Growing Up Hisagi

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A/N: Now that this is finished, I'd like to start a new multi-part. I have two ideas in my head: my take on a ByaRen canon get together fic, or a kind of weird GrimmUlqui fic wherein Grimmjow might be going insane. Please let me know which one you'd rather see! I'll go with the one more people want.

To Amy, Ang69, and HollowedLove, thank you for your reviews! At aff's request, I put my responses to your reviews in this thread: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=17068


Chapter Three: Sex


A few decades later. . .


Shuhei felt a familiar reiatsu tug at the periphery of his senses. A few seconds later he heard feet land next to him, and looked over to see a familiar blond.

"Lieutenant Tosen told me you'd be out here," Kira said, "but he didn't tell me why. What the hell is that thing?"

Shuhei grinned as he held up his latest find from the human world. A deep mahogany guitar that someone had left in some dumpster, despite the fact that it seemed to work perfectly fine. "It's a guitar. Check it out."

Shuhei strummed his fingers across the strings, causing Kira to cringe a little. That wasn't exactly the reaction Shuhei had been looking for.

"Well," Shuhei said, "I couldn't find any instruction booklets to go along with it. But I figured I'd get better with practice."

"Yeah," Kira said, obviously not believing him. "So, what, the rest of the people in your division kicked you out when you tried to practice in headquarters?"

Shuhei scowled. "How'd you know?"

"Just a guess," Kira said, looking around. The Rukongai mountains certainly were far away enough that Shuhei wouldn't offend any innocent eardrums. Then Kira remembered what he had come here for. "Congratulations! I heard you were promoted to third seat."

Shuhei nodded. He didn't look nearly as excited as he should have about the promotion, but Kira guessed that was natural. Usually when there was a promotion it meant that someone had died. Although this time was different. Mashiro had left to open up a maid cafe, of all things, promoting Tosen up from third and Shuhei up from sixth. So Kira wasn't sure why Shuhei was being so strange about it.

"How are things in the fifth division?" Shuhei asked, changing the subject. Kira frowned at the evasive maneuver, but he wasn't going to press it right now.

"Kind of boring since Renji was transferred to the eleventh. But don't tell him that. We want to take you out for drinks tonight, by the way, me and Renji and Momo. Akon said he'd come along too, and I asked Captain Muguruma if he wanted to come."

Shuhei instantly looked a little bit more interested with the mention of Kensei's name, a fact that Kira was quick to make note of. Kira knew, as every shinigami did, that Kensei had pretty much raised Shuhei, but the two men always seemed so tense and awkward around each other. Kira had always wondered about it.

"What did he say?" Shuhei asked.

"He said that of course he would come. He's bringing some of your friends in the ninth division, too, so it should be fun."

"You guys planned all this without even asking if I was free?"

Kira shrugged. "I figured we could always ambush you and drag you there kicking and screaming. Oh, by the way, when I asked Akon if he wanted to go, he said he had a congratulations present for you. You should head over to the R&D Institute."

Shuhei paled. Over the years Akon's "congratulations" presents had grown more and more perverse.

"So you're coming, right?" Kira asked. "The bar next to Mashiro's new place, tonight at eight."

"Yeah," Shuhei agreed. "I'll be there."

Shuhei watched as Kira turned, ready to shunpo back to the fifth division. But then the blond turned his head to look back at Shuhei.

"I like the haircut, by the way."

Shuhei rubbed at the back of his neck. Getting his hair cut short had seemed like a good idea, but it now felt strangely light. He swore his neck was itchy without the strands of hair covering it. Though he guessed he would get used to it. Shuhei practiced his guitar for awhile, then decided that he should probably go see Akon. He swung his guitar over his shoulder so that it was hanging on his back, and held on to the strap with one hand as he shunpoed away.

Once he got to the institute, he knocked on Akon's door. When Akon opened it Shuhei flinched a little, still not used to the conical implants underneath the skin of Akon's forehead. What had possessed Akon to do that, Shuhei didn't know, but the other man always had been bizarre.

"Shuhei," Akon said, "I was expecting you. Please, follow me."

Shuhei fell into step behind Akon, a little surprised as he was led to a gigai storage room. Akon walked him inside, then stopped in front of one of the canisters. Shuhei could see the gigai's face behind a small, frosted window, her silver-gray hair hanging in waves down past her shoulders.

"Why would I need a female gigai?" Shuhei asked.

"I can't believe you still don't get it," Akon said. "At any rate, I always notice how you like to stare at big breasts. . . in particular, Rangiku's big breasts. And I know how much you like Muguruma. So I decided to combine the two of them into your ideal person."

"What?"

Akon pressed a button, and Shuhei watched, just a little bit horrified, as the gigai was revealed.

"I made it with ample breasts," Akon said, pointing at the breasts in question, "and a large cock, perpetually in ready state."

Here he gestured at the gigai's very impressive erection.

"I tried to design the cock from memory," Akon continued, "but it's been a long time since we saw Kensei in that brothel. It also has a completely realistic vagina and ass, of course."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Shuhei asked.

"Use it for masturbatory purposes, of course," Akon said. "These gigais can react, albeit on a rudimentary level, to the proper stimulation. Mainly, they have almost the same physiological responses as our bodies would, although they lack consciousness. You know, humans would kill to have this level of technology when it comes to developing sex dolls."

"Thanks, but, I don't think I want it." The idea of a half-Kensei, half-Rangiku sex doll just didn't settle well with Shuhei. In addition to the fact that it seemed like an invasion of both their privacies, it was just strange. He didn't imagine he'd ever do anything with it other than hide it in the deepest corner of his closet.

Akon sighed. "I suppose I can use it for my personal purposes."

"I don't need to know," Shuhei said, relieved when Akon closed the canister again.

"Do you want me to just give you one of Muguruma's gigais, then?"

"No," Shuhei said, deciding that would not be in his best interests. He liked to think that he wasn't some kind of obsessed pervert, after all. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if someone walked into his room to find a nude, life-sized Kensei doll. "How about you just buy me a drink tonight as a present?"

Akon frowned at that. "What a boring suggestion."

"Actually," Shuhei said, eyes landing on the clock in the room, "We should probably head over to the bar now. I didn't realize that I had been practicing for so long. I'm going to drop this guitar off at home, but I'll see you there, okay?"

