PLEASE READ CONSONANCE AND DISSONANCE FIRST; THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF A FOUR-PART SERIES. MATURE CONTENT.
- I'm leaving Robinson now. 3
He texted her when he walked out of his room. Ulquiorra heard people whispering as he reached the lobby. He had a backpack, his laptop bag, and his guitar case. The movers had already gotten his stuff. Obscuras IV was leaving and everyone was talking about it. He looked horrible and he heard the camera shutters going off. More pictures of him were going to be floating around the internet.
Nanao just looked at him. "Welcome to the life of a celebrity," she said.
- At the airport. Will text you when I get to LA.
He texted her when he landed in Los Angeles. Ulquiorra sighed as he gathered his luggage and followed Nanao to the car that was waiting. It was evening in California. It had to be later in Ohio. He wanted to talk to her. Would she be awake? Should he just text her again?
Orihime got his messages and replied, but for whatever reason, none of her texts went through. She kept checking over and over. When she went to sleep, they still hadn't sent.
Sometime in the middle of the night, all three replies went through at once.
- I'm going to miss your room 3
- Have a safe flight.
- How was the flight? It's weird that you're gone.
The next morning, a song started floating through her mind. She laughed at first. It was so old. It was so not her. But the song wouldn't leave her alone.
Maybe the song was her.
This was another one for her meager guitar skills and her bed.
Besides, maybe he would appreciate having something to listen to as he woke up to his first day in LA.
So, she looked up the tablature. This time, instead of pointing her camera at her poster of the anime character she liked to look at, she pointed it at herself and the guitar. It only showed her mouth and nose. It looked reminiscent of an old ObscurasIV video, as she sat in a plain t-shirt and jeans with her long auburn hair falling forward over each of her shoulders as she strummed chords and picked out simple melodies on her acoustic guitar.
Then she began singing.
Talk to me softly
There's something in your eyes
Don't hang your head in sorrow
And please don't cry
I know how you feel inside I've
I've been there before
Something's changin' inside you
And don't you know
Don't you cry tonight
I still love you baby
She got it done in one take. She had sung it much like she had sung "You've got a Friend", soft, and with the intimate quality of a lullaby. This was not a song she was performing for views or for art. These were just her sentiments to him. Yeah, their relationship was in the toilet and there was no way she trusted him, but she would be a bold-faced liar if she said she didn't care about him deeply. By the time the video was published, it wasn't even seven a.m. in LA. She sent him a message on Instagram since her texts were being so wonky.
VegaStrife00
Sorry my texts are being weird.
I made you a welcome home present.
I'd tag you, but I don't want to draw a lot of attention to it so just check my YT. 3
Ulquiorra sat on the deck of his mother's Malibu Hills home, looking out at the city. He sighed and saw the notification staring him in the face. She had uploaded a new video. He hadn't been to sleep yet. He couldn't sleep. It was too much here. There were too many people. There was too much noise. There were too many miles between him and Orihime.
He was still hurting.
Things weren't okay between him and Orihime. They were looking up, though. He'd gone through their entire message history, rereading their words that they had sent to each other. Maybe that's where they needed to be. They needed to be back at square one; to spend time and get to know each other on an intimate level. He needed that.
ObscurasIV
It's fine. I was thinking we could use this for now.
Go back to the start.
Coldplay's Scientist comes to mind.
Can't sleep. I hope you have a good day.
His mother opened one of the sliding glass doors and stood there. He heard her behind him. "We have a lot to do today," she said.
"Yeah, I know."
"There's coffee made. I'm sure you know how to run the cappuccino machine," Maria stated.
Ulquiorra turned his head enough to stare at his mom from over his shoulder. How the hell did his parents conceive him? How had his father fallen in love with something like this? "How much time do I have?"
"An hour, so whatever you want to do to screw around, you need to be ready to go. Nanao will be here to get us."
And that's how his life started in California, after he listened to her new video then commented on it with just a simple heart. He couldn't put into words what his heart felt. That's how his life began as a professional musician and he fucking hated it.
There were meetings to attend, which were boring as hell. Ulquiorra never paid attention to them. That annoyed his mother. He would scroll through Orihime's Instagram or do something else to take his mind off of things.
He had appointments for stylists. They wanted the piercings back. They wanted tattoos. They wanted him to project this bad boy image. Ulquiorra wasn't a bad boy. He wanted to be himself.
There were meetings with the lawyer. He had business meetings. He met with some songwriters. He met with other artists. Ulquiorra stayed with his mother for two weeks until she shipped him down to her Laguna Beach home.
