Thanks a lot for coming! I know it▓s short notice but seeing as the Captain can▓t go out in his condition, I have to take his place for today! Duty calls - Matsumoto▓
The lieutenant stared down at the once neatly folded slip of paper. The writing was feminine, unhurried, and in a deep red ink. He had a brief moment to wonder how the Vice Captain could pull stunts like this, and even write so neatly on textured paper, and still not been seen or caught. Renji knew better, seeing as the Tenth Squad wasn▓t due for any duties today other than catching up on paperwork, it was obvious that Matsumoto had run off to drink. Moreover, in the middle of the day nonetheless.
Sighing, the redhead laid the note back down on the small table that stood in the genkan of the Captain▓s private sleeping home. Stepping up to the wooden walkway, he slipped out of his shoes, stepping up onto the planks carefully. Padding down to the door at the end of the walkway (he did not want to go opening the small Captain▓s room door from the outside, seeing as he wasn▓t feeling well and all), and pushed aside the paper door before stepping in.
The house was dark and about twenty degrees too cool to have been normal. It was the middle of autumn; things still weren▓t this cool outside. He frowned slightly when it kicked in, jus how bad the smaller boy must have been feeling to let his reiatsu leak so much.
Carefully pushing the door shut behind him, with a small click from the frame, he suddenly felt himself meet with a rather sharp spike in the cool temperature around him.
⌠It▓s just me, Captain Hitsugaya. Matsumoto sent me to check up on you.■
The door to his left slid open, exposing the white haired Captain, bracing himself up with the door and Hyorinmaru so he didn▓t topple over. Face flushed with what could only be a fever, he looked dazed and a little confused.
⌠This isn▓t your division, Abarai.■
⌠Well, yeah but┘■ lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck, he shifted his weight nervously. He wasn▓t afraid of being attacked by the young Captain, more so afraid of being puked on or faced with a rather tough situation that he wouldn▓t know how to react to. ⌠Captain Kuchiki said that it was alright to come and see you, because half of Soul Society is a little worried about you feeling ill. It▓s not no--■
⌠I know it▓s not normal. I just caught it from being in the real world too long.■ Hitsugaya raised a hand to brush his sagging bangs from his eyes. He glanced up at Renji for a moment before turning to return to his futon, ⌠As you can see I▓m not dead, so now you can leave.■
⌠You know maybe I should go get Ichigo. He▓s obviously used to dealing with sicknesses; maybe he can give you something to help you get over it. I mean┘ you really don▓t look so good and it▓s so rare that Shinigami get sick an all┘■
The white haired Captain paused for a moment, swaying a bit before steadying himself with his zanpakuto. He managed to peer over one shoulder, attempting a glare, but with the sick glaze to his eyes, it wasn▓t very frightening.
⌠Are you implying that I can▓t get over this myself?■
⌠Err, no. I was just suggesting that it might be better to ask for a little help from someone that knows more about this kind of stuff than we do.■ he offered, considering shrinking back out the door in the back of his head.
The young Captain seemed to consider his words though, but Renji found that he was never met with an answer, instead, he only saw Hitsugaya return to wobbling to his futon and lying back down. Instinct made him follow as far as the doorframe, where he loosely gripped the sliding door in one hand. He waited until the other got settled and comfortable under the pile of blankets before speaking again.
⌠Captain, --■
⌠If you insist.■ was all he got before a rather loud sneeze ended the conversation right then and there and the Captain burrowed beneath his blankets.
Renji took the hint and stepped back, sliding the door shut before leaving.
Sliding his shoes back on, he made sure the door to the genkan was securely shut before returning to his own division barracks.
--+--
More than three of the whole Gotei 13 had disturbed Captain Hitsugaya during the earlier hours of the day, the visitors consisting of his own Vice Captain, Captain Ukitake, Renji, Captain Unohana, and a few random members from his own squad.
By mid afternoon, he wasn▓t sure if anybody else had stopped by, because the fever had him too far into delirium to notice if anyone real had come in or not. It wasn▓t until around the evening time that he regained his sanity, trading it out for one of the worse headaches he had ever experienced.
Matsumoto had returned around dinnertime to offer him lightly seasoned miso soup and open the sliding doors to the courtyard to let in some fresh air. After giving him her blessings, she left him to his peace and quiet. Or what could barely be considered as such.
He had attempted to eat the miso, but the soup was so bitter it tasted like air on his tongue, not all entirely due to his iffy sinuses. Half the bowl was left abandoned on the tray it had been brought in on, ice cold by now thanks to his leaking reiatsu.
His logical side argued over how exactly his Shinigami form managed to catch a human sickness, much less one so utterly annoying and painful. He felt down right cursed with body aches, pains, coughing, sneezing, and a few narrow escapes to loosing the very little contents of his stomach. Sure, his gigai hadn▓t even been able to contract allergies, much less a common cold no matter how many times he was subjected to it. Therefore, it just didn▓t make sense that he was suffering now.
After all that Renji had said, it was a total relief beyond words to see the red head return with his friend in tow. No matter the fact that it was near midnight, Hitsugaya felt a wave of relief wash over his when he caught sight of the two. Completely ignoring the thought that the contents in the two or three different containers that Ichigo held in his hands could possibly taste so rancid. The promise of a break from the fever and sneezing was like heaven. Whether it tasted bad going down his throat or not.
⌠Wow, Toshiro, Renji really wasn▓t kidding when he said you looked bad.■
The small Captain twitched, opening his mouth to correct the substitute but a cough cut him off before he could even form the first syllable. Ichigo just grinned loosely and plopped down to sit next to the futon.
⌠Yeah, yeah. I know. ▒Captain Hitsugaya▓. Just sit up.■ he made a motion or two with his hands until the Captain complied and pushed himself up into a slumped sitting position.
The first thing he had expected was to be handed pills, or a small shot cup of some unholy smelling red or green liquid. Instead, a cool hand met with his forehead, and ohgods the temperature difference felt heavenly. His eyes slid shut for the briefest of moments until the skin touching him warmed to the same temperature as his own.
Ichigo pulled his hands back and reached to where he had sat one of the bottles and a bag, which he had brought with him. After a moment, he turned back towards the small Captain, holding out that dreaded cup.
⌠This▓ll only help with the fever and sneezing and stuff. It▓s a start, but you can▓t take too much as a time, or you▓ll only end up worse.■
Hitsugaya eyed the cup for a moment before reaching out with a tired, almost shaky hand. After a quick moment of deliberation, the substitute pulled back out of reach, and then moved to press the cup to the others lips.
⌠Don▓t want to you spill it.■
The white-haired boy rolled his eyes but opened him mouth, tipping his head back slightly and inhaling quickly to hold his breath as the liquid seeped down his tongue and throat. He swallowed a few times before allowing himself to breathe again, grimacing and shaking his head in rejection to the taste. He could already feel the liquid going to work on his body.
His attention was brought to his inner door when he heard it being slid open again, seeing Renji reenter with a ceramic teacup in hand. For the first time so far that day, Hitsugaya found that he could faintly smell the tea. The strong peppermint scent very nearly ripped his nasal passages back open when he sniffed at it after being handed the cup.
⌠Mom told me once that peppermint has healing properties. Your throat is raw from coughing, yeah? That will help keep that from forming into something worse. Don▓t want to get even sicker do you?■
⌠Not particularly, no.■ He answered, carefully sipping at the hot tea. The warmth was like eating a nice cold slice of watermelon on the really hot days of summer. Sighing, the younger boy gulped down a nice bit of the tea before setting it aside.
⌠So how did this happen?■ Ichigo asked after a few moments of silence.
⌠I┘don▓t know.■ Hitsugaya responded after awhile. The room went silent again. Until┘
⌠I think I have a theory.■ Renji cut in, nodding his head and folding his arms loosely over his chest. ⌠Maybe, because you spent so much time in your gigai in the real world, and was around all sorts of things, the illness kind of like┘ stowed away in your body, this body. And then when it got strong enough, it attacked?■
After a long pause, Ichigo nodded some, ⌠That makes perfect sense, because a few times Yuzu or Karin has gotten sick and I could be around them and not get it until about a month or so later. Always thought it was weird.■
⌠That doesn▓t explain how my Shinigami body would get it if I were in my gigai.■
⌠Yeah well, real world viruses work in mysterious ways, Toshiro.■
⌠Captain Hitsugaya.■ he snapped back, barely managing to swallow down the need to cough with the exertion of force.
As always, the correction went ignored, ⌠Viruses are sneaky anyway. They could have easily bypassed your gigai body all together and went straight for your shinigami body. It▓s just a thought though. We▓ll probably never know the truth.■
After another pregnant pause, Ichigo cut in with the hope to break a bit of the tension.
⌠Well, look at it this way: so long as you▓re sick, you don▓t have to worry about any paper work.■
⌠Yeah!■ Renji nodded, grinning some. ⌠Have someone else do it. Like Matsu--■
⌠Oh no.■
Another chill fell over the room but not from Hitsugaya unintentionally leaking his reiatsu, this was from utter horror at a thought.
The thought of mountains of paper work, all over the room, with a drunken Vice Captain sprawled on the floor in the center, fast asleep.
Ichigo and Renji shrunk back a bit from the Captain, slightly intimidated. ⌠M-maybe you can have someone bring it here for you to do when you feel well enough to do it.■
The chill pulled back and the room warmed up considerably.
--+--
Ichigo had agreed to stay the night to keep an eye on the young Captain and make sure he didn▓t get any worse, or at least be there for him if he did get worse. Renji had wondered off to go back to his own place to sleep somewhere around one or two a.m┘
Hitsugaya was still up, swaying on the verge of vomiting and not. The fever had spiked a bit once the medicine wore off, and seeing as he preferred not to wake the sleeping teenager that was curled at the foot of his futon, the Captain was forced to will himself not to release his stomach, seeing as getting up to find the bathroom in the swaying darkness was out of the question. One hand clamped over his mouth and the other idly massaging his stomach in attempts to calm it, just like earlier.
His vision blurred slightly with mild tears from the effort of swallowing back the rising bile each time it came up. He blinked away the moisture and eventually caved in, jutting a leg out to roughly nudge the teen in the middle of his back. It only took two nudges to get the orange-haired boy awake and alert.
It only took Ichigo a second to realize what the other needed, and sprung up to retrieve the trash bin from the bathroom (he would of carried Hitsugaya to the bathroom, but the poor boy looked like he would blow if you touched him). The moment the pale blue bin was in the hands of the captain, Ichigo had to turn away. He did his best to ignore the noises while he moved back to the bathroom to get a towel and a washcloth. He ran the washcloth and part of the towel under cool water, and waited in the bathroom until Hitsugaya was done.
Only when the gagging and dry heaving stopped, did he come back out. Taking the bin from the smaller boy, he set it aside for the moment before kneeling down and helping the other clean up a little. He placed the wet washcloth on the Captain▓s forehead when he lay back down, leaving the towel near the futon as he then took the bin out of the room to dispose of the bag in it.
When he came back, he noticed the other shifting under the covers before a hand stuck out to deposit his sleeping attire on the floor near by. Ichigo held back the urge to laugh.
⌠Only you would be hot right now.■ he offered jokingly, rubbing the side of his arm before returning to his blanket near the futon end.
⌠I feel like I▓m melting and freezing at the same time.■
⌠That▓s the flu for ya.■
Hitsugaya grunted in response before sighing.
⌠Kurosaki.■
⌠Ichigo. And what?■
⌠Water, if you wouldn▓t mind.■
⌠Oh, right.■ he disappeared from the room again.
Hitsugaya laid an arm over his eyes, sighing at the difference in temperature. It was obvious that his face was ten times hotter than the rest of his body, even though his body was extremely hot as well. Why was everyone so worried about him being sick? It was just a common illness. Well, maybe not so common given his position and everything.
He dropped his arm when he heard Ichigo reenter the room. Sitting up just enough to accept the glass and drink from it. He gulped down most of the water, until the sour taste in his mouth was gone. Relishing the feeling of the others hand on his forehead and cheeks, taking his temperature. He never thought such an innocent thing could make him feel so comfortable and thankful. Normally he hated attention like this, especially contact.
Except when it came to Ichigo obviously. He always seemed to shatter the small Captain▓s resolve.
It happened a long time ago, or so it seemed. They had agreed (after a month or two of near constant arguing over it) to never speak, mention, or even think about what happened that one night when the Arrancars had attacked unannounced.
The only problem was, he had just thought about it. And after taking some more medicine to drop his fever again, he fell asleep and dreamt of it.
