Hi, I am on a fanfic SPREE right now. I had a reviewer suggest a double-date fic featuring Ichigoro and Naokuno and I LOVED the idea. Though it was suggested this be a sequel to "Your Lips," I just decided to make it a oneshot instead. There are little to none IkunoxNaomi fics, but they deserve more, so here you are! Enjoy :)
Poundpoundpoundpound
Rapid knocks echo on Ichigo's door. The raven-haired girl sets down her book on her nightstand and approaches, wondering who could be knocking at this late hour. She's already said good-night to Goro, so it couldn't possibly be him.
When she opens the door, Ikuno rushes in and collapses on her bed.
"I did it! I did it!" she groans.
"Did what?" Ichigo asks, shutting the door. "Why are you up so late? I was just going to bed," she says, gesturing to her long, pale nightgown.
"I asked Naomi out on a date," Ikuno confesses.
Ichigo moves closer to the bed, realizing Ikuno's cheeks are bright red. Her gray-haired friend grabs Ichigo's soft pillow and shoves her face into it, letting out loud moans.
Ichigo chuckles slightly and sits down on the bed beside Ikuno.
"I can't believe I did it," Ikuno whispers.
"Aren't you happy? You've liked her a long time," Ichigo reminds her. Ikuno had told Ichigo of her feelings for Naomi months before, and while Ichigo kept hinting to her to act on them, her friend was too stubborn to ever make a move.
"But I didn't expect for her to say yes!" Ikuno gasps. "There was still a part of me that feared…I don't know. But what will the others think? Do you think Naomi really likes me? I'm a mess!"
Ichigo giggles again.
"Stop laughing at me!" Ikuno complains. "I'm feeling more emotions than I ever have in my life!"
"You really love her, don't you?" Ichigo realizes.
Ikuno hides her face in the pillow again before murmuring, "I don't want to mess this up."
Ichigo laughs and grasps Ikuno's hand. "I'm proud of you for finally telling her how you feel."
"Ichigo, can you come with me on the date? You could bring Goro! It could be a double-date. Maybe I'd feel more comfortable," Ikuno mumbles.
"Are you sure? Don't you want it to be just you two?"
"I'm still really flustered around her. I have a feeling I'll just be a babbling mess if you're not there to ease the conversation a bit. Please!" Ikuno begs, throwing her arms around Ichigo.
"All right, all right. I'll talk to Goro. What were you even planning to do for your date anyway?" Ichigo wonders.
"We were just going to eat some dinner together. Just a nice private meal away from the others. It'll be really low-key."
"Okay. A double-date it is then," Ichigo agrees.
...
Goro lets out a groan as he folds clothes in a suitcase.
"Why did you agree to this before asking me? You know I'm already behind on packing for my next expedition," he says.
"I want Ikuno to be happy. This means a lot to her," Ichigo explains as she sits on his bed and crosses her legs.
"Yeah, well, it would've been better if they'd picked a different night."
Ichigo stands up and walks over to him. She wraps her arms around him and leans her head on his shoulder.
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun," she teases, kissing his cheek. She watches as his cheeks turn bright red, and she realizes she's won this battle.
He turns around and scoops her up. She lets out a tiny squeal and laughs as he throws her on his bed. He leans over her and gives her a gentle kiss.
"Fine," he stubbornly agrees. "Only because you're acting particularly cute tonight."
Ichigo sits up, wrapping her arms around him.
"Oh, thank you! I'm sure it'll make Ikuno really happy," Ichigo says.
Goro embraces her in return. "I hope so too. Especially since I stole you from her," he teases, poking her.
"Stop it!" Ichigo laughs. "Besides, she likes Naomi much more. She was never that flustered around me." Her voice becomes a bit more soft now. "I hope the date goes well for her."
...
Ichigo crosses her arm with Goro as they walk into one of the private dining areas in the facility. Ikuno is already inside, lighting candles and showering the table in rose petals.
"Going a little far out, are you?" Goro asks.
Ikuno lets out a squeal, realizing she is no longer alone. "I-I'm just trying to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible, that's all. Um, you two can be seated. I think Naomi will be here soon. She's just finishing up some work at the lab…"
Ichigo takes a seat, watching Ikuno nervously pace around the room.
"Just take some deep breaths, Ikuno. It's not like you're meeting her for the first time," Ichigo comments.
Suddenly, Naomi pops her head through the doorway.
"Oh, here's where everyone is!" she exclaims. "Good to see you, Ichigo and Goro." She walks inside, and Ichigo watches as Ikuno's face turns bright red.
As Naomi goes to take her seat, Ikuno gasps and goes to pull out her date's chair.
Naomi waves her away with her hand. "Oh, you're fine, Ikuno. I still have one functioning arm, you know."
"O-Oh okay," Ikuno stammers.
They both take their seats, and suddenly all four are seated at a candlelit table with an awkward silence settling between them. Ichigo stares at the dancing flames, hoping someone will speak, but the silence drifts on.
Ichigo shoves Goro, trying to get him to say something.
"Uh, so," Goro says as he takes a sip of water. "How long have you two known each other?"
"Goro!" Ichigo hisses as Naomi chuckles.
"What have you two been working on recently?" Ichigo asks, finally starting up some conversation.
The four nibble on appetizers as Naomi explains her research with Ikuno jutting in every once in a while to add some more details. Ichigo smiles as she sees Ikuno slowly begin to relax and act more like the Ikuno Ichigo knows.
"What's for dinner?" Goro asks as the appetizers disappear.
Before anyone can answer, a cart of food is rolled through the door. Ikuno quickly jumps up, grabbing the plates.
"It's steak," she announces.
"Oh, it looks delicious!" Ichigo exclaims as the plate of meat is dropped in front of her.
