Growing Up
Dedicated to cryptonomicon from ff.net for her very interesting IchiHitsu drabbles, for entertaining me and inspiring me during my monster IchiHitsu BigBang fic.
Feeling the familiar reiatsu, Toushirou looked up from his paperwork before lowering his head to the document yet again. The substitute was some distance away from his Division and he hoped to finish reading the report on his hands before Ichigo arrived.
That was not to be though. “Tai-cho!” Rangiku’s cheerful voice rang out in the office they shared; it was evident she had felt the barely suppressed reiatsu as well. “It looks like someone’s here for a visit again.”
Looking up, the white haired Captain caught sight of the grin on his blonde Lieutenant’s face as she stood before his desk, a stack of paperwork in her arms. “I won’t bother the both of you then,” she continued, placing the documents neatly on one side of his table.
“I’m off to the Ninth. Hisagi-taicho’s treating us to drinks tonight. You’re both welcome if you want to join us. Otherwise, don’t stay too late.”
“Hn.” He briefly leafed through the papers as she turned and made her way to her desk. Calling out to no one in particular, Rangiku continued before stepping out of the door, “Maybe I should bring my camera again tomorrow…”
Pink crept up his face as he yelled, “Matsumoto!” “Bye Taicho,” the door closed with a ‘click’ behind the blonde and the white haired Captain breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his Lieutenant had not decided to stay.
She had caught Ichigo and him wrapped in each other’s arms, sleeping soundly on the sofa in their office one morning and had taken pictures. He had not known until the pictures were featured in a copy of the Shinigami Women’s Association’s monthly newsletter.
In the two years that had passed since the Winter War, things had almost returned to normal. Aizen had been captured and locked away while they nursed their wounds. In fact, it was not actually entirely accurate to say that things had returned to normal - there had been many small but significant changes since the ending of the war.
His Lieutenant was a good example. Rangiku had become more hardworking but had not lost most of her cheerful nature. Hisagi had achieved his bankai and been promoted to lead the Ninth, while Abarai now led the Fifth. The Third had remained without a Captain though.
Hinamori… Toushirou sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His childhood friend had survived their attacks under Unohana-taicho’s dedicated care but had retired following her recovery. She had returned to Junrinan and Granny, where she had slowly but surely picked up Granny’s skills and was now running a small shop selling various confectioneries.
Moments later, he felt the familiar reiatsu outside his office and returned the report to its stack on his desk. He could deal with it tomorrow. Turquoise met brown as he looked open when the door slid open.
“Hey.”
“…Kurosaki, you need to improve your control over your reiatsu.”
Ignoring the familiar complain, the substitute Shinigami continued, “Anyway, here are the reports you wanted. Where’s Rangiku?”
“She went over to the Ninth.”
“I’ll just leave this on her desk then,” Ichigo replied, holding up a small present.
“What’s that?” The Captain asked, curious and a little jealous that his boyfriend had brought his Lieutenant a present.
“It’s… er… a little something that she told Rukia she’d liked.”
From the slight stumble in his words, Toushirou had already picked up that there was something Ichigo was not telling him and continued with his questioning. “So, why are you getting her a present this year?”
The blush that followed confirmed his suspicions. “I… er… owe her one for taking that photo.”
“You… what!” Turning the full force of his glare on the orange haired boy in front of him, he muttered softly, “No wonder she threatened to bring her camera again tomorrow.”
“Well, I couldn’t help it. That was the first photo of us together and besides,” Ichigo replied, shrugging his shoulders, “you looked cute in that picture.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, the Captain growled, “Kurosaki, I am not cute for the last time.” Unfortunately, that was spoiled by a growl from his stomach.
“Toushirou, dinner then?”
Unable to resist Ichigo’s radiant smile, Toushirou uncrossed his arms and stood after a moment. He arranged the papers on his desk briefly before heading for the door; Ichigo grinned as he followed behind.
~~~
After dinner at a restaurant, they found themselves back in his house in Seireitei, sharing a bar of his favourite white chocolate that the substitute had brought over from the Human world.
Cuddling against his slightly warmer boyfriend, the white haired Captain sighed in contentment as he nibbled on a piece of white chocolate, carefully listening to Ichigo’s update on how things were going on in the Human world.
“…anyway, I saw this in the shop that I bought Rangiku’s present. It reminded me of you, so I got it as well. Merry Christmas, Shirou!” Taking out a small white box with a silver ribbon around it, Ichigo smiled as he handed over the present to the Captain nestled against his shoulder.
Noting the surprise in the turquoise gaze, the substitute continued, “Go on, open it. You should know I came over so I could celebrate Christmas with you.”
Tugging on the ribbon that unravelled easily, the white haired Captain opened the small box and took out the silver chain and crescent pendant. “…Thank you, Ichigo.”
The smile that greeted his was enough proof that the substitute knew how much he appreciated the gift.
While Ichigo had been assigned as Human world liaison and to report to him, he had not noticed the crush the orange haired substitute had on him initially. It had taken him some time to realise his own feelings and they had only really gotten together over the past half a year.
