Reviews: Thanks so much; Kat, Nebiru, Gin Katana, Foxcklee, SingBenihime, Aoi the Nekohime, Anaris, Aoko Yuki and This-is-Blasphemy for reviewing!
AN: And, here we are, the second and final chapter to my first two-shot story. This chapter turned out longer than the first, but I don't mind. I got carried away with it, but can you blame me? Shun and Juu are just too cute together! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2:
"Juushiro!"
The name slipped from Shunsui's lips even before the sicking thud of Ukitake's head hitting the table before him reached his ears. Instantly, he was up on his feet and hovering above him, his seat tumbling backwards with a loud crash from the abruptness of his movements.
Blatantly ignoring the startled voices of his fellow captain, even going as far as brushing a subtly concerned Byakuya aside to give Ukitake more breathing room, Shunsui was focusing solely upon Ukitake's slumped form. His heart had lodged itself in his throat by the lack of response from calling his name, even more so when he placed his hands on his shoulders and gave a light shake, his name falling off his lips quietly once more.
Still, no response.
Carefully, he lifted Ukitake off the table, his alarm growing when Ukitake's head simply fell back against his shoulder, his body slumping completely and fully against him. His brow was furrowed as though from pain, his cheeks flushed and clammy, and his lips were parted as he took quick, sharp and seemingly painful breathes.
But he was breathing, that was the main thing.
Cradling Ukitake's slender body easily in his arms, Shunsui slowly took to his feet, now carrying his best friend like a fragile bride as he caught his sensei's gaze. A swift nod from Yamamoto was all that he needed, Shunpo'ding from the meeting chamber.
In the quickest flashstep to date, Shunsui entered the Fourth with Captain Unohana right behind him. Without exchanging a word, Shunsui followed her through the many corridors, Ukitake almost completely weightless in his arms. He ignored the startled looks and concerned gasps from other Fourth members, his mind too busy thinking back over the events of this very morning, remembering all the warning signs he had noted.
And Shunsui found himself gritting his teeth in frustration and with a bit of guilt as well. Ukitake had grown rather good at hiding his ailments, even from him.
Entering Ukitake's reserved room; Shunsui carefully laid his uncharacteristically delicate companion on the bed. Slipping his hand from under his knees, the hand cradling Ukitake's head hesitated, his fingers slipping through the silky strands of his hair. Ukitake made a noise, like a soft mewl, his head turning towards his hand, the crease in his brow lessening when Shunsui gently cupped the side of his face.
Staring down at his cherished friend's face, Shunsui was reluctant to leave, as he always was. But Unohana placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in a reassuring but firm manner. He knew that for Ukitake to get better, he had to leave him within Unohana's capable and healing hands.
"I'll call you as soon as I can," she promised, as she always did.
So, reluctantly, Shunsui removed his hand, instantly regretting it when Ukitake made a noise, almost like a pleading mewl for him not to leave.
Gritting his teeth, Shunsui abruptly turned his back and left. He wouldn't allow himself to risk a glance over his shoulder, for he knew one more look at his suffering friend, he wouldn't be able to leave him again.
He didn't go far, however. He stepped out into the hallway and leaned, heavily, against the wall right next to the door. He then lowered his hat over his eyes, folded his arms into his Haori and waited.
For however long it would take, he would wait.
He spent the next...unknown amount of time ignoring the bustling members of Division Four going about their tasks, flittering in and out of Ukitake's room, disregarding their looks of concern. He also waved off other countless Soul Reapers who were concerned for their dear Captain of Division Thirteen, telling them that Ukitake wasn't able to see anyone at the moment. He even went as far as practically ordering Nanao-chan to take care of his office and leave him be, having no enthusiasm or want to flirt with her.
And she did not argue, the sweet girl, for she knew, probably better than anyone else, that Ukitake, that Juu-chan always, always came first. No ifs or buts, he came first, no matter what.
"He's stable now," Unohana's said, her voice easily cutting through his silent vigil. "It appears as though he had developed an acute fever. The source of which is currently unknown."
Pushing away from the wall, Shunsui turned to give his fellow captain his full attention. "But he'll be all right?"
"Yes, he's resting," Unohana replied with a small, yet relieved smile. "He will be placed on sick leave for the time being."
"Time being how long?" Shunsui pressed, knowing that a time limit was usually attested to how serious the condition.
"Until I say otherwise."
Shunsui felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth, knowing that no one was going to be able to argue with that. Not even sweet, innocent Juu-chan could, and he could talk his way out of anything.
The smile was also due to the light air of exasperation in her voice, meaning that she was going to make damn sure that Ukitake will be fit to return to work and no amount of pleading from Uki will deter her.
"His tasks for the next few weeks are to take it easy and build up his immune system again," Unohana carried on to say, folding her hands delicately in front as she usually did. "And, Captain Kyouraku, I take it you're going to make sure he does?"
