He wished his father were yelling--not that Aburame ever yelled. But at least yelling would mask the sound of kikaichuu thrumming angrily throughout the room.

He'd never seen his father angry enough to lose control like this.

They sat at the table in the dining room, legs folded on tatami mats, staring at each other.

"What do you mean," his father said slowly, voice low and quiet, "you're not going to marry her?"

Shino took a deep breath and started the inner mantra to calm his own kikaichuu. "I'm involved with someone else," he said simply.

"Break it off."

His skin prickled, and he said one of the most damning things he could have. "No."

The humming grew louder. His father closed his eyes for a moment, and the bugs quieted again. Then he opened them. "Who is this person?"

Shino hesitated. Then he took a deep breath, and said something even more damning than 'no.' "Inuzuka Kiba."

Deathly silence filled the room. Even the bugs fell quiet, as if stunned.

"How long?" his father asked, voice soft.

Shino kept his hands folded, tried to remember to keep them relaxed, too, but failed miserably. He couldn't seem to stop them from clenching, from his knuckles turning white with pressure. "Three months." Three delightful, if stressful, months. Finding places to meet where they wouldn't be seen had been more than difficult.

Or, if he was honest, meeting hadn't been a problem. People expected to see them together. Meeting for something more intimate than just being friends . . . well, that had been a bit more challenging.

"Three months," his father echoed softly. Dangerously so. "You've been seeing another man--an Inuzuka--" Shino hadn't thought his father's voice could sound more disgusted than it had when he'd said 'man,' but he was wrong. "--for three months."

The humming had started again, just at the edge of his hearing. It vibrated along his nerves. "Yes."

His father stared at him, black eyes inscrutable. "Stop," he whispered. "Stop now."

Shino shook his head, schooling his features into something close to impassive, knowing as he did so that his father would still read his emotions easily. Hurt, anger, fear.

"I knew I should have demanded you be put in a different Genin team, when I found out that Inuzuka boy--"

"Kiba," Shino corrected softly.

His father continued as if he hadn't heard. "--was in yours." His jaw was tight, the muscle standing in sharp relief. The lines of his face were drawn in clear delineations of anger. "No son of mine will be involved with another man," he said quietly. "Drop him, or get out of my house."

Heart pounding, kikaichuu nearly boiling under his skin, Shino stood. He bowed formally, walked to the front door, took his large coat and his glasses--it was rude to wear them indoors--put everything on, and left.

No one tried to stop him.

He walked to the Inuzuka compound in a daze, emotions ranging from one extreme to the other, only to leave him numb again. Anger and fear were foremost.

His father was the patriarch. If he didn't do what his father wanted, he could be kicked out of the clan. Then where would he live? How would he make enough money to live on? In fact, he wasn't even sure how much money one needed to live on. Maybe he already made enough, and didn't know it.

Kiba made enough to live on, but Kiba still lived with his clan. They lived like savages--dirt floors, canvas walls that could be torn down and reassembled as the whim took them. Half the places didn't even have running water.

Shino wasn't sure he could live like that.

Shikamaru was his age--nineteen--and a Special Jounin. He made enough to live on. He lived in a little tiny apartment at the top of a building, with access to the roof.

Another thought hit, sending him spinning again. Where was he going to buy food? Servants took care of that, and the cooking, too. Shino could make himself a sandwich, could heat soup if it was already prepared, but he didn't have the first idea how to go about making something from scratch--

He stopped just outside the Inuzuka holdings, staring up at large trees the likes of which were only otherwise seen in the forest. This land had been Inuzuka land since they'd first come out of the wild, Kiba had told him once. They'd come from the jungle and claimed it as theirs, then fought tooth and claw to defend it. The village had built up around them, and they'd simply never moved.

It was a pretty story, though Shino didn't know if he believed it. Like all good tales, it probably had a basis in truth, but had been exaggerated over time.

He walked past the invisible demarcation of lands, and into tribal territory.

People were playing, napping, cooking over open fires. Someone had slung a hammock between trees and was swaying gently with the wind, one arm tossed over his eyes, the other nearly dragging on the ground.

Shino made his way, now familiar, past the groups of families with their semi-permanent structures, dogs and puppies playing, rolling around in the dirt and loam. One bitch grabbed her pup, swatted him down with an oversized paw, then held him there while she cleaned him. He yelped and screamed pitifully, as if the death god himself were eating him alive.

Nearby, a human mother grabbed her child and scrubbed at his filthy face with a wet cloth. The boy whined and cried and begged, trying unsuccessfully to squirm out of her grasp.

Shino threaded through campfires and clusters of people working, around piles of wood, hastily erected tents for a new family, and slid into the bachelor area.

Here, lines of drying clothes were spread out around one big bonfire kept going all the time. Smaller fires near impermanent housing either burned low or were out entirely, ready to be re-lit if the occupants decided they wanted a personal fire rather than sharing the large one.

A man glanced up, half naked, shaving cream covering the lower part of his face as he leaned over a tin pan full of water. "Hey hey! Kiba! Your mate's here!" the man bellowed.

Shino flinched internally, though outwardly he remained unaffected. He hated when they announced him like that, though it always happened now.

Kiba said they'd known almost since the first time Shino and he had had sex. There were no secrets in a tribe where a minute change in scent told all.

The door--a tan colored flap, really--to a large tent was pushed aside, and Kiba peered out. "Hey, Shino!" he called. "What's up?"

He waited there while Shino drew closer, holding the canvas aside so the slightly taller man could enter.

Shino glanced around the one-room home, eyes taking in the rumpled nest--he was pretty sure at one point it had been a futon, but Kiba had since added so many pillows and blankets it no longer resembled that. There was a nightstand on the far side of the nest, and a chest against the opposite wall. Shelves stood on the side of the bed near them, a lantern converted for use without electricity sitting on top next to a stack of books. A hairbrush Shino was pretty sure was only used on Akamaru, and half a dozen shuriken that looked newly cleaned all shared space.

