As 'Miss Inoue' turned to 'Orihime' and the two became familiar to one another, Ichigo was learning something about himself that surprised him — he was happy. He was convinced New York looked different when you were in love, no longer a burgeoning city with its dark shadows but a whole world with sights to see, things to do.
Most days, he and Orihime went out to restaurants or movies or simply drove around the city in his Lincoln. Ichigo preferred taking her places where he wouldn't be recognized or where he had no associates, simply because he was coming to enjoy the anonymous civilian life. Moreover, he was coming to enjoy having Orihime on his arm. He loved hearing her opinions, or watching her wolf down hot dogs with ferocious tenacity. He loved taking her to the movies and seeing her escape into the screen — curious, lost, forever amazed.
And of course, he loved pulling over into alleyways just to look at her, to touch her, to cradle her face or stroke her waist and accept her happy sighs as they kissed. It was certainly scandalous, but theirs was an age of temptation. These days, Orihime implicitly understood his moods whenever he arrived at the bar to pick her up. While she beamed when he brought his convertible, she blushed whenever he brought a close-roofed car or drove them to a secluded spot at the end of a date. It was a given that most of those nights ended up in the backseat, with her on his lap and the sweetest sounds she made playing back in his ears long after they parted ways.
A little into March, she even took him to his first baseball game, explaining the rules excitedly with her hands as he watched her — baffled, curious, endlessly fond. By the end of it, he wasn't even sure who won but the Knicks had earned his interest simply because she had so many strong opinions about them. Orihime had a life that was so full, so diverse in interests and ambitions that he found himself drawn to all the dimensions of her life.
Of course, though she had her perfections, she was not all perfect. Over the course of many evenings spent together, she told him her mother had been a working girl before her death, her estranged father a drunk. She had — just as he had — seen a lot at a young age, had had to fend for herself through many winters. He remembered his own childhood, having lost his mother during the childbirth of his siblings. His father, of course, had died a few months earlier from consumption. The doctors had thus handed him — no more than four years old — the bundle of twins, his precious sisters.
Therefore, the only parent figure he could introduce her to was Ikumi, who adored her and insisted she spend hours at their house, gossiping with her and his sisters. Ichigo grumbled about their halted dates as often as he could, but in truth, he was relieved his sisters had found a friend in Orihime.
Nel, of course, would not let either of them go and insisted on coming on their dates, no matter how many times Ichigo said no.
Before the month ended, Ikumi suggested they all take a trip down to Coney Island together. "I hear it's only a nickel if you take the subway."
Ichigo shook his head. "There's too many people there."
Of course, because Ichigo said no, the appeal of such an idea only grew brighter to the others.
"What's in Coney Island?" Nel asked, one finger idly poking inside her nostril. Ichigo gently peeled her hand away without a second thought, even without looking at her—for he was busy looking at the newspaper.
"Amusement parks," Kaoru explained, flashing her a toothy smile. "Roller coasters."
Nel's face immediately turned into one of demand, her eyebrows scrunched together as she bobbed on her heels and beat Ichigo's thigh with her little fists. "I want to go to Coney Island!"
Orihime covered her mouth to hide a laugh, but Ichigo could see it in her eyes and he scowled. He turned to Nel. "Two seconds ago, you didn't even know where that was."
"But I know it now," she said stubbornly.
"You should take the twins and the kids," Ikumi said to Orihime, ruffling Kaoru's hair absently. "It'll be good practice for you two."
Orihime looked confused for a second, but Ichigo caught onto Ikumi's meaning and felt heat rise up his neck. Suddenly, his collar felt a little too tight and he squirmed. "Ikumi," he growled, a warning edge to his tone that Orihime detected, wide-eyed and curious as she looked between them.
"For when you have your own, of course," Ikumi added all-too-innocently and Ichigo groaned. Color flooded Orihime's entire face, and suddenly it became too much for them to look at each other.
Ikumi laughed. "Look at you two!"
"Enough of that," Ichigo snapped, setting aside the paper. "You're embarrassing her."
"No, it's okay," Orihime stuttered softly, but her face was still pink. Ichigo wanted to scoot over and soothe her, but there was no way he was doing that in front of an already entertained Ikumi. He clenched one fist, then settled for stroking her hand with his fingers under the table. Orihime quickly looked up at him, then smiled and looked away. Ichigo was relieved. She wasn't offended.
