Shunsui spent the afternoon reporting to the 1st and then lounging about on Jyuushiro's porch before grabbing dinner together an hour ago. He'd signaled Nanao a few times questioning whether he should come home or if she needed him, but her reiatsu always gave him a quick harassed no. At least he'd had time to nap off most of his hangover.

He reached out for her reiatsu again and found that warm static buzz that usually meant she was sleeping. It wasn't that late, but she was probably worn out from her family and whatever was left of her own hangover and that tonic. Shunsui lumbered to his feet and Jyuushiro looked up from the book he'd been reading in the soft lamp light.

"Going home?"

"Seems like Nanao-chan fell asleep so I suppose it's safe."

"You'd think you were a married man in the doghouse," Jyuushiro observed with a laugh.

"Yare, have your fun. You're just jealous you don't have a cute Nanao-chan in your shirt walking around your house." Jyuushiro got an overly dramatic dreamy look on his face and Shunsui swatted him with his hat. "Stop imagining it. Like I said I rethought the rule, it's a bad rule. Nanao-chan is only allowed to do it in my house."

"I'll definitely come visit more!"

"You're awful. Get your own woman."

Jyuushiro laughed. "Seriously though, if she needs help?"

"She won't let us, but I'll weasel my way in somehow."

"Perhaps I could get 'sick' and hire her to help with the 13th's paperwork with a hefty bonus?"

"She'd see through it in an instant and then you really would have to go to the 4th because she'd hurt us both."

"Wasn't your plan."

"I know! It's unfair isn't it? Anytime you're even slightly devious somehow I get a share of the blame!"

"So unfair! Because it's not like I've ever been implicated in your harebrained plots when I've had nothing to do with them," Jyuu said sarcastically.

Shunsui wished his old friend good night and headed home. Slipping off his shoes at the front door he took a moment to listen to the peaceful darkened house. Sounded like everyone had settled in for the night whether they were asleep or not. He moved down the hall quietly and almost ran directly into Nanao's sister as she left the kitchen.

"Apologies Kyouraku-san."

"No worries, Katsumi-chan. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the woman said softly keeping her eyes resolutely down. "Just a bit of a fright this morning."

Shunsui frowned. "Your sister would never hurt you."

"Oh, yes I know. I've just never seen someone do things like that. Well, obviously with the hollow the other day, but never so up close. She was practically on fire."

"Nanao-chan never uses kido when she visits home?" He didn't think he'd seen Nanao go two consecutive days without using kido of some sort – whether it was fighting hollows or something small like lighting a lamp or using a kido wind to shut a door when she had her hands full. It was as natural as breathing to her and just part of her day to day.

"Of course not. Mother forbids it as it would frighten off suitors and attract hollows."

How miserable must Nanao have been every time she went home? Pretending to be something she's not, constantly restraining herself from otherwise normal actions, and all the while taking a verbal lashing for her every move. It really was no wonder she had such difficulty accepting praise. "Well, she normally has excellent control. Today was a fluke and even then there's no need to be afraid." There was a very real reason to be afraid of a kido master losing her shit, but that wasn't something her family needed to know. Besides he fully planned on attending as many of her family events with her in the future as he could manage so there was nothing to worry about now that she'd have a buffer for her mother's worst comments. He only wished Nanao had let him in ages ago so he could have been helping her for years now.

"I'm sorry we've troubled you," Katsumi said glancing up at him through her lashes and then quickly looking back down. "I know my sister can be willful."

Shunsui smiled at that description. "Nanao-chan is never any trouble to me."

"You're a very odd man," she said and then slapped a hand over her mouth looking horrified that she'd let it slip out. Shunsui just laughed.

"Don't worry. I've been called worse, often times by your sister. Nanao-chan fits here. This is her world. It's different from yours, but is it really all so bad?"

Her sister shrugged and looked away. "I don't understand why you'd want to fight monsters all the time."

"Because we have the ability to and so the people we love who don't have the same gift don't have to. Nanao-chan does it so that you and your family are safe. So your child will be safe too."

"I suppose I never thought of it that way," the girl admitted quietly. Hachiro called for her down the hall making sure she was ok. "I should be getting to bed."

