#izuru fluff

Izuru stared at the last text he received from you on his phone. It was short, not at all like the usual texts he received from you. He knew you well enough by now to know that something was off. So, he decided to send you a text asking the question

'Izuru: hey I hope you're ok

Y/N: I'm fine

Izuru: If you don't want to talk about it it's okay but I want to help

Y/N: Izuru, I said it's fine.

Izuru: alright baby, I love you.

Y/N: love you too'

Izuru pocketed his phone and sighed to himself. It was only 3pm, you'd be home after 5 so he'd just have to keep himself busy until then. Having already finished his work for the day he busied himself by deep cleaning the kitchen. He sprayed the entire counter with disinfecting spray(the one he hated the smell of but that you said smelled 'fresh') and wiped it down with a microfiber cloth. The cloth stuck to his fingers and made him cringe, he hated the sensation of the cloth on his hands but he was going to make the house look sensational for you.

Once the counter was wiped clean he got to work cleaning the outside of the cupboards. The scene of the spray stuck to his nostrils like glue but he was determined to do something nice for you. Even if you weren't going to admit it to him, he knew something was wrong and if you didn't want to talk to him about it he wasn't going to force you. But he was at least going to make the house feel nice the moment you walked in the door.

Izuru wiped a small bead of sweat off his forehead and returned the cleaning spray to his place under the sink. He walked to the laundry and sat the cloth in the basket waiting to be cleaned.

Izuru sat on the couch and grabbed his phone once more, no new texts from you but it was 4:30pm so at least you'd be home soon.

**

At exactly 5:15pm the front door clicked and Izuru recognized the sounds of your footsteps on the wooden floor. He listened to you stepping inside, he heard you toss your keys in the bowl by the door and then he listened as you made your way down the hallway.

"Oh, come to greet me, huh?" He heard you say and he guessed you must've been talking to your cat. When you appeared in the entrance of the living room holding your little ginger cat in your arms Izuru smiled at you.

"How was work?" Izuru asked softly

"Terrible." You said with a long sigh as you continued holding the ginger cat in your arms. The cat slowly blinked and reached it's paw out as if to comfort you. You sat beside him with a huff

"Firstly, this customer complained because the coffee was 'too hot' even after he asked for it to be extra hot! Then one of the new hires spilled coffee all over this ladies laptop but worst of all was when this man shouted at me because he didn't want to wait 10 minutes for his coffee. It was the middle of the lunch rush...of course it's going to take a while." You rambled and reluctantly released the cat from your arms. The cat leapt off you and rubbed up against your legs twice before disappearing once more.

"I'm sorry for being so short when I was texting you earlier." You said before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"it's alright, do you want me to make you some dinner" he asked before reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"That would be nice, baby." You replied

"'Come keep me company then, won't you?" He suggested-wanting desperately to see your reaction to the kitchen he worked hard to clean. With a nod you both stood up and walked to the kitchen. Both of your footsteps echoed throughout the house and when you entered the kitchen a gasp left your lips.

"Izuru...the kitchen looks wonderful." You said before hauling your arms around him from behind.

"It's nothing, but I am glad you like it, anything to make you smile." Izuru responded

Evening rolled in slowly, the day had dragged on at a snail's pace and by the time he got home, Izuru was ready to collapse. His feet were aching, his legs were begging for relief and he could barely keep his eyes open. 

He opened the door to his private quarters and closed it behind him with a click. The room smelled of lemongrass and cinnamon, it was a strange combination but he knew that it meant you were here. You were always burning the strangest incense while you awaited his arrival. He didn't find you on the couch, it was empty and appeared completely unused. You weren't sitting at the table either although an abandoned glass of water sat in the centre. He focused on the bed where his eyes zeroed in on the lump under the covers. Were you sleeping? He couldn't tell. 

Izuru cleared his throat and then he saw your eyes peer over the top of the covers. You didn't leap up to greet him like you usually did, you just laid there looking at him with just your eyes showing. Izuru ignored the throbbing pain in his feet while he crossed the room to meet you.

“Hi, baby…” You said faintly and Izuru could sense the weakness in your voice. 

“Are you alright?” He asked 

“ ‘m okay. My period cramps are really bad but your bed always makes me feel better.” You admitted and Izuru frowned. How had he not known that's why you seemed off? It happened at least once a month that you got like this. Some months were worse than others. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” He asked 

“Can you cuddle up to me?” you asked in response and Izuru smiled gently at you. He was so soft when it came to you, if you had asked him to go out and buy an entire shop's worth of chocolates he would've done it without hesitation. He half expected you to ask him to go and get you some mochi at the very least. 

