Chapter Text
It was just chocolate...she tried to tell herself as she saw the torn paper and the crumbs. That little fur ball had been in Ichigo's body and had eaten them all. Those chocolates - Her chocolates. She had stayed up all night with Orihime making them and before racing off to fight a hollow. If she got a hold of Kon she swore she'd rip his stuffing out...
--
Rukia glanced at the calendar and then out the window. There was no snow on the ground but it was still chilly out. On her soul pager the date read 2/13/XX...She hadn't ever thought of the fourteenth as a big deal before now. She always gave "appreciation" chocolates to all of her colleagues in squad 13, as well as Renji her brother. This year was different... There was someone she liked.
According to Orihime; if you liked someone you gave them special chocolates to show your affection. Rukia shook her head and assured herself that she didn't like the orange-haired boy in that way. No...she...uh...just wanted an excuse to get more presents on white day, right? And the best way to do that was to give him chocolates. After all, they were partners in work. He had saved her life – so she was plenty appreciative.
--
Ichigo groaned softly as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "The thirteenth, huh? What a drag..." he muttered. His head rested in the palm of his hand, elbow proper on his desk. This kind of thing was such a pain. Keigo was always obnoxious, as was everyone else, except maybe Chad.
"Don't say such things!" Keigo scolded him, popping out of nowhere. "The thirteenth is the day when boys and girls experience so much heart-throbbing high school romance! We’re all dying from anticipation for tomorrow! That is the joys of life~ to receive chocolates from a beautiful bodacious girl like Inoue or-"
"Asano-san...have you ever even received chocolates from a girl other than your sister?" Mizuiro accused pointedly from behind his book. Keigo looked defeated and slumped over on the younger's desk whining and complaining about how mean his small friend was and how even Chad received chocolates.
Ichigo sighed again, staring over at Rukia. Was she going to give him chocolates? She was from a well-to-do family and it was the "ladylike" and "proper" thing to do, right? Or maybe she didn’t understand the customs of the living world. Did the Soul Society have Valentine’s Day? Just then she looked up, a pair of violet eyes meeting brown. They both turned blushed and turned away from one another. Gods this holiday was so...annoying.
--
"Hey, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime ran to Rukia's desk as soon as the bell rang. She leaned over and whispered, "C-can you help me make chocolates for Kurosaki-kun?"
Rukia looked up from her bento box and stopped chewing her food for a moment. "Uhm...sure, Inoue-chan!" she replied hastily. Rukia felt a slight pang of...well she didn't know what it was exactly. Perhaps...jealousy at the thought of Ichigo accepting Inoue's chocolates. She shook her head, bidding the thought to leave her mind. "I'll come over at seven. Is that okay?" Rukia informed with a smile.
"You're the best, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime exclaimed, hugging Rukia's face into her chest, nearly suffocating the other.
-at the Kurosaki home, 4:45 PM-
"Ichigo's looking glum, huh, Karin?" Yuzu asked, looking over at her older twin sister.
"Well of course!" Isshin exclaimed, jumping into the living room and draping an arm around each daughter. "He's a young man~! I'm sure he is wondering if he will get chocolates from the girl he loves, naturally!"
Ichigo grumbled a half-hearted complaint as he rubbed the back of his neck and stood. Karin looked at him as he climbed the stairs. She couldn’t help but think of how busy he must be with his duties as a soul reaper. And remembering that in past years, despite his demeanor, Ichigo was rather popular with girls from other schools.
Ichigo flopped down on his bed. "Rukia!" he scowled, knowing she was probably in his closet, lecturing Kon. She poked her head out, "Yes?"
"No matter who it is, if a girl tries to get you to bring me the chocolates she made," he furrowed his brow, "please reject her nicely. I have someone I like already."
"Oh..." There was tightness in her chest, like a vice grip on her heart which seemed to sink to her feet. “I will,” she promised before closing the door. She leaned against the wall, clenching her chest.
"Onee-san?" Kon whispered in a worried tone but got no response.
Ichigo stared at the closet. The Rukia he knew would usually tease him about something like that but she seemed so...hurt. He stood for a second, debating whether or not to ask her what was wrong but sat back down, deciding to worry in silence. There was no way she would tell him.
-Inoue's apartment, 7:20PM-
"Milk...butter...sugar...cocoa...Anything else?" Orihime looked at Rukia, her large eyes questioning. Rukia smiled, sliding Inoue the ingredient list as she measured everything else out. She had a second list, a list of who she'd make chocolates for and whose she'd buy. There was only one name on her list of who to make for and it was Ichigo but there was no way she could tell Orihime.
She remembered from being at the Kurosaki house that Ichigo didn't mind sweet things but he really didn't care for them either so she, personally, had decided to make dark chocolate.
Hours had passed and the two girls had at last - after much trial and error – finished making their chocolates. After finishing hers, Orihime had decided to sit at the table in the living room and had subsequently fallen asleep. Rukia smiled as she covered her friend up with a blanket and then picked up her bag. She yawned, walking out the door and walking home alone. She carefully stepped up onto Ichigo's window sill and slid it open, climbing inside quietly, careful not to make a noise. Just then, her soul pager beeped.
Ichigo turned over to face her and groaned, "Where is it?"
"Southside of town," she muttered, yawning again. He stood, grabbed Kon from out of the closet and stole the pill from Kon's body.
"Stay here, Kon," he said before swallowing the pill. His soul was forced from his body and then he looked at Rukia, "You too," he commanded, mussing her hair and causing her to blush angrily.
--
There, on Ichigo's desk was a small bag. Kon picked it up and couldn't help but admire the soft lavender tulle fabric that held the rabbit shaped confections. Rukia had left them out on accident, absent-mindedly leaving them there as she went to the restroom and then to go find a late night snack. The temptation was too great and he had eaten them all without self-restraint. It wasn’t every day that a gikongon got to eat homemade food – let alone chocolates!
--
Ichigo came in to his room to find a very distraught and angry Rukia threatening Kon in a low voice. He had never seen her so mad. Her eyes were narrowed to slits and she looked beyond exasperated and particularly pissed. He stepped in between them and pulled Kon by the arm (of his own body) out of the way of Rukia's fist. "Stop!" his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth, turned down in a frown, twitched in annoyance. "What is this all about!?"
Rukia was too mad to talk, she clenched the empty bag in her hand. A little note fluttered to the ground. It showed one of her strange drawings along with small, neat handwriting.
To: Ichigo
Love: Rukia...
He picked it up and turned it over in his hands, eyeballing it suspiciously, "Did you...?" He looked at her carefully, searching her wide violet eyes for an answer.
"Yea..." she looked away and then grumbled about Kon eating them. Ichigo blushed softly before sitting on his bed, "Well...did you make any extras?"
"Yea...but I was going to give them to Onii-san..." she muttered quietly, rummaging through her bag for a small box that was a lot less fancy than what she had put Ichigo's candy in. He snatched them from her and popped one in his mouth. Her cheeks flushed as she stared at him with wide eyes. He grinned and swallowed the candy after letting it melt a bit.
"It's really good," he told her before shyly taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and softly planting a kiss on her lips. He pulled away, both of them turned bright red and stared at each other.
"See?" he asked softly, moving her raven hair from her face.
"Did you just-?" Kon started to ask before receiving two kicks to the face.
"Shut up, Kon!" they both demanded in unison.