"Oh, believe me, Retsu," Shunsui immediately replied, determination in his voice and posture. "I'm going to make sure he does just that."
"Hmm," Unohana hummed, clearly pleased by those words. Her smile, however, turned dangerously knowing and understanding, pinning Shunsui with a pair of equally determined eyes. "Perhaps the best place to start would be confessing your feelings?" she suggested.
Shunsui couldn't say he was at all surprised that Unohana seemed to know about his more than friendly feelings for his best friend and he gave a rather awkward one armed shrug, scratching the back of his neck with his hand. "About that, he-"
He attempted to say that Ukitake couldn't possibly share his feelings, but Unohana abruptly cut him off with her patient deadly smile, the one that would make the hardest and ruthless of criminals lose their nerve and wet themselves.
"You are going to tell him, aren't you, Captain Kyouraku?"
That wasn't so much as a question, but a demand, tinged with the promise of severe retribution if not properly carried out.
So Shunsui, being the intelligent and witty man that he was, simply nodded in acceptance. "Yes ma'am."
"Splendid," Unohana said, her smile resorting back to being motherly and warm again. "There is a chance he may wake up soon, I'm sure he'd rather have you there than me. Now, I must speak with Head-Captain Yamamoto about Captain Ukitake's condition. Excuse me."
Shunsui, however, didn't wait for her to turn and leave; he simply nodded and moved to step past her, finally entering the room where Ukitake was resting. A grimace immediately flickered over his features; he'll never get used to the sight of Ukitake, usually so bright and cheerful, lying silently and unmoving saved for the relieving rise and fall of his chest, upon a hospital bed. His white hair was carefully brushed to lay over his right shoulder, thoughtfully twisted into a braid. His hands were folded across his torso, above the pristine white sheets that were tucked securely around him.
Walking to stand by his bedside, Shunsui slowly removed his hat, placing it rather carelessly upon a stand nearby and gazed down intently at Ukitake's face. Slowly, he moved his hand, his fingers brushing lightly against Ukitake's cheek before moving to brush a few stray strands from his brow.
He hated seeing him like this...He was so vulnerable.
Suddenly, Ukitake's brow furrowed and he made a sound that was almost like a meow. Lowering his hulking frame onto a nearby chair, Shunsui reached forward and cradled one of Ukitake's hands in his, gently guiding and coaxing the white-haired man back into consciousness.
"Juushiro?"
Slowly, Ukitake's eyes fluttered open, his hand curling tightly around Shunsui's as he turned his head to the side ever so slightly in order to gaze sleepily up at him. "Shunsui...?" he croaked, sounding tired and disorientated.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Shunsui greeted warmly as his other hand moved up to lovingly soothe back his hair.
A few moments of silence passed between them as Ukitake began to gather some of his bearings. "What happened?" he asked, still looking confused.
Shunsui gave him a weary smile, anticipating his reaction to his response. "You fainted in the middle of the Captain's meeting."
And sure enough, Ukitake's reaction was immediate. His eyes widen and he abruptly sat up, his expression a mixture of guilt and embarrassment. "I did? How long was I out for? What-?"
"Easy there, Uki," Shunsui immediately chided, wrapping an arm around Ukitake's shoulders when he suddenly tilted sideways, almost falling off the bed from the dizziness brought on by his sudden movements. "You are still very dizzy so don't strain yourself. You developed an acute fever, the cause of which is still uncertain at this moment in time."
Completely surrendering to Shunsui's hold on him, Ukitake frowned slightly, the room still clearly spinning for him. "I see. So I'm on sick leave again?"
"Yare, until Retsu says otherwise," Shunsui explained with a grin when Ukitake gave a very light wince. Even in his dishevelled and somewhat bewildered state, he knew that his Senpei wasn't exactly pleased with him at the moment.
However, his grin soon dropped slightly as he moved to sit on the bed next to him, helping Ukitake to sit with his back against the head-board in order to stay upright. "You've worried a few of our fellow Captains, Uki-kun."
Two deeply apologetic brown eyes immediately turned in his direction and Shunsui knew what was going to happen next – Ukitake was going to apologize for being a burden and causing trouble and worry for everyone. He always did, he always made it sound like it was his fault.
"I'm sorry, Shun," Ukitake said in earnest, guilt clearly written across his features. "I'm awfully good at that, aren't I? I was hoping to avoid worrying everyone. I'm also sorry for upsetting you, especially on such a nice day, Shunsui."
Shunsui can't even count the number of times where he wanted to take Ukitake by the shoulders and tell him in no uncertain terms not to apologize for everything!
"There will be plenty more sunny days to come, Juu," he said in what he hoped was a carefree tone.
That earned a thankful smile from the man on the bed, but the guilt was still there. "I hope you didn't hang around here all day."
This time, Shunsui couldn't help but snort. "Of course I did."