"You're depressing to be around."
"Thanks," he said with a disgruntled expression. Ulquiorra was currently picking apart a salad while sitting in his mom's kitchen. He hadn't really eaten since that Friday before he left. He sighed and pushed the plate away. "So you're kicking me out?"
"No, you're going down to Laguna Beach. The house down there is never used. The cleaning lady comes in and dusts. That's about the most action that place sees. Nanao will be by every day to check on you or take you wherever you need to go," Maria said as she rummaged through the stainless steel refrigerator. She was about to go workout. "I've already had the shipping crate delivered there. You can pick a bedroom and move your stuff in there. There's a studio there too. There's a car down there you can use."
Ulquiorra nodded. He was beginning to understand how Orihime felt when she said she never felt good enough. He was feeling inadequate and inferior. It was like he wasn't enough for his mom.
She must have seen his face. "Hey, I'm used to living alone. Having you around has really put a cramp in my lifestyle. I'm not much of a mother, Ulq."
He snorted. No shit. She hadn't been a mother to him in almost fifteen years. But now that he thought about it… If he was living in a house by himself, he'd be able to do as he pleased. He could do anything he wanted. "It's fine. Really," he said.
Ulquiorra was warming up to the idea. He wouldn't have anyone hovering over him to eat. He could talk to Orihime on the phone. He could take pics without Nanao hounding him. "I understand. So do you have someone?"
"You mean a partner?"
He nodded.
Maria shrugged. "I've got something."
"The guy you left dad for?"
"I'm going to the gym," Maria said. "Nanao will be around shortly!"
He messaged Orihime.
ObscurasIV
Mom is kicking me out. I get to live in her beach house.
Joy /sarcasm. I'm cramping her style.
Whatever that means.
When he got to the Laguna Beach house, Ulquiorra was impressed. The place was massive. It looked like one of those houses that were seen on TV when they did shows about California. It was modern with a rather minimalistic design. As soon as Nanao opened the door he knew this was a high end place and it suited his mother fine because it was very dramatic. There were views of the ocean. There was a split level courtyard. The pool was crystal clear and perfect. His assistant even showed him where the sauna and steam room were.
"Okay so three bedrooms, five baths, you've got over four thousand square feet to spread out in. No parties Ulquiorra," Nanao said as they walked through the home. "Studio is across the courtyard. That's the only way you can access it. There's a car in the garage for you to use, here are the keys. I'll send a text of your schedule by nine pm."
"My mom-"
"Your mom wants people to hold your hand. I have a life I'd like to get back to," she said. "You're a big boy and are about to get thrown into the shark tank. The moment you go into Espada Records' studios and you choke, you're going to face backlash. All we have on you is what you've put on YouTube and that shitty recording of Vega IV."
"Orihime's and my performance wasn't shitty."
"You're obviously deaf. I said the shitty recording. I said nothing about Orihime… Vega… Whatever." Nanao left a few minutes later after instructing him on how to set the home alarm. She told him a lot of the stuff was automated just press buttons and ta-da!
He picked out the biggest bedroom, which overlooked the ocean on the second floor. He proceeded to tear apart the shipping crate in the garage and took all his stuff to the new room. The box that he had put the contents of his desk in stayed taped up and went into the empty closet.
Flopping down on the bed, Ulquiorra decided to stare at his phone for a while.
VegaStrife00
I'm sorry. It sucks to feel unwanted.
But I'm sure there are other reasons, don't you?
I got roped into doing a performance for the school's winter gala
WTF. I thought I was done with this classical BS, lol.
I don't know. Maybe I should go in and just sing wonderwall for 45 minutes.
You can waltz to that, right? LMAO
Let me know how the new place is 3.
ObscurasIV
It's huge. 4000+ Sq Ft
There are five bathrooms? A pool, a studio, spa area.
It's on the beach so I can see the ocean from my room.
I'm sorry you got roped into bullshit.
Are you still doing my dad's party?
VegaStrife00
OOOOooooooh, that is ginormous.
You could fit 50 of me in there and not even know I was there.
Can you send me some pictures? I'd like to imagine you there with context, lol.
Meh, I think the performance might be fun. No Aizen involvement.
It's just me and ol' Ivanhoe.
I don't know about the party; they wanted us to do it together so they might have changed their minds.
I haven't talked to your dad since the night of Tier's party.
Oh. Ulquiorra sighed as he got off the huge bed. He decided to indulge Orihime's request and took several pictures of the bedroom and then of himself standing in front of the floor to ceiling length windows. He also took a picture of the courtyard from where he was.
