Gloom
“Gloom,” you say, tucking a chunk of hair behind your ear.
Izuru Kira stands up, putting aside his zanpakuto. The handsome lieutenant of the 3rd Division rarely smiles, and you definitely don’t see him smiling now. Rangiku probably put a card in for him as a joke.
When you reach the closet he steps in front of you and opens the door, letting you walk in first. The gentlemanly gesture is not lost on you, and you smile at him, although he doesn’t smile back.
“Uhm, Izuru—is it alright if I call you Izuru?”
He nods and shuts the door behind you.
“Izuru, I’m sorry you have to play this stupid game. I… I know you hate stuff like this, so I’ll just… shut up… now…” You slide down the wall into a sitting position. Damn.
You hear him moving around, maybe getting settled, and finally he speaks. “It isn’t your fault. We threw this party to thank you for helping us; this is just part of the thank-you.”
It’s cold in the closet, but asking Izuru—no, Kira, calling him by his first name seems too familiar—to warm you would be beyond embarrassing. “Kira-san, during the battle… You fought the man named Redder. The way you killed him… It made my blood run cold.” You’re not even sure what made you mention this, but it seems like the room is suddenly ten degrees colder. Are you some kind of masochist, doing this to yourself?
“War always cools the blood. It’s brutal business.” His indifferent voice is the equivalent of a stab.
“It was just so… cruel.” And before you know it, your hot face is wet with salt water. Not tears. There’s no way you’re crying.
“It’s the way of the world. You’re lucky nothing bad has ever happened to you. Your life is just one gigantic ray of sunshine, isn’t it?” Bitterness creeps into his tone.
“Shut up, Kira!” You shout, cheeks stinging. You are crying, you are hurting, and…
“You’re crying.” He moves across the closet, ducking the hanging light (which is still off, because nobody knows where the switch is), and sits beside you, turning your face into the sleeve of his robe. “There’s no need. I’m sorry I sounded cruel. I suppose a person must get like this when the people they care for betray them.”
You lay your head on his shoulder, pulling his arm around your shoulders.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s Ten Minutes in Heaven. I’ve already been through hell. You owe me.”
He laughs. Pain clenches your heart until his lips meet your brow. “I guess I do. Can you forgive me for being so dark?”
“Only if you kiss me,” you say, looking up into his face.
“A kiss to be forgiven… A small price for hurting your feelings.”
Your eyes narrow. “Izuru, you’re an idiot!” You whack him over the head.
“Ouch!”
“I love you, you dope! I want to be your ray of sunshine! I want to make you smile and I want you to love me too! Argh!”
Izuru is still rubbing the top of his head when laughter seems to bubble up from inside him. “You want… me?” He asks wonderingly. “Hang on—you wanted a kiss in exchange for forgiveness, but you really want the kiss because you love me.” He says it slowly, as if he’s trying to understand entirely. “Is that about right?”
You drag both hands through your hair. “Yes! Finally!”
He sighs and shakes his head, chuckling. “Life can’t be all bad if I managed to make a wonderful woman fall in love with me, huh?”
You punch him. “You still owe me that stupid kiss.”
“Good point.” He kisses you quietly, just a bare touch of lips, then melds them to yours, firmer than before, learning the shape of your mouth with his. “Do you like this?”
“Mmhmm,” you mumble, reluctant to separate as you cuddle yourself into his side.
“My ray of sunshine. You said that was what you wanted to be.” He teases your head up and plants a chaste kiss on your chin. His lips meet yours again with almost painful tenderness. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“You’re forgiven, Izuru. I love you, remember?”
He pulls you in closer, sliding you into his until-then vacant lap. His arms slip around your waist, holding you tight against him as he speaks into your hair, his hot breath touching your scalp. “After everything that’s happened, after all the people who turned on me… You’re right. I’ve become gloomy, and I do need some sun in my life.”
You turn to face him, straddling his lap. “But do you need me?”
“Absolutely. Now come here…” Tickling, teasing, Izuru drags you close, his lips sealing over yours with sweet certainty, even as the door opens and a camera clicks. Izuru rubs your back and nudges your mouth open to accept his tongue, which lazily strokes the inside of your mouth.
Three more clicks, and now Rangiku is gushing and laughing in an overloud voice.
Izuru glances over your head at the audience, his eyes icy.
It shuts discreetly.
“What was that for?”
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