Soft : Scene 2
"I still love you, Ichigo. That hasn't stopped."
"Yes. I think... I love her too...."
What could he say to that? Renji loved them both... Was that even possible? Sure, he'd heard of predicaments like this, where a person will love two people at the same time. They won't want to let go of either, because when they do they're still at least partially heartbroken. But he hadn't ever thought it was real. Just a stupid excuse to cheat.
But... If anyone could love more than one person... It was Renji.
He knew it had to do with Renji's past, with the time on the streets that he didn't like to talk about. He'd never had a family, just the friends that he and Rukia had taken care of. He knew from Rukia that those friends hadn't made it through...
But Renji had so much to offer. Under that hard exterior, he had such a huge capacity for compassion. People thought he was thick but in truth he saw right into the heart of people. And he wore his own heart on his sleeve so that they could see him too.
Renji had so much love in him... It was too much to give just to one person, and Renji didn't have enough people to love to contain it all. In truth, Ichigo had often been overwhelmed by Renji's passion, hadn't known if he could handle it. It was almost a relief to have someone else taking some of the pressure off.
Renji did love him. He didn't doubt that for a moment. And he didn't doubt that Renji loved Orihime too, he was just that kind of guy. He could love both of them, with all the passion and dedication that they could ever want. They couldn't ask for more in a lover really.
But could he get past his own jealousy, and accept that? If he forced Renji to choose, he would only hurt him, no matter who he picked part of his heart would be shattered. He couldn't do that. Not to Renji. Because even though he'd cheated on him, Ichigo still loved him, and he didn't want to see him hurt.
He needed to talk to Orihime, but he suspected she felt the same way.
-//-
She answered the chime of the doorbell with her usual smile, ever cheery, even if inside she was anxious and guilty.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she gasped, eyes widening in shock. "You... I thought you'd never want to see me again..."
"We need to talk, Inoue."
"Yes." She opened the door, looking down at her feet. "Come in, please."
He stepped in to her small apartment, looking around at a room with a decidedly feminine touch. He knew she'd been living alone since her brother died, and you could see it all around. Was she lonely here? All alone, where she used to have family. He'd never thought of Orihime being lonely before, she was such a happy person. But it was true, wasn't it?
Had Renji seen that? Of course he had... Just as he'd seen through Ichigo's scowling face, he'd seen through Orihime's smiling one.
"Um..." Orihime looked at him, and her smile was gone, replaced by an earnest expression that tugged at his heart. "I'm ... I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen. It's all my fault."
Ichigo shook his head. "Honestly, I'm starting to think it was inevitable..." he sighed. "Can we sit?"
She nodded, guiding him to her small couch and sitting down. Her hands were clasped in her lap, eyes averted. She looked nervous and guilty and sad. Ichigo felt bad for making her that way. He sat down on the opposite end of the couch, looking over at her and sighing.
"You love him just as much as I do..." he murmured, and it wasn't really a question.
But she nodded anyway.
"What... I mean, how did the two of you... start? I guess..."
She bit her lip, but her honest nature wouldn't allow her to hold back. "A few months ago, when I was moving some of my brother's things around... Well some of it was too heavy for me to move around by myself. Renji..." She didn't call him "Abarai-kun" anymore, Ichigo noted. No matter how close of friends they'd become, she'd never been able to use Ichigo's first name. "Renji came by to give me a message from Rukia, asking me to go shopping. When he came in he saw all the things I was trying to move, and offered to help. I didn't want him to at first. But I couldn't do it alone, and he insisted.
"He was very sweet, we'd never really talked before, but he asked me questions about my brother. He got me telling him stories, everything I could remember. He was so... attentive. He actually cared about what I was saying. I'd... never had someone listen to me that way. Most people tune me out, or tell me I don't have to talk about it. It was hard, but with Renji there... I felt so..."
"Safe." Ichigo finished. There was an ache in his chest, and he couldn't look at her, because he could see his own feelings reflecting back in her wide, innocent eyes. "He makes you feel like you can talk about anything and he won't judge you."
