Thank you all for the birthday wishes, I had a lovely day~
This is a cheeky little present to myself (hbd 2 me), so it's less canon-based and more 'off road into Geishaaa's wildly fluffy imagination' xD
…
Crush
One of the greatest, most amusing days in Isshin's captaincy career was the day he realised his little third seat had a crush.
Toshiro's first crush, probably.
Oh how Isshin remembered his own first crush. He had been little too, possibly younger than Toshiro in physical age equivalent. Isshin had adored the young princess Yoruichi Shihoin – they had once been neighbours. At the height of his crush, Isshin had been driven to embarrassing blushes and stumbling on his words, while the purple haired girl had just giggled at him.
Isshin's father had teased Isshin relentlessly about it of course, while Mari had thought it was sweet, especially when a young Isshin had turned up at the dinner table one evening and claimed Yoruichi was his 'girlfriend'. Thankfully, Isshin siblings had been too young to know what was going on – in fact, Ganju hadn't even been born yet – otherwise Isshin surely would have been laughed at.
Of course it was all perfectly innocent – Isshin and Yoruichi had been children, they didn't have the hormones for it to be anything but puppy love. They had held hands a couple of times, and Isshin thought he remembered once getting a kiss on the cheek from the Shihoin princess.
It was all very sweet.
Especially now that Isshin was watching his kid's first crush, and now he understood his parents' reactions to his first one.
It was just too adorable.
Isshin became aware of Toshiro's little crush during a visit to the Thirteenth Division. The captain had been invited to have afternoon tea with Squad Thirteen's Captain Ukitake as Jushiro was a long-time friend of his, and they would be joined by the Thirteenth's lieutenant and third seat, or as Isshin usually referred to them as, his brother Kaien and his sister-in-law Miyako. Isshin had brought Toshiro along at Kaien's suggestion, but mostly to get him out of the stuffy old office for a few hours, and because he knew Ukitake adored the kid.
Kaien greeted them at the Captain's Office door, giving Isshin a one-armed hug and ruffling Toshiro's hair.
"No Rangiku today?" Kaien asked.
"She's holidaying in the Living World this week," Isshin sighed. "Probably racking up quite a bill on the Squad Ten credit card."
Kaien snorted at that, leading them to where Ukitake was sitting by the fire place. He was pale but in good spirits as Miyako fussed around him, making sure his legs were covered in a blanket.
"Hey Juu," Isshin smiled at the older man, and reached out to shake his hand.
"Sorry Isshin," the long-haired captain sighed. "I'd stand to greet you properly, but I am a little weak today."
"It's not a problem," Isshin waved him off, sitting down in a chair opposite him. "I'm glad to see you out of bed."
"Yes," Ukitake sipped on his tea carefully, "it's been a hard couple of cold winter days, but I am feeling better."
Isshin smiled weakly as Ukitake's attention fell to Toshiro and asked him for a hug. The boy complied, still standing shorter than the sitting man's height. Ukitake had been sick for so many years now, the entire time Isshin had been alive in fact, and unfortunately the illness hadn't been cured. It made Isshin sad to think that something as horrible as that to could happen to a man as wonderful as Jushiro Ukitake. There was not a nicer, gentler captain in Gotei Thirteen. There probably wasn't even a Soul Reaper in the whole Seireitei who was a lovely as him.
Though perhaps Toshiro could give him a run for his money, Isshin thought silently, watching as the boy that normally didn't show affection to strangers hugged the sickly captain back gently and without complaint.
Afterwards, Toshiro came to sit next to Isshin as Kaien returned with a fresh tea pot, and behind him a young girl, who couldn't have been more than eleven or twelve by human comparison with pitch black hair and violet eyes, followed with a plate of biscuits. Miyako dragged some more chairs around the coffee table to accommodate all of them.
"I've invited young Rukia to join us," Kaien announced with a grin. "She deserves a break from all that hard work."
The girl blushed a little as she placed the biscuits down on the coffee table. Isshin recognised her then, from his brother's stories. She was the adopted Kuchiki, rather famous in the noble gossip circles since Byakuya had convinced his family to adopt her in as his young sister. She was apparently the biological sister of Byakuya's late wife, Hisana, but had been lost in the Rukongai for years until the Kuchikis found her. Isshin remembered Kaien speaking about Rukia; it seemed he had taken her under his wing in recent years.
