#aishin

“Ichigo!”

Someone called the orange-haired boy. It was Rukia, his socially awkward, sheltered friend who always acted like she was born yesterday and knew shit about normal life. Despite her being a little stiff sometimes, Hirako liked her strangeness. She waved her small hand at Ichigo with too much excitement.

“Here! I kept the seat for you.”

Ichigo let out a tired sigh, not because he didn’t like the prospect of sitting next to Rukia but because the girl made such a fuss about it. As the orange-haired teen took his seat, Hirako realized that they wouldn’t be sitting together. Which was fine, Ichigo was not his only friend. He bet Hiyori had kept a seat for him. But no. The lil’ blonde monkey was already seated next to Mashiro, ignoring him at best. He ignored her in kind and headed further toward the back of the bus, looking for an empty seat. And there was one, just… next to him.

Sōsuke freaking Aizen. Hirako hated that guy. President of the Literature Club, top of the class, Mr. Too Perfect to Ever Be Wrong. Teachers loved him. All the girls loved him. He had the brains, he had the looks, he had multiple talents. And on top of that, he was nice as hell, always helpful, always polite, soft-spoken and smiling gently.

Hirako didn’t trust that smile, didn’t trust that politeness either. The guy was hiding something for sure. No one’s that perfect! And yet he had no choice but to sit next to that guy for the entire four-hour drive. The corners of Hirako’s lips turned down into a bitter grimace.

“So… D’ya mind movin’ yer ass?”

Aizen lifted his head; his brown eyes shimmered with something honey-gold behind his thick-framed lenses. And then he gave Hirako that irritating, placid smile of his.

“Of course.” He slid over to the window seat, leaving the other seat to Hirako. “Please, Hirako-san. I will be happy to sit next to you.”

Rolling his eyes at that shallow pleasantry, Hirako sat down with a sigh.

Aizen kept staring at him.

“Somethin’ on my face?”

“No,” the boy was quick to deny and turn his gaze away. “I just hope we have a nice trip together.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hirako agreed dismissively, searching for his headphones to cut the eventual yapping of the nerdy guy out. When he found them, he put them on and quickly pressed ‘play’. Synth-jazz flooded his ears, soothing his displeasure a little and lifting his mood.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Aizen reluctantly glancing at him again as though the headphones were some kind of personal insult. And well, maybe they were. Hirako ignored him and listened to his sweet, new playlist.

Aizen observed him subtly for a little longer, then pulled out a book from his bag. The bus rolled away, and the cityscape flickered behind the window like a slideshow.

This would be a long trip, Hirako thought, cursing his wretched luck.

After at least three songs, Aizen closed his book. His face turned toward Hirako. His lips moved, forming words that the music successfully drowned out.

“What?” Hirako asked him, pulling off his headphones and not bothering to hide his irritation.

“What are you listening to?”

This was an unexpected question, at least coming from the nerdy boy. Hirako considered his answer for a second, or rather, tried to figure out why he was even asking. What was the aim here? What was the point? He couldn’t tell for sure if the sudden interest was genuine or not so finally he shrugged and decided not to analyze it too much.

“Kiss Me Hard Before You Go,” he exclaimed nonchalantly.

“Excuse me?”

Only then did Hirako realize how that must have sounded.

“It’s a song title,” he explained at the speed of a bullet. “Kiss me hard before you go by Don-K, ya know. Ugh, just… Just listen to it.”

Without waiting for permission, he pressed one of the earcups to Aizen’s left ear, the other hanging in the air between them. Hirako leaned closer to catch the sound too. The song played, its beat shifting and constantly changing its own rhythm. Aizen listened to it with the concentration of someone solving a difficult math problem.

“Neat, huh?” Hirako asked him, smiling broadly and waving his foot. “D’ya like it?”

“I don’t know,” the four-eyes replied calmly. His face was blank, expressing no obvious emotion. “I don’t understand what they are trying to achieve.”

