"Nngh, harder." Slender fingers tugged on dark locks of hair as heavy pants filled the quarters. A light grunt was given in response, and the recipient of the special treatment grinned freely against the building pleasure. It hadn't necessarily been a long while since he'd been in this same exact position (and with the same exact person, nonetheless), but the intensity never died down.

A brief second of tension and a collective series of groans ended the moment with one man panting lightly and contently in his chair, and the other wiping his mouth in silent contemplation. Bespectacled eyes shot up to the captain, taking in every revolting sensation about the scene: The way his superior's hair hung just a little heavier when it was damp with sweat; the way the corners of his mouth weren't turned up quite as much as a grin, but not quite down enough to qualify as a grimace (as if the situation disgusted him as much as it pleased him); the way even the moonlight bouncing off of a halo of golden hair couldn't make this man seem angelic in the least.

They were familiar thoughts, though, and quickly shoved away as the subordinate rose to his feet. If he thought about how much he despised his captain, those feelings would surely be communicated to his features, and then he would notice. The time would come soon enough, he kept telling himself, and then he could relay every ounce of disgust he felt for the other man.

"Ya really can't stand me, huh?"

Those few words caught Aizen just as his hand grazed the door, fingertips moments from sliding it open and freeing him for the night. He silently cursed himself for getting caught up in the moment and letting just a bit too much feeling show through, and mustered up every ounce of patience he had left to look over his shoulder as innocently as possible.

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Bullshit." Well, innocence had never been Aizen's thing.

Sighing inwardly (because God forbid he actually do it aloud), the brunette turned to face his captain, a slightly perplexed look on his face. "Hirako-taichou, if I despised you so much, wouldn't I just report you for...this?" He motioned slightly with his head to the scene in general.

"Ain't it your word 'gainst mine?" Shinji countered, a slight sneer lining his features. "Like they'd believe ya."

Aizen paused for a moment to consider the possibility of that reality, then shook his head lightly. "My point is, sir, I've never made an attempt to threaten you with it. Doesn't that mean I don't despise you?"

The blonde captain scoffed and leaned back in his chair, a frown finally tugging his lips downward. "Then why do ya always leave right after?" Not that he wanted his lieutenant to stick around afterward, for whatever reason, but he had never ordered the other man away, either.

"Isn't that what you want?" Aizen asked, a light, knowing smile on his own lips. "If you'll excuse me..."

With a slight grunt and a wave of those same fingers that had been curled so tightly in his hair only minutes before, Aizen gladly took the sign of dismissal and departed from the office.


It was still relatively early, and with the position of lieutenant guiding him everywhere, Aizen found alcohol as if they were secret lovers meeting routinely every night. Not at all what he and Shinji were, of course.

Knocking back an easy third cup of the bitter liquid, the brunette let out a light sigh and closed his eyes to the headache he knew would start forming soon. It was never a good idea to get drunk on a work night, but he'd be damned if he'd be able to sleep otherwise. Generally, if things weren't in a haze when his head hit the pillow, then the entire day's events came back in crystal clear image. That was certainly not something he needed to haunt him in his own bed.

"Have a rough day?" The curious, relaxed tone was familiar enough, and nearly comforting.

Aizen tilted his head back far enough to glance a few tables down to where the inquirer sat, his own cup grasped lightly between his fingertips. He let a hint of a smile escape before nodding his head toward the older man. "Kyouraku-taichou."

"You look like hell," the captain said, leaning back in his chair. "Does Shinji really work you that hard?"

A rush of comments died on the tip of Aizen's tongue and he shook his head lightly. "No, sir."

"Always so formal," Shunsui murmured, pressing his cup to his lips, "aren't you, Sousuke-kun?"

"Does it bother you?" Aizen asked, his tone staying pleasant enough for the conversation. He truly wished to be alone, at the moment, and to rest for a while, but manners demanded he stay until the superior of the group was finished with the conversation. Damn manners.

