"Yoo hoo, Nanao-chan," Rangiku called again.
"Hmm?" Nanao hummed, trying to remember what her friend had been asking her. "What?"
"I asked if this one looked good," the blonde repeated giving her a quizzical look. She twirled around once more making the dress flare around her knees.
"Rangiku-san, everything looks good on you," Nanao said, smiling at her patiently.
"You're just saying that so you can leave," Rangiku pouted.
"Well we have been in this store for an hour now," Nanao pointed out. "I don't think there are even anymore dresses to try on."
The SWA had decided to host a dance, and Matsumoto was determined to find a dress in the living world. They were selling the tickets to the dance to cover the expenses and help support the SWA as a whole. It was the only reason Nanao had agreed to it, and now she was regretting the decision. Not that everyone wouldn't have just bowled over her protests and held the thing anyway. It just would have been horribly organized, and probably would have consisted of a lot of candy and the color pink. As it was, the dance was still a couple months away, and Nanao was slowly being driven insane by her best friend.
"Come on, you've only tried on one dress at that other store, and you've been out of it all day," Rangiku commented. "What is going on?"
"You know I don't get excited for dances and dresses. I also have more than enough time to find one," she said, waving her friend's concern away. "And that dress is very nice on you, although I think I still prefer the blue one you tried on earlier today."
"You aren't the least bit excited?" Rangiku coaxed, moving away from the mirror. "I still can't believe you convinced Kyouraku-dono to let us have it in the Kyouraku gardens. You'll get to spend the whole night dancing with Shunsui-kun."
Nanao snorted at that. "You mean I'll get to spend the whole night trying to manage and run the party with his mother while Shunsui harasses me into dancing with him, and then I'll have to make sure you two drunken fools make it home. Besides, you have Shunsui to thank for the location. He was the one that talked his mother into it by saying all the nobles would attend, and it'd be a good place to propose. I had nothing to do with it."
"Well, either way, I'm still excited, and I plan on finding a man to make sure I make it home," Matsumoto said grinning.
"I'm sure you will," Nanao replied, glancing at her friend's ensemble again. "You do realize when you lean over in that I can see down to your belly button?"
"Hmm," Matsumoto said thoughtfully as she bent over and glanced down her own dress. "So you can."
"How are you ladies doing?" the sales assistant asked, cheerfully popping back into the dressing room.
"Just fine, just fine," Rangiku answered happily. "Although my friend needs something skimpy to try on. She's trying to get her boyfriend to propose." The sales woman winked conspiratorially at them and scurried back out into the store.
"Why did you do that?" Nanao whined, thumping her head back against the wall behind her.
"What? You need a dress," Rangiku stated unconcerned.
"I don't think Shunsui needs any encouragement," she said rolling her eyes.
"Which begs the question of why you haven't just said yes already," Rangiku commented, glancing over her shoulder as she disappeared behind the curtain again to try on another dress.
"He asked me to marry him before he asked me out on a date practically. That doesn't scream forethought, Rangiku-san," she said lightly.
"Well if you wanted a man with foresight you certainly shouldn't be dating him, but you can't honestly believe he wants to marry you on a whim," Rangiku said.
"No, of course not," Nanao said. shaking her head. "I just don't see any reason to rush." Which wasn't entirely true now. Despite Shunsui's reassurances, she'd spent the last week wondering if she should just hurry up and give in so as to keep him safer. She was planning on marrying him at some point anyway, so perhaps his mother was right. Why wait? Except she had to worry about her own sanity whenever she had thoughts like, perhaps his mother was right.
"Well, what is going to make you say yes? Do you have like a set timeline of how long everything is supposed to go? Say, two years for dating, one year for living together, then you can get married, and two years after that you'll have twins? Seems awfully controlling don't you think?" Rangiku asked, as Nanao listened to the sound of shifting fabric.
"I don't have a timeline," Nanao defended, rolling her eyes. "I just like the way things are. It might not matter much to other people, but I've never gotten to just date and have a boyfriend. It's all new to me. I just don't want to miss anything interesting because I'm too busy rushing headlong into the next step. Beyond that I've seen Shunsui's interest wane a million times before. I know I shouldn't still be concerned, but I can't help it. I want him to have ample time to make sure he really does want only me."
