Warm. Ichigo is so warm, relaxed and comfortable like he hasn't been in so long. He nuzzles his nose against the pillow and breathes deeply as sleep recedes. Smiling to himself, Ichigo tightens his hold on the blankets he is squeezing and stretches out his legs. Although he has no clue why he is in such a good mood, he is content to enjoy it while it lasts. He blinks open his eyes, wondering what time it is, and freezes in place.

"I-Ishida!?"

Far from snuggling up to mere bedclothes, Ichigo is naked and clinging to none other than his obstinate crush, still dressed as Lugosi from last night's party. The man stirs at the sound of his name. He takes one look at Ichigo's flabbergasted expression and snorts.

"Go back to sleep, Kurosaki."

"Wha—But we're...Am I dreaming? This has to be a dream."

"Stranger things have happened, but no. Now shut up and let me sleep."

"It's past noon!"

At that, Ishida pushes him away to sit up and glare at him. His eyes follow the line of Ichigo's bare body until he frantically covers up with the forgotten blanket, embarrassed under the sudden scrutiny.

"Thanks to you, I didn't get to sleep until almost dawn after being harassed for hours. In case you've been blessed with amnesia, we attended a Halloween party last night and got cursed by a witch to become the costumes we wore. Therefore you are a werewolf and I am now a vampire. I spent the night chasing you around to keep you from breaking loose and hurting anyone. I worked up quite the appetite, and I am very thirsty. If I were you I wouldn't give me a reason to indulge, Kurosaki. So if it's all the same to you, I would prefer to get a few more hours of rest."

Ishida sinks back into the pillows to imitate the dead while Ichigo's head spins from information overload. Werewolf? Vampire? Thirsty? It starts to come back to him. The excruciating pain and debilitating fear of the Change. Leaving his ruined clothes behind on the sidewalk. Flashes of disjointed memory as a wolf filter through, along with strong emotions like hunger and exhilaration. He remembers darting after Ishida and finally catching him as being the most fun he has had in a while.

"This is nuts..." he mumbles, inspecting his normal appendages and furless flesh. Even his teeth have reverted to blunt molars, flat incisors, and short canines. "You brought me home?"

"Couldn't let you run amok."

"I wouldn't hurt anyone! Probably."

"Tell that to the squirrel that became your dinner," Ishida peeks an eye open to mutter.

"I ate a squirrel!? Oh, shit..." Looking Ishida over for injuries, he leans in close and demands, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"If by 'hurt' you mean annoyed me into a headache, broke through the bedroom door when I tried to lock you out, and proceeded to tackle me to the bed refusing to let me up, then yes."

"Ugh, I'm sorry, Ishida. I appreciate what you did but I don't want you endangering yourself again. Next time just shut me in a car or something. I can't stand the thought of you suffering because of me."

The remainder of Ichigo's breath leaves him in a rush as he is pushed flat on his back in a supernaturally fast motion with Ishida looming over him. A tremor of unease jolts through him at the eerie look in Ishida's dark eyes. His heart rate increases with a combination of excitement and trepidation, and those eyes jump to the rapid pulse at Ichigo's throat. The word vampire floats through his consciousness with fresh significance.

"Perhaps you should be more concerned with the danger you are in, Kurosaki," he murmurs through those gleaming fangs. "You have to calm down; the faster your heart beats, the harder it is to resist biting you."

Of course that statement only makes it worse. Ishida's hands tighten on his arms, tongue darting out to wet flushed lips, and Ichigo sucks in a tiny gasp as it dawns on him how erotic this is. Before today he would have said all that vampire hype was idiotic, juvenile. Given the effect Ishida is having on him like this, he can't say it's bullshit anymore. How long has he waited to be the object of that type of stare, even if it's for the wrong reason? A little blood is a cheap price to pay.

"Then don't resist." Ishida's widening gaze snaps back to his in silent question. "If you really are a vampire, I can't let you loose to bite someone else by accident. At least I can fight you off if you try to take too much."

"Stop it."

"I'm serious, Ishida. We have to track down that witch and get her to reverse this, right? There's no way we're the only ones who got affected, the only ones confused and scared. There were a lot of people at that party. Use me to refuel so we can go fix this."