Izuru slid in beside you, instantly he could feel the warmth coming off your body and when he wrapped his arms around your waist he felt you melt into him. He pulled you closer and leaned his head into the crook of your neck. 

“How's this?” He whispered into your ear 

“Much better, you're my favorite hot water bottle.” You uttered and Izuru scoffed 

“If that's all I'm good for then I'll take it.” Izuru responded and you found his hand that was wrapped around your waist. You made short work of intertwining your fingers with his, the blankets shifting off you slightly as you did so. 

“Sorry, I think I'm a bit sweaty.” You admitted and Izuru grunted under his breath 

“I'm not worried about a little bit of sweat. Just close your eyes and try and get some rest. I'm right here with you.” Izuru spoke delicately in your eye and it sent shivers up your spine. You nodded and felt him shift behind you in an attempt to get even closer to you. 

“When I wake up do you think you can get me some mochi?” You asked and Izuru felt a smile twitch in the corner of his mouth. 

“Anything you want.” He said and as he laid there listening to you drift off to sleep Izuru closed his eyes and felt himself succumb to the temptations of sleep. He wanted to stay awake just in case you needed him but he couldn't. 

Izuru loves coming home to you after a long day at work. He loves it when he peels open the door to see you somewhere in that dimly lit room. He adores the way you greet him like there's no one else in the world that matters but him. When your warm arms embrace him-he feels all the stress from his day fade away. Bit by bit-you chip away at the tension. Being a lieutenant was stressful-you knew that and even when he tried not to bring the stress home-you always knew when he needed you.

Izuru loves it when you sit him down on the floor while you sit on the couch so you can rub his shoulders with ease. He lets his guard slip when he's with you, he tells you about his day and you listen. Your hands work his muscles and he can practically feel the tension melt away with every touch of your skilled hands.

Izuru loves it when you comb your hands through his hair from this angle. He's sitting between your knees-it's intimate but not sexual. He feels the way you use your nails to brush through his hair and hears the softness in your voice. Occasionally, he's fallen asleep in that position.

Izuru loves the way you excitedly tell him about your day too. He listens to the way you talk about your captain and the tiring tasks you had to do. He loved your voice, everything about you really.

Izuru loves it when you ask him if he's eaten dinner yet. Because, of course he hasn't. He could never eat dinner without you. When you practically drag him over to the table he lets you.

Izuru loves that the moment you two finish your meal you're already enthused about the next meal. You're telling him about some recipe you found, one that you're desperate to try out.

Izuru loves it when the two of you finally slide into bed together. He feels the way your limbs entangle with his until you both find a comfortable sleeping position. The first time he shared a bed with you he was taken aback by the closeness of your body. He had to admit though-he couldn't imagine any other way of sleeping, not anymore. Usually you ended up with your head pressed up against his chest or nestled into the crook of his shoulder. Either way-knowing you were safely tucked up beside him brought him a sense of security.

Izuru loves everything about you. Even when you annoyed him or clung to him like a stray dog. He still loves you and he always would-no matter what.

“Why don't you just ask her out?” Shuhei asked as he sat down beside his friend who had been staring at the same girl for the past half an hour.

“Who do you mean?” Izuru asked but he felt his cheeks redden and try as he might, he couldn't pull his gaze away from you. The way you trained was almost hypnotizing, the way you swung that wooden sword towards your sparring partner, the way you had a huge smile on your face the entire time and the way you laughed musically whenever you made a mistake.

“Who do I…Maybe the girl you've been drooling over for the past month and a half.” Shuhei replied with a scoff

“I haven't been…Drooling over anyone. I'm supervising their training, I'm their lieutenant. Speaking of which, don't you have work you could be doing?” Izuru pointed out but it was a lie, all of it was a lie because he had been drooling over you. He thought about you so often that it bordered on creepy.

“I see the way you look at her, I'm not blind and neither is she. Haven't you noticed it?” Shuhei asked

“Not sure what you're talking about…” Izuru admitted but his entire face was red by this point. The clang on your wooden sword landing against your opponent's sword echoed throughout the courtyard.

“Dammit, you're both idiots, huh? Look, whenever you give her orders she's so nervous and she can't even look you in the eye. But whenever you're not looking she stares at you like you hung the moon. You seriously haven't noticed?” Shuhei asked again

“That's just…Not true.” Izuru muttered although part of him hoped it was true except that he knew better.

“Believe me or not, it's true.” Shuhei responded with a clap on Izuru's shoulder. Izuru flinched but managed to tear his eyes away from you long enough to meet Shuhei's gaze.

