Chapter Text
Shino was restless. It was a different kind of restlessness too. Normally, the young man was excellent at hiding his true emotions between his glasses and high collar, but this time, it was different.
The matters on hand this time were far too worrisome to let his anxious brain get any rest. How could he, knowing that his girlfriend and Naruto were currently on a mission in Takigakure which would determine the future of the Jinchuuriki after the war. A future he had been intertwined with the day Fuu had asked him out on a date.
Whether or not Fuu could move into the Aburame compound with him would be one of the many things that would be decided today. With Jinchuuriki having a long history of being treated as nothing but weapons, passed around the villages as ticking time bombs, this would not only be important to Shino, but the Shinobi world as a whole.
“Shino-Sensei are you doing alright?”, one of his students, a shy and polite Inuzuka boy asked. He was so unlike Kiba in every sense that it normally amused Shino greatly, but not today.
Was he doing alright? He did not know. The anxiety coursing through his body threatened Shino to shut down completely but he pushed forward. Three more days. Then Fuu would return with what he hoped would be joyous news.
He had even talked to his father in quiet, about the possibility of Shino renouncing his status as clan heir in favour of following Fuu to Takigakure. It had been then that Shibi had realised just how serious his son was about his relationship with the seven-tails Jinchuuriki and he had offered his support with whatever Shino should need. It filled Shibi’s heart to its fullest capacity, seeing Shino happy like this.
Shino was the happiest he had ever been now than he had ever been in his life before. With Fuu right by his side.
Shibi also valued Fuu for the fresh wind she brought wherever she went. She was not only doing Shino good, but the Aburame clan as a whole. Her usually chipper and optimistic demeanour, although unfamiliar, was far from unwanted by the clan. Even the clan elders, who had been a bit skeptical at first, had fallen for the natural charm Fuu carried just like Naruto possessed.
The rest of the school day went by like a blur. With his head clouded in deep thoughts, Shino barely touched his food, merely bouncing little Mirai on his lap while Kurenai, Hinata and Kiba conversed. Going out for dinner on Fridays had almost become a tradition for them, one that Shino normally somewhat enjoyed partaking in, but he could barely focus today. The conversation moved past him with Shino only sometimes answering with positive or negative hums.
“Come on Shino, we all know you miss your little bug girlfriend but can’t you at least try to act interested in our conversation?”, Kiba complained, leaning back on the chair as he took a sip from his alcoholic beverage, one too many judging by the drunken blush spreading around Kiba’s cheeks.
Kurenai sent him a disapproving glance while Hinata leaned over to console him, gently touching his arm in the process.
“It will be fine”, she convincingly reassured the young Aburame heir, “She is coming back soon is she not? Is a reunion not the sweetest?”
Shino nodded lightly. Something about Hinata always soothed others, Shino included. Hinata knew what she was talking about regarding reunions, she had to since she had started being involved with the last Uchiha. Sasuke was gone far more often than Fuu was and sometimes, Shino couldn’t help but feel guilty for worrying his dear friend despite her seeing her partner far less often than he did.
“I am certain it will be”, Kurenai’s soft voice chimed in, sending him a smile. It made Shino feel even more guilty.
Here he was, sulking about missing his partner, with one of his best friends' partner being absent a lot more often and his teacher’s partner dead. Shino felt like a whiny child, something the mature young man had never associated with himself, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but miss Fuu.
“She is coming back soon man and then the two of you can be all lovey dovey again. Just leave me out of it. I swear if I ever ask you two to remove fleas from the dogs and the two of you turn it into a super sappy date again, I am banning you from ever coming back to the compound. Just gross.”
Being whiny was something that was meant to be associated with Kiba anyway.
The rest of the night was uneventful. Kurenai excused herself and Mirai to get the young Sarutobi into bed as she had a playdate planned the next day and the evening ended with Shino and Hinata assisting Kiba back to the Inuzuka compound as he had been too drunk to walk himself. Again. Even Akamaru seemed embarrassed by his owner’s antics.
After Shino had walked Hinata back to the Hyuuga clan estate, he had made his way home, the anxiety-filled day making him more tired than usual. As soon as he opened the door and closed it behind him after he had stepped in, Shino was greeted by a familiar yet different wave of chakra. His kikaichu reacted before he could, swarming at the source and excitedly nestling against their skin.
“You are… back early?”, Shino questioned, not able to believe his eyes.
“I hurried specifically for you, duh. I missed you so much lovebug”, Fuu replied, her bright eyes glistening with excitement as she flung herself against her lover’s tall frame, circling her arms around his neck.
The bugs buzzed in excitement as they swirled around the couple as Fuu began to leave kisses all over Shino’s face as he still tried to process the entire situation.
“You are really here?”, he questioned, the inquiry more so directed at himself and his senses than his lover. His arms wrapped themselves against her smaller form as he leaned down, resting his head on her shoulder as her laughter shook through his body, a gentle reminder that she was there, in his arms, with him.
“Yes! Yes I am. I have been missing you so much you have no idea! I don’t think Naruto can ever forget your name again with how much I talked about you”, Fuu said while giggling, remembering the pained expression her friend had worn whenever she had opened her mouth to talk about her love life.
“I am correct in assuming that the meeting went well then?”, Shino asked as Fuu grasped his hand to lead Shino to the kitchen so as to not just awkwardly stand in the hallway.
Fuu filled up two glasses of water from the tab by the sink, before hoisting herself up on the counter, pushing one of the glasses towards the Aburame heir.
