From the Outside In (Bleach, Shunsui/Ukitake)
Title: From the Outside In
Fandom: Bleach, Shunsui/Ukitake
Author: First Class aka icedark_elf
Recipient: Inspector Parker aka postingwhore
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: They are either the ones you expect or the ones that take you by complete surprise.
From the Outside In
They were one of those couples, really.
The one either totally expected, or a complete surprise.
They were two of the oldest, two of the strongest. Personally trained by General Yamamoto himself, the pair were complete opposites then and now.
Personally, Shunsui liked it like that. It was always fun, to him, to see how people reacted when they found out. Jūshirō was amused at his amusement, and made no effort to interfere with his fun.
That was part of the reason Shunsui loved the man.
Theirs was an odd relationship. They had been friends for so long that it seemed like forever to the younger shinigami, who looked at them in something like awe. Friends since childhood, having passed through school together, and finally reaching Captain status within an amazingly short time of each other, they had a distinct flavor of attitude that was purely their own.
It was not unusual to see Shunsui to randomly come and literally drag or carry Jūshirō off to who knew where, though most expected them to go off and drink together somewhere. And a calm word or two from Jūshirō would settle the much wilder acting Shunsui down.
Only the closest of their friends knew that Shunsui’s distinct hat had been a present from Jūshirō years ago, for no particular reason, and that the sickly man replaced it every time his more active companion managed to destroy it. Sometimes it was fun for him to just hear the stories that Shunsui would spin on explaining how the said destruction had happened.
The haori, though, had been a gift that he had tried to give Jūshirō, only to have it show up in his own clothing several times. Finally he had given in graciously, though he had ended up giving the man something even tackier, so they were even, even if his lover didn’t wear it.
Jūshirō enjoyed spending his time with Shunsui in quiet. They would sometimes just sit next to each other for hours, simply sipping sake and watching the world pass them by. When one reached their age, it was something that was interesting in and of itself, studying people and trying to decipher the cause of their actions. Sometimes they made a game of it, coming up with more and more extreme excuses on why people did the simplest of things. Sometimes passersby would simply stop and listen to the stories the pair would spin, playing off each other with ease.
It was the ease that they had that made them work so well together. That and their dedication to what they thought was right. It had gotten them into trouble more than once, though it got them out of trouble just as often. Still, it led to some interesting stories that didn’t take much for Shunsui to share, with surprisingly sarcastic edits from Jūshirō.
They had been together so long that they had their patterns for dealing with things worked out into habit, though they both took a great deal of entertainment in jarring each other out of said habits.
Nanao did have to admit, that was her favorite part of dealing with them. She was fond of both her captain and his friend, and found it nice that they were as open to her as they were. Even when Shunsui teased her and she swatted him for it, it felt like she was part of a very odd family rather than a third wheel.
It was also why she encouraged some of the others to get pictures of Jūshirō for the calendar, enjoying it when Shunsui focused on teasing the other man rather than her. Jūshirō knew it was her, however, and got his revenge by telling Shunsui exactly what happened and letting him focus his teasing back on Nanao.
To herself, from the point of view that she had of their relationship, Nanao had to admit that was what she was looking for, when she let herself think of things like that. They were dedicated to each other in a way that made most other peoples ties pale in comparison. She didn’t know how long they had been more than friends, but they had been together in more than one way longer than she had known either of them.
It was the fact that they could rely on each other for anything that she envied the most. No matter what mood one of them was in, the other could and often would pick it up and react appropriately. When quiet was needed, even her captain, who seemed allergic to quiet at times, was willing to calm and listen instead of his much more normal behavior. And when alone time was also wanted, Jūshirō could keep away all those who wanted to be close to him and simply be there for Shunsui.
They were everything Nanao wanted to have in her own life, and more. Part of it was age, she knew that. Part of it was friendship. And part of it was simply time and a willingness to learn.
That was the most important lesson she got from either of them.
She respected both of them. They were talented, powerful, gifted men. They were both highly attractive in their own ways, and they both knew what they wanted. They also knew where to give and when to take, and that was what she wanted to learn.
Shunsui was more than just her captain, he was a friend. It was why she was willing to follow him even when he was going against the General himself, and why she trusted Jūshirō as much as she did. When all else failed, she knew she could go to either of them and they would both try their hardest to help her, simply because she was important to one, so was important to both.
Sometimes, watching them, it seemed as if the world would come apart at their actions. Sometimes it seemed as if time flowed around them without being affected by anything they did.