On a cursory visit to the Human world several weeks ago, he had been surprised by all the decorations in the various houses and shops. After he had learnt about Christmas, the white haired Captain had put it upon himself to find a good Christmas gift for his boyfriend and after much consideration, had decided on a gift.
Shifting slightly and sitting upright, Toushirou met Ichigo’s warm brown gaze. “There’s something I want to tell you. I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you for Christmas but-” He glared at his boyfriend momentarily as Ichigo tried to interrupt. “I’ve decided to look for Kurotsuchi to see what he can do with this body.”
Despite his real age, his body seemed to have stopped growing. Even though growth was generally slow in Soul Society, he had already passed the age a normal person would have attained the body of an adult, yet was still stuck in a child’s body. It had not been a huge issue to him - he had grown used to the jokes and Unohana-taicho had said that he was perfectly healthy, until recently.
He had been sleeping when he was awoken by Ichigo’s hand ruffling his hair softly. “You know, Shirou, you do look like jailbait… It bothers me some times when I’m kissing you that you look this young even though you aren’t.” With his eyes firmly shut, he listened to his boyfriend’s soft whispers as he rambled to himself.
“I really like you though, so… Well, never mind. It’s enough to have you like that already. Good night.” He felt the brush of soft lips against his cheek, before warm arms embraced him.
“What? You can’t be serious. You’ve no idea what the fuck he could do to you.” Ichigo leapt to his feet, scowling as he glared down at the Captain sitting on the wooden floor.
“My mind’s already made up. He wouldn’t dare to do anything anyway. I’ve asked Unohana-taicho to observe the proceedings just in case.”
“But that doesn’t guarantee that he won’t try-”
“Kurosaki, stop,” he interrupted the substitute. “Doesn’t it bother you that I still look like a kid? Don’t you think it bothers me that I look like a kid too?” He watched as surprise, understanding, then finally grudging acceptance flashed across the orange haired teenager’s face.
“…fine then. Tell me when you do?”
As Ichigo sat down, looking slightly uneasy before wrapping his arms around the white haired Captain in a tight embrace, Toushirou could almost feel what he had left unsaid. I’m worried, worried because Kurotsuchi is a creep, because anything could happen…
Leaning into the embrace, the white haired Captain placed his arms around the substitute’s neck before placing his lips on Ichigo’s. He almost missed the whispered “Thank you, Shirou,” after he pulled away and snuggled up against the substitute’s warm chest.
With a muscular arm around his middle, they sat together, munching on the remainder of the white chocolate, watching as light snow fell from the night sky, laying a gentle blanket over everything.
Feeling the familiar reiatsu, Toushirou looked up from his paperwork before lowering his head to the document yet again. The substitute was some distance away from his Division and he hoped to finish reading the report on his hands before Ichigo arrived.
That was not to be though. “Tai-cho!” Rangiku’s cheerful voice rang out in the office they shared; it was evident she had felt the barely suppressed reiatsu as well. “It looks like someone’s here for a visit again.”
Looking up, the white haired Captain caught sight of the grin on his blonde Lieutenant’s face as she stood before his desk, a stack of paperwork in her arms. “I won’t bother the both of you then,” she continued, placing the documents neatly on one side of his table.
“I’m off to the Ninth. Hisagi-taicho’s treating us to drinks tonight. You’re both welcome if you want to join us. Otherwise, don’t stay too late.”
“Hn.” He briefly leafed through the papers as she turned and made her way to her desk. Calling out to no one in particular, Rangiku continued before stepping out of the door, “Maybe I should bring my camera again tomorrow…”
Pink crept up his face as he yelled, “Matsumoto!” “Bye Taicho,” the door closed with a ‘click’ behind the blonde and the white haired Captain breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his Lieutenant had not decided to stay.
She had caught Ichigo and him wrapped in each other’s arms, sleeping soundly on the sofa in their office one morning and had taken pictures. He had not known until the pictures were featured in a copy of the Shinigami Women’s Association’s monthly newsletter.
In the two years that had passed since the Winter War, things had almost returned to normal. Aizen had been captured and locked away while they nursed their wounds. In fact, it was not actually entirely accurate to say that things had returned to normal - there had been many small but significant changes since the ending of the war.
His Lieutenant was a good example. Rangiku had become more hardworking but had not lost most of her cheerful nature. Hisagi had achieved his bankai and been promoted to lead the Ninth, while Abarai now led the Fifth. The Third had remained without a Captain though.
Hinamori… Toushirou sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His childhood friend had survived their attacks under Unohana-taicho’s dedicated care but had retired following her recovery. She had returned to Junrinan and Granny, where she had slowly but surely picked up Granny’s skills and was now running a small shop selling various confectioneries.
Moments later, he felt the familiar reiatsu outside his office and returned the report to its stack on his desk. He could deal with it tomorrow. Turquoise met brown as he looked open when the door slid open.
“Hey.”
“…Kurosaki, you need to improve your control over your reiatsu.”