"Rukia, it is so lovely to meet you," Isshin greeted her with a smile. "My brother has spoken such wonderful things about you."
"Thank you, Captain Shiba," Rukia bowed low, with manners that must have been drilled into her by her adopted family.
"Rukia is one of our hardest working soldiers," Miyako commented then as she took up the final seat, and began pouring tea for everyone.
Ukitake hummed in agreement, a soft smile on his face for a moment before he shot Rukia a slightly pointed look.
"Sometimes I think Rukia works too hard," Ukitake sighed. "It's not good for you, Rukia dear."
Rukia's face was bright red from the attention and praise and she ducked her head shyly, "I just want to be a good officer for you, Captain."
Isshin hummed in amusement, "Sounds like someone I know."
He turned to shoot Toshiro a mock glare of his own, but found the boy staring at Rukia with a dropped jaw and wide eyes, like he hadn't heard a word Isshin had just said.
That was weird?
"Of course," Ukitake chuckled, not noticing. "Rukia and Shiro-chan are very similar in that respect now that I think about it."
Isshin was still staring at Toshiro, observing with interest as a deep blush came over his cheeks at the nickname. Well, Isshin knew Toshiro hated that nickname, especially since it had been used as a teasing insult in most past cases, but he always tolerated Ukitake calling him that, as they were both 'Shiro-chan', with their similar names and startling white hair. Now though, the boy seemed highly embarrassed by it.
"Not to mention the similar ice-type Zanpakutos," Kaien added, taking the tea cup his wife handed to him.
Isshin recalled then his brother saying that Rukia had an ice and snow-type Zanpakuto too. He remembered because the Shiba brothers had been comparing notes about being opposite elementals, given Isshin was a fire wielder while Kaien's Zanpakuto was water-based. Somehow Toshiro's name was dragged in, definitely by Isshin, as the kid has the ice and snow element, and then Kaien had mentioned Rukia being similar.
"You're an ice type too?" Toshiro asked then, his words seemingly blurted out.
The eyes in the room turned to Rukia for her answer but Isshin continued staring at Toshiro who was now blushing even more, like he had been embarrassed by his own question.
How odd.
"Yes," Rukia answered shyly, still blushing. "Her name is Sode no Shirayuki."
"Sleeved White Snow," Toshiro murmured the translation, his bright teal eyes locked on Rukia. "She's supposed to be the most beautiful Zanpakuto in history."
"Is she?" Isshin asked then, his question aimed at Toshiro whose cheeks were still flushed.
Was it just Isshin, or was everyone else noticing this too?
"Sode no Shirayuki was in the book you got me for my birthday," Toshiro explained, turning to Isshin then, the colour in his cheeks receding a little. "She's a snow princess."
Isshin made an acknowledging hum, remembering the thick book he had given Toshiro for his birthday just past – it had been a complete history of every known Zanpakuto in history. Isshin had hoped Toshiro would read it slowly over the year, but of course the boy had demolished it in just a month. He had particularly liked reading about the other ice types, and the Zanpakutos of the Soul Reapers he was familiar with, such as Engetsu and Haineko.
"A snow princess?" Isshin repeated with interest, turning back to young Rukia. "That sounds similar to Toshiro's Hyor-."
"Hyorinmaru," Rukia breathed, her face bright red, her big violet eyes locked on Toshiro as she spoke. "Ice Ring. He's the most powerful Zanpakuto in our element, the legendary ice prince."
Those comments sent Toshiro as whole new shade of red.
"Hm," Kaien was smirking across the table, eyes shifting between the two kids. "An ice prince and a snow princess – that's quite a royal pair we have sitting with us today."
A royal pair.
Now Isshin got it.
The Squad Ten captain glanced between the two ice wielders at the table, with their bright pink cheeks and ducked heads, both sneaking shy glances without letting the other see.
Now that was a crush right there, Isshin was sure of it.
It seemed Kaien was the first to clock it, but now that Isshin had so did Miyako and Ukitake, and the grins being shared amongst the adults of the room were cheeky and amused.
Rangiku was going to love hearing about this when she returned from her holiday. Byakuya Kuchiki, on the other hand, was probably better off being kept in the dark.
After all, it was just an innocent case of puppy love. They were only children.
