AN: Ichigo's "Bakaoni" thanks to his scowl, which makes him, according to Lilly, look like an angry demon, Lilly is "Bakaneko" because Ichigo wasn't feeling creative and she was lounging around on the bed as a cat, and Kisuke is "Bakainu" because he's too loyal(Ichigo) and has dulled fangs, according to a still fresh from her previous career Lilly
Ichigo knew he had a beautiful girlfriend. Even if she wasn't as well endowed as Inoue, or had the same levels of sensuality as Matsumoto and Yoruichi, Lilly had a ferocious, animalistic aura around her, reminding him of Hollows. It drew him in, like a moth drawn to a fire, and now, that he was so used to her presence and magnetism, he could notice other people falling for her. Lilly had burst out laughing, telling him it was her blades powers at work. Horus, and Asagiri by extension, drew people to him with his divine powers, and Urahara was her newest victim, oblivious to his growing fondness of her. Just like Urahara didn't notice his feelings for Ichigo.
He might have taken over too many of Lilly's habits because he needed to hide his face in her ponytail to not burst out laughing. Renji and Rukia were almost falling over themselves while watching her every move. The purple dress really looked good on her, bringing out her eyes and giving her more curves. Even Urahara seemed more distracted.
"That's easy to solve, however it'll take time, which we don't exactly have today. Can we continue tomorrow, when we don't have a reservation to get to?" She told them, position demure and smile warm and open, almost encouraging. And the Shinigami ate it up like she wouldn't slit their throats with the same expression. When she was dealing with diplomatic matters, she reminded him of a tiger closing in on its prey, all while acting like the noble lady she was. These were the moments she resembled Byakuya the most. "I hope, dear cousin, that you'll understand my reasoning."
"O-of course! We wouldn't want to inconvenience you needlessly." Rukia's cheeks were flaming, while Renji looked ready to say something. However, by putting a bit of power into it, Ichigo silenced him with a glare. They got up from the table with small bows, excusing themselves. But they didn't go straight to the door, opting to walk up to Urahara, trapping him from both sides.
"If anyone from Soul Society comes to bother you, please notify us." He told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, feeling it tense under his touch.
"And don't be afraid to contact us if these two start causing trouble." Her mouth was a breath away from his ear, however, she chose to pat his head, touch scorching even through the fabric. The shopkeeper only nodded at that, shocked into silence and face flushed. The couple shared a smile as they walked out of the shop. They were ready for the second part of their plan.
"We're kidnapping you." This was the first time both of them came to the shop out of their own will. Urahara blinked up at them from his notes, not hiding his surprise all that well.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You will be spending the day with us. Out of your little lab and away from the shop." Lilly told him matter of factly as Ichigo went to pull him up to his feet.
"I would be honoured to do that, however, I must return to my work urgently." He tried shrugging of Ichigo's grip.
"Cut the crap Kisuke." Bingo. The scientist was frozen by Ichigo's statement. "We've been both too busy for the last two weeks to visit, and you seem to have used that time to slip back into your old looks and behaviour."
"And a day away won't kill you." She latched onto his other side, pulling him along. "Besides, maybe giving your brain a break will give you a boost when you return to it tomorrow. Think about it, Kisuke." Her touch was burning and her eyes seemed to shine with something otherworldly behind them, and Urahara made the mistake of glancing at them. Ichigo knew it wasn't exactly ethical (Who was he kidding? It was not ethical at all), but they needed to do this in order for their plan to work.
"Fine, kidnap me. But don't come to me when something bad, that could have been avoided if I stayed here, happens."
"We can handle it." He told Kisuke, letting go of his arm so Lilly could drag him off towards his room.
"It's a deal. Now, go take a shower and put these on. We're not going out with you looking like a bad cosplayer."
He looked surprisingly good in the black jeans and green jumper she had bought him the other day. And maybe a little more vulnerable. He did seem to use his outfit like an armour after all, at least from what she had gathered.
"Save it. It's my treat." She told him when he opened his mouth, eyes trained onto his sleeves. That seemed to engulf him. Sweet gods, this boy was an idiot. "I have a lot of money to burn, so it won't inconvenience me in any way if I buy you clothes. Or fund the day's outing."
They spent the day at the mall and the new skating rink, where Lilly showed off, in Ichigo's opinion, that she had taken figure skating lessons before the accident. After that, they ended up in her apartment, which, even if it was in the wealthier part of Karakura, seemed like a glass-walled shoe-box compared to her house back in England, or the one in Hungary. Or, Hell, to the house she was renovating at the edge of the town.
Nestled between them on the low couch, cheeks pink from the cold and their proximity, Urahara still looked a bit lost. Maybe it was the fact that the sleep-shirt, which originally belonged to Lilly, he was wearing was an almost perfect fit, or his eyes darting around every few seconds, hand clenched on the controller Ichigo had shoved into his hands, but Ichigo wanted to protect him from everything that could pose a threat, no matter how big. And from the looks Lilly was shooting in his direction, she was feeling the same.
"Come on, Bakainu. If you learned how to use the phone, you'll learn how to play with us too."
Ichigo kissed him the next morning, while Lilly was making breakfast. The shopkeeper tried protesting, bringing up his age, his history, the fact that they were still together and she was facing them, everything under the sun to justify rejection.
"I would have kissed you too, Kisuke. I just don't like kissing. And I don't mind sharing."
"We're going to borrow your training ground for today." She tells Urahara a day later, motioning Orihime to follow her. She had spent long hours training the girl up to her standards, and today was the day she would use Asagiri against her. He nods, not meeting her eyes, and deflates when she only pats him on the shoulder, disappearing under the trapdoor.
"That's an interesting way of wearing the shihakusho." Is the first thing that slips down his mouth when he drops down after Orihime leaves. When he had first seen her spirit-form, she was still wearing her normal clothes. Now, she wore the black, mid-thigh haori over bandages and shorts, and instead of the customary sandals, she had black, heeled thigh-high boots on.
"You'd change too if your Bankai included tight armour over loose hakama. It's not pleasant at all." She turned towards him fully, smiling, and his eyes trailed down the open neck of her haori, ears pink. "Plus, I get a better grip with these and I can even hide my weapons in the sole."
"But why would you need any other weapon when you can have all of them in one?"
"Asks one former assassin the other. We're always prepared for anything, Bakainu." She tells him from the trapdoor, motioning him to follow. "And when you plan to fight besides Ichigo, you cover every base."
"How did you know I had started developing feeling for you?"
"I wasn't trained to always hide in the shadows, like you. I had to entertain people to get information out of them, and reading one's body and reactions became almost second nature. And I knew what signs to look for."
"Entertain me."
"Loving Ichigo is like breathing. You start doing it subconsciously, then one day you realize you've been doing it and you can't live without it. He's your sun and your king, and you'll follow him to the ends of the world and do the unthinkable just to make him happy. And all with the knowledge that he'll do the same for you. And I think now, that I experienced it, I see the signs to look for. But loving me..is complicated. Or maybe easy. I never really grasped how to do it. But Ichigo just cares for me, all of me. He said that loving me was like existing in the eye of the storm, never knowing if he'll resist the pull or give in to the wind. He has this look when he thinks I can't see him. Somewhere between a smile and a scowl, with eyes so warm I can't even put it into words. And I'm beginning to see that warmth in your expression too."