A/N: Well, this is my new story, it's pretty much only HitsuIchi near the end. Although I think it can go further than just a one shot, but it will only do so if you find it popular and worth carrying on so review or something just so I know :) thanks! I've also put it as a poll on my profile. :3
By the way, it's rated K at the moment for safety, but if I do continue this, I believe the rating will increase to M :)
"Well whadya know! Kurosaki can handle his saki pretty well." Ikkaku said as he gave Ichigo a once over.
"I've had to learn to keep up with you lot." Ichigo laughed before draining the rest of his cup.
It had been four years since Ichigo had met Rukia Kuchiki and became a Substitute Soul Reaper and now, one rescue mission and a war later, he sat there surrounded by his friends in the Squad 11 dinner hall, drinking saki and having a good time.
The way he saw it, his life was almost perfect, it was exciting. He had a loving family that cared about him, good friends in the world of the living who brought some normality to his life (well except Keigo, there was nothing normal about Keigo), his good friends in the Soul Society who he fought side by side with in the war, the friends that journeyed between the two almost as much as he did and the ability to protect all of those that he loved. Almost perfect.
Although he had enough friends to last him a life time, he still felt a little lonely, a loneliness that clenched at his heart every time he looked at his coupled friends. It was like there was a little piece of his heart missing that could only be replaced by someone deeper than a friend. Now, since being young, he had always had an inkling that he was ay, but now, after the war, he knew for sure.
Ichigo looked up to the person sitting opposite him at the table, chocolate brown eyes meaning turquoise ones.
Ichigo Kurosaki liked Toushiro Hitsuguya. He liked him a lot. The white haired boy smiled a small smile at Ichigo before returning to his cup of sake, listening to the conversation around them. Ichigo had noticed that the boy had opened up to him, to everyone, more recently, which was round about the time Ichigo had finally seen a small glimpse into his true personality.
The first time Ichigo had noticed something like this was the time he had come down to the world of the living with his team of oddbods and admitted he was genuinely there for a visit. No lame excuse about work or a mission. Ichigo smiled at the memory of that weekend before being dragged from his musings by Renji forcing another cup of sake into his hands with one of his feral smiles which were, surprisingly, not evil in anyway. He was like a little puppy with sharp fangs, though, if he ever heard himself described like that, Ichigo could say hello to Hihio Zabimaru.
Ichigo no longer distracted by Renji's insistent sake serving, looked back at Toushiro who, at this moment in time, was sitting cross legged and laughing at something Yumichika had said, his eyes shining brightly in the dimly lit hall.
Rangiku stood, wobbling slight before turning to her captain.
"Come daaaaaaaaaaaaaance."
Toushiro laughed before shaking his head at his drunk lieutenant as Yachiru jumped up onto the well endowed girls shoulder.
"Please Whitey-chan?"
The captain's eye twitched. He may be more light hearted than before, but some things still got on his nerves.
"Lieutenant Kusajishi, I am you're superior and I am not a child, please refer to me in a proper manner."
Yachiru frowned slightly before her mouth stretched into a wide grin, "Please Whitey-kun??" She's obviously not the brightest bulb in the box when it came to honorifics…or captains names…
Toushiro's eye twitched again, but he let it go. "Just go dance."
Rangiku pouted, but did as she was told, Yachiru hanging onto her shoulder and swinging from side to side.
Kenpachi, who was lying next to the table laughed, "Makes a change that it isn't me."
Ichigo laughed at the large captain before turning to Toushiro. "I would have done it shorty, she could have made it worth you're while." He smirked.
"Shut up Kurosaki, and I'm not short!" He retorted, and quite truthfully too. The boy had hit a growth spurt not long after the war was over and now stood just three inches under Ichigo at 5'6".
"You're still shorter than me." Ichigo laughed. He may like the guy, but he was way to fun to tease. Plus, this gave him a way to hide his affections from everyone, considering only one person knew of his crush.
"I could still kick you're ass." He replied, scowling slightly.
Ichigo laughed as the not-so-little captain looked away when his name was called by a soul reaper he didn't know. He continued to look at him for a while before tearing his eyes away, aware that staring for too long could cause some awkward questions.
It wasn't long before Ichigo dragged his ass up off his cushion and excused himself. He hadn't seen his fellow ryoka for a few hours now so he set off across the room to where they were sitting, wobbling every now an again. Sure he could handle the sake but he wasn't immune to it.
