Title: Rules
Pairings: Ichigo/Hitsugaya, implied Gin/Hitsu
Author: Me! ^^
Rating: R-ish? Just to be safe.
Summary: A fist to the nose got them together, but there are rules to be followed, in every relationship.
Warnings: Lime-ish yaoi-ness? A bit of violence. Swearing. Mentions of rape.
Disclaimer: I tried to reach the bleach bottle of godly goodness, but someone in Japan got to it first.

A/N: This was written for a Feb/March challenge in 2007. XD I loved it, and the people at the IchiHitsu LJ Comm loved it, so I'm reposting it up here. XD I'll post a few more stories, if it's slow enough at work today. Please enjoy!

Maybe it wasn't alright that I had done that, perhaps then I would probably still be standing, nose-to-nose with the bastard, rather than sprawled on my back, flush with the ground and sporting a bloody nose. I've always had a rough life, and injuries seemed to follow me like a curse since I was small, thanks to the alarm clock known as my father. I've had quite a few broken noses, but even though I'm used to them, it doesn't make the pain any less, and Toushiro wasn't as fragile as some people thought he looked. Note to self: intercept thoughts before they reach my mouth and attempt a stuttering excuse to leave. Do not shout out your feelings to that person. Do not grab him and kiss him. Do not pass go or collect two-hundred dollars.

Tch... And here I hoped like some harlequin-envisioned romantic that he would feel the same. Such fanciful thinking is unbecoming of me. I thought I was sure of myself, of him, and that he felt the same. Obviously not, if the blood trickling down my face is any indication. That glare was looking pretty vile, too. I think my blood flow just increased. One thing I was hoping he wouldn't do was use his Bankai in retaliation, but it looked like I might be wrong again. I could see the element moving fiercely in his eyes.

"I can't believe you!"

He reached a hand to the hilt of his sword. Oh, shit! I started to back away, until a wall blocked my escape path. I was stuck. I couldn't draw my Bankai on him. I wouldn't. But he had every wish to do so to me, and a lot more. That last part made me sound sleazy. I haven't always been a pervert, I promise! The rather dirty mental images come from the nympholeptic part of my brain, so please ignore them.

Despite my state of arousal and just how god-damned awesome and angry Toshiro was looking right now, I had no desire to become that close to Soul Society quite yet.

"Kurosaki-kun! Hitsugaya-san!"

"Ichigo! Toushirou!"

I suppressed a gulp as that deadly glare intensified. "It's Hitsugaya-taichou!"

Rangiku-san had good timing, and I praised her balls of steel. Toshiro is looking completely homicidal, and she's smiling! She actually managed to pat him on the back, while whispering in his ear. Eavesdropping has never been a forte of mine, though I can't dispute the undeniably curious sensation I'm feeling. How can she get him to calm down so quickly? Just a second ago, he was hell-bent on destroying every single strand of my DNA, and now he only looks pissed off. Trust me, there is a huge difference.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?"

I looked to my right. Inoue was kneeling beside me, ordering her fairies to begin healing my nose. Such a big fuss over a minor injury that I had unknowingly instigated. She worried too much, though I'm not surprised she was here. My father will let any pretty girl inside the house, regardless of who she is.

"I'm fine, Inoue."

She gave a kind smile. "I'm glad! Matsumoto-san and I came here as soon as possible when we felt a rise in Hitsugaya-san's Reiatsu." Her smile melted around the edges in confusion. "I think she knew what was going on or something, because she acted so quickly, without hesitation, like she was expecting something like this to happen."

I waved a hand at her. "I don't think there's anything deeper than your overactive imagination." Not. It's not everyday that your killer's fukutaichou comes along to save the day at just the right moment. I didn't want to worry Inoue any further than I already am, so I dropped it. I chose to look at the pretty faeries hovering over my face, a small golden shield placed over my nose. I wish I had a mirror. Watching the skin knit together was pretty nifty.

"I don't care!" The sudden shout brought my attention to Toshiro, who is across the room next to Rangiku. During my conversation with Inoue, they had taken a seat on my bed, but now he was on his feet, glaring at her. I wasn't sure what was going on, and I knew that it involved me, but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to be the cause of any other injuries.

"Taichou..."

"Don't start with me, Matsumoto! I'm not in the mood!"

