Kisuke sighed as he watched Hiyori and Mayuri bicker over one thing or another. Well Hiyori was bickering, Mayuri was making bored faces and pretended to ignore her all the while his left eye kept twitching in annoyance.
The Department of Research and Development was prospering and growing drawing in more Shinigami, especially the ones less interested in fighting but also with no patience for healing or dealing with whining people. He had kept joining Shunsui, Juushiro and Shinji for a few times. It had almost become a routine for him to come over on every other evening and spent time with them.
Amsuing them with another experiment gone awry or a story about how some noble snob thought about sneering down on the new found facility and them retaliating in the most hilarious ways possible.
He was sure the three older captains were fond of him. He had never imagined that someone would actually like to spent time with him, being as quirky and strange as he was. But they seemed to enjoy his quirks and ticks. Shinji had laughed for a good ten minutes when he discovered that Kisuke had a thing for testing his food for poison before so much as sipping at it.
When Shinji asked why he had drunken the tea offered by them on that first evening Kisuke had simply pointed out that they all were so much stronger than him that poisoning him with tea would probably be a generous way of killing him off.
Shinji had been somewhat surprised by that but had shrugged it off with a laugh, a clap on Kisukes back and the promise to never poison him.
Shunsui was enjoying the presence of someone who was just as shrewd thinking as he was. Someone who was not above dirty tricks in order to win, on the battlefield or in an argument. More than once one of them had stepped into a word trap set up by Kisuke and the fact that he could trap the known oldest and most intelligent Captains of the Seireitei through word and mind games alone was a direct show of his extraordinary intelligence.
Juushiro smiled as he thought of the ash blond Captain who was bound to visit them today once again, most likely telling another story of how Hiyori blew up one of his experiments and ended up blaming Kisuke for it and beating him up in the process.
Kisuke was different.
Most of the times Juushiro wasn't sure wether his unsure and shy persona was truly who he was or if it was all a mask, trained by the Onmitsukido to make him seem as harmless as possible. At the same time Kisuke wasn't one to hide his intelligence, flaunting it openly.
He was a bit of an enigma, just like Shinji predicted at the beginning of his Captaincy. But with one thing Shinji was also right, Kisuke did his best to make his division stand out. He changed the whole concept of the twelth. Now almost every member was also a member of the Research and Development Department and while some nobles tried their best to make the tweth to what it once was, the changes had been made and were inevitable.
Shinji hummed softly under his breath, his favorite jazz piece flowing of his lips in a simple melody. Kisuke was bound to come by later, amusing them with his stories and antics. He had become a valued part of their group. Slipping into their day almost without notice, with his intelligence and hidden charm, shy glances and quick blushes. He was arrogant and intelligent and shy and humble.
Contradictions everywhere. And Shinji liked a good contradiction.
It was almost a part of his Zanpakuto, turning and pulling and pushing at what should be logical, should be possible and using that to turn it all around. Yes, he was looking forward to another night of intelligent discussion, funny stories and adorable quirks.
Shinji froze as the last thought entered his mind. 'Adorable', was not a word he had ever dubbed Kisuke before. Sure he was handsome, without a doubt very fit and quick to catch on, an almost scary intelligence in his grey-green eyes but 'adorable', he would probably blink at Shinji uncomprehendingly for a few seconds, flush a little and laugh it off if he ever so much as called him that to his face.
Kisuke sighed again, another day of havoc in his division. He should be used to their antics by now but he was too used to the quite companionship of the Onmitsukido to truly enjoy the presence of someone loud and boisterous.
A smile grazed his features as he thought about his friends with which he was about to spent a very enjoyable evening. The relationship they had to one another was well known throughout the Seireitei. Kisuke had heard the whispers about the so called 'plaything' they had in Shinji, but form the first moment onward Kisuke had been sure that Shinji was as much a plaything as he was a prostitute.
The relationship they had was loving and honest, he couldn't count the days he had thought about the soft looks and glances they had for one another, so full of love and acceptance.
It made him wish for it himself, such a piece of tranuquility in another human being. Once he had thought he might be able to find it with Yoruichi but that seemed almost so long ago, it was more of a distant memory. Yoruichi was a friend, nothing more and nothing less.
Juushiros eyes flashed in his mind, a memory of one of the nights they had spent on Kyorakus veranda. Kyoraku had had cracked a joke, sending Shinji into fits of giggles and Kisuke had watched as Juushiro looked at them with such fondness and love it had made his heart squeeze. He wasn't able to look at it for to long, such a private expression crossing an incredibly handsome face, it had hurt him more than any words ever spoke to him. Knowing that he will never have the same privilege of unconditional love as Shunsui and Shinji had them. He shook his head quickly. It did not do to dwell and these thoughts. They brought nothing but pain with them.
