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Between the Lines
By : etherpants
Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male
Views: 2760 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleahc or make money from this fanfic
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Extra cultural note: In Japan, Valentine's Day is also known as Black Day where girls make chocolate desserts for their special someone called honmei-choco. They can also give store-bought chocolate candies and such to friends and coworkers, called giri-choco. On March 14th there's White Day where boys return the gesture by giving white-chocolate treats. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy.

.~'~. . ~'~.

Ichigo brushed his fingertips lightly over the smooth surface.

"Lovely isn't it?"

"A national treasure…" Ichigo sighed.

High above Tokyo in Aizen's penthouse Ichigo sat in front of the typewriter where the entirety of the first two Infinity Mirror books had been written. It still seemed in great condition, Ichigo pondered as his fingers glided over the indigo enamel and sleek black keys.

"It was my grandfather's. He was living in the United States when World War II struck so he was placed in one of the Japanese internment camps. This was one of the few possessions they let him keep while he was there. When he returned to Japan after the war he started his family. He used it to help teach my mother, sister and myself English and German. I still use it frequently. The publishing companies won't take just printed manuscripts anymore and switched to electronic files only. But if I'm having any difficulty I write here to clear my mind and transcribe it later."

It was another one of those things that made Aizen Sousuke incredible, Ichigo remembered suddenly. With fluency in 4 languages he had translated all of his books personally in those languages once foreign markets demanded his series. The fact that the original author was able to translate these personally guaranteed none of the integrity of the original was lost. Ichigo had heard the story of the typewriter before in an interview. What he didn't realize until now was it was the color of the vintage writing instrument that had inspired the mask of 'Indigo' that had been used on their forum. He was a bit jealous actually that Aizen had such a rich family history. Ichigo didn't know much about his family at all. Any time he asked his dad as a kid he would make up stories of wars the Kurosaki family had fought in for thousands of years.

At first Ichigo's anxiety about coming to Aizen's apartment had been off the charts. But he was finding the overwhelming presence of his boyfriend to become less intimidating and more enticing gradually over the past two months. Aizen figured Ichigo would want to see where he worked. He realized that was an understatement as he watched his eyes come alight as the student moved about the office, tracing his fingers over the desk, his typewriter, his books of notes, all of it with a pure expression of joy and contemplation. Delighted with the reaction Aizen carefully came up behind him and embraced him, taking a hand in his own before the younger man could flip open the cover of his notes.

"I'm afraid that's the one thing I can't let you see."

Ichigo froze as the warmth and arms enveloped him. He took a deep breath and relaxed back against the man and gazed out of the large window that made up almost an entire wall of the office. They were positioned perfectly due west to watch the sun go down over the city. Gold-edged shadows graced the desk as Ichigo allowed him to pull his hand back, trying to calm his nerves at the sudden intimate gesture.

"I understand. It's like an artist's sketchbook." Ichigo blushed a bit realizing that he had started snooping right in front of him.

"That's a good way to put it. There are very personal thoughts in there as well as a great deal of details from book 9 and onward. I wouldn't want to find out you're only with me to steal my secrets and sell them to rival authors."

The cover suddenly felt hot to the touch as Ichigo flinched his hand back. The book seemed to hold some divine presence, like that of a holy relic that should be worshipped and handled by no mortal hands. Within those leather covers held answers to all the hundreds of speculations and theories he had made for a decade of his life.

"However, at some point I may let you see the idea journal I kept in high school that eventually became the first manuscript. I keep it right next to the first copy of the book the president of the publishing firm handed to me when I was 19."

However, if the god who had crafted such holy relics was permitting him to behold them, then who was Ichigo to turn down such an offer? "That would be great…if you're okay with it."

Aizen kissed his fingertips before releasing him. "Of course, but you will need to wait until I can unbury it from storage. For now we have a reservation to keep."

