Chapter 30: Checkmate.
"Cappuccino please. Three pumps of sugar too. Thank you." Shinji said to the barista working in his favorite cafe with a small smile on his face. The girl during the shift blushed lightly with a genuine smile on her face. She turned to get his order ready after he had paid so Shinji decided to use that time to look around the homey building to pass the time.
Everything so far was going great. Ichigo had woken up, he had gotten the job of his dreams, his boys seem happy...and he could feel himself getting used to seeing Shiro treat Ulquiorra like he was his god. Used to it doesn't mean okay with it but he'd take it. Better than having the urge to stab Ulquiorra every time he entered the house. Okay the urge still came from time to time but it was more suppressed than usual.
Shinji sighed loudly to himself, looking more than a little sad. Who was he kidding? Just the other night he had to stop himself from crying his eyes out after Shiro had taken Ulquiorra out for some ramen. Kami the look on Shiro's face. He looked like he had just met the real Santa Claus and had dinner with the tooth fairy. He was so happy and it had nearly destroyed Shinji. He was too busy with his mental musings that he hadn't noticed the man studying him behind him with a raised eyebrow and an uncharacteristic frown on his pretty face.
"My. What a surprise." Shinji visibly stiffened at the sound of that familiar voice that had him on edge since he had seen him at Rangiku's building the other day. It made him want to scrub himself in a tub filled with bleach because the man made him feel like he was being molested or something similar with just his eyes. They just seemed more than a little intense for brown eyes.
"Sousuke." Shinji said through clenched teeth but avoided looking at the man at all. He could practically hear the man's smile grow behind him.
Ever since their first encounter in the cafe, it was like the man appeared everywhere. In the mall, at galleries, even at work. When they bumped into each other in the cafe, Shinji would ignore him and go to his regular seat beside the wide window. Sousuke would then take it upon himself to sit directly in front of Shinji but he wouldn't say anything. He'd just sit there quietly and type on his laptop or go through documents. The man was more than a little weird but Shinji didn't say a single thing to him but he was getting rather pissed off with how much they see each other. He had even gotten used to the bastard's creepy smile and that said a lot.
Aizen had been at Rangiku's just the other day for some photo shoot with another female model. Apparently the man's photos were on demand and even Shinji had to admit, he looked really good in a tux...other than that the mere sight of the man made Shinji think of snakes and he hated snakes with a vengeance. He was going through a photo shoot for some perfume meant to be directed at business men who were still at their game or something like that, it was for one of Rangiku's friends that worked in some cosmetics company and made the cologne. Aizen was donned in a fitted tux but to make it look all sexy and get that bachelor-about-to-be-sexed-up look, the tux was open haphazardly with a bow tie loose around his neck, the button up white shirt was open to reveal his muscular torso and Shinji wasn't the only one staring so he didn't feel all that bad about it. Plus he was the one doing the man's make-up and wardrobe so he didn't really have a choice when it came with staring. Aizen had infuriated him though because the man knew he was staring and was using the blonde for his own weird amusement. Shinji had nearly ripped him a new one when he had caught the bastard staring at his body. It got even more intense...annoying when the guy had gave him those bedroom eyes while he was holding the blushing, female red head's chin up. Their lips were practically touching and the woman looked ready to be taken then and there, a beautiful woman, a kind of beauty that one wouldn't find in years of searching, and there she was practically begging him with her look of desperation for that man to embrace her delicate body. Aizen had practically tortured the woman with his deceiving delicate touches and seductive hold but yet his eyes hadn't left Shinji's form, making the woman look so crushed and giving Shinji a new enemy. He hated men like that, men that enjoy messing with people's heads. Men that thought themselves higher than others because of some annoying god complexes.
Shiro's not like that and he never would be. Shiro's down to earth, honest, caring, protective, loving, humble, so very kind and...and not in love with him or would ever be.
"What with the sad face? Penny for your thoughts?" Aizen asked in curiosity. He wondered what could make the pretty blonde with the unique smile look so disheartened. He wasn't sure what brought out his interest in the blonde, even to the point that he had completely forgotten about his usually deep attraction towards Ulquiorra. Maybe it was the hollow look the blonde had sometimes let out when he thought he wasn't being watched, or the way he glared so heatedly at Aizen even when his co-workers warned him about the brunette being powerful enough and important enough to make sure he never worked in the fashion industry again but Shinji didn't seem to care. Even when he stared at Aizen with obvious interest, there was still so much disdain and he avoided touching the older man but not from suppressed lust or anything like that but like Aizen had some disease he didn't want to catch. There were even moments, three to be exact, when Aizen had been straightforward and just asked the blonde out on a date. He had received three different responses, one for each moment. First one being a blatant 'Hell no' before the spunky blonde walked away with that beautiful sway of his hips, the second moment Aizen had actually received a punch to the face that had his employees worried and gushing about the large bruise for a week and the third was just plain rude because the blonde just walked right past him. It aggravated, confused and amused him all at once because for the life of him, even before he had gotten rich and powerful, he had never been treated so coldly because he could charm his way into anyone's mind, heart and body.
