bakerstreet | when we were young

[Kisuke reached into his robes for his phone, looking at what appeared to be a dozen texts from Yoruichi. A number of them were angry and the rest were concerned when she realized he was one of the people affected.

Or, well, they were concern veiled by anger. She couldn't possibly worry about him without wanting to kick him in the face. He responded, 'No worries, I'm being comforted as we speak! Sorry about worrying you~.']

Oh, don't worry about that! It's not the first time a soul reaper ever got caught on camera in a gigai. I'll get scolded for being inattentive but it won't affect much.

[He knew that wasn't really Nemuri's concern but he had a solution, none-the-less. Kisuke reached over and rubbed Nemuri's knee, trying to ease a little of the stress she had built up watching the crass news story unfold.]

I can whip something up if you want to keep going out without the two of us being identified~.

[Kisuke smiled and shrugged.]

Besides, it's not the first stalker of yours I've encountered. The first two were a lot meaner, though.

[ That hadn't even crossed her mind, and she glanced down at him in concern, her brows knit. She didn't know that their gigai were meant to stay off the grid as well, and the fact that he was now dating a celebrity was bound to make that more difficult. ]

I hope no one's too angry with you.

[ Looks like they had to be more vigilant about stalkers. ]

Oh? What did you have in mind?

Wait - [ Her eyes grew wide. ] You've met others?

The meanest thing I read was that someone claimed that I begged you for a kiss.

[He scoffed, watching the repeat of the footage. If anything, his gigai looked goofy to the point of blind stupidity at the time though he supposed it was his own fault for programming a 'cute hunk' mode into it to lighten the mood if Nemuri ended up with it during a crisis.

Unfortunately, a much lighter situation just ended up making him look like an idiot... which wasn't too far off base but it seemed inappropriate in hindsight. Kisuke also kept quite on the obfuscation idea simply because he hadn't implemented something too subtle before. Usually, his concealment devices were just... invisibility.]

I can beg more convincingly than that.

[He paused and kept going, realizing Nemuri was a bit more shocked by the news than he expected.]

Oh. They were mostly just creepy and didn't buy anything. [He sounded a little hurt.]

But, I'd say the worst things they did had done was review-bombing my store online...

[ Nemuri watched in horror as the camera zoomed in even further to highlight Kisuke's gigai's expression. Quite honestly she did love it when he wore those dopey, happy smiles with abandon, but seeing it on the news practically painted a bull's eye on his forehead.

She was so distraught that she didn't even have the chance to turn his statement about begging into a risque joke. ]

They've even come here? Stalking me I can deal with, but bothering you and everyone else here - and going as far as review bombing your store -

It's not that you all need protecting because I know you're all formidable fighters - [ Tessai was the only one whose skills she hadn't heard about, but she was sure he was up there as well - ] but intruding on your personal lives like that! Hmph! The nerve of some people! How dare they bother innocent citizens like this -

[ Steam may have just been pouring out of her ears. ]

Edited 2020-09-12 03:35 (UTC)

[Kisuke stared at Nemuri the whole time she began fuming and ranting, barely hearing any of it. His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped just a little, stunned. He had his name dragged through the mud and his entire known culture turned against him for over a century and he had plenty of close friends to help him through it but no one had ever gotten that angry on his behalf.

He knew how he felt about her but he hadn't felt it shoved in his face quite so directly before that moment. Knowing it and being made to look it right in the face were two different things. Review bombs? Nothing. Rude customers? A cough in the wind. Television appearances? Nothing the visual department couldn't wipe off the face of the planet.

What he was looking at was--]

Oh. [He realized what he was saying a bit too late to hold it back, almost as if he had to issue some sort of counterpoint to Nemuri's anger.] I love you.

[ Nemuri hadn't known that her very vocal demonstration of being on his side had touched him that much.

In fact, she was mid-rant, hissing and spitting like an angry cat, going on and on about how they should respect Kisuke and shouldn't make him a target for more attacks by putting him on the news, when he suddenly surprised her with his declaration.

She abruptly cut herself off in the middle of whatever she was saying, because suddenly it didn't matter what she was saying. ]

I love you too.

