Simple Submission

The sun set behind the distant mountains, leaving only a sliver of moon to light the shinigamis' path. Shuuhei walked beside and slightly behind Ukitake, as was the custom for the difference in their stations. He considered reaching out and brushing his fingers against the older man’s, but he was too afraid of becoming too comfortable out in the open. He would wait until they reached their destination. Ukitake probably did not want the annoyance of a fraternization allegation against him.

Ukitake followed the silver shining of the moon, lost in memory. The shadows filled with old lovers, old friends, people lost to battles and fights, and Captains lost to the Emperor's guard. The footsteps behind his own could have been Osamu's, Mizuki's, or even Kaoru's. He sighed quietly at that thought, at the memory, and he stopped and waited for Shuuhei to draw even.

Shuuhei stopped abruptly when Ukitake stopped. He gaze moved up from the ground and he looked apprehensively at the older man.

“Ukitake-san? Is everything all right?”

"It's about to be," Ukitake said quietly. He reached over to take Shuuhei's hand in his own, lacing his fingers with the strong ones of the younger man.

"There..." He smiled quietly at Shuuhei and continued their walk. "I need this to keep the ghosts away."

Shuuhei was stunned into silence once again. His fingers were limp in the Captain’s hold, and his body started to fall into step with the older man without his knowledge. Before he could grasp at a coherent thought, they had already traveled several hundred feet.

“U-Ukitake-san,” Shuuhei whispered. “I… you… what if someone sees you!”

"They'll envy me? Hm... oh. I apologize, it wouldn't do much good for your reputation, would it? As you said, people already try to take advantage of you as a fukutaichou in a taichou's position." Ukitake sighed quietly and let Shuuhei's hand go. "I am sorry."

Shuuhei felt like an asshole and quickly stepped in front of Ukitake.

“No! No, gods, that’s not what I meant!” He put his hand out to touch the older man’s smooth cheek, but he pulled back at the last moment, still uncertain about touching the Captain in the middle of the street. “People take things at face value and I don’t want someone coming along and thinking they know… I don’t want you to be mixed up in some stupid fraternization thing.” He fell silent for a couple moments, wrestling with words behind his tongue.

“It’s your reputation I’m worried about. It might not be a good idea for you to be seen with me in a more than professional sense. Taichou…”

Ukitake stilled with thought. He was aware of how closely they walked to the line of where his power of command could coerce Shuuhei into doing something he did not wish to do. He had some ease in the knowledge of just how their negotiations went, and that he attempted to do his best to make sure the vice Captain was doing all of this of his own free will. But it was true that others might judge on appearances rather than content, that had happened often enough.

"I am glad that you think of me and my reputation. I appreciate that very much, but I take pleasure in being in your company, talking with you and touching you. I also believe that we've both done what we could to make sure you do not feel coerced in any way. I guess I still believe in the power of truth against rumor."

Shuuhei stepped closer to Ukitake, his voice quiet as his thoughts raced. “I like being with you too, Taichou. And yes, I have never felt pressured to do anything with you. It’s been of my own choosing, and I’ve taken great pleasure in the things that you have already shown me… So thank you… for your, well, everything.”

Ukitake quirked a smile, "You're very welcome. And it would please me if you sat out with me on my porch for everyone to see to talk over our activities for the night. I'd rather do that with a clearer head than I can quite manage if you did act on all your impulses. Also, if you're not worried about your reputation..."

Ukitake gently captured Shuuhei's hand again. "... I would like to hold your hand as we walk."

Shuuhei looked down at the Captain's hand encircling his own, and smiled softly. “Forget my reputation for now; I want to as well.”

Ukitake laughed at that. "All right then." He gently took Shuuhei's hand and walked with him.

Shuuhei let Ukitake lead him the rest of the way. The vice Captain felt heat creep up on his cheeks and he had to force the harsh glare off of his face as the young shinigami at the gate made googly eyes at their laced fingers.

“Watch yourself, soldier,” he growled, “or I’ll replace you with someone from Ninth who can keep their focus on their job.”

