McDragon's note: this was written for me, on request. Thanks, El!

He and Akamaru were like brothers in all but blood. They got hungry together, slept together, got sick together, and now it would appear, they got fleas together. Akamaru whined pitifully and all but crawled around in a circle as he tried to capture those annoying fleas, a hint of desperation entering those dark eyes as the canine tried to keep those nasty bite-y critters from eating him alive!

Kiba growled and fell on his ass as he continued to scratch and snarl at those elusive bugs. "This is all your fault, Akamaru! You just had to go running through those bushes, didn't you?" The dog whined with surprising submissiveness for such a large creature and crawled on his belly over to his companion where he gazed up at Kiba pleadingly. A huge paw fell to cover the young man's foot, those dark claws wicked and curving now as the animal grew closer and closer to adulthood. Akamaru would one day be as large and proud as Kuromaru but for now, much like his human companion, he was still gangly and awkward in his still growing form. "Don't look at me like that." Kiba pleaded softly as he met Akamaru's miserable ones.

The canine just whined softly in the back of his throat and continued to crawl on his belly until he had practically crawled into Kiba's lap. The young man laughed and fell onto his back as he found himself with an armful of squirmy and wiggly Akamaru. "H...Hey now! Watch it, Akamaru you're going to crush me here!" The dog merely panted softly and snuffed at Kiba's chin before that great maw of sharp teeth opened and a wet tongue flashed out to swipe across a painted cheek. "Ugh! Akamaru!" The dog seemed to find his human's squirming amusing and took this for a game and soon enough, Kiba was pinned beneath the dog's weight, that sleek white body squirming happily as boy and dog forgot about their infestation.

Akamaru groaned deep in his throat with doggy happiness as Kiba's hands rose to bury themselves in the thick, silky fur behind his ears and the canine's eyes rolled about with ecstasy as his thickly plumed tail thumped against the ground and Kiba's shins. "Silly, I've got you now!" Kiba playfully growled as those sharp teeth flashed in a feral grin. Akamaru merely panted and washed his face once more with that moist tongue. The young man groaned theatrically and flailed about again. They continued their rough-housing and wrestling for a few more minute before boy and dog flopped out across that now somewhat trampled but still sweetly warm grass and relaxed.

The fall of shadow across his face had Kiba's eyes fluttering open eventually to find himself face with the inscrutable round and familiar lenses of Shino's glasses. The bug-user stared down at his teammate and love-interest with a blank expression on that half-hidden face. Kiba grinned sleepily and reached up a rough and calloused hand to toy with the edges of the hood pulled over friend's face as a teasing light entered his eyes. "What is it with you and hiding beneath all these clothes? Makes it so damned hard to get out of them in a hurry you know." Shino's brow twitched a fraction of an inch and though Kiba couldn't see much of his lover's face thanks to the combination of glasses, hood and the high collar he wore, years of experience in dealing with Shino Speak (as he had dubbed it) told the young Inuzaki that the other man was both amused and exasperated with his teasing.

Akamaru raised his head a fraction of an inch from the cushiony grass and grinned with canine-smugness at Shino before his tail beat lazily a few thumps in greeting. Soon enough, even that lazy limb stilled and Akamaru went back to dozing in the grass a few yards from the two young men. "I don't dress just for your convenience in undressing me, you know." Shino finally broke the easy silence between the two of them and Kiba gave a sharp barking laugh before his hands slid into Shino's hood, fingers skimming across the holes in the other man's cheeks to tug him down to his level. It was a testament of Shino's trust in Kiba that he didn't flinch as those warm hands cupped his cheeks.

