A First Time For Everything

"I can't believe I agreed to this."

He complained, nervously running a hand through silver locks. Some big-shot Captain he was. Apparently, all it took was a pair of pretty brown eyes and boom. Defeat.

"Oh, well I can!" He heard her chuckle all the way from the bathroom. A furious blush formed on his cheeks as a rather indecent image of Momo appeared in his mind. Damn the little witch and her stupid, infuriating creativity. What was it that got him? Punish me, Captain? Ridiculous.

"Stop it with the sulking already, you're killing the vibe!"

The bathroom door shot open with a bang. Toshiro's eyes widened with disbelief as his not-so-secret girlfriend of three months and ten days stepped into view, all dolled up and ready to go. Had she raided Rangiku's closet without his knowledge? There was absolutely no way in hell he would let her go out dressed like that.

"You like it?"

He frowned. Who the hell shows up in too-short a skirt, some sorry excuse for a top and asks such stupid questions? Damn right he liked it. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that, to his proficient knowledge, every single living male in Karakura Town will undoubtedly also indulge in looking at her creamy legs and exciting cleavage and we couldn't have that, now, could we?

"Change. Now."

The only other viable alternative was having him suspended for mercilessly freezing half the population and living as a fugitive for the rest of his pathetic life. If it weren't for the fact that he enjoyed giving out orders so much, he might've actually considered it. The weather in this irritating town had always been too hot for his liking.

"Bohoo. You're no fun. I'm keeping the top though."

Thankful that his stubborn girlfriend had somewhat complied, thus diminishing his punishment as a serial killer, Toshiro closed his eyes and sighed.

Finally, a moment of peace. Now he could properly think about the next best course of action. He would have to pay for the stupid hotel room (a total ripoff in his opinion but hey, his money, her choice, apparently) and then convince Momo to return home early. He would have to carefully remind her that, despite the fact they weren't on a mission, he was, in all actuality, still the very capable Captain of The 10th Division.

The slutty Lieutenant had wanted to go party with her loudmouthed human friends and, to his utter shame, he had been tricked into tagging along. On top of that, she viciously tempted him with her scandalous little outfit, probably causing him to pop a vein somewhere.

The nice guy act was approaching a rapid and enjoyable end. He wasn't (usually) a fan of pulling rank on others but if there's anything he has learnt during this foolish little escapade, it was that desperate times call for desperate measures.

The faster they returned to The Soul Society, the better.

Toshiro knew that his theory had been right the very moment him and Momo stepped inside the so called club. He glanced over at his girlfriend and rolled his eyes dramatically. She was beaming with excitement.

Was that what humans actually did for fun on a Friday night? Judging by their age, very few looked to be above 25. Thanking the Gods he had reached the appropriate age to drink, Toshiro grabbed Momo by the wrist and headed straight for the bar.

He wasn't particularly keen on alcohol, but in this specific situation, he would need something a bit stronger to make him tolerate all the sweatiness, screaming and hell, even the music totally sucked.

Momo would so pay for this.

"Yo! Hi guys, glad you made it." Just as he was about to chug a considerable amount of whiskey, Toshiro turned to see none other than Ichigo Kurosaki and his wife, Orihime, approaching. He almost chocked.

"What's with you guys? Aren't you supposed to be parents now or something?"

Without any warning, Momo completely vanished from his side. The brunette had already begun her typical girly chatter with Orihime, leaving him and Kurosaki to their "manly business", as she had jokingly called it numerous times before.

"Oh yeah, Kazui's staying over at my dad's tonight. C'mon Toshiro, loosen up a little bit. The night is young and so are we!"

He couldn't be exactly sure, but judging by Ichigo's lame attempt at encouraging, the poor guy had been, possibly, also dragged into this without his full consent.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you, Kurosaki." He downed another glass. "So, how'd she get you to come?"

Ichigo started nervously laughing at his sudden remark and reluctantly took a seat beside him. With a clearer view of the dance floor, they both looked at the two women who literally rocked their world. They never even stood a chance.

"That obvious, huh." Ichigo gave in, anxiously rubbing the back of his head. "Look, it's not that I don't like parties, mainly I just come because it makes Orihime happy. Back in college, we used to come to this place all the time. I love seeing her have fun. Besides, imagine what would happen if we let them come to these things without us. You're old enough now, you know what goes through a guy's head when they see a pretty girl."

"Exactly why we would've been better off in my quarters, where I could have Momo all to myself." Toshiro's eyes immediately shot open, utterly mortified by what he accidentally slipped out. It was the damn whiskey. Before he could make up a believable excuse for his temporary lack of brain, Ichigo took him by surprise:

"I gotcha, no need to feel embarrassed. I feel the exact same way about Orihime, but it's not like we can just lock them up in a tower somewhere, right? We just gotta be strong enough to protect them."

"You don't need to remind me."

Seeing that Ichigo had ordered some alcohol himself, Toshiro leaned back against the bar, resting his elbows on each side of the wooden margins. The orange haired idiot did have a point, he would give him that. And he found him strangely easy to open up to.

Intensely eyeing his oblivious dancing girlfriend, a rather unusual thought came to his mind.

Maybe he would reconsider his earlier conviction and allow Momo to dance for however long she may wish to. After all, neither of them experienced ordinary childhoods and within The Soul Society she couldn't really enjoy life as the curious young woman she was. Age may have worked differently for them, but that didn't mean much. He almost forgot it, but...they had been human once, too.

And it may be the alcohol, but Toshiro decided the music wasn't all that unpleasant after all.

Yup. Definitely the alcohol. "I'm bringin' sexy back"? Who the hell woke up one day and decided that would be a smart thing to sing about? How absurd. Well, as long as Momo enjoyed herself, he would make an effort to overlook those minor inconveniences.

Now that he actually thought about it, Ichigo seemed curiously attached to those godawful song choices. Toshiro saw him exchange questionable looks with Orihime, who was eagerly dancing with Momo just a few meters away from them. He could only guess it had brought back yet another (gross) memory from their time together in college, as he had learnt that old people like Ichigo often indulge in reminiscing about their glory days.

Toshiro smirked. What would it have been like for him and Momo? Going to school, staying up late studying for stupid exams and getting absolutely plastered on the weekends? Building a career and living a normal life, devoid of hollows and swords and battle. Despite his best efforts, he just couldn't picture it. Things would have been easier, sure, but Toshiro had long ago learnt his lesson: if something was easy, that didn't automatically make it good.

At least he did one thing right. Hues of green and blue searched for amber and, the second she felt the intensity of his demanding eyes, Momo smiled so brightly at Toshiro that his breathing had almost completely ceased. She looked so damn beautiful underneath the disco lights, dancing the night away, just as she had compelled his own heart to dance, ever since he first laid eyes on her. He remembered everyone talking about his silly crush for Momo, but it was in that moment that he understood it had never been a superficial infatuation.

The thing between them, it was the real deal: love.

Toshiro felt something shift inside of him then, an uncontrollable need to touch her, to feel her, to make sure she wasn't just some illusion his merciless mind had made up. He quickly finished his drink, loudly slammed the glass back down on the counter and headed for his too-good-to-be-true girlfriend.

If he had waited a second longer, Toshiro would have witnessed an all-knowing smirk forming on Ichigo's face. Probably another thing that reminded him of his college days, huh. He smiled. Who knows, maybe in a few years he's the one who's gonna be sitting in a random bar talking to 24 year-olds about his adventures.

This particular night would most definitely make the cut.

Just as he was about to surprise Momo, spin her around and give her the kiss of her lifetime, Toshiro felt someone violently push him away.

"Chill bro, I got here first, alright? This pretty little thing is mine for the night, how about you go and find yourself someone else to hook up with."

Momo had always known that Toshiro was a tough love kind of guy. He wasn't someone who openly talked about his feelings, it just wasn't his style. And she absolutely loved that about him, because what could ever be funnier than poking fun at somebody who took themselves too seriously?

Despite all of that, Momo had never been ignorant to his responsibilities, or the title he (rightfully) always reminded everyone about. Being a Captain was exhausting, especially for someone as dedicated and hardworking as Toshiro. He always did the paperwork himself, personally supervised the daily training of his subordinates and never, ever allowed anyone to fight any of his battles for him.

That was precisely why she had been so excited about coming to Karakura Town for a mini vacation. Toshiro would never admit it, but he desperately needed a break too, an excuse to act his age for once. And she had successfully made that happen: they were off duty, dressed in regular clothes, dancing and drinking on a Friday night like a bunch of stupid teenagers. Momo was well aware they were anything but, and yet...it was fun.

Pretending to be ordinary people was the shit.

Before she knew it, Momo found herself dancing to some unexpectedly catchy tune and screaming out the lyrics, just like everybody else.

Not too shabby, she thought to herself. She did a pretty good job blending in. Maybe after tonight Toshiro would become a bit more lenient and they could turn this into a semi-regular thing? A giggle. She might be getting ahead of herself just a tiiiiny bit there.

And honestly thank God for Orihime. She had been a huge help in putting the whole thing together and if it weren't for the rather crowded scene before them, she would rush into her arms right there and then and hug her so tightly she'd stop breathing for a full minute.

Momo saw how Toshiro and Ichigo were drinking and joking around together at the bar. Witnessing that, seeing him finally lower his guard, it had made her feel so grateful.

Ever since they got together, everything that once seemed dull and devoid of color now pulsated with vibrancy. Toshiro made her so, so happy, with his perfect eyes and his perfect hair and his overall infuriating perfection that she could only wish she had realized the true identity of her feelings sooner.

