It had been two weeks since the eventful mission, and Squad Eight was back on the training grounds. Shino sat on the ground, legs crossed, hands perched on his knees as he observed the way his beetles tracked over his skin and into the grass. Discerning any potential emerging of his insects was one of the quieter responsibilities of being a part of the Aburame clan. Shino was grateful for the task; it left him in solitude, crouched in the cool shade away from anyone's suspicious glances.
Hinata was none the wiser. She'd managed to take down the rogue ninja on her own, dodging his attacks and hitting him with several small, well-placed punches. He'd been taken into custody for questioning and the documents had been restored. It was a textbook mission takedown. But at the debriefing, Shino was unable to relax. He still cringed at the memory.
"So, Hinata nabbed the perpetrator on her own," said Lady Tsunade, rifling through several documents. "What happened to you two?"
Shino shrunk his face deeper into his collar. "The culprit utilized…some kind of weaponized smoke bomb."
Catching his lead, Kiba nodded eagerly. "It knocked us out, clean like a light! We woke up and our chakra was completely drained."
"Drained?" Tsunada leaned in closer, elbows on her desk, fingers laced. "What do you mean, drained?"
Shino paused. He glanced at Kiba, who was sweating bullets. "I can't explain it," he said slowly. "It was like…during the time we were unconscious…our chakra left us."
"Like it leaked out somehow," Kiba added, thinking he was being helpful. Shino was grateful he wasn't prone to blushing, otherwise he'd be beet red. His ears might be burning, but that could easily just be the insects.
"Leaked out…" Tsunada frowned, looking utterly perplexed. "I've never heard of such a thing. You didn't manage to obtain a sample of this smoke bomb, did you? Some residue, perhaps?"
"No," said the boys at the same time.
Shino shot Kiba a deathly glare, but Kiba was oblivious. He had a pained look on his face, like he would rather be anywhere else but in the Hokage's office. Shino understood how he felt.
"It dissolved on impact," said Shino, deadpan. "Like a regular smoke bomb."
"I see. Well," Tsunade shuffled the papers on her desk into a neat pile and put them away in a manila folder. "We'll try to get more information out of him, but it's not likely. The guy's a clam. Not even our toughest might be able to crack him."
"That's too bad," Kiba said too quickly, as Shino willed with all his might that Kiba might just shut up.
Thankfully, Hinata came to the rescue. "His attacks completely incapacitated us," she explained, apparently unaware of the weird vibe between Shino and Kiba. "There was no way for us to collect a sample of the bomb. Please believe me, Lady Tsunade, we tried our best."
Lady Tsunada sighed. Shino could practically see the veins popping in her forehead, screaming stress. She waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. This one is tricky. We weren't even able to identify the village he was affiliated with. Anyways," she kicked back in her chair and heaved a sigh, "You're dismissed. Good work nabbing him."
Hinata's hand went to her heart. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" she exclaimed in her soft voice.
"Thanks," Kiba added weakly, eyes shifting around the office.
"Thank you," said Shino, hoping Lady Tsunade would be too absorbed in her paperwork to notice how absolutely fucking weird Kiba was acting.
Shino felt the burden on his shoulders lift as Lady Tsunada refocused on the sheets in front of her, waving her hand dismissively. "Enjoy the day."
That wasn't the only thing Shino couldn't shake.
Hard as he tried, Shino could not stop replaying that first encounter in his mind. It came up out of the blue at random, horrible, inconvenient moments. Like the time when the squad was training on wooden dummies that hot day and Kiba was doused in sweat, keeled over and panting after a rough bout. Or when Kurenai took a rare leaf out of Asuma's book and treated the squad to barbeque, and Kiba ate so sloppily that sauce ran down his chin and dribbled onto the table. Or the time when Akumaru accidentally marked Kiba's shirt so the boy spent the rest of the training session with his bare chest glistening in the sunlight, all tanned and battle-weathered and glistening with a full day's work on his naked back…
"Shino?"
Hinata's gently voice broke the spell. Shino adjusted his glasses, frowning in an attempt to appear like he had things under control.
"Yes, Hinata?"
He looked up to see Hinata hovering over him, a look of matronly concern on her face. "I, uh, was just wonder if you wanted to train with me? You've just been watching your insects, and, well, not that there's anything wrong with that! But it might be nice to spar, too?"
Shino glanced up for a split second. In the distance he saw Kiba and Akumaru, two distant specks hurtling through the trees, probably practicing Akumaru's marking techniques. They were far enough away that Shino reluctantly stood up. He readjusted his glasses.
"I won't go easy on you."