After that, with their newfound knowledge in mind, Isshin and Kaien made the rest of the afternoon as painfully awkward as possible for the two crushing kids – but hey, what was family for?
Oh how they had embarrassed them.
Isshin had told stories that Toshiro had been mortified to hear repeated to their company. In particular, about his birthday last month and their squad Christmas party, the two dates coinciding that year, in which a drunken Rangiku had hidden all of Toshiro's clothes and placed an elf costume on his bunk.
For context, Isshin had dressed as Santa at the squad Christmas party every year since they had started adopting the Western tradition in the Soul Society. At the same time, Rangiku had started dressing as 'Santa's Hot Daughter' in what was an essentially a red mini dress with white faux-fur lining. Ever since Toshiro had joined the squad, Rangiku had been begging him to dress up as an elf at Christmas because he was so little and adorable, but the third seat had always, rather aggressively, denied her. This year, he hadn't had a choice. Well Toshiro emerged from the dormitories dressed as an extremely grumpy little elf and the squad had loved it, though the third seat's face had been so red it had rivalled Isshin's Santa suit.
And, funnily enough, it was the colour of the boy's face now that the story was being repeated in front of his new crush.
As it turned out, Rukia's birthday was also recent – just last week in fact (another winter baby!), and Kaien had a hilarious story of the girl blushing bright red when her whole squad had sung her happy birthday at their assembly. Apparently Rukia had been giving of such embarrassed and nervous Spiritual Pressure, they hadn't been able to get the candles on her cake to light.
"I know it's not always the best place for children," Ukitake smiled softly between the now thoroughly humiliated ice-kids, "but it is nice having some young folks in our Squads, isn't?"
Isshin nodded and grinned down at Toshiro, nudging the boy gently.
"I certainly love having this adorable cutie at the Tenth with me," he smirked as Toshiro choked, and Isshin may have seen the slightest of entertained smirks on Rukia's face.
The moment was interrupted harshly however, when Ukitake suddenly started coughing, and it quickly turned into a short fit as Kaien and Miyako leapt up to help.
"I'm fine," Ukitake managed between coughs, shaking his head, his voice croaky.
"Time for your medicine, I think," Kaien sighed. "It's in your quarters, right?"
Ukitake usually lived at his family manor in the Rukongai, but when the weather grew cold like this and he wanted to work through it, he stayed in his quarters inside the division barracks, as must have been the case currently.
Ukitake nodded as Rukia jumped to her feet.
"I will get it, Captain," she offered, her violet eyes wide and determined. "I remember where it is in the kitchen."
Ukitake nodded then, allowing her to go. "Top drawer on the left."
"Go with her," Isshin pushed Toshiro out of his chair, and the third seat nodded, seemingly thinking it was a good idea too.
I wonder why.
The two kids left together, and the adults smirked as Toshiro and Rukia almost bumped into each other in the doorway, before Toshiro – a little gentleman in the making – stepped back and gestured Rukia to go first with a timid murmur of 'ladies first'.
Isshin liked to think Toshiro had learned that from him.
"They're so sweet, aren't they?" Ukitake grinned then, accepting the glass of water Miyako was handing to him.
"I think my boy has a bit of a crush on her," Isshin laughed then.
"Well I certainly think it's reciprocated," Ukitake murmured between sips of water, a soft smile on his face.
"I was hoping to introduce them," Kaien grinned, returning to his chair. "I think they could be good little friends, and could learn a lot from training together."
Isshin hummed in agreement, knowing Toshiro often felt a little isolated (ice-olated, ha! Where was Toshiro when Isshin had his dad jokes ready?) as the only ice-type Soul Reaper they knew, other than Lieutenant Kotetsu at the Fourth, and it didn't help that there was often an unfortunate stereotype surrounding ice wielders. They were seen as cold hearted, and in fairness, Isshin had made that judgement about Toshiro when they first met, but he knew now that the boy was possibly one of the warmest Souls he had ever met.
A few minutes later, Rukia and Toshiro returned to the office as the young Kuchiki handed over her captain's medication to Kaien, who opened it and popped out some pills into Ukitake's hand. The two kids were laughing and smiling, seemingly over their earlier embarrassment.
"It's snowing, Captain!" Toshiro exclaimed happily when he returned to Isshin's side. Isshin turned and squinted at window, seeing now the white flecks of ice falling over the ground outside.
