Title: One Step Closer
Summary: In every moment they share, Shunsui gets one step closer to his Nanao-chan.
AN: Hello! Ok, to answer a few questions. No, I am not back from the dead or from some alternate universe. (Though that would seem kind of cool in a different-alibi-for-not-writing-for-a-year sort of way). So…yes, I'm back, hopefully to stay faithful to my readers come whatever school shoots at me. The excuse to my disappearing act would be because it's my last year (or couple of months) in high school so it got hectic and really stressful. Another would be due to my ambitious goal of being one of the class's top students which requires intense focus and discipline (in my case) and little time for writing. I was able to write during the summer; unfortunately it didn't go well, so I didn't post it. I write here and there when I get the chance at school or at home, resulting in a collection of one-shots, drabbles, or whatever you call it. And since I'll be graduating in March, the more reason to celebrate with more Shunsui Nanao fics! So without further delay, I present to you my first chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 1. Stud
It was the usual, routine morning for Nanao as she executed each file of paperwork with a finishing stroke of black ink on her scripted signature. However, her sense of peace on duty was rudely disrupted by the intruder who shamelessly stomped his way to her desk. Large hands slammed a minor earthquake on her table, causing her pen to slide a zigzag on the white sheet.
"How may I help you, Sir?" she said testily, arching an eyebrow that hinted warning to her rather solemn captain. It was the 'serious face' he had when magnifying over the little things.
"I know about it," he muttered in a manner that reminded Nanao of the novel she read three nights ago. It was when the husband finally cornered the unfaithful wife of having an adulterous affair with the gardener. With a swab of tissue, she carefully wiped off the spill of her tea on her table.
She breathed calmly, wondering what nonsense he could be pertaining to this time. "About what, Sir?"
Shunsui narrowed his eyes. "About last night. I know what you did at the bar, Nanao."
The brunette surrendered her pen to the table and leaned against the chair to face the man accusing her. "I'd prefer it if you'd stop beating around the bush and go straight to the point, Taicho."
The man leaned closer in return to pierce her with his gaze. " I heard something happened between you and Hisagi Shuuhei after having consumed a few drinks together," he growled.
"Yes, a conversation," she replied in simple truth. She stifled the surprise that came after Shunsui mentioned the fellow lieutenant's name. Someone must've gallantly supplied the eavesdropping Captain with inaccurate information. Only gossip could've put such a silly notion into his head.
"Oh really, nothing else physical as a conversation goes?" He further inquired.
Nanao disciplined her flaring temper to subside. "Sir, if your sole intention of disrupting my work is to tell me your malicious illusions of what happened last night, I'd appreciate it if you go elsewhere to share whatever with somebody else."
Shunsui frowned. "So nothing happened between the two of you?" A shuddering glare reassured him. With new relief, the captain relaxed his shoulders and dumped his weight on the couch.
Nanao picked up her pen to resume her task. She grew content that he wasn't insisting on anymore drama and ignored his lingering gaze on her profile. Still, staying quiet wasn't the case for the man such as Kyouraku Shunsui. She was hardly past reading half of the report when he decided to voice his unpredictable mind again.
"Nanao-chan, what would you prefer, older men or younger men nearer you age?"
"Why the sudden interest on my personal male preferences, Taicho?" It was a question she could choose to answer or not to answer. However, she doubted the word 'privacy' still held any meaning to the man in pink. He'd pester her till she spit it out.
Shunsui took her moment of thought as a sure sign of uncertainty. "Naturally, Nanao-chan, I would understand if you prefer younger men since they do have that vitality and sweetness quality women want, but older men are more experienced, more dependable, and more mature!" Nanao raised a doubting brow to his intriguing opinion. She trailed him as the captain walked back to the table, hands elaborating the passion in explaining the perks of dating older men. "We have that roughness and weathered appearance that women find so sexy," he breathed near her ear as he caged Nanao to her seat. " And older men always know what a women really wants."
The brunette held her breath. He mustn't know how his proximity was affecting her temperature or how his naughty smile was raising havoc in her stomach.
"Have I made up your mind, Nanao-chan?" With the way he looked at her, she might as well be swallowed by the dark richness of his eyes.
"I-I don't see how my dating preference has anything to do with anything! And please, Sir, this is highly inappropriate!"
Shunsui pulled away with a wounded pout. "So you still prefer younger men like the ones you dated before?"
"I didn't say that," Nanao said coolly, adjusting her eyeglass frame. She didn't bother asking how he knew of such things. He always knew things when it came to her love life.