As he sat down on the bed, Ulquiorra was hit with a wave of loneliness. It was as if he was standing on a beach and letting storm surges pound his body. He had a huge bed and only he was sleeping in it. He had access to a big house and he was the only one wandering around in it. The ocean was outside his window and he was just a fucking speck in space.
He made a new post on Instagram, tagging Orihime in the post and added the various other stuff that would get attention. All the pictures went on one post with the first photo being him standing in front of the window.
ObscurasIV
I'll send you some "private" pics later.
I'm sure he does. My dad likes you
VegaStrife00
Oh? Now I have something to look forward to XD
I know he likes me. I am very likeable.
Except to Steve. He would even hate baby Jesus, I bet.
She got the feeling from the pictures she saw on Instagram that he was feeling down. She was trying to make him laugh. She decided to wait a couple minutes and then write more, thinking the consistency would make it feel more like she was there.
VegaStrife00
I have gossip.
That Michelle girl got caught blowing Creepy Ishida in a practice room.
LMAO.
They are both going to have disciplinary action taken.
They deserve each other, to be honest.
But imagine - what if, like, they got married and procreated and had creepy little evil weirdo children?
*shudders*
He wanted to laugh but only managed a small half-assed smile. Tears pricked at his eyes as he tried to send a message back. He didn't really want to hear about Michelle or any of those other assholes that were in her department.
ObscurasIV
Not those kind of private pics.
Steve would punt babies.
I wish I had one of you here. I don't want 50 Vegas, just one.
That made her heart twist in her chest. The thought that he could have had her there, but he blew it, wouldn't leave her alone. She wanted to be there, too, had none of the bullshit happened. Now she was looking at an uncertain future. One in which the only thing she had going for her was twelve to sixteen hours per week clearing dishes at Sado's. She was going to have to start looking for a roommate or something. Semester ended the second week of December, and then she was out on her ass. She had about a month to come up with a plan.
She sighed. He was supposed to be her friend, right? Wouldn't a friend talk to the other about things like this? Her mouth twisted to the side and she tapped out a reply that tested the waters.
VegaStrife00
Sorry to be a bit of a bummer, but…
I'm kind of worried about what's next for me.
I have no ideas.
Medical experiments? Assassin for hire? Lol.
I'm open to suggestions or guidance or pep talks.
He watched each of her messages pop up, frowning with each one.
ObscurasIV
Could find a rich celebrity boyfriend?
I'm joking.
Bc yeah.
I'm in the same boat. I have no clue what's going to happen next.
My dad has a lot of contacts for weddings.
He would help you if you need it.
You could
Never mind. I'm being stupid
Nuh uh. Nope.
VegaStrife00
I could what?
You are allowed to be stupid.
You've been very stupid before.
Might as well go all in.
"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Orihime," Ulquiorra muttered to himself.
ObscurasIV
...
Nah, I'm okay now. Logic kicked in.
Ask Sado for more hours?
I've got to run. I have a band management lunch.
Orihime's disappointment was palpable. She didn't respond. She left early to go to choir. Maybe she could hang out in the lobby and find out more about what happened to Ishida and that Michelle girl. Maybe she'd see one of the girls she had talked to at Tier's party. Since she had gone, things had turned around for her in the department. She was almost regretting having to quit at semester. People were nice to her. The rumors had stopped. She was having pleasant interactions with people.
The only downside to walking to the Fine Arts building was the necessity of passing Robinson on the way. Not only did it make her miss Ulquiorra, but there was always the chance of running into Nel.
Up until today, she had only spotted her across campus a handful of times, but they were nowhere near one another. Nel was hard to miss, though, with her neon hair. But today, she was not so lucky.
"Well, if it isn't Orihime." Nel practically shouted the words as Orihime walked by. The teal-haired woman huffed as someone said something to her in a hushed tone. "Thanks for driving Ulquiorra away."
Orihime's head snapped up and she saw the face of the person she hated most in the universe. She rolled her eyes and decided to be sarcastic. "Oh, my pleasure, Nelliel. Ten out of ten, would drive away again. Oh wait, that's right, you have no basis for comparison."
How dare that little slut! Nel was about to lunge for Orihime but hands went around her arms. "At least I got what I wanted from him," Nel said in reply. "Gold digging bitch."
Orihime was not impressed. "Ha! Do I look like I'm wearing Dior to you? And what, praytell, did you get? Lifelong disdain?"
"The last laugh. And I'll get it again," Nel answered, a smirk slowly spreading over her face. "You know you were just after him because he has a lot of fans."
"You are a dumb bitch. The last laugh is only the last if there are no subsequent laughs. And I think you'll recall I was his first fan. I'm sorry for you Nel. You are incredibly petty. Try not to wrap anymore cars around any trees. Bye," Orihime said, shaking her head in disbelief and continuing her walk. On the way she decided to send Ulquiorra a message.
VegaStrife00
Ran into Nel.
Did you know I'm a gold digging bitch? LOL
News to me, too.
Anyway, apparently she "got the last laugh" on you and also will "get it again," so be forewarned.
Ulquiorra had lied about the lunch. He had nowhere to go today. He had an off day which he was told would be rare. He looked at his phone and sighed.
ObscurasIV
Lovely. And no I didn't. Nice.
Why don't you two just find somewhere and kick each other's asses?
Might be faster than squabbling.
I think I rolled my eyes so hard they fell out of my head. Don't care about Nel.
Actually… I'd prefer it if you don't message me about her or Michelle.
Kinda brings out the cringe and nightmares.
Thanks.
Orihime sighed when she read his message. Things really hadn't changed. Despite his crying and pleas, he was still not really interested in anything she was dealing with. She shook her head and replied.
VegaStrife00
You got it.
I'll find someone else to talk to about this kind of thing.
Have a nice meeting.
He didn't feel bad. It was a boundary. They needed them. Ulquiorra didn't care about Nel and the fact that his so-called former best friend had tried to drug him and almost-Ulquiorra sighed. He didn't want to think about it. Even if he said that Nel had assaulted him there was that video where he had stayed silent while she did as she pleased.
With a sigh, he decided to crawl into bed. Sleeping would be better than staying awake at the moment.
ObscurasIV
This is me picking you over her.
I don't care about her.
Unless she physically harms you, there's nothing I can do.
She shook her head. He didn't see how he was hurting her with his lack of concern. It didn't matter. He was there. She was here. That was probably never going to change. This thing they had going on between them was just letting one another down softly, wasn't it? He'd eventually get busy and successful and the messages would taper off and he'd move on.
Orihime had to keep this in mind, or it would hurt a lot more when it happened, because she was pretty sure it was going to happen. Everyone left her in the end. She had been weak to reach out and rely on people.
She scoffed at herself. She would do it again. She had to. She was not proud of considering taking Ulquiorra's father up on his offer to come work for him, but she was running out of time and options. Honestly, there was no reason for her to stay anywhere near OSU. The friendly faces in the music department were just that. Faces. They weren't friends. The only person she could call a friend was Ichigo, and that was on a part-time basis at best. He was such a fucking boyscout when it came down to it. She liked that about him, though. In a pinch, he could be counted on at least thirty percent of the time. That was thirty percent more than anyone else she knew.
Except Jon Cifer. Ugh. She needed to push the idea of relying on him from her mind. It was too comfortable; too tempting a thought. She desperately wanted to be near people who cared for her, but it wouldn't be fair. That was Ulquiorra's father, not hers.
By the time she made it to the Fine Arts building, it was time for her class. She never responded to Ulquiorra's message. After class, she went back to her room and took a picture of Ulquiorra's plants and sent them to him.
VegaStrife00
Bert and Ernie, Jr. are doing well. They say hi.
His first week in Laguna Beach was lonely. Ulquiorra hated it. He didn't talk much to anyone, including Orihime. He smiled at her photo of the plants and declined to tell her that their names were actually Vega and Strife. It wouldn't do to start a fight, especially over plants and fictional characters.
It was the second Saturday that he was in the house that he began to notice it.
Fuck.
It would be fine. No one would notice. People were starving themselves all the time in the music business. Celebrities everywhere had this shit down.
Ulquiorra had a busy day today anyway. He couldn't worry about it. He was going to a local place to have his ear piercings put back in. There would also be talk of this tattooing nonsense. Not that Ulquiorra wanted one. It would be good for his image though. That's what everyone always said. It was good for his image.
What would be good for his image was a full night's sleep and a meal but that probably wouldn't happen for a while.
The sharp pain was brief and soon he had a multitude of posts and rings shoved back into his ears. He couldn't decide on a tattoo design so the artist said they could work on it a different day. His ears were throbbing by the time he got home. He snapped a pic and uploaded it to Instagram. It showed the side of his face and his ear. His jaw looked too angular.
Fuck it.
VegaStrife00
Hey, um… wow. Surprise!
Your poor ears. It looks ouchy.
Also, I know you've been really busy
But don't forget to take care of yourself and eat properly, okay?
3
He scowled at her message. What was that supposed to mean? She didn't know. No one would have told Orihime about his past.
ObscurasIV
They hurt. :|
I'm taking care of myself.
Don't worry.
That was a lie but Ulquiorra could probably pretend everything was fine over texts.
She pressed her lips into a line at his response. She really couldn't tell much about his physical condition through that photo, and since his selfie when he moved into the beach house, she hadn't seen another picture of him. Maybe she was over-reacting. Still…
VegaStrife00
Glad to hear it. Sleep well too.
Don't need you looking Keith Richards.
You're still a teenager, for the next year and change, anyway.
Speaking of… Do you have an office or an address where I can send you a birthday present?
It's nothing much but I want to send it to you.
Ulquiorra sighed. He didn't want anything from Orihime. She shouldn't be thinking about him or spending money on him.
ObscurasIV
Keith Richards is immortal.
Uh, I can ask my mom.
I mean you could send it to this place.
I just don't want the address to get out and have stalkers.
VegaStrife00
I get it. I hope you know I would never tell anyone
but… yeah.
Anyway, what's the name of your management company?
I could send it there.
It's just a little thing.
She was feeling discouraged and emotional. She knew he would pull away from her, but she hadn't expected it to be so much so soon.
VegaStrife00
I'm stupid.
If you don't want it it's fine.
I could just send you a picture of it and toss it.
It really has no value or anything.
In the end it's just junk.
ObscurasIV
You could give it to me in person.
Do not toss it.
VegaStrife00
Okay.
I just wanted to give it to you before your birthday, but I guess I can hold onto it.
ObscurasIV
Maybe I'm coming back before my birthday?
Maybe my birthday present to myself is to see you?
God, that was risky, but Ulquiorra was already feeling down in the dumps, so it wouldn't matter if he just piled more angst and sadness on himself.
Orihime's heart stopped. This was unexpected.
VegaStrife00
WHAT?!
Are you serious!?
OMG! T_T
Really?
ObscurasIV
You didn't say we were done.
I made a promise to come back, didn't I?
Unless things have changed.
Besides, I need to see my plant children.
She chuckled. She had sorely missed this side of him. Sniffing and clearing her eyes, she replied. She was tired of trying to protect herself. She was allowed to be weak and honest sometimes, right?
VegaStrife00
The only thing that has changed is that I miss you so much.
Your plant children do too.
I can't believe it. *^_^*
She was on cloud nine. She was about to write to ask for more details when Ichigo called.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Orihime. Want to rehearse for the Gala today?"
"Yeah, a bit later. Do you have a practice room?"
"Yes. Also, other news, I lined up a gig we can share."
"Oh yeah? When?"
"Well… It's the day after the Gala. December seventh. I got a wedding and reception. I can give you the music for the wedding today, but the reception is cocktail lounge so we can just reprise Vega Highwell stuff."
"Wow. Um, that's great. Thank you," she responded, slightly surprised.
Ichigo chuckled. "Yeah, well, don't say I never did anything for you. Anyway, I have the practice room from two so see you."
"Alright, bye," Orihime said and hung up. Her mood was even better. Gigs like the one Ichigo had paid well. Much better than the minimum wage she got from Sado's.
VegaStrife00
More good news! I got a gig.
A wedding ceremony and cocktail hour. $$$ yay!
Her messages improved his mood. It was nice that he could bring some joy to her day. Ulquiorra took a deep breath. It was worth a shot.
ObscurasIV
I want to hear you later. Can I call?
I mean if now is okay.
I miss you too. I can't wait to hold you again.
Shit; that was probably taking things too far.
Orihime scoffed when she read his messages and rolled her eyes. Could he call? Please.
She went through her contacts and tapped the phone icon under his name.
Ulquiorra fumbled with the phone, almost dropping it on the marble floor. "Hello!" he said.
"Hi. You don't have to ask to call me. You're my… My person."
He chuckled. "I'm your person?" Ulquiorra asked. "I have to ask. It's only polite Veggs."
She affected an old codger accent. "Back in my day, whippersnapper, we only had tin cans and a string! Calling was the only means of communication worth doing! We could only text with smoke signals!" She didn't know what she was doing. She was kind of giddy to be speaking to him, and her nerdiness was making its presence known.
Ulquiorra shook his head and flopped back onto the huge couch in the living room. "You're silly, but it's adorable, Woman."
