It was odd seeing Yukio in this new light – as a romantic prospect. Toushiro's stomach was rolling over itself in anxiety as he thought about it. He had agreed to give him a chance, and if he was honest with himself, he did not dislike the boy. That was putting it lightly, in fact, he rather liked him. Yukio was amusing, intelligent, and attractive; slender, but his shoulders had definitely gotten broader with training. He was leaning forward; one elbow perched on the table as they waited for their drinks. His hair fell to the side as he tilted his head, allowing Toushiro to see both eyes. Such green eyes. Toushiro looked away, eyes darting to his lap then to the set of chopsticks to his right. He took great care in straightening them.

"You okay?" Yukio asked.

Toushiro's eyes snapped back up to him. "Yeah. Fine." His throat felt tight.

"You're literally on the edge of your set, though." Yukio wrinkled his nose.

Toushiro took a deep breath then slid back in his chair. "Better?"

Yukio scoffed softly. "This would be the part where we both take out our phones and pretend to text."

"What do you mean?"

"It's what people do when things are awkward."

"You think... this is awkward?"

He scoffed again. "I don't know how to start a conversation."

"We're talking now."

Yukio gave him a lopsided smile. "I guesso."

Toushiro's stomach fluttered slightly and he looked around just in time to see a waitress come with their order. She smiled at them as she set down two steaming cups and a plate of assorted desserts on the table between them.

"What did you get?" Yukio asked eying Toushiro's cup.

"Uh, just plain green." There had been so many options to choose from. There were fruit and floral infused blends, rare teas he had never heard of, and even a selection of English and Indian options. In the end he had stuck with what he knew; the regular green tea. "What about you."

"Lavender Jasmine."

"That sounds good."

"I'll tell you if it is. I can't believe that there isn't a single coffee shop in the whole of the Seireitei."

"I think coffee is a bit too modern for us." It was a nice tea house, though a bit too pricey for his liking.

"But it's like coffee. It's everywhere."

"Not here."

Yukio shook his head as he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his tea. "I'm so glad I brought my espresso machine with me."

Toushiro tilted his head. "Espresso?"

Yukio's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "You don't know what espresso is?"

Toushiro shook his head. Was he supposed to?

"It's like really amazing coffee, really strong too."

"Oh."

"I can bring some for you."

"That would be... thank you."

Yukio smiled and took a sip of his tea. Toushiro watched as the mug hid the bottom half of his face.

"That's good," he said. "You wanna try?"

He pushed his cup towards Toushiro. He watched at the liquid sloshed as it slid across the table and was hesitant to pick up the cup. Yukio smiled and nodded, urging him on. He swallowed as he picked up Yukio's cup. It smelled heavenly; with floral tones and warm earthiness. He took a small sip; it was sweet from the sugar Yukio had added, but aside for that it was extremely pleasant. He glanced at his own cup, the light jasmine was better suited to their evening outing, than the tangy, smokiness of the green. Maybe Yukio did know a thing or two about tea. Yukio was grinning when he set the cup back down.

"I'll get you a cup."

"No, I have this." He picked up the green tea.

Yukio scoffed and called the waitress over. Toushiro felt his face turn red as he ordered a second cup of jasmine.

"You didn't have to do that," he mumbled as she left. "I was fine with this tea."

"I don't want you to be just fine. We're on a date; I want you to have like the best time ever tonight."

His face couldn't get any redder. He stared at his lap, unsure of what to say. He wanted to have a good time too. He wanted to give Yukio an honest chance, and a not-so-small part of him wanted things to work out between them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Yukio broke the silence.

Toushiro looked up nervously. Was Yukio about to test him? Something caught in his throat, and he felt sweat form on the back of his neck. He hadn't know that there was going to be a test-

"What's your favourite colour?"

Toushiro frowned slightly, not believing what he had heard. "My favourite..."

"Colour. I mean, a first date is like just to get to know each other. I have some serious questions that could make or break us."

Toushiro's breath left him in an amused woosh. He chuckled softly. "Starting with my favourite colour?"

Yukio nodded firmly.

The corner of Toushiro's mouth twitched upwards. "I like green. You?"

"Black. Dogs or cats?"

"Um... I don't mind either."

"I'm a cat person. Favourite type of movie?"

Toushiro chewed the inside of his cheek. "I haven't..."

"We're fixing that a-sap. Okay, book genre?"

"Hmmm, I like fantasy, horror, history..."

"Perfect! I love horror. Do you like spicy food?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't like hot things."

"Hmmm, we'll butt heads on that."

Toushiro chuckled, shaking his head. This boy could be ridiculous. He watched as Yukio's eyes sparkled as he came up with the silliest questions Toushiro had ever heard. 'Waffles or pancakes? Ice cream or cake? Did he wet his toothbrush before or after the toothpaste?' he found his shoulders shaking with laughter by the end of the night, and Yukio wore a smug grin. He didn't even noticed that he was no longer nervous about this being a date, focusing on the sheer absurdity of some of his questions. He had acted as if some of them were the most important things in the world and not just his preference in breakfast foods. Then he took the bill before Toushiro even noticed the waitress had set it on their table.

"I got this," he waved Toushiro off.

"But-"

"Nah, I asked you out. I'll pay."

He was impressed. Yukio didn't seem like the type of person who took etiquette seriously, but Toushiro had never been so wrong about a person before.

...

Yukio had tied his hair back again for that morning's session, and was wearing a pair of sweatpants that sat dangerously low on his hips.

"Are those comfortable?" Toushiro had to ask. They looked like they were going to fall off.

"They're way better than the uniforms. You sure you don't want a pair?"

Toushiro shook his head. "Go warm up."

He watched as Yukio did laps around the courtyard; he'd already warmed up before the boy got there. He had hoped that Yukio would have been on time that morning, but he wasn't. Toushiro wasn't disappointed, per say, but maybe one date hadn't been enough incentive to get him to training on time. He shook his head, no. He could not let his feelings get in the way of Yukio's training. The training itself should be incentive enough. He deserved nothing but professionalism for his lessons. It would not do to short change him, or expect more simply because their personal relationship was changing. While Yukio was finishing up his laps, he dragged out a training dummy. They would try some more complex manoeuvres today, to see how well he could handle those, maybe a few jump kicks and precision exercises as well.