"You didn't have too," Ukitake quickly replied, his hands moving to play subconsciously with the end of the bed sheet, his eyes turning to watch his hands in a distracting manner. "I swear I'm ok."
Shunsui bit his lips together. Whenever Ukitake swore that he was alright, it always meant that he was anything but.
As much as Shunsui loved his gentle and kind-hearted friend, there were things that Ukitake did that absolutely frustrated him to no end. Downplaying his illness or any possible injuries were the most frustrating.
It was when he hurt the most that he swears that he's ok.
"Juushiro," Shunsui said slowly, through a slightly clenched jaw. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to bother you," Ukitake immediately replied, his fingers curling tightly around the bed sheets on his lap, his eyes downcast in a guilty manner before giving a rather dry, humourless chuckle. "Besides, it's not like you're my doting lover who vowed to look after me or anything like that. Right, Shunsui?"
He had said it with such bitter acceptance that Shunsui felt something inside of him snap. Whether it was from the built up tension of needing to be more than friends or the shock of Ukitake being fine one minute and then fainting the next scared him into acting, it didn't seem to matter. Ukitake was indeed more than a friend to him, so he was going to start treating him as such.
Without a second though, he suddenly grabbed Ukitake by the arm, gently of course, and then tugged sharply, forcing Ukitake to fall against him and sprawl across his lap. The slighter man made a noise that was purely of surprise, clearly startled by the sudden change in events.
With gentle hands, Shunsui helped Ukitake into a more comfortable position in his lap, sitting up and facing him, his hands on his shoulders in order to keep himself steady. With his hair in slight disarray and a subtle flush on his cheeks, Ukitake looked upwards slightly, the minor height difference between them suddenly so significant. His eyes were cloudy from feeling disorientated and confused, he looked so vulnerably adorable.
But Shunsui wasn't going to coo about how cute he looked frazzled and baffled. Instead, he looked down at him, his gray eyes narrow and serious. "Don't joke about things like that."
His serious tone clearly startled him as Ukitake blinked his eyes cutely.
"Shunsui? What are-?" he began to question, but Shunsui made him pause when he suddenly took a hold of his chin, keeping him still, tilting his chin up and head back ever so slightly. His other arm moved to wrap around him, lying across his back to rest on his side, pulling him closer.
A moment of silence soon followed, the two life-long friends staring into each other's eyes, Shunsui's gaze serious but sincere while Ukitake's was confused, yet hopeful.
Then, Shunsui slowly leaned forward; releasing his hand on Ukitake's chin to instead caress the side of his face, coaxing Ukitake to close his eyes as he pressed his lips against his. At first, the touch was light, feathery, but it nonetheless caused Ukitake's hands to tighten with expectancy on his shoulders, his breath hitching in his throat.
Slipping his fingers into long, ivory tresses, Shunsui nudged Ukitake's lips with his own, eliciting a needy responsive gasp from the man in his arms. That was all the encouragement he needed to deepen the kiss significantly, slipping his tongue pass parted lips to thoroughly and passionately caress every inch of this delicious mouth. He had to remind himself to move slowly as the taste of Ukitake on his lips, on his tongue was almost overwhelming.
He had waited so long for this moment; he wasn't going to rush it.
How long they continued to kiss, Ukitake's arms moving to wrap around Shunsui's neck, their two bodies pressing closer and closer together, was uncertain. And, frankly, it didn't matter. What did matter was that they were –finally- expressing their deep feelings for one another.
It was almost too good to be true...
"This..." Ukitake whispered breathlessly as he pulled back from the kiss, appearing slightly dazed, his brow creasing a little from confusion as he slowly opened his eyes to stare into Shunsui's. "This isn't real. It's..."
A lopsided smile appeared on Shunsui's lips, inwardly cooing at how utterly prettiful Juu-chan really was and lifted his hand to...pinch his cheek playfully.
"Ow!" Ukitake immediately yelped, stiffening on his lap as his hand flew up to touch his cheek, his face creasing into a disapproving look. "Shunsui, what was that for?"
"Hmm," Shunsui simply hummed knowingly at him, his hand dropping from his cheek to rest on the small of his back, locking the fingers of his hands together. "So I guess that means this is real and not a dream."
Ukitake paused in his motion of rubbing his cheek and his eyes widening adorably in realization. Soon, a light flush dusted his cheeks and a shy, but oh-so beautiful smile slipped across his lips.
"I guess it does," he said as he dropped his hand to rest on Shunsui's shoulder again before leaning forward to bring their lips together once more.
"Retsu has suggested bed rest for the next few weeks," Shunsui said after pulling back from the kiss, a charming yet flirty smile curling upon his lips. "And I'm going to make sure you have a good reason to stay in bed."
The blush on Ukitake's cheek darkened considerably, immediately understanding what Shunsui was insinuating, but still he uttered a small; "Ok."
Shunsui took a moment to tease him about being so cute before pulling him in for yet another kiss, one of many, many more to come.
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