“It’s just a song,” Hirako grunted, already frustrated. “Ya don’t need ta understand it to like it.” He pulled away, taking his headphones back and slightly offended that his sweet playlist was not met with appreciation. But then again, what had he expected from a nerd like Aizen. Had he played Paganini for him, perhaps Mr. Perfect would have recognized the brilliance of a fellow genius.

“Whatever,” he mumbled under his breath and put his headphones back on and hit play.

Aizen’s lips moved again but Hirako didn’t care enough to pause the music and hear him out. Had he done that, he would have known that Aizen had agreed with him about the part where you don't have to understand something to like it.

Hours had passed and the two of them never spoke again. The playlist kept playing but the trip had begun to feel dull and monotonous. The seats smelled of hot leather, the air was humid and sticky, and the bus was bouncing lightly over every bump on the rural road. Hirako’s eyelids were getting increasingly heavier as the bus’s rhythmic swaying lulled him like a cradle. He closed his eyes only for a second. Only for a… Zzz…

The sound of soft snoring reached Aizen’s ears. Shinji Hirako, who sat next to him, had dozed off. His blond head tilted slightly back and slightly to the right. His headphones were still on and his obnoxious, cat-like music was probably still playing, but at least the volume was low enough so Aizen wouldn’t have to hear these eclectic sounds. Good grief, Hirako’s taste in music was almost as irritating as the guy himself. Yet the moment they shared the headphones… Well, it was thoughtful of Hirako-san to offer something like that.

He checked his watch. They still had at least another hour before they reached the beach. The weather outside was humid and hot, and inside the old vehicle it wasn’t any better. The bus filled with high school boys meant several uncomfortable things, including the smell of sweat, old shoes, and all kinds of unhealthy snacks. Someone must have been eating a sandwich with boiled egg. Aizen hated boiled eggs, the smell alone made him feel nauseous. It was becoming hard to focus on reading under these circumstances so he put the book away. “Twilight of the Idols” could wait for another time, he decided.

A sudden jolt rocked the bus. It didn’t help his nausea. It did more than that. Hirako-san’s head slid sideways from its spot, and ended up resting against Aizen’s left shoulder.

Aizen’s whole body stiffened a little at the unplanned, unwanted, and unexpected contact. He glanced at Hirako, but the boy didn’t wake up. His neck-length blond hair was plastered to his sweaty forehead. Aizen shifted slightly but that changed nothing. He could try moving away but that would have left him squished between Hirako and the window for the rest of the trip. He could have tried to shake the boy awake, that was true. But… Well, there was no logical reason for him not to do so, aside from the sense of control it gave him over the other boy and the situation. Having Hirako leaning on him, uncomfortable as this proximity was, it was still better than sitting together awkwardly without any common topics to discuss, or worse, to watch Hirako make that ridiculous grimace as though he bit into something nasty.

Hirako obviously despised him, and Aizen didn’t quite understand why. After all, Aizen always behaved in the most socially acceptable way possible. Most of the time it worked with both teachers and peers. But apparently Hirako-san was an exception. That was exactly what made the blond boy interesting in Aizen’s eyes. Too bad they never really interacted. And today, when the opportunity had finally presented itself, he had ruined it by trying to be genuine. Instead of saying that he liked the insufferably offbeat song, to lie smoothly, as he usually did. But no, he had to open up and speak his mind like a wide-eyed freshman. No wonder Hirako-san had taken him for a weirdo.

The bus hit another bump, a more subtle one this time. Hirako’s sleeping body slid down even further. Slowly and softly, his head landed on Aizen’s lap. His cheek was now pressed against the gray fabric of Aizen’s trousers.

Aizen stiffened even more. This time the contact was far too intimate – the hot, even breath against the thin fabric of his summer uniform. His thigh muscles twitched involuntarily at the heat radiating from the boy. Then Hirako mumbled in his sleep about something that Aizen couldn’t quite make out. The meaning didn’t matter, not as much as the soft and vulnerable tone of his voice. The sound of it sent pleasant shivers down Aizen’s spine.