Akon nodded as Shuhei ran out of the institute. He looked back at his gigai. . . really, he couldn't fathom why Shuhei wouldn't want such an impeccable model. Maybe Mayuri-sama would appreciate it.

While Akon pondered that question, Shuhei dropped off his guitar in his new living quarters and headed to the bar. When he got there he saw that most everyone was already there. His eyes zoomed in on Kensei right away. The other man was sitting at a table near the entrance with the other ninth division officers, and Shuhei saw that he wasn't the only person with a new haircut. The fringe that hung over Kensei's forehead was now gone, all of his hair cropped close to his head.

"Shu-chan!" Skinny arms wrapped around him and pulled his head into a waiting bosom. "Look at how grown up you've gotten!"

"Mashiro nee-chan," Shuhei said, voice muffled into her chest, "you just saw me a week ago."

"And you've managed to grow so much in that one week!"

"Mashiro," came an annoyed voice, "you're suffocating the boy. Let him go already."

"You're not my captain anymore, Kensei, I don't have to listen to anything you say." Still, Mashiro let go of Shuhei, and he looked over to see Kensei watching them. Kensei smiled slightly and nodded at him. Shuhei nodded back, and Kensei turned back to drinking with his other officers.

"Hey, hey, Shuhei," Mashiro continued. "Don't you think Kensei's new haircut looks nice? I did it myself."

"Really?" Shuhei had a hard time believing that Kensei had let Mashiro near his hair, but she grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, well, before the party I accidentally got red bean paste in it, so it was just easier to cut it off."

"I see." That sounded more like one of their usual interactions. Shuhei had to admit, though, that the hair cut suited Kensei. There was a ruggedness to it that matched his features and even made him look younger. Shuhei didn't say anything more about it though, because Renji was waving at him from the bar. He excused himself and went over there, pleased to see Renji had already poured sake out into two cups.

"Kampai!" Renji said, lifting his cup up so fast the sake spilled out of it. Shuhei gathered the younger man had already had a few.

"Kampai," Shuhei said, picking up his cup and knocking it against Renji's. The liquid burnt as it went down his throat, but it a good way.

"Hisagi, my man," Renji said, slurring a little bit, "tonight I'm going to get you so wasted you'll wake up tomorrow night still drunk."

Shuhei chuckled as Renji refilled his cup and Kira and Momo came to join them. Getting wasted didn't seem like that bad of an option right now, and he gulped down his second drink.

"Next bottle's on me," he said, to a round of boos and objections. The rest of the night, Shuhei didn't have to pay one cent for drinks, all his friends perfectly happy to buy him rounds. He didn't even keep track of how many drinks he had, which is probably how he found himself so thoroughly wasted by the end of the night. The room was spinning around him, and he could barely stand up. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Kira was passed out on the bar beside him, though Renji was still capable of coordinated movements.

"Hey, Hisagi, you okay getting home by yourself?" Renji asked. Damn Renji and his ridiculously high tolerance.

"Blgrhg."

"Guess not, huh?" There was a concerned expression on Renji's face. Or at least Shuhei thought there was. He couldn't be certain. "How the hell am I going to carry both you and Kira back? Hmm. . . hey, Muguruma-taichou! Would you mind coming here for a second?"

Kensei's presence next to him brought Shuhei just a little bit out of his inebriated fog.

"Do you think you could take your third seat home? I've gotta take care of this other one."

"Of course."

It wasn't fair, Kensei didn't sound the least bit drunk, and Shuhei had seen him down at least a bottle of sake on his own. He felt an arm come around his back and grab onto his side, and Kensei's touch sent a wave of heat through him even past the drunken haze. Kensei tried to lift him to his feet, but Shuhei only stumbled and clutched at Kensei's chest, unable to support himself. With a small sigh, Kensei's other arm scooped underneath Shuhei's knees and Shuhei felt himself being lifted in the air. His face was cradled against Kensei's strong, broad chest, and he laid a hand over that familiar tattoo.

"Should I take you back to your quarters?" Kensei asked.

"No," Shuhei managed to say. "I wanna go home."

And half a second later they were off. Shuhei snuggled into Kensei's chest. He knew it wouldn't be long until they got back to the captain's quarters, so he was determined to enjoy the time he had. All too soon they were back in the house, and Kensei deposited him on his futon. After Shuhei had gone away to the academy, Kensei had another room built onto the house so they each had a separate bedroom. Shuhei had been upset to find out, but it's not as though he could do anything about it.

"Do you want some water?" Kensei asked.

Instead of answering, Shuhei reached his arms up to wrap around Kensei's neck. The element of surprise allowed him to pull Kensei's head down until their mouths touched, and he was able to press a few sloppy kisses against Kensei's lips. But Kensei didn't return the kisses or even say anything about them, only removed Shuhei's arms from around him and moved away.

"Go to sleep, Shuhei," Kensei said, brushing Shuhei's hair back before turning to leave. Shuhei was too drunk not to, and his vision blanked out instantly.

Renji was wrong. Shuhei didn't wake up the next morning still drunk. He woke up feeling like someone was taking a sledgehammer to his head. His walked, his whole body shaking, into the kitchen. Kensei was already up, and he placed a large glass of water and a bowl at Shuhei's place setting. Shuhei sat down and looked. . . plain rice porridge. He did his best to get a hand wrapped around a spoon and started to feed himself. It wasn't what anyone would call flavorful, but he could get it down without feeling sick. Getting it in his stomach helped, actually.

"You think you overdid it?" Kensei asked. The older man sat down at the table and stared at Shuhei over his cup of coffee.

"I was celebrating," Shuhei muttered. "Of course I overdid it."

"Umm hmm." Kensei took a sip of his coffee, considering. "You have to stop doing that."

"Getting drunk?"

"Getting drunk and trying to kiss me," Kensei clarified.

Shuhei only shrugged. "Why? It's not like you respond, so you might as well let me try. Besides, you should be grateful for the action. Shinobu-san told me you weren't visiting the brothels with him anymore."

Kensei was scowling now, but Shuhei knew how much he could push the other man. He had been testing Kensei's limits for decades now, out of some perverse sense of bitterness.

"After that time you followed me there," Kensei said, "I decided it was inappropriate to visit prostitutes."

"Poor Kensei-taichou," Shuhei said. "Living like a monk all those years."

"How are you so sure I haven't gotten myself a boyfriend in that time?"