On the floor were another half dozen shuriken, a dirty rag, and a tin of cleaner.

Kiba walked to them, padding barefoot across the rug he'd thrown over forest floor. He scooped everything up, tossing the weapons onto the chest next to the door, putting the cleaner on a shelf. "What's going on?" he asked again, a little more sober this time, as if reading Shino's expression.

Undoubtedly, he was. He knew Shino well enough to read him easily, despite how hard Shino tried to be unreadable.

Shino looked anywhere but at the rangy man in front of him. He counted kunai, dangling from little hooks on the canvas wall, and began naming every other weapon that hung within easy reach. Finally, he said, "I told my father about us."

Kiba scratched at the back of his head with one hand, ruffling his hair farther. "And?"

Shino glanced at Kiba, then away. "I think I've been kicked out of my home."

"Ohhh, fuck," Kiba said softly.

Shino walked closer, lowering himself onto the futon--the only place to sit in the whole room. Kiba melted down next to him, elbows on his knees. "What are you going to do?"

Shino stared at his hands, clasped together. "I have no idea." He thought for a bit, then said, "I guess I should get my money out of clan holdings. It all goes in together, but they keep track of who earned wha--" he stopped, peering at Kiba. The other man was looking immensely relieved.

"So you're not breaking up with me," Kiba said, leaning back on his hands.

Shino stared at him, surprised but hiding it. "Of course not," he said, voice low and calm. He checked to make sure the door was closed--as much as it could be, and how he missed his locks--then leaned over to kiss Kiba.

Predictably, Kiba deepened it, threading his fingers through Shino's hair, tongue sliding expertly across his lower lip. When they pulled away, Kiba didn't let go. "Everything will be all right," he said, leaning his forehead against Shino's. "We'll all help."

"We?" Shino asked doubtfully, though it didn't reflect in his voice.

"Come on, my clan already knows. You've got a whole tribe on your side, 'cause they don't give a fuck if you're male or female," he said, grinning brightly, showing off large canines. "And Hinata'll help, and she might even get Neji to help--"

Shino snorted softly.

"--and if Neji helps he can get Shikamaru to help, and Shikamaru will get Ino and Chouji and you know Chouji will get Sakura, and she'll get Naruto and he'll get the senseis because you've heard him pester--"

Shino laughed quietly, shaking his head at Kiba.

"And soon we'll have the whole village helping you out!"

"Somehow, I doubt that's the way it'll work," Shino said, but he was smiling. A very tiny smile, but the size had more to do with training and less to do with inner feeling.

"Okay, but the important people of the village," Kiba said. He leaned forward and kissed Shino again, nipping at his lower lip. "Better?" he asked.

Shino nodded wordlessly. It was hard to stay panicked in the face of Kiba's enthusiasm.

"We'll have to keep Neji from pulling Lee into all this, though," Kiba said thoughtfully. "I mean, he'd pull Gai into it, and the two of them might chase everyone else away. I'm not sure I could stand too many speeches about the Power and Beauty of Youthful Love Overcoming Family Prejudice, anyway."

This time, Shino laughed. Kiba's mimic was too perfect not to.

Kiba grinned. "So, no more freaking out?"

"No more," Shino agreed.

"Good." Kiba reached up, taking hold of Shino's glasses and pulling them carefully away from his face. Shino felt more naked without them than he did if he were actually naked, but he let Kiba do it anyway. Outside of his clan, Kiba was the only person he allowed to see his eyes.

"I have plans for this afternoon that definitely don't involve you freaking out," Kiba said, grinning wickedly. "I mean, what you really need is distraction, and--selfless being that I am--I'm willing to sacrifice myself on the alter of you."

Shino let one eyebrow twitch sardonically.

"One day, you'll have to teach me how to be wry without words," Kiba murmured.

"Kiba, I don't think you could do anything without words," Shino answered blandly.

Kiba just grinned, hands unbuttoning Shino's coat to slide inside. "You have entirely too many clothes on," he said, moving around with innate grace until he could pull Shino's coat off, tugging it down his arms. "I mean," he continued, kissing at the underside of Shino's jaw, "I only have pants on, and here you are all dressed up." Kiba rocked up on his knees, moving to straddle Shino's lap.

Shino let his head shift back, eyes closing as talented lips and careful teeth nipped at his flesh. He put his hands on Kiba's waist, smoothing them along soft skin marred by occasional scars. His pinkies dipped past the waistband of the aforementioned pants, and encountered nothing but more skin.

His eyes opened. "Kiba," he said, mouth going dry, "are you wearing underwear?"

Kiba just laughed, low in his throat, shifting to rub one thigh against Shino's hip.

Shino's hand moved, down the outside of Kiba's leg, up the inside, where flesh swelled against his pants. Kiba's breath hitched against his skin.

Shino's mouth went drier as he realized there most certainly was no extra cloth but pants between his skin and Kiba's. His eyes practically crossed. He hated and loved it when Kiba did that--especially if, for one reason or another, he knew Kiba was without underwear before they headed out. Just the knowledge that he could slide a hand down the man's pants and hit flesh, could strip him out of everything in a matter of seconds--he thought he was whimpering, but really wasn't sure.

He could imagine unbuttoning them and finding nothing but skin, pressing the shorter man up against a wall and petting--

Kiba was still moving, laughing quietly, apparently able to read Shino's mind from the glaze in his eyes. "I should just burn all my underwear, and go naked every day," Kiba whispered.

Shino swallowed at the thought. Yes, yes that would be delightful. "M-might chafe," he said instead, ever practical.

"I'll buy really soft pants," Kiba murmured. He had Shino's shirt off, the man realized distantly. "Really soft pants that would slide and shift, and whenever I thought of you--"

Shino groaned.

Kiba laughed.