It was their seventh date in the last six months since that day at the bookstore. It had been difficult to arrange time that coincided between Ichigo's classes and Sousuke's trips, but they both made sure to have Valentine's day weekend off. Since their dates were so far apart Ichigo would have never been able to fully be able to grasp and accept the reality of who he was with if it wasn't for their weekly calls that later became nightly calls. No matter the time zone Aizen would call in the early evening and they could discuss almost anything until Aizen would have to return to business or Ichigo needed sleep for class in the morning.

After Ichigo got over his initial anxiety attack that Aizen was indeed interested in seeing him, he had actually been pretty complacent that they would only be able to see each other once in a while. Or at least until the book tour was over. He was still a student after all and needed to be able to focus on academics and what he was going to do with his life. Then as the calls became more frequent his sudden pangs of loneliness did too. Was this really the best idea? Where was it all leading? How long would this go on for?

But all those concerns evaporated every time Aizen would appear at his doorstep after weeks apart, with a warm smile and a plan for where they would go. Scenic rooftop restaurants, the theater, dark used bookstores that went on for miles, he knew all the right places and people to get into them. However, Ichigo expressed that some of the high-class locales made him feel a bit out of place. Now that it was their first Valentine's together Aizen promised something low key, but Ichigo had no idea what it was. Being able to see the office where the author did most of his writing was enough of a treat.

"We're heading to a decently populated commercial area. I might need to go incognito this time if you would prefer." It was part of the territory when it came to dating a famous author, no matter where they went Aizen was recognized at least once and was obligated to go through the pleasantries.

"Fans don't really seem to be that much of an issue though. Or not at least as bad as I thought they'd be." Ichigo commented as they moved out towards the contemporary living room, Aizen locking the office door behind him. It was rather stark compared to the warm oak tones and sunlight of the office. White walls and carpet housed all black furniture, including an overstuffed leather sofa Ichigo really wanted to sink into. He supposed Aizen didn't spend much time in here though.

"Not in the places we have been together, however, out in much public lively places fans have a tendency to ignore boundaries and common etiquette. However, I've devised a way to go about mostly unnoticed when necessary."

"And that is?"

"Give me a minute. " Aizen exited the room so Ichigo took the time to get his shoes back on and shrug on his jacket. He reached into his breast pocket to make sure his gift was still there.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, just need-" Ichigo turned around and almost stumbled backwards at the sight of the man with Aizen's voice. The stranger's wavy locks were combed and gelled back, showing off the soft angles of his handsome face and a nicely shaped hairline. His glasses were missing now, his eyes still serene as a still lake, but now as if a dark creature lurked beneath the surface. It was so simple, but far too effective.

"That's what you look like when you don't want people to notice you?"

"It's preferable to shades and a ball cap. Now, shall we?" Aizen smirked and leaned down to kiss Ichigo, causing a small section of gelled hair to fall out of place and down his forehead. Ichigo tried to brush it back and Aizen sighed.

"Don't bother. I haven't found a gel or pomade the world over that can keep that in place for long."

.~'~. . ~'~.

The street they traversed down was a bit more quiet and quaint than the neon drenched shopping district not too far away. The streets were narrow, but full of cozy shop fronts that looked twice as inviting in the chill of winter. Ichigo glanced around at passersbys who, as he suspected, did glance their way. He wasn't sure if it was because they were holding hands, or because of the provocative, bewitchingly handsome man who's hand he was holding. Ichigo's self-esteem wasn't strong enough for him to realize that he himself was an exceedingly attractive specimen as well.

"So where are we headed?"

"There was that chocolate cake you had as your avatar on the forum for a month or two around Valentine's last year. I believe with a caption of something like 'A slice of heaven' as a caption. With a bit of searching I found the place that makes it."

Ichigo knew exactly what he was talking about. The fact that he had remembered something like that solidified that the author had indeed been intrigued with him well before they had met in real life. He wasn't sure if he should be wary or charmed by this. His appreciation for chocolate was almost as strong as his appreciation for Infinity Mirror, however, so he was leaning towards charmed.

