Hearts for the Heartless
The human desire to turn anything and everything into a holiday never ceased to both amaze and annoy Halibel; the dumpster out back was overflowing with unwanted flowers brought by lonely, would-be suitors, the trashcan behind the bar itself was filled with equally unwanted cards, and there was an unopened stack of small, heart-shaped candy boxes sitting on the countertop.
Kishi had opened one of the boxes earlier and she and Sachi were slowly whittling away at all the chocolate candies, but Halibel wanted no part of any of it.
Well, no part of it aside from the extraordinarily generous tips the patrons were giving her today.
Why humans felt they absolutely needed a designated holiday to show affection towards the opposite sex baffled her, but Tia was more than happy to take all the money offered to her by pathetic, amorous men hoping to win her nonexistent heart.
Kishiko and Sachi had made out okay so far, each receiving larger-than-usual tips from men who didn't want to be alone…but they all knew that by far, the bulk of the attention today had been directed at Tia. Kishi didn't seem to mind; being set to marry her fiancé in the summer, how could she be jealous? Sachi, on the other hand…Tia sensed some bitterness there, but the girl was doing a fairly admirable job of feigning indifference.
"You sure you don't want any of this candy?" asked Kishi as she plucked another piece from the box on the counter and popped it in her mouth. "I mean, it is all yours, anyway."
"Not a big fan of candy, especially from strangers; help yourself," replied Tia, handing a mug of beer to another male patron who gave her a broad smile and winked at her. She gave a forced smile, and then released a sigh as soon as the man was out of earshot.
"Waiting to see what Tyn gets you, aren't you?" teased Kishi. "Throwing away all the stuff from other guys and only keeping the flowers he'll get you."
"Ha!" Halibel snorted, "He won't get me anything; he knows I think this entire holiday is beyond stupid and I'd bet money that he despises it even more than I do."
"You mean he won't get you anything because he's a selfish pig," sneered Sachi. "Stop trying to excuse everything he does wrong; it's pathetic, Tia. It's disgusting that you're so hung-up on that jerk when there are so many other decent guys around here that would kill for you."
"Stop badmouthing a situation you don't understand," Tia growled, refilling a mug for a waiting customer as she did so. "You've been letting that one fight color your opinion for months now and it's starting to get irritating."
"Besides…" she added after a moment's hesitation. "He's more than willing to kill for me. Worse, if I don't keep him under control."
"Stop defending him!" snapped Sachi, "He's an abusive—"
"Sachi, I think you have a customer…" observed Kishi, mercifully intervening before Halibel lost her patience and decided to try knocking some sense into the other waitress.
"Thank you," sighed Tia to her friend as she rang up another customer who, like so many others, handed her an envelope with his cash. She smiled and thanked the man, wishing him a happy Valentines as he left before proceeding to open up the envelope and retrieve her tip, discarding the unread card into the garbage.
"So if he's not getting you anything, I'll bet you two are going out to a nice, romantic dinner, aren't you?" pressed Kishi eagerly, leaning across the bar and grinning at the blonde. "Admit it."
"In his own words, 'I don't do romance,'" said Tia, wishing her friends would simply let the subject die.
"I don't believe it," sniffed Kishi. "I remember New Years; you can't tell me he doesn't care enough—"
"He doesn't, Kishi; the man doesn't have a heart."
"If he were really that bad, you wouldn't still be living with him."
"You are such a hopeless romantic…" said Halibel, shaking her head. "It's really frustrating at times."
"And you're a hopeless cynic," shot back Kishi with a grin. "Look, let's make a bet, then; if he does show up with flowers or something or takes you out to dinner tonight, then you get to buy me lunch tomorrow. If he doesn't, I buy yours and Sachi's."
Tia arched a questioning eyebrow at her friend's foolishness before a smug grin slowly spread itself across her face.
"Deal."
"What the hell is that supposed to be?"
Ulquiorra sighed at Grimmjow's question, watching as the sexta examined the strangely-shaped meat patty carefully. For a brief instant, he considered giving the other man the obvious and somewhat sarcastic answer, just to see his reaction.
"According to the box in the freezer, they are 'Heart-Shaped Holiday Patties,'" Ulquiorra informed him, deciding that he didn't really want to deal with Grimmjow going berserk today if it could possibly be avoided.
"I hate these godforsaken holiday promotions," growled Tyn bitterly, plucking out a wad of earwax on his pinky and smearing it onto one of the frozen patties before dropping it on the grill. "Who the hell comes up with this crap?"
