Kyoraku Shunsui woke up slowly from an absolutely wonderful dream.

Yawning, he blinked at the sun. It was almost noon, if he was any judge. Smiling to himself, he remembered the events of the night before. To celebrate Renji's promotion to taichou, they had staged quite a party. He'd deeply enjoyed the food and drink and brought a lovely woman home to play. He sighed as he thought about that, then blinked as he remembered. Oddly enough, she'd preferred the backdoor. And she'd even come prepared with lubricant. He vaguely remembered chestnut hair and a really wonderful, responsive body beneath him. Glancing over he…

Froze as the face beside him registered.

That is not a woman. Absolute shock hit him, followed closely by horror as he looked into the man's face. He recognized it, of course. He could hardly forget Coyote Starrk. Suddenly desperate, he searched over his memories from the previous evening. What had happened to get him in this position? His memories were very hazy but he could mostly recall the absolute conviction that he'd been picking up a woman.

"How drunk was I?" He breathed before forcing himself up. He needed to get out of here before Starrk woke up. He stumbled out, completely missing the rumpled kimono that Starrk was sleeping on.

He would remember it later, of course. But by then it would be too late.

Starrk wake up in the morning and reached over, trying to find the warmth he expected to be there.

He was vaguely disappointed not to find it. Disappointed, but not surprised. He'd been quite surprised when Kyoraku Shunsui came onto him so strongly the night before. He'd realized, before too long, that the shinigami was actually drunk out of his mind and had somehow mistaken the arrancar for a willing female. Something he was not above taking advantage of. Even now, his vast reiryoku had some terrible disadvantages. Mainly, a certain lack of sexual partners. He required at least a taichou and the two females were not remotely interested. Normally, he would have just moved on to the males but that posed some problems.

Soul Society had some very strange attitudes about things. Grimmjow had been taken in first and had warned him about it. Rather than replicate the Sexta's mistakes, Starrk had learned that shinigami typically took sexual come-ons between the same gender poorly. Apparently, there was some taboo about openly doing such things.

So he wasn't too surprised to find that Shunsui had abandoned him as soon as he'd awoken. Starrk was quite pleased, however, to see the kimono. He rested his face in it, just enjoying the scent. If all the truth were being told, he'd thought Shunsui was attractive the first time they had fought. For a hollow, a hard fight could be a sexual turn on and Kyoraku had certainly given him that.

Sitting up, he picked up the kimono and gazed at it thoughtfully. Did he really care what anyone thought of him? No, not really. And he had Shunsui exactly where he wanted him. A wicked little smile curled his lips and if he'd been in the room Kyoraku would probably have been sweating buckets.

"Do you think so Lilinette?" Starrk asked, not expecting or receiving any kind of answer. His other half was gone, but not entirely. In a bid for survival, her power had completely returned to him. That meant their personalities had partially merged. Starrk didn't sleep as long anymore and he had developed quite a mischievous streak. His current taichou had a few issues with that but Starrk really couldn't care less.

Humming to himself, he hung up the kimono before going to take a shower. He had plans for it.

This was going to be an excellent day.

"Starrk-fukutaichou. Why are you wearing Kyoraku taichou's kimono?" Starrk looked up from his desk to meet the gaze of his taichou.

Renji's promotion had coincided with his own. Really, it was rather absurd keeping an arrancar of his power as a seated officer. But power was not the only consideration and a fukutaichou's duties were really quite extensive. Starrk had needed the time to experience the joys of paperwork. Since he'd adequately mastered a seated officer's duties, it was time to go up in the world.

"It's a trophy, Kuchiki taichou." He said easily as Byakuya just looked at him. It was hard to tell what he was feeling. Starrk really wished his taichou were a bit easier to read, but life was hard sometimes. Starrk just smiled innocently before dipping his quill in his inkpot again.

"A… trophy." Kuchiki said and Starrk nodded, keeping his attention on the reports. "…Please try not to make a mess of the practice grounds."