Hinata's smile was small and genuine. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Shino admired how easily Hinata rolled with the punches. Despite her fragile appearance and paper-thin demeanour, Hinata had the ability to accept and move on. She acclimated to Shino's distant nature right away when Squad Eight first formed, understanding sooner than most that there was more beneath the stand-offish armour and cold, better-than-you aura that came with being talented and quiet, since she was shy herself. Shino felt that Hinata was one of the few people in the entire Leaf Village who could really appreciate sitting quietly in company. Whenever it was just him and Hinata sparring or grabbing a bite to eat, they usually enjoyed an amicable silence together. There was no need to words. Everything that needed to be said went unsaid between them.
They traded fists, the only sound coming from the air of each punch, so strong that Shino could feel the breezes of Hinata's throws tickle his ear. The sun travelled in the sky while the couple sparred, and before long both Shino and Hinata were panting.
"That –pant - was pretty –pant- good," said Hinata, palms out and trembling. Sweat beaded over her pale brow, and her cheeks were tinted red from exertion. "You're getting –pant- better at close combat."
Shino nodded, unable to breathe enough to summon words. Though he was careful to keep his outer composure as smooth and unreadable as a calm lake, his heart thrummed rapidly. When he tried to raise his arm to match Hinata's offensive stance, it felt like two sandbags were tied to his wrists.
"Here, take it easy." Hinata approached Shino with a gently smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should sit down."
Shino let Hinata guide him to the base of a tree, where he sat gratefully in the shade, leaning against the gnarled trunk.
"Water?" Hinata offered, taking her own water sack from her hip. Shino took it, drinking the cool water. Relief flooded his dry throat, and Shino wiped his mouth and handed the sack back to Hinata.
"Thanks," Shino managed, able to speak now that his throat no longer felt coated in sand.
"You're really getting better." Hinata sat next to Shino, taking a drink. "I know close-combat isn't your specialty, but you're getting better."
Shino didn't say anything. Everything hurt, and with his insects eating away at his chakra at all times, Shino felt even more exhausted. He imagined his bedroom, cool and quiet, and his soft bedsheets. His head would hit the pillow and he'd be out like a light.
"Um, Shino?"
Something was different in Hinata's voice. Shino turned to her, and her face was hesitant.
"Can I ask you something?" she continued, fiddling her fingers very much the same as when Naruto was around. "It's about Kiba."
Dread filled Shino. Sinking deeper into his coat, Shino struggled to keep his voice even. "What is it?"
"It's just…well," Hinata's eyelashes fluttered as she looked away. She blushed. "Is he…mad at me? He didn't seem like his usual self today, and he didn't seem to want to train with us. I know he was kind of upset when I was the one that tracked down the rogue ninja. I think his pride was hurt. Do you really think he could be so upset over something like that?"
Relief swept over Shino like a flood. He couldn't believe his luck. The answer was staring Hinata right in the nose and she'd somehow still managed to sidestep it. Instead of appropriating the blame towards Shino, she'd taken it upon herself.
She really is so self-sacrificing, Shino thought. But the worry on her face panged him, and treading with great caution, Shino elected to shed some relief upon Hinata.
"He's not mad at you," Shino said. "Kiba is not the type to hold a grudge over something so foolish."
"Yes, you're right…but there's still something about the way he's acting…it's bothering me."
"He is being unusual," Shino agreed, gritting his teeth at how terribly transparent Kiba's emotions were. "I'll talk to him."
Hinata lit up. "Would you? Oh, thank you! I wasn't sure of what to say…" She stood up and extended a hand, which Shino gratefully took. "I'm happy you noticed it too," Hinata confided. "For a second I thought I was going crazy," she giggled, helping him up.
Shino couldn't think of anything else to say, fearing he'd already said too much. But Hinata walked obliviously beside him, and Shino knew that she hadn't figured it out. He wondered why the idea of Hinata finding out what had happened between him and Kiba was so repellant. After all, she was their teammate, confidant, and loyal friend. Shino trusted few people as much as he did Hinata. And besides, it wasn't really his or Kiba's fault, what had transpired between them. Their actions were brought on by the biological engineering of an enemy attacker. There was no fault to be found, no sin to admit.
Somewhere deep, deep down within the dark caverns of his mind, Shino knew why. It was the same reason he'd replayed the memory every night before falling asleep in his bed, one hand trailing down into his boxers, far after the pheromones were long expelled from his body.
Hinata gave Shino a gently hug, and he realized they arrived at the Aburame household. The walk seemed gone in the blink of an eye. Shino didn't even remember going through half the city.
"Thanks for sparring," she said, looking noticeably happier. "And thanks for clearing up…y'know…"
Shino nodded. "Goodbye, Hinata."
He turned to leave, but her voice called him back.
