Many shinigami couldn't imagine their officers out of the line of duty. The lowest ranked of eleventh division shinigami couldn't very well imagine what Zaraki-taichou might wear to bed just as soon as the average twelfth divisioner didn't think to imagine what sort of atrocities hid beneath Kurotsuchi Mayuri's impassive mask.
Hinamori Momo, however, was an exception to this rule. For an officer, she simply seemed less imposing than, say, Soi Fong or even Unohana. It wasn't that she wasn't a capable officer. She just seemed far more approachable than many of her comrades. For one thing, she seemed less prone to whistling down the halls covered in gore as one Ichimaru Gin might. In fact, it was of the general consensus of most shinigami that Hinamori Momo was one of the few officers that could be easily imagined into an apron (the Kotetsu sisters were rumored to be others and no one was quite certain why it was so easy to imagine Kira in an apron per se).
However, none of the shinigami could have guessed how right they truly were. Hinamori Momo was, indeed, one of the few shinigami officers that would frequently don an apron and, although the contents of her cooking were best left unasked, those that ate it could attest to the fact that it was at least edible.
Although, many might say that 'requiring a trip to the fourth division afterwards' did not so much count as edible which might have been why, when presented with a wide pan of brown mush, Hitsugaya gave her a questioning eyebrow raise.
"What is this?" he finally asked, his voice as flat as he stared at the atrocity. He gave it a poke. It jiggled almost menacingly.
"A pumpkin pie!" Hinamori chirped encouragingly, "For the holidays!"
The holidays, of course, were a word Hinamori had picked up to describe the season in general. She hadn't fully understood the purpose behind them, but the important thing was that it was an excuse to spoil her friends and family, something she definitely couldn't pass up on! What the holidays were about, although important Hinamori was sure, was simply not as important as letting those around her know how much she cared. Aizen-taichou had already gotten a packet of neatly wrapped cookies and Hinamori was already thinking of what to give Matsumoto.
"But wh-" Hitsugaya broke off in frustration. The logic of the situation wasn't exactly coming and it was made even worse by the fact that she was hovering. He hated when she hovered, especially when he was sitting. It made her feel even taller than ever and that growth spurt adults had been promising him for years hadn't come yet. There was something just plain wrong about being shorter than your stupid best friend.
He nudged the pie to the side of his desk inconspicuously, "Okay, I'll eat it later, then."
Hitsugaya lifted his brush and penned the next few words of his report only to freeze once more under her expectant eyes. His grip tightened as he once more gave the pie a guilty look. The brown sludge in a dish gave no reaction in return.
Hitsugaya snuck Hinamori one last glance before heaving a sigh, "Fine, just one piece."
The glee on her face almost made up for the trip to Unohana's.