Kiba was going to be the death of him. Was it possible to die from too much sex? Before, they'd been limited because they were trying to keep Shino's family from finding out, but now that they knew--hell, there were all sorts of places one could go to have sex, if one didn't care if people knew.

And if Kiba was going to start not wearing underwear all the time, then Shino had an idea that they were going to make use of each and every one of those places.

He slid his hands down again, unbuttoning and unzipping as he went, not bothering to remove the damn pants entirely because, really, there were more important things to be doing.

Like petting and stroking so that Kiba made that little mewling noise again, or like pulling the man up so he wasn't sitting on Shino's lap, but was kneeling over him, Shino's mouth at just about chest-level.

Kiba had fantastically sensitive nipples. Shino, not having terribly sensitive nipples, didn't understand it, but made use of it recklessly.

He licked one, felt Kiba twitch under his hands, and bit down very carefully. Kiba groaned. He licked again, tonguing the knotted flesh in his mouth, sucking gently. Kiba's hands ran through his hair, holding his head there, erection pressing into his chest.

"Gods--Shino--"

One day, he vowed, he was going to do this well enough that even Kiba was going to be left speechless. Surely there had to be such a thing.

"Shino--Shino--do that--thing--"

Good thing he spoke Kiba. He ran his hand up along shuddering ribs, thumb dragging, callused and hard, over the other nipple. Kiba jumped and groaned.

Shino's pants--which, for some strange reason he would never understand, were still on--were getting distinctly uncomfortable. Reluctantly he let go of Kiba, shifting back on the bed, wriggling out of them. Then his underwear, too.

Maybe he should stop wearing underwear, and see how Kiba liked it.

On second thought, they had jobs to do, and if neither of them ever wore underwear then they would never stop having sex, and they'd starve to death. Plus, he didn't relish the thought of chafing.

Kiba grabbed his pants legs and pulled, dragging them off--he'd already gotten rid of Shino's shoes--and tossing them to one side. Then he crawled up Shino's body, and if that wasn't the sexiest thing Shino had seen he didn't know what was.

Hands petted and smoothed, arousing and calming all at once, leaving his skin humming with electric pleasure. At some point, Kiba managed to wriggle out of his pants, but Shino was too busy thinking about how his skin was being licked to really pay attention.

Kiba's experience, Shino had to admit, paid off. He blushed when the other man tongued his stomach, nipping and licking at ridges of muscle, breath breaking damply over his skin.

Shino felt his skin flush darker--half embarrassment, half excitement--when Kiba licked the flesh at the top of his thigh. Then again, closer to the base of his--

Oh, gods, this seemed to get better every time. Heat spiraled through his nervous system, tingling from his toes to his waist, shooting farther up his spine to tighten the skin at the back of his neck. A tongue swirled, and Kiba sucked, cheeks hollowing for a moment.

Shino nearly shouted, but managed to clench down and hiss instead. His legs moved, too energized to stay still, heels pressing against the piles of blankets, toes curling as glass shattered through his body, sending little pinpricks of agonizing ecstasy slicing through him.

Kiba slid back up before it coalesced, though, skin sliding against skin, hot and damp. "Shino," he murmured, kissing and sucking on collarbones, "Let's fuck."

Shino petted the other man from hip to shoulders and back, wondering what, exactly, it was they were doing.

Kiba apparently understood his confusion. The man laughed, eyes flashing, tribal markings blood red against a flushed face. "I meant," he said, nuzzling along Shino's ear, thrusting absently against his hip--and how did Kiba think he was going to pay any attention to words when his erection was sliding, slow and silky, over the hollow of Shino's hipbone?

"Shino!" Kiba laughed.

Shino said something he was afraid sounded like, "Ugh." Whatever he managed, it sent Kiba into more peals of laughter.

"Shino," he kissed Shino thoroughly, tongue sliding into his mouth. "Shino," he did it again, sucking on Shino's lower lip. "I said, how about you fuck me?"

His brain stalled. He hadn't given it much thought until that moment, truthfully. Now that the image had presented itself--gleefully imposing itself into his mind in all its hot, sticky glory--he wanted to do that more than he wanted anything else in life. Even more than he wanted Kiba to burn all his underwear.

"Is that a yes?" Kiba asked, nibbling his jaw. "'Cause if you don't want to--"

"Yes!" Shino said quickly, then blushed bright red. "I mean, if you want to--"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't," Kiba said, the laugh still clear in his voice.

Right. Of course. Kiba wouldn't have suggested it if he didn't want--he was lifting up, off, sliding to the top of the bed and the nightstand and getting--

Oh, wow. Sometimes, Shino forgot Kiba had slept with half the village before him. Then other times, he was fairly painfully reminded. Watching Kiba pull a jar of lubricant from a drawer was definitely one of those times.

"You okay?" Kiba asked, pausing, one eyebrow quirked and a smile waiting at the corner of his mouth.

Shino just nodded. He didn't trust his voice. He wondered if he was supposed to do something here. He hadn't even managed oral sex more than twice because it just seemed so unclean (though one of these days Shino was going to drag Kiba into a shower and keep him there until Kiba's legs gave out, because there was no unclean if you'd just washed), and now there was lube which went--was he supposed to use his fingers? And if so--

Kiba had apparently gone through all of Shino's rapidly mutating thoughts, though, because he dipped his fingers into the jar and did it himself, hand sliding down the curve of his own ass, parting the crease and fingering his hole.

Kiba, Shino had learned through prior experience, was something of an exhibitionist. So when he half-closed his eyes and slid his fingers inside his own body, breath hitching, Shino wasn't sure how much was real and how much was show.

His body didn't care.

He rolled up onto his knees in front of Kiba, hands cupping the other man's face, and kissed him deeply. "If you keep making those noises," he said when they'd parted, "I'm not going to last for--for--sex."

