Wow! It's been a while since I posted anything for Bleach!
And this isn't exactly new, just a revised version of an old story that needed a good deal of editing :)
Coincidentally, I'm posting it on our favorite substitute shinigami's birthday ;)
New readers! I hope you enjoy :D
"What the HELL?"
The Kurosaki family room looked as if the contents of a candy store had exploded and adhered to every visible scrap of surface area in the usually well-kept space. Ichigo heard a slight gasp just behind him that indicated to him that his reaction was indeed justified. A fact that was only reinforced when he glanced back at the wide-eyed expression of utter astonishment on Rukia's face as she took in the pastel mayhem that his family wrought upon their home. Needless to say, they went a little overboard this year.
"Your… family did all of this?" Rukia asked, her voice soft with what he couldn't determine was awe, incredulity, or horror. It could have been a combination of all three. He sure as hell felt that way, and his scowl was all he had to offer in answer.
Pink, blue, and yellow streamers were strung in a loose web across the entire ceiling. Origami flowers in nearly all the colors of the spectrum were everywhere; hanging from the ceiling, arranged in bouquets, affixed to the walls, perched on the television, taped to the windows… rotating lazily from those same streamers attached to the spokes of the ceiling fan…
His eye twitched in annoyance, an involuntary tick he'd developed from having to deal with his father's antics, and he knew that his old man was the ringleader of this particular endeavor. They even went so far as to cover the furniture with the most obnoxiously flowery fabric they could possibly find. Not only that, several hundred (by his estimation) plush bunny, chick, and lamb toys greeted him and Rukia with annoyingly saccharine countenances. It was more than a little overwhelming.
Thoroughly disturbed, Ichigo headed the kitchen, swatting at errant streamers in his path and leaving Rukia to gawk at the handiwork of his neurotic family. He noticed a note on the fridge before he had a chance to open it, and removed the magnet holding it in place.
~Dear Ichi-nii,
~Dad, Karin, and I went to the spring festival downtown. We'll be back later this afternoon. We decorated for a party I'm having this weekend, so don't mess anything up! And don't eat all the candy!
~Love,
~Yuzu
With a heavy sigh he set the note on the counter and proceeded to the fridge. He grabbed a cold soda off the top shelf and was just about to close the fridge door when the thought that Rukia might also like a soda occurred to him, and rolling his eyes he reached for another can. Better to offer her one than be chastised for not.
When he rejoined his partner in the family room, he found her inspecting one of the many random candy dishes of festive pastel treats about the room. He couldn't help but watch with amusement as she, after apparently much deliberation, plucked up a pink jelly-bean and popped it into her mouth. Her subsequent reaction was equally amusing as she eyebrows raised in approval and grabbed a handful from the same bowl.
"Hey," he started, breaking the silence, as well as his own watchful reverie, "I grabbed you a drink," he finished before he tossed her the extra can.
"Thanks."
He silently accepted her gratitude with the wave of a hand as he slumped heavily onto the couch, grabbed the television remote, flicked it on and over to some music channel. Something that played some decidedly abrasive rock music in an effort to reinsert some inkling of masculinity back into the room. He popped open his can and took a swig of its contents as Rukia set her bag on the floor and settled herself on the sofa as well.
"It's so…" her voice broke the disparate audio in her continued survey of his family's seasonal decorating efforts.
"Adorable!"
Her exclamation caught him off-guard, and unfortunately mid-drink. He couldn't help the garbled, snorting sound that accompanied the carbonated beverage's assault of his nasal passage. And damn, did it burn!
"Wha? Are you kidding?" Ichigo glared at her while pinching the bridge of his nose in an effort to alleviate the strong tingling in his nostrils, "It's RIDICULOUS!"
"Oh, come on Ichigo! Look how cute!"