Shuhei's eyes snapped wide open at that statement. Before he knew what he was doing, his body was pushing itself off the chair and throwing the bowl of porridge against Kensei's chest. It splattered on Kensei's robes as Shuhei ran out the door. His heart felt like it had dropped right out of his chest. Kensei hadn't been serious, had he? Shuhei would have realized it if Kensei had started dating someone. But if he had been joking, it was a mean, sick joke.

Shuhei didn't stop until he was in the fifth division. He narrowed in on Shinji's reiatsu, and found the other man enjoying tea in one of the rock gardens.

"Shuhei?" Shinji asked, as Shuhei landed in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"Is Kensei-taichou dating anyone?" Shuhei asked. He needed to know the answer. Shinji was as close to Kensei as anyone else. . . out of all the other captains, Shuhei knew that Shinji was someone Kensei spent a lot of time confiding in.

"Hmm? Is that what this is all about? Sit down and drink some tea, it looks like you need it. And no, Kensei is not seeing anyone, unless he's making a huge secret out of it."

The answer did calm Shuhei down a little bit. He sat down and watched as Shinji poured him a cup of tea.

"You're pouting," Shinji said, and Shuhei was careful to fix his lips in a straight line. "You know, even if Kensei's not dating anyone now, he might in the future. You're going to have to learn to deal with it. You've gotta grow out of this obsession you have with him."

"It's not just an obsession," Shuhei protested. "You guys still treat me like I'm a little kid, but I'm not a kid anymore. I can decide on my own who to like."

"If you're so grown up, you can also decide to give up when the person you like doesn't like you back." Shinji's words felt to Shuhei like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water on him. "Sorry to be harsh, Shuhei, but that's just how it is."

That hadn't been what Shuhei wanted to hear. He turned his head to the side, catching sight of his reflection in a mirror. Plain features stared out at him, further marred by three long scars that ran down his face. Of course Kensei wouldn't be interested in him as a romantic partner. Kensei, with his rugged good looks, could have so much better.

Shuhei's eyes focused on the 69 on his cheek. That tattoo. That embarrassing tattoo. For the first time, Shuhei regretted getting it. . . as if he could ever stand side by side with Kensei. Shuhei stood up, leaving his tea cup untouched on the tray.

"You're right," he said. "Thanks for taking the time to talk with me."

"Shuhei?" Shinji asked, but the other man was already leaving.

Shuhei didn't go back to headquarters just yet. He didn't have too much to do, right now, anyway. He ended up taking a walk through Rukongai, just thinking about things. Maybe he wasn't as grown up as he thought. He certainly felt like a child right now, demanding something that was obviously never going to happen. Shuhei spent most of the day just walking and moping. He would have gone back to his quarters, only it would have been all to easy for Kensei to find him there.

Eventually, though, Shuhei did go back to his office. He spent some time staring at his desk, fingers pressed pressed tightly around the edge. Then he pulled out a sheet of paper and stared at that for awhile. Then he very carefully pulled out a pen and took his time as he started to write. By the time he was done most of the shinigami in the ninth division were gone, but he knew Kensei was still there. He could feel his reiatsu.

Shuhei got up and headed to Kensei's office. He tried to clear his mind, because if he thought about things too much he wouldn't be able to go through with it. He pushed the door open. Kensei looked up at him, equal parts wary and curious. Behind him was that stupid framed painting that Shuhei had grown to hate over the years.

"I'm sorry about this morning," Shuhei said, closing the door behind him.

"No, it was my fault," Kensei answered. "I pushed you too far."

"So you're not seeing anyone," Shuhei said, wanting to confirm it from the source. He couldn't help but be relieved when Kensei nodded in the affirmative. Shuhei stepped forward and laid the papers he had been holding onto the desk. "Kensei-taichou. . . I'm putting in a request to transfer to another division."

The expression on Kensei's face would have been comical under different circumstances. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. "What? Is this about this morning? I'm sorry, Shuhei, I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Also, I think I should move all my things from your place to my quarters."

Silence stretched over them. Shuhei couldn't even look up at Kensei now. Instead, his eyes focused on a small speck in the wood of Kensei's desk.

"Shuhei. . . what are you trying to do? Just cut me out of your life?"

"No. . . no, it's not like that." Shuhei's eyebrows creased as he stared down at Kensei's desk. "It's just. . . I need to move on, and I can't do that from right beside you."

Kensei didn't speak for so long that Shuhei wondered if he was going to answer at all. But then he sighed. "If that's how you feel, then it can't be helped."

Shuhei nodded and left the room. When he was gone, Kensei held Shuhei's transfer request in his hands. He could only stare at it, the words a blur on the page. Kensei hadn't thought that the comment from that morning had gone too far, but apparently it was. He hadn't expected this. For so long Shuhei had been right there, trailing after him. And now he was leaving.

Some tiny rational part of Kensei's mind told him it was for the best, that distance would do Shuhei some good. But an overwhelming part of him wanted to rip up the transfer request right now. It wasn't fair, he thought, how things were so complicated between them. He didn't know why things couldn't have just stayed the same. Kensei was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't noticed when Shinji appeared in his office.

"Hey," Shinji said. Kensei seemed to take forever to lift his head up and face him, which Shinji wasn't taking as a good sign. "Someone's depressed."

"What are you doing here, Shinji?"

Shinji helped himself to the chair in front of Kensei's desk. "Shuhei was in a funny mood when I last saw him, so I came over to see if he's said anything to you about it."

"I guess he did," Kensei said, scowling. "He just requested a transfer to another division."

"Well," Shinji said, "that's probably a good thing. If you guys only see each other at home sometimes-"

"He's also moving out completely."

"Huh." Shinji frowned, not sure what to make of this. He wondered if it was his fault. But it wouldn't be good if Kensei knew Shuhei was leaving because of something Shinji said. "Well, you know, he's probably going through some kind of phase or something. He's still a young man, after all."

"Shinji." Kensei's eyes were narrowed. "Did you say something to him?"

Oops. Well. . . Kensei couldn't be too mad at him, he had only been telling Shuhei the truth. "I told him that you didn't like him that way, so he should just give up."

Kensei buried his face in his hands. So that was why Shuhei was so upset. Shuhei always was a little on the sensitive side.

"What?" Shinji asked, all false innocence. "It's the truth, yeah? You don't like him like that, do you?"

"I've never thought about it," Kensei admitted. "I've never let myself think about Shuhei like that."