Kiba grinned. "Noises like--" his eyes shuttered, he bit his lip, and, panting, murmured, "Ah--gods--"

Shino kissed him again, just to shut him up. He stroked his tongue inside the other man's mouth, over teeth and the hard palate. He could feel Kiba's muscles flex under his hand on the man's shoulder, and could just imagine, from that one glimpse of finger sliding in, what was going on.

Heat coiled in Shino's stomach, sending sparks of pleasure though his legs, making his thighs tremble. When he felt a hand, fingers cool and slick, wrap around his erection he almost jumped out of his skin. Kiba stroked, slowly, and Shino closed his eyes and tried not to lose it right there. That would be just a touch embarrassing and, granted, he'd only had sex about ten times in the last three months--which meant he'd only had sex about ten times, period--he was still certainly experienced enough by now not to lose it over some intensely erotic imagery and a hand sliding along his skin.

He hoped.

"Okay?" Kiba asked, breathing against Shino's neck.

Shino nodded, then wondered if he shouldn't be the one asking if Kiba was okay. After all, it was Kiba who--

Kiba had--

Kiba was kneeling in front of him, back to his chest, waiting. Shino looked at him uncertainly.

"Easier this way," Kiba said, flashing a grin. "S'okay," he urged, when Shino just kept looking at him.

Easier. Okay. Right.

Which reminded Shino again that Kiba had done this before--and that was just wrong. He could deal with the idea that Kiba had slept with other people--a lot of other people--but this was--this was--this was his Kiba, and--

He shook his head slightly, trying to shake off the possessiveness he felt. It couldn't possibly be attractive.

"Shino?"

Right. They were having sex.

He had no idea what to do. Oh, sure, he had some ideas, but--well--

Kiba laughed quietly, then rocked back into Shino's chest, pushing him until he was sitting on his heels, Kiba's legs spread on either side of his thighs. A hand came around, stroking his shaft, and Kiba sank down--

Oh. Shino grabbed the man's hips, but it didn't stop Kiba, who pressed down farther. Shino's breath broke, hot and damp, against Kiba's shoulder, and suddenly muscle gave way and he was inching in, the pressure far more than he'd thought it'd be and so damn good--

Kiba had stopped, just the very tip of Shino's head past that ring of muscle. It was warm, and tight, and entirely unlike a mouth or a hand.

"Shino, Shino, please tell me you can do this," Kiba whimpered, eyes closed, lips parted. "'Cause this is too awkward and I'm gonna lose my balance."

Kiba never lost his balance--the world was more likely to shrivel up and die, but Shino didn't say that. He just said, "All right, I'm good," his hands on Kiba's hips to steady the other man as he lifted back up, off his heels. For this, he could definitely pull himself together. Then Kiba was kneeling again, and Shino pushed slowly into the body before him.

"Ohhhhh, fuck yeah," Kiba said, shoulders tight, hands curling into fists on the blankets. Sweat was beading in the line of his spine, heat curling between them. Shino pushed a little more, and it wasn't what he'd expected, but he didn't know what he'd expected.

It was good. It was hot, and tighter than he thought could be comfortable, but Kiba wasn't complaining--Kiba's toes were curling, actually, and his fingers, too.

Shino pushed, sliding father into tight hot heat pressure gods this--

"Y-yai-i, slowly," Kiba yelped.

"Sorry," Shino said, wincing, but gods his body was screaming to move, now. He stopped entirely, hands shaking, muscles trembling and white fire spreading rapidly through his thighs and stomach. He'd slid most of the way in, he realized dimly, before Kiba had protested, and looking--seeing the base of his erection and Kiba stretched around him--he couldn't seem to stop from pushing just that little bit farther.

He really, really hoped Kiba was okay.

Kiba made a noise, something between a whimper and a groan, a curse thrown in for a bit of variety.

Shino stopped again, hands soothing on Kiba's ribs, petting and stroking over and over. He kissed the man's shoulder, tonguing skin, licking off salt and dampness, trying not to think about how incredibly good it felt around his dick, how slick and warm and tight--

No, no, he was not thinking about that. Not.

"Gimme . . . a minute . . ." Kiba said between pants.

Shino nodded. Tension coiled in his stomach, demanding release, and he knew with sudden clarity that once he started moving, he wasn't going to last all that long.

He pushed, the tiniest bit, hips pulsing fractionally. Kiba groaned. "Yeah, okay," he said, and Shino drew back and thrust in again, slowly, trying to breathe regularly, trying to keep control--

Think about . . . about Akamaru. Think about his mother. Think about Hinata-chan, or--or--

Kiba made a noise in the back of his throat, and Shino realized the other man was pressing back into him with every thrust. He sped, seeing Kiba's fingers curl on the blankets.

"Careful, careful," Kiba whispered, nearly trembling. "Oh, gods, yeah, that's better--oh fuck, Shino, it feels so fucking good and weird and--"

Yes, one day he was definitely going to find a way to make Kiba so sated that he stopped talking. That was the new goal.

"There, don't stop--shit--"

Shino pressed, harder, faster, hands on Kiba's hips and pulling the other man into him, and every time he was fully sheathed Kiba made this little gasping noise--

Kiba's head dipped, words finally giving way to just noise--"Ha--ah--yeah--ah--" They sounded like they were being torn through blissful agony out his throat from just inside his chest, because with the way he was breathing there wasn't any air getting farther than that.

His Kiba. Shino thrust, skin sliding against skin, hot and slick with lube, and if he ever found out who else had done this to his Kiba he was going to have to--well, at least shoot bugs up their nose, if he couldn't find a reason to break their kneecaps. Too powerful, too claiming, to think about anyone else with their cock up his--

Fuck it was friction and heat and tight and Kiba was making these little noises and he could feel skin against his skin and legs spread to brace so he could push and it was everything sex should be, hot and slick with Kiba stretching and panting and skin sliding along his dick when he thrust--

Shino's hands clenched, fire shuddering through him, tightening his balls, bursting from his body with piercing shards of liquid metal that shot through his veins and pulled his whole being taut, still, quivering as it ripped through him.

