needle & thread
28: dust
After the dust has settled, the War over, it's the moment when Kurosaki Yuzu and Ishida Uryuu meet properly for the first time.
It's a festival – and Ichigo cannot be bothered to go, and has insisted that Ishida should go with him. Because Keigo and Mizuiro are somewhere else, Chad can't be bothered and Tatsuki and Orihime are shopping or cooking or doing something different. So basically, Ishida is his last resort, and isn't that pleased.
And Yuzu sees them, greeting them both warmly, even though her big brother flushes and looks away, and Ishida Uryuu freezes awkwardly because he's not used to being welcomed like this.
But apparently, it's Free Hugs For All Day.
(… and their other sister, yet to repeat those actions, is snickering at them.)
29: silhouette
From simply gazing at their shadows, it looks like a hug; in reality, it's a kiss, soft and chaste and tasting of spring.
30: hug!
Affection is hard for him to show. He's been alone more than he's been with company, or people he can actually call friends. Affection with Kurosaki is more about spitting insults as fast as they can; with Chad, it's a partiality to confiding him about more important matters; with Orihime it's trying to critique her in trying more… normal tastes. It may not work, but he's still trying.
But with Yuzu, her affection is physical. Strictly platonic, he swears by the honour of the Quincies (which recently he's found can be used for almost anything). But she leaves him feeling warm and fuzzy and sometime he swears it's like an illness, causing him to blush and stutter more than he usually does. He can't even rage at her older brother with the most vitriolic insults that he was reserving just for him.
Part of him admires her, for being so adorable without even trying; part of him wonders how Ichigo is even her brother, even though he has the protective instinct mastered insanely well; and part of him marvels at how easily she's made him feel so comfortable in her presence. And part of him is eternally grateful for the moments when Kon truly annoys him, the Quincy can suggest incredibly cute, not to mention uncomfortable to wear, designs for the girl to try on that dear teddy bear.
It's a smile, it's the light in her eye, it's the rose blush on her face that makes him think of romances of knights and princesses and capes and crowns and buttons to sew and happiness to shine.
She's given him a confidence he's never known about.
Maybe one day he'll surprise her with a hug as his gratitude.
a/n. Thank you for reviewing; it has been an absolute pleasure writing these two.