AN: Hiya, folks, I think I'm back into the fandom for a while. I want to make this not be one of those instantaneous jumping into sexual acts fics, but I don't want to go way OOC and get mushy. Feel free to tell me if it seems like I am! If anyone figures out what the musical allusion in this story is, you get a prize. You get to choose whether the story ends happy or sad. Mostly 'cause I can't decide and I feel that the better ending is the sad one, but it's TOO sad for me to want to write when I could just as easily write an acceptable happy one.

It had been a total of three weeks since Rukia had accidentally bullied Ishida into blurting out, "I'm gay" to everyone in attendence, and the results were in: Chad hadn't so much as blinked, Orihime had provided sincere well wishes, Rukia squealed excitedly for a solid minute, Keigo had seemed confused and then turned a bit red and accepted it readily enough, Mizuiro had blinked and looked uncomfortable, and Ichigo... Ichigo had walked away without so much as a word.

Ishida wasn't sure what to think. Rukia had patted him apologetically on the shoulder, muttering "Sorry about that," and chasing after Ichigo. Orihime stood up, chirping, "I would have never guessed that Ichigo was a homophobe!" and went after them. Ishida was left staring at three guys he pretty much didn't know after having admitted he was into men, and was not surprised when Keigo and Mizuiro stammered apologies and sprinted off. Chad stayed, stoic as ever, and when Ishida mentioned that he didn't have to, Chad simply shook his head and continued slowly chewing his lunch. Ishida was grateful that Chad wasn't shunning him. He didn't often give a damn about people shunning him, but he felt awfully vulnerable after falling unceremoniously out of his metaphorical closet.

A good distance away, Rukia and Orihime were badgering Ichigo. "What WAS that?" shouted Rukia. "That was the rudest thing I have ever seen!"

Ichigo shook his head, letting out a strange sound that might have conveyed confusion.

Orihime bent over to look at him, her long hair falling silkily from her shoulders. "Ichigo?" she asked softly, sensing that a gentle touch might be more effective than Rukia's usual brand of angry righteousness. "Is there a reason you walked away just now?"

Ichigo looked up, straight into Orihime's eyes, and the slight twinge of pain there concerned her. "No, not really. There was no reason. I can't think of one, at least."

Rukia, calming down, sat next to Ichigo. "So you just walked away for no reason?"

"I guess," replied Ichigo, shrugging. He leaned back, his head gently thudding into the window behind him. "I was just... thinking..."

Orihime and Rukia waited patiently for Ichigo to elaborate. They were not disappointed when he sighed and said, "I don't know. I guess... Well, I've never exactly known someone gay, and I wasn't sure how to react, and... Never mind."

Rukia's eyes glinted. "ICHIGO! What were you about to say?"

"Rukia, you already bullied someone into admitting they were gay today. Leave Ichigo alone," Orihime chided lightly.

"I am not gay!" shouted Ichigo.

Orihime and Rukia stared at him and a bright red flush crept into his features. "No one said you were," murmured Rukia. "Are you?"

"NO! I mean... I don't... think so..." replied Ichigo, trailing off and staring at the ceiling.

Orihime, with a hesitant glance at Rukia first, offered, "Well... I mean... If you were, that'd be okay, you know..."

When Ichigo provided no reply, Rukia mentioned for Orihime to follow her, and they left Ichigo alone with his thoughts. Occasionally looking at each other with a sense of unease brought about by uncertainty, they returned to lunch. Chad and Ishida were the only two left, Chad looking unruffled as usual and Ishida looking distinctly uncomfortable and as though his food had transmuted into cardboard. "What," he began, calmly, with only the slightest hint of nervousness, "what was that all about?" The unspoken words behind those were most likely, 'Is Kurosaki going to hate me forever?'

With more uncertain glances at each other, Rukia quietly said, "Uh. He's... Taken aback, I guess. And we talked to him, and he's still a little-"

-with a glance at Orihime-

"-uncertain about how he... feels about the situation." She'd already screwed up once today and publicly outed one person. She was not about to make it two if she could avoid it.

Ishida, searching their eyes, saw that something was off, and that neither girl was about to offer an explanation, so he shrugged and went back to his food with a false gusto that only he could manage.

And now it was three weeks later. The general unease had dissipated slowly and even Keigo and Mizuiro had cautiously returned, eventually spouting apologies like a leaky toilet, which Ishida shut up with a curt, "It's fine. I am attempting to eat." There was still an awkwardness with Kurosaki that had never been there before, an awkwardness that made fights with Hollows hard. Hard, yes, but not impossible. He'd often had a notion to speak to Kurosaki about it, but once Orihime had gently brushed his hand with hers, then put a finger to her lips, shaking her head "no". "Not yet," she whispered to Ishida. "He'll say something when he's ready." He was more than game to listen to her, since she appeared to know much more about the situation than he did... So he took her advice and waited until Ichigo was ready.

Today, apparently, he was ready. "Hey," he said, awkwardly clearing his throat as the classroom cleared. "Can I talk to you for a while?" An embarrassed half-grin, half-grimace slid onto his face. Ishida forced his face to remain steady, betraying no relief that finally, FINALLY Kurosaki wanted to clear the air, because as much of an asshole as Kurosaki could be, he was everything Ishida was not and wished he could be, and through a strange sort of jealous envy, he kind of liked having him around... And as Ishida realized that, he had a hard time keeping the shock out of his face as well.