It pulsed, heady and alive, dragging a groan from his throat. He was as deep as he could go inside Kiba, his hands clamped so tightly on bronzed hips that he was sure to leave bruises. He pushed, already deep inside but pushing anyway, pulsing in and out and in, keeping time to the fire that dragged him down roads of happily broken souls. As orgasm faded he realized that Kiba was making little noises, mewling whimpers that were almost words, but not quite. He pushed again, one last time, fractures of glass sparkling through his body, and Kiba made that little whimpering, broken-breath noise again.

Shino trembled, fingers unclamping, body empty and exhausted. He laid kisses across Kiba's back and shoulders, muscles turning to pudding as aftershocks ran through him. He felt Kiba shift, felt the play of muscles as the man stroked himself and--

Shino groaned into Kiba's shoulder as internal muscles tightened around him, almost painful, making Kiba tremble and curse and moan. Then Kiba was spent, too, and they somehow managed to collapse on the bed without hurting themselves, though Shino really, really wasn't sure how.

Bugs hummed in the air; at least a dozen of them his, erupting from his skin and checking to make sure everything was safe. It was a little disconcerting that he'd lost himself so completely that they'd escaped, but he was too sleepy-content to really care. After a bit Kiba scooted, his back still to Shino, and twisted around enough so that his head was cradled on Shino's chest.

"'M wet and slimy," Kiba mumbled, rubbing his cheek against pectoral muscles.

Shino patted his hair with a lazy hand. "You okay?"

"I'm wet and slimy," Kiba said, louder, as if that explained everything.

"We could get up and wash," Shino mumbled.

They both laid there. Kiba sprawled, boneless, arms and legs visible when Shino tilted his head a bit. Even his fingers looked too tired to move, curling slightly into his palm.

"Next time," Kiba said, and Shino wondered how he had the energy to speak, "we need more lube."

Shino smiled sleepily. 'Next time.' "Okay." He played with Kiba's hair, the bit that he could reach without moving his whole arm. It was soft, slightly curly. "How's it feel?" he asked after a minute.

"Mmmm," Kiba said. "Weird. Good, but also . . . kinda weird." He gave a kick with his legs, scooting his body closer, head farther up Shino's chest. "Impossibly big," he said, planting a weary kiss on a scar. "I mean," he said sleepily, "you're a decently sized guy--"

Shino blushed at the topic.

"--but it feels much, much bigger inside." He gave Shino's chest another sleepy kiss.

Sun coming in a crack through the canvas door slowly crept across the ground, toward the bed.

Shino picked up the jar of lube, glancing inside. It was half gone. "How long have you had this?" And who else did you use it with? he didn't add.

Kiba yawned widely. "A few days."

Shino frowned and looked at the contents again. "What?"

Kiba snuggled deeper into the nest of blankets and Shino. "Well, I borrowed it from this guy on Tuesday--"

"Wait--" Shino interrupted, "this isn't yours?"

Kiba twisted to look at him. "Why would I have lubricant?"

Shino stared. "Because you've done this before . . .?"

Kiba snorted and laid back down again.

Shino put the jar down. "Kiba--you have done this before, right?"

"Have now," Kiba murmured, and the self-satisfied smirk was plain to hear.

"Kiba!" Shino said, not yelling because he never ever yelled, but putting his best stern voice to use. He twisted, knifing around the bed, until he could look Kiba in the face. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

Kiba looked at him solemnly. "You obviously didn't see the look on your face. You looked like you were about to have a heart attack. I figured, better--"

"I could have hurt you!"

Kiba squirmed, nose wrinkled. "Kinda did, actually. Definitely more lube next time."

"Kiba!" Shino was horrified.

Kiba sighed and moved far enough to plant a sober kiss on Shino's mouth. "Sorry. Next time, I'll tell you. This time, less angry, okay? It was nice, and I'd like to try again, but now I'm sore and really tired . . ."

That look would be his undoing, Shino just knew it. "Are you really okay, then?" Shino asked, eyes traveling the rangy body as if he might be able to see any pain.

"Mmm. I feel very warm. And my ass crack is slippery, which is really kinda freaky. Every time I move I can feel stuff slide, and I don't know if it's lube or come . . ."

Shino stared. From here, now curled at the top of the bed, looking at Kiba upside down, he couldn't tell, either. But his mouth was definitely dry. "Please don't talk about that," he murmured. "I don't think I can take it."

Kiba laughed. He shifted his head a little, and kissed Shino's jaw, eyes closing. "M gonna sleep."

"Yeah," Shino said. "Sleep."

Insects were buzzing, clicking and singing, calling for mates. The tent was warm, almost but not quite uncomfortable, and Shino could feel sweat drying on his chest and back. Kiba kept giving little movements of his hips, a slide of his foot up the opposite leg, and every time he did Shino thought about what he'd said.

The sun crawled slowly along the rug, climbing the edge of the futon, over mountains of blankets and cliffs made of pillows. Outside, dogs barked and distantly he heard children laughing and shouting. The day slumbered slowly on.

Then the canvas flap that served as a door was yanked open.

Shino twisted up over one shoulder, rolling to his feet, already in a defensive crouch. Kiba had jumped up on the other side of the bed, closer to the door, snatching up the shuriken he'd been cleaning, one on each index finger.

His mother glared at him.

"Ma!" Kiba squawked.

Shino dove for the covers, grabbing the closest blanket and quickly wrapping it around his body. He really, really wished he had a proper door with locks. Maybe he'd build Kiba a damn house, and then people wouldn't come barging in.

He glanced frantically for his sunglasses, and saw them. On the shelves, with his clothes. Near the door. On the OTHER side of the bed. His heart sank.