Yukio circled back to him, hopping on the balls of his feet. Toushiro demonstrated a few new moves, some important stances, and then explained how to attack while jumping.

Yukio scoffed. "Don't think I can jump that high."

"You won't know until you try."

"Oh, I know."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes. "Okay we'll try wall jumps to start."

He led Yukio to the courtyard wall, then got some chalk powder from the supply room. He dipped his hand in it then stood facing the wall. Jumping straight up, he slapped his hand against the wall leaving a mark.

"If you can get higher than me, you will have no problem doing a jump kick."

Yukio eyed his hand print with scepticism.

"You can do it, Yukio, and if not we'll train until you can."

He nodded then jumped. Toushiro winced; they would have to do some more training until he was ready for that. Definitely build up his legs muscles; he was used to endurance, not explosive strength. He couldn't really tell with the pants he was wearing, but Toushiro was sure that his legs were on the scrawny side. Though, his calves had to be toned from the amount of running he did.

"Um, Toushiro, my face is up here."

His face was instantly aflame. "I wasn't..." he ended in a huff. "Lunges, we're doing a ladder. 10, 20, 30, 50. Go."

"Are you insane?"

"Go."

Yukio scowled at him, but followed his orders. He would have to re-adjust the training program to include a bit more mass building. Until he was positive that Yukio could supplement reiatsu for physical strength without hurting himself, they would have to do things this way. Yukio was going to hate him for it. The thought made him smirk.

...

Their second date was unplanned in the sense that Toushiro wasn't expecting it. Yukio had come to the office right before the lunch hour, waltzing in with a cup of tea in either hand. Rangiku had already left for her lunch break and he could hear other soldiers moving about outside.

"What's the workload look like today?" he asked, setting one of the cups down on Toushiro's desk.

"Thank you." Toushiro picked up the cup inhaling deeply before taking a sip. Yukio was already behind him, reading the reports from over his shoulder.

"Is this stuff important?"

"It's all important."

He rolled his eyes and moved to Toushiro's daily planner. He picked it up quickly scanning the page, then flipping a few days ahead.

He hummed as he set it back onto the desk. "Come on, let's go get lunch."

"I'm in the middle of-"

"You have time. There's nothing due until like next week, you can afford to take an hour off."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes. He would fall behind but, supposing that he did spare an hour for lunch, he could possibly get this report done quicker when he got back refreshed. Or at most he could take half an hour break. Or he could stay an hour later today-

"Toushiro," Yukio sighed heavily. "You have time. Your report doesn't have to be done right at this very moment." His tone was firm and he stared straight into Toushiro's eyes. Toushiro's stomach bubbled at the thought of leaving his work incomplete, but something in Yukio's voice made him think that it was okay. Maybe. He glanced at his planner, mentally shuffling his schedule around. He could make it work.

Eventually, Toushiro sighed, clicking the pen closed and setting it down on his desk, making sure that it lined up perfectly with the edge of his report. "If I fall behind on schedule, you're helping me to catch up."

"I'd be glad to."

Yukio dragged him to a fairly busy restaurant. They had to wait a while for a seat, but the food smelt amazing and, from the glimpses Toushiro had seen of waiters scurrying about, it looked good too. Toushiro carefully scanned the menu, settling on a rice omelette and a cup of Darjeeling tea.

"You're not that adventurous with food, are you?" Yukio commented after placing his order.

"Um," Toushiro shook his head. "Not in particular."

Yukio clicked his tongue. "That's why you're so skinny."

"No, it's not."

"Try some of my Kakuni."

He wrinkled his nose; he wasn't a fan of pork belly, or the mirin wine and saké that pretty much made up the dish. "No thank you."

Yukio chuckled and Toushiro felt himself smile.

"The only things I've seen you eat are literally tea and white rice."

"That's not true; you brought me miso soup once."

"Rice, tea, and soup-"

"And I ordered egg-"

"That's four things, Toushiro."

"And your point is?"

Yukio grinned. "You're absolutely adorable."

Toushiro blushed. "How do my eating habits make me adorable?"

Yukio shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know; they just do."

The full hour had passed by the time they headed back to the Tenth. Toushiro was anxious to get back to work, but he found that he was happy to spend time with Yukio regardless. He had insisted that he pay once again, and when Toushiro refused he had snuck off to the restroom only to have gone to the front counter to settle their bill there. 'I asked you out; I'm paying' was his only defence, but Toushiro couldn't find it in himself to be truly angry at him. He would pay next time, even if that meant that he would have to be the one to ask Yukio out.

They walked side by side, occasionally bumping into each other to avoid people as they passed by. Their arms brushed more than once, sending jolts of heat up to Toushiro's shoulder each time. He had thanked Yukio for lunch more than once, but it wasn't a matter of gratitude. He looked down, staring at Yukio's hand from the corner of his eyes. Yukio, so far, had been initiating everything. And while Toushiro was interested, he was positive that he was interested, he had yet to give Yukio much confirmation. He chewed the inside of his cheek and drew in a deep breath before reaching out to take Yukio's hand in his. Yukio was visibly startled, and Toushiro's cheeks were aflame as Yukio looked down at him. Yukio smiled widely and gently squeezed his hand, rubbing his thumb across his knuckles. Toushiro's stomach flopped. Yukio's hands were, of course, larger than his and smooth, with long, thick fingers, whereas his were heavily calloused and scarred with knobby knuckles and joints. He chewed the inside of his cheek, hoping that Yukio wouldn't mind.

...

"Sooo, how's it going, Captain?" Ranigku asked.

They were barely into an hour of work and she was already fidgeting at her desk. Toushiro sighed heavily and looked over to her. "I'm going to need some strong tea before we talk about anything."