“She's…She's so cute, you know? But I'm her superior officer.” Izuru sighed

“You got it bad, huh? Well, if you don't ask her out someone else will, like you said, she's cute.” Shuhei said as he lifted himself off the ground with a grunt.

__

That night Izuru couldn't get Shuhei's words out of his head, had you really been looking at him when he wasn't looking? Was that true? Or was Shuhei just being typical Shuhei? Truthfully Izuru didn't know either way. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply and his thoughts drifted to how beautiful you looked while training. How even in your sweat drenched state, he saw your beauty.

He laid there listening to the buzzing of insects but sleep eluded him. He closed his eyes but his heart raced inside his chest. He kept remembering all the times you'd looked at him and he wondered if he should've spoken his mind sooner. Because Shuhei was right, what if he waited so long and you ended up in a relationship with somebody else? His chest tightened at the thought of you with someone else. But what right did he have to feel that way? He had no claim to you in that way.

Izuru sighed deeply and sat up, he let the blankets fall off his shirtless body and breathed in the thick air around him. The moon was so bright that it was almost blinding and the crickets chirped at an almost deafening rate. He stood up and rubbed his eyes while closing the open shoji panels. It made little difference to the sound of crickets but it did block out some of the light from the moon. He wondered if you were asleep and if so did you sleep with the windows open to the outside air too? No, you were in the shared barracks so you'd be crammed into a room with other squad members.

Izuru climbed back into bed with a grunt, the wait air seemed to engulf his body as he pulled the blankets up and over his waist. He imagined what it would be like if beside him you laid there sleeping. He thought about hearing the steady way you'd breath in and out as you slept. Maybe you snored a little too loudly but he wouldn't care. Maybe you tossed and turned in your sleep, maybe you'd kick him while you slept but he wouldn't care. Because it was you. Izuru imagined wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close against him. You'd shift slightly and maybe make a little grunt of annoyance but then you'd fall back asleep. He would rest his head in the crook of your neck and you'd feel safe because he was there to protect you.

Izuru frowned at the thought, it was a nice fantasy but the truth of the matter was that he was lying alone and the spot beside him was cold.

__

The following morning Izuru the office, he had some paperwork to fill out for squad 6 and he really didn't feel like meeting the wrath of Captain Kuchiki anytime soon. A knock on the door got his attention, he looked up to see you standing in the doorway. The way the sun illuminated your figure made his stomach do a backflip. It was like you were from a dream he didn't want to wake up from.

“Sorry to disturb you, lieutenant.” You said with a bow, Izuru cleared his throat

“You're not disturbing me, how can I help?” Izuru asked

“The most recent roster hasn't been posted yet, we just wondered if…” Your voice trailed off and Izuru widened his eyes. Shit, how could he have forgotten to post that? If Captain Ichimaru found out he'd be disappointed to say the least.

“You're right, let me just…Where is it?” Izuru asked(himself) as he opened the desk drawer and rifled through it. He pulled out various pieces of paper and tossed them aside with a huff.

“Uh, lieutenant?” You asked but Izuru shook his head dismissively

“I know I put it here somewhere…” He mumbled

“Lieutenant.” You repeated more urgently

“Maybe it was this one?” Izuru asked as he opened the drawer underneath the original one.

“Lieutenant Kira!” You shouted this time and Izuru almost jumped out of his skin.

“Sorry, but you weren't listening.” You said with an uncomfortable smile. You pointed to Captain Ichimaru’s desk which was empty apart from the scroll he'd been looking for which undoubtedly had the roster. Izuru sighed and felt his cheeks burn. He glanced at you for a moment too long before speaking.

“I'll post it as soon as I finish here, thank you y/n.” Izuru said before dropping his head into his hands and closing his eyes.

“Very well, I'll…I'll be off then.” Your voice came through like a melody and when he lifted his head he saw you turn to leave. He thought about calling after you, imagined what you would do if he chased after you and pulled you in for a kiss but he didn't do any of those things. He just watched you leave and cursed himself for it.

__

“Hey, Izuru. I've got a great idea for your dilemma.” Shuhei said as the two of them threw back drinks.

“Hm?” Izuru said in response as he swallowed a mouthful of sake which burned his throat on the way down.

“I heard about this…Holiday they celebrate in the world of the living. It's called Valentine's Day.” Shuhei said and his words were slightly slurred as he spoke.

“Val…? Huh? Val em times? What's that?” Izuru asked with a furrowed brow

“Yeah, I don't really understand it but they go out on dates, buy each other chocolates and flowers or whatever. Maybe you could ask your girl out? I heard she loves the world of the living so she probably knows all about Valentine's day.” Shuhei continued as he slid his now empty sake bottle to the side. Izuru sat back in his seat and chewed on the inside of his lip.

