Ikkaku wasn't entirely sure whose idea it was to bring smartphones into the Soul Society. Probably Urahara or one of the seated officers in the twelfth division, if he had to guess. Despite the Gotei 13's general disdain for more advanced technologies, the change from flip phones to smartphones had been rather smooth and eagerly accepted. Something about easier communication between comrades and command… Ikkaku didn't really remember the actual reason (nor did he care).
He didn't care too much for his new phone, truthfully, with its weird flat screen and lack of buttons. Before the change, Yumichika had been the one to handle the phone and other technologies, having much more of a knack for it. Seeing as he was now a lieutenant though, he was, unfortunately, expected to get with the program and have one of his own.
The most he ever did with it was text Yumichika, and occasionally some of the other lieutenants. By text, of course, he means reading other people's texts and only responding to Yumichika upon threat of death.
He'd tried four separate times to remove himself from the group chat with all the lieutenants, mostly because Renji and Rangiku were constantly sending nonsense, but to no avail. Every time he tried to leave it, Nanao would get on his ass about 'camaraderie'. Out of sympathy, Akon had shown him how to mute the chat, and for this he is grateful.
Yumichika, on the other hand, took to the new technology like a duck takes to water (which is how he takes to everything, that talented brat). As such, Yumichika did most of the communicating when they were on missions as well, if only because Ikkaku wasn't all that adept at the intricacies that came with it.
Outside of that, Yumichika sometimes liked to show Ikkaku fun new tricks he'd learned or different ways of doing something. Ikkaku just nodded along most of the time, more interested in having Yumichika around him than anything else.
Yumichika liked to send pictures, mostly. Anytime he saw something beautiful, Ikkaku's phone would start buzzing like a hive of angry bees as it dealt with the influx of images. The fact that it was Yumichika was the only thing that made it acceptable to him. Ikkaku did not dare think about muting the chat, even if the humming of his phone on his desk got on his nerves. Yumichika would skin him alive if he even mentioned the idea.
Despite the good that came with the new phones, there was also the bad. The bad, unfortunately, had led to a meeting being called between all the lieutenants today to discuss the drop in productivity.
Ikkaku leans on his palm, bored to shit as Nanao drones on and on about whatever statistics she's gathered about this issue. He doesn't quite know why he's in this meeting, if he's honest. Of all the squads, Squad 11 is the only one that has had no change in productivity.
Truthfully that's due to Yumichika's iron fist about the whole thing. Anytime he caught their squad members slacking off on their phones he'd personally threatened to relieve them of their skin. The rest of the squad was, rightfully, terrified enough of their third seat that slowly the instances of people slacking off dwindled down to zero.
Sometimes Ikkaku secretly thinks that his partner would make a better lieutenant.
As Nanao pointed at another bar graph and droned on, Ikkaku was left to think about all the things he'd rather be doing today. He'd actually requested the day off, as it was Yumichika's birthday, but Nanao had shot him one of her scathing looks, and in the end he had no choice.
"Go, idiot." Yumichika had sighed, rolling his eyes. "Gods know the rest of the Gotei 13 already think Squad 11 is useless, how will it look if you miss a lieutenants meeting?"
Traditionally, Ikkaku and Yumichika would take off on their birthdays, spending time together in the world of the living slaughtering hollows, sparring, or even going out to the lower districts of the Rukongai to see if there was anyone there worth fighting. It was a callback to their many decades of travel together, where they killed hundreds just for the thrill of it. Typically afterwards they'd find some inn that was up to Yumichika's standards and check in for a night or two.
They'd drink, they'd fight, they'd fuck. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Ikkaku does his best to not roll his eyes as Yuyu, the new lieutenant of Squad 8, slams her hands on the table and protests Nanao's implications that Squad 8 is now the most useless of them all.
If I'd known this is what this stupid meeting was about then I would have just asked Renji to cover for me, this shit is ridiculous.
Ikkaku is drawn from his thoughts when his phone buzzes. He sighs, flips it over and unlocks it, opening up his chat with Yumichika to see what the other had said.
