Written for deathberryprompts' weekly prompt, 'unbreakable'.
Paradoxical
by hashtagartistlife
The small astrophysics major curls into her classic lit major boyfriend's side. His cardigan is kind of scratchy, but he is warm and the night is cold. He doesn't acknowledge her presence, but shifts his position so that he can continue reading his copy of King Lear over her head. The astrophysics major lets out a content sigh.
"Did you know, Ichigo, we learned about parallel universes today."
Ichigo doesn't bat an eyelid. "Did you."
"Mmhm. Made me think, there are theoretical universes out there where we didn't get together. Doesn't that feel weird?"
Ichigo half-sighs, half-laughs and puts his book down. "Were you going somewhere with this, Rukia?"
"Well, it's kind of sad, isn't it? I mean, we're together in this universe, but the scientific fact is that, in some other universe, we're not together—"
He shuts her up with a kiss to her head. "Have you been worrying about this all day? Awwww. That's uncharacteristically sweet of you—"
"Don't think I miss that sarcasm there, mister, and uncharacteristically? I'll have you know I'm the darling of the astrophysics department—"
"Rukia." Ichigo pulls her onto his lap, Shakespeare momentarily forgotten. "You know, science can logic out theorems for days on end about how parallel universes are a thing, and therefore theoretically every single possibility out there must exist somewhere, but I like to believe that some bonds are unbreakable across spacetime. Science can't account for everything in our lives, you know."
Rukia does not answer him immediately. "You're saying you think our bond is one of those things."
He smirks. "Your literary analysis skills never fail to astound me."
She laughs and whacks him with a pillow. "Shut up, you unscientific, sentimental, sappy literature major."
"Hey, you agreed to date this unscientific, sentimental, sappy literature major. What're you going to call that?"
The smile that curls her lips then is soft, much softer than the challenging one she usually wears for him. "I'd call that unbreakable."
Ichigo returns her smile in kind. "Yeah, me too."
In a different universe, they're saying goodbye with tears in their eyes, black shihakushous fluttering on the wind, and all that's left between them are the glittering shards of something that once seemed unbreakable.