Sorry for the long wait! I hope this makes up for it ;)
Low-cut, see-through shirts that make ya *whistles,*
That's the way she come through, like *whistles.*
I think I should know how to make love to something innocent
without leaving my fingerprints.
L-o-v-e's just another word I never learned to pronounce.
Starstrukk - 3OH!3
Chapter 12: Flirting 101
-Rukia-
After swimming, Chad suggested that the group have dinner and a bonfire. The girls went inside to dry off and collect the things for dinner while the boys set up the grill outside.
"Hey, Rukia. Come here for a sec."
Rukia looked up from the bag she was filling with napkins and paper plates to see Tatsuki holding an old white shirt in her hands.
"You really want to get Ichigo's attention? Try this." The tomboy smiled and held out the shirt.
"But I already have my dress on. I don't need a shirt." Rukia gestured to the plain yellow sun dress covering her swimsuit.
For some reason, this made Tatsuki laugh. "Just trust me, ok?"
She left the white top on the counter, grabbed a bag of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers and headed back outside to the deck.
After Tatsuki left, Rukia picked up the shirt and examined it.
What's so special about this?
It felt soft and looked clean enough so Rukia ran back up to her room to slip off her dress and pull the shirt down over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror in her bathroom.
The shirt ended just above her thighs because Tatsuki was so much taller but, surprisingly, it still fit snugly, accentuating her hips and small chest.
So that's what she meant…
Thankfully, the material was too thick to be completely transparent but it clung to her curves and her bright purple swimsuit was still visible, making Rukia feel slightly exposed. She spent a few minutes brushing the knots out of her hair from swimming and finally decided just to trust Tatsuki.
She had just finished collecting all the snacks and utensils when Orihime came out of the girls' room. She was wearing short khaki shorts and a dark green tank top, revealing a large amount of cleavage.
Her orange hair was tied back in a long braid and she took one of the bags from Rukia. As they walked out together, she giggled.
"I see Tatsuki talked to you too. She convinced me to wear this thing because she thinks it'll get Uryuu's attention but I only like it because he said the green makes my eyes look brighter."
They started setting out the plates and Orihime continued, "Well, actually, he said that green and red are contrasting colors and so they complement each other but I figured since my eyes are kind of amber, it's close enough."
The redhead paused to look at Rukia. "Do you think this shirt makes my eyes look brighter?"
"I think your eyes are naturally bright. But the shirt is also very nice." Rukia said obligingly, still slightly uncomfortable in her own outfit.
Her answer pleased the other girl though and she started to busy herself with organizing the variety of food items. Chad and Uryuu were still occupied with the grill and Tatsuki had pulled Ichigo away to help her pile up the wood on the beach for the bonfire.
Left with nothing to do, Rukia sat down at the end of the table and pulled out her sketchbook, adding a couple new fish to her aquarium sketch. She especially liked the otter exhibit so she drew another tank on one side of the girl bunny and drew in some otters swimming and playing.
In the middle of sketching one jumping in the air, Chad announced that the food was done. Hungry from the long day, Rukia set her notebook on the table and eagerly got up to fill her plate.
-Ichigo-
"The food's ready!" Chad called to Ichigo and Tatsuki. Satisfied with the collection of branches around the large log Uryuu found earlier, they left the pile and went to eat. Ichigo grabbed a drink first and sat down to wait for the crowd around the grill to disperse.
A brown notebook at the end of the table caught his eye and he reached over to pick it up.
What's this?
The marked page had an awful drawing of what looked like fish but Ichigo couldn't be completely sure. He turned back through the recent pages, stopping at an oddly familiar scene.
This picture had some small animals eating on a porch with a long table and a beach in the background. The longer he studied the picture, the more the animals resembled the people around him. One had thick eyelashes and long orange hair and another had darker hair and glasses. The one Ichigo assumed was Chad was much taller than the others and had curly hair.
Then, Ichigo frowned.
Why are these two holding hands?
Two blobs, one with black hair and one with orange hair, at the end of the table were sitting closer than any of the others and appeared to be holding hands.
"What are you doing?"
The shrill tone startled Ichigo and he almost dropped the sketchbook.
"Put that down!" Rukia's voice was louder now and she reached to grab the book from his hands.
