Part of the August Writing Challenge for The Seireitei Discord Server.
Prompt used: Rainstorm sounds.
Also it could fit the prompt "Surprise" and "I love you" of the IchiRuki Month 2020.

Special thanks to AriadneKurosaki for taking the time to help this fic make some sense, and answering all my silly questions 3 Thank you, Ari. (I wouldn't have finished this without your help).

Ichigo woke up to the sound of pouring rain and thunder. Sleep still clouded his mind. Unconsciously, he turned over on his side and reached out to the other side of the bed, hoping to find the warmth of his significant other. His hand met the cold sheets. He opened his eyes right when a brilliant shock of white briefly illuminated the room, he didn't see Rukia anywhere.

Soon enough, the lightning was followed by a loud boom of thunder.

He wasn't fond of rainstorms. Rain always found a way to make him sad, almost nostalgic, certainly emotional about the past and that wasn't a feeling he appreciated. He turned in bed, facing the ceiling. Another brilliant shock of white light illuminated the room, once again followed by a long rumble of thunder. A shudder passed over him; he couldn't help the memories flooding his mind. Rainstorms always rendered him powerless, they made him feel like the scared little boy he once was. That scared little boy who couldn't protect his mom.

But the world doesn't stop on rainy days.

Shaking the memories away, he sat up on his side of the bed, took a long breath and stood up. Over the sound of rain, he could hear Rukia in the living room. Ichigo crossed the small hallway, and from where he stood, he could see a lit candle on the small table by the main door. Rukia was on her knees searching for something in the closet by the door, where they usually hung their jackets and left their shoes. All the lights were off. He tried switching on the light, but there was no power, probably due to the storm raging outside. His eyes adjusted to the amount of light provided by the candle, and he could see that Rukia was frantically searching for something in the dark and murmuring to herself.

"What are you doing, midget?" Ichigo asked. She was startled by him and hit her head against the closet when she heard his voice.

"Ouch… Idiot, you scared me!" she replied while patting her head. For a second, he was concerned. It looked like she might've hit her head hard. Ichigo approached her.

"Are you ok? Does it hurt?" He asked while helping her stand up.

"It's fine, I thought you were asleep. Did I wake you up?" Rukia lifted her eyes to see his face. Another bolt of lightning flashed, and for a split second she saw his conflicted eyes.

"No. The rain did. Let me check your head."

"I told you, I'm fine. It wasn't that hard." He gave her a look and she sighed and gave in.

"Fine."

He used his fingers to caress her silky black hair looking for a bump. He didn't find anything. "I don't see any bumps." She scoffed and he kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up." she whispered. Rukia touched one side of his face with her hand. He leaned into her touch with his eyes closed. She knew he wasn't fond of the rain and that many bad memories haunted him. Another roll of thunder could be heard in the distance and she pulled him into an embrace. He always felt at peace in her arms. She had always known how to soothe him. Her presence alone was enough to get him out of his dark thoughts. While his head rested where her shoulder met her neck, she caressed his spiky orange hair with her fingers softly.

He kept holding her, listening to the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain hitting the windows.

"What were you doing in the closet?" he murmured against her neck.

She gasped. "Oh right! The cat!" She let him go and lowered herself to the floor by the closet again.

"The cat? What cat?" He was confused, they didn't own a cat.

"Come on kitty, I know you're scared but you can't stay in there all night" she mumbled. Stretching her arm, Rukia managed to pull the cat out. Ichigo saw her pull out a small ball of orange fur.

Once she was able to finally grab the orange cat, she cradled it against her chest to help calm it down. It was clear the cat feared the lightning and thunder going on outside.

"It's okay little one, no need to be afraid" she whispered. One of her fingers caressed the cat's fur behind its ears. But the cat kept mewling. "I woke up because of the rain too, I couldn't fall asleep again, so I decided to make myself a cup of tea. Then I heard mewing outside! I opened the door to check and I found this little ball of fur hiding from the rain and shaking. I brought her inside and fed her some left-over chicken."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but she continued before he could speak. "No Ichigo, you can't feed a cat regular milk, but we don't have cat food, so I googled it and chicken seemed like a good option, at least until tomorrow."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's not what I was going to say."

Rukia gave him a look that clearly said I know you're lying. "As I was saying, I fed her, but then there was a loud boom of thunder and she ran away from me and hid inside your shoes in the closet. I was trying to lure her out when you scared me" she finished explaining.

The cat in her arms kept mewing.

"How do you know it's a girl?" He was genuinely curious.

"Because she looks like a girl." Rukia replied, like it was the most obvious answer. The small orange cat was shaking in her arms, and she cooed at it to try and soothe it.

Ichigo scowled. "That's not a good enough reason. Let me check." Carefully he took the ball of fur from her small hands. For a moment the cat stopped the meowing and while cradling the cat he managed to check his gender. "Yeah, it's not a girl. It's clearly a boy".

