Title: Lily and Thistle

Author: paws_bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

Type: One-shot Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 3413

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

Summary: 'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

Created on: 14/09/13

Completed on: 15/09/13

Chapter Last Revised on: 25/04/14


Love is Kind


When Shinji returned to his living quarters at noontime to look in on his lover, he half expected to find her still napping docilely on his futon – she had certainly looked quite miserable earlier in the morning, and she was such a petite, scrawny thing that it always looked to him as if a good gust of wind would blow her over. He knew quite rationally that she was obviously a lot stronger than that, but a quiet Hiyori alarmed him (for that meant she was either not feeling well or up to something, both of which were not particularly good news for his peace of mind), and he'd rather have his usual violent, loudmouthed brat if he could help it.

As expected, she was still curled up in bed when he quietly let himself into his room, but she sensed his presence all the same and started to stir, her eyes mere slits as she lifted her head from the bedding and squinted at him groggily. She looked completely out of it for a brief moment before she started to focus on him, and then she slowly pushed herself to sit up, slouching slightly as she sat there bewilderedly and blinked owlishly at him.

"What time izit?" she mumbled then, and he came up to her, sinking down into a crouch beside her and studying her carefully. She still looked a bit pale, but was still significantly more well-rested than earlier that morning.

"A little past noon," he answered her at last. "Are ya feelin' any better?"

She nodded grudgingly after a while. He moved his hand from its resting place in the opposing sleeve of his haori and reached over to brush away a lock of her sleep-tousled hair from her face.

"Still hurts?" he asked, his voice gentling in sympathy.

She started to frown at his incessant questions, but she reluctantly responded all the same. She nodded again. He started to look concerned, but she spoke up before he could make a big deal out of her physical discomfort. "I just feel achy and sore," she muttered. "It's gonna last throughout the entire period, and I'm already used 'ta it – s'no big deal."

Shinji looked like he wanted to beg to differ, but he could tell that she was starting to get irritable again, and so he simply changed the subject.

"Is there anythin' ya want, then? Anythin' that I can do for ya?" Like earlier, he was obviously willing to volunteer his services to see to her needs, but she looked at him like he was crazy.

"I ain't an invalid," she told him grumpily. "I still have workin' hands and feet – I can get things done on my own."

He was being so damn obliging and nice to her though, that it was increasingly hard to snap at him like she usually did. Not that he wasn't like that normally (he was, but only a lot less blatantly so) – he just had the tendency to baby and cosset her when she was injured or in pain. He had always looked out for her, even back when they were all seated officers in the Gotei 13 a little over a century ago, and now that they were finally in an intimate relationship, he was becoming more demonstrative in his protectiveness of her.

Hiyori did not necessarily dislike being taken care of by her lover, but she was feeling grouchy and just wanted to be as difficult as possible at the moment. Throwing aside the covers, she made to crawl past him out of the futon, but before she could do so, he simply reached out and grabbed her. Sitting down on the mattress, he pulled her onto his lap and just held her. Hiyori immediately turned and tried to hit him, but he dodged her fist and just gathered her even closer, stilling her struggles and kissing her cheek to placate her. He promptly received an indignant slap for his efforts, but allowing himself to be hit by her apparently did the trick of soothing her ruffled feathers, and she reluctantly settled down in his arms eventually.

"I swear, yer such a troublesome, ornery, pain in the ass," he muttered in an exasperated fashion, and she bristled slightly before he leaned down and kissed her again. "But yer my pain in the ass, brat, and even though I'm fully aware that yer more than capable of doin' things on yer own, I still wanna help ya out – just lemme, alright?"

She glowered lightly at him, but he ignored her touchy mannerisms and continued. "So, let's try this again," he proposed. "What can I help ya with?"

It was at the tip of Hiyori's tongue to turn down his offer, but then she suddenly remembered that she was in a bit of a pickle right now. Still, she was pretty reluctant to voice out her problem.