She had hoped from her seat in a matter of seconds and was skidding down the hallway to the kitchen. Toushiro shook his head. If there was only someway he could get her to be that enthusiastic about her work. She was back in a few minutes with an extra-large cup of black tea. She had set a piece of orange rind on the rim, possibly to soften him up for juicy details. He took a long sip, savouring the flavour, but pretending to take a bit longer than he had to. Rangiku was practically salivating watching him. Eventually, he set the cup back down on his desk and leaned back against his chair.

"Thank you, Matsumoto."

"Any time." She leaned against the edge of his desk. "So, let's get to business; I heard you and Yukio went on a date yesterday."

Toushiro felt his cheeks heat slightly. "We did."

Rangiku squealed. He was still shocked that such a high-pitched noise could come from a grown woman. "Details, now! Where did you go? What did you talk about?"

"We just had lunch together. It's not anything big."

"Of course it's big! What happened? Tell me!"

He sighed deeply and gave his report a longing glance. "He came to the office and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him. I saw no problem in going with him."

"That's big, Captain, if he could convince you to take time off for lunch. Anyway, what do you think of him?"

Toushiro tilted his head. "He's amusing. I don't dislike him."

Rangiku scoffed. "You don't dislike him? That's one way of putting it, I guess. How does he make you feel?"

He was most positively blushing. Even his ears felt hot. "I... I don't know... he's enjoyable to be around. I feel like I can... relax with him."

She smiled reaching out to smooth a lock of hair from his forehead. He jerked away, scowling slightly. Rangiku, diverted her hand and patted his cheek instead. "You two are so cute together."

His scowl deepened. "Really, Captain, he'll be good for you. You've been wound up so tightly lately."

"I'm not wound up."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're so tightly wound that you probably shit spirals."

He rolled his eyes; that was the cue to send Rangiku back to work. He shoved her from his desk and she chuckled as she went to her own.

"It was our second date, by the way." He didn't know why he granted her that information. "He took me for tea before this... we held hands."

Rangiku's eyes lit up. "Like I just said, he'll be good for you."

...

Toushiro had never been to a restaurant as fancy as the one they went to the following week. Yukio had instructed him to wear his good clothes for their date that night. Toushiro was a bit miffed that Yukio had asked him out before he had gotten the chance to, but he was glad to go regardless that it meant Yukio would be once again paying. They had met outside the Tenth after work. Yukio had somehow gotten his hands on a very nice set of hakama and kodose, at first glance Toushiro thought that he was still in his uniform but, when he got closer he realised that the fabric was much nicer and there was navy stitching along the hem. He had opted for a light, summer yukata of mint green. His granny had made it.

Yukio smiled when he saw him. "You look... good."

Toushiro blushed. "Thanks. So do you."

"Shall we?"

Toushiro nodded and slipped his hand into Yukio's.

Rangiku had suggested the restaurant after she had found out that Yukio had the means. Toushiro held his breath as they walked through a grand entrance lit by ornate candelabras and were guided to their table by a waiter who was wearing clothes far more expensive than Toushiro even owned. He couldn't bring himself to look at the prices on the menu. Yukio then took it upon himself to order for the both of them.

"Yukio, this is too much," Toushiro mumbled as he gave the waiter their order.

"It's my treat, don't worry about it."

"It's far too expensive."

"Trust me, it's not." Toushiro was about to argue further, but Yukio stopped him. "Hey, I want to do this, okay?"

Toushiro shook his head. "Why?"

Yukio raised an eyebrow and something between a smirk and an embarrassed smile crossed his face. "Because I really like you."

Toushiro chewed his bottom lip.

"And I'm hoping that this will make you like me back."

Toushiro tilted his head and regarded the boy as he nervously fidgeted with his napkin. "Fancy restaurants won't make me change my opinion on you. I believe... that I would have enjoyed the time spent with you even if we had gone to a ramen stall."

Yukio's face lit up. "But this is better, though?"

Toushiro scoffed softly. "Yes. It's better."

"Then, I wanna ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

Yukio paused for a heartbeat, and resumed fidgeting with his napkin. "Will... will you be my... boyfriend?"

There was no other way to describe the feeling in his chest other than warm and fuzzy. He nodded. "Of course."

They walked hand-in-hand back home; Yukio tapping a light beat on Toushiro's knuckles. They were silent otherwise. Yukio was smiling and Toushiro couldn't help but look up at him, watching the way his eyes glowed in happiness, and forgoing concentrating on the street before them. Before now, he hadn't thought that just being with another person could make someone so happy. He was glad that he could make Yukio this happy.

"I'll walk you home."

"That's not necessary," Toushiro answered softly. "My quarters are completely out of your way."

"I've never seen your quarters."

"Not very many people have."

"Then, can I be one of them?"

Toushiro raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "How about I walk you to your quarters? It really is out of our way. You can see them some other time."

"Promise?" Yukio grinned cheekily.

Toushiro gently squeezed his hand. "Okay."

They stopped in front of Yukio's room facing each other. It was pretty late, and he could see a few lanterns flickering from behind closed doors around them. Thankfully, no one was out.

"Tonight was... great," Yukio mumbled.

"Yes, it was."

"We'll have to do it again. Soon."

"I'm paying next time."

He chuckled. "If you really want to. Anyway... I guess... it's time..."

"Good night, Yukio. I will see you at work tomorrow."

"Yeah..." He was reluctant to let go of Toushiro's hand and let out a deep breath through his teeth. He scrubbed a hand up his face, pushing his hair from his eyes.

"Is-"

Toushiro's eyes widened as Yukio leaned forward pressing his lips to his forehead. They were warm and soft, leaving his skin tingling. Yukio's face was red when he straightened, but he was smiling. Toushiro brought his hand to his forehead, touching the spot where Yukio's lips had been.

"Yeah, good night." He slipped into his room, leaving Toushiro staring after him with his chest expanding with warmth.

...

"That is not a deep squat, Yukio." Toushiro remarked as Yukio barely bent his knees.

"Come on, Toushiro, I'm literally dying here."

He could see Yukio's legs trembling from where he was, but he knew the boy had it in him for at least one more set.

"Five more then you can have a break."

"How 'bout five more, then a kiss?"

Toushiro paused. "If... do you..."

