Title: Lily and Thistle

Author: paws_bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

Type: One-shot Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 3008

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

Summary: 'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

Created on: 16/08/13

Completed on: 17/08/13

Chapter Last Revised on: 23/09/13

Date Night – Part II

He brought her to the park.

She was bewildered by his choice of location at first, but then she noticed the large platform that had been set up in the middle of the park, right in the main field by the duck pond. There was a surprising amount of humans milling about the place too, picnic mats spread all over the place in front of the stage, and it seemed like they were having a huge party right there on the flat meadow.

"What's this?" she blurted out, eying her surroundings curiously. He did not answer her straightaway, but playfully placed an index finger against his lips to hush her questions before he simply led her off to the sidelines of the field and into the adjacent tree line, where it was quiet and utterly devoid of people. It was a short walk before they reached a small clearing, one that was near enough that they could still hear the stage that was a small ways over, but yet allotted them complete privacy away from the main crowd. She could also sense the powerful Kido barrier cast around the place as they stepped through it, one that would ensure absolute seclusion from the rest of the world and deter any curious beings from entering.

Hiyori stared at the sight before her. There, under the sheltering boughs of an enormous tree, was a large but rather cozy looking construct that seemed to be made out of nothing but blankets, bed sheets, carpets and fluffy pillows. The wide, tented roof was cleverly formed by draping heavy quilts over a sturdy, wooden frame, and through the entrance, she could see that its interior was laid out with nothing but soft bedding and cushions, looking utterly warm and inviting. The entire place was lit up by strings of light and strategically placed candle lanterns, the soft, flickering lighting lending an undeniably romantic atmosphere to the previously empty and unremarkable clearing.

Shinji chuckled softly at the utterly stumped expression on his lover's face.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" he drawled, sounding quite pleased with himself for coming up with the idea on his own. "I made us a 'lil love nest for tonight. Ya like?"

She slowly turned her head to look at him. And then, she promptly kicked him right in the shin.

"Ya make it sound so disgustin'," she snapped, but there was no denying the bewildered fluster in her voice and the hint of a flush on her face. She hadn't really put a lot of strength into her kick, and so he took her surprised reaction as a sign of her approval. Grinning unrepentantly at her, he dropped a heavy arm around her shoulders and drew her protesting form to him to drop a quick kiss on her mouth.

"C'mon," he told her affectionately. "Let's get settled. Ya hungry?"

As usual, nothing got her moving faster than the promise of food, and she allowed him to guide her towards the blanket fort that he'd erected for the occasion. Kicking off her slippers, she slowly ducked under the low roof and entered cautiously. Much to her secret pleasure, the inside was every bit as comfortable as it had looked to her earlier. Relaxing slightly, Hiyori immediately clambered deeper in and claimed the spot with the highest density of soft, fluffy surfaces, making herself comfortable amongst the nest of blankets and pillows. Her lover followed her in, and he pulled out a picnic basket and a cooler from the side. She scooted over quickly to see what he had, and she wasn't disappointed.

He presented to her several neatly arranged plates of finger food – club sandwiches, wraps, canapés, cold cuts and cheese – and although they weren't anything very complicated or exquisite enough to write home about, they were still pretty damn good. For drinks, there was chilled lemonade and bottled water, nothing even remotely alcoholic though – after the last time she got drunk, Shinji really didn't want to take his chances.

"How the hell did ya find the time to do all this?" Hiyori asked in between bites as she dug in ravenously.

"It's a secret," he replied, eyeing her fondly as she seemed to enjoy the meal. He took advantage of her preoccupation with the food to get in closer, casually lounging beside her like a lazy cat and propping his chin on an upturned palm to watch her. She gave him a somewhat disgruntled stare.

"What?" she demanded snippily, feeling a bit self-conscious all of a sudden. "What do ya want?"

"Nothin'," he answered all too innocuously, even as he picked up a canapé and bit into it. "Ya seem 'ta be enjoyin' this date so far, brat."

She could feel her cheeks heating up slightly, but she could not deny his remark. She shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as she could manage it. "It's okay, I s'pose. At least there's food."

It was more than just okay, to be honest, and he probably already knew it, judging by the small grin on his face. He had taken into consideration her dislike for crowds (the sole exception being rock gigs) and places with formal, controlled environments like the fancy restaurants that couples usually went to for dates, and had still managed to create an experience that did not overtly stress or agitate her. She was quite liking this entire blanket fort thing, in fact; it was pretty nice and private…andalsokindaromantic. The baldy had really done his homework this time, and just when she thought that he had already revealed all the surprises up his sleeve, strains of music could suddenly be heard floating in from the outside.

She looked at him in surprise.

"They finally started," he commented, looking quite pleased, and then he arched a brow at her. "The night concert at the park, remember? And it's a jazz performance, too."

Sure enough, it was indeed his favorite kind of music. Unlike him, Hiyori was not exactly a huge fan, but it was still tolerable, and right now she was feeling mellow enough that the tunes that were being played the next field over did sound kind of nice to her. The acoustics were also surprisingly distinct despite the fact that they were not even in the same clearing as the performers, and even though it wasn't as good as it would be if they were in front of the stage together with the rest of the audience, Shinji seemed pretty happy with what they were getting, closing his eyes and letting the sounds of the jazz band wash over him.