Well. That was an interesting little revelation, Shinji thought. "Don't tell me you're thinking about it now that he's given up."

"No, of course not."

"Well. . . why not?"

Kensei's head snapped up at the question, eyebrow creased and mouth set in a narrow line. He knew Shinji loved playing devil's advocate, but surely he knew the answer to that question. "You've gotta be kidding."

Shinji shrugged. "It's not like he's your son, you know. You never legally adopted him or anything like that."

"It still feels wrong." And it did. In Kensei's mind, the Shuhei of right now was still mixed up with the Shuhei he had first taken in. Thinking of the young man in a sexual light just didn't seem like it would be the proper thing to do. Maybe if Kensei had never taken him in. . . maybe if they had only met again later, decades after Kensei had first saved the small child. . . Kensei shook his head. There wasn't any point to going along this train of thought.

"Then why are you so upset about this?" Shinji asked.

"Because Shuhei is an extremely important part of my life," Kensei said, though he didn't particularly feel as though it needed explaining. "And now he wants to cut himself out of it."

"Look," Shinji said, leaning forward a little, "why don't we send Shuhei to my division unofficially for awhile? He'll still keep his title as your third seat, you don't need to file that transfer request, and he gets some space. We'll see how it works out, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kensei said, nodding. "That sounds like it could work."

"Do you want to tell him or should I?"

"I'll do it," Kensei said. After all, he probably wouldn't have that many opportunities to see his young charge after this.

"That's fine with me," Shinji said. "Let me know if anything changes."

Kensei nodded, and Shinji left the ninth division headquarters. Kensei only stayed for maybe ten minutes more, then he left as well, back to the barracks. Instead of going to the captain's quarters, however, he headed to the large building that housed the apartments for the seated officers. He could feel Shuhei's reiatsu in the third seat's apartment, and went straight there. Shuhei had the door open before Kensei even knocked on the door.

"Kensei-taichou," Shuhei said, a little surprised to see his captain after what had happened just before. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a proposition for you," Kensei replied. "Shinji offered to let you visit the fifth division for an indefinite period of time. It won't be a transfer; officially, it will be for you to see how another division functions. We felt it would be the best course of action."

Shuhei nodded. In a way, it was better than his initial plan to transfer. He'd be away from Kensei, but not completely severed from the ninth division that he had called home for so long. "That's fine."

Kensei nodded. Now that Shuhei was right in front of him, he took the chance to get a good look at the boy. . . no, not boy. Shuhei was a young man, now, that much was clear. Without thinking about it, Kensei's hand came up to brush messy hair out of Shuhei's face. Shuhei's eyes widened with the contact, but he didn't move away.

"Kensei-taichou?"

Shuhei really had grown into a handsome man, Kensei thought. The scars he had received in his last year of the academy only added character to his strong features, making him look more mature. The tattoo of Kensei's mark still looked silly, in Kensei's mind, but he couldn't imagine Shuhei without it. Those brown eyes were always filled with so much emotion, even though those lips were almost perpetually set in a grave, thin line. Those lips. . . Kensei had felt them on his own several times. Soft and pliant, and all too eager to please. But that's not something he should be thinking about. Kensei dropped his hand.

"I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you," Kensei said." You know that, right?"

Shuhei nodded, his skin tingling where heat of Kensei's fingers used to be. "I'll make sure to do my best for Shinji."

"Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less. And, remember, I'm always there for you if you need me."

Shuhei nodded again, and the two men shared an awkward little pause before Kensei nodded and turned away.

"Take care, Shuhei," he said, and just like that he was gone.

The next few weeks pretty much passed without incident. Shuhei assimilated well to the fifth division. It wasn't the ninth, but everyone there was friendly enough towards him. Kira being there also helped, and Renji was often there when he wasn't sparring with someone in his own division. The members of the eleventh division didn't ever seem to be particularly busy. Shuhei was also comfortable working with Shinji, and Shinji was able to report back to Kensei with how Shuhei was doing. Shinji also managed to prod Kensei quite a bit on the topic of looking at Shuhei as a romantic partner. . . which is why Kensei blamed Shinji when the young man started appearing in his mind during more. . . inappropriate times.

To Kensei, masturbation and sex had always been more perfunctory matters. If he was hard when he woke up, he would jerk off in the shower after shampooing his hair. And if he felt like having a hot body gripping onto him, he'd go to a brothel. Though it had been a long time since he had done so. So Kensei had been quite disconcerted when, stroking himself roughly in the shower, spiky hair and plaintive brown eyes would appear in his mind.

Kensei would stop before the images solidified to anything more than that. Just spiky hair, just brown eyes, and nothing like the person he knew they would materialize into. Kensei would let go of himself and turned the cold water on to maximum, clearing his head as though he was a monk in meditation. But the more he tried to deny it to worse it became, until Shuhei was appearing in fragments of his dreams. He would never remember much, thank god. But he did remember the movements of two bodies, intertwined, and Shuhei's low voice shaking as he called out Kensei's name. . . Kensei would wake up, hard and distraught, and go for another cold shower. This was all Shinji's fault, somehow, he knew it.

"I don't see how this is my fault," Shinji said, after Kensei complained to him about it. They were walking together after a captain's meeting, and Kensei had used to opportunity to vent his frustrations. "If he's popping up in your head, doesn't that mean you're finally recognizing him as a man? A man you'd like to fuck?"

"Don't be so vulgar," Kensei snapped, already feeling frustrated from all the cold showers he had been taking. He was about to say something else when he saw Kira walking towards them. Knowing how close the blond man was to Shuhei, he didn't feel continuing the discussion would be prudent.

"Captain Muguruma," Kira said in greeting, nodding, "Captain Shinji."

"Hey, Kira," Shinji said, stopping the other man on his path to. . . well, wherever it was he was heading. "I'm glad I caught you; what do you think of a division transfer?"

"What?" Kira asked, eyes growing bigger just a little bit. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, no," Shinji said, waving a hand in the air. "Geez, you're too serious for your own good. No, now that Rose is retiring, Ichimaru's getting promoted to captain of the third division. And Ichimaru specifically asked if he could have you."

"Really?" Kira asked, a little more excited with the news. "Gin did? And he was promoted before Aizen?"

"Well, Aizen's gunning for my position, the little punk, so he's not so keen on leaving the fifth for now. And what's with addressing Ichimaru so casually? Since when were you two so close?"

