Chapter 4: Taste

"Aargh! Come on you silly screw!"

Orihime wrenched the screwdriver again, trying to get an exceptionally stubborn screw out of the socket plate. With a defeated huff, she brought her aching arm down to her side.

'I'm definitely not going to get this done by dusk on my own,' Orihime thought hopelessly. She looked back at the empty doorway that Chad had disappeared through twenty minutes earlier.

*sigh* 'But, I guess that's how it's going to be, huh?' she thought bitterly, her anger rising.

Tightening her grip on the screwdriver in irritation, Orihime began mumbling under her breathe as she went back for Round 2 against the socket plate.

"Well, if that's how it is, I don't care. I know a piercing might be a big leap for me, but it's not some huge taboo."

Orihime pulled at the loosening screw, unaware of how it caused the ladder to wobble.

"I mean, go ahead and be uptight about it, but you just run out an ditch me when I need your help? Help YOU offered?"

Another forceful yank and the ladder scooted half a centimeter.

"Just because I got some body jewelry, doesn't mean I'm going to join a biker gang, or try to sleep with half the university, or-"

"Orihime, I don't think that's a good idea."

Unaware of his entrance through her growing annoyance, she 'eeped' and turned at the sudden sound of Chad's voice. Relief swept over her face at seeing who it was, but it was quickly replaced by horror when she felt the ladder lean onto its two front legs, then one. Her large frightened hazel gaze caught the mirror reflection of the same emotion in Chad's eyes as she felt gravity drag her towards the floor.

"ORIHIME!"

Everything felt like slow motion as Chad dropped his toolbox with a clatter. Orihime reached up instinctively, catching a ceiling beam with the tips of two fingers. Unfortunately, they both saw the ladder was already on its way down and without its support she would follow despite the beam.

'I'm not going to make it,' Orihime thought, squeezing her eyes in preparation for the downward rush and inevitable impact…

Which never came.

After what seemed forever, Orihime opened one eye, then the other. She looked up to find her two fingers still gripping the beam and felt the ladder under her feet, though still wobbly. She flexed her other hand, just to feel the warm, solid mass she was gripping tighten in response. Finally she looked down into two brown eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright?" Chad asked breathlessly, watching Orihime's eyes for any sign of discomfort or injury.

His massive hands were wrapped around her small waist, his biceps slightly flexed as he held Orihime perfectly at the almost 45 degree angle he had caught her in. The ladder rested on his powerful chest in the same position. Slowly, he lifted Orihime back into a standing position on the ladder, maintaining his firm hold on her waist.

"Y-yea. I'm okay," Orihime said shakily, still holding onto his shoulder.

Chad breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to think of what would have happened if he had been only a half second late. But, relief soon gave way to guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Orihime," he apologized quietly, his hair shielding his eyes.

"If I hadn't taken so long to come back, you wouldn't... I want to explain, but I couldn't forgive myself if you--"

Suddenly, he felt small, delicate hands encircle his neck and pull him close into an awkward, but comforting, cheek-to-stomach hug. At first surprised, Chad relaxed into the soft warmth of her skin, feeling his doubts ebb away with every thump of Orihime's heart. Slowly, he moved his hands to the small of her back to deepen the embrace.

"It's okay, Chad," she said sweetly, " I'm just glad that you're here at all."

Chad smiled, his big heart exploding with the honor of having such a caring and forgiving friend. But all platonic feelings flew out of the window when he felt the tinge of cold metal on his cheek. Hesitantly, he lightly rubbed his cheek into her stomach, enjoying how the chilled sphere rolled against his skin. Slowly turning his head, Chad allowed his other cheek to revel in the prickly smoothness of the piercing. He wanted so desperately to stop these ministrations of flesh, but he couldn't pull himself away from how wonderful it felt.

"C-Chad?" Orihime asked breathlessly, clutching his shoulders.