Shunsui wished her goodnight and decided he could use a quick drink before bed. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Nanao's father lurking in the doorway as he entered.

"Alright, Tadao-san?"

"Yes. I was just helping Katsumi find a snack. She's getting cravings."

"Ah, I see." Shunsui shifted awkwardly. He really wanted that drink, but the man hated him enough already. Then again he also couldn't just walk out of the kitchen with nothing. Screw it. Nanao admitted they weren't together. What did it matter? He pulled down the sake jug and a cup. "Drink?"

"Don't mind if I do," the man said with a shrug surprising Shunsui. All the same he grabbed another cup and poured the man a drink. "Seems fair after a day like today."

Shunsui grunted in agreement as he leaned against the counter and glanced at the burn spot on his floor. He'd have to get that fixed quickly and quietly or Nanao would insist on paying for that too.

"We can help pay for that," her father said following his eyes. "It might just take us a little bit of time to pull the money together."

Shunsui waved him off. "I was just thinking I needed to get that fixed so Nanao-chan has one less thing to worry about. It really isn't a big deal. We're used to things getting knocked over, burned down, or otherwise blown up in the Gotei 13. Comes with the territory of having so many powerful souls in close quarters. I remember one time when Nanao first became my Fukutaicho she got so pissed at me she threw this electricity kido to get me out of bed and I dodged and the whole thing went up like a match. Now that was a show."

"That sounds very unsafe."

Shunsui shrugged. "It would have been an unpleasant way to wake up, but I would have been fine. Besides I believe she expected me to dodge and thus get out of bed. I think she just underestimated her own strength and didn't expect my bedding to be so combustible. She felt awful about it for weeks afterwards. She still gets a little embarrassed to this day when I tease her about it. To be fair, I hadn't been into work in two weeks as I'd gone on a bender in the living world with a friend, and it was three in the afternoon when she did it."

"You two really aren't together?"

"No, we're really not."

"It does help explain quite a bit, but why would you even agree to this?"

"We're friends and she needed my help." He shrugged, as he didn't have a better justification than that. It suddenly sounded like silly reasoning even to him. He would have never done it if it had been Rangiku doing the asking. "What does it explain?"

"It just helps reconcile a man who appeared outwardly to be head over heels in love with my daughter with a man who constantly cheated on her with other women. I couldn't figure that one out. I was prepared to hate you over it, and then I got here and you were so attentive and loving towards her I just couldn't understand. It makes much more sense that you're an excellent actor."

"I would never cheat on Nanao-chan."

"Yes, it certainly seemed that way, which was why it was so confusing. Your reputation precedes you and doesn't recommend you as a son-in-law. But sometimes I'd see you looking at her and I'd think that man really loves her, he'd never do something to purposely hurt her. If the Gotei 13 hadn't worked out you could have been a wonderful stage actor."

"It's not that much acting," Shunsui admitted and then clarified as Tadao's eyebrow rose in question. "Nanao-chan is my good friend and I do care about her deeply. We've known each other for decades. Just because we aren't lovers doesn't change the depths of my feelings towards her. I can't stand seeing her upset or hurting. I'd do anything I could to help her if she asked."

"Right," her father said sipping his drink. "Well, it was nice of you to do this for her I suppose. Her mother can be pushy. Unfortunate it turned out this way. If I'd known anything at all about the money problems I would have warned Nanao. I knew Haruka was set on you marrying her, but I assumed that was just a status thing as always, and Nanao would stand her ground."

Shunsui snorted. "Pushy seems like a bit of an understatement for the way your wife treats Nanao-chan."

Tadao sighed and stared down in his cup. "Perhaps I give her too much leeway. But she has her own reasons. We were an arranged marriage, but you can grow to know and love the person over the years. I wanted more for my daughters, but I do love my wife." Shunsui was silent and her father continued. "Haruka doesn't say much about her childhood, but I know her father had reiatsu. Low level, never went to the academy or became a shinigami. He died before we were married so I never met him, but I heard he was a mean drunk. Haruka married below herself when she married me. Turned out she has some bad burn scars on her body so her family didn't think they could get her someone of equal status. Her mother said it was a house fire, but the little Haruka told me seemed to imply her father had some control over kido." Tadao paused and refilled his drink and Shunsui waited. It clearly wasn't easy for a man who was so private to put family business out in the open. "It wasn't always like this with Nanao. Haruka loved her hopelessly at first, but the first time Nanao accidently set something on fire when she lost control of her reiatsu Haruka was terrified. I thought at first it was just because Nanao could have been hurt, but I realized over time she was afraid of Nanao. She'd barely go near Nanao as the accidents got more frequent. I think she was relieved when we sent Nanao to the academy, and I think she felt guilty she was relieved."

