You're Kidding?! [NSFW]

Masaru allowed Mia to fix his hair, holding the haori in his hands as she set it straight. She'd laughed...so... That was a sign that she felt...slightly better...

H-Help?

He glanced down at it for a few moments, he had...yet to actually put it on once... He'd gotten his arm in the sleeve earlier, but that had been as far as he'd made it.

Mia was...wearing hers now too...

"I-It's alright... It's...a lot so..." Mia seemed fine now, so he didn't want to drag up any of those negative feelings she'd been feeling, and they'd get nowhere if he tried to blame his promotion like he'd been doing... Knowing her, she'd tell him it wasn't his fault...

Looking up from the haori, he looked up to her...and then back at the haori before shifting it in his hands, moving to get the first sleeve back on like it'd been earlier.

"T-This...was...as far as I got last time..."

Mia wasn't entirely better, but at least as far as this went she'd spelled it out in black and white for herself. She had to accept this, there was nothing else and thus her usual stubbornness and impulsive nature she'd put her whole focus and everything on it.

This was what she was doing now.

She was stubborn and if she treated it as something for Masaru's sake... She could do it, she knew she could. It would be hard, but... well to be fair she knew about the Living World itself far more than Masaru did. She just had to learn exactly how Shinigami impacted it and be in charge of regulating such things.

"It is a lot... But I'll do it for your sake." Smiling softly and reassuringly, Mia removed her hand from Masaru's cheek as he showed her how far he'd gotten with the Haori earlier...

He paused there and she smiled more, lifting her hands up and motioning to him. "Turn around... I'll help you get the rest on."

Doing it for his sake...

He desperately wished it could be easier for her, that he could have done something, but...the reality of it was that there wasn't anything else he could of done... He doubted anyone would have listened had he turned down the promotion, it would be shameful as well to do so...

The only thing he could do was just...hope things got better for Mia...if he had to try to visit every day to make it seem...more normal then he would, even if visiting every day would be impossible...

"A-Alright..." He gave a small nod, turning around as Mia had requested so she could help him. Physically, the only difference was that this was a long sleeved haori, rather than the sleeveless...but it was a bit heavier due to that. The physical weight though wasn't a problem...more so the symbolic weight of it all...

Mia was part of a military operation, she knew that this sort of situation was possible. At least... it was something important, there were consolations for her move. She just had to think about all the good stuff that was part of this!

N-Not focus on the sad or bad... or worrisome...

As Masaru turned for her, Mia reached down and lifted the arm of the long sleeved Haori before grabbing the back as well and helping him slid it on. It was a distractingly wifely action, the symbolism in this not escaping her as she straightened it up for him and made sure it was just right.

"If you turn I'll make sure its on just right... Aha, it...really suits you though." Mia's voice was mildly awed, her hands going to her mouth as she smiled sweetly. If she was tearing up, it wasn't due to anything bad either...

The good things that came about from this promotion hadn't even entered Masaru's mind, he hadn't thought about the upsides they would have thanks to the promotions, much too consumed in worry when it came to Mia's happiness instead.

She seemed...a little better now, but he couldn't be entirely sure...

He felt the second sleeve, feeling the haori on himself just as Mia asked him to turn; he did as asked, turning to face her properly to see.... "M-Mia...?"

Where those tears in her eyes?

"I...am sorry...about all of this..." He muttered, misunderstanding the meaning of those tears; she was smiling, but as far as he knew she was just hiding it all...

Mia was smiling, looking at her Masaru and feeling an intense surge of pride at the sight of him in the new Haori. It looked a little big for some reason, but she liked it a lot...

She was pushed from her happy thoughts as Masaru apologized and said her name, in a soft mutter even... Blinking, she stepped up close to him and lifted her hands to his cheeks. Pulling his head down, Mia nudged his forehead with hers as the tears faded. "I'm accepting it, you look so... Mm, you look like the Soutaicho. I'm really proud!"

Mia practically sparkled at this moment, enjoying the sight of her lover in the haori a lot. The long sleeves just made him more majestic and the white set off his dark hair... She couldn't resist reaching up to touch the tassels, after a moment though. Yes, those were also perfect.

Despite his concerns, and worries, Masaru couldn't stop the light blush that threatened his cheeks as Mia claimed she was proud, having had his head pulled down to hers as she practically lit up with sparkles for the moment.

S-She was...t-that proud...?

"A-Ahm..." He was...surprised, his expression showing as such as his head was nudged; she was proud...p-proud...

T-Tassels again...?

"Don't be sorry... Like I said, if I can help you I will... I mean I wish I had been given a choice... But if I thought about it, I... would have taken it." Mia murmured to the man, Masaru's brightly blushing cheeks and expression a dead giveaway to her. Her head nudged up against his again, trying to let some of her acceptance fill him up.

"I'm fine... and I am sure you'll be fine too. It just... looks so dashing. With the tassels too..." Admitting it softly, she felt her own cheeks tint red but she laughed it off as her hand began to really play with the tassels.

Letting her mouth form a pretend pout, she looked to the side... "Do I have to wear the Sotaicho one in bed now or will mine work?"

Maybe making it silly and distracting would help him?

"R-...Right... I...really wish you'd been given the choice as well... I'm...just sorry this all came down to...you having to... My promotion didn't give you the choice...and I couldn't refuse either...so... I'm sorry about that..." After having let the thoughts run through them, even if he had attempted to hide them, he spoke truthfully to Mia...even if he knew...she wouldn't blame him...or tell him it wasn't his fault...it was best to be honest...

They didn't hide things that important from one another...it was only right to tell her how he felt.

"R-Really... You...really like the tassels...don't you?" He asked, smiling just a bit as Mia nudged her head up again against his before... "E-Eh!?"

S-Saying that-!

"T-T-...That...Th..." Masaru began to stutter, "M...M-Mia..."

"Mm, thank you... It really does help hearing that... That you'd have tried to give me a choice, well wished for one..." It did help, it helped a ton and Mia's smile softened more as she attempted to soothe Masaru. "I'll be really fine, thank you... I'm sorry you didn't get a choice either, but... you are suited for this. I promise."

The tassels were let go of for now, due to trying to soothe him and not herself...

"I like them a lot... Masa, can you keep them?" She asked innocently, hoping he'd enjoy them and keep them in his hair from now on. It looked nice... She really, really liked it and would enjoy him having them... "It could be your new accessory!"

Least her words had distracted him enough to let her in. To show she'd been merely teasing and distracting with her words, Mia continued onto another track now that Masaru was paying her all his attention after that whining stutter. "How do you think the Elders are taking this? I mean... I'm now in charge of Sixth."

Masaru wanted to respond to Mia in seriousness, but it took a moment as he pushed away the fluster. Taking a small breath, he let his shoulders relax, letting any of the tenseness that fluster caused go away first before he began to speak.

"Mhm... I... It helps hearing that...as well, welcome... I'm sure you'll do...just fine, as I said, and I'm sure the both of us will get used to this...in time... But... I am sorry that there was no choice in the matter..."

She wanted him to...keep the hair ties though...? He blinked, looking to the side as if attempting to look at them again before giving a soft smile. "Alright, if you...think they actually suit me...and they look alright..."

If they didn't look silly or anything, and actually... M-Mia thought they looked nice, so that was...reason enough to keep them in...

Eh? What would the elders say about...all of this though, how they were probably taking it?

"Honestly...no matter how they're taking it...they can't really say much now... You have the power and ranking of a captain now... You hold he title of one, even if it is Sixth, you're...undeniably the best person for the role, the only, but...very best even if there had been others...

All of that... They...can't really say much in regards to our relationship, I would think. It's pretty cemented now...more than ever..."

Mia leaned up a bit and kissed Masaru softly, glad he was relaxing even if that tenseness had been fluster... Well really, fluster was easier to get rid of than worry. "We'll both do fine and our best then... I'll repeat whatever you need me to... so just tell me what is bothering you, like normal?"

Her smile was sweet as she settled back on her feet, unable to help the happy laugh that escaped her as Masaru agreed to keep the tassels. Her hands clapped together in a pleased manner as she nodded. "Not just all right... Y-Your... bangs look really good, but then the tassels... settle the other side and make it even and... mm its really attractive! You'll make all the people in First swoon!"

Mia's happiness didn't fade as Masaru continued to speak, though it did become flustered as he complimented her... Best for the...job even if... there hadn't been anyone else... "M-Mm...this is pretty much... a formal declaration I'm...yours? I don't have your...last name yet... So I'm not a Shirakawa yet fully, just your Consort..."

"This is...really good! Anything that makes our life easier, makes me happy." Mia grinned before looking away and crossing her arms lightly, one hand with its finger raised settling on her chin and cheek. "They can't complain about my bloodline at all now if I am apparently this powerful. I'll bring power into the Shirakawas, very obviously. This... is really useful. Hmmm..."

"Alright, like normal..." Masaru could agree to that, whenever he had concerns or worries...he would speak up about them to Mia, at least... They always talked, so...it wasn't a hard promise to make, and as she leaned up to kiss him he responded to it for a few short moments.

T-The tassels though... Since his cut was uneven, the tassels helped add to...and settled the shorter side and evened it out... I-It looked...really attractive...

"W-Well... I don't really care much...about making anyone swoon, I-I'm perfectly content to just...impress you in that regard..."

The blush had faded, though Mia's following words caused it to come back, the red in his cheeks a bit obvious as he gave a nod. "W-Well, y-yes... I suppose you could say...t-though you're...the in-intended...m-my intended...w-wife..."

Mia was...still all about the consort thing...

"I-It will...make things easier for us though...y-yes... With your title and ranking...and power...as well as what Lakshmi and your father did for us...with their marriage... A-Any arguments they can really make can...easily be...countered with just all of that..."

B-Bring...into the Shirakawa bloodline... Y-Yes...t-that...as well...

With his promise, Mia smiled more after their kiss. It was sweet, he made sure to reassert that it was much like normal. They always talked, always communicated...because they couldn't keep things from each other for long...

However flustered Masaru was, that was nothing compared to what his words did to Mia. J-Just her... only wanted to impress her looks wise... A-Ah...

"You do... You are impressive to me...in that manner already... s-so I am the one already swooning. J-Just I am sure others will too...because you are too powerful. N-Not spiritually, but...physically in looks. L-Like on a scale of one to ten you'd be like a hundred and..." Mia rambled a bit, blushing fiercely as she poked two fingers together and stared off into the distant wall. "A-And...even if I am intended...there's no paperwork or anything... so for now I am firmly...in the consort area..."

She wasn't even blushing over the consort topic, it was just carried over fluster from the talk of how impressive Masaru was. "A-As long as things are easier on both of us, I am...happy..."

O-On a scale of...o-one to t-ten he'd be... Masaru felt his blush grow at that, Mia's words causing immense fluster as he turned his eyes away from the moment. T-They were both flustered now, but...but w-what she'd said...

O-One hundred...o-out of ...one to t-ten... One hundred...

M-Mia...t-thought that...

"I...I will...be...extremely happy...b-beyond words...once we're p-p...properly engaged...r-really..." T-Then t-there would be no more of the...consort stuff, b-but also...t-they'd be engaged... T-That was enough to start his heart from going haywire.

Y-Yes though...t-things would be...much...much easier...

Mia's glance back caught Masaru's blush, hers growing as she poked her fingers more. "Definitely... M-Maybe more. I don't...think there's a scale...B-Because you are... pretty handsome, and just... pretty too... Not like in a bad way, but...mm handsome doesn't work because... gorgeous fits better. Y-You are like those...amazingly pretty gems... That you just want to stare at for hours... because they are so...nice... to look at.

Wh-When you smile...it makes it so much...stronger too...It's been months, but your smile...makes my heart do flip flops and my stomach get butterflies..."

Yes, the best plan was to tell him all of this! He... was blushing and hadn't said anything, maybe he'd needed all this reassurance because he was in denial?

However at least he responded to her consortness... He'd be happiest with they were official engaged?! Mia squeaked and brought her hands up from poking to her burning cheeks, shaking her head back and forth. "I-I will too! It'll...be good... But for now, being your...consort is nice. I-I have read up on Shirakawa consorts and how...they work too! So I am prepared to...please you in all sorts of ways!"

"I-I'll be so happy... But...its too soon... we have to make sure...things are done just right... s-so that no problems happen later with...everything..." For now she could be in this place in his heart and bed! Even if it wasn't officially sanctioned... Yet. She was looking into records... Or had been...

G-G...Go...Gorgeous like...like... Masaru could hardly repeat Mia's words in his head, could hardly repeat them in order to process them correctly as his fluster grew and grew. He was already a visibly, reddened mess that looked like he wanted to speak but couldn't...

T-Too flustered..t-too...

W-W...When he...sm-smil..e..d...

!!

"Y-Y...Y...Yes, i-it's...s-s...still soon, but... I-I...I was...simply....simply speaking...ahm..." C-Consorts...he still had no idea why she thought it was such an amazing t-title...or more so he couldn't process why.

!!

P-Please him in-!?

The only thing that could escape him was a flustered noise, t-there wasn't anywhere to...to...

Instead of hiding, as he wished, Masaru let himself slide down to the floor, his fluster much too strong to...handle anything at the moment.

Mia had killed both Masaru and herself. She was dying because he was obviously dying, his words barely coherent and his fluster so obvious she felt it radiating off of him much like the heat from their blushes. That...was it. The mansion would combust now, that would be good... Just combust as she shook her head and burned up...

As Masaru fell though, Mia was caught unawares and gave a small yelp and dove for him as if to catch him. "M-Masa! Don't... don't die!"

