AN: Sorry it took so long to update; school's been crazy lately.
Nanao took brisk, even steps on her way to the office. It was early morning, and the autumn air from the open hallway windows was crisp and refreshing. It was the only time of day that the Squad Eight headquarters were ever quiet, and Nanao planned to bask in the peacefulness until her captain intruded on the office sometime after noon.
The office was quiet when she arrived, but not peaceful, and not devoid of Captain Kyouraku. His pink haori looked like it had been thrown on in a violent rush instead of the lazy manner it was usually draped. The disturbed appearance of his clothes matched the look on his face, brows furrowed with worry as he spoke in low tones to Captain Unohana.
"Captain?" Nanao inquired fretfully. If Shunsui looked serious and Unohana was involved, something was probably terribly wrong.
Both Shunsui and Unohana turned to her, but Unohana spoke first. "Ise-san, I was just asking Captain Kyouraku if you two wouldn't mind looking in on Captain Ukitake from time to time today. He has fallen ill again, but unfortunately I have a field training session that I have already postponed once and cannot neglect. I wouldn't burden another squad with my duties, but the training session is for all of my seated officers, and I would like to know that Captain Ukitake is under the watch of someone as proficient in the use of healing kidou as yourself."
Nanao nodded as she processed the information. "Of course, Captain Unohana. I'm sure our Fourth Seat can attend to the duty rosters for the day, so it's no burden at all. Especially for Captain Ukitake."
Unohana expressed her thanks and left the office. Shunsui looked balefully down at Nanao, who found herself standing by his side.
"I'll just leave a note for Fourth Seat Irogami and we'll go," she told him, knowing he would want to leave as soon as possible. Scribbling a note in her ordered but graceful hand, she traded it for a moderate stack of papers from her desk and followed Shunsui out.
Unohana toyed uneasily with the end of her braid.
"Don't worry, Unohana-senpai," Ukitake said reassuringly. He adjusted his own hair in the small mirror in the infirmary room, trying to make it look a bit disheveled.
"But I felt so bad, Ukitake-sama," the healer fretted. "They both looked sick with worry. I don't think this was a good idea after all."
Ukitake rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Of course it's a good idea. They always worry at first, but then they come and see that I'm not dead yet, and Shun-kun tries to cheer me up, and then they're just fine. It'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. Now come help me get set up before they get here."
Shunsui swept into the room immediately after a brief knock that was solely for courtesy. Nanao was a few steps behind him. Unohana looked up at them from where she was resting the back of her hand against Ukitake's forehead.
"Thank you for coming," she said. "I've given him some medication that should last the day, so you can simply use healing kidou if he has another episode while I'm away."
Shunsui nodded, arms folded over his chest. After a moment, he responded. "And you've checked him for a fever."
Unohana looked down at Juushirou's forehead where her hand still rested, drawing it away quickly as if burned. "Of course," she replied hurriedly. "Nothing to worry about there. I'd best be going now."
Shunsui thought he saw the slightest blush on her face as she walked out of the room, but waited until she was gone to grin at his friend.
"Ah, Juu-chan, seems little Retsu couldn't keep her hands off you. You know, I suspect you fake half of your attacks just to get her to examine you."
Juushirou blanched, fearing they had caught on to the scheme, but his sudden pallor seemed to convince Shunsui that this bout of illness was for real.
Nanao pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation as Shunsui fetched a glass of water for Ukitake. Clearing a space on a table in the corner, she set her papers down and pulled a sprig of herbs from her pocket. Expanding a small orb of kidou around it, it wafted a minty scent around the room. Setting it on the windowsill, she leaned over Juushirou.
"Are you feeling okay now, Captain Ukitake?"
"Much better than this morning, thanks," he wheezed. He hoped he sounded well enough to put her at ease, but sick enough to keep up his cover. "I think I might try to sleep for a while, it that's alright."
"Okay then, Captain Kyouraku and I will be here in case you need anything."
Nanao sat down and started on her paperwork as Shunsui paced, watching over Ukitake until he fell asleep.
Ukitake, however, was having a hard time of it. He had been up very early setting his plan in action, and he had planned on taking an actual nap and leaving Shunsui and Nanao to each other's company for a few hours. However, the menthol aroma floating around his room was rather strong, and even though he managed to refrain from sneezing, he couldn't seem to fall asleep with the smell invading his nostrils.
