Mona Lisa Smile
Rated: T
Genre: Friendship
Characters/Pairings: Tesla/Orihime
Summary: In his service for Nnoitora, Tesla had seen very little worth smiling for...until her.
To Moshigami, for your words of encouragement, without which this fic would not exist.
Tesla had always lived in the shadow of Nnoitora. His barely there presence made him easy to overlook, and his master's massive ego gave little room for his own power to be recognized.
If any of the female Arrancar had bothered to look at him, they might have found something worth looking at in his golden beauty and wintry brown eyes. He looked like a fallen angel, replete with a dangerous male beauty that was more than a little intimidating.
With his mild façade, people often mistook him for being submissive and boyish. But there was nothing sensitive, gentle, or even remotely boyish about him.
He was a predator, and while he wasn't a magnet for attention, his deceptive appearance made him all the more formidable. He was tall and lean, not gangly and long-limbed like Nnoitora, or muscled like Grimmjow, but a perfect frame for elegantly simple clothes that provided a minimum distraction from his handsomeness.
Sometimes, Tesla silently thought that the eyepatch took away from his image. His blonde hair was thick and slightly curly, sticking out in all directions. His dark brown eyes were overcast. Beautiful eyes that showed no emotion when he smiled.
The smile itself was only a sensuous curling of the lips, but it was a dazzling sight, though he rarely put it to use.
In his service for Nnoitora, Tesla had seen very little worth smiling for...until her.
Even though the room Ulquiorra had locked her in was sparse, it thankfully had an adjoining bathroom containing a sink with running water. After drinking thirstily straight from the faucet, Orihime washed her hands and face.
She went to the bedroom to search for a comb or brush. Finding none, she settled for smoothing her hands over her long hair
There was no sound, nothing to warn her of anyone's presence. Tesla stood just inside the room, his posture relaxed, his head slightly tilted as he watched her.
Like everybody else, he had wanted to get a good look at "Aizen's guest."
Orihime Inoue, the lamblike creature who sat with her back facing him, was unlike anything he had expected. She was much younger, her complexion fresh, her eyes filled with the kind of innocence that never failed to arouse his disdain. Hollows never valued or admired innocence.
They were masters of debauchery, and therefore couldn't appreciate it.
And yet despite the fact she was being held prisoner here in this white room, she still took the time for such a small and insignificant task as brushing her hair.
Tesla couldn't help but wonder what kind of girl could be so composed when any other would have burst into tears by now. Either she was dimwitted or she had remarkable nerve.
As Tesla stared at Orihime, he noticed her shoulders sag a bit, her movements sluggish. She was very tired, he realized. And the thought of all that awaited her...it must be exhausting.
A peculiar sensation passed through him, a gentle heat like a ray of sunlight falling on his skin. It took a moment for Tesla to realize the feeling was admiration. She was strong, and that strength might yet save her.
Suddenly, Orihime squared her shoulders and began to stand, but once she was upright she paused and swayed heavily.
Damn... Tesla rushed forward with sonido as she began falling, and caught her in his arms.
He looked into her peaceful face, and saw that she had passed out. From what Ulquiorra had relayed, Orihime had been refusing food and rest. It seemed her body had finally given out.
Obstinate little human, Tesla thought with amusement, and slowly smiled at her sleeping form.