She laughed at herself in an embarrassed manner. "Well, uh, yeah. Guilty. And yes. You're my person."
"Can I ask you to elaborate on that?" He didn't want to get his hopes up too much. "I need to know."
"Um, well," she said, her cheeks heating slightly. "If I'm happy and want to tell someone about it, that someone is you. If I'm sad, I want you to tell me it's going to be okay. When I'm bored or lonely, I want to talk to you. When I want to go on an adventure, you are the person I want to go with. You're my person. I don't know if I'm explaining that well."
"I get it," he replied with a smile on his face. "You're my person, too. I'm afraid of bothering you too much. Being out here and dealing with all this is overwhelming."
"I bet. You can always call me. Didn't I tell you that a long time ago?"
He had to think back and remember their conversations. Finally Ulquiorra hummed, "Mmhm, I remember, but you probably don't want to hear my voice at three in the morning when I'm just getting to bed or five am when I can't sleep."
"Uh, yeah I do. I hope you're sleeping better than that though."
Vega was supposed to be his best friend. He could tell her anything right? "No, I haven't slept very good since that party," Ulquiorra replied.
"Hmm," she said in a thoughtful way. "Wanna talk about it? Might make you feel better."
"I'd much rather forget that it ever happened, because I get nervous and uncomfortable about the entire situation. I should talk about it but-I-That video- I keep seeing the moment I passed out and she-" Ulquiorra sighed. This was stupid. Maybe he needed to see a therapist.
Orihime's mood turned serious. "You're right, you know. I should tell you that it was Ichigo that came to find me upstairs because he was worried. I remember saying, like it was a joke, that I should go rescue you, but I am really glad that I did." She sighed. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I think you need to deal with this. Maybe it might be too hard to talk about it with me, but you should talk about it with someone. I've heard LA is the place to be for talk therapy."
Ulquiorra sighed. He knew that. A change of subject was in order. One that didn't make him want to crawl out of his skin. "So how are the plants? Have you been watering them?"
"Yes sir," she responded, the smile back in her voice.
"There's no plants in this place. There's not even grass anywhere around. It's all concrete."
"No palm trees on the beach? You're not really selling this place, Ulquiorra," she giggled a bit. "I mean, I'll probably have to work at Sado's for about seven years to afford to be able to visit you but it is on the bucket list."
A smile spread across his face. "Actually I had something for you. A Christmas present, if you can get the time off," Ulquiorra said. He lowered his voice although he was the only person in the beach house.
"You had it? Well, as of December fifteenth I am technically homeless, so I am going to be real free. Free as a hobo," she laughed at that.
"Well it's more like an idea I had? Maybe you could come out here," Ulquiorra said. "I mean I had the idea you could stay with me. There's three bedrooms in this place. There's a lot of room. It's just me knocking around in here."
She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial volume. "Are you trying to tell me that you are considering getting yourself a pet Vega for Christmas?"
"Maybe? I'd have to register it as my emotional support Vega but..." Ulquiorra couldn't fight the grin. "Yes?"
She grinned as well. "I guess that's a possibility. I love my creeper van but it's pretty cold to sleep in." She was slightly ashamed of herself for being so agreeable. But honestly, it was just a matter of practicality. She had nothing keeping her here. There was probably more opportunity for her in California. "It's not a bad idea, actually."
He had to swallow. This could be good. This could also be bad. Ulquiorra wouldn't get his hopes up. Besides, there was no guarantee she would want to be with him like that again. He just had to make it until next week. He'd be back home for his dad's cocktail party. "It's just a week. In a week, I'll be there. I'm going to hug you. I'm going to kiss you. I want to hold you."
She knew this wasn't the answer to all their problems. Still, this was not something she would refuse. "A week? Can I just go to sleep now and wake up when you get here? Because I am ready for the hugs and kisses. I think I told you that I miss you," she laughed a bit; she knew she was being cheesy, but it was nice. He sounded happy. She was happy. "Are you surprising your dad? Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?"
It was nice to hear the light tone of her voice. Then she brought up his father. "Uh, my dad and I haven't spoken since the hospital. I texted him but no reply. He's pretty angry at me and I can't say I blame him."
She smiled. "You scared him to death. And yeah, he was disappointed and angry, but more than anything, he loves you. When I called him…" she paused, remembering that night, "by the way, thanks for using my name as your phone passcode. Made it much easier for me to find his number. I only guessed wrong twice. Anyway, you scared us both. We love you and we don't want to see you hurt."