"So then…you like older men?"
"I didn't say that either, Taicho."
The man folded his brazen arms. "Yare, Nanao-chan, you'd better make up your mind!"
"Sir, if your presence here is to state these ridiculous questions, then pardon me for saying, but it's best that you leave." The lieutenant grabbed her pen and resumed focus on her papers. Her captain went silent for a moment's consideration.
"Nanao-chan, do you find bad boys attractive?"
She could feel a headache coming around. "Sir, that topic is irrelevant—"
"What do you think of tattoos, hot or not?"
"If you are looking for nonsensical opinions then I'll gladly refer you to the ladies outside. I'm sure they'll only be too happy to tell you theirs."
Shunsui whined when she clearly wanted him to leave. "But you know I highly value your opinion, my lovely Fukutaicho. And besides, this is important!"
"Yes, I'm sure it is," she muttered sarcastically, running through a file for errors. If she had looked up for the briefest of seconds, she would've seen him pouting and having a little fit on her patent refusal to cooperate with his interview. Sighing, he raised his white flag in truce.
"Alright, Nanao-chan, I'll leave you alone now even though it breaks my heart," the captain sighed with added flare on his exit. "But do not look so forlorn, love, I'll be back to claim your heart again after I kill that devilish Hisa—I mean, beast. I promise."
The brunette stared long and hard on the same line she kept reading for the past minute. It was relieving to be reunited with silence at last. Once Shunsui invades the office, who knows how long would the work be delayed with all the dramatics. It was something her captain excelled at, obviously. Maybe she shouldn't have given him that Shakespeare book set for Christmas after all…
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The rest of the morning went undisturbed and productive, but come noon, her captain still hadn't made an appearance. This made her anticipate his visit even more. Usually, he comes by to check on her at this point in time (though it was already much stressed to be unnecessary) to keep her company, flirt with her, criticize her work ethics, and test her temper by doing things all so…Shunsui!
She evaluated the morning's conversation within each scribble on her report. It made her feel guilty on how she dismissed him from the office. It was rude and out of line as he was still—though he doesn't act the part—her commanding officer. Perhaps he was just curious in a friendly way. If he wanted to rile her up, he could've chosen other means. The tone of his voice matched his expression that was mildly playful, but not joking. Could he be more serious than she thought him to be? But in the first place, she didn't understand what's there to be serious about.
Typical. She never could understand what went inside that man's head.
At that moment, the said person strode into the room with an air of arrogant confidence. She'd been too preoccupied with the morning's events that the warning footsteps and the squeals of delighted ladies were left unheard from the hall. Nanao looked up to acknowledge the captain's presence and also prepared her pride for a needed apology.
He looked gorgeous as always with his long, dark hair against his coveted sun-brown skin. His eyes contained a playful fire that warmed the soul and his pink haori revealed a teasing amount of chest as if to let her sample a piece of the forbidden, his wicked smile that won him the hearts of countless women and—
She blinked, mouth hanging slightly apart. It was small but nothing escaped her sharp eyes. And it surely wasn't there that morning. She pronounced her disbelief to the captain who's looking pleased as her reaction.
"Is that a—What were you thinking?!" she quickly demanded an explanation to what he'd done. Foolish man. It doubled his appeal and the distraction that he already is.
Shunsui's smile wavered. "You don't like it? It's for dissuading future competition!"
It suddenly made sense to her. The inquiry about last night, the ridiculous questions, and now this! She finally understood his dilemma and wasn't all too sure whether to laugh or to give him a good sermon on appropriate dress codes for captains.
"Let me get this straight, Taicho. You got your ear pierced because I talked with Hisagi Shuuhei last night?" Shunsui crossed his arms and took pleasure on seeing her tempered up.
"Yare, Nanao-chan, you sure get angry easily today. It's wouldn't be against the dress code if Zaraki's allowed to have bells on his hair, would it?' He perched himself boldly at the right end corner of her desk.
Only a few minutes and she could already feel the effects of the tiny bead of metal working on her like a charm.
"Doesn't it look cool, Nanao-chan? I could be a real bad boy too if that's what you want."
He wasn't listening to her, and with the way he kept looking at her, she'll be more likely to forget whatever words she have in mind.
"Sir, stop changing the subject! You are aware that I see Hisagi-san in every Lieutenant's meeting, considering that he is also a colleague like Rangiku, right? And everything was only professional between us last night and every night and day for that matter."