"It's not Nanao's fault she has reiatsu and is good at kido."

"I know. It's not fair. I'd hoped Nanao would come home with control and they'd move past it – that Haruka would see there was nothing to be afraid of. It helped some, but Nanao never really came back to us and Haruka was more than content to focus her attentions on Katsumi. The relationship just sort of languished in this uncomfortable in-between with neither of them being able to see eye to eye."

"It's not a child's responsibility to protect her parent. If that's the way your wife feels then she needs to have this conversation with Nanao. It's not fair that Nanao takes the brunt of her mother's insecurities."

Tadao smiled sadly. "Yes, unfortunately Haruka has never admitted it even to me. It's only my own educated guesses. I don't think Haruka will ever truly talk about her own childhood or the complicated feelings that come along with it. She's not a woman who opens up easily. Something our oldest daughter inherited. Don't for a second think I believe this is Nanao's responsibility to sort out though. I'd just hoped the two women I love could one day move past their differences. With every passing year it seems less and less likely to happen. I'm well aware Nanao found a family that wasn't us. I'm glad she found someone like you who she can trust enough to share her worries."

"Nanao-chan belongs here. She'd have been miserable pretending not to be as talented as she is just to tiptoe around her mother and have a quiet life in the Rukongai."

Tadao laughed. "On that we can agree. Although I couldn't understand for the longest time her loyalty to the Taicho she so enjoyed complaining about."

"She mentioned me then?" Shunsui asked with a fond smile. He could imagine the things she'd had to say about him over the years. He was well aware he wasn't the easiest man to deal with.

"Often. To the point I accused her of having a crush on you as a joke, when she was your third seat I believe. I thought she was going to combust in rage, and she proceeded into a lengthy list of why you were awful."

"Wonderful, I can see why you weren't eager to have me courting her."

Tadao smiled softly. "I asked her why she hadn't asked for a transfer if you were so dreadful. That shut her up swiftly."

"What'd she say?" He was honestly curious what had made her put up with his least appealing qualities over the years. She could have had an easier job. He wasn't stupid, any division captain would be happy to have her.

"If I remember correctly, it ran along the lines of, 'He let's me make mistakes and never judges me for them. I'm better because he's let me fail and given me the chance to make it right the next time. And he's not afraid of me no matter how much I scream or how many times a kido experiment blows up in my face or destroys a division wall. I figure a man who knows how to accept and forgive some of my faults deserved to be forgiven some of his.' It was quite clear to me after that little speech that she wasn't leaving you anytime soon. Unconditional acceptance is a rare gift for someone to be given."

"I never really considered any of those things faults." Shunsui supposed he should have. Walking in on a woman creating a risky killing kido in your bed should raise some sort of alarm. Perhaps he'd been desensitized over the years. And he supposed other people would have found her constant litany of berating offensive or off-putting, but she only ever did it when he deserved it and he'd always known it was used to cover up deep wells of affection. Nanao-chan was all softness under the steel she presented to the world. "Besides everyone deserves the chance to make mistakes. Especially women with reiatsu forces twice their size – you have to work tirelessly for the level of control Nanao-chan wields daily. Nanao-chan is efficient and ruthless when she needs to be, but she'd never hurt someone unprovoked or unnecessarily. We both have flaws, but I think we make each other better generally speaking, complement each other."

"You're not as bad as one would think Kyouraku-san."

"Thanks, I guess." Shunsui tipped his glass to Tadao and drained the last of his sake. "If you don't mind I think I'm going to go to bed." He put the cup in the sink and started towards the bedroom only to be stopped by Tadao clearing his throat. What now? "Was there something else you needed before I turned in?"

"You don't need to stay in the room with Nanao now that we know do you? I'm sure the couch would be much more comfortable than the floor?"

