“I dare you to steal one of Shino’s bugs.” Kiba smirked at you, and you turned to him, gawking. The two of you were walking to meet Shino and Kurenai for your next mission, and it seemed like Kiba wanted to stir up mischief even earlier than usual this time.
“Why would I do that?” you asked, furrowing your eyebrows. Kiba groaned, tipping his head back to look at the sky.
“Come on, Y/n, it’s super obvious that he’s into you. And you’re into him, so,” he shrugged, and you felt your face grow red. “You guys need to just have some alone time to talk it out.”
“And me stealing one of his bugs is going to do that?” you asked sarcastically. Kiba shrugged again.
“Hey, it’s worth a try. Maybe it’ll get him to actually talk to you instead of burying his face in that giant collar of his every time he sees you. What’s the deal with that collar, anyway? It looks like the cone of shame we had to put on Akamaru when he had surgery..” You giggled, toying with the hem of your jacket. “Come on though,” Kiba said, his tone growing serious. “You guys have had crushes on each other since the day we were assigned to the same genin squad. You need to just talk about it already. Or bone it out.” You swatted at Kiba, but he dodged you easily, laughing. “I’m kidding, I know you guys aren’t like that. Seriously, though, just talk to him.”
Just talk to him, you thought. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?
“Alright, Shino and Y/n, you guys take first watch. Kiba and I will take second watch,” Kurenai said, and you nodded. Kiba wagged his eyebrows at you, giving you a knowing look, before heading to his bed. You only prayed Shino hadn’t seen it.
“I’ll take north and east, and you can take south and west,” Shino said, his quiet voice slightly muffled behind his jacket. You nodded, watching him dart off toward the north. Kiba’s voice echoed in your head. Just talk to him. Well, that was certainly easier said than done. You headed off toward the west -- you had a few hours until your watch ended, and plenty of time to think about how to confess your feelings to Shino.
You were sitting on a tree, lost in thought, when a small beetle landed on your shoulder. You looked up to see Shino standing behind you. “You’re not doing a good job at your watch,” he remarked, his tone flat. You didn’t dare to look at him, but instead turned your eyes to your shoulder, holding out a finger for the beetle to crawl onto. You lifted the bug toward your face, watching it walk across your finger, sensing the environment.
“Sorry,” you said quietly, “I was just lost in thought.”
Shino walked over and sat next to you, his eyes fixed on the bug on your finger. Your heartbeat picked up speed, and you were suddenly acutely aware of his warm body next to yours. “My beetles seem to like you,” he said, and you smiled. He paused before adding, “Most people think they’re gross.”
“I don’t,” you said, studying the tiny bug. “I think they’re cool. They feed off chakra, right?” Shino nodded. “That’s so interesting.” The two of you sat in silence for another long moment. “Shino,” you started, looking at him. He stared at you from behind his dark glasses, the rest of his face hidden in his collar. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
You fumbled for words for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, you just gave up and yanked down Shino’s collar, pressing your lips to his. His lips were soft and warm and slightly wet against yours, and you felt his face grow warm, your hand still holding his collar down as you kissed him. After a long moment, you pulled away, seeing the surprise written on his face.
“Why’d you do that?” he asked quietly.
You let out a breathy laugh. “I like you, Shino,” you said, smiling at him, slightly flustered. “I’ve liked you for a long while.” Shino smiled at you -- you had never seen him smile before, but it was soft and beautiful.
“I like you too, Y/n,” he said.
“Good, because otherwise that would’ve been awkward,” you laughed, and Shino chuckled as well. You reached down to clasp his hand, his skin warm and surprisingly soft. “Come on, we have a watch to finish,” you said, standing up and helping Shino up as well. His fingers laced between yours, and you gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“We’ll finish it together,” he said, and you nodded, the two of you darting off into the night, your hands clasped.