A/N: Me again! Thank you to all my reviewers, favers, and alerters. I appreciate you!
Title: The Hot Babysitter
Tanegashima, Japan
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Ichigo is surprised to see the lights on when he gets back to his family's summer vacation home. He frowns. Odd. His dad and sisters should have left hours ago for the medical conference.
His father was invited to speak at a panel. He was bringing the twins, since they had an interest in going into medicine. Ichigo doesn't want to go into the family business. He's never imagined himself running his father's clinic. He wants to study English. His Dad thinks this is impractical, but he has never cared much about what his Dad thinks.
He adjusts the surfboard he is carrying as he searches through his board shorts for his keys. Finding them, he opens the door.
"Hello?" He calls out.
He hears a crash. A feminine voice mumbles "Owwie."
His brows furrow. Who is in his house? His question is answered when she appears in the opening between the kitchen and the living room. She looks just as surprised to see him as he is to see her. But after a beat, she smiles at him. He is momentarily blinded by her brightness.
She's definitely pretty. Long wavy auburn hair, big brown doe eyes, fairly tan like most of the locals in this beach town, and curves in all the right places. She's wearing a pretty yellow sundress, and she's shoeless so he can see her toenails are painted pink and orange. She looks to be around his age. She's so pretty that he almost forgets that she shouldn't be in his house. Almost.
His eyes narrow. "Who are you?" He asks.
"Oh of course! Sorry. I should have introduced myself. I'm Inoue Orihime. And you're Kurosaki-kun?"
His eyes narrow more. "How do you know my name?"
"Your dad told me! He hired me." She explains.
The more she talks, the more confused he is. "Hired you for what?
She blushes. "Well, he told me that you needed a … babysitter."
…
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Ichigo slams the door to his room. He seethes as he angrily dials his father's number on his iPhone. It rings once, twice, thrice before his father answers.
"Ichigo! Miss us already? We just got to Tokyo. Say hi to your brother girls!"
Ichigo is in no mood for his father's antics. "Why did you get me a babysitter?"
"I got you a hot babysitter! I interviewed several people. Isn't Orihime-chan pretty?"
He won't give his father the satisfaction of an affirmative response. "What's the matter with you? I'm 16! I don't need a babysitter. Plus, she's younger than me!"
"Only by a few months. Orihime-chan will be 16 in September."
Ichigo's teeth grind. "I don't need a babysitter. This is ridiculous. Why did you tell her I was 8?"
"I didn't tell her you were 8. I just showed her pictures from when you were 8. I never said they were recent photos."
His father is the most infuriating person he knows. He has yet to answer the question of why he has hired a 15 year old babysitter for his 16 year old son. "Geez. I can't imagine why she would have assumed that. I'm going to ask nicely one more time Dad. Why did you hire a babysitter?"
"I didn't really hire her as a babysitter. Think of her more as a nanny. Or a housekeeper. She cooks and clean! We're going to be gone for two whole weeks. You would have starved!"
"I have my license! I could have just gone out to eat. Bought some microwavable dinners from the grocery store. Ordered in!" The scowling teenager reasons.
"You just got you license. There are tsunami warnings for the next two weeks. I don't want you driving unless it's an emergency, got it?" His father is using his authoritative tone. If possible, this makes his son even more enraged.
"Just tell her she can leave."
"But I'm paying her generously! You don't get it, since you get to sponge off me, but some people like Orihime-chan have bills."
"You should still pay her. For wasting her time."
"She's not leaving. I need her to keep an eye on you. What if you fell down the stairs and cracked your head open? It would take two weeks for us to find your dead body! But thanks to my quick thinking, Orihime-chan will be there to call the ambulance."
Ichigo scoffed, remembering her earlier crash. "She's the one who's more likely to fall down the stairs."
"I don't know why you're so resistant to spending some quality time with a cute girl for two weeks."
"So you bought me a two week rent-a-girlfriend?!"
Isshin laughs, even though in Ichigo's opinion none of this is funny. "I've got to go. Your sisters are ready to head out for dinner. Have fun Ichigo!" Ichigo wants to argue more, but his dad has already hung up.
He pockets his phone. Great. So much for some well-deserved alone time.
…
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Day 1:
Isshin was right about the tsunami warnings. When Ichigo wakes up the next morning, it is pouring outside. From his window, he can see that the ocean level has already risen.
Isshin was not right about Orihime's ability to cook. She makes him pancakes, but she puts orange juice in them instead of milk. She says it gives them an extra 'pow!' which she demonstrates with a wayward fist that almost hits him. She seems to enjoy them, but he thinks they are disgusting. He doesn't tell her that though, because she looks so hopeful when she hands him the fork. He forces himself to eat all that's on his plate.
He regrets it that night when he has extreme indigestion.
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Night 2:
He meets Nel.
Apparently, Inoue has a very lucrative babysitting business. Which she'll be running out of his house for the next two weeks. She asked his dad for permission, and Isshin was fine with it. She asks Ichigo if it bothers him, and he says no. How bad can it be?
The fact that Nel's parents were willing to drive through the flooded streets in the middle of a torrential downpour to drop off their kid for a few hours on a Saturday night should have warned him.
If he were them, he would be willing to drive through a tornado to pawn the kid off on someone else. She talks, the whole time. And she has this lisp, which is kinda cute, but also makes her really hard to understand. She really likes him, which is odd. Generally, children hate him. Well, actually, he doesn't spend a lot of time interacting with children. His boss's kid definitely hates him, but Unagiya has spoiled him rotten so Ichigo doesn't take it personally.
Nel is in the middle of recounting her entire life story to him when her parents finally come back. "Bye Itsygo! Seeth you soon!" She chimes as she leaves.
Orihime smiles at him. "You're so good with her!"
He doesn't think so. He mostly just sat there and listened. Orihime insists on giving him half the money Nel's parents paid. He refuses, insisting she keep it. After all, she has told him that she lives alone and needs the babysitting money to pay bills.
She pouts, but he doesn't relent.
…
When he goes to bed later that night, he sees she has left the money on his dresser.
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Night 3:
Ichigo is a very light sleeper. Almost anything can wake him up, including the current pattering of raindrops on his window. It has been raining pretty much nonstop for the last 3 days. He is over it. What's the point of a summer beach house when you can't go to the beach?
He is having trouble falling back asleep, so he decides to go get a glass of water from the kitchen.
He carefully creeps down the stairs, not turning on the hallway light in order to avoid waking Orihime, who is sleeping on the living room couch.
He has told her every night that she is free to sleep in Isshin's bed, or one of his sister's beds. All three beds must be more comfortable than sleeping on the couch. She insists that she doesn't know his family very well, and she feels it would be invasive for her to sleep in their beds.
He then offered her his bed, informing her he can sleep in his father's room. She blushed, she does that a lot around him, and politely declines, insisting that she likes the couch.
The final stair squeaks as he makes it to the living room and he winces, but she remains asleep, curled up in a ball with a blanket haphazardly thrown over her. He makes it to the kitchen, pours himself a glass of water, and sits on the counter as he guzzles it down.
The rain intensifies, and suddenly there is a loud crash of thunder. A blinding white flash of lightning follows, and then a second boom of thunder.
He drops his glass and it breaks on the floor when he hears her scream. He rushes to the living room, narrowly avoiding stepping on the broken shards, and hurries to the couch. She's sweating and struggling for breath, the blanket clutched to her chest as if she needs something to hold onto.
He sits on the couch beside her and tries to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but instead she hugs him tightly, crying into his chest. He freezes, unsure of what to do. Crying women make him very uncomfortable. Eventually, he decides to do what he would do if Yuzu were crying. He returns her hug and rubs her back comfortingly. Another flash of lightning and another loud clap of thunder has her trembling is his arms, her crying intensifying.
"What's wrong?" He asks, thinking that talking it out might help her.
"I'm sorry. I'm crying all over your t shirt." She mumbles, her cries subsiding somewhat.