"Coney Island," Nel whined.
"No," Ichigo echoed, turning back to her.
"I think it sounds fun," Orihime said sweetly, and right then, Ichigo knew he was outnumbered. Nel and Kaoru pumped victorious fists into the air.
They went to Coney Island.
Just as Ichigo had said, it was crowded, with people scattered around the boardwalks and the many, many stalls they encountered. Although it wasn't too hot, the midday sun hung high over the ocean, amusement rides shining in the distance.
Ichigo and Orihime walked with Nel in between them, their hands holding hers on either side as she skipped happily. Behind them, Yuzu and Karin followed, with Kaoru in tow. The beach seemed too crowded for leisure, so the girls opted to visit the rides first instead.
Ichigo drew out his wallet and handed his sisters a few bills. "We'll meet you back by the boardwalk we just passed by—" Ichigo checked his watch"—five?"
"Okay," Karin said, while Yuzu asked, "Aren't you two going to come?"
"I'm not too fond of rides," he replied. "You guys go ahead."
"I'll stay with him," Orihime said, catching his gaze with a small smile. When Nel slipped past their fingers and excitedly joined the group headed to the rides, their hands found each others' instead. Yuzu and Karin shared an amused look.
"Okay, we'll meet you back here," Karin said finally.
"Keep an eye on the little ones," Ichigo replied, and soon they parted ways with the twins and the kids. The rides weren't very far, and his sisters were grown enough by now to want to have their own fun, so Ichigo wasn't worried. Instead, he simply tugged Orihime's hand and led them towards a long pier running alongside the ocean.
It was windy on the waterside, but the view was beautiful. Still, Ichigo asked, "Regret not going on the rides?"
"Oh, I can handle some wind," she replied, reaching out to hold onto the arm he extended towards her. "It's really pretty out here."
Ichigo nodded. As they walked, they went past many other couples who had gotten the same idea as them and were taking a nice stroll down the seaside. Before the war, things had been so different, but now that women had found a semblance of some autonomy, he saw many young lovers roam freely without their chaperones. Among them, walking with the woman he cared about, he too felt young. All the problems of New York faded away and left him one among many men just happy to enjoy a day at the island.
Eventually, they walked past an ice cream stall and Orihime's eyes lit up. Before Ichigo could even move, she abandoned his hand to withdraw her wallet from her purse.
"Orihime, I'll pay," he protested, but Orihime shook her head firmly.
"You always pay! This is my treat."
Ichigo frowned, not wanting to offend her but still feeling wrong at the idea of her spending her money on him. However, when she pleaded with her eyes, he had no choice but to begrudgingly accept — if only to bring the smile back to her face. Orihime grinned victoriously, then thanked the vendor and accepted their cones.
"Thank you," she said, handing Ichigo his treat. "I always feel so deflated when we go out and you pick up the bill."
"What are you talking about? Can't a guy want to spoil a lady anymore?"
Orihime giggled. "But I want to spoil you too," she protested, and the glow of her happiness carried to her eyes. "You're always doing so much for everyone."
"You're one to talk." At her perplexed expression, he explained, "You approached us to help your girls…you let Rangiku stay at your apartment free of charge for weeks…you always do so much to help our business grow…"
Orihime shook her head, but she knew he left no room for arguments.
"I guess we make a good fit, then, don't we?" she teased coyly, only half-joking.
"We do," he muttered, tugging her close to press a kiss against her hairline.
As was common whenever Ichigo and Orihime went out, several onlookers did a double take whenever Orihime passed them by. She wore nothing grand — just a dark cardigan over her simple, knee-length dress, but she attracted attention nonetheless, simply because she was a beautiful girl. Of course, the one time he had brought it up, she told him she thought they were looking at him. Naturally, it didn't occur to her that she was the only woman on this side of the continent who thought he was the good-looking one.
Ichigo pulled her closer by the waist anyway. Orihime raised a brow but said nothing, taking the opportunity to snuggle closer to him as they walked.
"Madam!" Someone stepped in front of them, making them jump. It was a guy with a weird blonde bob and a camera hung around his neck. When he spoke, he had a thick, fake French accent. "I was over here by the side, but something about your magnetic charm told me I had to come to you."
"Bet you say that to all of 'em," Ichigo muttered under his breath. Orihime elbowed him in the ribs, letting herself be charmed by the compliments the man showered on her.