She made a quick note to jump his bones later, before deciding she had done enough prying for the time being. Momo took Orihime by the hand and disappeared even deeper into the crowd. She would force Toshiro to dance too, but not now. Her handsome boyfriend was rather busy at the moment.

He was making a friend.

Momo and Orihime were having a blast, bouncing and bending their bodies to the rhythm. Orihime was laughing and, unsurprisingly, that had made her laugh too, because in that one moment everything felt right. Their plan was a complete and utter success. Some fancy bitches they were, pulling off something like that.

She had been caught in her self-admiration, when, out of nowhere, Momo saw Orihime's eyes widen with disbelief. The content expression on her porcelain face turned into a grimace.

"Watch out, Momo!" She shouted, shoving the brunette to the side. Startled, Momo immediately turned around.

"What—Shiro! Stop!"

Momo watched in horror as Toshiro's powerful fist suddenly made contact with the face of some guy she had never seen before in her life. He had punched him so hard that he hit the floor, creating a circle of drunk and confused people all around. Momo couldn't believe her eyes.

"Shiro! What's going on?" She tried again, but he wouldn't even look at her. It was hard to see him, if at all, with all those people pushing and pulling from all directions.

What a bunch of fools, they were probably hoping for some juicy late night drama, huh. Apparently the schools there don't teach children about the art of minding your own goddamn business.

Determined, she started forcing her way out of the crowd. She had to see Toshiro. Punching somebody out of the blue like that...it was very unlike him. She knew him, she knew (hoped) he wouldn't have done something like that without a good enough reason.

When Momo finally stumbled away from the exasperating crowd, the first one she spotted was Ichigo. He appeared to be in front of Toshiro, desperately trying to knock some sense into him. But he mindlessly shrugged him off and immediately started walking towards the guy he almost knocked out.

"If you ever so much as breathe next to her again, I will kill you."

His pale eyes were shining with unparalleled fury, hard around the edges, revealing nothing but a frightening resolve. Momo gulped as he clenched his fists. She had only ever seen him like that on the battlefield.

Wait, wasn't he supposed to be drunk and happy? Whatever happened to that?

"Hey calm down, okay? I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding—"

"Stay out of this Momo." He cut her off quickly, deliberately avoiding her eyes. Toshiro seemed completely unaffected by Momo's presence. It was almost like he had wanted her to see him like that.

"Yeah baby, better stay away. The guy's gone crazy."

"When a Captain is speaking you shut up and listen, you scum."

Momo couldn't really comprehend the situation, but she was sure of one thing: she had to put a stop to all the madness before her overly protective boyfriend divulged everything about their true identity. It was bad enough he had already mentioned his position as a Captain.

At that point, Momo could only rely on the effects of alcohol. She prayed that by morning nobody will have remembered a thing.

"Toshiro. That's enough."

"This imbecile is asking for it!"

"I said enough—"

"He just called you baby! In addition to that, this bastard had the nerve to tell me he was planning on fucking you tonight, so unless you wish to whore yourself out to—"

Slap.

"Come on, Orihime. We're leaving."

The audacity. How dare he? How dare he insult her like that, when all she ever wanted was to make him happy? This night, this party, this stupid trip—it had all been for him. So poor little Shiro would get his mind off the damn paperwork and the damn missions and have some fun for once in his miserable life. Yeah. Because from here on out, he will be miserable. She would personally see to it.

You don't call your girlfriend a whore and get away with it. Oh no. There was a special place in hell, especially and intricately designed for bad boyfriends like him! God. How could he say something so awful, when he'd been the one who took her virginity in the first place. When she never...she would never, ever even dream of sleeping with somebody else.

For Momo, it had always been Toshiro. Yeah, she might've been tricked and hypnotized by an evil pedophile before, but even then! She had never loved anyone or anything as much as she loved Toshiro Hitsugaya. He had saved her countless times, he had even saved her from herself. Toshiro was the only person who loved Momo at her worst. The one person who never betrayed her heart.

So how, after everything they have been through, after everything they endured to finally be together. How could he so easily throw it all away? And for what? Some stupid drunk guy who found her attractive.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but he meant well." Orihime gently placed a hand on Momo's shoulder. "He shouldn't have reacted like that, but...how do I say this? Uhm, guys are really confusing. Toshiro probably felt like he had to defend your honor."

The night breeze was unexpectedly cool, and somewhat soothing. Momo looked at Orihime as she spoke words of comfort to her. Funny, on the way out she was so angry that she failed to realize she had been crying all along. Stupid Shiro.

"I-I don't know what to do." Momo confessed, finally giving in to her emotions.