She wondered, sometimes, if they knew how much they taught everyone else.
Fandom: Bleach, Shunsui/Ukitake
Author: First Class aka icedark_elf
Recipient: Inspector Parker aka postingwhore
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: They are either the ones you expect or the ones that take you by complete surprise.
From the Outside In
They were one of those couples, really.
The one either totally expected, or a complete surprise.
They were two of the oldest, two of the strongest. Personally trained by General Yamamoto himself, the pair were complete opposites then and now.
Personally, Shunsui liked it like that. It was always fun, to him, to see how people reacted when they found out. Jūshirō was amused at his amusement, and made no effort to interfere with his fun.
That was part of the reason Shunsui loved the man.
Theirs was an odd relationship. They had been friends for so long that it seemed like forever to the younger shinigami, who looked at them in something like awe. Friends since childhood, having passed through school together, and finally reaching Captain status within an amazingly short time of each other, they had a distinct flavor of attitude that was purely their own.
It was not unusual to see Shunsui to randomly come and literally drag or carry Jūshirō off to who knew where, though most expected them to go off and drink together somewhere. And a calm word or two from Jūshirō would settle the much wilder acting Shunsui down.
Only the closest of their friends knew that Shunsui’s distinct hat had been a present from Jūshirō years ago, for no particular reason, and that the sickly man replaced it every time his more active companion managed to destroy it. Sometimes it was fun for him to just hear the stories that Shunsui would spin on explaining how the said destruction had happened.
The haori, though, had been a gift that he had tried to give Jūshirō, only to have it show up in his own clothing several times. Finally he had given in graciously, though he had ended up giving the man something even tackier, so they were even, even if his lover didn’t wear it.
Jūshirō enjoyed spending his time with Shunsui in quiet. They would sometimes just sit next to each other for hours, simply sipping sake and watching the world pass them by. When one reached their age, it was something that was interesting in and of itself, studying people and trying to decipher the cause of their actions. Sometimes they made a game of it, coming up with more and more extreme excuses on why people did the simplest of things. Sometimes passersby would simply stop and listen to the stories the pair would spin, playing off each other with ease.
It was the ease that they had that made them work so well together. That and their dedication to what they thought was right. It had gotten them into trouble more than once, though it got them out of trouble just as often. Still, it led to some interesting stories that didn’t take much for Shunsui to share, with surprisingly sarcastic edits from Jūshirō.
They had been together so long that they had their patterns for dealing with things worked out into habit, though they both took a great deal of entertainment in jarring each other out of said habits.
Nanao did have to admit, that was her favorite part of dealing with them. She was fond of both her captain and his friend, and found it nice that they were as open to her as they were. Even when Shunsui teased her and she swatted him for it, it felt like she was part of a very odd family rather than a third wheel.
It was also why she encouraged some of the others to get pictures of Jūshirō for the calendar, enjoying it when Shunsui focused on teasing the other man rather than her. Jūshirō knew it was her, however, and got his revenge by telling Shunsui exactly what happened and letting him focus his teasing back on Nanao.
To herself, from the point of view that she had of their relationship, Nanao had to admit that was what she was looking for, when she let herself think of things like that. They were dedicated to each other in a way that made most other peoples ties pale in comparison. She didn’t know how long they had been more than friends, but they had been together in more than one way longer than she had known either of them.
It was the fact that they could rely on each other for anything that she envied the most. No matter what mood one of them was in, the other could and often would pick it up and react appropriately. When quiet was needed, even her captain, who seemed allergic to quiet at times, was willing to calm and listen instead of his much more normal behavior. And when alone time was also wanted, Jūshirō could keep away all those who wanted to be close to him and simply be there for Shunsui.
They were everything Nanao wanted to have in her own life, and more. Part of it was age, she knew that. Part of it was friendship. And part of it was simply time and a willingness to learn.
That was the most important lesson she got from either of them.
She respected both of them. They were talented, powerful, gifted men. They were both highly attractive in their own ways, and they both knew what they wanted. They also knew where to give and when to take, and that was what she wanted to learn.
Shunsui was more than just her captain, he was a friend. It was why she was willing to follow him even when he was going against the General himself, and why she trusted Jūshirō as much as she did. When all else failed, she knew she could go to either of them and they would both try their hardest to help her, simply because she was important to one, so was important to both.
Sometimes, watching them, it seemed as if the world would come apart at their actions. Sometimes it seemed as if time flowed around them without being affected by anything they did.
She wondered, sometimes, if they knew how much they taught everyone else.