Rukia held up a particularly fluffy stuffed bunny with big, I'm-too-cute-to-maim eyes and floppy ears and limbs. And for emphasis, she just had to crush the damned thing to her chest; its infernal eyes mocking him from the space between her breasts. With that, he found himself with a red flush creeping up his face and over his ears, plotting bunny murder, and ultimately returning his attention back to the television.
"Eh! Put that damn thing down! We've got that stupid project to work on anyways."
"Quit being grouchy," she admonished, though thankfully she set the plush rabbit aside, "It's not due until next week, so we don't have to rush."
Despite her claim to the opposite, she began rummaging through her bag, pulling out a notepad and writing utensils. She then started writing like she had never been distracted by the overwhelming cuteness that surrounded them in the first place. It made him feel slightly hypocritical for remaining in his grouchy, cross-armed slouch, but his mood had effectively been compromised for him to offer any inkling of productivity.
Rukia must have noticed this, because she all of a sudden stuffed the notepad and pen under his nose and suggested that he contribute to the list that she had started. With a heavy sigh he took the pad and set himself to the task. Anything to take his mind off the room and his mood. He was rather deep in concentration and made good progress on the list when Rukia's sudden exclamation claimed his attention.
"Oh my gosh! They are so CUTE!"
He looked up from what he was doing to find her gushing over a container of sugar-covered marshmallow bunnies.
He rolled his eyes.
"Those things are gross." He stated blandly, focusing back on the list. Well he tried to focus, but Rukia snatched the notepad away while popping one of the pink confections into her mouth. It was too big to eat all at once and caused her cheeks to puff out as she perused his additions to the list.
He could barely make out a muffled "They're not gross," as she tried to talk around the marshmallow.
Ichigo scoffed and rolled his eyes once more.
"Besides," Rukia stated more clearly now that she'd properly chewed and swallowed, "you love candy."
"I like chocolate."
"Chocolate is candy."
"Chocolate is different."
"How…"
"Chocolate is natural."
She pulled the individually wrapped chocolate that he just grabbed from his grasp.
"Oh yes…real organic…" she pointed out sardonically.
"Shut up." He snatched the chocolate back, tore open the wrapper, stuffed the candy in his mouth, and chewed voraciously.
She raised an eyebrow at him as she took another marshmallow bunny, but this time she didn't stuff the entire thing in her mouth. Instead, she opted to bite off its head, which pleased Ichigo far more than it should have. There was a certain satisfaction in witnessing the cannibalistic decapitation of the overly-cute pink marshmallow creature, and it had nothing to do with his still dormant inner hollow.
He wasn't sure how, but no sooner had he lost interest in the task at hand as his attention was highly piqued by the way the sugary treat entered her mouth. More specifically, the effect of the little pink sugar crystals that stuck to her moist lips as she swallowed the first bite.
Ichigo was glad that she was so focused on their list, because it gave him ample opportunity to watch her. When it came to matters of this nature, neither one of them were open. They both tended to hide behind veils of denial or barrages of aggression. Even though they had become close, neither one of them would acknowledge anything hinting at the more intimate. Oftentimes the two would come across as brash and unapproachable to each other as well as towards friends and acquaintances. Through time, Ichigo had to learn to recognize the subtle details of their strange brand of affection.
Right now though, he was highly attuned to the way in which her tongue swept across her lips to capture the sugar that had stuck to the supple flesh. Right now, that seemingly innocuous action had his body wound so tight that he was seriously considering throwing caution to the wind. Consequences be damned. Even if it entailed the violent retribution of the subject of his interest.
He tried to rationalize why he was feeling this way. Why it seemed to be affecting him more potently than before. There was no doubt that her actions were an impact, but he couldn't pinpoint what was making it worse. Maybe it was the 'décor' and his aversion to its glaring femininity that set the testosterone in his system to a roiling boil. Maybe it was his grouchiness that amplified it. Or maybe it was a combination of the two that warred with his currently unfathomable need to suppress his desires that had him casting aside all inhibitions with a single declarative "fuck it."
He pulled the notepad away from Rukia and tossed it on the coffee table.