Ukitake kept an entirely straight face during the encounter, and he gently towed Shuuhei onward toward his own quarters. Only once they were out of sight and out of reiatsu range did he allow himself to even feel the amusement he'd gotten at the guard's predicament. Quietly, he led the way to the 13th Division's compound at the far end of the Gotei 13's living areas. There were few people out, and most of those far enough away to not need acknowledgement of any sort by them.

The Captain's quarters, along with his offices, were near the front of the division compound. The lights were on in the overhangs before the sliding doors, and he walked up the stairs into the light, gently bringing Shuuhei up with him.

Shuuhei climbed the steps slowly behind Ukitake, taking in the familiar yet not familiar surroundings; everything looked different in the evening light. The vice Captain whispered a formal greeting as he stepped onto the porch and turned to join Ukitake on the top step.

"Welcome to my home," Jyuushiro murmured in response to Shuuhei's whisper. He smiled quietly and then knelt at the top step, relaxing into a seiza position. "We can talk for a bit about what you wish to learn tonight."

Shuuhei sat down beside his friend and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was silent for a few minutes as the nervousness rose in his stomach. What he wanted from Ukitake this night was no doubt much different than what the Captain might be planning in his head.

He had no idea how to ask for what he wanted, what he was craving at that moment. The tenderness and compassion that Ukitake had shown him earlier when he was hurting; he wanted to feel that again. He wanted that comfort, he wanted those hands on him. He wanted the older man to make him feel good, forget his troubles and his worry, even just for tonight.

"I..." he started, but his voice left him. He shifted and clasped his hands tightly in his lap.

Ukitake simply waited for a while, listening and watching Shuuhei, seeing and feeling the conflict and longing within the younger man's reiatsu. He waited a little while to see if the younger man could find a way to voice his desire, but decided that encouragement would be better than simple silence.

"Hisagi-san, would you like for me to fulfill my promise to you? That I do for you what you did for me, last time?"

Shuuhei's gaze didn't lift from his hands. He stared hard into his lap as words he never thought he would say passed his lips.

“Yes…” he said softly. “But it’s more than that… I would love it if you showed me how to… let go. Showed me what it feels like so I can… so I can use it later…” He swallowed heavily. “But I also want…” He unclasped his hands and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Yes?" Ukitake asked quietly.

Shuuhei's gaze moved up slowly, looking for that compassion, that gentleness in Ukitake's eyes. He found it staring back at him and he leaned close to the other man.

"You have to know that this is more than just submitting to someone for me... No one has ever taken me before, Ukitake-san... I want you to be my first because I trust you. I know that you can do it without making me feel like I'm giving up a part of myself..."

He then pulled away quickly and returned his gaze to his lap, his face burning and his heart racing.

Ukitake gently caught Shuuhei's chin to bring that darkly intense gaze back to his own. His breath caught in wonder. "Your first. I am very honored, Hisagi-san, by your gift and your faith in me and my abilities. I shall do my best to live up to your hopes."

Shuuhei said nothing and tilted his head to press his lips against Ukitake’s. He should have known that the Captain wouldn’t take his confession lightly. He should have known Ukitake would make him feel at ease. He opened his lips and ran his tongue over the older man’s bottom lip in a silent thank you.

Ukitake kissed back, tongue lightly touching along the edges of Shuuhei's teeth, hands running along Shuuhei's bare arms.

"You kiss very well..." He sighed quietly when the kiss broke and cocked his head. "Would you, perhaps, in return for your gift to me, would you do me the honor of calling me by my given name?"

Shuuhei stared wide-eyed into Ukitake's eyes. How could someone stun him so thoroughly this many times in one night? He wanted Shuuhei to call him by his given name? How in all the universe had Shuuhei earned this outstanding honor?

"I... um..." The vice Captain swallowed and took a deep breath. "I could, yes... Jyuushiro-san." The name slid off his tongue nicely, and Shuuhei felt the urge to say it again.

“Jyuushiro…san…”

"That sounds very good in your voice," Jyuushiro said with a smile. "I like how you say it."

"Like I'm going to choke?" Shuuhei smiled as well. "I'm glad you like it." He gazed at the older man, his body relaxing but his heart beating heavily in his chest. “Are you… going to call me Shuuhei?”

