4

"How d'ya make nerdiness so hot, Uryuu?"

The flask he was just carefully swirling slips from his fingers with a gasp. Shirosaki makes up for his sneak attack by catching the chemical-filled glass before it shatters on the floor. He quickly snatches it back, lest his labmates witness an impromptu floating Erlenmeyer trick. Adjusting goggles skewed from the motion, Uryuu straightens to skewer the trickster with a glare.

"Shirosaki," he hisses without moving his lips, "Go away!"

"Aw, don't be rude, Baby, I just got here."

When his lab partner turns to ask if Uryuu spoke, he points to the graduated cylinder beside her. She hands it over and goes back to her own concoction heating over a healthy Bunsen flame. He scowls to note Shirosaki still watching. Rather than ignore him and hope he'll get bored and leave, Uryuu walks over to the noxious chemicals hood in the corner where no one else resides and pretends to meter out some toluene.

"First, never call me 'Baby'; it's bad enough I let you use my given name without adding disgusting pet-names. Second, don't talk to me in public when you know I'll look like a lunatic conversing with myself. Third, why aren't you attending the advanced physiology seminar with Kurosaki?"

"Booooored."

"That's no excuse!"

"I missed ya."

"Touching, but if you haven't noticed: I'm busy."

"Has Ichigo seen you like this? All suited up in your white coat and plastic goggles?"

"No."

"Lemme borrow your phone. I wanna take a picture so he can see how dorky and edible you look."

"No!"

"Tch. You're no fun."

"Shirosaki, I don't have time for this and you need to be at Kurosaki's side—"

"So we can bond together again as soon as possible," the Hollow snarkily finishes for him, "I know. Can't I pop in to say 'hi' without gettin' yelled at?"

Sensing a definite undertone of genuine disappointment, Uryuu relents. Reminding himself of what he learned this morning encourages him to go easier on Shirosaki now that he understands him better. He can't begin to imagine being in that situation and he damn sure can't say he wouldn't resent it just as much under similar circumstances. Uryuu removes his goggles and takes a step closer to him.

"You're right, I shouldn't snap at you so readily. Aside from breaking off to beat up other Hollow, you've done nothing to warrant such criticism."

"Yeah..." he hesitantly agrees, eyes wary on Uryuu, "You should be praising me for exterminating the vermin around here. 'Bout time someone cleared the infestation."

"That's partially my fault. Seireitei never seems to appoint a competent Shinigami to patrol in this town and they've been relying on the resident Quincy instead. These days I can't patrol as often as I used to, so thanks for your hard work."

"Y-yeah..."

"Even though you're supposed to bring Kurosaki along when you go."

That vaguely reproachful comment breaks Shirosaki's stunned reverie and he switches right back into the bad-boy attitude. He tucks a lock of hair behind Uryuu's ear and darts in to plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth. As he is about to protest, another student wanders over to refill an acid sample, temporarily rendering him mute. Shirosaki gets a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Say 'no' if you don't want me to do that again."

"No," he firmly states.

The girl handling potentially carcinogenic agents jumps and turns to give him a weird look. Apologizing, he returns to his lab table and grits his teeth when Shirosaki follows. A deadly smirk curves across his face.

"Say 'no' if I'm not allowed to sleep in your bed from now on." Uryuu silently seethes, fist clenching too tightly around a striker as he lights a burner to continue his experiment. "Say 'no' if I can't wake you with a long kiss tomorrow morning. Say 'no' if—"

"Stop," he demands, dismissing his confused partner's question with a sharp hand gesture. "That's enough."

While the young woman insists that the directions are to heat for a further three minutes, Shirosaki steps in close behind him. He ghosts hands down Uryuu's sides, barely touching, and brings them to rest lightly at his hips. His pulse picks up from the contact. Shirosaki's reiatsu slowly seeps in to wreak unbridled havoc inside him. A heavy breath is released as he steadies himself with hands against the tabletop. The Hollow leans forward to murmur into his ear.

