Beat It
Ichigo had a secret. Something he never indulged in unless he had the house to himself and he was certain that none of his family or friends could catch him doing it, not even Kon. Upon entering university he had been disappointed to learn that only fourth year students were allowed to apply for individual apartments. Now in his third year, he had not indulged in his darkest desire in a very long time. So, when he returned to his dorm room that Friday afternoon to discover that the others were out, he simply couldn't help himself.
Quickly digging into the back of his closet he retrieved a CD that was so old the words on the front had been worn away, but that was okay because he knew what it said. Furtively looking around before hitting play, he allowed himself a small secretive smile and pressed play. The loud, aggressive American music thundered out of his speakers and it was like truly coming home. He let the beat take his feet and began to sway his hips in time. By the time the singer started delivering his message, Ichigo was in fully swing, singing along and mimicking the moves he'd seen on the video he'd found over the internet. Unable to contain the feelings of comfort and the energy given to him by the song he danced his way into the common living area, heedless of the fact that his dormmates could return at any moment. He two-stepped into the kitchen, grabbed a drink from the fridge and did a small pivot back out to where he had more room to gyrate his hips. He bent back and touched the floor in a quick move, then straightened again and spun using the drink as a microphone only to freeze instantly when he opened his eyes.
"Uh?" The red-headed Shinigami raised a tattooed eyebrow in confusion at seeing his sparring partner acting in a way that was so contrary to his normal attitude.
The irony of the song's lyrics began to echo in Ichigo's horribly embarrassed brain. He tried to laugh but all he managed to do was sort of squeak, and suddenly any words he'd been planning to say died in his throat.
"Who's Michael Jackson?" Came the voice of the only Shinigami that ever accompanied Renji when they needed Ichigo.
The orangette squeezed his juice box so hard that the seal broke and the juice exploded all over his flushed face, shocking him out of his freeze. "WHAT THE HELL?" He roared. "I thought you people were supposed to knock when you came to get me!"
"Uh…" Was all Renji could say, looking between Ichigo and Rukia, both glaring at each other.
When no one spoke for a moment or two, Ichigo snatched the CD case out of Rukia's paws and stormed to his room before the next song came on to avoid questions about it. When he exited his room again, he'd wiped the juice from his face using a dirty shirt. "Well, what do you want?" He snarled, all of his previous relaxation gone now that he'd been discovered.
Renji still couldn't get two words together, so Rukia jabbed him in the ribs. "Uh…well, y'see…damnit, Rukia! Ow!" She jabbed again.
"Nii-sama and Renji are getting married, and we would all be honored if you would be Renji's best man." The violet-eyed midget rolled said eyes like she couldn't believe the idiocy of her almost-brother-in-law.
The permanent scowl Ichigo wore twitched for a moment. "R-Really?" He looked from Rukia to Renji and back again twice before he caught the subtle color spread across the tattooed Shinigami's face. Catching that Ichigo smirked, "Sure."