Affection in an unloving world
Chapter 1: "Snowflakes can melt too"
Summary: Ulquiorra and Orihime are living together in an apartment, Ulquiorra working as a writer and Orihime as an insecure actor. A series of events follow their everyday life and makes the couple wonder: "Can affection exist in an unloving world?"
A/N: Hello there. This is something completely new to me since I normally don't write in 'real-world-environments xD It is really fun to write like this especially with the pairing I've chosen. And I know that Ulquiorra can't be kept completely in character but I write him as if! He has a heart and has always lived in a normal world.
Reviews are appreciated, don't be too harsh on my English, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter ^^
She was sitting in their big black leather couch - her hair splaying across the soft fabric, as she leaned her head across the armrest, looking upside down across the room and towards her one and only love, Ulquiorra. He was sitting at his desk, consumed in the little laptop in front of him, hitting the keyboard in a steady pace, only taking breaks to think.
She smiled softly as she turned herself around so she could get a proper look of him. He was dressed in a brown sweater, light blue jeans, and a pair of white socks which now were hanging loosely at one of his feet.
He was not flinching, his emerald green eyes fixed to the screen as the professional writer he after all was, his raven hair was still slightly wet from the shower he had taken earlier, and his pale skin was illuminated by the strong light the laptops screen created.
It was evening and their living room still carried a faint scent of food. The dinner had been wonderful, consisting of meat, potatoes and roasted vegetables. The only thing that annoyed her from time to time was that the dinner was made by Ulquiorra.
Ever since they moved in together he had insisted on making breakfast and dinner, obviously because her cooking was too… special? No, special was not the right word to describe it. Taken from Ulquiorra's own mouth it would be called something along the lines of 'different'. And even though he didn't seemed like the type, his cooking was actually excellent even though she preferred to spice her food up a bit after it was served.
"Ulquiorra?"
She asked, slowly turning in the couch to direct her eyes back towards the window she had fixated her eyes at earlier. Outside the snow was falling down in gentle waves making her smile softly once again.
"Yes?"
"I'm leaving for the talent agency soon"
…
Silence for a while.
"Good luck"
She lifted her head and looked at him; he had not flinched from his seat, still staring at the bright screen, typing more and more words onto the laptop. Slightly disappointed by this she rose from the couch to quickly straighten her clothing, a black shirt and a grey skirt with legwarmers, before gliding across the floor towards Ulquiorra.
He turned his head in slight surprise when she placed her head at his shoulder, gently placing a kiss at his cheek.
"I'll be home at 10 PM, unless it…"
Her sentence was cut off when Ulquiorra placed his lips at hers, cupping her cheek with his cold hands, and slowly initiating one of those deep passionate kisses she loved him for.
"You look beautiful" he commented, making Orihime blush slightly in a moment of sheer self-awareness, as he unconsciously tugged up at her shirt when he snuck two strong arms around her waist.
"Please, I can't be late" She murmured in a weak attempt to escape his caressing fingers which was sending small shivers up her spine with every touch.
He buried his face at her neck as he tugged her closer, forcing her to lean into his embrace. She felt as he inhaled sharply at her neck, before placing a small kiss there.
Just as she was about to abandon all hope of getting to the audition on time, he loosened his grip, allowing her to 'escape' his always addicting embrace.
"Do your best, I'm sure you're going to win that role"
She smiled lovingly at him in response to his words, placing a last soft kiss at his lips before half-heartedly, leaving his embrace. When he said something like that, how could she possibly doubt that she got the role?
"Make sure you're getting some fresh air once in a while"
She stated almost in a lecturing tone, but this quickly faded when she smiled reassuring – making clear that she only said it because she was caring for him.
"Don't let the book consume you completely"
He had been writing the book the last 5 days almost non-stop. Only stopping for basic needs like food, sleep and the daily bath he always took early in the morning. She honestly got a little worried the first nights where he entered their bedroom 3:30 AM, snuggling into her, waking her from the fast state of sleep she otherwise was in. He did not explain why he went so late to bed, but he immediately fell asleep just moments later.
And if that was not enough he even woke up again at 6 AM to take his morning bath!? How could he possibly get enough sleep by that?
He diverted his eyes from her, looking absentminded at the ceiling as if to avoid the confrontation he knew was sneaking up on him.
He answered quickly, gazing at her with his characteristic emerald eyes as he spoke.
"I don't assume you want to be late to your appointment so…"
She looked at the big white clock which hung above their dinner table, first noticing the time when he pointed it out. What? Is it already this late?!
