Chapter Text
There’s a low hum that Toshiro can’t quite place and then a dozen spotlights shine down on him, he has to cover his eyes and a low applause cuts through the room. A few wolf whistles go up from the crowd he can’t see.
“Good evening everyone.”
Toshiro turns at the voice. “Captain Ukitake?” He calls out and the older white haired captain of the Gotei 13 waves to him from behind a table. “Wh...what is this, precisely?”
“Toshiro.” He beamed at him. “Surely you recall?” The older captain spun around and raised his hands high. Above his head a large neon sign sprung into life, confetti and clappers sounding as it exploded into being.
Captain Jushiro Ukitake’s Cooking Class for Eligible Young Bachelors
“I….” Toshiro tilted his head to the side. “I...did you convince them to give you a higher budget for this? Don’t you normally just do this in the Kyoraku family kitchen?”
“Oh normally yes,” Jushiro spun back around and his captain coat had been replaced with a bright pink apron with a stylized 13 across the chest. “But Shun-san is having himself a, well, a very good night, shall we say?” He mimed drinking and that invisible audience whooped and hollered from the void in support. Toshiro kept looking around for the source of the noise.
“Do you hear that?” Toshiro asked. “Are...can people see this?”
“Oh it’s done live, Toshiro. It’s the new in thing you know? Live cooking shows, demonstrations for the audience!” Jushiro nodded several times, rolling up his sleeves diligently. “I think it’s fantastic! Certain skills are essential but there are people who feel a stigma toward learning them too late. Which, honestly is a silly way to think. You’ll never not need to eat, you should learn how to cook.”
Toshiro kept looking this way and that when he was handed an apron, teal with the number ten on it. He diligently handed off his captain coat and put the apron on, his sleeves were already short and so didn’t need to be rolled up. Winter or Summer he had a built in cooling system and so such things never mattered to him.
“Captain Ukitake,”
“Jushiro!” He insisted.
“Captain Jushiro.” Toshiro replied. “Wh….where is everyone else? I know your classes at the Kyoraku house weren’t exactly well attended. But there was usually more than just me.” Toshiro replied. Honestly he wouldn’t have shown up either but he was badgered into the first few by Jushiro. He imagined that if he learned to cook the older shiro might stop dropping his gifts of sweets on him.
He didn’t.
Toshiro however found that….these were very applicable life skills! He wouldn’t have ever said he was bad at making food, he hadn’t gone hungry in his life. Granny had taught him some basics but...Jushiro knew a lot. Toshiro had to guess that came from his upbringing, but even then expecting a noble to learn how to do the jobs he probably had people for was unexpected.
“Well this is a show for eligible, young bachelors,” Jushiro said holding up a finger for each word, “shockingly….we have a real dearth of those right now.”
“That….can’t be true.” Toshiro said, pondering. “Wh...what about lieutenant Abari?”
“He’s...young and a bachelor but...eligible is a question for another time.” Jushiro laughed a little and so did the phantom audience.
“I...wh…” Toshiro was confused more than anything by that. “What about Yamada,the younger?”
“Oh!” Jushiro nodded. “He was going to be here and then he saw the camera and fainted dead away!”
“Oh goodness, is he alright?”
“We have medics on standby, I mean….I’m here.” Jushiro said as a series of individuals in gloves and masks waved from behind cover, a polite applause went up from the audience of nowhere.
“...What the hell is happening?” Toshiro asked the room at large. Jushiro coughed and the room went quiet.
“Sorry, pantomime.” He said waving a letter around. “Just getting your attention. This is our request for the day!” He tore open the letter and neatly placed the envelope to one side. “Tidy workstation!” He reminded everyone.
“This letter is from one Rangiku Matsumoto of the tenth division.” He cried out happily. “Isn’t that lucky, what a small world Toshiro!” Jushiro held up the letter and began to read aloud. “Dear captain Jushiro Ukitake, I’m a big fan of your cute little guest chef! He’s a real treat on the eyes!”