"No, I won't do it," he insists, drawing back and shaking his head. "I won't become a monster."

Ichigo follows him, sitting up to grab his shoulders before Ishida can get off the bed. "Monsters kill people. I won't let you kill anyone, I promise. In return, keep me corralled the next time I change. We'll watch each other's backs like always."

"This is insane."

"Here, I'll make it easy for you."

Reaching into his nightstand, Ichigo produces a pocketknife and flicks it open. Intending to make a small cut on his palm, he doesn't get the chance as Ishida knocks it across the room and captures both of his wrists in a firm grip before he can even try. Then he throws Ichigo back to pin his hands to the bed above his head with an angry hiss. His brows dip into a wrathful V and his eyes turn flinty.

"Don't you dare!" A bit stunned, Ichigo doesn't attempt a debate. "Why is it fine for me to hurt you after you were just whining about not wanting to hurt me? Do you think I could forgive myself if—"

"I want you to."

Tugging his hands from Ishida's slackened grasp, he reaches up to pull him closer. Mouths inches apart, Ichigo stares into his eyes as he nips his own lip just hard enough to break skin. Ishida jerks to see blood welling up in a perfectly round drop. He breathes in the rich scent, exhaling a soft moan. Helpless to this unfair temptation, he breaks. A quick lick to taste and Ishida is kissing him hard, fingers tightening around Ichigo's skin. His tongue sweeps in, faintly metallic and overtly sensual.

Ichigo reaches up to untie his cape, unbutton his vest, and unclasp his medallion. Lost in bloodlust, Ishida doesn't even notice. He kisses Ichigo until every last trace of that drop is gone. Only then does he break free with a wild gleam in his eyes. Ichigo tilts his head to offer his neck, a guiding hand to the back of Ishida's head for encouragement. A moment's hesitation is all he can withstand before diving down to bite.

It stings more than he expected. The way Ishida moans into it and wraps his arms around Ichigo's chest, firmly fitting their bodies together, more than makes up for the brief pain. His hands instinctively clench into Ishida's dress shirt. Adrenaline drenches his mind and shrieks he's going to die even as a wash of dopamine soothes that if he does he'll enjoy every last second. His skin ignites. Sweat dots his temple and Ichigo groans at the lewd sucking sounds right below his ear. Hips shift on their own. He curses the scrap of blanket trapped between them.

Ichigo starts to feel dizzy before long.

"Ishida," he breathes far too quietly. "Enough."

He lets go almost immediately, surprising both of them with a depth of restraint he shouldn't have. Wiping at the mess around his mouth, Ishida crawls off the bed and goes to stand near a corner of the room. He pulls his arms around himself to calm his obvious trembling. Ichigo stops at his dresser to pull on a pair of pants before going to him. Hesitating to touch, he settles for hovering close and offering silent support as Ishida wrestles with himself over what just happened.

"Are you—?"

"I'm fine. Absolutely fine. You?"

"...Sated."

"That's good, right? Problem solved. Now we can—"

"I have to wait for sundown," Ishida sighs, barely turning to glance at him. "I found out the hard way this morning before I thought to close the curtains."

"Dusk is only a few hours away."

"Four and a half."

"We can call around and see if anyone else knows anything while we wait. Inoue was dressed as some kind of superhero, so I'm sure she's fine. I'll call her first."

"Tend to your neck first, idiot!" Ishida shouts too vehemently. That is when Ichigo realizes it's the reason he doesn't want to look at him. "Do you want to bleed out and die so you can come back to haunt me?"

"Calm down, it's not even—Whoa."

"What?"

Swiveling around to see what made him speechless, he follows Ichigo into the bathroom where he splashes water to wipe drying blood away, revealing nothing but smooth skin. The small cut on his lip is gone, too. They stare at his throat as if a couple of fang marks will appear if they watch long enough. Ishida lifts a hand to drag two fingertips over the line of his neck, inadvertently causing a pleasant shiver down Ichigo's back.

"How is that possible?"

"Best guess?" Ishida begins after a moment, "Werewolves are supposed to have accelerated healing powers. Add that to your wealth of spiritual energy and..."