Yukio chuckled breathily. "Don't worry about it."

Toushiro shook his head, snapping back into instructor mode. "One more set."

Yukio groaned, but bent into a full squat just as Toushiro had instructed. He collapsed to the ground when he had finished all five. "My ass better be bomb after all this," he panted.

Toushiro didn't quite understand the slang, but he felt he should respond. "It should be." He tossed Yukio his water bottle, slightly taken aback when he started to laugh. "What?"

"You're effing adorable, that's what."

Toushiro shook his head. "You can cool down with some laps when you're ready."

Yukio forced himself to his feet. "Run with me."

The fullbringer set the slow pace around the courtyard. They had run through a few precision and speed exercises with a training dummy, before Toushiro had him do some lower body strength training. Yukio was going to hate him for it tomorrow and possibly the day after. He might have thrown in an extra set of weighted lunges because Yukio had once again been late.

"This is my twelfth week of training, isn't it?" Yukio asked.

Toushiro quickly counted down in his head. "Yes, it is."

"We're halfway through, then."

"We are." Toushiro felt a slight pang in his chest, suddenly feeling as if six months weren't long enough after all.

"When are we gonna spar again?"

"When you can finally jump high enough to do a jump kick."

Yukio stuck his tongue out. "Says the one who didn't do a single squat today."

"I don't need to-"

"How am I supposed to know? Not like I can see your ass in that dumb uniform."

Toushiro scowled. "And let's keep it that way, shall we?"

But when they were done running, he stretched up on his tiptoes to give Yukio a quick peck on the cheek. He didn't know what struck him to do so, but before he could decide to back out he was already flat on his feet, cheeks burning and staring nervously as the kiss took time to register in Yukio's mind. When it did, the boy grinned, bringing his hand to his cheeks as they reddened.

"I literally cannot believe how cute you are." His cheeks reddened further as he spoke.

Toushiro swallowed, his mouth feeling dry while the rest of his face burned. It was a pleasant feeling.

...

Office work tended to come in waves. Toushiro managed to stay afloat by keeping a precise schedule, but even his schedule wasn't a match for the tsunami that suddenly overtook the Tenth a week after the mid-point of Yukio's training. All seated members were working double office shifts and Toushiro was pinned to his desk. All at once approvals had come in from the Thirteenth, and then the construction team had sent in their reports for briefing. Materials needed to be checked, ordered, counted, the budget had to be completed at that very moment, and new schedules made and assigned. Soldiers needed to be shuffled around because there was not enough hands on deck. That meant Toushiro had to put in a request for aid from another division, or request outside help and employ people from the Rukon districts. With how short staffed the Seireitei was at the moment it meant that the second option was more viable, but also it meant more work on his end. A scouting team had to be assembled, and fresh workers had to be inducted and briefed. New personnel files had to be made and filed correctly, and the budget had to be yet again re-adjusted to account for the new labour.

Toushiro had averaged about two hours of sleep a night for nearly a week. Even Rangiku had stayed up with him a night or two. By the time he had signed his name on the absolute last sheet of paper his entire body was shaking with exhaustion, his vision turned grey when he shifted his eyes too quickly, and he had had the worst headache he had ever had in a long while. He rested his forehead to the cool top of his desk, rubbing his temples, and wishing that the change in temperature would soothe his aching head. He wasn't even sure what time it was or the day. Everything had started to blend together some time ago, but he was pretty sure that it was Friday. He knew it had to be late; Rangiku wasn't at her desk and outside seemed a bit dark. Or it was really early; he had no idea. He knew that he should probably get up to check the time, and head back to his quarters to refresh himself, but his brain was misfiring and his limbs wouldn't move. So, he shut his eyes, a ten minute nap wouldn't hurt at this point. Maybe his headache would have subsided a bit by then. He must have drifted off for a while, because he startled awake at a voice calling his name.

"Hey, Toushiro!"

He groaned softly as a familiar set of footsteps rushed into the office. He was glad that Yukio was coming to check on him, but he didn't think he could handle his incessant chatter at this time.

"Toushi- Oh."

There was complete silence for a few beats and the lights flickered off. He breathed out a sigh of relief, but it was odd that Yukio would have just left him like that. With his head throbbing the way it was though, he wasn't in the mood to think of a reason why. He was already slipping into unconsciousness again. He jumped awake when a cup was set on his desk with a thud. He forced himself to sit up, but continued to hold his head as he straightened. Yukio was standing in front of his desk regarding him with concern.

"You look like an actual zombie."

Toushiro grumbled.

"Here." He held out a small white bottle. "For your headache."

Toushiro eyed the bottle before reaching out for it. "How did you know I had a headache?"

Yukio shrugged. "After like ten hours straight of going through reports I would have a headache too. Lucky guess, I guess."

"Thanks." He tried to unscrew the bottle, but the cover only made a clicking noise and spun uselessly. He was too tired for this, and his head was pounding too badly. Yukio looked like he was trying his hardest not to laugh as he took the bottle back and opened it for him. There must have been some trick to it.

"Just two should be fine."

He swallowed the pills with a gulp of water, then drained the glass for good measure. He had to have been dehydrated as well.

"Is everything done?" Yukio asked as he slumped back against his seat.

"Yeah."

"You ready to go home, then?"

"...Yeah." He sighed as he forced himself from his chair, holding on to the edge of the desk as his legs felt clumsy and the ground swayed a bit. He heard Yukio click his tongue and an arm was slung around his waist. He was too tired to feel embarrassed, despite the small part of his brain that was screaming.

"How much tea did you take? I have a feeling you're more caffeine than shinigami right now."

The pills were starting to work, and he could feel his headache receding slightly.

"No wonder you're so short. Caffeine stunts your growth, you know."

"It does not. That is a myth."

Yukio chuckled softly. "Just checking to see if you were still person enough to have thought processes."

"Funny."

Yukio was leading him from the office. "You need like a week's vacation at a spa after this."

Toushiro scoffed. He could never do that.

"Though..." Yukio trailed off. "We could... I mean, if you're up for it, the baths should be free at this time. You look like you need to relax a bit."

