Kisuke x Shinji. Short.
Be Safe
Wake up and come out to the car
There's an east swell coming and it's howling off shore
And we'll be lying like lions out in the sands
Brand New
"Kisuke?"
The words were whispered into the air, almost to himself, although the voice knew that Kisuke was awake, knew that he would not be disturbed by his name being spoken in the warm darkness that was enveloping them.
"It's coming, Kisuke."
There were black-out curtains on the windows, and there was no light in the room. Kisuke rolled onto his back, and stared at what he knew would be the ceiling, if only he were able to see it. There was no light, and there were no shadows. Nothing but the darkness, broken only by the thin bar of light from underneath the doorway.
He sighed, the initial response, and it felt like his lungs were burning.
"I know."
There was a pause, whilst the other collected their thoughts enough to speak. Kisuke felt him turn inwards in their bed, so that bobbed hair lay on his shoulder and he could feel warm breath on his skin.
"We don't have a lot of time left."
Kisuke rubbed his head with the palm of his hand, silent for a moment. He wondered, if he were to stay silent, then would the other would simply drift off to sleep? He realised after a moment that he knew far better than that.
"I know."
That voice sighed again, breathy and almost sad.
"Are we ready?"
Kisuke really did say nothing this time, just stared straight up and wondered. He could feel the coolness of the sheets against his naked body, and the tightness in his chest of well-disguised worry.
"Kisuke?"
He rolled to his side, so he too was facing inwards, and reached out a hand to stroke the pliant cheek of the voice, who, in the darkness, could almost be disembodied, speaking the thoughts echoing around his own mind.
"Will we win?"
Kisuke forced an answer.
"We will fight."
The other man moved closer to him, waiting for him to continue, and Kisuke let him, until they were close enough to share each other's warmth.
"We will fight. That is all I know. We will not be caught out."
And that really was all he could think to say. Would they succeed? He did not know. Would they die? He could not guess. What did Aizen have hidden away, what secret weapon, ready to be brought out? He could only imagine, and hope that they would not be infallible. A rare moment, this; he was not prone to voicing his doubts, even if only internally, to himself.
He felt the other shift, impatience heightened by nerves as Kisuke's vague responses.
"Are we ready?"
"We are as ready as we can be."
And that was the truth- there was nothing else to say on the matter. In another hundred years, they would be better prepared, but they did not have another hundred years, so it meant nothing to hypothesise on it.
The body shifted against him, winding hands around his middle, anchoring him down, keeping him safe in the embrace of his arms.
"Be safe, Kisuke. I want you to still be there at the end."
The man found himself smiling at the voice.
"It is you with the score to settle, not I."
A pause, and when the voice spoke again, there was a harder set to its voice.
"I was starting to think that it would never happen."
"It always had to happen, Shinji."
A ghost of laughter, in the darkness.
"I know. And I am glad that it is."
They lay in silence, bodies together, for what could have been moments and what could have been centuries. Time seemed to fade away, and all Kisuke was left with was the impression of warmth, the soft noises of a man sleeping, and doubt, biting away at him.
"Shinji…"
The man was asleep, no doubt about it, and Kisuke lowered his lips to his hair, waiting to be accosted by the familiar, comforting smell. Shinji's words would not leave him, and he found himself repeating them slowly, savouring the taste.
"You be safe, too."