“Oh god.” Toshiro wondered if he could freeze broadcast waves, stop this getting out...whatever this was.
“Oh I think so too.” Jushiro said with a smile. “But we shiro are biased toward one another.” He laughed a little. “Anyway, as I was saying.” He held up the letter again. “Recently my little captain told me he had a huge crush on me and my heart nearly burst,” Jushiro held his hand to his chest, “oh Toshiro….soon you might not be a bachelor and so even you’ll have to leave me.”
A loud cry of awwwwwwww rang out from the audience. “I a..I!”
“But no, this is a proud moment.” He raised a fist. “Go for it Toshiro! Jushiro believes in you 200%, so does everyone watching this right now!” Jushiro sounded proud but all Toshiro wanted to know is how many people were watching this, how many people could see him right now? Could he...possibly escape this new layer of cruel and unjust hell he’d fallen into?
“ A proud graduate of this cooking class,” Jushiro looked like he was holding back tears. “He promised to make me breakfast in bed because he’s such a little hearthrob and he’s going to make me an omelette! I don’t doubt his skills but can you please, pretty please, give him a refresher!? Yours truly and recording this entire thing for posterity, Rangiku Matsumoto. “
Toshiro slunk down against the table he was standing by. This was it, this was how he was going to die. Right now of raw, pure, liquid embarrassment.
“I think we can help him with that Matsumoto!” Jushiro cried out. “Now Matsumoto she’s a lady used to the living world and such like so rather than the standard omurice, which i love, let’s do a French omelette with ham and cheese! Something more exquisite and cultured! Get you some bonus points, Toshiro.”
“Bonus points?” Toshiro just wanted clarity, ten second of clarity in this ocean of bewildering nonsense. “Are there points in a relationship now?”
“A fine question, Toshiro. But first of all lets get set up!” Jushiro clapped and the tables before him and Toshiro had their tops flip. An assortment of ingredients and utensils sat there now, including a stove top and several frying pans and bowls. “First of all we set a pan to a medium heat and take some butter, cut off just a little bit and spread it around the pan.”
“No first of all this is…” Toshiro tried to say but found Jushiro looking at him, a pleased smile on his face as he gestured for him to follow along. Little movements of his hands Toshiro complied. “This is something else.”
“It is!” Jushiro agreed fervently. “Now While you let the pan heat up, take a couple of eggs and break them into a bowl. I’m a light eater if I’m honest so I only use two eggs. A young man like yourself, three is a good number. For Matsumoto….maybe four.” Jushiro swiftly cracked the eggs into a little bow. “I’ve been told she’s got an appetite and being that I’m not a lech I’ll assume for food.”
“Two people have warned me about this now.” Toshiro rubbed at his chin following along. “I can’t say I’m aware or...paid enough attention.”
“Well when you do take her out to dinner...make it close to payday.” Jushiro gave a thumbs up. “So I like a crack or two of salt and just one of pepper but go to your own taste. After that you add a teaspoon of water and whisk the eggs up.” Jusiro used a fork for the task. “Now you don’t need a whisk, if anything I’d shy away from it. It’s such an annoying utensil to clean at the end of the day that if we can cheat we should. Just a little.”
Toshiro wasn’t even sure he owned a whisk...he’d never really seen one outside of a stocked kitchen. The idea Rangiku owned one seemed slightly more likely but considering she approached cuisine like it was theoretical physics and no outcome was certain beyond the theory of a result….He didn’t want to bank on her having more than the barest of essentials.
“So while that’s looking promising we need the stars of the mix!” Jushiro held up two store bought packets of ham and cheese. “Sponsorships from the Urahara market!”
“I am immediately suspect of all forms of food we are serving.” Toshiro looked at the packets as if they might have been sealed by the devil himself. Jushiro cut them open with gusto and so Toshiro followed his example.