He chuckled to himself when Shinji turned away from him, grabbed his prepared drink and headed for a table without acknowledging that Aizen had even spoken to him.
Well, apparently not anyone.
Aizen smoothly ordered a simple cup of black coffee with two pumps of sugar and decided to share his day off with the blonde who seemed hellbent on pretending Aizen was nothing but a buzzing fly.
He took the other seat on Shinji's table and silently sipped his relaxing, hot cup of caffeine while the blonde looked out the window with a small smile on his face. It would seem that the blonde had an interest with people watching. What a strange guy.
"What is it you want Sousuke?" Shinji suddenly asked with an annoyed sigh before taking a small sip of his heavenly drink, so completely done with their weird charade. Aizen placed his knuckles against his right cheek as that annoying smile of his graced his face, Shinji thought the man was mocking him but if he could read minds he would have heard Aizen's mental voice saying that he thought Shinji looked rather adorable when he got all angry like that.
"What makes you think I want something?" Aizen asked teasingly, having the urge to laugh a little when the tick on Shinji's head grew.
"What is your fucking deal? Can't you just leave me alone?" Shinji seethed through clenched teeth, surprised when Aizen frowned but didn't show it all that much and continued glaring at the famous man.
"You intrigue me and baffle me at the same time." Aizen's statement made Shinji look at the man with wide eyes but that later changed into a childish face of mockery filled with Shinji sticking out his studded tongue and pulling down the lid of the eye to show the red flesh underneath. He even made the classic 'mehn' sound. It was Aizen's turn to be completely stupefied. He wasn't even sure what had happened. Did he see and hear that right?
"Well sucks to be your boring ass." Shinji said, still keeping the mocking face on. When he stopped it he huffed and looked back outside the window but turned back with a slightly open mouth, his eyes full of shock when he heard a laugh come from Aizen's way.
It wasn't a chuckle or a short fake but demeaning laugh but a genuine laugh, soft and not booming all over the place but a laugh that actually sounded amused but in a good way. Aizen tried stopping himself, he even tried covering his mouth but he every time the image of the grown man in front of him making such an immature expression sent him back into a fit. It was so outrageous and honestly he couldn't understand why the man had even done that face and he wasn't sure why he found it so damn funny but he sure did and he...he...
The last time he ever laughed like that was when he was a child. A naive child with no idea how difficult life could be.
"You...you are a...a very strange man Shinji Hirako." Aizen said as he started calming down.
Shinji blushed lightly before glaring into his cup of coffee. He had thought, several times even, that the brunette had a very cute laugh and he should laugh more and the thought made him annoyed because for all he knew it might be some ploy to get his guard down and he was falling for it there for a second. He didn't like it when Aizen was around him because, little by little, his conscience would lose slowly against the urges he had to just jump the sexy man. He hadn't even kissed anyone for over a year and there was the very available, gorgeous and intelligent man giving him his attention. He's only human and he knew he would crack at some point so he just wanted to avoid Aizen but...but he really was lonely. Sad, pathetic but so very true and it just fueled his anger with the man.
"You ain't normal yourself Sousuke Aizen. In fact you're downright weird. What Ulquiorra saw in you, I'll never know." Shinji sneered but paused after he re-heard the words he had said. Asshole move Shinji! You aren't really one to taunt others with those things.
Aizen didn't let his smile fall. He wasn't really surprised that he knew, considering the information he found out about Shinji and Shiro being childhood best friends. He liked Ulquiorra, more than he had liked someone in a long time, but it was only lust. That probably being why he gave up on the whole scheming to get Shiro away thing. One being it was too melodramatic even for him; Two being that it was way too cliche and Three being that he wasn't all that interested.
"Hmm. Good looks. Charm. Money. Intellect. Fame. Wonderful conversationalist. Shall I go on?" Aizen teased with a small smile which turned into a scowl of thought when Shinji brought out that depressed expression from before. He would be honest and said he didn't necessarily care about the blonde's sadness but he was always a very curious man.
"So...You're over him or something?" Shinji asked, finishing up the last remains of his coffee but not leaving. He was lonely and so far Aizen hadn't sent off his warning signals so he just decided to at least talk with the man for a while at least.
