Deserted.
That's how his entire division felt right now- completely abandoned and betrayed.
The scientist leaned backwards in his office chair in bemusement, now the only one left in the hub of the Research department. There hadn't been many people there today to start with, considering the loss the 12th had just endured with the sudden disappearance of Kisuke-taichou- but he had never been one to slack off, even through a tragedy like that.
There really was nothing around, except for the lonely hum of the monitors in the room, yet Akon had no real desire to move from where he was. He had always been the type of person to try and work harder to forget about things, and apparently right now was no different.
How could he care about the captain he had admired and respected when there were reports needing to be written and surveys to be filled out? The other members of the twelfth division were probably handling the situation in their own way, so he would do the same.
With a weary sigh, he moved forwards again and his fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him with a practiced finesse, eager to stop his thoughts from wandering and get back to the task at hand. After a couple of minutes, the black-haired researcher had become so entirely engrossed in compiling a file that he didn't hear the door near the back of the lab open and shut, and footsteps move slowly over to his terminal.
"Working late again?" A lazy voice drawled, making Akon start. The scientist whipped around, thoroughly shocked from being wrenched away from his report so violently. His expression softened a little from murderous anger when he saw who it was, however- just an old friend. And, probably the only person that would care to check up on him in his little workaholic wonderland.
"Hisagi." Akon replied curtly, crossing his arms and regarding his visitor. The shinigami had a cocky smirk on his tanned face and a case of sake under one arm, which could only be a prelude to one thing. "Doubtless I need to ask why you're here, considering the company you brought."
Shuuhei shrugged and moved over, dumping the case of alcohol on Akon's workbench despite another murderous look being shot his way for putting it on top of 'important papers'. "I heard what happened. I guessed you'd need a distraction that isn't an LCD screen."
"I believe I'm coping just fine, thank you, but I appreciate your concern." The researcher's expression darkened a little and he turned back towards his monitor, prepared to ignore Shuuhei for as long as it would take for him to go away. His plans were thwarted, however, when a large hand appeared, obstructing his screen.
"And how many hours have you been working today?" Hisagi asked, an eyebrow raised at the horned scientist.
Akon let out an exasperated sigh and pushed himself away from the desk, knowing that trying to get any work done now would be impossible. "Okay, thirty-five- and please get your disgusting hand off of my monitor. You'll get fingerprints all over it."
"Exactly. So-" With a smug grin, Shuuhei fished one of the bottles out of the case and cracked the cap off with somewhat disturbing ease, the fizzing of the alcohol merging in with the hum of the computers in the room. "I think it's time for a break. Don't worry, I'm not trying to get you to go all girly and open up, or talk about what's happened- I just know that if I don't do something soon, I'll come in tomorrow morning and you'll be part of the computer."
The black-haired scientist regarded the annoying enigma in front of him for a couple of seconds before taking a step forward and swiping the bottle out of Hisagi's hand, taking a long swig. Once finished, he grinned wickedly and wiped the corner of his mouth on one of his enormous sleeves as he inspected the label. "With friends like you, who needs enemies? The alcoholic content on this is ridiculous."
"Well, you know what they say," Shuuhei began with a shrug, pulling out a new bottle and opening it, taking a draught himself. "The worse the event, the stronger it has to be."
Silence fell for a couple of seconds as the real reason why the shinigami had chosen to visit sank in again, Akon's expression darkening momentarily.
Why would Kisuke-taichou do something like this, running away like a coward and leaving the rest of his men to fend for themselves?
Was it something to do with their research, or the higher command, or...
"Akon."
The scientist looked up from his bottle, broken out of his reverie. "Eh?"
"Stop thinking."
"Right, sorry."
Moving back over to reclaim his comfortable chair, Akon sat down and leaned back again, surprised to find Shuuhei already on his second drink. Then again, he did have a rather noted reputation for being able to take alcohol.
For him, however, it had been some time since he had last drank- and he could already feel the evil effects of the liquor seeping into his bloodstream and messing with things. At the moment though, he couldn't care less, and demonstrated so by finishing off the bottle in his hand in a couple of swigs.