What he needed right now was sleep. But, the idea of soaking in a warm bath was very appealing. His lower back was stiff from sitting in his chair all week. "'kay."

He felt Yukio's body twitch as if he hadn't been expecting his answer. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'll need you to stay, 'cause I might fall asleep and drown."

The tension in Yukio's body was what made him realise that what he had said was not all that appropriate. He winced, shaking his head. "I mean..."

Yukio shushed him with a soft chuckle. "You're adorable when you're tired. But yeah, I think it would be for the best if I do stay."

They made a quick stop to Toushiro's then Yukio's room to gather bathing supplies. The bath house was blessedly empty when they arrived. Toushiro let out a soft sigh of relief as he slipped into the warm pool, resting the back of his head against the ledge. Yukio was still rinsing off; he had brought shampoo, and was taking his time in washing his hair. Toushiro would have waited, but he felt uncomfortable watching Yukio in nothing but a towel. In fact, he had drifted away for a few minutes with his eyes fixed on Yukio's back, on a single, tiny mole at the bottom of his right shoulder blade. He should not have known that it was there. Asking him to join him for a bath had been incredibly forward. Yet, he found himself wondering if he had moles or freckles anywhere else.

Toushiro felt himself being jolted awake when Yukio sat down next to him and the water rippled around his chest. He had fallen asleep in the few short minutes it took Yukio to finish up; it was a very disconcerting feeling.

"How much sleep did you get this week?" Yukio asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Dunno." He mumbled, tiredly following the motion with his eyes. The muscles in his shoulders and arms contracted. Toushiro wondered how he had looked like before starting to train. He must have been terribly skinny, but who was he to make that remark.

"Gods, Toushiro, that's terrible," Yukio chuckled.

He grumbled in affirmation, breathing in the steam that rose from the water. He already felt his muscles relaxing as the heat seeped into every inch of his body. "I'll make up for it."

"That is a myth. You can't actually catch up on sleep; your body just sleeps as much as it needs any given night."

Toushiro hummed, letting his eyes fall shut once more. Gods, it was hard to stay awake.

"How's the headache?"

"Better. Just tired now."

"And hungry?"

"A bit. More tired." His head was lolling to the side, out of his control.

"You can sleep after this."

"Sleep now."

"You'll end up all wrinkly."

"Dun care."

He heard Yukio scoff and the water splash softly as the boy moved around.

"Here, do you want a massage?"

Toushiro's eyes flew open and suddenly the exhaustion fled from his limbs. "I... um. You don't have to. I'm fine."

Yukio sat sideways on the ledge to face him. The ends of his hair curled slightly as the stuck to his chin and neck. He had pushed the hair that usually covered his left eye behind his ear and a few bits stuck up in awkward chunks. The water had darkened the wheat colour to a dark, burnished gold. Toushiro knew that water hardly did him any favours, turning his own locks transparent and plastering everything to his scalp. He looked away, chewing the inside of his cheek.

"That wasn't my question, though. Come on, you look a tense."

Toushiro sighed softly, and turning to give Yukio his back. His neck was tight, and so was his lower back, but he didn't want Yukio's hands down there. Not yet at least.

"There we go." He placed his hands on Toushiro's shoulders and began kneading, digging his palms into the wound up muscles. His hands left tiny sparks wherever they touched, and, if possible, felt hotter than the bath. He held back a hiss as Yukio tackled a few tight knots, but as he worked through them Toushiro felt his eyelids begin to droop.

"You really don't have an ounce of fat on you," Yukio mumbled.

Toushiro shrugged.

"Like you walked straight off the runway."

"Not tall enough to be a model."

Yukio laughed. "How do you know that, and not what espresso was?"

"Matsumoto. She likes to read fashion magazines from the World of the Living."

"Right. You're hot enough to be a model, though."

Toushiro shook his head.

"Seriously. I was not expecting this when you took off your shirt."

"Expecting what?"

He ran a finger down Toushiro's spine. "This."

Toushiro jumped, his back arching in effort to escape Yukio's finger.

"Ticklish?"

Toushiro glared at him from over his shoulder. "Don't you dare."

Yukio grinned, continuing the massage. "Totally not fair."

Toushiro's head lolled forward. "I don't sit on my ass playing video games all day."

"But you do sit on your ass."

He scoffed. "Lately, yes. But, I have gone through decades of training. You've been here for what? Thirteen weeks?"

"True. I never would have thought that sword fighting would give you such toned muscles, though." He ran his hands boldly down Toushiro's arms, lightly squeezing his biceps for emphasis. Toushiro shivered.

"It's called zanjutsu. And yes, it involves your entire body. I also had to train harder to control Hyourinmaru. I was a bit young when he began to manifest so, I had to try hard to keep up."

"Right, I think I remember reading somewhere that katana can be kinda heavy."

"Katana usually are around a kilogram, depending on the length. But a zanpakuto's weight is linked to its master's reiatsu. I have no problem lifting Hyourinmaru, but you, or anyone else, would never be able to."

"That's confusing. If Hyourinmaru was a normal katana, how much would he weigh?"

"Hyorinmaru would be considered an ōdachi – a great sword. Katana are usually longer than sixty centimetres, while ōdachi are anywhere above one metre."

Yukio scoffed. "How long is he, exactly?"

Toushiro sighed, knowing where this was going. "He's 1.4 metres. Yes, it's a cosmic joke; let's give the shortest shinigami in the Seireitei an ōdachi that's taller than him."

"He is not." He could hear the laughter in his voice.

"He is, really. Anyway, you seem... I'm sure that all this talk is boring you."

"Nah. It's pretty cool. Besides, I should know at least the bare minimum of what my boyfriend does for a living."

Toushiro was a bit taken aback at the word boyfriend. It was one thing to know it in theory, but hearing it aloud did something to his stomach.

"And you, Yukio?" He turned around, sitting cross-legged on the ledge to face the boy. "You are still quite a mystery to me."

Yukio folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head. "Me? Well, I own Vorarlberna Industries. We're an international game and electronics company. I took over when my parents... uh, you know."

