Enjoy.

It was less than a week before Christmas and everyone was in high spirits. Everywhere he turned as he walked through the division halls, his subordinate's faces held smiles. Hitsugaya had finally given his vice captain permission to go on a solo, non-business related mission so that she would stop pestering him about her need to do Christmas shopping. His office was quieter, much to his relief, and now he could work in peace. Entering the cold room with a cup of newly brewed Earl Grey tea, he took a seat behind his desk and proceeded to organize his documents. There weren't as many hollow incidents because of the current season, but after New Years the numbers would rise like clockwork.

Rifling through the stack for a particular budget report, he inhaled the soothing scent of his tea before taking a long sip. Setting his cup back on the table, he continued scanning the year's expenses and wrote small notes on a separate sheet of paper every so often. In the distance he could hear the chimes signaling the time: four o'clock. He had two more hours of solid daylight for work. As he was about to undertake another financial report, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Rising from his seat he walked over to the coffee table situated in front of his couch. On top was a solitary red candle, already lit and emitting a sweet smell.

"Strange…This wasn't here when I left," he muttered to himself.

Lifting up the candle, his eyebrow rose in curiosity when he saw a small piece of paper stuck to the bottom. Setting the object down, he picked up the note, recognizing Matsumoto's messy scrawl.

'Captain,

I found this tucked away in your desk when I was cleaning up. I don't know why you don't use it more often; it smells heavenly! I'm leaving for the Senkaimon as soon as I finish writing this. I'll see you when I get back tomorrow!

~Matsumoto'

For a brief second, Hitsugaya wondered what he should be more suspicious about: Matsumoto cleaning his work area or her snooping about his belongings. Reaching out to snuff out the small flame, he paused, becoming entranced with how it flickered and swayed. Staring deeply into its center, a memory came to the forefront of his drowsy mind.

Some people believed the greatest of romances begin with a glance from across the room that leaves both beings weak in the knees and floating on cloud nine. With just a look. This was not the case for two specific Shinigami.

One month ago Kurosaki Ichigo had approached him, Hitsugaya Toshiro, with a single white rose and a confession. Before a proper response could be formed, the substitute Shinigami told him not to think too much about it because it was something he 'wanted to get off his chest'.'Without another word, the orange haired teen left quietly and didn't look back.

Sadly, telling him 'not to think too much about it' had the exact opposite effect on the captain. Every waking minute thereafter was spent contemplating the teen's words and actions and picking at every little thing that could have sparked Ichigo's interest, and subsequent attraction, towards him. Each night his vice captain would find him staring out at the night sky, almost as if the stars could provide him the answer he was looking for.What traits of his could the young Shinigami possibly find appealing? He couldn't find many due to his cold demeanor and he was confident that his admirer wasn't so shallow to only care for looks. And just how long had he been regarded in such a way? They had met many times in the past, held decent conversations, and fought alongside each other. There was also the conspiracy surrounding his defect from Soul Society because of Kusaka's greed, but did any of those happenings give Kurosaki enough time to develop feelings?

Unsurprisingly, it was yet another human tradition that brought him what he needed. White day: exactly one month after the day of roses and chocolates. Exactly one month after Kurosaki Ichigo's damn confession.

Luckily he had been able to file for a two day rest leave on such short notice. Within minutes of arriving to Karakura, he headed off to the Shoten to check up on the two Espadas and pick up his gigai. The pair had just returned from their noon time class at Karakura University and waited with him in the small receiving room. While Grimmjow dozed off against the wall, the former Cuatro Espada made an uncharacteristic attempt at engaging Hitsugaya in conversation. By the time Urahara had come back with the gigai, Ulquiorra and Toshiro were in a light hearted discussion about human customs.

With a thanks and an assurance to stop by before he returned to Soul Society, the white haired male took his leave. He took his time walking four blocks up to the Kurosaki household, allowing himself to relax his nerves for the stunt he was about to pull. When he reached the well-known house, he debated whether he should go through the front door or through Ichigo's window as he and many others had done time and time again. Considering the circumstances, he figured it would be best to knock on the front door and be admitted properly. Three knocks later he was face to face with a smiling girl with light brown hair. If he remembered correctly, her name was Yuzu, one of the Kurosaki sisters. The young girl happily invited him in, recognizing him as her brother and sister's friend. When she led him up to Ichigo's room and called out to her brother to open the door, Toshiro was greatly amused by the dumbfounded look on the teen's face when he saw the captain outside his room.

