Chapter Text
After the meal, they sat in the hot house for a long time, talking about anything and everything, in between exchanging kisses. It wasn’t until long after it had grown dark outside that Sakura decided that she should probably head home. Except, she kind of wanted to invite Shino along. Would he accept? Was it too soon? Could they just… cuddle? She was not sure if she was ready to go all the way yet, despite how intense things had gotten in that snow cave.
Dithering back and forth, she was given a reprieve from making up her mind when Shino offered to walk her home.
The streets of the Aburame district were quiet at this time of day. That was, if you ignored the cicadas and other night-time noises from critters around them. Some of them were probably a part of the Aburame alarm-system, but she was too new at this to have any idea what the various noises meant. Hopefully she would learn fast. She wanted to impress her new clan, and maybe Shino most of them.
By the time they arrived at her modest house, she had worked up the nerve. “Ah, would you like to come inside? Just to cuddle! Uh, I mean… I… I’m making a mess of this.”
“No! You are not.” Shino was quick to reassure her. “I would love to come inside and cuddle with you. It has always been very nice to hold you, and I would like to do more of that.”
That night they both kept their underwear on, but there was lots of kissing before they fell asleep, and more kissing once they woke up again.
After a brief visit to Shino’s house, so he could change into fresh clothes and bring with him what he might need of tools and things, they met up with Torune at the same training ground as last. Given that she had already managed to communicate somewhat with her hive, they worked more on that. She needed precision and speed in order to utilize the bugs in combat, and that was the most important thing to learn early on. Without it, the bugs were mainly just useful for spying and other tasks, and would quickly perish in battle.
Torune gave her a few small tasks she could do, to improve her communication with her bugs, and Shino added a few more to the list. Just little things, like having the bugs check her cupboards for what she was missing when she was making a shopping list, or using them to find things for her in the house if she had forgotten where she put it.
The next few days passed much the same—Training with Shino and Torune, dinner with them and Shibi, then Shino walked her home and spent the night.
In between her training, she had one checkup with Tsunade, where she was asked to report on whether or not she felt she was adapting well to her new circumstances. Sakura wondered if that was Tsunade’s way of fishing for whether or not Sakura intended to continue working as a doctor or not. She had every intention of doing that, she just needed to get better control over her bugs first, so they would not accidentally eat chakra from her jutsu when she was doing delicate healing.
Then, about a week after her return, Ino had showed up with Hinata and Tenten in tow, demanding to take Sakura shopping. It was a blatant ploy to get gossip, but Sakura knew she needed to spend time with them, both for their sake and her own. They had given her a whole week to adjust, but now they wanted to reassure themselves that she truly was fine after her ordeal. And she needed to remind herself that they were her friends, and that would not change just because she did.
Ino managed to talk about other things for a good twenty minutes, but then she turned her piercing eyes on Sakura and demanded to know how she and Shino were doing. Sakura bit her lip, then she let a few smaller things slip, like how he had brought her to the hot house to eat with all the flowers and butterflies surrounding them, and how romantic she found that. She also mentioned that they had shared a bed, but insisted that nothing had happened. Ino just smirked and added, “Yet!”
Sakura blushed, but did not deny it. Instead she quickly helped Hinata who had hidden her whole face inside her shirt out of embarrassment.
When she returned, Shino just asked if she had enjoyed herself, and arched an eyebrow at Ino’s retreating back. Sakura took that to mean that what he was really asking was if Ino had been hard on her in her quest for information. Smiling at the perceived protectiveness, she grabbed his hand and leaned against his arm, telling him that she had a good time, and she had some things she wanted to show him.
She didn’t truly know where the confidence had come from, but she did show off her new underwear, while she had it on. There were absolutely no complaints from Shino, although he did insist that she had to be the big spoon when they went to bed after. She was very tempted to check if the reason for that was what she thought, but she was not entirely prepared for what might follow if she did, so instead she just snuggled up against him and went to sleep.
Two days later, Ino came running to Sakura’s house early in the morning, with the news that Sasuke had arrived during the night and was staying at Naruto’s place for now. Sakura, still not done eating breakfast, had just stood there for a long moment, processing what that meant.
⁂
Shino was not happy about the news. It was not that he distrusted Sakura, but… Well, she had been in love with Sasuke for years. What did it mean for her that he was back? What did it mean for them? He watched her carefully as she ate the rest of her breakfast, expression thoughtful.