"But he's a male, Nanao-chan! And that means competition. I have to keep up with today's trends if I plan to kick his ass. It's the natural male instinct!" he declared proudly over Nanao's stifled protests.
"I talk to Ukitake Taicho and you don't mind that at all!" Suspicions were flying on why all the men she had dated now avoided her like a plague.
"Jyuushiro's different. He's a trusted friend. But setting that aside, you haven't answered if you like my earring yet!"
The conversation is getting ridiculous. "It's…inappropriate for a captain," she replied lamely. It's an absolute sin. No man should look so good with an earring! The silver bead on his left ear accentuated his devilish side which she secretly found attractive and appealing. She saw the hurt in his eyes as he spoke.
"So you don't like it. Is it because I'm too old to be wearing these type of things, Nanao? Tell me, does age difference bother you? I'll understand if you want to stay with men within your age or closer to your age. Just tell me."
It was a tender topic in which Nanao's inching closer to a hundred percent that Kyouraku Shunsui is indeed a bit insecure with his age. But if a survey was to be given throughout Seireitei, she was sure he'd still emerge victorious with younger competitors kissing his feet. He put the young men of her generation to shame, but of course she can't tell him that.
"Sir, I don't have an age preference. As long as it's reasonable enough, there shouldn't be a problem." Such a mystery it was how he could tip personal information right out of her mouth. It must be his natural talent and the little metal in his ear that kept twinkling in reflection to the light. It made thinking a lot harder.
He carefully studied her. The way her eyes narrowed and blinked more frequently indicated a mental turmoil; and knowing he is still capable of distracting her gave him the victory flag. He smiled at her gently—already in lifted spirits—but with a hint of naughtiness.
"So is it possible that you find my stud sexy? What if I got a tattoo next right here on my arm?"
Nanao answered with a look that flashed her vehement opposition. "T-That is out of the question, Sir! Now stop it with these suggestions of more unnecessary body art. Your senseless competitiveness is becoming over rated."
Her chiding seemed to have put a dent on his ego. The man replied, hurt. "But Nanao-chan, you don't understand what lengths a man would when endangered of losing the heart of a beloved!" He tipped her chin ever so tenderly to meet her cool eyes. The connection brought a shiver down Nanao's body, destroying what was left of her composure. Securing her attention, he continued. "Especially if that beloved is you, Nanao." His fingers rubbed a portion of her flamed cheeks, and she reacted with equal feminine instinct.
She slapped him away.
"Stop acting like an endangered animal, Taicho, I'm not going anywhere neither am I seeing anyone."
Shunsui backed off contentedly. "Good. Because I won't let you ," he distinctly pronounced in chlidish behaviour.
He donned his hat as a sign of his leaving and her celebration. "I'll be heading to the Thirteenth and show Jyuu my new stud. He should show more encouragement and understanding on my natural response to male instincts."
How could a captian like him have his ear pierced and still make her appear like the villain for not being encouraging on something so stupid, not to mention inappropriate? The nerve of the man…
"Sir," The brunette followed grudgingly, if not a little painfully. "The stud is…it's nice." It didn't do him justice, but she learned once the hard way that flattering her captain's ego wasn't really a good thing.
The man in pink posed a while on the doorway, ecstatic and the happiest man alive, before shooting her wink and a smirk. "That means I can keep it right?" With her admission, he had won her back, her damsel, from the clutches of competition. He hasn't lost his touch after all. "What if I get my nose pierced…"
"Don't push it, Sir. I'll make sure to file a complaint if you get anymore body art." She'll let him off the hook this time.
A smile charmed its way to her lips after her captain left in a flurry of pink. How could she possibly look at another man when there's Kyouraku Shunsui vying for her attention? There is no competition. What was he talking about? Besides, the stud's charming spell is simply too powerful to resist—ever for all her discipline. The little metal is capable of messing with minds.
Nanao sighed and willed herself to function as if the whole matter never occurred. Studs—she thought, rolling her eyes—another one of her captain's many whims and stupidities.
So? So? Have I made it back to your good graces for not writing for so long? If you're wondering why I picked Hisagi, I'd say because he's the perfect candidate for the role! He has the bad boy looks…
Anyway, enjoy it? Disappointed? Something missing? Pls. tell me so because you do not know how hard it is to go without a review for a whole year! I miss it, terribly. So, I'll count on your conscience to review. The next chapter will be out hopefully by the end of the week. I'm starting school in an hour; thus the delay.
--Gen
Disclaimer: As unfortunate as it sounds, no, i do not own Bleach.