A/N: So here's the story that I put Ring True on hiatus for. I hope you like this first chapter, but I do appreciate reviews greatly. If you can tell me nicely how to improve, you'll definitely get a thank you. I can guarantee that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I make no profit off of this.
Shunsui was always there.
So maybe he wasn't as present when she was a kid. Nanao was cool with that. It just made this – this relationship she had with him now all that much more special. Relationship? Could she call it that? They weren't romantic at all, though some days her mind wandered into that dangerous territory. Some days she wanted nothing more than a big hug from him, sometimes even a kiss. But she had work to do, after all, so romance – with anyone, just to clarify – came in second place in her life.
"Lil' Nanao's daydreaming. How adorable!" Shunsui teased, receiving an immediate fan to the face despite Nanao's space cadet attitude.
"Do some paperwork." Nanao stood. "I have to go out for a bit." She couldn't let him see her like this, not now, not ever.
"Aww why are you leaving?" Shunsui's tone hadn't changed, despite that he was now pouting. Nanao refused to look at him.
"If that paperwork's done when I get back, I'll take you out for a drink." Damn. She regretted it the second it left her mouth, since it sounded like she was offering to date him. But she knew Shunsui and there was no taking it back. Not now, not ever. On the upside, he sat down at his desk and picked up a pen obediently. "Good. Now work. I'll be back shortly, Captain Kyoraku." Nanao slipped out the door. The sun was already starting to set, and Nanao couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Shunsui loved sunsets, and here she was, keeping him inside. Maybe if he's really good and does all of his paperwork I'll watch the sunrise with him. Nanao bit her lip at that thought. She really needed to get some help for these feelings she was having, but that would mean ratting herself out to Captain Unohana. And she just couldn't admit what was going on out loud. Not yet, after all, she wasn't quite sure it was even real anyway. It could just be a product of an overworked mind. Rangiku liked to call those kinds of things "work fantasies" and Nanao kind of hoped that was all it was. Not that her Captain wasn't a wonderful man, but she didn't think she was ready to be in love. Truth was, she'd never even had a boyfriend. A few crushes, yes, but actually been in love? Not yet. She'd read a few romance novels, which just made her want to gag, but she still wasn't sure what being in love constituted. Her work still needed to come first, anyway.
She wandered aimlessly around Sereitei for a bit, trying to gather her bearings. The sun had officially set, and it was a little cold, but Nanao knew from experience that she'd be fine.
Finally, sometime around 11 PM, she returned to her division to find Captain Kyoraku asleep on the floor, apparently having fallen out of his chair. A quick inspection proved that yes, he had done every single piece of paperwork. An inspection of the floor provided what had happened afterwards; an empty bottle of sake wasn't far from Captain Kyoraku.
Feeling a little relieved that she didn't have to take him out for a drink; Nanao retrieved a pillow and a blanket and tucked him in on the floor. Sure, it wasn't proper, and if anyone other than Captain Ukitake and her saw it, he'd likely be reprimanded, but she knew from experience that passed-out-drunk he was nearly impossible to wake. The one time she'd managed to wake him up out of a drunken sleep had involved blowing a whistle directly in his ear so he wouldn't miss a captain's meeting, and he had never let her forget that. Sometimes he still teased: "What? Lil' Nanao, I can't hear you! There's this terrible ringing in my ear!" It, in short, was definitely not something she hoped to have to repeat.
Sighing at the memory, she walked over to the desk, being careful not to kick Shunsui. Sorting the paperwork was a task in and of itself, but she wanted to get it to its assigned divisions before she went to bed. It was usually at this point that Shunsui would pressure her into getting some sleep, but now that he was out cold, she could get everything done and maybe, just maybe, have a mostly free day tomorrow. She desperately wanted to get some reading done at the library, and if no excess paperwork turned up by tomorrow, she'd be free to go to the library, at least for a few hours.
"Mm. Nanao..." Shunsui muttered in his sleep, hugging the pillow. Nanao couldn't help but blush a little; what in the world could he be dreaming? On second thought, she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to know. It might be too much for her overworked mind to process and she might do something irrefutably stupid. Picking up the majority of paperwork, she headed out. Hopefully she'd be done by morning and get some sleep. Then again, maybe not. She wasn't sure what would happen if she slept with Shunsui's dreaming words in her head.
A/N: There's the first chapter. It is a little longer than usual, but I think I like it regardless. I don't know for sure when this will be updated, but probably more often than Ring True was, as this is lighter. What'd you think?
