This fic has turned oddly sweet (for me at least). More than I expected tbh. However, things are about to go downhill. Not in this chapter, maybe not even in the next but be prepared *dramatic background music* About Shiro's past… You will all have to wait until the last chapters of this fic to know. I'm evil yes, but I want to keep this spiced until the very end. Try and guess what happened between him and his stepbrother. It's always fun to see the different theories people have.

Thanks again to the wonderful yaoiloverXD for beta this chapter. It's great to have someone help me with this (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, Shiro would definitely appear more often :(

Shiro's POV

I was glad it was Monday for once because I finally got to see Ichigo again. I mean… Who doesn't hate Mondays? I guess seeing him makes a Monday brighter. I had the urge to slap myself at those thoughts. It isn't like me to act like that at all. If Shirosaki Ogichi ever started acting like a girl it would be the end of the world. I'm not joking there, I mean it. However, Ichigo woke up this lovey-dovey side of me I didn't even know I had. I was starting to be seriously worried about my mental health -not that I was completely sane to start with.

I was bringing Ichigo lunch like always. He needed to stop eating like a bird and start eating like a normal person. I was surprised that he was sitting by someone that day. Wasn't she the red haired girl from the café?

"I didn't know we go to the same school!" She chirped happily, her eyes shinning behind her glasses. "I knew I had seen your hair somewhere! Is your boyfriend around here too?"

I couldn't see Ichigo's face from where I was standing but I was sure it was as red as it could get. I resisted the urge to smirk widely and appear behind him saying something like 'you called me?' I wasn't sure about what our relationship status was. Friends? More than friends? That one works if we were going to go in a date. I really wanted to make him mine (possessive much?) And the first step was to make sure he was safe. I needed to find out who hurt him. I already knew he had hurt himself yet he seemed clean since that time I found him passed out on the road. Ever since that night I hadn't seen new bruises on him. My first suspicions were on his father. I mean I was not saying he was the one hurting Ichigo but Urahara-san had the same theory, and believe me, that man is more than smart.

I had reached them and the red haired was talking about how beautiful boy's love is. I like this girl. I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence. Ichigo turned his head towards me and gave me a small smile while the girl grinned widely.

"Yo" I said as I grinned back. The red haired stood up and brushed the dirt off her uniform's skirt.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're here! Now you can keep Ichigo-chan company while I go see Orihime!" She blushed as she mentioned the last name, her hands going to her cheeks. Seriously, what was up with that girl? "I'm Honsho Chizuru by the way!" She giggled and then ran off while yelling that she had smelled her sweet Orihime around.

I blinked as I saw her ran towards the poor Orihime and grope her chest like it was the most natural thing to do to a friend. I ignored the strange scene of both red haired girls and sat next to Ichigo handing him the lunch I bought. He threw me an angry look but I shrugged it off. He was always so mad that I kept buying him lunch but he ended eating it anyway.

Ichigo pulled his familiar notebook out of his backpack and scribbled.

'How can I repay you for all the times you buy me lunch? Even if you didn't need to.' A grin spread out across my face and I swear I saw him blush for a few seconds. To further tease him, I leaned over him, our shoulders bumping while my lips were ghosting over the sensitive skin of his ear.

"I know very well how ya' can repay me…" I said under my breath making my voice sound sultry on purpose. I saw him shudder and I had to contain the laughter that was bubbling in my stomach. Then I broke away and he gasped. Why? I didn't know. He looked disappointed as if he rather liked it more if I was very close to him. As much as I loved to tease him, we were still in school, which annoyed me to no end because at that moment I only wanted to kiss him stupid. "What 'bout another song? Last one was so great." I chuckled.

Ichigo was red in the face and even his ears too. What kind of things might have been in that little innocent mind of his? I wish I could know. He was frowning deeply as if to appear to be annoyed but with the blush it completely had the contrary effect and made him look cuter more than angry.

"Why do ya' look so disappointed, Ichigo?" He turned his head to the other side, his arms crossed above his chest. He snorted. This guy it's going be the end of me… I leaned over him yet again and I quickly licked the shell of his ear. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Could his face get any redder? He has been always so fun to tease.

He turned his head abruptly towards me with his mouth wide open as if he was going to scold me. Obviously he didn't. He rather stared at me with this angry-cute expression that made me want to do that again. With a quiet groan, he continued to eat his lunch in silence as I did with mine. I was used to it of course but for once I had nothing to say. Usually I would have a 'one sided' conversation where Ichigo would only nod or shake his head. Sometimes I wonder if he listened to every thing I said. It was hard to tell when he only answers with a simple movement of his head. Suddenly, something came to my mind and I had to ask. It was important.

"Ichigo, what's your favourite food? Apart from chocolate of course." He seemed to think about it for a moment, a finger tapping on his chin. Then he wrote down his answer.

'Curry.'

From sweet chocolate to spicy hot curry. Wow, that sounded so like him. One moment he could be sweet and be like a firecracker the next one. Not that I had seen him angry much by that time but he is fire himself. I guess when I met him he was a little… cooled off by everything that was happening to him.

"Anything else?" He chuckled and answered that he liked pizza and all that junk food most teens like. Me included. If they weren't so damn unhealthy I wouldn't eat another thing.

Ichigo threw me a knowing smirk as if he knew why I was asking these questions. And fuck he did. 'Problems with our date place?' He wrote. I smirked back.

"No, what makes ya' think that?"

'You are such a bad liar Shiro.' I rubbed the back of my neck as I clicked my tongue. Busted. 'Anywhere is fine if it's with you silly.'

