And there rolls the dice.


When I wake up, it's past noon, the windows bringing in various sounds and bright light.

I cringe as my back aches when I sit up. The space next to me on the bed is empty.

I wobble on my feet when I stand up, and walk into the living room after deciding crawling takes more effort.

Ichigo's body is present on the sofa, but there is no light in his eyes. For a moment, I truly panic, to an extent that a dreadful second grade narration briefly passes through my thoughts -

-He thought everything was fine, but it was in fact, not. He doesn't realize that his end, has just begun.

Ichigo looks up at me, eyes bloodshot, and I can swear I heard a joint snap.

''Didn't get enough rest?'' I ask, voice breaking in all the wrong places.

Ichigo hangs his head, shoulders slouching even further, he keeps getting smaller, fucking Lilliput was real wasn't it, fuck-

''I feel like a truck ran over me, then I got buried in a coffin for five hundred and eighty two years.''

''That's a disturbingly specific number.''

Ichigo jolts in his spot, then brings a hand to his stomach, rubbing it in slow, soft circles. He murmurs something but I don't catch it in lieu of cooing at the adorable sight.

''I'm hungry.''

Aww.

''Do you have any food?'' I ask, walking into the kitchen.

''Something...'' he mumbles, ''I don't remember, maybe an apple? An egg?''

Thankfully, he has a total of five eggs in his fridge. And meat. Why he has raw food in his fridge when he can't cook to save a life, I do not know.

Maybe because he has actual friends who come over to cook for him.

Rukia's annoying voice blares through my head.

I fry the eggs, pepper it, was an apple, and fry some bacon as well. There's no rice, but, well, nothing can be done there.

Ichigo comes and sits on a stool on his counter and picks up a strip of bacon with his fork, ''Here's to soothing the burn of sleepless days and nights with deliciously unhealthy food.''

''Egg, is actually very healthy. It has all the essential amino acids.''

''Fuck you for ruining my fun, asshole.'' He says with his mouth full, pointing his clean fork towards me, but the quirk of his lips says otherwise.

I bite into my apple as he eats, eyes wandering to his greasy lips, then to the creamy wall, then to the few mugs on the shelf, then to his greasy lips, look at that pink tongue, gosh fuck, and then my eyes travel back to the creamy wall.

''Hey, was the wall initially painted with this color? It's like I'm in a bottle of almond milk.''

''How come,'' Ichigo says, now focused on gathering the crumbs of food on his plate before he puts them into his mouth. He casually glances up, ''We haven't gone on a date yet?''

The half chewed apple goes down the wrong pipe, and I gasp harshly, choke and start coughing rather violently. It takes a minute, but Ichigo doesn't move a finger to help.

I sit up, after wiping the drool at the corner of my lips, and fix him with a leveled stare, throat clearing. ''Pardon?''

Ichigo snorts, ''Are you seriously trying to act like you didn't just choke on a fucking apple, oh my God-''

''-I say.'' I interrupt hurriedly, ''I just figured,'' I look around the room, grasping for words, a PhD, you have a fucking PhD, I look at him, ''That you wouldn't be interested in that.''

''What? Dating?''

''No. Dating me. Of course, I'm hot, smart, I know-''

''-Douche-''

''-But I guess I...uh.'' My gaze stays on him, ''I don't want to ruin whatever it is that's-'' I gesture vaguely with a nod of my head, ''Here.''

''Even though I want to fuck you?''

I sigh. ''Fuck.''

''You know what I say?'' I raise a brow, ''I don't know, don't look at me expectantly, I thought it was a cool thing to say. But. Look, Let's go on a date, see if it works out. Wouldn't it be great if we enjoy it?''

''And then what if we don't?''

The corner of his lips quirk up, ''Then at least we won't regret we never tried. What, it might be awkward for a day or two, but remember, I threw up all over your bathroom during our first meeting, and look where it got us.''

I lean back, ''Optimists and your glass half full bullshit. Okay. I will try. Only because-''

I stare at him, grinning, ''-I want to fuck you too.''

''Ew, crude.''

''You said it first!''


*wink wink.