A light blush appeared on Kira's cheeks.

"Oooh hoo, did I stumble onto some juicy gossip?" Shinji looked absolutely delighted.

"Come on, Shinji," Kensei said, feeling sorry for Kira, "leave the guy alone."

Shinji frowned, but it didn't seem as though he was going to push it. He looked down at the papers Kira was holding. They were obviously some kind of paperwork. "Where are you going, anyway? I don't think I gave you anything to do today."

"I promised to drop some papers off in the fourth division for Hisagi," Kira said.

Now it was Kensei's turn to frown. "Shuhei? It's not like him to push his work onto others."

"Oh, no," Kira said, "it's not his fault. Renji's dragging him to Rukongai. You know how exuberant Renji can be."

"Yeah?" Shinji asked. "And what are they going there for?"

"Oh, well, Renji found out Hisagi was still a virgin, and he decided that it was his duty as a friend and kouhai to rectify it. So he's dragging him to a brothel."

Shinji froze. Even without looking at the other man, he knew that Kensei's every muscle was probably tense. He slowly looked over to the side to discover that not only was Kensei all tensed up, his fists were clenched into balls and his teeth were gritted together. Kira looked confused, and a little bit scared, at Kensei's reaction.

"Which district?" Kensei all but growled.

"Umm. . ." Kira blinked a few times. He knew Kensei had raised Shuhei, but to be this overprotective was a bit much. "I think the second. Renji has someone he likes there."

He didn't say anything else before Kensei was gone, shunpoed away.

In the meantime, Shuhei was half-reluctantly following Renji towards some small brothel in the second district.

"I don't know about this, Renji," he said, "I don't think a brothel is the right place for my first time."

"What are you talking about?" Renji asked, his hand a vice grip around Shuhei's wrist. "That's what brothels are for! Besides, you're not one of those prudes who thinks you're supposed to wait until you're with the person you love before you do it, are you?"

Shuhei blushed a little bit. He had, actually, been that kind of a "prude," though he had recently given up on being able to lose his virginity with the man he loved. As soon as his mind flashed to Kensei, he realized that maybe this would be good for him. Maybe this would help him get over the other man.

"Don't worry about it," Renji continued, "it's my treat. And the guys here are real nice. I actually met this guy here, recently, he's real cute. He's thinking of entering the shinigami academy."

"You're dating a prostitute?" Shuhei asked, eyes widening. "A prostitute who wants to be a shinigami?"

"Well, not really," Renji said. "He's actually this kid who was taken in by the brothel owners. He helps keep the place clean and stuff, he doesn't actually work the clients. I kept seeing him around whenever I came, and then I ended up saving him from some muggers one night, and things took off from there. The owners are real protective of him though, so when I come here I ask to see one of his friends, and then the friend leaves while me and Rikichi spend time together."

"I see," Shuhei said.

"Anyway, what's your type?" Renji asked, pulling them into a small but well-taken care of building. He pulled Shuhei right up to the counter, where a young woman beamed up at them.

"It's nice to see you again, Renji-kun," she said. "And you brought a friend with you today."

"So?" Renji asked Shuhei. "What are you in the mood for?"

Shuhei couldn't help it. "Someone tall and muscular with short, light hair. The lighter the better."

"And the regular for you, Renji-kun?"

"You know it," Renji said, winking at the woman.

"Go ahead and wait in the lounge," the woman said, gesturing towards a couch that sat alongside a wall. Renji and Shuhei made themselves comfortable. Or, more accurately, Renji made himself comfortable, long limbs splayed all over the place. Shuhei sat, back straight, on the edge of the couch, his heart racing and his palms getting sweaty.

"Relax," Renji said, "I'm sure you won't suck in bed."

"I wasn't even thinking about that, idiot," Shuhei said. As if he needed something else on his first time to be worried about. Renji only snickered at him.

"Renji-sama?"

"Hey," Renji said, jumping up as a small blond thing appeared from behind a curtained-off hallway. This must be the friend of Rikichi's that Renji had talked about before. Renji started to follow him, only turning back to give Shuhei a wink and a thumbs up. "Have fun. I'm sure you'll do fine."

Shuhei frowned as he was left alone on the couch. With every passing moment his heart seemed to speed up more and more, and the butterflies in his stomach seemed to grow more numerous. He was contemplating making a run for it when a deep voice came from his side.

"Hello."

Shuhei must have jumped two feet in the air. His hand grabbed at the robes in front of his heart as he looked up. . . a tall man with chin-length blond hair was smiling down at him. He looked nothing like Kensei, but maybe that was for the better. Sleeping with someone who looked like Kensei probably wouldn't help Shuhei get over the man. Still, Shuhei had to admit the prostitute was good-looking. Tall and well-built, with softly handsome features.

"My name's Tadashi. Would you like to go back to a room?"

Shuhei gulped, then nodded. When he didn't move Tadashi held out his hand.

"Oh," Shuhei said, finally getting up, "I can manage myself."

Tadashi smiled and nodded. "Please, this way."

He placed a hand at the small of Shuhei's back. Shuhei shivered at the contact, and let himself be led through the curtain and down a long hallway. They came to a stop in front of one of the doors, and all too soon Tadashi was pushing it open. Shuhei was pretty much on auto-pilot as he stepped over the threshold and nearly ran to take a seat on the edge of the bed. His heart was pounding so loudly it was drowning out the thoughts in his head, and he seemed terribly self-conscious about this whole thing. He gulped as Tadashi took a seat next to him, and fingers came to rest on his shoulder.

"Would you like a massage?" Tadashi asked. "Maybe it will help you relax."

Shuhei really doubted it. "No. . . sorry, I'm just nervous. It's my first time. But I think we should. . . you know. . . just dive into things."

"Aren't you the cutest thing?"

Shuhei felt fingers underneath his chin, lifting his face until he was looking into golden brown eyes. He blushed. "I'm not cute."

"You're right. Maybe handsome would be the better word?"

Before Shuhei could protest lips were on his. He closed his eyes and moaned into the contact. As Tadashi's lips pressed insistently and expertly on his, he realized how different this was compared to his clumsy, drunken attempts at kissing Kensei. He leaned into Tadashi's kisses, which were growing more bold by the second, until their tongues were sparring in each other's mouths. Shuhei had no idea just kissing could feel so good. Tadashi's hand came to massage his thigh, but after several minutes the man pulled away a little bit.

