A/N:I just thought about it and decided to post something about my favorite characters since I haven't been writing anything for a while ^^' Sorry about this one shot being a tad bit longer than the others.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this story and please correct me on any errors you can see ^_^
"Hey Juu?" a tanned brown haired man sat longingly on their shared futon in his sleeping robe watching the white haired man, who was standing in front of a full body mirror, make a response acknowledging the other to continue.
"What date is it today?" he asked his lover and best friend, Jushiro, who thought for a moment and turned his head to stare into the grey eyes.
"August 11th. Why do you ask?" Jushiro questioned him with curiosity in his bright green eyes. Shunsui gasped staring back at him wide eyed with a hand on his chest hinting Jushiro to brace himself for mocking outbursts opting to erupt.
"JUU-CHAN! OH HOW COULD MY JUU-CHAN FORGET ABOUT OUR SPECIAL DAY?!," as expected, the tanned man exclaimed dramatically with mocking tears,"And it's 2 days away! You have disappointed me, Juu." The said man chuckled with amusement which only made Shunsui pout more. Jushiro walked towards the man settled on the futon gazing at him with a knowing smile touching his pale face.
"There's no need to be so melodramatic about it and of course I remember our special day. The day you made up in an interesting way I never would have thought of," the pale man stated, smirking at the other man who was smiling proudly at his so called brilliant idea.
"Well it's special because no one has ever thought of it and it signifies our bond, our love," Shunsui stated as he felt another weight next to him on the futon glancing at the green eyed man on the same eye level," and not to mention that you always volunteer to cook something special on that day."
Jushiro sighed absentmindedly,"August 13. The eighth month of the year. It kind of makes sense since your a captain of the eighth squad and I'm a captain of the thirteenth squad, coincidentally," he paused for a moment and glanced at his lover grinning slightly," Come to think of it, you've never once cooked on that day and it has been always me. I bet you would just burn up the kitchen along with the food"
Shunsui arched an eyebrow at the white haired captain, "Is that a challenge? If it is, then I don't mind considering it. I mean cooking is as easy as breathing in and out. How hard can it be?"
"Oh! So you think it's not a problem? Sure it is easy for some people who have patience,stamina and neatness which unfortunately you lack," Jushiro mocked him.
"Now hold on! I'm not that careless and I don't lack those either. For your information I have a lot of patience, stamina and especially neatness," Shunsui retorted pointing at the green eyed captain.
"Tell that to your paperwork and Nanao," Jushiro had a sly grin and continued," Alright let's make a bet. If you are not able to make a three course meal by the end of the day, you will get to massage me for three weeks and give up your sake."
At this point, Shunsui looked horrified at the mention of giving up sake but was quickly replaced with a grin mirroring Jushiro's, "Buuut if I'm able to make the meal, we will get to have nightstands three times a week for three weeks and you don't get to eat ohagi."
A heavy pink blush appeared on the pale face and tried to open his mouth to retort at the flamboyant captain but was halted by a finger on his lips. His shoulders slummed down in defeat and a satisfied smile stretched out on the tanned face of the eighth captain.
"It's settled then," the eight captain concluded as the white haired man removed the finger and stood up from the futon. Shunsui raised a curious eyebrow at his sudden movements," Where are you headed to, Juu?"
Jushiro turned to meet the grey eyes that were shining with curiosity and slight confusion, " To get dressed for the day and to get breakfast. All this talk about cooking made me hungry."
Shunsui laughed at that and stood up as well snaking his arm around the slightly shorter and slim man's shoulders, "I can already picture your two third seats making a banquet for you just for breakfast," he laughed again while Jushiro chuckled.
"It's true that they can be very...competitive but they always mean well. Even though they give me headaches," he admitted with a fond smile.