Something came alive beneath the fabric of his pants. It twitched with a pulse of blood and pressure. Aizen felt it too clearly, he was growing harder. That damn Hirako and his stupid mouth!

The heat of Hirako’s cheek across his lap was causing enough disturbance. But then… something wet. He glanced down, only to see the boy drooling all over his pants.

Aizen felt yet another twitch between his legs. He needed to breathe. Think of something repulsive. Boiled eggs. Judicial system. The blind admiration in countless girls' eyes. None of that worked. The mental picture of Hirako’s parted lips was too deeply embedded in his mind to erase it that easily.

A sharp jolt as the bus came to a sudden halt nearly caused Hirako’s limp body to roll down to the ground. But before it could happen, Aizen managed to catch him. His hands instinctively pressed the blond’s head farther into his lap.

Hirako jerked awake. Aizen let go of him immediately. But it was a little too late to pretend that nothing had occurred. The blond boy blinked twice, and awkwardly pulled himself up. His drowsy gaze drifted from the stain on Aizen’s pants to the unmistakable outline visible beneath the soft fabric.

“What da f…”

“Okay, class. We’re here!” Miss Ochi’s strong voice boomed through the buzz and chatter, interruption before Hirako could finish swearing. “Please leave your seats starting from the back. No running in the bus! And don’t forget your backpacks!”

Hirako met his gaze, and Aizen could sense the mix of confusion, disgust, and anger in his glare. The boy grabbed his bag and moved to leave.

“You fell asleep,” Aizen whispered, not wanting anyone else to overhear them. “You were leaning against me, then you slid, but that was purely accidental.”

“Accidental?” Hirako hissed, trying to keep his voice down. He took his headphones off and shoved them into his bag. “You accidentally didn’t wake me? And accidentally get a boner?”

“That was an involuntary physiological response to an external stimulus.”

“I ain’t yer stimulus, ya asshole. Ye’re creepy as hell!” He sprang up from his seat. Aizen’s eyes couldn’t help but follow his every movement. “And quit staring, will ya? This conversation’s over.”

With that, Hirako headed toward the front of the bus. Not even looking back at him.

Aizen let out a quiet sigh. This excursion hadn’t exactly started as smoothly as he had anticipated. And now he had to endure the whole day at the beach, surrounded by the noise, the heat, and the attention of his fangirls. At least the excitement had left him completely. He got up and smoothed the wrinkles in his trousers. The damp patch left by Hirako was still visible, but it would dry in the sun in no time.

Aizen is never sick, never remotely close to any sign of a weakens or vulnerability. If he is - Shinji gets super suspicious. Because it is some kind of twisted plot, right?. That cannot be real. Aizen's too perfect and untouchable for this to be real. And then Shinji hates it because still, somewhere deep in his gut he has a slightest doubt - what if it IS real? Ridiculous. Annoying thought. And yet, he cannot leave his subordinate like that, he gotta play along. So very reluctantly he'd bring him some tea. And observes him. If his hands shake when he holds the cup. If that looks like a genuine fever symptoms. And this observation is getting really uncomfortable for both, because it ruins the rule of no-relaying. And Shinji doesn't like thinking of Aizen in a way that could humanized the bastard. Checking on him regularly can at least be reframed as surveillance (to check if Aizen is not doing anything shady while pretending he's unwell) but the true danger is if Shinji starts to believe Aizen might be really unwell, just hiding how bad it is, not to look weak. This unwanted emphatic response makes Shinji deeply frustrated both with himself, and with Aizen for causing that reaction. If this is a part of some plan, he swears to Solu King, he's gonna make Aizen regret this.

🕰️ If they could go back in time, what moment would they relive together?

