Still dripping from the shower, Kiba slid between the sheets and curled up next to the thinner frame of his boyfriend. Wrapping one arm around the other's waist, he buried his face in the crook of Shikamaru's neck. "I love you," he murmured before nibbling gently at the skin.

"Why?" The note of confusion in the other nin's voice surprised the Inuzuka and pulled back to look at his lover's face.

"What do you mean, why?" He decided the other's question had to be the most unusual, if seemingly simple, question he'd ever heard him ask.

"Why do you love me?" Shikamaru furrowed his brows and looked genuinely puzzled, an expression Kiba honestly couldn't remember ever having seen on his face.

"What do you mean, why do I love you? I just do." A little part of him twinged with insecurity, although he'd never admit to it.

Shikamaru shook his head slightly, his arms still tucked under the now messy, dark-brown hair. "You can't /just/ love me; there has to be a reason that you love me." A tinge of some emotion Kiba couldn't identify passed over the other's face.

Kiba frowned, trying to remember what it was that had drawn him to the boy whose bed he now shared more nights than not. He smiled his usual toothy grin and laughed. "I love you because you're smart. You understand all the stuff I can't even begin to. It's like you see all the details everyone else over looks." Kiba watched the way Shika's expression changed from thoughtful to surprised. "And, all of those little things make sense to you. Even when you try to explain it to me, I still can't make heads or tails of it."

The Inuzuka shifted so he was lying more to the side. "I love you, because your as loyal as any dog." Shika nodded his understanding on that but didn't say anything. Kiba laughed loudly, his sides shaking from the amusement. "See! It's like with that. You just /get/ that. You don't get pissed, and I've never had to explain."

"Idiot." There was no venom to the word, however. "Anyone with half a brain knows Inuzukas are practically half mutt themselves."

Kiba shook his head. "Shino gets it cuz of his bugs and stuff, and Hinata-chan got it after the first couple of days. She's pretty bright, too, you know? But, most people get mad. Hana-chan told this one boy he looked like Kuromaru when he was wet, and he got all pissed at her."

"I told you, they have to have half a brain; obviously, he didn't," Shikamaru said with his usual lazy smirk.

"And, besides, even though you're a lazy bastard most of the time, you're still a great fucking lay." Kiba grinned wickedly as he slid to straddle the other's legs. "It's like you save all your energy just for screwing, and kami is it worth it."

Shikamaru smirked as he grabbed Kiba's hips and flipped them over. "I'm surprised that wasn't your first, and only, reason."

"Saved the best for last." He grinned and arched his hips to grind them against Shika's, drawing a moan from the other boy.

"Of course, you would think that," he said before capturing Kiba's mouth with his own. It was wet and hungry, and so full of need that neither broke it until they were both gasping and desperate for air.

"Do you want to know what I love about you?" Shika asked, looking surprisingly serious again.

"Not really." He grinned and tugged gently on the waistband of Shika's pants. "What I want is for you to fuck me."

The serious look was replaced by one of surprise. "Why not?"

"Because, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad you do." Kiba tugged on the pants again then slid his hand in and rubbed the now fully hard cock. "Now, get these damn pants off and fuck me," he growled.

Shikamaru laughed, surprising the Inuzuka. "That's why, you know."

"What? What's why?" Kiba asked, completely at a loss as to the other boys train of thought.

"That's why I love you." He'd stopped laughing but a lopsided smile still graced his lips.

"What is?"

"You don't care. You never expect me to prove I love you," Shika stated, still smiling.

"Yeah... so?" He didn't see the connection.

"So, when I do something to show you how much you mean to me, it's that much better. If I brought you flowers, you'd think I'd lost my mind. But if I..." The words trailed off as Shikamaru pressed his lips to Kiba's, lapping gently at the lower one before deepening the kiss. This one was less needy but no less passionate, their tongues entwining. Even when Shika pulled away, it was slow. He traced Kiba's lips with the tip of tongue then briefly deepened the kiss again before breaking it completely. "You just /get/ that," he said, echoing Kiba's words.

"Seems pretty easy to understand," he said and pulled his boyfriend down for another long slow kiss, as though to prove the point further.