Work Text:
There were going to be indents in the floor from much you paced your living room you just knew it.
"What if I end up insulting him? What if he hates me?" You stopped dead and your eyes went wide as you had a thought. "What if he takes my headband?!"
Shino, a naturally patient person, the calm to your storm, simply continued to sit on your apartment's sofa and watch you have your mild freak out, probably in the hopes that you would get it all out of your system before meeting his father for dinner in only an hour. "Do you; truly; believe my father to be capable of such an action?"
"What?" You took a deep cleansing breath as your head bounced from side to side before sighing. "Well no of course not I just-" you poked your fingertips together in nervousness; you had been spending far too much time with Hinata. "He can do that right?"
Shino sighed lightly. "Technically; he does have this ability yes-"
Your panic punched you unapologetically in the gut again.
"Oh Kami he's gonna hate me and take my headband!"
"Will you; please; desist?” Shino commented firmly before raising his hand to you, palm up. "Come and sit by me for a moment."
You took his offered hand and fell into the sofa cushions beside him, pout in full display.
"My father will love you," he placed a gentle kiss on your knuckles. "Just as I love you."
Traitor, he knew you loved that.
"Okay, okay, I'm cool! I'm calm!"
Spreading your arms wide you took a deep inhale, held it for a second, before releasing it just as slowly. Turning to Shino you grinned. "See? Totally calm!"
The insect tamer rose a disbelieving but amused eyebrow. "You hide this fact; well; I must say."
You punched him lightly in the arm to cover your embarrassment; you'd been spending too much time with Kiba too apparently.
"Shut up, Shino."
"Father; this is my partner."
You stepped forward with only a slightly strained smile and your back muscles were only a little tight when Shino motioned to you.
Oh Kami above Shibi Aburame was as intimidating as you thought he would be, his tan coloured high collar and dark tinted sunglasses seemed somehow like a giant wall between the two of you in a way that Shino's never had. It also didn't help that he must have been at least half a foot taller than you, just adding to the small feeling you had.
"It's lovely to meet you, Mr Aburame!" You proclaimed in a slightly higher, slightly more strained, voice than usual.
"Shibi is fine."
Your bubble popped just a little and your shoulders dropped at his cold and unmovable tone. He already hated you, perfect; you hadn't even done anything yet.
"Shall we?"
You tried to shoot Shino a 'please help!' look, as you made your way behind Shibi towards your table, but even he seemed to be looking at his father like he didn't know what was going on.
Dinner was going, there was no other word for it, awful. You had tried to make small talk, the weather, training, recent missions but you could only do so much with one or two word answers, each cutthroat word feeling like a hammer directly hitting your temple, you couldn't have a conversation with yourself.
Shino himself had taken on a short tone, maybe at his father's treatment of you, maybe at something else you didn't know but either way it made you want to simply set your head on the table in defeat.
Shino, and other people around the village, had described Shibi Aburame as a polite, calm, easy to get along with man; so why was he suddenly being so blunt with you? Or was it even just you? If anyone else was dating his son would he act the same way towards them?
The way Shibi said your name suddenly set your nerves on edge. "How many children do you plan on having?"
You actually dropped your fork in surprise.
"Father," Shino actually hissed at that.
Shibi looked unimpressed at his son. "It is merely a question; Shino."
"It is rude."
Was it? Yeah you supposed it was but it made sense didn't it? A major clan heir like Shino, his clan's council would have probably asked Shibi to see if little baby heirs were a done deal.
"Umm I like children," you answered before Shino could actually bend the metal of his own fork in the unforgiving grip he had on it. "And I always imagined Shino to be an amazing dad."
Shino actually looked on at you amazed; you could only give an amused look. "I've said that before. You know I have."
"So; Shino?" Shibi carried on, leaving no room for argument. "Your answer?"
"That is none of your business; Father.”
Your eyebrows scrunched up in confusion at that, I mean, surely he had thought about it.
"You are the heir to the Aburame," the elder insect tamer continued, actually leaning over the table lightly, closing the space between himself and his son. "Unfortunately; it is very much my business."
Oh no, you thought it best to try and stop that conversation train about to crash.
"Maybe me and Shino cou-"
Shibi's head turned to you and your lips seemed to super glue themselves shut at the unfriendly aura he gave off then.
"And why is it you seem so willing to-"
Like Shibi had cut you off, Shino cut his father off.
"Leave her alone; Father."