That one, seemingly insignificant evening when the sun was already low, Shinji was off-duty, the music played too loud in his private quarters. And Aizen was just passing by, and decided to take a quick look. And he saw Shinji dancing with himself. Not performing, not even being coordinated or graceful, just moving to the rhythm of his record, movements erratic, haori off, hair in a artistic mess. And he couldn't help but stare. And then Shinji turned and noticed him standing there. And he just smiled. Aizen was thinking of that smile for a long time after that. What kind of smile was that? Knowing? Mocking? Inviting? If they could relive that moment, perhaps something more could unfold that evening.

AizenxYhwach:

👀 Who gets jealous more easily & how obvious are they about it?

I feel, Yhwach would get jealous more easily as he is slightly more impulsive, and eager to kill people on a whim. And also because Aizen seems to have this unfinished business from the past with a bunch of Shinigami, including one very annoying shopkeeper. Meanwhile, Yhwach has a lot of worshipers with whom he can do as he pleases, however, since none of them is really equal to him, or even worth sparing, Aizen has no reason to get jealous.

With that said, perhaps with Aizen it isn't romantic/possessive kind of jealousy but more like a respect-based one. I feel the devotion of Quincies could get on his nerves, something his Espada never really compared to. Aizen doesn't like playing second fiddle to anyone, and with Yhwach it might feel that way.

🖤 What’s the darkest “we’ll never tell anyone” thing they’ve done together?

Picture a modern Au in which Yhwach's father - Reio is the influential figure, and his son - Yhwach and his son's bastard of a partner plans to kill Reio together. And perhaps they succeed. Doing the deed in a very gruesome way, probably including chopping some limbs off, which showcases lack of empathy and family bonds. The things these two would do for power.

👑 In their relationship, who’s the king / queen & who’s the knight / advisor?

That's a good one haha. I mean, if Yhwach is the Quincy King, then Aizen is a Quincy Queen by default, right? And we all know that a king would be nothing without his queen telling him subtly what to do (so I guess that counts as advising). But if we treat it more like, who acts and gets the things done, and who demends and does nothing - well, I think YH is the man of action, while Aizen is the man with a plan, who doesn't like his hands dirty. Does that make YH a knight and Aizen his king? I guess, yes.

Aizen: Honey, would you be so nice and finally get me that Soul King's throne I asked you for so many times?

Yhwach: I told you, I'm on it. You don't have to remind me every half a century.

Ruling the universe, buying new furniture - it's all the same.

NnoitraxSzayel:

🔥 What’s the pettiest thing they’ve ever argued about?

Oh, you know - trivial things, like: who's gonna eat that last remaining leg of Szayel's fraccione, whose turn it is to play with dolls (when Szayel turns some lower arrancars into his test subject for fun). Or maybe something like:

Nnoitra: Who do you think you are? Only I am allowed to threaten Tesle's life. He is my. Go play with your own fracciones!

🌸 What nickname do they have for each other that would mortify them if others heard?

Nnoitora would probably called Szayel 'megane' (four-eye freak) in a half-hearted insulting manner, but that wouldn't have much of an effect on the scientist (bet he was called worst in the past). But what gets the "don't call me that in front of others" reaction would be calling Szayelaporro La Lujuriosa.

Meanwhile, I bet Szayel is often referring to his partner simply as 'that moron'/'idiot' which Nnoitra also isn't too happy about.

UraAi:

⚓ If one of them had to leave forever, what would they leave behind for the other?

Aizen - would leave Kisuke the Hogyouku, of course! Beaus part of it already belongs to Kisuke and if not for Kisuke, it would never be compleated anyway, so if Aizen is about to disappear from existence anyway, he could as well wish his Hogyouku, and a part of him with it, would start listening to Kisuke from now on. He is the only one worth of this invention, anyway.

