Break Away

I hated the feeling of being tied down, really I did.

Then, why – why did I insist on purposely tying myself down to a single person? And what was worse, that person would never return that devotion. So, it was completely pointless to keep putting myself through this. I needed to find someone now and get over this stupid crush (for that’s all it was. Honestly!) Isshin was a great guy, sure (okay, he was fucking awesome), but there were better people out there, right? I’m positive there were.

So, the next day I had off from work (never choose ‘Death God’ as an occupation, kids, trust me), I decided to hit a few bars. It was the logical thing to do when looking for someone to screw around with.

Thing about shinigami bars, though? Everyone pretty much knows everyone else – which leads to a problem of sorts: most people worth screwing around with were already taken.

Dammit, I couldn’t help cursing my luck as I nursed my drink in a morose manner.

“Hey, gorgeous, why so down?” I would never admit, whether under penalty of death or not, that such a voice startled me – and what was worse, I recognized it.

“You shouldn’t tease, Isshin,” I replied in a seemingly bored manner after the initial shock wore off. “People in here might take you seriously.”

And as if to thwart my plans to find someone else to crush on, he sat down beside me and continued with his not so serious flirting. “Really now.” It was a statement, not a question. I kept staring at my drink, pretending like he didn’t have my complete, undivided attention. “And would you take me seriously, too, Kisuke-chan?”

Sighing, I raised my eyes to look at him finally and stared rather shamelessly when I realized what he was wearing. “Isshin, why …. Er, why exactly are you wearing,” Such damn sexy clothes? Are you trying to test my self-control or something? Bastard. “ ... such revealing clothes? This is a gay bar, you know. Tomorrow taichou’s going to be asking questions. Uncomfortable questions at that, if this gets around. Hell, why are you even at a gay bar? Last I checked, you were ogling Yoruichi and her friends.” I smirked. “Don’t tell me little Isshin-chan is curious?”

He draped a companionable arm over my shoulders, startling me again and causing me to tense as he leaned in a bit too close. “And what if I am?”

I laughed, though it came out fake even to my own ears. “Fuck off, Isshin. It isn’t nice to mock your friends, you know? Sure fire way to lose them, really.” He took the hint, thankfully, and removed his arm with a sulky look on his face. He couldn’t have been serious, I reassured myself, no need to get your hopes up, Kisuke. “So why are you really here, Isshin?”

“You bailed on me, Kisuke-chan!” he whined. “You said today we were going to play that prank on Yamamoto-sensei and you just bailed. So I followed -”

“More like stalked,” I pointed out rather bluntly before he could romanticize himself further.

“Yes, well,” he went on with that smug grin of his. Clearly, he was proud of his stalking abilities rather than ashamed. “I followed you to this bar and decided if you wanted to drink the night away, I might as well be right there along with you to drag your drunken ass home. Of course, to blend in, I had to go back to the barracks and change. Have to keep myself on the down low, yeah?”

Face meet palm. It was almost a sin that I liked this idiot so much. “How is wearing skimpy clothes being on the down low?” I shook my head and tossed back my drink. I was going to get plastered tonight. To hell with Isshin. Isshin and his stupid good looks and stupid likable personality and – “Bar tender, another round, please!”

“Make that double,” Isshin added a little too happily.

I gave him an odd look. “For me or you?”

“You, silly! I have yet to see you honestly drunk off your rocker and I think it would be great fun to watch.”

“… Jerk.” As my newest round of drinks was placed before me, I remembered something that I had found particularly odd about Isshin and his appearance here. “You. Why don’t you have a problem with your best friend being gay?” I demanded, drink halfway to my lips. “Or do you just find that great fun as well?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really care what you do. As long as it doesn’t involve me or me seeing, then I don’t give a shit.”

“Cheers.” The burning sensation in my throat distracted me momentarily from the aching in my heart. “Who the hell would want you involved, anyway?”

“Well, lots of people!” he proclaimed in that overly loud voice of his, ever the typical boastful Isshin I knew and loved. “You know you want some of this, too.” He winked, motioning his body up and down.

I snorted into my drink as I took another sip. “Oh yeaaaah. You’re just so sexy,” I purred.

And, as I knew he would, he laughed, taking it for the joke he thought it was.

“Kisuke-chan actually likes Isshin-san like that?” a new voice asked, fairly amused. “My, I never saw that one coming.”

Ah, yet another familiar voice. “Kyouraku-taichou,” I greeted, lacking my usual enthusiasm as I put my drink back down. What is this? Stalk the Kisuke night? “What are you doing here, I wonder?” I turned to look at him over my shoulder, a bit surprised he was standing right behind me and I hadn’t even noticed. Stupid taichou, why does he have to be so good at hiding his reiatsu?

“Well, I followed -”

“Stalker,” I muttered under my breath.

“- Isshin-san since I found it odd he wasn’t dressed like usual. Fancy that he was meeting you. And here of all places.”

I really wanted to wipe that lecherous grin off Shunsui’s face with a well placed punch. He would have deserved it, too – he was being a prick. “Well, you know how it is. I’m irresistible.” I tried for charming instead. It wouldn’t do to be on my superior officer’s bad side due to violence, would it?

“Must be your pretty face,” mused Shunsui and I rolled my eyes. It was well known Kyouraku had a thing for beauty, in whatever form it came in.

“Oh yes. What every gay man wants to hear,” I replied as sarcastically as possible, pushing away from the counter and standing. “Well, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me – I do believe I have other places to be.” Maybe a bar that doesn’t have two imbeciles that live to torment me in it.

I really, truly hate being tied down, so it was understand that when they both grabbed me, one clinging to each arm, I was pretty testy. “Let go or I’ll scream rape.”

“But Kisuke-chan’s trying to escape!” they both shouted at the exact same time, making my head spin. They both had rather loud, rather similar voices. And, in that one moment, I suppose they could have been twins.

Now, if truth be told, I hadn’t paid too much attention to Shunsui before tonight. All I saw him as was my commanding officer, nothing more. But after tonight’s fiasco, there was potential to see him as more – all thanks to a spontaneous idea I had. One that could and would solve quite a few problems.

I don’t think either of them had ever considered the possibility of me doing what I did, but I had - and that was all that mattered when it came down to it. So, what had I done? Well, it was a simple matter of twisting in Isshin’s hold on my right arm and dragging Shunsui closer – close enough so our bodies were flush against each other. Then, with little to no thought, I gave my captain a full-on kiss. My mouth was closed and he just stood there like a shocked dummy, so it really shouldn’t have counted as a kiss at all. But it had the satisfying “what the fuck” effect I had been aiming for, so what did that matter?

Isshin must have been in shock or something, for his hold on me was almost non-existent. I hadn’t turned to look at him, though – I suppose I’ll never know what the exact expression on his face had consisted of.

No, I had taken off the minute both of them had loosened their grips. Escape had never been so sweet.