"I think this is the place. Hmm, I wasn't aware it was so…charming." They came to a stop. Ichigo got a pained look on his face as he glanced at the shop through the wide storefront windows, the décor mostly pink, red, black and frilly. And that was before the Valentine décor was slathered on top.

Ichigo glanced down at his tight black jeans and the fatigued military-inspired coat he wore with the brash skull-motif scarf he had tucked in like an ascot. Aizen looked like he belonged in a spy movie with his black trench coat and his leather driving gloves he'd left on. They were going to stand out like crows in a flock of flamingos. But ever since Aizen had mentioned that cake from the avatar, that's what his mind kept going back to.

"Do I have to go in?"

"You're holding my hand in the middle of a public street on the most amorous day of the year. I would think that means you're secure enough in your masculinity to be able to walk into a place like this without issue."

Ichigo stiffened at the challenge and tightened his hand around Aizen's as he braced himself. "I won't let cake hurt my pride," he pronounced sternly as he pushed open the shiny brass door with the lacy red curtains.

.~'~. . ~'~.

The door chimed with a short tinkle of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as they entered.

"Kurosaki-kun?

"Orihime!"

Ichigo was stunned to see his high school friend behind the counter in a poofy pink dress and pinafore that served as the store's uniform. Less so the uniform and more so the fact she was working in an award winning bakery.

"Oh my goodness! I haven't seen you since summer break!

"Orihime this is uh…Sousuke. Sousuke this is Orihime Inoue, a high school friend." He knew Orihime had read Infinity Mirror, but wasn't sure if she was enough of a fanatic to pick up on who he was standing next to. As enraptured as he was by the man's work, he made a point of not shoving his fandom and discussions down the throats of everyone around him. That's what message boards were for.

Orihime's eyes were wide and sparkling with her hands clasped over her mouth. "So you're… uh…well that explains it," she exclaimed with what seemed to be a great deal of relief. "Um uh….pleased to meet you," she said making a curtsey, her cheeks getting as pink as her cupcakey skirt.

Ichigo wasn't sure if she was flustered over who Sousuke was, how impossibly handsome he looked right now, or the fact that Ichigo was with a man. Perhaps a mixture of some of the above. Aizen gave a small bow in response to her overly formal gesture. "The pleasure is mine."

"So uh…you work here?" Ichigo interjected, knowing he owed Orihime an explanation, but this really wasn't a good time for it.

"Oh yes! I love it here! I get to come up with a lot of recipes. It might not be nearly as creative as the stuff I make at home, most palettes aren't refined enough for that, but as long as the customers enjoy what I make here I'm happy."

On closer inspection some of the pastel confections lining the counter had the unusual Orihime flair, just on the more….restrained side. Olive oil and caramel cannolis, root beer float pudding and maple bacon cupcakes decorated like happy pink pigs filled the doily-lined display among others. And there it was…that chocolate strawberry cake was under a glass dome as if it was a jewel displayed at a museum. Ichigo felt himself drawn to it and bent over to get a better look, his eyes getting glossy.

"Ah! Would you like to try my Chocoberry Dreamboat Supreme? It's pretty popular!" Orihime inquired, ducking down the other side of the glass.

"Hell yes. You made that masterpiece?"

"It was part of the interview process here. They were impressed with my original concepts, but wanted to see if I could handle the challenge of limited ingredients and this was the result. Not my finest work, but we sell out nearly every day. You're lucky we made extras for this special day." Orihime sliced a generous portion and laid it out carefully on a red, heart-shaped plate.

Aizen delighted in the look of awe Ichigo was trying so hard to hide behind his scowling mask. The youth's eyes were wide and shimmering in anticipation of the desert before him. The cake slice have many layers of rich cake stacked between a spectrum of white chocolate, milk chocolate, hazelnut, ganoche and thin slices of strawberries. Then the whole thing was covered in white and milk chocolate was drizzled in an artful pattern. On top a large, juicy strawberry had been sliced into a heart then decorated with a chocolate tuxedo design.

