Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Denial
Prompt: Time passes...
A/N: For LJ; AU.
"You're cute."
Eyes wide, he turned, leaning closer to the rippling water of the river in case the voice was addressing him. Whoever this girl was, she was a little too close for comfort, her head over his shoulder as she stared down at her reflection. Her hair was dark, like midnight shadows, falling just below her jaw. Friendly as she looked, he hurriedly inched away, looking around for something, anything, to throw at her.
Sadly, all he came up with was a clump of grass.
Even with it being thrown as hard as he could, it didn't even reach her, falling to her feet like a bright firework in the middle of spring. She glanced at the green rain for a minute before beaming at him again.
"You're cute," she repeated, crouching down in front of him. "I like you."
How could she think he was cute? He didn't even know what that meant. All the times he'd ever heard the word, it had been applied to stupid things like small animals and women's clothing and accessories. Did that mean he was in the same class as rabbits and hair ties? It sounded gross.
"That's stupid," he huffed, making a face at her. "I'm not cute. Boys aren't supposed to be cute."
The girl giggled, poking his forehead with a finger. "No, it's not," she said with a smile. "Not if you're a girl. You see, girls like boys. Especially ones like you: Cute."
Another face, this one positively disgusted. He slapped her hand away, scrambling backwards. "D-Don't say that! I'm not cute! I'm not!"
"Then what are you?" she said, looking at him curiously.
"I... I'm..."
She smiled again, reaching out to brush dirt from his hair. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything now." Turning away, she ran through the grass and up the hill, turning to look back. "I still think you're cute, though."