Again, your want to be polite and get through this mudslide of a dinner kicked in.
"He's just asking Shino, he's allowed to ask."
"No; he is not," Shino's head snapped round to his father. "You have been nothing but inhospitable all evening; what is the matter with you?"
Seeing Shino and his father actually start to yell at each other was such an out of body experience, all you could do was sit there slack jawed, your eyes bouncing between them like you were watching a tennis match.
"Home; Shino," the Aburame head stood. "Now."
Shino actually storming after his father when Shibi got up from the table and headed for the door.
You didn't run, you didn't call after them, you didn't cry, the emotional cold in your chest that been growing since Shibi had first spoken to you in that unfeeling voice had finally frozen you solid. The only thing you could do was sigh and poke your half finished meal with your fork.
Well this had quite possibly been the worst evening ever, maybe you should hand your headband into the Hokage now and avoid putting it off.
Collapsing on your sofa, after the longest walk home in existence and even trying to sleep away the uncomfortable squirming behind your ribs for a few hours, you could only imagine what was going on over at your boyfriend's house with the sheer explosion of emotion and yelling that happened in the restaurant.
You lifted your knees to your chest and hugged them, staring out the window at the half moon, sighing deeply.
A knock on the door made you kick out your feet childishly before stomping over to the door, if this was Hinata coming to ask you how the dinner had gone oh you had stories for her.
You froze in place at who was on the other side of your front door when you opened it.
"Shibi, Mr Aburame uhh," when he still didn't talk you when another step up in formality. "Sir?"
He was still as tall and felt as closed off as earlier in the evening and once again you felt that squirmy small feeling kick in.
"Shibi is more than satisfactory."
Satisfactory? Ouch.
"May I come in?"
Hardly being able to refuse the head of one of the four great clans, or your boyfriend's father for that matter, even if your nerves wanted you to run away at the speed of light, you stepped aside, he wondered into your living room and waited until you joined him to speak.
"I wished to explain my behaviour this evening; it was; unbecoming."
It most certainly was but you kept your mouth shut and merely made a vaguely agreeing hum nose in your throat.
"I wished to see if your affection for Shino was true."
"It is," you said firmly, leaving no room for question.
He didn't actually comment on that, but Shino did give you an appreciative head nod, at least that was something.
"Shino may have told you about the others who pretended their affections were pure in order for their clans to form an alliance with us; their lies broke a part of him at the time.”
Oh yes, you had heard about those, high ladies and other clan people thinking they could manipulate Shino into marriage, targeting him because of simply who he was. It made you sick and want to kick things.
That's why he was rude to you for no reason? Because he thought you just wanted to marry into the Aburame?
"I don't have a clan," you told him, almost annoyed at his reasoning. "No likelihood of that."
"That would; in fact; make it worse," Shibi continued. "The council would have said you may have wanted to simply join; a clan to-"
"Well I don't! I don't even care if we get married!" And you didn’t; not really, being with Shino was enough to fill your live with sunshine and warmth. "I just want him with me!"
"I know this now; after speaking with Shino as deeply as I have the last few hours," he looked directly at you again, but this time the aura was different, more mellow, caring even. "I was wrong about you."
He was? "You were?"
Your whole body jolted when Shibi Aburame actually knelt in front of you.
"I can only beg your forgiveness."
"It-It's okay," was all you could say because having one of the strongest and most important men in all of Konohagakure kneeling at your feet begging for your forgiveness was insane; the past few hours had been a complete roller-coaster. "Look I, umm, can you please stand back up please?"
Shibi rose to stand then and you gripped your hands in front of your chest and raised your head to give him an almost pleading look.
"I just want Shino to be happy and I-" you found yourself smiling when you saw the elder Aburame give his own. "I know that's all you want as well."
"I do apologise for jumping to conclusions."
You absolutely beamed in relief, it seemed you and Shibi were finally on the same page, things were definitely looking up!
"Maybe we could start over?"
He took your hands in a friendly, fatherly hold and patted then gently.
"I would like that very much."
A laid-back friendly chat with Shibi sounded nice, why not now? Now that you were on the same wavelength.
"Would you like some tea?"
The insect tamer patted your hands again. "Tea sounds; wonderful."
The next dinner the three of you had was far nicer and had a much more relaxed atmosphere; everything you originally hoped for.
Shibi was kind, and loving, and intelligent all the things you thought he would be.
This time Shino actually answered how many children he wanted; you still dropped your fork at the number in his answer.