"Please allow me to take your photograph! It is only a few dollars!" the photographer declared.
"Will you develop them?" Orihime asked curiously, staring at the camera he was holding.
"Develop and deliver, oui!" He handed her a paper. "All you have to do is write your name and your postal address here, see…" He handed Orihime a pen and explained the process to her.
Ichigo rolled his eyes and waited for them to finish, his eyes scanning the shore in idle interest. Then, he felt a tug on his arm.
"Come on, let's go." Orihime pulled him towards the area the man was clearing for them.
Ichigo had to smirk at that. "He only wanted you to pose, you know."
Orihime ignored him. "I wanted a picture of us so we could keep the memory," she explained, righting herself as they reached the taped 'X' the man had marked out near the sea wall. One glance behind them and Ichigo realized they were at a rather picturesque spot, with nothing but the beautiful ocean and the distant amusements twinkling in the background.
"Alright, ready!" the photographer called.
Ichigo inched a little closer to Orihime, but kept his hands locked in front of him. Orihime did the same. For some reason, it felt more intimate when someone was trying to capture them at this moment than it did when they were walking on the boardwalk earlier. He felt too aware of himself, and he knew from the timid look on Orihime's face that she felt the same.
"You two are not standing — how do you say — intimately!" the photographer yelled out. Then, "What if we took one with just the lovely madam?"
"Just take the picture, asshole," Ichigo yelled back, his entire face warm.
This time, they tried standing a little closer, with Orihime's hand tucked around the crook of his elbow. Ichigo followed her initiative by resting a hand on her lower back and tilting his head closer to hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her shy delight at his gesture and couldn't help but smile warmly. She was so easy to please.
On the other side, the photographer was silent, so Ichigo assumed their pose was fine. However, moments later, a gust of wind swirled through where they stood and Orihime shrieked. The wind was so violent that it had ripped the hat off her head. Despite Ichigo's best attempts to lunge at it, it flew into the crowd towards the beach.
"Oh dear," Orihime muttered, patting her hair down as she helplessly chased the lost object with her eyes. "I'll probably look like a mess for the next one." She looked down at her knees self-consciously and Ichigo realized she was afraid the wind would needlessly expose her.
"It's okay," Ichigo said softly, smoothing down wayward strands of her hair with his fingers. "Here — I'll hold you in place so your clothes don't fly up. Oi!" He yelled over his shoulder at the photographer. "We're doing a new pose, so don't take one just yet."
The photographer looked baffled that someone would give him instructions, but Orihime had no time to laugh because Ichigo had decided to move behind her and cradle her shoulders with one arm. He slid his other hand over her stomach.
"Is this okay?" he asked quietly.
Orihime wanted to die, but she nodded, holding his wrist with one hand and his hand on her stomach with the other. They were standing so close, she couldn't help but hear her own heartbeat in her chest. All the pictures of him she'd seen in his house were so formal, his mouth firm, face serious. But here, his face had softened, his eyes were even slightly crinkled, and his smile was gentle, happy.
"I love you," she said quietly, tiptoeing up to press a chaste kiss against his jaw.
Ichigo drew a startled breath, but the photographer would click his button at any moment, so he only tightened his hold on her. When they were done, he did not let go, not even when the photographer caught up to them to collect his money.
"Here." He dug into his pocket with one hand and gave the man some more cash. "Make another copy and send them to my address, too." He steadfastly ignored Orihime's happy squeal and wrote down the address to his office.
Then, when they left the photographer, Ichigo stopped them in their tracks and ignored Orihime's curious look in favor of tipping her chin up and pressing a brief kiss to her mouth. Her lips softened, but before she could return the kiss, he held her cheeks in his hands and pressed his mouth to her forehead instead — a confession of his own.
"Good to go?" he asked when he pulled back.
"You're so sneaky," Orihime scolded, patting her cheeks as if to hide her blush.
Ichigo snorted and dragged her back by the shoulders. Her hand wound around his back and they continued to walk, sharing soft smiles every now and then when their eyes caught each other's.
By sundown, they caught up with the others and took the subway back to the city. His car was waiting where he had parked it, and the kids piled in, exhausted. Everyone was quiet, flushed from the day's heat, tired, but the car smelled like cotton candy and happy memories, so Ichigo considered it a day well spent. Rather, it helped to have a day like this every once in a while — if only to remind himself why he fought and worked so hard.
