A/N: Bleachfanficfanatic once again saves the day! Hip-hip-hooray! Seriously, I would still be stuck if wasn't for her. Other than that note, I've got nothing except this chapter is banter/cuteness galore! Keep reading, enjoying, and reviewing!

P.S. Next chapter we have some favorite characters coming back. Can anyone guess who?

"I really should start carrying handkerchiefs for you by now," I remark as she wipes her face with her sleeve.

She puffs her cheeks out.

"I don't cry that much, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Sure, you don't."

Her cheeks deflate as she frowns in thought.

"It's honestly not that much," she responds a little later.

I smirk.

"Alright! New resolve! I will not cry from here on out!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

She crosses her arms before her shoulders sag down.

"You're probably right. I mean, if you keep saying cute things, I won't be able to stop from crying."

I blush and start stuttering.

"I-I've never said anything cute in my life!"

She looks surprised.

"But you just did!"

"That was not cute!"

"It was!" She claims.

"Was not!" I retort as I speed up my walking.

Her footsteps quicken.

"Our first argument." She giggles.

I scowl. The blush still hasn't left my face.

"We are not arguing."

She covers her laughs with her hands.

"A cute argument."

"It's not an argument, and it's not cute," I insist.

She grins. I sigh.

"Ah! I'm so happy!"

"About arguing?"

"So you admit it's an argument then?!" She pumps her fist in the air as a sign of victory.

I roll my eyes as she laughs.

"I'm just really happy about everything," she explains quietly after her laughter dwindles down.

Before I can brace myself to agree with her words with an embarrassing response of my own, she's running and yelling that she's going to be late. So all I can do is catch up with her as I shout for her to be careful. Which is a mistake because she turns for a second to look at me; she doesn't see the street poll as she runs into it.

Inanimate objects really have it out for us today.

She jumps back to her feet and starts running again, not fazed by her fall.

"Wait up!"

But she doesn't. She quickly maneuvers her way through the crowd, and I soon spot her making her way into the bakery.

I shake my head as I follow her. Once I'm in the shop, I take a seat at an empty table. I put our bags on the surface and wait for her to get dressed and come out.

I'm too focused on her presence that I don't notice another one until a hand slaps me hard on my back.

"I just heard the great news!" Kansuke sits across from me with a huge grin. "I honestly thought she would chicken out again." He shakes his head. "I'm glad she didn't."

I frown.

"You're glad?"

"Of course! It would've been a shame if she had to eat that cake alone." I tilt my head in confusion. He smirks. "What? Were you under the impression that I liked Orihime-chan?" He laughs. "Who do you think gave her the idea to confess by cake?"

"It was you?"

"Well, it was my wife's idea," he corrects. "I told Orihime-chan to just confess her feelings in the same way my wife did." He smiles fondly. "She yelled, 'I like you, you idiot!'" He sighs. "I never heard sweeter words."

"So you don't like Inoue?" I ask in confusion.

He smiles.

"Oh, I like her alright." I can't help the glare on my face. "She's my protégé. It'd be strange if I didn't like her."

My scowl doesn't disappear.

"Lighten up, kid! I was just trying to make you jealous to help her out. Poor girl has been pining for you since she started here."

She's been working here for almost a year. Is that how long she's liked me?

Before I can ask him for more information, Inoue comes bouncing over to us with a huge smile and a red forehead.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave the two of you alone." He gets up while giving Inoue a pat on her head. And even though he made it clear that he's married and does not like Inoue romantically, my eyes narrow.

He sees this because he smugly grins.

"You sure got yourself a jealous boyfriend, Orihime-chan."

"Boyfriend?" She stammers out.

"I'm not jealous!"

"The youth these days!" He chuckles as he walks away.

"Boyfriend," she whispers in wonderment.

I flush.

"Boyfriend." She repeats it as if she's testing how it sounds. And each time I hear it come from her mouth, my heart beats just a bit harder.

"O-oi! Stop saying it."

"Boyfriend." She giggles.

Again, my heart beats just a bit faster.

"My boyfriend~"

And a bit louder.

"Don't," I clear my throat. "Don't you have to start working?"

That seems to snap her out of her stupor because she rushes off, leaving me with an erratic heart and an overheated face.

I look down at the table, trying to calm myself, but it doesn't work. I can't. Because she likes it. A lot. She likes the idea that I'm her boyfriend. She might even like it more than just the idea of us dating because it seems as if she likes that I'm hers in some kind of way. And damn, I like it that she likes it. More than I probably should. But the thought that she might be possessive, possessive over me, it has my stomach clenching.