The dumbass looked rather content at the moment, relaxing as he enjoyed the music and let it take him away from the stress of his work and other related responsibilities, if only for a while. Hiyori just left him to it as she focused on filling her stomach – she was not someone who required constant attention from her lover even if they happened to be on a date, most definitely not when there was food on hand as the ultimate equalizer. She slunk over to the cooler to look for dessert after she polished off her share of the main, and was not entirely surprised when she found it sitting at the bottom of the box. Lifting it out with a triumphant flourish – she came, she saw, she conquered – she was thrilled to see that it was a delicious looking strawberry trifle; sweet, fluffy whipped cream layered between pieces of soft, vanilla sponge cake and decorated with lots and lots of strawberries.

Oh yeah. This was the life.

She grabbed a clean spoon and quickly dug in with delighted relish. The juicy strawberry that she bit into was utterly delicious, and its sweet tartness went hand in hand with the light cream and the cake. Hiyori was happy, and she would gladly concentrate on finishing the yummy treat all on her own if not for the strong arm that suddenly snaked around her middle and pulled her back against a broad chest. The petite blonde squawked in surprise.

"Dammit, hage!"

He turned her around to face him, and was promptly treated to the rather comical sight of Hiyori hugging the trifle bowl to herself and looking sheepishly defensive at the same time. "Startin' dessert without me now, brat?" he asked with pointed amusement. "You gonna finish it all on your own?"

He simply knew her all too well, even though she looked away and quickly tried to deny it, pursing her lips as she did so. "'Course not! I was just tastin' it a little! And 'sides, you were more interested in your music anyway." She was clearly trying to change the subject, and so he obliged her.

"Oh, were ya feelin' neglected?" he teased softly, and she quickly reddened, seeming to realize abruptly how she had walked right into that one. "You have my full attention now, luv."

This was getting downright embarrassing for her (he made her sound like some overly needy and obsessive girlfriend), and she wanted it to stop, immediately. The petite blonde did the first thing that came into mind – she dug into the trifle and promptly shoved the entire spoonful of dessert into the baldy's big mouth.

"Here," she muttered abruptly. "Eat that and shut up."

He nearly choked on a rather large piece of strawberry. "Hiyori!" he reprimanded slightly once he finally got the fruit down, but she was completely unrepentant. The female Vizard took a spoonful of cream and slapped it across his face this time. Shinji growled, but she just smirked at him – he looked pretty funny at the moment.

"Alright. That's it." The Fifth Division Captain wrested the bowl from her grasp and quickly set it aside, ignoring her rather vocal protest as he lunged for her next. She scrambled to dodge him but forgot that she was wearing a dress and immediately tripped over the hem, spilling rather clumsily amongst the bedding with a muttered curse. He was more than fine with that and followed her down, pining her under him rather securely.

"Hage…! Lemme go!" she demanded, scowling at him.

"Nah. If you're gonna act like a child, then I'm gonna treat ya like one," he informed her, though she had trouble taking him seriously since he was still wearing dollops of cream on his face.

"I ain't a child," she retorted petulantly, and then she went right ahead and disproved her own statement when she lifted her head and licked a streak of cream off of his cheekbone in a rather juvenile tactic to disgust him and get him to back off of her.

Her brilliant idea backfired real quickly – she immediately gained his full attention instead, and his expression of mild irritation slid right off of his face. She wasn't exactly complaining, though. He was watching her closely now, and his masculine interest fed her feminine ego – made fissures of excitement run through her body. So, she did it again, this time reaching up more slowly to languidly lap off the rest of the trifle, deliberately pressing just a little closer and brushing her mouth provocatively against his skin as she did so. She peered at him from behind her long lashes and was immediately gratified to see him focused utterly on her, his pupils dilating ever so slightly with the sure signs of pleasure and arousal. She slowly licked her lips. He was definitely no longer paying attention to his jazz music.

Hiyori turned her head slightly and pressed her mouth against his, licking hungrily along the seam of his lips at the same time. His golden eyes darkened, became half lidded, and he responded to her by lowering his head and kissing her back, nipping her full bottom lip and sucking her slick tongue into his mouth to play with his own. She squirmed against him, leaning in impatiently for more. He had been subtly teasing her ever since they met this evening, and now that she was fed, she was perfectly open to the notion of him sating her other needs.

The petite blonde made no secret of the fact that she rather enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship; sex with Shinji always gave her such a fierce, heady, adrenaline rush, and he also never failed to make her feel very, very good in the aftermath of the experience – there was nothing to dislike as far as Hiyori was concerned. The female Vizard moaned throatily as she rubbed up against her lover like an extremely affectionate feline, trying to get him to touch her more, her mouth sucking at his with fervent passion even as he drugged her with his deep, thorough kisses in turn, driving her wild and making her even more restless than she already was.

