It is a simple Halloween masquerade. You don't know anybody here. You can't see you friends or family. You don't remember what they dressed up as. It's been hours. The party stared at ten but there is no time limit. People will leave as they please. You're alone, standing to the side. You've dressed up as a cat. The Cheshire cat, of course. No other for the son of the prestigious Kira Company. You're supposedly sly like the Cheshire cat of Alice in Wonderland. You are the only Devil Cat at the party, this you know for sure. So if one of your friends wanted to be with you, they would easily search you out.
You don't know who came as what. You might have recalled Rangiku dressed as a peacock. Or was that Momo? Renji was a wizard… No, wait. Wasn't that Shūhei? You can't remember. You don't even bother to try and find anyone you know anymore. It is clear they want to do other things with their other friends. You pick up a glass of champagne from the table of refreshments beside you and you sip it idly. Maybe you should just go home. Yes, going home suddenly seems like the best idea you've had all night. You tip back the rest of your drink and begin moving through the crowd to the door. You would go around but there is a small chance a friend might see you. You just want to leave; screw friends.
The door to the exit is within sight. You just have to push through this mosh pit. Why there is a mosh pit during a waltz song is beyond you, but you pay it no mind. Just keep walking. You nod to yourself, mainly to assure that it is no business of yours. You rush past the group and sigh in relief. The doors are wide open so you step outside. And your name is called. Not from inside, no, from the foot of the stairs. Someone was coming up the stairs called out to you. Who is it? One of your friends? Or one of your mother's business partners? You glance down to search for features you recognize. The white hair that defied gravity… That could only be… Lord Hitsugaya, one of your classmates that must've come. Oh, Lord Hitsugaya was Momo's half brother or something of the like. Why would he call out to you? You're nothing special, this you know. You remove your mask, happy to be free of its confines; why you agreed to even attend, you don't know. Lord Hitsugaya (you wonder how he can be a lord at only age seventeen. It's absurd.) does the same, removing the blank mask he had been wearing. He was… You note his costume with dry humor. The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. That is rich.
He smiles at you; he is dressed just like Mr. Mad Hatter as you are like the Cheshire cat sans the extra fat. Ridiculous. Also, funny, isn't it? That he should find you. He's never even talked to you before. Maybe he can't find his friends. That's why he's talking to you, you conclude. There is no other reason. He finishes his way up the steps only to have you walk down them, pulling your phone from your pocket. He follows after you, silently. He thinks you didn't hear him. You glare down at your mask as you wait for your driver to pick up. When he does, you tell him you're ready to go. He whines at you and you snarl in annoyance; he too was enjoying the party. However, Lord Hitsugaya butts in and offers to give you a ride home. You inform your driver but not before telling him he's fired. Lord Hitsugaya stares at you as you hang up. You return his stare with an annoyed glare before glowering darkly at the annoying mask you've worn all night. Your nerves have been strained all night. You drop the mask and step on it while Lord Hitsugaya calls his driver.
You fold your arms across your chest, Lord Hitsugaya following the movement with his eyes. How odd. You sigh and ignore his attempts to talk to you. You just want to go home and soak away the stress in the bath. He's being insolent and just out right annoying. And, to make matters worse, it has started to rain. You sigh in annoyance again and tilt your head back, glaring at the sky as it pours water all over you and the Lord beside you. He chuckles for some reason, but the sheets of pouring ran have obscured him from your vision. The only indication to his presence is his hand on your arm so he can lead you when his limo comes. You slap your face with your paw- er- hand. Great. Your parents just had to build a mansion on the outskirts of town for you. You'll probably be staying the night with Lord Hitsugaya at the rate this rain is pouring. He says this and you grudgingly voice your agreement.
He grips your forearm and leads you off. You assume his limousine has arrived. You are correct as you are settled in the back of the limo. He tells his drive you're spending the night despite the fact that this is the first time you've ever spoken. Although it is to be expected since you are the lone heir to the Kira Corps. Multiple chains of hospitals, clothing stores, and interior decorating businesses are going to be yours one day. But you want nothing to do with them. You want to live peacefully as an interior decorator. That's all. But that is another story. Lord Hitsugaya turns to you and smirks smugly at you. You don't know why even as you remove your gloves and place your cell phone in the cup holder beside you. You sigh and then you realize: You and he are soaked and you have no clothes. This stupid costume you're wearing doesn't count as clothes. Your phone starts to ring before you can glare at Lord Hitsugaya. You look at caller I.D. It's Rangiku. You sigh and answer the phone, telling her you're fine and that you wanted to go home. She demands to know why your driver is still there and you inform her you've gone home with someone else. She squeals and announces loudly to whomever will listen that you're finally getting laid. You grin and say 'you wish' before telling her who you're with. She tells them it's a false alarm and says she has to go and just wanted to check on you.
The cellular phone is back in the cup holder and you pull the gloves back on, sprawling out on the seat in a very cat like way. Lord Hitsugaya rolls his eyes and settled back in his Mad Hatter outfit that you still find quite humorous. Whatever. Just drop it, you scold yourself. What does it matter that he's dressed in the same theme as you? You yawn and stretch, looking remarkably cat like. The rest of the car ride is silent. By the time the car pulls into the garage, you are ready to pass out and you know you can't take that oh-so-tempting bath in someone else's house because that's just creepy. You yawn again as you exit the car, stumbling blindly. A 'tsk' later, you find yourself in someone's arms, steadying you out as you finish yawning. You blink a few times and peer blearily at the slightly shorter Lord. He shakes his head, mumbling something about Rangiku before leading you inside. It's not as glamorous as your mansion (clearly there is no 24 karat gold tables in the entry way or pure diamond chandeliers or anything like yours) but it's homey. You can't say that about your mansion. It's much too big for one person since your parents live in the mansion you just vacated. The only homey part of your mansion is your room and only you've ever been in it.