"Heart-shaped?" Grimmjow mumbled, turning over one of the strange patties with a look of disgust etched on his face.
"Is there anything humans don't have a holiday or celebration for?" asked Starrk. "It feels like every time we turn around, there's another one."
"And each new one seems to be more irritating than the last!" agreed Tyn.
"I believe the countless celebrations are a way to make the most of their short lives…" observed Ulquiorra. "They do not know what awaits them upon their death, be it nothing at all or an afterlife of some kind, and so they go out of their way to enjoy the time they know they have."
"I wonder if we were like that…" mused the primera. "I don't remember much aside from some broken dreams, and I'm not even sure if they're real or not."
"Most likely, yes, we were. Since we were once human as well, we would have fallen prey to the same mindset—"
"Heart-shaped my ass!" snapped Grimmjow abruptly. "Who the fuck came up with this crap? Hearts don't look like this shit! They're more like…like…"
The sexta fumbled for words for a moment before grabbing a handful of thawed patties and smashing them together, kneading the beef and molding them into disturbingly-detailed life-sized sculpture that he presented to the other Espada as evidence of his claims.
"That's what a heart looks like!" he declared. "See the shape? They're nothing alike!"
"Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra began slowly, "how is it that you seem to know exactly what a human heart looks like?"
"What? I can't be the only one here that's ever ripped one out!" snapped Grimmjow.
"I would never do anything so uncivilized."
"Personally, I've never torn out someone's heart…too much trouble if you ask me," said Starrk, poking at the meat sculpture for a second.
"What the hell is wrong with you all?" bellowed Grimmjow. "You're all pussies!"
"Whatever happened to keeping a low profile and not killing humans?" asked Starrk as all eyes turned to the sexta.
"I didn't say I've done it recently…" he said defensively. "Do you really think I'd be that fucking stupid?"
The other three arrancar looked at each other for a second, silently debating on if they really wanted to answer him or not.
"Fuck you guys!" snarled Grimmjow, going over and snatching his mop from the corner and heading out into the dining room.
"He is right, however…" Ulquiorra said quietly once Grimmjow was out of earshot. "This is a very accurate replica of a human heart."
"I thought you said you never did anything that uncivilized…" questioned Starrk.
"I said that I would not do anything so uncivilized; I did not comment on what I may or may not have done in the past," said Ulquiorra simply. "You'll also note that someone else here neglected to confess whether or not he was guilty of such actions."
"Let's not discuss it, okay?" said Tyn evasively, taking Grimmjow's heart sculpture and putting it on the grill. "Looks like some lucky winner today is getting a real heart-shaped burger."
"From what TV says, human women seem to expect to be treated like royalty today by love-sick men…" Starrk mused as he watched the meat sculpture cook and sizzle. "I have to admit, I kinda feel sorry for Orihime."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Ulquiorra, stiffening. "Are you implying that I will treat her poorly?"
"I'm implying that you don't have a heart and don't know what it is to love someone. That poor girl is going to be so disappointed today."
"Eh, she has to be used to it by now…" said Tyn, casually flipping a burger. "I mean, they've been living together so long now that she knows not to expect anything from the emotionless bastard."
"And what are you doing for Halibel?" asked Ulquiorra curtly, trying not to let his irritation show despite feeling a sudden and irrational urge to strike the other two males for their insolence.
"Same thing you're doing for Orihime; absolutely nothing," said Tyn with a shrug. "Difference is, I know Tia doesn't want any part of this lovey-dovey crap. Orihime, on the other hand…"
"Might not be too late to go buy her some flowers or something," Starrk offered. "Pretty sure that would surprise her and make her happy."
"I would thank you two to mind your own business," said Ulquiorra icily. "I have the situation under control."
"Poor Orihime…" said Tyn, shaking his head.
"Concern yourself more with Halibel and let me worry about Orihime," Ulquiorra said. "If anything, you should use tonight to solidify things between the two of you."
"What the hell do you mean 'solidify' things?" asked Tyn irritably.
"He's saying you two idiots need to get it over with," called Grimmjow from the dining room. "We all saw you two on New Years, but nothing ever came of that, did it? What the fuck have you been doing, sitting on your hands like some scared little brat? Get it over with already!"
"It's not like—"
"Well, he has a point…" Starrk interrupted. "If you keep wasting time, she may find another human to entertain herself with."