Raising his hand Kisuke quickly rapped on the door of Shunsuis house. Soft feet on the inside told him that he was about to be let inside. He quickly swept the last remnants of sadness off his face putting on his usual smile as the door was opened and Juushiros face smiled down at him.
"Kisuke, quickly come inside." Juushiro told him, smile never wavering.
"Thank you." Kisuke said, stepping inside and following Juushiro to the now familiar path leading to Shunsuis veranda.
"Yo, handsome!" A slightly tipsy Shunsui greeted him, waving his sake cup at him in greeting and spilling some of the liquid inside.
"Oi, careful." Shinji reprimated him and scowled at the flamboyant captain.
"Sorry, sorry." Shunsui laughed and leaned over, kissing Shinjis cheek in apology. Kisuke blinked in surprise as he watched the blush crawl over Shinjis face a smile tugging at his lips. After all this time and they still manage to blush because of a kiss to the cheek. If Kisuke ever needed prove for their love it was sitting right there in front of him.
"Come on, Kisuke. Sit down already, your making me feel all anxious hovering around like that." Shinji told him, waving for him to sit down next to him.
Kisuke smiled and let himself fall down in the seat next to Shinji.
"So Hiyori been giving you hell again?" Shinji asked a bright grin on his face as he addressed Kisuke. Juushiro also chuckled as he sat down and joined them sitting around the small round table.
Kisuke smiled a little sheepishly. "Luckily since Mayuri-kun joined us the amount of time she has spent bugging me has been cut in half." He told them, grinning as Shunsui laughed. He forze as the older man threw an arm around him and pulled him to his chest.
"Haha, she seems to be warming up to you, Kisuke." Shunsui said, face uncomfortably close as he hugged Kisuke.
"Ehh, sure, I guess." Kisuke said, trying to escape Shunsuis hold.
He could feel the blush on his cheeks starting to rise at the older mans proximity. He wasn't used to such closeness, nobody had hugged him in quite some time. Not even Yoruichi had ever hugged him, now being hugged by someone who was undoubtedly attractive and also very tipsy, right in front of said persons lovers was making him more uncomfortable than anything else.
"She sure is!" Shinji suddenly said and to Kisukes shock simply proceeded to hug his other side close.
Now sandwiched between the two man Kisuke was very close to a heartattack. He wasn't in love with them or anything but even he had to admit that the three man he had somehow managed to befriend were extremely handsome. If they weren't already in a relationship with one another he would have probably even tried his luck. He enjoyed a good conversation, their intelligence and wit.
Every single one of them had something to them that Kisuke was attracted to but he had known right from the beginning that he didn't have a chance and was more than happy with spending time in the presence of these truly incredible intellects.
"Uhh." Kisuke said, not moving because he now his way of escape had been cut of by another body.
Juushiro was watching them with amusement, he saw as Kisuke looked like a deer stuck by headlights, a slight blush covering his young face as he sat completely frozen. Kyoraku was the one to notice the stiffness of their friend first, with a frown he broke away and looked at the young Scientist. Shinji quirked an eyebrow and also let go. Kisuke visibly relaxed as he was released. He looked up at the faces of the other two as they looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"It uhh…it's been a while since…since someone hugged me." Kisuke told them softly, the blush on his face growing a deeper red. Shinji looked a little surprised.
"When?" He asked softly. Kisuke shifted a little in his seat before answering.
"In the Onmitsukido…it was never really…well…let's say supported to show any emotion at all…so hugging was definetly a no go…Honeslty…I don't remember the last time someone hugged me…It was probably a couple of hundered years ago back in Rukongai when I was a kid." Kisuke revelaed, smile on his face now also showing hidden pain.
"You also grew up in the Rukongai?" Shinji asked, eyes widening. "Which district?" He immediately asked. Kisuke blinked a little at the questions, but also at their implications.
"83." He simply said. Shinji gritted his teeth a little.
"Sorry about that…" Shinji said. "I never went farther than the 80, and it was already pretty bad back there." Having said that Shinji simply reached out and pulled the younger man into another hug, letting him know that he wasn't the only one suffering from the memories of their childhood.
Shunsui reached out and ruffled Kisukes untamable hair while Shinji hugged him. Juushiro was looking at him with pain, he was aware of the nightmare Shinji still had because of the pain he had suffered, now someone who had probably lived through worst was suffering this all by themselves. He got up and also pulled Kisuke into a hug after Shinji released him.
"If you ever need to talk to someone, Kiuske. We're all here for you." He whispered flattening some of the hair Shunsui had ruffled up.
"Thanks." Kisuke mumbled back, he reached out and reciprocated the hug one armed.
A/N: Well would you look at that! A wild chapter has appeared XD Just kidding. I hope you'll enjoy this. Next chapter is also already in Progress ^^
Thank you for your Support and Reviews guys! They really mean a lot and keep me motivated ^^
~ Sal
