Standard disclaimer applies.
Author's notes: Wow, it hasn't been a week yet and I'm updating! Ehehe, didn't mention it last time, but at last I graduated from high school! AND that means I'll have more time to update.Don't you like my graduate self? xD This one-shot needs a better title, but for the life of me I couldn't think of anything. Anyway, read and review if you like! Thank you for your time :3
Cold
22.09.2005
Karakura city was a good place to live in, with its large parks and green fields, its schools and hospitals, and the wide variety of market stores as well as the small mall and the old museum by the train station. People were usually friendly, and though it wasn't like everyone in town would go greeting each other along the streets, there was still an ambiance of hospitality around the air. Yes, it was a very nice city.
But the same couldn't be said of its extreme weather. When it was hot, it was hot; and when it was cold, hell it was freezing cold. Just like tonight, as Rukia had confirmed herself. It had started snowing earlier that day, during mid-afternoon, and it hadn't stopped since. Surely, Ichigo would have a lot of work shoveling snow from the clinic's entrance next morning, the raven-haired woman thought with a snicker. But, ah, she'd think about that tomorrow.
"Goodnight," she said quietly as she saw the aforementioned boy switching the lights off and then walking back to his bed.
Ichigo jumped inside and pulled over the blankets. "Night, Rukia," he said at last, while throwing her an uncertain look at her. "You sure you're not cold?" he asked just as she was about to slide the closet door.
She adjusted her eyes to the darkness and saw him sitting in his bed. She shrugged nonchalantly. "I told you already, I'm not cold."
"But it's kinda chilly in here," he repeated stubbornly. "I can go downstairs and get you an extra blanket if you want now."
"No, thank you," she insisted and was already starting to ignore him.
"Rukia," he pressed, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration, "I won't go downstairs later, you hear me?"
"Ichigo, I'm fine! Geez…" She turned to glare at him, though through the darkness she wasn't positive that he had seen it. "Thanks, but no thanks. Just shut it already and go to sleep."
"Bah! Do whatever you want to then!" he said grumpily, and turned over his side and his back now facing her. He settled himself inside the covers until, causing his voice to sound muffled when he spoke then. "Seriously, Rukia, don't even try to wake me up in the middle of the night. I won't get you anything and I won't care if you freeze to death."
"Isn't that ironic?" she mocked, sliding the door shut. "Goodnight." And she plopped on her make-shift bed. She heard a grunt on the other side and then everything went silent.
-
Rukia stared up at the dark closet ceiling while quietly thinking to herself. Unconsciously, she gripped the cell phone in her hand. It wasn't good, she knew, having to go on with these half-slept nights, but in her current state she couldn't help having the need to feel alert even in her sleep. Gulping quietly, she felt her body shiver. Her gigai wasn't working properly again, damn. She curled up into a small ball and tucked herself with the blue sheet.
She heard Ichigo toss in his bed and strange muffles that sounded like Kon being thrown against the wall. She snickered slightly. The living, stuffed toy always wanted to take over the bed, but in the end he slept on the corner of the room every night after failing to dodge the many punches from a half-asleep Ichigo.
-
"Ichigo?" she nudged him a little, "Ichigo, wake up." He grumbled and attempted to turn over but she gripped his collar. "ICHIGO, I said to wake up!" she insisted until she saw his eyes open in alarm.
The boy blinked once, twice, his eyes squinting in the darkness to focus on her face. "Ru-rukia? What the hell?" he stuttered.
"I'm cold."
"What!" He yelped, and Rukia was pretty sure that his mouth was gapping.
"I. am. cold." She repeated, emphasizing every word.
He snorted at her and pulled his blanket up to his chin. "I told you I wouldn't care. I won't get you anything."
"But Ichigo!" The black-haired girl pulled his blanket, but the boy pulled it back and they began struggling for it.
"No!" Ichigo exclaimed, frustrated and panting after the struggle. "I asked you before if you wanted a damned blanket or something because I knew this would happen. But noooo, you had to be the proud bitch that you are and said no, right? Now live with it!" He said, facing the wall.
Rukia smirked despite the cold, and slipped her small hands under his shirt. He almost fell from the bed as he screamed, completely awake now. The tiny orange hairs of the back of his neck rose. "Whaa..! That's freezing, you bitch!"
"You believe me now?" she asked, rubbing her thumbs together. "Or will you live on knowing that a girl died frozen because of your negligence?"
He sighed, raised the covers, and inched to his right. "Get in," he said, motioning to the space in his bed. An order. "I said to get in. Do it, now."
"What!" She was the one screaming in surprise now. "But… but…"
"Listen, I won't get out of this bed, at 3 AM may I add," he said, glancing at the clock on his nightstand, "because it's freaking cold outside and because my dad keeps the blankets and stuff in his closet. And believe me, I do not like the idea of messing around with a half-asleep bastard who has the guts to kick me even when he's floating on the tenth cloud."
"But… but…"
"Besides, I don't think a blanket would do, you're a block of ice already." He reasoned. "And hey, it's not like I'm going to touch you or anything," he reassured her, then muttering, "Who'd want to anyway…?"
"But… HEY!" She frowned at him, her lips pressed together in a thin, grim line.
"Rukia!" Ichigo hollered heatedly, "Get in now or I will just go back to sleep and IGNORE you."
Rukia huffed, rubbing her hands one last time before propping herself with her hands against the bed. "Alright, alright…" She slipped in carefully.
"Dammit," he cursed with clenched teeth, "your feet are ice blocks too." It was definitely warmer inside his bed, but still, she could not stop shivering. He wordlessly pulled her closer. "Stop it, will you?" he murmured in her hair. "If you stop thinking about it, you'll forget about the cold. Now go to sleep, goodnight."
"Goodnight," she muttered, pressed against his chest. "And thank you, Ichigo."
But he was already fast asleep.