Want to see what Rangiku got me for my birthday?
Ikkaku doesn't bother responding, he knows that Yumichika is going to send images regardless of his answer. Like clockwork, a photo comes through, and he taps it once to trigger the download.
Bare skin, lip between his teeth, lace -
Ikkaku slams his phone screen-side down on the table with a loud whap! , drawing the eyes of all the lieutenants to where he is sitting pin-straight with a very faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.
"Uh, Ikkaku?" Renji asks, eyebrow raised, "You good man?"
"Oh yeah I'm fine," Ikkaku says too quickly, swallowing the lump that has formed in his throat. "Just saw something…"
Unbelievably sexy. So hot my dick is going to fall off.
"Disturbing." Ikkaku finally chokes a word out. He clears his throat and rests his chin awkwardly on his fist, mentally willing his swelling dick to resume being soft. "Please continue." He cringes internally as his voice cracks.
He gets a few raised eyebrows, but no one questions him. Nanao eyes him critically, but resumes her speech.
Once the chatter starts again, Ikkaku (despite his best efforts) finds himself drawn back to his phone. He shuffles awkwardly, moving his phone into his lap and angling himself so that no one else can see what he's doing. He takes a deep breath and unlocks the device, bracing himself for what he knows he's about to see.
He fights to keep a groan in his throat as he takes in the absolutely sinful image that graces his phone screen.
The lingerie set is beautiful, even Ikkaku of all people can see that. It's sheer, leaving nothing to the imagination, embroidered with wildflowers and bordered with green satin ribbons. The belt rests just above Yumichika's navel, and the straps of the thong (a thong , Gods help him) sit perfectly on his partner's slim hips.
There's a sheer green robe that graces Yumichika's thin shoulders, following the curves of his partner's body as it rests gently against his skin. Yumichika's pretty nipples peek out between some of the embroidered flowers in the bralette he's wearing, and a thin lace collar is wrapped around Yumichika's neck.
All of that combined with the alluring look on the man's face causes Ikkaku to take a deep breath and put his phone away in his pocket to keep from busting a nut right there in the middle of the meeting room.
I'm going to kill him , Ikkaku thinks, trying (and failing) to not let all the blood flow to his dick as he settles his head in his hands, I'm going to fuck him, and then I'm going to kill him.
A small sound draws him from his thoughts, and he looks up to see Rangiku tapping away on her phone, occasionally casting knowing glances at him.
Ikkaku glares daggers at her for the rest of the meeting, internally wishing he had the ability to wipe the knowing smirk off her face with his mind.
Ikkaku has never moved so fast in his life.
As soon as that wretched meeting had been adjourned, he was out of his seat and flashing to the barracks before anyone could tie him up in anything. The only thing he needed to hear at this moment was Yumichika screaming his name, not Omaeda eating or Yuyu begging him for his social media that he didn't have.
A few minutes later he's in front of the door that leads to his and Yumichika's shared quarters. He can sense Yumichika's reiatsu inside, and when he slides the door open, he catches sight of his lover reclining on the chaise lounge tucked away in the corner. He's dressed in a soft white yukata and is reading through what looks like a kidō textbook.
Nerd, Ikkaku thinks fondly as he steps inside. He's known since their academy days that Yumichika has a serious talent for kidō, but ever since the wars with Aizen and the Quincy, and Yumichika revealing the truth to him about his zanpakutō, he's been studying it a lot more openly. Ikkaku cannot deny that it isn't useful, even if he would never use it himself.
Yumichika's eyes flick up to him and he smiles, shutting the textbook and placing the thick tome on the table beside the lounge.
"Welcome back, Ikkaku," Yumichika purrs, eyes hooded. Ikkaku can tell he's freshly showered, with the way his skin is shining from the three hundred serums he lathers himself with afterward. He smells the citrusy scent of his hair oil, and everything about it screams home. "How was your meeting?"