“You are more than correct my honey bee. Still took far too many days to convince the weird higher ups that Jinchuuriki are in fact human more than capable in deciding where they wish to go and stay, if you ask me”, Fuu complained dryly, puffing her cheeks as Shino moved to stand beside her, leaning against the counter. He was still taller than her like this, much to her chagrin.
Shino could feel a small wave of anger boiling up inside of him. It was something he had never understood when he was younger, with Naruto, and now that he was in a committed relationship with Fuu, he noticed the mistreatment of Jinchuuriki even more so than before.
“But! It’s a good thing! I can do whatever I want to do now! We can do whatever we want to now. No more ancient restrictions from Takigakure or Konohagakure law, no more elders meddling with our decisions, no more people holding us back”, Fuu laughed, her legs thrumming excitedly against the drawer underneath her shaking the pots inside, “I can move in here, we can travel together, we can even get married- I mean marked by the law for criminal activities.”
Fuu’s wild gesturing stopped for a moment as her face began to flush at what she had just uttered out, hoping that Shino did not hear what she had said.
Shino had heard what she had said. His entire body went rigid as he started to feel uncomfortably hot underneath his collar, shifting awkwardly.
Marriage. It was certainly something he had thought about in the past and it seemed like he wasn’t the only one. For one of the documents Shino had tucked away in his desk due to its precious yet embarrassment-inducing nature, Fuu had used “Aburame Fuu” to sign the paper seemingly by accident. He treasured the paper like he treasured his late mother’s handwritten gardening notes.
“I also found these”, Fuu blurted out, interrupting the awkward silence as she hopped down from the counter and rushed towards her traveling bag by the ground. Out of the bag, she pulled a jar filled with fireflies.
“A type of Lampyridae?”, Shino questioned, trying to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat as he instead tried to focus on the fireflies.
Fuu nodded. “They belong to the sub group of Luciola, as suggested by their markings. Although the flash they produce is more similar to the Phausis Reticulata as they shine in a greenish light. Kinda like my hair actually! Oh! Not to mention females have wings too!”
Shino’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “Are you implying…?”
“That this might be an entirely new subspecies? Yup! It’s something that still needs to be investigated of course but I found them while exploring a valley in a cave in Takigakure. I also took some notes on how their habitat looks so we can attempt to replicate it here in the Aburame forest! Oh you think Yamato will help us? We would also travel back to Takigakure, because I think their glow is connected to a bacteria that can be found in the lake where they live.”
Shino smiled behind his collar, smiled fondly at the woman he had given his heart to all these years ago, to the woman who had sat with him and listened to his rambles, who had never once forgotten him, who had gone out of her way to do things for him and who made sure he was included more in activities.
Like a moth to the flame, he gravitated towards, her enticing warmth numbing all his rationality.
“Have you thought of a name for them yet?”, Shino asked calmly, bringing Fuu back from her small rant she was already getting too wound up in.
Fuu halted, thought for a moment and shook her head. “I wanted to name them with you! Oh I almost forgot, there is one more thing we can name!”
Shino titled his head slightly, prompting her to continue but Fuu just giggled as she set the fireflies down.
The Aburame heir looked at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes as one of her hands rested right above the exposed part of her tan stomach. She gave him a wink and stuck out her tongue.
Then, it clicked. The familiar yet off chakra. The way his kikaichu reacted to her pheromones which also smelled different now and how the bugs would not leave her alone completely. Her seemingly elated aura, even more excited than usual.
“Fuu are you-”
“Yes!”, she interrupted him with a shout before hurling herself towards Shino again.
He caught her, his arms circling around her waist as he deeply inhaled her new scent, the scent of a pregnant woman, the scent of a mother, the mother of his child.
Shino had just chalked it up to his imagination, wishful thinking that was meant to be locked away never to be mentioned.
Fuu giggled again, enjoying the affection he was showering her with. Normally, she was the one who offered up her affections towards her lover and she didn’t mind that one bit, but it was a nice change of pace to be on the receiving end every now and then.
Shino could barely believe his luck. Not only was Fuu able to stay with him and move into the Aburame compound like they had fought and prayed for for months, but Fuu also discovered a new type of firefly subspecies they could dedicate years into exploring and researching and to top it all off, they were going to be parents.
He felts elated. All the fear and anxiety that had been weighing down upon him over the past few days melted under the warmth Fuu engulfed him.
They stood there for what felt like hours, just basking in each other’s embrace, Shino’s kikaichu fluttering around them as Fuu listened to his steadily thumping heartbeat.
“What about… Hotaru?”
“Isn’t it a bit weird to call a new species of fireflies just firefly?”
“For the child.”
“Oh. Of course. Gods, it still feels so unreal! Oh we totally have to tell your dad and then all your friends and then also make preparations for when I move in here and I really wanna paint our bedroom a different colour, maybe green would fit? Or orange, but orange might look too aggressive…”
“We will. Tomorrow”, Shino responded to Fuu’s rambles, his fingers soothing comforting little circles on the small of her back against the naked skin courtesy of the crop top she had chosen as her default style.
Fuu relaxed in his grasp, thoughts seemingly forgotten as she nodded excitedly.
“Tomorrow it is then! You are right, I am feeling rather tired, it was a fairly long journey after all. Let’s get some sleep!”
Shino nodded before leaning down, pressing a chaste kiss against her blabbering lips as he graced her watchful eyes with a short view of his smiling face no longer obscured by his collar.
Fuu flushed again, blinking up at his before she nodded, suddenly feeling a little bashful.
Hinata was right. Everything was fine. More than fine. Everything was perfect. Everything could not be better. Shino was happier than he had ever been.