“You think she'd like that sort of thing?” Izuru asked in a low voice.

“I have no clue but it's worth a shot? Unless you have some other way of asking her out?” Shuhei teased with a playful grin spread across his face. Izuru looked at his friend and sighed

“Alright, I'll do it. But if she turns me down then I'm blaming you.” Izuru replied

“She won't turn you down but fine, if that's what you want then blame me if it goes wrong.” Shuhei said with a cheesy wink that made Izuru shake his head.

__

Izuru waited until you were alone but that was near impossible. You were always with someone else, either training or just chatting away. Every time he thought he'd catch you alone to ask you out you would disappear into a crowd of other shinigami. He was starting to feel like a lovesick fool, would you find it strange if you knew? What was he doing? You were his subordinate, even if you said yes you'd probably do so out of fear of punishment or ridicule. Still, he had to try. Izuru watched you as you leaned against the wall after training in the courtyard. You were alone, this was his chance. He took a deep breath and approached you, you hadn't even noticed him or if you did you weren't looking at him. You just stood there fanning your face with your hand and dripping with sweat. The air was cold but it felt heavy as he approached you with caution.

He cleared his throat when he found himself standing in front of you. When you looked at him he froze.

“Lieutenant Kira!” You exclaimed and you bowed so quickly that Izuru thought you were going to topple over.

“It's alright, I have a question to ask you. It's uh…Not regarding work so please, lose the formalities.” Izuru said while his cheeks grew uncomfortably hot. You straightened up to look him in the eyes and he could've passed out right there. Why was this so difficult? He was a lieutenant, he'd fought countless hollows but this was what got him?

“Have you heard of…Val em times day?” He asked and you cocked your head to the side before a soft giggle left your lips.

“You mean Valentine's day?” You asked

“Yeah, isn't that what I said?” Izuru asked

“No…But close enough I guess. Yes, I've heard of it. They celebrate it in the world of the living, don't they? What about it?” You asked him

“Well, uh…I wondered if…I just thought maybe you'd like to…With me…Wait, let me start again.” Izuru stammered and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

“Lieutenant, are you trying to ask me on a date?” You asked and Izuru thought his head was going to explode when he heard you say that.

“Hold on…That's…Yeah, I am. I'm sorry, I'm completely fucking this up, aren't i?” Izuru asked and you smiled so warmly at him that he felt his heart flutter in his chest.

“Yes, I would love to go out on a date with you.” You replied softly and Izuru chewed the inside of his lip but he allowed himself to smile.

“Tomrrow? I'll bring you flowers or chocolates or-” He began but you cut him off

“Don't ruin the surprise. Just…Meet me here at 6.” You suggested

“PM?” He asked but once he did he felt like an idiot. You brushed past him

“Yes, PM.” You said and he turned to watch you walk away. You smiled over your shoulder at him once before continuing to leave. He sunk down onto the ground and let out a long sigh.

“That was hard to watch.” Shuhei's voice came in from the landing that overlooked the courtyard. Izuru let his head fall into his knees and chose to ignore his friends' teasing.

__

The following day Izuru tried his best to concentrate on his work but he was struggling with even the most basic tasks. Gin had noticed when Izuru came into the office and fumbled around looking for a document that had already been submitted weeks ago.

“You seem…Distracted.” Gin pointed out and Izuru felt his body stiffen

“Sorry, sir. I'm fine.” Izuru replied although he very clearly wasn't fine.

On his lunch break Izuru disappeared into the sereitai to find some flowers to bring you. There wasn't anywhere to actually purchase flowers, not like the world of the living so he meandered around the sereitai picking various types of flowers. He made the mistake of asking Rangiku about what a flower bouquet usually looked like and she got way too excited. She asked him so many questions that Izuru didn't want to answer. She did help a lot though. Once he had picked a bunch of flowers she helped him bundle them all together and arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing way.

He thanked her and realized how strange it looked when he returned to the office holding a bouquet of flowers. Gin looked up from his desk and his gaze flickered between Izuru's face and the beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers in his lieutenant's hands.

“Those flowers for me? How thoughtful.” Gin teased and Izuru placed them down on his own desk and said nothing although he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

__

It was 5:45 and Izuru had just finished the last of his work for the day. He scooped up the flowers and practically ran to the courtyard. He had to pass several confused and intrigued shinigami but he ignored them. He reached the courtyard and found it mostly empty, a few others tidying up after training but he didn't find you there yet. He figured he was a bit early so he let himself breath for what felt like the first time that day.