Jyuushiro met his gaze and nodded. "I would be honored, Shuuhei."

He then ran light fingers along Shuuhei's arm. "And I enjoy the timber of your voice. Now. You know what I'm going to ask you: have you thought about what you would like me to do to you? And if so, would you please list them for me? If not, I'd be happy to talk about things with you."

Shuuhei took another deep breath, and leaned forward until his forehead was resting against Ukitake... no, Jyuushiro's chest. He let his fingers tangle in the white cloth of the Captain's haori and he closed his eyes.

He had thought over many times what he would want from someone topping him, and had considered some of the more unconventional things after his last encounter with Jyuushiro, but he had never thought about both in the same setting. He had been fantasizing about Jyuushiro dominating him for the past few weeks… but the act of Jyuushiro taking him, hadn’t been part of the dream.

He tried to calm his racing heart and think like he did when facing a problem in his division: one piece at a time.

“I want…” he began softly. “I want ropes, but I don’t know which parts of me I’m all right with being bound. I don’t want those cuffs, I don’t think I’d be okay being restrained to something. But maybe just my arms together…” He fell silent again, thinking.

"Mmhm... simply tying them together would be binding enough if you simply wanted something to pull against. And it's easy to quickly release soft cotton ropes." Jyuushiro added quietly, as he lightly stroked Shuuhei's hair. "So we can try some things and if you don't like it, we can try something else easily enough."

Shuuhei nodded against Jyuushiro's chest and slid an arm around the lean man's waist.

“Part of this, you might have to bring up on your own. Offer something to me and see if I’m okay with it. I love the sound of your voice when you’re aroused… so… that might help me… What’s going to make this good for me, is if I can make you happy… turn you on…”

Jyuushiro's breath caught at the last, and he huffed a laugh. "That's good to know. I'm sure that will be easy for me to give you. Do you want only bondage and teasing then? Arousal and play with that? Or do you want to touch on the edge of pain as well? It's fine if you do not... much of... power play can be done without pain."

Shuuhei pressed in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Teasing will probably be good, but I can't be sure... Having my hands tied though, not being able to touch you… that’ll be very intense. My focus when I’m with someone is pleasing them with reaction to their sounds and actions through touch. You know I’m a little obsessive with things, so it’s going to be a challenge to let go and give up the flow to you.

Jyuushiro gave a soft groan at the whisper, at the press of Shuuhei's trusting weight against his own. He held the younger man tight. "Mmm... that is good for me to know, that it will be something of an effort for you. Are there specific things you'd like me to avoid?"

Shuuhei sat for a few moments, thinking, loving the feel of Jyuushiro's arms around him. Finally, he opened his mouth and said quietly, "Please don't hit me with anything but your hands... I want gradual pain, and not quick and sharp. Your hands won’t hurt me that badly unless you do it a few times in the same spot."

Jyuushiro nodded at that, the thought of Shuuhei's skin warming under his hands running a thrill up his spine. He shifted. "Yes, it's easier for me to gauge exactly how much damage I'm doing when I use my hands, and I like that whatever pain I give you I will get some as well." He paused and then continued, "So no surprises, then? I would be happy to do a gradual build up, so you can feel what it might have to offer."

Shuuhei nodded again and relaxed further into the older man. "Yes... that's what I want..."

Jyuushiro laughed softly into Shuuhei's hair. "You're arousing me deeply, Shuuhei, with nothing more than your physical trust of me." He ran his hands down Shuuhei's back, fingers spread a little to stroke down the relaxed man's body, and sighed softly, "We're already discussing some of the things you'd like to explore. Is there anything else? Sensations of heat or cold? The nipple clamps? Or any of the other toys you saw?"

Shuuhei shivered at the memory of the clamps on Jyuushiro's nipples. He liked the sight of the reddened flesh, and the way the older man groaned as he tightened them. "I might like the clamps," Shuuhei said, "but I really don't know. Can we try them and if I don't like them we can stop?"

"Absolutely," Jyuushiro said firmly.