"…I forgot 'ta bring a spare change of clothes," she mumbled at last. She had been pretty hasty in her decision to go to the baldy's side late last night, compelled by a blind, instinctive need to seek out the comfort of his presence. Tense and uncomfortable from the unceasing cramps and usual bodily aches that always came with the first day of her period, she had rolled out of her bed in the Vizard Warehouse in the early hours of the morning when she could not stand the discomfort any longer, roughly shucking on her tracksuit and stumbling off to the nearest available Senkaimon to Seireitei, where he was. She really hadn't been thinking much beyond the driving urge to go to her lover and let herself be soothed by his warmth and scent, and therefore she had not brought anything with her at all.

Shinji raised a brow at her somewhat awkward reply. "You can use mine like what yer doin' now, until I can get yer clothes washed and dried," he remarked, not seeing the problem. This was what she normally did whenever she slept over anyway, and he was also pretty sure that she had a clean set of panties stashed somewhere in his closet, so he was somewhat bemused that she was suddenly bringing this up now.

Her scowl deepened slightly. "I didn't bring any toiletries," she emphasized, starting to get more agitated. His eyebrow climbed higher. Since when did she tote toiletries anywhere?

"Ya can also use mine, just like ya always do," he drawled dryly, wondering if she was just deliberately trying to be willful again. He must have had said something wrong, much to his mild bafflement, for she abruptly glared at him then.

Hiyori had been trying to be subtle about her feminine needs, but apparently the dumbass was completely thick in the head as usual.

"I can't use what ya don't have, moron," she snapped. "I need fresh sanitary pads. Do ya have those stocked in yer toiletry set too?"

She looked quite piqued that he was making her spell it out for him, but he spied embarrassment on her lightly flushed face as well. This was obviously mortifying for her.

"…no, I don't have those," he replied slowly at last, though sounding remarkably calm as he did so. "Sorry, I wasn't thinkin'."

He released her and allowed her to leave his embrace. She quickly climbed onto her feet, and he also stood up as well.

"Go and take a warm bath or somethin', and take yer time," he told her as he started to leave the room. "I'll be back before ya even know it."

She stared at him. "Where're ya goin'?"

He paused in his steps and glanced askance at her. "Didn't ya just say that ya need those hygiene products?"

Hiyori nodded slowly, a mild look of confusion fleeting across her face. "Yeah…" Realization occurred to her. "Yer gonna ask yer men 'ta go get some for ya?"

Shinji barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "Yeah, because buyin' my girl's intimate items' somethin' I task them with every day," he muttered with light sarcasm. "No. I'll get 'em for ya myself, stupid."

He was being so utterly casual and matter-of-fact about the whole thing that she was a bit bewildered by his lack of a reaction. She had half expected him to at least sputter with chagrin or look completely uncomfortable, but he wasn't even making a fuss, not even a small one. Then, her mind abruptly registered what he had just said.

"Yer gonna get 'em?" she echoed in disbelief. "For me?"

"Yes," he replied, eying her oddly. "Do ya have 'ta look so surprised?"

Suspicion immediately filled her. "How come yer so calm 'bout this?" she retorted then. "Have ya done this before?"

Hiyori was suddenly very outraged at the notion of her lover going tampon shopping for other women. Shinji just stared ludicrously at the abruptly angry female.

"Who is she?" the petite blonde demanded fiercely then, a surge of fury roaring through her. "I'm gonna kill her."

"What?" The Fifth Division Captain had to hurriedly reach over to stop his irrationally pissed off significant other from grabbing her zanpakuto and charging off to threaten random, poor, unsuspecting women. He was also having a bit of trouble following her abrupt leaps of logic. He quickly wrestled Kubikiri Orochi from her grasp before she could unsheathe the katana and start waving it about. "Who's who?"

"That fuckin' bitch whom yer tampon shoppin' for!" Hiyori growled ferociously, much to his rising disbelief. "Lemme go, shithead! Yer gettin' it next after I'm done with that man-stealin' hussy! And ya better cough out her name right now!"

It began to occur to Shinji why she was so agitated; she was jealous. He had the urge to chuckle at her indignant fury, but he didn't think that she would appreciate him laughing at her right now. "For heaven's sake, brat," he told her instead. "There's no other woman. Yer more than enough for me 'ta deal with, and yer givin' me way too much credit if ya think that I still have the energy and the time for other women. And just for the record, contrary 'ta whatever yer imaginin', I've never shopped for feminine hygiene products before – I've never had the need or the inclination 'ta do so – this is the first time, alright?"