"Oh, Nanao-chan," Matsumoto said, coming out in a clingy red number. "I didn't mean to make fun of you or your concerns, although him not wanting you seems like a silly one. It's just hard to see how perfect you two are together and not expect the next logical step to take place. You do it however you want, honey. Besides, it's more fun like this, because I get to tease Shun-kun for being unable to convince you."
"Glad to give you ammunition," Nanao answered sarcastically. "Jyuushiro-san seems to enjoy it as well."
"Speaking of," Rangiku said, returning to eyeing herself critically in the mirror. "I happened to be meditating out in one of the training fields the other day."
"More like you were hiding from your Taicho behind some of the rocks out there and fell asleep," Nanao corrected with a quick laugh, knowing her friend's habits well.
"Details," Rangiku said brushing her off. "Anyway I wake up, and Ukitake-san had come out to practice. Had his shirt off and everything. It was yum."
"Matsumoto," Nanao started.
"Oh, don't get all huffy, I'm just saying the man's attractive. Especially shirtless. Do you think you could goad the two of them into training together?"
"Shunsui and Jyuushiro? Why?" Nanao asked, not following. Matsumoto was not known for her interest in training.
"Obviously, because if both Ukitake and Kyouraku get half naked and we film it, the SWA could sell it for big bucks," she said like it was the most apparent point ever made in history. "Shunsui-kun's always been more than happy to help with our little projects in the past. I'm sure they'd both be game if you asked very sweetly."
"You're nuts," Nanao said shaking her head.
"And you're selfish, keeping sights like that all to yourself."
"I've only seen Ukitake-san shirtless a handful of times," Nanao defended, as she definitely couldn't make any claims about not seeing all of Shunsui often.
"Well, that's a handful more than most people," Rangiku said easily. "You should learn to share."
"Go sexually objectify some other man," Nanao said grumpily.
"Think your brother would be up for it?" the woman asked wiggling her eyebrows.
"Go sexually objectify a man I don't know!" Nanao corrected.
"But we know all the same men!" Rangiku protested.
"You know a lot more of the men in the Seireitei than I do," Nanao argued.
"Yes, but all the good ones we both know," she replied laughing.
"Well then do it in your head," Nanao commanded. "I get enough pervy comments from Shunsui."
"Miss?" came a hesitant voice behind them. The sales girl came back in holding a very slinky black dress in her hands. "This one should be your size and is sure to woo any man." The clerk held it up for her to see and Nanao sighed.
"I can't wear a backless dress," Nanao said curtly.
"Not your style? It really does look gorgeous on," the sales woman pressed.
"I have scarring," Nanao said bluntly. It was true that the scarring was not so bad anymore. In fact, over the past year and a half, the 4th had been able to fade most of it, but it was still visible if one looked closely or knew what they were looking for. Either way, Nanao did not feel confident with her back showing, no matter how many times Shunsui kissed down her spine and told her she was perfect just the way she was.
"Maybe something low cut in front," Rangiku said, trying to alleviate the sales woman's worried look. The girl nodded and hurried out of the room. "Now the poor thing is terrified she's offended you."
"I don't want to try any dresses on, Rangiku-san," Nanao said tiredly. "Can't we just go home now? You've tried on everything in the store."
"Nanao, really, why are you so moody this week?" Rangiku asked, looking at her seriously. "Is something wrong?"
"Not really, no," she said, and then sighed at her friend's disbelieving look. She'd really contemplated telling Rangiku the truth, but she'd had the feeling that Shunsui's safety lay in no one knowing the story at all. Not that she thought Rangiku would spread it around, but at the same time the less people who knew the better, and it wasn't like there was anything her friend could do about it. So she made up an excuse. "Shunsui's mother is just being overly annoying with the baby stuff. Sometimes I want to mess up the kido contraceptive just so that she'll shut up."
"Then do it," Rangiku said shrugging. "It's not like Shunsui would mind. Although if you want to make it the slightest bit plausible, I'd mess it up when Shunsui cast the spell, as no one's going to believe you made a mistake on accident."