After Yuzu left the two of them, a giddy smile on her lips, Kurosaki moved aside to allow the shorter male entrance. Instead of taking him up on the offer, he reached into his back pocket and brought out a bookmark with a pressed flower acting as the main decoration. It was a single white violet against a lilac paper with a white ribbon attached at the top to act as a page marker. Toshiro quietly held out his hand, offering the small trinket to the orange haired youth who accepted it tentatively. Without another word the Shinigami turned around, walked back the way he came and showed himself to the door, making sure to thank Yuzu on his way out.

He then made his way to Orihime's apartment to confirm his use of her spare bedroom for the night and to change out of his trademark black polo and grey pants. Three hours later, he was standing outside a Chinese restaurant wearing a thin black jacket over forest-green dress shirt, black slacks, and black leather shoes, waiting for Ichigo to show up.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

Toshiro exhaled slowly as he brushed off invisible dust from his pants, a sad attempt at calming his nerves. His eyes trailed up and down the sidewalk, searching the crowds. It was getting cold, something he relished, but it didn't hold the usual comforting effect he was hoping for. The icy captain of the tenth division cursed his common sense, or lack thereof, for thinking this could possibly work.

Underneath the bookmark he had given Kurosaki as a White Day present was a folded piece of paper with the restaurant's address and a certain time written on it. A simple invitation for dinner. Something must be wrong with him—maybe he contracted some sort of mind altering virus that made him act without inhibition? No such luck. He had passed all health protocol at his last check up two weeks prior. Still, this was entirely out of character for him. And then there was the problem of what he was hoping to get out of this pending encounter. Another date? A whole string of dates? A solid relationship? He shook the questions out of his head; it would be best if he took this one step at a time without frantically jumping around considering the fact that the 'date' hadn't even started yet. If anything good should result from tonight, then the two of them would work out what they wanted when the time came.

Sighing under his breath he checked the time on his cell phone. Whether it was his desire to be on time or that he was still nervous, Hitsugaya had arrived to the meeting spot an hour ahead of schedule. Leaning back against the light pole he scanned the crowd again, waiting for the familiar mop of spiky orange hair. Catching himself, he shook his head at his repeated foolishness and pulled out his phone again.

"I'm being such an idiot," he muttered to himself as he checked his phone for any messages from Soul Society. "I wrote down eight o'clock and I keep looking up, expecting to see him pop out of nowhere."

"Expecting who?"

Eyes widening, Toshiro's head whipped to the side and found himself on the receiving end of one of Ichigo's rare smiles. He was wearing a black blazer, a simple white v-neck, grey jeans, and a pair of well-worn red converse. Subconsciously, he couldn't help thinking the college student cleaned up well…Really well. The two stared at each other until the captain knocked some sense back into his mind and shut his phone with a snap. Pushing off from the light pole, he walked over to stand in front of his admirer, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and sifting through his thoughts for a proper greeting.

"I'm not late, am I," Kurosaki asked worriedly, checking his wristwatch. "I got kind of lost getting here and I'm not too good at remembering-"

"You came."

Not as confident as he had wanted, but it would have to do.

"Well, when a certain white haired captain shows up at my doorstep, gives me a beautiful bookmark with an invitation to dinner written on a folded paper," Ichigo trailed off, pulling out said paper to wave it in the air. "I can't help but be curious."

"And I can assure you, you're not the only curious one."

Ichigo broke their eye contact to take in the surrounding area while inhaling deeply, a frown marring his lips.

"I'm sorry for walking away so suddenly last time," he responded in a low voice, eyes returning to Hitsugaya's. "I didn't really think you'd respond to my confession so I left as soon as I could."

"I understand. What I don't understand, however, is your feelings," the shorter male admitted, "or the basis for them, either."

An easy smile spread across his face just then, causing Toshiro to partially forget what he had just said.

"I guess that's to be expected," Kurosaki conceded with a shrug. "So…what now?"

"It's up to you Kurosaki," Toshiro murmured softly, forcing his feet to stay still. "We still have…another half hour before our reservation comes up…"

"You made a reservation," the student asked, obviously surprised.

"Is that so strange?"

"Uh, not really, it's just-You thought this out pretty well, huh?"