"Oh, will I see you tonight?"
"Tonight?" Shino asked, puzzled.
"Yes, we're celebrating Neji's birthday. We're having a small get-together soon, family only, but…" Hinata leaned in, dropping her voice to hardly a whisper, "Tenten and Rock Lee want to surprise him and take him out to dinner afterwards. Everyone's going, I think. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and us. Oh dear, did I forget to tell you?"
Absolutely you did- Shino stifled his irritation. He'd come so far with Hinata all afternoon, he wasn't about to throw such progress away. "I'll be there," he said, delicately evading her question.
"Good, I'm so glad! See you then," Hinata waved as Shino walked through the gates into his home. He waved back before closing the gates, and felt the pressing weight on his shoulders release.
She doesn't know
Shino entered his house, which was thankfully empty, and headed straight for his room. Closing his door behind him, Shino dropped onto his bed with huge relief. His muscles and bones ached like an old man's. Even more, the tiresome task of maintaining pretenses was exhausting. Shino felt like his brain had to spin twenty percent faster to keep up with his own feelings, Kiba's unexpected behaviors, and the reactions of everyone else. Surely he could afford to take a short nap…
A bird called outside Shino's window and he stirred, sinking his face deeper into his pillow. He still ached from the training session with Hinata. There was something about Hinata that he was forgetting, he realized in the fog of sleep. Something was happening, later, perhaps. A get-together? Celebration? Was I invited or did I overhear it?
Hinata…
Neji
Birthday, supper, everyone going
I was invited
Shino sat up, readjusting his askew googles. He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth clean of the musky sleep, and tried to brush his hair but gave up when the comb got stuck. Splashing cold water on his face, Shino realized everybody else must be at the barbeque place already, seeing as it was quite dark outside. His eyes slid over his reflection and he earned himself 'passable'. Shino slipped out of his room and left without a word.
Rowdy laughs erupted and loud conversation flowed from inside the barbeque place as Shino arrived. He hesitated outside, suddenly nervous at the prospect of seeing Kiba. It's a party, it's not like training. Will he still avoid me? The atmosphere will be different, but our current situation still stands. If he continues behaving bizarrely, someone is bound to notice. Not everyone is as forgiving as Hinata-
"Oh, Shino!"
Shino straightened at the mention of his name. He relaxed when he saw it was only Choji.
"Didn't know you were coming, it's good to see you!" Choji exclaimed while shovelling bites of rice from a white takeout box into his mouth. "The party's just getting started. I was too hungry to wait for everyone to order, so I popped by the place next door. Man, sometimes eating with a big group is the worst."
Whatever Choji was eating smelled strongly of onion, teriyaki, and something Shino couldn't pinpoint, but was absolutely pungent. Shino's gut turned.
"Choji…what exactly are you eating?"
"Oh, just regular stirfry. But I get them to add pickles and –I swear it's good- peanut butter!"
Shino felt his stomach heave. The possibility of him vomiting right there on Choji's shoes was too high to risk.
"That's disgusting," Shino choked out before escaping into the sanctuary of the restaurant, too quickly to hear Choji's protests.
The restaurant was dimly lit by orange lanterns, but Shino's eyes were highly sensitive and the sudden glare made him squint. It appeared to be empty, except for two tables pushed together at the far end of the barbeque place, heads crowded around.
This was a miscalculation, Shino thought immediately. His hands tensed into fists. But before he could escape back into the open night, a soft voice breezed over the commotion.
"Shino! I'm so glad you made it!"
At the table a pale hand waved above the crowd of young shinobi, and Hinata smiled widely when she saw Shino. A few other heads turned and said similar things, beckoning Shino to come sit. But Shino barely heard them. He stood still, silently counting up the faces, and his heart stuttered when he saw Kiba's red painted cheeks among the mix.
"Yo, earth to Shino?" Naruto called out, laughing as he broke apart his chopsticks. "Anyone home?"
Breaking from his thoughts, Shino joined the others. When he reached the tables, he paused. There were no empty chairs.
"Pull up a chair," Rock Lee beckoned, scooting his own over to make room, eliciting a frown from Ino as her personal space was unwittingly invaded. "You are just in time! The food's arrived, and I am starving!"
To Shino's other side sat Sakura, and she passed him a pair of chopsticks. As he broke them apart and surveyed the meal, he noticed Neji sitting at the head of the table with a less-than enthusiastic expression.
"Happy Birthday, Neji," said Shino, acknowledging him with a nod.
Neji smiled painfully. "Thank you, Shino. But none of this is necessa-"
"Hey Neji," Tenten interrupted, sitting to his left. She nudged him. "Shut up."