Shuuhei hesitated, thinking about another fantasy that had been running through his head over and over again in the past few weeks. The mere thought of it sent tremors of arousal coursing through his entire body. His half hard erection filled completely and pressed against the inside of his hakama. He pulled away slowly and looked up into Jyuushiro's eyes; grazed the older man's lips with his own.

"Blindfold me?"

Jyuushiro bit his lip as his own arousal heated at the suggestion. He nodded, "I would love to. Would you please tell me why you believe you'd enjoy that?"

Shuuhei smiled softly. "Because if I can't see, my other senses will be heightened. They teach you that in the academy, remember? If the enemy takes away one sense, you can focus on your other five. You blindfold me, and I can concentrate on your touch. It'll be... intense..."

Jyuushiro kissed Shuuhei's smile warmly. "Thank you. That's what I needed to know, if I should play on that fact or if there were other reasons or directions you wished for me to take. My relationships haven't changed. And you've informed me of your desire for Kira-kun, but it sounds as if there is no commitment there, yet, that we need be concerned about? We can commit to this particular interaction. Is that correct?"

Shuuhei frowned slightly. "You mean to make sure the blindfold isn't so I'll pretend you're someone else?"

"That's one tack some have taken," Jyuushiro admitted. "Another is feel as if they are alone in the world, to shut themselves in, and believe that there is no person they have to interact with just a source of sensations. Another is feel helpless, to have lost their sight is to have lost a means of anticipating what might come, to be surprised, frightened even by what comes up on them. Some like the adrenaline of fear. Others do so in order to give up responsibility, so that they don't have to be responsible for doing what the other person wants them to do, as they cannot discern it if they are blind. There are many possible reasons. I like knowing yours."

Shuuhei's frown gave way to another smile. "I'm not that complicated, Jyuushiro-san. Kira and I have a physical relationship, but as it is right now, it’s nothing more than a buddy fuck really… to him anyway. Tonight… I just want to let myself go for a while, forget the stresses of my work, let you lead me and teach me..." Shuuhei reached up and pulled a strand of the Captain's hair gently through his fingers. "Give myself to someone who I trust, who I know will take care of me, make me feel good. The blindfold is just to heighten sensation, nothing more. I actually don’t want to think about Kira tonight… just you."

"Thank you for your clarification. Also, if it helps, I am very pleased with your reasons, and find this a much easier direction for me to take things in than some of those others." Jyuushiro smiled at seeing his hair between the strong fingers. "It's far more fun for me to build sensations for you and myself rather than worry about some of those other implications."

Taking the hair and pressing it to his lips, Shuuhei murmured softly. "I am not a deeply troubled person, Jyuushiro-san. I'm just a man with heartache. I love someone deeply, and until recently I've had no way to make him happy." He looked up at Jyuushiro through his lashes. "You, Ukitake-Taichou, have not only given me hope, but you have also shown me how to take my own pleasure to another level. I will be forever grateful..."

Jyuushiro took a deep breath at the last. At the look from under Shuuhei's lashes, Jyuushiro unleashed his reiatsu, and used his powers to swiftly and gently put both of them on their feet. "I'm very glad of that, Shuuhei," he said. "I think... perhaps, that I've had enough of negotiations. And the only logistics are simply to get to my rooms." He took Shuuhei's hand again, slid open the door, kicked off his sandals and tugged the younger man within.

Shuuhei nearly tripped over his own feet as he kicked off his sandals and was pulled through the door by the eager Captain. He grinned, mentally patting himself on the back as he felt the heat and the arousal pouring off the older man.

Jyuushiro grinned and felt younger than he had for a while as he heard Shuuhei follow him into his cool, dark quarters. He turned to close the sliding door, and whirled to press Shuuhei up against an inside wall in the dark, his hands sliding within the younger shinigami's robes, stroking along the defined muscles of his stomach and up along his chest. Jyuushiro used the edges of his fingers to find the nubs of Shuuhei's nipples, and he rubbed his thumbs along them even as he pressed a solid kiss against Shuuhei's mouth.

Shuuhei’s breath was knocked from him as he was pushed against the wall. He gasped at the touches and kissed back hungrily, opening his lips and letting Jyuushiro’s tongue slide over the roof of his mouth. He felt a little weak in the knees, or however the cliché went, at this more forceful side of the Captain.

