A/N: Bleach + nonbinary + nonbinary. They/their/them (Ishida) and ne/nir/nem (Chad).
Hands
Ishida loves Chad's hands. They're big and dark and elegant, tendons and scars making patterns on the back; palms pinker and softer. Ishida loves to hold those hands, lean their face into those fingers, watch those hands transform into fists of reishi, or feel the long fingers slide between their legs. All of it.
Lying on their back on the small motel bed, Ishida has one of nir massive hands in theirs, inspecting the marks they know so well.
"What are you doing?" Chad asks with a yawn.
"When was the last time you used your left arm's power?"
"A few months ago. Hueco Mundo."
"I think you have more scars on it than the right."
Chad makes a low noise of consideration—Ishida has come to understand all nir noises.
"My left doesn't have reishi running through it as often when I fight," ne says.
Stretching, Ishida tries not to dive into battle-related discussions. Beyond the small window, Mexico City speaks, honks, and dances. It's so vibrantly alive it feels unreal.
"Do you think any Hollows w—"
Rolling over, Chad stops them with a kiss on the mouth.
"Uryuu," ne says. "Enjoy yourself."
The two of them are here for Pride, vacation, and visiting nir Abuelo's gravestone. Ishida loves all of that in theory, but isn't very good at the vacation part.
They sit up. "Let's walk around before the parade. Explore the city in its early morning brilliance."
Ne rumbles a laugh. "You know where we are, right? You want to be out and about at sunrise in this part of the city, as a pale little Japanese queer?"
"Somehow, I think the two of us will be okay," they smirk.
The pair dress, both a little slow because of the jetlag—the only reason Chad is awake at 5am.
"It's not that I think you're in danger," ne says after a minute. Pride lifts nir eyes in a smile—ne loves that Ishida is strong and self-sufficient. "But I don't want people yelling at us. You being called things. I don't want you to see that side of the city."
"How likely is that?"
"In the city center, fairly low, but around here…" Chad grimaces.
"Luckily, I'm not the one who speaks Spanish," they say. "I might not even understand."
Chad rolls nir eyes. Ne knows Ishida is, in fact, quite good at Spanish.
"You look beautiful," Ishida says, making nem blush. "Shall we?"
Ishida holds nir beloved hand tight during the parade. There's so much to see, so much that makes Ishida emotional. That cities are safe for people like the two of them: it blows their mind. Watching people walk freely, waving flags, celebrating… It feels like being welcomed home. They love Japan, but this feeling isn't one they're used to there.
Tokyo just…ignores them. Or pretends Ishida is a 'him.' Mexico City does anything but.
Strolling earlier, Ishida overheard two people make low comments about their and Chad's appearance—it's not that they stand out, but they both look androgynous enough that people look twice. They're clearly not machismo types, and even if they were, they hold hands constantly, obviously together. But Ishida is pretty sure Chad's size scares people from saying anything to their faces. Nobody shouted or threw anything during their walk, just whispered.
Now, in downtown with a float of topless lesbians driving past, the whispers are kilometers away. Even the straight, cisgendered majority of Mexico City seems proud to host one of the world's largest Pride festivals. While on their way here, a woman told them outright that she hopes the two of them get the right to marry anywhere in the country soon. Ishida blinked and thanked her awkwardly, while Chad chuckled quietly.
"Not all the states have equal marriage rights," ne explained.
"I know," Ishida replied irritably. "You think I didn't do my research?"
Chad laughed, and they joined nem a second later. They know they're not normal for looking up everything about everything all the time.
In the squeeze of the crowd, Chad has wrapped them in a close embrace, standing behind them with nir chin resting on Ishida's head. Leaning down, ne murmurs, "Hungry. Let's find food."
"Sure."
Ishida follows blithely, happy not to have to make decisions. When they pass a park full of parade-goers and food carts, Chad makes a beeline for one and they trod along behind, hands in their pockets.
With Chad a few meters ahead, Ishida sees the person first. Masculine-presenting, late twenties. The person closes on Chad, puts a hand on nir arm, and leans in conspicuously to murmur something. Ishida can't hear the words, but they don't have to. Already shaking their head, they know what comes next: Chad goes a bright shade of red, frowns, and pulls away.
"I have a partner," ne says in Spanish, loud.
When Ishida walks up, the disappointed young person is slipping away trying not to look affected.
"Third one," Ishida comments.
"I don't understand why people keep asking."
"It's the facial hair," they say. "Makes you irresistible."
"You're enjoying this."
Hiding a smile, they shrug. "You're cute floundering under the attention."
Chad flips them off and they bust up laughing.
Ne gets nir food and the pair of them find a stretch of unoccupied stone wall to perch on.
"They're all young gays," Chad says between bites. "Young enough to make me feel old."
Ishida puts a hand on nir arm.
"I'm sorry you're uncomfortable."
"What do they see that they think they want? I don't understand."
Ishida waits to see if ne's really looking for an answer.
"Is it really the facial hair, Uryuu?" ne asks after a minute. "They think I'm gay?"
"No." They caress Chad's cheek and rub a thumb over nir chin. "I said that as a joke, pointing out how attractive you are. It doesn't make you look any more or less yourself. It doesn't make you look like gay manmeat."
"It's the height," ne says.
They adjust their glasses. "Height has nothing to do with gender."
Chad throws them a look.
"More likely," their voice hardens, "they're looking for a lay and simply staring everyone in the crotch until they find something they like."
When Ishida sees nobody nearby, they lean close and touch the front of nir shorts. Chad startles and gasps.
"It's hard to hide something this impressive," Ishida grunts, "good as your partner is at tailoring your pants to do so. There are a small percentage of shallow young men who just want to get fucked by the biggest cock around. Gender isn't even on their radar: they're just assholes."
Chad chortles at the ironic epithet. "I guess."
"I'm more offended there are people trying to get a glimpse of my partner's goods. It's so vulgar."
They cross their arms, but they have nem smiling again. Mission accomplished.
"What time is it?" Chad asks, finishing the last bite of nir food.
"Thirteen forty-three."
Ne nods, not the slightest thrown off by their exactitude. Ishida would chock it up to four years together, but their quirks never fazed nem.
"Sorry, Uryuu. I'm going to need a minute." Ne motions down at nir front. Ne's hard from their touch, and on someone as tall as nem, it stands out. Literally. Inhaling, ne adds, "This is your fault."
"Consider it punishment for looking so damn good," they mutter.
Ne pulls them into an embrace, partly to hide nir erection.
"Everything I'm wearing, you made," ne says. "As I said, it's your fault."
Ishida smiles and hugs nem.
As the pair walk along the crowded thoroughfare, Ishida still has their fingers wove through nirs. The two watch the people, point out particularly creative applications of the rainbow, and (for Ishida's part, at least) smile every time they see a child held by queer parents.
"They're going to grow up okay," they say, nudging Chad to indicate a three-year-old sitting on their machona-mama's shoulders. It's impossible to say the child's gender, between the fluffy skirt and the t-shirt for some red and yellow superhero; it tugs at the nostalgic yearning in their heart.
"Yeah." Ne squeezes their hand. "They'll be fine. Hey, Uryuu."
Ishida smiles at nem. "Yes?"
"Know what people do after Pride?"
They think. "Get laid?"
"I meant nap."
"That's what we do after Pride," they tease. "Not most people."
"You have a lewd mind when it comes to other people."
"But I do like napping. So I'm not a total loss."
"Not a loss," Chad murmurs, leaning down to kiss them.
The two walk far enough from the festival to catch a bus that's crowded but not overflowing, standing pressed together the whole ride.
Ishida also presses against nir chest because every so often when ne thinks they don't expect it, ne bends down and kisses their face. Eyebrow, cheek, temple. Lightly, briefly, never enough to make a scene, but enough to fluster Ishida.
They love it. Sometimes ne acts like the pair just started dating, and Ishida is both annoyed and in love with nir little acts of affection.
They know Chad's favorite thing is kisses. Lips gently touching skin. It's what makes nem feel connected. When ne came out—which was a tumultuous ride, what with Chad not talking much about it and everyone in their school but Ishida being confused—that's when kisses really entered nir physical vocabulary. Ne was finally comfortable with nirself, and it became the summer when every goodbye from Chad meant a kiss on the cheek, even if you were going to see each other the next day, especially if your name was Ishida Uryuu.
For Ishida, it had always been hands. The first time Chad touched their fingers, during winter break from university—that was when they knew how much they liked nem.
Back in their room, Ishida strips before crawling wearily into bed, feeling their partner curl beside them. When they hold out their hand, Chad gives them nir own automatically. It's natural, like breathing.
This is what it means to be connected.
"Yasutora," they say.
"Mm?"
Yawning, they caress nir hand. They feel they could sleep for the rest of the day, and really, who cares if they do? It's not like they have anywhere to be.
Ishida rolls over to give nem a small kiss.
"See you in twelve hours or so."
"Alright." Chad's laugh is a quiet rumble, nir fingers curling around theirs.
A/N: To my nb lovelies who live in less-than-friendly towns and cities: xoxo.
I know it's basically the end of August, but I still have more nb fics and so far you all are enjoying the project ^^ So Nonbinary Month will trail into September. Thank you for the encouraging comments.