"Of course not, taichou." Starrk said respectfully although, truthfully, he thought that was a pretty good concern. How likely was a duel when Shunsui realized what his erstwhile paramour was up to? Pretty good. Starrk smiled again, Lilinette's smile, and heard Byakuya sigh ever so slightly. He glanced up to see his taichou taking a seat and completely ignoring him. Humming to himself, Starrk went back to his work. If he worked very diligently he might have the whole stack completed early and then… then it might be time to go take a very public walk with his new fashion accessory.

Ah, this was so much fun!

"Kyoraku taichou, where is your kimono?" Nanao sounded concerned and Shunsui sighed, tilting back his hat.

"I'm afraid I lost it. I have another one on order." He admitted, trying not to think of exactly how he'd lost it. Perhaps he should have swallowed his pride and just asked for it back, but he honestly didn't think he could look Coyote Starrk in the face right now.

"Lost it? That's… strange." Nanao sounded confused and Shunsui grimaced. It was very strange. He'd had kimonos ruined before, of course, but that usually involved some kind of hard battle. And often an element of surprise… Starrk had given him plenty of time to take it off. Then someone ran up, breasts bouncing in a way that made him smile appreciatively.

"Nanao! You'll never guess what – oh. Kyoraku taichou! I'm sorry." Matsumoto went pink as she saw him. That was a touch odd but he didn't think much of it. Then she seized Nanao, dragging her away over her protests and began whispering in her ear. Shunsui watched with an indulgent smile that quickly turned into a small frown as the two women looked at him and giggled. Then they went back to whispering, their heads practically together. This was… very odd…

"Ah, Nanao-chan? I'm going back to work." He called, mildly creeped out by the sight of his fukutaichou engaged in such an un-Nanao-like activity.

"Oh no wait!" Matsumoto was suddenly in his personal space. Something he almost appreciated, but that feeling was wiped out by her next words. "Are you and Starrk-fukutaichou an item now?!" She nearly squealed and he stared.

"I… don't… why would you say that?" He asked, stalling for time. Nanao adjusted her glasses before beaming at him. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Well, he IS wearing your kimono this morning." Nanao said and his mouth dropped open.

"He's WHAT?!" That was just… Shunsui did not have words. Didn't the arrancar understand that you didn't FLAUNT this sort of thing? Then Matsumoto nearly squealed.

"You would be so cute together!" She had her hands clasped together and her eyes were full of stars. Shunsui looked at her in complete horror. It was his first encounter with a yaoi fangirl and he was finding it to be a terrifying experience. "He must really like you, wearing it in public like that!"

"Uh, yes." He said weakly while making a mental note to murder Starrk, preferably painfully. "Excuse me, where is he…?" He needed to take care of this NOW. Although it was probably already too late. Nanao was smiling, a very sphinx-like smile.

"He's at the Sixth, in the practice grounds." She said sweetly and he was in shunpo before she even finished. He had to stop this lunatic arrancar from ruining both their reputations!

When he arrived, Starrk was just leaning against the wall. He looked completely innocent and relaxed, as though he didn't have a single care in the world. The pink kimono was flung over his shoulders in precisely the same way Shunsui always wore it. Gritting his teeth, he stalked up to the arrancar, painfully aware of all the glances and whispers they were getting.

"Starrk-fukutaichou. Could I please have my kimono back?" He asked with painful politeness, suppressing the desire to punch his lights out. Maybe the arrancar didn't understand what he was doing… although the wicked little smile on his face said otherwise. So did the twinkle in those calm grey eyes.

"I don't know. What are you offering me for it?" Starrk said calmly and Shunsui's hands tightened into fists. He glared at the man but he seemed entirely unruffled.

"Are you holding my kimono for ransom, Starrk?" He said sternly and that little smile turned into a grin.

"Hmm… yes, I suppose I am. Perhaps you could pay me with a kiss?" The arrancar said lightly and Shunsui felt absolutely appalled. Right in front of everyone?!

"Have you lost your mind?" He dropped his voice, mindful of the watchers. Starrk tilted his head to one side, as if he was thinking about it.