He groaned against the older man’s lips as his hands found their way into silken hair. “Jyuushiro-san…”

Jyuushiro shuddered at the sound of his name on Shuuhei's lips, and he tasted Shuuhei's mouth more deeply, his tongue sliding against Shuuhei's, running along the hard, sharp edges of teeth. His hands pinched Shuuhei's nipples firmly before sliding back down his belly, and fingertips dipping under the hakama ties. He came up for just enough air to murmur, "Yes?" against Shuuhei's lips.

Shuuhei shuddered at the pinch at his nipples and tilted his head when the Captain pulled away. He let a seductive smile play over his lips and he moved his hands to open his uniform top and slide the black fabric over his shoulders. “You gonna fuck me here in the hallway?”

"Mmmm.... that's a thought." Jyuushiro ran his hands over the now bared torso of the Fukutaichou, sliding his hands over the warm skin of Shuuhei's waist, and then up his back. "I needed a taste of you after all that... Hm. Hand me your belt."

His eyes never leaving the Captain’s face, Shuuhei untied his sash and unwrapped the white cloth from his waist. He held the length out to Jyuushiro and tried to ignore the slight tremor in his hands.

Jyuushiro took the length and ran his hands down Shuuhei's arms, pulling his wrists together before him and simply lashing them firmly together with the cloth. He tied it with a practiced bowline that would not slip when pulled. He tugged the binding hard; to make sure it didn't slip over Shuuhei's hands, and then pushed a finger under the binding to check that it wasn't too tight.

"How does that feel?"

Shuuhei looked down at the cloth binding his hands together. He tested the hold, trying to pull his hands apart. The cloth restrained him without making his wrists sore, or his fingers throb.

“Strange,” Shuuhei murmured, “but not bad…”

Jyuushiro smiled at Shuuhei. "Good enough to start," he said, and slid his hands on either side of Shuuhei's face, fingertips in his hair and kissed him again.

Shuuhei leaned against the wall and tilted his head back. His hands clasped as best they could to the front of Jyuushiro's uniform as he let the older man take his mouth again.

At the slightly clumsy touch of Shuuhei's bound hands against his front, Jyuushiro groaned softly into Shuuhei's mouth, and he hungrily kissed, licked, tasting deep before gently biting Shuuhei's lower lip and dragging the edges of his teeth along the softness. His hands slid down along Shuuhei's throat and along his arms again, and Jyuushiro licked down Shuuhei's jaw and throat, before biting there firmly.

Shuuhei hissed sharply as Jyuushiro’s teeth sank into his neck. The feel was exquisite, invigorating. The slight pain brought his focus to the Captain’s mouth, heightened his awareness of everything the older man did with his lips and tongue. He groaned softly and pushed his bound hands up between them, slipping his arms around Jyuushiro’s neck. He held the Captain tightly as he could with his restriction, and let himself be supported by the other; something he had never done before, but was beginning to enjoy immensely.

As Shuuhei put some of his weight on Jyuushiro's injured shoulder, Jyuushiro couldn't quite help but flinch, and then braced himself solidly against the pain. The Fourth's medics had mended the worst of the tendon, bone, and muscle damage, but the area was still tender, still bandaged.

Even as he took Shuuhei's weight, more surely, he realized he really wanted to take the younger man down to his playroom, but he wasn't going to be able to carry Shuuhei. He licked up along the reddened skin he'd just bitten, and nibbled along Shuuhei's jaw before whispering by Shuuhei's ear, "As much as I'd like to take you here, I think it'd be more comfortable for both of us to do so on my bed downstairs."

Shuuhei shivered at the mention of the downstairs, it brought to life the reality of what he was about to let the Captain do. He pushed off the wall, and brought his lips in close to Jyuushiro’s. “Sounds good, let’s go then.”

Jyuushiro nodded, and slid his touch along Shuuhei's arms to bring his bound hands over his head, and he held one of them and led Shuuhei to the passageway down to the cave cut in the bedrock under Soul Society.