Dinner was going surprisingly well, considering that neither twin felt comfortable with this situation that had been forced upon them, wanting nothing more than be to be back within the familiar safety of their old home.
"How was school?" Shunsui asked the boys, genuinely interested in their lives; unlike a lot of the other men Jyuushiro had dated while he had the twins in his care, Shunsui truly loved them. "Anything interesting happen?"
"Aizen-sensei was teaching us Language(1) today," Sogyo said as he poked at his potato with his fork. "He said Koto and I need to improve our grammar when we write."
"Can I help?" Shunsui grinned brightly as he grabbed his cup of sake. He took a gulp before he spoke again. "I was really good in school; I can help you boys with anything."
Sogyo and Koto glanced at each other with unsure faces before Koto spoke. "...Maybe we should just learn it ourselves..."
"Nonsense!" Shunsui exclaimed. "Please? I really want to help."
Jyuushiro looked up from where he had been cutting his meat into pieces. He smiled at Shunsui before he looked at his children. "It will be best to let him help so that you understand what you are doing and don't fall behind."
"Exactly." Shunsui nodded. "I just want to spend some time with you both now that I'm with your father."
The twins sighed before they nodded, knowing that Shunsui would not change his mind. Shunsui cheered before he instructed the boys to meet him in the study that was just beside the dining room once they were ready.
Jyuushiro looked at his boyfriend with a small smile on his face. "Thank you for doing this, Shunsui. I know you're trying so hard to make the effort with them, and I really appreciate it. I know you wouldn't offer your time like that for just anyone."
Shunsui leant over and wrapped Jyuushiro in his arms. "My dear Jyuu-chan, you of all people should know just how lazy I am. I'm doing this because I love both you and the boys and I want to be a part of your lives in any way that I can, even if it means I can't just lay on the roof and drink my sake."
Jyuushiro laughed softly as he pushed his plate away. He and Shunsui had prepared the roast together, Shunsui not wanting Jyuushiro to cook because it was his house, and Jyuushiro not wanting to be there and do nothing in return.
"I'm finished my dinner, Shunsui," Jyuushiro said in his soft voice. "May I be excused?"
"You don't have to ask, love." Shunsui waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "This is your home now, too, and if you want to leave the dinner table for whatever reason, you can."
Jyuushiro smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Shunsui. I would like to change into my pyjamas and relax on the living room for a while."
"Of course, but if you're changing clothes, I would love it if you let me watch." Shunsui winked at his partner with a large grin on his face.
Ukitake blushed and shook his head. "No, Shunsui; I'm not like that. When we've moved further in our relationship. I don't want to feel like a – you know... The s-word..."
Shunsui tutted. "Ah, but you're nothing like that, Jyuu. You're so sweet and sensitive and I know you'd never give your body to someone who you didn't love. It's just us, and we're in a relationship now and I love you for more than just your body or what you could give me."
Jyuushiro smiled weakly before he shook his head again. "I know, Shunsui, but I just won't do things like that so soon for anyone."
Shunsui sighed dramatically before he smiled back. "If that's how you feel, I will never force you, Jyuu-chan."
"Thank you, Shunsui."
Kyōraku and the twins watched as the white-haired man left the dining room, exiting through the kitchen that was to the left of them. The brunet glanced the kids before he shrugged.
"Would you guys like to be excused, too?" He chuckled when they nodded. "Alright, then. Don't forget to meet me in the study, okay?"
The boys nodded again before they scampered away, leaving Shunsui on his own. The smile that was on Shunsui's face quickly dropped once he was alone, replaced by a large frown.
Shunsui sighed before he dropped his knife onto the plate and stood up, gathering everyone's dishes. He wasn't happy about being left alone like that, but he couldn't complain; he didn't want to control their lives like his had been controlled. It would make him feel too much like his father. Feeling like the man who had singlehandedly ruined both his and his mother's lives devastated him to no end, and he did everything he could to avoid the feeling of utmost failure.
"Still, it could have been nice for them to at least wait for me to finish eating..." Shunsui mumbled to himself as he moved to the sink with the plates in hand. "I just don't want them to feel as if I want to run their lives..."
The thought of talking to Jyuushiro about how he felt crossed Shunsui's mind but was quickly shoved to the back of his head as a feeling of fear overcame him; what if Jyuushiro didn't want to be with him after hearing about what he had grown up with? What if Jyuushiro thought he was too needy?