She dove, with arms outstretched to catch his body but she misjudged and instead wrapped her arms around his head as he slid down... Which meant pulling him straight into her cleavage as her weight continued forward, as momentum was want to do. This added up into Mia and Masaru potentially falling backwards with Masaru firmly stuck in her chest as she gave a startled shriek.

!!!?

If his face wasn't already burning at its strongest, it certainly was now as Mia made a grab for him, his arms instinctively moving to grab her to keep her steady as they went to her waist, but his face had been pushed into her chest due to the timing of her grab.

He was unable to stop them from falling back, far too gone and dead to do anything to stop it; the hold he had on her waist was already weak, and was threatening to go limp much like the rest of his body.

Dead...he was dead...

S-Soutaichou...was short lived...

Mia squeaked as Masaru grabbed for her too, pulling her close and holding her as they both fell to the floor in an embarrassed heap of ruin. She oomphed a bit at the landing, but quickly sat up and let go of her lover's head scooting down his body as she stared in worry over his face. "M-Masa?! Are you okay!?"

At least his hold had been loose enough to allow her to move, but that spoke badly of his state of mind really...

She'd felt the burning of his face in her chest... so... It was good because it meant his matched hers. Hers was burning just as bright... things like this weren't common since they'd...started...doing things...

"U-Um! You want to have a congratulatory s-spar? Instead... of um... things?! W-We could...do stuff...to distract!" Offer something distracting! Good!

Masaru was a stuttering...and sputtering mess, unable to get proper words out when prompted to speak. He was just lying there in a heap, not having moved as Mia sat up to check on his current state.

He had lived...a...decent life, sort of...certainly a great one in the past few years...especially the past few months... Y-Yes...that was the best way of describing it...

Gone...he was completely and utterly gone...

Mia was talking, he...listen, he should...listen... Something about...about...sparring? H-Huh?

"S...Sp...p...S-Spar...might...be g-...goo...f-for the b...best..." It was a miracle...he'd managed words...

H-He was not okay... Thats what Mia got out of the incoherent mess that was Masaru now...

M-Maybe her earlier teasings... had contributed to this...

Ahaha... whoops... now there was... just a dead Masaru under her. Mia slipped off of him, trying to help him recover by...not...not touching...

"Y-Yes... spar! J-Just a perfectly nice, nice...celebratory... fun time! We'll get your sash and Ikari... and I'll get Hono and... we can go do a relaxing, not embarrassing playfight to...calm down." And not ruin the new leader of all of the Soul Society...

That...was kind of a nice thought... Mia smiled, still burning but trying to distract Masaru from the memories of her breasts and words.

S-Spar.... Y-Yes...a spar would...help them get their minds focused, and calm... A nice...easy spar, they could practice a bit... Considering it'd been a few days since the last time they'd sparred it would be good to do so...

P-Perhaps even bankai, their zanpakutou would certainly be...pleased to go all out...

The implications of that thought process was something that didn't hit Masaru, as well as the knowledge of what his bankai was like now for him. He was still...much too flustered...and barely recovering as he managed to push himself up to sit.

They would get his sash, and their zanpakutou...

"R-Right...t-that...that should work... W-We can ha-have fun with it... Our zanpakutou...might enjoy...g-going all out somewhat..."

Mia knew Masaru could always be distracted with talk of training, having learned that the Shirakawas were all about martial and spiritual strength... So it was something he'd grown up with... Thus adding to Mia's eligibility to be the Lord's Wife really, with her powers and... well everything.

Masaru hadn't been incorrect at all in that assessment... Even if the Elders held out due to stubborn pride at this point or annoyance at him... She was quite literally the primest of marriage candidates for him...

His words though caused her to smile, accepting that it would be relaxing with a nod.

"All out then? Haha, that should be fun! I get to try out the new Soutaicho's power." Mia covered her mouth after she said that, trying to cover up for her words by hurrying on. "H-Hono and Ikari will be happy to! Especially happy... L-Lets get up and go then, okay?"

Holding out her hand for him to take, Mia smiled sweetly and hopefully distractingly...

The use of title got a flustered jolt out of him, but after a second or so he was able to shake it off, a sheepish laugh escaping as he took her hand to get up. They would...have a nice training session, their first training session since their promotions...which had quite literally just happened today, but still-!

T-They would be able to...train, and their zanpakutou would certainly be happy without doubt!

Once he was standing, he went to fetch his sash, tying it around his waist properly before stepping over to the stand to pick up Ikari, and secure the sword to his waist. Turning to Mia, he gave a small smile.

"R-Ready when you are."