Hi everyone!
This is a one-shot for the Deathberry IchiRuki forum's Valentine's Day/White Day contest. The theme is confession. It's short but I hope you enjoy it!
Out of luck
A rowdy group of shinigami gathered at a bar after a fun hollow hunting day. It happened to be White Day in the real world and since Ichigo didn't want to be around all that mushiness he gladly accepted Renji's invitation to go over to SS for the weekend…
"Damn I feel for your dad..." Ikkaku said out of nowhere to Ichigo.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo asked as his scowl made its appearance.
"I don't get it either man" Hisagi chimed in shaking his head.
"He's just not man enough" Iba said with disappointment. Omaeda nodded in agreement.
"What the hell are you all talking about?" A now confused Ichigo asked.
"Oi Ichigo" Renji finally spoke after downing his drink. He then grabbed Ichigo's shoulders so that he could look at him deeply in the eyes.
"He's about to confess" Hisagi said and the rest of the drunken shinigami giggled.
"What?" Ichigo asked uncomfortably. Maybe Renji was going to confess…
"Are you…gay?" The redhead said the last part shakily.
"You idiot!" Ichigo said loudly and swatted Renji's big hands off his shoulders. He then reached for his sake.
"Of course I'm not freaking gay" He said and took a swig of the clear liquid. He stayed quiet for a few seconds and stared at nothing in particular before speaking "It was my stupid dad wasn't it? He put you up to this." Ichigo said with displeasure. His father had been peskier than usual when it came down to his personal life.
"He just asked me to bring it up next time you came over. But you have to admit he does make a little bit of sense though. You haven't dated anyone that we know of and you're not a kid anymore. The only woman you ever spend time with is Rukia…" Renji said and searched Ichigo's eyes. He hoped that the orange head could either admit his feelings for the girl or his preference for men.
"You're being annoying" Ichigo said grumpily and looked away. He wasn't about to let these meddlesome shinigami in on his business.
"Seriously, do you even like women?" Renji pressed yet again, "You're considered nakama to all of us, we won't judge…" He said with a nervous grin.
Ichigo's eye was twitching. He was about to punch the redhead in the face when Yumichika interrupted,
"Idiot" He said to Renji with a sly smile, "of course he likes women, and we all know the problem is not about whether he likes women but about the woman he likes"
'Damn' Ichigo thought. He really didn't want to deal with this tonight. "I think I'm gonna call it a night" He said as he tried to clumsily stand up but was quickly seated back down by Renji's big hand.
"So?" Yumichika asked defiantly.
"What?" Ichigo responded nervously.
"Dammit" Hisagi said frustrated of the situation and hit the counter with his fist, "Kuchiki isn't that scary that you can't confess is she?"
He was cornered. These men were even more persistent when they were drunk. He didn't have the energy to deny his feelings any longer or the intelligence to talk his way out of it now that his brain was swimming in sake.
"Just make sure Kuchiki taichou isn't around when you confess and it should be fine" Renji said to the orange head with a smile.
A few hours of drinking later…
Kenpachi was in a bad mood after hearing all that yapping. How could these men consider themselves men and yet be having girly heart-to-heart conversations? An unusual evil idea crossed his mind as he observed the weaklings unable to handle their liquor.
"You know" He spoke and everyone's heads turned to him instantly, "Kuchiki is out on some mission this weekend"
"R-r-really?" Ichigo asked hopeful. Kenpachi nodded.
Ichigo smiled clumsily. This was just too perfect. His brain was flooded with random odd things such as if Rukia said yes their anniversary would always be on White Day and so he'd never forget the date. He stood up from the bar stool and puffed up his chest, "I'm going!" He slurred and with determination made his way to the Kuchiki Mansion.
The rest of the shinigami naturally tagged along for "support"
'I don't remember the taichou being sent on a mission' Renji wondered but continued to cheer Ichigo on.
…
When the crowd of loud drunken shinigami got to the elegant Kuchiki Mansion and asked for Rukia, the sleepy servant that greeted them was in awe. Were these men serious? The servant unwillingly proceeded to get the small girl and back up just to be on the safe side.
When Rukia got there she was astounded. Before she could say a word Ichigo beat her to it and started blurting incoherencies that sounded like something along the lines of "really like you and together with you"
"No" The petite girl said simply and crossed her arms.
"Huuuhhh? !" Ichigo said in disbelief. He had basically just declared his feelings for the girl and she had denied him flatly.
"Wh-why not?" He swallowed his pride and asked. She had to have a reason why. Was he really that terrible of a guy?
"Because" Rukia said firmly and raised an elegant finger, "One, you are drunk." She then added another finger "Secondly, you should know by now that things here are not the same as they are in the world of the living. You can't simply "go out" with someone just because you suddenly feel like it, especially not a Kuchiki."
"Don't be such a stick in the mud Kuchiki" Hisagi said form amongst the crowd.
"Save the formalities for later!" Another unidentified shinigami yelled. A vein popped by Rukia's head. Why was she even putting up with these drunken men again?
"That's right" Renji nodded his head rapidly, "Ichigo finally built up the courage to confess; you can't be so mean to a guy!" He said and pushed Ichigo forward.
The group of shinigami froze as they eagerly watched the events unfold. In their eyes, lady luck was definitely on Ichigo's side.
Due to his inebriated state, the young shinigami lost his footing and ended up toppling over the small girl. Ichigo's body was now pressed against her. Ichigo's warm, well-defined, muscular body;she could hear the fluttering of his steady heart…No! He was drunk and being a fool. She pushed on his chest to create some distance between them and their eyes locked.
Even in his drunken state, her beauty made him nervous. Her mysterious eyes twinkled beautifully in the darkness of the night. Maybe lady luck was on his side after all…
"Kurosaki Ichigo"
Or not.
Byakuya's steady voice echoed in the room and everyone turned to look at the taichou, "What do you suppose you are doing to my sister?" He asked calmly.
"Umm…well…you see…Kenpachi said you were out on a mission" The orange head blurted pointing at the now smirking Kenpachi.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed and an uncharacteristic smile formed on his face. He had been waiting too long for this moment.
'Crap' Renji thought. His taichou smiling like that was definitely not a good sign so he decided to make a sneaky leave. Byakuya eyed the rest of the excited shinigami who apparently thought this was a private show. He'd ask them to leave but an audience for what was about to happen didn't sound too bad.
'Serves him right for being such a pansy' Kenpachi thought of Ichigo and walked away with satisfaction.
