[Log] Gin Ichimaru, Rangiku Matsumoto, Shuuhei Hisagi
Title: Two's Company; Three's a Crowd. [Part 1]
Characters: Gin Ichimaru (lcpdragonslayer), Rangiku Matsumoto (some_scribbles), Shuuhei Hisagi (calm_isolation)
Timeline: March 9 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It seems like a visit to the Double Dip to sort through what had happened last in the pool hall, but when Shuuhei Hisagi walks through those doors, the underground world collides with the facades they put on masquerading through life. The reality of this duality becomes apparent to both Gin and Shuuhei, and Rangiku may have realised that there are some things that have either been kept from her, or are beyond her control and understanding.
After they last parted ways, Gin spent a lot of time floating mindlessly through his days. It was one of the few occasions that he did actually try to do his share of work in the office - an attempt that no doubt left even Mister Aizen speechless and Ulquiorra wide-eyed (wider than usual, anyway) - and work managed to keep his mind occupied.
Even so, thoughts invariably wandered back to pool. To Ran. To that idiot. To losing control and snapping for that split second; and if Ran had not been there, things on the one hand would have gotten so much worse, but on the other hand would have never started up to begin with.
It was unnerving - what she did to him. It was unnerving, what she made him think of when they parted ways. It was unnerving, the monster inside that he never had to deal with, that harmed everyone except for himself, because for the first time, it did inflict wounds onto him.
It would have been nice to say that he did not want to see Ran again. It would have been nice to be able to stop visiting the Double Dip, to be able to stop thinking about her - to cut her off for the second time and let that be the end of what could have been so much more.
But here he was, standing outside the Double Dip, the slightest of smiles on his face. He did not wish to go in - not yet, because that feeling of being at home every time he was there, every time Ran was with him; it was pleasant and wonderful but intoxicating and asphyxiating at the same time.
If he stood here, out on the sidewalk, he was still outside of Ran's life. He was still outside of her world, out of reach, and he could still admire everything even if he would remain an outsider. Ultimately, that was what he should have done, but it was too late to say that now that she had stumbled on in to his world, now that she became a part of him again.
Rangiku had slipped out for a quick shopping trip after the lunch rush, and had her hands full of bags and packages as she made her way back to The Double Dip. There was no doubt about it, she was an industrious woman when it came to shopping.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a familiar figure outside her door, and a wide smile spread her lips. She took a breath to call out his name-but then she noticed that he wasn’t opening her door. He was just… standing there.
…why was he just standing there?
Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Ran felt a familiar burst of frustrated anger. It had been over two weeks since she’d seen him, and if she hadn’t needed the time to sort through all that she’d seen at Selangor, she’d probably have been upset. Well, that and she’d been busy with the Captain’s little run in with a .38. A girl could only worry about so many things at once.
But Gin was there now, standing in front of her door, and it looked like she couldn’t avoid thinking of him anymore. She didn’t bother to greet him-if she knew Gin at all, she knew he’d seen her long before she’d gotten this close. Rangiku gave him a knowing smile before teasing lightly, “If you’re not coming in, could you at least get the door?”
She wasn’t going to push him. If he came in, it would be because he wanted to come in, and she would believe that. And if he walked away… well, she’d deal with that if it came.
Gin did not even flinch when Ran approached from a distance away on the street. It was easy to see that she was not in her store, having stood outside on the footpath for a while now, looking in, but he had not expected her to return so soon.
He would have offered to help her with things, but after what happened last time, he was not quite ready to offer Ran anything. He was taking his chances by showing up - it had really been a miracle to keep something like this up for so long without the cops realising it or following him around, and for people to have not found out.
Keeping their relationship - whatever that meant - secret was the only way Gin could ensure that Ran would be alive and safe, and he would want to continue to keep it a secret. If someone were to found out - someone he could not kill, or something were to happen - something that was more difficult to solve than just pumping lead, he would have to deal with that then.
Reaching out for the door, he pulled it open and stepped aside to let Ran in. He followed her in without hesitation, the door closing behind them as the jingle faded away into silence.
Wordlessly, he took up his favourite spot by the counter, adjusting in his seat for a moment before propping his elbows up on the countertop, entwining his fingers and resting his chin on his thumbs.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she felt him silently following her. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or worried at the way he’d shown up-what did he want? Why did he seem so… focused? So quiet?
Rangiku didn’t even notice how her entire world narrowed in on him at his appearance. All he had to do was show up, and she scarcely heard Mary’s greeting, became hardly aware of the packages in her arms, so intent was she on trying to read him, on the feel of his gaze on her back and the knowledge of the space between them.
He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to be here, she told herself firmly, vanishing into her office to set down her purchases. And if he’s here to say-to do anything other than visit, I’ll deal with it when it comes.
Straightening the chain of the necklace she’d been wearing since Valentine’s Day, Ran squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and went out to face Gin. He’d settled down in his favorite spot by the candy and had made himself comfortable. She smiled at him, but when she opened her mouth found herself at a sudden loss for words. He was still so silent.
So she settled herself against the counter across from him, crossed her arms, and just looked at him. It was the strangest thing-how his presence could bring her such satisfaction and such pain at the same time. She broke the moment of silence between them with a soft tease before it stretched on too long, “Hello, there. Fancy seeing you here.”
His smile widened when he lifted his gaze to look at her. They both knew that his smiles could mean everything and yet they could mean nothing as well, and right now he probably had no reason to be smiling.
He was used to the empty smiles - it was something that had become a part of him, and it was something that no longer really had any effect on him. It was much easier to smile through the day and float through as if nothing had happened than to say something that held an inkling of truth.
"I want a choc'late malt," he said quietly, just as any other patron would have said to Ran. No greeting, no acknowledgement that she had greeted him, no meaning; nothing.
"Wit' extra fudge," he added. It was highly improbable that he would be able to finish it, but that was what he wanted nonetheless.
"Please."
That stung. That was the smile that he would give to anyone, that was the way he would speak to a stranger, and how dare he ask for extra fudge when he knew good and well that she’d never once charged him for it?
So. He hadn’t come in to say goodbye, and he hadn’t come in to see her, he’d come in to treat her like a stranger and play games.
Ran wasn’t any good at Gin’s games. She never could figure out the rules. She could never figure out how to play along or how to break out of them-and now was no different. She was just standing there, gobsmacked, barely restraining her ingrained impulse to fill his order.
If she reached out to him now, she made herself vulnerable, advertized her need-and Ran refused to let herself need. She raised her chin and stepped away from the counter, hands leaving their place crossed under her breasts to smooth across her stomach and down the curve of her waist and the top of her thighs. “Is that all you want?” she asked softly.
Don’t play this game with me, Gin. Be here, or not. I don’t deserve this from you. Ran waited, letting her words hang between them for a moment before turning and walking away towards the other side of the bar.
She’d make him his malt. She’d give him time to decide if he had an answer to her question. And she’d hope, despite the fact that she told herself not to, that when she returned he’d look at her with eyes that saw her.
His smile never faltered as he kept his gaze on her, watching her as she wandered off to make his malt. He had heard her question, but he kept his gaze on her as if the question went right over his head.
And then she was scooping his ice cream, and his gaze and mind wandered elsewhere. He rested his cheek against his palm, his elbow using the countertop to prop his chin up.
I suppose... this is fine.
His smile faded and his hand slowly crept up, moving over to cover his forehead, his ring finger and pinky covering his eyes.
This place...
Maybe it was a bad idea to come here after all.
Pulling his hand away, he rested his arms over the countertop, his expression all but desolate for a split second before he painted that smile on his face again.
"Yea, that'll be all." He didn't want anything else. He just wanted to be an ordinary patron. He just wanted to be in her world, at least for a little while, but he did not want to become a part of it.
"How much do I owe ya, boss?"
Her reaction was instinctive. One minute Ran was holding the malt in her hand, the next she was throwing it in his face. There went the whipped cream. And the hot fudge. And the chocolate malt, streaking his hair and dribbling onto his face and down his neck. The angry words died on her lips when she realized, wide-eyed, what she’d just done. He looked absolute ridiculous-and she’d just thrown ice cream in his face.
She clapped her free hand over her mouth and started giggling. “Oh, fuck. Oh, Gin, Gin, I’m sorry, Gin. It’s just-don’t be such a bastard.”
Ran set the empty malt glass on the bar between them and held out her hand, “Come on, quick, before it gets into your suit.” She was having a hard time keeping her smile off her face and she couldn’t keep the mirth out of her eyes.
Well, that was... somewhat unexpected.
He did anticipate getting something like a slap, or a punch, or getting screamed at to breeze off and get his malt somewhere else.
She seemed to have an affinity for throwing things at him, though he really did not blame her for such a reaction. He may be a difficult person to understand - at least, for most people - but conversely almost everyone else was easy to understand.
Great. And she thought this was funny. Here he was trying to be careful in cover his tracks, trying to make every single visit here a covert, secret one, and she had just gone and thrown chocolate malt in his face.
What was next - asking him to hand out flyers to advertise her shop?
"I'm the bastard now?" he said, his voice almost incredulous. He knew he must have looked ridiculous with malt threatening to drip off his face, but somehow her words and expressions were rubbing him in all the wrong places.
If they had not known each other for so long, he would have socked her and left. If she had not been Ran, she would not be seeing the light of day tomorrow.
And yes, he was still incredibly edgy and agitated around her. While he did not want a repeat performance of what happened the last time they met, he knew that he was perfectly capable of and would be willing to do it again.
He was not smiling anymore when he took her hand.
"What's next? Yer gon' bring me out the back n' throw darts at me?"
“Now that’s just silly,” Rangiku scoffed, leading him into the kitchen by the hand. She brought him to stand over by the sink before she released his hand and stepped behind him. Grabbing several dry towels, she first draped one around Gin’s shoulders to absorb the ice cream that had already dripped on his suit jacket and to prevent any more dripping. “What good would darts do?”
Then she came to stand side beside him, wetting one end of a towel and wringing it out before turning him around to face her. Ran tried to look serious, but she wasn’t sure how well she succeeded, she could feel the corners of her lips twitch up at the sorry sight he presented. “Besides, I said I was sorry. Now hold still.”
Reaching up, Rangiku began to clean off his face and the wet strands of his hair, catching clumps of whipped cream in her towel and then moving to a clean spot in the towel to wipe off the rest. Her other hand came up to rest gently on the back of his head to provide support as she rubbed the warm wet cloth against his cheek. Her eyes were on her task, her touch against his skin was light and innocent, and for the moment she was completely oblivious to their proximity, to the fact that if she stepped just the slightest bit closer, they’d be touching.
She kept having to fight back a smile. He always looked so sharp now, so completely untouchable… maybe she’d overreacted just a bit, but it was worth it to see him like this.
Maybe he should try saying sorry to the people he shot in the back, Gin thought dryly as she shuffled about to try and clean him up. He held relatively still, though it was obvious that he did not find this funny at all.
"Apology not accepted. If I had known yer gon' throw things at me again, I wouldn't have come."
At his words, Ran exhaled lightly through her teeth, as if he’d hit her. So then why did you come? To sit there and pretend like you didn’t know me? Her movements turned automatic, and as soon as she’d finished cleaning his face she turned away from him, moving back to the sink and running a clean towel under the warm water.
She hadn’t asked anything from him. Not a single damned thing. Only that he would tell her goodbye the next time he left. She’d told him that she wanted him around, that she enjoyed his company-where in there did he get off coming around and treating her like she was a stranger?
Rangiku took a deep breath, wringing out the towel before turning around. She had to do her best to keep it light. He couldn’t know how deeply his words and actions had cut her. Her eyes were serious and guarded-if he was going to just walk out, she wasn’t going to let him see how much it would hurt. She couldn’t quite bring herself to smile, but when she spoke her tone was light and slightly teasing, “I didn’t give you the best welcome, I’ll admit.”
Moving forward, she came to stand directly in front of him. With her free hand she moved to loosen his tie and unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt so she could mop up the rest of the mess, once again focused on her hands. “Then again, neither did you. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. If you want to stay,” she glanced up at him from underneath her lashes, “I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
She paused, one hand resting lightly by his collar bone, and dropped her gaze again. “I don’t know what you expect from me. You haven’t been by in weeks. And when you come in, you act like you don’t even see me. What do you want from me, Gin? If you’re really just here for the malts, then tell me, and I’ll try to make sure you’re not wearing it next time.”
"I came for a malt," he said, his voice never wavering, his smile never faltering, as if it really was the truth. There was no reason to believe it was not the truth - in fact, if he told himself that a couple more times, it would have been the truth.
"I didn't come here ta see you. Ya jus' happen ta make the best choc'late malt in this area."
And he knew that, because he had sampled every chocolate malt in the inner city of Manhattan.
"What d'you want, Ran?" he asked, raising his hand to grip underneath above her elbow, effectively stilling her hand from cleaning the chocolate malt mess dripping off him.
"I was trying to protect you," he said quietly. "And what did I get? You protectin' him n' now throwin' a malt in my face."
He clenched his teeth for a moment.
"'m not askin' for a reward or anythin'. I don't know what'cha want from me. Did'cha want me ta stand aside n' let 'im 'ave 'is way wit' you? Did'cha want me ta pretend I din't see anythin'? What were you expectin' when ya asked me to teach ya pool?
"Do ya even want me here? Front door's right there n' I'll walk out like this if ya don't. S'as simple as that. All's ya gotta do is say it."
His grip was surprisingly strong, firm almost to the point of pain. If he hadn’t grabbed on to her, she’d have stepped away as soon as she’d been able to breathe again. But he kept her close while he ripped into her. She scarcely had time to process one blow before he was hitting her with something else.
But this was Gin. This was who he was under the smooth surface, he was diamond sharp edges and cold fire and beyond her pain, beyond her anger, some deep part of her responded to him. That part of her reached out, opened up, and welcomed him-this was who he was, this was who she remembered. Her free hand fisted over his shirt. Ran met his gaze, her voice was soft and firm, “I want you here.”
And then some of her fire rose to meet his. “Even when you’re acting like an idiot. I don’t know what today has to do with back at the pool hall. Of course I didn’t want you to sit back and let him ‘have his way with me.’ What do you think I am?”
Rangiku took a deep breath, and reigned in her emotions. He’d said he’d never thought of her that way. He’d said it. So there had to be something bothering him, something that had set him off. What was it? He’d mentioned the pool hall, and her defending that palooka… was that what was bothering him? She defended the stooge but threw a malt in his face? Idiot. Since she couldn’t run away and didn’t think that hitting him would make it any better, instead she shifted closer. “If I messed anything up for you by stepping in like that, then I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that. I just…”
I was scared for you. The truth was that despite how soft she’d become, despite her protective nature, despite the long years of ‘respectability,’ there was a part of her that was perfectly willing to stand back and let Gin do whatever he wanted to the scum who’d insulted her. There were times past, when they were younger, that she’d done exactly that. But this had felt different. This had been Gin, instantly enraged, ready to tear that man apart with his bare hands without any pretense of restraint. She didn’t want that for him, that wasn’t fighting that was… something else.
Once again, she drew in a ragged breath and mustered up the courage to keep holding his gaze. “It didn’t have anything to do with him. Don’t you dare think it did. Don’t you know how important you are to me? I’m not wearing this necklace just because it looks good.”
And fuck. There went her mouth running away without her permission again. And so, partially to cover and partially because it had hurt and if it wasn't true she wasn't willing to let it haunt her and if it was, well, she'd better adjust fast, Ran kept going, "But silly me. You're just here for a malt."
But today had everything to do with what happened at the pool hall. They did not manage to get to where they were today without considering what had happened yesterday, and every single time they had met in the past. Today was no standalone incident and today would never be one.
He let go of her arm and turned away a little. It was obvious that he was still annoyed at her - annoyed at what had happened, annoyed more at himself for things he could not possibly change than annoyed at her.
"I'll leave after my malt," he said quietly. He had nothing to say - or, rather, he did not want to say anything. If that was what she wanted to tell him, that was fine. He could accept that, somehow.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, leaning back against the counter. His gaze was captured by the jukebox, by the decorations in the room - by anything except for the woman standing in front of him.
A woman he sometimes felt like he knew all his life, and at other times, a woman he barely knew.
You damn fool. Can’t you see you’re killing me?
She wanted to go to him, to wrap her arms around him and cling to him, to weep into his chest and beg him to stay. She wanted to straighten herself up and rip off her necklace, tell him exactly what she thought about him playing with her this way, and demand that he leave now, take his damn bribe with him, and never come back. He was staying, for now, but he was sticking with his story about coming just for the malt-and for all she knew it could be true.
Rangiku shut her eyes against the scene of one of her worst fears coming to life. He was shutting her out, he was leaving her again, and she didn’t know how to fix it. She couldn’t fix it. All she could do was tell him the truth and let him decide.
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked over to him. Ran knew she couldn’t keep all the pain out of her expression, not from Gin, but she tried to be as calm as possible. “I don’t want you to be mad at me. I told you I was sorry. I told you I want you here, I’ve told you that I only want you here if you want to be here. I told you that night that I didn’t change my mind. I don’t know what else I can tell you.”
She reached up and removed the towel she’d draped around his shoulders and then stared down at the stained cloth. Her voice was choked and very quiet when she spoke, “It’s up to you, Gin. I…” I know I can’t keep you. She let out a soft shaky laugh and shook her head before lifting her gaze back to his face, a small pained smile lifting the corners of her lips.
“It doesn’t look like your jacket stained. You can send me the cleaning bill, if you want-” Rangiku abruptly cut herself off. When she’d called him Mr. Ichimaru it had been in jest, and he hadn’t liked it. Saying it now would mean something entirely different, a distance she wasn’t ready to commit to-it had happened so fast.
She turned away from him and began rinsing the towels out in the sink to hide her stinging eyes.
A long heavy sigh burst from the corner of his mouth tainted with smoke from the gasper clamped between his teeth. Grey eyes looked at the sky to judge the time by the weak sunlight that filtered between buildings. It was that time of the month, time to go check in with his ‘family’, and as always unease and anticipation warred in Shuuhei Hisagi’s stomach.
He was a failure, and this monthly visit was a constant reminder of his weakness. All his life he had sworn to protect people and all his life he had failed. He knew that every visit, every conversation with Rangiku was a risk. He was risking her life and safety, for genuine smiles and pie but he just couldn’t stop himself. He needed these visits like a touchstone with reality. It kept him grounded, and honest even though he lied through his teeth. He lied to everyone he cared about. He lied to protect her; he lied to keep her in his life. He just hoped if he made it out of this assignment alive she would forgive him for all the lies he has told her over the years.
With one more long deep draw on his Lucky, nicotine raced through his system like jet fuel, he turned the corner, flicking his smoke into the street. His thumb and middle finger on both hands rubbed back and forth, a nervous gesture, while his long legs carried him to the Double Dip too fast and too slow at the same time.
He had done everything he could be careful about his visits. He even went so far as to always change his clothes before he stopped in. It was like a costume of his old self, slipping into it made his part easier to play. After all what kind of man working odd jobs could afford some of the things he wore.
If he was going to keep this up, this double life, he had to be anal about keeping them both separate. He couldn’t stop coming around, but he could keep her from knowing about his new life in the Concavos. It was with that thought in mind that he pulled open the door to his favorite malt shop ready to lie to one of his best friends. It was with that failure in mind that he stood looking at his worst fear personified, his two neat and separate worlds crashed head first into each other. In the kitchen stood Gin Ichimaru, Capo Bastone of the Concavos, in an undeniably intimate conversation with Rangiku.
She didn't seem to understand that Gin was not angry at her. If anything, he was angry at himself - for letting the whole thing happen in the first place, for letting things get this way, for reacting the way he thought he should have but apparently only making her upset. If anything, he was angry that things had to become like this because of what had happened that night.
But it had been good, in some ways. This was, after all, only a dream for Gin. It was his escape, his side alley from life and what he had to do, and the fact that he was putting Ran in danger every time he walked through her doors would never really mean as much as it should if something like that had not happened.
The truth was that they had been apart for almost two decades, and no longer were the days they spent running around in the streets living lives as carefree, careless children.
He might have still wanted to see her all these years, but he knew that as soon as he turned and walked away from Ran, he had started to move on.
And this was nice and this made him happy, but things would never be the way they were, and they couldn't do this as if nothing had happened all these years.
He took his jacket off - it was still sticky and uncomfortable, but it was the last thing he could possibly care about at this stage.
And then the door chimed from behind him, and Gin turned to look over his shoulder. He would have left Ran alone to serve her customer - except everything seemed to grind to a halt.
He knew the man standing there looking straight at them.
It felt as if all his efforts to keep everyone at bay - lying to Aizen, lying to everyone in Escorial, keeping a keen eye out for cars or people following him - had failed in one swift moment.
The clock started ticking again, and everything went on as per normal. Gin greeted the new arrival with a wide, non-threatening smile and started entertaining completely different thoughts - what to do about this? Should he kill and get rid of Shuuhei? What business did the boy have with Ran? Was this just a coincidence - did he happen to pass by or did he actually know Ran and was conducting something here? It was of utmost importance to the Capo Bastone that his relationship with Ran be kept out of the radar - even from his own henchmen.
How was he going to explain to Aizen - perhaps Ulquiorra - that he killed one of their men and had reasons to justify his behaviour? Whether they cared about small fry or not was irrelevant - he knew that his actions would be questioned.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ran saw Gin take off his jacket and she took a deep breath before turning to face him. He was here now. She’d just enjoy the time she had and worry about anything and everything when he wasn’t here. For now, she’d take what he could give her and be happy with it. So there was a small, tight, genuine smile on her face by the time Ran got up the courage to glance up at Gin.
He was smiling. A wide, hungry grin and he wasn’t looking at her. She felt her breath catch at the implicit warning of that face and quickly turned so that she could see what he saw.
The world snapped out of focus and Rangiku felt dizzy as her perception was abruptly forced beyond Gin. That was Shuuhei standing there, Shuuhei who she hadn’t seen in what felt like forever, staring at her in something akin to horror.
And in the suddenly expanding world, Rangiku became aware of just what, exactly, Shuuhei must be seeing. There was a strange man, a customer, in her kitchen. His jacket was off, the top buttons on his shirt were undone, and he was standing very close to her, so close she could practically feel his shadow, with a wide, false smile on his face.
Ran felt her smile widen in welcome even as her mind raced. It could have been worse. It could have been the captain. Shuuhei wasn’t carrying tin anymore, and there was no reason he’d recognize Gin Ichimaru at all, and even if he did there was no reason he’d make the connection to Gin’s ‘family.’ And even if he did know who Gin was-well, Gin wasn’t in any danger of getting copped in her malt shop, Shuu couldn’t slap bracelets on him anymore anyway, and it’s not like he told her what to do.
So, all she had to worry about was Gin’s reaction to meeting one of her boys and Shuuhei’s reaction to Gin.
Yeah… that’ll be duck soup.
Unfortunately, the easy response of Gin being just a customer wouldn’t fly. Shuuhei knew good and well that she didn’t let customers behind the bar, and even if that wasn’t the case, the state of Gin’s undress was telling-who knew how long Shuuhei’d been standing there? This wasn’t going to be pretty.
And Gin-how would he respond to meeting one of her boys, to seeing her life without him right after they’d just had a fight? Would he just walk out?
That fear practically choked her, constricting her lungs and freezing her in place before she straightened her shoulders. This was Shuuhei. Regardless of the circumstances, she was glad to see him. And it wouldn’t hurt Gin any to see that someone valued her enough to stick around.
“Shuuhei!” Ran called out happily, her hand stealthily sneaking behind her as she stepped forward, grabbing Gin’s hand for a discrete, reassuring squeeze before releasing him and moving forward. She left the kitchen and walked quickly towards him, lifting the latch that separated the area behind the bar from the rest of the shop to hug him where he stood by the door.
The warm solid sameness of him was a sudden salve to her scraped nerves and she closed her eyes and clung to him until she felt her heart warm, until she felt a bit more solid. Finally, Rangiku pulled away to grin up at his familiar face. “It’s good to see you!” She stepped away and scanned him critically like she always did on these monthly meetings. “You’ve gotten thinner,” she said with a frown. “You’re not eating enough.”
Long before Shuuhei had first seen the Capo Bastone he has heard about that benign, humorless smile. Seeing that smile directed right at him made something deep in the tattooed man’s gut clench. He would never admit it was fear, but there is a sense deep within all creatures of reason that warns them when there is danger, and Shuuhei’s senses were screaming at him. Gin Ichimaru was pure evil, a barely controlled golem of Aizen’s careful creation. Shuuhei had been lucky enough to have only brief encounters with the silver-haired mobster in the past. He knew with his looks, and that smile he was recognized, and he dreaded what would come when they both left the shop, but as much as his inner warning bells rang, he refused to leave him here alone with Rangiku.
When her arms slid around him in welcome, he automatically returned the hug, tightening his arms when she clung to him. He leaned into the hug, wrapping much of himself around her like a shell, or armor. He shot a narrow eyed protective glare over her shoulder at the lone figure behind the counter. His eyes told Gin that she was important, and special to him, and he would keep her safe, a stupid move that Shuuhei could not keep himself from making. When she pulled back to inspect him Shuuhei let her go easily, his face composed into a soft smile while he held his arms out letting her look him over.
“Of course I am thinner,” he teased easily. “It has been a month since I laid eyes on you, and your pie.” His eyes flicked toward Gin then back to Ran in a gesture he was sure she would notice. “Though maybe I should start coming around more…”
Ran knowing Shuuhei struck him as a bit of a surprise, but Gin was definitely not in store for the kind of look the brunet was giving him.
It made him want to poke the boy's eyes out and give them to Szayel.
Quickly it became evident that not only did Ran know of this Shuuhei fellow - they had some sort of connection that was more than that of a malt shop owner and a customer - that was only supported by the fact that Ran was talking like they were old friends or something, that they hadn't seen each other in a while, and this Shuuhei saying that 'it had been a month'. Gin wasn't thinking of it like he was jealous - his relationship with Ran wasn't like that, after all, or so she claimed - but the Capo Bastone was very much curious as to how these two managed to get to know each other.
He knew next to nothing about this lackey, after all, even if he may know a heap of things about Gin.
And of course, Ran's safety was also at risk. Did she know she was associating herself with the mob? With people like Gin - only a little different? What if something were to happen to this Shuuhei and it had implications to the people he knew - to people like Ran?
It was yet another justification as to why Gin should just rip his windpipe out of his throat once they left the malt shop.
"What's with that look, Shuuhei Hisagi?" Gin asked, grinning. "Didn't expect ta see ya 'ere."
Keep looking at me like that and you won't be seeing anything come morning.
Ran jumped. Gin had snuck up behind her again. Honestly, that was getting a little wearying. Maybe she could find a way to stick bells on him-and the image of a bemused and pouting Gin trying to shake off the bells amused her for a moment.
She hadn’t missed Shuuhei’s glance back towards Gin and the note of warning in his voice when he offered to come by more often-an offer she’d jump on if she had the chance-but that still didn’t necessarily mean that they knew each other. It could have just been a ‘What are you doing undressing a man in your kitchen, Ran,’ sort of glance, something she could still play off.
And then Gin said Shuu’s name.
Which… was just not good. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here?’ What did that mean? Rangiku could think of five or six perfectly legitimate reasons for an ex-cop would recognize Gin Ichimaru, she could only think of a few why Gin would recognize him, and somehow she thought she’d know if Shuuhei had ever booked Gin for a stay at the bighouse.
And even if she didn't, this didn’t feel like that. The last time Gin had looked this friendly at someone she knew, he hadn’t known she was watching. It felt like ages ago, that night they had passed each other at the Cinq, when she’d walked back in to see him ‘talking’ with her date, whathisname. And it turned out that he had been in business…
And what that meant, she had no idea except that there was obviously more going on here than she knew and that one wrong word from her could tip the balance into something very dangerous. It was far too late to deny how well she knew either of them-Gin still hadn’t buttoned his shirt, and his tie was loose, and while she didn’t regret hugging Shuuhei, it was also something she couldn’t take back.
Ran decided that the best thing to do would be to play very, very stupid. It might not work, of all the people in the world these two knew her very well, but it was worth a shot. After all, in her experience men were always willing to think she was dumber than she was.
“Oh good!” she clapped her hands together. “You two know each other! That means I don’t have to make introductions.” Ran turned a stunning smile on to Shuuhei, “I’m guessing you’re here for your regular, then? We have apple and coconut cream pie today.” She turned that same smile on Gin, softening it only slightly because-well, he wouldn’t be fooled by it at all, he’d seen it so many times, and because she wasn’t sure if he was going to stay. “And Gin, do you still want that malt?”
FUCK! Was the first thing to resound through Shuuhei’s mind the minute his name passed those venomous lips. He had known that Gin recognized him, but he was a little surprised that he knew his name. He had been hoping that his face simply lingered in the back of Gin’s mind and he would take a little longer to place him. But of course that was naive of Shuuhei and he knew it, the direction his luck had just turned was more then enough proof that of course the Capo would remember his name, and share that information. He offered a smile just as false as the one slitting Gin’s eyes. “I am surprised to see you here as well, Mr. Ichimaru.”
What in the hell was he doing here with Ran? Did she know who he was? Shuuhei had no idea how much trouble he was in here. He knew he was in a shit load of trouble from Gin. But what about Ran, how much trouble was he in with her? How much did she know?
The minute she turned that super watt super fake smile on him Shuuhei knew he was gonna be screwed from both ends. Well Gin was probably going to kill him anyway so he really didn’t need to worry about how he would explain to her how he knew the mobster. Besides he had enough ammo that as long as Ran didn’t bribe him with pie when they talked, which if he was still alive they would be doing soon, he would simply ask her how she knew Gin before she could ask him.
For now, he had to make it through this awkward visit, without getting Ran’s malt shop on the evening news as the sight of a killing. And hopefully if nothing else he would negotiate his own death for her safety. A smile, slightly tinged with nostalgia tugged at the unscarred side of his face when he looked at the Shop Owner, his sergeant sister. He would do whatever it took to make sure his own selfishness did not get her hurt; he just hoped it would be enough. “I have dreams about your apple pie...”
"Yes," he said to Ran. He told her - numerous times - that he had only come for a chocolate malt. And even though the circumstances and scenario had changed a little with this unexpected arrival, Gin's intentions did not change.
He would just have to settle this with Shuuhei later - preferably somewhere where Ran wouldn't need to get involved, especially if Gin really was going to kill someone tonight.
He went back out of the kitchen and took up a seat at his usual spot - at the counter, near to the cash register with candy within reach and much of the kitchen visible to him. Except this time, he was facing the two of them instead of the counter and kitchen wall.
"Why don't'cha come n' sit next to me, bo?" Gin asked, tilting his head a little with a mild-mannered smile. "We can talk n' catch up on some stuff."
It wasn't an offer, if that 'mild-mannered' smile was anything to go by.
Characters: Gin Ichimaru (lcpdragonslayer), Rangiku Matsumoto (some_scribbles), Shuuhei Hisagi (calm_isolation)
Timeline: March 9 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It seems like a visit to the Double Dip to sort through what had happened last in the pool hall, but when Shuuhei Hisagi walks through those doors, the underground world collides with the facades they put on masquerading through life. The reality of this duality becomes apparent to both Gin and Shuuhei, and Rangiku may have realised that there are some things that have either been kept from her, or are beyond her control and understanding.
After they last parted ways, Gin spent a lot of time floating mindlessly through his days. It was one of the few occasions that he did actually try to do his share of work in the office - an attempt that no doubt left even Mister Aizen speechless and Ulquiorra wide-eyed (wider than usual, anyway) - and work managed to keep his mind occupied.
Even so, thoughts invariably wandered back to pool. To Ran. To that idiot. To losing control and snapping for that split second; and if Ran had not been there, things on the one hand would have gotten so much worse, but on the other hand would have never started up to begin with.
It was unnerving - what she did to him. It was unnerving, what she made him think of when they parted ways. It was unnerving, the monster inside that he never had to deal with, that harmed everyone except for himself, because for the first time, it did inflict wounds onto him.
It would have been nice to say that he did not want to see Ran again. It would have been nice to be able to stop visiting the Double Dip, to be able to stop thinking about her - to cut her off for the second time and let that be the end of what could have been so much more.
But here he was, standing outside the Double Dip, the slightest of smiles on his face. He did not wish to go in - not yet, because that feeling of being at home every time he was there, every time Ran was with him; it was pleasant and wonderful but intoxicating and asphyxiating at the same time.
If he stood here, out on the sidewalk, he was still outside of Ran's life. He was still outside of her world, out of reach, and he could still admire everything even if he would remain an outsider. Ultimately, that was what he should have done, but it was too late to say that now that she had stumbled on in to his world, now that she became a part of him again.
Rangiku had slipped out for a quick shopping trip after the lunch rush, and had her hands full of bags and packages as she made her way back to The Double Dip. There was no doubt about it, she was an industrious woman when it came to shopping.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a familiar figure outside her door, and a wide smile spread her lips. She took a breath to call out his name-but then she noticed that he wasn’t opening her door. He was just… standing there.
…why was he just standing there?
Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Ran felt a familiar burst of frustrated anger. It had been over two weeks since she’d seen him, and if she hadn’t needed the time to sort through all that she’d seen at Selangor, she’d probably have been upset. Well, that and she’d been busy with the Captain’s little run in with a .38. A girl could only worry about so many things at once.
But Gin was there now, standing in front of her door, and it looked like she couldn’t avoid thinking of him anymore. She didn’t bother to greet him-if she knew Gin at all, she knew he’d seen her long before she’d gotten this close. Rangiku gave him a knowing smile before teasing lightly, “If you’re not coming in, could you at least get the door?”
She wasn’t going to push him. If he came in, it would be because he wanted to come in, and she would believe that. And if he walked away… well, she’d deal with that if it came.
Gin did not even flinch when Ran approached from a distance away on the street. It was easy to see that she was not in her store, having stood outside on the footpath for a while now, looking in, but he had not expected her to return so soon.
He would have offered to help her with things, but after what happened last time, he was not quite ready to offer Ran anything. He was taking his chances by showing up - it had really been a miracle to keep something like this up for so long without the cops realising it or following him around, and for people to have not found out.
Keeping their relationship - whatever that meant - secret was the only way Gin could ensure that Ran would be alive and safe, and he would want to continue to keep it a secret. If someone were to found out - someone he could not kill, or something were to happen - something that was more difficult to solve than just pumping lead, he would have to deal with that then.
Reaching out for the door, he pulled it open and stepped aside to let Ran in. He followed her in without hesitation, the door closing behind them as the jingle faded away into silence.
Wordlessly, he took up his favourite spot by the counter, adjusting in his seat for a moment before propping his elbows up on the countertop, entwining his fingers and resting his chin on his thumbs.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she felt him silently following her. She wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or worried at the way he’d shown up-what did he want? Why did he seem so… focused? So quiet?
Rangiku didn’t even notice how her entire world narrowed in on him at his appearance. All he had to do was show up, and she scarcely heard Mary’s greeting, became hardly aware of the packages in her arms, so intent was she on trying to read him, on the feel of his gaze on her back and the knowledge of the space between them.
He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to be here, she told herself firmly, vanishing into her office to set down her purchases. And if he’s here to say-to do anything other than visit, I’ll deal with it when it comes.
Straightening the chain of the necklace she’d been wearing since Valentine’s Day, Ran squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and went out to face Gin. He’d settled down in his favorite spot by the candy and had made himself comfortable. She smiled at him, but when she opened her mouth found herself at a sudden loss for words. He was still so silent.
So she settled herself against the counter across from him, crossed her arms, and just looked at him. It was the strangest thing-how his presence could bring her such satisfaction and such pain at the same time. She broke the moment of silence between them with a soft tease before it stretched on too long, “Hello, there. Fancy seeing you here.”
His smile widened when he lifted his gaze to look at her. They both knew that his smiles could mean everything and yet they could mean nothing as well, and right now he probably had no reason to be smiling.
He was used to the empty smiles - it was something that had become a part of him, and it was something that no longer really had any effect on him. It was much easier to smile through the day and float through as if nothing had happened than to say something that held an inkling of truth.
"I want a choc'late malt," he said quietly, just as any other patron would have said to Ran. No greeting, no acknowledgement that she had greeted him, no meaning; nothing.
"Wit' extra fudge," he added. It was highly improbable that he would be able to finish it, but that was what he wanted nonetheless.
"Please."
That stung. That was the smile that he would give to anyone, that was the way he would speak to a stranger, and how dare he ask for extra fudge when he knew good and well that she’d never once charged him for it?
So. He hadn’t come in to say goodbye, and he hadn’t come in to see her, he’d come in to treat her like a stranger and play games.
Ran wasn’t any good at Gin’s games. She never could figure out the rules. She could never figure out how to play along or how to break out of them-and now was no different. She was just standing there, gobsmacked, barely restraining her ingrained impulse to fill his order.
If she reached out to him now, she made herself vulnerable, advertized her need-and Ran refused to let herself need. She raised her chin and stepped away from the counter, hands leaving their place crossed under her breasts to smooth across her stomach and down the curve of her waist and the top of her thighs. “Is that all you want?” she asked softly.
Don’t play this game with me, Gin. Be here, or not. I don’t deserve this from you. Ran waited, letting her words hang between them for a moment before turning and walking away towards the other side of the bar.
She’d make him his malt. She’d give him time to decide if he had an answer to her question. And she’d hope, despite the fact that she told herself not to, that when she returned he’d look at her with eyes that saw her.
His smile never faltered as he kept his gaze on her, watching her as she wandered off to make his malt. He had heard her question, but he kept his gaze on her as if the question went right over his head.
And then she was scooping his ice cream, and his gaze and mind wandered elsewhere. He rested his cheek against his palm, his elbow using the countertop to prop his chin up.
I suppose... this is fine.
His smile faded and his hand slowly crept up, moving over to cover his forehead, his ring finger and pinky covering his eyes.
This place...
Maybe it was a bad idea to come here after all.
Pulling his hand away, he rested his arms over the countertop, his expression all but desolate for a split second before he painted that smile on his face again.
"Yea, that'll be all." He didn't want anything else. He just wanted to be an ordinary patron. He just wanted to be in her world, at least for a little while, but he did not want to become a part of it.
"How much do I owe ya, boss?"
Her reaction was instinctive. One minute Ran was holding the malt in her hand, the next she was throwing it in his face. There went the whipped cream. And the hot fudge. And the chocolate malt, streaking his hair and dribbling onto his face and down his neck. The angry words died on her lips when she realized, wide-eyed, what she’d just done. He looked absolute ridiculous-and she’d just thrown ice cream in his face.
She clapped her free hand over her mouth and started giggling. “Oh, fuck. Oh, Gin, Gin, I’m sorry, Gin. It’s just-don’t be such a bastard.”
Ran set the empty malt glass on the bar between them and held out her hand, “Come on, quick, before it gets into your suit.” She was having a hard time keeping her smile off her face and she couldn’t keep the mirth out of her eyes.
Well, that was... somewhat unexpected.
He did anticipate getting something like a slap, or a punch, or getting screamed at to breeze off and get his malt somewhere else.
She seemed to have an affinity for throwing things at him, though he really did not blame her for such a reaction. He may be a difficult person to understand - at least, for most people - but conversely almost everyone else was easy to understand.
Great. And she thought this was funny. Here he was trying to be careful in cover his tracks, trying to make every single visit here a covert, secret one, and she had just gone and thrown chocolate malt in his face.
What was next - asking him to hand out flyers to advertise her shop?
"I'm the bastard now?" he said, his voice almost incredulous. He knew he must have looked ridiculous with malt threatening to drip off his face, but somehow her words and expressions were rubbing him in all the wrong places.
If they had not known each other for so long, he would have socked her and left. If she had not been Ran, she would not be seeing the light of day tomorrow.
And yes, he was still incredibly edgy and agitated around her. While he did not want a repeat performance of what happened the last time they met, he knew that he was perfectly capable of and would be willing to do it again.
He was not smiling anymore when he took her hand.
"What's next? Yer gon' bring me out the back n' throw darts at me?"
“Now that’s just silly,” Rangiku scoffed, leading him into the kitchen by the hand. She brought him to stand over by the sink before she released his hand and stepped behind him. Grabbing several dry towels, she first draped one around Gin’s shoulders to absorb the ice cream that had already dripped on his suit jacket and to prevent any more dripping. “What good would darts do?”
Then she came to stand side beside him, wetting one end of a towel and wringing it out before turning him around to face her. Ran tried to look serious, but she wasn’t sure how well she succeeded, she could feel the corners of her lips twitch up at the sorry sight he presented. “Besides, I said I was sorry. Now hold still.”
Reaching up, Rangiku began to clean off his face and the wet strands of his hair, catching clumps of whipped cream in her towel and then moving to a clean spot in the towel to wipe off the rest. Her other hand came up to rest gently on the back of his head to provide support as she rubbed the warm wet cloth against his cheek. Her eyes were on her task, her touch against his skin was light and innocent, and for the moment she was completely oblivious to their proximity, to the fact that if she stepped just the slightest bit closer, they’d be touching.
She kept having to fight back a smile. He always looked so sharp now, so completely untouchable… maybe she’d overreacted just a bit, but it was worth it to see him like this.
Maybe he should try saying sorry to the people he shot in the back, Gin thought dryly as she shuffled about to try and clean him up. He held relatively still, though it was obvious that he did not find this funny at all.
"Apology not accepted. If I had known yer gon' throw things at me again, I wouldn't have come."
At his words, Ran exhaled lightly through her teeth, as if he’d hit her. So then why did you come? To sit there and pretend like you didn’t know me? Her movements turned automatic, and as soon as she’d finished cleaning his face she turned away from him, moving back to the sink and running a clean towel under the warm water.
She hadn’t asked anything from him. Not a single damned thing. Only that he would tell her goodbye the next time he left. She’d told him that she wanted him around, that she enjoyed his company-where in there did he get off coming around and treating her like she was a stranger?
Rangiku took a deep breath, wringing out the towel before turning around. She had to do her best to keep it light. He couldn’t know how deeply his words and actions had cut her. Her eyes were serious and guarded-if he was going to just walk out, she wasn’t going to let him see how much it would hurt. She couldn’t quite bring herself to smile, but when she spoke her tone was light and slightly teasing, “I didn’t give you the best welcome, I’ll admit.”
Moving forward, she came to stand directly in front of him. With her free hand she moved to loosen his tie and unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt so she could mop up the rest of the mess, once again focused on her hands. “Then again, neither did you. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. If you want to stay,” she glanced up at him from underneath her lashes, “I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
She paused, one hand resting lightly by his collar bone, and dropped her gaze again. “I don’t know what you expect from me. You haven’t been by in weeks. And when you come in, you act like you don’t even see me. What do you want from me, Gin? If you’re really just here for the malts, then tell me, and I’ll try to make sure you’re not wearing it next time.”
"I came for a malt," he said, his voice never wavering, his smile never faltering, as if it really was the truth. There was no reason to believe it was not the truth - in fact, if he told himself that a couple more times, it would have been the truth.
"I didn't come here ta see you. Ya jus' happen ta make the best choc'late malt in this area."
And he knew that, because he had sampled every chocolate malt in the inner city of Manhattan.
"What d'you want, Ran?" he asked, raising his hand to grip underneath above her elbow, effectively stilling her hand from cleaning the chocolate malt mess dripping off him.
"I was trying to protect you," he said quietly. "And what did I get? You protectin' him n' now throwin' a malt in my face."
He clenched his teeth for a moment.
"'m not askin' for a reward or anythin'. I don't know what'cha want from me. Did'cha want me ta stand aside n' let 'im 'ave 'is way wit' you? Did'cha want me ta pretend I din't see anythin'? What were you expectin' when ya asked me to teach ya pool?
"Do ya even want me here? Front door's right there n' I'll walk out like this if ya don't. S'as simple as that. All's ya gotta do is say it."
His grip was surprisingly strong, firm almost to the point of pain. If he hadn’t grabbed on to her, she’d have stepped away as soon as she’d been able to breathe again. But he kept her close while he ripped into her. She scarcely had time to process one blow before he was hitting her with something else.
But this was Gin. This was who he was under the smooth surface, he was diamond sharp edges and cold fire and beyond her pain, beyond her anger, some deep part of her responded to him. That part of her reached out, opened up, and welcomed him-this was who he was, this was who she remembered. Her free hand fisted over his shirt. Ran met his gaze, her voice was soft and firm, “I want you here.”
And then some of her fire rose to meet his. “Even when you’re acting like an idiot. I don’t know what today has to do with back at the pool hall. Of course I didn’t want you to sit back and let him ‘have his way with me.’ What do you think I am?”
Rangiku took a deep breath, and reigned in her emotions. He’d said he’d never thought of her that way. He’d said it. So there had to be something bothering him, something that had set him off. What was it? He’d mentioned the pool hall, and her defending that palooka… was that what was bothering him? She defended the stooge but threw a malt in his face? Idiot. Since she couldn’t run away and didn’t think that hitting him would make it any better, instead she shifted closer. “If I messed anything up for you by stepping in like that, then I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that. I just…”
I was scared for you. The truth was that despite how soft she’d become, despite her protective nature, despite the long years of ‘respectability,’ there was a part of her that was perfectly willing to stand back and let Gin do whatever he wanted to the scum who’d insulted her. There were times past, when they were younger, that she’d done exactly that. But this had felt different. This had been Gin, instantly enraged, ready to tear that man apart with his bare hands without any pretense of restraint. She didn’t want that for him, that wasn’t fighting that was… something else.
Once again, she drew in a ragged breath and mustered up the courage to keep holding his gaze. “It didn’t have anything to do with him. Don’t you dare think it did. Don’t you know how important you are to me? I’m not wearing this necklace just because it looks good.”
And fuck. There went her mouth running away without her permission again. And so, partially to cover and partially because it had hurt and if it wasn't true she wasn't willing to let it haunt her and if it was, well, she'd better adjust fast, Ran kept going, "But silly me. You're just here for a malt."
But today had everything to do with what happened at the pool hall. They did not manage to get to where they were today without considering what had happened yesterday, and every single time they had met in the past. Today was no standalone incident and today would never be one.
He let go of her arm and turned away a little. It was obvious that he was still annoyed at her - annoyed at what had happened, annoyed more at himself for things he could not possibly change than annoyed at her.
"I'll leave after my malt," he said quietly. He had nothing to say - or, rather, he did not want to say anything. If that was what she wanted to tell him, that was fine. He could accept that, somehow.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, leaning back against the counter. His gaze was captured by the jukebox, by the decorations in the room - by anything except for the woman standing in front of him.
A woman he sometimes felt like he knew all his life, and at other times, a woman he barely knew.
You damn fool. Can’t you see you’re killing me?
She wanted to go to him, to wrap her arms around him and cling to him, to weep into his chest and beg him to stay. She wanted to straighten herself up and rip off her necklace, tell him exactly what she thought about him playing with her this way, and demand that he leave now, take his damn bribe with him, and never come back. He was staying, for now, but he was sticking with his story about coming just for the malt-and for all she knew it could be true.
Rangiku shut her eyes against the scene of one of her worst fears coming to life. He was shutting her out, he was leaving her again, and she didn’t know how to fix it. She couldn’t fix it. All she could do was tell him the truth and let him decide.
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked over to him. Ran knew she couldn’t keep all the pain out of her expression, not from Gin, but she tried to be as calm as possible. “I don’t want you to be mad at me. I told you I was sorry. I told you I want you here, I’ve told you that I only want you here if you want to be here. I told you that night that I didn’t change my mind. I don’t know what else I can tell you.”
She reached up and removed the towel she’d draped around his shoulders and then stared down at the stained cloth. Her voice was choked and very quiet when she spoke, “It’s up to you, Gin. I…” I know I can’t keep you. She let out a soft shaky laugh and shook her head before lifting her gaze back to his face, a small pained smile lifting the corners of her lips.
“It doesn’t look like your jacket stained. You can send me the cleaning bill, if you want-” Rangiku abruptly cut herself off. When she’d called him Mr. Ichimaru it had been in jest, and he hadn’t liked it. Saying it now would mean something entirely different, a distance she wasn’t ready to commit to-it had happened so fast.
She turned away from him and began rinsing the towels out in the sink to hide her stinging eyes.
A long heavy sigh burst from the corner of his mouth tainted with smoke from the gasper clamped between his teeth. Grey eyes looked at the sky to judge the time by the weak sunlight that filtered between buildings. It was that time of the month, time to go check in with his ‘family’, and as always unease and anticipation warred in Shuuhei Hisagi’s stomach.
He was a failure, and this monthly visit was a constant reminder of his weakness. All his life he had sworn to protect people and all his life he had failed. He knew that every visit, every conversation with Rangiku was a risk. He was risking her life and safety, for genuine smiles and pie but he just couldn’t stop himself. He needed these visits like a touchstone with reality. It kept him grounded, and honest even though he lied through his teeth. He lied to everyone he cared about. He lied to protect her; he lied to keep her in his life. He just hoped if he made it out of this assignment alive she would forgive him for all the lies he has told her over the years.
With one more long deep draw on his Lucky, nicotine raced through his system like jet fuel, he turned the corner, flicking his smoke into the street. His thumb and middle finger on both hands rubbed back and forth, a nervous gesture, while his long legs carried him to the Double Dip too fast and too slow at the same time.
He had done everything he could be careful about his visits. He even went so far as to always change his clothes before he stopped in. It was like a costume of his old self, slipping into it made his part easier to play. After all what kind of man working odd jobs could afford some of the things he wore.
If he was going to keep this up, this double life, he had to be anal about keeping them both separate. He couldn’t stop coming around, but he could keep her from knowing about his new life in the Concavos. It was with that thought in mind that he pulled open the door to his favorite malt shop ready to lie to one of his best friends. It was with that failure in mind that he stood looking at his worst fear personified, his two neat and separate worlds crashed head first into each other. In the kitchen stood Gin Ichimaru, Capo Bastone of the Concavos, in an undeniably intimate conversation with Rangiku.
She didn't seem to understand that Gin was not angry at her. If anything, he was angry at himself - for letting the whole thing happen in the first place, for letting things get this way, for reacting the way he thought he should have but apparently only making her upset. If anything, he was angry that things had to become like this because of what had happened that night.
But it had been good, in some ways. This was, after all, only a dream for Gin. It was his escape, his side alley from life and what he had to do, and the fact that he was putting Ran in danger every time he walked through her doors would never really mean as much as it should if something like that had not happened.
The truth was that they had been apart for almost two decades, and no longer were the days they spent running around in the streets living lives as carefree, careless children.
He might have still wanted to see her all these years, but he knew that as soon as he turned and walked away from Ran, he had started to move on.
And this was nice and this made him happy, but things would never be the way they were, and they couldn't do this as if nothing had happened all these years.
He took his jacket off - it was still sticky and uncomfortable, but it was the last thing he could possibly care about at this stage.
And then the door chimed from behind him, and Gin turned to look over his shoulder. He would have left Ran alone to serve her customer - except everything seemed to grind to a halt.
He knew the man standing there looking straight at them.
It felt as if all his efforts to keep everyone at bay - lying to Aizen, lying to everyone in Escorial, keeping a keen eye out for cars or people following him - had failed in one swift moment.
The clock started ticking again, and everything went on as per normal. Gin greeted the new arrival with a wide, non-threatening smile and started entertaining completely different thoughts - what to do about this? Should he kill and get rid of Shuuhei? What business did the boy have with Ran? Was this just a coincidence - did he happen to pass by or did he actually know Ran and was conducting something here? It was of utmost importance to the Capo Bastone that his relationship with Ran be kept out of the radar - even from his own henchmen.
How was he going to explain to Aizen - perhaps Ulquiorra - that he killed one of their men and had reasons to justify his behaviour? Whether they cared about small fry or not was irrelevant - he knew that his actions would be questioned.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ran saw Gin take off his jacket and she took a deep breath before turning to face him. He was here now. She’d just enjoy the time she had and worry about anything and everything when he wasn’t here. For now, she’d take what he could give her and be happy with it. So there was a small, tight, genuine smile on her face by the time Ran got up the courage to glance up at Gin.
He was smiling. A wide, hungry grin and he wasn’t looking at her. She felt her breath catch at the implicit warning of that face and quickly turned so that she could see what he saw.
The world snapped out of focus and Rangiku felt dizzy as her perception was abruptly forced beyond Gin. That was Shuuhei standing there, Shuuhei who she hadn’t seen in what felt like forever, staring at her in something akin to horror.
And in the suddenly expanding world, Rangiku became aware of just what, exactly, Shuuhei must be seeing. There was a strange man, a customer, in her kitchen. His jacket was off, the top buttons on his shirt were undone, and he was standing very close to her, so close she could practically feel his shadow, with a wide, false smile on his face.
Ran felt her smile widen in welcome even as her mind raced. It could have been worse. It could have been the captain. Shuuhei wasn’t carrying tin anymore, and there was no reason he’d recognize Gin Ichimaru at all, and even if he did there was no reason he’d make the connection to Gin’s ‘family.’ And even if he did know who Gin was-well, Gin wasn’t in any danger of getting copped in her malt shop, Shuu couldn’t slap bracelets on him anymore anyway, and it’s not like he told her what to do.
So, all she had to worry about was Gin’s reaction to meeting one of her boys and Shuuhei’s reaction to Gin.
Yeah… that’ll be duck soup.
Unfortunately, the easy response of Gin being just a customer wouldn’t fly. Shuuhei knew good and well that she didn’t let customers behind the bar, and even if that wasn’t the case, the state of Gin’s undress was telling-who knew how long Shuuhei’d been standing there? This wasn’t going to be pretty.
And Gin-how would he respond to meeting one of her boys, to seeing her life without him right after they’d just had a fight? Would he just walk out?
That fear practically choked her, constricting her lungs and freezing her in place before she straightened her shoulders. This was Shuuhei. Regardless of the circumstances, she was glad to see him. And it wouldn’t hurt Gin any to see that someone valued her enough to stick around.
“Shuuhei!” Ran called out happily, her hand stealthily sneaking behind her as she stepped forward, grabbing Gin’s hand for a discrete, reassuring squeeze before releasing him and moving forward. She left the kitchen and walked quickly towards him, lifting the latch that separated the area behind the bar from the rest of the shop to hug him where he stood by the door.
The warm solid sameness of him was a sudden salve to her scraped nerves and she closed her eyes and clung to him until she felt her heart warm, until she felt a bit more solid. Finally, Rangiku pulled away to grin up at his familiar face. “It’s good to see you!” She stepped away and scanned him critically like she always did on these monthly meetings. “You’ve gotten thinner,” she said with a frown. “You’re not eating enough.”
Long before Shuuhei had first seen the Capo Bastone he has heard about that benign, humorless smile. Seeing that smile directed right at him made something deep in the tattooed man’s gut clench. He would never admit it was fear, but there is a sense deep within all creatures of reason that warns them when there is danger, and Shuuhei’s senses were screaming at him. Gin Ichimaru was pure evil, a barely controlled golem of Aizen’s careful creation. Shuuhei had been lucky enough to have only brief encounters with the silver-haired mobster in the past. He knew with his looks, and that smile he was recognized, and he dreaded what would come when they both left the shop, but as much as his inner warning bells rang, he refused to leave him here alone with Rangiku.
When her arms slid around him in welcome, he automatically returned the hug, tightening his arms when she clung to him. He leaned into the hug, wrapping much of himself around her like a shell, or armor. He shot a narrow eyed protective glare over her shoulder at the lone figure behind the counter. His eyes told Gin that she was important, and special to him, and he would keep her safe, a stupid move that Shuuhei could not keep himself from making. When she pulled back to inspect him Shuuhei let her go easily, his face composed into a soft smile while he held his arms out letting her look him over.
“Of course I am thinner,” he teased easily. “It has been a month since I laid eyes on you, and your pie.” His eyes flicked toward Gin then back to Ran in a gesture he was sure she would notice. “Though maybe I should start coming around more…”
Ran knowing Shuuhei struck him as a bit of a surprise, but Gin was definitely not in store for the kind of look the brunet was giving him.
It made him want to poke the boy's eyes out and give them to Szayel.
Quickly it became evident that not only did Ran know of this Shuuhei fellow - they had some sort of connection that was more than that of a malt shop owner and a customer - that was only supported by the fact that Ran was talking like they were old friends or something, that they hadn't seen each other in a while, and this Shuuhei saying that 'it had been a month'. Gin wasn't thinking of it like he was jealous - his relationship with Ran wasn't like that, after all, or so she claimed - but the Capo Bastone was very much curious as to how these two managed to get to know each other.
He knew next to nothing about this lackey, after all, even if he may know a heap of things about Gin.
And of course, Ran's safety was also at risk. Did she know she was associating herself with the mob? With people like Gin - only a little different? What if something were to happen to this Shuuhei and it had implications to the people he knew - to people like Ran?
It was yet another justification as to why Gin should just rip his windpipe out of his throat once they left the malt shop.
"What's with that look, Shuuhei Hisagi?" Gin asked, grinning. "Didn't expect ta see ya 'ere."
Keep looking at me like that and you won't be seeing anything come morning.
Ran jumped. Gin had snuck up behind her again. Honestly, that was getting a little wearying. Maybe she could find a way to stick bells on him-and the image of a bemused and pouting Gin trying to shake off the bells amused her for a moment.
She hadn’t missed Shuuhei’s glance back towards Gin and the note of warning in his voice when he offered to come by more often-an offer she’d jump on if she had the chance-but that still didn’t necessarily mean that they knew each other. It could have just been a ‘What are you doing undressing a man in your kitchen, Ran,’ sort of glance, something she could still play off.
And then Gin said Shuu’s name.
Which… was just not good. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here?’ What did that mean? Rangiku could think of five or six perfectly legitimate reasons for an ex-cop would recognize Gin Ichimaru, she could only think of a few why Gin would recognize him, and somehow she thought she’d know if Shuuhei had ever booked Gin for a stay at the bighouse.
And even if she didn't, this didn’t feel like that. The last time Gin had looked this friendly at someone she knew, he hadn’t known she was watching. It felt like ages ago, that night they had passed each other at the Cinq, when she’d walked back in to see him ‘talking’ with her date, whathisname. And it turned out that he had been in business…
And what that meant, she had no idea except that there was obviously more going on here than she knew and that one wrong word from her could tip the balance into something very dangerous. It was far too late to deny how well she knew either of them-Gin still hadn’t buttoned his shirt, and his tie was loose, and while she didn’t regret hugging Shuuhei, it was also something she couldn’t take back.
Ran decided that the best thing to do would be to play very, very stupid. It might not work, of all the people in the world these two knew her very well, but it was worth a shot. After all, in her experience men were always willing to think she was dumber than she was.
“Oh good!” she clapped her hands together. “You two know each other! That means I don’t have to make introductions.” Ran turned a stunning smile on to Shuuhei, “I’m guessing you’re here for your regular, then? We have apple and coconut cream pie today.” She turned that same smile on Gin, softening it only slightly because-well, he wouldn’t be fooled by it at all, he’d seen it so many times, and because she wasn’t sure if he was going to stay. “And Gin, do you still want that malt?”
FUCK! Was the first thing to resound through Shuuhei’s mind the minute his name passed those venomous lips. He had known that Gin recognized him, but he was a little surprised that he knew his name. He had been hoping that his face simply lingered in the back of Gin’s mind and he would take a little longer to place him. But of course that was naive of Shuuhei and he knew it, the direction his luck had just turned was more then enough proof that of course the Capo would remember his name, and share that information. He offered a smile just as false as the one slitting Gin’s eyes. “I am surprised to see you here as well, Mr. Ichimaru.”
What in the hell was he doing here with Ran? Did she know who he was? Shuuhei had no idea how much trouble he was in here. He knew he was in a shit load of trouble from Gin. But what about Ran, how much trouble was he in with her? How much did she know?
The minute she turned that super watt super fake smile on him Shuuhei knew he was gonna be screwed from both ends. Well Gin was probably going to kill him anyway so he really didn’t need to worry about how he would explain to her how he knew the mobster. Besides he had enough ammo that as long as Ran didn’t bribe him with pie when they talked, which if he was still alive they would be doing soon, he would simply ask her how she knew Gin before she could ask him.
For now, he had to make it through this awkward visit, without getting Ran’s malt shop on the evening news as the sight of a killing. And hopefully if nothing else he would negotiate his own death for her safety. A smile, slightly tinged with nostalgia tugged at the unscarred side of his face when he looked at the Shop Owner, his sergeant sister. He would do whatever it took to make sure his own selfishness did not get her hurt; he just hoped it would be enough. “I have dreams about your apple pie...”
"Yes," he said to Ran. He told her - numerous times - that he had only come for a chocolate malt. And even though the circumstances and scenario had changed a little with this unexpected arrival, Gin's intentions did not change.
He would just have to settle this with Shuuhei later - preferably somewhere where Ran wouldn't need to get involved, especially if Gin really was going to kill someone tonight.
He went back out of the kitchen and took up a seat at his usual spot - at the counter, near to the cash register with candy within reach and much of the kitchen visible to him. Except this time, he was facing the two of them instead of the counter and kitchen wall.
"Why don't'cha come n' sit next to me, bo?" Gin asked, tilting his head a little with a mild-mannered smile. "We can talk n' catch up on some stuff."
It wasn't an offer, if that 'mild-mannered' smile was anything to go by.