"And my Nanao-chan is very reliable and decisive and...OH CRAP! I completely forgot that I was supposed to give her the reports this morning and I haven't signed any of them! She is so gonna kill meee..." Shunsui whined matching with the sad pout. In a blink of an eye, he muttered words of goodbye to Jushiro and dashed out of his room in his sleeping robes. The thirteenth captain shook his head in amusement. A knock attracted his attention few moments later and checked to see a petite black haired woman with a lieutenant badge on her left arm.
"Good morning, Captain Ukitake," the woman greeted bowing at the said captain.
"Good morning to you too, Lieutenant Kuchiki," he greeted back with a gentle smile, "Is there something that you wanted?"
The petite lieutenant raised her head to meet the green eyes of her captain and brought up a tray with dishes that had an appetizing aroma emitting from them.
"Yes sir. I brought breakfast for you," Rukia replied. Jushiro gratefully grabbed the tray and thanked her for bringing it with his trademark smile which was capable of making any woman blush. He arched an eyebrow when he saw her holding another tray.
"What is that second tray for?" he asked with a puzzled look.
"For Captain Kyouraku. I felt his spiritual pressure so I thought that I could bring some breakfast for him too," she explained as she asked," Is he still here?"
The thirteenth captain shook his head, "I'm sorry but he just left to his squad but I can take his share and I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
Rukia was surprised with the captain's suggestion but nonetheless gave the tray to him and excused herself before flash stepping out of his sight leaving him with two trays to devour. Smiling to himself, he placed the second tray next to the other near his futon and braced himself for the marvelous feast.
Nonetheless, August 13th came two days later and the captain of squad eight began to eat his words when things didn't run smoothly as he expected it to be. Sitting on the ground with his back on the wall, he couldn't help but stare at the sight that can fool everyone into thinking that a bunch of four year old children played in the kitchen. Black smoke flowing out of one of the pots with odor of burnt rice, red bean paste smeared on the floor and covered part of his face and his upper part of his uniform. Miso soup stained the floor due to the bearded man slipping on the paste and landed on his bottom in the current position. Long story short, it was a colourful mess. He was a colourful mess.
The bearded man groaned lifting his hands to his face in desperation. "Damn. Looks like I'm losing this bet. Jushiro was right. It is a lot harder than it looks and I can't keep up with everything at once," he thought reminiscing about how difficult it was for him to smash the red beans and remove the skin while checking the rice at the same time. When it came to frying salmon fish, he knew little about how long the fish should be fried and it ended up looking like hard charcoal almost a similar case to the rice. Well then I guess I gonna say goodbye to my sake for the next three weeks.
No sooner had he started to accept defeat than he heard the door burst open and the panting of an exhausted woman with familiar spiritual pressure. Shunsui didn't flinch or move from his current sitting position when the individual walked closer to him with a look of irritation on her face.
"Captain Kyouraku! What's the meaning of this?!" the black haired lady demanded her superior who simply looked up at her with a wry expression along with a defeated smile.
"Oh hey, Nanao-chan. Do you know where the sake is?" Shunsui asked nonchalantly which only irritated her even more.
"Why are you asking for sake at this time? It's not even noon yet and you want to drink?! And look at this mess!" she pointed at the messy floor.
"Hmm...Oh yes. I was trying to whip up something for today but as you can see-" he was cut off by Nanao's question.
"Wait a minute. Today? What's so special about it, captain?" her question was answered happily when explaining about the connection between the date and the month. Nanao didn't know whether to face palm or tell him that it was the most ridiculous idea he had ever come up with but what puzzled her was the facial expression on her captain's messy face after he finished explaining. The look of desperation and defeat. Why did he sound so excited about it when explaining and then feeling glum the next minute? Pushing back her thoughts, she got a clean cloth nearby and knelt next to the seated bearded man and wiped the paste off from his face gently. She supported herself on her heels as soon as she was done and decided to break the silence.
"Captain.." Nanao started, "What time is he coming for dinner?"
His grey eyes glanced at her purple ones, "Six o'clock in the evening. Why do you ask, Nanao-chan?"
"It seems as though we have enough time to prepare for the occasion," Nanao said as he blinked.