"Have you thought about how you want to do it the first time?" Tadashi asked. "If you want to top or bottom? Or maybe both?"

Shuhei blushed. "Well. . ."

His response, however, was cut off by loud and insistent knocking at the door. Tadashi looked up, a little bit surprise. "Who would be interrupting us? I suppose we can just ignore them. . ."

And then the knocking sounded again, followed by a loud, angry voice. "Shuhei. Open the door right now or I will kick it down."

Shuhei paled. Tadashi looked over at him, a little bit concerned.

"Should I call security?" Tadashi asked.

"No," Shuhei said, "I just need to talk to him. Would you mind letting me use the room?"

Tadashi nodded. "At this brothel, you actually pay for time in the room, not for the prostitute. It's your 1 Bu a minute, so you can spend it however you like."

Shuhei's eyes gagged at the deceptively small amount. That could easily add up. . . an hour would be 60 Bu, which would be enough to feed him for a week or two. And Renji came here regularly? But Tadashi was leaving as Kensei stormed in, and Shuhei found himself face to face with his captain. Kensei was already upset, but it didn't help things when he saw Shuhei sitting on the bed, lips swollen and cheeks stained red.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Kensei asked. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from places like these?"

Shuhei scowled. "You said that this was a place for adults. I'm an adult now."

"Come on, Shuhei," Kensei said. "Don't you want your first time to be special? Don't you want it to be with the person you love?"

"But it can't be with the person I love," Shuhei said, fingers clenching in the bed sheets. "What the hell do you want from me? You won't sleep with me, but you won't let me sleep with other people either?"

"It's not like that," Kensei insisted, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Shuhei or himself. "I just think your first time should mean something."

"Well. . . I think that it's none of your business." Shuhei cringed as soon as the phrase was out of his mouth, realizing how childish it sounded, but it's not as though he could do anything about that now. "Unless you want to sleep with me, I don't see why I can't go elsewhere for sex."

"Fine."

That one word shocked the hell out of both of them. Shuhei blinked, his head spinning. "What. . . what exactly do you mean by that?"

Kensei took a tentative step towards the bed, hardly believing the words that were coming out of his mouths. "If I sleep with you, you won't have sex with men you don't know, right?"

"No," Shuhei said, his mouth suddenly dry again. His heart felt like it was about to explode. "I won't."

"Then. . . it's fine." Kensei sighed, his voice calmer, softer. "I'm saying, Shuhei, that I want to make love with you."

Want and need. If there were any nerves in him now, Shuhei couldn't tell, because desire was flooding over anything else he might have been feeling. He wanted Kensei, and he wanted him before the other man could change his mind. His hands grabbed the sash tied around his shihakushou, intent on getting it off as soon as possible. But in a flash Kensei's hands were holding his, keeping him from doing so.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kensei half-asked, half-yelled, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Getting my clothes off," Shuhei said. "You just said we could do it."

Kensei swallowed, realizing that he had in fact said that. But agreeing to it and actually seeing Shuhei disrobe in front of him so eagerly were two different things. "Yeah, but. . . but. . . let me turn the lights off first, at least."

Shuhei frowned. He wanted to be able to see everything, but if Kensei was already feeling hesitant about everything. . . he was willing to compromise. He had wanted this for so long, after all. "But they're already off. It's in the middle of the day."

"Then let me close the blinds." Kensei could feel a blush rise to his cheeks. He hadn't expected Shuhei to be so aggressive about this, though he shouldn't have been so surprised. Shuhei nodded, and Kensei turned to go close the blinds. It gave him a few moments to collect his thoughts and emotions, though he certainly didn't do a good job of it. Even after he closed the blinds, bathing the room in shadows, he was still wondering what the hell he was doing. He could hear fabric rustling behind him, and it terrified him. Was he really going to do this with Shuhei?

Kensei turned around, a little relieved to find that Shuhei was under the covers of the bed. At least the other man was feeling a little bit modest. Still, his visible bare chest and the pile of clothes on the floor only reminded Kensei that Shuhei was certainly naked underneath those sheets.

"Kensei-taichou," Shuhei said, only it was a question. He pulled the sheets down beside him as he looked up at Kensei with pleading brown eyes.

"Yeah. Okay." Kensei took a deep breath before stepping forward. There was still too much light in this room, in Kensei's opinion. All too soon he was at the side of the bed, and he carefully sat down.

"Aren't you going to take your clothes off?"

"I will," Kensei said, needing to delay that for as long as possible. Why was he the one who was blushing and jittery, he wondered, when Shuhei was the virgin? He didn't have much time to think about that, though, because a very naked Shuhei was leaving the safety of those bed sheets to climb into Kensei's lap. Kensei's hands went automatically to rest on Shuhei's waist as Shuhei's legs wound up on both sides of his body. They had been in this position numerous times when Shuhei had been a child, but it was obviously never like this.

"Shuhei," he said, but then Shuhei's lips were pressing against his. It hadn't been the first time Shuhei had kissed him. Kensei froze, as unresponsive as all those other times.

"Kensei-taicho," Shuhei complained, drawing away a little bit. "Aren't you going to kiss me back?"

"Maybe you should just call me Kensei," Kensei suggested. "This would seem less strange that way."

"Kensei," Shuhei said, ever obedient, "please kiss me."

Kensei nodded and swallowed before leaning forward. Their lips met again, and this time it was Kensei who initiated the kiss, though Shuhei kissed back with fervor. Shuhei felt like he was about to faint. Kissing Kensei felt so much better than kissing Tadashi. It was almost just the thought of it that left him breathless, the thought that he was kissing his Kensei-taichou.

It didn't feel any worse for Kensei. Shuhei's lips were soft, and his kisses sweet in their strange mix of enthusiasm and inexperience. Kensei soon got lost enough in just kissing the other boy, soon moved his tongue out to slip between Shuhei's lips. The other boy just tasted too good. He was only tangentially aware when Shuhei's hands pulled on his shihakushou, tugging it down and to the side. Soon his shoulders were exposed to the air, then his chest, then his abdomen. Shuhei's hands ran over his skin as they kissed, until they came to rest in the back of his hair. Shuhei's arms pulled them even closer together. Their chests pressed against each other, and Kensei could feel something hard press against his stomach even as his own erection rubbed against Shuhei's butt.