"If you wish," Ishida said evenly. "Here?"

"Yeah."

Awkward silence.

"Talking requires sound, Kurosaki," Ishida quipped.

Kurosaki flopped into a desk with a loud sigh. "I don't know where to start."

Before he could stop himself, Ishida supplied a sharp suggestion of "how about with where you stormed off like a petulant child when I admitted I was gay." He then winced internally, realizing that was not the most tactful way to phrase it, and that he was just as asinine as Kurosaki when the mood struck him. Which was rather shameful.

"Sorry 'bout that. Really. I was just really confused," Kurosaki said.

Instead of accepting the apology like he should have, the rude comments continued as his mind screamed "SHUT UP" - "What's confusing about it? My homosexuality wasn't a hard concept to grasp for Rukia or Orihime or Chad."

"It wasn't YOUR homosexuality, Ishida..." he slowly stopped and a nervous look came into his eyes, though nothing else showed any change.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ishida snapped. Kurosaki remained absolutely silent for a few moments, then dropped his eyes. Ishida mulled the words over in his head. Recognition dawned in his eyes as the potential meaning of Kurosaki's words sank in. "You don't mean that..." He stood up, stunned.

Kurosaki stood up after him, worrying that Ishida was about to bolt. "Don't leave."

"I wasn't going to. Yet."

He stepped a little closer to the other boy. "I still have something I haven't said..."

"Okay, now I'm leaving, because this is surreal and I could swear you're about to confess to me," Ishida stated loudly, turning around and heading for the door.

Kurosaki darted forward, grabbing at Ishida's wrist. "Please."

Ishida's eyes narrowed. "This is unbelievable - ohhh. Oh, my god. Now I see! I get it now. You're disturbed by it, so you figured you'd hatch this plan to ridicule me. You got me alone, pretended all this crap so you could tell everyone I came on to you later, and it's your word against mine, and my word is already suspect, so you knew everyone would believe you. Didn't think your mental faculties were so evolved, Kurosaki."

"They're not!" Kurosaki shouted. "Wait, no - hold on. That was wrong. I just called myself stupid," he said, his brow furrowing as he thought things over.

"Better you than me," hissed Ishida, moving to leave.

Ichigo tightened his grasp on Ishida's wrist. "What do I have to do to convince you I'm not trying to be an asshole this time?!"

"Lower your voice, you subhuman," Ishida said in a clipped voice. "And let go of me."

"Not until you listen."

Ishida, beginning to fume, decided that the best defense was a good offense, and with a huff, slammed Kurosaki against a wall, pinning him there, uncomfortably close. "Go ahead, tell everyone I came onto you. If it gets you to let go and end this embarrassment now, I'd rather take the abuse later," he snapped.

Ichigo pushed against him. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"I thought this was what you wanted?"

"It is, but it's not very pleasant when I can barely breathe and you're snarling and about to bite my head off!"

Ishida, startled, eased up. "Oh," he said, taken aback.

Kurosaki sighed. "Really. What do I have to do...?" He reached a hand towards Ishida's face hesitantly. Brushing his fingertips against the pale skin he found there, he said softly, "What do I have to do to make you believe I'm not making this up... Uryuu?"

Uryuu found his legs weakening. "I don't remember granting you permission to call me that."

"Well, then?" The rough hand wrapped around the back of his neck, burying strong fingers in his hair, nearly burning hot to his always cool skin.

"Well, what?"

Kurosaki chuckled slightly. "Well, give me permission."

Ishida was lost for words for the first time in his life and the crazy thought was running though his mind, "KISS HIM KISS HIM KISS HIM" but his body wanted to run. It tried, but Ichigo grabbed an elbow gently with his free hand. "Please don't run off," he said. "I don't think I could deal with that. No, wait." He let go. "Go ahead. If you really want to. I did it to you. I deserve it."

If anything at all today had made Ishida stop moving, it was this. It was so un-Kurosaki-like. He'd thought about his reaction and felt... guilty? Kurosaki didn't think, he acted. Ishida was the thinker. He only acted once he had thought out every move, every possible outcome.

If unpredictablity was the norm today, he supposed he would follow suit. For once in his life, he stopped thinking and acted. He leaned gently into Kurosaki and pressed his lips against the other's. He could feel Kurosaki's surprise, which melted into eagerness as he returned the kiss. After a few brief moments that seemed like eternity, they pulled back, staring into each others' eyes with a softness neither recognized in the other.

"Okay," said Ishida.

"Okay what?" said a slightly stunned Kurosaki.

"Okay, call me Uryuu."

AN: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANTED TO BE A JACKASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KISS.

Ichigo: HAHA YOU FELL FOR IT EVERYONE'S GONNA THINK YOU'RE A RAPIST WHEN I TELL THEM YOU TRIED TO KISS ME

Uryuu: What? You're an asshole. I'm gonna shoot you.

Ichigo: Yeah, and then you'll be a murderer sex fiend.

Uryuu: I HATE YOU SO MUCH GO DIE

Ichigo: You first. =D