"Exactly! We don't want to go through that crap again!" declared Grimmjow, pointing his mop at Tyn and shaking it threateningly. "If you don't positively reek of her scent when you come into work tomorrow, I'm going to kick your sorry ass for being stupid!"
"You and what army, Six?" challenged Tyn.
"…me," admitted Starrk apologetically. "Nothing personal, but I have to agree with Cutey-Kitty on this one—"
"Fuck you, Starrk!"
"You guys can't be serious!" sputtered Tyn, surprised at Starrk's declaration. "I mean, it's not like that. We're not—"
"We know you are not, and therein lies the problem," interjected Ulquiorra. "Halibel works in a bar and is approached by human men on a daily basis; if you are unwilling to take the next step, she will soon find someone who will, and we do not wish to endure watching you pine for her as you did during her time with Hiroki."
"Not you, too, Ulquiorra!" lamented the quinto. "Don't tell me that—"
"If you do not mate with her tonight, I will also be forced to 'kick your ass.'"
Stupid human behavior aside, today had been a very good day.
A very relaxed and very content Halibel lay on the couch, propped up against the armrest as she counted up her tips from the day, with her black vest and tie casually draped over the back of the couch. She'd tried to keep a running total going in her head all day, but she had lost track of it all shortly after noon and had given up, opting instead to count it all up when she got home.
She smirked to herself as she counted, her mind already imagining the feel of a tropical sun caressing her skin with warm waters lapping at her feet, begging for her to come out and ride the oh-so-inviting waves…
A few more days like this, and she'd definitely be able to afford a week's vacation somewhere warmer, somewhere where the surfing was good… Perhaps Hawaii, just like she had been planning so many decades ago before her death…
And at this rate, she might even have enough money to drag the birdbrain with her.
The smirk degenerated into an almost-malicious chuckle as she imagined Tyn struggling against the waves and wiping out again and again under the pounding surf before crawling ashore covered in slimy seaweed…
She didn't want to drag him along solely to see him suffer, though; while she didn't want to admit it to anyone, especially him, Tia wasn't entirely convinced that she would be able to enjoy the trip without his company. Besides, there would be plenty of things there to keep him entertained as well; the thought of being dragged through the island's sweltering tropical forests wasn't especially appealing, but Halibel supposed it would only be fair if she forced him to try surfing.
Summer was still several months away, but that didn't stop her from dreaming as she finished counting her money and laid it all on the coffee table before laying back on the couch again and stretching out. Tia gazed up at the white ceiling, gazing past it to see her dream vacation…a dream vacation that, oddly enough, included the others as well.
She frowned, a bit confused by the picture in her head; the last thing she should want would be the others there to drag her down, especially that blue-haired lunatic.
"Tyn's nonsense about being a pack must be getting to me…" she murmured to herself, picturing Orihime dragging Ulquiorra along to try parasailing as the rest of them sat on the beach and watched. She even saw Neliel there with them, although that image quickly degenerated into a beach brawl between Grimmjow and Nel's fiancé.
An image of Lilynette conning Starrk into dressing as a hula girl flittered through her mind and Halibel shuddered at the thought; that was a picture she never wanted to see again, ever. It was all the more reason she shouldn't want the others to go with her and Tyn, and yet…
Tia shook it all off as she heard the door unlatching, signaling that Tyn had finally come home. She sat up and greeted him as he came in, but the redhead simply grunted irritably.
"Today sucks," he complained. "Humans and all their emotional crap everywhere and then the others…gah! They've picked on me all day… What am I, Grimmjow or something?"
"I had a good day, at least…" she said, gesturing to the small pile of money on the coffee table.
"Lucky you," he sighed. "I just want to sit down and watch a little TV right now; I don't want to go anywhere or deal with anyone or I might have to kill something."
"I see you didn't bring me anything…" Tia grinned, smugly thinking about the free lunch Kishi would owe her now.
"…was I supposed to?" asked Tyn abruptly, and Halibel could tell by the way his eyes went wide with surprise that he had completely misconstrued what she was saying.
"It's okay—"
"I thought you didn't want… I mean, I didn't…" he stammered, obviously confused. "Shit! Damn it, Tia, why didn't you tell me you wanted something?"
"I don't—" Tia tried to say again, but Tyn cut her off once more as he opened the door, running a hand through his crimson hair and looking even more frustrated than when he first walked in
"I'll be back soon," he growled in irritation, stepping out into the hall.