Shinji reached down and laid his hand on her bare knee, his callused fingers caressing the smooth skin there slowly. She was very, very impatient, wiggling under him and parting her legs slightly in invitation, wanting to feel his hands all over her body as quickly as possible. It was a challenge to keep her still – if he let her have her way, she would have flipped him onto his back and been all over him in an instant – she was such a fiercely passionate little thing and it was impossible not to be turned on by her when she was being so eager and ardent. This was not exactly what he had in mind when he planned the date, but Hiyori had always had a knack of throwing a wrench into his plans, and besides, he wasn't about to turn down her request to make love to her.

He moved his hand further up her leg, slipping under the hem of her dress, lightly squeezing her thigh with amorous affection, and she growled edgily against his mouth. As usual, he was taking his own sweet time, and she quickly grew fed up with his sloth-like (at least it certainly felt like that to her) exploration of her body. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for Hiyori to decide to take matters into her own hand – literally.

Pulling away from that distracting mouth of his, the small blonde reached down to where her lover was very leisurely feeling her up and swiftly caught hold of his wrist, and then she very decisively dragged his hand straight up to where she was throbbing so badly and desperately needed his attentions the most. "Damn hage," she burst out a tad breathlessly even as she arched her smallish hips eagerly into his large palm. "Just how long are ya gonna keep gropin' around down there?"

But Shinji was no longer paying any attention to her words. He had just discovered something very amazing, and his lean frame slowly stiffened in disbelief as he looked at the little minx lying under him.

"Brat," he drew out slowly, huskily. "Where the hell's your underwear?"

He could directly feel the soft slickness of her tantalizing body as his long, narrow fingers probed at the juncture between her legs – she was already maddeningly moist – and completely and utterly free of any cloth barriers whatsoever.

Hiyori seemed to suddenly remember something. She simply lifted a bare shoulder in a careless and sexy shrug, much to his rising incredulity and arousal.

"I didn't wear any today."

She looked and sounded so utterly casual about it, and he stared at her for a moment before an unintelligible sound escaped him. Good god. She was going to drive him crazy.

Hiyori prodded her lover rather impatiently in the shoulder. "Can we get back 'ta the program already?" she demanded rather peevishly. "I already made it easier for ya by not puttin' on any panties. What's it gonna take 'ta get laid 'round here?"

Shinji didn't know whether to laugh or to groan at her bossy tone.

"Don't worry. You're definitely gettin' laid tonight," he muttered. He reached over and kissed her so hard and lustily that he managed to shut her up properly for at least a good minute or so. When he finally pulled away to let her breathe, she looked so beautifully dazed that his masculine pride was utterly stoked.

She was slightly bewildered and more than a bit disappointed when he withdrew from her then, easing up on her body to kneel between her legs instead. There was something utterly wicked in his eyes, though, and that made her heart start to race madly in her chest. How she both hated and loved that feeling of utter thrill that he could so easily stir up in her.

"Hiyori," Shinji drawled lazily, silkily, even as he wrapped his hands around her dainty ankles and slowly pulled her towards him, so that her dress gradually rode up to her middle and left her utterly exposed to him from the waist down. She did not resist him; after all, she wanted the same thing that he did, and the way his narrow, hungry eyes acutely took in everything of her made the tension in the pit of her stomach grow just a tad more taut than before.

Her bare legs were pale and slender, and without the additional bulk of the thick track pants she usually favored to hide her form, revealed her lithe, feminine build, from the delicate arch of her small feet to the slight, charming curve of her calves and the welcoming softness of her milky thighs. She was in complete disarray; her light blonde hair sexily mussed and spread unbound on the bedding, her cheeks flushed and her lips red and puffy, her glowing catlike eyes heavy with passion as she watched him – she was utterly beguiling.

In the background, the low, husky acoustics of the jazz saxophone reverberated lazily through the clearing, decadently smooth and provocative.

Shinji gave her a languorous smile, one that was filled with all sorts of sensual promise. Hiyori's breath hitched at that irresistible, roguish look on his face.

"Shall we dance, luv?"

::tsuzuku::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Oh well, I don't know what exactly came over me when I wrote this, but I suddenly thought that it would be really interesting if I can incorporate the idea of a blanket fort/night picnic theme into this mini 'date' arc. Well, I think it works…? It's private and romantic enough, and besides, I really have trouble picturing Hiyori willing to sit through a formal ten-course dinner in a rigid setting, so this does feel like the next best thing for her.

Blanket forts are really cozy! And great for canoodling couples!

(Disclaimer: A-herm. By the way, I've never build one myself but Pinterest sure made the idea look good enough to use!)

xXxXxXxXxX

…also, L&T is long overdue for the scheduled smut slot, so consider this the pre-event…? Haha.

xXxXxXxXxX

And yes, Hiyori might be dressed like a pretty little angel at the moment, but she definitely still has her naughty girl streak hidden inside!

xXxXxXxXxX

Nothing else to add – hope you lot enjoyed this chapter!

xXxXxXxXxX

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

xXxXxXxXxX

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws