#shibi

He has friends, yes, but he thinks that’s more due to the fact that they are just as weird as he is, only in their own way.

Kiba is, for all intents and purposes, more animal than human. He smells like it, too. 

And while Shino wouldn’t call him a friend but rather an acquaintance, he cannot deny that he spends most of his time around the guy.

Then there’s Hinata, who hangs out with both of them despite every logical reason against it. 

She’s quiet, the unassuming heir of an empire, and smarter than the world likes to believe.

If asked, Shino calls her his best friend. Mainly because it makes her smile, and Kiba gets annoyed. A win-win-win situation.

-

“There’s someone in my Class,” Hinata points out one sunny afternoon, her eyes closed as she tries to get her pale skin to tan. “Moved here. I’m supposed to show her around.”

“Ah?” Shino’s not really interested in chitchat. He’s halfway through his thesis on the Pear Psylla, one of many underestimated insects he cares deeply about. The only reason he’s outside and not working on his thesis is the fact that he needs to bring in evidence of the insect. So far, it remains to be caught.

“She’s nice,” Hinata adds. “I think she’s had a tough childhood.”

“Haven’t we all?” Kiba asks, lifting his head from where it had rested on Akamaru’s stomach to squint at them, and Akamaru wags his tail as if agreeing. “Why are you telling us this?”

“I invited her over,” Hinata adds, just as the crunch of gravel announces another person arriving.

Shino can’t quite see you, not with your face in the shadow and the sun hitting his shades just the wrong way. All he has is sound. 

The sound of your steps, careful and quiet. Your voice, equally composed. And the soft sound your clothes make as you crouch down beside him, coming closer before he has the time to gather himself.

“Can I help you?” You ask. 

“He’s just looking for a bug,” Kiba announces somewhere behind him before Shino has a chance to say something.

“What kind of bug?” You seem interested, or maybe you’re just polite, but the fact that you’re still this close at the mention of insects and the likes doubles his respect for you.

“The Pear Psylla,” Shino explains, pushing his shades up his nose. 

He can see you now. He wishes he couldn’t.

You look lovely. Exactly the kind of girl that screams at the sight of him, that spreads awful rumors around school because he likes bugs and insects and spiders more than, well, people. 

“I haven’t heard of that yet.” You plant yourself next to him. “What does it look like?”

“Do you really wanna help him look?” Kiba asks. “You can enjoy the sun, you know? He’s not going to be mad.”

“Oh,” you blink, a gesture so tiny yet oddly comforting. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to push myself onto you. I can back off if you’d like.”

“It’s fine,” he harrumphs. “Why? That’s because two people see more than one.”

-

“Hey!”

Shino looks up from his book, surprised to find you standing in front of his table at the library.

He’s not sure what’s more surprising. That someone dared to approach him, or that it’s you out of all people.

“Do you mind?” You ask, pointing at the chair across from him. When he shakes his head, you slide into it, put your notebook right in front of you. 

“Can I ask you something?” He leans in, a little too curious but unable to stop himself. “There are many free chairs. Why are you sitting with me?”

“Oh,” you look around before turning back to him. “Because I know you. You’re…” You seem to struggle as you look for words. “Safe.”

“Safe.” He repeats, a little dumbfounded. You look pained, and he nods, drops the topic like it doesn’t mean much. Shino’s no stranger to conversations he doesn’t want to hold.

But he remembers Hinata’s words. You didn’t have the best time, growing up.

“It’s fine,” he adds quietly, not quite sure if you’re able to hear him. “There’s always a free chair at my desk.”

-

Shino’s friendgroup has grown.

He still prefers to call Kiba an acquaintance, but he dreads the day someone asks for his best friend. Is it you? Is it too bold to say it? He’s not sure.

But since no one’s really asking, he tries not to think about it.

Instead, he can spend time with you. 

Sitting quietly beneath pear trees, content with sharing the same space and different thoughts at the same time.

He’s yet to learn about the details of your childhood, but he can see the impact of it. How you flinch at loud noises, go quiet when Kiba’s regular discussions go a little overboard, his voice rising above normal levels. 

-

“This is my father,” Shino explains, feeling a little dumb. 

The similarities are pretty obvious, he thinks. 

You nod wordlessly, offering your hand. Shino wonders what you see. What you think.

Shino hasn’t invited friends to their hikes before. Kiba’s too loud and Hinata’s secretly still a little scared of the creepy crawly out in the wild.

But Shibi takes it in stride, although that just means neither of them speaks for the first half hour up the mountain.

Although it seems to be just what each one of them needs.

Shino can feel it in his shoulders, the tension bleeding away. Your posture changes just the same, melting into something softer he longs to hold.

During the first break, you stand close enough that your arms brush every time you move, just the smallest of touches, but enough to have him memorize the fabric of your shirt, the crease right where the sleeve ends. 

They’ve only been going at it for a little less than an hour. Shino can’t help but wonder what the next three hours will bring.

-

“Shino,” you stop, halfway to your car. “Can we talk for a moment?”

He hesitates, torn between the opinion his father might have of him now and the wish to be closer, always closer.

Shibi nods. “Go on. I’ll put away our findings.” Boxes upon boxes of samples are stacked next to their car, a work Shino usually shares with his father.

But you’re still waiting for him, nodding in the direction of your car for a little more privacy.

“Yes?” He asks, a little anxious and a lot more confused. You’ve never wanted to talk to him in private before. Or has he read the past wrong?

“I like your Dad,” you admit quietly, looking over his shoulder at the bright blue sky. “He’s like you. Safe.”

“Okay.”

You smile, the little gesture weighed down by the sadness he can see in your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you say next, your voice heavy, “for asking. But… I think I might not be wrong, I just…”

“Yes?” He adds, when you trail off, rub your thumb over the rest of your fingers, an anxious gesture he hasn’t seen on you before.

“Would you go out with me?” You ask, the words rushed out under your breath. “It’s okay if you say no. We could still be friends, I promise. I just… felt like… I wanted to ask.”

“Yes,” Shino answers plainly, anxious over the fact that he’s lacking the words to explain himself better. “How?”

“How?” Your brows furrow. “How we would go out?”

“Yes.” He nods. “I’ve never done that before.”

Your smile returns, hopeful this time. “Me neither,” you admit freely. “I guess we can try and learn together, right? I like…” You nod in the direction of his father, the hiking trail, the boxes of bugs, and the samples they collected. “I like doing this with you. We can do this again. And if you want… we can learn together. Law isn’t all that interesting, though, I’m afraid.”

“It’s going to be interesting, coming from you.”

Your smile blinds him. He doesn’t wish for shades at all.

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