Urahara - he'd leave his handwritten notes to Aizen, because he knows, Aizen would probably get his hands on them anyway, but so he would leave a personal note among them, for Aizen to read. Not a letter, not a confession, but something short and seemingly not even important. But he knows Aizen would understand. With all the attention Aizen has always payed to him, Kisuke can be sure this gesture won't be missed. And maybe it would even force Aizen to reflect at his own, choose immortality, and how it only makes you appreciate fragile things when they are already gone.

☕ Who’s the morning person & how do they lure the night owl out of bed?

I think they are both night owls. Both too focused/obsessed with their work/research/experiments to just stop and go to bed, and continue the next day. We see Aizen conducting his very illegal hollowfication tests mainly late at night for obvious reason, at day he has a good captain persona to maintain. While Kisuke also pulls the allnighters and then oversleeps. The difference is, Aizen is more disciplined, and he'd bruteforce himself to get up early even after the whole night of doing evil. While Kisuke will be late at work, and wouldn't even feel too embarrassed. So when Aizen wants to lure Urahara out of bed, he simply needs to say: "You know that Yoruichi-san is already waiting for you for an past hour, and her mood is getting worse with every passing minute you waste, correct? And don't bother asking why didn't I wake you up earlier. I'm not responsible for your failure, but I'll be happy to watch you try talk your way out of that." (Is Yoruichi really waiting? Who knows?).

👀 Who gets jealous more easily & how obvious are they about it?

Aizen. Kisuke is almost never jealous because he has more options, and he knows that. And while Aizen theoretically could use his charm to seduce anybody, Kisuke knows that on intellectual level Aizen won't find what he's looking for.

Aizen thinks he's not obvious, beaus of course he has a perfect control over his emotions and how he chooses to express them, however, when it comes to Kisuke Urahara, he tends to slip... So perhaps ignoring Yoruichi, and refusing to interact with her isn't as subtle as he thinks it is. And cutting Shinji's long, beautiful hair just because he said Kisuke reminds him of himself also reads rather petty. Oh, and I'm not even counting how many people Aizen stalked, ruined their lives, or just murdered because they got a tad to friendly with his arch-enemy. Just ask Gin, he'd confirm this.

UraShin:

🌪️ What’s the most chaotic thing they’ve done together on pure impulse?

I feel like the list would be long: starting with a random public singing in the middle of a street, ending with doing 'it' at the shop, in the middle of day and with Yoruichi catching them (and scolding them cause the kinds could walk in on them!). But they'd also spread a more calculated, and kind o petty brand of chaos, like a deeply complex prank on Hiyori, or kinda dark revenge plan of how to subtly mess with Central 46 and not get caught.

Yuhazen:

🚪 Who’s more likely to say “we’re not leaving this room today”?

Both are equally capable of saying that, and meaning that, because both are used to order others around and neither takes 'no' for an answer. Imagine a scenario where Aizen joins Yhwach, gets to Silbern with him, and gets invited to YH's private chambers one evening. And that night Jugram wouldn't get to switch his powers for the Allmighty. And the next morning, the Quincy King still isn't kin on letting his guest go anywhere. "Where do you think you're going?" he asks, catching Aizen's wrist. "You're not leaving this room until I say so." There is a spark of refusal flickering inside Aizen at that line, but when he thinks of it...: "Well, neither do you." I guess the war against shinigami can wait for one day.

UraMayu:

🍷 Who gets tipsy first & starts spilling embarrassing love confessions?

Can Mayuri even get drunk with all the modifications he had done to his body? Bet he has some intoxication antidote already circulating in his system - cause what is alcohol if not another type of poison? Also, drinking is a type of activity Mayuri would never appreciate. However, if his arrogant colleague insist, he can indulge and watch Urahara embarrass himself. As predicted, Urahara is getting tipsy as every average mind, his posture loose, his speech a little slurry, and his cheeks reddish. So Mayuri feels like his better, because of course he is, until Urahara starts saying things that were not expected like: "You know, Nemuri Project, this is really something... You might actually surpass me on this one. I'm proud..." Mayuri goes speechless.