She ran through the kitchen with no graze what so ever, grabbing her bag and jacket, almost knocking the can of tea down from the table as she rushed through the kitchen.
Even though she was in a hurry, she did not forget the fact that Ulquiorra was avoiding the subject of relaxing a bit from the book. After all, it was not healthy for him to work that hard and she could see that he desperately needed a break - even though he never stated so.
"Remember what I said!" was the last words she uttered before she slammed the front door shut, and stepped out in the white and grey streets. The cold wind mixed with snowflakes quickly washed over her, sending chills down her body and especially her bare legs which were completely naked to the cold environment.
She ran down the street, headed for the train station, while hoping sincerely to catch the train in time.
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She should have worn more clothing…
He slowly diverted his eyes from the laptops screen, starring intensely out the nearest window. The snow was falling like never before and in the background the television could be heard – warning about the raising possibility of a storm.
Don't worry, she is taking the train, and the walk from here to the station is not that far…
He let out a small sigh as he remembered Inoue's words about getting 'some fresh air' and not to be completely consumed by the book.
A little reliantly he chose to follow her suggestion, by finishing the chapter he was in the progress of, and closing his laptop shortly afterwards.
At first he just walked around in the apartment with a blank expression, wondering if he should walk towards the station and meet her there when the audition was over. Then he made more tea, drank about 3 cups, before throwing himself onto the black couch where Inoue had been laying before she left. Even though it had been so long ago, he could still sense faint warmth in the couch, produced from her body heat.
She is probably cold when she comes home…
He lifted his gaze lazily from the pillow he had buried his face in. His emerald eyes fell upon the door that led to the apartment's only bathroom. A weak but faint smile escaped his otherwise emotionless face.
A bath…
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Orihime felt as the cold swept over her the moment she stepped out of the train - the wind crawling all the way down her coat and sweeping through her legs which were now a faint pink color due to the cold.
The audition had been as the usual. She had presented herself as well as she could but became nervous as time went by and the pressure was enforced. Her legs began to wobble slightly and the lines she was supposed to say came out with a shaky undertone – only making the agency representatives drop her completely.
She felt frustrated and disappointed in herself. All her lines were perfect when she practiced in the mirror, but once there were people judging her, the strong and confident posture she otherwise carried would crack.
She sneezed, rushing down the cold streets only illuminated by the light from the street lamps. She took her cell phone out of her bag to check the clock. 11:45 PM.
He has probably gone to bed by now… Otherwise I'm not gonna go easy on him
She clenched her fist to show she meant business, and almost lost her foothold because of that, when she crossed a frozen puddle.
If he was still awake at this hour where he was supposed! To be sleeping, she would personally shut that evil laptop down and drag him to bed. Trivial matters like deadlines shouldn't be what damaged his health in the long run.
She stopped, blinking her gray eyes in disbelief when she reached the door that led up to their apartment.
Outside, on the doorstep, only wearing a sweatshirt stood Ulquiorra. His pale skin seemed more pale than the usual (if that was even possible) and his raven hair had collected small white flakes of snow everywhere. To her, he looked like a lost puppy more than anything.
"What are you doing out here?!" She asked with clear confusion and worry in her voice.
He did not answer at first, just slowly lifted his gaze to look at her, as if she had just asked the most obvious question ever.
"I'm getting some fresh air while waiting for you"
If it was not because she was a somewhat decent woman, she would have 'face palmed' herself right there on the spot. Instead she shoved him inside by force, making him stumble backwards slightly.
"How did the audition go?"
He asked, forcing Orihime to relent the fact that she was supposed to be mad at him. She hated to disappoint him time after time, but she knew he could see the answer just by looking at her – after all, she had never been very good at concealing her emotions.
Like a certain person she knew.
And as predicted, all it took was a short gaze before Ulquiorra was aware of the outcome.
She yelped in surprise as she felt a strong but cold hand at her wrist, dragging her determined up the stairs to their apartment. When they entered he locked the door firmly behind them, and took a firm hold at her jacket, beginning to open the many buttons that held it together on her body.
"You look cold"
He murmured, clearly trying to lead the situation on to something not regarding the audition.
"It is cold" She stated - the sorrow still prominent in her voice as she spoke.
She did not stop him as he stripped her completely from the jacket, letting it fall to the floor with a small 'thump' and leaving her shivering for a moment. After all, the jacket had been warm and therefore the loss of it, made a massive change in temperature for her.