Eyeing the teen, Hitsugaya nodded.

"I am not the type to jump into a situation without thinking it through."

"I figured as much."

"…"

"Um, would you like to sit down with me," Ichigo asked, gesturing to a nearby bench, trying to avoid an awkward silence.

The two quietly took a seat on the restaurant's wooden waiting bench, not too far to be thought of as strangers, but not close enough to be considered anything more than friendly acquaintances. Five minutes passed in companionable silence as the two Shinigami watched people walk by.

"Why a white rose?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you present me with a white rose on Valentine's Day," Toshiro asked with his head turned away in hopes of hiding his blush. "Don't most humans exchange red or pinkish roses on that day?"

The student nodded, watching various White Day couples pass by with interlinked hands.

"I suppose red and pink would be the norm for that day but," he paused, searching for the right words. "…A white rose seemed fitting. It represents innocence, purity, and remembrance…And to me, all of that fit you perfectly."

Glancing at the boy seated next to him, Ichigo found a pair of blue-green eyes looking back at him with a blush covering his pale cheeks. Seeing this, the teen couldn't help but blush at how cute the captain looked. Both of them turned their heads away at the same time in an attempt to dispel their reddened faces. Running a hand through his already messy hair, Ichigo leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

"…Why a white violet," he asked quietly, observing Hitsugaya from the corner of his eye. "I've never seen anything like it before. Does it have a meaning?"

Toshiro stiffened a bit. Feeling the body next to him tense up, Ichigo tilted his head, brown eyes boring into teal. They both acknowledged the intensity they felt when their eyes connected for what seemed like the hundredth time in that day alone. Slowly, everything around them melted away and all the noises became dull and unintelligible. At some point Hitsugaya swore he could hear both their heartbeats from the silence that had fallen over the two. The captain found himself amazed with Ichigo's eyes; they weren't just brown, but a warm chocolate brown with flecks of hazel around the iris.

"White violets are rare. As is any relationship between a mortal and a Shinigami…"

His head was becoming fuzzy with how Ichigo's breaths were mingling with his own.

"They signify…taking chances."

A loud ringing noise was coming from Toshiro's cell phone, alerting him of a message. Both Shinigami jumped away from each other, hearts beating rapidly and faces flushed at what almost happened. Snatching his phone, he mentally cursed it and himself. Flipping it open, he saw the text was from Matsumoto.

'Captain!

Please don't forget to bring me back a present! And tell Kurosaki-kun, Orihime-chan, and Rukia-san that I said, "Hello!"

Thank you!

~Matsumoto (^.^)'

"Matsumoto..."

Hearing the growl, Ichigo turned back to see what was wrong. He had to admit, though, the image of Toshiro glaring at his phone with a barely perceptible pout almost got him blushing again.

"Bad news?"

"For my lieutenant, yes. Some very, very, bad news…"

Eyebrows raised in amusement, Ichigo shook his head as he eyed the death grip the shorter male had on the electronic.

"I'm not sure who I should pity more: Matsumoto, that phone, or the replacement phone you're getting once that thing gives way."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and shoved his cell back into his jacket pocket.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're a comedic genius, Kurosaki, but don't drop out of school on my account," Hitsugaya retorted, his bark losing some of its bite.

"I don't know about 'comedic genius,'" he commented lightly. "But it's better than being called a 'hot-headed pain in the ass.'"

"I thought it was a term of endearment," Toshiro quipped, a smile appearing on his lips.

Both feeling at ease with the other, their friendly banter continued for some time and as the night went on, they drifted closer to each other. When Kurosaki wrapped his arm around the back of the bench and Toshiro's shoulders in a friendly manner, the action was met with a curious glance. For some reason, it felt right. Any nervousness that had wracked the Shinigami's stomach was forgotten the moment he saw Ichigo smiling at him again. Doubts about what was to come were stored away for another time, both of them simply content in the other's presence. They weren't normal and they both acknowledged that fact. They were male, one was alive while the other had passed on centuries ago, and their personalities were comparable to night and day. It was fitting that they had forgotten about the dinner reservation Toshiro had made.

Love at fist sight was overrated at best, and easily overlooked by those who knew better.

Sneak Peek for the next chapter:

"I shouldn't be here. I need to get back to-"

"Then why did you come?"

"I don't know."