Go visit peroxidefic over at LJ if you haven't already. The song "Closing Time" is by Leonard Cohen.
Closing Time
It was a tradition: in eleventh division's quarters (they were always trashed anyway), with Kyuraku's best achohol, under Kuchiki's deadly stare and Ukitake's almost fatherly gaze.
New Years in sereitei was nothing to scoff at.
All members of the eleventh, former or current, were having their giant traditional tussle match in the training grounds, no zampuctos, but anything else allowed. Concidering the fact that there was something like five people in that crowd who could release ban kai and were never unwilling to do so, it was probably a good rule.
At the moment, Shunsui and Jyuushiro were seated on top of the roof, watching the stars (with a wary eye out for what was going on below). Kyuraku had brought a bottle of sake up especially for the two of them and he was sipping from his cup casually. Ukitake hadn't poured himself any yet, but Shunsui was not offended. He knew that Jyuushiro hardly ever drank, and one of those rare times was toasting the new year.
"Lovely evening, don't you think?" the pink-clad captain sighed, setting the saucer down next to him and staring up at the moon. It was only a few degrees from it's zenith, the start of the countdown. The bell had started tolling and everyone downstairs was starting the chant. Usually, they would be down there with them, the two eldest captains, to give their blessings to the newest members of the gotei thirteen, but they had taken their leave this year.
It was one of their hundred-incriment anniversarys, after all.
And to that, Ukitake Jyuushiro would drink. Pouring himself a saucer of hot, spicy wine, he tilted it in Shunsui's direction with a smile and downed it with a gasp.
"Happy Anniversary, love."
"Same to you too," Shunsui drawled, lazy and suffused with warmth. He reached up and caught the snowy-haired captain around the neck, pulling him down on top of him as the bell made it's last tolls.
His deep brown eyes flickered over his lover's face, memorizing the changes and lines and wrinkles that had appeared since the young man he had fallen in love with. Jyuushiro, mesmerized by the feeling of hot eyes wandering over his face, leant down and administered a cooling kiss to Shunsui's lips.
Another year gone, only a grain of sand in the greater scheme of things, but big in it's own way.
"May next year be even more blessed," Shunsui whispered, heavy fingers brushing the back of Jyuushiro's neck, the side of his cheek.
"If that's even possible."
They sat the night through, watching the stars and exchanging wisdom for the new year untill the sun came up and it was time to sleep before the year began anew with some serious cleanup.