Well, here's the final entry for IchiRuki Week 2015. Hope you all have a happy holiday season, and a particularly merry Christmas.
Ichigo, in my mind, is the type to have a very old-fashioned view of what a relationship is. And, while Rukia might take a few notes from terrible influences (read: shoujo manga and chick flicks), she's mostly going to appreciate the fact that Ichigo is pretty traditional about this whole thing.
And that's how this little scene is born. Sorry it's a tad late, but I hope you have fun reading it none the less.
Day 7: Favorite Movie
Something Ichigo would never understand about Rukia would be her love of all things chick flick. Seriously, the shrimp always picked them out whenever she wanted to watch a movie. He'd already sat through more of them than he could possibly hope to count and definitely more than he was willing to.
She was fascinated with these movies, and not for any reason Ichigo could pick up on. None that made any sense, at least. Why would she get so caught up in these things? Yeah, she liked her shoujo manga, but the fact that she was so enthralled by the characters on the screen in front of her was honestly a little off-putting.
"Ichigo, hurry up and bring back the popcorn! The movie's starting!"
Sighing, Ichigo finished dumping out the bag of microwave popcorn into the large, blue bowl and rounded the corner out of the kitchen and into the living room. He had no idea what Rukia had planned this time around, but he was sure he'd be asleep within the first twenty minutes.
He sat down, placing the bowl in the middle of the small coffee table in the family room and propping his feet up on it. Rukia quickly snaked her arm out and grabbed a handful of the snack, popping a few pieces in her mouth and smiling as she bit into it.
"Good. You remembered to get the butter-flavored kind this time."
The opening credits had finished rolling, and as the song that played to them faded out the room was filled with the sounds of actors walking through the busy streets, a clumsy girl getting herself into a chance encounter with an attractive male, and the usual banter that came along with it.
Needless to say, Ichigo was out before the second act. Rukia's taste in trashy rom-coms could not be contested, and Ichigo's level of exhaustion had been steadily going up the past few days. He'd be graduating soon, and he had entrance exams for college to worry about on top of all the changes that were taking place after the war.
Honestly, Rukia thought it was nice to just be able to curl up on the couch and spend time with him, even if he was asleep most of the time. He'd been so busy lately that this unofficial movie night of theirs was really the only time they got to be together. Still, this was the second time in a row.
But being asleep for this one was simply unacceptable behavior.
"Wake up, you moron," she said. Her elbow quickly found its way into his sleeping side, and the boy jumped in response to the sudden twinge of pain radiating from his ribs.
"Argh! Rukia, what the hell?"
"Stay awake for once and maybe I won't have to hit you!"
"It's not my fault you have terrible taste in movies!"
"Oh, and would you prefer I put on that boorish two and a half hour explosion with the half-naked girls dancing around you call a movie? Idiot, romance is a woman's soul!"
"What are you talking about? I took Renji and Ikkaku to one movie I thought they'd like – at your request, mind you – and all of a sudden I'm the one with bad taste? Maybe you're just picking a really shitty representation of your soul!"
She slapped him. Ichigo was used to the occasional punch or elbow to the ribs, but this was the first time Rukia had slapped him. Especially with that look on her face. It stung, and not just physically. Still, he was used to ignoring the pain when the situation called for it.
They both paused, Rukia glaring intensely into Ichigo's eyes as his expression fell.
"The hell was that about, Rukia?" He asked, his voice even and low.
"You can be such a bastard sometimes. Can't you see that I'm just trying to spend time with you? You spend so much time cooped up in your classes and your room that even though I'm staying here we hardly see one another. You're supposed to appreciate the things I'm trying to do here, not mock me for them."
So that was it, huh? He'd been doing a bad job of making her feel welcome, even after he thought he'd made himself clear before the war. Well, maybe he could be trying a bit harder.
"Look, I'm sorry about falling asleep, but you have to admit these movies aren't realistic in the slightest. They're quick cash grabs to sell to people who don't know any better. It's not real love."
"Oh, and what makes you think you know what's real, Mr. I'm too busy playing with my big dumb swords to get a girlfriend?"
"Girlfriends are a stupid concept created by a society that's obsessed with sex to the point that you need an excuse to get your rocks off and feel justified about it," Ichigo said, looking off to the side and scratching the back of his head before quickly re-establishing eye contact. "If you really love someone, it's not a matter of what you call them or if you have sex with them. It's a matter of the lengths you'll go to for them in order to make sure they're happy."
"Oh?" Rukia asked "And what exactly is your definition of the lengths you go to for love? Educate me, Professor Kurosaki."
Rukia's arms were crossed, and her gaze had narrowed in on him. She was giving him a chance to explain himself and avoid being smacked upside the head again. Well, better to take it and fail than not and be accused of not caring.
"When you love someone, you don't make promises to them. You make those promises to yourself," Ichigo said, shifting his weight so that he was facing Rukia and crossing his legs on the couch. "It's not about that person being good enough or attractive enough to get your attention, it's about what you do to make yourself worthy of that person. It's about breaking down your own walls and opening up to someone with things you wouldn't for anyone else. It's about being willing to give up your life for theirs."
Rukia blinked. Of course. Protection was all that idiot ever thought about. He was the sappy romantic that would do something dumb like swear to his soul that he'd do whatever it took to accomplish his mission. He showed how he felt through action, not through words or signs of affection. It was the kind of man he was.
"These crummy movies you pull up? The guy and the girl argue for a bit, then they kiss, have sex, or both, and suddenly they're perfect for one another. That's not how that works out. That kind of love grows stale fast. It's one you fall into and out of with the seasons. True love is unchanging. It's a choice. It's work and effort."
Rukia's brows furrowed quickly. What did he just say?
"So loving someone is a chore, then? Talk about depressing," Rukia countered with a feisty quirk of her brow. She turned her head away from him, pretending like he wasn't even there.
"Everything's a chore when you look at it like that," Ichigo replied. "It's about whether or not the compensation is worth the effort. And trust me, Rukia, the compensation is always worth it when you love someone."
"And how exactly are you so sure about that? Someone like you who's probably never even kissed a girl shouldn't go preaching big lessons. You might come off as a hypocrite. Unless you actually are just too chicken to actually…"
Ichigo's kiss was sudden, brief, light, and warm.
"There. Problem solved," he replied, a cocky grin splitting his stoic façade.
She lunged at him, grabbing him by the lapels and throttling him back and forth. Popcorn flew through the air as the two rolled to the ground where Rukia had him pinned. Well, it wasn't like he was putting up much of a fight in the first place.
"How dare you! What gives you the right to just decide you can do something like that?"
Ichigo grinned. Her face was too close. This time, when his neck craned up and he captured her lower lip between his, he felt her grip slacken and her determination fade. He sat up, gripping her shoulders and pushing her back gently as he broke off the kiss.
"Because I'm yours, Rukia. It's all I'm ever going to be so long as I have the power to keep it that way. It's my decision to make."
Rukia blushed furiously. "Who said I even wanted you? What if I wanted nothing to do with you after this?"
"I don't like to think about that possibility," he replied with that same dumb smirk on his face.
"You're lucky I love you, you idiot," Rukia said, punching him gently in the chest. "Now say it."
"Say what?" Ichigo asked. Rukia growled. He couldn't look more idiotic if he tried with that questioning look on his face.
"You know what! It's not enough to say you're mine. You need to say why!"
Chuckling, Ichigo placed his hand on top of Rukia's head. He brushed the long bang out of her face, giving him a clear view of her eyes.
"I love you. I'm yours because I love you. Happy?" he asked, a genuine smile on his face.
Rukia smiled. "Yes. That will do for now, I suppose."
"For now?" Ichigo asked, suddenly a little offended. What else did she want? His money? He was broke enough as it was, paying for this dinky little apartment of his on a part-time salary.
"Yes, for now. You've given yourself over to me, and while that's all fine and good, I see no reason to give myself to you. You're going to have to work for it."
"Uh-huh," Ichigo said, underwhelmed by the woman's sudden, arrogant shift in attitude. "And where exactly am I supposed to start with that?"
"How should I know? It's not my job to memorize the customs for proposing to a woman of the Kuchiki clan. Go ask Nii-sama."
Shit. Byakuya was going to kill him.
Remember to drop a review on this. I might flesh this out a bit further now seeing as I'm on winter break. Positive feedback is always encouraging. Or, you know, point out my grammar and spelling errors. That's equally appreciated. Can't say no to free editors.