He points out important rooms for you and you note there are two bathrooms on his floor and he has a private bathroom with a pool-sized bath tub in it. Still not as glamorous as your room but you digress. He grabs two fluffy towels from the rack outside of his private bathroom and drags you inside, locking the door. You give him a completely blank look as he hands you a towel. He sighs and mutters something else about Rangiku (you must learn what he's saying) before telling you you're both going to bathe. You stare from behind your one bang, the visible eye twitching. Baths aren't enjoyable when with people. He rolls his eyes at you again and walks to the edge of the bath tub, turning on the four different water faucets. That's one way to fill it completely. He turns on another two that, you note, start filling the pool-tub with bubbles. And… What? Lavender aromatherapy soap. How… That's your favorite, you remark out loud. He casts you a glance and murmurs that it is his as well. And that the bubbles are strawberry scented. You flush at the many thoughts that flood your mind that the word 'strawberry' but shove it off and inform him that strawberry bubble bath is your preferred choice. Once the pool-tube his half-way full, you begin stripping; no use prolonging the inevitable. You set your cat costume in the hamper that Lord Hitsugaya motions to. He says they'll get washed and dried before tomorrow. He then begins to strip as you carry your phone and towel to the edge. You set them down and slowly climb in, letting a sigh of pleasure escape your lips as your body submerges into the water.
You lean your head against the side of the pool-tub and the water ripples, signifying Lord Hitsugaya joining you. The water stops running; he must have shut it off. Hm. You dunk yourself under water, wetting your hair. He is laughing lightly when you come up for air… It sounds so sweet. You open your eyes and offer a smile which he somewhat returns before he copies your previous action. Your eyes twitch, now both visible. His hair still defies gravity. You shake your head obnoxiously, fixing your hair into place. You hear him make an odd sound of either amusement or shock when your single bang settles in its position, already dry.
You open one eye, lazily looking at him as the aromatherapy soap relaxes your body. He is staring at the ceiling so you are free to watching him. He moves slightly and you look away in case he looks at you. You sigh in content and start nodding off and, when this hits you, you jerk awake and announce that you must get it. He asks why and you say you will fall asleep otherwise and it's best for you to get out now rather than later. He sighs, this means he has to get out as well to get you some clothes. He was nodding off, too, however. You note this dryly as you both escape the water and he lets it drain. You begin to dry yourself off, flicking your cell phone off. Your friends have bad habits of calling or texting you in the early hours of the morning and you don't think the little Lord would appreciate being woken up just because you were being told there was a sale at the farmer's market or something equally moronic. He looks at you odd for flicking your phone off, so you ask him if he wants to know there's a sale on beer at Safeway at three in the morning. His answer is a grimace.
He hands you some night clothes and you put them on, running your fingers through your hair. There. Perfect, you note as you see yourself in the full body mirror next to you. You shake your head and sigh, sitting on the bed when you are ordered to by the Lord. He laughs and says for you to get settled in, it'll be better for you. He claps and the lights go out once you've settled in. Funny, you've got the same lights in your room. Soon, is breathing evens out and you can tell he is asleep. You settle into the bed and jostle the bed… He's a heavy sleeper. You thank the Gods. When you sleep, you tend to be… Touchy feely with the closest thing to you. That's why you still sleep with a stuffed animal at home and you rarely let Renji and Shūhei spend the night. They are creeped out when you tangle around them in your sleep. You close your eyes and the last thing you register is him.
When you wake, something is running through your hair. You don't want to get up yet, but whoever you're wrapped around knows you've woken. He tells you to get up… Lord Hitsugaya. Ah yes, you remember now. You grumble and hide against him. He sighs and continues to stroke your hair. You don't mind, however and bury your face in… In what seems to be the crook of his neck. He sighs again and says that you both really should get up. You grumble back that should is the key word and that means you don't have to. He replies that it is advised you both get up and you tell him to shut up and go back to sleep. He chuckles and you groan, giving in. Yet… You don't want to let him go. You nuzzle his neck and he giggles. Wait… he giggles? You smirk and do it again, eliciting more giggles from him. He whines for you to stop and there is a knock on the door that gets answered by more giggles. He tells you to stop it sternly but you ignore him.
You think he's cute and you tell him so. You feel him tense as the door swings open. He relaxes, murmuring the word 'maid' and he continues stroking your hair. You mumble about your phone and he leans over you to get it. You hear the familiar dings of it turning on and he announces you have three missed calls and four texts. You snatch the phone from him and roll away. Rangiku, Gin, Rangiku. Renji, Momo, Mother, Byakuya. The calls announce random sales at the farmer's market, Renji wanted to know if you would hang out today, Momo wanted you to call her, Mother wanted to know where you got to, and Byakuya was (again) asking if you would go out with him. You roll your eyes and text replies and tell Momo you'll call her when you get home. Lord Hitsugaya pounces on you and snuggles against you once you set your phone down.
"I can see why you dressed up as the Cheshire cat," he whispers.
"Do tell," you respond.
"Neh, guess… Izuru."
You reprimand him, "Tōshirō." He giggles.
"You were very… Sly while sleeping, Izuru." He sighs, his sweet scented breath dancing across your face.