“The cheese, simple we’re not going to complicate this. Get a grater and grate some cheese. I like long thin strips so when we put it in the omelette it can really melt well. Also I like sharp cheese, for a nice contrast of tastes.” Jushiro beamed at Toshiro who just nodded and followed along. “Ham? Even easier! Just take a knife and dice up a little bit into a set of little cubes. Once done best give your eggs a little more love.” He was really into this, huh?
He followed Jushiro’s examples as the man paced back and forth with a bowl in hand, talking away to the presumed audience. “I don’t dislike omurice, it’s a fantastic little dish and it’s not made much different from this! But you know lots of places do how they roll the omelette differently and that helps differentiate them.”
“Oh?” Toshiro replied his attention was focused on savaging the eggs, you can’t have any separate between yolks and whites; it was a total mix required.
“Yes yes!” Jushiro replied. “It’s not perhaps a total rule you understand. Still it’s these little things you notice.” He all but bounced on the spot. “Keep checking the pan and once the butter gets to be golden brown across the bottom you’ll want your eggs ready. Are your eggs ready?”
“I...yes!” Toshiro said, nodding. “They’re ready!”
“Fantastic confidence!” Jushiro cried out pumping his fist. “Now we add the ham cubes to the egg mixture and we pour it into the pan!” Jushiro did just that. As it made contact there was a loud sizzling sound and the older man’s face went soft, eyes closing and a smile climbing to his eyes. “There’s no better sound in the kitchen, is there?”
“No?” Toshiro did the same and heard that same sizzle, Jushiro sighed from across the room.
“Beautiful.” He replied. “Now it’s more whisking of the eggs!” Jushiro continued to use the fork he already had been using. “You could and well should use a spatula for this but, I’m going to assume she might not have one of those. It’s fine to whisk with a fork you just have to be extra careful and dedicated.” Jushiro pointed with the fork at Toshiro. “Two things the Shiro Squad have in steady supply!”
Toshiro worked with his fork. “Shiro Squad…” He said under his breath. He moved the pan around with one hand while whisking with the other, spreading the eggy mixture around to evenly coat as much of the ham as he could.
“That’s right, put in the effort, it’ll all pay off in the end.” Jushiro chimed in. “Get our daily exercise in. Ha ha...oh it’s sad this is exercise for me, isn’t it?” Jushiro chuckled nervously.
“No, captain Jusiro!” Toshiro replied as the elder flagged. “It’s your dedication to getting it done that inspires us surely.” There was a quick applause from the audience he’d almost forgotten existed, oh dear.
“”Right you are! Do your best!” Jushiro cried out. “Once the texture starts to change just so….you should be done. Sprinkle on your cheese and then….” He holds up one hand and all but dusts the omelette mixture, lights go down. “THE CRUCIAL PART!” A sting chord and Toshiro looks around.
“Is...is there a band?”
“FOLDING THE OMELETTE!” Jushiro cried out to a peel of thunder. “I’m kidding it’s not that serious.” He waved a hand at Toshiro. “Not breaking it is just a lot nicer but the taste doesn’t change. Still like I said this is a French style omelette so don’t be lazy, Toshiro.” He waggled a finger. “You do, multiple, smaller folds.” He used the fork to slowly roll the mixture across the length of the pan, over and over itself again and again. “Still you want to be...smart,” he said slowly, “try and get it so the seam is on top when you get it out the pan it can be seam side down!”
Toshiro nodded and followed along, slow movements with his fork. He swore he heard the audience gasp and everyone hold their breath as the pair moved in tandem. Slow, slower, even slower…
“Don’t forget!” Jushiro said and Toshiro turned to see him standing beside him. “Once you’ve got the folded over omelette you can add a little more butter to the pan….make it easier to slide out- also if you’ve some nice thick cut bread you can leave that in to soak up some heat and deliciousness. A treat.”
“....Okay.” Toshiro said, reaching over to get some more butter and sliding it in the pan. With a flick of his wrist the meal flopped onto a plate. A thunderous applause from the void. Toshiro nods his head a few times and turns to see Jushiro holding a party popper toward him.
“Congratulations!” He pulled on the string and Toshiro saw a ceiling above him and it wasn’t his. A bang ringing in his ears. HE saw confetti, felt it rain down on his face but when he went to clear it away...nothing.
“....I drank….a mouthful of sake….and that happened.” Toshiro said aloud. “I can’t...I won’t drink again. What in the world do they put in that garbage?” His body felt heavy, he felt a dull ache all over and so rolled his neck. God it shouldn’t hurt to wake up, it absolutely shouldn’t feel like he’s been sleeping with rocks on top of him.
He tried to move his legs but he found out he had at least four of them right now, which...no that’s incorrect. He tried to move his arm and found that it was also untenable. He turned to see Rangiku next to him and that explained the arm thing and the leg thing. Okay so now he had to chew his entire arm off and then his legs, yes. This was the plan for the morning!
Oh god. Oh god what did you do? You remember, you were the sober one! You confessed a crush to the mad woman after Shunsui badgered you into it. Oh gods and then she said she was Mount Everest and had to climb her because she was there! Oh gods he spent all night in her arms and it was the best night's sleep he’s ever had! It was so safe and warm and comforting and god even if her breath smelled like the back of a dingy bar the way she held him made up for ten thousand fold.
Oh no he had it bad, he had it worse than he had it yesterday! The crush was here and it was real and she wanted him back!? No she was a little drunk yesterday, a lot drunk yesterday and that’s all it was, right?
He tried to get his arm back, Rangiku didn’t budge. Nope chew it off, chew it off. It’s just an arm you don’t need two! Toshiro felt so many thoughts sprint from one side of his brain to the other that all the sensible ones were stomped to death by the arm eating party.
He tugged again and she stirred this time, he froze. Her arms slid out to wrap around his shoulders, slowly she seemed to become aware. A hand slid up toward his face, stroking at his cheek and chin. A smile on her face, the other hand went south. It went south and Toshiro swore he could actually feel himself melt, her fingers slid under a gap in his robe and her open palm took in the lay of the land as it were. Judging by the smile on her face it was a good result.
She pulled him against herself sharply. “Breakfast in bed.” She said teasingly into his ear. Her lips grazed his ear lobe. He had to say something. Her teeth brushed against his ear. HE HAD TO SAY SOMETHING. She nuzzled against him and he felt the lightest nibble against his ear.
WORDS. WORDS HAPPEN PLEASE! Toshiro knew so many words, so many words but where the hell were they. All that came out were choked little gasps and a moan or two. Her hands, both of them now, had found their way under his shirt. She was running her thumbs against the waistband of his robes while fingers toyed around the outline of his muscles.
He wouldn’t even make basecamp on Everest, the mountain had taken all his oxygen. She leaned toward him and her lips made contact with his forehead. He made a quiet sound and she paused. Kissed again and found more forehead. Her eyes cracked open, she was not gazing into the dreamy face of a late night dalliance. This was clearly a wall of white hairs and the top of a forehead. She looked down and he looked up.
“Good morning, Matsumoto.” He had found words. Contact established.
Rangiku for her part looked stunned, then shocked, then her hands moved around a little more under his robes. Then she looked slightly more shocked, but the corner of her mouth turned up. Best kind of shocked.
“What are you doing in my room?”
“Wow that’s the first time that’s ever been an appropriate comment.” Toshiro shook his head. “We um...I carried you home?” Did she remember anything? “We umm talked about Everest and...crushes an-”
“OH MY-” She recoiled from him and he felt a deep pain in his chest. It must have shown on his face because the first thing she did was grab his cheeks in her hands. She’s got her palms on his cheeks and she’s so gentle with him. She’s holding him like that, her smile twists him up inside and he has no idea what is supposed to happen. Is he supposed to say something? Is she going to say something?
Does he just sit there and hope she’ll hold him forever? Cause he’d be fine with that, he’d be so fine to just be frozen with her like this forever.