He knew that Nanao often brought the herb with her when visiting him in the infirmary, using a kidou spell she had invented herself to infuse the room with it. Normally, it was cool and soothing to his nose and throat, but then again, he supposed with his respiratory system compromised, he never smelled it at full strength. When he was healthy, it was a little overwhelming, and he lay with his eyes closed, working hard to pretend he was sleeping, and wondering how Shunsui and Nanao could stand the smell.
After a while, Shunsui seemed convinced by Ukitake's acting, and wandered over to Nanao, looking over her shoulder for a moment. "Nanao-chan?"
"Yes, captain?"
"I don't know if you've noticed," he said in a stage whisper Ukitake could hear clearly, "but Retsu-chan forgot to leave Juu-chan one of those little paper fishes today."
Ukitake tried not to gasp in horror. He thought they had gotten the scene set just right, but they'd obviously forgotten a key detail.
"I had noticed." Nanao returned, not looking up, "When I set the infusion orb on the sill, I noticed it wasn't there as usual. But Captain Unohana was in quite a hurry this morning, so maybe she just didn't have time."
"Perhaps." Shunsui seemed unconvinced. "Do you really think she just didn't have time? You don't think her affections for our dear Juu-chan have waned at all? She didn't even stay with him when he was sick, even though she did last time."
Ukitake could feel a violent flush rising on his cheeks, and hoped Shunsui had his back to him at the moment. Since when was an origami fish for an ailing man a romantic gesture? Shunsui certainly had an imagination.
"But sir," Nanao remarked, "you noticed as we were coming in that she left her hand resting on his forehead? The fact that she was called away abruptly explains why she couldn't stay and why she didn't leave a fish, but you can hardly explain that occurrence away."
"That explains it! My Nanao-chan is so clever!" Shunsui crowed happily. Nanao shushed him, and Ukitake could imagine the reproachful look on her face. He could also imagine the embarrassed look on his own face as he recalled the feel of Unohana's warm hand as it rested against his face, just brushing his hairline.
At Nanao's reprimand, Shunsui spun around to check that Ukitake was still sleeping. "Um, Nanao-chan? Juu-chan looks a little red."
Nanao stood to look over Shunsui's shoulder from where he was sitting on the end of the hospital bed.
"You're right, he looks a little feverish."
She walked over and checked his temperature, and Ukitake couldn't suppress a quiet moan as she thwarted his attempts to push the thought of Unohana's soft hand on his face from his mind.
"He's burning up," Nanao reported. She sounded worried, and Ukitake could feel the air shift as Shunsui came to stand over him. "I think a cooling spell focused on his chest would help, and you're probably the best at the wind-based spells, captain."
Ukitake cringed inwardly. The autumn weather made the room cool enough as it was.
"Sure thing, Nanao-chan," Shunsui said, lifting his hands in a reddish haze. Ukitake felt like a chill wind was blowing right through his chest, and he shivered involuntarily. "It seems like his fever's pretty bad, but I don't think much more of this is a good idea," Shunsui mused. He tucked the blanket closer around Juushirou, and the supposedly-ill man had all he could take to hold back a chuckle as Shunsui's arm-hair tickled his chin.
"I think you're right, captain Kyouraku," Nanao agreed. "Let's just keep a close eye on him for a while."
At this point, Ukitake was itchy, cold, embarrassed, tired, overwhelmed by odd smells, and under close scrutiny. He wanted to call it quits and just admit what he was up to, but he knew he couldn't. It would make it that much harder to get Shunsui and Nanao together; knowing their friends were scheming to set them up would put them on their guard. And anyway, Unohana had been uncomfortable with lying to them both, and had gone through with it anyway. Juushirou had to be strong, at the very least to honor Retsu's sacrifice.
So he lay still, growing more and more uncomfortable each time Nanao reached over to feel his temperature, which was about every fifteen minutes.
He finally got the satisfaction of at least knowing his plan was starting to work. He felt the familiar shift in weight on the edge of the bed where Nanao and Shunsui were both sitting, the shift that signaled a fifteen-minute span of time. Nanao reached to rest the back of her hand gently on his forehead, but there was another shift, and Juushirou felt rough fingers close over Nanao's smaller hand.
"Let him be now, Nanao," Shunsui murmured, pulling her hand away. Juushirou couldn't see what was happening, but he could tell by the change in tone that Shunsui was trying to be serious and reassuring. He hoped Nanao appreciated the alteration, because Juushirou knew that such a thing was almost only ever for her own benefit. "He looks better now. Give him a few moments, and if he still looks okay, you can go back to your paper work."
"If you think he looks better, captain, I should get back to it now..."