"Ichigo…" her quick temper was just as quickly mollified as he leaned forward, a warm hand caressing her cheek and a calloused thumb traced her lower lip. Her surprised expression spurred his determination, and before she had a chance to assess the situation he captured her partially opened lips with his own.
At first she tensed, and he used the opportunity and his free hand to thread his fingers through the silky hair at the nape of her neck, bringing her closer and deepening their contact. His efforts, assertive yet gentle, were rewarded as she began to relax. She opened her mouth further, allowing him more access as her petite hands tentatively spread across his chest. The heat of her small hands was like a brand against his body even through the material of his shirt, and that was more than enough invitation to curl his tongue along hers earning a satisfying moan from her throat.
He explored her mouth fervently. She was warm, moist, and tasted like the sugary marshmallows that she had been eating. Truth be told, he far more preferred the flavor on her rather than on its own, and savored every impassioned second as she leaned into him, playing with his tongue as he had done with hers, and before he knew it, her own growing eagerness proved that his boldness was well worth the effort...and that he was safely out of danger of an ass-kicking.
Rukia caught him off-guard all of a sudden, turning the tables on him. Because holy shit… he had never thought she would suck his tongue. That single bold action caused all coherent thought to escaped him, as did the blood from his brain en route to his groin, and just as suddenly, his body succumbed to pure natural instinct as he dragged her against him where she had no choice but to straddle his lap as he held her tightly.
He was so completely absorbed in everything Rukia; the feel of her, the smell of her, the taste of her, that a faint voice barely registered in his mind. It was strange though, because it seemed to be getting louder. But that was silly. Rukia was kissing him. She couldn't be…
His eyes shot open.
"…y God, Ichigo! In the family room? REALLY?"
He and Rukia couldn't have separated any faster if they tried. Rukia flew sideways into a pile of pastel pillows and plushies, and Ichigo slid down and landed with a hard thump in the space between the sofa and coffee table.
The two stood and quickly righted themselves, and found a horribly red-faced Yuzu halfway hidden behind her festival prizes, a thoroughly disgusted Karin, and a grinning Isshin giving them the thumbs-up. Ichigo didn't think he could be more mortified than he was right now. He noticed that Rukia probably felt the same way as she turned and quickly began stuffing her belongings back into her bag. And after a few excruciatingly silent minutes, she was the first to break the impossibly awkward atmosphere.
"I…uh…should probably be going…"
He couldn't blame her.
"…uh…okay…"
"See you later…"
"…yeah…"
She practically ran to the door. Everyone watched as she made her escape, and once the door had shut behind her, the remaining occupants of the still, horribly decorated family room turned to him.
"Do you have to suck face with your girlfriend on the couch?" Karin demanded.
"That's something you should do in private, Ichigo." Yuzu chimed in.
"It was private until you three showed up!"
"Come on girls. Don't give your brother a hard time, it's only natural."
"SHUT UP, DAD!" the siblings shouted in unison.
Ichigo stood on his side of the couch glaring at his intrusive family. His old man seemed to have gotten the hint as he turned to the girls and started steering them in the direction of the kitchen, "Alright you two, don't we have some dinner to make?"
"Ugh…I think Ichigo ruined my appetite…" the older of the twins remarked.
"Karin…"
"Fine…come on sis."
Ichigo continued to glare at his family as they made their way into the kitchen, before he began gathering his own things to head up to his room.
"Dinner should take an hour."
"Fine."
"Oh, and Ichigo…"
He stopped and turned to regard his father impatiently.
"You should…um… probably take care of…" he made a broad gesture to indicate the groin area, "No need to torture yourself."
Ichigo blanched as the old man swiftly turned back into the kitchen.
He was wrong. He was definitely more mortified now.
He made a quick grab for his soda can and was about to retreat to the safety and privacy of his bedroom, when a little pink, sugary bunny caught his eye from the coffee table. He glared at the cursed thing as it looked innocently back at him.
"Little fucker…"