Yumichika looks at him sultrily, and Ikkaku feels the arousal spread through him again. He leans Hozukimaru against the wall next to Ruri'iro Kujaku and looks at Yumichika pointedly. "Well, it was going great until someone decided to be a whore. I was fighting for my life, and Rangiku laughing at me the whole time wasn't helping."
"Oh really? I'm sorry," Yumichika croons, not sorry in the slightest. "I was just trying to help make your meeting a little more interesting."
Ikkaku narrows his eyes at him and Yumichika smiles a bright, knowing smile. He takes a hand and smooths out some of his hair. "And just because I'm beautiful doesn't mean I'm a whore, I'm a little insulted."
He's egging him on, Ikkaku knows this, can tell by the tone of his voice, the way he looks at him with a challenge swirling in his violet eyes. Ikkaku is helpless in the face of a challenge, especially one that looks as good as Yumichika does.
"Oh really?" Ikkaku growls, stalking forward dangerously. "You're not a whore? That's interesting."
Yumichika is looking at him with one arched eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. Ikkaku knows him though, knows everything about him. He can tell from the extremely faint blush on his cheeks and theslight catch in his breathing that Yumichika needs this just as much as Ikkaku needs him. Ikkaku reaches the side of the chaise lounge where Yumichika is reclined and gently, but firmly, takes his chin and makes Yumichika meet his eyes.
"So you didn't send me a picture of you basically naked while I was in a meeting, hm?" Yumichika smirks evilly and Ikkaku knows the only thing keeping his feisty partner from snapping at his fingers is the fact that he's got his chin in such a firm grip. He leans down, his hand slipping from Yumichika's chin to his throat, pressing just hard enough that Yumichika's breathing is labored, but not cut off completely.
"Well, if you're going to act like a slut ," the word is whispered harshly into Yumichika's ear, and he feels Yumichika's whole body tense beneath him, " I'll treat you like one."
The whine tears itself out of Yumichika's throat without warning, laced with such blatant desire that Ikkaku cannot hold himself back. He tightens his grip on Yumichika's neck and Yumichika lets out a soft, weak gasp as his air is cut off. Ikkaku's other hand fists his partner's hair and tilts his head back, giving Ikkaku ample space to lean in and suck harsh bruises on the rarely exposed skin.
As Ikkaku bites and sucks on the junction of Yumichika's neck, he feels the other man's sharp, manicured nails dig into the flesh of his arms. Ikkaku releases Yumichika's throat just enough to give him a little air, and Yumichika moans so obscenely that it snaps one of the few threads keeping Ikkaku's sanity together.
He retracts himself from Yumichika's neck and yanks him off the lounge, tossing him (rather unbeautifully) onto their bed. Yumichika yelps as he's manhandled, glaring at Ikkaku as he pushes himself up slightly, an image of disheveled beauty amongst the silk sheets.
"Ikkaku! Don't throw me around like that, you've messed up my hair." He snips and starts smoothing out the strands, " Honestly, you act like an animal more than a man sometimes."
Ikkaku cocks an eyebrow, not convinced by his lover's outburst of apparent displeasure. "I thought you liked it when I tossed you around."
Yumichika turns his nose up just a little and crosses his arms over his chest, but Ikkaku doesn't miss the faint blush that colors his cheeks. "I have no idea where you got such a notion."
"Mhm, sure." Ikkaku rolls his eyes fondly and quickly strips himself naked, watching Yumichika's eyes scan over his body as he does so. They stop at his cock, which had been neglected for far too long at this point, before flicking back up to meet his gaze. Yumichika spreads his legs tantalizingly and leans back on his hands. He looks at Ikkaku, lip between his teeth, eyes beckoning him closer.
Ikkaku would be a fool to refuse such a blatant invitation.
He clambers onto the bed with all the grace of a limbless gorilla and pushes Yumichika's legs apart even further, one hand slipping beneath the thin fabric of the kimono and kneading the soft, sensitive flesh of Yumichika's thighs. Yumichika moans wantonly and closes his eyes, head falling back as his lover works his rough, calloused handso close to where he needs it the most.
Ikkaku's lips find Yumichika's neck again, and he kisses and licks and bites at his flesh, taking in the moans and whimpers of his lover as he does so. Yumichika brings a hand to Ikkaku's cheek, guiding him up to kiss him filthily, his arms slipping around Ikkaku's broad shoulders and pulling him as close as he can.
Another thread snaps as Yumichika breathes a moan of Ikkaku's name into his mouth.
Ikkaku growls into the kiss and leans fully over Yumichika, laying him down in the pillows as they continue to ravage each other's mouths. Ikkaku removes his hand from Yumichika's thigh to yank at the belt at his waist. As it comes loose, Ikkaku's hands roughly push the fabric apart, something inside him giddy with excitement at the thought of getting to pull that stupid lingerie off his partner. They break from the kiss and pull apart, Ikkaku sitting back to take in sight the beautiful form beneath him.
Ikkaku has always had a bit of a brain-to-mouth disconnect, especially when something unexpected happens, which is why the first words out of his mouth aren't something along the lines of 'you're so beautiful' , and are instead,
"Where is it?"
Yumichika frowns, clearly not happy with his reaction, "Excuse me?"
"The stuff you were wearing earlier," Ikkaku clarifies, rubbing his hand up and down Yumichika's naked side soothingly, as if that was going to do anything to help. "I wanted to see you in it."
Yumichika glares at him, nails digging harshly into the meat of his forearms, and Ikkaku knows he's got seconds to live at best.
"Not that you're not beautiful without it!" he says quickly, sincerely, "I just wanted to see you in it."
Yumichika's sharp eyes scrutinize him for a moment, but he must decide that Ikkaku's transgression is not worth not getting fucked, and he lets it go.
"I took it off." He says simply, breath hitching slightly as Ikkaku's fingers trace a feather-light touch up his ribs. "Didn't want it getting ruined."
Ikkaku frowns, his fingers stilling just beside Yumichika's nipple, "It wouldn't have gotten ruined."
"That's what you said about the beautiful yukata I had last time, and what happened to it, Ikkaku?"
"It was in the way ," Ikkaku shouts, trying (and failing) to defend himself. He remembers how distraught his lover was when Ikkaku had accidentally torn through the pretty green fabric in his quest to get Yumichika naked as quickly as possible. "I didn't mean to rip it, I wouldn't have done that this time!"
(He absolutely would have, the only thing that's gotten him to this point is the idea of tearing that fabric off Yumichika's body.)
Yumichika arches one perfect eyebrow, not convinced. "Really? Somehow I doubt that. In any case, I don't trust you and your beastly nature around my pretty clothes anymore, much less something as delicate as that set."
"Oh, you think that was beastly?" Ikkaku leans over him, gray eyes dark with lust as he growls out a deep, "I can show you beastly. Last I checked you were into that."
A harsh tug on Yumichika's waist presses their cocks together and they're both instantly reminded as to why they're here exactly. Yumichika groans as Ikkaku grinds his hips down, reigniting the fire of need that's been smoldering in his bones since the early afternoon. Despite the want coursing through him, Yumichika manages to snip back a challenging:
"Why don't you find out for sure then?"
The last thread snaps.
Ikkaku has never been a gentle lover, that's not who he is. In every aspect of his life, he is violent and rough, with passion and rage stoking whatever fire he needs to finish whatever task he's got before him– be that a fight or fucking Yumichika brainless.
Yumichika doesn't mind it, never has, because of all the lovers he's had, Ikkaku is the only one who can match his fervor, his need. Ikkaku is the only one who can make him hurt in the ways he wants, and make him feel so safe at the same time.
Ikkaku has not had any lovers outside of Yumichika, though the smaller man did not believe him at first. The first time they'd had sex it had left Yumichika numb with pleasure, unable to even move his arms to accept the wet cloth to clean himself.
Ikkaku had asked him later, when he and Yumichika were tucked together in their shitty, makeshift bed, if he'd enjoyed it. Yumichika had looked at him with the most incredulous look, to the point where Ikkaku was worried he'd done something wrong. Yumichika told him point blank that it was the best he'd ever had. No one has ever made me feel that way before, he'd confessed.
It was just pleasure at first, pleasure and safety. When Ikkaku would take Yumichika against the wall or on the floor of whatever place they'd found to sleep for the night, hand in Yumichika's hair or around his throat. It didn't matter if it was a night where Ikkaku would indulge his desire to bleed, or if it was a night of Ikkaku just fucking him as hard as he could physically manage without killing either of them.
As time went on, it changed. The pleasure, the safety was still there, but a new feeling had joined. It happened during their academy days, the night that they'd finally been accepted and sent to their rooms. They'd gotten lucky (read: Ikkaku rolled heads) and had managed to get assigned a room together. That night, with their beds pushed together and that much closer to their ultimate goal, Ikkaku had taken him gently for the first was unexpected, how Ikkaku had pushed into him softly, had leaned over him, elbows either side of his face, and kissed him so sweetly, so full of emotion. Unexpected, but not at all unwelcomed. Long overdue, if you'd asked either of them.
Ikkaku could voice his feelings and emotions if the situation called for it, but he often liked to express his feelings through actions instead, finding them to be much more reliable. Ikkaku did not need to speak these emotions to Yumichika in that moment— the way he kissed him, the way he pressed their bodies together, thrust in him so gently, told Yumichika all he needed to know.
Yumichika had broken the kiss, just barely pulling away. With just a breath of space between them, he'd whispered those fateful words that changed it all: I love you, too.
That had been decades ago, and those words still echoed between them, even in the present, where Ikkaku had Yumichika face down in the pillows, pinning him with a hand on his neck as he thrust into him violently. Pleasure and pain mixed in his blood as Ikkaku's sharp thrusts hit him so deeply that he would swear he could feel Ikkaku in his throat. Moans were leaving his mouth, muffled by the silk sheets, and those pretty noises just spurred Ikkaku on.
There were few words between them when they got like this, so wrapped up in lust and that animalistic desire that everything else fell away. There was nothing to say, only the sounds of each other's moans, the feel of their hot skin, sticky with sweat and fluids, and the knowledge that they belonged to each other.
It was only ever them, it will only ever be them.
Possession is something that ran deep in both of them, though they expressed it in different ways. Ikkaku liked to mark Yumichika, biting and bruising his skin until his pretty body was covered in deep purples and speckles of that oh-so-beautiful crimson. Ikkaku fucks him deep and rough, ensuring that Yumichika will feel it in his hips for days, smirking with warranted arrogance as he watches Yumichika struggle to stand on wobbly legs the morning after.
Yumichika is much more subtle about it, though he's not afraid to leave marks of his own. Yumichika's claim to Ikkaku is staked in the welts and scratches he claws down Ikkaku's back as the pleasure sears his blood, he stakes it in his words and his knowledge that Ikkaku will never ever find the kind of sexual gratification he can offer anywhere else. He stakes his claim in the venomous glares he sends to anyone who tries to come onto his love, as even though their relationship is not secret, there are still those who think that they can take Ikkaku from him.
It's when Ikkaku is so lost in pleasure that he buries his head in Yumichika's neck and nearly wails his name that fuels those glares. When Ikkaku lies on Yumichika's chest, humming in contentment as Yumichika's deft fingers work the tension from his shoulders or run softly up and down the length of his spine. It's the gentle moments between the two of them, the moments no one sees, where they can simply love each other in their own way.
It's the moments like this, where Ikkaku has his chest pressed to Yumichika's back, breathing hard in his ear as he bruises his ass with his erratic, primal thrusts. "You're mine ." Ikkaku growls, and the words send a shock of pleasure to Yumichika's hard, dripping cock. Ikkaku slides one hand to his chest and rolls a taught nipple between his thumb and pointer finger, eager to draw out more beautiful cries from his love. "Say it."
Yumichika opens his mouth, but the only things that come out are the soft gasps that Ikkaku draws out with every harsh thrust into his body. Eventually, his throat cooperates, and he gasps out a soft "y-yours."
"Louder," Ikkaku demands, letting go of Yumichika's nipple and instead grabbing the soft strands of his hair. He pulls Yumichika's head to the side so their eyes can meet, and Ikkaku nearly finishes just from the look on his lover's face. "Who do you belong to? "
The question is punctuated with a hard thrust, Ikkaku grinding his hips pointedly into Yumichika's fever-hot body. Every pleasure point inside Yumichika is being assaulted, but he manages to choke out a louder "Yours, Ikkaku, yours... 'm only yours, only ever want to be yours..." Yumichika is rambling and the words are gasped out as his brain and body are wracked and overwhelmed with pleasure.
Ikkaku seems satisfied and tugs on Yumichika's hair again, angling him to look into his eyes. There's love there, so much, in Ikkaku's gaze, and Yumichika tries to pour just as much into his own, but he's so so close to the edge it's maddening, and he can feel his eyes closing as he whispers out a soft "Please..."
Ikkaku understands, he understands better than anyone, which is why in the next moment, Yumichika is on his back, body bent in half with his legs over Ikkaku's shoulders. Ikkaku doesn't miss a beat, and is back thrusting violently into Yumichika's willing body, desperately hurling both of them closer to that edge.
Yumichika opens his eyes and reaches up, throwing his arms around his shoulders and dragging Ikkaku down into a messy kiss. It's not the most beautiful, but it's theirs, and Yumichika would never call anything they do ugly, not on his life. Ikkaku kisses him so deeply, so passionately that Yumichika nearly cries.
It's the gentle caress of Ikakku's hand on his cheek that sends Yumichika across that edge, the clenching of his body and the pretty arch of his back dragging Ikkaku along with him as his lover presses himself as deep as he can, bites down on Yumichika's throat to muffle his whine, and fills Yumichika with his warm release.
They lay there together afterward, panting and sated, though Yumichika knows Ikkaku will take him again and again for the rest of the night, pushing them both to their limit until neither one can take it anymore. For now though, Ikkaku rolls to the side, pulling Yumichika close to his chest and encasing him in his arms.
Yumichika lays there in the comforting embrace, curled into Ikkaku's strong body. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and Yumichika takes comfort in the knowledge that this is how it was always meant to be.
"You should text me pictures like that more often."
Yumichika snorts, "Thanks for ruining the moment."
Ikkaku chuckles and tightens his grip on Yumichika. It's quiet for a moment, only the sound of their breathing and the occasional trill of a tree frog outside their window.
"You really are beautiful." Ikkaku breaks the silence again, his fingers running through Yumichika's hair, knotted from being wrapped up in his fist. He works the knots gently, with purpose, and Yumichika relaxes further in his hold. He lets out an amused breath, smiling softly.
"I know," Yumichika says as his eyes flutter open, and he instantly notices that Ikkaku is gazing at him with a deep, loving expression that he only sees every once in a while. Ikkaku finishes his work on Yumichika's hair and settles his calloused palm on Yumichika's cheek, the other humming softly at the warmth and the weight of it. Safe, his brain chimes, and Yumichika knows that it's true.
"I know, but if I didn't, the fact that you think so is enough." Yumichika finishes breathily. Ikkaku smiles softly, rubbing Yumichika's cheekbone with his thumb, his rough skin sending small shivers down Yumichika's spine.
"Vain as always, aren't you?" Ikkaku teases gently, that fond, loving look not leaving his face. Yumichika doesn't often get to see it so blatantly like this, so he indulges happily in every moment.
"My Yumichika."
Ikkaku's last words are whispered so quietly that Yumichika almost misses it, but he doesn't. His breath catches in his throat, and he eagerly meets Ikkaku's lips in another passionate kiss.
And when Ikkaku takes him again and again throughout the night, no matter how much blood is drawn or how primal it is, there is still that thrumming between them, that heart that formed the moment they'd met, and had only grown and bloomed into something more beautiful. There is still that safety, that love, that belonging.
Him and Ikkaku. Both of them, together. As it had always been.