A/N:Comments: Bleach and all characters belong to Tite Kubo, Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine alone.
This came up in a conversation with a friend on tumblr and I decided to do a last minute thing for Shunsui's birthday. Some of this is based on my personal headcanon.
Birthday Surprise.
Shunsui was hard to buy for. He came from a well to do family and could easily afford the things he wanted or needed.
Every year Juushiro Ukitake agonized over what to get his friend and lover. It was getting harder and harder as the years passed.
This year Shunsui was still adjusting to being the Captain-commander. A long time ago they had bought a house in the Rukongai for times they need to get away from the stress of work. That's where Shunsui had decided to spend his birthday this year. He had been feeling depressed, and Juushiro knew that Shunsui hadn't fully grieved over the loss of their mentor and father figure. Then to have the mantle of leadership dropped on his broad shoulders had almost been the final straw.
Kyoraku needed to decompress and relax, and the best place for that was the townhouse. For the first several days even Ukitake stayed away. Sometimes a man just needed to have some alone time, even one as friendly as Shunsui.
As he was visiting the marketplace; trying to come up with some idea of what to get for his birthday, Juushiro heard a small squeaky noise behind one shop. After rounding the corner he came upon a battered box, inside the box was... a whole litter of kittens. He counted at least ten.
He could not in good conscious leave them there to starve. So he gathered up the box with care and began to carry it toward the townhouse. He hoped Shunsui wouldn't make him get rid of them. He shook his head to clear it... 'No Shunsui loves animals, there's no way he'd make me get rid of all of them.' he reassured himself.
Tiptoeing so the other man was less likely to catch him, Juushiro entered the kitchen.
"Ukitake, is that you?" A familiar baritone called out.
"Ummmmm... yes?" He sighed, he had been caught after all.
Shunsui was standing in the entry way of the kitchen before he realized it. "What're you doing?"
"Nothing!" Juushiro feigned innocence. The occupants of the box how ever had other ideas. They began to meow plaintively.
"What's that?" Shunsui asked with an amused voice. "Are you adopting new strays?"
"I just couldn't leave them there to starve, could I?" Ukitake's eyes grew wide and teary.
Shunsui chuckled warmly, "Of course not love, I'd never expect you to."
Juushiro gathered all the kittens into his arm and snuggled them, "Oh... Happy Birthday my dearest."