Coughing, he slammed it down on the workbench and raised an arm, motioning for the tall shinigami leaning next to him with a somewhat amused look on his face to give him another one.
"God, that stuff is awful. It tastes like someone bottled sewage and then injected yeast into it."
Hisagi merely grinned and tossed him a second, a little relieved he had finally been able to take his friend's mind off of the desertion of his captain- at least, for a short while. Akon was never really one to outwardly show feelings, so he could only guess what kind of toll it was taking on him on the inside. "I know, I try."
xXxXxXxXx
Due to Shuuhei's stellar choice in alcohol, it didn't take them long to get completely and utterly smashed. Loud raucous noises could be heard coming out of the Research division, including some very bad renditions of 'popular' songs the shinigami had heard in the Living World recentely.
"WHYYY DO YOU BUILD ME UP? BUTTERCUP BABBBYY, JUST TO LET ME DOWN"
"Christ, Hisagi. Shut the fuck up, you're making my eardrums bleed." Akon groaned, lying face down on his computer panel. Empty bottles littered the workbench around them, though the fact that they had run out of drink a couple of hours ago didn't seem to deter them from their merriment.
Or, at least, not Shuuhei.
Said shinigami looked pointedly at his friend, ignoring the glare he was receiving. "But it's a good song. You're just jealous because you can't sing. AND. MEESSS MEE AROUNDDD..."
"Look. Shut up, or I'll shut you up." Head splitting, Akon sat up with some difficulty from his keyboard pillow and staggered out of his chair. Due to the amount they had drank and the speed in which they had drunk it, walking now proved to be a most challenging task. Wobbling to and fro a little, the scientist fixed Shuuhei with a death glare as he stood up straight.
"You wouldn't dare." Hisagi slurred, grinning from his perch on top of Akon's research notes. Raising a hand to point at Akon accusingly, he managed to knock over one of the bottles which fell gracefully through the air to shatter on the floor. "You... couldn't hurt a shinigami."
"You are talking out of your ass." Akon growled, swaying over and grabbing the front of Shuuhei's yukata in anger, the horns protruding from his head only serving to make him look more imposing. "Now stop your goddamn warbling."
Hisagi wobbled from side to side in the researcher's grip, apparently planning what to say to the researcher that would make him as angry as possible. A moment of silence passed between the two before he took in a deep breath, and then continued. "AND THEN, WORST OF ALL, YOU NEVER CALL BABYYYY, WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL!"
In a haze of alcohol, anger and determination to follow up on his earlier threat to shut the idiot up, before Akon knew what he was doing he had pulled the shinigami he had in a death grip towards him and found himself locking lips with his friend.
Well, that was rather roundabout, but I suppose if it stops him singing that godawful song- he thought to himself absently as the shock set in for the recipient of the drunken kiss, frozen in place.
However, the scientist didn't know whether to laugh in triumph or cry in defeat as an equally smashed Shuuhei grabbed the front of his own yukata and responded eagerly, his mouth warm and inviting against his own.
Deigning that either laughing or crying would be entirely inappropriate considering the present situation, Akon settled for pinning the shinigami down to his workbench, notes flying forgotten everywhere, and teaching him just how to 'shut someone up'.
xXxXxXxXx
It had been the first night he had gotten alone since the incident- Shuuhei could still hardly believe that it had happened. The only thing he saw when he closed his eyes was his captain disappearing up into the heavens with the menos, accompanied by two other traitors.
After all the time he had spent with Tousen-taichou, both as a shinigami and as a lieutenant, he found it hard to think that he could do something like this- to him, and to Soul Society.
Sitting in the darkness of his quarters, he had found it impossible to sleep and had instead settled for mulling over what had happened, the events playing over and over in his mind.
He had just reached the part where he had run up to the Soukyoku to see the scene unravelling before him when he heard a slam behind him of someone opening his door. Jumping slightly, he got up in a flash, immediately defensive to the intruder.
There was a short pause in which Hisagi heard an excessive amount of swearing, and then a 'click' was heard, the lights flickering to life shortly afterward to reveal the newcomer.
Akon walked into Shuuhei's quarters uninvited and dumped the keg he was holding down on the floor, a sympathetic expression on his face.
"I figured you needed a distraction."