"It's too soon to be sayin' 'enough,' Uryuu, when we haven't even begun."

He vanishes without waiting for a response. Just as well, since he effectively delivered the killing blow.

Kurosaki has been acting weird since they got home, and Uryuu can't really blame him. After their unfinished conversation this morning, he has been thinking about Kurosaki all day, too. Nothing has been resolved since they haphazardly breached a tricky topic this morning. Consequently, they have been avoiding the subject all evening. Dinner was made, with groceries Kurosaki kindly bought, and consumed alongside the ready accompaniment of Shirosaki's endless commentary. Studying in the living room for the past hour has done nothing to ebb his chatter.

"Will you shut up for five minutes," grits Kurosaki between scrawling notes in the margins of a paperback novel. "I have a paper due next week and I need to concentrate."

"Then cut me loose! Come on, I'm dyin' here, Ichigo."

"No way! For all I know, you've been playing nice all this time just so we'd eventually let you run wild."

"Give me a break, no one's that conniving. You just don't want me to leave you alone with Uryuu after you made things awkward with your stupid questions."

Flipping a page as if he didn't hear that, Uryuu highlights a sentence and keeps his eyes on his textbook. It takes longer than it should for Kurosaki to deliver a comeback. When he does, it shatters Uryuu's resolve to stay out of the spat.

"Then maybe you should stay and make sure I don't ease the tension between us."

"Kurosaki is right, you shouldn't be out hunting on your own," he interrupts to prevent anymore of those perplexing threats. "With the two of you separated, you're each at half-power."

"Not an issue," Shirosaki cockily assures, "Even without a king, this horse could still take that Aizen bastard any day."

"I'll agree, the chances that you might run into an opponent you can't handle are highly unlikely but—"

"Unlikely? More like utterly impossible. Tell 'im, Ichigo." Looking to Kurosaki, he gives Uryuu a half-shrug and a modest nod. "See? Lemme hunt, pleeease? One hour, that's all I want."

"It's not worth the risk, like Ishida said."

"Actually, I suppose this town is overdue for a Shinigami's attention..."

"What!? But you just said—"

"If Shirosaki stays here all night without an outlet for his energy, he'll simply expend it in a more unpleasant way." Kurosaki opens his mouth to argue but Uryuu stops him with a pointed look. "Besides that, I'm worried all this forced quality time is having an adverse effect on your bond. A break may be precisely what you two need."

"So, can I go or what?"

Both of them turn to watch Kurosaki, who scowls at Shirosaki for being such a nuisance. A long moment later, he reluctantly nods. His Hollow gives a whoop of victory and leaps to his feet.

"One hour and no more," sternly declares Kurosaki, "If we have to chase you down again—"

"Imminent bodily injury, yeah, I got it."

As he dashes through the wall with a wicked grin, Uryuu flings open the window to yell after him, "And no torturing your targets!"

When he returns to the sofa, Kurosaki has relocated to the floor in front of it. The various novels and notes are taking up more space than the cushions allow and he has to keep everything organized if he's going to make progress on his literature essay. Speaking of assignments due, Uryuu has a brand new chemistry report to work on, among other things. It doesn't help that Shirosaki's little visit to his lab earlier this afternoon almost botched his results. Turning his mind back to the experiment after the encounter was a grueling endeavor, to say the least. Perhaps the best option is to take a quick rest to refresh his mind.

Uryuu collapses to the cleared couch and lets his eyes fall shut for a few minutes.

Or so he thinks until Kurosaki is gently shaking him awake some time later. The sun has finished setting but a lamp has been switched on to tint the room with dim amber light. He gazes blearily into Kurosaki's concerned face and asks what happened.

"You were having another nightmare. Muttering in your sleep and flopping around. Almost rolled off the couch."

"Oh. I don't remember it this time," Uryuu says, moving to sit upright. Kurosaki takes a spot beside him. "What was I saying?"