He continues to rub her back. "Don't worry about it. Are you ok?"
She sighs, keeping her face in his chest. "It's silly."
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
"I'm…afraid of thunderstorms." She answers.
He stops rubbing her back, now that she and the storm have both calmed down somewhat. "Why?"
"My brother died in a car crash 3 years ago. It was raining and the ocean level had risen a lot. So much that it was spilling onto the highway. He hydroplaned, crashed into a guard rail. I was in the car too, in the passenger seat. But it was the driver's side, onii-chan's side, that hit the guardrail." She choked up for a moment, fisting her hands into his t-shirt. He tightened his grip on her, ensuring her that he was there. "I…I couldn't get out of the car. The door was jammed in. And onii-chan was bleeding and he needed help and I couldn't help him. I screamed but no one was out because of the storm. No one knew we were there and onii-chan's cell phone was dead and he was dying Kurosaki-kun. I had to watch him die."
"God Inoue. I'm so sorry."
"No one found us until the next morning. I stayed up all night. I watched him die. And then I sat there with his dead body. And there was lighting and thunder and every time there is a storm I remember what Onii-chan looked like when the light left his eyes and all the blood-"
"Shh." Ichigo tried to soothe, rubbing her back comfortingly once more. Another boom of thunder and she let out a soft sob. "Would it make you feel any better if I stayed down her with you?" She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "I'm not a big fan of rain either. It was raining when my mother was murdered. It could be good for both of us." He suggested.
"Your mother was murdered?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about it though. But I know how you feel. And it's better to not deal with these feelings alone."
She nodded her agreement. He lied down on the couch. It was kind of a tight squeeze, but she was practically glued to his side anyway so they managed. The lightning and thunder continued for several more hours, but the two slept peacefully, finding solace in the fact that they weren't alone.
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Day 4:
The couch was more comfortable than Ichigo expected it to be. Not as comfortable as his bed, but definitely not bad. After all, he had slept through the night. He probably would have still been sleeping, were it not for the tiny finger poking his face.
He reluctantly opens his eyes. A girl with pink hair grins at him. "Ichi is awake big boobies!" She exclaims gleefully.
Orihime enters his line of vision. She is carrying a baby. "I thought I asked you not to call me that Yachiru-chan. I also asked you not to wake up Kurosaki-kun. Do you need a time out?"
"Nowth you made her mad Yathiru!" Nel lisps. "But now that Itsygo ith awake he can play with uth!"
He closes his eyes again. Oh yeah, it's Monday. The start of Inoue's daycare. After changing out of his pajamas and eating cereal, he rejoins the festivities in the living room. In total, there are 6 kids. Nel, Yachiru, a baby boy named Yuu, two pre-teens named Yukio and Jinta, and a pre-teen girl named Ururu. Yukio mostly keeps to himself, playing video games on his handheld all day, and Ururu is quiet and helpful, but the rest are a lot of work.
"Ughh!" Jinta complains hours later. "I am so tired of being inside!"
"Well, it's raining Jinta-kun, so we're all staying inside." Orihime explains. "Maybe some food will cheer you up! What does everyone want for lunch?"
"Something that you're not cooking." Jinta murmurs.
Orihime pouts. "Jinta-kun is so mean. I can make normal food! If you want something boring that's up to you." Ichigo notes that for future reference. He would definitely prefer boring to the 'surprise stew' of unknown ingredients she had made him for dinner the night before.
"Do you mind holding the baby while I make lunch, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Oh. Well, I've never held a baby before. And kids don't like me." Ichigo explains.
"I like you Itsygo!" Nel chimes.
"I like orange head too!" Yachiru adds.
Orihime smiles at him. "It's easy. Here, just put out your arms,"
He does as instructed, and she places Yuu in his arms. "I'll be back in a jiffy!" She says merrily before skipping off to the kitchen.
He looks down into the baby's big brown eyes. "Umm, hi." He says uncomfortably.
From what he can remember from when his sisters were born, babies like to be rocked, so he gently bounces the baby. Yuu promptly throws up on his shirt. Great. He is off to a great start. He gently places Yuu in his playpen, on his stomach in case he throws up again, and goes off to find a new shirt.
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Night 4:
Ichigo collapses onto the couch when Yukio's parents finally pick him up and all the kids are gone.
Orihime finishes tidying up the living room, leaving it looking as if it hasn't been filled with destructive children for the last ten hours. She smiles at him. "Thank you for all your help Kurosaki-kun! You're a natural!" When she gives him half of the money, this time he doesn't try to refuse. He feels he has earned it.
"What do you want for dinner?" She calls over her shoulder as she heads to the kitchen.
"Something boring." He replies.
"Et tu Kurosaki-kun?" She jokes.
He smirks.
She makes lasagna. She puts soy sauce and sushi in her half, but leaves his normal. It is the best meal he has had in weeks.
They change into pajamas and watch Laugh Hour together on the couch. He doesn't really like watching Laugh Hour, but he likes watching her watch Laugh Hour. She laughs from somewhere deep within her belly, shaking her whole body. And she smiles and her eyes light up with every joke. When she gets really into it, she pulls her legs up to her chest and rests her head on her knees, as if she's so absorbed in the show she can't be bothered to keep her head up herself.
She's wearing pink pajama shorts and a black tank top, so a lot of golden skin is exposed. Her long auburn hair is very wavy, as if she spends a lot of time in the ocean and allows it to dry naturally. Currently, it's up in a messy bun, leaving her rarely seen delicate neck exposed. She's really pretty. He realizes he is nursing quite a crush on her. He can't be sure how she feels about him. Sometimes, he thinks they might be flirting, but that could just be her personality. He's only know her four days, although it feels like it has been a lot longer. He tries not to overthink it. At the end of August he'll be heading back to Karakura anyway.
Eventually, she yawns and rests her head on his shoulder. She nods off to sleep moments later. They probably shouldn't make a habit of falling asleep cuddled up on the couch together, but he doesn't want to wake her. And the rain actually sounds peaceful tonight, so he is lulled into sleep, his head on top of hers and the TV playing softly in the background.
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Night 5:
He is starting to go stir crazy. Being trapped inside with her isn't helping matters. He wishes she would wear more clothes. It's always tank tops and denim shorts that expose her great legs, or colorful sundresses with just enough cleavage that he has to fight to keep his eyes on her face instead of her chest. Despite the constant rain, it is warm and humid so she's dressed appropriately, but he assumes she would be easier to resist in sweatpants. And a baggy sweatshirt. He glances at her, her face adorably scrunched and focused as she tries to get a spot out of the dish she's washing. Who is he kidding? She could be wearing a burlap sack and he'd still be attracted to her.
She finishes washing the dish and hands it to him to dry. He insists on helping her with the housework, even though his dad is paying her to do it. He doesn't want to treat her like a maid.
Ichigo is tired of watching TV, he can only watch so many hours of Laugh Hour, so he suggests they get some fresh air and sit on the back porch.
She leans back in the old wooden rocking chair, resting her bare feet on the wood railing of the porch. Her toes are now painted yellow and purple, courtesy of Nel and Yachiru.
"Careful." He warns as she leans back precariously. He's honestly never met someone so clumsy. She's constantly falling and bumping into things. She smiles at him, as if to tell him not to worry, and leans back further.
He shakes his head. She loves getting a rise out of him.
She stares out at the crashing waves, only a few hundred feet from where the duo are seated. "I want to go in the water." She announces.
"It's raining Inoue." He counters.
"But we'd be wet anyway Kurosaki-kun. The water is warm. The sun has been shining on it all day."
"What sun? It's been cloudy and raining for days."
"Doesn't matter. The sun still warms the ocean." She stands, reaching out her hand to help him out of his rocking chair. "Come on, I'll show you."
He grasps her hand, allowing her to pull him up. "Shouldn't we change into bathing suits?" She's wearing a black top that ties around her neck and pink denim shorts. He is wearing dark blue men's capris and a graphic t-shirt.