He wouldn’t admit it, but he was rather relieved when she put on her training clothes and went with him, following her daily routine despite Sasuke’s arrival. However, before they could head to his home for dinner, Naruto and Sasuke showed up and invited her to eat with them. For a moment, it looked like Sakura hesitated, but then she squeezed Shino’s hand, and told him, “I’ll come find you later, okay?”
He nodded. What else could he do? These were her teammates, and he would have hated it if she tried to stop him from spending time with Hinata and Kiba. He would not be that kind of boyfriend.
Though, he did not hold himself too good to not spy on her, sending a few kikaichū with her. He was a shinobi after all, and information could mean the difference between him doing the right thing, and him coming across as an ass.
As expected, Naruto had dragged his teammates with him to Ichiraku’s where he proceeded to eat obscene amounts of ramen while Sakura finished just one bowl. The kikaichū had detected no spike in pheromones from Sakura when she spoke with Sasuke, and the tone of her voice was more or less even, perhaps shading more towards unease than joy. She asked what he had been up to while away, if he had been eating enough, and how he was adapting to having just one arm—repeating her offer to help him get a new one, which he again turned down.
Then, when Naruto mentioned how Sakura had been missing, she revealed that she had been adopted by the Aburame, and that was why she was living in the small house there now.
The kikaichū had been happy to report that her pheromones had spiked when she mentioned that she was seeing Shino. Her cheeks had also altered color, and her hive had buzzed, but not in agitation.
The kikaichū could also report that Sasuke had gone quiet for a while upon hearing that, with Naruto filling the silence with chatter about the grand move, when they had emptied Sakura’s old apartment and moved everything to her new house.
It was not long after that Sakura excused herself, promising to meet up with them again before Sasuke left. As she waved and walked away, Sasuke’s expression had been strange. The kikaichū was not familiar enough with the Uchiha to know what he had been thinking, but made a guess that he had not felt happy about what Sakura said. Shino worried that it might be the truth. Still, Sakura came straight to find him once she got back to the Aburame district, and he was once again invited to her house for the night. It settled some of the insecurity and jealousy he was feeling.
However, the last comment Sasuke had made to Naruto, after Sakura had left but before the kikaichū did, worried him. Sasuke had asked Naruto if Shino was making Sakura happy, and Naruto had answered that he had no idea, that this had been the first time he’d seen her since the move, because she was so busy all the time now. The kikaichū had not liked the look the two teammates had exchanged after that. Shino decided to be careful the next few days, and keep an even better eye on his surroundings than usual. Or, more correctly, keep more eyes on it than he usually did.
He supposed he had Naruto’s famed impatience to thank, or blame, for the fact that already the next day, when he arrived at the training ground with Torune and Sakura, he became aware that they were being watched. High up in a tree outside the Aburame training grounds, Sasuke and Naruto were perched, with a clear line of sight. So, they had done some recon, figured out where she would be, and now they were waiting for… what?
Exchanging a look with Torune, he then carefully asked Sakura if she felt watched. She paused in the act of settling down to meditate, her eyebrows furrowing. “Now that you mention it… I assumed it was one of Tsunade-shishō’s Anbu who was checking up on me, but that’s not it, is it?”
Her frown grew more pronounced, but before she could get up, Shino held out his hand in a motion for her to stop. “They are just worried for you. The best thing you can do is just let them watch, and show them that you are fine.”
Sakura took a deep breath, then she nodded sharply. “You are right. Let’s show them.”
The next hour, she worked hard, sending her kikaichū out and calling them back in, creating a clone with their help, and swapping places with the clone, and dismiss it into a cloud of bugs. Shino was impressed. Perhaps Sakura had always performed a bit better when she was angry? It certainly drove her to push herself harder. Absentmindedly, he told her she did great.
He was so lost in analyzing her, that when she stepped in front of him and kissed him, he forgot that Torune was standing right there, and kissed her back, tangling his fingers in her silky hair. By the time she pulled away, Torune was gone, and Shino was dazed.
He watched as she started to walk away, tossing over her shoulder that it was time for lunch. One of his own kikaichū had to bite him to snap him out of it, and then he scrambled to catch up with her.
In the tree behind them, Sasuke looked devastated, and Naruto looked sheepish. It was clear to both of them that Sakura did not need saving.
⁂
Curiously enough, seeing Sasuke again had really brought home for Sakura that she was over him. Oh, she was still fond of him, in her own way, but it was more like the way she felt for Naruto or Kakashi, though perhaps slightly less than that. He had walked away from her after all, and such things tend to leave scars. He would always be her teammate, but it was clear to her now that he would never be anything more.