Shunsui didn't want to be alone again. He would give anything to be able to keep Jyuushiro and the twins there with him forever, but he was almost certain that if he told Jyuushiro his feelings so soon, it would end badly.
Kyōraku remembered when he had told Lisa about this; the woman had been understanding and worked with him to avoid making mistakes, but she had only found out because Shunsui had eventually snapped after several months, yelling at her and telling her exactly how he felt before he broke down into tears.
Jyuushiro might not be as understanding as Lisa. He might not be as caring or willing to work around the brunet's issues, and those thoughts scared Shunsui more than anything.
Fighting back the overwhelming feelings of loneliness, pain, despair and a bit of anger, Shunsui focused on cleaning the dishes that had been used, not wanting to mess up his last chance at love. He forced himself to wear his usual mask as he 'cheerfully' helped the twins with their schoolwork and pretended nothing was wrong as he and Jyuushiro reclined on the couch together, watching the TV once the twins were asleep, and Shunsui was almost sure he was coming close to the point where he would be able to leave behind his negative emotions and instead feel happy again. But all that changed as they were getting ready for bed.
Shunsui pulled the black shirt he had been wearing off and tossed it into the corner of the room before he reached down to his belt. Jyuushiro blushed scarlet and quickly excused himself from the room while Kyōraku changed, only fuelling the pain he felt daily.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and have a free show?" Shunsui teased, knowing it would seem suspicious if he didn't comment on this reaction.
Jyuushiro stuttered for a few seconds before he made a beeline for the bedroom door. He hurried out as if the hounds of Hell were behind him, leaving Shunsui behind.
Shunsui mumbled to himself as he threw his belt away with more force than was necessary, knowing he couldn't take it out on Jyuushiro; the younger man didn't understand and would never have guessed that he was hurting Shunsui.
When Jyuushiro returned, he eyed the bed apprehensively before he looked at Shunsui. "Are you sure it's okay for us to share the bed so soon...?"
Shunsui struggled to contain the words he wanted to shout and instead nodded, a forced, yet seemingly genuine smile on his face. "Of course it's okay. We can even tire each other out before we sleep if that's what you need."
Jyuushiro scowled as his face reddened again. He shook his head, not dignifying the comment with an answer. He pulled back the black comforter and climbed in, never having been in such a big bed before. He watched in embarrassment as Shunsui climbed in next to him, and he squeaked when the brunet pulled him against his chest.
"Let's sleep, okay?" Shunsui breathed into the smaller man's ear, resting his bare chest against the blue fabric of Jyuushiro's sleeping yukata.
Jyuushiro nodded and twisted in Shunsui's hold so that they were looking at each other. He placed a tentative kiss on the red lips, happy to have it returned, before he snuggled in against the warm body and closed his eyes, slipping into oblivion with the welcoming sensation of having his back rubbed slowly.
Shunsui knew better than to keep himself awake with the frustration he was feeling, so he instead made sure he fell asleep as soon as he could, knowing that sleep usually helped with his emotions.
Later that night~~
Shunsui's home was shrouded in darkness, as silent as expected with everyone sleeping. But it didn't last for long seeing as around midnight, a loud, angry pounding on the front door awoke everyone.
Jyuushiro was groggy as he glanced at the bedroom door, unconsciously pressing closer against Shunsui. Shunsui, however, was quick to get out of the bed and throw his shirt back on before he moved to the bedroom door and left.
Jyuushiro followed behind closely, not knowing what to do other than accompany the brunet in case something bad happened.
Kyōraku was silent as he pulled the front door open, prepared for the worst, but he found instead of an armed robber was his close friend, Byakuya Kuchiki and his wife, standing on his doorstep and looking murderous.
Byakuya didn't say a word as he looked past Shunsui and towards Jyuushiro. The second their eyes locked together, the raven-haired man pushed past Shunsui and over to Jyuushiro, grabbing the collar of the blue yukata when he was close enough.
"B-byakuya-kun..." Jyuushiro stuttered, having known the twenty-six year old for a long time. "Byakuya-kun, what...?"
Shunsui was staring dumbfounded, not having expected this in a million years. Kuchiki's wife, Hisana, moved to stand beside him, watching her husband and the white-haired male with a malicious look on her face.
"You slept with my wife?" Byakuya was angry, his usually stoic appearance broken.
Jyuushiro's eyes widened, knowing now why Byakuya and Hisana had shown up here so late at night like this. But... how...? How did he find out...?
"I..." Jyuushiro gulped, not wanting to confront the younger male like this about something that had so clearly stressed the unemotional man. "...It was a mistake..."
"Damn right it was a mistake," Byakuya hissed. "It was a mistake that you are going to pay for."
"Byakuya, w-we were drunk...!" Jyuushiro all but pleaded. "Please...!"
"She was eighteen!" Byakuya shouted, shoving Jyuushiro backwards. "You are nine years older than we are!"
Shunsui looked down at Hisana, his grey eyes wide. Jyuushiro had told him how he had gotten the twins' mother pregnant, but he had never mentioned a name. He now understood why; Hisana had been engaged to Byakuya for a very long time, and if word got out that she had slept with someone else, things would be very bad. But this... Did Byakuya even know his wife had kids...? It wouldn't surprise him if he didn't; Byakuya had been overseas during the pregnancy if he remembered correctly.
"I-I'm so sorry...!" Jyuushiro whispered. "I'm...!"
"No, you are not. You not only took my wife's virginity when she was engaged to me, but you took her children, too! How do you think I felt to find out my wife has twins I had never known about? We tried so hard to have our children, but we cannot. And this...! I want them. If I cannot have my own kids, I deserve to have the children my wife brought into this world."
Jyuushiro gasped at these words, his heart pounding furiously. He couldn't give up his children to anyone! He... He would sooner die than give them away like this. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head.
"No." Jyuushiro summoned all the strength he could muster as he made the most authoritative voice he could. "You're not having them."
Byakuya shoved Jyuushiro again, knocking the taller male into the wall behind them. Ukitake grunted and closed his eyes as the back of his head collided painfully with the wall.
There were whimpers coming from the living room and, at a glance, two sets of legs disappeared back up the stairwell. Had the twins been watching this entire time...?
"Give them to me," Byakuya hissed again. "Give them back to my wife."
"Byakuya..." Shunsui stepped over and pulled the addressed male away from his partner, anger of his own displaying in his grey eyes, "...she dumped them on Jyuushiro and told him to never contact her again. He didn't even know he had kids until she showed up on his doorstep demanding he take them. She didn't want them in the first place."
Byakuya's gaze travelled to the brunet, ready to turn on him, but just one glare from Kyōraku silenced him. They stared each other off for a few seconds before Byakuya turned and got his wife, explaining that they were leaving and would take the matter to the court the next day.
Jyuushiro flinched away when Shunsui reached out to touch him and instead ran up the stairs, a loud sob giving away his emotions. Shunsui followed, but he didn't know what he could do; he knew that this would be distressing to his partner, and the boys... They had heard everything, too.
When Shunsui found the younger male sitting on the bed with his face in his hands, Kyōraku couldn't help but hug him tightly.
"Do you want to talk?" Shunsui offered quietly, holding Jyuushiro close. He stayed silent as the smaller man nodded.
"...I..." Jyuushiro started, wiping at his wet eyes. "...I was at a party... I was so lonely... I had broken up with my boyfriend... I just wanted the pain to stop... So I got drunk, and... Hisana approached me... I know it was so wrong of me to have taken advantage of such a young woman like that, but... I couldn't help myself... Shunsui, I don't even like females in that way...! The next morning, we wake up and decide we'll pretend it never happened... All that time later, she shows up and expects me to take them... I had just broken up with another boyfriend a few days beforehand, and I felt really depressed, like I would never find someone I could stay with... But I loved those boys so much, Shunsui... I took them immediately... I did everything I could to raise them as normal boys, but... Whatever Hisana had done to them had them so hard to handle... Worse than they are now... But I couldn't give them back... I just couldn't..."
"I know you love them more than anything," Shunsui whispered, rubbing the younger's back. "They're your world, no matter how hard you find taking care of them. But I'll be here with you, and I'll help you look after them. You don't need to give them back to Hisana, and you don't have to do this on your own anymore."
Jyuushiro looked up as a tear slid down his cheek. He smiled. "Thank you, Shunsui..."
Shunsui kissed his boyfriend gently before he manoeuvred the younger back into a lying position. "You go back to sleep and I'll make sure the boys are alright."
Jyuushiro nodded, for once accepting help with his children without argument. Shunsui left and returned not long later with news that both twins had been unsettled by the fighting but now understood that they weren't to blame and everything would be taken care of as soon as possible.
Shunsui lay back down in his bed and pulled the now-sleeping Jyuushiro close to him in a protective manner. With that taken care of, he slipped back into his own sleep, wondering what the morning would bring.
1 – I rarely reference the language they are learning so that it is up to the reader's choice, seeing as some people prefer the setting in one country over another.
