Hug/Glomp/Embrace

“Shino-kun.”

Shino glanced at the Hyuuga Heiress Hinata. Hinata poked her fingers together, the fringe of her bangs obscuring her lovely lavender eyes from view while she lowered her head in submission. She wanted to ask something of him, he knew that much. Though he waited patiently for her to speak. He knew Hinata was hesitant about asking for things, as she thought of others rather than herself as a giving spirit. Always worrying about someone else, always concerned for someone else, without her thoughts and concerns and needs put into consideration. It was admirable, though Shino would teach her it would be all right to be a little selfish.

“I would like to train with you,” Hinata poked her fingers together, a slight flush on her cheeks as though she asked something foolish. “I…I understand if you’re busy or don’t want to, though…”

Shino placed a hand on Hinata’s shoulder to reassure her. “Not to worry. I’m always available for training, any time. I will willingly help out a teammate who requires assistance.”

Her eyes brightened. The hive hummed approvingly. Smooth, they seemed to say.

Hinata didn’t notice the sudden flush that overcame Shino’s cheeks when she clasped her hands on Shino’s slightly larger hand, gripping it warmly. She tilted her head upward and her lips formed an unknowingly sensual pout that illuminated her pretty face with allure. Her smooth skin glowed with vitality and her eyes sparkled with unmistakable mirth. Her obvious happiness even suppressed some of the stutters she was known to have as she thanked him.

“T-Thank you very much, Shino-kun! I’ll do my best, I promise. I want to train more so that I…so that I won’t hold you and Kiba-kun back!”

The flush disappeared from Shino’s cheeks. He maintained his usual composure when he said. “You work very hard, Hinata. I’m certain your training will prove to be fruitful. Now, I know a little taijutsu after observing the likes of Neji Hyuuga. You might want to widen your stance a little farther.”

Hinata nodded she spread out her legs in a wider stance and swung her arms in a fluid motion to rest them into the famous Jyuken stance the Hyuga family prided themselves for and refined into a deadly art, holding out her arms gracefully and spreading her legs further apart. Shino entered his fighting stance, observing Hinata’s stance and posture and the way she moved her arms and legs. Based on her movements alone, Shino caught Hinata mastering the stutter-step or a kind of flash step that made a ninja disappear momentarily from view and flicker into one’s vision again when they’re momentarily paused. Shino’s eyes perceived many things, and knowing that Hinata worked hard to master her movements and breathing made Shino’s lips curl into a smile. Shino told the hive within him to release out of his pores and track Hinata’s movements to communicate to the hive mind where she would attack next so that he would prevent his chakra points from being jabbed with her two-fingered thrusts. Hyper aware of the details around him from the sweat starting to form a fine sheen across his forehead and the lazy hum of insects around them and within him. Hinata, light in step and long hair drifting and swaying with her movements, trying to match and sync his breathing and movements, was a beautiful moment of understanding that glimmered in her eyes when he caught her gaze.

He blocked her fingers from stabbing into his vital points before he swept a low kick that Hinata narrowly dodged with a quick gasp. Her reflexes were getting sharper, more refined, and their movements in shifting battle stances were almost like a dance. At one point Hinata became overeager and thrust forward with her palm. Shino got struck. He tumbled backward; while Hinata fell forward onto him. Before he knew it, they crashed on the ground. Shino found himself staring at Hinata’s reddened face when she realized what position they were in. Their limbs entangled with one another in this awkward position, and a Hyuuga woman of such propriety would normally be mortified that their compromising position could be seen by any spying eyes.

“Um…” Hinata said, flushing a little.

Before she had time to react, Shino grabbed her wrists and rolled over so he hovered above her. The hive growled in pleasure and Shino found himself wondering what came over him. The hive urged him to lean forward and kiss those cherry red lips, though Shino restrained himself. Damn the hive and his hormones! Even though Shino outwardly looked calm, he was a healthy teen. Maybe the hive’s mating season might’ve made him a little bolder than usual, but Shino knew that his feelings for Hinata grew stronger. He couldn’t help but grow fonder of her.

“Shino-kun…” Hinata said with a small smile towards him. “Your hive…it’s mating season, isn’t it?”

Shino, quite flustered, released his grip on her wrists and bolted upwards. He knew Hinata was astute (well, she also had the Byakugan, though…perhaps she was aware of his feelings towards her?) and she was fine-tuned to other people’s emotions like a violinist constantly adjusted the tuning to make sure that each string had a vibrant pitch that rung true. Hinata could see and evoke the whispers and murmurs of excitement within Shino, who felt stretched as taut as a wired violin string.

“I’m sorry,” Shino turned away so she wouldn’t see his face.

Underneath his sunglasses, he was secretly crying. He made a fool of himself!

“Shino-kun…”

He felt a warm pair of arms wrap around his waist and Hinata rested her delicate chin upon his shoulder. The comfort of her presence eased the tension from his shoulders and Shino sucked in a breath so that his crying outburst wasn’t noticeable, though Hinata must’ve known the taut tension knotting in his stomach like the said strings of emotion that could pluck and finger with ease in other people. She rested against him, and Shino noticed the scent of her lavender shampoo wafting into his nostrils, leaving the hive in a cozy, dreaming half-slumber and they sluggishly started to escape from his pores and make dizzying circles around the couple. Shino swore he saw them looping heart patterns into the air.

“I want you to know something…” Hinata said as her grip became tighter. “That I care about you…and think about you as more than a friend. I hope that…one day, we could…”

Shino broke from her grip and turned to face her before he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Hinata relaxed into his grip and let out a little sigh of contentment. She buried her face in his chest while he kissed the top of her head gently. The hive within him droned with a musicality, humming in contentment, and they started to swarm in a frenzy within him as his body temperature rose.

“Hinata,” Shino said. “I’m…burning up.”

“Okay,” Hinata said while she gently guided him onto the ground once more and hovered her hands over his body. “I’m going to use a certain technique to cool you down.”

Her palms started to flare with a blue aura, a collection of chakra she sent through his skin pores to help cool down Shino himself and the hive within while they hummed and roared and growled. Shino flushed, finding the act…very erotic somehow. Was this a pretense to other things?

“Hinata, what kind of technique is this?” Shino asked out of curiosity.

“Well, um,” Hinata flushed a little while she continued to move his hands up and down his body. “It’s just to cool you down, but I also heard that…it could be used for erotic pleasure? I trust that you feel comfortable though, Shino-kun?”

“Much,” Shino said, before casting his gaze towards the darkening sky. “Will you watch the stars with me?”

“O-Of course,” Hinata said, before lying down on her back next to Shino. She then searched for his hand on the ground and clasped it tightly.

Shino clasped her hand in return while the hive within him sighed with relief.

Editing Pass Number 1 – March 1, 2021