"Uh, something like, 'don't go,' and, 'look out.' The usual danger-dream stuff, I guess. Do you have those nightmares every time you sleep?"

"Usually, yes. I'll go months with nothing but good dreams, if any, until the nightmares set in again." Watching Kurosaki's frown deepen, he adds, "I'm used to it. Thanks for waking me, though. I didn't mean to pass out like that."

"Yeah, I bet you didn't sleep well with a couple of annoying guys in your bed, huh?" Scoffing to himself, he glances away from Uryuu and grumbles, "Shirosaki loves to cause problems for everyone. I'll make sure he steers clear tonight."

"Actually, I...I may have accidentally given him the impression that he'll be welcome to share my bed from now on." Eyes flaring, Kurosaki visibly swallows the outburst that confession provokes. "At any rate, I already told you my dreams were more docile last night than they've been in weeks."

"How the fuck do you tolerate him so easily? Granted, he's slightly less aggravating around you, but I really don't get it. You used to fight with me a hell of a lot more!"

"It's partly because I fought with you for years that I can tolerate him. The two of you aren't so much 'opposites' as 'facets of a single personality'. Why is it so difficult for you to get along with him?"

"He's a selfish, bloodthirsty opportunist!"

"Isn't that too harsh? Has it occurred to you that Shirosaki might no longer be the villain you believe him to be? Perhaps his initial ferocity has been assuaged due to the current cessation of violence. I seem to recall you mentioning that your feelings toward your Hollow side changed during the Blood War."

"Yeah, well...that was back when he wasn't bugging me twenty-four/seven." Winding down from his brief uproar, Kurosaki sighs and fixes him with a serious expression. "Shirosaki represents most of what I hate about myself. Power-hungry, aggressive, temperamental, capricious."

"They say like elements repel," wryly agrees Uryuu. He contemplates that for a moment and concludes, "It sounds to me that you are focusing so hard on what you dislike about him that you're overlooking his virtues."

"What virtues?"

"How about bravery, intelligence, and skill? Shirosaki acts with his entire being and never surrenders his beliefs. Once you see past the sarcasm and jokes, he's really kind of...interesting. Regardless of his habit of riling up those around him, Shirosaki is obviously loyal. He has shared his power with you when you needed it and even saved your life when necessary. All of which can also be said about you, too, Kurosaki."

Uryuu goes quiet not because he ran out of things to say, but because continuing will mean hinting at things he isn't ready to divulge about his regard for both of them. Judging by the astonished expression on Kurosaki's face, he may already be too late.

"Is that really what you think?"

"It is."

Staring at each other for several beats, they reach an impasse where the next phrase spoken will be an instrument of change. A shield to protect whatever this is that has been growing between them, or a sword to cleave it. Kurosaki takes a breath to voice his choice at last. But then they sense Shirosaki returning from his patrol. Uryuu can practically see him mentally discard the precarious words prepared in lieu of safer ones.

"Thanks for your advice, Ishida. I'll try to be more accepting of him."

The next morning Uryuu wakes to Shirosaki leaning over him kissing his throat, and Kurosaki is nowhere in sight.

"What're you doin' to my neck?" he groggily asks, struggling to free his arms from underneath the blanket. "Shirosaki, st—"

"Yesterday, you gave the okay for me to kiss you awake. But I didn't specify where I'd kiss ya."

He goes back to his work, adding a few nips and licks for variety as he makes his way to an ear. Shirosaki's hand slips under his shirt to glide down the side of his waist and Uryuu starts to wake up in more ways than one. Pushing at the Hollow's chest, he half-heartedly resists Shirosaki and his own urges alike.

"Where has Kurosaki gone?"

Shirosaki pulls back, offended, "Now, why do you always have to go 'n look for him every time we're finally gettin' somewhere?"

"Are you jealous? How can you be jealous of yourself?"

"'Course I can be jealous of Ichigo. We're not really the same, anyway. We are and we're not. Get it?"

"I think I'm starting to," Uryuu carefully murmurs, blue eyes locked on vivid golden.

