Prompt 1 - Naked Cuddles

It had been a long, exhausting day.

The brown sandals she'd worn were pushed dismissively into a corner. She dropped her matching handbag and jacket onto the couch when she passed the den of their living room on her way to the bathroom.

Orihime sighed with a soft whine and turned on the lights in the small room, having decided to take a look at what horror the mirror above the sink would reveal. She looked as tired as she felt she concluded, averting her eyes from her reflection with a shake of her head.

Ichigo would be home soon and she needed to get started on dinner, but a bath sounded so good right now and she deserved it after the day she'd had…

The day had been long and exhausting. The little patience he'd had by the end of it had gone completely when he'd stepped into his car to finally drive home.

His keys landed in the small colorful bowl on the cabinet by the door of their apartment after he'd locked it. Just the sight of the crummy, handmade clay art project was enough to lift his mood. He'd lost count of how many times he'd fixed it with glue because she refused to throw it away; it was the first gift one of her kindergarten kids had made for her and she cherished it, so he did too.

"Hime?" he called, having seen her sandals and jacket she'd worn today. He walked further into their apartment and up the two steps towards their dining area and open kitchen, but didn't find any other signs of her presence. He turned to the corridor leading to their bathroom when he heard splashing water, grinning in anticipation.

She'd been dozing off in the mighty satisfying warmth of the water of her bubble bath when she heard him call, now lazily opening her eyes and sliding her upper body deeper into the foamy, iridescent mass so her mouth went hidden beneath it.

The door to the bathroom opened and she lifted weary eyes up to him. "Hey," he greeted her, frowning a bit at her morose expression and her uninspired grunt. He stepped inside and shut the door. "How was your day?" he wondered, kneeling next to her on the white tiled floor.

Orihime sat up and passed her wet hands over her face and hair, removing the suds from her skin. "Not good," she pouted, shaking her head.

He took off his jacket and placed it on the toilet flap behind him. "How so? What happened?" he asked encouragingly, reaching for her face to remove the residual froth from her right temple and ear.

"I couldn't keep up with anything! I was tired all day and I threw up the lunch you so painstakingly made for me. I completely forgot about a staff meeting today and my powers have gone all wonky. I can't concentrate, I feel like crying all the time, it's like I'm bloated 24/7 and my breasts and feet hurt!"

Ichigo grinned with compassion at the flood of words that came out of her. "Oh, Hime…"

"I just want you to hold me right now. Everything's just a bit too much," she then whimpered with trembling lips, her shoulders shaking from held back sobs. "I really, really need you to hold me… please."

Ichigo nodded and proceeded with taking off his clothes so he could join her in the bath, sliding into the water behind her in the ample tub.

"It's going to be alright," he whispered in her hair, pressing his lips on her damp locks lovingly. "We knew this could happen." Two years they'd been living together now and since they found out that she was pregnant a month ago, he'd noticed her getting frustrated with mundane tasks like ironing or vacuuming. Her body was adjusting to the growing human being within her and it didn't go without the necessary discomfort.

"It still sucks…" Orihime sniffled and leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes when his arms went around her waist. "I thought this was supposed to be fun… these hormones are driving me crazy…" she whispered, wiping away her tears with both her hands and nuzzling the tip of her nose against the underside of his chin. "I'm going to need to buy new clothes soon, too…"

"Oh?" he murmured, sliding his right hand over her still flat stomach. "You still look and feel the same to me."

"You're supposed to say that," she chuckled back gratefully, kissing him in the side of his throat. "By the time this baby comes into the world I won't look much the same. I'll be huge. Fair warning."

"Doesn't matter," Ichigo chuckled, leaning his head back to look at her and rub the tip of their noses together. "You and this baby will receive nothing than my undivided attention. And I will never stop worshipping this amazing body you have… and be grateful for the life you're about to bring into this world. You'll always be beautiful to me, Hime, no matter what."

She closed her eyes with a blissful smile when his hold on her tightened and he pressed his lips against her right cheekbone. "Thank you," she breathed with another sniffle, her hands sliding over his underneath the surface. She loved the feel of his skin against hers. "I can face anything as long as you're with me."

"I'm not going anywhere…" he told her, watching her lips search for his and meeting them in a tender kiss, wanting to convey nothing but his undying support and devotion to her. Their eyes met after and he took a moment to stare into their golden brown depths, seeing nothing but the awe-inspiring person that she was. "You're going to make an amazing mom," he told her, smirking when she giggled at the sensation of his fingers playfully grazing her skin near her belly button. "I can't wait. It's going to be so great…" he admitted whilst dropping a kiss on her right shoulder giddily.

She blushed and laughed happily. "And you'll be an even better dad," she replied, turning her head to look at their joined hands through the spaces of water between the clouds of foam. "This baby is so lucky…" she said in a breathless whisper when his right hand slowly moved lower on her body and his lips travelled up her shoulder to the side of her neck.

He absent mindedly made an agreeing sound and groaned when her hand landed on his underwater and guided him between her legs, her breathy voice soon echoing in the small room.

Even after two years of them living together he still made her feel like the most important person in the world and she couldn't wait for the arrival of their baby. She couldn't be more proud that this child would have Ichigo for a father, something she knew he'd been wanting to become for a while now. He was the love of her life and she was immensely grateful that she'd be able to make their dream of a family come true and share this love they had for each other with the coming of their own, precious, little Kurosaki.

Make sure to check out SingingButterflyRose's Profile for her take on the Naked Kisses prompt!

Up next: Prompt 3. First Time

-MistressBlaque-