"You know as well as I do that captain Ukitake will like anything you make for him even if it's nothing. It will not change the feelings he has for you and he will most certainly not be angry with you for spoiling something that can be fixed again if that's what you are thinking," she stated in uncharacteristically gentle tone.
"Nanao-chan..." he felt speechless for the first time in a long while and she continued.
"And not to mention that he is also a perfect match for you."
"ACHOO!" the white haired captain seated behind his desk with paperwork sneezed quite audibly in his office. 'It must be the wind,' he thought since autumn was around the corner. But it was loud enough to attract attention of two energetic and competitive third seats. He closed his eyes tiredly and heaved a slightly annoyed sigh when they entered his office the minute he sneezed which made him regret not having done it a little more quieter.
"CAPTAIN UKITAKE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Sentarou and Kiyone asked in union and ended up glaring at each other.
"Why do you always copy me?! I care about captain Ukitake more that you do, you booger eater!" Sentarou yelled at the fuming short blond woman.
"No why do you always copy me?! And I care about captain Ukitake waay even more than you do you armpit smelling monkey!" Kiyone yelled back at the taller black haired man with a goatee. Their faces were less than inches away growling at each other but yelped loudly when they felt their ears being yanked painfully by a pair of petite hands owned by a young noble.
"Both of you stop yelling for captain Ukitake. You're disturbing him with you bickering!" the lieutenant spoke firmly as she dragged them out of the office and peeped her head out to apologize for the third seats' disturbing his work. He waved it off and smiled gently at her.
"No need to apologise, lieutenant Kuchiki. I know they meant well and were concerned about me but I'm fine. Now go back and continue doing your work," Jushiro reassured Rukia and she bid him farewell leaving the captain alone once again. He looked out the window wondering how Shunsui, his lover and long time best friend, was doing right now at this moment.
Everything in the squad eight's kitchen was getting back in track as soon as Nanao lent a helping hand to her lazy flamboyant captain in preparing the meals with him and managed to finish in time before Jushiro came over. They both stood back to stare at their hard work and wore proud smiles to themselves.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Nanao-chan. Thank you so much for your help. You're the best lieutenant a captain could ask for sweet Nanao-chan!" he beamed happily opening his arms to hug her but winced when he felt a large spoon collide painfully on his head.
"A simple thanks would have been good enough captain and I was only doing my job as any lieutenant does for their captain," she spoke with a straight face while adjusting her glasses.
"Owww. I liked the new you better than the old one," Shunsui whined rubbing the throbbing area with a pout. Nanao hid an amused smile behind a large metallic spoon while listening to her captain complaining. Shunsui asked whether she wanted some of the food for herself but she politely declined his offer. She placed the spoon in the sink and prepared herself for calling it an evening when an appreciative voice made her stop her tracks towards the door.
"Thank you so much for helping me Nanao-chan. I really appreciate it," the bearded man thanked her again and she nodded in return before leaving the man alone in the kitchen with the dishes ready for the occasion. Shunsui left the kitchen to get himself ready for the evening and came back several minutes later to finish the last touches of the meals. Just as he was about to serve the rice on a small bowl, he felt an itch in his nose followed by a loud sneeze which made him loosen the grip of the pot that had rice and it landed on the floor with a loud bang. All the rice was spilled on the floor and some of it on his toes. He stood there frozen with shock, anger and then self pity for letting carelessness overcome his consciousness.
Shunsui felt his body lowering down to his knees and stared at the spilled rice helplessly not caring about his dark blue yukata decorated with pink petals squishing some rice underneath his knees.
"Well, this is a sight," an all too familiar voice came from the kitchen door which attracted his grey eyes to scan the figure at the door from toe to head. A leafy green yukata tied with an ocean blue obi was reflected in his dark grey eyes and they finally meet a pair of concerned green eyes matching beautifully with his outfit. Feeling heat rising in his cheeks, he quickly turned his head away from the breath-taking sight of the white headed looking at the floor instead and shame takes over his being.
