Kaito breathes a quiet sigh of relief the moment he and Hanataro escape Ukitake and Kyoraku’s presence; it’s unbearably strange to sit across from the two Captains and not be recognized, but… but he should be used to it. Should have anticipated how it would make his skin itch and hands shake, how jittery he’d feel, how much he’d want to just… just get up and move, or spill all their secrets, or— or something—

Hanataro’s hand settles on the small of his back, reiatsu steady-even-reassuring even as his lover murmurs, “Is there a-anything I can do?”

Kaito huffs a laugh and shakes his head. “No idea how you’re so calm right now,” he murmurs back as he slides open the door to their shared room and steps inside, trying to ignore the restless energy crawling up his spine and the way Shiro is practically vibrating under his skin.

(Not that Ichigo or Zangetsu are any better.)

(They’re just… less noticeable.)

“Who sa-says I’m c-calm?” Hanataro asks wryly. He ducks around Kaito and moves towards the small window along one wall. “J-just… right now, Kaito-kun needs someone steady, s-so… so I can do that. For a bit,” he admits as he stares out the window, before casting a sheepish glance over his shoulder and adding, “B-but Kaito-kun will, uhm… I’ll need to… well…”

“Have your chance to fall apart in a gibbering mess for a bit?” Kaito finishes for him with a touch of amusement. “Yeah, this is… a lot, isn’t it?”

Hanataro makes a quiet noise of agreement and turns back around, putting his back to the wall and sliding down it to sit just below the window. “Everything we did… a-and everyone w-we knew…”

“I… don’t know if we can get back,” Kaito forces himself to say, even as he throws himself down on the floor next to Hanataro and arranges himself so his head is in his lover’s lap. “I didn’t get a good look at the artifact before we sensed that Vasto Lorde, but it seemed… different when we arrived. And without even knowing how we managed to trigger it in the first place…”

“Yeah,” Hanataro murmurs, one hand threading through Kaito’s hair. “Y-your father tucked it away as… as soon as we sensed the Hollow, but… but the glimpse I c-caught of it wasn’t v-very reassuring.”

Kaito closes his eyes and tilts his head into Hanataro’s touch, taking a moment to settle himself all over again.

(He’s been through this before, has had to recreate himself before, so… he can do it again.)

(It’s just… it’s just going to take time.)

(At least this time he’s neither alone nor horrifically traumatized.)

(That has to count for something, right?)

“If we’re stuck here, we’re going to need to keep an eye out if we want to prevent things,” Kaito says, directing his mind towards what little he knows of the past-now-future. Though without even knowing when they are, it’s going to be difficult to get their bearings on when events will occur, and what they’ll need to do to prevent certain things from happening.

Hell, it could be centuries before anything happens—

Except… what about… “The Quincy,” Kaito breathes before Hanataro can respond, his eyes snapping open and one hand reaching up to tug at Hanataro’s sleeve. “The rhyme— nine hundred years and the sealed king will regain his heart— Hanataro, do you think— I mean, maybe if we sneak in we can just… end him?”

“D-do we have a-any proof that he’ll b-be alive enough to a-actually kill before… before that first cycle is up?” Hanataro asks, a little furrow between his brows as he thinks it over. “Th-though… didn’t s-some of them say things a-about watching Seireitei o-over the centuries?” He hesitates, chewing on his lip as he stares at the far wall, then slowly says, “If y-you could take his support away…”

(*Normally I’d argue that we could try to turn them,*) Ichigo says as Hanataro trails off. (*We might even have time for it, depending upon when we are, but…*)

(*Fanatics,*) Kaito agrees tiredly, thinking back to the chaos of the Blood War. (*They’re all just… fanatics. Even Bazz, though we could probably turn him so long as we promise to kill Yhwach in front of him.*)

Ichigo hums in agreement. (*We should probably talk with Hat’n’Clogs before we make any plans about that, though,*) he says thoughtfully. (*Hanataro might be right about the bastard not being killable until after the nine hundred years are up.*)

Kaito lightly nudges Zangetsu’s presence in his mind, wondering what his Quincy-self thinks about their conversation.

(*I am… uncertain what affect the first regeneration cycle had,*) Zangetsu admits with a small frown. (*Fragments like myself separated out when he was first felled, and never really had contact with our originator again. Well, not until…*) he trails off, awkward-tired-wry, and settles closer to Kaito’s presence, leaning in enough that it’s almost a physical sensation. (*In any case,*) he continues after a moment, (*it can’t hurt to sneak in to check. Any time before he’s regained his powers will be safe enough.*)

Hanataro lifts his hand from Kaito’s hair and taps him on the nose, smiling fondly when Kaito blinks up at him. “Th-thinking deep thoughts?” he asks with a touch of amusement.

“Mmm, something like that.” Kaito lets go of Hanataro’s sleeve and captures his lover’s hand in his, pulling it down to press a kiss to Hanataro’s knuckles. “Just debating the merits of going after that lot sooner rather than later,” he says as he smiles up at Hanataro and presses his love’s hand to his cheek. “You’re right that we might not be able to do anything yet, but… it might be worth looking into. Or at least talking with Father about it, to see what he thinks.”

“I d-don’t know h-how useful my history kn-knowledge will b-be here,” Hanataro says with a small grimace, chin tucking towards his chest. “D-depending on how far back w-we are…”

“Hey, it doesn’t matter,” Kaito says firmly, pressing another kiss to Hanataro’s knuckles. “I mean, depending upon how far back we are, even Father might be pretty in the dark about things. None of us expect you to know everything.”

Hanataro breathes a soft sigh as his shoulders slump in relief. “S-sorry—”

“Don’t be,” Kaito interrupts, reaching up with his free hand to poke Hanataro’s forehead, then smirks at the exasperated look that gets him and does it again just for the fun of it. “We’re all in this together, so it’s up to us as a group to figure out what our next steps are. And we can’t really do that until Father wakes up and we get a chance to talk with him privately.” Not that he expects to get that chance any time soon, not with the, ah… request Ukitake had made to speak with his father about the wards.

(He’d told his father that it was a mistake to upgrade the wards without asking first!)

(But no, his father had gotten an idea into his head and done it the moment he had the chance.)

(Ah well, Ukitake hadn’t seemed too bothered by it, at least…)

“We’ll figure something out,” Kaito continues when all Hanataro does is hum softly in agreement.

“Y-yeah…”

Kaito clicks his tongue and pushes himself up on one elbow to press a light kiss to Hanataro’s cheek. “It’ll all work out,” he murmurs with as much confidence as he can muster. “Father’s a genius, and you and I are capable of working wonders together too,” he says, pleased by the light blush that dusts Hanataro’s cheeks at the compliment.

“A-and if we… if we can’t get back?” Hanataro asks.

“Then we work to make this a place and a time that we can be proud of,” Kaito answers immediately. “We can’t… there’s no sense in making ourselves miserable on purpose,” he tries to explain, then shakes his head slightly and adds, “I’m not saying that missing our home is… is wrong or anything, or that we shouldn’t try to get back, but…”

“But we’re here, a-and there’s pr-probably no undoing that,” Hanataro finishes for him, sorrow in his voice. “So we… we need to find things to like? A-and to do…?”

“Yeah. Things like that.” Kaito sighs and lays back down, exhausted by the whole conversation and not wanting to face the world or their situation for a while. Instead, he tucks his face against Hanataro’s stomach and murmurs, “Right now, though, I just… can you… hold me? I’m tired…”

Hanataro hums and resumes combing his fingers through Kaito’s hair. “Th-then rest, I’ll be here,” he replies gently, even as his reiatsu settles over Kaito’s senses like a thin blanket, enough to shield him from the world but not blind him from it.

It’s safe. Comforting. Warm.

And for a moment, he can forget their situation and just…

Drift.