At the end of the night, after they tucked a fast-asleep Nel in together, Ichigo and Orihime came back out and Ichigo grabbed his keys again so he could take Orihime back to her apartment.
"Gosh, what a day." Karin fanned herself, waving a lazy hand at them from where was tucked into the kitchen chair. "I bet it's only going to get crazier during the wedding."
Orihime raised her brows. "The wedding?"
Yuzu returned with a glass of water in her hand, shooting Orihime a strange look. "Ikumi's wedding," she explained, as if it should have been obvious. "It's only a few weeks from now."
Yuzu and Karin both stared at Ichigo, and Ichigo wanted to groan. Of course, they expected that he would have told Orihime about it, seeing as most people would bring dates and that Orihime was now close to many people in his circle. It was expected. But that was a conversation he'd been saving for an appropriate time, and now there was an awkward pause in the air, once again reminding him of the foreboding feeling that he was rather unsophisticated at this.
He cleared his throat. "Let's go, it's getting late."
Orihime recovered from her confusion and beamed, allowing him to escort her out of the house. The entire drive back was no different from their day, with Orihime musing about all the fun things they did, how the crowd wasn't as bad as she thought it would be—completely normal, mundane things. She was even leaning her head on his shoulder, resting her hand on his stomach lightly. But Ichigo felt hot and guilty as he kept remembering the scene in the kitchen.
"I'm not ashamed of you," he said, cutting her spiel short as they pulled up on her street, the car slowing down to a halt so he could completely look at her with no distractions. "I'm not ashamed of our relationship, I mean. That's not why I didn't tell you about Ikumi's wedding."
Orihime's eyes widened. "I didn't think you were! All this is so new, it's understandable if you don't want to make things official just yet, I mean, I'm not—"
"It's not that," he said, because in his mind they had already been official since New Year's. He reached out to take her hand in his, a solemn look spreading over his face. "The day of the wedding, there's going to be a lot of cops outside — a lot of press and photographers. It won't be like today, where if someone takes a picture, it's an innocent thing just for us." His throat felt tight with regret at his own selfishness, with anxiety about her safety. "There are a lot of people out there who want bad things to happen to me. To my family. Taking you to the wedding isn't just us being a couple. It's me making a statement about who I associate with, who I consider to be my people." Gently, he stroked her cheek, his thumb sliding over her precious skin. "It's not a burden I can ask anyone to share. But I keep asking for it, and people keep giving it to me anyway." He closed his eyes. "I'm selfish."
Orihime felt tears gather in her eyes and she sniffed, pressing herself into him for a hug. His hands hesitantly stroked her shoulders, but his heart still pounded, ached.
"You don't have to worry about me," she said, sliding a hand under his jaw. "I can take care of myself."
He kissed her forehead, then her cheek. "Orihime…"
"I'm not ashamed of what you do," she told him, "I've done things just to get by too. As long as you remember why you do it, I'm proud to be seen with a man as wonderful and kind and giving as you are."
She rested one hand on his heart, and his heated skin began to cool with relief. Of course, it was true that rules were obsolete and virtues were practically nonexistent in his world. It was true that he could do anything he wanted, most of the time, but he chose to be honorable. He didn't answer to God or to the law, but he did answer to his conscience. The fact that Orihime had seen these things made him feel confident, loved.
"Do you really want to go to the wedding with me, then?"
Orihime nodded. "If you want to take me."
"I want to take you," he assured her, sealing his words with a kiss. Orihime cupped his neck, smiling when he kept dropping small, close-mouthed kisses over her lips. One kiss became two, and then she was opening her mouth, their tongues soft and wet against each other as the heat in the car rose to a level unbearable.
Orihime threaded her fingers through Ichigo's hair, releasing a soft sigh when he abandoned her mouth to suck kisses over her neck. Her hands skimmed his chest, shivers racing through her as Ichigo slowly ran his fingers up from her bare calf to her thigh.
Eventually, Ichigo pulled back to catch his breath, his hand tightening on Orihime's thigh as if to brace himself. Orihime's cheeks were a lovely shade of pink, her hair mussed, her mouth plump and red.
"Do you want to come upstairs?" she whispered.
Ichigo nodded wordlessly.