"That's not the only thing I use your name for," he said.
"Oh yeah? What else?" She was curious. "I sincerely hope it's not for anything bad."
"The plant that's in the white ceramic pot? She's Vega. The one in the terracotta pot? That's Strife."
"Aww," she said softly. "I love that." She was quiet for a bit after that. "Maybe I should get myself a stuffed animal and name it Obscuras so I can sleep with it. Maybe a messenger owl. Oooh, or maybe that black dragon from that training dragon movie! That thing is adorable. What do you think?"
He scowled. "But I have my teeth and I plan on-" Ulquiorra stopped. It wouldn't do to offend her by letting his hormones take over. This was the first time he had even thought about things like that. Clearing this throat, he said, "I hope this week flies by."
"Me too. I'm sorry that I'm so uncool but it is what it is. I can't wait to see you. Let me know your itinerary and I can come pick you up, Okay?"
"You're fine, Orihime. I'll let you know," he said. "I've got something to do. So..."
"Oh, okay, sure," she giggled. What was she doing just rambling like an idiot. "Sorry, I forget you're like some Hotshot for real now."
"No, I've got a couple hours but uh," Ulquiorra said and then trailed off. He could feel his face turning red.
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" she laughed.
He chuckled. "More like the bedroom," he replied. "This hasn't been a problem so far. I talk to you and well… here we are."
"You mean, oh." She chuckled to make him feel less embarrassed, but the last time she had seen him erect was when Nel had just jumped off of him. It lessened the flattery. "Well, don't let me stop you then. I could always read the phonebook to your or something, you know, to help."
"It's fine. I'll just throw myself into the pool, clothes and all."
"You should go skinny dipping. I've always wanted to, but there's always people around. I guess that's supposed to be part of the fun but I don't want people seeing my stretch marks."
Hnnngh. She wasn't helping his state any. In fact, Orihime was making it worse. He looked out the glass doors at the pool and then closed his eyes against the mental images that assaulted him. "You and me. The pool at night," he murmured.
She continued, seemingly unaware about the effect she had on him. "I mean, I've used a big bath tub before, but it's not the same. Still it would be pretty funny. Do you have any idea how buoyant boobs are? They just float out there… like floatation devices. It's ridiculous."
"Orihime, I didn't need encouragement," he said.
"Oh come on, everybody needs to get their rocks off now and then. It's stress relief."
"Okay, what about you?" he asked. "When's the last time?"
"Yesterday," she said without shame or hesitation.
Hearing her say that made Ulquiorra stand. Screw this, he was going to his room. "Yesterday? That's fucking hot. I've not since… well since we had sex the last time."
"Oh, that is no good, Ulquiorra," she cooed. This was too easy to fall back into. Not that she minded. She missed him. She wanted him to miss her, too. "You poor baby. You need to take care of yourself. I try to make it a daily habit."
"Believe me, I want to. I think about you all the time," he admitted as he walked down the hall and up the stairs. "Hearing your voice, though... I'm imagining it. Have you worn the bad habit yet?"
"I tried it on. I added it to the folder. It was, um… Inspirational. I missed you, you know."
As soon as he was in the room, Ulquiorra was stripping off his t-shirt and jeans. He laid down on the bed, swallowing. He was nervous. This was just like the first couple times with her. "I've missed you. Did you like it? I mean was it a good fit? Can I-Can I see?"
"Yeah, It was very pretty, It felt nice. Check your messages and see for yourself." She was enjoying this. When she had done this with Mr. Brazil, it felt weird and embarrassing. Uncomfortable. With Ulquiorra, it was hot. It was pleasant. She wanted him to feel good thinking about her. There was no shame in it. It made her happy.
His phone vibrated and Ulquiorra lifted it from his ear. He put it on speaker before he tapped on it. A groan left his throat as he saw the photo. He enlarged the photo. The black one piece lingerie thing he had gotten her fit her perfectly. It didn't hang or droop. It showcased everything like a work of art. "I love your stretch marks by the way. I love everything about you."
"Oh yeah?" she asked, playing it up, her mouth close to the receiver so he could hear her ambient breath. "Even how squishy my inner thighs are?"
"They're biteable. I love how they go around me," Ulquiorra said as he studied the picture more. He let a hand drift down his stomach and worm it's way under his boxers. Shit. Maybe he should ask her if she wanted to do this instead of just assuming things. "Woman?"
"Hmmm?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Do you want to do this?" He had to be dumb and ask.
"Yes. Thanks for asking nicely."
