Author's Note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.


Please Take Your Time

Jyuushiro wasn't entirely sure how he ended up with a crying Retsu in his arms. He had heard her come in and came out of the kitchen to greet her. The next thing he knew Retsu had burst into tears. Not knowing what else to do, Jyuu had pulled her into his arms and held her. He had no idea what had caused her tears. Retsu wasn't exactly coherent. He managed to get her into the living room and sat the two of them down on the couch.

After some time, Retsu's sobs lessened in intensity. It wasn't too long after that when she sniffled a little and pulled away from him. Jyuu handed her his handkerchief. Retsu blew her nose and mopped at her eyes a little.

He smiled at her, "Feeling better?"

She just shrugged a little, and Jyuushiro could help himself; he engulfed her in a hug. Retsu let out a little sigh and hugged him back. He wasn't quite sure what was up. This wasn't the kind of reaction she had for a typical bad day at work. That he knew how to handle. Tears he wasn't so sure about. They weren't something that Retsu shared with him for the most part. The last time he had seen her even near tears had been back when he was hospitalized after a particularly horrendous day. Jyuushiro himself had just relapsed and was not doing well, and Retsu had lost not one but two patients, both of them children. He didn't think she had even known that he was awake. But she had ducked into his hospital room and nearly collapsed into the chair.

Jyuu hadn't been able to do anything for her then, but he could now. So he hugged her and held her close. She'd been the one who had supported him and given him strength so many times when he'd been sick, it was the least he could do for her to return the favor.