"I don't want kids right now," Nanao groaned. "I like my job, and could you imagine if I were pregnant? I barely go out on any missions as it is with Shunsui looking over my shoulder all the time. I haven't been in a real fight in years, at least not any that haven't consisted of me firing off kido from the furthest range he could order me back to. If I were pregnant, he'd be more than happy to use absolutely every excuse to make me sit around and do nothing. Then add in his mother coming to coddle me, and I think I would rather walk stark naked straight into Hueco Mundo."
"Kinky. So you're upset that you'd be forced to lie around and sleep and eat while everyone waited on you hand and foot?" Matsumoto asked. "Well if you don't want to have his baby, I'll volunteer to be a surrogate!"
Nanao laughed and tossed one of the abandoned dresses at her friend. "I've seen the unhealthy crap you eat. I'm certainly not letting my baby have that kind of diet before it's even born."
"Oh come on, I'll eat right, I promise," Rangiku whined.
"Well, that probably is true, since you'll have Kyouraku-dono hovering over you every second of the day making sure you do absolutely everything by the book. She'll probably have you eating perfectly healthy with no sweets at all, and exercising the proper way, and listening to classical music. Also, absolutely no alcohol. Then, of course, there is the actual birthing part, which I've heard only hurts and is disgusting for a few hours. Nothing like popping a watermelon sized object out from between your legs," Nanao said thoughtfully. She watched her friend's face turn progressively whiter and laughed. "So, ok, you have yourself a deal."
"On second thought, carry your own baby," Rangiku said. "Man, now I need a drink."
"I will get a drink with you if we can leave this store right now," Nanao bargained.
"Deal," Matsumoto sang happily, slipping back into the stall to change into her own clothes. "I can totally see why you don't want to get pregnant anytime soon," she called from behind the curtain. "It sounds awful when you really think about it."
Nanao just snorted and hoped they could get out of there before the assistant came back. While she was not looking forward to all the things pregnancy was going to entail, she did want kids someday, and she did want them with Shunsui, but she supposed if he said it was fine then it was fine, they could wait.
"Ready," Rangiku said, picking up her purse and coming out.
"Perfect," Nanao agreed. "Let's get out of here before she comes back with another dress."
They managed to slip out of the store without further harassment and find a cute little restaurant not too far away from the shopping district. It was nice to have some time out with just the girls, and between stories and meals Nanao didn't realize how much she had drunk until they both stood up and tried to make their giggling way home. The shinigami at the gate looked at them both questioningly, and Nanao had tried to dismiss him as soberly as possible. It was a wonder they made it to Shunsui's house at all.
"Open the door," Rangiku called as she knocked heavily on the wood. "We've got a bathroom emergency out here, as in I drank too much and now I've got to pee, so open up."
Nanao giggled next to her and slid past her to push the door open. "He rarely ever locks it if he's home," she explained. "Because he's an idiot."
"Thank kami for that," Rangiku said, bolting past her and then stopping indecisively in the middle of the hall.
"Down that way, second door on the left," Nanao explained as she absentmindedly kicked a shoe off. If Rangiku came to visit her, it was generally in her own apartment. In fact, that was where they had been heading, but it'd suddenly been much too far away, and they'd stopped off in the first place they came to.
"Ran-chan?" came Kyouraku's startled voice, as she must have gone flying past him. He rounded the corner and spotted her supporting herself on the wall and yanking the other shoe off. "Nanao-chan, are you two alright?"
"We're fine," she said nodding. "Ran-chan had to pee."
"Are you drunk?" he asked coming closer.
"Only slightly," she defended sinking into him when he got near enough. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave a happy sigh.
"Are you only here to use the bathroom then?" he asked.
"Don't want me around?" she interrogated, grinning up at him.
"It's not that," he instantly argued. "Just you were having a girl's night with Ran-chan, so I invited some people over to keep me company through the sad lonely hours without you."
Nanao scanned the house blurrily for reiatsu signatures and picked up on Ukitake, his two third seats, Unohana, and mysteriously of all Hisagi. "So sorry to interrupt," she said sarcastically.
