Prompt: 030. Belong
"You're crazy."
"Do you think so?" Kyouraku sent a mischievous smile aimed at his friend. "I'm not the only one that thinks so."
"That just means you aren't the only one who's lost it completely," Shinji informed him, bluntly. "There ain't no way that freak an' I are close."
"I didn't say you were close," the older captain objected, "I only said that you belong together."
"It's the same thing!" Shinji scowled. "Why are ya so insistent 'bout it, anyway? Ain't Lisa the one that pries int' everyone's life?"
"I'm not prying," Kyouraku said in defense, "but you have to agree, just a little bit. Even if you don't say it."
And as Shinji let the conversation drop, he mused over the prospect of him and Aizen belonging together in any fashion. He thought of how, when it had come down to it, they always ended up being there for each other, though Shinji always complained and Aizen always criticized. Mostly, they would both claim it was just coincidence when it never really was. For whatever reason, they wanted to keep each other out of harm's way; keep each other close. To an outsider, it may have seemed as if such actions were born from feelings of caring and devotion, but the pair involved knew for sure it was something darker.
They wanted to save each other so they could personally tear the other man down their self. Maybe they did belong together, after all.
Prompt: 032. Choke
The day had gone by incredibly smoothly and Shinji was wholly satisfied with himself by the time the sun began sinking down in the sky. The main attributing factor to his complacent mood was that he had had very little interaction with Aizen that particular day.
Of course, all good things had to end at some point.
Shinji didn't let the other man's presence alone disrupt his good time and he stared casually over the rim of his cup. "Whadda ya want?" he asked, impatiently, sipping at the hot liquid.
"Captain Hirako, everything has been done for the day," Aizen reported, "and I was wondering if I may be excused a bit early."
An eyebrow shot up at the request and a slow grin spread across Shinji's lips. "Oh? What's up, Sousuke? Ya finally got yourself a date or somethin'?" He really, really didn't care, but he could tease the guy about it.
"Perhaps," Aizen said vaguely, "but I have yet to ask the individual if they're available."
"Well, who is it?" Shinji wondered, doing his best to act like he was genuinely interested. He hoped it was someone really uncool.
"You, captain."
The next sip of coffee caught in Shinji's throat and the older Shinigami choked on it, sitting up quickly and slamming the palm of his hand against the wooden surface of his desk. "Wh-what?"
Aizen retained his composure, his ghost of a smile gaining just a bit of amusement to it. "I would like to go out with you tonight, if you're available."
Shinji's face lost all its humor in it and he stared, straight-faced, at his subordinate. "Sousuke, really. You're terrible at jokin' around. Save it for the professionals."
"I'm completely serious."
"No, ya ain't!" It simply wasn't an option and Shinji extended a slim finger toward his office door. "Go home an' lay down. Ya musta hit your head or somethin'."
Aizen's expression never waivered, though a hint of disappointment flashed through his eyes. "Are you rejecting me, then, Captain Hirako?"
"Of course I'm rejectin' ya, idiot!" Shinji shouted, flustered above all else. "Get your head on straight! I ain't int' guys, an' even if I was!" Even if he was, he would most certainly never be into Aizen.
"I understand," Aizen said evenly, giving a slight bow of his head and not a single look of offense or pain at the decision. "Pardon the misunderstanding. Have a good evening, captain."
As he was left alone in his office, Shinji let his head thump against the table. So much for a good day.
Prompt: 033. Reach
To his credit, Aizen acted the following day as if nothing had ever happened. Shinji was suspicious at first, but then chalked it all up to either a failed prank or, if the other had been serious, trapping whatever odd feelings he had somewhere deep down where they wouldn't interfere with his duties as a lieutenant. Seeing as how Shinji was half-convinced Aizen was some sort of futuristic robot and couldn't feel to begin with, he assumed the former reason.
Either way, he was grateful for the lack of sentiment on his subordinate's behalf considering the task that had been sent out earlier that morning. Each squad was being forced into phase three of Yamamoto's plan and were all assigned simple tasks that didn't require much effort, but involved plenty of teamwork to complete. The Fifth Division had been charged with the task of cleaning out some warehouse that stored training equipment.