"You know me, Veggs. I asked you if you wanted a dick pic," he said as he wrapped his hand around his cock. Ulquiorra's eyes closed as he began to stroke the length of it. "Tell me, what did you think of yesterday?"
"Well," she started in a breathy voice, "I started thinking about my body and how it looked in a bad habit. Then I touched it, just, like, feeling how soft the skin was. Then I imagined my hands were yours. How your fingers would sink into my boobs. How they would drag down my ribs and hold onto my hips. How they would tease the places between my legs."
She stopped talking for a bit, waiting for some kind of response, be it breathing or a request for more.
"Ohhh." It came out as a moan as the images and memories replayed in his head. He could think back to the first time he had felt those tits. Had they not been interrupted that time, he wouldn't have hesitated in losing his virginity to her. "I've got my hand around my dick and I wish it was your mouth. I want you on top of me so I can get my mouth on you."
She whimpered. Suddenly she wished she was undressed as well. "I want to taste you again. I remember how you felt on my lips. How soft your skin felt against my tongue. How it felt when you would press inside of me. God, it was always the best when you got so deep inside of me that it felt like you might split me open if you went further. And I always wanted you to go further. Yesterday I laid back and spread my knees apart as wide as they could go and touched myself. I remembered how it felt when you would push inside of me so hard and fast that it felt like you were pushing the breath right out of my lungs," she was really short of breath now, and she whined, crossing her legs and feeling the wetness move between her lower lips. "I miss you," she breathed. "Even just thinking about you now… I'm so wet."
He lifted his head to watch a bead of pre come leak from the tip. Fuck, with the words she was saying, it wouldn't take much for him to get off. "I want to be inside of you. I want to make love to you over and over. I want you to get wet for me. I like hearing you say that."
"Do you want to hear what you do to me?" she asked with a slight gasp at the end.
"Yes," He said groaning. She always managed to make him want to come sooner than he anticipated. "Let me hear it."
She set the phone down beside her and locked the inside lock of her door quickly. She didn't anticipate Tatsuki returning, but she didn't want to be caught knuckles deep inside of herself. She pulled down her jeans and underwear quickly and sat on her bed with her back to the wall and put the phone on speaker. "Okay," she said, then put the phone down on the bed between her legs and began to touch herself, pushing two fingers inside and letting him hear how her wetness made soft smacking sounds as her fingers moved between her lips. She whined his name softly and closed her eyes.
He could hear it. Ulquiorra could hear every time she slid her fingers into her body. He moaned as he sped up the motions of his hand, stroking his cock up and down. "God, Orihime, you're going to make me come. I can hear that and I wish I was the one fingering you right now," he said. He was panting now.
"I want you," she panted back. She knew exactly what to do to get herself off. It didn't take her long. "Ulquiorra, I'm going to come," she squeaked, letting herself go before he did, an urgent chorus of short whines following her words as her thighs shook around her fingers. As she reached her peak, she squealed out his name again softly, and when she was done, she kept her now drenched fingers moving, as she would until he had arrived to where she was.
Just hearing her brought back a flood of memories that caused his body to tense up. Listening to her cry out his name made him do the same. The tension in his body broke as he cried out, "Orihime!"
His orgasm was powerful and her name kept falling from his lips until it was a whimper. His legs were shaking and he felt drained.
She let herself pant until it tapered off into normal breathing at her body's own pace. When she could take a regular breath, she picked up the phone with her clean hand and took it off speaker, brought it to her ear and said, "I love you, Ulquiorra. It's always you, everytime I do that."
"I love you too." His breath was trying to become normal. It was slow going. "That's the first time I've gotten hard since coming out here, Woman. Thank you. You're the only one I want to do that to me."
She believed him, too. Even with the bullshit Nel pulled, she knew it. She felt it in her gut that he had always meant it when he said that. She didn't know why, she just did. She smiled. "Well, it was quite literally my pleasure," she said and giggled. "I'm glad it's laundry day."
He laughed. "I might want to do laundry also. I'm hungry too. Do you think you could stay with me when I come back or can I stay with you?"
Aw. Dumb bunny. "Of course. Um, it sounds kind of cheesy, but-" she thought better of it. "Nevermind. Even my lack of cool sometimes needs to be reeled back," she said, laughing nervously.
"Tell me," he said. He wanted to hear every word she said. "Please?"
"Um, don't go running for the hills, but I was going to say that this place doesn't feel like home without you in it," she said it quickly, then covered her red face with the back of her air-drying hand.
"Orihime, without you close to me, nothing feels like home."