AIM Log - Complete
WHO: Shunsui Koryaku and Jushirou Ukitake
WHAT: Friends hanging out, drinking beer. Talking about Hiyori...
WHERE: Jushirou's Garden
WHEN: Day 99?
Shunsui took a moment to clean up the broken bottle that had gotten thrown halfway across the room and find an obi to close his yukata with before heading out into the garden. He was a bit sheepish now, it was amazing how quickly an open forum could cut down a man's ego back to size. "I''m sorry about carrying on" He apologized to Jushriou as he made his way out into the garden.
Jushirou turned back to give him a dismissing smile and wave, instead handing him a cold beer fresh from his private fridge. "Now now...we all need to vent sometimes. When you think about it, it was kind of inevitable. You, like me, are getting too old for people like her. We simply can't keep up."
Shunsui sighed, smiling behind it. "I suppose I need to spend more time with people my own age. It looks like she's taken care of herself though. ....He's very nice. I'll approve of him" Shunsui laughed lightly, a little bitter sweet, but from now on the only thing bitter would be the beer.
"I missed the chance to meet him at the fight...you and I had more important work, after all," Jushirou spoke as he took a long pull from his drink, looking up to the sky. "You know, they say the heavens have never truly changed. This is the same sky you and I have looked up to for almost two decades..."
"Well, that is a relief. I dont think I could stand it if everything changed" Shunsui turns his eyes upward and watched the sky with Jushirou. It felt familiar, and comforting in it's simplicity.
"And yet the world around us is constantly shifting...even I changed, Shunsui. I'm not exactly the same man who left Japan ten years ago...but I want to be here for you as much as I can. You're the most important thing in my life....," Jushirou said with an almost melancholy grin.
"I- Well, you know I could say the same" Shunsui smiled. He'd expressed his feelings for Jushirou in words, albeit awful poetry. "When Jinx asked why I came here and why I've stayed. I know it boils down to you. My Jushirou has all grown up, and here I am, refusing to fledge"
"Because no matter how much I grow, I'm still your Jyuu-chan, right?" Jushirou chuckled heartily, slapping an arm around his friend's shoulders.
"Always. And even if I die, my ghost will come back to keep you company" The dark haired man grinned, pulling Jushirou into a hug with one arm.
Jushirou continued laughing, warmly accepting the hug with both arms once his drink was set down. "You're not dying anytime soon, Shunsui-kun. You and I still have a lot of living to do."
Shunsui settled himself such that he was using Jushirou's shoulder as a pillow. "Well, I have to see what kinds of things you get yourself into. I might miss something interesting" He paused for a moment. "You know, it feels like it's been far too long since we've talked like this"
"You're right...," Jushirou said, drawing in a deep breath. "Even the last time we went moon watching, we weren't able to just be alone like this," he remarked, inadvertently reaching a hand up to pet at the thick, dark hair on Shunsui's head. It seemed to come naturally...he didn't even have to think about it.
"So how have things been on your end? Any sordid work-place affairs I need to know about?" Shunsui asked, comfortable against Jushirou like this.
"Oh, well, there is this one woman...Her name is Hiyori, actually. She and I have known each other some time, but it's never really gone anywhere. Lately, though, we've been rather...well...dependent on each other. I'm not certain what's going on anymore there," he said with a slight sigh.
Shunsui sat back up with a grin. Did he hear that correctly? Jushirou was pursuing a woman? "Hiyori-san, I think she's one of the people I've talked to online. She's a very fiery personality, isnt she?" Shunsui asked, tilting his head with interest.
"Oh don't you start," Jushirou said with a smile. "We've only had a handful of dates...and I've had her stay overnight before when she wasn't sleeping well. Or at her place. Either way, it's nothing certain right now."
"Well, I would say that the fact you're allowed near her without being driven off is a very good sign" Shunsui remarked, taking another sip of his beer to hide a smirk.
"She remarked once that she doesn't know how to say no to me...maybe I'm too insisting?'
Shunsui laughed. "If she wanted to say no to you, I think we'd be having his conversation while I pulled pieces of sandal out of your forehead. I think what she means is doesn’t have the desire to, and I would take that as a compliment."
Jushirou blinked. He hadn't even thought about that. Perhaps he really HAD made more progress than he thought? Either way, if Shunsui the ladies' man was saying that, then it was likely close enough to the truth. "Well now...that certainly changes things."
"I'm so proud of you, Jushirou" Shunsui smiled, unable to control himself about it.
"Don't stroke my ego too much, now," Jushirou chuckled, taking another swig of his beer. "The war is not yet won."
"Well, I shall absolutely restrain myself from meddling, but if you do want some undercover work, I'd certainly be willing to help my best friend in the world"
Jushirou laughed out loud at that, unable to contain his amusement at the absurdity of it all. "It's like you're inviting me to make this a comedy of errors, Shunsui!"
"Women like comedy, so they say" Shunsui made a silly face. "it's not as though I would don my trench coat and fedora and hide under her bushes with a magnifying glass in my hand"
"Still, in all seriousness, I think I'm content to let the river run at its own natural pace as I always have. I need not rush a thing," Jushirou laughed, calming down with a pleased sigh. "I really have missed this..."
"Taking it easy suits you so well, Jushirou" Shunsui gave a deep nod. "Aye, I have too"
It was a long moment of silence as they laid there, just being a part of each other as it was in the old days. As it was still even on that evening. With a life like this...Jushirou could be content. He let out another happy sigh, craning his neck to give Shunsui a warm smile.
Shunsui gave a peaceful smile back, putting his hand over Jushirou's hand to give in a squeeze. Like brothers, friends, or an ambiguously gay duo, whatever happened they could always count on the other. Right now that meant a lot to the dark haired man.
WHAT: Friends hanging out, drinking beer. Talking about Hiyori...
WHERE: Jushirou's Garden
WHEN: Day 99?
Shunsui took a moment to clean up the broken bottle that had gotten thrown halfway across the room and find an obi to close his yukata with before heading out into the garden. He was a bit sheepish now, it was amazing how quickly an open forum could cut down a man's ego back to size. "I''m sorry about carrying on" He apologized to Jushriou as he made his way out into the garden.
Jushirou turned back to give him a dismissing smile and wave, instead handing him a cold beer fresh from his private fridge. "Now now...we all need to vent sometimes. When you think about it, it was kind of inevitable. You, like me, are getting too old for people like her. We simply can't keep up."
Shunsui sighed, smiling behind it. "I suppose I need to spend more time with people my own age. It looks like she's taken care of herself though. ....He's very nice. I'll approve of him" Shunsui laughed lightly, a little bitter sweet, but from now on the only thing bitter would be the beer.
"I missed the chance to meet him at the fight...you and I had more important work, after all," Jushirou spoke as he took a long pull from his drink, looking up to the sky. "You know, they say the heavens have never truly changed. This is the same sky you and I have looked up to for almost two decades..."
"Well, that is a relief. I dont think I could stand it if everything changed" Shunsui turns his eyes upward and watched the sky with Jushirou. It felt familiar, and comforting in it's simplicity.
"And yet the world around us is constantly shifting...even I changed, Shunsui. I'm not exactly the same man who left Japan ten years ago...but I want to be here for you as much as I can. You're the most important thing in my life....," Jushirou said with an almost melancholy grin.
"I- Well, you know I could say the same" Shunsui smiled. He'd expressed his feelings for Jushirou in words, albeit awful poetry. "When Jinx asked why I came here and why I've stayed. I know it boils down to you. My Jushirou has all grown up, and here I am, refusing to fledge"
"Because no matter how much I grow, I'm still your Jyuu-chan, right?" Jushirou chuckled heartily, slapping an arm around his friend's shoulders.
"Always. And even if I die, my ghost will come back to keep you company" The dark haired man grinned, pulling Jushirou into a hug with one arm.
Jushirou continued laughing, warmly accepting the hug with both arms once his drink was set down. "You're not dying anytime soon, Shunsui-kun. You and I still have a lot of living to do."
Shunsui settled himself such that he was using Jushirou's shoulder as a pillow. "Well, I have to see what kinds of things you get yourself into. I might miss something interesting" He paused for a moment. "You know, it feels like it's been far too long since we've talked like this"
"You're right...," Jushirou said, drawing in a deep breath. "Even the last time we went moon watching, we weren't able to just be alone like this," he remarked, inadvertently reaching a hand up to pet at the thick, dark hair on Shunsui's head. It seemed to come naturally...he didn't even have to think about it.
"So how have things been on your end? Any sordid work-place affairs I need to know about?" Shunsui asked, comfortable against Jushirou like this.
"Oh, well, there is this one woman...Her name is Hiyori, actually. She and I have known each other some time, but it's never really gone anywhere. Lately, though, we've been rather...well...dependent on each other. I'm not certain what's going on anymore there," he said with a slight sigh.
Shunsui sat back up with a grin. Did he hear that correctly? Jushirou was pursuing a woman? "Hiyori-san, I think she's one of the people I've talked to online. She's a very fiery personality, isnt she?" Shunsui asked, tilting his head with interest.
"Oh don't you start," Jushirou said with a smile. "We've only had a handful of dates...and I've had her stay overnight before when she wasn't sleeping well. Or at her place. Either way, it's nothing certain right now."
"Well, I would say that the fact you're allowed near her without being driven off is a very good sign" Shunsui remarked, taking another sip of his beer to hide a smirk.
"She remarked once that she doesn't know how to say no to me...maybe I'm too insisting?'
Shunsui laughed. "If she wanted to say no to you, I think we'd be having his conversation while I pulled pieces of sandal out of your forehead. I think what she means is doesn’t have the desire to, and I would take that as a compliment."
Jushirou blinked. He hadn't even thought about that. Perhaps he really HAD made more progress than he thought? Either way, if Shunsui the ladies' man was saying that, then it was likely close enough to the truth. "Well now...that certainly changes things."
"I'm so proud of you, Jushirou" Shunsui smiled, unable to control himself about it.
"Don't stroke my ego too much, now," Jushirou chuckled, taking another swig of his beer. "The war is not yet won."
"Well, I shall absolutely restrain myself from meddling, but if you do want some undercover work, I'd certainly be willing to help my best friend in the world"
Jushirou laughed out loud at that, unable to contain his amusement at the absurdity of it all. "It's like you're inviting me to make this a comedy of errors, Shunsui!"
"Women like comedy, so they say" Shunsui made a silly face. "it's not as though I would don my trench coat and fedora and hide under her bushes with a magnifying glass in my hand"
"Still, in all seriousness, I think I'm content to let the river run at its own natural pace as I always have. I need not rush a thing," Jushirou laughed, calming down with a pleased sigh. "I really have missed this..."
"Taking it easy suits you so well, Jushirou" Shunsui gave a deep nod. "Aye, I have too"
It was a long moment of silence as they laid there, just being a part of each other as it was in the old days. As it was still even on that evening. With a life like this...Jushirou could be content. He let out another happy sigh, craning his neck to give Shunsui a warm smile.
Shunsui gave a peaceful smile back, putting his hand over Jushirou's hand to give in a squeeze. Like brothers, friends, or an ambiguously gay duo, whatever happened they could always count on the other. Right now that meant a lot to the dark haired man.