a/n: okay so hi guys, camille here. this fic is slightly au and we don't really know where we're going with it- basically sorry for it being inconsistent bc legit we just come up with it while face timing lol. please tell us if you'd like us to continue it, and if you have a prompt you'd like us to do then please tell us (:
prompt: "I'm gonna marry her, sorry if you're upset."
Rukia froze upon hearing Ichigo speak, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wouldn't be surprised if the room's temperature dropped a little bit because she couldn't control her emotions. "C-could you repeat that?" She asked, trying her hardest to sound as calm as she usually was. Her clenched fists and furrowed brows said something different to Ichigo.
It had been a long day, being woken up by the hollow badge at around dawn and returning at around the same time, the next day. All she had wanted to do was fall into strong arms and fall asleep to the strong, steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Upon hearing this, all her weariness disappeared and she immediately straightened in her stance. But she was still praying her fatigue is what made her mistake what he had said.
"I'm going to ask In-Orihime to marry me," he repeated, mentally cursing himself for forgetting to be informal with her. He brought his eyes up from his shoes to her eyes and sat on his bed. "I'm sorry if you're upset," he said, scratching the back of his head.
"Where is this even coming from? The last time we were with her, you were avoiding her like you had a restraining order against her!" She just couldn't believe this.
Just how did this conversation even come up, she wondered.
Half an hour prior.
Bloodied and worn out, the duo began their tread to the Kurosaki household. The hollows would not stop their tirade on Karakura town. One after another would arrive and soon they began to come in groups and, later, hordes. Protecting the town is one thing the duo would do in a heartbeat, it's their priority, but fending them off, with moving to the next set of hollows being their break and having no help from the gang, had become grueling.
"I'm done with this shit," he said, and was finally fed up and unleashed a wave of reiatsu, intimidating all other hollows from approaching.
Rukia could not express how relieved she felt the moment she sensed that there was no other reiatsu except for Ichigo's.
There was a grumble coming from the boy's stomach causing Rukia to chuckle.
"Your father left us some of Yuzu's cooking in the fridge,"
"Thank god, I could really use some of that right now,"
Rukia hummed in agreement.
Their walk to home was silent. It was a comfortable silence, or at least that's what Rukia had thought, but for Ichigo – he was planning. Just how am I going to break this to her?
Soon enough, the pair reached the Kurosaki residence. Ichigo had gone to take a shower, leaving Rukia to prepare their food. She rummaged through the over-flowing fridge and took out the dish that had a note on top.
I'm glad you're finally getting tied down, son! I didn't know that Inoue was your type but I can't wait to see my beautiful grandbabies. Tell me how the date goes when you get home! – Dad
She had to read it twice. No- thrice. The first time she didn't know what to feel, she didn't even see that it had said Inoue and thought it was about her and her heart nearly stopped. The second time she focused on the fact that it said Inoue, and the third time she read the whole thing.
Their dish had clattered to the tile, yet Rukia didn't have time to see the mess it made as she shunpoed to Ichigo's room.
"Rukia, I'm changing!" He tried to cover up his stark form.
She didn't say a thing, she just stood there, unmoving.
"What?" He went to face her. What the hell is wrong? He thought.
The neon sticky-note caught his eye and he slowly grabbed it from her, scared that any sudden movement would send her off. Amber eyes scanned the note and he suddenly felt cold, the hairs of his body standing up.
"What is this, Ichigo?" She said slowly and so quietly that he questioned if he even heard what she had said.
Hearing this made her just want to stop thinking altogether.
"It doesn't upset me," Rukia said nonchalantly, "I always wanted you to live a normal life anyways," she muttered, trying not to lose her cool at any second. This could all be some big joke, she thought, I probably passed out from working all day. When she pinched her right arm, she found out that, no, this was not a dream (it was more like a nightmare) and she wasn't passed out. This was real.
"I can't live a normal life if you're not in it because I don't know what's normal anymore," the substitute shinigami reasoned, maintaining eye contact with Rukia, amber eyes nearly glowing.