I've been needed before. I was needed to save, to protect, to just be there, anywhere. I like being needed. It's who I am. It's in my DNA. But to be wanted? For someone, no, for her to want to stake some kind of claim on me is something different. Something entirely other that it changes the light, airy feeling I've had in my chest since yesterday into something darker, heavier. And because it's new, because the feeling is denser, I shy away from it. I label it as dangerous and focus back on her.

She's smiling. That's not out of the ordinary, but as I rest my face in my palm, I hear some chatter. Something about how Inoue is in a really good mood, and as I hear that, my face turns more into my palm as I feel my lips curl up. But I can't hide the relaxation of the muscles in my forehead nor can I ignore the return of that light feeling because it puts me more at ease.

I watch as she finishes serving someone, which is how our eyes meet so easily, and when they do, her smile grows wider, and she waves. Waves with too much movement because she somehow smacks one of her coworkers on the head.

I stand, letting out a chuckle as I grab our bags. I walk to the register, and I put her bag on the counter and wait for her to finish apologizing. It takes a good minute before her coworker convinces Inoue that it's okay before she makes her way over to me.

"I never knew how much I distract you until today."

She blushes, and I can tell that a denial is already at the tip of her tongue.

"You-you don't!"

"Uh-huh," I agree unconvincingly as I look pointedly at the red mark on her forehead.

She blushes, and I smirk.

"Well, to avoid any more incidents, I think I'll take my leave."

She frowns and that dark feeling comes back as I realize that she doesn't want me to go.

"Really?" She asks with disappointment.

"Yeah." She pouts and that feeling starts to spread. "Believe it or not, I, too, have a job. And according to Tatsuki, it seems I've been skipping too much recently." Her pout doesn't disappear and that feeling just gets more powerful. "I guess you distract me, too."

She lights up with my teasing, and finally, that feeling transforms back to being light.

"I'll see you later, okay? Call me if you need me, though," I instruct. She nods.

I turn, but she tells me to wait. I see her go to the back room. She zooms out of there with a box which she hands me.

"For Ikumi-san and Kaoru-chan. Tell them I'm sorry for stealing you away for so long."

I stare down at the box while a rush of heat settles in my face. I want to tell her that it's not really stealing me away if I want to be at the bakery with her, but the words don't sound like me in the least so I keep my mouth shut. I just thank her and leave.

Work is uneventful. Lots of nagging that only decreases when I hand Ikumi-san Inoue's gift. Kaoru likes the treats a bit too much, but I don't dwell on it for too long. I've weeks of hours to catch up on, and Ikumi-san doesn't waste another second as she sends me out to complete task after task.

By the time I arrive to pick up Inoue, I have a small ache in my shoulders from lifting boxes, but as she bounds my way, the ache becomes faint, more so when she greets me.

"How was your first day back?" She asks.

"A pain. But a necessary pain."

She tilts her head in confusion.

"I'm going to need a lot of money to feed you," I comment, hoping she'll get the reference to the old man from yesterday.

"Eh? Feed me?"

"What?" I laugh at her expression. "I'm not completely dense, Inoue. I know being together means dates."

"You want to…date me?"

I rub my neck.

"Geez." I sigh in feigned exasperation. "Should I get you one of Yuzu's manga? To show you what happens after a confession?"

She blushes as her eyebrows draw together.

"I know what happens," she insists. "It's just…it seems so normal that it seems so…weird."

I nod in understanding. To go from constant battle to this is quite the leap. Although, to go from friends to something more is, somehow, more of a jump.

"Good weird?"

She grins and laughs.

"Fantastic weird," she answers back honestly.

"Good."

"Good."

It's quiet after that as we walk. Nothing awkward about it. It's compatible silence that we sometimes had when we were just friends, and it's a relief that we are still able to have that when we are now a couple.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you read Yuzu-chan's mangas?"

I look at her. She looks at me. It's quiet.

"Well, I got to go. See you at school, Inoue."

I turn and walk away, leaving her next to her apartment complex. Leaving her to laugh at the bottom of her staircase.

"Bye, Kurosaki-kun! See you tomorrow!" She yells with hints of mirth surrounding each word.

Without looking back, I send her a small wave. There's no way I'm showing her how embarrassed I look right now. Even though it might be worth it to see her smile again. But I'll see her soon enough. I'll see her tomorrow.

At least, that is what I thought.