He felt your spiritual pressure before he saw you, he turned and saw you walking towards him. When you reached him he smiled and held out the flowers

“For me?” You asked even though you knew the answer. Izuru nodded and you took the bouquet from him and took a deep breath in to smell the flowers.

“Thank you, I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything.” You admitted shamefully

“Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're here.” He responded

“So what do you have planned for us?” You asked and Izuru cursed under his breath. He hadn't even planned anything out! How could he be so foolish? He'd been so focused on what Shuhei had said about bringing flowers that he'd completely forgotten to actually plan anything else out. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out.

“It's okay, let's just go for a walk behind the barracks. There's that beautiful trail up that way and we can just talk and see where it goes from there?” You suggested and Izuru's mouth went dry.

“Sounds good, I'm sorry. I'm not good at this.” Izuru said

“It's fine, really. Let's go.” You replied while gripping the fabric on his arm with your free hand. He nodded and allowed you to lead him.

You pulled him towards the back of the barracks where a small, dirt rail led up the hill. Excitedly you pulled him along, the two of you talked along the way about anything and everything. He asked what your favorite foods were, you asked him what his favorite color was. Just simple, little things but it all mattered to him. He was just happy to be in your presence.

When you reached the top of the hill he watched your face light up as you stared off into the distance at the view. The lights from the sereitai could be seen from where the two of you were standing now, it made it seem like you were in an entirely different world.

“I've never been up here at night.” You admitted as you held the flowers to your chest. Izuru stood beside you and he felt your fingers brush against his. He flinched at the sudden touch but without speaking or even looking in his direction you slipped your hand into his. Your fingers intertwined with each other and Izuru could feel his heart thumping against his chest. His hands felt sweaty, what if you could feel how sweaty his hand was? What if you got grossed out?

“Where'd you get these?” You asked him while looking down at the flowers in your other hand. Izuru looked at you while he spoke

“I uh, picked them.” He admitted and you giggled

“So you ran around in your spare time picking flowers for me?” You asked and he felt his breath catch in the back of his throat.

“That's…I love that, thank you.” You added as you squeezed his hand. Izuru studied your face while you looked off into the distance. The moonlight seemed to dance upon your skin, you looked so soft and vulnerable.

“I'm glad you like them.” He said softly and when you turned your head to look at him he nearly melted on the spot.

“I like the flowers but…” Your voice trailed off

“I like you too, always have.” You said while looking up at him and he closed his eyes to take in your words.

“I had no idea, I kept my distance because I didn't want you to think I was taking advantage of you because I'm your superior officer.” Izuru explained and when he opened them he felt your hand disappear from his. You turned your whole body to face him and he did the same. His heart was definitely going to explode out of his chest if you kept looking at him like that. He looked at the way the moon reflected in your eyes, the way you looked at him like you expected something from him and the way you clutched the flowers to your chest.

“When you asked me out tonight I was so excited I could barely contain it.” You admitted and he chuckled low in his throat.

“You took it well, then.” He replied and you laughed nervously.

“I'm sorry that I didn't have anything planned.” He said

“I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that you HAD to have something planned. This…Is perfect.” You said and then he felt your hand brush his bangs out of his face. He gazed at you and leaned into your touch without realizing it. Your hand grazed his cheek delicately and his stomach turned wildly. He took a deep breath in and smiled as you used your hand to hold his face. He let out a shaky breath as you parted your lips in invitation.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked and you licked your lips

“Please.” You replied and when he leaned forward to press his lips to yours you snaked your arm around the back of his neck. When your lips touched it felt like home. Like drinking a warm hot chocolate on a cold night, like being tucked up in bed on a rainy night. He broke the kiss to look into your eyes but you weren't done with him yet. You brought him back to your lips only this time the kiss was full of desire and hunger. Your lips danced together and when he felt your tongue push into his lips he couldn't help but groan at the sensation. Especially when he felt your fingernails slide across the back of his neck. He pushed his body closer to yours, the flowers were crushed in between you but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except for you. You parted for a split moment to breathe before continuing the messy make out session.

The flowers fell on the floor and you used the opportunity to wrap your other hand around the back of his neck. Your bodies were pushed up together and when he felt one of your hands run through his hair his body shivered. You smelled so good too, like lavender and rosewater. Your lips were softer than he could've ever imagined and your touch was the best thing he'd ever felt in his life. He wanted to be everywhere, all over you and inside you but he held himself back. He wasn't the type to have sex on the first date normally. But when you pulled back to look at him through hooded eyes he felt his breath catch in his throat.

“So, your place?” You asked in between breaths and he nodded