"Nah. It's what makes you...you." A light grin accompanied this statement. "I bet Shinji has a hell of a time dealing with it, though, yeah?"

Aizen's eye nearly twitched-- did he have to keep mentioning him? He took another, long sip of sake to keep from responding in the way he wanted to. "We both have some problems with the other's attitude," he finally said, "but you'll find that with anyone."

"Mature, too," Shunsui commented, again in that same, low tone of voice that seemed he was judging Aizen as much as he was conversing with him. "You two really are opposites." Another, wider grin. "Well, you know what they say: Opposites attract."

A certain gleam in the elder's eye put Aizen on edge. His polite facade slipped a bit too much to recover easily, and he stood from his seat. "Excuse me, sir, I apologize for cutting the conversation short, but I have an early day tomorrow." At the captain's nod, Aizen bowed his head slightly and quickly made his way from the sake house.


The night passed by nearly restlessly, even with the aid of alcohol. Aizen couldn't quite get that look Kyouraku gave him out of his head. It was a weird mix of understanding and insinuation that only the revered pervert could pull off. Regardless, he somehow felt comforted-- like another captain knowing of the situation could bring it all to an end.

As Aizen went through the motions of preparing himself for work, making his way there, and even greeting the lower-ranked members (nearly by habit alone, this morning), he could think of nothing more than how pleased he would be if everything with Shinji ended; office tension included.

He stood outside his captain's door, giving a light sigh before knocking abruptly. "I'm coming in," he announced, and shoved the door open, rather unceremoniously.

Looking up from his desk, blonde hair swaying lightly with the motion, Shinji grimaced at his lieutenant's arrival. "Do ya gotta just barge in like that? What if I was in here with someone?"

Aizen rolled his eyes at the thought of someone else-- anyone else-- actually being persuaded to spend time alone with Shinji and entered the office, shutting the door behind him. "If it pleases you, sir, I would prefer to skip the formalities and simply take the work." As he said this, he approached Shinji's desk, eager to grab the stack of papers he knew his captain wouldn't touch and leave for his own office.

"Ain't nothin' about it that pleases me, actually," Shinji sneered, grabbing Aizen's wrist roughly as he went to snatch the papers away. "I had a real interestin' visit earlier."

Aizen hesitated for a brief moment before giving his captain a light smile. "A visit, sir?"

"Don't fuck around with me, Sousuke," Shinji practically growled. "Who the hell do you think you are, goin' an' tellin' people about our business?"

Brown eyes blinked slightly, in confusion, and Aizen attempted once more to withdraw away. "I haven't told anyone," he insisted, which was the truth of the matter. Of course, that stopped no one from guessing to their heart's content about exactly what was going on behind locked doors.

"Really?" Shinji pressed in a highly skeptical tone. "Then explain t' me why I had Shunsui at my door, askin' 'bout why ya seemed to fidgety when ya two were discussin' me last night?" His grip tightened. "Why the fuck were ya discussin' me at all?"

Despite his pride and arrogance, Aizen let a slip of a wince out at the crushing force his wrist was under. "It wasn't intentional," he said in a low voice. "I had no desire to discuss anything with him." Why, Aizen wondered, was he explaining anything to Shinji at all? He didn't owe this man a thing, certainly not understanding. Still, he had to play the part of lieutenant somehow.

"Well, that's bitin' ya in the ass, now," Shinji sneered. He released Aizen from his grip and sat back in his chair. "Be here after ya get done everything. Shunsui said 'e wants t' discuss somethin' with us."

Shinji didn't seem as concerned about being found out as Aizen would have expected, but the truth was undeniable, no matter how he reacted. Quickly grabbing the long-forgotten papers off the desk, Aizen gave his superior a slight bow before retreating to the sanctity of his own office.


The title... maybe makes sense? It seemed fitting enough. Hopefully you'll get it by the end. Anyway. Uh-oh. I wonder what Shunsui wants to talk about~ Oh, and I apologize for Shinji's awful language, but... he talks like an inbred, I can't help it. Chances are you don't care, so onward you go!