Tsume looked from one young man to the other--Kiba still hadn't bothered to cover up--then sniffed audibly. Eyes narrowed, she marched around the bed. Shino resisted the urge to back away, made sure he was as covered as he could get--one side of the blanket was hooked up over his shoulder, but the other arm was free so he could hold it in place--and tried to gather his wits.

Kiba was still squawking, sounding rather like an irate rooster. Tsume was ignoring him entirely.

"Ma! You can't just come bursting in! Get out!"

She still ignored him.

She marched right up to Shino, her hands on her hips, and eyed him.

At least he was taller than she was. This way, he didn't have to look up. Shino returned her gaze steadily, silently thanking all those years of training to be unreadable because in this situation, nothing short of years of training was going to help.

"Do you have all your teeth?" Tsume asked.

Shino stared at her in shock--though he didn't let it show--and said, "Yes, ma'am."

"Let me see."

"MA! He's not one of our dogs! Damn it, you'd give even them more courtesy than that! Shino, you don't have to show her your teeth!"

But Shino had already opened his mouth, the need to obey a command from one of his elders too drilled into his head to ignore.

She peered at them. He looked at Kiba while she was otherwise occupied, at Kiba who was dancing around naked, his head now buried in hands. "Oh, gods, this is so embarrassing . . ."

Shino had to agree, though he wasn't about to act like he was anything other than totally composed. Tsume had hooked her thumb over his lower teeth, holding his jaw open. He suspected that if she could, she'd stick her head in his mouth to get a better angle.

"Humph," Tsume said. She stepped back, gaze raking him assessingly. "What are those scars from?" she asked, pointed a red nail at his exposed collarbones.

"Kikaichuu," he answered simply, voice rolling deep over Kiba's continued protests.

"And what's wrong with your eyes? I don't like 'em," she said, peering at them.

He really, really wished for his glasses. "I was born like that," he said, and didn't bother explaining that it was an Aburame thing. All of them had black eyes. Not just black irises--but black eyes. Almost iridescent, like the large black beetles that came out in the summertime.

"Huh," Tsume said.

"Ma! He's not a piece of meat! Would you get out!"

"Now listen," she snapped, whipping around to Kiba, "if you two are going to be getting married--"

Shino thought he might faint. He didn't let that show, either.

"We're not getting married, Ma! We're just screwing!" Kiba was waving his arms around, so mad he was, in fact, hopping. Akamaru lay in the doorway, his head buried under his paws.

"Well, you're involved enough to be having sex, and you've been seeing him for three months!" she yelled back.

"We've been having sex for three months, too!" Kiba yipped. "What's the difference between now and--"

Tsume stalked toward her son, stopped, and growled, "It smells different, Kiba."

Kiba's nose wrinkled. "Huh?"

She looked pointedly at the jar of lube sitting on the bed.

Yup, he was going to faint. Even Kiba had the decency to blush a rather fetching shade of red. His tribal tattoos nearly vanished under the onslaught of blood. "Well, uh," he began.

"And you let him be alpha male? What's wrong with you?" Tsume yelled.

In the moment before Kiba buried his face in folded arms, Shino saw the tribal marks vanish entirely.

"So," Tsume continued, absolutely no pity in her for the two men she'd completely embarrassed, "if you're going to let him screw you, I'm going to make sure he's worth it!" Then she turned back to Shino who, very carefully, hoping she'd forget about him, hadn't moved. "Do you have any cavities?"

"No ma'am," he said quickly. "I brush twice a day."

"Good. And wash?"

"Every day. Sometimes twice." He was very proud that not once had he stuttered, stammered, or said "Uh." He had never been so grateful for his clan's insistence on perfect appearances.

"You wash your hair?"

"Maaaaa," Kiba groaned, though he hadn't looked up. He was also still naked, and not bothering in the slightest to hide it.

"Yes, ma'am," Shino said. "Every other day. And I condition."

"Are you overly hairy?"

He didn't entirely understand that question until she walked up, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and yanked it down to peer at his chest. At that, Shino couldn't stop from pulling back, drawing himself upright and giving her his best 'disappointed in you' look. It didn't phase her in the slightest.

"You're not. That's good."

She stepped close. Shino didn't flinch, not even when she put her face right up next to his neck and sniffed. She pulled back and peered at him. "Humph," she said again. "Clean up and put your clothes on, both of you," she snapped sharply, walking back toward the door. There, she turned and looked at Shino. "Your father's here to see you."

The canvas flapped closed behind her.

Shino's heart sank. His father was here? Why would his father be here?

"I'm sooo sorry," Kiba groaned, grabbing Shino's shirt and jacket and throwing them across the bed. "She's never done that before!"

Shino didn't point out that, formerly, Kiba's longest relationship had lasted approximately three days. "She's very, ah," what was a nice way to say 'terrifying?' "Protective."

"She was clan head for twenty-three years because she could make everyone else piss themselves," Kiba muttered. "Here." He tossed Shino his pants and underwear.

Shino yanked them on, blanket still around his shoulders, not trusting that another member--or the same one, for that matter--of Kiba's clan wouldn't come marching in at any moment.

Oh, how he missed his locks.

"Why do you think your dad's here?" Kiba asked. Shino glanced up, saw the man zipping up and buttoning his pants and realized--damn it, Kiba still wasn't wearing underwear.

"Uh," he said eloquently.

Kiba looked at him. "Your dad?" he prompted.

Shino cringed. "I don't know." He shoved his arms into his jacket, buttoning it over his shirt--which he hadn't bothered to tuck in, but you couldn't tell as long as he didn't take his coat off--and ran his fingers through his hair. "You have a mirror?" he asked, wishing he had time for a shower.

Kiba picked up a giant shuriken and tossed it.

"This is your mirror?" Shino asked.

Kiba shrugged. "Works."

That explained a lot, Shino thought. He held it up, trying his best to get his hair not to have cowlicks, or at least not look like he'd just been screwing someone. Which, of course, he had, but that was beside the point.

He slid his glasses on, and studied his reflection. Anyone else would see the same persona they always saw. His father, however . . .

