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The question isn’t asked in a serious setting. It’s a time of peace, every single big bad enemy defeated at the hands of a now 20-year-old hybrid with enough love in his heart and such a fierce desire to protect that he never once even considered simply saying “no.” Kisuke is sitting at a low table drinking a cup of sake. Ukitake and Kyouraku are sitting across from him. Kyouraku has a cup of sake as well, but Ukitake is sipping at some green tea instead, perfectly content to bask in the presence of some of his friends.
Shinji is sitting to his left, arguing with Yoruichi who is sitting to his right and smirking at whatever she said to rile up the reinstated Captain. Something about Shinji’s inner-hollow that Kisuke in all honesty completely tuned out.
“So,” Kyouraku asks, when Yoruichi and Shinji come to a standstill, Yoruichi smirking like the cat she is and Shinji doing his best impression of Hiyori with his expression before it falls away. “How’s Ichigo-kun?”
Kisuke can’t help the small smile from forming on his lips. The thought of his personal sunshine was always enough to bring him a sense of peace. “He’s good. His last exam for the semester is tomorrow. Afterwards, I believe he has plans to visit Seireitei if the esteemed Soutaichou himself allows it?” It’s not really a question. Since the death of Yamamoto-Soutaichou, and Kyouraku’s subsequent succession, he’s never made an issue of Ichigo coming and going with the wind.
This time appears no different as the older man just chuckles. “Ichigo-kun is always welcome,” Ukitake answers for his friend. “Tell him to drop by when he has a chance. I’d like to catch up with him over tea.”
Kisuke inclines his head in agreement. “I’ll let him know.”
“Don’ forget to tell ‘im that ‘e owes me a spar or ten,” Shinji says, grinning with just a touch more hollow. It’s not surprising he’s feeling pent up. There are few non-visored that are willing to fight with the visored, and even less than can give them a proper battle that pushes their instincts to survive.
“Tell him yourself,” is what Kisuke says instead though, relishing in the way Yoruichi cackles and Shinji splutters in offence.
“Yer such a brat,” Shinji grumbles. “Why Ichigo likes ya, I’ve no idea.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s a brat,” Yoruichi muses, a teasing grin tugging at her lips.
Kisuke hums, sipping at his sake. He’s long given up on trying to understand what Ichigo sees in him. He’s just also not generous enough to argue against the love he’s so freely given. He’s never claimed to be a self-less person, and Ichigo deserves the world. If all Ichigo wants is him, then who is he to say no?
“Ugh, look at that face,” Shinji says, lips curling in disgust.
“Oh hush, it’s cute,” Yoruichi says.
“Hush?!”
Kyouraku rolls his eyes at their argument. “I agree with Yoruichi. Being in love suits you, Kisuke-kun.”
Kisuke brings up his fan to hide his face, but he knows his eyes are twinkling. “That’s only a matter of course, Kyouraku-san. Everything suits me,” he says, fluttering his eyelashes for effect, and to see Ukitake grin. Shinji lets out another sound of disgust which is just a bonus in his books.
“Let me ask you then, Kisuke-san. If you had to pick between Ichigo and the world, which would you choose?” Ukitake asks.
Kisuke doesn’t even need to think about his response. Once upon a time, he would have floundered over the question of where his loyalties lie. Over where his sword will point at the end of the day when the dust clears, and who he’s willing to put his life on the line for. “Him or the world? That’s easy,” Kisuke says, snapping the fan closed because he wants his fellow Captains to understand that what he’s about to say is entirely serious. “Him.”
In a more formal setting, perhaps there would have been arguments from all sides and accusations over his ability to lead in the Gotei if he’s unwilling to put the Gotei first. But not in this room. Not when Shinji has been abandoned by the Gotei and saved, if not physically then mentally, by Ichigo, and when the Soutaichou considers that same boy his protégé and who would give up anything for the sake of his Juu-chan and when Yoruichi might not put Ichigo first but has always always said Kisuke when it came down to the wire about who was more important. None of them are saints.
So instead, Ukitake nods and takes another sip of his tea serenely and they all look vaguely pleased about his admission.
“I think that was the most succinct you’ve ever been about Ichigo,” Shinji muses, and Kisuke chuckles.
“Well if you insist, I’m more than happy to wax poetic about my handsome young lover. He is the saviour of all three worlds, one of the most sought-after men, romantically and platonically-“
“he really is,” Shinji grumbles, and Kisuke fights back a laugh because he knows that from the moment Ichigo steps into Seireitei his attention is pulled a thousand different directions.
“-a literal contradiction in hybrid form with the sunshine in his hair and eyes but twilight in his blade that he looks far to good when he wields-“
“we get it already!” Shinji shouts, and Kisuke dodges the swipe the visored makes at him and looks Ukitake straight in the eyes.
“and you should be very happy that he’s never once expressed a desire to see this world burn, because I would burn it all to the ground and stomp on its ashes if he so much as hinted as wanting that,” Kisuke concludes.
Ukitake remains as serene as before, smiling softly at Kisuke, and the slight amusement makes him balk, but the edge of approval makes him preen. “We are very lucky that Ichigo-kun is such a protective spirit,” Ukitake agrees mildly.
Their Soutaichou chuckles and offers his refilled sake cup to the middle of their group. “I’ll toast to that,” he says.
Kisuke offers his cup along with the rest, saying “kanpai” and happily taking a sip. It’s so good to be among like-minded company.