“Toshiro.” She says something first and he still hasn’t broken eye contact with her. Her hands are warm, she’s looking at him like she's afraid he’s gonna run. Considering he was debating chewing off his arm it’s not unfair. But no he’s here now...trapped or not he was sure he couldn’t run from her. She seems to be getting closer or is he getting closer to her? Does it matter?
The only thing he knew was that she was there and he was right there with her when her lips touched his. He froze up, he knew he would. How the hell did he freeze when it felt like he was touching the surface of the sun? It’s chaste, it’s brief, but it was a sign surely. She pulls away from him.
“My breath must be awful.” She tells him and he could be on fire right now and not notice so her breath, honestly not a concern. “We...will have to work this out.”
“Climb Everest?” Toshiro said blindly and Rangiku looked at him. The laughing started then, she held him tight against herself and he managed to work his pinned arm around her back. At least to try and tap out for air.
“Oh we’ll be talking about climbing Everest alright.” Rangiku sang. “We...probably have a lot to talk about.”
“We will!” Toshiro said firmly. “I want your help with this, Rangiku!” He remembered how she was when he hadn’t asked for help last night he wanted to let her know he needed her. Oh god did he need her.
“Well I mean of course.” Rangiku laughed at how he looked. “I mean I can’t expect you to survive the climb alone.” She went on delighted at how his face looked. “You’ll need a guide for all the...treacherous areas, the deadly expanses and hellish plummets.”
“Can we stop?”
“I might never stop.” Rangiku told him bluntly. She grinned down at her captain and he paused.
“Breakfast in bed.” Toshiro said and Rangiku slid her hands back under his robes.
“You’re in a rush! I figured you’d want to take this a little more slow, but okay!” She trilled and he seized her wrists as she started to lift the robes free. His face and chest, tinged very lightly in red. Rangiku looked at him, how she could possibly have such an innocent look on her face was beyond him.
“NO…..YOU wanted...breakfast in bed.” He said gently. “Omelettes.” He said and Rangiku felt one hunger replaced with another far more primal hunger.
“Oh that sounds divine, “ she agreed, “I don’t know what's in my fridge but there should be enough.” She stood up and returned his arm to him, flexing it to try and get feeling back. “I think I need to…” She looked pale. “I drank a lot.” She said before sliding toward the bathroom, shuffling as fast as she could.
Toshiro stood up and tried to work the stiffness out of his limbs, did she keep rocks inside herself or something? She wasn’t that heavy to carry, why did he feel like he’d slept outside on broken gravel? He made his way into the homey little kitchenette where he found a small fridge on the floor. He squatted down to his haunches and opened it.
There was a single egg, two empty bottles, a sliver of butter and a note that said simply ‘You need food, Rangiku. You will die. Love Rangiku’
“Hm.” Toshiro stood up and quickly wrote a note. He had to go to the market, he would be back momentarily. He placed it in an obvious place and left the room. The market was not far away, all the divisions had a local supply market for just in case.
“I know you can hear me.” Shunsui muttered with his head against the wall. “I know you can hear me whoever it is that makes me drink as much as I do. I hate you, I want you to know that. I want you to know that i hate you.” He stood back from the wall seeing his own haggard face in the reflection of the glass. “God it’s hard to hate someone so pretty.”
“Captain Kyoraku.” Toshiro looked at the man just outside the market. In one hand he held a large bottle of soda and in the other a bag with enough bacon to massacre a small farm jutting out one side. “You’re in a state.”
“Yes.” Shunsui agreed. “I am.” He concluded.
“Well...you won, I hate to say it?”
“Course I did.” Shunsui replied. “Won what?” Shunsui asked, looking down at himself. “Cause right now I do not feel like I won as much as you think I did.”
“I asked out lieutenant Matsumoto.” Toshiro said, looking to one side. Shunsui pursed his lips, blinked both eyes and kept one closed. Looking up into the sky with his open eye.
“I think that’s YOU winning.” Shunsui replied, his voice warm and a laugh bubbling up. “Congratulations captain Hitsugaya!” He offered a thumbs up. Toshiro looked at him.
