Bleach final manga chap AU where Ukitake survived and cured of his illness? Idk. ShunUki.
It wasn't really a mystery as to what was going on between the Captain Commander and the Captain of the Thirteenth Division.
Almost everybody in the Gotei 13 including the old and new members were convinced that the Captain Commander Shunsui Kyoraku and Captain Jushiro Ukitake were married.
Now, they weren't exactly the type to blatantly announce that they already tied the knot (centuries ago, probably), nor were they keen on public display of affections, which the newbies wondered occasionally whether it had been an issue during the two captains' early days in the Gotei 13. Unfortunately, there were nobody else older than the two who could be asked in regards their, err, early sordid tales of passions, much to the dismay of the interested parties.
Although, it wasn't like they were banking on former Captain Commander Yamamoto and former Fourth Division Captain Unohana to give fodder for the gossips.
On the other hand, there were other pretty telling signs that made them obvious enough.
Talks about the Captain Commander frequenting the 13th Division almost every night were old news especially among the members of the 13th Division. The current lieutenant of the division, Rukia Kuchiki, 3rd Seat Kotsubaki, and now 4th Division Lieutenant Kotetsu could attest that this has been happening since they started on the division. Heck, they even pointed out the considerably less time Captain Kyoraku was spending at the 13th Division nowadays—which was a given, being the Captain Commander and overseeing the recovery from the war and all that. In fact, before the war, Captain Kyoraku was a fixture within the 13th Division that you would notice his absence instead of his presence. Nothing out of the ordinary with the Captain Commander dropping by on the 13th Division at least thrice a week, the people at the Thirteenth would say.
Curious minds tended to think that there was something more.
It had to be, because a busy body and an important figure such as the Captain Commander spending his precious time with another Captain whose division was located at the other end of Seiretei didn't sound like a simple hanging out with an old friend and chilling with him.
There was effort put into the visits, sometimes with an accompanying bottle of alcohol and food. The females over at Thirteenth found this particularly sweet and thoughtful of the Captain Commander. While some found their long-standing friendship admirable, there were also some who thought it was an inspirational romantic relationship where couples could take down notes from. Included in this population, however, were the minority (that was alarmingly growing at rapid pace) that said there were something enthralling about two old men meeting only under the cover of the night and shared their fervent passion under the pale moon that could be beautifully witnessed at the back of the barracks where the tended garden and a koi pond were located.
Valid questions such as: how about the infamous lady-chasing antics of Captain Kyoraku? and are we sure about this? It doesn't automatically mean they're together, ya know? would rise in contention to the said romantic relationship of the Captain Commander and Captain Ukitake. These valid points were immediately shot down with answers from the popular ladies from various divisions who claimed that they had been approached and charmed by Captain Kyoraku at least once.
"He's actually quite terrible at it. As if he has no experience with the ladies."
"Captain Kyoraku strike me as a ladies' man, but a one man man."
"Doesn't that only prove that he's loyal to only Captain Ukitake? Because he might flirt will all the ladies of Seireitei, but he only has his eyes on him."
"Hey, who knows, maybe they're secretly married?"
Providing those kind of answers was like stoking the fire.
Which lead to another sign: domesticity.
Long and deep friendships have levels of domesticity. Take for example Lieutenant Madarame and 3rd Seat Ayasegawa of 11th Division. They might be in a division where meatheads belong, and while Lieutenant Madarame was a meathead himself, the same couldn't be said to 3rd Seat Ayasegawa. Their kind of friendship was bred by camaraderie long before being part of the Gotei 13, and even if their differences were greater than their similarities, they learned how to compliment each other. Sources said that 3rd Seat Ayasegawa was the one in charged (and entrusted) of keeping Lieutenant Madarame's head cleanly shaved. That in itself was a level of domesticity, which was, of course, said to happen only at the privacy of their shared living quarters.
Naturally, there were predictions that on later years, those two would be the pair speculated to be secretly married. Give or take a century, if they weren't already.