"I didn't say you were interrupting," he placated. "I just thought you might need an explanation for why I didn't just instantly drag you back to my room."
"You couldn't have just not wanted to take advantage of a drunk woman?" she asked.
"Drunk sex isn't too bad," he replied with a smile and an easy shrug.
"You're a pervert," she chastised, all the while pressing closer to him.
"Says the woman who is intentionally trying to torture me," he said with a laugh.
"Shunsui are you coming back?" Jyuushiro called.
"So that's it," Nanao said, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. "You've finally decided to leave me for Jyuushiro-san. Well, I hope you are both very happy together."
"And I hope you boys are interested in a threesome," Matsumoto added, laughing as she returned to the front hall and caught the end of conversation.
"We should go," Nanao said, stumbling back from him and glancing around trying to find the shoes she'd just kicked off.
"Oh, let's go to my place," Rangiku said moving towards her. "I've got some of the best sake there. Thanks for the bathroom, Shun-kun."
"Not a chance," Shunsui said, grabbing Nanao's arm and steadying her as she almost tripped over her own discarded shoe. "You aren't putting anymore sake in her tonight."
"Party pooper," Rangiku reprimanded.
"Yeah, party pooper," Nanao added and then giggled herself.
"Sorry, darling," he apologized smiling. "Ran-chan doesn't have to deal with you when you are hung over, and you are not very nice."
"One time," she defended.
"You almost slammed my hand in the door."
"Well you wouldn't get out of the bathroom so I could throw up in peace," Nanao said with a shrug.
"Come on, Shun-kun, we'll be out of your hair, and Nanao-chan can stay with me," Rangiku threw in, looking hopeful with big puppy dog eyes.
"I have plenty of good sake in the other room," he said, "And no one said you had to stop drinking."
"Oh, Nan-chan, let's stay here," the woman said, happy to not be footing the bill.
"But then how are him and Jyuushiro-san going to have alone time?" she asked confused.
"We're having alone time?" the white haired Taicho asked as he entered the front hall to figure out what was going on.
"Mmmhmm," Nanao said, trying to remember what had been so important earlier that day. "And I'm supposed to film it!" she added excitedly, as she recalled her assigned duty.
"Shun, what is she talking about?" Ukitake asked looking slightly disturbed. Matsumoto had to use the wall to support herself as she laughed.
"I have no idea," Shunsui said honestly.
"It's because Jyuushiro-san is hot without his shirt on," Nanao explained, which only caused Rangiku to have another fit of giggles. "And so are you," she said, grinning up at Shunsui and obviously pleased with herself for having remembered.
"As much as I appreciate the compliment, it'd be better if you weren't hitting on Jyuu too," he said with a chuckle, tucking her into his side and heading towards the other room.
"Selfish," she chastised lightly.
"Only with you, my sweet lovely Nanao-chan," he said, and kissed the top of her head. "Now I have guests to entertain." Ukitake and Matsumoto followed them back into the other room where everyone was sitting on his back porch and eating and drinking. They called out pleasant greetings, and Shunsui resumed his cross-legged position leaning against the house. Nanao glanced around briefly as Ukitake and Matsumoto picked seats for themselves, and wondered if the porch was suddenly more comfortable than she previously remembered. Deciding it probably wasn't, she heedlessly sank down into Kyouraku's lap. Shunsui managed to not spill the cup of sake in his hands, and adjusted to let her curl up more comfortably on his legs.
"Now we need a camera," Rangiku called happily.
"Why?" Nanao asked, lifting her head from her Taicho's shoulder and looking at him and then Ukitake. "They both still have their shirts on."
Rangiku started laughing all over again and reached for the sake.
"Why wouldn't they have their shirts on?" Kiyone called confused.
"Because they are more attractive without them," Rangiku supplied smiling audaciously. "Oh, Hisagi, you could lose your shirt too, none of us would mind."
"Hey, what about me?" Sentaro called.
"Everyone can take their shirts off," Nanao placated tiredly, closing her eyes as she leaned against Shunsui. He really was quite warm and comfortable.
"I don't want to take my shirt off," Kiyone said, looking confused.