"Tyn, wait!" she called, but he had already disappeared out the door and down the hall before she could stop him and Tia just slumped back down on the couch, covering her face with her slender hands as she sighed.
"Idiot."
Time had a funny way of changing things.
Orihime smiled to herself as she sat at her kitchen table, momentarily forgetting about the homework sprawled in front of her as she mused on the subject, idly doodling in the margins of her algebra assignment.
A year ago, she would have been hoping that Ichigo would show up on her doorstep with candy and flowers for Valentine's Day… It was a dream she'd harbored for so long, to be swept off her feet by the orange-haired teen, a dream that she knew could never be, would never be, and that fact had been reinforced time and time again by watching his interactions with Rukia ever since the shinigami had first come into their lives.
She couldn't hate the petite, raven-haired girl; Rukia was a good person, her friend even…but that hadn't stopped Orihime from wishing Ichigo would suddenly surprise them all by choosing her over the Soul Reaper.
But that was then, and now…now all Orihime wanted was for Ulquiorra to be the one to sweep her off her feet.
In many ways, that dream was more unlikely than her previous fantasy. Despite being an optimist by nature, Orihime had long ago concluded that there were several events that were infinitely more likely than Ulquiorra ever doing anything romantic: Starrk becoming a fitness guru or a party animal, Halibel voluntarily dressing more modestly, Tyn earning a PhD, Renji doing kidō without blowing himself up, Ichigo getting along with Byakuya, Neliel dying her hair and going goth…
In fact, the only thing she could think of that was less likely than Ulquiorra doing something romantic was Grimmjow somehow winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Still, it was a wonderful fantasy; Ulquiorra coming home with a warm smile on his face, flowers in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other, and three simple words on his lips…
Smiling one last time, Orihime pushed the fantasy to the back of her mind and turned her attention back to her homework. She was in the middle of an unnecessarily complex problem containing more random letters than her writing assignment when she heard the front door open and she knew her roommate had finally come home.
"Ulqui…can you help me with this one?" she asked, not looking up. "I don't understand how to solve it."
"In a minute," he said, his voice sounding slow and almost unsure. "I…I have something for you, if you like."
Orihime turned around, more confused at Ulquiorra's almost-nervous tone than the now-forgotten algebra problem, and her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.
There stood Ulquiorra, dressed immaculately in slate-gray slacks and a white button up shirt that was so new it still had the tag dangling from the sleeve. In his left hand was a small, heart-shaped box and in his right were a dozen black roses. His pale cheeks burned a bright crimson as he offered the gifts out to a speechless Orihime.
"I know black is not an appropriate color for the occasion…" he explained hesitantly, "but I was not able to procure any of the traditional red or pink. If you do not like them, I can go back later in the week once the florist has restocked and—"
"It's perfect…" said Orihime, her eyes watering. "I wouldn't change a thing."
"Happy Valentines, Orihime," he said softly and Orihime's self-control finally evaporated entirely as she rushed forward and hugged the former Espada tightly. It was the wrong three words, but that didn't matter; it was enough that the notoriously-emotionless cuarto had gone this far just for her.
Besides, she thought happily, there's always next year.
"This whole holiday is stupid."
Starrk looked over at Lilynette from his place on the couch, watching her sit at the table as she did her homework and complained.
"I mean, it's all so…sissy," she said, putting her pencil down and turning around in her chair for a moment to face him. "All the others girls spent the entire day talking about how they wanted this guy or that guy to ask them to be 'valentine' and stuff, fussing over flowers and bad-tasting candies… You know what I think? I think if a guy is gonna get me candy it had better be a couple of candy bars and not those dinky little bite-sized things."
"My, aren't we bitter?" teased Starrk with a grin. "Upset that none of the humans asked you to be theirs?"
"Ha!" laughed Lilynette as she reached into her backpack and fished out four unopened envelopes and tossed them to her 'brother.' "They asked, I just didn't agree to anything. I mean, it's just so ridiculous! Everyone feels obligated to do this crap today and that just ruins it; if they're really serious, it should be more random and voluntary, you know?"
"I believe I hear a bit of your 'aunt' Halibel there…" observed Starrk dryly.
"She'd say the same thing I am, I just know it!" she huffed. "Now, if someone wants to ask me tomorrow, that might be a different story; that's a little more random."
"I hope you didn't rant like this during class today."
"Well…" Lilynette began guiltily.