Aizen raised a brow at the question. "Over him would be exaggerating it a bit but I can say I can easily move on. Ulquiorra was something unique, no doubt about it but it wasn't like I loved him or anything. Frankly that is something I do not believe in. Why do you ask Shinji Hirako? Worried I might try to take him away from your friend?" Aizen asked with an upturn of his lips, his cocky smile back in place.
Shinji bit on his lower lip and shook his head. He tried to focus on the setting sun, instead of the calculating brown eyes watching every movement he made.
Aizen's eyes widened when he finally understood Shinji's interest on the whole matter and why he looked so pained about it. It was obvious if one pieced it together. "Oh dear. Aren't you unlucky?" Aizen said with a teasing smirk which turned into an amused smile when Shinji gave him a death glare that actually held promise. Finally. Finally something I can use to make him give me what I want.
"I'm done and leaving. Cheers to you dying a horrible death and landing in the deepest and darkest pits of hell asshole." Shiniji growled before getting up, drinking Aizen's coffee and walking out of the cafe, looking like a wild animal pissed off enough to rip anything to shreds.
He was so angry he hadn't noticed that Aizen was walking right beside him, in his expensive clothes and scarf, looking so very proud of himself.
"Was it something I said Hirako-kun?" Aizen whispered softly into Shinji's ear, making sure his breath hit the blonde's neck. He felt himself chuckling when the smaller man paused and visibly shivered but he still kept his glare. In fact it seemed to have gotten even angrier and his fists were twitching.
Aizen backed way slightly but smile still in place. Better not get him even more angry. He might actually kill me.
"Do me and yourself a huge fucking favor by staying the hell away from me." Shinji growled, glad that the streets were getting empty as darkness fell on the town because he knew if anyone bumped into him he would snap and put himself in a position of getting a lawsuit.
"Now why would I do something like that when you're so very interesting? So? You're in love with Kurosaki-san I take it. What a depressing story." Aizen stated instead of asked and he wasn't all that surprised when Shinji lunged for him. It would've been a very crippling punch too if Aizen hadn't seen it coming and sidestepped. He grabbed Shinji's wrist and pulled him against his body, feeling very powerful when he saw the panic in the blonde's lovely light brown eyes. He held up Shinji's still enclosed fist and used his free arm to wrap it around the blonde's slender hips. He was warm, more warm than most people he had held and considering tit was the winter time it was odd but Aizen liked it. He could feel the man's harsh and fast heartbeat against his chest and he just chuckled when he noticed the small blush on Shinji's cheeks. Then the glare returned.
"I find it rather thrilling when you look at me like that." Aizen teased as he brought his head closer, therefore bringing his lips just a few inches closer to Shinji who couldn't get out of the iron like grip that kept him in place. Okay, so the guy's strong. Yay me.
"Good to know. Now let go of me before I turn you into a woman." Shinji threatened with a terrifying smile that made Aizen scowl in distaste. The way the blonde spoke sometimes made Aizen shiver in both fear and want. He had the urge to lick his lips but thought it a tad too much.
"You can deny it all you want Hirako-kun but your body is practically screaming at me to just ravish you." Aizen went for the direct approach as he tilted to the side and spoke with his lips against Shinji's soft left cheek. The blonde's struggling ceased because he was absolutely mortified. Aizen had licked him. The brown haired, shitty bastard had licked him in the middle of the sidewalk and he was the sick pervert that nearly fucking whimpered because he lucking liked it because he was fucking deprived.
"You are in pain Shinji Hirako. All because of one man. I am very, very intrigued by you. So why not Hirako-kun? No ties. Just let me help you forget for one blissful night." Shinji hated himself. He felt like the worst kind of shit on the planet because he knew. He fucking knew Aizen was using his love for Shiro against him to get what he wanted from Shinji. He knew that he was being manipulated, that he was just some chest piece on the man's game board that he needed to move in some way to get checkmate. He fucking knew that Sousuke Aizen was a man that he shouldn't let win over him for he would regret it. He was not a man, no, he was the devil on his shoulder that he should always, always, say no to.
He knew, but that didn't stop him from grabbing the back of the man's head and pulling him down for the first kiss he had had in a year.
Aizen smiled through the kiss.
Checkmate.
So...What you think? Please do review and tell me how you like this unexpected update.
I am so so very very very sorry about the late update. Family and health issues and all delaying me. My medicine really knocks me out sometimes.
Some fanservice, Aizen/Shinji, building up. Hope you liked it. I wouldn't really put in the sex scene because that would be the first chapter of the other book connected with this one which would be a short Aizen/Shinji story. When it's up please read it and review!
My birthday's coming up on JULY 4! Can't fucking wait!
Again, So sorry and I love all you guys to absolute bits.
Ciao from,
Grimmjowislife.