"It's 'Captain Hitsugaya!'"
How many times had Ichigo heard that? Whenever he tried to call Toshiro by his first name, that was always the answer. It was becoming automatic, now. Ichigo had always had a sort of fascination for the white-haired captain, and he was pleased they could be considered friends, now. Friends are supposed to be on a first-name basis, though. That little detail proved to be a constant source of irritation for him. Just once, he wished Toshiro would allow him to call him by his first name.
Maybe it just took a little more effort.
"Hey, Toshiro!" Ichigo called. Toshiro looked over his shoulder, an expression of mild irritation on his face.
"It's 'Captain Hitsugaya,'" he replied, as expected. Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms.
"Why won't you let me call you 'Toshiro?'" he asked.
"Because I'm Captain Hitsugaya!" Toshiro said, annoyed. "It's my title, and you are expected to refer to me as such."
"Couldn't you let loose, just once?" Ichigo stepped closer, putting his hands on his hips. "We're friends, aren't we?"
Toshiro frowned. "Of course," he said hesitantly.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Why was Toshiro so slow to call them friends? "Then let me call you by your first name!" he finally said.
Shaking his head, Toshiro said simply, "No." This made Ichigo bristle.
"Damn it, Toshiro, you're so stubborn."
"It's-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Captain Hitsugaya, I know," Ichigo interrupted, waving his hand. "Look, no one else is even around! It's not like you're on duty or something, and we're friends. Come on, just let me call you 'Toshiro.' I promise I won't when anybody else is around," he pleaded.
Toshiro stared into his eyes thoughtfully. Finally after several moments of silence, he asked, "Why are you so persistent about this?"
Ichigo blinked. "Huh?"
"Why do you want to call me by my first name so badly?"
This made Ichigo think. Why was this so important to him, anyway? Because calling someone by their first name is a sign of intimacy,he decided.
He did a proverbial double-take. Wait, he wanted to... Be intimate with Toshiro? Where had that thought even come from?
"I'm waiting," Toshiro said impatiently, his arms crossed. He cocked his head to one side. "Hey... Is something wrong? Your face is red."
Ichigo put his hand to his cheek, confused. "I-It's nothing," he said quickly. Great, now he was stuttering? What was wrong with him? What was it about the short male that made him so nervous all of a sudden?
Toshiro sighed and uncrossed his arms, "If you have nothing else to say, then I'll be leaving now." He turned to go, but a sudden burst of desperation raced through Ichigo. He grabbed Toshiro by the arm and pulled him back.
"Wait!" he cried. He flushed, embarrassed by his action, but held onto Toshiro's arm. The captain looked at him with those wide, beautiful turquoise eyes of his. Wait, since when had Toshiro's eyes become "beautiful?"
They stared at each other, neither moving. Finally, Toshiro pulled his arm away, a flustered expression on his face. "W-What is it?"
Ichigo was at a loss for words. "I, uh... I just..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yes?"
"I was just a little distracted by your eyes," Ichigo confessed. He realized how stupid that sounded and looked away.
"You... What?" Toshiro sounded puzzled.
"Your eyes..." Ichigo mumbled. "They're really... Beautiful..."
Silence.
He could feel Toshiro's wide-eyed gaze searching him. He refused to meet it, staring into the distance. What was he even doing, thinking Toshiro's eyes were suddenly beautiful? He mentally slapped himself. What a girly thing to say!
He wasn't even angry at himself for sounding stupid, just girly? Where was Renji to come punch some sense into him?
"... Why are you trying so hard to get close to me?" Toshiro murmured, breaking the silence.
Believe me, I want to know the same thing."Because..." Ichigo paused, unsure of what to say. "I don't know," he said lamely. "Recently, I just... I've got this feeling..." He stopped again. Toshiro was silent, so he dove back in.
"Whenever I see you, I get this strange feeling in my chest... And for some reason, you keep appearing in my thoughts. When I'm near you, it feels great, but... When I'm not, I feel so empty..." He trailed off, feeling stupid.
After another awkward pause, Toshiro said slowly, "Me... Me too. You make me feel so strange..."
"Does your chest hurt sometimes?"
Toshiro blinked. "What?"
"That's... How I feel when I'm not with you," Ichigo admitted. "My chest hurts and all I can think about is when I'll see you next. I start to wish that it will snow, because it reminds me of you. And I wonder..." His voice dropped. "I wonder if you're thinking the same things."
"Y... Yes," Toshiro said so quietly Ichigo almost didn't hear it. "I... I do. And honestly, it makes me angry that you want to call me by my first name."
This startled Ichigo. "What? W-Why?"
Toshiro bit his lip. "Because when I ask you why you want to call me that, you always say it's because we're friends. For some reason, I don't like how that sounds. I don't want to be friends with you." He looked up into Ichigo's face, his eyes full of emotion. "I've been trying to figure out what all these feelings are, and I think I finally understand. Ichigo, I... I love you."
His words took a moment for Ichigo to process. He gaped at the white-haired male, his thoughts racing. Love? Was that what those strange, nameless feelings running around in his heart were called? Was that really how he felt about Toshiro?
He bent down and caressed Toshiro's cheek lightly. Those piercing turquoise eyes were watching his every move. Then he smiled.
Yes, he decided, that's what it's called.
"I love you, Toshiro," he murmured.
Toshiro smiled, relief evident in his face. "Somehow... I like it when you use my first name that way."
"Me too." Ichigo closed the gap between them, giving Toshiro a soft, chaste kiss. Toshiro closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss with a happy sigh.
When Ichigo finally pulled away, he asked hopefully, "Does this mean I can call you 'Toshiro' now?"
Toshiro thought for a moment before answering. "Only when you tell me you love me. A-And when no one else is around!" Ichigo laughed and kissed his forehead.
"As you wish."
I love IchiHitsu to death! It's just soooo cute~! Ever since I saw The DiamondDust Rebellion I've loved it... Expect more where this came from!
Review, please! It's what helps me write more!