"Shuhei," Kensei said, pulling away for a moment. "Wait."

Worry passed over Shuhei's features. The young man wondered if Kensei had changed his mind. He ground his butt down on Kensei's hard cock, eliciting a moan from the older man, the sound comforting him just a bit.

"Why?" he asked. "Just. . . just lay down and close your eyes. You can pretend it's someone else, but let me do this, okay?"

"Shuhei." Kensei reached up to brush the hair out of Shuhei's face. "You'd be happy a with that? What about your pride?"

"I don't care about something like that," Shuhei replied.

"I'm not going to pretend you're someone else," Kensei said. Shuhei could feel himself deflate at the words, but then he was being turned over, his back hitting the bed. Kensei was on top of him, and leaned down for another kiss. Shuhei's heart raced. . . this was going to happen. He had been dreaming about this for so long, and it was finally happening. He could feel Kensei's strong hands on his thighs, kneading the flesh there. He could feel Kensei's erection, still covered in fabric, rubbing against his own. He could come just from that, only he wanted so badly to feel Kensei inside of him.

Shuhei scowled as Kensei's lips left his, but then Kensei's mouth attached itself to his neck and sucking. He shuddered with pleasure, his head moving to the side to better expose his neck. He hadn't known something so simple could feel so good. Kensei's hands were still running up and down his thighs, getting closer and closer to his groin but never reaching it. Kensei sucked and kissed a trail down Shuhei's chest and abdomen, each little press of his lips sending a shiver through Shuhei's body. Shuhei hoped that they would leave marks, little reminders that this had actually happened.

Kensei came to a stop in front of Shuhei's penis. It had grown, he thought, since the last time he had seen it. It was slim and long, with a purplish head that was already dripping pre-cum. It was beautiful. Kensei pressed his nose against it and sniffed, inhaling Shuhei's unique scent. Young and musky. Vague notions of guilt tugged at him, but he pushed them away. Shuhei wanted this. If Kensei was more honest, he would admit that he wanted it too. He licked a trail from the base of Shuhei's cock to the tip before swallowing half of it in one gulp.

Shuhei gasped and arced. It was too much. He had fantasized about this so many times, but nothing compared to the real thing. The mere sight of his penis in Kensei's mouth was enough to drive him over the edge. Shuhei buried his fingers in Kensei's short hair as his body tried to curl in itself, and he shot jets of cum into Kensei's waiting mouth. Kensei swallowed it all before letting go of Shuhei's cock, then climbed up Shuhei's body to press a kiss against the young man's temple.

"Sorry," Shuhei said, a little embarrassed that he had come so soon.

"Don't worry about it," Kensei said, rubbing circles on Shuhei's belly, "no one lasts long their first time."

"I can be ready to go again in a few minutes," Shuhei said, although there was an expression of disappointment on his face.

"What's wrong?" Kensei asked.

Shuhei blushed, but he looked directly at Kensei, a little accusingly. "You swallowed it all."

Kensei blinked. "Yeah?"

"We can't use it for lube now."

Kensei's hand stopped its movements on Shuhei's belly. "Geez, Kid, we're in a brothel, there's a bowl of oil right next to you on the nightstand."

"Yeah, but, don't you think it's hotter to use cum to do it?"

Okay. Kensei was starting to regret letting Shuhei spend all that time playing with Akon. . . it was clear the other man had had a decidedly perverse influence on him. "I think oil's fine, actually."

Shuhei frowned, but he dropped the topic. Instead, he sat up and pushed Kensei fully onto the bed.

"I want to do you now," he said, moving his head to Kensei's crotch. It was still covered, but Shuhei undid the sash holding Kensei's hakama together and watched as the fabric fell away to reveal a large, hard cock. He half-expected Kensei to protest, but the other man only spread his legs slightly in response. The movement made that big cock to jump a little bit, hitting Shuhei in the nose. Shuhei's hands came to wrap around it, a little bit in awe. He still couldn't believe that this was happening, that he was holding onto Kensei's penis. It was hot and heavy in his hands, pulsing with Kensei's heartbeat. He stroked it, squeezing as he moved his hands up and down, until a thick drop of pre-cum appeared from the slit at the top.

Shuhei bent down and stuck his tongue out, lapping up the drop of pre-cum. It tasted tangy and strange, but he liked it. So that was what Kensei tasted like. He wrapped his lips around the head of Kensei's penis and sucked, running his tongue around it in sloppy circles. He could hear Kensei's breath hitch, which he took to be a good sign. He started to bob his head up and down Kensei's large cock, going just a little bit deeper every time, until the tip of it hit the back of his throat. He wanted to take in the rest of it, but he didn't think that he could. So he just bobbed up and down on that length as he sucked as best he could, enjoying the taste of Kensei's hard cock.

Kensei couldn't believe that Shuhei was sucking him off. And so enthusiastically, too. The kid looked like he was sucking on the most delicious popsicle in the world. Shuhei's ass was sticking out towards the side, and Kensei rubbed at a soft-yet-firm ass cheek before reaching his hands around Shuhei's legs and pulling his lower body around. In a sixty-nine position, and the humor of it wasn't lose on Kensei.

Shuhei's cock was completely hard again, but it was his hole that had Kensei interested in now. Kensei spread Shuhei's butt cheeks apart, watching that small, pink puckered hole come into view. It twitched and opened, and Kensei had to admit that it was really cute. He couldn't help but feel some small amount of satisfaction from the fact that no one had ever played with Shuhei's butt before, that he would be the first one to open it up. Kensei built up some drool in his mouth before spitting on it. With his index fingers he worked the spit around the rim of Shuhei's ass, then slowly worked just the tips in. When they were in he pulled them apart, pulling Shuhei's hole as wide open as he could. He could see darkness inside of the young man and spit into it, before leaning his head forward and shoving his tongue in between his fingers.

Shuhei gasped and bucked backwards as he felt Kensei's tongue inside of him. It was hot and wet and felt oh so good. He had Kensei's cock in his mouth and Kensei's tongue in his butt and he couldn't imagine anything better than this. Kensei's tongue twisted and curved as it fucked him, and Kensei couldn't help but cry out around the large cock in his mouth. It felt too good to have Kensei eating him out; he wished Kensei could tongue fuck him forever. But after awhile that powerful tongue was pulling out. Shuhei whined with the loss, but then two fingers slick with oil were pushing him in, getting him slippery. Shuhei reluctantly moved his mouth off Kensei's cock.

