Arrangements

A falling out had occurred amongst the ranks of Team 8. Hinata had done her best to keep the peace, but it had gotten to the point where Kiba refused to talk to Shino and even got violent around him at times. Shino refused to lower himself to his team mate's childish level, ignoring any jibe and simply carrying on as normal. He was a ninja, for goodness' sake.

The whole thing had started over a stupid spat over the object of the Aburame man's affections. More specifically, walking through a forest one evening, Kiba had caught his sister with her mouth latched onto that of a young man. It had looked like they were trying to eat each other, for goodness' sake! He'd leapt right into the role of protective brother only to quickly figure out the man he was faced with was none other than his team mate and friend, Shino.

It wasn't so much that they were dating, although he was certainly pissed off that Hana had gone for a guy that much younger than her, but it certainly riled him up that they hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. In fact, they'd pretty much outright stated they'd believed he would have acted like an animalistic arse. The fact that he ended up finding out either of them had a partner through these means just...just pissed him off. Not even his best friend would be willing to turn around and say 'by the way, I have a girlfriend'. They didn't trust him, and it seriously sucked.

Effectively, that was the cause of their argument. Now Kiba was angry, Shino didn't see any reason to apologise and Hinata was stuck in the middle, watching her team crumble. He had to admit, he felt bad for her. She just wanted her friends to be friends again, but whenever they were near each other, all there was was a tonne of yelling and snarling.

They had just had dinner and Kiba was sat at the bottom of the stairs, beginning to think he should just drop the whole thing. Hana was pissed off with him, Hinata was miserable and in all honesty he missed being friends with Shino, but he didn't keep hold of that thought trail for too long. A familiar smell had joined the scents of family and food within the confines of the house. Someone was approaching the door, and within seconds, Akamaru had decided to sound the alert and go to the door. It was open before the visitor had even reached it.

Shino stood there, normal annoyed expression on his face, arms crossed tight over his chest. He must have left his own house in a hurry. He wasn't wearing a coat or jumper over the long-sleeved white shirt adorning his torso. He was dressed quite casually, actually, as though he hadn't been out of his house at all that day. His eyes were still covered, but there was a part of Kiba that felt there was never a moment they weren't.

Crossing his arms to mirror the surprise visitor, he asked why he was there. The bug user seemed to think this over for a moment, as though considering whether he should lie or not.
"I had a disagreement with my father." He eventually stated.
"So...you came here?"
"I figured it would be a good move to go to friends."
Confusion covered Kiba's features. "You're here to see me?"
Shino confirmed with a nod. "I have had no problem with you. It is you who has had the problem. I know Hana is away, so you would have no reason to get angry with me or refuse me."
He caught the slight shiver his friend had been trying to suppress and sighed. It was a bitterly cold night and he assumed even with a coat on his friend would be freezing. He stepped aside to allow him in.
"I have no problem with you dating her, as long as the furthest you've gone is kissing."
Shino shot him a look. It said two things. Don't be disgusting and of course we've only kissed, you nitwit. Bug boy took a deep breath through his nose, inhaling the smell of the already devoured food and setting off his own empty stomach. "Then the anger?"
He thought it over for a moment, settling down in a seat and watching the Aburame watch him. "It's my job to be protective. Man, I thought you weren't, you know, interested in girls...or boys...or anything. You barely talk about anything. Then the one thing you do tell me is you don't trust me when it comes to my own damn sister."
Silence, and then "I didn't mean it like that."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I simply...didn't want you to hate me for liking her. I'm...not good enough."
Another silence fell across them as thoughts rushed into Kiba's head. Did he really think that? It wasn't like Hana was that special. In fact, sometimes she was a real airhead. Then again, a lot of people found people like Shino pretty creepy. Reluctantly, he opened his mouth to waylay his friend's...uncertainties.
"You're fine." He muttered through gritted teeth. "At least you're better than a lot of guys, you know? Last time I saw a hot girl the only thing in my mind was if I could have a good night with her or not. You're trustworthy, you have morals. You're going to stick around until the bitter end. I think you're good for her. Honestly wouldn't want anyone else near her if she can have someone like you."
Shino went to sit opposite him. "I...I see..."
There was a moment of silence. Kiba drummed his fingers against the table, wondering if he should offer something or wait for Shino to ask. Thinking for a moment, he decided his friend was probably unlikely to admit he hadn't eaten, but at the same time he was decidedly sullen. "So what was your fight about?"
He looked up then, frowning. "Disagreement." He corrected.
"Fine, what was your disagreement about?"
He fell silent again for the longest time. "Diplomatically arranged marriages."
It sunk in quickly. "Your dad's trying to get you to marry some stranger?"
He nodded. "To a girl from a similar yet less powerful clan."
"But you're with Hana..."
"I do not want to marry just for the sake of clan comfort and neither does the girl from the other clan. There is a lot of unrest at home for the time being."
"So you wanted to stay here?"
He was silent a while longer before nodding. "There's no point in returning home tonight. It would just involve more fighting."
Kiba nodded and got up, starting to sort through cupboards. "You could stay in Hana's room, since she's away. You going home tomorrow?"
"Probably. Everyone just needs to calm down." He watched his friend as he went around the kitchen, making two cups of tea and grabbing some biscuits. "I won't overstay my welcome."
"I'm just glad we're talking again." He mused with a smirk.

He'd managed to fall asleep in the end, within the confines of someone else's bed. It felt different, the mattress springs stiffer than at home, and the covers and pillows smelled of her and he let his mind wander. He must have been thinking of her when he fell asleep, as she was a big player in his dreams. He remained asleep when the door creaked open and the lights flicked on. It was when weight was put on the edge of the bed, the balance disturbed, that he was jolted out of his sleep. Things had been going so well in there as well.

Hana didn't seem to notice someone else was in her room as she undressed. She was back a whole week early, and as Shino became more alert, it occurred to him that she may well have been hurt. There would have definitely been a good reason for her early return. He sat up to address her as she removed her shirt. Instead of speaking out or clearing his throat, getting her attention, he felt his face redden. She looked to the nightstand and clocked the sunglasses beside her lamp, and he lay down again, deciding to pretend he had been asleep and had seen nothing. She glanced over her shoulder to find the Aburame boy in her bed, eyes shut, in an anxious state of mind. Gently, she stood and pulled on some night clothes. "I know you're awake, you know." She told him as she went to switch off the light. Opening his eyes again, he saw the limp. She was injured. The light snapped off and she came back to the bed, telling him to make room so she could get some sleep. She seemed oddly unfazed considering her boyfriend was in her bed for no known reason.
"Are you okay?" He asked, sitting up and watching her through the darkness.
"I'll live." She breathed tiredly. "Why are you here?"
There it was, the expected question. "Kiba said I could spend the night in here, since you're meant to be away."
Good enough, she thought, leaving deeper probing for the morning as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as she drifted off to sleep. He obligingly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and shut his eyes, but as his predicament returned to him, he couldn't help but steal a quick kiss. Smiling, she tightened her grip on him, deepening the kiss and cuddling up to him. She wasn't in a sleepy state for long, quickly becoming alert and eager to spend time with her boyfriend again.

Early the next morning, Kiba went to get Shino up for some breakfast. "Shino?" He slid open his sister's bedroom door. "Mum's got food ready if you're-...what the fuck?" When did Hana get home? He stepped in a little further, trying to confirm his suspicions. It was settled. The moment Shino woke up, he was a dead man.