"I know he completely sucks at showing it but," she wiped one of her tears away, "You must really mean a lot to him if something so silly made him that mad." That particular look in Orihime's eyes, it made Momo feel as though bits of what she spoke about had a lot more to do with her own experience than she even realized. What did that say about them?

Boys SUCK.

"Dammit Ichigo! They're not here!"

"If they're not here, then that leaves only one place where Orihime could've taken her. Follow me!"

Of course they had to suppress their spiritual pressure. Damn it. Toshiro failed to understand how, despite his endless promises to protect Momo, all he had ever managed to do was make her cry. Kind of ironic, for a second there he had everything he ever wanted. Would a simple apology redeem him? Knowing Momo, not a chance.

She had changed dramatically over the years. Ever since the Aizen incident, she had become unbelievable protective of her heart, of herself in general. She had learnt to actually say no to people and even argued when there were things she didn't like. And he was so proud of her, for everything.

In the last months, they had spent countless hours making love to each other. Those were undoubtedly the best months of his life, but not for the reason anyone might think. They often talked afterwards, entranced by the serenity of the moment. He had been the most vulnerable then, naked in all sense of the word. Toshiro remembered that one night, when she had told him he was her sole motivation to do better.

Momo had looked into his pale eyes, kissed his bruised lips and told him that he had been the one to give her something to live for.

So how could he face Momo now? The one she foolishly entrusted herself to, the one who was never supposed to break her.

And the worst part...he wasn't even sorry.

He would do it all again, perhaps even break one of the guy's arms. He had exaggerated, sure, but how could she expect him to react any differently? When the mere thought of her with somebody else had him split into two? When the mere sight of that bastard standing next to Momo made his blood boil.

And then she defending him, it all made Toshiro's judgement go down the fucking drain. He never intended to hurt Momo, let alone disrespect her the way he did. It was unforgivable and shameful. But she, like everybody else, had to understand one thing: you don't mess around with a Captain's lover and live to brag about it.

He had already made an exception. The bastard was alive, wasn't he?

Toshiro sighed. Ichigo was right. Maybe...maybe he was jealous. Afraid. That one day Momo would wake up and realize she had made a terrible mistake. So much for that now.

"There they are!"

Toshiro could only assume that this particular river had meant something to Ichigo and Orihime. After all, he had known exactly where to find them, hadn't he? Orihime slowly passed him by, whispering a soft good luck before retreating with Ichigo, who could only muster an encouraging nod.

Momo didn't make any efforts to acknowledge his arrival in any way, instead she had her eyes glued to the night sky. The two of them were alone now, so Toshiro knew he was supposed to open his mouth and start speaking. But somehow, he just couldn't.

What would he say anyway? That he was an idiot? What could he possibly say that wasn't already so obvious. He would not lie to Momo and say he was sorry, when he wasn't. So if he wouldn't lie, then...

"I love you, you know."

Momo gasped, immediately turning to face him. Her beautiful brown eyes had faint traces of red all around them. She had been crying and it was all because of him. She looked as beautiful as ever, with her puffy cheeks and plump lips. He hated himself.

"Shiro..."

"And because of that, I can't promise you I won't get angry again. What I can promise you is that I will never take my anger out on you again. Forgive me."

She blinked once, twice, and after the third time, tears started pouring out. "You've never said that before. That you...love me."

"Don't let it get into your head, your ego is big enough as is! You still owe me big time by the way, and now—"

Momo kissed him. A soft, needy, breathless kiss that made his heart skip several beats. It was slow at first, steady, but it didn't take too long before things escalated into heated passion.

He had never been much of a talker. The way he communicated best was through action, so Toshiro's hands started gently caressing her sides. Because where words failed him, his hands never did.

Momo worked through thick, silver locks, playing with his hair the way she knew he liked best. He bit her lower lip in response, making her let out a rather sensual moan.

"W-we sh-should probably head back to the hotel." Momo managed, breaking the kiss, her voice but a trembling whisper.

"Yeah."

They simply started at each other for a few moments. It had been a memorable night indeed. Out of nowhere, Momo started chuckling. The brunette gently wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling in a familiar way.

"Since you like the word whore so much, I'm thinking I should make you eat it up as punishment."

Somewhere, in a darkened alley, two slender silhouettes could be spotted. They watched as the young and inexperienced couple all but disappeared, jumping roof to roof.

Ichigo and Orihime proudly high-fived each other. All of a sudden, a mischievous look could be seen all over Ichigo's face. In a swift movement, he took Orihime into his arms and jumped even higher.

"I guess it's our turn to have fun now."

author's note:

hi! i am totally obsessed with HitsuHina btw. I might update this weekly, lol. there's gonna be some lemon, but not yet. i still want to be able to describe the nature of their relationship better.

p.s: if it wasn't obvious, in these stories Toshiro is fully grown. he looks like that super hot manga panel. look it up and you're welcome.

p.p.s: did you like? (: