Chapter 17: West of the Moon

~Rukia~

Rukia felt the press of his kisses first.

The dip in the mattress and the warmth of human skin pressed against her body that followed soon after, made her smile. Finally, after a hard day at work, the doctor was home and ready to join her in bed. She heard him yawn, stifling it at the back of his hand as he snuggled closer against her, wrapping her in his scent and his strong arms before she could lift the covers over both of them.

Bleary eyes still heavy with sleep, she reluctantly turned to face him, kissing him on the tip of his nose before she whispered tenderly.

"Welcome home."

A quick glance at the alarm clock told her it was just a little over six. The sun was beginning to rise over their beloved city and she was curled up against her favourite person under the covers- warm, snug and content.

She reached for him in the dark, noses brushing and fingers interlaced with his as she breathed him in.

She missed him- missed having dinners with him, missed their nightly rituals of kissing each other good night and the way his body moved against hers under the covers. When they're twined together- too far entangled in each other to know where one started and where one ended is when she felt most at home, where she can be her most vulnerable with him. She craved the intimacy afforded by naked bodies sliding against one another in the afterglow.

Rukia pulled herself closer to him.

He grunted in reply, making a half-hearted attempt of sneaking butterfly kisses down the column of her throat, before deciding that he was too tired to continue. Like a child, he huffed, hiding his face in the crook in her shoulders, his soft hair tickling her face as she held him.

She sighed, running a hand through his hair, scratching on his scalp lightly as his breathing evened.

"Rough shift huh?"

Another loud grunt.

The poor baby had just pulled a continuous month of covering the night shifts at the hospital. The change in shift rota was purely bad luck, coinciding horribly with the staffing issues they had going on. Ichigo had put on his brave face, insisting that he was fine and used to running late night shifts and managing his sleep deprivation, but Rukia could hear the exhaustion in his voice, the almost absent way he sometimes stared into empty space.

He had so much on his plate, officially going on his sixth year of residency programme now- another year of residency, then fellowship.

She smiled, brushing the hair back from his face as he lied still.

He was getting closer to his goals every day and she was so excited for him. If these were the growing pains, the stumbling blocks on his career paths, she wouldn't let these road blocks keep them apart from each other. Short term separations like these are annoyances that she would bear- soldier on with him as long as he's still there by her side at the end of the grueling day or night. She'd be with him every step of the way; she would be his rock and if he's hurt, she would hold him and kiss him until he felt better.

It would all be worth it in the end.

He made another grunt at her in his sleep, mouthing something incoherent against her skin while she tightened her hold on him. She wondered what he was dreaming about- if she made any appearances in them, if like her, he slept better when she was there with him.

She smiled, kissing him on his forehead.

That's okay- he should just sleep for now. They can talk later in the morning.

She held him, hugging him to her chest, softly humming a lullaby she remembered from childhood and ran her hand through his hair until they both drifted off again.

XXX

With the warmth of the sun on her face and the scent of Ichigo surrounding her, she was almost convinced that she was still dreaming when she first came to. She had been dreaming of him again- of them coiled up together, mouth to mouth, fingers digging into skin, the slip and slide of hot sweaty skin as they moved as one.

Of course it was one thing to dream and quite another to have your lover hovering over you, caging you in, fingers pumping into your slick heat and sharp teeth nipping at nipples through a nightgown- looking for all intents and purposes like a primordial sex god and your body was the promised feast.

The sun was shining behind him, blinding her as she took in the sight of his naked body- the way contours of muscles framed his body, her skin feverish under his touch, the tight grip he kept on her thighs as he knelt between her parted legs, knuckle-deep at work and sweat dotting his brows as he drove his fingers in and out of her- undulating, unrelenting.

She moaned and his eyes found her- as if only just noticing that she was awake.

Somehow his fingers made their way in deeper within her core, the absolutely filthy way she could feel herself tightening around them, coating them in her slick essence as she rocked against them.

She gulped at the dark gleam in his eyes as they shared a look, merely seconds before he smirked and tugged her panties down all the way, bunching them and throwing them into some unnamed corners of the room. Her body pulsed with nervous energy, the energy between them thick and heady as he lazily latched on to her breast, a purr of satisfaction as her body arched to offer him more.