Shino could feel the bugs stir beneath his skin but he willed them back like always. They, like Shino himself, were easily disturbed by touch.The Aburame man refused to let either his anxiety over touch or the rustle of the bugs beneath his skin stop him from letting Kiba guide him down however. His feral lover grinned softly before leaning up a bit to nuzzle the graceful line of Shino's nose playfully, intentionally disturbing his glasses as he did so. Shino made a soft sound at his lover's almost canine display of affection. Kiba chuckled quietly and skimmed his lips across Shino's in a silent beseeching of pardon from the overly serious young man. Shino's hood brushed against his cheeks as he leaned over Kiba's still prone form, their kiss awkward at the odd position they were in but sweet all the same. Kiba playfully nibbled on Shino's lip, causing the other man to still, breath frozen in his throat before a hand fell to tangle in Kiba's dark locks. They kissed again with more passion this time and Shino was just relaxing into the mood of quietly necking with Kiba for a good long while only to find himself forced away as the wild-haired boy yelped and started scratching again. "Fuck! Little bastards." Shino slowly crouched down on his heels before gracefully kneeling there beside his squirming lover as Kiba raked at his hair with curious intensity.

Kiba's frantic motions seemed to set Akamaru off as well and with a whine, the dog started scratching at the fur behind his ears were the fleas had found a relatively safe place to setup camp. The bug-wielder surmised the situation soon enough and one brow twitched in irritation. "Stop that, you're hurting them."

"They're hurting ME!!" Kiba yelled indignantly, those already wild locks growing downright messy and chaotic as he scratched at those annoying little bugs. "Shinnnnoooooooo....can't you tell them to leave me and Akamaru alooooooone?" Kiba could be downright adorable when he pouted. He whined pitifully as he flopped his head into his lover's lap.

"Can you command every dog to do your bidding?" Shino asked quietly but Kiba could hear the indignation in his lover's tone of voice all the same. For a young man who had some of the most powerful bugs at his command, to insinuate that he consorted with the most base and lowliest of bugs like fleas was quite insulting.

"No of course not, I'm sorry. Please help me get rid of them before Akamaru and I go mad and scratch ourselves bloody." Akamaru whined softly in agreement and that heavy tail thumped hopefully against the ground. Shino heaved the closest he ever came to a gusty sigh and shook his head in disgust before moving his fingers delicately through Kiba's hair.

"Stay still....." Ah, the things he did for love. Kiba grinned hopefully and nuzzled his cheek into Shino's thigh as dark eyes fluttered shut with quiet enjoyment as his lover worked his magic, literally.

"Thanks." He murmured quietly and offered a sleepy and sweet smile as payment. Shino eyed the faintest quirking of Kiba's lips and made a non-committal noise.

"You can make it up to me later." Only those who were well versed in Shino Speak would have caught that faintly sensual purr in the young man's voice and Kiba grinned impishly before nestling his cheek more comfortably into Shino's thigh.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Thus did they spend their lazy afternoon off from their missions. The sun beat down on the two young men and the white dog that occasionally twitched in his dozing sleep as an ant crawled across his damp nose. Kiba, much like his canine companion had drifted off with the relaxing stroking of Shino's fingers through his hair and the warm laziness in the air. Unseen, Shino's lips quirked up as he noticed that both Kiba and Akamaru had drifted off and a hint of fond amusement touched that far too sober visage.

Quite a plan indeed.

Shrugging with his normal quiet acceptance of events of the world around him, Shino continued to stroke one hand through Kiba's hair before raising his other hand to study the dark spec of the flea perched there on that smoothly buffed nail. "I trust you will know better then to make your homes there ever again, hmmn?" Kiba and his vast experience in Shino Speak wasn't awake to notice the wry amusement in Shino's voice has he moved his hand down to a blade of grass where the flea leapt off and disappeared in the dense shadows of the field. That made the score 5 in favor of the Aburame's Clan annual Rescue Flea Operation versus Kiba's one 'victorious' year when he'd gotten impatient and flea-dipped both Akamaru and himself while Shino was away on a mission.

Shino had complained that he stunk of poison and death and wouldn't come near him for almost a week even after frequent and furious showering on Kiba's part. The Inuzaki man learned a valuable lesson that year and had come to respect his love's rapport and affection for even the smallest of bugs. Besides, it was certainly nicer to settle back and let Shino sooth his itching scalp and head with those talented fingers then stink of flea-dip for a week.

Ah, it was a good day.

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