"So it is," Isshin chuckled, ruffling Toshiro's hair before the boy ran to the window and stared outside at the snow coming down.
He had been waiting for it to snow for weeks now – each morning they woke up to fresh frost on their division grounds but it hadn't really snowed yet. Isshin knew Toshiro loved it when it snowed – it was when he was happiest and most playful, and usually he would come over to Isshin's quarters to play in the back garden. Rangiku and Isshin would join him in making a snowman or having a snowball fight, and it was the time Toshiro got to act the most like a kid; innocent, happy, and mostly importantly, unable to be seen by the rest of the squad.
Isshin wondered if Rukia was the same as she joined Toshiro at the window, and excitedly pointed out to pond across the barracks, mentioning that sometimes in winter it would freeze over and be a nice place to skate.
"Why don't you two go out and enjoy the snow for a little while?" Miyako suggested then. "We know you have been hanging out for it to snow for weeks now, Rukia."
Rukia flushed and Isshin grinned, watching as Toshiro turned to Rukia, his eyes wide.
"Toshiro too," Isshin added, helping the kid out when he didn't seem to be able to speak up.
"Go on," Ukitake waved Rukia off when she turned to him. The coughing had subsided and his voice was less croaky. "I am fine here by the fire."
Rukia nodded and turned to Toshiro with an eyebrow raised, as if to ask 'you coming?'
Toshiro turned to Isshin with hopeful eyes and the Squad Ten captain nodded, smiling as Toshiro's eyes lit up with excitement and the two kids rushed outside.
"Looks like my plan is working," Kaien grinned, heading over to the window and watching the two ice babies already starting to work on a snowman.
Ukitake's dark eyes were twinkling with mischief as he shot Isshin a knowing look and sipped on his tea. Isshin returned the grin and leaned back in his own chair.
It looked like Kaien's plan was working a little better than expected. They would have to arrange more afternoon teas (read: playdates) like this in future.
…
"Rukia is a lovely girl, isn't she?" Isshin squeezed Toshiro's shoulder as they walked through the streets of the Seireitei.
They had been at the Thirteenth for most of the afternoon, and when the snow had stopped they took the opportunity to walk back to the Tenth.
"She's nice," Toshiro agreed. "Knowing another ice type is cool."
Ice cool, in fact.
"Pretty too, isn't she?" Isshin prodded a little.
Toshiro choked a little.
"I-I don't know," he stammered, flushing.
"It's okay, Toshiro," Isshin laughed, nicking Toshiro's cheek with his knuckle in gentle affection. "You have a crush on her, it's cute."
"I do not have a crush!" Toshiro hissed then, turning sharply to glare at Isshin, and causing the captain to burst out laughing.
He couldn't help it! Toshiro was so little that it was funny when he was mad – like an angry little kitten.
"Relax, Kid," Isshin continued walking, letting the boy catch up on his own. "I remember my first crust too. It's sweet."
Toshiro scoffed, and crossed his arms with a huff.
"I don't have a crush Rukia," he pouted. "She's just nice, that's all."
"Well you have a lot in common," Isshin added casually. "You're both hard working kids in an adult workspace-"
"I'm not a kid," Toshiro cut in but Isshin pretended not to hear it.
"-You're both ice wielders and winter babies," Isshin continued, "and you're both former Rukongai kids adopted into noble families."
Toshiro frowned at that.
"I'm not adopted into a noble family," he pointed out.
"Well," Isshin shrugged, "do you want to be?"
Toshiro's steps stuttered for a moment as his eyes snapped to the captain and Isshin stopped to regard him. The boy blinked up at him with wide eyes while the captain tilted his head and stared carefully down at his third seat. Toshiro's face was for the most part unreadable, but Isshin saw a flicker of something in those turquoise irises, and they searched him, as if trying to find out if he was being genuine.
Isshin realised then what the flicker had been; it was hope.
After a moment, Toshiro swallowed as he turned and continued to walk, saying nothing.
Isshin bit back the grin and followed after him at a leisurely place.
Maybe one day then.
…
I do write a lot of HitsuRuki on the side, but I promise you all this will just be a friendship – they're only babies here (heart). I just feel they had way too much in common in canon to have not been given a friendship at the least ahaha.
Next up we have a request for guest reviewer, Cisco!