That quieted her down slightly, but she still looked quite irritated, and her eyes were fierce and possessive when she looked at him. "Listen up, baldy!" she barked, flashing her little fang as she did so and pointing imperiously at him at the same time. "Yer mine now, and I ain't sharin'. If ya think 'ta have any of yer 'first loves' on the side, I'll pull yer innards out through yer nose and then I'll go and fuck that bitch up, I swear 'ta god."

She was really angry – and completely serious – and even though he knew that he shouldn't be encouraging her, he could not help but smile crookedly at her ire. "Yeah, I hear ya loud and clear." There was a pause as he watched her with exasperated fondness, and then he continued. "Also, have I told ya before that yer really cute when yer jealous?"

She scowled at him. "Don't make me kick yer teeth in," she muttered, and then all the hot air seemed to abruptly flow right out from her, leaving her feeling strangely, suddenly, tranquil. Tired too, but also tranquil.

"Feel better now?" he asked wryly, seemingly understanding her need to vent her tension. She frowned at him. Shinji lifted a brow, and she started to look a bit grumpy again.

"Hiyori," he called her name quietly then, and he waited patiently until he had her full attention, until she noticed the steady calmness in his voice and demeanor, before he spoke again. "I won't ever cheat on ya, do ya understand?"

It really wasn't a question, not really, not with the tone he said it in.

And she understood. Of course she did. She had always known that he was not the type to cheat – she would never have consented to being his if she did not trust him wholly and utterly. She was just shooting off at the mouth in a fit of temper as usual, and this was his way of calling her out on it, and it was far more effective than any amount of furious yelling or angered arguments could accomplish collectively.

As always, he just knew her all too well.

Hiyori swallowed hard and looked away from him, staring at the floor instead. At last, she silently nodded once, slowly.

His gaze softened at her unspoken submission to him, and then he reached over and kissed the side of her head with unbidden affection.

"Alright, then," he told her tenderly. "Go and take that hot bath. And relax. Lemme take care of everythin' else, okay?"

She glanced up at him in a slightly skeptical fashion. "Do ya even know what I need?" she asked then, and he suddenly seemed to recall seeing entire rows of feminine hygiene products of every type, size and brand in supermarkets. Belatedly, Shinji began to realize that this self-appointed task of his might just be a bit more difficult than he had originally assumed, but he could always improvise – he was pretty flexible like that.

"Ya have some left over in yer room back at the Vizard Warehouse, haven't ya? I'll use 'em as samples and get the ones like those. Worse come 'ta worse, I can always consult Lisa. She'll have some idea even if I don't."

His plan was a pretty sound and logical one and there was nothing about it that she could protest about. Hiyori looked at Shinji. Same as before, he appeared perfectly unperturbed and unflustered over having to run this sort of awkwardly sensitive errand for her even when she herself felt rather iffy about the whole thing, and slowly, it began to occur to her that perhaps he was willing to do all this for her purely because he loved her, and this was simply yet another manifestation of his loyal, enduring affection.

Suddenly, Hiyori felt completely ungrateful and undeserving of this man. A strong surge of awful guilt inundated her, further destabilizing her already precarious emotions. Biting her lips to keep them from trembling, she lowered her gaze and fixed it to the floor once more, feeling extremely vulnerable and upset with herself again. Shinji was always so gentle and patient with her whereas she was always such a complete bitch to him. One day, she was sure that he was going to realize just how ugly and flawed she was both on the inside and on the outside, and he would decide that he was sick and tired of putting up with her terrible tantrums and violent mood swings, and then surely he would leave her. Just the mere thought of that scenario was enough to cause her throat to close up and make her flinch with rising anxiety – he had been by her side for so long that if he ever decided to walk away, she was certain that she would be completely and utterly lost without him.

Hiyori shuddered, growing increasingly distressed at the notion. Shinji studied her shadowed features briefly.

"What is it? Are ya hungry again?" he asked, guessing at the most probable cause behind her feelings of discontentment. "I'll get ya somethin' on the way back later, so wait for a bit more."

That was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The petite blonde felt her eyes begin to water, her nose tingling something fierce, and a muffled sob choked its way past the large lump clogging her throat. Despite her best efforts not to do so, Hiyori bowed her head and started to quietly cry.

