*Thank you to NorthernShinigami for correcting my mistake with the division confusion in this chapter.
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A recent construction project had taken place in Seireitei, and to save money the eleventh division was chosen to do most of the grunt labor because of the average physical strength that was greater than most any of the other division's members. In fact, Yumichika thought, they were always relied on because of their brutish strength but that put him in an uncomfortable situation because despite him having decent physical strength, he wasn't a muscle head and he feared bulking up from the labor, which was another reason for him volunteering to go to the human world, so he'd have a break from working.
As if he'd ever actually started doing serious work. He acted as more of a foreman, shouting at the lower ranking members of his division (and even the fourth seat, because he wasn't even close to Yumichika in fighting skills). And if he should ever get tired of making sure the meat-heads in his division weren't slacking, like he was, he wasn't above playing hooky.
Not that Yumichika had yet to experience the work first hand, but it seemed to be excruciating even to those who were used to sparing from dawn to dusk, sweating buckets. Maybe because Ichigo's group and Aizen left them work without much of a break in-between, and now more was thrown at them, it seemed that the repetitive tasks would never end.
The week after Yumichika's return was so busy he didn't even touch the candy he'd bought himself. He nearly forgot about it until he got home late one night and Ikkaku was in his room, lying on Yumichika's unmade bed and casually looking through a weapon catalog that Yumichika had picked up from the human world during his visit, because though Ikkaku thought guns were useless in function (and for all intents and purposes, here, they were) he found them interesting to examine and sometimes even make.
But there was an undertone, never did Ikkaku, Yumichika's lofty lover, ever come over for more than one reason. Nor would he lay down in his bed if he just wanted to hang out, like that would be the case after endless hours in the sun (there goes his perfect pale skin). There was no way Yumichika would even tolerate Ikkaku in the mood that he was in, or let him see anything. Yumichika was starting to peel in some places and he was in a horrid mood despite him getting away with never actually working.
"I don't feel like it tonight, Ikkaku," he said as pushed his sometimes lover over so he had room and climbed into the bed. He wasn't cold, and it was actually hot, but to cover himself and be out of sight (damn sun, and damn his caring) from Ikkaku.
"Captain's working me too hard, I need something fun to do before I go crazy," Ikkaku replied, looking up from his magazine asking without being direct, as he'd learned Yumichika hated shameless attempts to ask for anything. His attempts were to no avail, though, because Yumichika wasn't going to budge.
"I'm too tired. How are you not?" Yumichika asked and sighed. He was tired, as being the foreman (despite self-appointed) made him responsible for beating lazy members in the division to working and he knew the first thing that went wrong would be blamed on him, as if he was the overseer and not working, he could hear the criticism already, he should at least be keeping disaster away.
"Because I'm used to working, and you're used to having people work for you." Ikkaku glanced at Yumichika curled under the covers. "Which is what's been happening anyways, so I don't see your problem."
"I'm very busy," Yumichika countered indignantly. "I'm keeping the whole lot of idiots in our division from doing something stupid, which is all that they do. If I continue to yell like I have been," he started weakly, as if he were afraid to continue. "I might lose my beautiful voice."
"Then just stay up and talk to me, everyone else in the division is boring," Ikkaku insisted looking back to his magazine as if none of this was of any consequence. He wasn't going to be denied his friend's company if he was going to be denied what he came for in the first place.
"Can't we talk tomorrow?"
"There won't be any time, if tomorrow's anything like today," Ikkaku replied and turned a page. "Thanks for the book you brought back from the living world, by the way. They have a lot of swords. I thought they all used things like guns."
"I thought you liked guns?"
"I do, but the swords are interesting there. Though I don't know how someone would use them, they still look cool."
Yumichika peeked at the magazine. "Those go on the gun, I think. They're called bayonets. Anyways, how are you not tired?"
Ikkaku shrugged. "Someone from the twelfth division, research or whatever, gave me some sort of supplement and now I can't sleep. It's weird. And an experimental study. Pain in the ass, is what it really is though."
Yumichika rested his head on Ikkaku's shoulder. He was a little disturbed at the thought of Captain Kurotsuchi giving people experimental supplements, he ignored the bad feelings. Ikkaku's instincts wouldn't allow him to accept a supplement that would have hurt him, and Mayuri wouldn't risk probation by incapacitating a high ranking officer, at least. "Well, what would you like to talk about?"
"Nothing you'll go on too long about. Let's see. Anything happen during your visit to the living world worth talking about?" Ikkaku asked.
"I got some candy."
"That sounds pretty good, not like the sugar is going to keep me up anyways. Where is it, and I'll get up and get it."
"It's over there inside the drawer on my vanity, around the red hairbrush," Yumichika said tiredly and sat up to let Ikkaku crawl off the bed. He did so effortlessly. It was so strange to see him relaxed but have energy.
"It's pink and blue, right?" Ikkaku asked and pulled out the little clear box of swirled candies. When Yumichika nodded he brought them over.
"Where'd you get these from?"
"Urahara Shop. I went just to talk and bought these since it's not beautiful to go to someone's store without buying anything," Yumichika answered, and remembering the proper order of the candy, picked a pink piece of the hard candy, then popped it in his mouth. Ikkaku sat it down on the bed.
"What's wrong?"
"Ichigo says that Urahara guy is kinda weird. I'm making sure you don't explode before I eat one."
The sugar in the candy dispersed once it met with saliva, as if it were cotton candy. Yumichika smiled at the sweet taste and reached for a blue one after all the flavor of the previous left his mouth. "Pick one and we'll try this color together."
"Fine," Ikkaku shrugged and picked up a blue piece. He put it in his mouth and thought it tasted somewhat sour at first. It was actually pretty tasty once he got over the initial displeasure at the sour flavor. Yumichika seemed almost surprised by the flavor though. "What's wrong?"
"The first one was just really sweet," Yumichika answered. "I feel dizzy too. I'm too tired to stay up with you."
"All right, go to sleep," he conceded. Keeping Yumichika up, now that he thought about it, would only lead to the man being grumpy when he was forced to wake up in the morning. It was horrible enough when Yumichika was in a bad mood once Ikkaku had time to wake up, but in the mornings when neither of them are particularly happy, it's always hell to just make it through the day.
Putting the candy away he walked back over to the bed and decided he'd force himself to go to sleep so he didn't have trouble tomorrow staying awake. He climbed into bed, put his arms around the beauty and thought the blue candy, still melting in his mouth, was vaguely sweet now. He pushed it under his tongue so it wouldn't slip out of his mouth with it was still dissolving and shut his eyes. Eventually, sleep came for them both.
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