"You don't have to do that," he said, turning as best he could to look at Kensei, "I'm relaxed enough to take you in."

He didn't want to be too loose. It might not have been realistic, but he wanted to feel every vein and ridge of Kensei's cock inside of him.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kensei said. "It's your first time."

Shuhei couldn't complain too much. He was too busy shivering and moaning from the feeling of Kensei's fingers twisting and scissoring inside his hole. The man had a lot more experience than he himself did, and was touching places inside of him he didn't even know existed. After too long Kensei's fingers pulled out, and Shuhei's heart raced in anticipation of what was going to come next. Kensei's hand pushed on his side, and Shuhei crawled off Kensei's body.

"I think you should lower yourself onto me," Kensei said. "That way you can control the pace."

Shuhei nodded and moved, straddling Kensei's waist. The older man had worked up a light sheen of sweat, and it glistened off his muscles even in the dim light. His handsome features were scrunched up in concentration as he helped Shuhei get into position. Shuhei blushed as he realized he was about to have Kensei inside of him. He had wanted this for so long. . . he felt the blunt tip of Kensei's penis press against his hole, and he gulped.

"Are you ready?" Kensei asked.

Shuhei nodded. He placed his hands behind him on Kensei's strong thighs while one of Kensei's hands came to hold his waist. Kensei's other hand was on his own cock, holding it up so that Shuhei could sink down onto it. Shuhei bit his lip as he did so, the ring of muscle at his entrance popping open as the head of Kensei's penis pushed through. Shuhei stopped for a moment as the pleasure from just that intrusion flooded through him. He couldn't help but throw his head back and moan as his ass clenched around the foreign object.

"Shuhei," Kensei said, but it was more of a whisper and a pant.

The hand on his waist tightened, and Shuhei wondered if there would be finger-shaped bruises there tomorrow. He started to lower himself again, bit by bit, feeling his butt stretch wide open to accommodate Kensei's big cock. It felt so good to be stretched so much, to be so full. Finally his ass met Kensei's legs, and he could feel rough pubic hair against his balls. He was fully seated, completely impaled on Kensei's penis.

Shuhei sighed in contentment. "Kensei. Does it feel good?"

"Are you kidding, Kid?" Kensei's face was still scrunched up, his breathing labored. "You feel fucking amazing."

Kensei gasped as Shuhei started moving. Shuhei's hands pressed down on is thighs as the younger man lifted himself half off Kensei's penis only to fall back onto it again. He was hot and tight around Kensei's cock. Kensei had never felt anything so tight before, but he had never had a virgin. And the view. . . just watching Shuhei fuck himself on Kensei's cock was a turn-on in itself. The way his hole clung to Kensei's cock as it moved up and down on it, the way his hard cock bobbed with each movement. Shuhei was dripping pre-cum liberally now, and it dripped like a leaky faucet onto Kensei's abdomen.

"You feel so good inside me, Kensei. I can feel your penis throbbing deep inside my hole."

"Shit." Kensei threw his head back. He gripped Shuhei's waist tighter in his hands and thrust up as he pulled Shuhei's body onto his cock again. Shuhei cried out from the forceful intrusion, but Kensei was doing it again, pulling him off and then on that huge cock. Shuhei let Kensei control the pace, his body flooding with pleasure. He could come just from Kensei fucking him, he didn't even need to touch himself.

Then Shuhei felt himself being flipped over, Kensei still inside of him. His back hit the bed hard as Kensei's arms came to rest on either side of his head. His legs were half bent in the air as Kensei started to fuck him even more forcefully, his strong ass and thigh muscles pistoning his cock into Shuhei over and over again. Shuhei cried out with every thrust, his arms and legs coming to wrap around Kensei's body. His cock was caught in between them, rubbing against Kensei's stomach. It felt so good. He could feel Kensei even deeper inside of him now.

"Harder," Shuhei panted, in between cries, "fuck me harder. I want to feel your cum shoot inside of me."

Kensei's body shivered in Shuhei's arms, but the man sped up. The bed was creaking like crazy now, the headboard knocking against the wall with every thrust. Shuhei's cries filled the room, as did the the sound of flesh slapping into flesh. Shuhei could feel his balls tighten, could feel that familiar crescendo building in his groin, and then his cock twitched and started shooting. He cried out as his vision blurred. The orgasm spread out through his entire body, from his groin to the top of his head and the tips of his toes. His back arched and string after string of cum was wrenched out of him, pushed out of him by Kensei's forceful thrusts. He felt spent and sated and so fucking good, and best of all Kensei was still fucking him.

Shuhei wrapped his arms around Kensei even tighter, his cheek coming to nuzzle in Kensei's hair. He was content to have Kensei still inside of him, but unfortunately the older man didn't last too much longer. The man grunted as he came, and Shuhei could feel hot cum filling his insides. After he finished coming he moved to get up, but Shuhei held him there, so that they stayed connected.

"Wait," Shuhei said, "stay for awhile."

Kensei nodded into the crook of Shuhei's neck, but then he lifted his head so that they were facing one another. Kensei couldn't help but think that Shuhei looked good after sex. Slightly sweaty and well-fucked, a glow to his cheeks that wasn't usually there. Kensei bent down and pressed a kiss against Shuhei's forehead.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "Do you feel okay?"

"I feel amazing," Shuhei replied. "What about you? Are you starting to regret this?"

"A little," Kensei admitted. As his afterglow faded he was left with what he and Shuhei had done. What they were still doing, really, considering he was still inside of the other boy. "But I think I can get over it. I love you, Kid. If this makes you happy, I'm not going to fight it anymore."

Shuhei seemed happy to hear it. He pulled Kensei down so that there lips met in a series of kisses. Eventually, Kensei's cock went completely limp and slid out of Shuhei's hole, and Kensei broke their kisses to roll onto his back. Shuhei snuggled up to his side, content just to lay there.

"Should we be going?" Kensei asked. "Doesn't this room charge by the minute?"

"Don't worry about it," Shuhei replied, a small smirk to his lips. "Renji's putting it on his tab."

Kensei snickered at that. He wrapped his arm around Shuhei's shoulders, liking the feel of Shuhei's head on his chest. He wasn't sure he had done the right thing, but for now, at least, having Shuhei in his arms just felt right.