Not so keen on rich deserts Aizen settled for a pot of chai tea and Orihime's surprisingly delectable avocado cookies. Most of the tables were already full with fawning couples and clusters of high-school girls commiserating together. Ichigo was glad the only table left was off in a corner, away from the chatter.

"So would this be our honmei or giri choco?" Aizen asked before swirling his tea to cool.

"Dunno, but with have to get white chocolate a month from now? Not sure what the rule is for our…type of relationship." Ichigo forked off a sliver of the desert and closed his eyes to savor that first bite. It was glorious. Not too sweet, not too rich, the berries and white chocolate keeping the chocolate from being too overwhelming, the hazelnut keeping it cemented as a solid foundation for the flavor.

"Does it satisfy?"

"Yea verily." Ichigo's expression held a meditative zen-like peacefulness.

Aizen chuckled. "I don't imagine this is your first Black Day chocolate." Ichigo shook his head.

"Every year I got chocolates on valentine's day. But everyone wanted to be a secret admirer so I was never exactly sure who they were from. With some exceptions of course." Ichigo was pretty sure he knew who gave him the chocolate cupcakes with Velveeta and jalapeno cream filling.

"Ah, they still do that in schools? That's refreshing to hear."

"There's only a decade between us. Stop acting like you grew up in a black and white movie. Let me guess, they clogged your desk with hanmei-choco too?"

"Not as much as you might think. I was rather quiet and plain and had to politely turn down only one or two confessions in favor of working on what would become the series. I can't say I didn't think about relationships, but no one had approached that I might have given more attention to than my work. It wouldn't have been fair to them with my attention so divided."

Ichigo paused mid-bite, his heart suddenly skipping a beat. Was he hearing things right? Or was he overanalyzing. He lowered his fork, not really sure how to word what to say next. "So you…I…we…."

"If you're wondering if that means I care about you more than the series I would say you are about tied." Aizen reclined towards the armrest of his chair and gave Ichigo a contemplative gaze as he sipped his tea. "However, despite my efforts to avoid this situation a great deal of my time is forced into work. Perhaps I'm being selfish by asking you to put up with all of this."

"You don't understand…before I met you…I had never really thought of having a serious relationship."

"Oh? Well that calls for some elaboration don't you think?" This was truly a surprise for Aizen. He had expected the boy had avoided talking about previous relationships to be polite. He didn't imagine this handsome youth had never had a single girlfriend or boyfriend.

Ichigo glanced off at some flower arrangement in the corner and heart garlands dangling around the light fixtures, not necessarily sure this was the setting he wanted to divulge his most personal reflections on himself.

"Everyone assumed I was a punk because of how I looked and they decided I had an attitude just because I didn't want trouble. I ended up having to learn to fight and become what I was being accused of to defend myself. More and more I stayed indoors and studied and read with my free time. And yet I had a reputation now and still had to take challenges now and then. Between distracting myself in the world of books, school and fighting I never really had even thought about relationships until late high school. By that point I just assumed I was asexual. "

There was a pregnant pause as Aizen sipped his tea and held the cup thoughtfully in his hands. "I've thought about what you told me about how you lost your mother. It sounded like a very traumatizing time for you at such a young age. Perhaps you have been unconsciously avoiding forming strong relationships for the fear of the pain you would feel from the grief of another loss."

Ichigo's eyes went wide with realization and tried to hide his expression by glancing down at his plate and using his fork to pry away the chocolate shell from his strawberry. He distracted himself from the sudden exposed feeling by admiring the surprisingly bright and intact berry underneath. He was starting to understand that feeling of someone excavating emotions he didn't even know he had.

"I guess we're even now."

"Did I hit that close to home?

"I think so…."