Shino on the other hand… Their relationship was everything she could have ever wanted. He was kind, patient with her, had a dry sense of humor, and he could follow her in every discussion they had, something Naruto struggled with. Hell, even Ino sometimes admitted that she was lost when they talked. But not Shino. And Sakura had not realized what a big deal that could be, to have a partner that was a true partner, in all the ways that mattered.
Every day she fell a little bit more in love with him, and every day it became just a little bit harder to hold back when they kissed. Until the day that it struck her—Why was she holding back? They were dating. They were both adults. There was no reason to not give in to the temptation. None whatsoever.
So, after dinner she dropped by Tsunade’s office, rummaging around for a book she had seen before, then quickly refreshing her memory on a medical jutsu for contraception. That done, she hurried back, missing the puzzled look on the Anbu hiding in the ceiling.
That night, when they were getting ready for bed, Sakura pulled Shino with her into the bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed and straddling him so she could kiss him. It took very little time at all before she felt something press against her ass. Experimentally, she rubbed herself against it. Shino moaned, making her pull back from kissing him so she could watch his face, then she pressed herself against the bulge. Shino’s mouth fell open on another moan before he grabbed her hips. “If you keep doing that, I’m going to need to borrow your shower.”
Looking down at him, biting her lip, Sakura made her decision. “You might need to borrow my shower anyway, if you want to. Or we could shower together. After… Well… I want to… um… I mean… We can… go all the way, if you want to.”
Shino looked up at her with such wonder on his face that Sakura blushed. Then he smiled and grabbed her hand. “I love you! You know that, right?”
She smiled and leaned down to kiss him again, whispering against his lips. “I love you too.”
###
After that, she climbed off his lap and started to undress. He sat up on the edge of the bed, at first watching her while he took his shirt off. And she was watching him. Or more precisely, a part of him.
Sakura stared at the bulge in Shino's pants. It looked huge. Was it just because of all the fabric? He stood up and reached for the drawstrings, pulling them open, and she watched him push the fabric down over his legs.
It wasn't because of the fabric, that much was obvious the moment he took off his underwear. She swallowed. Would that even fit inside her?! It didn't seem plausible. Although... She was a medic. Logically she knew that she should be able to squeeze a whole baby out, so her vagina shouldn't have any trouble stretching around Shino's massive size. Yet, still... He was huge. Was that normal? She had never seen a dick up close before. Or, well, rather... She had never seen one that was erect. And Shino's dick was hard, standing up straight all the way to his belly button, the head glistening slightly.
“Ah, Sakura-chan... Are you okay?” Shino's hesitant voice snapped her out of her staring, and immediately her cheeks turned bright red with a blush.
“Oh, uh, yes, I... Um... I just haven't... Um... I've... Neverseenan... Um... erect...” Her voice petered out.
It was Shino's turn to blush. He turned his head slightly to the side and said in a low voice “I've never seen a naked woman before either. You're the first. Ah... The first... Um... Well, anything. From... first kiss, to... Ah... whatever you want to do now.”
Strangely enough, the fact that Shino was clearly just as insecure as she was, gave Sakura a little boost in self-confidence. If he didn't know what he was doing, then she, with her medic education, would have to take charge. Which... She bit her lip and looked down along his body, feeling another strong tingle of arousal rush through her. Shino was hot. Extremely so. And she kind of wanted... “Um, canItouchit?”
Shino's eyes snapped back to hers, and he stared for a moment, perhaps parsing what she had mumbled in a hurry. Then his dick jumped, and he looked like she had hit him with a Raiton jutsu. His voice sounded almost pained when he replied with “Oh gods, yes! Please do!”
Slowly she reached out. Shino didn't appear to breathe, right up until the point where her fingers touched the insanely soft skin, pressing a little, feeling how rock hard he was underneath. Then he suddenly exhaled hard, almost like she'd punched him. In fact, he looked a little dizzy, so she used her other hand to turn him with his back against the bed, nudging him into sitting down on the edge. Then she knelt down in front of him so she could look closer, and use both hands to explore.
He put both his hands behind himself on the bed, leaning back a little, staring at her with wide eyes. At this angle, the tapetum lucidum was obvious, reflecting light, making his eyes literally glow. It was a little otherworldly, making Shino look almost like a kami or yokai. And the entirety of his focus was on her. That was a heady feeling, this rush of power. Sakura bit her lip again, eyeing the small bead of precum on the tip of his dick. She grabbed around the shaft, noting that she couldn't make the tips of her fingers meet. Then she caught Shino's eyes, leaned forward, and licked that bead up. The groan that escaped Shino was far more satisfying than the flavor of the precum. It was mostly salty, almost like sea-water. But it wasn't a bad flavor. Certainly not enough to stop her from licking once more, to see if she could wring more of those amazing noises out of Shino.
⁂
He couldn't believe what Sakura was doing. Wasn't sure what he could do, how he should react. But... it seemed that whatever he was doing was enough, because there was a mischievous look in Sakura's eyes as she took to exploring his entire length. With her tongue. He wasn't... He couldn't... “Sakura-chan! I... I'm... I'll...”
She swiped her tongue up, leaving a moist trail. Then she did it again, just to the side of where she had already been. She was laving the head of his cock with saliva, and the difference between the warmth of her tongue and the chill of the air in the room was driving him crazy. Then Sakura gave him a long look while she licked her lips, and before he knew what she had planned she pushed her head down over his cock, sliding it into her mouth. Shino jerked his hand up, biting into the side, but... The feeling was such exquisite torture, the warmth of her mouth, the slick slide of her tongue along the underside, and then, the slight constricting around the head as her throat closed around it. There was just no way... He tried to warn her, but all that came out was a garbled moan. And then he was cumming. Sakura swallowed around him, and he just collapsed back against the mattress, feeling like he had lost all control of his limbs.
She swallowed once more, then pulled back, swirling her tongue around the head, and Shino whimpered, incredibly oversensitive. He barely managed to lift his head to look at Sakura as she pulled off his dick with a wet pop. She looked smug. He did not blame her. She had reason to look smug.
Then something occurred to him. “Was... Was this the first time..? You..?”
She blinked, momentarily confused, then she rose up and seated herself beside him on the bed. “The first time I gave someone a.. um... blowjob? Yes.”
He had no idea what to say to that, so he just stared at her. She blushed a little and wouldn't meet his eyes. Then her pink tongue darted out, wetting her lips, before she hesitantly offered up “I'm sure I'll get better with practice.”
His brain stuttered. Better? Oh gods! Would he survive that? He exhaled, then he let out a small huffed laugh. “It's a good thing you're a medic, because I'm not sure my heart will handle it if you get much better than that!”
The blush deepened, but he could see she was pleased.
And speaking of pleased... He really wanted to make her feel as good as he did. Would she allow him to..? He leaned up on an elbow. “Can I…? Would you allow me to reciprocate? Because I really want to.”
“I... What? You want to..?”
“Yes!”
“Oh!” Sakura fidgeted a bit, catching her lower lip between her teeth, making her look adorable. Shino couldn't resist. He sat up and caught her lip with his own, kissing her deeply.
Then he slid off the bed to kneel between her legs. “May I?”
Slowly her knees moved sideways, parting for him. His eyes were drawn to the apex of her thighs, where pink curls had previously hidden what was now on display. The folds were a deeper pink than her hair, and they glistened. He realized she was already a little worked up, and that tickled his male pride. But he wanted her more than a little worked up. He wanted her to tremble and moan.
He leaned forward, trying to nose into her curls, but it was difficult to get proper access. Wrapping his hands under and around her thighs, he looked up. “Lie down, and let me pull you a bit further out on the edge.”
She hesitated just a moment, then she gave a quick nod and flopped back on the bed, placing an arm over her eyes. He didn't hesitate, pulling until her ass was right at the edge. Then he nudged her legs a bit further apart, before he pressed his mouth against her folds, sticking his tongue out, curious as to what she would taste like. It was mostly salty, but also a little sweet, and there was something unidentifiable... He heard the small gasp from Sakura, and paused. “Does this feel good?”
“I... Ah... Just didn't expect... Um... Keep going.”
Permission given, he dove back in, chasing the flavor he didn't know what was.
Sakura kept making small noises, moans, sighs, gasps, and her thighs would tremble when he did certain things. Shino started out by experimenting, mapping out which actions gave which reactions. He still couldn't figure out what that flavor was, but he was quickly becoming addicted to it. It was almost like... A hesitant mental question, and the kikaichū confirmed it... He was lapping up Sakura's pheromones. No wonder he was already getting hard again. And feeling a bit... high, if he was honest. He stuck his tongue in as far as it would go, relishing the way Sakura moaned and her thighs trembled in his hands.