Shino resisted the urge to sigh, and bent to shove his feet into boots.

"Set?" Kiba asked.

Shino glanced up, and almost cringed.

Kiba was Kiba, and always would be. He had an earring, a mesh shirt, pants that--without underwear--seemed to outline every curve and straight line. He'd put on boots, but he still looked half wild. The tribal tattoos seemed garish and alien, and the sun-bronzed skin, most of it exposed, was almost savage.

Shino stepped forward, threaded his fingers around the back of Kiba's neck, and kissed him softly.

"What was that for?" Kiba asked, frowning as they pulled back.

"Nothing," Shino answered. Then he ducked out under the canvas door, stepped over Akamaru, and stopped.

He'd half expected his father to be standing there, waiting.

"This way," Kiba said, slipping out beside him. "He'll be in our official-business building, him being clan head and all."

Shino nodded. Of course. That almost made sense. They walked through the forest, most of it clearcut, branches trimmed out of the way. In a clearing past what Kiba called the alpha-homes, there was a single story building, impressive simply because it was the only permanent structure in the area.

They walked inside single file, Kiba first, his hackles raised.

Tsume was there, with her dog--Shino knew it was rude, but he could never remember the dog's name--and his father.

The two adults were making forced conversation, and Tsume looked almost relieved--in an annoyed sort of way--when they entered.

"Kiba," Shino said, his voice deep and steady, though his palms were damp with nerves, "this is my father. Father, Kiba."

His father stood, giving Kiba the same raking glance Tsume had given Shino. Judging. Assessing. Evaluating.

Shino could almost see the thoughts turning behind the dark glasses. 'So this is the boy my son has been screwing.'

"Nice to meet you," his father said formally.

Kiba bowed his head slightly. "You, too."

"Shino tells me you've been . . . seeing each other for three months."

"Ah, yeah. Well, we have a lot of missions together and everything . . ."

"Yes. I know."

Shino stood, silently trying to give Kiba support as the other man flailed. Kiba hadn't been trained to hide everything, and his discomfort was painfully obvious.

"Shino," his father said, turning to him, "if we could talk privately?"

He felt Kiba bristle. "Of course," he said, willing Kiba to stay silent. He looked at Tsume. "Tsume-san, is there a place we could go . . .?"

"We'll leave," she said, standing and walking out the door. As if on silent cue, her giant dog followed, padding silently behind her.

She stopped in the entrance. "Kiba?"

Kiba looked at Shino, blue eyes asking for some sort of sign.

Greatly daring, Shino stepped toward the shorter man, senses acutely aware that his father was watching, and moved his hand enough to brush Kiba's waist, fingertips dusting Kiba's hip before his hand fell back to his side. "It's all right," he said simply.

Kiba looked from him to his father and back again. "If you're sure . . ."

Shino nodded.

Kiba turned slowly, entire posture dejected, thumbs hooked in the back of his pants. Shino could see dimples in the flesh above the man's rear, and wondered if Kiba would have bruises in a few hours from Shino's hands.

"Kiba," he said on impulse.

Kiba twisted, sliding back and looking for a heartbreaking moment like he'd fall before an absent-minded step stabilized him.

"Don't go far, all right?"

Kiba nodded. His mesh shirt slid up his stomach slightly, doing nothing to hide hard muscles under lightly scarred skin.

He wasn't wearing underwear. Shino almost smiled as Kiba tripped out of the room, the door closing behind him.

"So that's Kiba," his father said, sounding like it left a foul taste in his mouth.

Shino's lips tightened. "You've met Kiba before, Father," he said softly.

"Yes. I hadn't realized--" he stopped, then took a deep breath. "Won't you sit down?" He gestured to the large table he and Tsume had been sitting at, and carefully Shino took a seat.

There was no hum of insects in the air. That could only be good.

He waited, watching his father gather his thoughts.

"I can see why he might be alluring," his father said finally. "He's very . . ."

"Barbaric?" Shino suggested, and was surprised at the bitterness in his voice.

"I was going to say wild," his father said coolly. "Certainly different than how you grew up. This whole place is . . ." he looked around, as if he might be able to see through the walls to the encampment outside. "Different."

Shino waited.

"You're very young, Shino," his father said finally.

Shino felt anger ripple through him, and his kikaichuu buzzed under his skin in response.

"Calm," his father said.

Shino took a deep breath, centering himself. It had been a long day. The kikaichuu settled down, resting just under his flesh.

"You're very young," he said again, when Shino's insects had gone silent, "and I can see how you might want something different than what you've grown up with. But you're the clan heir, and you can't be the clan heir if you're sterile."

Shino's head snapped up. "I'm not--"

"You're as good as, if your partner can't bear children," his father interrupted.

Shino clasped his hands together on the table to keep them from fisting at his sides.

"I have contacted the parents of the girl I wanted you to marry," his father continued, "and told them that perhaps you both have some more growing up to do first." He gave his son a stern look. Shino tried not to notice. "I hope, for your sake, that's all this is."

Shino stared at his knuckles, gone white.

"I'm going to give you a year and a half. If at that point, we can reach a compromise--maybe you can choose a different Inuzuka," his father said half hopefully. "A woman."

Shino stared at his fingers. "I can't," he answered softly.

His father sighed. "If, then, we can't reach an agreement by the time you turn twenty-one, I'm naming your cousin as heir, and striking you from the clan. Do you understand me?"

Shino nodded, silent.

His father stood. He hovered, one hand resting on Shino's tense shoulder. "Shino," he said quietly, "I love you. You're my son. Don't throw your life away over this." Then he squeezed, and walked out.

**

"I think," Tsume said, hands on her hips and mouth twisted in annoyance, "that when he said 'don't go far' he didn't mean you had to hover twenty feet away."

Kiba shot her a dirty look, and didn't move any farther.

