jaina
in
herdedcats
[Bleach] Pea's Challenge #4: Collegefic
Ages ago, raynos and I plotted out a dorky series of fics in which Ichigo and Chad go off to college and share an apartment. Academic, roommate, and girlfriend hijinks ensue. Today's prompt was to have Ichigo and Chad shopping together, which conveniently is where I had left off in collegefic #1. So here's an excerpt.
---
“Well, Dad, I guess we’re all set,” he said to his father, who was leaning against the counter.
“Then I guess it’s time for me to go.” He sniffed with exaggerated sadness. “My only son, at last a man, leaving me to the coldness of my empty home!”
“Oh, shut it,” Ichigo said. “You still have Karin and Yuzu!”
“That’s true!” Isshin brightened up. “And I must return to their loving arms, for they at least still need their daddy!” He strode forward and, before Ichigo could do anything in response to the suddenly blaring warning bells in his mind, crushed him in a bear hug.
“Glrkg,” Ichigo choked out.
“Farewell, my son!” Isshin boomed. “Try not to fuck up too much!” Ichigo was still heaving for air as he swept out.
“Well,” he said when he could breathe again. “It’s just you and me, Chad.”
Chad nodded. “Mmm.”
“What now? We don’t have to worry about classes yet,” he said. “You hungry?”
Chad considered this. “I could eat. But…”
“Great!” Ichigo trotted to the small refrigerator and opened it.
“…we have no food.”
“Right.” Ichigo looked into the fridge, empty but for a couple of half-empty water bottles they’d chugged on a moving break, before shutting it again. “Guess we should take care of that, huh.”
“There is a supermarket three blocks away,” Chad said. “I saw it on the way.”
“Then that’s where to go.” He grinned. “Lead on, roommate.”
Ichigo found his mood considerably lightened as they made their way out of the apartment building and towards the supermarket. It wasn’t that Pops was so bad, crazy bastard that he was, but the actual moving process sucked. Ichigo just wanted to be settled already. The last few years had kept him so contantly unsettled that was nice to just stop and be normal for a bit.
Well, relatively normal. And it was nice to have Chad around to be relatively normal with.
The store was bustling when they arrived. “Where first?” Ichigo asked. “Want to just pick an aisle and go?”
“All right.”
The aisle that they chose happened to contain chips and other snacks. Ichigo grabbed two bags and tossed them into his basket. “I love these,” he said. “You want any?”
“Those are fine,” Chad said. He looked a little skeptical. “Perhaps we should get the essentials first.”
“Yeah? Like what? Ooh, remind me grab some soda too.”
“…this way.”
He let Chad lead the way, grabbing items off the shelves as they caught his attention. Only when both their baskets were full to overflowing did he compare them. In his: Snacks. Ramen. Dessert. Ramen. Frozen foods. Some more ramen. In Chad’s: Meat. Vegetables. Juice. Healthy stuff.
Chad eyed his purchases but didn’t comment. “Yuzu always does our shopping,” Ichigo said, not sure why he suddenly felt defensive.
“Mmm.”
“We don’t have to split it down the middle,” he said. “You know, if I’m the only one going to eat some of it.”
“It’s fine.”
Ichigo looked back at his basket. “Well, I guess we don’t really need two different kinds of pretzels. I’ll put `em back.”
Chad just grinned.
---
“Well, Dad, I guess we’re all set,” he said to his father, who was leaning against the counter.
“Then I guess it’s time for me to go.” He sniffed with exaggerated sadness. “My only son, at last a man, leaving me to the coldness of my empty home!”
“Oh, shut it,” Ichigo said. “You still have Karin and Yuzu!”
“That’s true!” Isshin brightened up. “And I must return to their loving arms, for they at least still need their daddy!” He strode forward and, before Ichigo could do anything in response to the suddenly blaring warning bells in his mind, crushed him in a bear hug.
“Glrkg,” Ichigo choked out.
“Farewell, my son!” Isshin boomed. “Try not to fuck up too much!” Ichigo was still heaving for air as he swept out.
“Well,” he said when he could breathe again. “It’s just you and me, Chad.”
Chad nodded. “Mmm.”
“What now? We don’t have to worry about classes yet,” he said. “You hungry?”
Chad considered this. “I could eat. But…”
“Great!” Ichigo trotted to the small refrigerator and opened it.
“…we have no food.”
“Right.” Ichigo looked into the fridge, empty but for a couple of half-empty water bottles they’d chugged on a moving break, before shutting it again. “Guess we should take care of that, huh.”
“There is a supermarket three blocks away,” Chad said. “I saw it on the way.”
“Then that’s where to go.” He grinned. “Lead on, roommate.”
Ichigo found his mood considerably lightened as they made their way out of the apartment building and towards the supermarket. It wasn’t that Pops was so bad, crazy bastard that he was, but the actual moving process sucked. Ichigo just wanted to be settled already. The last few years had kept him so contantly unsettled that was nice to just stop and be normal for a bit.
Well, relatively normal. And it was nice to have Chad around to be relatively normal with.
The store was bustling when they arrived. “Where first?” Ichigo asked. “Want to just pick an aisle and go?”
“All right.”
The aisle that they chose happened to contain chips and other snacks. Ichigo grabbed two bags and tossed them into his basket. “I love these,” he said. “You want any?”
“Those are fine,” Chad said. He looked a little skeptical. “Perhaps we should get the essentials first.”
“Yeah? Like what? Ooh, remind me grab some soda too.”
“…this way.”
He let Chad lead the way, grabbing items off the shelves as they caught his attention. Only when both their baskets were full to overflowing did he compare them. In his: Snacks. Ramen. Dessert. Ramen. Frozen foods. Some more ramen. In Chad’s: Meat. Vegetables. Juice. Healthy stuff.
Chad eyed his purchases but didn’t comment. “Yuzu always does our shopping,” Ichigo said, not sure why he suddenly felt defensive.
“Mmm.”
“We don’t have to split it down the middle,” he said. “You know, if I’m the only one going to eat some of it.”
“It’s fine.”
Ichigo looked back at his basket. “Well, I guess we don’t really need two different kinds of pretzels. I’ll put `em back.”
Chad just grinned.