Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! I had a new idea about my two favourite Shinigami Captains so enjoy another story with a sprinkling of bromance :)

Warnings: Fluff and possible OOC-ness.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.

- Story Start -

"Captain, where are you? Captain!"

Lieutenant Nanao Ise stalked through the Squad Eight Barracks, voice ringing through the hallways as she looked for one elusive Captain Kyoraku. The fierce scowl on her pretty face had the other officers scurrying out of her way, not that she paid them any heed.

It was just her luck to be recruited by the laziest captain in the Gotei 13! She had no doubt in her mind that she had been picked not because of she was top of her class in kidou, but simply because she had caught his attention at her graduation ceremony.

Everyone knew Captain Kyoraku of Squad Eight had a soft spot for females... and was nowhere to be found whenever there was work to be done, she thought in exasperation.

She had spotted him in his office after lunch, but now that it was time for the new recruits to have their first sparring competition, he had disappeared. Yes, he had told her time and time again that she was fully qualified to oversee such competitions, but she had also told him as many times that her speciality was kidou. Since she took full responsibility of ensuring Squad Eight's spell casting skills were up to par, it fell to him to ensure the same for their hado, or attacking prowess.

Heedless of the frown deepening between her eyes, she headed out of Squad Eight barracks. He was going to get an earful from her - and a tweaked ear - the moment she found him!

- o -

Elsewhere...

"That was... close!" Kiyone stopped running to catch her breath, bending over with her hands on her knees.

"For once, I... agree with... you." Sentarou was panting too, but forced himself to stand straight with his arms folded across his chest.

"Oh, where could Captain Ukitake be? We've looked everywhere!"

"Including the First Squad barracks."

"It's your fault for suggesting we look there in the first place!" Kiyone rounded on him at once.

"My fault? Who insisted on tagging along then?" Sentarou shot back.

"I was just worried because Captain Ukitake had been coughing the whole morning!"

"Hah! You just couldn't wait to lay eyes on him again!"

"Why, you - it's nothing to do with that!" Kiyone denied. "But it's your fault that we're now in trouble with the Captain Commander!"

"My fault?! Why is it my fault?" Sentarou demanded.

"Because you were the one who ran smack into him!"

Sentarou's face turned redder than before.

"Well, how I was to know he had just come out of the bathroom?" he demanded. "But what happened after that was definitely your fault!"

"My fault?! Why is it my fault?" Kiyone demanded.

"Because you were the one who screeched like a banshee!"

Kiyone's face turned redder than before.

"Well, how I was to know he'd drop his towel in shock?"

They both stopped bickering to shudder at the memory, Kiyone covering her face with her hands.

"Thank Kami he had unbound his beard," she mumbled.

"And that it was long enough," Sentarou muttered.

Kiyone lowered her hands and looked around with a furtive air.

"Do you think we've lost Lieutenant Sasakibe?"

"He's too dignified to chase us through Seireitei with only a towel around his waist," Sentarou said and frowned. "I didn't know they bathed together."

"Ugh, I didn't need to know that either!"

They looked around for a minute before Kiyone sighed.

"Oh, where could Captain Ukitake be?"

A tug on her sleeve had her looking down to see Yachiru standing there, beaming up at her.

"I saw Ukki and Shun-shun going inside that new dango shop about half an hour ago," she chirped. "You can catch them if you hurry."

"Oh, thank you, Lieutenant Kusajishi!" Kiyone cried, brightening up. "Last one is a rotten egg, Sentarou!"

- o -

Shuunsui and Juushiro were indeed at the newly opened dango eatery on the outskirts of Seireitei. Both captains were shamelessly hiding from their senior officers; Shuunsui from his strict Nanao-chan and Juushiro from his overzealous co Third Seats Sentarou and Kiyone.

"Should you be eating something sweet?" Shuunsui asked. "I heard you were coughing badly this morning."

"But I've already taken my medicine and you know how drowsy it makes me," Juushiro countered. "I need something sweet to keep me awake."

"Sake's sweet."

"Not sweet enough."

When Shuunsui pursed his lips, Juushiro tipped his head to one side and gave him one of his never-fail, winning smiles.