She jumped in surprise as two cold hands snuck around her waist from behind, and began to unbutton the gray skirt she was wearing. She shivered, not really understanding why he suddenly chose to undress her.
"What are you..?"
She asked but got caught by surprise when he ran his cold hands up her stomach, making her flinch from the chill he emitted to her.
As the skirt fell to the ground he leant closer to her, placing gentle kisses up her neck and all the way op to her cheek.
"I'm undressing you…" He answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.
He continued to slide his hand further up her stomach, grabbing her shirt in the process and slowly lifting it above her head.
"But why are you doing that? It is cold enough when I'm dressed?"
She began to get accustomed to the cold, even though she could still feel it linger all over her body. A faint blush adorned her face as he completely removed her shirt, revealing the white set of underwear she was wearing underneath.
Even though they had lived together for almost a year now, she still felt slightly embarrassed whenever she was naked or in any way exposed to him. Not because she was that unsure of her appearance, he after all, told her she was beautiful often, but because of his eyes.
The sharp green color always gazing at her, making her more self-conscious than she normally was in others presence.
"I want you to take a warm bath with me…"
The blush was only enforced by these words, but before she even had the chance to say more he began to walk towards the bathroom, still with his hands firmly placed around her waist and therefore dragging her along.
"A bath… sounds nice"
She murmured shyly, quickly looking in the direction of Ulquiorra's desk, happy to find the laptop shut down and closed neatly.
When they came to the bathroom, Ulquiorra slowly let go of her waist and pulled the sweatshirt he was wearing over his head – messing his hair up in the process.
No matter how many times she saw his upper body, it always left her speechless and slightly shy. He had slight visible muscles here and there but was otherwise slim in posture. It also made her wonder how he could maintain that body when he, after all, used most of his time at the computer and not in a gym.
She cleared her throat, deliberately avoiding the strong gaze he was sending her out of sheer embarrassment. It felt kind of weird to still behave like a little nervous teenager when she had just turned 20, and even though Ulquiorra never seemed to be annoyed by it, she was kind of frustrated at herself because of it.
Gathering courage, she approached him letting her finger run down his upper body, while he just followed her every movement with slightly curious eyes – letting her explore the newly revealed part of his body.
When she ran her finger lower and lower down, until they reached the edge of his pants, he got the message and began to remove the piece of clothing without saying anything
"Did you finish your chapter?"
She asked suddenly, leaving him for a moment to turn on the hot water in the shower and remove her underwear as well.
He remained quiet, approaching her silently and pushing her into the shower when he got close enough to her.
"Does it matter right now?"
She lifted her head towards Ulquiorra in wonder, feeling as the still cold water slid down her body in even streams. She gently entangled her hands in his hair, smiling lovingly at him as if to reassure him - the self-awareness slowly fading in the process.
"You're right, it doesn't matter"
He bent down to her, kissing her lips gently while he grabbed the shampoo at the little shelf in the shower. He squished a good portion of the golden shampoo into one of his hands, the mild scent of artificial honey filling the cabin while he massaged the shampoo evenly in her long orange hair.
First now the water became warm, and it made Orihime throw her head slightly back and sigh in sheer pleasure. For a moment she even forgot about the massive decline she had got at the audition, replaced by the feeling of warmth and the overwhelming presence of Ulquiorra.
"Mmm…"
She hummed, once and for all meeting Ulquiorra's emerald eyes which had been lingering at her face ever since they entered the shower. His expression was somewhat blank, but his hands which were putting shampoo in her hair, were gentle and caring as always.
"We should do this more often…"
She murmured, immediately getting a response as Ulquiorra used the remaining shampoo to rub across her shoulders and down her waist, to her breast and down her thighs - making her moan unconsciously from the slight roughness he was using.
"Yes, I agree"
He whispered against her neck, kissing a soap free spot and continued down to her collarbone when the shampoo was completely gone from her body.
Orihime gasped slightly as she felt him push her further against the cold tiles which the showers walls was compromised of. She placed her hand at his shoulder blushing slightly as she knew what was about to come.
He bowed his head to her bosoms, looking up at her with his deep green eyes - waiting for the magic words to escape her mouth.
"Please Ulquiorra…"
A/N: I'm pretty pleased with this and I definitely plan on continuing it as many chapters as my imagination allows. I'm not sure if I'm gonna use the M rating in the next chapter, but we'll see, we'll see x) – Reviews are, as always, appreciated ^^