"Yes!" Rock Lee agreed enthusiastically. "We told you! This is our way of thanking you for all your years of friendship with us. You've influenced each and every one of us at this table, here. Why, if it wasn't for your inspiring genius and dedication, I wouldn't be the ninja I am today…"
"Ugh…" Neji sank his head into his arms, but not before everyone saw how red his face was. Laughter erupted around the table.
"Anyways," Tenten recovered, raising her own glass. "To cut the speeches short, I propose a toast. To Neji!"
"To Neji!" The young ninja echoed throughout the barbeque restaurant, and various tea cups and water glasses were raised high. Shino stared blankly at the empty space in front of him until Rock Lee pushed his own water glass towards him, raising his tea high instead. Shino took the water glass and lifted his arm into the air, shooting Lee a grateful look from beneath his shades.
Perhaps the night will not be entirely calamitous
As he thought, amidst the forest of raised arms, he noticed Kiba all the way on the other end of the table, next to Hinata, who sat to Neji's right. Kiba noticed him too, and they locked eyes for a brief second. Glancing away, Kiba laughed awkwardly at nothing in particular. No one else noticed, caught up in the toast, leaning in to clink glasses. When Shino's glass tapped Kiba's, he saw the boy's cheeks grow pink. It irked him how even during the toast, Kiba could not bring himself to maintain eye contact with Shino.
The gang threw their drinks back and dove into the food. The conversations waned from heated debates to gleefully recalling embarrassing stories. Shino sat back and absorbed it all, his insects gradually settling down within him. He let the warm atmosphere enveloping him from all sides like a wool blanket.
"Alright guys, let's take this show on the road!" Tenten exclaimed loudly after the food was gone. Even Choji, who'd reappeared later in the meal to join the party, was only picking at the remains like a dissatisfied buzzard.
As everyone buzzed into the moonlit streets of the Hidden Leaf, Shino wondered what Tenten meant, on the road. He bumped shoulders with the others as they travelled in a tight group, and found himself stiffen when a familiar scent wafted by.
Earthy and warm, Kiba smelled like a forest after a rainfall. Not like wet dog, which is what Shino would expect. But having been on the same team as Kiba for the past few years, he was readily appreciative that Kiba didn't smell as his clan techniques implied. And now the brown haired boy was right beside him, bumping shoulders in the tight crowd.
"Hello Kiba," said Shino, not being one to avoid an issue. It seemed impractical to pretend like nothing was different.
"Ah, hey, Shino." Even though all Shino could glimpse was Kiba's dark profile in the moonlight, he could sense the boy's uneasiness. "I –haha- wonder where we're going. Tenten didn't tell me this much." Even as Kiba's words sputtered like a leaky faucet, his shoulder pressed firmly next to Shino's. Even through two layers of clothing, Shino could feel heat radiating from Kiba. His insects swarmed to his shoulder beneath his skin, attracted by the warmth.
Wonderful. Even my own insects betray me
When the group arrived at the gates of the Leaf Village, Neji's harried voice arose over the murmuring and teasing.
"What is this? Tenten, we are not leaving the village!"
Wearing a mischievous grin, Tenten looked almost sinister in the candlelit night. "But this is the best part! C'mon, Neji. We're not going far."
Pulling a summoning scroll from her satchel, Tenten unravelled it in one swift motion. With a poof of smoke, she held a grappling hook. Swinging it with expert movements, Tenten leaned back and released at the height of momentum, carrying the four pronged hook to the top of the gates where it latched securely. Hoisting herself up like a monkey, Tenten starting climbing. She turned back.
"Hurry up! The night's not getting any younger."
Rock Lee was the next to go. "We are in the springtime of our youth!" he proclaimed, wrestling up the rope. "Let us not waste a second of it!"
Shino watched as each ninja climbed up the rope next. When Kiba clambered up the gate, Shino felt a blush creep into his cheeks. He quickly averted his eyes to the ground, not wanting to admit to himself the effect Kiba's butt had on him.
"Are you going to go?" Hinata whispered to Shino, looking nervous. "I didn't know about this part of the night." She watched Neji climb, goaded into it with combined effort by mainly Tenten, Rock Lee, and Naruto.
"I will go," Shino replied, pushing his glasses up. "I'm curious about what Tenten has in store."
"Well, if you go, I'll go!" Hinata resolved. She strode up to the rope and climbed, disappearing over the other side where a clamour of giggles and cheering greeted her.
Shino looked around. No one but him was left on the ground.
I could turn around and go home. Get a good night's sleep instead of this
He took the thick rope in his hands, feeling the coarse material. Not quite knowing why, Shino hoisted his feet to press against the gates of the Leaf Village and started climbing.
No smut here but we're building up to something big kiddos