Rolling his eyes, Shuunsui just shook his head before looking around the tiny booth they were sitting in. The curtain had been drawn back and he could see the main dining area.

"Well, this is a nice little place," he conceded.

"Isn't it?" Juushiro agreed happily. "Yachiru-chan said the dango was to die for. Even Captain Zaraki who doesn't care for sweets ate some."

"Without going on a rampage afterward?" Shuunsui said, eyes wide in mock surprise.

"Not a single drop of blood shed," Juushiro replied in a solemn voice.

"Well then, I guess we should try some since we're here."

Juushiro beamed at him and they started perusing the menu.

The booth was small enough that their knees touched under the table, but neither of them minded. When the waitress stopped by, blushing at their charming smiles, they ordered a pot of tea, a plate of ohagi (glutinous rice balls with sweet chunky red bean paste) and a bottle of sake.

Half an hour later, they were in an even better mood than before. The ohagi was perfectly made, the tea hot and fragrant, and the sake of good quality.

Juushiro put down his chopsticks with a satisfied sigh, eyes straying to the last dumpling on the plate.

"Go on, they're your favourite," Shuunshui told him.

"But I've eaten so many," Juushiro said. "You have that last one."

"I'm not the one with a sweet tooth."

Juushiro hesitated as he looked down at the lone dumpling again.

"We'll share it," he decided. "I'll ask the waitress for a small knife."

He reached out to part the curtain of their booth and saw her taking orders from another table. As he waited for her to finish, Shuunsui stiffened and looked around, frowning, before smothering a sly grin.

"Ah, don't trouble her, Juushiro," he said. "We don't need a knife."

Juushiro turned back to him, letting the curtain fall into place.

"It's going to get squished if we cut it with our chopsticks," he pointed out.

"We'll just bite it in half then," Shuunsui said in a reasonable tone. "Not like we haven't shared a cup of sake before."

Using his chopsticks, he picked up the ohagi, balanced it between his lips and leaned forward.

Juushiro blinked at him and then his cheeks turned pink.

"Uhm, you bite it first. I'll take what's left," he said.

"Just bite it." Kyoraku's words were rather indistinct. "Quickly now before I drool all over it."

Juushiro pressed his lips together, eyes darting to the curtain before he leaned forward. When warm fingers grasped his chin and tugged him closer, he quickly grabbed the edge of the table to avoid pitching forward.

Really, there were times when his oldest and dearest friend's playfulness bordered on outright flirting. Luckily they were in a booth with the curtain drawn otherwise-

Too late, his senses - dulled by the medicine he had taken - registered the two very familiar reiatsu just outside their booth. Before he could move, the curtain was pulled aside and he heard two gasps of shock.

Well, one gasp and one outright shriek of "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Teeth biting cleanly through the dumpling and just missing Shuunsui's lower lip, Juushiro jerked backwards and looked to the side. Two bug eyed, open mouthed faces stared back at him, one horrified, one ecstatic. Then Sentarou and Kiyone slid to the floor and lay there twitching.

Juushiro turned back to glare at Shuunsui as he chewed the half dumpling in his mouth. Shuunsui just returned his look with twinkling eyes as he chewed his other half. Then they both looked down at the prone figures on the floor while the waitress hurried over in concern.

"Why, I do believe your Third Seats are more devoted to you than my Nanao-chan is to me," Shuunsui remarked.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course." Instead of having the grace to look abashed, Shuunsui looked surprised that his best friend even needed to ask him that.

Juushiro sighed, but his lips twitched in amusement and then he chuckled. Shuunsui was incorrigible, but there was never a dull moment with him around.

"Let me get the bill," Shuunsui said and held up a hand when Juushiro opened his mouth to protest. "I insist."

He paid the bill, assured the waitress that the two Shinigami would wake up in a few minutes with no harm done and ambled to the door as Juushiro carefully stepped around his prone Third Seats and joined him.

"There's a new ramen stand called Ichiraku on the other side of town," Shuunsui said as they exited the eatery. Then he stiffened again, eyes narrowing as he grabbed Juushiro's hand.

"Fine with me," was all Juushiro had time to say before they vanished from the spot, just as a fuming Nanao came around the corner.

- Story End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, would love to hear from you :)