A/N Shameless IchigoRukia fluff. Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Nope! But I've been sending Tite Kubo multiple letters via snail mail requesting to speed up their relationship a bit though. He has yet to respond...
(Just kidding! ;D)
(But seriously.)
Rukia stared at the strange tin container sitting in front of her on the table. She leaned in closer to get a better look, but couldn't make heads or tails of the thing.
It seemed as though the cylindrical object was mocking her. "Arrgh!" She pulled her knees up to her chin in frustration.
"You tug at the aluminum thingy on top, then push it back in you moron," an all-too familiar voice remarked from behind. Rukia's drink was swiftly snatched off the table by the hands of none other than Ichigo Kurosaki.
Rukia instinctively jumped up from her seat and knocked the soda away from his grasp. It dropped to the floor with a thunk and rolled across the kitchen tiles. "Hey, get your own! And in case you didn't notice, the entire contraption is made out of aluminum you idiot!"
Ichigo winced as he rubbed at the spot she struck, he always forgot about how strong she was. "Jeez Rukia, you didn't have to karate chop my arm off!" he snapped. He stopped the pop can with the inner part of his foot, then reached down to pick it up off the floor.
He pulled the metal tab and then held it out to her. "Here, just push it in."
Rukia gave him a suspicious look, then leaned down to further inspect it.
"Look if you don't want the soda, I'll gladly drink it," Ichigo said impatiently. She rolled her eyes before taking it in her hands. Her slender fingers carefully pushed the tab inwards. Suddenly, an explosion of fizz erupted, spilling brown liquid all over the fabric of her shirt.
Ichigo immediately burst out laughing, holding his sides as he guffawed.
She angrily shoved the dripping can into his stomach. "Why you little-"
"Speak for- yourself!" he managed to choke out between laughs.
Rukia swept her leg across the ground to trip him, but as he stumbled, he stuck out his hand to get a grip of her wrist. "What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!" she shrieked.
The two of them gracelessly crashed to the floor on top of each other. Heat immediately crept up to his cheeks when he felt the skin of her stomach graze his chest. He swallowed, then vigorously shook his head. "Get off of me, heavy brat!" He began to push her body away.
Rukia got up and dusted her skirt. "Ugh, you are so immature Ichigo. You're the one that pulled me down!" she exclaimed.
Ichigo also jumped to his feet. "Well you tripped me first!" he pointed at her accusingly.
She crossed her arms and turned her nose up, "As a shinigami, you should've dodged that trick easily! But then again, you're as clumsy as ever, so I shouldn't hold it against you."
"I'm just a substitute shinigami! And besides, you fell down with me. Not so hot either huh?" he jeered.
"You are so-"
Their argument was interrupted by the sudden thud of the front door slamming against a wall. He was immediately tackled to the ground by his own father. Ichigo reacted quickly and punched Isshin Kurosaki hard enough to send him flying across the room.
Rukia rolled her eyes. She couldn't fathom Ichigo's relationship with his father. At first the random ambushes were shocking- almost comical even- but she quickly realized that weird stuff like this happened quite often in the Kurosaki household.
Isshin stood up and wiped the blood from his lip. "Fast as a cougar, huh son? Not as pathetic as you used to be! And pull your shirts down kiddos, this kitchen is a G rated area!" he scolded before venturing upstairs.
Rukia blushed and tucked her stained school blouse in right away. She hadn't realized that the collision with Ichigo must've caused the fabric to ride up. Stupid Ichigo, she thought, he could've said something.
"Damn it, old man!" Ichigo scowled in pain. He was usually able to avoid Isshin's advances, but this time he had been distracted.
Rukia sighed. "Are you alright?" Isshin's attack must've hurt at least a little bit, considering the fact that he was an ex-shinigami after all.
"Yeah I'm fine. I swear, if a hollow doesn't end up killing me, my old man will," he muttered. "Come on, we've got to wash the dishes."
Rukia stared at him with a puzzled look on her face. "Wash…the dishes?" She blinked.
Ichigo headed towards the sink and slipped on a pair of latex gloves. "That's what I said."
"Yeah but…" her voice trailed off. Byakuya always had other people do mundane chores such as this for them. It didn't occur to her that people washed their own dishes.
Ichigo gave her an incredulous look. "You've never washed dishes before have you? Man, you really are a spoiled Kuchiki. Well too bad, 'cause Yuzu's asleep and Karin sure as hell won't do 'em."
Rukia scoffed. "Shut up, I didn't say that I wasn't going to wash them. It's just something that I've never had to think about, that's all." She made her way to the sink and mimicked Ichigo with the gloves. "What are these for anyway?"
"They're for protecting your pretty little hands from the soap. Wow you really don't know what you're doing!" he smirked.
She scowled at him. Her hands were anything but 'pretty.' They were scarred and blistered from handling her Zanpakuto in battle. "Can it, Kurosaki. Just tell me what to do."
"Alright. You rinse, I'll soap. Just thoroughly wash off all the suds with the tap water, then place them in the rack," he instructed as he turned the knobs to demonstrate. A stream of hot water gushed out from the spout.
"Hey, why do I get the boring job?" she protested.
"'Cause you're probably gonna end up breaking all the dishes if I let you soap," Ichigo pointed out.
"Me? You're the one who-"
"Shut up you guys!" Karin's voice suddenly hollered from her room. "I'm trying to do my homework! You two fight over everything!"
Rukia fumed but didn't object again. Ichigo poured the dish detergent in a sponge and began to scrub the grimy plates. She watched in amusement as tiny bubbles floated in the air. Dozens of her reflections drifted and burst one by one.
Ichigo handed her a sudsy bowl. Rukia stared blankly at it before snapping out of her trance. "Huh? Oh right," she took the bowl and held it under the running water. When all the soap slid off, she stuck it in the rack beside her.
"See, that wasn't so hard now was it?" he chided.
Rukia glowered at him. "You know what? I've decided to get you a muzzle for your birthday."
"Muzzles are for dogs, dummy," he pointed out.
"Good, then it should be a perfect fit," she chirped.
"Why you-" Ichigo paused, then let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "You're a pain the ass you know that?" But a smile was dancing on his lips.
Rukia turned her head to face him. "As are you," she simpered.
She rinsed off a few more plates until she began to feel water soak into her shirt. Rukia took a step back to wring the cloth. It took her a moment to register that the sink was overflowing with water. It dripped on the floor and formed a small puddle.
Ichigo gave her a funny look. "Huh? What's wrong-" he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the water pouring onto the ground. "Holy crap! What the hell-" he hastily reached over to turn the tap off, "- did you do?"
"Me? I didn't do anything! The water just kept rising and rising and didn't stop!" Rukia exclaimed.
"You were supposed to take the sink stopper out before you started!"
"Well excuse me for not knowing!" she retorted.
"You could've at least used your brain to realize that the water was going to spill over! Why didn't you turn the tap off?" he shouted angrily.
Rukia's big, blue eyes turned glassy. "I'm sorry okay? I didn't know…" she said softly. Her lips were beginning to tremble.
Ichigo sputtered when he realized what was about to happen. He grabbed her shoulders and shook them. "What? No! Please don't cry! I'm really not that mad, see?" He tried to conjure up a smile.
She briskly swiped a handful of bubbles from the sink and flicked it at his face. "Ha, sucker! You should have seen your pathetic expression!"
Ichigo used the back of his hand to wipe the water off his nose. Oh it's on, he thought insidiously. "You're gonna pay for that Rukia!" He dunked both hands into the foam and chased after her.
"And you said my acting was bad!" she laughed as she dodged his swipes at her. "Come on, you can do better than thi-" An arm suddenly hooked around her waist and brought her petite frame down to the ground. "Oof!"
"You were saying?" Ichigo smirked. Their bodies tangled together once again.
His face came dangerously close. "You're a cheater, you used the flash step indoors!" she cried out as she shoved his head away. He smothered the soap on her forehead before she could crawl out from underneath him. Rukia ripped the gloves off her hands then threw them at his face.
"I told you before, you can't just leave your body lying around like that! Yuzu might come out and think you're dead!" she scolded as she pointed to his unconscious body.
Ichigo spun the string of his combat pass around his finger. "You're just mad that I caught you. We're at home so who cares?" He stood up and extended his arm out to her. She sighed then grabbed his hand to pull herself up. "Let's quickly finish up, I'm beat."
Rukia nodded in agreement. They both retreated to the double sink and quickly fell back into routine. Several minutes passed and the pile finally appeared to diminish.
"Annnnd this is the last one! You do the honours Rukia," Ichigo finished scrubbing off the surface, then pushed it into her hands.
"Hey- ow!" she yelped when she felt a sharp pain slice hand. Her grip on the plate loosened and it slipped between her fingers. They watched in shock as the porcelain shattered into a dozen pieces. Instinctively, she got on both hands and knees to gather the scattered shards.
"Don't be stupid, you'll only hurt yourself," Ichigo scowled as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back up on two feet. He spotted the blood dripping from the crevice between her thumb and forefinger. "Hey let me see that." He took a hold of her hand, but she forcefully yanked it back.
"I'm fine Ichigo, I get millions of cuts every day. The last plate was probably just chipped," she said dismissively.
"Stop being so damn stubborn! We should bandage quickly it because the soap will get in and it'll sting," he growled insistently.
"It's nothing, okay? Let's just pick up the pieces-"
Ignoring her protests, he lifted her off the ground and held her body like a log on his shoulder. She immediately began to squirm. "Put me down you stupid fool! I'm older than you! I refuse to be treated this way!" Rukia yelled as she struggled to escape his grasp.
"Shut up, you're the fool. You think I'm just gonna stand there and let you bleed?" he snapped as he carried her to the washroom. Once they were inside, he put her down on the lid of the toilet seat.
"Thank you," she said sarcastically. Her arms crossed in a huffy manner. "Don't expect me to come running to you with a blubbery expression if you get a cut-"
"Good, 'cause that's the last thing I'd expect from you." He flashed her a grin.