She tried to raise herself up only to be pushed back onto the mattress, his weight keeping her in place as he pinned her down.

"Good morning," he said- his voice was gruff, thick with sleep, the undercurrent of it though was electrifyingly potent with the things he'd like to do to her.

He nudged her legs to spread further apart and she was only too happy to oblige. His teasing voice when he turned towards her with a feral gleam in his eyes. She could practically hear the naughty suggestions that he was dying to feed her- all those fantasies he had; and of those, she was all-too-ready to indulge in.

"Look at you," he teased, his voice a dark whisper rising between her legs as he resumed thumbing at her clit. Just the sound of his voice was enough to send a dark thrill racing through her body that had her shuddering and impossibly wet down there. She bucked her hips- grinding herself desperately against his curling fingers.

Anything, she would do anything for him to continue what he was doing to her only deeper and faster- replace it with something thicker than the width of his three fingers if he would be so kind to oblige.

She whimpered, pressing her hand to her mouth valiantly to hold back her moans, earning a dark, throaty chuckle from him instead.

"I've only started using my fingers and you're already shaking."

She couldn't help it.

He was lightning, where his mouth dipped and soothed, where his fingers drove at- her body's reaction was instantaneous and she couldn't control it any more than one could bottle lightning. It was early- too early for her to have any sort of immunity against him and his sensual assault. She keened- her body wound so tight that she was on the verge of begging and he kept her there- hovering on the very edge of ecstasy while he kept his pace.

She fisted the bedsheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

It took so much of her willpower, fighting against the mindless bliss his digits were coaxing out of her to grit out just one word.

"P-Please."

A weaker woman in her position would have screamed from the frustration of it all. It wasn't right to tease her when she had been nothing but supportive of him and now all she wanted to do was come apart under him. Was that too much to ask for?

"Patience is a virtue-" he was smirking against her skin when he withdrew his fingers. She mewled; raking her fingers down his back, lips scowling- voicing her protests with her actions as he leaned back to observe his handiwork. She would have done more if her eyes hadn't seen the way the throbbing length between his legs was standing to attention in the light of the day- stiff and leaking at the tip.

Her mouth went dry and she reluctantly kept still- well as still as she could before he found the compassion in him to drape himself over her.

He caged her body in between his arms, swiping lovingly at her lower lip with his stained fingers.

Wasn't it a pity that the world would never get to see this side of Rukia Kuchiki- in bed, debauched, unhinged, wild and almost desperate with the way she kept trying to grind herself against his cock?

Wasn't it just the loveliest thing in the world to see her covered in the colour of his love, his marks seared so deeply upon her skin that they become part of her, a proud medal of honour with the way his angry red teeth mark circled her breasts and collarbone?

Ichigo pressed his fingers still coated with her against her lips, growling approvingly as she took them into her mouth, sucking and licking them clean before releasing them with a loud 'plop'. She was close- he could feel it as he looked into her eyes, noting the deep, burning swirl of arousal.

His gaze trailed low and his fingers followed, darting past the collarbone marked with his lingering love bites and her twin peaks until they reached the lacy hem of her nightgown, pushed up to reveal her dusky-tipped nipples.

He yanked at it.

"Take this off!"

Her body was thrumming, jumping to action with every order that he gave her. For her alacrity she was rewarded with hungry kisses and a dip of his cock just past her nether lips, shallow enough to make her gasp but not nearly enough to keep her satisfied.

Hazy desires made her wrap her legs around him, digging her heels hard into his back when he wouldn't sheath himself in all the way.

More.

She was so desperate for more.

"Touch yourself."

"N-Ngghhh-" she reached down with her hands, tweaking at her nipples and trying desperately to pump herself despite knowing full well that her fingers were nowhere as thick as his, not nearly enough to fill the void and assuage her hollow ache. She was dying- her body was shaking and practically convulsing with the way he was denying her pleasure –

She screamed.

He slammed himself into her, driving at a pace that was hard, unforgiving and downright animalistic as he gave into lust. She watched in stunned silence as he reached for her legs, draping them over his broad shoulders as though they belonged there. Her flexibility rivaled that of a world-class gymnast as he folded her knees up until they almost touched her ears.