Orihime watched as Chad slowly drew his face away from her mid-section, leaving an almost empty cold in its place. However, he didn't look up at her. This embrace had been a lot more intimate than any they had shared, but it couldn't explain why Chad was practically snuggling into her stomach. She began to release her hold on Chad's shoulders, but his firm, but soft, grip on her never let up. In fact, she felt him tense up and freeze, his face inches away from her belly button.

"Chad? Are you alright?" Orihime asked concerned, half for Chad and half for herself.

Hesitantly, she reached down to sweep away the locks of hair covering his eyes, causing him to look up at her. His usually soft, alert eyes were glazed over with a sleepy sensuality that made her heart stick in her throat.

"I'm sorry for this, Orihime," Chad said, his deep voice thick with pent-up longing.

Orihime's mouth was agape in shock as Chad pulled her stomach towards his face to assault her flesh with renewed energy. Her eyes fluttered open and shut as the vigorous rubs transformed into small, butterfly kisses concentrated around her belly button, leaving goose-bumps all over. Her eyes re-focused when she felt Chad pause, allowing his warm breathe to sweep across her flat stomach in gradually slowing gasps. Her brain felt like an ancient car engine as it attempted to turn back on, hoping it would be enough to bring her to full attention so she could stop this exquisite madness. But the electricity of Chad thrusting his large, warm tongue into her belly button prevented her from uttering a syllable of resistance.

Chad gripped Orihime's middle as he felt her body tense and her knees begin to give way. He softened his hold as she regained her legs, placing her hands on his shoulders for balance. He delicately licked and sucked on the small silver sphere, enjoying the sharp taste of the metal. His tongue grazed over the rounded edges of her crystal flower, then under as it dipped in to ravage her belly button. Orihime sighed deeply as Chad's massive, calloused hands massaged her back and squeezed the soft flesh of her waist. Allowing herself to drown in the pleasure Chad drew from her body, she began to run her fingers through the thick, brown sea of his hair.

The tingling sensation of her small, delicate fingers made Chad growl deep in his throat causing a whimpering moan to rise out of Orihime with the vibration. Every moral bone in Chad's body which screamed for him to stop was quickly replaced by a not-so-moral bone as she writhed against him, spiking his instinctive need to please her body.

"Chad," Orihime moaned, fisting handfuls of his wild locks in her hands.

And despite both their better judgment, Chad knew that she would let him. Chad tugged lightly at the top of Orihime's shorts and trailed kisses down her smooth abs to her upper hip. Orihime let her small hands slide under the neckline of his tank, reveling in the smooth tension of his neck and shoulder muscles as she sighed his name.

"Chad…Ch-Chad---"

"CHAD!!"

"AAAHHH!" Orihime screamed, grabbing an equally startled Chad in fear from the booming voice at the door.

"T-T-Ta-Tatsuki?! Wha?- You?-Home?," Orihime blurted as she saw the silhouette of her best friend in the doorway. But surprise turned to horror when they saw Tatsuki take her well-known attack stance.

Feeling the ominous air surrounding Tatsuki, Chad slowly backed away from Orihime.

"Tatsuki-san, it's not as it seems," Chad said, his hands up in surrender.

"Grrrr-YASUTORA! YOU PERVERT!!" Tatsuki hollered, bowling towards him at break-neck speed.

Chad could have easily side-stepped Tatsuki's expected kick to his head, then blocked the back-handed punch that would most likely follow, and maybe flash through the door to his apartment to wait out the storm. But he brought his hands down to his sides and stood steady to take the attack. He looked at Orihime, knowing that what he had allowed himself to do to her merited a lot more than what Tatsuki was about to dish out.

The last thing Chad saw before he was dropped by Tatsuki's championship winning round-house kick was Orihime's big, beautiful eyes wide in horror…then the floor…

"Orihime. Forgive me."

Then nothing.

I apologize vehemently for not updating this as soon as I could. A lot of things got in the way this past week, and it's been madness!

But the final chapter is going to be up by Saturday evening, I promise. And if not, I'll post my address and all of you can come out and thoroughly whoop my behind!

Cheers, FQ