"Ya'd think this'd be more up Zaraki's ally," Shinji muttered, crossing his arms and surveying the place.
"Perhaps Captain Commander Yamamoto thought the task too delicate for them," Aizen suggested. Teamwork seemed a bit out of reach of the Eleventh's grasp.
"Whatever," the blonde grumbled and trudged into the warehouse, "does anyone even use this stuff, anymore? Can't we just throw it all out?"
"The other captains still use these things in training for their squads."
Shinji sent his lieutenant an annoyed look. "How do ya even know these things?" Obviously, Aizen wasn't being kept busy enough. "Never mind, let's just get it over with." He took a look around before extending an arm and pointing to a high shelf filled with wooden swords. "We'll start from the top. Pull those down."
Aizen sent a glance to the shelf, which sat at least ten meters above their heads. Another survey of the room revealed that, evidently, there was no ladder for available use. "I don't believe I can reach them, sir."
"That ain't my problem," Shinji told him, already at another wall of the room, sorting through uniforms. "Do these even belong in here?" he wondered to himself, looking up again when a loud crash sounded from where he had left his lieutenant. "Hey, Sousuke! We're s'pposed t' be cleanin' the mess, not makin' it!"
When he received only a tired look, Shinji sighed, hauled himself back to his feet and crossed the room, thrusting a hand out toward the other man. "Guess we really are gonna have t' do this together, if I don't want ya destroyin' the place."
Prompt: 034. Difficult
"So, how is it? Working for someone so difficult to please?"
Aizen glanced up, startled from his thoughts, and immediately moved to stand as he saw a dark-skinned captain leaning over him. "Captain Aikawa," he greeted with a bow.
Love immediately waved a hand at the other. "It's the weekend, Sousuke. Relax."
Aizen's smile faltered only slightly at the other's nonchalance, reminding him far too much of his own captain. "A day off from work is no excuse for a day off from manners, sir."
Love studied the younger man before him for a long moment before letting out a sigh and taking a seat on the ground, motioning for Aizen to join him. Once they were both settled down, he sent another glance to his side. "So, that's how you deal with Shinji? Over-politeness?"
Despite himself, Aizen's smile returned full-force, though he reigned in the amused chuckle he felt in his chest. "I don't know what you mean. Captain Hirako is easy to deal with."
"No one believes that for a minute," Love told him. "Shinji's a terror."
"Everyone has peculiarities," Aizen assured him. "Captain Hirako is simply fickle. There are worse things to be."
"I guess so," Love conceded, letting out a light sigh, "but I think I'd go crazy if he gave me as much crap as he gives you."
After a moment of thought, Aizen finally let out a low chuckle. "I'm sure he thinks I'm just as difficult."
Prompt: 035. Heat
"Sir, if I may ask," Aizen began, a light frown touching his lips, "what is it that you're doing, exactly?"
Shinji glanced up from folding the white fabric of his shitagi and placing it in a pile on top of his kosode. "Whadda ya mean?"
"It's the middle of the day," Aizen pointed out. "What if we have a visitor?" He thought to object for his own presence alone, but he doubted Shinji would refrain from anything just because it made Aizen a little uncomfortable; he'd probably be more inclined to do it for that particular reason.
"Like ya said, it's the middle of the day," the half-clothed captain repeated, leaning back in his seat, "an' this heat is killin' me! It's way worse than it was last summer."
"Do you intend to do this every day?" Aizen wondered, keeping his eyes trained nowhere but his captain's face.
"If I feel like it."
A few moments of silence passed and Aizen returned to his work. Though he had made every effort not to stare at the other's body too much, it had been difficult. He had expected Shinji's skin to be clean and flawless. It came as a sickening surprise to the brunette to see his captain's body marred with scars.
In my opinion, no captain should be without a few scars. It doesn't seem realistic, at the very least.