Toushiro frowned. "I thought your parents-"

"Yeah, they did. But I started over with the same company and we're thriving." He was staring at his hands, which he had let drop to his lap.

"I don't know the first thing about games, or electronics, if I'm completely honest." Toushiro tried to change the subject.

Yukio's eyes seemed to sparkle. "I'd be more than happy to show you."

Toushiro smiled. "Yes, I would like that."

...

"Is that like all you're bringing?" Yukio asked, eyeing Touhiro's knapsack.

Toushiro sighed, hiking his bag onto his shoulder. "It's only a week," he grumbled.

Yes, only a week. A week that he was supposed to leave his squad in the care of Rangiku and his third seat. A week that he was cut off from paperwork. A week that he could potentially fall behind, if there were errors that he was not there to catch, or pick up the slack when needed. His stomach rolled at the thought. He had tried every way he could, to get out of this forced vacation. Yukio had gone behind his back, along with Rangiku and a few other seated members of his squad, and talked with Kyoraku about giving him some time off. Apparently, they were concerned about him after the last week of work. If they were truly concerned they would have left him alone to run his division. They had pleaded his case without him, giving – false – proof that he was overworked. So what if he had slept for a straight fifteen hours that weekend? It only meant that he was refreshed and ready to start another week of work. Kyoruaku had ordered him to take a vacation of a minimum week's length and Yukio had swooped in to invite him to stay with him in the World of the Living. Toushiro wondered if that hadn't been his plan all along.

"You're like the only person who I've seen is annoyed that they're going on holiday," Yukio chuckled.

"I'm going to fall behind."

"No, you're not."

"You're messing up my schedule."

"Rangiku and your seated members are more than qualified to handle things."

Toushiro huffed. Yukio didn't understand. He had gone through the utmost care to plan out his schedule. He had allotted for drawbacks, but not for a week of waste. He was sure that he would come back to find things an unorganised mess. He clenched his fists and chewed his bottom lip as the thought made his skin itch and his head spin.

"Hey," Yukio grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a tight hug. "Don't you trust your soldiers?"

"I do." Toushiro mumbled into Yukio's chest, before pulling away. "But... what if something goes wrong? I have to be here to stop it."

Yukio tilted his head, a slight frown on his brow. "Nothing will go wrong."

"You don't know that." No one knew. That's why he had to re-read any document that left the Tenth at least three times before approving them.

"Toushiro, do you have OCD?"

"What?"

He shook his head, answering his own question. "No, you're not obsessive compulsive. But, look I'm no way a psychologist, but you may have a bit of OCPD. Have you ever been tested?"

Psychologist? "I'm not mentally impacted in any way."

"No, but you're like a genius, and genius tends to come with a few eccentricities. Look, you worry a lot. More than most people."

Toushiro scowled. "I don't even know what that OCPD is."

"We'll talk about that later. But right now, it's important to me that you know that nothing will go wrong if you leave the Tenth for a week."

Toushiro breathed in deeply. "I don't know that."

Yukio blinked slowly, then sighed softly. "Rangiku will call you if anything goes wrong. We'll be able to get back to fix it." He scratched the back of his neck and scoffed. "This is a great start to our vacation, isn't it?"

Toushiro chewed his bottom lip. Yukio seemed frustrated with him; he hadn't meant to anger him, but he was not comfortable with leaving the Seireitei when there was so much work to be done. Still, he allowed himself to be lead to the senkaimon and into the World of the Living, now feeling guilty on both accounts.

They stopped at Urahara's to pick up a gigai. Toushiro wouldn't need it around Yukio, but if they were to go out in public it would look odd for him to be talking to thin air. Toushiro had forgotten how constricting they were as he rolled his shoulders trying to adjust. Yukio eyed him up and down as they waited in front of Urahara's shop for their ride to Yukio's home.

"Did you choose that outfit?" he asked.

Toushiro looked down at his clothes; ripped jeans and a black sweater. He wasn't sure who dressed the gigais, actually, and had no idea where the clothes had come from. "You don't like it?"

"No, you look cute. Was just wondering. I asked one of my PAs to get you some like normal clothes for the week, but I wasn't sure what your style was."

"What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing, but you can't wear it for the entire week."

"Why not?"

Yukio looked as though he had asked if they could go skydiving, into an active volcano, on a deserted tropical island. His eyes had bulged slightly."Because you can't."

He didn't understand and Yukio didn't seem inclined to explain anything to him. However, a large, black car had just pulled up in front of them and Yukio started to grin widely. A man dressed in an impeccable suit stepped out of the driver's seat and gave Yukio a small bow.

"Master Yukio, welcome back."

"Hey Hanasaki," Yukio grinned. "Thanks for picking me up."

"It was no trouble at all."

"This is Toushiro, my boyfriend. I told you guys he's staying with us for a week."

"Yes, Master." He bowed to Toushiro, "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Toushiro nodded in greeting, unsure how to answer. But no sooner had he spoken, had Hanasaki moved to take Yukio's luggage and Toushiro's bag. Yukio opened the back door and motioned for Toushiro to get into the car. Toushiro was not familiar at all with the luxuries of the Living World, but he knew that this was not common. He sat back against the soft, leather seat.

"Yukio, what-"

"I'm filthy rich, remember?" He chuckled as he spread his arms against the top of the backrest, hooking one around Toushiro's shoulders and pulling him into his side. "Just wait until you see the manor."

Toushiro rolled his eyes and rested his head against Yukio's chest. He would allow him this cockiness just for today. Yukio settled his hand on Toushiro's hip and leaned down to give him a quick peck on the forehead.

Yukio lived on the outskirts of Karakura, but it took another ten minutes to drive from the edge of his property to the actual house. If it could be called a house. Some buildings in the Seireitei didn't even look this grand. There was so much glass and weird plants everywhere.

"What do you think?" Yukio asked, resting his chin on Toushiro's shoulder as he looked through the window.

"I think you're too ostentatious."

Yukio chuckled, "What good is having all this money if I don't spend it?"