Rukia continued to lecture him, "-and you're one to talk! Even when your eye ball is falling out of its socket and you're dragging your whole body across the dirt with one finger, you still want to keep on fighting."
It didn't take long for Ichigo to realize that she wasn't only referring to their daily banter.
"You're not a robot you know. You still bleed like everyone else," Rukia said more softly.
He rummaged through the cabinets for a package of band-aids. "Of course I do, I'm human. But Orihime will be there to heal my wounds," he spoke with nonchalance.
Rukia balled her hands into fists. She hated it when Ichigo acted as if he were invincible. How many times has she reluctantly watched from the sidelines as he was beaten to a bloody pulp? He never let anyone come close enough to help him because his 'pride' was at stake. Impulsivity was a part of him, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "Oh yeah? Well what if she isn't there? Or if she's injured as well? What would you do then, huh?"
Ichigo finally spotted the box. He pulled out a strip of gauze and turned to face her with a bemused expression. "Why are you getting all riled up? Over my dead body will I ever let anyone hurt you guys."
That did it. She jumped up angrily and gave him a hard shove. "Yeah, well your body will be dead if you don't learn to pull back sometimes!"
The force caused him to stumble backwards and hit his head against the mirror. "Damn it Rukia…what'd you do that for?" He blindly groped at the ledge of the sink to steady himself. His aching head throbbed from the impact.
"You freak out over this little nick of mine, so how do you think I feel when I see you lying on the floor with a bloody hole through your chest?" she cried out hysterically.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "If I don't protect everyone, then who will? I'm not going to give up the fight just 'cause I'm a little battered up," he declared.
Rukia jabbed a finger to his shoulder. "See, that's your weakness Ichigo! You spend so much time thinking about everyone else, you never take care of yourself!" Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.
"Stop it, will you? It's my job to shield my friends from danger!"
Her little fists began to pound on his chest as she shook her head. "You're an idiot! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"
He lifted his own hands and folded them over hers to restrain them. He couldn't stand seeing her look so distraught and vulnerable. She was usually so sure of herself. "I don't mind taking a few blows as long accident prone people like you don't get hurt! So quit whining and let me protect you!"
She finally stopped struggling and gave in to the strength of his grip. Her arms fell limp as she leaned her head into his chest. "Don't you get it? You don't have to bear such a big burden by yourself…I'll always be right by your side if you need me. Renji, Orihime, Chad, Uryu- we're all here for you. So don't be an impulsive idiot, idiot," she murmured.
Ichigo's expression softened. His gaze finally fell on her solemn face. "Rukia I…"
Before he could finish his sentence, she quickly interrupted him by sealing her lips against his. He was taken aback by the suddenness of it, but slowly, he allowed himself to lean in and draw his mouth over hers.
The kiss was messy, and it certainly didn't last long, but it was enough to shut him up for once (and boy, did she take pride in achieving such a feat).
Rukia finally pulled away to speak, but she wasn't ready to let go of him just yet.
There was no question that they were both deeply connected somehow, right from the very start. An irrevocable trust was built between them from the moment he literally put his life into her hands. So naturally, physical comfort was beyond unnecessary, and maybe even a little extravagant. It was much too 'human' for a sensible shinigami such as herself to partake in. And lastly, it was scary because she was now treading uncharted waters. She knew what it felt like to care for somebody, but she didn't know that she could care this much. It was unsettling, to say the least.
But at that instant, Rukia didn't worry about any of that. All she wanted to do was focus on the reassuring warmth of his palm pressed against her own.
She gave his hand a light squeeze. "I know you have duties to fulfill…but I want to protect you too." It only took a second for her innocent expression to immediately twist into a scowl, "and don't you forget it!" She extended her arm out and squelched him in the stomach.
Ichigo folded over in pain. "What the hell? You better not complain if you become the death of me!"
She waggled a finger at him teasingly."Oh suck it up, you are the man around here aren't you?"
Before he could retort, his eyes caught the red streak of blood smeared across her skin. "Oh crap, we need to bandage that cut!" Ichigo tore the white strip of gauze with his teeth and began binding her fingers.
Rukia tugged at the bandages uncomfortably. "It's just a little scrape, you don't have to mummify my hand you know," she deadpanned. All of a sudden, a loud crashing noise reverberated from the living room.
The two of them whipped their heads around to see what was going on. "ICHIGO! I demand to know the meaning of this! I wake up in the middle of the night to get myself a warm glass of milk, and I find a pool in our kitchen!" Isshin's voice roared.
Rukia couldn't suppress the laughter that escaped from her mouth.
Ichigo was grinning as well. "Come on, let's clean up the mess we made."
"Clean up…the mess?"
A/N "Shalalalalala my oh my, look at the boy too shy, ain't gonna kiss the girl, shalalalalala ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame too bad, he gonna miss the girl!"
Sheesh how many miraculous recoveries has Ichigo made throughout the entire series? He seems pretty indestructible to me!
Please leave a review :D Y'know, on your thoughts and whatnot.