"I don't think so. But then, crazy people usually don't know they're crazy, no?" Starrk said easily, clearly not taking the situation at all seriously. The desire to punch his lights out was growing stronger. "I don't understand why you're so upset. I seem to recall you held Miyaki's scarf hostage for the exact same thing."

"She was a woman, Starrk." He said it slowly, like he was explaining to an idiot. The arrancar flashed him a quick, mischievous grin. For one moment, Shunsui deeply regretted injuring the former Espada so heavily. He'd heard the man's personality had changed since Lilinette had vanished, but this was his first time really seeing it. Or perhaps he hadn't injured the bastard enough. Just a bit more and he wouldn't be having this problem.

"Really? I can't wait to tell Retsu about your double standard." Starrk said and Shunsui choked. That was… creative and very, very nasty. "I'm sure Soi Fon would love to hear about it too, hmm?" Shunsui's lips tightened. Was the arrancar really…?

"Are you threatening me with the Shinigami Women's Association, Starrk?" He asked and the arrancar just shrugged with a small smile. "I'm not kissing you." He said firmly and Starrk just gazed at him for a moment, idly running a hand over a pink kimono sleeve.

"In that case, why not a duel?" He suggested and Shunsui's lips curved into a smile. Right now, he was looking forward to smashing the arrancar. "We're in the practice yard already… but! There would need to be something riding on it." Starrk said and Shunsui felt a stab of uneasiness at the smile on his face. "If you win, you get your kimono back. But if I win… hmm…" Starrk suddenly pushed himself away from the wall, closing the gap between them before speaking softly. "I top you."

"What?!" That was infinitely worse than a kiss. The only positive was that no one else had heard him. Shunsui immediately dropped his voice, mindful of the attention they were getting. "Absolutely not." He'd never, in all his life, submitted to another man that way. Starrk shrugged, stepping back.

"I suppose I'll keep my trophy then." He said with a smile before twirling a little. Shunsui closed his eyes for a moment in mental pain. Was this how some of his girlfriends had felt? Maybe he owed them an apology. "I think the question is… how confident are you in your skill, and how much do you want this back?"

"I am completely confident." Shunsui said evenly, reminded. He'd beaten this man once. He could do it again. "Very well! I accept your wager." He said recklessly, suddenly not caring. He would defeat Starrk and make him eat his arrogant attitude. Starrk laughed and pulled off the kimono, glancing around before tossing it to one of the unseated shinigami in the training yard. He caught it, looking taken aback.

"Take care of that for us." Starrk said before drawing his sword. Then the fight began.

At first they were fighting with nothing but speed and swords. Shunsui was quickly reminded of how fast Starrk could be… the indolent arrancar moved like the wind, when he chose to. And right now, he was motivated. They danced back and forth across the training field as the other shinigami took to the sidelines, watching. Shunsui's eyes narrowed before he released his shikai. He knew it wasn't really fair. Without Lilinette, Starrk could no longer use his guns or wolves. His resurrection was crippled, although it did still exist. With a blaze of power, Starrk assumed his second form. It was quite a bit different, now. Instead of white, it was black, but still mostly styled the same. Instead of guns he held his blue swords. The arrancar had nothing else.

That didn't seem to phase Starrk in the slightest. He attacked with wild abandon and Shunsui had one disadvantage… the arrancar knew his tricks. He couldn't catch him with the shadow game, although he definitely could hit him with spinning top. Starrk managed to catch his sword, although just barely. Their weapons clashed wickedly in front of his face and Shunsui's eyes narrowed as he saw the Espada was smiling. Wasn't he taking this seriously?

They clashed again and again and he could hear the murmurs from the watching shinigami, about their skill and speed. Then Starrk made a fatal error. He stood so his shadow fell over a nearby pole. Shunsui drove his weapon into the shadow –

And something beyond unexpected happened. His eyes went wide and shinigami fainted in droves as Starrk's reiatsu abruptly spiralled absolutely out of control. Birds fell out of the sky, instantly dead and Shunsui felt the moment when his zanpakuto could take no more. He felt Katen Kyokotsu's shock as their power was overwhelmed by that wild reiatsu and instead of coming out the shadow, his sword dug into the dirt. Before he could recover from the shock, Starrk was on him. A few deft blows and he was on his back, a blue sword at his throat.