A full staff of maids and butlers greeted them at the front door. Yukio addressed them all by name, introducing them to Toushiro and explaining what they did. They genuinely seemed happy to see him. But, Toushiro was a bit overwhelmed at the grandeur of everything. It all looked so expensive, he was reluctant to even walk on the floor in fear of dirtying it.

"So like, I don't want to be presumptuous or anything, but you don't mind sharing a room, right?" Yukio asked, pausing as he was about to push open a set of dark oak doors.

Toushiro hesitated himself. "I suppose not." He knew that that meant, but he wasn't exactly worried about it.

"Great," Yukio grinned and pushed open the door. "This is my room."

The walls were painted a light grey, with giant pieces of abstract art. There were a few well tended plants in ornate pots around the room, and a black plus rug covered most of the hardwood floor. The curtains in front of a doorway to a huge balcony were black. There was a black, oversized couch, that sat facing the largest screen Toushiro had seen in the Living world and multiple game consoles sat on a fancy, glass shelving unit. There was also a desk with a few computer monitors and other electronics that he wasn't familiar with, and a massive bookshelf filled to the brim with books, video game cases, and expensive looking ornaments. The only thing that was missing in this grand room was a-

"Where's your bed?"

Yukio chuckled. "Getting straight to the point, huh, babe?"

Toushiro flushed. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. Only teasing."

He guided Toushiro to another pair of doors right beside the one they had entered through. These opened on rolling hinges to reveal another room painted a darker grey, but with similar black furniture. A short staircase led up to an impossibly large bed with way too many pillows, fluffy, black sheets, and an ornate headboard. Their luggage was already sitting on a low table at the foot of the bed. Toushiro looked around in awe. This was like a palace belonging to a prince. He felt out of place, not being able to wrap his mind around this side of his boyfriend.

"So I might have lied when I said I owned a multimillion dollar company."

Toushiro's head snapped to face him.

Yukio was grinning from ear to ear. "My net worth might be a couple billion."

Toushiro scoffed. "You are being far too cocky for my liking."

"Just for that, you're sleeping on the couch."

"I don't mind. It looks better than my futon."

Toushiro did a slow circle around the room. There was another door leading to his bathroom and yet another to his walk-in (and get-lost-in) closet. Everything in his closet was black, and Toushiro really did think he could get lost in it, especially with all the floor-to-ceiling mirrors that took up all the space that the shelves didn't.

"So, I was thinking," Yukio said, as Toushiro wandered back out of the closet. He had turned on the television. Toushiro just noticed that he had another television and more game consoles on the wall across from his bed. And that the wall they were mounted to was a huge mirror. "We should probably get something to eat, and then we can come back, unpack, and get you settled in."

Toushiro nodded, utterly stunned at all this luxury. He rounded the foot of the bed to stand next to Yukio and took his hand in his. "I can't believe you."

"Is it too much?"

He shook his head. "I just wasn't expecting... wait did you call me babe?"

Yukio looked confused for a moment then laughed heartily. "You're only just now realising?" He stopped laughing suddenly. "You don't like it?"

"I... I don't dislike it..."

"Toushiro-"

"I... I think... yes, I like it."

"Good." Yukio squeezed his hand. "You can call me something."

"Hmm?"

"A pet name."

Toushiro felt himself flush. "I... don't... Yukio is fine for me."

"Yeah, I meant to ask you. You never called me by my surname. You call everyone else by their surname."

"Oh." He felt his blush deepen. "I... I don't know how to pronounce your surname."

Yukio was silent for all of two seconds before he doubled over in laughter. Toushiro chewed the inside of his cheek, waiting for Yukio to finish. It wasn't that funny, was it?

"We've known each other for how long?" He gasped, leaning against his bed. "I'm your boyfriend. I know your full name."

Toushiro folded his arms across his chest. "I know your full name; I just can't pronounce it."

The last of his chuckles died down. "It is a bit difficult; I'll give you that. You Japanese tend to get mixed up with like all the Rs and the L."

"You're not Japanese?"

He shook his head. "Nah. My mother had like some Japanese heritage, that's why the company's based here. Ethnically, I'm from Sweden, but I was born in Japan. My parents just liked how the name Yukio sounded. Anyway it's pronounced Vor-rar-luh," he paused as if expecting that was the part where Toushiro got mixed up, "bear-na."

"Um, Vor..."

They went back and forth for a while until he was pleased that Toushiro had gotten it right.

"What about the Hans?"

"Hmm. Oh, that's my middle name. Uh, I guess many Asian cultures don't have like middle names, but in the west we usually get three names; a given name, a middle name, and a surname. It's a bit confusing for people here so, my middle name often gets tacked onto my surname."

"Oh." There was so much about the boy that he didn't know.

"Anyway, let's go eat!"

...

Yukio's assistant had gotten him a pair of pyjamas too. It was unbelievable, the lavish lifestyle Yukio lived. He was only staying for a week, but when they had gotten back from lunch a series of shopping bags had appeared in Yukio's room containing more than enough clothes for Toushiro to go through that week. It was almost too much. He sat on Yukio's bed playing with the hem of his rather large shirt. He had taken one look at the silk pyjama set and put it right back in the bag. Yukio had chuckled and offered him an alternative of a simple, (yet made out of the softest fabric he had ever touched) grey T-shirt and a pair of dark pants – he called them joggers. Yukio was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, while Toushiro stared at the television. He wasn't paying attention to the program, his mind wondering back to the Tenth. He hopped that nothing would go wrong. Thankfully the amount of paperwork had died down with the end of last week, so there shouldn't be much backlog for him to get back home to. Still -

"Hey," Yukio crawled onto the bed smelling of toothpaste and dressed in a black t-shirt and black boxer shorts, with his hair pulled back from his face by a few hairpins. "You tired?"

Toushiro allowed him to sit down behind him and wrap his arms around his waist. "A little bit."

He rested his chin on Toushiro's shoulder. "I knew you'd look cute in joggers."

"They're just pants."

"They make your ass look good."