Then he leans up and touches their mouths together in unmistakable invitation. Shirosaki accepts, combing a hand into dark hair to steady him as he eagerly deepens the contact. The Hollow moans as their tongues slide against each other. Lips meet again and again, gaining warmth and wetness as the kiss continues. Uryuu pulls at the fabric of his uniform to urge him closer when black fingernails press into the skin at the back of his neck.

Finally, Uryuu breaks away if only to catch shortened breath. His gaze collides with Shirosaki's in poignant acknowledgment of what they are both feeling. A noise at the door has them turning to spy Kurosaki staring from its archway. Uryuu's heart freezes at a glimpse of his shuttered expression before he turns to go.

"Kurosaki, wait. Kurosaki!"

Opting to ignore the calls, he hurriedly retreats. Uryuu climbs off the bed from beneath Shirosaki to chase after him. Appetizing smells of the breakfast Kurosaki made lead the way to the kitchen. He approaches the man facing away and sets a hand to his shoulder. The touch detonates him, exploding at Uryuu with no lack of confusion, hurt, and anger most of all.

"What, Ishida? Why did you stop what you were doing to come all the way in here? Looked like you were having a great time with Shirosaki! Don't let me stop you. Just pretend I don't exist! I should've fucking known you'd give in to him eventually."

"If you didn't want us together, all you had to do was say as much," he defensively fires back, "Instead of constantly claiming Shirosaki to be untrustworthy and scheming. Offering to keep him at bay while asking what I wanted to do...Why make it sound as if I ever had a choice when you were only going to act this way? I suppose you expected me to read your mind, is that it? Don't expect me to accept all the blame when you—"

With a distressed noise, Kurosaki grabs and kisses him even more frantically than Shirosaki just was. Uryuu instantly returns it, matching his passion such that they bang against drawers and knock a few things from the counters before suddenly jolting apart from each other several moments later. He lands against the edge of the sink, breath coming fast, and watches Kurosaki raise a hand to cover his gaping mouth. Looking at Uryuu as though his world has just been shattered and unsure whether for better or worse, he visibly struggles with the aftermath of their actions. Not a single syllable is exchanged between them.

Then Kurosaki leaves the kitchen, leaves the apartment, and Uryuu senses Shirosaki following after him.

If he thought the initial hour was bad, Uryuu really wasn't prepared for the rest of his day. Five minutes late to his first class due to traffic, he then got an unprecedented score of eight-nine percent on a quiz in his second lecture. His third class ran late and forced him to forgo lunch or forfeit physiology lab. It was rat dissection day. When his assigned lab partner ineptly nicked the poor creature's colon, the resulting stench almost made Uryuu glad he abstained from an afternoon meal. The cherry on top of the whole horrendous sundae was a rare Hollow incursion on campus. He forfeited attendance points to leave lab early and take care of it.

The only upside to all this was it kept his mind off the morning's events. Now that he is finally headed home, however, his earlier run-in with both of the 'Sakis steals forefront in his thoughts. Uryuu pushes open the door expecting to interrupt a heated argument as usual. He balks when nothing but quiet music can be heard. Shirosaki is sprawled out on the couch tossing the stereo remote high in the air and looking dangerously bored. His counterpart comes strolling out of the kitchen as Uryuu steps out of his shoes and hangs up his jacket.

Please let Kurosaki be in an avoidant mood, he silently prays.

"Ishida, we need to talk."

Damn.

"It's not a good time, Kurosaki."

He moves to walk past him toward the kitchen for a much-needed meal, but a grip on his arm proves an effective impediment. In spite of his resistance, Kurosaki drags him into the bedroom and shuts the door for the pretense of privacy from his nosy Hollow. More irritated than he really should be, Uryuu folds his arms and clenches his jaw to keep himself from lashing out and making an unfortunate situation worse.

"I know you're pissed. I can't blame you," he prefaces with unnervingly direct eye contact, "But I need to say this."