She nodded a tiny smile gracing her lips. "Exactly. I invited him to dinner, as a thank you for helping me. I took him out, since everyone always tells me that my cooking is strange. He accepted my offer." She bit her lip again, obviously the next part was a sensitive topic.
"He got me talking about you... over dinner. I... had never really talked to anyone about how I felt about you then. Tatsuki already knew, and so did everyone else it seems. Except you. Renji told me that you were "thick and too much of a dumbass to figure it out". He said I needed to tell you myself.
"I asked him to dinner again, and I kept asking, sometimes it was at my house, sometimes we went out. And we talked, just talked, for weeks..."
Ichigo finally looked back at her, and he was shocked by what he saw. Orihime's eyes were shining absolutely glowing. Her whole face was so full of love it hurt, Ichigo had never seen anyone look that way, except maybe when Renji looked at him sometimes...
"I don't know when it happened.' Orihime continued. "But one night after dinner at my place I just... kissed him. And his lips were so warm, and he didn't push me away. I've never felt so happy before." she blushed. "I'd never... done anything with a man before that, but he didn't mind. I felt so awkward, but he said I was beautiful..."
"Ya ain't got nothin' t' worry about, Ichigo. I'm here for you, and you'll figure it out eventually."
"I could stare at ya all night... Ya don't have any clue how amazin' you are, do you?"
Renji's voice by his ear, his hands on his body. Everything that Orihime described reminded Ichigo of how he'd fallen for Renji in the first place.
"Renji... Is so easy to fall in love with..." she looked at Ichigo, and the look of rapture she'd worn before seemed to fade. "But I still took him from you... And I'm sorry."
"No." Ichigo shook his head. "Don't say that." He smiled, a small, sad kind of smile. But it was a smile of complete understanding. "I get it. And... I don't blame either of you. He couldn't help his feelings anymore than you could. You're an amazing girl, Inoue."
"Call me Orihime." she murmured, smiling a bit. "And you're amazing too... Ichigo."
They smiled gently at one another, silent for a few long moments.
"So what do we do now?" she wondered, tipping her head to one side curiously.
"I don't know... I guess, to start, we got to talk to Renji."
She nodded. "And then?"
"I have no idea..."
-//-
"Yes. I think... I love her too...."
What could he say to that? Renji loved them both... Was that even possible? Sure, he'd heard of predicaments like this, where a person will love two people at the same time. They won't want to let go of either, because when they do they're still at least partially heartbroken. But he hadn't ever thought it was real. Just a stupid excuse to cheat.
But... If anyone could love more than one person... It was Renji.
He knew it had to do with Renji's past, with the time on the streets that he didn't like to talk about. He'd never had a family, just the friends that he and Rukia had taken care of. He knew from Rukia that those friends hadn't made it through...
But Renji had so much to offer. Under that hard exterior, he had such a huge capacity for compassion. People thought he was thick but in truth he saw right into the heart of people. And he wore his own heart on his sleeve so that they could see him too.
Renji had so much love in him... It was too much to give just to one person, and Renji didn't have enough people to love to contain it all. In truth, Ichigo had often been overwhelmed by Renji's passion, hadn't known if he could handle it. It was almost a relief to have someone else taking some of the pressure off.
Renji did love him. He didn't doubt that for a moment. And he didn't doubt that Renji loved Orihime too, he was just that kind of guy. He could love both of them, with all the passion and dedication that they could ever want. They couldn't ask for more in a lover really.
But could he get past his own jealousy, and accept that? If he forced Renji to choose, he would only hurt him, no matter who he picked part of his heart would be shattered. He couldn't do that. Not to Renji. Because even though he'd cheated on him, Ichigo still loved him, and he didn't want to see him hurt.
He needed to talk to Orihime, but he suspected she felt the same way.
-//-
She answered the chime of the doorbell with her usual smile, ever cheery, even if inside she was anxious and guilty.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she gasped, eyes widening in shock. "You... I thought you'd never want to see me again..."
"We need to talk, Inoue."
"Yes." She opened the door, looking down at her feet. "Come in, please."
He stepped in to her small apartment, looking around at a room with a decidedly feminine touch. He knew she'd been living alone since her brother died, and you could see it all around. Was she lonely here? All alone, where she used to have family. He'd never thought of Orihime being lonely before, she was such a happy person. But it was true, wasn't it?
