Characters: Ichigo, Ishida
Summary: What a life. AU.
Pairings: None
Warnings/Spoilers: no spoilers; AU
Timeline: no timeline needed
Author's Note: This is just an AU oneshot I thought up; enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
"What a life," Ichigo is heard to mutter at the sight of smoke, and it's probably a good thing he isn't looking at Ishida as he rolls his eyes. Both are stuffing their books back into their bags, one considerably more haphazardly than the other. "I mean, when are we supposed to sleep?"
"Sometime between two and four in the morning," Ishida mutters indistinctly, and Ichigo glares at him.
Truth be told, they're both a little worn on the "saving the day" thing. Well, Ichigo is anyway; it's too hard to tell what Ishida's thinking when he's not mad to know his opinion. It's eating into his time; Ichigo likes to have plenty of time to eat, sleep and do his homework, thank you, and he can't do that as efficiently with some bloody monster popping out of nowhere or some megalomaniac (Ishida's word; not his) threatening to rain down destruction.
Ishida… To Ichigo's eyes, Ishida just looks tired; he always does. Yet somehow he still manages to maintain the highest average in the class with the only expense being shadows under his eyes and an inability to resist the gravity pull between his head and the desk from time to time. If Ichigo had a little less self-respect he'd be asking him how the Hell he manages it.
"Seriously…" Ichigo snarls as the zipper on his bag gets stuck (again) and wrestles with it until the zipper knows who's boss "…don't you ever just want to be normal?"
"No." Ishida still isn't looking at him; he does tend to avoid eye contact with others, not that Ichigo cares (Really, he doesn't). "I'm not normal. I never have been nor will I ever be. Neither will you, so get over it."
Great. Here we go with the flat affect thing again. That just never gets old to you, does it? "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Here's what they appreciate: complete and total honesty. Thankfully, both Ichigo and Ishida are of the sort of nature that allows for complete and total honesty, otherwise things would get violent much more often than they do. Mind you, complete and total honesty usually allows for rudeness, insults, and all sorts of other things that tend to make passers-by stare and wonder to themselves "How long have they been married?" but the honesty is still appreciated.
They stand. Ishida adjusts his glasses and sighs as he watches the thin line of smoke extend off into the sky. "What do you think it is this time?"
"I'm sure I don't want to know."
"Well come on. We have to go, because the city finds itself imperiled…"
"…Once again," Ichigo finishes tiredly.
Regardless of their differing opinions on the merits of this sort of lifestyle, Ichigo and Ishida have to agree that even if this is truly thankless work, it's the only way to stave off boredom that they can think of.
Honestly, who can say they have their sort of life?