Title: Hung Over
Author: Ragna (
afteriwake)
Rating: PG
Characters: Hisagi & Nanao friendship (or pre-Hisagi/Nanao, whichever you prefer)
Warnings: None
Spoiler: Went AU after the Deicide arc ended.
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. They all belong to Tite Kubo. If they belonged to me…well, things would be quite a bit different.
Author's Notes: For
darkmagic_luvr, who gave me the prompt “drinking contest (not necessarily between them)”. This is set about nine months before Grimmjow and Matsumoto get together, give or take. It’s long enough that Hisagi and Nanao are a couple and have been for a while when that happens.
---
It was the weight across his chest that woke him up. Weight that moved, and groaned. Or maybe it wasn't the weight that groaned and moved. Maybe he was hungover and imagining things. No. No, he'd just overworked himself and had two cups of sake. He was trying to clear his head when the groan tapered off and his bed shifted.
“I'm going to be sick,” a female voice said quietly to his left.
Ah. Now he remembered. Last night was the reason he was so angry at Rangiku. He slowly got up, went over to the desk in his quarters, and grabbed the wastebasket. He went over and set it next to Nanao, who took it and set it on her lap.
She did not look very good at all. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She looked very pretty with her hair down and her glasses off. But she also looked very nauseated, and that was making her paler than usual with an almost green tint. He was probably imagining the green. “Thank you,” she whispered before throwing up.
Hisagi looked away but rubbed her back gently as she got it out. He didn't know what had possessed her to compete against Matsumoto in a drinking contest. And what was worse was that her captain had encouraged it. So he wasn't all that happy with Captain Kyoraku as well. They had continued happily drinking while he'd gotten Nanao out of there.
It was all coming back now. He was exhausted, and she was heavier than he thought she'd be because she was leaning on his shoulder, hunched over and walking slowly. He couldn't make it to her quarters so he had brought her to his. He had settled her into the bed and she had reached over, pulled him down next to her, and passed out. He had soon followed.
When she was done he stopped rubbing her back, getting up slowly as to not jostle the bed anymore, and went to grab his crackers. If she nibbled on them, the uneasiness in her stomach would stop. He went back over to her, put a few in her hand, and sat back down. She pushed them towards him but he pushed back more forcefully. “Eat,” he said quietly. “It will help.”
She looked at him, gave him the barest of nods, and took a bite. She ate slowly, and he knew that it was good that she did that. He wondered how many hangovers she'd had to nurse her captain through. And he also wondered if this was her first. When she had finished those he set the box on the bed between them and leaned back, resting on his elbows. He looked at her, and she turned to face him. “Thank you again,” she said, her voice a little louder, a little firmer, but nowhere near what her usual voice was.
“When I saw you get your fifth cup I figured it was time to get you out of there. You just had to have one more, though,” he said with a slight smile. “I'm honestly surprised I didn't wake up with vomit on my chest.”
She looked mortified at the statement. “Oh, I would never...” Then she sighed. “I could have, couldn't I?”
“Hey, you didn't, so it's okay,” he said with a warm smile. “And if you had...well, it's not a big deal. I've been hung over a lot. I know it happens.”
“I never get hung over,” she said. “It is because I never drink. I've seen what it does to my Captain.”
“Why were you drinking last night?” he asked.
“To work up my nerve,” she said quietly. “Or, that's why I had the first drink. And then Captain Kyoraku suggested another, and Lieutenant Matsumoto decided to make it a contest and it got out of control.”
“What were you trying to work up the nerve for?” he asked.
She turned red. “It's not important,” she said.
He nodded. “Then I won't press you on it.” He got up again. “Is it extremely urgent that you go into work today?”
“Yes. No,” she said, shaking her head a tiny bit. “I should go back to my quarters and rest first.”
“Stay here. Lay back down,” he said. “I brought my paperwork home with me yesterday before I left to go have something to eat and drink, so I can work here to keep an eye on you. Just in case.”
She looked very grateful. “Thank you, Lieutenant Hisagi.”
“You're welcome,” he said. He watched her pull her feet off the floor and settle back onto his bed, curling up on her side. He watched her for a moment, then went to his desk and started on the paperwork. It was maybe three hours later when he heard her move and he turned his attention to her. Some hair had fallen in her face, and he went over and brushed it to the side, tucking it back behind her neck. He stared at her for a moment longer, then shook his head. No, that was not a good thought, the one to press a kiss to her temple. No, that was not good at all. With a sigh, he went back to his paperwork, letting her rest. That was best.