"Take it easy; I was just looking," Ichigo replied and let her snatch it back.
"Didn't your father ever teach you not to touch things that aren't yours?" The girl snapped, sitting down across from him.
Even in her anger, Ichigo noticed her care to say father instead of mother. Refusing to admit that her thoughtfulness had any effect on him, he retorted, "Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"
Rukia stiffened and focused intently on her plate. Ichigo felt a heavy silence among his friends and he realized that they all knew something he didn't.
"My parents died when I was young. However, my brother raised me to have impeccable etiquette," she responded curtly.
"Oh..."
Ichigo looked around accusingly at the others now sitting at the table. Why didn't anyone tell me this!
Surprisingly, it was Rukia who relieved the tension. "Please, don't feel bad. There was no way you could have known. Would you pass me the fruit dish?"
Still unable to find an appropriate thing to say, Ichigo handed her the bowl dumbly and said nothing.
"This hamburger is great, Chad!" Orihime exclaimed between large bites. "How do you make it taste so unique?"
The group observed the collection of strange condiments on her burger: ketchup, cheese, chocolate, and a slice of watermelon but Chad just smiled.
"You're eating a veggie-burger. That's probably why it tastes different."
The girl's eyes lit up and she nodded in agreement, her mouth too full to speak.
Tatsuki finished the last bite of her hot dog and stood up. "I'll start the fire for s'mores."
"I'll help you find the lighter." Rukia got up abruptly and followed Tatsuki onto the beach.
When she left, Ichigo let his head fall into his hands and groaned.
Could I have been anymore goddamn insensitive?
"I'm sorry we didn't say anything, Ichigo." Orihime apologized quietly.
"Why didn't you guys tell me before?" He looked up irritably.
"We thought you knew!" Uryuu responded as if it were obvious. "Everyone at Karakura knows! That's why she lives with her brother and is the only heir to the family company!"
Ichigo glared at his friend. "Well, I guess I never got the memo. Anything else I should know? Now would be a good time to tell me."
Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "No need to get angry. She forgave you. Just forget about it."
"We should go. They started the fire." Chad got up and Ichigo stood up grudgingly after him.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. She'll come around." The tall boy spoke quietly before they sat down around the fire.
Ichigo wanted to ask him what he should do but Chad had already taken a seat on the other side of Rukia. Her wet hair stuck to her neck and she looked much smaller and exposed now in her thin t-shirt.
Why can't she just wear normal clothes like a normal person?
Refusing to let his eyes wander up and down her slender frame, Ichigo sat down next to the quiet girl hesitantly, but she didn't acknowledge him. Instead, she stared blankly into the flames, the orange reflecting brightly in her dark eyes.
How on earth am I supposed to fix this?
-Rukia-
"Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"
Rukia Kuchiki had plenty of manners, god damn it. She was certainly more polite than the orange-haired ignoramus that had dared to sit down next to her after so blatantly insulting her.
In a word, Rukia was infuriated.
"Want a marshmallow?" Chad handed her a plastic bag of the white fluffy treats.
"Thank you." She accepted and pulled one out for herself before tossing the bag on the ground beside the boy sitting on her other side.
"Thanks." He mumbled quietly as he picked the bag up.
Whatever. Stupid jerk didn't even notice the stupid shirt. I'm half-naked for nothing.
Orihime and Tatsuki were taking turns telling jokes and every now and then Ichigo would look at her out of the corner of his eye but Rukia pretended that she didn't notice.
Instead, she focused on roasting her marshmallow to perfection, finding that the s'mores tasted exactly the same as when she was young.
After Uryuu attempted a funny story and it fell flat, Chad went inside to get his guitar. When he returned, he started playing a cheerful song. Orihime picked up the melody easily and began to sing along.
Rukia giggled when the redhead managed to get Tatsuki and Uryuu singing beside her. As she didn't know the words, Rukia was content to smile with her friends as they sang and laughed at each other's antics.
Chad changed to another popular song by Eyeshine and Orihime pulled Tatsuki up to dance with her. Rukia politely declined when Orihime came over to ask her as well.
"And I feel like a shooting star that's gone too far from you tonight," Chad sang in a deep, clear voice.