"And nobody wants to see you take it off," Sentaro quipped, reaching for the sake.
"It isn't like anyone wants to see you naked, booger brains," Kiyone called back angrily. This of course launched another one of their ridiculous fights.
Shunsui chuckled underneath her, and she felt it reverberate around her body. "My Nanao-chan stirs up trouble when she's had too much to drink," he commented, watching the two third seats simultaneously try to strip themseleves and keep the other one clothed.
"I'm just saying," Nanao replied with a yawn. "That if a few people take their tops off, it's only fair that everyone's allowed to."
"Ukitake Taicho, who would you rather see naked?" both 3rd seats demanded suddenly in a freaky act of simultaneousness.
Ukitake looked around at the others, hoping someone would supply him with an out, but everyone else was having too much fun watching him squirm.
"Well, I," he started and then stopped, obviously at a loss for what to say.
"He can't decide that," Nanao said finally, rolling her eyes. Jyuushiro shot her a grateful look.
"Why not?" Kiyone demanded. "It should be easy. I'm much more attractive than this goober."
"Obviously he can't say if he's never seen either of you naked," Nanao said waving a hand at them. "That's like telling someone to pick their favorite soup when they've never had any."
"Fine," Sentaro said, and started tugging at his shirt. Kiyone instantly leapt on him, and they both rolled off the porch arguing that no one wanted to see the other naked all over again.
Rangiku and Shunsui didn't even try to contain their laughter. "I'm glad you both can laugh," Jyuushiro said, watching his subordinates wrestle with an exasperated look. "I'm eventually going to have to settle this fight for them, and I have no idea how."
"Perhaps you could just say that due to your sexual preferences it would not be a fair fight, and they may need to go elsewhere for a more neutral deciding vote," Unohana offered serenely. She'd been nursing her one cup of sake all evening and, as always, had her wits about her.
"But who would that put him in favor of?" Matsumoto asked wiggling her eyebrows.
"I blame you for everyone thinking I'm gay," he said, glaring over at Shunsui.
Shunsui just shrugged and Nanao grumbled at him as the movement shifted her comfortable position. "Hey, I didn't have anything to do with it," he defended.
"Yes, you did," Nanao commented, twisting around in his lap to lean against his other shoulder. "Like all those times you practiced your love poetry on him in public."
"Well, you wouldn't let me practice on you, so that was more your fault Nanao-chan," Shunsui said smiling.
"It was bad poetry," she replied shrugging. "Only Jyuushiro-san was nice enough to sit through it."
Shunsui gave her a soft teasing push that in her drunken state had her halfway out of his lap anyway. "Go use someone else as a seat if you are going to be mean."
"Fine," she said, and started crawling away from him. "I'll go sit in Jyuushiro-san's lap."
"You're more than welcome to," Jyuushiro said, shooting a triumphant grin over at his friend.
She quickly felt an arm latch around her waist as she was pulled back in a heap into her former position. "What?"
"On second thought, you're fine right here," Shunsui said, sticking his tongue out at Jyuushiro.
"As fun as this has been," Hisagi finally put in, "I need to be going."
"Going where?" Matsumoto whined. "Hot date?"
"Lots of paperwork," he clarified.
"It's the weekend," Rangiku said looking disgusted.
"A division doesn't run itself," he said. "I really just needed to hand something off to Ukitake Taicho. I didn't have any intention of taking a break."
"That's why you needed one," Jyuushiro said lightly.
"If you need a fukutaicho, you just let me know," Nanao said with a giggle.
"Hey, you already have a job," Shunsui argued.
"You just shoved me out of your lap," she pointed out. "Who'd wanna work for you?"
"Mean," Shunsui said. "Well, who'd want a cruel fukutaicho like yourself?"
"Basically anyone that needs help with the paperwork," Nanao said confidently. "So pretty much everyone."
"Well, the 8th needs the most help there, so you aren't allowed to leave," he argued.
"Fine, then stop squirming around so I can sleep," she commanded.
That got another round of laughs. "Whatever my Nanao-chan desires," he soothed, letting her settle more comfortably against him.