[ Her anger washed away into giddy happiness, the rush of it making her almost lightheaded, and she let out a laugh. ]

[He knew but it was even better to hear it than to just have that information tucked away. It was obviously more real and worth just as much. Kisuke took in a breath and sighed curtly, pleased with himself when Nemuri told him.

He wanted her to say it more but it would have been a little pushy when he was feeling fine just seeing the anger shift so easily into a smile. He had to take some pride in seeing the tiniest moment of surprise in her when she heard him. Kisuke relaxed and patted the back of Nemuri's hand, resting it there. Her pulse hadn't really dropped though it wasn't for the negative reason it had been elevated for before.

He wouldn't say it was all worth it because clearly, Nemuri would still be upset later but it was an important moment for him. She'd done plenty to boost his self-esteem when she tried but the tipping point had been something completely unintentional and natural.]

There. I'm completely satisfied.

[ That was quite the rush of endorphins from one topic to another, and Nemuri took a moment to settle into it, letting out a long, slow breath to release her anger so that she could fully bask in being and feeling loved. True, she'd still rage on his behalf later, but right now, that didn't matter.

She smiled as Kisuke laid a hand on hers, and she used her free hand to stroke his hair gently.

She'd even do her happy dance if it wouldn't wiggle Kisuke off of her lap. ]

Me too.

[ She really was. Kisuke was safe and back to normal. That's what was important. ]

[There were plenty of rewards in that one gesture. Nemuri calmed down, she said it back to him and he got to say it for himself. It was an overall win. With Nemuri looking so sweet and happy, Kisuke reached over to flip the channel to something else. It immediately popped into a local gameshow where people tried to guess each others' quirks after chatting.

It was better to let her anger dwindle down. Later, he'd go ahead and clean up those photos from the news. Some people would get a hold of it but he could set up bots to automatically flag them and remotely delete them if they got uploaded. If anything, he didn't have to reprogram the bots he used the last time around. He could just add in variables for his clean-shaven face.]

Heh. You know, if it really was me from that far back in the past... I think that was the most handsome I ever was.

[There was something sly in his tone. He was fishing.]

[ He cast it so masterfully that it was easy for him to catch a Nemuri-fish, hook, line, and sinker.

She lifted a brow at him as she gave him an indulgent smile. ]

Of course you were oh-so-cute back then, but... right now? I think you're very handsome and sexy.

[ Yes, getaboshi and all? He might ask, why was that? Well - ]

You wear your confidence and intelligence well.

[ She'd lean in to seal that with a kiss, but considering their angle, she'd just end up smothering him in her boobs - so she raised their entwined hands to her lips to kiss his knuckles instead. ]

[One of many things Kisuke loved about Nemuri was her eagerness to go along with him while being fully aware enough to spot his ulterior motives from a mile away. Simply seeing through his ploys was interesting but wanting to play around regardless made her absolutely perfect.

He returned her smile with an obviously fake, modest smile of his own.]

My, oh my! Is that the case? I suppose it's easy for anyone to feel confident when they're looking up and seeing you smile, right?

[He lifted one finger to press against Nemuri's lower lip, tracing to the corner of her mouth.]

But, I don't know about 'intelligent'. Honestly, sometimes I think I'd do all kinds of stupid things just for that.

[ She couldn't help her smile as his finger traced the fullness of her lower lip, and she angled her head to catch his fingertip in a playful kiss. ]

You know how they say there's sometimes a fine line between genius and madness.

[ She laughed, nuzzling his fingers with her nose. ]

Besides, how you apply yourself is one thing. The sheer brainpower that you have is another. I know I'm perfectly thrilled to be with a mysterious samurai-slash-kooky mad scientist.

[ A mad scientist brilliant enough to reverse Quirks without really tackling the Quirk itself. It just meant that he could find other ways to solve a problem without necessarily taking the most obvious route. ]

[There was also the matter of Nemuri growing to like him the more she found out about him. It made him feel guilty that he knew he couldn't unload it all at once while he knew so much about her even from the moment they met but he was sure it was just window-dressing. What he was learning was making him excited to see her every day.]

