M for language and implied sexual situations. Hear that? Implied. I'm not very good at lemons. The moans never sound right in text. Ugh. Not that I don't like writing them (lemons).
This fic is dedicated to the amazingly talented Blackstorm! Because I love, no, ADORE her work. Check it out, folks.
I hope you appreciate how late I'm staying up to do this shit for you guuuuys! 3
Ichigo woke on his couch to the sound of gunshots. Seeing that it was about January, he wasn't very surprised. Groggily pushing a textbook off his chest, he got up to get himself breakfast. The apartment was quiet, excluding the pops of bullets from outside. People not used to living here would have worried. Gang members could attack at any given time! However, Ichigo was aware that since the cold was letting up, the Yakuza would be focused on keeping each other away from their now unfrozen drug cartels. They wouldn't bother with civilians
On the other hand, he was hungry. And he was late for work. With a resigned sigh he dressed quickly, heading out the door and to his motorcycle. He tugged his helmet on, and revved his ride. Today was going to suck. His gut told him that much.
Breakfast came before his job, as he saw it, and took time to eat at a Coffee shop called Vizards. Parking his vehicle, Ichigo noticed the trio of thugs heading his way. He didn't see a point of fighting so early in the day. The orangette was already late and hungry as it was.
Turning into the store, he was greeted by the sound of an old friend of his, singing on a barstool with his guitar. The blonde's green apron was still on, sparkly buttons and iron-on rainbow patches present as always. Ichigo faced the black haired woman at the counter, who gave him his cheap coffee cake and iced tea without asking. He doled out the change, before turning unnoticed to Shinji, who was still strumming and humming away loudly.
"My head is stuck in the clouds,
He begs me to come down,
Says, "Boy, quit foolin' around"
I told 'im, "I love the view from up here
Warm sun and wind in my ear
We'll watch the world from above
As it turns to the rhythm of loveee~!
We may only have tonight,
But till the morning sun, yer mine~
All~ mine, baby!
Play th' music low,
And sway to that rhythm of love."
Ichigo chuckled and sat nearby to watch his friend shout like a lunatic. Regulars started to clap to the 'rhythm', Ichigo joining in heartily.
"My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
A beautiful song to be sung!
e's got grey eyes, deep like the sea
That roll back when he's laughing at me~
He rises up, like the tide
The moment his lips meet mine.
We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun, you're mine
All~ mine.
Play the music low
And sway to the rhythm of love
When the moon is low
We can dance in slow motion~
And all my tears will subside.
All my tears will dry."
Shinji stopped to hum his favorite part, standing with a twirl. When he spotted Ichigo, the blonde winked and giggled before resuming his version of the song. Men cheered and women sighed at his antics. For his finale, Shinji hopped onto the counter. The cashier scowled, but said nothing. Ichigo guessed she had to clean the counters after this.
"And long after I've gone
You'll still be humming along
And I will keep you in my mind
The way you make love so fine
We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun, you're mine
All~ mine
Play the music low
And sway to the rhythm of love
Play the music low
And sway to the rhythm of love
Yeah, sway to the rhythm of LOVE~!"
Shinji finished with a rocker pose, pumping his fist in the air and panting slightly. Guests cheered, until a petite blonde girl swiped at him with a mop. Her spiky pigtails whipped around as she brought the handle on his left leg.
"SHINJI! Get off there, dickhead! I gotta clean this shit up! Getting yer shoes all o'er my clean counters…" The girl's sinister growl and threatening pose earned her a nervous smile from Shinji, who stood up from the tiled floor. Her mop dripped water inches from his face.
"C'mon Hiyori d-don't be like that-"Shinji was interrupted by the hand grabbing his ass. "What do you think you're-asshole!" He whipped around to slap one of the thugs Ichigo had seen earlier. The man sputtered, but recovered, apparently used to rejection. He grabbed Shinji by the wrist.
"Feisty thing," He muttered. "I like my bitches like-" Before he was finished, Ichigo had the asshole by the collar, eyes mere slits.
"Get this, bastard. The only one who gets to bother Shinji in here is me." Hiyori made a noise of complaint. "And Hiyori." He added without turning.
"Heeey." Shinji whined.
Before Ichigo could beat the living shit out of the punk, a gloved hand came to rest on his arm. Ichigo turned to look at the intruder, eyes hard. The tall man's gaze was hidden by shades, but his face was slim and bony. Behind him stood a very large man, with a mohawk of red hair. The first stranger was well collected, but the other was bursting with energy, and not a pleasant kind.
"Is this man bothering you, Kurosaki-sama? We will be glad to take care of him for you." The red haired man cracked his knuckles in agreement. But the other stayed calm, eyes regarding him respectfully. Ichigo frowned and shrugged off the man's hand.
"I don't know what you mean by sama, how you know my name, or why you're trying to help me, but I can handle this myself. Back off." Ichigo hissed, before delivering a blow to his captive's face. The delinquent's friends caught him, glaring spitefully. Ichigo gave them no heed.
The man nodded and bowed slightly, before exiting the café. The large man followed after, very obviously disappointed. He shrugged it off, but a nagging feeling tugged his gut. Those men bothered him.
"Well, shoo." Shinji huffed. "You have work to do if I'm not mistaken. Off you go, then." Ichigo allowed Shinji to push him outside, where Love was giving the punks a lesson. Mounting his ride, Ichigo took off, oblivious to the Mercedes tailing him.
*later*
Inoue was putting a display together near the front when he arrived. Her already cheerful smile brightening all the more when he grumpily pushed into the store. Nodding a quick hello, Ichigo's boss was quick to chastise him, in his own way.
"Go-chaaan! I simply cannot have you coming this late! Or, perhaps, you have finally found someone special to share that lonely bed of yours~" Kisuke avoiding the novel hurled his way. Ichigo's eye ticked irritably. Kisuke was lucky he hadn't quit already, with his lecherous comments! The old man was harassing him daily, it seemed. But he was right. Lately Ichigo's thoughts had been centered on a special someone.
That someone being the chief of Karakura Police station.
Ichigo blushed heartily, trying his best not to think about the man he had encountered sometime before. The man who had swept him off his feet. He turned back to his task with a sigh of longing. Lunch break rolled around when the book store shook heavily.
He felt the explosion before he saw it, the dark plume staining the sky above the area he knew to be his neighborhood. Vibrations racked his frame, causing him to stumble into a bookshelf. The bookshelf he had been putting returns away in. He gave the smoke a disbelieving look, his boss peering out from behind his desk at the column, absentmindedly dismissing Ichigo for the day. Ichigo ignored him, too busy in his own thoughts to notice the knowing look. His phone screeched out a familiar ringtone, and he flipped it open.
"What, Renji? I'm kind of at work here." He snapped in irritation. Today of all days, his district had to be blown to pieces.
"Did you see the explosion? I was worried about you! Are you okay? Do you need anything?" The caring tone used made Ichigo blush.
"No, thank you, I'm fine, really... but, I coulduse a place to stay, maybe, my apartment being decimated and all…" Ichigo's face reddened at his own boldness. Asking to stay with Renji? Might as well ask to sleep with him, the rate he was going at. The thought of such a thing wasn't helping, if the sudden tightness of his jeans was any indication. Ichigo spoke to the redhead for a few more minutes, smiling brightly by the time he hung up. Shoving the last six books into their places, he rushed off to the back room to take care of his "problem".
I was gonna delete this, but I thought that 20 minutes of effort was better off not wasted. Consider this a one shot, except…with chapters. (Split into sections. Yes.) Ok, doesn't make sense. I got it. Just, read on and review, pleeeeeease?