As for the two captains, the domesticity they projected was more… prominent at the company of two more people.
Lieutenant Ise and Captain Hitsugaya.
The Captain Commander and Captain Ukitake as a pair were the loving old married couple, and with the addition of Lieutenant Ise and Captain Hitsugaya, they were a loving family as a whole.
Lieutenant Ise was the daughter who the father was very protective of, and it showed by the Captain Commander's endearment and how protective he was of his Nanao-chan. She was the Captain Commander's niece, so it wasn't far off the mark.
Nobody was brave to be on Captain Hitsugaya's watch list, and so one could merely watch from afar how Captain Hitsugaya fit in the role of the reluctant son to his doting parents. It wasn't a secret how Captain Ukitake was in the habit of spoiling the younger captain with sweets and remained undiscouraged despite Captain Hitsugaya's frowns upon receiving such gifts.
They said Captain Hitsugaya was a child (don't let him hear you say that) prodigy. And what more reason could that be other than being the son of two of the strongest soul reapers?
When the four of them were spotted having a hearty lunch together on a fine weather, the picture of a happy family was painted even on the non-witnesses' minds, causing coos of how adorable it must be to be a part of that.
On the subject of the Captain Commander and Captain Ukitake being the doting parents, with or without the addition of Lieutenant Ise and Captain Hitsugaya, they were already considered as such by most.
The Captain Commander was the laid-back father that some wished for. He never gets angry easily and encouraged mistakes if they could be learned from. An alcoholic, but whose perception and judgement were never once clouded by alcohol. He has tendencies to be lazy, but he could get to work if he really has to.
Captain Ukitake was the caring and gentle dad who would shower affections. He was the type to give a reward for hard work and was very supportive of his child's/children's endeavors. They could never be too old for gifts or hugs in his eyes.
They both considered their squad members their children in some ways, and in turn they were considered father figures in some degree.
With each other, the Captain Commander was the kind of partner who would put either a smile or a laugh on his husband's face, and Captain Ukitake gave them easily.
Captain Ukitake, meanwhile, was the partner who would offer back rubs and hand massages to ease the stress on the Captain Commander's back and hands after hunching for several hours and signing paperwork. His husband would easily give in and melt under the loosened knots before falling asleep.
The signs weren't exclusively flashed among the members of Gotei 13 alone.
The Academy was treated to this display as well, though not so much of a display as it was storytelling.
The Captain Commander never failed to leave anecdotes for the fresh graduates and new students. Humorous stories of his own escapades during his academy days were often shared, always with a mention of his trusted classmate turned fellow captain and best friend. When he was once asked how he would describe each of the thirteen divisions, the Captain Commander was rather lengthy when it was about the 13th Division.
The private smile Lieutenant Ise would give from the sidelines meant that it was a normal attitude for the Captain Commander.
Meanwhile, if one was to ask Captain Ukitake how he would describe the current Captain Commander, he would go on for hours the kind of man, a leader, and a friend that he was. Not that the person who asked minded; Captain Ukitake has this rich and kind voice you could listen to forever.
And those were the telling signs that were noticed by several. Most had learned to be passive and took them as they see them. They were happy for the Captain Commander and Captain Ukitake to have found each other, withstood wars, and remained together in sickness and in health.
Which was why it came as a complete surprise when the Captain Commander posed the question one day at the attendance of pretty much everybody in Seireitei.
"I don't know about you, Captain Ukitake, but I've been hearing rumors that we're already married. Think it's time we make it true? What do you say to marrying this charming and lovable old man who's in dire need of your heavenly back rubs?"
Unsurprisingly, it was Captain Ukitake who was first to recover from the shock, bursting into a laugh at the Captain Commander's gall to send him a wink and a grin.
"Why not? I think I can work with that," Captain Ukitake answered, his voice loud, and with a grin on his handsome features.
Theories were both confirmed and debunked simultaneously at that time.
END.