“Did you actually forget all that stuff you said? About climbing her and destroying the sofa and that game!” Toshiro raised his voice and Shunsui folded, that shrill shout was like getting shot in the face ten times a second. He buckled to his knees and held out a hand for mercy.
“Mercy, please, I’m recovering. I’m a sick man.” Shunsui said. “Think of me like I’m Jushiro, don’t hurt me.”
“You are not Jushiro!” Toshiro went on and Shunsui all but folded in half at the continued shouts. “You all but had me writhing with all your poking and prodding, it was one of your games.”
“It was but that wasn’t the game!” Shunsui said. “Every Time I got you to shout I took a drink,” he mimed the action, “I wasn’t trying to get ya to ask our yer second.”
“What?” The entire street dropped to minus five degrees. Light fixtures cracked at the sudden drop in pressure and a light fog rolled across the ground.
“You yelled.” Shunsui held out a hand and tipped it back. “I drank. But I had no booze so I kinda just added to a tally in my head. Then I drank that much later, which is why I am a wretch as I am now.” He smiled up at Toshiro. “Kinda funny huh?”
“....” Toshiro had no words. He walked over to Shunsui who for the very first time had to look up at Toshiro, it was not a position he wanted to be in again. “Your bacon.” He pointed at the bag. “Give me your bacon.”
“Eh…”
“I’m making her breakfast. Hand over the bacon.” He wasn’t asking. Shunsui handed over the bacon. “Do you have eggs?” Shunsui nodded. “No you don’t. Hand over the eggs.” Shunsui did as he was told. “Thank you for an unforgettable night, Captain Kyoraku. In time...I might be able to forgive you.”
Toshiro turned and walked away. Shunsui waited until he was out of sight, until the fog rolled away before he stood back up. He sneezed and noticed his feet frozen to the ground. He looked at the now mostly empty bag of groceries. “I just got mugged….by a fucking chuiahuia.” He wilted to one side. “Jushiro saaaaan.” Shunsui whined aloud, pulling his legs free and traipsing toward the 13th’s HQ. “Jushiro saaaaan I need you to make me breakfast, I got kicked out of my division and bullied!”
---
Omelette and bacon honestly nearly the same. Simply after you add butter to the pan add the bacon and let it pre-cook while you work on the eggs. He decided Rangiku had earned four eggs, he’d take two...a light meal as Jushiro would have said.
The sizzle really was the best sound in the world, fat bubbling in the pan it was a siren song. He became aware of how hungry he was at that exact second. Ten seconds later he was aware of how hungry Rangiku was when he saw her peer around the door. Her hair damp but she didn’t care.
“How did you manage to squeeze heaven into the apartment?” Rangiku asked at the smell. “Am I really allowed to eat something that smells so nice?”
“You better or I will.” Toshiro pointed a fork at her, she had no whisks and no spatulas, forks were the tool de jour. Jushiro would be proud of him, wherever he was. He added the eggs to the pan and there was another sizzle. Rangiku was at his shoulder after that.
“Who showed you these arcane mysteries?” She asked. “Why do you know how to make breakfast so good?”
“It’s….a skill all eligible young bachelors in the know should learn.” Toshiro replied and she made a little squeak of a sound. “What?”
“Eligible young bachelor?”
“YES.” Toshiro responded. “I am all of those things.” He told her as he worked the pan and eggs around the edges., an even spread. Rangiku watched him work in silence for a few moments, her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders. “You know climbing all over me isn’t appropriate.”
“Maybe you’re Everest.” She said frankly. “Cold enough...peak a bit low to the ground.”
“I’m growing to six feet out of pure spite.” Toshiro said and she squeezed him, pressing her chest into his back.
“No!” She cried out. “Stay this size! This is the perfect height! Height differences in couples are all the rage according to human magazines!”
Toshiro turned down the heat and slapped at her arms. “This part is delicate.” He told her as he started to roll over the omelette. Slowly, one layer, another, another, four now and he groped for a plate. She passed it to him, fingers brushing as it exchanged hands.