Oh? You know, I rarely get called that: a scientist. I've been called 'mad' a lot before, though.

[The dumb little joke pried a snort out of him and he curled his fingers, tracing his fingers down along Nemuri's jawline, feeling just a little bit depressed over being too tired to jump her at the time. Go figure--rapidly aging one's self with spiritual power wore him out a little.]

'Weird', 'Strange' and 'Strangely Handsome'. I get called all that a lot.

[ With Kisuke, it was honestly like unwrapping present after present. Literally and figuratively. There were a multitude of facets to him that she had yet to find, and she was likewise excited to discover more about him. ]

It may be because people don't know you have literal laboratories. That, or they lost in the mystique of your getaboshi outfit.

[ She laughed. It was only by virtue of him giving her a t-shirt with his face printed on it on their... third meeting?... that she'd realized that he was a tinkerer. At the time, he'd reminded her of the manic frenzy of the support course students to invent and build.

She traced the pads of her fingertips down the open collar of his quintessential green gi. ]

What about sexy? I'm still surprised that your female neighbors don't come to buy things from you just to admire your muscular chest and your sexy ankles.

Well, not all scientists have labs, sub-labs and extensive network tunnels for particle-based testing.

[If it was a joke, it was very gently crafted. Kisuke looked from the television to Nemuri, arching a brow then her fingers drifted slyly without him noticing at first, running along his chest. He blinked a few times, wondering why that light petting caught him off guard.

What she said caught him even more off guard. He was joking about the 'strangely handsome' bit but the specificity of her alone had him arching a brow, looking up at her with just a hint of incredulity.]

...My ankles? [He lifted one bare foot and wiggled it, looking at his ankles. The only thing he thought of when he looked across the couch at them was: Relatively healthy-looking.]

In the same way that not all heroes wear capes? I certainly don't have one.

[ Her bright blue eyes twinkled at him, recognizing the not-so-subtle "flex" (as the youngsters called it) when he talked about his facilities. ]

And you built all those? [ A dreamy sigh. ] How did I ever get so lucky to be with such a passionate and intense boyfriend?

[ She laughed, unable to resist the urge to... grab him and squish him to her ample chest in glee.

Nemuri was still holding him to her boobs when he observed his own ankles. ]

You weren't displaying them on purpose?

Well, I have had an abundance of time. [Construction, even when it was down to two people, could be done with time even if they didn't have access to blasting magic. Kisuke could have probably done it all with a shovel if he really wanted to.

When he watched Nemuri's expression turn dream-like, Kisuke smiled a bit wider and ghosted a little laugh.]

Oh my. I think I'd like to get a glimpse of the 'me' you're seeing at some point.

[He sighed happily against Nemuri and peered back down at his ankles when she asked--]

Actually, that does make sense. [She must have been into legs. His own personal reasoning had been that it was easier to nap in a shorter gi but the world had interesting ways in making minor little gestures become strangely important.]

Unfortunately, I can't exactly take credit. They just happen to be comfortable cuffed like that and they don't get caught on my geta~. Though, I'll happily take 'luring in Nemuri accidentally', too.

How long did it take you to set everything up? [ She realized she actually didn't know how long he'd been in the human world. ] Oh, and if it's not classified, when did you move to Karakura? [ In the same way that some Pro Hero work was confidential, she expected that there were a few things in a shinigami's work that was meant to be kept secret - aside from their existence, of course.

Nemuri stroked his cheek fondly, running her fingertips across the stubble that she'd grown to appreciate even more. ]

You say that you're a sexy, handsome, perverted shopkeeper, so I believe you already know your charms!

Mmm... [ She let out a little sound that was akin to a purr. ] Actually, I do think the geta add to the look. I think they showcase your ankles perfectly.

For the labs? It took a few months. The tunnels, I only finished a couple of weeks ago! Ururu was excited to do that one, so we did most of it with a mixture of hand-tools and Arts!

[Kisuke slowly reached up with both hands to Nemuri's shoulders and he slowly shifted off of her knees, huffing in a little bit of impatient.

