Shuuhei slammed his car door, and slumped against the window, running his fingers along his triplet scars. What was Izuru thinking? He jammed the key in the ignition of his hatchback Honda, and started it up with a sigh. Kensei was my everything. I mean, he was my step brother. Shuuhei shoved the car into reverse, the engine and gears protesting. I hate that Ichimaru didn't know that. He swerved violently onto the street, and he could see, from the corner of his eye, the reflection of Izuru's listless, devestated face in the window. His heart became heavy, and he hurt for Izuru. The kid hadn't known.

But- what Gin had said about what happened to him, Shuuhei began to wonder about it. Was it true? The way Gin's voice had caught was terrifyingly realistic. Shuuhei slammed his fist on the steering wheel during a red light. The bastard- he himself was gay. How could he accuse Shuuhei of being gay? Maybe his hurt ran deep.

Shuuhei pulled into the parking lot at Matsumoto's apartment complex. He stuffed the carton of cigarettes he'd grabbed into the pocket of his leather vest, and reached over to the glove box for a lighter. Nearly kicking the door open and closed, Shuuhei tromped up to apartment ten and pounded on the door.

Matsumoto drowsily opened the door, dressed in a light summer dress. "Shuuhei," she exclaimed. "You look pissed off." She leaned on the door frame, tossing her strawberry hair over her shoulder.

"I am," Shuuhei seethed, folding his arms.

"What happened?" Matsumoto copied his arm gesture.

"Guess who Kira brought home."

"Who?" Matsumoto tipped her head to the side.

"The bastard who fucked up my face." Shuuhei turned to lean his back on the wall. He slid into a sitting position, and pulled out a cigarette.

"No!" Matsumoto gasped. She sat in the door frame as Shuuhei lit his cigarette with a puff of smoke.

"Yeah, and the guy's acting all coy and slick for Kira. It was so obvious on his face." Shuuhei hugged his knees.

"So what's their situation? They sound close."

"Kira came out of the closet." Shuuhei rubbed his face.

"...I see. So are they like... together?"

"Yeah." Shuuhei looked down. "I honestly don't know what Kira sees in the guy."

"Who is it?"

"The guy that Kira brought home? Ichimaru Gin." Shuuhei took a pull on his cigarette.

"No way."

"What?"

"He was my best friend in grade school."

"...You're shitting me."

"No!" Matsumoto laughed lightly. "He was a real sincere guy. Then his mom died, and he grew a little further away from me almost every day. Then I moved up here to Sapporo before junior high, and I lost contact with him. It'd be fun to meet up with him again."

Shuuhei snorted. "Not to me. I hate the guy."

"That's your opinion."

"Whatever."

Matsumoto sighed. "Tell me something, Shuuhei. What went down when you guys met again?" She looked at him with huge, icy blue eyes.

"Well, Kira brought him in and introduced me to him, and um, you know how I am. I got pissed. I told Kira to get him out of the house, but Kira just looked at me with those huge, bewildered blue eyes that I swear can melt your insides, and Ichimaru got that creepy smile of his. Kira told me to explain what happened, so I did. And when I got to the part where Ichimaru scratches my face up, Ichimaru pulls up his sleeve to show off a scar from a scratch I'd put on him while we were fighting. And of course Kira goes all googly-eyed. So I tell Ichimaru to leave, but Kira has a problem with that. Then Ichimaru goes into this weird little fit or rant thing, and tells how he's changed, and how he's been through shit lately, because apparently his dad commited suicide jumping out the ninth floor window of a hospital while suffering from heart cancer." Shuuhei stubbed out his cigarette. "And that's where I left."

"His dad died too? How depressing." Matsumoto put her cheek on her knee.

"To be honest, I think he was feeding me and Kira a lie." But his sob sounded so real.

"I dunno, Shuuhei. Maybe you ought to give the guy a chance."

"I don't know if I want to." Matsumoto slapped his arm. "Ow! Fine, fine, I won't be mean to him or Kira."

"That's a start." Matsumoto stood up. "You want something to drink? Sake? Beer?"

"Beer." Shuuhei stretched his legs out. "Please."

Izuru blushed as Gin crept up and placed a kiss on his lips as he turned away from the window. He reached his fingers out to touch Gin's shirtfront, fingers twisting fabric into them, pulling Gin closer. Gin's lips contorted into a wide sneer. They stumbled across the living room in a tangle of legs, Izuru going forward, Gin backwards as they attempted not to break the kiss. Dropping onto the couch, their teeth clacked. Izuru pulled away and rubbed his lips. "Ow,"

Gin scrunched up his nose. "You're cute, ya know that?"

"Weren't you about to cry a moment ago?" Izuru pointed out, cuddling into Gin's chest.

"Was," Gin huffed. "Then I decided I didn't wanna cry in front a everyone. 'Sides, you already seen me cry enough."

"I guess that's true." Izuru smelled Gin's shoulder, and took a long pause. "Gin, I want you to tell me something. It's been bugging me for a while, now."

"What is it?"

"Were you ever with Aizen-san? Like how we are?"

Gin let out a very long sigh, and Izuru closed his eyes. "Yes."

Izuru's eyes flew open.

"We were together. We became jus' friends again when you 'n me got together." Gin pulled his fingers through Izuru's hair. So it was recent, Izuru thought. "But we go back, ya know? We've been friends since I was in junior high. He was even in the fight Shuuhei and I had. Shuuhei made the fight sound like jus' a little spat, but it was actually pretty big. Kensei 'imself was actually fighting, too. I was friends with Kaname back then as well, but he didn't fight none 'cause he can't see. But my friends Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Nnoitora helped out with the fight, and some people on Shuuhei's side, I think their names were Shinji an' Hiyori an' Mashiro or somethin' came and fought with them. I was the only one who got expelled, though, 'cause I did the most damage." Izuru closed his eyes again. "And when me and dad moved up here to Sapporo, Sousuke and Kaname moved, too. But Sousuke, he had a reason, ya know? Since he's four years older than me, he was going to college by then."

"Oh."

"I hope ya don't mind too much."

"Not teribbly." I'm not sure I like Aizen-san very much anymore.

Shuuhei flopped onto Matsumoto's couch, and Matsumoto stretched out on the floor. "You not quite so pissed anymore, Shuuhei?" She asked, yawning and looking at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah." He buried his face in a pink throw pillow.

"That's good." She flexed her toes. "I have a friend coming over soon, but I don't know if he'll actually come. He's kind of a grumpy pants."

"He can just ignore me." Shuuhei mumbled into the pillow. "I am now a throw pillow."

Matsumoto giggled. "Would you like another beer, Mr. Throw Pillow?"

"...Maybe."

Matsumoto padded into the kitchen on bare feet to get one. Shuuhei sighed, and there was a knock on the door. "I think your friend is here," Shuuhei called.

"Come in!" Matsumoto shouted.

The door creaked open, and from what Shuuhei could see with his face in a pillow, the guy was incredibly short with striking turquoise eyes, spikey silvery-white hair and a permanent scowl. He was actually rather scary-looking. "Matsumoto, who is this on your couch?"

"It's my new throw pillow. You can ignore it, though... it's kind of having a bad day." Matsumoto came out of the kitchen and handed Shuuhei his beer.

"Thanks," Shuuhei grumbled.

"I see." The kid said. "Is the throw pillow going to move so I can sit on the couch?"

Shuuhei stared at him with one dark eye. The shrimp was aggravating him.

"Probably not," Matsumoto shrugged. "Let's play video games, 'Shirou."

Shirou? Shuuhei thought, wishing he had a straw for his beer. How fitting.