"How do you expect me to stay if you're gonna marry her?" Trying to massage her temple that she thought would've exploded by now. Sorry if you're upset my ass, she thought. The lieutenant was livid. She knew she didn't really have a right to be, since she never made it official with him. As much as he had wanted to have her and show her off to the world, she didn't. She had shied away the moment he mentioned that there be any label to their relationship.
"The same way I had to stay and wait when you were still with Kaien," he tried acting like it was okay for her to come running back everytime with tears running down her face into his arms, into his bed. He tried because this is the first time Rukia and him had gotten somewhere, and he doesn't regret it.
The orange-haired, twenty-one year old yearned for her scent, her laughter, her gaze, her smile – for her.
He never thought he'd have anything with her. After seeing her with all of those who had sought for her, with Renji, with Ashido, and with Kaien, he felt as though he didn't stand a chance even though he knew he would treat her better. He would take on the world for her, and he fucking has, but it apparently wasn't enough. And the one night she came to him and said she wanted him, there was no way he could deny it if he tried.
When they were younger, they were inseparable. At one point he told himself he was obligated to be around her, and he knew that was a lie, because he savored all their interactions.
They did everything together. They slayed hollows together, they ate together, they went out together, and sure, they did sleep in the same room, but to know what it was like to fall asleep and wake up with her figure against him. To know what it felt like to be with her, as if she was his, made the substitute shinigami feel like he could do the impossible. To know that she's been like this with others had him sick.
"That was just a.. thing!" She exclaimed, in lack of a better word to describe her previous relationship. "This is marriage!" Lithe arms moving in emphasis. She was so close to hitting him, feeling surprised she hasn't yet.
"You sure as fucking hell acted like you were married," he scoffed, rubbing his face into the pillows of his bed in frustration.
"Because we actually were in love, okay? What about you? Can you honestly say that you're in love with Inoue?" The raven-haired shinigami needed to know. There's no way she could've have seen it, she knows Ichigo better than herself and to have this come up is incomprehensible. She couldn't think of one reason why he would marry Inoue. Sure, they were friends, but there was never anything more.
"Do you really wanna know why I'm marrying her?" he looked everywhere but her.
"Yes," she answered without any hesitation, arms crossed to brace herself for his response.
"I — I just.."
"You just what!?"
He paused for a second. "I wanted you to know what it felt like when you were with him," worrying at his lip until it felt numb.
The room fell so silent that you could hear a pin drop. The internal fury that Rukia felt was unbelievable. It was extremely hard for her to breathe or think. "I.. you're ..you're joking, right? You're not possibly that much of an idiot."
"You don't know what it the fuck it was like waiting for you to call back when he interrupts our conversations, the ones where you're crying about him, and it never happening or watching you walk off with him every day like he was all you needed, then fine. If that makes me an idiot then I'm perfectly okay with that," his voice raw.
She looked furious at his justification. "If you really love me, then why would you do this? I love you too you stupid, moronic, asshole! I wasn't with Kaien just to hurt you, we were in love. Inoue's in love with you, and you're just going to lead her on like that? She's expecting forever with you!"
"Che, you're acting like he didn't lead you on. As if you didn't expect the same fucking thing from him. The only difference here is that he was married when he did it."
Her expression softened slightly and she turned away from him. "Ichigo I'm sorry for putting you through that.. No one deserves that much pain. But right now, you're hurting me ten times worse by doing this. I just can't believe you right now.. It's like I was in love with this.. idea of you. But if this is the real you.. then I don't know if I want to stay."
"Then don't." And the moment those words left his lips, he immediately regretted it.
"Fine." She disappeared from his window and never came back.
Even though it was mid-February, he had never felt colder than he did right now.
a/n: oKAY (there were so many emotions in this chapter i s2g i was crying while writing this) hi it's gillian! camille and i hope you liked it and it would be awfully nice if you could tell us if you want us to continue this? thank you so much for reading!