Chapter 3: Oooh, Shiny…
As the late Summer morning flowed into the afternoon, boxes which were once filled with possessions were gradually emptied, flattened, and laid to rest outside the door of Orihime's new home.
Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Orihime pulled out a decorative ceiling light shade from the 'Living/Dining Room' box. At the same time, Chad strolled in with a ladder tucked under one muscular arm.
"Thanks for finding a ladder so soon, Chad," Orihime said, smiling at the elegant light shade, "I really wanted to get this up before we called it a day."
Placing the ladder under the light fixture, Chad looked around at how quickly her new place was coming together. 'I don't know how Orihime thought she could get this done by afternoon all alone,' he thought shaking his head, 'but Orihime is Orihime'. He looked over at the petite woman in front of him, staring at how the light caught on the lamp shade made dazzling shapes dance over her lovely face. Feeling his gaze on her, Orihime put a hand to her face.
"What is it? Did I get dirt on me again?" she asked, wiping at her cheek.
"No," Chad said quietly, "It's just amazing what you can do when you're motivated, Inoue."
"Hee hee, yes, well," Orihime said, blushing slightly, "when I have great people supporting me, it's not that hard."
She lightly squeezed his elbow to emphasize her statement as she moved around him to make her way up the ladder. Chad gripped the ladder steady as she went up, reveling in the slight tingle her small fingers left on his skin.
Long ago Chad had admitted to himself that his feelings for his small, curvaceous companion had taken a romantic turn. Unlike most of the guys from his graduating class who drooled over Orihime's exceptional 'blessings', it was what was beyond the flesh that made her stand out. She smiled even when her heart was breaking, was courageous even when cloaked in fear, and loyal past comprehension. Though Chad had always been aware of these wonderful traits, it was when they began to actively seek out the other's company outside campus (and the occasional world-saving battle) that he saw her with new eyes. Orihime's open kindness and free-spirited silliness pulled Chad out of his usually stoic shell, which he'd never thought possible. His large heart would swell when he could make her smile and laugh, or when her sparkling eyes were glued to him the few times he felt like having a full-blown conversation. Letting his eyes quickly glance over Orihime's modestly covered curves, Chad also had to admit he enjoyed what was becoming increasingly frequent 'buddy snuggles' after all-night study sessions.
"Oh pastries!" exclaimed Orihime, snapping Chad to attention.
"I could do that for you, if you'd like," Chad suggested as Orihime continued to struggle with putting up the ceiling fixture, "You already did so much getting everything here."
"Aw, it's alright," she replied, biting her lip with the effort, "I should be the one to put this up. I bought it with my brother when we moved into my old apartment, so it just feels right to do it myself."
Aargh!" she hissed, coming down the ladder with the light shade, "I think we'll need to nail an attachment up *sigh* and this silly hoodie is getting in my way."
Before Chad could reiterate his suggestion to help with the fixture, he was stopped cold when Orihime flung off her hoodie, revealing a figure-squeezing, belly showing white tank top which battled to keep her plentiful chest in check. But it wasn't just this fabulous display of curves that made Chad death-grip the ladder until it creaked under the pressure.
"O-Ori-Orihime, when did you---?" Chad swallowed audibly as he stared almost longingly.
"Huh? When did I what?" she asked. Seeing Chad's wide-eyed stare, she followed his gaze to her smooth, flat stomach.
"Oh! This?"
Slightly lifting the tank top, Orihime ran her fingers over what she considered her best decision since replacing ketchup for salsa in her custard…
…Her belly-button piercing.
The top sphere was a simple, yet brilliant sterling silver. The small ornamental jewel which delicately sat within the nest of her perforated belly button was a 6-petaled flower made of ice-blue crystal, obviously picked to match her hairpins.
Orihime smiled widely at it like a proud mother, but her smile disappeared when she saw Chad's shocked stare.
"U-um, it's a long story. Er, not really," she said, bashfully rubbing the back of her head, "Tatsuki and I went to get it done before she left for her tour. We'd talked about getting piercings after high school, but never got around to it until they announced she was picked for the team."