So that was it. He supposed it was inappropriate to stay with a woman he wasn't in a relationship with, and if Nanao's father really wanted to believe he'd been sleeping on the floor to preserve Nanao's dignity he probably shouldn't disabuse the man of the notion. Then again he really didn't want to sleep on the couch. "Yes, of course. I still have to change though and my toothbrush is in the connecting bathroom and all." He'd just let Tadao shuffle off to bed, and what he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

"Ah, of course. Take your time. I think I'll just have one more drink out here."

Shunsui had heard that tone of disbelief before. Often from his own father when he'd brought girls home and said they'd stick to their separate rooms or from Yama-jii when he'd been caught out trying to pull off a prank or avoid work. He would bet his hat Tadao would be out here waiting to confirm that he came back out of the room.

Shunsui shuffled down the hall and opened the door silently hoping not to wake Nanao up. As soon as he opened the door though he knew he was a fool for thinking Nanao had gone to bed peacefully with everything going on. She had clearly passed out mid-budgeting. Papers were strewn across the bed and she was half propped up against a pile of pillows with a pen and paper in her lap. She was going to get a crick in her neck with her head tilted back like that and her glasses askew.

He knew he shouldn't, but the papers were all there out in the open. He glanced over the ones closest to him and gave a low whistle. It wasn't an unbearable amount of debt, but it wasn't a small number either. He looked over her estimates and plans outlining different jobs and potential salaries. She had the Seireitei Communication marked up with possible side jobs and the pamphlets the 1st handed out, desperately and often, trying to get officers to teach at the academy in their free time. Typical Nanao, making a plan that would put her in an early grave. Despite Nanao's frequent complaints, he was capable of doing a budget, he just preferred not to.

"Nanao-chan, you're going to hurt yourself sleeping like that." He shook her shoulder gently and she muttered once before blinking at him through her crooked glasses. He adjusted them on her face and she gave him a sleepy smile that made his heart ache at its softness. How could anyone think this woman would hurt someone who didn't deserve it? The smile faded as she came more awake.

"I've done it again haven't I?" She scrambled forward pulling the papers into a haphazard pile as she went. "I'm so sorry. I should have done this in the kitchen, but I thought I might actually knock my mother unconscious if I had to talk to her any longer."

"How's the budgeting going?"

Nanao gave him withering look. "You looked didn't you?"

"Me? I'm known for not invading people's personal lives." She shook her head and placed the pile on the side table. "It's a big number Nanao-chan."

"If I use my savings account it's manageable."

"Your definition of manageable and mine are clearly a little different. You'll work yourself to death."

"Despite everything, they're family," she said with a sigh, but her shoulders slumped as if under a weight. She looked small and defeated, which was not an image he generally associated with Nanao-chan.

He put his hands on her shoulders and dug his thumbs into the tensed muscles there. "Would you please let me help you?"

"It isn't your problem." She leaned back into his hands and her head fell forward as his fingers worked their way up her neck.

"It's my problem if my Fukutaicho suddenly drops dead of exhaustion." Two could play the professional game. He doubted she'd let him help just because that's what friends do.

"It won't interfere with my work."

"Of course it will, and I fully plan on continuing to be a lazy bastard, which is completely unfair. Just let me loan you the money and then we both win."

"It's too much."

He shook his head even though she couldn't see it and worked his hands down between her shoulders. "A loan isn't me paying for anything Nanao-chan. You'll still have to work it off, but not at such a breakneck speed. Besides I saw a lot of plans for yourself, but very few for the people that actually caused this mess."

"My mother and sister have never worked a day in their lives. I have no clue what Hachiro-san's skill set is outside of vague business he never fully explained and clearly wasn't good at. And I feel terrible making my dad go back to work although I suppose he'll have to."

"Yet another way I can help." He dropped his hands and she made a noise of protest, but he simply sat down next to her and pulled her around so she was facing him. "Through no fault of my own I am a very well connected man. You can't fix this by yourself. Your mother knows how to manage a house, forgiving her most recent mistakes, there are some households and companies that could use that skill. Your sister, I assume, has been trained in household management and child rearing. Even pregnant she could get a job as a nanny or even a wet nurse once the baby is born. Depending on the household her child would receive the extra benefit of being raised side by side a noble child and the education that entails. As for Hachiro-san and your father I'm sure we can find something that fits their skills or just something though blatant nepotism. Hell, your father enjoys boar racing and Jyuushiro's brother owns a stable. I'll check with him tomorrow if there would be something your father could do there. He might even enjoy it."

Nanao surprised him by slumping forward and leaning her forehead against his chest. He gathered her into his arms and she shocked him again when she hugged him back and snuggled into his hold. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not. We'll sort it out, and I swear I'll give you a loan with a low interest rate."

She snorted and smacked his chest. "I can't accept your money."

"Sure you can. It's easy and you'll pay me back. We'll get a lawyer and a contract and everything if it'll make you feel better."

"You're not allowed to put in clauses about lewd sex acts," she joked.

"Ruin my fun." He kissed the crown of her head and moved to stand, trying to ignore the images that particular statement had conjured. The memory of that kiss struck again and her warm smooth skin under his hand. It was a pity she wouldn't be willing to have a casual sexual relationship with him. He was sure it'd be pleasant for both of them. But a girl like Nanao-chan needed more than that. More than he was capable of. "Speaking of lewd sex acts, I'd better get moving."

"Huh?"

"Your father is out in the kitchen waiting for me to finish getting ready for bed and take my rightful place on the couch so that I don't defile your now known purity."

"Oh, that's ridiculous. I'll speak to him."

"Nah, I think I just got him to like me. Don't ruin it now."

"Then I'll take the couch."

"You can't."

"Why ever not?"

"He thinks I've been sleeping on the floor. If you take the couch he'll think that I've been forcing you to take the floor all this time. It wouldn't make sense to put you on the couch if you'd been in the bed all the while."

"Shunsui, I am not kicking you out of your own bed."

"That's new. You always try to kick me out of bed."

She rolled her eyes. "That's when you're supposed to be at work. Not when your housing my family and doing me a favor I'll never be able to repay. I'm not making you take the couch."

"Come on, it'll be fun." She quirked an eyebrow at him. "My sneaking past parents skills were getting rusty."

"Let me get this straight. You want to take the couch just so you can sneak back into your own room after my father goes to bed?"

"Yep." He bounced off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. "Settle in, sweetheart."

He was pleased to find her curled up in bed when he came back out, the papers forgotten on the side table and the lights off. Shunsui slipped out the door and nodded to her father as he made his way to the couch. He settled in with a blanket off the back of it and a contented little hum. Tadao finished his drink shortly thereafter and wished him goodnight. Shunsui smiled to himself as he lay there and steadied his breathing. He wasn't dumb enough to dart off now. Sure enough Tadao came shuffling back out fifteen or so minutes later muttering to himself about water or something. Shunsui feigned sleep and waited five more minutes once the man made it back to his room. Quickly enough he propped some pillows under the blanket just in case and moved back to his own bedroom.

Nanao grumbled as he crawled into bed next to her and roused her slightly from her doze. "Was it everything you thought it'd be?"

"And more. Set the alarm for early so I can get back out there before your parents wake up."

"I'm not aiding and abetting."

"Fine." He reached over her and set it himself. If she was going to bring that terrible contraption into his house he should at least be able to use it to his own devices. "Don't you feel naughty Nanao-chan? Sneaking a boy into your bed while your parents are sleeping."

"So naughty," Nanao said dryly before rolling over and curling up next to him.

He shifted so she could settle more comfortably against him, her heat radiating into his side. Her breathing evened out and deepened quickly and she was well on her way back to sleep. "Are you impressed with my sneaking skills?"

"So impressed."

"I don't think you're taking me seriously."

"So seriously," she mumbled.

"I love you," he said with a laugh. He froze the moment the words left his mouth, but Nanao didn't react. He looked down to find her sleeping peacefully against him and relaxed. Women got weird about those words. Not that he didn't love her, but getting into the specifics of what that love entailed would be troublesome when he was having problems defining it even to himself. Oh well, she clearly hadn't heard anyway. All was well with the world.

A/N: Guys, I'm so sorry for they delay! I was on vacation and took my laptop with me specifically and only to upload this chapter on time and then ended up having zero connection to the internet. Hopefully poor delusional Shunsui was enough to make up for it!