Toushiro rolled his eyes, blushing slightly. Fine, if Yukio wanted to be like that. He turned around to face his boyfriend, tucking his legs underneath him. Yukio backed off slightly, but his arms were still wound loosely around his waist. He reached to flick a lock of straw blond hair that had escaped from its pin. "Your hair looks good like this."

"Like this?" Yukio scoffed. "This is my bed-time hair, babe."

Toushiro cocked his head. "I like when it's pulled back and I can see your face."

Yukio's expression softened. "I honestly don't know what to say to that... thanks?"

Toushiro shrugged.

"Anyway, you wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Um, okay."

Yukio swooped in, pecking him on the cheek before flopping backwards and rolling over to his nightstand. Toushiro watched as his shirt rode up with all his movements, exposing a bit of skin above his waistband and a trail of light, wiry hairs that lead from his navel down. Toushiro's mouth went dry instantly. Yukio popped back up, with a remote controller in his hand and pointed it at the TV. If he had seen Toushiro staring, he didn't say anything.

"What are you in the mood for? Action, sci-fi, rom-com, horror?"

"Um, I don't know what any of that is."

Yukio cocked his head. "Actually, I have an idea of something you might like. It's historical, about Vikings. Lots of drama and action. You up for it?"

"Okay."

Yukio pulled back the covers, motioning for Toushiro to join him. Moments later he was cuddled into Yukio's side, resting his head against his chest. Yukio had an arm wrapped around his waist, the other held the remote. It was most likely intentional that Yukio had a mirrored wall directly in front of his bed.

"You good?" Yukio asked.

Toushiro tore his eyes from their reflection."Yeah."

"Comfy?"

"Yeah."

He squeezed his waist before setting the movie to play. It was interesting, Toushiro thought. He had a general idea of what a movie was, but he had not been expecting this. Everything was so realistic, like he was sucked into a miniature world. Yukio was continuously stroking his waist, chuckling every time he reacted with the characters. There was a particularly gruesome battle scene, which had Toushiro's grunting in pain and flinching when someone's arm was hacked off. Yukio scoffed, pressing his lips to his temple.

"You know it's not real, babe."

"I know," Toushiro grumbled, feeling his cheeks heat. He nuzzled his face against Yukio's collar bone and threw an arm over his chest. That had hit a bit too close to home, when Aizen had cut off his arm in battle. Yukio kissed his temple again and he peaked back up at the screen. Soon the movie ended in some sort of forced romance a celebratory feast, and then they watched as words rolled across the screen.

"What did you think?" Yukio asked.

"It was good. I can see why you like them so much."

He squeezed his waist again. "So, bed time now?"

"I suppose so." He was still lying on Yukio's chest, not quite ready to move yet. Yukio also seemed content to continue to stroke his waist.

"I mean, unless you wanna like..." he trailed off.

"Hmmm?"

"Never mind."

"Yukio," Toushiro shifted his head to look at his face.

"It's nothing, really, babe."

Toushiro wasn't convinced, but he wouldn't pressure Yukio. He wasn't a fan of being pressured himself. However, he did have an idea of where the boy's thoughts were headed. They were boyfriends, lying together in a bed, under the sheets, and in less clothes than either of them was used to wearing. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that kind of stuff yet. But, he held his breath in an effort to build up his confidence, but he could compromise. He let everything out in a quick huff and rolled on to his front. He propped himself up on his hands, leaning over Yukio a bit. Yukio was quietly watching him, probably a bit confused.

"Thanks for everything today. It was wonderful."

Yukio grinned. "Anything for you, baby."

Toushiro nearly lost his nerve right then. But with his cheeks on fire, he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Yukio's. Yukio wasted no time in kissing back. He cupped the back of Toushiro's head with one hand and wound the other around his waist.

"You have like no idea how long I've been waiting for you to do that," he said as they broke apart.

"Me?" Toushiro's entire face was on fire now. His lips were tingling something fierce. "Why didn't you-"

"Didn't want to scare you off. I mean, I was the one to ask you out, then ask if you wanted to be my boyfriend. Didn't wanna push my luck."

Toushiro smiled, licking his lips. "I wouldn't have been angry at you."

"Well, now I know." He gently guided Toushiro's face back to his.

Toushiro's eyes fluttered shut as the kiss deepened. Yukio had sat up, pulling Toushiro close and onto his lap. Toushiro wound his arms around Yukio's neck, threading his fingers in his hair. The kiss was deep and slow, both in no rush. Yukio tasted of minty toothpaste and smelt of an expensive soap, nothing like the harsh bars they had back in the Soul Society. His lips were soft and smooth, his hair silky, and his hands – his hands had found themselves under the back of his shirt and were lighting small fires against his skin. He pressed Toushiro into him, flush against his chest, and they promptly fell backwards. Toushiro propped himself up on his elbows, knees splayed on either side of Yukio's hips. They did not stop kissing. Yukio's hands blazed a trail up his spine, across his ribs and chest, before finding home on his hips, rubbing circles and raising goose-bumps above his hip bones and dangerously close to his waistband. He wanted to touch too, boldly; he trailed his fingers from the back of Yukio's head, down his neck and across a sharp collar bone. He followed his sternum, across a developing pec, and then down where he pressed his palm against his waist.

They broke apart, hearts racing and eyes blown.

"Let me get the lights," Yukio panted.

Toushiro drew back. "I... I don't want to uh... not tonight."

Yukio looked confused for a bit, but then stretched upwards to kiss Toushiro deeply once more. "We go as far as you want to. I'll make out with you literally all night, if that's what you want."

And in the darkness, kiss they did.

Early update because I have no control over my life.

And and actual A/N this time. Kubo didn't expound on Yukio much i.e. at all. So I've taken liberties with Yukio's linage. Since 'Hans' is a common given name in many European countries, and well I kinda liked the idea of Yukio not being Japanese and having a middle name. I actually have no clue on how his surname is pronounced either – didn't even know how to spell it, been going to the wiki every time and copy-pasting. I thought that it did not sound Japanese at all and made up my own pronunciation to suit (certified logophile here, yes I researched pronunciation guides and referenced Swedish words).

Looks like this is going to be a three-shot after all :)

-Mymomomo