A day later, Ichigo and Kisuke are laying side-by-side in bed. It’s completely innocent. Ichigo is still coming down from post-exam anxiety, and the first thing he’d done is come to Seireitei to seek out Kisuke for some comfort. His lieutenant has waved them off with a grin, and they’ve been here ever since.
“So,” Ichigo says into the dimly lit room.
“Hm?” Kisuke prompts. Wouldn’t do for Ichigo to think he wasn’t paying attention to him, even if he was mildly distracted by the strands of orange that he’s running through his fingers, and the way Ichigo shifted closer in encouragement of the treatment.
“I hear you threatened to burn down the world for me.”
Kisuke pauses. “How did you hear about that so quickly?”
Ichigo bumps his hand like a cat searching for attention. Was this because of Yoruichi’s influence or was he always this cuddly? Kisuke’s too late to determine the answer to that, but either way, he appreciates it with a soft smile.
“Shinji greeted me when I got here. Called you a psycho with a smug grin, told me about your little drinking party-”
“Nothing sacred anymore-”
Ichigo ignores his dramatics, “figuring it might get you into trouble.”
Kisuke shifts, a smirk spreading over his face. “Oh? And am I in trouble?” he asks, voice dipping into more sultry tones.
There’s a hint of pink of Ichigo’s cheeks even as he rolls his eyes. “I don’t want you to burn the world down for me, Kisuke,” he says, and there’s exasperation in his tone, not disappointment, so at least Kisuke doesn’t need to worry about that.
“I know. We covered that while drinking. Everyone is very pleased that you’re the one I’m so loyal to, and that you’re so averse to the hero-worship you already garner,” Kisuke assures him, just to see the way Ichigo’s nose scrunches in disgust and to hear the little sigh he always makes when he’s unhappy with something.
Kisuke is helpless against his urge to kiss Ichigo’s pouting lips in that moment, so he does. Ichigo doesn’t stop him and they stay like that for a while, just kissing and relaxing into this moment.
“So,” Kisuke asks, his arms wrapped around Ichigo, while the younger has his head on Kisuke’s chest and their legs are tangled together, “would you burn the world down if I wanted it?”
Ichigo squirms at the question, but Kisuke tightens his hold. “What kind of question is that?!”
“I answered it in an instant!” Kisuke argues, playing at offended, even though he feels entirely content in whatever Ichigo’s response might be.
“You’re a fucking idiot.”
“Is that a no?”
It’s silent for a moment. Ichigo isn’t struggling anymore, but he’s not completely relaxed. Kisuke knows that if he let Ichigo go and moved to look at the man he loves there’d be a crease between his eyebrows and a vacant look that he gets in his eyes when he’s seriously considering something. His lover might not be the best at thinking everything through, and he certainly prefers the more blunt approach to situations, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t have moments like this where he seriously considered the world and its inhabitants and the philosophy of living and dying.
“I’d burn the world down for you,” Ichigo says finally.
Kisuke’s hand loosen their hold in surprise because he honestly wasn’t expecting that. Ichigo is everything good that Kisuke is ever known with a moral compass that swings towards protecting the people he loves against all the rules the world has ever thrown, but he’s not someone to burn everything to the ground out of anger. It’s not in him. There’s a darkness inside Ichigo, he knows as well as anyone ever can, but it doesn’t manifest in cruelty.
Ichigo twists and shifts until he’s sitting on top of Kisuke, pinning him to the bed. Kisuke raises an eyebrow but doesn’t try to change their situation.
“If you said to me right here, in this moment, that after all the fuckery this world has put you through and everything it’s done, you wanted me to help you raze it to ashes and watch the flames dance, I’d do it for you. And I’d build you a new world from the ashes just so that you could live like you deserve.”
Kisuke’s jaw is slack. How is he meant to respond to that?
Ichigo is smirking, and his eyes glow gold, and his pupils are slightly slitted—a sign that his hollow is close to the surface, though far enough to not have much of a say in anything—and in this moment, Kisuke has never wanted to worship this man even more.
“I love you,” is all he can bring himself to respond with, breathy and certain.
Ichigo throat bobs like it always does when he says those three words, like he still can’t believe he’s hearing them, but he grins anyway—soft and sure. “I love you too.”
Then Ichigo is kissing him and they’re not thinking about declarations of love and loyalty for a while. (Except for that one moment when Ichigo admits in the throes of their passion that hearing Kisuke declare he’d burn the world down for Ichigo to be incredibly hot, which he absolutely filed away from a later date.)
As they’re falling asleep, Ichigo tucked into his neck and completely relaxed, both of them satiated and comfortable and warm, Kisuke asks, “Just to check, you don’t want me to burn the world down for you… right?”
It takes a second for Ichigo to understand what Kisuke said, but then he’s grabbing a spare pillow and making a half-hearted attempt to smother Kisuke, who just laughs.
“No, you psycho, I don’t,” he grumbles, opening his eyes to glare sleepily up at Kisuke which is so cute he has to fight the urge to coo. “Go to sleep, bastard.”
Kisuke hums. A beat. “Goodnight my love.”
“G’night,” Ichigo says.
Slowly, Kisuke is lulled to sleep by the feeling of Ichigo’s steady heartbeat against his and the puffs of air against his collarbone, content in his knowledge that Ichigo finally knows the extent of his loyalty.