"Oh no," groaned Starrk, face palming. "How bad was it?"
"Not that bad…I don't think," said Lilynette, fishing another envelope out of her backpack. "But Miss Keiko sent this for you."
"Please don't let it be another conference about your attitude…" groaned Starrk as he walked over and retrieved the envelope. Dreading the contents, he carefully opened the innocent-looking envelope and reached inside for the letter he knew to be there…but withdrew a pink and red card instead.
"What the hell?" asked Starrk quizzically.
"Eww, gross!" squealed Lilynette in horror. "My teacher sent you a Valentine? That's sick!"
"How interesting…" Starrk mumbled, his cheeks blushing some as he read the card. "It seems she thinks I am 'hot."
"DOUBLE GROSS!" gagged Lilynette.
"Don't be like that…" Starrk chided. "Miss Keiko is actually pretty cute, and she included her number here…"
"I meant you, you jackass," said Lilynette irritably. "Anyway, you can't go out with my teacher; that's just…wrong! Sick and wrong!"
"Lilynette—"
"I mean, what would my classmates say?" she continued, ignoring her brother. "They'd accuse me of being a teacher's pet and say that she was showing me favoritism and…"
"I don't think I like where your train of thought is going…" said Starrk as Lilynette trailed off, the gears obviously turning in her head.
"Starrk, I take it all back; you have to go out with her!" she declared abruptly. "Then I probably won't have to do that stupid ten page research paper or that dumb book report or—"
"What research paper?" asked Starrk suspiciously.
"Exactly!" said Lilynette. "If she's dating you, she won't care if I skip them!"
"I don't think that's how it works, Lilynette…"
"Why the hell not?" she demanded. "If you two are dating, then she should cut me some slack!"
"Let's forget about that for now; why don't you tell me more about this 'research paper' of yours? And don't think I missed the part about you owing a book report, too…" said the primera, pulling up a chair to sit down at the table with Lilynette, who just scowled.
"You suck, Starrk."
"Meow?"
Grimmjow shot a sideways glance at the sleek, young white cat as he poured a saucer full of milk and popped it into the microwave, frowning.
"You've already had yours, kid…" he growled. "Don't forget about the others outside."
The cat, which he had dubbed Lord Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez the Second, Esquire, meowed once more in understanding as it hopped down off the counter, and the sexta shook his head as he punched in the time on the microwave to warm the milk. He'd found the cat on Christmas Eve and while he had intended only to keep the kitten overnight, he'd been unable to send the furball away when morning had come and had instead adopted him.
Grimmjow appreciated the company that "Junior" provided him with, at least; unlike Starrk and Tyn, the cat didn't fire off smartass remarks, it wasn't as condescending as Ulquiorra, and nowhere near as bossy as Halibel… Really, it was the perfect companion.
The microwave dinged and Grimmjow retrieved the saucer of warm milk and a paper plate full of canned tuna before taking them over to the already-open window and setting them out on the rusting hunk of metal that used to be a fire escape.
He frowned again, noticing an envelope and a small box of candy sitting on the fire escape; the metal structure was far too unstable for any human to climb it unless he had a death wish, but who else could have left them?
"I don't suppose you saw anyone skulking around, did you, kid?" Grimmjow asked the black cat sitting on the railing, the same immaculate black cat who was there almost every night. As expected, the cat didn't answer him; after all, how could it? Sighing, Grimmjow picked up the box of candy and tore the envelope open, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the gaudy-looking card inside.
"So long and thanks for all the fish…" muttered a confused Grimmjow as he read the card aloud, scratching his head. "What the hell?"
He looked back out the window again and saw nothing other than the usual strays busily eating the tuna he'd left for them.
The back cat, however, had vanished.
Rangiku had been right; paperwork really was hell.
Neliel sighed and brushed a rogue strand of green hair away from her face as she grabbed another form from the stack waiting in her inbox and perused its contents. It wasn't that there was an unusual amount of paperwork today, not really; the problem was that for the first time, she was doing it all alone.
She glanced over at the other side of the room and the empty desk that belonged to her captain, who had skipped out earlier in the day on some kind of important business that he wouldn't tell her about.
She wasn't angry with him; she couldn't be after all the times he had pulled double-duty to cover for her when she had a lieutenant's meeting or a Shinigami Women's Association meeting, or when she went shopping with Rangiku… Captain Ushii had always taken care of her paperwork for her, and now it was time for her to return the favor.