Aizen sampled a bit of Ichigo's cake and smiled in approval of the flavorful, but not too rich combination. "The heart works in truly fascinating ways. What you wish to do with this insight is up to you, but I do hope that it won't change your feelings too severely." Aizen's eyes locked on his with a piercing look and took Ichigo's free hand lightly into his own. He placed a chocolate-tinted kiss on the top with a smirk and the air of a perfect gentleman. Ichigo blushed fiercely and darted his eyes from the heated gaze and heard a couple of high school girls giggling over the scene from the other corner of the shop.

"Don't make too much of a scene now," Ichigo muttered, taking his hand back and going back to enjoying his cake.

"Hmm, do you think it would help or hurt the store's business if I bent you over the table and made love to you."

Ichigo nearly choked on his cake, a comical expression of embarrassment staining his face red. Recovering he nearly slammed his fork on the table. "You can't just say things like that out of the blue!"

Aizen had a habit of catching him off guard just to make him flustered.

"You're the one who implied you're ready for more."

It was true. Their other dates had ended simply with long, slow makeout sessions out just falling asleep together on the couch watching some old black and white movie. However, during the long stretch since that date Ichigo had heavily implied over their nightly phone calls that he was ready to take things to the next level.

"How ready are you?" Aizen gave him a questioning glance over his teacup. Ichigo gulped feeling a hand come to rest on his knee under the tablecloth.

"I've done…some research." Ichigo took the last bite of his cake, trying to act casual.

"Well, then let's get home and see what you've learned. Shall we?"

.~'~. . ~'~.

Ichigo had barely shut the apartment door when two warm hands grabbed his waist and pulled him in for a sultry kiss. He moaned into it and stood a bit on tiptoe as their mouths came together again and again in a mingling of soft lips and warm, panting breaths. Aizen's actions became more frenzied as they moved and stumbled into the kitchen, jackets and shoes falling discarded to the floor in their wake. Ichigo yelped into the kiss as he was suddenly on his back on the kitchen table. A needy gasp escaped him as the other man moved to nip at his neck and ear.

The motion-sensing kitchen lights finally flickered on. They both froze as Ichigo looked upside down to see a woman sitting at the table drinking tea.

"Good evening Kyouka, it's been awhile since you've made a house call." Aizen said calmly, after a moment's hesitation.

The woman closed her silvery, clear eyes and sipped the tea with a sigh. Straight emerald green hair cut at a sharp angle went nicely with her cream business suit. "You turned your phone off, Sou-chan, I didn't have a choice. There's a fundraiser at the New York Public Library tomorrow and they're desperate to have you speak since Collins canceled on them.

"I was just in New York. Why didn't I hear that I was asked to speak in the first place?"

"You ordered me specifically to keep this weekend open. Normally I wouldn't bother you; however the First Lady and her daughters are working to launch a new literacy promotion campaign and want to use the fundraiser as a launching pad. You were their first choice to speak at the fundraiser and since the cancellation their people have been hounding me nonstop. Just in case I have jet ready at Narita airport, but it needs to leave in the next 5 hours if you're going to make it."

Aizen sighed and rubbed his face a bit, Ichigo had never seen him so conflicted and felt a pain in his chest.

Ichigo, still pinned on the table, glanced between the two and cleared his throat. "Well um…if we make good use of those hours I guess I don't see a problem…just my two cents. I'd prefer if international relations weren't hurt for my sake."

Aizen gave a somber smile and kissed him on the nose before glancing back up at Kyouka. "Just have a car sent and ready. I won't be in any mood or condition to drive by then."

"I'll get on it then." The editor finished her tea and got up to leave the cup and saucer by the sink. As she turned her phone on she stopped and looked down at Ichigo. "Nice to meet you by the way, Ichigo I presume?"

"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you Kyouka."

"That's Suigetsu-san to you," turning on her heel she grabbed her coat from the chair and gestured to the living room before leaving. "Oh and I had some time to kill waiting for you so I set the mood. Have a nice evening."

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Between the Lines	By : etherpants Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2760 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleahc or make money from this fanfic

Between the Lines