare.
Kiba fidgeted under your gaze, and a strangely detached part of you mind thinks you might have seen the barest hint of a blush peeking out from his red tattoos.
"Damn it, would you stop staring at me like that and say something!?"
"Why?"
"Why? Because it looks like your about to eat me or something. It's creepy!"
You're still too shocked to properly retort, so you settle on clarifying.
"No, why a girlfriend?"
"O-Oh… Well because you need to get out more man, seriously."
"So ultimately all this was so that I could get a girlfriend?" You reiterated.
"Yep!"
"For my birthday?"
"Well yeah!"
"Kiba… you do realize—"
"Um! …Sh-Shino-kun …K-Kiba-kun…"
You both simultaneously look over to Hinata, only slightly surprised she had the courage to interrupt you.
"Um… it's s-starting to get late…"
Sure enough, a quick glance out the window revealed that night had fallen.
Did I really take that long?
"Late? What are you talking about Hinata? The night is still young!" Kiba said energetically, grabbing both your and Hinata's wrists and leading you out of the Aburame household. "But we do need to get going, or else all the hot chicks will be taken!"
You couldn't help but scowl slightly. "You have experience with this?"
You'd be tempted to say that Kiba stumbled slightly when you asked, but his stride was relatively sloppy anyways, so…
"N-Not that much, I mean it's pretty common knowledge… You guys are just out of the loop."
You sigh and let it go, opting instead to enjoy the cool night air, the faint twinkling of stars, Hinata's soft breaths of exertion to keep up, and Kiba's warm, steady grip against your wrist.
Maybe this won't be such a bad birthday after all.
After about 15 minutes of jogging, you found yourself in one of the more backwater streets of the city, bustling with teenagers and young adults. If memory served, this was an area right on the edge of the pleasure district and home to many bars and clubs.
You must have been making a pretty disapproving face, because Kiba obviously felt the need to placate you.
"Easy there Shino, we won't go into any of the clubs or bars or anything. I know we aren't old enough, but that doesn't stop us from hanging around outside, right?" He explains, grinning wolfishly.
You nodded indifferently. You almost wish this place was further away so you would have spent more time walking. But alas, you were here for a…
…I really wish we were still walking.
"Oh nice! Over here you guys, here are a couple of crates we can sit on." You heard Kiba yell from a little ways away.
Kiba and Hinata ended up sitting and you stood, despite there being plenty of room. That way if there were an attack for some reason you would be better prepared to act.
Shino looks like he'd rather be dead.
The stupid whore talking to him looks so self-satisfied, putting her hands where they clearly aren't wanted. She's wearing way too much make-up and is shamelessly flaunting her cleavage, in a way that Shino sure as hell doesn't appreciate.
You really wish she'd just get a clue and fuck off, because the look Shino is giving her very clearly screams Please just go the fuck away, I do not want to talk to you.
You're seething.
And you're not sure why.
You and Hinata had only left for a second to go get drinks while Shino guarded your seats, but then you come back and see this.
That sleazy whore is sitting in my seat!
It looks like Shino is actually saying something now, like he's trying to get her to move.
Ha! Kiba: 1 Stuck-up Whore: 0
You think you hear Akamaru make a scolding growl, but it's probably just the din of the crowd.
You feel a hand on your arm. "Um… Kiba-kun…"
"What!?" You snap irritably and immediately regret it.
Poor Hinata's been on edge ever since some guy tried to pick her up. It was kind of funny and the guy actually hadn't seemed that bad, but Hinata had looked about ready to pass out so you had chased him off.
However you're female teammate is not a stuttering apologetic mess or a step away from an emotional meltdown like you had anticipated. In fact it almost looks like she had been expecting that kind of reaction.
"Kiba-kun… you're…" She bites her lip nervously. "You're growling…"
You blink dumbly.
"Huh?"
"Is… there something wrong with that girl?" She probes hesitantly.
"Well duh, just look at her! She looks like she'd ask Shino to pay her at the end of the night!"
"K-Kiba-kun!" She stutters disapprovingly. "That's terrible!"
"Oh come on Hinata! Shino deserves a way better girlfriend then that!"
Hinata frowns lightly and fiddles with her jacket sleeve, muttering something under her breath.
You give her a questioning look.
"…like what…"
"What?"
"You s-say that Sh-Shino-kun deserves a b-better girlfriend. S-So what kind of g-girlfriend? Wh-What kind of c-criteria are you using?"
You choke, nothing really comes to mind. "W-Well… I dunno…just… not like that, okay?! She's no good, just trust me. I have a good sense for these things!"
She doesn't look convinced and you can't believe you're getting shut down by Hinata.
After a brief lapse in conversation and a few nervous glances in Shino's direction Hinata's eyes widen and her cheeks redden.
"Wait… K-Kiba-kun… could it be… are you… jealous?"
"WHAT!? I'm not jealous of that stupid whore and I'm not gay!"
Despite your extensive history together and many, many blunders, you think this is the first time the girl has ever looked at you like you're an idiot.