.
.
┘┘
Orihime had healed about ninety-seven percent of his wounds that he didn▓t even remember getting from the attack. He remembered a fight, and remembered collapsing after the attackers had left. Ichigo explained to him when he woke up in the substitute▓s bed, why he was there and how he got there.
Everything made sense after that. However, the sense shattered when the teenager had cupped his face lightly between both hands and lifted his face.
⌠Everyone was worried you were too badly hurt.■ he had said, an almost deathly serious look on his face.
Hitsugaya simply raised an eyebrow before leaning back out of the grip.
⌠Please, Kurosaki, I▓m a Captain. I won▓t die that easily.■
⌠I know that. But that▓s besides the point. You▓re still not fully healed.■
⌠And?■
⌠You▓ll have to stay here until then.■ Ichigo replied with an air of smugness to his voice. Hitsugaya barely hid the fact that he wanted to roll his eyes, but that was his childish side taking over for the briefest second.
⌠I refuse to stay bedridden. I have more important things to do than stay put.■
⌠Toshiro.■ Ichigo moved to push the shorter boy onto his back, before he could respond to correct his title. The teen hovered over the small Captain, just staring down at him for a moment with an unreadable expression before leaning down.
Hitsugaya couldn▓t stop himself from gasping, eyes wide, when the boy▓s lips pressed to his. His hands shot up to Ichigo▓s shoulders, but were caught in bigger hands, and pinned down to the mattress. The contact of their lips had been short and light, but it still managed to shock the smaller boy into silence. He stared up at the substitute with a rather blank expression, too surprised to even question his actions.
Ichigo could feel Hitsugaya▓s pulse pick up in his wrists, and part of him wondered why he wasn▓t dead or forever encased in a block of ice by now.
They stayed in silence for a good five minutes or so before Hitsugaya finally managed to divert his eyes off to the side. He would never admit to himself that he had wanted that to happen, for a long time. It was too taboo, and therefore pushed to the back of his mind. He had bigger issues to deal with than his own little mild fantasies over kisses and whatnot else.
Lost in his own thoughtful world, the Captain hadn▓t noticed the teenager leaning down again. His mind snapped back to reality when pliable lips landed on the spot just below his ear. A dark red color filling his cheeks almost instantly as he squirmed to get away.
⌠What do you think you▓re doing?■
⌠I┘uh┘well┘■
Hitsugaya sat closest to the opposite end of the bed, pulling his les up closer to him but wincing when it agitated the abrasions on his chest and stomach.
Hissing lowly, mostly due to the throb from his wounds, the Captain went on, not waiting for an intelligent response, ⌠We▓re not going to speak of this. Ever.■
⌠What? It was just a kiss. Don▓t get so bent out of shape. I▓m sure even you would know that kisses are signs of affection.■
⌠For the people you love maybe.■
⌠Well maybe I do love you. But I guess that may have no crossed your mind.■ the teenager recoiled a little, moving to flop down on his chair near the bed, arms over his chest.
Hitsugaya fell silent for well over twenty minutes. Then┘
⌠If I let you have what you want, will you leave it be and have it as a one time only thing?■
⌠┘.■ Ichigo stared at a spot on the floor for a good while. ⌠So┘ you don▓t┘■
⌠I never said that.■ fell out of Hitsugaya▓s mouth before he could stop it. Gasping. Both hands clasped over his mouth then. Another awkward silence filled the room, until Ichigo seemed to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
In a matter of seconds Hitsugaya found himself sprawled out on the bed again, hands pinned above his head and the others mouth on his. He didn▓t attempt to squirm away this time. His resolve had snapped when he let himself slip so easily. Though his rational side dared to disagree, he figured it would be all right to give in just this once, and never again.
One hand drifted down his side, and he let himself give in totally. Just this once. And it would stay secret, forever and ever. Fingers touched the skin near his scratches and he gave in just that much more┘
┘┘ ┘.
.
.
It had to be no more than about seven or eight a.m. when he woke up again, the sun was still pale in the sky, and the room was dim with what little light could seep through the sliding door panels. It took awhile but soon he realized there were arms around his waist.