That didn't mean she had to enjoy it, though.
The best part about being a lieutenant was, by far, helping to teach and lead the squad. Neliel enjoyed those interactions more than she'd ever thought she would; the squad respected her now, and she relished spending time with them.
Which is why she felt a pang of sorrow when she noticed the form she had pulled out was a request from one of her newer squad members to transfer to Squad 4.
As she read through the transfer request, Nel had to concede that it made sense; the young man in question, while very kind and likeable, was not built for combat. He had just barely scraped by the combat training at the Soul Academy and was fumbling through the squad combat drills awkwardly, frequently dropping his zanpaktou or hesitating too much in sparring. His kidō skills were fairly impressive, though, and there was little doubt that he would be a great asset to Squad 4.
It hurt to sign her approval of the transfer, but it was probably for the best; Squad 4 was a far better fit for the young man and he'd probably be happier there. The request form still needed to be delivered to Captain Unohana for her approval; while either Neliel or her Captain had to authorize the request to transfer out, only Unohana herself could authorize the request to transfer in.
"I'll drop it off first thing in the morning…" Neliel muttered, turning around and pinning the form to the wall behind her desk so she wouldn't forget. Unohana was a good woman and there was little doubt that she'd approve of the transfer, and in just a few days the kid could begin his new job working at the infirmary.
A knock at the office door made the ex-Espada jump in her seat slightly; it was unusual to get any visitors to the office this late in the evening unless something was wrong…or Takk and Satsu were looking for a place to hide from Captain Abarai again.
"Come in," she called, pushing the stacks of forms off to the side for a moment as Third-Seat Kiyone Kotetsu entered the office.
"Lieutenant Neliel, Ma'am, the Captain urgently requests your presence in the squad mess hall!" exclaimed Kiyone, bowing deeply. "He says it is of the utmost importance!"
"Is something wrong?" asked Nel, rising from her seat and retrieving Gamuza, sliding the zanpaktou into her belt. "Has something happened?"
"I'm sorry, but all he said was that your presence was needed in the mess hall immediately, Ma'am!" apologized Kiyone.
"I'm on my way!' exclaimed Nel, dashing past the younger officer and out into the hall. She didn't know what was going on, but if her Captain and fiancé needed her, then she would allow nothing to get in her way as she went straight into her sonido, intent on getting there as quickly as humanly possible.
Or inhumanly possible, as the case may be.
"Captain, are you okay?" she called, bursting through the doors into the mess hall. "An! What's the…situation… An, what is this?"
All the other seats in the mess hall had been cleared away save for a single small table in the middle of the room draped in a white tablecloth. A vase of roses sat in the middle of the table with a pair of candles on either side of the vase, the only source of light in the entire darkened room. Her captain looked up from his task of straightening the flower arrangement and grinned sheepishly.
"That took less time that I expected…" he said. "I'm guessing Kiyone overemphasized things again, didn't she?"
"She made it sound like it was an emergency…" Neliel nodded, slowly walking towards the table and examining it. "An…what's all this for?"
"What does it look like, koibito?" he asked with a smile as he pulled out a chair for her.
"A romantic dinner for two, but where's the foo—" she began as she sat down, but cut herself short as Sentarō made his way in from the kitchen, pushing a cart laden with fresh-cooked food. He waited patiently for Anrak to take his own seat before laying out a plate of food for each of them, finishing with two crystal wine glasses that he filled to the brim.
"I don't do so well with alcohol…" Neliel reminded him.
"Which is why it's tea," responded Anrak with a grin as Sentarō excused himself, leaving his two superiors alone.
"So you've been gone all evening setting this up?" asked Neliel, watching her fiancé nod. "And where did you get these glasses? They look really expensive."
"Borrowed them from Captain Kuchiki…he just doesn't know I'm borrowing them," shrugged the shinigami. "Rukia's idea, actually; she swiped them for us."
"You didn't need to do all this for me…" Neliel smiled softly, blushing in the candlelight.
"I know I didn't need to, but I wanted to."
"Thank you…for rescuing me from all the paperwork," she said with a grin as he chuckled softly.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Neliel."
The moron still wasn't home.
Halibel clicked off the television and glanced at the clock, noting the time of nine in the evening and wondering where her idiot roommate had disappeared to. Oh, she recognized that he had misunderstood her observation about his lack of gifts to mean that she had wanted something, but surely it couldn't really take this long to go running to a store and pick up some crappy flowers and sickeningly-sweet candies.