"N-No Kiba-kun… I meant the other way… that you're jealous of Shino-kun… but…"
"Shit! Wait, Hinata I'm serious I'm not—"
A shrill scream interrupts you and all eyes are on Shino and the girl as she slaps him and runs away.
Shino looks dumbstruck and inexplicably relieved as you and Hinata run over to him, cradling the offended cheek.
"Dude! Shino, what happened!? Are you okay!?" You say worriedly, pulling his hand away too look at his face. "What did you say to her?"
He gives you an odd look briefly before dodging your eyes.
"Nothing." He says in a surprisingly dispassionate voice, holding up a finger to reveal a Kikaichu. "One came out."
You quickly cover your mouth, doing your best not to laugh, but you find it escaping anyways and Hinata is doing her best to smother a giggle too.
The whole situation is just so… Shino that it's hilarious.
Shino himself frowns in confusion at your reaction, but it eventually dissipates into an awkward sort of half-grin that only makes you smile more.
It takes a few minutes for you to completely work through your laughing fit, and before your done you can't help but take a jab at Shino.
"Fuck… Shino that's too funny. I thought you had absolute control over those things."
He keeps a perfectly straight face, but you can hear the mirth in his voice as he speaks.
"I do."
And you burst out laughing anew.
No one else approaches you for the rest of the night.
This may or may not be a product of Kiba's subconscious growling or the constant presence of one or two Kikaichu on your exposed skin at all times, but you ultimately decide not to question it and enjoy your teammate's company.
At the moment, you're becoming increasingly certain that the walk home has been your favorite part this whole endeavor.
The night is cool and broad, filled with the icy stars above you, the vivid city lights behind you, and the comfortable laughter of your friends echoing all around you.
It's not quite perfect, but it's close enough for you.
Oddly enough, Hinata is the first to break off from the group, muttering something about errands and if she could talk with Kiba for just a second.
You smile ever so slightly to yourself, vaguely amused by the fact that Hinata was making the first move. The girl's confidence had been building for a while now, and she could more or less talk to anyone besides Naruto with her head held high. It filled you with a peculiar sort of paternal pride to see how she was maturing. Nonetheless, you still would have imagined Kiba being the one to ask her out. Besides, there had been no outward signs that her crush on Naruto had waned, so it was somewhat out of the blue.
Regardless, you're pretty sure that Kiba has been harboring a crush on her since your genin team was formed, so to see something finally come of it was pleasing, if not vaguely ironic, considering that you were supposed to be the one with the girlfriend at the end of the night.
You can't say you're really jealous either. As stated, your feelings for Hinata were closer to paternal than romantic, and your unemotive tendencies wouldn't give her the kind of reassurance she needed besides.
It was better this way.
Kiba is sputtering inelegantly and you can't help but acknowledge that on some level, this is kind of cute.
"Y-Y-You want me to what!?"
Naturally, however, you only have eyes for Naruto-kun.
"Kiba-kun," You don't know where the sudden firmness to your tone has come from, but you find yourself rather liking it. "This whole denial thing… you suck at it. I'm sorry."
Ah that's right, it probably came from being forced to watch Kiba growl possessively at every person who came within a two meter radius of them all night long. It had actually gotten to the point where it had been so obvious that even Shino asked about it, though pinning it as an unpleasant smell or something of the like.
"N-No way! I'm serious Hinata! I'm not gay and I don't like Shino! Right Akamaru!?"
Akamaru whines disbelievingly from the ground near Kiba's feet.
"Shit, not you too!"
Akamaru barks accusingly at Kiba and you watch him wince a few times and turn red, and you start to really wish you knew what he was saying.
"Sh-Shut up! That was only twice! It happens!"
More barking.
"No I was not!"
A low growl.
"F-Fine! Okay! Maybe I was... but I'm telling you it's not like that!"
Akamaru huffs wryly, barking a few more times, and Kiba looks appalled.
"Oh that's a low blow, dude, low blow."
Another growl.
"Look man, I think he's attractive. Sure. I mean hell, with eyes like that…" Kiba seems to catch himself and cuts the train of thought off. "It doesn't mean I like him like that…"
Another string of barks.
"Oh fuck you! Like you were any better with that high-strung little Lhasa—"
Akamaru seems to deflate, and Kiba's hand shoots up to cover his mouth guiltily.
"—Shit. I'm sorry boy, I didn't mean to bring that up. I know how much you liked her—"
Akamaru starts barking again with renewed vigor and Kiba seems somehow touched.
"Akamaru… I …I know where you're coming from man, I really do, but… I mean—Shino's a guy! And what if he—!?"
Akamaru cuts in with a few growling barks and Kiba chews on his lip sulkily.
"Fine! Fine! I get it already! I'll try asking him out." Kiba finally yells in defeat. "Fuck. This is going to be so awkward. He's going to look at me like I'm and idiot and—"
Akamaru snorts and lets out a few joking barks. Kiba seems slightly thrown off by it and starts laughing.