"I heard vampires can heal with saliva," he returns with a meaningful glance at Ishida's mouth. "We should test the theory. It could come in handy."

"Maybe later," comes the snarky retort. "For now, why don't you just take a shower. Who knows what messes you got into before I found you last night."

A naughty thought pops into Ichigo's head and Ishida immediately sees it cross his face. His eyes narrow in warning but Ichigo has to say it anyway.

"Wanna join me?"

Rather than dignifying that with a response, Ishida leaves the bathroom and slams the door behind him. Ichigo sighs, flipping on the water and pushing his pants down. Since he is still turned-on from earlier, he makes the water frigid.

He definitely doesn't regret confessing. Now that his feelings are out in the open, Ichigo can stop hiding his inclinations and screening his romantically inclined comments. Ishida may be adamantly denying his advances for the moment but he knows he can change his mind in time. Ichigo just has to show him that it's worth a shot.

When he emerges clean ten minutes later, Ishida is pacing in the living room talking to someone on his cell...and wearing some of Ichigo's clothes.

The second he hangs up, he catches Ichigo staring and snaps, "Don't get any ideas. I can't very well go around wearing some stupid Dracula outfit all night, can I? We don't have time to worry about stopping by my place to pick up clothes when the city is in a panic."

"I am really not complaining. Wait, why is there panic?"

"Because apparently the witch didn't just curse Inoue-san's party guests but the whole neighborhood. Goblins, ghouls, and a fair number of giant bunny rabbits are running rampant through Karakura."

Despite the gravity of this news, Ichigo laughs. Considering the types of kids costumes are out there these days...kitty cats, bumble bees, fairy princesses. What about people who wore inanimate objects? There could be six-foot tall dildos and walking skeletons roaming in broad daylight. He almost wants to run outside right away and look around. Ishida's withering glare keeps him in check.

"So, we just have to track down this witch and get her to reverse the spell." Plopping onto the couch and pulling out his phone, Ichigo blinks to see so many missed calls and texts. Since when does he sleep that hard? Oh, probably since he has his very own vamp-Ishida to snuggle up to. "Maybe Urahara can wrangle up a way to find her."

"I already tried. The Shinigami don't know anything about her and they're not very keen to get involved. Even Kuchiki-san doesn't think it's a good idea to meddle in mortal affairs." Ichigo has always been envious of his ability to text and talk at the same time. Watching Ishida's fingers fly over the keys faster than ever while rattling off a long list of updates makes him smile. "Inoue is fine, by the way. Apparently she can fly and shoot lasers from her eyes now. She's been rounding up missing kids since dawn. Tatsuki is protecting civilians from the more grotesque creatures and Chad is doing damage control with a group of looting hoodlums."

"Wow. You found all that out in ten minutes?"

"I'm beginning to suspect certain perks to this condition now that I've fe—now that I'm no longer so thirsty. I seem to be brimming with energy."

The thought that Ishida is hopped-up on organic, grade-A Essence of Ichigo sends all sorts of weird feelings swirling in his chest. Mostly possessiveness and lust with a dash of pride. Kind of the complete opposite of that time Ishida damaged his arms by channeling Ichigo's excess reiatsu to save him from power overload.

"That's cool," Ichigo comments, trying to sound casual.

"I can hear your heart beat, Kurosaki." He says it almost accusatorily, eyeing him with evident suspicion. "Just say whatever you're thinking."

"Nah, it's embarrassing. Anyway, aren't we supposed to be finding a witch?"

"The problem with that is there might be no way to track her. Once I realized what she had done last night, I kept trying to locate her by traces of reiatsu. Even at the party she didn't seem to have any strong sense of spirit, though. It's possible she isn't human, Shinigami, or Hollow."

"Then what is she?"

"In her spell, she referenced Hell. I'm wondering if she is a lost soul bent on resurrecting her kin from that dimension. When I mentioned this to Kuchiki-san, she seemed unconcerned, stating that it would take much more powerful magic to open the Gates than a single soul could muster."

"Figures Soul Society would bow out when we're the ones who need help."