"No, you aren't, but you still need to..."

"No!"

He turned his back to her, glaring now at the closet. Good thing Rukia wasn't in there... She was, thankfully, with Renji at Urahara's. Kon, being the loyal plushie to his "nee-san," went with her... or he got lost. Either way, Toushirou's glare would have frozen them, too. His aura keeps prickling down my spine. Inoue shifted with discomfort. I guess I'm not the only one.

Something looked off with his face. I looked closely to be sure. No doubt about it, Toshiro was blushing. It would have been cute if he weren't so intent on killing me.

Rangiku-san stood and erected two fingers in a sign of presumed victory. "Hey, Inoue! Would you mind hanging out for a while with Ichigo? I'd like to use your apartment to have a little heart-to-heart with my captain!"

"Well, um..."

"Great! Thanks a lot! I owe you one! Keep in touch!" With that, leaving no room for debate, she grabbed Toshiro around the waist and vanished out the window. We were ditched. Despite being rejected, I put on my best face for my friend.

Dinner was served, as always, at seven on the dot. So what did Orihime and I do for an hour? She continued to fuss over my broken nose for while, before I was able to calm her down and challenge her to a game of Egyptian Rat Screw. I regret that method, as my right hand was slapped completely red from front to back. I shouldn't have gone easy on her. She's a monster when we play with sandwiches and doubles. And who here uses Shunpo? Pathetic, eh?

My sore hand caused her to call out her fairies a second time. I tried to stop her from worrying again, but my opinions went in one ear and out the other, and nothing I said had any affect. Her obsessive-compulsive behavior for my health is puzzling. After dinner, I let her out the front door. I'd see her tomorrow anyway, since we were all meeting up at Urahara's for a meeting concerning Aizen and the menos grande.

By nine, I was completely wiped. All I planned on doing was falling asleep. At least the Toushirou in my dreams reciprocated my feelings. I'm doomed to dreams for the rest of my life. Well, that's what I thought. The reality turned out differently.

After taking my shower and hanging into a old, ripped, but comfy, pair of jeans, it wasn't until I locked myself up in my room, that I felt his reiatsu. It was too late for me to run away, though it was many degrees calmer and cooler than this afternoon. Or was that just a breeze? I pulled the towel off my head, looking at the window. There he sat in his gigai, with a pair of jeans and a black collard shirt that looked really hot on him. His back was against the wall, a leg bent up, and an arm propped up on his knee, eyes closed.

He knew I was in here. I knew he knew I was in here, and so on. I'll stop there with the chain reaction. So why didn't either of us talk? Normally I'd make a boisterous entrance and demand what hell people were doing coming into my room uninvited, but I already had a feeling of what we were going to talk about.

I sat against my closet door, legs crossed and towel hanging on my shoulders. I waited for him to speak. It was difficult, but I tried to hold back my nervousness and ambiguity as best I could. I wish he'd talk about something; about the kiss, the punch, even the fucking weather! So long as he lips were moving and it wasn't so deafeningly silent. It's putting a mental strain on me and I didn't know how long I could hold out. What was on his mind? Why did he come back? Does he really hate me that much?

"I don't hate you."

This sudden response to my silent question brought me out of my misery, and I looked up at him as I felt a small amount of my crushed hope starting to reform. "But, how did you you know I was-"

He snorted. "It's easy enough to guess what your thinking by the look on your face."

Toshiro reached behind him, closing the window. Good. I was getting extra chilly with it open, since I'm not wearing a shirt and all. He mimicked my pose, his back against the glass and his legs crossed as he looked at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking about, so I stayed silent until he continued.

"I won't say this again, so listen good. I thought it was wrong for you to kiss me so suddenly. You should at least ask the next time. A negative response to something like that is reflexive of me. I won't apologize for the punch, you deserved it. However, I will admit that it was wrong to draw up my reiatsu. I'm hardly ever in the wrong, but I was wrong to do that. You shouldn't receive such harsh punishment over such a trivial thing."

I could see his point. It's a lame excuse, but I was simply caught up in the moment. I couldn't help myself. Those lips had been only a short distance away from mine, I couldn't contain myself. I'd wanted him, bad enough to take him without even asking about what he'd felt. I'd sock one to the bastard, too, but I wouldn't say that the kiss was something trivial.