Ichigo placed the cat back into Rukia's arms. The small ball of fur settled himself against her chest. Rukia grabbed one of Ichigo's hand and lowered herself to the floor, next to the couch, pulling him down with her. He sat with his back against the wall and guided Rukia to sit in front of him between his legs.

Ichigo wrapped one hand around her waist and reached with the other to softly pet the orange cat. "Huh…I guess he likes you."

Even though the rain and thunder continued outside, the cat was no longer visibly shaking, and was now purring, clearly content in his new position.

"Of course he likes me, I'm adorable."

"Are you really, midget?" he snorted.

She could see from the corner of her eye that he was smiling. "Shut up." She mockingly kicked one of his legs with her foot.

For a moment they sat in silence, with only the pitter-patter of the rain and some flashes of white light as company.

This was where he felt at peace, with her in his arms. Her presence would always soothe him, and she always provided the perfect distraction from his thoughts.

"Oh, he's asleep." She whispered so as not to wake the small animal.

Ichigo looked over her shoulder and confirmed that indeed the cat was asleep. He reached with one hand towards the couch and grabbed one of the small cushions. He placed the cushion right next to them and told Rukia to lay him there. She did so very carefully. The cat stirred as if to wake up, but she continued to softly pet him, and it seemed he felt safe enough to be lured back to sleep.

Rukia adjusted her position in order to be more comfortable. She rested the back of her head on Ichigo's shoulder and stretched her legs without stopping her petting.

Ichigo moved some of her midnight hair away from her shoulder, he softly kissed her where her shoulder met her neck and tightened his hold on her waist. Rukia automatically moved her head to the side to give him and his kisses more room.

This moment lasted for a while, comfortable in each other's arms. Both of them lost in their thoughts.

When Ichigo met Rukia, back when they were both 16, he knew he'd met his match. He was lost in a cave, with the ghost of his mother and the guilt he felt for what happened haunting him, and without even trying, she became his flashlight.

After several years of friendship, and a few of love, it was only a matter of time until they arrived at this moment. A moment full of serenity and peacefulness, where no words were needed.

And in that moment, a thought crossed Ichigo's mind.

"Hey Rukia…"

"Hmm?" she moved her head towards him to properly look at him.

He knew he'd regret it if he didn't ask her to be his right now.

"Marry me."

She dried the rain; she changed his world for the better.

"What?" She was dumbfounded.

"I said, marry me." He nonchalantly repeated.

"Oh. I heard you, I just don't understand."

He moved away from her.

"Hey, what are you doing? Where are you going?" Now she was confused.

Ichigo got up and quickly crossed the hallway and went inside the bedroom. From where she was, she couldn't see what he was doing, but she heard the sound of a drawer opening and closing.

Having found what he was looking for, Ichigo walked out of the bedroom with something inside his right hand.

He lowered himself in front of her. His right hand, now in her line of vision, held a small dark blue box. With both hands he pried the small box open, and inside laid the most beautiful ring Rukia had ever seen. Her eyes shifted from the ring, to her lover's brown eyes, and vice versa. The ring was simple, yet elegant. A diamond solitaire sat on a white gold band. He knew her like the palm of his hand, he knew she wouldn't want to wear something extravagant.

"Marry me." he repeated, taking one of her hands into his own, and rubbing it with his thumb. "We were apart for 17 months, and I don't want to go through that again. That was an empty life and my life is not complete if I don't have you here with me. Deep down I've always known that all I really need is you." He confessed to her.

For a moment she didn't know what to say; he'd caught her by surprise. "Are you… are you seriously asking me to marry you?"

He rolled his eyes. Of course she would ask him if he was serious, and ignore the fact he was kneeling in front of her with a ring in his hand.

"I'm very serious, Rukia. I love you. You've shown me something I don't want to live without. Because of you the rain inside me has stopped. Life will make us face many more challenges, but I know I can get over them if you're willing to face them with me." He was nervous, he wasn't the type to go around proclaiming feelings. One of the things he loved about being with Rukia was that she could read him like a book. He didn't need to tell her things; she already knew them. In any case, he was better at showing her. But she deserved to hear what he felt for her too.

She was quiet, her violet eyes never leaving his. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth for a second but no sound came out.

Ichigo was now worried. He let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his neck. It was his signature nervous gesture that he couldn't seem to let go of. "Midget, if you're not ready for this I understand… and we can wait. But I just… Ah, I want you to know where I stand." A frown took place in his face. Seconds passed in silence. And Rukia hadn't said anything yet.

A defeated sigh escaped his mouth as he slowly lowered the hand that held the ring in front of her.