Startled, he moved to sit, but found that he couldn▓t. Still weak from the previous day, he could barely even manage to sit up on the first try. He gave up and settled back amongst the futon and pillows, not to mention the multiple blankets, glancing over to confirm that it was indeed Ichigo and not someone else.
He melted a little on the inside at the thought of the other worried enough to sleep by his side all night. That was until he noticed one thing: he wasn▓t the only nude person on that futon now. The light mood fell off his shoulders and he reached out to push the others arm the best he could.
The teenager stirred, but didn▓t wake up. Instead, he seemed to burrow closer to the small Captain, tightening his hold in a way that sent a shiver down the snow-captain▓s spine.
⌠Kurosaki.■
⌠Mnhm.■
⌠Would you mind letting me go?■
⌠Yeah, I would mind.■ was the mumbled response before he felt a few light open mouth kisses placed to his shoulder and neck. It pulled a slightly startled noise from the smaller boy, but he didn▓t have the energy to fight. He hated to admit it, but the kisses were incredibly comforting, even as they reached a very sensitive spot, which sent a crimson curtain over his cheeks and not from the illness.
Gasping softly, Hitsugaya barely managed to wrap his arms around the others shoulders as the boy moved. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn▓t resist giving in to the single person he had been secretly lusting and crushing over for the longest time, again. He blamed his weak resolve on the illness, which seemed to mostly leave his system over night.
⌠Why┘ are you nude in my bed?■
⌠Huh? Oh.■ Ichigo pulled back to hold himself up on his arms over the smaller male. ⌠It▓s to help with your fever. It▓s best to share body heat with someone who isn▓t sick so you don▓t loose too much heat, but you▓re able to sweat out the fever. Or something like that.■
For a moment, it sounded more like a lie than anything, but his train of thought was broken when Ichigo pressed his lips lightly to his. He didn▓t stay there long, before moving to pepper kisses down the snow-captain▓s neck and over his collarbone.
A low sigh slipped from Hitsugaya▓s lips at the soft attentions. Though his ego absolutely refused to completely give in to the teen, but his body was more than willing. Especially when large hands slid down his sides, and back up in the most sweet way. It made his throat tighten.
He knew now the reason why he wanted to ignore their first encounter, why he had pushed things down for so long.
He didn▓t want to get hurt, should the other suddenly change his mind.
However, he knew that it had been well over a year since that one incident had occurred. Ichigo had given up the fight to try and gain Hitsugaya, after just a few months. And now, somewhere in between six and seven months later, without ever bringing it up, without saying a word┘
Hitsugaya tightened his arms around Ichigo▓s shoulders. He could barely even admit it to himself; he was scared of more than just openly admitting his crush on the teenager.
⌠Are you going to make me promise to not speak about this either?■ Ichigo murmured after a moment, and the small Captain didn▓t miss the soft underlining hurt tone of his voice.
Instead of answering, he just burrowed against the warmth that Ichigo was offering, clinging to him like his life depended on it.
⌠Why do you keep doing this?■
⌠Because,■ the hands lifted up to cup his face then, thumb passing over still fever-heated cheeks. ⌠My feelings haven▓t changed.■
⌠But┘■
⌠You keep pushing me away.■
⌠You never actually clearly stated anything, Kurosaki.■
⌠I know.■
One of the silences that seemed to love hanging on to very nearly every moment took its place then, and the two refused to look at each other.
⌠I can▓t make any promises.■ Hitsugaya spoke after a moment, biting the inside of his bottom lip. Carefully, and slowly, he let his eyes slide over to where the teenager was. It took a few moments, but obviously realization seemed to finally hit the substitute.
The wide-eyed surprised look the other gave him only forced an embarrassed hue to tint over the feverish color of his cheeks. The small Captain had enough time to brace himself before a mouth was on his again. Shortly after wards, however, he had to shove at one of Ichigo▓s shoulders to get the boy to back off long enough to allow his sickness to reign supreme again.
Ichigo helped him sit up, and patted his back at the other coughed. Until the fit calmed down, he comforted the shorter boy, afterwards he left his side only to get him a fresh cup of the peppermint tea.
⌠Official?■
⌠Secret.■ the Captain corrected, sipping the tea slowly. Ichigo obviously didn▓t agree with it, but he let it go. So long as he got the Captain, he should be entitled to enough happiness over just that.