"You're not singing." Ichigo commented, glancing at her sidelong. It wasn't until he stopped that she realized his low voice had been singing quietly all along and it had actually sounded decent.
"I don't know the words." She responded simply and tried to appear too engrossed with making another s'more to continue the conversation.
"I liked your picture. It's the Churaumi Aquarium, right?" He spoke slowly, obviously unsure about his guess.
Rukia took her time examining her toasted marshmallow before answering. "My parents used to take me and my brother every year."
The boy beside her fell silent and watched his friends singing across the fire as she finished eating her gooey treat.
He started singing again after a moment and Rukia decided to join in quietly when the familiar chorus came, "I feel right when I'm by your side, when I'm by your side tonight. After all, you're a waterfall crashing down."
Chad looked over when he heard the extra female voice and smiled encouragingly. Rukia sang a little louder but leaned back on her hands to avoid being noticed by anyone else.
The chorus repeated again at the end of the song and this time, everyone sang significantly louder. Rukia laughed when Orihime talked Uryuu into trying an unusual dance move.
A slight pressure on her hand caught her attention. The boy sitting beside her appeared focused on the silliness occurring in front of them but his face was tinged slightly pink and he had stopped singing. Rukia blushed and looked away, unsure of what to do.
What is he doing? What am I supposed to do now?
Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Ichigo carefully laced his fingers in with hers, still not looking anywhere near her. He sang along when Chad started the next song as if nothing had happened and Rukia let her fingers tighten around his, accepting his unspoken apology.
Orihime and Uryuu had become focused on only each other, leaving Tatsuki to take a seat again, smiling good-naturedly. When the athletic girl noticed the subtle contact between two of her other friends, she looked excitedly at Rukia.
Rukia smiled back and Tatsuki leaned on one arm, letting her head rest on her shoulder. Rukia frowned in confusion but when Tatsuki looked at Ichigo she understood.
Oh, no, I could never…
The silent communication between the two girls finally caught Ichigo's attention. Rukia avoided his eyes and Tatsuki just grinned and looked away to ask Chad to play a different song.
This one was slower and, after realizing that everyone had been watching them, Orihime and Uryuu sat down. The fire was dying out and Rukia could now see Orihime's bright smile as the dark-haired boy pointed out something in the sky. She watched as the girl leaned back on the sand, letting her head rest on Uryuu's lap so she could better see the sky.
Tatsuki looked at Rukia and then at Orihime, obviously suggesting she do something similar. Rukia thought for a moment, listening to Chad's guitar and the soft voice beside her, pretending to look for the constellations Uryuu was pointing out.
But then, the fire died out completely and the group was covered in darkness. She felt Ichigo get up, letting go of her hand so he wouldn't pull on her, and immediately regretted not taking Tatsuki's advice.
"Well, I guess I'm going to bed." Tatsuki's voice sounded a few feet away. There were some murmurs of agreement and Rukia helped gather the leftover food.
She didn't see Ichigo again until everyone was back inside but he was already heading up the stairs with Uryuu.
Orihime came up behind her once everything was put away. "Did you see Uryuu dance with me? Maybe he really does like me!"
Still slightly distracted, Rukia giggled with the pretty redhead. "I'm sure he does! I've never seen him so eager to make a fool of himself in front of anyone."
"I hope so," Orihime smiled at the memory before adding, "And Tatsuki said you and Ichigo were getting pretty close. I think he's actually starting to have feelings for you!"
This made Rukia blush again. "He probably just feels guilty about what he said about my parents. I don't know if-"
"Oh, stop it," Orihime interrupted playfully. "Just wait until tomorrow night! I bet he won't let you out of his sight."
Rukia smiled at the other girl's certainty. "I guess we'll just have to see."
"I'm sure we will. Don't even worry about it." The redhead yawned. "Night, Rukia!"
"Good night!" Rukia replied, turning to head up the stairs.
After she brushed her teeth and changed, Rukia climbed into bed and flipped through her sketchbook. She stopped at the picture with everyone eating on the porch and smiled.
So he held her hand while everyone was around the fire instead of on the porch.
Close enough.
Finally some IchiRuki fluff! I know you all were waiting for it ;) And there's more to come!
Reviews to make me smile?