"Oh, that's lovely, but…" Naomi's voice drifts off.
Ikuno squeals and begins to ramble. "OhmygodNaomiIforgothowcouldIforgetadetaillikethat!"
Ikuno grabs her date's fork and knife and begins cutting the meat into small squares for Naomi to eat easily.
"Thanks, dear," Naomi says, cupping Ikuno's cheek. She leans forward, removing her hand and placing a kiss on Ikuno's cheek.
Ichigo watches as Ikuno's face turns bright red.
"I-I'll be right back! I have to go to the bathroom!" she exclaims, standing up and quickly exiting.
Naomi shrugs and begins shoving her fork into the pieces of meat Ikuno cut for her. She lets out a hum as she eats.
"Mm, this is delicious!" she exclaims.
Ichigo nods, laughing uneasily. She eats some too, anxiously awaiting Ikuno's return. She's tempted for a moment to follow Ikuno to the bathroom, but she figures she better let Ikuno figure this out on her own.
"So, does she always get this flustered normally?" Naomi asks at last after swallowing another bite of meat.
"Um, I think only recently," Ichigo tells her. "I think she was really nervous about trying to impress you tonight."
The brunette laughs. "I don't know why she's trying so hard. While I do think this bashful Ikuno is cute, I know she's able to talk to me normally too."
"I thought our presence was supposed to calm Ikuno down," Goro mutters as he takes another bite of food.
Ichigo shoves her boyfriend and shoots Naomi a smile. "Ignore him."
"You two are funny. I'm glad we're all sharing a meal tonight. It's been a lot of fun," she says.
Ikuno re-enters, looking a bit more self-composed. She silently sits down and eats, averting her gaze away from Naomi.
As they finish their meal, Ikuno leans back and lets out a sigh. Naomi grasps her hand and grins.
"Feeling better?" she asks.
"Y-Yes," Ikuno stammers. "Oh, we have dessert too, by the way. That is if you're all still hungry enough for it. It's just some sorbet…"
"Ooh, my favorite!" Naomi exclaims.
Their large plates are replaced with tiny parfait glasses filled to the brim with strawberry sorbet. Ichigo takes a bite of hers and hums.
"Is it good?" Goro asks, taking a bite himself.
Ichigo nods.
"Here," he says. He grabs her spoon and dips it into her sorbet before holding it to her mouth. She opens it as he shoves the spoon in. She hums again and licks the dessert off the spoon.
"Aw, we should try that," Naomi tells Ikuno.
"What?" Ikuno mutters.
Naomi holds a spoonful of sorbet near Ikuno's mouth.
"Open up," she commands.
Ikuno is reluctant but opens her mouth anyway as Naomi feeds her a spoonful of sorbet. She swallows and grins slightly. Ichigo smiles, seeing that her friend's shoulders are becoming a bit more relaxed.
As Ikuno and Naomi continue to awkwardly feed each other dessert, the glasses empty, and everyone talks little longer. The conversation has become more pleasant, and Ichigo realizes Ikuno has calmed a bit too. Even when Naomi grasps Ikuno's hand and keeps a hold on it, Ikuno's face looks severely less red than before.
"Well, it's getting late, and I have packing to do so…" Goro begins.
"Oh, thank you two for coming!" Ikuno exclaims.
"Oh, no problem," Ichigo assures her friend.
She exits and grasps Goro's hand as they walk away. Ichigo lets out a loud yawn, tired from a long day.
"Do you want to help me pack before you go to bed?" Goro asks.
"I guess I can stay up a little longer. Oh, let me use the restroom though before," she says as she approaches it. "I'll meet up with you in your room."
"All right," Goro agrees, heading off.
...
Ichigo exits the restroom, turning to head to Goro's room. However, the sound of soft voices fills her ears, and she quietly walks down the hallway. As she comes closer to a corner, she recognizes the voices of Ikuno and Naomi.
Ichigo freezes and leans against the wall, slightly peaking her head forward to see what's going on.
Ikuno and Naomi are quietly talking to each other, and as Ichigo glances down, she realizes Ikuno's hand is still grasped to Naomi's.
"I'm so sorry. That date was a mess," Ikuno mutters.
Naomi chuckles. "It's cute to see you try so hard. It was actually really fun."
"So…you'd go out with me again?" Ikuno asks.
Naomi smiles and nods.
Ichigo shockingly watches as Ikuno and Naomi slowly move closer together until their lips touch. Ikuno sets her arms on Naomi's waist as she kisses her, while Naomi moves her hand through Ikuno's graying hair.
Ichigo grins slightly, glad to see Ikuno getting a happy ending after all. As they break apart, they both lean their foreheads against each other and quietly laugh.
Ichigo nearly squeals as she feels arms wrap around her own waist. She turns around, finding Goro behind her.
"Damn you! You scared me," she hisses.
Goro chuckles quietly. "Sorry. You weren't coming back, so I came to find you."
"How much did you see?" Ichigo whispers as they move their heads away from the scene.
"Enough. I'm glad the date wasn't truly a disaster then. I was starting to think I'd given up my evening for nothing."
Ichigo hears the clacking of shoes against tile as the two leave in the other direction. She leans against the wall and sighs, her lips curling into a smile.
"I'm glad Ikuno's happy. I was worried I hurt her when I didn't choose her," Ichigo mutters.
"I think she and Naomi are very happy with each other," Goro says. He cups her cheek and leans forward to kiss her.
Ichigo grins. "I'm very happy with you," she says against his lips.
"Great. Will you help me pack now?" he asks.
She shoves him and groans. "Fine!"
"We should go on double-dates more often if it means you owe me one," Goro teases as they head down the hallway back toward his room.