"Of course not Kurosaki-kun, we're being spontaneous!" She pulls him towards the edge of the porch. For such a small girl, she's surprisingly strong. She's still holding his hand. "Ready?" She asks, bracing to run through the rain toward the beach.
"Ready as I'm gonna be." He replies.
"Let's go!" She sprints, only releasing his hand when they reach the water. The rain is cold, but she's right, the ocean is warm.
She throws herself into a crashing wave, while he is content to just wade out far enough so the bottom of his capris get wet. She surfaces, flipping her wet hair out of her face. She frowns when she sees that he is practically still on the sand. She swims back to him, dripping water when she stands.
She gently pushes him forward, and he isn't expecting it so he falls. He spits out salt water when he surfaces. She giggles at how much he resembles a drowned rat. He glares, but she just laughs harder.
He gets back to his feet. "You think it's funny?" Her laughter stops abruptly when he throws her over his shoulder. She clutches at his wet t shirt.
"W..Wait, Kurosaki-kun!" He ignores her, heading into deeper water and then tossing her into an oncoming wave.
…
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Day 6:
They are babysitting again. There are some of the regulars, Yachiru, Nel, Yuu, and some kids that are new to Ichigo but not to Orihime. Twin boys, three and a half, definitely a handful.
A nice part about having younger kids is the addition of nap time to the schedule. From what Ichigo has seen, Orihime is a really good babysitter. She could just plop the kids in front of the TV, but she doesn't. She makes a full schedule, full of crafts and games and educational activities. She cooks! Usually normal food since most of the kids are picky eaters. And on days when the kids are younger, there are naps. Naps are nice.
Ichigo lies on the couch, which has become his de-facto bed, with little Yuu on his chest. The baby has finally fallen asleep, his tiny fist squeezing Ichigo's white tank top. The twins are also down, lying on floor mats with pillows under their heads. Getting them to nap was no easy feat. Orihime had to tire them out first with an epic game of inside-the-house tag since the rain still wasn't letting up. After she got them to nap, she went to the kitchen to start lunch. It's so calm and quiet, he can feel himself falling into a light sleep.
Except Yachiru and Nel don't nap, apparently.
Someone tugs on his bare foot. He reluctantly opens his eyes. Yachiru and Nel are both staring at him.
"Can I help you?" He asks
"Itsygo, we'rth bored." Nel lisps.
"Why don't you guys color? Quietly?" He suggests.
"Can we color your toe nails?" Yachiru asks, her eyes lighting up with glee at the thought.
Ichigo looks at his bare toes. He's never had a pedicure. Because he is a man. It seems really embarrassing. And emasculating. But the baby's sleeping. And so are the twins. And he's so tired.
"Have at it." He acquiesces.
They both squeal happily, hugging each other over their surprisingly easy victory. He frantically shushes them, gesturing to the baby on his chest.
"Sorry, sorry. We can be quiet Orange Head." Yachiru promises.
They paint each of his toe nails a different color, from lime green to hot pink. Ichigo ends up with a lot more of the nail polish on his skin than his actual toenail.
But it keeps them quiet all through nap time, which he considers a victory.
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Night 6:
Orihime soaks the cotton ball with nail polish remover.
He wrinkles his nose at the smell. "Is that stuff good for you? It smells like cancer."
She raises the cotton ball to her nose and takes a big whiff. "Hey! Don't do that!" He warns, reaching out to grab her arm.
She shrugs. "I don't know Kurosaki-kun. I've never really thought about it. I have been using nail polish remover for years though and so far I'm cancer free!"
He rolls his eyes. He didn't literally think it would give him cancer.
She carefully removes the polish from his toe nails and skin. "You're going to make a really great Dad Kurosaki-kun."
He's glad she's looking at his toes and not his face, because for some reason her praise makes him blush.
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A/N: End of Part 1! This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I keep adding things so now it is a two-shot. I'll try to update again soon! Please review!