There was a shift, but Nanao's weight never left the bed.
"Yare, Nanao-chan. If you move around just now you'll wake Juu-chan. Give it a few moments," Shunsui repeated.
Nanao huffed, and Ukitake hoped they were both sufficiently distracted that he could crack an eye open. He had to see what was going on. He was richly rewarded by the sight of Shunsui with an arm around Nanao's back, still holding her hand which she now rested at her side. She was cuddled awkwardly against the larger man, having been seated a good few inches from him and now afraid to move out of the embrace lest she wake the "sick" man they were supposed to be watching over.
A few minutes passed, and Juushirou felt the bed sway a bit. He let out a sleepy sigh and shifted slightly. The movement stopped.
"Not yet, Nanao-chan," Shunsui whispered, his tone almost flirtacious this time. "Be patient."
Juushirou had them right where he wanted them. They were going to pay for this miserable morning he had been through. Well, Nanao was going to pay, since Shunsui was obviously enjoying cuddling her close. But Shunsui would hopefully get a taste for the simple nearness of his shy lieutenant that couldn't be satisfied with his usual flirtations and advances. Juushirou hoped he would come to realize how much he actually enjoyed the woman's company.
Nanao made to stand up again a few minutes later, and Juushirou rolled over, incidentally leaving more room at the edge of the bed. As he expected, Shunsui took full advantage, drawing Nanao's head into his lap.
"Patience, my lovely Nanao-chan. Why don't you take a bit of a rest too, and then you'll be refreshed when you get to that paperwork later."
Nanao started to protest, but Shunsui shushed her. Juushirou peeked over his shoulder and caught Shunsui stroking Nanao's hair, tucking her bangs behind her ear. She gave a deflated sigh, relaxing against Shunsui once she realized she was trapped. Not, she told herself, because it was incredibly soothing to be held and caressed by him in one of his rare but genuine caring moods.
Juushirou knew Nanao had fallen asleep in Shunsui's lap when the overwhelming minty smell subsided, her reiatsu dropping as she drifted off. Now that he wasn't being asphyxiated, watched, talked about behind his back, or checked for a fever, he decided to finally do the same. The afternoon sun climbed over the windowsill, removing the chill Kyouraku's kidou spell had given him, and he was soon sleeping peacefully.
Unohana dropped her sword off in her office, but decided to wait to bathe until after she had checked in on Ukitake and company. If Shunsui and Nanao were still there, they were likely at each others' throats by now, and if not, she could have Ukitake fill her in on how the scheme had gone. Tucking a stray hair back into her braid, she knocked lightly before opening the door to Ukitake's room.
She was shocked. Of course, their plan all along had been to get Shunsui and Nanao to be a little more comfortable with one another, but she had never expected this degree of success.
Shunsui was asleep, reclined against the rail at the foot of the hospital bed. It must have been terribly uncomfortable, but Shunsui had always had a knack for being able to sleep in the strangest places. It probably helped that his lieutenant was curled up next to him, head resting in his lap with his arm draped around her waist. Juushirou was sleeping soundly with his head at the other side of the bed, and his feet curled in the end of Shunsui's pink haori which had billowed out behind him.
Unohana couldn't help but smile at the charming little scene. Besides the image Shunsui and Nanao presented as they cuddled, she thought Ukitake looked absolutely adorable with his feet tucked into his friend's haori and his white hair splayed over his pillow. She hesitated, not wanting to ruin the moment, but decided that the additional reiatsu in the room was likely to be noticed by one of the sleepers before long. Walking over, she leaned down and rested a hand gently on Juushirou's shoulder.
"Captain Ukitake," she whispered into his ear. He sighed quietly, and Unohana fought back a blush at the sight of his long eyelashes fluttering open to reveal sleepy brown eyes.
"Unohana-senpai," he murmured drowsily.
She shushed him, pressing a finger to her lips and nodding towards the end of the bed. Ukitake grinned at her, and she inexplicably found herself feeling as if she had swallowed a hell butterfly.
"It seems our plan worked after all," he remarked. "But it won't last if Nanao wakes up and realizes we've all seen her asleep in Shunsui's lap. Why don't you go on, let me wake him up so he can pretend I'm sleeping and wake Nanao, and then I'll meet you in your office to recap this miserable day."
"Miserable?" Unohana asked, confused. "It looks our plan was a success."
"Our plan was a success," he retorted, "but it did not go as planned."
I'm open to suggestions for how Shunsui and Nanao can get back at Ukitake and Unohana for their devious schemes.