"Whaddup." Ichigo grinned, flopping down onto the only spare cushion around the table between Rukia and Uryu.
Orihime smiled brightly with a simple, "Hello Kurosaki-kun," and Rukia snorted smiling towards her past savior. Uryu pushed his glasses up and muttered a quiet hello while Chad nodded in his direction. Yoruichi who was leaning on the table, clearly drunk, didn't even notice his arrival.
"So what are we talking about?" Ichigo asked, snagging the sake jug from the centre of the table and pouring a glass, before jokingly adding, "And don't laugh at my cool slang Rukia."
"It wouldn't be cool if it were incased in my Tsugi no mai, Hakuren." Wow, smack talk. "And we're actually listening to one of Yoruichi's stories."
"So anyway!" Yoruichi slurred, right on cue. "I snuck up on Ichigo while he was training a couple of weeks ago and changed from my cat form. I called for him so he would turn around and, honestly, you should have seen his face! He blushed and screamed before running away with his eyes closed until he ran head first into a big rock-"
"I think they've heard enough," Ichigo interrupted, turning her attention to him.
"Oh Ichigo! I was just talking about that time-"
"I was here when you started the story."
"You were?"
Ichigo nodded and laughed at the confused look that graced her drunken features. She was then however saved from further thought by Soi Fon flash stepping to her side. The little woman began yelling at Ichigo, making wild allegations that Ichigo had gotten 'her Lady Yoruichi' drunk to seduce her. Same as every other time.
"I'd only just gotten here!" Ichigo yelled after her as she was dragged off somewhere by the drunken cat woman. "Jeez guys! How much did you give her?!"
"She had a couple of mouthfuls then when she wasn't looking, we poured her cup back in the jug." Orihime blinked.
Ichigo whistled. "Good call."
He looked around the room, though it was still early there were some soul reapers around that had clearly drank enough already. He laughed as he saw Kira go face first into a wall and then to the floor on the other side of the room.
"What's funny?"
He turned at the sound of Rukia's voice. "Oh, Kira fell over."
Rukia snickered and then leaned in. "I just remembered that I haven't told you, earlier on Orihime…"
****
"Orihime and Uryu sitting in a tree!" Ichigo howled
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Rukia continued.
Orihime blushed scarlet but laughed all the same. Uryu sat in a stony silence, glaring at the pair and wishing they wouldn't make such a big deal out of it. The black haired boy chose to stand and storm off to a place where composed people would be, he hated when the they got like this.
"Oh no, see what you did!" Orihime said, trying not to laugh some more, "Uryu come back!" The strawberry blonde stood and followed after him.
Rukia and Ichigo couldn't respond for laughing. The strawberry reached for the sake container and swished it about, face falling when it was empty.
"But where has all the sake gone?" Rukia asked before laughing at her Pirates of the Caribbean reference. Ichigo regretted showing the soul reapers that movie.
"I'll go get some more." Ichigo went to push himself off the ground until something grasped his wrist.
"Wait, I wanna ask you something."
Ichigo sat back down and waited, slightly surprised.
"When are you gonna tell Captain Hitsugaya you like him?" Remember how he'd told one person? Well, it was her obviously.
Ichigo blushed as scarlet as Orihime and gave her a look. "How about never? Idiot." He added the last as a murmur.
Rukia smacked Ichigo around the back of the head. "Don't call me an idiot. And I think you should tell him, it sucks to watch you pine over him and not giving yourself a chance."
"I'm not pining!"
"Sure, whatever."
"And he's probably not that way inclined."
"Not that way inclined?" Rukia laughed a little at the expression. "Think about it Ichigo, have you ever seen him with a boy or a girl?"
Ichigo shook his head.
"Then how do you know? Just go for it, and then pass it off as a drunken dare I gave you if it goes badly."
Ichigo gave her another look. "I dunno Rukia, it sounds too…too…"
"Too much like a perfect opportunity?"
"Too risky." He finished.
"Come on Ichigo, do it for me?"
He shook his head.
"If not for me, then do it for Chappy?"
Ichigo snorted, making Rukia swat at his arm.
"Please? Or I'll tell him instead and I'll make sure he knows I'm not joking."
Ichigo looked at her, horrified. "You wouldn't."
"You want to test that theory?" She smirked, she knew that would get him.
"You are pure evil."
"I have been told, now run along young Ichigo."
Ichigo scowled and stood up, he turned and said one last thing before walking away. "I'm getting drunker first."
Rukia smiled at her best friends retreating back She would admit she had a good feeling about it, but she couldn't be sure how well this would go. Shrugging her shoulders, she stood up and wandered off in a random direction hoping to find someone she knew.
***
Ichigo stood up from the table he had occupied with Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika, dropping his empty cup on the table before almost going his length. Once he rebalanced himself he raised his hands in the air like he was a trophy winner.
Renji howled with laugher while Ikkaku and Yumichika clapped ferociously.
"And he sticks the standing!" Yumichika catcalled as Ichigo stumbled away and tripped.
"Shame he can't stick a landing." Ikkaku added as Ichigo lay sprawled on the floor for a few seconds before getting up. As he stood he looked straight ahead and saw him.
The snowy haired Toushiro was standing against the wall, staring right at him. Ichigo blushed and waved, he didn't care how much of a fool he looked. The smaller mans face turned slightly red as he gave him a quick smile and walked left, heading in the direction of the exit.
Ichigo hurried after him. If there was anytime to confess his love, it was now. He got halfway there before he was stopped by Rangiku.
"Dance!" She all but screamed as she begun spinning Ichigo on the spot, faster and faster. Ichigo fell out of his spinning into Shuhei and Kira, who grabbed him to stop him from tumbling. His head was spinning and his stomach was protesting, but he had to catch Toushiro. He quickly apologized to them before hurrying off unsteadily to the toilets. He stumbled through the door separating the dining hall from a corridor and was shocked to find Toushiro standing looking out of the window.
He looked shocked as the clearly drunk strawberry stumbled in, using the wall as support. Sure, he was drunk too, and slyly using the windowsill for balance, but Ichigo was in far worse condition. He watched the orange haired savior look at him in surprise, but then a weird look passed over his features as he slowly, but surely, approached the captain.
"I need to talk to you." Ichigo slurred.
"What is it?" Toushiro asked, throwing out and arm and grabbing Ichigo before he fell.
Ichigo looked down into those turquoise eyes that he'd been wishing would look at him the same way with for what felt like forever.
'His eyes are such a beautiful colour…' Ichigo thought.
"Ichigo?" He was brought round from his daze.
'Just say it.'
"What is it?" Toushiro asked, slightly confused.
'He looks so cute looking up at me like that…' A weird look came over Ichigo's face, glazing his eyes. He looked…peaceful? Happy? Contented? Something like that.
Ichigo regarded him for few more seconds. "I – I really like you."
Toushiro laughed nervously, unsure of what to say.
"Ichigo, I think you're a bit too drunk-"
"No!" Ichigo practically shouted, gripping Toushiro's upper arms. "I know I'm drunk, but this is probably the only time I'll ever have the guts to say this. I'm serious. I l-like you. As more than a friend"
Toushiro's eyes widened but, before he could even say anything, Ichigo had bent down and pressed his lips against Toushiro's hard.
Toushiro's heart skipped a beat over the initial shock of the unexpected kiss. Ichigo's heart fluttered as he continued to kiss the boy, but his head was spinning more and more. His stomach churned, he knew this feeling. His head was spinning so much he felt he could barely stand it anymore, and then his stomach lurched. Ichigo ripped himself away from the white haired boy and tore into the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet in time before he emptied his stomach into the toilet.
His breathing came in loud pants as he continued to throw up into the toilet, unaware that Toushiro had followed him. The small man began to rub Ichigo's back and, when he was finished, he hoisted him up so that he was leaning on him.
"Damn you're heavy Kurosaki."
"But you love me for it." The strawberry slurred, only half awake.
"Come on fool." He said, "We need to get you somewhere to sleep this off."
"Thanks Toushiro."
Toushiro smiled, "Don't mention it."
A/N: I think this could blossom into a short multi-chap, or even maybe a long multi-chap if I can think of a good enough plot so, like I said before, review and let me know what you're thinking!
MisaxMisa: Ichigo vomited! :X
Ichigo: Leave me alone, I was fine 'til Rangiku used me as a spinning top!
MisaxMisa: Suuuure.
Rangiku: Don't blame me!
Toushiro: Why not? A lot of things are your fault.
MisaxMisa…Toushiro…that was harsh.