His name stumbled forth from her lips in broken syllables, sweeter and infinitely more intimate than anything he's ever heard before and he kept his grip around her a little tighter.

She moaned- overwhelmed with all the sensation flooding her senses.

It felt so good.

She couldn't think. With every breath she took he drew a little bit more of it away with the way his thrusts seem to hit her at just the right angle. She was so agonizingly close. Sweat gathered at the back of her knees, making his grasp slippery but it didn't seem to faze him with the way his hips were still steadily grounding against hers, the desperation for orgasm flooding her lungs while she fisted at his hair.

Fuck!

XXX

The walls of her pussy suddenly clenched and he watched in breathless reverence as she fell apart. Her head was thrown back, and she stared up at him- wide-eyed and slack-jawed as every part of her body seized and trembled.

The full force of her orgasm hit her and for fleeting moment, her world was a blur of visions, smudges of colour and the only one thought permeating through her consciousness was him. Her hands sought his face, her cries silenced when he fused his mouth to hers, desperately moving against her as he chased his own high.

Her walls kept tightening around him, the pressure building and building with nowhere to go- his movement now frantic and wild as he spiraled out of control, alternating between bucking his hips against hers and cursing like a mad man.

Then his eyes met hers and he irrevocably lost control-

His spent spilled into her, making her gasp as the sticky fluid trickled. A mixture of them ran down the side of her inner thigh and then staining the bed as he edged himself out of her. She cried out- unhappy at the lack of contact, still hungry for him but placated when sweaty palms gripped her tight.

Still recovering from his high, he was almost breathless as he pulled her closer towards him, moving to lie on his side, covering her in lazy kisses wherever his mouth could reach.

Rukia felt boneless in his arms, drew meaningless circles on his cooling skin as they both basked in the afterglow. She almost drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of his beating heart when he spoke.

"Work sucked."

She snorted.

"If this is your idea of pillow talk we really need to up your game," she flashed him a wry grin, inching her way forward to rest her chin on his chest. She sighed, "Such a shame after that amazing wake up call."

His chuckling response to that was followed by him nuzzling his face against hers, blowing hot air at her until she was shrieking from laughter at the tickling sensation.

"You're the highlight of my day, you know?"

Her throat tightened- a strange fluttering at the pit of her stomach as she let herself curl by his side, the weight of his hand draped across her middle.

"I love you too," she whispered.

He reached over to press a kiss to the crown of her hair and told her to sleep.

XXX

Third time- the third time's the charm.

And by the time Rukia finally decided to start her day the midday Sun was already breaking through the open blinds. His side of the bed was still warm as she reluctantly pulled herself up from bed when she recognized his voice coming from the kitchen.

From the pile of discarded clothing on the floor, she managed to fish out her boyfriend's T-shirt from earlier in the morning, foregoing the bra and panties as she hurriedly dressed herself and padded over to the kitchen- the smell of sizzling bacon and egg guiding the way.

Sunlight was streaming in through the open windows as she stood transfixed. She chuckled, leaning against the door frame of her bedroom as she watched him bustling away in the kitchen. The love of her life dressed in his boxers, flipping eggs like a pro and singing very off-key to the song on the radio.

It was an old classic and she hardly recognized the lyrics with the horrible way he was butchering the falsetto but her face was hurting so much from smiling.

It'll be all right... When the morning comes…

XXX

She stood there arms akimbo, wondering how she had stumbled onto this perfect patch of heaven in her very own apartment. Home is where the heart is and her heart- her heart is with this man.

"I think I'm ready."

Her voice was enough to jolt him out from whatever singing spell he had been placed under.

"Oh that's great, babe," he smiled, and without skipping a beat, flipped the sunny-side up over, "Ready for what?"

The man was obviously confused as he regarded her with puzzlement, turning off the stove as he served breakfast.

"You are not going to make me say it, are you?"

"Say what?"

She growled. She loved him to death but this man- he could really kill the mood. Worse still, he better not be playing dumb to make fun of her.

"You can't be serious," she rolled her eyes.

"Rukia as much as I love you, you're going to have to be more specific because I have no idea what you're trying to sa-"

"Damn it Ichigo! I want you to propose to me!"

Oh!

XXX

She watched as his eyes lit up- the proverbial light bulb moment for him as he mulled over the information he just received. She could literally hear the cogs in his brain turning.

And then-

"Oh shit! Babe, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. Please- I'm just too tired. My head's not screwed on right right now. Please- give me a second-" he ran his hand through his messy hair-"I-I, Right the ring- where is the ring?"

He ran into the bedroom and she could hear the sound of drawers being forced open.

"Fuck!"

She winced. He must have stubbed his big toe against the armoire. Again.

It was stupid because the ring wasn't even near the armoire. She knew because he kept it in the sock drawer of all place.

The woman was just debating whether or not she should cut him some slack and help him out when Ichigo re-emerged, panting and looking way out breath than necessary in the confines of their apartment but was nonetheless present- bright-eyed and eager.

Rukia reminded herself to keep breathing as he got down on one knee for her- ring at hand.

"Rukia, moon of my life, I love you. Two years ago I never thought this would be possible. Part of me still doesn't believe that I'm here with you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me- my rock, my person, my everything," he breathed, "I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you, bantering with you and making you happy. Please marry me?"

"Yes!"

It was a perfect fit- the way the diamond sparkled with promise as though fueled by the love he had for her. Tears streamed down her face- this man, she loved him so much and now –

He was hers. This beautiful, gorgeous, hopelessly clueless man was hers and she could hardly even breathe as her brain tried to process it all.

She launched herself at him and he caught her, spinning her in his arms before he kissed her on the lips. She deepened the kiss; wrapping her legs tight around him and feeling so deliriously happy as her arms wound themselves around his shoulder, drawing him in closer, her body reluctant to even be apart from him for even a second.

He breathed her in deeply as he struggled with the task at hand. Rukia was a handful- literally and figuratively-speaking, a force of nature as she slanted her mouth against his and grabbed at his ass. He groaned. His hands were trying to be everywhere at once, first cradling the back of her head to meet her kisses fully, then tugging the collar of the shirt down to expose more of her shoulder to rain down more kisses there, before pushing up the bottom of the same garment for better access and make sure she didn't slip.

Dimly she was aware of being carried into the bedroom- limbs being spread apart, arms held above her head and body being laid open on her bed once again as her fiancé eagerly worked his way down her throat.

She looked good in his clothes. He wasn't going to lie, the idea of her dressed in something of his filled a deep possessive need – but to be perfectly honest, he liked it better when there was nothing on her. And that shirt looked much better on the floor than it ever did on her.

His gaze was dark and spoke too much, too honestly of his desire for her. She gulped as the shirt finally came off and she was left exposed under him.

"What about breakfast?"

"Fraulein," he was practically purring as he slicked his thumb in her wet slit, beautiful dark eyes gleaming like stars on a pitch black sky, "are you offering?"

Her breath hitched when his face dipped low, planting kisses on her inner thigh and hovering just above her pearled flesh with his voice huskier than normal.

"Because you look good enough to eat."

He delved in- tongue first, sloppy wet noises as he licked, teased and slurped.

Through the haze, Rukia thought to herself- maybe if she held on hard enough, kissed Ichigo hard enough, let his body sink into hers- deeper, slicker and stronger; maybe the imprint of his soul will stay on hers. The heiress was not superstitious, didn't even have a clear religious belief even but a part of her wanted to believe in the possibilities of a world that comes after, of lifetimes that will come after this short stint in life on this blue planet.

She wanted to think that there is a possibility of a them, of constancy in the cosmic universe, wanted to believe that there is a them connected by something both intangible yet simple, to find each other lifetimes apart from now because his soul knew hers.

And no matter the distance, time or space, they would find each other again.

Always.

XXX

They were going to be so happy together. She just knew they would.

End.

Hese's corner:

The last chapter is alternatively named the Three Ways to Wake Up on a Sunday Morning and/or Third Time's the Charm (because Rukia said yes to his third proposal). I couldn't decide on which one to open with so you lovely people get all three. ;)

I apologize for the technical issues going on. The way the chapters are arranged and how the reviews seemed to be referring to different chapters are all due to the fact that I added an earlier chapter so if you want to read that chapter please head over to chapter 9- otherwise please start from the beginning. XD