"Y-you don't like it, do you? I mean I know it's a little extreme, but—Chad, are you alright?"
Hearing her concerned voice, Chad quickly snapped his eyes back to her face.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he breathed, wiping the sweat off his forehead, "It's just a little hotter than usual today."
"It can't be that hot, the sun is practically gone. Are you sure Chad? Maybe we should stop for today. I can always put up the light shade tomorrow," Orihime said, reaching out to feel his forehead for a fever.
Seeing her reach for him, Chad backed away towards the door like she would set him on fire.
"NO!" he involuntarily hollered, "I mean, no, it's okay. I p-promised to help, and I-I will. L-let me just see if I have a hammer and nails."
Before Orihime could say anything, Chad was out the door, leaving her hand hanging in mid-air. Her hand slowly dropped, with her heart following suit.
'He must really, really hate it,' she thought sadly as she stroked at the small jewel, 'He's so gentle and serious, I guess it makes sense why he might find girls with body piercings a little over-the-top. I think I screwed up…'
Rubbing her head and huffing in frustration, Orihime decided to go back up the ladder to try the ceiling fixture by herself, pretty sure that Chad wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Chad was leaning against his side of the wall dividing their apartments, trying to control his breathing and will away the ever-growing heat flashing through his body.
"A belly piercing," Chad murmured, "Of all things, it had to be a belly piercing."
'And of all the people, it had to be on Orihime…' he thought, allowing the back of his head to connect audibly with the wall to jar images of her ordained skin out of his skull.
Chad knew his reaction left Orihime thinking that he found the piercing apalling. But on the contrary, he liked her belly piercing. He LOVED her belly piercing. ALL belly piercings, to be specific.
Then again, why wouldn't he? Wasn't that the idea of a secret fetish? To be engulfed to a point not considered normal if images of soft, jeweled bodies left him waking up gasping for breath, drenched in sweat with a boner so serious that Google Maps would confuse it with the Eiffel Tower. For reasons Chad couldn't quite explain, he saw a woman's belly button as the tiniest of previews of what could be discovered further below. But there was something about an ornately decorated mid-section that was like a sexy road-sign screaming 'Southward Bound.' And for more unexplainable reasons, that sent his usually dormant sex drive sky-rocketing.
Chad slid down to a sitting position, and put his large head in his hands. He couldn't dare go back into Orihime's apartment if he was going to end up salivating all over her because of her piercing. If he had not escaped her reaching hand, it would have been all over for him. The thought of down-grading his smart, caring, beautiful friend to a mere sexual object sickened Chad to no end. Perhaps he would call her mobile phone and tell her he wasn't feeling so well after all, maybe tomorrow would be—
"Aargh! Come on you silly screw!"
The muffled holler of Orihime through the wall told him she was trying to work out the light again by herself. Suddenly, he was rocked with guilt and shame. Here he was, the tall, powerful Chad Yasutora, who was always ready to come to anyone's aid despite obvious danger, couldn't do it now because his pathetic hormones were put into hyper-drive over some fancy body-bling. How ashamed his Grandfather would be of him.
Pounding a fist into the floor, Chad shot up off the floor and strolled over to his closet. Pulling out his toolbox, he turned on his heel and quickly made his way next door. With a final long breathe he entered her apartment, to find her up the ladder attempting to remove screws from the protective socket plate. His initial nervousness was replaced by concern as he watched her teeter back and forth on the ladder.
"Orihime, I don't think that's a good idea," Chad warned.
With a surprised squeak from hearing the deep rumblings of Chad's voice, Orihime swung her head around to look at him. The sudden movement caused the ladder to wobble, lean onto two legs, then one. And as Chad watched in horror, the ladder pitched forward, taking Orihime along for what looked to be a short painful ride…
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*Sorry this chapter showed up a little late. Something about Mondays that get you too busy for anything else. So as to not give anyone false hope, I'm going to say the next chapter will be up in a couple days.
Now that you've discovered Chad's slightly strange delight, Ch. 4 should promise some…well, keep reading and find out, yes?*
Cheers! FQ