Another installment of Post Coital. I still have no suggestions for a less awkward sounding name, so it's going to stay as it is. This chapter is ShuuKira and does mention their captains' betrayal. I try to avoid overstating the effect of the defection on these two, especially Kira, but it would have been a particularly traumatizing experience, especially as Kira continued to follow Gin's orders. So even though I'm trying not to make Kira super emo about Gin, he is...delicate, let's say.

In terms of quality, I'd rate this above the UraYoru (because het is hard!) and maybe about the same as the first chapter, in my personal opinion. I'd love to know what you think though.

Warnings: Mentions of sex, use of the term "making love" (A phrase I really dislike almost as much as the word "afterglow"), some angst.

Oh, and there's a little reference to the Bount Arc. I have no idea if anyone else noticed, but I found it hilarious and adorable when Shuuhei told them "Let's split up!" and then he and Kira totally stayed together. So cute! And another plus for the Bount Arc-we get to see Kira being badass when he makes Koga's doll sink into the floor with Wabisuke. And Renji finally wins a fight! I love it when they don't just lose all the time!


Although their relationship began before any of the betrayals happened, it really was solidified afterwards. Before, Shuuhei and Kira did not spend the night together unless granted a night off by their taichous. They were two of the most hardworking fukutaichous in the Gotei 13, and duty came before pleasure. Besides, it wasn't as if they didn't see each other enough. I was rare to see one without the other, except on division business. When they went out drinking with Matsumoto and Renji, they were always together. When they fought the Bounts, everyone else split up, at Shuuhei's suggestion, no less, except Shuuhei and Kira. And whenever they were accorded a moment of free time, they could always be found together, walking through the woods outside Sereitei, eating together in the 3rd or 9th barracks, secluded inside a closed room somewhere (as large as it was, the Sereitei did not afford much privacy unless one knew where to look). It was a comfortable relationship, relaxed. They did not need to spend time together, but they chose too.

After Aizen defected with Gin and Tosen, things changed. They both became the de facto taichous of their now leaderless divisions, given responsibility without the power to wield it. There was no more worrying about days off or free time. All their time blended together. It was spent as it had to be spent, which often meant overseeing their divisions and filling out paperwork. Free time came only when all the work was done, and the work was never done. So they compromised. Instead of spending their leisure time together, they stayed together while working. One day Kira would drag his paperwork over to Shuuhei's office and watch as Shuuhei trained the 9th division, and the next Shuuhei would spend his day in Kira's office struggling through his own paperwork as Kira worked to boost morale. Everyone had known that where Kira was, Hisagi would be and vice versa. Their squads, which were already disoriented due to the loss of their captains, just accepted both men's presence as a matter of course. By bolstering each other, they managed to trudge through the work of a position they were not truly equipped for.

At nights the arrangement was much the same. While they had not shared a bed before because their captains would not approve, who was there to disapprove now? They were de facto taichous, as the real ones were long gone, and it was an act of silent rebellion in addition to being a comfort. They alternated nights, one night sharing Kira's futon in the 3rd division and the next staying in Shuuhei's room in the 9th. The fukutaichou's rooms were only close to the taichou's quarters, and since there were no taichous, there was no one to hear them in the darkness, which was an unexpected benefit. Intimacy still held pleasure, but it also held comfort, and reassurance. Although they would not admit it, they both feared being left again, and every morning that they woke up together bolstered their spirits.

At first Kira had been timid. Still stuck in the mindset that he was due back in 3rd division, he had initially tried to creep away from Hisagi's bed when he thought the man was asleep. He worked carefully to extricate himself from Shuuhei's arms, preparing to creep back into his own futon and wallow in uncertainty. But just as he managed to free himself, he felt a hand encircle his wrist, gently but firmly. Whether he was fully awake or not was unclear, but the whispered "Stay." that Shuuhei released into the air between them, not a command but a plea, was clear as day. The single word flooded Kira with relief that he would not have to sleep alone with the ghosts of Gin Ichimaru, and he willingly slipped back into his lover's arms.

Hisagi had similar misgivings the first time he slept in the 3rd division with Kira. It was very soon after the betrayal, and they had made love with the scent of desperation clinging to their skin. Afterwards, Kira was reluctant to let go, afraid to give Shuuhei an opening to disappear into the night like his taichou. Hisagi wanted nothing more than to stay beside Kira until Kira was no longer afraid that he would leave, but the wounds were fresh, and emotions were high, and he could not tell if he was welcome in this room where Gin had once walked. So he gave Kira some distance, and used a little bit of time to try to decide whether it was appropriate for him to stay or to quietly take his things and shunpo back to his own division. Kira was silently begging him to stay, but could not vocalize his wishes, and Hisagi was so lost in thought about his love that he did not notice Kira's expectant face. Hisagi's mind was made up when Kira subtly shifted, so natural as if while sleeping, to gently drape himself over Hisagi, to twine himself loosely around the body of his lover so that he could not leave without at least waking Kira. Of course, Shuuhei had no intention to leave when Kira's body was telling him what his words would not.

"Stay."


Reviews are lovely! I'm also open to suggestions about future pairings and/or the title.