Deception Six: Morning
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 510
It was rather amusing, really, to wake up in the morning with Rukia still sleeping by his side.
Even more wonderful was the fact that it was her choice, not his, that she stayed with him throughout the night after their nocturnal activities. Even after so many years of being together in their little secret, it was still hard to not burst into laughter at poor Rukia's attempt at hiding the physical signs of Gin's "affection" on her neck.
It really was rather sad that they had to hide it. It would be an excellent prank to pull on Byah-Byah-Byah: walk up to him one day with Rukia in Gin's arms, an engagement ring in one hand and a wedding invitation in the other. But nooo, Rukia wanted it to be a secret. So, deciding to follow her wishes for the fun of it, Gin made it seem as though nothing was wrong. He was so good at it, in fact, that even Captain Aizen couldn't help but look at him questioningly.
Each morning Gin always managed to leave before Rukia awoke, going about his business. He would stack Rukia's clothes neatly on the bed, then pad over to the kitchen to make some breakfast for her. She usually ate cereal or toast when she wasn't with him, he knew, and so he would occasionally cook her an omelet…of course Izuru would be the one doing the cooking.
Then, with the omelet hissing in its pan, Gin would creep back over to the bed, where Rukia still slept soundly.
"Rukia, dear…it's time to wake up…" he would coo, yanking the curtains open and letting sunlight blast through the window.
Rukia would groan and roll away from the light, her hair fuzzy and sticking up all over the place.
"Nooooo…" she would manage to slur, yanking the covers over her head.
"I've got breakfast waiting for you when you do get up, then. Bye-bye." And off Gin would go, ready to face the day.
On some days, however, Gin would wake up to the sound of Rukia whimpering in her sleep. She would be tossing and turning from side to side, hissing Kaien's name under her breath. Sometimes she would even cry, tears rolling down her pale face. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but somehow it still seemed remarkable each time.
Gin would simply lie beside her and listen for a few minutes most of the time, knowing that she would be crying in the daylight very soon—Captain Aizen's plans were going perfectly. She wouldn't be crying just because of their betrayal, either. No, she would be crying because Rukia would realize that the man she thought was protecting her was actually taking everything away from her: her innocence, the emotional wall around her heart.
After some more contemplation of that momentous occasion, Gin would place his hand on Rukia's sweating forehead and whisper soothingly in her ear, as he guessed lovers were supposed to do. After she calmed down, Gin would dress himself and leave, savoring her arm stretched out toward him on the coverlet.