Ignoring the familiar complain, the substitute Shinigami continued, “Anyway, here are the reports you wanted. Where’s Rangiku?”
“She went over to the Ninth.”
“I’ll just leave this on her desk then,” Ichigo replied, holding up a small present.
“What’s that?” The Captain asked, curious and a little jealous that his boyfriend had brought his Lieutenant a present.
“It’s… er… a little something that she told Rukia she’d liked.”
From the slight stumble in his words, Toushirou had already picked up that there was something Ichigo was not telling him and continued with his questioning. “So, why are you getting her a present this year?”
The blush that followed confirmed his suspicions. “I… er… owe her one for taking that photo.”
“You… what!” Turning the full force of his glare on the orange haired boy in front of him, he muttered softly, “No wonder she threatened to bring her camera again tomorrow.”
“Well, I couldn’t help it. That was the first photo of us together and besides,” Ichigo replied, shrugging his shoulders, “you looked cute in that picture.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, the Captain growled, “Kurosaki, I am not cute for the last time.” Unfortunately, that was spoiled by a growl from his stomach.
“Toushirou, dinner then?”
Unable to resist Ichigo’s radiant smile, Toushirou uncrossed his arms and stood after a moment. He arranged the papers on his desk briefly before heading for the door; Ichigo grinned as he followed behind.
~~~
After dinner at a restaurant, they found themselves back in his house in Seireitei, sharing a bar of his favourite white chocolate that the substitute had brought over from the Human world.
Cuddling against his slightly warmer boyfriend, the white haired Captain sighed in contentment as he nibbled on a piece of white chocolate, carefully listening to Ichigo’s update on how things were going on in the Human world.
“…anyway, I saw this in the shop that I bought Rangiku’s present. It reminded me of you, so I got it as well. Merry Christmas, Shirou!” Taking out a small white box with a silver ribbon around it, Ichigo smiled as he handed over the present to the Captain nestled against his shoulder.
Noting the surprise in the turquoise gaze, the substitute continued, “Go on, open it. You should know I came over so I could celebrate Christmas with you.”
Tugging on the ribbon that unravelled easily, the white haired Captain opened the small box and took out the silver chain and crescent pendant. “…Thank you, Ichigo.”
The smile that greeted his was enough proof that the substitute knew how much he appreciated the gift.
While Ichigo had been assigned as Human world liaison and to report to him, he had not noticed the crush the orange haired substitute had on him initially. It had taken him some time to realise his own feelings and they had only really gotten together over the past half a year.
On a cursory visit to the Human world several weeks ago, he had been surprised by all the decorations in the various houses and shops. After he had learnt about Christmas, the white haired Captain had put it upon himself to find a good Christmas gift for his boyfriend and after much consideration, had decided on a gift.
Shifting slightly and sitting upright, Toushirou met Ichigo’s warm brown gaze. “There’s something I want to tell you. I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you for Christmas but-” He glared at his boyfriend momentarily as Ichigo tried to interrupt. “I’ve decided to look for Kurotsuchi to see what he can do with this body.”
Despite his real age, his body seemed to have stopped growing. Even though growth was generally slow in Soul Society, he had already passed the age a normal person would have attained the body of an adult, yet was still stuck in a child’s body. It had not been a huge issue to him - he had grown used to the jokes and Unohana-taicho had said that he was perfectly healthy, until recently.
He had been sleeping when he was awoken by Ichigo’s hand ruffling his hair softly. “You know, Shirou, you do look like jailbait… It bothers me some times when I’m kissing you that you look this young even though you aren’t.” With his eyes firmly shut, he listened to his boyfriend’s soft whispers as he rambled to himself.
“I really like you though, so… Well, never mind. It’s enough to have you like that already. Good night.” He felt the brush of soft lips against his cheek, before warm arms embraced him.
“What? You can’t be serious. You’ve no idea what the fuck he could do to you.” Ichigo leapt to his feet, scowling as he glared down at the Captain sitting on the wooden floor.
“My mind’s already made up. He wouldn’t dare to do anything anyway. I’ve asked Unohana-taicho to observe the proceedings just in case.”
“But that doesn’t guarantee that he won’t try-”
“Kurosaki, stop,” he interrupted the substitute. “Doesn’t it bother you that I still look like a kid? Don’t you think it bothers me that I look like a kid too?” He watched as surprise, understanding, then finally grudging acceptance flashed across the orange haired teenager’s face.
“…fine then. Tell me when you do?”
As Ichigo sat down, looking slightly uneasy before wrapping his arms around the white haired Captain in a tight embrace, Toushirou could almost feel what he had left unsaid. I’m worried, worried because Kurotsuchi is a creep, because anything could happen…
Leaning into the embrace, the white haired Captain placed his arms around the substitute’s neck before placing his lips on Ichigo’s. He almost missed the whispered “Thank you, Shirou,” after he pulled away and snuggled up against the substitute’s warm chest.
With a muscular arm around his middle, they sat together, munching on the remainder of the white chocolate, watching as light snow fell from the night sky, laying a gentle blanket over everything.