“Well… been a long while since I’ve been kidnapped like a princess,” Shunsui said as they were gently released from the Dragon’s — from Rerugen’s — grip.

Rerugen arched his neck and snorted, lips curling in a way that Shunsui was going to take as amused for the sake of his heart. “You’re pretty, but not princess pretty,” Rerugen told him primly, before swinging his head around and focusing on the ryoka and Kuchiki. “Are you well?”

Shunsui huffed at the dismissal and moved closer to Jyuushiro’s side to check on his lover. “He’s a sassy one,” he murmured, pressing a hand to Jyuushiro’s chest and calling up the only bit of healing kido he knew.

(Let it be early enough to help. Let him be able to stave off the attack he knew was coming…)

“Good sign, I hope,” Jyuushiro forced out as he pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth just in time to cover a cough. His body shook as the coughing fit continued, muscles pulling tight and forcing him to hunch over Shunsui’s hand.

Shunsui guided them both to the ground and carefully propped his lover against his chest, still trying his best to sooth the attack. “Sass is not a measure of a man’s worth, I will remind you,” he said in an attempt to distract both of them. “He could still be planning to eat us, you know.”

A swirl of jade light bloomed in the corner of his eye and suddenly the looming dragon was replaced with a more human-like figure. Rerugen approached and knelt in front of them, eyes narrowed and tail lashing, focus intent on the two of them. “I don’t eat Shinigami or humans,” Rerugen said with a distracted sniff. “You’re too stringy.”

“Stringy? I’ll have you know there’s nothing stringy about me!”

Rerugen scoffed and gave him a look. “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he said before edging a bit closer, levity dropping and tone turning serious. “My careless actions caused this… I apologize. I was not thinking clearly when I reacted.”

Shunsui hadn’t expected Rerugen to apologize again, much less to sound sincere both times. It was strange to think of a Quincy apologizing, but… “This isn’t entirely on you,” Shunsui said firmly. “Jyuu-kun’s been sick since he was young. It just… flares up sometimes, especially after difficult combat.”

“I still contributed,” Rerugen said as he inched closer, wings drawing in and drooping in a way that made him look small. One hand lifted, palm out, and lingered in the air while his muzzle swayed from side to side as he looked from Shunsui to Jyuushiro and back. “I am no healer but… I know something that might help. If you will permit..?”

“What do you intend to try?” Shunsui asked a touch more sharply than he intended.

Rerugen didn’t seem to take offense, just tilted his head and said, “Techniques that I’ve used on myself during battle. One to help quell pain, another to relieve muscle fatigue, a third to assist breathing.”

Shunsui huffed and helped Jyuushiro sit up as the coughing fit faded; all of that sounded useful, and Rerugen had proven himself an ally so far, but… it wasn’t him at risk. “Jyuu-kun?”

Jyuushiro wiped his mouth with the handkerchief and began to carefully fold it up, buying time as he considered the offer. “And any side-effects?”

“You’ll need to eat and drink afterward,” Rerugen answer readily enough. “The first two rely on the body’s natural methods to handle pain and muscle fatigue, so dehydration is a worry if it’s active for too long. The third merely clears out contaminants from the air and the lungs to make breathing easier.”

“I accept.”

“Thank you,” Rerugen murmured, slipping close enough to rest his hand just above Shunsui’s on Jyuushiro’s chest. “Give me a moment to focus…”

Wisps of violet light spilled across Rerugen’s hand and into the air, fragments of a power that Shunsui couldn’t sense—

It was tempting to rip Rerugen’s hand away. To demand an answer—

Jyuushiro sighed and slumped back, head dropping to rest on Shunsui’s shoulder and eyes closing in relief. The coiled tension in his body slipped away and his breathing evened out. “Oh… that’s much better. Thank you, Rerugen-san.”

Rerugen perked up at Jyuushiro’s words, his wings relaxing and the tip of his tail twitching like a cat’s. “I think I will set the third to remain active for longer than the others,” he said with a small bob of his head. “Once your body calms down, the first two are not as useful, but… Ukitake-san, the damage to your lungs is… concerning.”

“It’s… well, I suppose it isn’t ‘fine’,” Jyuushiro said with a rueful laugh, one hand settling atop Rerugen’s in reassurance. “Unohana-senpai will fix it, though. I’ll spend a few days to a week in the Fourth while I recover, and then I’ll be well for a while longer.”

“You… bah.” Rerugen sat back on his heels with a heavy, rumbling sigh, though he didn’t pull his hand from under Jyuushiro’s. “It’s none of my business how you live your life.”

“Exertion aside, the cycle continues even if he takes it easy. It can’t be healed, only mitigated,” Shunsui said with a small shrug, letting his kido fade and settling his arm around Jyuushiro’s waist. It was a relief to feel his lover breathing so easily so soon after an attack, and Shunsui… wondered.

(Wondered if he could convince Rerugen to stay.)

(Or, barring that, to remain in contact.)

Rerugen fixed him with a sharp, assessing look, then carefully tugged his hand free of Jyuushiro’s grip and rose to his feet. He towered over them, wings rustling and tail swaying and neck arched just so—

(Burning-dying-screaming-crying—)

Shunsui dug his fingers into Jyuushiro’s side. Buried his face in Jyuushiro’s neck. Breathed his lover’s scent and listened to his heartbeat and—

Rerugen stepped back and back again. Moved so his shadow didn’t fall upon them. Snapped his wings closed and stilled his tail and swayed, a soft croon rising from his throat.

The oddity of it… helped.

(They had certainly never crooned. Never shown concern or regret or sorrow. Never backed down or moved aside or refrained from striking.)

(It had been war and they all knew it.)

Jyuushiro laced their fingers together and Shunsui sighed, giving himself a moment for the attack to fade and his body to calm down. And all the while Rerugen stood to the side and crooned, patient and calm and steady in a way Shunsui hadn’t expected. Not with how flashy, how impulsive the Dragon had previously shown himself to be.

Rerugen’s soft humming faded away when Shunsui managed to look over at him. “Better now?” Rerugen asked, his gaze warming when Shunsui nodded. “Good. I apologize for that, and will strive to avoid standing over you like that again.”

“Appreciated,” Shunsui said as he straightened up and relaxed his grip on Jyuushiro. He hadn’t expected Rerugen’s reaction but… maybe he should stop assuming what the man was like.

(Quincy were not evil and he knew that.)

(He just… needed to remember it.)

“Shall we go inside?” Jyuushiro asked with a nod towards the Ugendo. “I’m sure everyone is getting hungry after the day we’ve had.”

Rerugen gave them both a considering look, then slowly nodded his head. “I suppose that’s for the best. Thank you for the hospitality, Ukitake-san.”

“It’s the least I can do after what you’ve done for me, Rerugen-san,” Jyuushiro said warmly. He pulled away from Shunsui and rose to his feet with a smile, turning a bit to include Kuchiki and the ryoka. “Please, come in and rest a while.”

Shunsui stood and stretched, watching Jyuushiro herd the others towards his home. There were things that needed to be handled but… his lover was right. A rest and a meal would do them all good after the chaos of the day.

The rest of the world could wait.