“You got it.” Rangiku told him. “You got it.” She went on as he started to slide the omlette off the plate.
“I’d really have it if you had more butter.” Toshiro said.
“Write me a grocery list. I’ll get whatever you want for the Toshiro breakfast buffet.” Rangiku leaned over him as he navigated that last, careful, motion. The omelette flopped out of the pan, seam side down and landed with a slap. Softly steaming but flawless. “You did it!” She cried out and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He almost dropped the plate there and then.
“You- go eat this!” Toshiro commanded handing over the plate. “I have to make mine, while it’s hot.” He snapped quickly and she slunk off with her delicious treat. Leaving the other delicious treat to bask in that little moment he had.
Oh god was this what a crush was like when you got to the end of it? He thought he was done knocking knees and barely being able to look at her. Now it was just...happening all the time. When did a crush stop? Was this forever!?
It was a few minutes more when he emerged with his own omelette.
“That was divine Toshiro, this is a new tradition.” Rangiku clapped, her plate totally clean and she sidled up next to him. “You’re really good at this.”
“I had a pretty excellent teacher.”
---
“Everyone hates me, Ju-San.” Shunsui said as he rested his head on the mercifully cold kitchen counter. “I try and try and people just don’t get it.”
Jushiro sneezed. “Hmm? I feel like I’m being praised.” He beamed a little at that.
“I’ll praise you, Jushiro! I’ll kiss your feet Jushiro. Please I just need one of your anti-hangover breakfasts. Please.” Shunsui clasped his hands before his face. “Ise shouted at me, the tiny shiro shouted at me and it’s been an all day sort of thing and the day just started.”
Jushiro regarded his oldest friend in the world. “Why did….captain Toshiro shout at you?”
“Awwwww fuck.”
---
“You did!” Rangiku said, stealing a piece of his omelette and he looked at her. “It’s that good!”
“I was warned about this.” Toshiro murmured to himself.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Toshiro replied. “So….what are we….No that’s a good question, what are we?”
She slung an arm around his shoulder and tugged him against herself, helping herself to another bite. “I think the kids call it going steady,” Rangiku said warmly, blowing out little bits of steam to cool her burning tongue, “dating.”
“That fast?” Toshiro asked.
“We already slept together.” She teased and he couldn’t look at her, which gave her time to snatch another bite. “I’m kidding. Factually I’m serious, but seriously I’m kidding.”
“Right...it’s...hard to do this.” Toshiro said as his fork hit plate. He looked at Rangiku and took care to slide the plate over to himself. “I want to though.”
“Not a sprint but a marathon.”
“Or a mountain climb.”
“Take it bits at a time.” Rangiku’s arm crept down his shoulder. “We can start with say...Toshiro making breakfast for his lovely Rangiku and see where that leads.”
“You just want a free breakfast.” Toshiro said, moving the plate again as she leaned further over him.
“It’s a romantic gesture!” Rangiku complained back, squashing him against her with one arm, while stabbing at the plate with her other hand. “See I’m that eager, Shiro!” She went on and he growled against her.
“You know what?” He said and stopped fighting her. “That’s a fine idea, Rangiku.” She was thrilled and rested her chin on his head, chewing happily and letting out a long moan of pleasure. “If we do that...I can make sure you get into work on time.”
The fork paused on the way up, Toshiro reached up with his own fork to steal the eggy mess of deliciousness. Rangiku did the math in her head. Delicious food, a cuddly captain and boyfriend...but work….BUT food was….so good.
“It’s not a sprint, it's a marathon. There’s some pain in a marathon.” Rangiku said with a tone that sounded like she’d just agreed to hard labour. “Let’s do it. Toshiro breakfast is the base camp of his quest to scale the gorgeous mount Matsumoto!”
“Please stop saying I’m going to scale you!”
“Clambour upon.”
“STOP.”
“ASCEND UNTO THE HEAVENS.”
“MATSUMOTO!”