"Oh. Did I win?" Starrk sounded as surprised as he felt. Shunsui grimaced, not daring to move. The blade was rather close. "…Do you yield?" He asked and Shunsui closed his eyes for a moment. He really had no choice.

"Yes, I yield." The words were bitter on his tongue. Starrk nodded before withdrawing his sword. The expression on his face was… strange. Almost apprehensive? Shunsui glared at him and opened his mouth to –

"Starrk-fukutaichou. What did I saw about the practice yard?" They both looked at that cool voice and Starrk glanced around, taking in all the shinigami collapsed in various, rather uncomfortable positions. Cursing mildly, he resealed his power.

"Ah, I'm sorry Kuchiki taichou. Perhaps we should call for help from the Fourth?" He said in a sheepish tone. Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Do that. Immediately." Starrk instantly vanished with the bang of sonido and despite his humiliating, painful defeat, Shunsui smiled. It seemed the arrancar had a healthy dose of dread for his taichou. "Kyoraku taichou, please refrain from this in the future."

"Of course." He said as he stood, wondering how in hell he was going to get out of his wager to Starrk. Maybe he should just get extremely drunk? No. He didn't want to be out of control when the arrancar… Shunsui took a deep breath before turning away.

This wasn't good at all, but he'd made a bet. He would pay the forfeit.

"Here, have a drink." A cup was placed in front of him and Shunsui just looked at it for a moment before picking it up and taking a sip. It was sake, and particularly fine. Looking up, he met grey eyes that contained a surprising amount of concern. "…I didn't think I would actually win." Starrk said as he sat down across from him, sipping his own cup of sake.

"Mmm. I find that difficult to believe, with that trick of yours." He said evenly. He understood now what Starrk had done. It was the brute force method of escaping his shikai… Starrk had overwhelmed Katen Kyokotsu with his own spiritual pressure. Shunsui had never heard of such a thing being done before and really, Starrk was likely the only person who could carry it off. The arrancar chewed on his lip for a moment before shrugging.

"I'd been practicing it with various kido. That was the first time I'd tried it on a zanpakuto. I had no idea if it would work or not." He admitted and Shunsui sighed to himself, gazing into his sake. "…If you don't want to do this, I'll let it go." Starrk offered and Shunsui blinked at him, surprised.

"I made a bet, Starrk-san. I can pay my debts." As uncomfortable and humiliating as it was, he would own up to his own foolishness. Starrk sipped his sake before giving him a crooked smile.

"What's that expression? It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. I was just playing a game, I didn't think it would come to this." Starrk set his cup down, looking at him seriously. "It's my choice if I want to hold you to that bet or not. I won't insist." He said and Shunsui considered it for a moment. A cowardly part of him was deeply tempted to take the escape he was being offered. He'd never been attracted to men before. But a curious part of him was urging him onward. And a larger part of him was reminding him that he'd never welshed on a bet before. He'd made plenty of stupid dares when he was a boy and he'd never, in all his life, failed to follow through.

"I'll follow through, Starrk." He said firmly before setting his cup aside and standing. "Shall we?" He wanted to get this over with. Starrk regarded him for a moment, frowning, before nodding.

"If that's what you want." The arrancar sounded a bit troubled but Shunsui ignored it as they went to the bedroom. His stomach clenched a bit as he saw the sleeping mat, the plush pillows that Starrk favored. He took a deep breath before working on his clothing, quickly disrobing. Then he glanced up as a bit of light lit the room. Starrk was lighting… candles?

"Trying to create an ambiance?" He asked in mild disbelief. Really, it seemed absurd. "Do you have mood music too?" Starrk looked up from a little orange candle in a matching glass holder, surprised.

"No. I never thought of that. I'll keep that in mind for next time." He said thoughtfully and Shunsui almost choked.

"There isn't going to be a next time, Starrk." He said firmly. The arrancar waved the comment away as he finished with his candles.

"I meant a generic next time…" He said before standing and disrobing, dropping his clothes carelessly on the floor. The candles were set in the walls, completely safe and secure in their holders. Starrk stretched for a moment and Shunsui paused, just looking at him. He'd never been attracted to a man before but a treacherous part of him reminded him of how good that dream had felt. That warm, responsive body clutching him so tightly… he shook his head, pushing away the thought. He would be in that place tonight.

Starrk was in no hurry to get down to it, though. The former Espada took things slowly, seemingly intent on making love, not merely fucking. Shunsui wasn't sure what to make of the kisses. Starrk's lips were warm and he found there didn't seem to be much difference between kissing a man and a woman. It was mildly disturbing but he allowed himself to go with it, reciprocating the attention. And Starrk's hands were on him, exploring… it was becoming quite arousing.

It was even more arousing when Starrk went down, pausing to nuzzle his abdomen before going to something more sensitive. Shunsui gasped, staring up at the ceiling as wet heat enfolded his member. That felt… good. Amazingly, incredibly good. A warm hand encircled his balls as the Coyote sucked him off with practiced skill. Who had he done this to before? Likely the arrancar in Los Noches…

A finger, well coated in lube, teased his opening. Shunsui stiffened a moment before forcing himself to relax. And, truthfully, he'd had a finger up there before. A few of his girlfriends had done that, much the same way Starrk was now. That finger wiggled inside, carefully breaching him as Starrk continued to pleasure him. Shunsui groaned as that finger delicately massaged his prostate, making his breath come shorter. It felt so very good… but then a second finger was added and he winced in discomfort. His body was not accustomed to that. Starrk let him get used to it but just when he was comfortable, the man added a third. Shunsui couldn't help but groan then. That hurt, and not in a good way. Only the sweet suction around his cock was keeping him from pulling away.

It took time, but that pain eventually become bearable. As his body relaxed, though, Starrk released his cock. Shunsui whimpered softly at the loss of that talented mouth, then lifted his head as the other man moved up his body. He swallowed as he felt the brush of Starrk's erection on his stomach and glanced down. He felt a bit faint as he saw the size of it. How was that supposed to fit inside him?

"Shh, relax." Starrk murmured as he moved his legs apart. Shunsui tried to follow the instruction but couldn't help but tense as the Espada began to carefully ease inside. "Ah kami, so tight…" Starrk gasped and Shunsui gritted his teeth as that member pushed past the tight ring of muscle. This didn't feel good at all… "Relax. You need to relax or I'll have to stop… I won't hurt you." Starrk whispered as Shunsui struggled to breathe. The burn of it was painful in a way he'd never felt before. "Shhh. Relax. Let your body get used to it…" Starrk kissed his throat and Shunsui could feel the way the arrancar was trembling. He was sure the man was desperate to take him but restraining himself, trying to give his partner pleasure. Then he slid in a bit further, into his well-lubed insides. Shunsui winced then shuddered as a mouth explored his throat, gently sucking as the arrancar gradually seated himself.

Slowly, the experience got better. Starrk began to move, thrusting shallowly into his loosening body. Shunsui's eyes shot open as his prostate was brushed. He couldn't help the soft moan that escaped as Starrk's hand slowly worked his cock, stroking the flesh in time with every slow, careful thrust into his body.

This is starting to feel good. Shunsui thought in a disconnected way as his prostate was brushed again, almost teasingly. Was that deliberate? Very good… oh kami. His body was adapting, accepting the intrusion. Is it supposed to feel this way? He didn't know what to think. He'd never let another man into his body before…

"Shunsui." Starrk whispered his name and he looked into those grey eyes, seeing a burning need and a deep, passionate desire. "Oh, I have to…" He didn't have to ask what the arrancar meant. The movements of the body against him, inside him, became faster and more firm. Shunsui gasped as his prostate was hit, more fully this time, and the pleasure became more intense.