"You were way more fun as a fukutaicho, Hisagi Taicho," Rangiku said, happily pouring herself another drink.
"You leave him alone," Nanao chastised, raising her head again. "Someone has to do the work so people like you and Shunsui can lay about and be irresponsible. So unless you want to help him, you let him do what he needs to do and no more teasing."
"Isn't she going to be a great mother," Shunsui asked grinning. "They'll be the most productive children on earth."
"Not if they're yours," Nanao replied with a snort.
"I really should go," Hisagi repeated. "Thank you, Nanao-san, for the defense."
"Anytime," she replied, yawning and waving a dismissive hand at him. He started towards the door and Nanao tucked her head against Shunsui's neck, letting her eyes close. The conversation picked up again, as the two third seats had finally left off fighting for a few minutes, and Nanao drifted comfortably between sleeping and waking.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she woke up to Shunsui carrying her down the hall. "Where's everybody?" she asked sleepily as she registered the dizzying sensation of being half drunk and half hung over. She tiredly pulled herself up in his arms, making it easier than just carrying her dead weight around.
"They went home," he said quietly. "It's late, Nanao-chan."
She just hummed a small sound of approval, and let him put her down in his bed. "I need a shirt," she commented, really just wanting to go back to sleep, but also not wanting to get in his bed with her day clothes on. She'd left clothes here over the past months, but she always preferred his shirts to sleep in anyway so she never bothered to bring pajamas.
He chuckled and went to get her one while she quickly stripped off her pants and top. He tugged the shirt on over her head, and she instantly curled up in the bed. "Sleep well," he said, kissing her forehead. He made to move away from the bed, and she caught his sleeve.
"Where're you going?" she muttered tiredly. "Come to bed."
"I will," he said. "But first I have to get Ran-chan off the porch and into the guest room. Unless you think I should leave her passed out, outside over night?"
Nanao dropped her hold on his sleeve and simply said, "Fine, but come back fast." She must have dozed again as it seemed like only a few seconds before he was crawling into the bed next to her. Nanao let him get settled before she rolled into his side and latched an arm and a leg around him.
"It'd be so much easier if you just lived here," he commented, running a hand through her hair.
She raised her head and stared at him for a little while before saying, "Ok," and lying back down.
"Ok to what?" he asked confused.
"Ok, I'll live here," she said simply. "But you can't be mean to Boo, even if he shreds your pink haori. You shouldn't have hung it there in the first place. You know he likes to climb on things. He's just a little kitty, and he didn't know any better."
"And yet your curtains remain intact," he said with a snort. "That little monster knew exactly what he was doing."
"Well, I can't live here if he can't come," she pouted.
"In the morning when you're sober, you won't want to move in anyway," he pointed out.
"I'm sober enough," she argued. "Besides I've been thinking about it all week, and I was not drinking then."
"All week since I told you my family history?" he asked with a sigh.
"Hey," she defended, knowing what he was thinking. "I'm not marrying you, and I'm not having your kid. I just said I would move in. It's not out of pity or fear. It just makes sense, and we're wasting money having two homes."
"Nanao-chan, if you keep talking like this, I'm going to hold you to it in the morning," he said smiling.
"You can, as long as you're nice to Boo," she reiterated.
"Nanao-chan, to have you in my bed every night and living in the same home everyday, I'd be nice to my whole family," he said, "So I think I can handle one little pipsqueak cat."
"Ok, then," she said and pressed more firmly against his side. "Is Rangiku ok?"
"She'll be fine," Shunsui answered happily. "Now, go to sleep. Retsu-san left me with some hangover tonic for the morning, so maybe you won't have to beat me up."
"Big baby," she teased through a yawn.
"Love you, Nanao-chan."
"Love you too," she mumbled and then just as quickly drifted back off to sleep.
A/N: Sorry it's a little late. Busy weekend and all. Hope it was worth the extra day.
Also I didn't get the chance to respond to reviews yet, it doesn't mean I don't love and read them all, it just means I figured you all would want this chapter more than you'd want to wait for me to respond. I will definitely try to catch up later today though, so yes, please review this one too, and I will try to be better :)