Birds of a Feather (Flock Together)
IchiRuki
Ichigo isn't immediately aware that someone is knocking on his door at two in the morning. In fact, immediately, he is trying to cut through a large and sinister looking … thing … with a huge, talking sword, and the thing is opening and closing its mouth, and the noises it is making just happen to sound a lot like someone is knocking on a door.
The noises get louder though, and as they get louder Ichigo starts to think that it doesn't really make sense that this monstrous … monster would have a voice like someone knocking on wood; never mind the talking sword or that Inoue is there for some reason, shooting light from her hair pins. Ichigo blinks.
The monster disappears. Ichigo blinks again.
A neon bar sign across the street fills Ichigo's room with an ambient, bluish glow. He is on the ninth floor of a twelve-story walkup, so the light is dimmed by the distance, but it is enough to see by. Ichigo blinks a couple more times to help him focus and looks up at his ceiling with an unhappy amount of attention.
Ichigo generally comes out of sleep quickly and ready for anything – this is a direct result of growing up under a psychotic father with no sense of personal space – still, he's not sure what's going on now. His father isn't here to cause chaos and nothing is visibly on fire.
Through the maddening silence and stillness three sharp raps on wood echo. There's a pause, and then three more. Ichigo checks the clock, it is nearly 2:30. He debates calling it his imagination and going back to bed, but the curiosity will surely keep him awake … he swings his legs over the side of the bed, ruffling his hair as he goes. He half drags himself, half stumbles, to the front door of his studio apartment. If he hits the couch with his shin as he goes, it's barely registered.
"What…" Ichigo mutters, pulling the door open. He does not instantly see Kuchiki – she is below his direct line of sight – and it takes him a second before he's aware enough to glance down.
Rukia Kuchiki lives one apartment down from Ichigo. He doesn't know her well, he's waved at her at the grocery store across the street a couple of times (half hearted at best attempts, Kuchiki's always in her own world, or she's pointedly pretending not to see him) and once he got into a knockdown, drag out fight with Kuchiki's best friend, Something Abarai. He seemed like a pretty decent guy …
Kuchiki is in front of his door now in a gray flannel shirt and shorts, he hopes; the shirt's too long and he can't see them, but he's praying they're there if for no other reason than to preserve his sanity. Ichigo's been trying to ignore Kuchiki for the better part of a year. She's in a relationship, or is engaged or … something, he thinks. Point is, Ichigo's trying to respect her and the rumors around her love life. Good neighbors stay way the fuck away from the personal lives of other good neighbors. Ichigo frowns at her.
"I need a favor," says Kuchiki, forgoing pleasantries.
"I don't do favors past midnight," says Ichigo, groggy. He considers tacking on something less than wholesome, but has a sneaking suspicion Kuchiki's the type of girl that doesn't mind throwing a punch … and it's too earlier for that. (Ichigo is very confused to discover the thought of Kuchiki being a brawler is somehow attractive to him, and he pushes that thought aside almost as quickly as it surfaces.)
"I'll pay you," Kuchiki bargains.
"I have a job," says Ichigo, he smirks at her, just faintly. She's clearly very much awake, her hair is disheveled but her eyes are plum-colored and clear as glass.
"Ichigo…" Kuchiki bites, her glare is doing things for Ichigo he knows it shouldn't, and it's enough to distract him from the realization that she's apparently taken the time to learn his name. Kuchiki walks around with her head held high and if she notices that anyone exists around her, she doesn't show it. Ichigo is told she comes from a family of considerable wealth and prestige, but he's never verified and, truth be told, he couldn't give two shits to a storm about it.
Ichigo scratches his shoulder absently.
"Fine, but only because I'm a really good neighbor," Ichigo smirks, "what do you need?"
"I'll, uh," Kuchiki's eyes dart toward her apartment and then she points vaguely, "I'll show you," she says. Ichigo nods and extends his hand in the direction of her place.
"Lead the way," he says with a yawn. Rukia patters back to her apartment, opens the door and then steps aside.
"My bedroom," she states. Ichigo raises an eyebrow at her. If he were a teenager, he probably would have blushed. As it stands, he's having a good time of this, even for being stupid early on a Sunday.
"Are you trying to sleep with me, Rukia?"
Rukia kicks him and she kicks him hard. Ichigo's suspicions are confirmed as he rubs his abused shin.
"Fuck, it was just a joke," he mutters.
"Just get in there" Rukia huffs, pushing him toward her room.
"Hey!" Ichigo retorts, "don't forget, I'm doing you a favor," and having said his piece, and watched as she mimicked his words with a hand puppet, Ichigo stalks into her room without further instructions.
It's a pigeon. It's a pigeon that's got Kuchiki riled up. It's sitting on her headboard, looking all … pigeon-y.
Its head twitches as it looks at everything and when it sees Ichigo, their eyes lock like lovers on a battlefield and the intense connection between them is palpable. Ichigo stares long and hard and with great consideration before he cracks.
Rukia can hear him laughing from the living room. Their neighbors have probably been woken up with the sheer volume of it.
Rukia steps tentatively into the room and crosses her arms, looking haughty.
"A pigeon?" Ichigo laughs.
"A sky rat," Rukia responds, she looks repulsed, "I opened up my window before I went to bed and woke up to it making that pigeon noise …"
"What am I supposed to do with a pigeon?" Ichigo asks.
"Nothing, you idiot," says Rukia, "just get rid of it."
Ichigo chuckles and looks around the room for something to help him do the job. Rukia's room, in fact, Rukia's entire apartment is bare to the bone of anything, personal or otherwise. Everything is cold and white and bland which is strange, considering Rukia has something of a fiery personality, from what Ichigo's gathered. There's not much in the way of decoration and there's nothing at all for pigeon wrangling. Ichigo thinks about it for a moment more and then pulls off his shirt. Rukia, beside him, turns scarlet.
"What're you doing?" she says, looking scandalized.
"Catching the pigeon," responds Ichigo, and he winks for good measure. Part of him hopes she looks; part of him can feel her eyes on him when he turns away from her and is pleased with himself for it.
And then he takes the shirt, spreads it out and tiptoes in the direction of the bird. A quick maneuver, much screaming, one embarrassing shriek and a fight with a window latch later and Ichigo throws the bird (and the shirt, unfortunately) out the window and into freedom.
Ichigo and Rukia exchange a pointed look, a silent pact to never discuss the events of the evening to anyone, ever. Not even Something Abarai, Rukia seems to say. Not even my sisters, Ichigo echos. Neither knows who was actually responsible for the shriek, maybe it is better that way. The silence drags. Rukia eyes Ichigo's chest and clears her throat.
"Coffee?" she asks, turning decisively and heading for the kitchen.
"Er, yeah," nods Ichigo. He watches in equal parts mesmerizing awe and sedated curiosity as she stands on tippy toes to reach for a pair of mugs in her cabinet.
She is not wearing shorts.
My stepmom told me this story earlier of how, when she lived in the city, she lived on the sixth floor and this bird flew into her apartment and she had to go ask the neighbor for help because she hates birds and I thought it was hilarious. That said, it is late and this is shit but here you go anyway ... it really just doesn't get much more out of character than this ... sorry!