He was almost tempted to take himself in hand when he sucked on Sakura's clit and she let out a small scream. He did it again, and she placed a hand on his head. “Too much! Gentler!”
He resorted to swirling his tongue around it, and could hear how Sakura's moans were becoming more staccato, and they were interspersed with the occasional breathy “Yes!”.
As a small experiment, he moved one hand from her thigh to insert one finger carefully into her. She was warm, incredibly slick, and he felt her internal muscles flutter around his finger. Then he swirled his tongue once more over her clit, and suddenly she clenched around his finger and wailed, her whole body arching off the bed. Amazed, Shino kept licking, wiggling his finger slightly, and she just kept trembling and shaking, the sounds turning almost into incoherent babbling. Until she actually pushed him away with a gasp. Then she collapsed on the bed, her body still twitching and her breathing as fast as if she'd sprinted around Konoha. Shino was sure he looked just as smug as Sakura had looked earlier.
The smug look morphed into surprise when Sakura sat up, wiggling off the bed and into his lap, nearly spearing herself on his cock. As it was, it slid along her cleft, just missing her entrance, but the feeling, and the knowledge of how close he was, made Shino lose his breath. Sakura looked surprised, before she slowly tilted her head down, raised herself up a bit, so that his cock slid back up along her slick folds, until the head brushed against her opening. She looked up, meeting his eyes. And then she slowly lowered herself down, keeping eye-contact. He couldn't breathe. The wet, constricting heat engulfing his cock, the feeling of her slick walls sliding along his shaft... It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He wrapped his arms around her, and crashed his lips against hers.
He did not last long, that first time, but, being young, and in peak physical condition, they were both ready to go again not long after. In the end, they got very little sleep that night, and Shino agreed to postpone the training the next morning, sending a kikaichū to notify Torune that they would be late. Very late. Twenty minutes later, it reported back that Torune had said they could train alone. He had other things he could do now that he had most of the day free anyway.
Shino’s lips curled up in an amused smile, then he snuggled up against Sakura while the kikaichū returned to the hive. Now that he knew Torune was not waiting for them, he would indulge in sleeping in for once. Especially since he had had such a workout during the night.
###
Shibi said nothing when Shino came home late in the evening with a cloud of pheromones hanging around him. And nothing over the next few days. But then, during the weekend, he suggested that Shino leave some clothes at Sakura’s place, so he would have something to change into after showering in the morning. Face feeling hot, Shino agreed, then he fled the room.
After that, with how Sakura’s training was progressing, Torune returned to his duties for Anbu, although, from what he implied, those duties were no longer… as severe as they had been. The events surrounding Sakura’s disappearance and subsequent retrieval had apparently changed Torune’s view on many things. And with him, Fū.
Tsunade had no objections to that, just quietly reassigned them to another part of Anbu.
By the time Sakura returned to her duties at the hospital, Shino was practically living in her house. It was not something they had discussed, but it felt natural for them both. They still had dinner at his father’s house most days, but never slept there. Neither of them would feel comfortable doing the things they did with Shibi just a few rooms away. Presumably, he too was glad for their decision. He never said anything about it though, just smiled at them and told them they were always welcome there.
⁂
Inoichi looked up when Ino entered the shop, and waited until she had put her apron on, then he leaned on the counter and gave her a little smirk. “So, I hear you’re dating an Aburame now.”
Her cheeks colored lightly, but she met his eyes head on. “Yes.”
“Cool. So, do you think you could convince Torune-san to have a chat with those bugs in greenhouse five?”
“Dad! … Hmf, I’ll ask.”
“Great.”
⁂
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, grinning at Sakura until her apprentice gave in and asked “What?”
Humming lightly, moving one finger in a circle, the Hokage smirked. “It looks like the jutsu had pretty interesting effects. Netting yourself a boyfriend, hm?”
Sakura blushed lightly and crossed her arms, but managed to not pout. “To be honest, I’m not sure that these—“ She glanced down at her own chest. “—had anything to do with that. Shino pays more attention to my hair and my legs than he does to them.”
“Huh, a leg-guy? Yeah, I guess I can see that.”
“Shishō! … But, yes, we are dating. At this point, we are practically living together.”
“Good for you.”
In the silence that fell over the office, Sakura smiled down at the report she was supposed to be reading. Yes, it was good for her, and good for Shino.