"I guess you've won this bet," he sighed in defeat without looking at the man standing at the door, "I've failed you and Nanao."
Jushiro did not say anything but glanced at his lover worriedly. He can't stand seeing him like this. Feeling the urge to do something, he walked over to him and grabbed the bearded man by his arm and dragged him out of the kitchen and out of the barracks.
"Where are we going Juu-chan?" Shunsui asked with a puzzled look but did not get a reply so remained silent for this short journey. Before he knew it, he was in the garden of the Ukitake estate with a large fish pond and right next to it appeared to be a large red picnic blanket. The darkness was becoming heavier as the sun was sinking in the west making way for the moon to replace the light for the night. The atmosphere was calm and comfortable resembling the pale white haired presence.
"Do you know," Jushiro began after a long moment of silence, "...why I fell in love with you, Shun?" when he doesn't hear the other reply, he continued,"I don't just fall for anyone just because of their things and looks. It's more like how much they understand me and accept me for who I am and just not how I look."
He paused taking a deep breath and turned to gaze at the tanned man," And also no matter what they do, they do it out of love for their partner. Shun, me saying that I love you is an understatement. You don't need to go through such lengths by making me something fancy and all that. All that matters is your love. That's it and I could have never asked for a better man."
No sooner had he finished saying his thoughts than he felt a pair of strong arms squeezing him gently but firm into a tight embrace that melted both their hearts in ecstasy and comfort knowing that they have each other. Jushiro hugged him back as he heard his lover speaking.
"Jushiro, you have always been my light of my life ever since I first met you. You were the one thing that was missing in my life and you taught me how to truly love someone. Just as you said before, love is an understatement," Shunsui pauses to smell a scent on the white hair and caressed his silky white hair, " This is a whole different feeling one can not comprehend but it is a good thing. As long as I have you by my side, my life is complete and nothing else matters."
They broke off enough to see their faces and lean into a sweet deep passionate kiss. The sound of one of the koi fish jumping out of the water and back in as well as the cicadas made the calm and leisure atmosphere welcoming with the occasional cool wind flapping their yukatas and the white hair hitting their faces swiftly. They broke off gazing into each others eyes as the grey eyed man marveled at the emerald eyes shining beautifully reflecting the moon's light and the pale face having a nice light pink blush whereas the white haired stared in awe at the masculine structure of his face and his shadowed grey eyes complementing his tanned skin which made his insides tingle with joy. They stared at each other for a long time until one of them broke the silence.
"Well then, let's eat dinner before we lose our appetite again," Jushiro suggested as he walked to the blanket laid on the grass. Shunsui gave him a puzzled look.
"But what about the bet? What was the point of it?" he arched an eyebrow quizzically at his seated lover.
"The point was payback and for mere entertainment," the green eyed man answered nonchalantly which only confused the other man even more.
"Payback for putting chilli powder in my food and in my tea the last time I cooked and you know that I'm not fond of very spicy foods especially with the ones that have chilli," he reminded the other casting him an accusatory look. Shunsui laughed at the memory.
"OK I deserved that but it was still hilarious since you were unaware of it when you were asking for the spices for the dish," he remarked with a sly grin and then eyed a a basket under Jushiro's grip asking about it. Jushiro answered by saying that Nanao saved the extra food for them in case of anything and her judgement was accurate.
"How sweet. My Nanao-chan is always prepared," Shunsui said in awe. Jushiro nodded in agreement and they both started to eat their dinner. As they were eating, Jushiro had a mischievous look that spoke evil.
"By the way, you still owe me a few massages whenever I ask you to," he reminded the other and became puzzled when he saw the other mirroring his mischievous look and a sly grin.
"And you still owe me a few nightstands for three weeks," this made Jushiro blush heavily and mutter a silent curse.
A/N:Phew! Finally finished! Well, that concludes the story. I hope you liked it. It took me two days to write this and it was exhausting but fun. I love these two ^/^ Let me know what you think about the story. :)