Had Renji seen that? Of course he had... Just as he'd seen through Ichigo's scowling face, he'd seen through Orihime's smiling one.
"Um..." Orihime looked at him, and her smile was gone, replaced by an earnest expression that tugged at his heart. "I'm ... I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen. It's all my fault."
Ichigo shook his head. "Honestly, I'm starting to think it was inevitable..." he sighed. "Can we sit?"
She nodded, guiding him to her small couch and sitting down. Her hands were clasped in her lap, eyes averted. She looked nervous and guilty and sad. Ichigo felt bad for making her that way. He sat down on the opposite end of the couch, looking over at her and sighing.
"You love him just as much as I do..." he murmured, and it wasn't really a question.
But she nodded anyway.
"What... I mean, how did the two of you... start? I guess..."
She bit her lip, but her honest nature wouldn't allow her to hold back. "A few months ago, when I was moving some of my brother's things around... Well some of it was too heavy for me to move around by myself. Renji..." She didn't call him "Abarai-kun" anymore, Ichigo noted. No matter how close of friends they'd become, she'd never been able to use Ichigo's first name. "Renji came by to give me a message from Rukia, asking me to go shopping. When he came in he saw all the things I was trying to move, and offered to help. I didn't want him to at first. But I couldn't do it alone, and he insisted.
"He was very sweet, we'd never really talked before, but he asked me questions about my brother. He got me telling him stories, everything I could remember. He was so... attentive. He actually cared about what I was saying. I'd... never had someone listen to me that way. Most people tune me out, or tell me I don't have to talk about it. It was hard, but with Renji there... I felt so..."
"Safe." Ichigo finished. There was an ache in his chest, and he couldn't look at her, because he could see his own feelings reflecting back in her wide, innocent eyes. "He makes you feel like you can talk about anything and he won't judge you."
She nodded a tiny smile gracing her lips. "Exactly. I invited him to dinner, as a thank you for helping me. I took him out, since everyone always tells me that my cooking is strange. He accepted my offer." She bit her lip again, obviously the next part was a sensitive topic.
"He got me talking about you... over dinner. I... had never really talked to anyone about how I felt about you then. Tatsuki already knew, and so did everyone else it seems. Except you. Renji told me that you were "thick and too much of a dumbass to figure it out". He said I needed to tell you myself.
"I asked him to dinner again, and I kept asking, sometimes it was at my house, sometimes we went out. And we talked, just talked, for weeks..."
Ichigo finally looked back at her, and he was shocked by what he saw. Orihime's eyes were shining absolutely glowing. Her whole face was so full of love it hurt, Ichigo had never seen anyone look that way, except maybe when Renji looked at him sometimes...
"I don't know when it happened.' Orihime continued. "But one night after dinner at my place I just... kissed him. And his lips were so warm, and he didn't push me away. I've never felt so happy before." she blushed. "I'd never... done anything with a man before that, but he didn't mind. I felt so awkward, but he said I was beautiful..."
"Ya ain't got nothin' t' worry about, Ichigo. I'm here for you, and you'll figure it out eventually."
"I could stare at ya all night... Ya don't have any clue how amazin' you are, do you?"
Renji's voice by his ear, his hands on his body. Everything that Orihime described reminded Ichigo of how he'd fallen for Renji in the first place.
"Renji... Is so easy to fall in love with..." she looked at Ichigo, and the look of rapture she'd worn before seemed to fade. "But I still took him from you... And I'm sorry."
"No." Ichigo shook his head. "Don't say that." He smiled, a small, sad kind of smile. But it was a smile of complete understanding. "I get it. And... I don't blame either of you. He couldn't help his feelings anymore than you could. You're an amazing girl, Inoue."
"Call me Orihime." she murmured, smiling a bit. "And you're amazing too... Ichigo."
They smiled gently at one another, silent for a few long moments.
"So what do we do now?" she wondered, tipping her head to one side curiously.
"I don't know... I guess, to start, we got to talk to Renji."
She nodded. "And then?"
"I have no idea..."
-//-