It was highly unlikely that Tyn had gotten lost, but extremely plausible that he had managed to get into some kind of trouble…perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to go look for the quinto and hopefully find him before he did anything too stupid and reckless.
Tia slid the remote onto the glass coffee table and pushed herself off the couch just in time to hear the door unlatching, and she turned around to see Tyn slinking back home at last with a bundle of red roses, a card, and a fairly large box of candies. She looked at the nervous grin across his face and sighed; she wanted to be angry at him for being stupid, but…
What's that idiotic human expression, 'it's the thought that counts' or something?
"You didn't need to do this…" she said quietly instead, accepting the offered gifts.
"But I thought—"
"I know what you thought…" Tia snapped, a bit more harshly than she had intended, "but you misunderstood me."
"Sorry…" Tyn grumbled sourly.
"The gesture is appreciated, just…unnecessary," Tia offered, giving him a faint smile. "This sort of thing is never necessary."
"Hiroki would have done it for you."
"He was human," spat Halibel, annoyed to even hear the man's name. "You're not. And you don't need to pretend to be around me."
The redhead nodded in understanding as Tia sat the flowers and candy down and opened the envelope to retrieve the card.
"To my beautiful and beloved wife, thank you for so many years of joy. Happy Valentine's Day, Riku; I love you," Tia said aloud as she read the fine handwriting, shooting a suspicious look at Tyn who fidgeted nervously under her gaze, offering only a somewhat-nervous and decidedly guilty-looking grin in response.
"…you mugged somebody, didn't you?" asked Halibel finally.
"I had no choice!" Tyn defended himself. "The stores were all sold out, and he refused to just sell this junk to me."
"Tyn…" Tia sighed.
"It's not like I stole it; I left him some money for when he wakes up."
"You knocked him out?" asked Halibel incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just go around assaulting people!"
"It was an emergency!"
"This was not an emergency! That man obviously got these for his wife and now when he gets home and has nothing for her, there's probably going to be a fight and—"
"And I don't care!" snapped Tyn, cutting her off. "I don't care about two stupid humans, I care about you."
Tia was taken aback by her roommate's sudden and unexpected declaration, so much so that her voice failed her and she took a half-step backward before she recovered her wits and waited for him to tack on the inevitable 'like I care for all my pack members,' just as he always did…but for once it never came.
"I don't know exactly when it happened…" he was busy saying, turning his back to her. "Back in Los Noches, you were just good company, someone to talk to; hell, I'd even say you were my best friend. And then when we first moved here, you pushed me until I almost hated you. But somewhere along the way, I…"
"Tyn…" she smiled softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. It was probably the nicest thing he'd ever said to her and an admission she'd been waiting on since before her breakup with Hiroki.
"And I don't know why, either; I mean, you can be really bitchy sometimes."
"You're killing the mood," Halibel scowled, tightening her grip on his shoulder painfully and watching him wince.
"Maybe it's always been there from the start…" he said as she released the death-grip on his shoulder and he finally turned back around to face her. "Maybe it's just been building up to this point."
"Maybe it has," she agreed, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I always enjoyed our time hanging out together in Los Noches, more than I dared admit to anyone."
"The only thing that kept me from going completely insane during my exile was remembering the conversations we had…" he admitted as Tia pulled him closer.
"Coming from you, that's almost romantic."
"I told you before, I don't do rom—"
"Stop talking," she ordered, pressing her lips against his firmly to silence the protest she knew to be coming.
At first the kiss was slow and awkward, a sign that the gesture of affection was relatively unfamiliar to the two Espada. It was their first since New Year's over a month ago and recapturing the intensity of that night took some time, but with each passing moment they became more involved and more passionate until a familiar rumbling could be heard coming from Tyn.
"If anyone knocks on the door tonight…" he began huskily, brushing his nose against hers as he pulled away from her lips briefly.
"I'll kill them," finished Tia, grabbing a handful of crimson hair on the back of his head and pulling his lips back down to hers.
They stayed locked in each other's embrace for several more seconds before Tyn, still growling lustily, pulled away and seized the smaller blonde, picking her up. Tia gave a short yelp of surprise as Tyn slung her over his shoulder, but she offered no resistance and instead grinned devilishly as he carried her back into her room and dropped her on the bed.
"Tia—" he began, but she cut off whatever he had intended on saying by seizing him by the collar and yanking him down to the mattress with her.
"Stop talking."