"Even to a graveyard?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and he sighed while rolling his eyes. Still, he chuckled.

'Damn your jokes suck.'

x.x.x.x

Ichigo's POV

Chizuru had taken a like to scare the shit out of me by appearing out of nowhere and hugging me from behind. At first I found it oddly strange until I saw she does the same with everyone she likes. She is one of a kind, that's for sure. I had even yelped in surprise quite a few times which surprised some students as well. The mute kid making sounds must have been a sight to see… or rather to hear.

Shiro and I visited the café where she worked more often (I can't stop eating their three chocolate cake) and she would continue fangirling over us. It was weird for us to be labelled as boyfriends but the more she said it, the more we grew accustomed to it. I had this happy feeling inside my chest that got me in a really good mood. Not even my dad's weird changes of behaviour could ruin it. That night we were chatting on Skype and it was a pleasant talk as always. Shiro is a box of surprises. He has never ceased to amaze me. He was excited, apparently, about a marathon of Doctor Who. I had heard of it, of course, but as everyone can guess my life hadn't been exactly easy. I almost had no time to do things like watch series. Shirosaki seemed very passionate about it though.

We could watch it together! He had typed. I could almost imagine his wide grin and the excited glint in his golden irises as he said this. I answered back that it would be a pleasure. I was curious, not only because of what he had told me about the series, but because I liked to share doing something so mundane like watching TV together with Shiro. For me it was an overexciting feeling. With that and the date day coming closer I felt as if I was living an early Christmas.

If I had to explain how Shiro changed my vision of the world I would say that after mom's death I saw everything in black and white. When he came in, little by little everything started recovering its colours. It was quite ironic to say the least. I mean in appearance Shiro is completely white himself –I wasn't complaining, I find him utterly breathtaking.

So there I sat in front of my laptop smiling like an idiot as my boyfriend typed about his favourite series. Even while chatting I wasn't really talkative, habits die hard I guess but Shiro didn't seem to mind. In fact, he confessed once that he preferred my silence sometimes. He tried to correct himself afterwards, though I wasn't mad, saying it was nice to be able to be himself without being judged. I called him an idiot. Well… Wrote it for him in big capital letters. I wasted a page for it. Even if I could talk I would not judge him. Hell, I'm in no position to judge. My hair is orange and I was psychologically mute for god's sake. People seemed to accept it harder than if I were physically unable to talk. Strange how that works.

Shiro: Excited?

Ichigo: bout what?

Shiro: Tomorrow's date.

Ichigo: Why else would I still be up this late?

Shiro: lol Same.

I chuckled. It was past midnight and I couldn't sleep. At some point my dad had came in, oddly enough I was already feeling calmer around him, and asked me why I was still up. I didn't have to explain, he instantly launched himself over me yelling that I shouldn't be so nervous about my date. My immediate thoughts were, one: I'm sure he had wakened the neighbours up, and two: Was I so transparent? I needed to grab a hold of myself or I wouldn't be able to face Shiro the next day. He kissed my cheek goodnight as I tried to pry him off of me. God he was always so persistent no matter what mood he was in. As he closed the door I felt the hairs in my skin stand. I wasn't sure if my stomach was churning because I was nervous about the date or because something bad was about to happen… This made me feel tired out of a sudden, all traces of excitement gone in an instant.

I typed some things to Shiro before telling him good night which he answered back before I turned off my laptop. I lay down on my bed and I hugged my pillow. I prayed to the gods up there that I was wrong about what I was feeling.

x.x.x.x

I ran around the house like a chicken without its head. I had suddenly lost the purple tie I was supposed to be wearing and at the end it was in my dad's wardrobe. He had accidentally confused it as one of his. I don't wear ties everyday and he completely forgot. So much for reminding me every day how many days, hours and minutes were left until my date. It was annoying. My hair was untameable as always which was infuriating me. Not even a ridiculous amount of hair gel could keep it down. I ran my hands through it making it stand in its natural position. I'm sure Shiro wouldn't mind. I glanced at the hour in my way back to my room from the bathroom and I panicked. Fuck, I was already running late! As fast as I could, I grabbed my wallet, my phone, my keys and my coat, and ran downstairs. I waved goodbye to my dad as he yelled back something that sounded like 'good luck' as I closed the door behind me. I was supposed to meet Shiro in front of Urahara's shop in ten minutes. If I walked fast enough I would make it in time.

I managed to arrive three minutes early and I didn't even know how I made it. Urahara was smoking outside the shop and saw me coming from afar with a grin on his face.

"You are so well dressed today Kurosaki-kun. Where are you going?" I explained the date thing to him and he made this surprised face before grinning like a mad man. "I didn't think you two would take it as far as dating but I knew there was something special between Shiro and you."

"Ichigo!" I turned around and smiled as I saw Shiro coming our way. He seemed a little out of breath. He looked like he had been running late too… I chuckled. "I hope ya' haven't been waitin' for too long."

"Don't worry Shirosaki-san. Ichigo had just arrived." I nodded to confirm it. Shiro sighed, relieved.

When he recovered his breath, we were ready to go. I was about to tell Urahara goodbye when he told me something first with this hands. I felt my cheeks heat up while I punched the man in the gut. I didn't need him to tell me those kind of things! Geez…! Shiro seemed confused about the display but I had no intention of explaining it, nor did Urahara. Shiro snorted muttering something about not being able to understand sign language that far yet. Better for me. That would have been extremely embarrassing if he had understood.

I was old enough to know I had to use protection for sex, god damn it.