…sweet kami what is this…? He wrapped his arms around Starrk's shoulders, almost clinging to the man as that organ inside him continued to pleasure him. The strokes to his prostate were coming faster and faster, matching the hand on his cock. That deliciously slick friction made him shudder, his breath coming faster as he reacted instinctively, shoving back against the arrancar. …how is he doing this to me…? His mind was falling into disarray, taken up with the sensations he was experiencing. He was losing control in a way he hadn't for centuries…

"Kami, Shunsui, you feel so good!" Starrk gasped out and Shunsui could see the sweat on his brow, the tiny droplets beading on that fine face. It reminded him of how he'd looked when they fought, but it was so much better to see those grey eyes narrowed with pleasure than the intent to kill. "Oh kami… I…" Starrk buried his face against his throat and Shunsi could feel his breath, the insane heat of the arrancar's body. "Shunsui!"

"Starrk." He hadn't meant to say the other man's name. It just came out, unbidden and full of longing. "Starrk!" He was begging for more, the pleasure coiling so tight in his body he thought he might explode. He just needed a little more… Starrk seemed to understand. The arrancar gasped out something incoherent before rearing back and taking him with a quick, almost violent series of thrusts. Shunsui arched as a thumb dug into his cock, stimulating him unbearably. He suddenly erupted, coating that hand and splattering himself as the intense pleasure filled him, making him cry out. The arrancar came just a moment after him and Shunsui felt the heat inside him, the pulse of that rock hard member.

For a moment, they just lay tangled together, struggling to pull themselves together in the aftermath of pleasure. Starrk rested his forehead against his shoulder and Shunsui looked down as his breathing gradually calmed, seeing that head of dark chestnut hair. Then Starrk lifted his head and their eyes met as the arrancar eased out of him before taking a spot on the cushions beside him.

"Mmm. Will you stay?" Starrk asked, his voice tired and husky. Those grey eyes suddenly seemed very lonely to him and Shunsui smiled. Oddly enough, he didn't feel any unhappiness or resentment. Just a lazy contentedness and a bit of wonder at what they had done.

"I don't think I can move." His legs felt like jelly and his body was registering a few complaints. Nothing too bad, but it was his first time. Starrk looked concerned but Shunsui reached up to stroke his face. "I'm fine." And he'd done something new. After a thousand years, that was a hard thing to say. Starrk yawned and clearly decided to take that at face value.

"Good… so tired…" Starrk muttered before snuggling up and closing his eyes. Shunsui watched him for a moment before closing his eyes.

He was very tired. He'd think about what to do in the morning.

"Kyoraku taichou, why are you wearing a fukutaichou badge?" One of his seated officers, a pleasant little girl, asked innocently. Shunsui glanced down at his arm with a smile.

"It's a trophy." He said and heard Nanao's choked off giggle. The girl looked puzzled.

"A trophy, sir?" She said and he just smiled.

"Mhm." And it was a loss that Starrk would notice soon. Kuchiki Byakuya would not take kindly to his fukutaichou not having it, particularly given that he was an arrancar. "Ah." And there was a very familiar reiatsu approaching. Shunsui just waited patiently for the man to arrive, which didn't take long. Grey eyes raked over him and settled on the badge with amusement.

"Kyoraku taichou. What do I have to do to get my badge back?" He asked and Shunsui smiled at him cheerfully before throwing an arm over his shoulders. Starrk looked a bit surprised at the gesture.

"Why don't you come with me to my office so we can discuss it?" He suggested. He had a plan for Starrk and it involved his desk. The arrancar would look wonderful, bent over it. That would make him late for his duties but he didn't care and rather doubted that Starrk would care much, either. He might care later when Kuchiki reamed him out, but later was later. Starrk went with him with a small laugh and they both ignored the stares and whispers.

When had he ever given a damn about his reputation, anyway? And this was a wonderful game.