"Fine. What is it?"

"You were right: I wasn't comfortable with the idea of you and Shirosaki from the beginning."

"Obviously."

"I kept it to myself because I didn't want to make that choice for you. Guess I was hoping you'd make a different one."

"So sorry to disappoint. Now, if that's all—"

"It's not." Stepping sideways to stand in front of the handle, he blocks Uryuu's attempted exit. "Ishida, I won't tell you to stay away from him. Do whatever you want and I'll cope. All I ask is...that you at least consider doing it with me, too."

His breath sticks in his throat as his eyes widen. Surely Uryuu heard that wrong.

"What?"

"I didn't kiss you on accident, you know. It didn't 'just happen'. Maybe I wasn't planning on doing it right then, but I've wanted to," confesses Kurosaki, voice hushed. "I've thought about it a lot."

Uryuu purses his lips to keep himself from blurting 'me, too'. With his piece said, Kurosaki gives him a long look and turns to leave. He lets the man go, at a loss for proper comment after that revelation.

Rather than join them straight away, he uses the time alone to take a shower. Nothing like good soap and hot water to wash away the residue of a hard day. Burning the outfit that likely reeks of rodent entrails is extremely tempting. First, Uryuu is beyond overdue for some sustenance. He braves the common area in the interest of foraging, only to have Shirosaki walk up and hand him a steaming bowl of noodles.

"Ichigo made it. Figured you'd be hungry."

Leading him to sit on the couch beside the chef, Shirosaki takes the remaining seat to Uryuu's left and hands him a pair of chopsticks. Catching a fragrant whiff of the broth, his stomach obnoxiously growls in anticipation.

"I missed lunch," Uryuu bashfully explains.

"Rough day?" inquires Kurosaki between bites from his own bowl.

"Very."

Conversation is shunned as Uryuu focuses on filling his belly with the warm, delicious food. Say what he will of Kurosaki's social skills, but the man can cook! A handful of days into this ludicrous experiment and he has already gotten used to this phenomenon. He's going to miss waking up or coming home to superb meals like this. In that vein, Uryuu realizes he is probably going to miss waking up or coming home to his houseguests, as well. When did that happen?

Sipping at the last of his broth, he is startled from borderline-melancholy musings when Shirosaki suddenly kneels in front of him. Uryuu stiffens when a ghostly hand reaches out to gently ensnare one of his feet. A seductive tendril of reiatsu begs access to his magnetic spirit through the contact.

"What are you up to this time?" Kurosaki snaps, beating him to it.

"Helpin' Uryuu relax."

Shirosaki starts rubbing at his sole without waiting for permission. Although he is poised to complain and pull away on principle, the Hollow's self-assured attentions are far from objectionable. He flashes Uryuu a sultry smirk as though sensing his thoughts. Kurosaki snorts and sets his empty bowl on the coffee table with a loud clink.

"Yeah? Two can play that game."

His dish is plucked from lax fingers and placed beside Kurosaki's. He pulls a knee up to the sofa and sits sideways against the armrest, guiding Uryuu to follow suit. Catching on, Shirosaki mirrors them on the opposite end and pulls Uryuu's feet into his lap. Before he can demand exactly who they think is a marionette for them to position as they deem fit, Kurosaki overrides his impending exclamation by kneading lightly at his shoulders. His reiatsu zings into Uryuu and collides with the Hollow's to create a synergy that seems to amplify both strains. The unexpected reaction makes him a bit dizzy.

"C-come on, you two," Uryuu tries as Shirosaki resumes his work, too, "This is just..."

"Just what, Ishida? Damn, are you always this tense?"

"He's in need of some major stress relief," answers Shirosaki when Uryuu can't summon the words. "We'll fix that."

It's nice. No, that's not right. 'Nice' isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how their hands are making him feel. Especially when Kurosaki digs his thumbs in at the base of his neck, loosening the knotted muscles bracketing his vertebrae. His breath hitches to halt an approving hum before it escapes. Futile, since Shirosaki soon finds a spot in the arch that forces a gasp followed by an unsteady exhale. Uryuu dimly thinks he should really get up and lock himself in his room. This has already gone too far.

Hands nudge under the hem of his shirt to smooth firmly up and down his back on either side of his spine.

"Kurosaki!"

"There's too much friction with the cloth in the way."

He says it so calmly, like it's the most logical thing in the world to glide his palms over Uryuu's bare skin. Formulating the rebuke that deserves, he bites down on his lip instead when Shirosaki raises his leg to lap at his toes.

"Shirosaki!"

"You just washed 'em, didn't ya? What's the problem?"

"Ah, you're tensing up again," Kurosaki grumbles.

"Of course I'm tense, he's sucking on my toe!"

While he recovers from an immediate continuation of 'the problem', Kurosaki has taken to swirling little circles across his lower back. It's clear they are in competition, yet they work together strangely well in eroding Uryuu's resistance. Against much better judgment, he finds himself wondering if this is what sex with them would be like. Attacking from both sides, slowly stirring him up until every last whisper of inhibition is banished from his mind. Would it be overwhelming, far too intense? Or would it be the best night of his life? Either way, there's no point in speculating; as jealous as they are of each other, surely neither would be satisfied with sharing.

More importantly, Shirosaki has graduated from toes to kissing his ankles and massaging his calves. Uryuu prepares to flee and end this terrifyingly pleasant evening before things get crazier. But Kurosaki senses it in his posture and locks arms around to anchor him in place. Uryuu's hands automatically grip at restraining wrists but don't tug them off. Likewise, Shirosaki refuses to relinquish even an inch of his hold.

"Your heart's racing."

A hot murmur against his ear, Kurosaki's words have him squeezing his eyes shut to concentrate on his breathing. But shutting his eyes only makes the sensations that much more intense. If this goes on much longer, he will...No, it's already too late to worry about the fact that this is exciting him. Rather, he needs to break free before they notice it.

"So much for helpin' ya relax."

The tone Shirosaki uses connotes deeper meaning and his eyes snap open to find the Hollow's trained on the apex of his legs. He hears Kurosaki's breath hitch when he sees it, too. Uryuu licks his lips and parts them to speak, until Kurosaki's close around an ear lobe. He moans, loudly, and all three freeze for a second. Shirosaki starts to shift forward but Uryuu can't see why because his chin is being tilted so Kurosaki can fit their mouths together.

Tentatively kissing back, he feels a grip on his thigh and another at his waist. Seeing as he still has a hold on Kurosaki's wrists, this means Shirosaki is up to something. It is becoming increasingly difficult to care the wilder their kiss grows, even when the front of his shirt is pushed up a bit to expose his lower abdomen. Even when soft lips press against the delicate flesh just below his belly button. Even when fingers curl around the hem of his pants. Uryuu is shocked from the daze when those fingers start to pull fabric south. He has to draw a sharp line at Shirosaki's intended target, aroused to the point of almost losing control.

Turns out escaping their clutches is easy when he actually means it. Kurosaki reaches out to support his Hollow as he falls forward into the space Uryuu just supernaturally vacated. They turn to stare at him standing halfway across the room with twin expressions of exasperation. Then Kurosaki's morphs into something like remorse.

"You went too far," he mutters to his Hollow.

"Didn't see you stoppin' me," Shirosaki gripes right back.

"I-I'm going to bed," mumbles Uryuu, still shaken by what nearly happened and what it means. "Alone."

He can feel their eyes on him as he stalks down the hall and slams his bedroom door.

It's late, but his body doesn't seem to know it. Lying in bed as minute after minute crawls by, he resolutely does not act on the lingering lust burning in his bloodstream. An issue only exacerbated by persistent reiatsu borne of two obscenely abundant energy sources. Even displaced from their feuding owners, it seems to churn and roil within him. Uryuu buries his face in the pillow to muffle a groan. He's doomed.