Just Desserts
By: Crim
Author's Notes: This Drabble was written for Rukia's Birthday Drabble Challenge at fuckyeahichiruki on Tumblr. The prompt was cake. Please do not distribute this story anywhere else. All characters belong to Tite Kubo.
"So. What do you think?" Ichigo stood there with a stern look while waiting for his red-headed friend's answer. A part of him felt somewhat confident since he took some pride in his work.
"Eh? Uhh… what… is that?" Renji raised his eyebrow with the most gnarled expression his face he could make. No words could describe such a creation. An uneven blob covered in (what might have been) different colored icing sat on the top the kitchen counter. Its face, if you could even call it that, was sagging as if it had melted under the direct heat of the sun. Renji's blunt reply turned Ichigo's serious expression into an even angrier disposition.
"IDIOT! It's a Chappy cake! Anyone with the right eyes could see that!"
"Maybe you're the one with the fucked up vision because this looks nothing like Chappy, much less a cake." Renji tried hard not to completely burst out in laughter in front of Ichigo's face. "What's this… black thing on its head? I thought Chappy was a white bunny."
Ichigo grit his teeth in order to hold himself back from completely snapping. "It's supposed to look like Rukia. That's her hairstyle."
"That... That's supposed to look like her hair?" That was all Renji could take. The laughter just burst out so uncontrollably; it was getting harder to breathe. That was the last ounce of criticism the short-tempered teen could take. It was only a matter of time before the two Shinigami engaged in a rowdy brawl in the middle of the Kurosaki's kitchen.
By the time Ichigo finally kicked Renji out of his house for insulting his baking abilities; the sun had already begun to set. Rukia was late. She promised to be back after celebrating her birthday with her older brother in Soul Society. Ichigo sat at his desk with his homemade cake laid out in front of him. He couldn't stop staring at it. Renji's words started getting to him, nearly believing it to be the truth himself. "What if she really doesn't like it?" He spent most of the morning working really diligently on this homemade dessert. The other gifts he had given Rukia in the past were always something he picked up at the store. This time, Ichigo wanted to try something different—something that really came from him.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him. That reiatsu was all too familiar. "I'm back."
"Rukia…" Ichigo turned around and softly smiled at the birthday girl.
"Hm? Hey, Ichigo, what's that on your desk?" The fun-sized Shinigami tried peeking over Ichigo's shoulder which immediately startled him. He kept hovering over it so she couldn't see his failed cake. "Ichigo! Let me see!" Ichigo held Rukia's shoulders in order to contain her.
Why am I hesitating? With a deep sigh, he stepped aside for Rukia to see. This was either going to be a hit or miss, but he had no regrets. "Happy Birthday... Rukia."
Rukia didn't say a word. Her eyes did not even blink when she gazed at what was in front of her. "Ch-Chappy?" There were sparkles in her eyes and even though it was January, it was as if flowers had bloomed behind her. "So... SO CUTE~!" Her smile stretched from ear to ear and her cheeks became rosy. "Ichigo... you made this?"
The slightly embarrassed hero scratched the back of his head and looked in the other direction. "Yeah, based on your lame drawings," he scoffed in his usual tone. Rukia's reaction was more than what he had expected. When he took a quick glimpse back at her, he couldn't help but notice a single tear roll down her cheek.
Her heart wouldn't let her stop smiling. "Thank you, Ichigo." What else was he to do, except smile right back at her.
"I wish I could savor this cake forever~ But it's surprisingly a lot more delicious than it looks." The birthday girl felt slightly guilty for having to ultimately cut her character cake, but she enjoyed the taste just as much.
Of course sweet moments between the couple never last that long. It was only a matter of minutes before they start bickering again. "Are you mocking me?"
"Fool. It's not that I'm ungrateful," she giggled, "I just think you'll never be as good of an artist as I am. But don't worry. I know you did your best!" The short shinigami stood tall in a pompous posture with a sly smirk across her face. She patted Ichigo on the back, but that just added insult to injury.
Ichigo practically deflated from his partner's nonsensical retort. Exhausted and defeated, he could only sigh under his breath, "You're so lucky it's your Birthday..."
End.