I nodded in understanding. He nodded back. Good, we accepted that we were both to blame.

"As for your.. feelings." I winced. That sounded forced, but his demeanor remained unchanged. "To be truthful, I never thought about you and I being in a relationship. I don't really have any romantic feelings for anyone because of my age difference to all the other captains and a past experience that didn't turn out so great. Your love isn't mutual."

What little hope that had managed to rise fell back down. He was going to remain unobtainable. That hurts.

"I'm not finished, so don't get completely sour and depressed on me." Toshiro crawled forward until he was laying across the width of my bed on his stomach, feet in the air, with his chin in the palm of his hand. He looked far too casual for this conversation. "I talked with Matsumoto. It seems she disagrees. She wants me to... 'explore the possibilities,' to put into her terms. To give you a chance." Thank Buddha for Rangiku-san! I made a mental side-note to buy her a new pink scarf for her uniform.

"However, there are rules." Toshiro held up a finger. "One; I don't date." Damn, there goes my picturesque mental image of us on our first date. I suppose I'll have to accept the fact the he wasn't the dinner-and-a-movie type.

"Two; I'll be a good little uke and let you screw me, but I decide when and where." That's a bit depressing. I'm not allowed to be spontaneously romantic?

"Three: Rangiku is the only one that knows about this. I made her swear to secrecy, or I'm going to send her back to Rukongai. The same applies to you." Ouch... Poor Rangiku. Make that ten new pink scarves and a matching hat. "Are we clear?"

"Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "I can understand the third one, and a little about the first one. But the second one confuses me." He only had to lift his eyebrow for me to elaborate. "You're telling me that I can't love you unless you want me to. I can't help that. I can't flick my love like a light switch."

His silence was deafening. I never knew there were crickets outside my house. It aggravates me that he's so passive and unwilling to talk about his rules. What is going on with him? "My one and only rule; trust each other, no secrets."

He stares at me for only a moment longer before he begins to move. Slipping gracefully to the floor, he held himself up on his hands and knees. He spoke as he slowly started to crawl towards me. "We'll lift the second rule, then. As for why, I'm not ready to tell you that... I acknowledge that you want to know, and you will. And I'm willing to say that a backstabbing and trusted ally isn't my fondest memory of a first time."

I stretched my legs out as he came closer, one hand already planted by my knees. I wasn't stupid(at least not all the time) and already had a vague idea who he spoke of thanks to a conversation I had with Rangiku earlier. "Then make a new set of firsts with me." He saddled my lap, his face popping into my personal space bubble.

"Like I said, I don't know what to think about you. That is the only reason why I'm doing this."

Toshiro wrapped both arms around my neck, urging me to lower my head. I complied so that his lips were brushing the shell of my ear. "How about a fourth rule, then?" I shivered as his cool breath blew gently by. His hips were pressed tightly against mine. I was unable to do anything with my hands but rest them on the small of his back. My breath shortened when he moved, pretty much grinding into me.

"W-what rule...?"

"The other rules may become negligible if I fall in love with you."

I liked that rule. We can keep that rule. I managed to nod again before he once more grinds into me, lifting a moan out of my throat. My hands move down to his ass, enticing him to keep going. I was dazed and disoriented. All I could think about was how this felt, how he felt under my hands, against my body, against my lips. He gave intense kisses, from chaste and sweet to downright arousing and passionate. His hands broke away from my neck to feel the rest of me, removing the towel, and running along my sides. I was in heaven when his lips descended to my neck.

I pushed my hips up to meet his, he crashed down into mine. I don't know how long we were entangled like this, how hot and steamy we were getting, and I couldn't care. I was just incredibly overwhelmed with elation when it was over. We didn't move, either. He leaned into me, letting my arms wrap firmly around him. Our pants were sticky, but the afterglow of orgasm blocks out the little things. We were content right where we were.

I closed my eyes and resigned myself to sleep. I'll win Toshiro's heart. That's a promise to me, to Toshiro, and a challenge to the one who broke him.

~Fin~

Not the ending I wasn intending to write... Was thinking about something a little bit darker, but then the chibi plot-foxies in my head started a mutiny and took over my motor functions... XP Anyway, please review?