It was one thing to be gently flirting and another for her to start giving him those eyes willy-nilly. He looked a little annoyed, albeit playfully.]

But, come on! Lie down with me or I'll get frustrated. You're giving me the kind of eyes that make me want to hold you.

[His feet were hanging off of the edge of the couch with that little slide but he could meet Nemuri by shifting again.]

Besides, as a perverted shopkeeper, I'm definitely starved for attention.

I'd love to have a tour, if that's alright. [ She was certain that Ururu would be happy to show off her handiwork. ] So is how long you've been here in Karakura a secret?

Oh? What kind of eyes are those?

[ Laughing, Nemuri obliged and scooted down with Kisuke so that they were both stretched out across the couch. She settled beside him comfortably, facing him and adjusting her glasses so that she could look into his eyes as they talked. ]

It would be remiss of me to not lavish you with the attention that you deserve. [ She rubbed her nose to his with a giggle. ]

Welllll, we can't tour the tunnels. I'm currently running something in there.

[A particle collision like the one he was testing wouldn't really hurt anyone but it would obliterate the sterile environment and he'd have to scrub everything down and that would take days.]

But, the labs are totally fine! You haven't even seen the weapons development and testing area~! [Ururu would definitely love showing off that she could fire two bazookas at the same time.

Kisuke snaked his arms around Nemuri without hesitation, his mouth opening wide in a dopey smile before he buried his face into her neck and exhaled, suddenly very satisfied with himself. He tilted his head, looking up at Nemuri, his eyes dulled by weariness creeping up on him.]

Something only I get to see.

[ Nemuri nodded solemnly. She was no scientist and certainly knew to stay away from delicate experiments. Speaking of which - ]

Weapons development, hm? [ Her expression was thoughtful. ]

During that fight you had with that Arrancar, I kept wishing that I knew how to help. I then got the idea... If you wanted a sample of Somnambulist so that you could look into it and maybe use it against Hollows, I'd be glad to give you what you need to work with.

[ As it was, her Quirk was too dangerous to use in areas where a lot of people converged, but perhaps Kisuke could think of something to do with it, if he was interested in that.

Nemuri threaded her fingers through his straw-colored hair contentedly, dropping a kiss onto his forehead before he looked up at her. ]

Of course. [ She gave him a gentle kiss to his mouth. Midnight was already difficult to get to know by virtue of being protected by U.A.'s walls and by her busy schedule. Getting to know Nemuri was nearly impossible, and thus he was right in that seeing her the way that she was now was for his eyes only. ]

It's been a long day for you... Do you want to get some sleep?

A long day for me? You've been watching out for me this whole time without any breaks and you're still wondering if you could do anything else to help.

[Kisuke watched Nemuri as she fell into thought, his expression slacking bit by bit. The more he learned about her, the more Kisuke could tell that Nemuri was the sort of person who didn't like settling for one version of the world to deal with. Things changed and she seemed to look forward to the challenges that came with it.

He slipped one hand back into his pocket, pulling out a small fuzzy-looking pink ball. It was roughly the size of a ping-pong ball and had the foamy springiness of a stress ball.]

...But yes, I figured you'd like more. This is a prototy... [He fell asleep before he could get the words out, the ball landing on his cheek and rolling between himself and Nemuri.]

[ Nemuri hadn't even thought about that. Watching over Kisuke wasn't something that sapped her energy because she didn't think of it as a chore or as a task that she had to complete. She was happy to do it, and besides, it was her stalker that got him into this mess in the first place. ]

It's the least I could do after what happened. Besides, I'll always want to spend time with you, regardless of the circumstance.

[ She pressed a light kiss to his forehead.

She was just about to accept the fuzzy pink ball when he suddenly fell asleep, and she couldn't help her wry smile, gently smoothing his hair back. It had been a tiring day for him, and he needed to recover his strength.

Nemuri took the ball, eyeing it curiously. Whatever it was, it'd have to wait. ]

when we were young

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i couldn't work pectoralis major in naturally hnngh

the anatomy dirty talk will have to wait til next time

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