Kisses (1,569 words)

It all started with a movie. Or rather, watching many movies. Not only did watching TV completely captive Rukia in the beginning but her real love was for feature-length cinema. She loved how they could take her through a complex story in an average of two hours. She loved the musical montages, the special effects, the drama. And she wasn't picky either; she'd watch just about anything. After trying many different movies, Ichigo couldn't determine what her favorite genre was because she seemed to equally love them all.

But the dominos started to fall when one day he decided to try a scary movie. He didn't pick anything with too much blood or gore, mostly jump scares and psychological thrills. She sat with obvious anticipation on the couch, her arms wrapped around a soft pillow and her feet tucked underneath her. Once he started the movie, he joined her on the couch. They sat next to each other but never touched. They had been friends for years so it wasn't that they avoided physical contact, it was that Rukia tended to really get into the movies she was watching and the space could be critical to Ichigo avoiding injury.

When the haunting music started coupled with the dark atmosphere of the scenery, Rukia's eyes darted to his face with obvious confusion and curiosity. "What kind of movie is this one?"

"Oh, it's a scary moving about curses and ghosts," he answered, throwing his arm over the back of the couch to get into a more comfortable position. "That ok?" he added as an afterthought.

Rukia's lip shaped into a teasing smirk at his concern over the selection. She still loved to tease him and he figured that would never change. "Of course. You think I can't handle ghosts, fool?"

Ichigo grinned, joining in the joke but also taking it as a challenge. "We'll see."

They weren't half an hour into the movie before a jump scare caused Rukia to shudder and jump at the same time. And without thought, she leaned closer to Ichigo and gripped his T-shirt, her eyes never leaving the TV screen. Rukia may not have noticed or cared but Ichigo certainly did. He couldn't be blamed, right? After all, he was a college-aged man who never had girlfriend. He told himself it was because between classes, hollows, and spending time with the woman next to him, he just never had time.

But he knew that wasn't quite the truth. To be honest, he never made the time to get a girlfriend. He wasn't very receptive to the women in his classes but he told himself it was because he was more concerned with his grades. Yet somehow, he always found time to entertain the shinigami next to him. He was so accustomed to having her around that he didn't feel like himself when she wasn't.

All of these thoughts were flying through his mind while she was holding on his shirt, nearly touching him. He quit the introspective of 'why' and decided to focus on 'the what do I do now?' instead. Because he certainly felt like doing something and he was very experienced in running on instinct and going with his gut.

During the next jump scare, Rukia's upright posture buckled slightly as she gasped and pushed back into the couch, her knees coming up to her chest. She still didn't relinquish the grip she had on his shirt but she glanced up at Ichigo when she heard the light chuckle from his chest. "Shut up, fool," she whispered playfully. It didn't really register to her distracted mind that the arm he had propped on the back of the couch was now very lightly, almost tentatively, placed around her shoulders.

Over the course of the movie, Rukia lost herself in the plotline. She enjoyed the story, the expectation for the next scare, and wanted the curse to be 'conquered' by the main character. To Ichigo, the entire course of the movie was all about getting his nerves together and see how far he could push himself. Good thing he saw the movie before because he was paying absolutely zero attention to it. What he noticed was how soft her skin was at her bare shoulder, how warm she was pressed to his side, how good her hair smelled, and how small she was with her legs pulled up in front of her. She was downright cuddled into his side in the most comfortable way during the movie and he loved that she didn't seem opposed to it.

When the credits started rolling, it was already dark outside. The glare of the TV screen the only thing lighting the living room of the small apartment. Rukia let out a breath, her adrenaline from the movie coming back down. It was then that she realized just how cuddled up to Ichigo she was. It wasn't that she ignored the physical contact during the movie, she just didn't realize the extent of his reciprocity.

Ichigo swallowed nervously as her attention went from the TV to him. He could feel his face heat up but he refused to panic and pull back from her. He refused to be embarrassed or ashamed. The test was to see if he would be punched or not for his forwardness. He felt her eyes travel up his body to his face and he had to force his neck to turn to look down at her. When she didn't immediately say anything about their position, he apprehensively cleared his throat.

"S-so… did you like the movie?"

And then she surprised him by smiling like she knew something, like she knew his secret and that he was trying to normalize it by ignoring the obvious. She knew!

"Ah, I did," she answered casually, the smirk still on her face.

With the arm that wasn't currently wrapped around her, he reached up to rub the back of his neck. "W-what do you think of scary movies?" The hand that was laying innocently on her upper arm holding her close lightly squeezed, his thumb caressing her skin softly.

He felt both of her hands grip shirt, her chin lifted higher to make better eye contact. And instead of pushing away from him for a casual, friendly conversation distance, he could have sworn that she instead pulled herself a little closer to him. Her back straighter for there not to be as much space between their faces.

"I think we could definitely do this more often." Her voice was soft and low. He wondered if it was the movie she was referring to.

"We should?" he whispered back, his arm pulling her almost imperceptibly closer to him. He struggled to keep his eyes locked to her own instead of focusing on her lips. He wondered if she noticed.

When she smiled and glanced at his own mouth, he knew that once again he was caught. But she was smiling and he felt one of her small hands reach up to feather over the collar of his shirt. If this wasn't an invitation, he didn't know what was!

With a stomach tangled in nerves and his brain trying to scream at him to think about what he was doing, he ignored them both and listed only to his emotions that called for him to get closer. He leaned down toward her face and saw her eyes slowly close, his own following suit without thought. His lips touched hers for the first time and he wondered why he hadn't done this before. The disinterest he felt for other girls that flirted with him was absent with her. He wanted to experience everything and he felt like it would be painful if he stopped now.

Neither of them kissed before, it was obvious with both of them not knowing how to proceed. But neither of them pulled back. Ichigo took a chance and brought his other arm around to softly hold her face at her jawline. He moved his lips against hers to kiss them again, catching her bottom lip between his. He felt her shiver before her own arms snaked around his neck to pull her body tight against his. With that encouragement, he did it again, interlocking their lips as he felt her mimic his movements. When he felt the warm caress of her tongue against his sensitive lips, he audibly groaned.

Misinterpreting, she pulled back embarrassed, her face heated red. "S-sorry, I didn't mean…" she stuttered out. It had been a reflexive to taste him.

He did not allow her time to try to find the words and he certainly wasn't going to let her run away thinking he didn't like it. The hand at her cheek pushed back into her hair, enjoying the soft feel of it against his fingertips, and he gently massaged the back of her neck. She let out a shaky breath as he whispered so close to her face, "Do that again."

So she did. And they spent the rest of the evening discovering what felt good, what made the other person sigh or moan, and how to move together. They weren't sure how long they had been lip-locked but they certainly missed dinner. They blushed, they smiled, and they wished each other a good night, both looking forward to movie night the night evening.

Ichigo remembered well his very first kiss.