"Rather than dwelling on what we can't do, I'm wondering if her spell is actually the key to break it. Do you remember the caveat in the wording?"

"Um..."

"I'll take that as a negative," Ishida nods like he expected as much. "I did a few quick internet searches and found out that these types of myths often included a method of reversal in the spell itself, almost as a failsafe. So when she said, 'broken only by mortal's best' I assume she meant a champion. That may as well be you in this case."

"Sounds about right," Ichigo readily agrees, glowing at that bit of praise.

"The next part is where it gets complicated. 'A knight and dragon's bitter fight shall darken all hearts this sacred night' implies some sort of feud between rivals being the target of the incantation. But that is directly followed by 'unless these two should bind, intimates in more than mind'. Honestly, I have no clue what that could mean."

Ishida falls silent at the sound of Ichigo's racing heart because he does have an idea what the witch might have been getting at, but he's not going to like it. He could be jumping to crazy conclusions, but if this spell was directed at them for some reason, then maybe...No, it's too far-fetched even for Ichigo. There's no way some random old woman would show up to Inoue's party and curse a whole city just to get him and Ishida to hook up. No one is that insane.

Unless that person somehow knew how manic Ichigo has been over his unrequited love for a close friend.

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe the old hag is just nuts." His forced laughter does nothing to persuade Ishida.

"Didn't I just remind you that I can hear your pulse? There's no point in lying to me anymore."

"You don't want to hear it."

"Tell me."

Sucking in a steadying breath, Ichigo looks anywhere but at Ishida as he says, "Well, I'm sure this is dead wrong but it almost sounds like...I'm the knight, you're the dragon, and we should sleep together to break the spell."

"Unbelievable. Even in the midst of a crisis you have the gall to solicit me!"

"I said you wouldn't want to hear it, didn't I? What else am I supposed to think in this situation? My name means 'one protector', yours is 'rain dragon' and we've been rivals for years."

"We aren't fighting, Kurosaki." Rethinking that, he amends, "Right now we are, but I mean in general."

"That's where you're wrong. We've been fighting the chemistry between us since we met. At least, I know I have."

"How ridiculous," Ishida huffs, shaking his head. "I can't believe we are even discussing this. I won't lend credence to nonsense."

"All I'm saying is it's an option," he grumbles, folding his arms and slouching against the arm rest. "Unless you have a better idea."

"Any other idea is better. In fact, that can't even be called an idea. Sex to break a spell? Only you would think up something so vulgar, Kurosaki."

"Fine, then let's hear your 'any other idea'." A long silence follows. Ichigo is afraid he has gone too far, but his instinct is to push the issue further. "Are you saying you hated kissing me? Maybe it was just the blood, but you seemed pretty into it."

"Irrelevant," he snaps and stands to resume pacing the room. "We'll find another way. Start with patrolling the city as soon as the sun goes down and see what we can find. Actually, you should go ahead and—"

"Uh-uh. No way, Ishida. I'm not leaving your side until this is over."

Something in his tone or expression must convey his unwillingness to debate that point, since Ishida takes one long look at him and sighs.

"Fine. We stick together, but only because we have no idea if or when you're going to change again tonight." Noticing Ichigo's wince at the mention of changing, he asks, "Was it that bad?"

"I hesitate to say it was the worst pain I've ever felt, considering all the things I've been through in my life, but..."

"I'm sorry." Ichigo shrugs the sentiment off and Ishida perches beside him once more. "It could be worse. You could've gone as an alien or a human lollipop or something absurd like that. You may not have control as a wolf but at least you can protect yourself."

"Could you really see me as a lollipop?"

"...He says after I've just tasted him," Ishida mutters to himself, earning a chuckle from Ichigo. "I seem to recall one year you decided to wear a loaf of bread and call yourself a 'gingerbread man'."

"Ah, come on, that was hilarious! Because of my hair? Get it?"

"You're still an idiot."

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot. Or, at least I could be."

Ishida looks away with a shallow frown at that. "Why are you so stubborn? How many times do I have to turn you down before you get it?"

"Just once," states Ichigo, completely serious, "But you have to actually mean it."