They waited in dappled shade, having just left the building moments before. "What do you think they're talking about?" Kiba asked anxiously.

"Shino's father is probably telling him to stop screwing you," his mother answered.

"Ma!"

"Did you want an honest answer, or did you want a lie?" his mother shot back. "And why does he have to be alpha, anyway? What's wrong with you being on top, huh? I didn't raise you to be anyone's uke."

"Ma!" Kiba hissed, his neck reddening. "Do you have to say things like that? It's just embarrassing. And no one said I acted like an uke." He scowled at the ground. "People your age really shouldn't know that kinda language anyway," he muttered.

"Someone needs to say it," she growled.

"I like being on the bottom, okay? Besides, the sex is good and getting better, but I think if I suggested he be on the bottom he'd freeze up! I mean, look at his family!" A gesture encompassed the building where Shino and his father sat, talking about who knew what.

"Yeah," Tsume said reluctantly. "I suppose." They waited, quiet. "Kiba," Tsume said after a moment, "are you sure you want to be involved with this kid? You know, you marry the son, you marry the family. And like you said, look at them."

Kiba sighed. "We're not getting married."

"You know what I mean."

He scowled and nodded. "I don't know," he mumbled. "I like Shino, Ma. I've liked him since we were fifteen and I really figured out what dicks were for."

Tsume cuffed him for language, but they both knew she didn't really care.

"Please, will you be nice to him?" Kiba pleaded. "If you're nice, then the rest of the tribe will fall into line. I mean, they mostly already like him, and--and, Ma, I really like him."

Tsume sighed. "Kiba, you know I'll support it if this is what you really want. But--Aburame?"

"Akamaru likes him," Kiba said, and from his mother's expression knew he'd won the argument.

The door opened, and the Aburame head walked out.

"I'm going to see our visitor off," Tsume said, making a face. "You go check on your mate."

"Ma!" Kiba snapped. "He's not my mate!"

She smirked. "No, but you've mated." Then she headed toward the man looking displeased with the world.

Kiba swallowed and went into the building, poking his head carefully around the doorframe. Shino sat, hands folded on the desk, staring hard at his knuckles. Kiba edged inside, closing the door behind him.

"You okay?" Kiba asked softly.

Shino didn't look up. "He wouldn't hurt me, if that's what you're asking," he said in a careful monotone that always meant he was really, really upset. He'd sounded like this when Hinata had been gutted, and nearly died.

"That's not quite what I was asking," Kiba said. He edged up onto the table, sliding closer.

"He gave me until I turn twenty-one. Then, if we haven't stopped seeing each other and I haven't agreed to marry a woman, he's going to name my cousin heir and disown me."

Kiba flinched. He swung his legs, staring unhappily at his feet. "So . . . what are you going to do?" He was half afraid of the answer.

Shino took a deep breath and said, in that black velvet voice Kiba loved so much, "Nothing."

Kiba looked at him sharply.

"A year and a half is a long time," Shino said simply. "All of this may resolve itself. If it doesn't, I'll jump that ravine when I come to it."

Kiba sprawled out on the table, shoving Shino's hands out of the way, determined to make the man look at him. It worked; he saw the shift of tiny muscles around Shino's eyes as the orbs behind the glasses refocused. "Are you allowed home?"

Shino frowned. "I think so."

"'Cause if not, Ma pretty much said you could stay here." He almost hoped Shino wasn't allowed home, that Shino would stay. But as soon as he said the words he knew it wasn't going to happen; an eyebrow twitched.

"Kiba, thank you for the offer, and you know I love visiting," Shino said slowly.

"But?" Kiba prompted.

Shino's lips pursed as he thought. Kiba knew that expression, too. It was the, 'what I want to say might sound rude, so I have to rephrase' expression. "But there's no running water, Kiba," Shino said finally. He smiled ruefully.

Kiba snorted and smiled, relieved that at least it wasn't about him. He rolled to his back, scratching absently at his chest where sweat had dried. He could still feel lube and semen rub every time he shifted, a constant reminder of what they'd just done. He glanced over, and saw Shino's eyes drift down his body and linger on the shadow where his pants gapped away from his flesh.

Purposefully, he hooked his thumb on the cloth and tugged slightly, exposing more skin. "You just haven't learned the excitement of the cove yet," Kiba said, lifting one knee and shifting his hips subtly enough that he doubted Shino would realize what he was doing.

Shino was staring, fascinated, but not with Kiba's words. His eyes were glued to the shadow between cloth and skin. "Oh?" he said, voice dropping lower. It sent shivers down Kiba's spine every time he heard it do that.

"Yeah," he said, smiling lecherously. "But I'd be happy to show you."

"That might be a good idea," Shino said, tone getting just a tad bit huskier. He was still staring at tanned flesh. Kiba flared his fingers along his hip for good measure. "After all," Shino said, licking his lips, "I need to bathe."

"Me, too," Kiba murmured.

"I really wish you'd start wearing underwear," Shino said, closing his eyes behind his glasses--Kiba could tell from the movement of his head.

Kiba grinned. He was going to burn all his underwear. He wondered if Shino realized how incredibly sexy he looked like that, like he just might--might--lose that perfect control. Few things in the world were as arousing as Shino losing control.

Screw the cove. They had hands, mouths, a private room, and hormones. What else did they need?

Well, lube would have been nice, Kiba thought, sliding around to kiss Shino. But he was sore enough that he wasn't going to be doing that again in the next few days, anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Shino's tongue slid along his own, and Shino himself made the tiniest sound in the back of his throat, like he was trying to keep from groaning.

It was Kiba's new goal in life to see how many times he could get Shino to make that noise in the next year and a half. (One.)

Well, that, and to burn all his underwear. That could wait until tomorrow, though. The noise goal he should start on as soon as possible. Now, even.

He wrapped his hand around Shino's neck and tugged, sliding his tongue along the other man's lips, dipping carefully into warm heat.

Two . . .

--End

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