Morning Tea

Hitsumatsu Oneshot

The side he had slept on was bare when she had finally opened her eyes. The sunlight streaming through partly opened curtains from the open window, dancing across her sleepy features. The light dancing past, stinging her drowsy eyes slightly. She twitched them shut tight then outstretched all four limbs, forming a star shape underneath the warm and snug covers.

Rangiku rubbed her then sighed. Contently. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well. Uninterrupted sleep. No nightmares. No night terrors. Just sweet, dreamless slumber. It felt good to be so well rested for once and she was happy. Never had she awoken so calm. Perhaps the last time had been when she was much much younger. When she had slept beside Gin. That however, was another lifetime ago and she didn't want to think about it right then and ruin her good mood.

As she turned to stare at where he had risen from once again, she wondered where he had gone to then. The man who had shielded her from her demons last night. A smile crossed her lips. Had little Toshirou really come so far?

She remembered when he was no higher than the top of her breasts. How she used to cuddle him close, suffocating him with her more than ample bosom. How he hated those embraces, ( or at least claimed so, loudly). Strange, but she realised then that he had always been a part of her adult life. From the time he was that little lost boy whose untamed spiritual power had attracted her to him understand who he was. To the third seat that was just a rank below her, in her very own division. To the Captain he had later become.

Her captain.

He had always been in her life, expectedly or not. And they shared a bond, bound to one another from their very first encounter. From that moment she had ran into him in that little shop in Rukongai. Fate was strange. Kind. It had given her someone to depend on in the place of that one person she had relied on and forever lost.

Now Toshirou was a man. Worthy of his rank and title. Though he had always been, since the very first time he shouldered the burden of captaincy, after their captain had abandoned them. She felt it was too heavy a load on his small, inexperienced shoulders. Yet he had risen to the challenge. Time and again. Proven his worth, and made a name for himself. A name worthy of being proud of. She had watched him grow, leaps and bounds. Been at his side, the entire time and she couldn't have been any prouder of him. He grew up faster than his years, all for the sake of their division. For the sake of his pride as a Shinigami.

The only constant in her life. The one person she knew she could always depend on and for that reason, she had never abandoned him. They stuck together through so much. Seen so many things yet always had each other's back.

And now, last night, he had hers yet again. She couldn't remember how they ended up in his room, on his bed. But she knew she was safe. The first moment she lay beside him, drifting into slumber soon after, wrapped in his familiarness, his cold body comforting her despite her utter dislike of the cold. It felt secure. Comfortable. Like something from another lifetime...

Shifting positions and releasing a little sigh, Ran decided to stop being lazy and go look for him. The sun had just climbed the sky and she figured it to be a little past eight, maybe nine. Funny, but she hardly got up this early. Not unless she had to. Of course this wasn't at all early for Toushirou. Luckily enough she thought, he didn't have duty today and it made her wonder why he even bothered waking up so early then. She on the other hand, had duty but could go in late. Just to check on how the division was running. Their very capable 3rd seat could more than hold down the fort till then. That was, if Toshirou didn't decide to kick her out soon.

She rose gracefully, arching her back then slowly stretching her arms before her like a feline just risen from slumber. She padded barefoot across the tatami carpeted floor and slid past the partly open sliding door. Rangiku found him on the porch of the larger outside room. He sat silently with his arm outstretched and resting over a flexed knee, watching the stillness of the garden outside.

Ran quietly crept up behind him, knelt then leaned close, wrapping her arms around his chest from behind. They both wore white yukuta; similar on the outside, yet the reiatsu each emitted as opposite as could be. Hers, the warmth of fire her own and his, the harshness of ice. She inhaled his scent, sighed and smiled. His scent reminding her of a brisk winter morning, with the sun shining over a fresh blanket of snow that had just fallen the night before. Winter had never been her favourite season, the cold hardly ever appealing, but as she hugged him so close she thought maybe winter wasn't all that bad.

"Sleep well?" She whispered softly against his ear. Toushirou nodded once then exhaled loudly. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, his voice hoarser now, a man's voice. He was still looking ahead, not glancing once towards her, but his arms moved closer settling snugly over hers when she claimed his chest. That subtle movement conveyed how comfortable he was with her closeness.

Rangiku smiled, the really were so different. He didn't like showing emotions, other than irritation and anger. Those two she often pried out of him to. Anything else though, he kept contained, rarely displayed openly. Except for the rare smile. But when he smiled, gosh! It made her feel so happy. She knew he was happy right now, even if his actions hardly showed it. Ran knew him well.

"I did." She answered, lips curling into another grin. "Don't remember the last time I slept soooo well! Taichou's cold presence must really do wonders for sleep hmm? You should make clones of yourself and then they would be sleep buddies and help all the sleepless people in Soul Society sleep better! Like a kawaii but cold teddy to snuggle with~"

Another loud exhale was heard from him. "Matsu- Rangiku, you're rambling and not making any sense." He turned then to look at her and when their eyes met she inhaled sharply, almost forgetting to breathe. He had called her Rangiku and not Matsumoto. It seemed like it was the first time he had said her name. Her given name and not the surname he so often yelled at the top of his lungs. And it sounded so different from his lips, nice. She exhaled and smiled. He had surprised her.

"First name basis?"

Toshirou shrugged, "we're not at the office." A simple enough explaination, or maybe he made it seem so with the way he said it. "When are you going in for work?" He then asked, just like that, breaking their little moment.

Ran frowned a little her lips forming into a pout. "Not now."

"When?"

"Later."

"Rangiku..."

"Aaaah! Stop talking about work and stop trying to kick me out! I'm not going now. Can't I spend a little more time with you?" Soon as the words left her lips, she instantly felt like a child. Begging for an extra cookie. She didn't like that feeling and withdrew her arms from him. Toshirou turned fully to face her when she did, recognising that something was wrong. Her frowning, pouting expression made him heave a sigh then he smiled.

He thought she looked like a child, adorable. Had he ever noticed that before? He couldn't remember. "Stop pouting."

"No." Furrowing her brows further and folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

"You can stay. I wasn't kicking you out but you have duty today, I was merely reminding you. Let's have tea."

It was just like him to change the subject so suddenly.

"Maybe I don't want tea."

"You do." In a quick movement he was up and he held out a hand for her.

"Come." The look he gave her defying her to contest or even resist. She looked up at his hand, recognised the look and waited a while before finally taking it. With a prompt tug he had her up on her feet and led her to the small kitchen area of his quarters. Never once, letting go of her hand.

And that, made her smile return.

"It's lucky we saved some cupcakes from last night, hmm? Perfect with morning tea!"

A/N: I wrote this several months ago and only just had time to publish it today but at the time I wasn't much of a fan of shipping these two I more broshipped them than shippy shipped but they sorta grew on me and I can see they could be involved romantically. They're closer to one another than any Captain and Vice captain and their bond is super strong. Plus they're cute together. This story was inspired by a picture I saw of them with Rangiku hugging Toshirou from behind, I can't find it right now which is a shame :( but the story just came from it soon after.

I just hope this little oneshot was enjoyable to read and if you liked it, drop me a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts.