This is not the first time Hitsugaya has found himself outside Karin's window, hoping that she will see him.
But this is the first time he's reigned in his control of his reiatsu, running the risk of her slumbering father or brother sensing him. Or worse, some shinigami on patrol might recognise him - he is not meant to be here. She finds him first, she's always been uncannily tuned to his signature, and throws open the window. She's wearing nothing but a tank top and too-small shorts, and she hisses when the cool night air touches her warm skin.
"What are you doing here? Come in!" she whispers, gesturing frantically. He moves forward, landing on her windowsill. He will not enter just yet.
He thinks she looks beautiful in the moonlight, her pale skin glowing silver and her hair a polished black. She sits back on her bed, her dark eyes meeting his. "What are you doing here, Toushirou?" There is fear in her voice, fear for him - she knows he has broken the law by coming here.
"I couldn't stay away," he murmurs. The night is secretkeeper to the promises he makes her. "I knew I should. I'm putting you in danger by being here-"
"Don't worry about me!" she whispers harshly, mindful of her family sleeping beyond the walls of her bedroom. "What about you? What will they do to you?"
"Use your imagination," he says dryly.
"Then why did you come?"
He meets her eyes steadily. "I couldn't stay away."
And maybe his resolve finally gets through to her, because she pulls him down to her bed and kisses him at last, burning his promise into her skin.
This is not the first time Hitsugaya has found himself outside Karin's window and, as he retreats before the rising sun finds him, the untold truth a bitter weight in his heart, he knows it will not be the last.
Karin lies wide awake in the darkness, sleep a thousand miles away, and listens for a sound in the silence.
He slips in, as quiet as the ghost she pretends he isn't, and presses cool lips to the back of her neck. Karin doesn't respond, feigning sleep, but that doesn't stop him, icy fingers slipping under her pyjama top and sliding against her sides. She bucks and squeals into her pillow, and she hears Toushirou's warm chuckle over her ear.
"Not sleeping now, are we?"
Karin twists under the warm cage of his body and entwines her arms around his neck. Toushirou leans down willingly to meet her lips with his own.
"Stay with me tonight?" she murmurs breathlessly when they seperate.
"As long as you want," he promises, and bends to kiss her again.
Karin rises with the sun and throws open the curtains, but there is nobody outside her window.
Hitsugaya sheathes his sword, the frozen Menos shattering behind him. Adrenaline sings in his blood as he walks back to Karin, who's staring at him with open awe.
He doesn't stop once he reaches her, gathering her in his arms and kissing her fiercely. Karin responds immediately, moaning and arching into him as his hands skip over familiar curves he's traced a million times before.
"I love watching you fight," she pants as they break apart, both breathing too heavily to be strictly appropriate for public. Not that it matters, any humans nearby have been knocked out by the Hollow's malevolent reiatsu.
"Is that why you put yourself in danger so often?" He can barely get the words out before Karin tugs him down again, humming a vague response against his mouth. He knows how she feels, the thrill of the fight is still coursing through him, and he can't help but run his hands down her back and lower still, pulling her hips closer to his.
Karin gasps and moans his name in desperate entreaty, and he breathes hers back like a prayer.
Hitsugaya sheathes his sword, the frozen Menos shattering behind him. Adrenaline sings in his blood as he walks back to Karin, who's staring at him with open awe. "You should be more careful," he says. "I won't always be here to save you." He doesn't stick around to wait for a response.
Karin's hands grip the metal railing tightly. Above her, the evening sky is lit up in shades of orange and yellow. Her lips curve up as she hears the approaching footsteps and sure enough, a moment later, a pair of strong arms wrap around her.
"Come on, we're ready to go," Toushirou says, and presses a kiss to the exposed skin of her shoulder. "Haru misses you," he adds. Karin twists in his arms so she can see where the rest of her family is standing.
Ichigo is holding up the picnic hamper so that Rukia can buckle the lid down properly, both of them bickering affectionately. Isshin is flailing dramatically, pretending to be a monster of some sort in order to amuse Ichigo's and Rukia's children while Matsumoto laughs boisterously at him. Yuzu stands a little apart from the mayhem, Karin's eight-month-old son in her arms. Baby Haru coos delightedly as his aunt runs a hand through his spiky black hair.
"Yes, I see that," Karin laughs, twisting more fully so she can face her husband. She places her finger over his scowl, and Toushirou's forehead smooths out immediately. Smiling, Karin leans up to press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"Oi, you two, let's get going!"
Toushirou heaves a longsuffering sigh at Ichigo's irate call, but his shoulders are loose and his eyes are bright as he slips a hand through Karin's and tugs lightly.
"Let's go," he says, and Karin follows him without a backwards glance.
Karin's hands grip the metal railing tightly. Above her, the evening sky is lit up in shades of orange and yellow. Her lips curve up as she hears the approaching footsteps and sure enough, a moment later, a pair of strong arms wrap around her.
"Hey, why do you come here?" her husband murmurs. Karin looks down. Her bangs fall forward, forming a curtain around her face. The final rays of the setting sun warm her cheeks but do nothing for the bittersweet smile twisting her lips.
"It brings back memories."
A/N: Constructive criticism is always welcome!