"Shit, that would so be worth it!" He laughs wryly before softening a little. "Thanks man, you always know the right thing to say." He pauses moment. "But if this goes horribly wrong I am so blaming it on you."
Aside from feeling utterly forgotten once again, you don't think you've ever wished you could understand animals as much as you do right now.
"Shino you ass! You left without me!" You yell at the retreating figure's back.
Shino turns back towards you and pauses so you can catch up.
"My apologies, I assumed you would be walking Hinata home." He replies blandly, starting to walk again.
You move to match his pace. "No, she just wanted to talk to me about… something private."
"I figured as much—" You stop dead in your tracks. "—but I was under the impression that it was proper etiquette to walk your girlfriend home."
You breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn't noticed your odd behavior.
"Yeah, I guess but—WAIT WHAT!?"
Shino stops again to look at you questioningly. "Am I mistaken?"
"No—er—Yes! I mean—! I don't—! Hinata's not my girlfriend!"
He looks decidedly unbothered. "Oh? I thought she was going to ask you out. I'm sorry."
"You really thought Hinata was going to ask me out?"
"She's grown more confident lately."
"Yeah I guess…"
Kiba-kun, this whole denial thing… you suck at it. I'm sorry.
"No, definitely." You correct yourself and Shino doesn't ask.
Akamaru snaps at your heels impatiently and barks. Quit stalling you scaredy cat!
"I'm getting to it!"
He snorts mockingly and trotting ahead to give you and Shino some space. Sure you are.
"Getting to what?" Shino asks suddenly.
"Ah! Well…" You rub the back of your neck nervously and you hate yourself for blushing a little. Fuck. This is even more awkward than I thought it would be. "Um, speaking of girlfriends…"
"It's fine." Shino says dismissively and you tense up. Fine? What's fine? Having a girlfriend? Dating? Kissing? Taking me here and now because fuck those EYES. "I didn't really want a girlfriend anyways."
"…huh?" Shino pins you with a confused look and you shudder slightly. "Er…Right, tonight didn't really work out like I had hoped…"
Shino shrugs it off, looking away, and suddenly you can think properly again. The scenery is starting to look familiar and you realize that your house is all of twenty feet away.
You barely contain a groan.
Shit, it's like I've walked right into a scene from some shallow, repulsively sweet teen romance novel or something. An awkward confession under the stars, standing in front of my house after a night out and everything. Fuck I think I'm going to be sick.
You fiddle with the latch on the gate and it clacks open noisily.
"Uh… Do you want to come in or anything…?" You say uncertainly, grasping for some way to get out of this. You look back towards Shino and instantly regret it.
He's looking straight at you, with a mix of worry and frustration that looks entirely too much like ravenous intent for your comfort. You curse yourself for the millionth time that night for coming up with the whole contacts and clothes bit because you swear your knees would have given out if not for the support of the gate.
"Just say it Kiba."
"S-Say what?" You reply by pure reflex.
"You look like your about to explode unless you get a chance to divulge whatever burden it is you're baring right now. So just say it."
"Wouldyougooutwithme?" You're almost thankful for being so wound up, because the words spill out before you can worry much about saying them.
"Slower Kiba." Shino says soothingly.
"Would… Would you go out with me?" You repeat hesitantly.
Shino looks vaguely confused and you realize your mistake. "Of co—"
"NO! No, no, no, no, no. Stop right there, because I know that your about to say something so socially retarded that only you could come up with it and completely ignore what I was trying to ask you. So just shut up and let me rephrase that."
Shino looks slightly perturbed by the hand that had been shoved in his face to get him to stop talking, but kept quiet.
"I want you to go out with me… like boyfriends—No, not a friend that's a boy.—Romantically and all that crap. You know… dating and kissing and the like."
Shino blinks widely at you and the awkwardness hits you like a wave. "Oh."
"Um… yeah… so…"
Shino seems to start saying something at least five times an ends up with "That was unexpected."
You always though people were exaggerating when they talked about wanting crawl into a hole and die.
"Look man, if you don't want to—"
"May I have a while to think about it?" Shino interrupts uncharacteristically, seeming slightly more composed that before.
"Yes! Er…I mean, sure if you want…"
"Thank you." He says stiffly and turns to leave. "Good night Kiba."
"Yeah…Night Shino…" You reply somewhat dumbly, leaning back onto the gate as you close it, looking at Akamaru.
"Is that good or bad?"
Akamaru huffs and bounds inside. That's pathetic, is what that was. He barks a few more times from inside. And that's coming from a member of a species that sniffs each other's butts to say hello.
You feel the blush creeping back and mumble to yourself. "It wasn't that bad."
"No, it definitely was."
Your stomach sinks as you look up to see Hana grinning mockingly, in a way that only an older sister can manage, and you think you can hear your mother busting a gut from somewhere in the house.
"Oh son of a—"
AN: Sorry there's no real ending to this, but this is probably the closest that you'll be getting. Besides, what with me being a ShinoKiba shipper, you can probably guess where this is going. Thanks for reading! :D