She grabbed his hand before it reached the floor. "Wait, wait!" she exclaimed. "You took me by surprise." One of her hands touched his cheek as she moved a bit closer to him. "Yes, you idiot. I'll marry you". She leaned in towards him and kissed his lips softly. It took Ichigo a moment to understand what was happening. He heard her say yes, and she was kissing him. He reacted a second later and responded to the kiss. His hand, the one not holding the ring, found its place between her neck and ear, allowing him some control over the kiss. Their lips moved in sync with a bit more force behind it as their tongues met each other in battle. Kissing her was always a thrilling experience. When air became a necessity, they separated from each other, but just a breath away with their foreheads touching. "You said yes," he whispered against her lips.

"I did," Rukia affirmed and gave him another small kiss. "After all, no one else will ever hold my heart the way you do," she murmured against his lips. Ichigo took her left and brought it up to his lips to lay a kiss there before taking out the white gold ring from the box and sliding it on her ring finger.

Ichigo looked up from the ring on her hand to gaze into her violet eyes. There were tears in them. Rukia couldn't help the rush of emotion going through her, and a single tear escaped one of her eyes. Ichigo reached with his thumb and wiped it away. "Don't cry midget."

After her sister died, she felt empty, alone and unwanted. Her relationship with her brother-in-law Byakuya was affected after Hisana died. They both had different ways of dealing with her death, which made them drift away from each other. For a long time, she felt lonely and empty inside. Nothing really mattered anymore. She didn't want to try and connect with anyone. Rukia felt like she didn't have anyone to talk to or turn to, that is until she met Ichigo.

Her eyes found his. She tried keeping her voice steady, "I'm so glad I found you." Rukia leaned in to kiss him again, her lips finding his and expressing her feelings in ways her words couldn't.

Back when they first met, he had been going through a similar pain, years of accumulated pain and guilt, after what happened to his mother. But Rukia came into his life out of nowhere and fit in right away. Without even trying, she became his light in the dark, tearing down all his walls.

"I'm glad you gave me no other choice but to love you," he proclaimed before softly kissing her forehead. She let out a chuckle.

"Come, it's late. Let's go back to bed." Ichigo stood up and offered Rukia a hand to help her get up.

She looked down at the ball of fur sleeping in the cushion in the floor next to them. "What are we going to do with the kitty?" she asked him.

"We can't do anything right now, it's almost 4 in the morning and the rain hasn't stopped for even a minute. Let's wait until the morning and then I guess we can take him to a veterinary clinic to see if someone is out there looking for him."

She grabbed Ichigo's hand before he moved away from her and stopped him from taking a step "Can we keep him? If… he doesn't have a family already, of course." Rukia asked timidly. She didn't move her sight from the sleeping cat. On some level, she felt this kitty was in the same situation she was in years ago before she met Ichigo, alone and scared of the world.

Ichigo turned to face her again, looked down at the orange cat, and then back at her, seeing the concerned expression on her face. He didn't consider himself a cat person, or a dog person, he just wasn't much of an animal person in general, he didn't have anything against them, but he never really thought about having one as a pet. However, there isn't much in this world he wouldn't do for Rukia, and if giving this small cat a place to live would make her happy, with joy reflected in her deep violet eyes every day, of course he'd do it.

He reached down to take the cushion off the floor carrying the sleeping cat on top. "Yeah, we can keep him." He walked inside their bedroom and placed the cushion in the corner near their bed, closer to Rukia's side. Rukia followed him inside after blowing out the candle, and once he placed the cat down, she stood up on her tiptoes and put her arms around his shoulders. His arms instinctively slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

His lips found hers as they met with passion. The deluge going on outside was long forgotten, despite the flashes of light and the sounds of thunder in the distance. Ichigo moved his hands down to her legs and pulled her up, making it easier for him to carry her towards their bed. Laying Rukia on the bed gently and pulling her close, Ichigo kissed her again. His fingers explored her body with a mind of their own as her hands touched his burning skin. His lips traveled down her neck, as Rukia threw her head back and gasped.

"I love you," he whispered against her flushed skin. Her body arched up towards him wanting to feel him closer.

Her hands intertwined in his hair, and she pulled him up to meet her eyes, "I love you too," she proclaimed before crashing her lips against his in a bruising kiss.

Later, they held each other close. Ichigo on his back with Rukia resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. He softly caressed her back with one hand and the other held her own. They were both staring at the ring in her hand. A bolt of white lightning broke the utter darkness in the room for a moment, highlighting their bare skin and the tranquillity of the rain tapping on the windows. There was no need to say anything. As they rested together the only sounds heard were their breaths and the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain outside that slowly lured them into dreamland.

For Ichigo, rain, lightning and thunder used to be terrifying. A reflection of his own turmoil of feelings… but right now lying here with Rukia, breathing in the musky scent and the tranquillity of the rain, he didn't feel frightened. Oh no. He felt happy, and for the first time it was exhilarating.

Well... that was my first ever fanfiction. Hopefully it wasn't a waste of your time xD
Thank you for reading :3
Any comments are highly appreciated :)