Mild Treats (Rukia/Shiro)

Another day in the life of an everyday man. To call it boring would be to accept that he's finally achieved something he never thought possible, and he's fine with that. A life without too much action is something he's proud of. That means he's not getting in trouble, getting wrapped up in trouble, or being asked to handle some trouble. Of course, he knows it'll not last forever, but that means training isn't some urgent necessity for him. He's able to take things slow, get used to his growing pants size.

Though, despite the upsides of a life filled with mediocrity, he still has to deal with things such as school and work. Papers were never his strong suit. He was always a do type of guy. Though, sometimes paperwork is alright, like right now. Why? Well, he's knocking on a particular door, one that'll lead him into a room full of milk and honey. Though, in reality, he'd probably refer to her as a fun sized snicker. She'd hate that, and that's why he loves it.

As the back of his knuckles rapped on her door, he couldn't help but run down a quick list to make sure he has everything. Even if it's her, it's for the best he actually does his job. She'd give him shit for messing around, but he knows just how to sweettalk her.

Becoming a captain had been something Rukia had known would be busy work, of course. Her brother had even been so kind as to offer a few brief words of advice, not that she'd felt like they were all that helpful. However, what she hadn't accounted for was all the paperwork that had built up. Liana had been a pretty efficient captain, but even so, she'd take any opportunity to do something else.

"Coming!"

She wasn't exactly intending on being a completely stuck up captain, it just wasn't in her nature. Rukia was, ultimately, a pretty upbeat person, even if the past century had really worn her down. Not to mention...well, things had certainly taken a very sour turn lately. The reports from Earth still had her shaken, maybe more than she'd care to admit.

That made it all the more comforting when she saw who was actually behind the door as she opened it.

"Hey. Nice of you to stop by."

In due fashion, Shiro responded by brushing past Rukia, ruffling the papers in his hand. He had a smug energy about him as his eyes wandered here and there, checking out the office with a bit of keenness. Though, he wouldn't just ignore her like that. He just wanted to make sure he was fully in the room before he said anything that could leave her in a state less than Captain-like.

"Man. Like I've said before, this place could use something. Maybe a few bunnies here, a bunny there. A really cool cat poster right...,mmm... there."

Pointing here and there, he kept his walk until he reached her desk and slapped the papers down. Now, his attention moved her way, a small smile on his face as he settled into her office.

"But, that's just me. Sup, Peaches. The Captain life been treating you well? Not too lonely in here without me, huh?"

Sighing to herself as she shut the door, Rukia could only smirk as she turned around to face Shiro, looking just as cocky as him, if not perhaps a little bit moreso. For all her doubts about this position, she was still confident in it. She wouldn't have requested it otherwise, after all.

"It's been treating me pretty great, I'd say. But it is a little bit unfortunate, you know, not getting to see my boyfriend quite as much. Hopefully he's keeping up with his work and his studies now that I'm not around."

Walking over to him and giving him as big of a hug as she could manage, given the difference in size between the two of them, she let out a much longer sigh than before, comfortable rather than exasperated. She hadn't quite gotten to decompress like this in a while.

"It's busy, I'll say that."

Hmm? Well, someone's being all cozy. He has half the mind to reply in kind, but he found it more entertaining to be a tease than an actual boyfriend. All she gets is a nice pat on the head, his other hand on her shoulder as she held on to him. The tone of his voice following his little fun should have been enough to key her in on his mood today.

"Well. Well. Well. If I were to suggest a solution, let's say a certain Captain took a break with a certain smart boy. They both head down to a nice little shop, get some tasty brunch. Then head into an alley and dirty it up."

What started off as a simple get away from work turned into what one would expect with Shiro. Of course, he'd take any opportunity to poke away at Rukia. She either shows interest or doesn't, but she's always willing to talk the talk.

Ah, that was her Shiro alright. And Rukia found it plenty endearing to hear him say something stupid like that, even if she was far too smart to ever actually let him hear that. She'd never hear the end of it if she admitted it, after all. Instead, she just looked up to him with a cocked eyebrow, an exaggerated look of incredulity on her face as she spoke.

"An alley, huh? I see you've really let yourself go since I've been gone from the 7th division, huh? I guess nobody's been around to keep you in line, though."

Then her expression turned into a smug grin, quite pleased with herself for that one. She'd missed this banter, this little back and forth of theirs. Sure, Rukia was plenty fond of him romantically, but this kind of talk got her mind off things.

"I've been run down, left ragged."

With a loud sigh, he leaned forward, his chest developing her as he actually hugged her this time. However, his hands trailed dangerously low without getting too handsy. He's fallen really low to the ground, incapable of returning to the saint Rukia once knew.

"Hey. Hey. Give me a kiss, right on the cheek. Maybe that'll lift the curse."

That's it. He just needs some loving, a bit of CPR. That'll put him back on the right path. Yep.

"Well, lucky you, you pull off the ragged look pretty well."

His exaggerated sigh was certainly a cute little gesture, and she appreciated that his hands had stopped before they'd gone a little too far. Not that she might have minded if they had moved a little lower in most cases, but they were still in her office, and she was still in her haori. She'd like to keep that kind of thing out of here. Still, she looked up with a smile, and gave him a gentle peck on the cheek. It was slow, soft, affectionate in all the most wholesome ways. If ever there was a kind of kiss to lift a man's spirit, it was surely that.

"How's that? Feeling better yet?"

"One hundred and ten percent," He voice, each syllable deliberately hushed and vocalized. For a second, he calmed down, his arms moving from messing with her to actually wrapping around her midsection. Closed eyes, a silent surrounding, and just the two of them: a sudden emphasize of the special bond they share. It lasted for the perfect amount of time before his grip loosened, and her dainty soles returned to the floor.

"I... missed having you around."

A bit of a serious detraction from his usual self, Shiro made space between the two, an actual content smile on his face. A man not used to such elaborate emotion showcasing, it was simply due process that his face appeared somewhat flushed, his own words forcing him to break his gaze from Rukia and find interest with the papers on her desk. It was simply the icing on the cake when his hand busied itself scratching through the back of his snow-white hair.

"Oh, yeah... Just some reports about some joint-operations."

"I've missed being around."

Rukia gave him a smile in turn, enjoying the simple, honest sight of him blushing. She enjoyed these little moments, and even as she turned to look over the paperwork, her thoughts were still at least partially on Shiro. It was hard for them not to be, after all.

"Well, I should probably look over these, then. Especially lately. I know the Gotei is going to be busy again."

The thought of her work, of the Gotei's duties, certainly did bring her mood down a great deal. After all, it just reminded her of the report that had come across her desk when she was still settling into her new role. It reminded her of reading through every news report she could find, convincing herself it couldn't be true.

She'd have to face Ichigo one day soon, and she didn't like that thought.