Shinji was alarmed. His brat was not the type to suddenly shed tears for no good reason whatsoever, but here she was, her small shoulders shaking silently, unending droplets of saline rolling down her cheeks piteously as she continued to stare at the floor with her huge eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, concerned, reaching out to her and hooking long, elegant fingers under her chin to lift her small, tear dampened face to his. "Are ya in pain again? Look at me, luv."

Hiyori brushed away his touch and shook her head. She also quickly swiped at her dripping eyes with the back of her hands, and she backed away from him, disoriented and unsteady from her emotional outburst. "I'm leavin'," she announced thickly then, her voice wobbly – she was obviously quite upset. Turning, she barely remembered to pick up Kubikiri Orochi before she started to stumble clumsily towards the door, though she did not manage to go beyond a few steps.

Predictably, her lover caught her before she could run out on him, and for a very good reason.

"If ya think that I'm gonna let ya go anywhere in yer current state of mind, then somethin' is obviously very wrong with yer head," he told her, tugging her back and reeling her into his arms to keep her from trying to pull free from him. Besides, she was only dressed in his shirt and she didn't even look like she had noticed her lack of proper attire. He lifted his hand to her face and wiped away her tears with the pad of a callused thumb, and his attentive action made her quiver even more. Hiyori sniffled loudly, trying to bring herself under control but with little success.

She looked so damn miserable that Shinji really felt for her.

"Is yer stomach hurtin' ya? Stay here; I'll go get Kotetsu Fukutaichou 'ta come over 'ta take a look at ya-" Before he could finish his words and turn to leave her, she grabbed him, quickly shaking her head once more and cutting him off.

"No," Hiyori told him outright. "I don't need 'ta see a healer," she insisted gruffly. She was still feeling slightly dazed and ridiculously weepy, but she clearly knew what she wanted. "Stay."

She still craved to be near him, even when the dawning realization that she had become so dependent on him scared her so very much, made her feel completely vulnerable and exposed. After nearly three years of being in an intimate relationship with him, it had only just occurred to her the sheer extent of power that this man standing before her now held over her head – he literally possessed the ability to kill her without even having to lift a finger to do so, and all he had to do was just walk away. She was weak and completely susceptible to him and it was her own fault for letting him in so close that if he were to decide to leave her now, then he would surely rip out a sizeable chunk of her to take along with him, and Hiyori didn't think that she would survive that experience.

This was not quite what she had pictured a relationship with the baldy to be like, but it was clearly too late for her to back out now – she was already in too deep – and the petite female was growing increasingly lightheaded, very close to having a panic attack as she inwardly dealt with her personal revelation as best as she could.

Shinji frowned down at his lover; she looked rather pale, and she was also clutching onto his kosode so tightly that her knuckles were bone white.

"Hiyori." He instinctively tried to soothe her – for some reason, she was extremely skittish and she also looked like she was about to bolt at any given instant. He combed his fingers slowly through her tousled blonde hair and tried to calm her. "S'alright. I won't ever let anythin' happen 'ta ya."

Even without knowing what was upsetting her, he still knew exactly what to say to reassure her.

She finally lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes darkened and dilated. He really was both her blessing and her bane, slowly but surely taming her with his generous and enduring brand of love, and really, there was only one thing left for her to do – to have him as tangled and as caught up in their relationship as she already was.

"Shinji," she uttered abruptly then, wearing an incredibly raw, needy expression on her face. "Make love 'ta me."


::tsuzuku::


Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Apologies for the super late update – I was really busy with life and my other projects/responsibilities, so L&T got put on the backburner a little and I admit that I had also lost a bit of momentum when it came to updating this fic. No worries though, everything is still good and my ShiYori muse is strong as ever – just sorry for making you guys wait.

To all my wonderful, lovely readers who have continued to send me their support and positive reviews (you darling sweeties know who you are), thank you so much for not giving up on me – I'm still far from done with L&T (we will be breaching 50 chapters at the least, FYI), so do hang tight and please bear with me a little longer!

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Nothing much to note for this chapter, so I'll just end things here. As always, thanks for reading! Until next time!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws