Schoolyard Crush (three fics)
bleach_watch, no need to post this to the newsletter.
Title: love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo-centric, one sided Ichigo/OFC.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: It had been a very long time since he had a crush.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #9 (Ichigo has a crush on a teacher). Title is a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.
He hadn't had a crush in so long he forgot what they were like. Sure, he was around attractive girls. He'd have been stupid not to realize Orihime was pretty, but she was a friend. She was someone he needed to protect. Besides, he'd been unable to stop the whole Hueco Mundo disaster from happening. She may say she was okay, but he was pretty sure somewhere deep down she knew it was all his fault. He certainly knew it was. If she'd never gotten tangled up in his life fighting Hollows, Aizen would never have known about her.
Most people thought he and Tatsuki were an item, at least with a very twisted relationship considering they were usually volleying insults at each other in public. In private they got along well, and he knew some people knew that the insults were just a way of showing they cared, so most people assumed the whole insulting thing was a front to make everyone think they weren't dating. Tatsuki cracked up every time someone brought it up to her, and he just grunted and glared. Both tactics seemed to work, because if people still thought they were dating they kept it to themselves.
He'd expected, eventually, he'd get a crush, but he hadn't expected it to be a teacher, and he certainly hadn't expected her to be American. But Cook-sensei was not only beautiful, but she was a Shakespeare fanatic and spoke flawless Japanese, making it easy for her to jump between one language and another during class. And she didn't think he was a delinquent, either, probably because she hadn't grown up with that stereotype. He was smitten, all right. As were most of the other guys in the class.
He worked his hardest, bringing his grades up dramatically in an attempt to impress her. But no matter what he did, he felt it wasn't enough. After all, she was older, probably wanted older guys, and he was just a kid. Half the time he was smitten, the other half of the time he was trying to talk himself out of the crush. It was almost like his emotions were on a yo-yo. And he didn't know what to do. Going to his father was a bad idea, going to Tatsuki was just asking for trouble, and none of the guys he was friends with would understand.
So that only left one person. He didn't think she would laugh at him, and he hoped getting a female's perspective would help. So, in the end, he pulled Orihime aside and offered to walk her home, just to talk. She got so excited, but when they began to talk he noticed her bubbly personality dimmed a bit. Then, after a moment, she smiled again, and said something surprising. “I know how you feel,” she replied. “Let me tell you a story...”
---
Title: love is a smoke and is made with the fume of sighs
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Orihime POV, one sided Orihime/OMC, implied one sided Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: She has a story to tell.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #10 (Orihime has a crush on a teacher). I figured it might be interesting to write this as though Orihime was telling the story. Title is a quote from Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare.
When I was younger, I think when I first started at this school, I had a crush on a teacher, Onazuka-sensei. Do you remember him? Most people don't because he was only here for part of the year. But he was a wonderful man. He never laughed at my silly ideas, and when I would go on some strange tangent he would listen patiently. He reminded me of my brother, and of Tatsuki sometimes. But he was nice, and I liked him a lot.
I wasn't the only one. There were other girls in class who liked him, because he was nice to them as well. He was nice to everyone, even people who didn't think he was a good teacher. But he wanted us to learn, and he made it fun, and every teacher should do that, right? So we all enjoyed his class. Even the guys enjoyed it, a lot of the time.
One girl liked him a little too much, though. She had a bigger crush on him than all of us. And she would go on and on about how attractive he was and how funny he was and how much she wanted to marry him. We would laugh and agree, and sometimes we would share our own fantasies, but she was serious about them. And she got him in trouble because she followed him home and tried to break into his home one day to wait for him. And to get away from her he had to leave, which made us all sad, and angry at her. School wasn't as much fun after that.
But I'm not saying a crush on a teacher is bad! No, they can make you better. You just shouldn't act on them. If you don't want something to happen to them to make them go away you should keep your crush to yourself. Enjoy it, because it can brighten your day, and make you want to come to school and do your best and be the best person so they notice you. But just be careful if they notice you, because you don't want attention that will get anyone in trouble, you know?
Oh, do I have a crush now? I do, actually. It's on a boy our age. I've had a crush on him for a long time now, but I don't think he knows. Or if he does, he just thinks I'm a friend. But I've accepted it now, because maybe I shouldn't have a crush on just one boy. I need to move on, I think, because it just isn't going to happen. Who is he? It's not important. Really.
I should tell him? I might. I have to soon, though, because we graduate this year. But if he leaves he may not want to date me, so I probably shouldn't. See, I can talk myself out of crushes too! So it's not just you. Oh, don't worry about me, Kurosaki-kun. It's okay not to have a crush on someone. It would have been nice, though. I'll be fine! You don't need to beat him up. You couldn't anyway. If I don't tell him then that's my decision. I can't make him like me back.
Thank you for walking me home, Kurosaki-kun. I hope you figure out what to do about your crush. Oh, I think any girl or woman would be lucky to date you. Just be careful, okay? I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt. You're always protecting me, and maybe this time I can protect you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Have a good afternoon!
---
Title: i would not wish any companion in the world but you
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo-centric, Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: It had been a very long time since he had a crush.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #15 (Ichigo and Orihime have lunch alone together). Title is a quote from The Tempest by William Shakespeare.
He really thought about her words, harder than he'd thought about anything other than his studies. He didn't think he'd turn into a stalker like the girl she had mentioned, no, but he wondered if there was a point in having a crush on someone who was unattainable. Orihime had found fun in it, but he hadn't really found fun in his. Purpose, in a way, but not fun.
He found himself stuck on the fact that Orihime had a crush on someone else. He was happy that she did, but also mad at the idiot because he didn't notice her. She was sweet, kind, funny, smart and he liked being around her. And if she wanted to be happy with a guy then maybe he could give the guy a talking to. Not a stern one, or that might scare him off, but play up her good qualities. Everyone deserved some happiness, especially her.
So he did what he always did to find out about Orihime. He went to Tatsuki, and actually asked outright who Orihime had a crush on. The look on Tatsuki's face confused him, as did the peal after peal of laughter that spilled out of her mouth. She laughed so loud tears streamed down her face. When she finally stood up and wiped away the tears she grinned at him. “She likes you ,you idiot! She's liked you for years. Wow, I thought you'd have realized this by now. You are such an idiot sometimes, you know that?”
He had no clue what the expression on his face must have been like, but Tatsuki slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled his ear closer to her mouth. “Look,” she said, taking pity on him. “You may be dumb, but the fact that you asked means you care about her happiness. So make her happy and talk to her, just the two of you, at lunch. I'll keep that goofball friend of ours out of your hair.” She paused. “Better yet, you guys go down where the girls usually eat. I'll round everyone up and we'll all eat on the roof today, okay?”
She let him go and then turned away, stopping after a few steps. “Oh, and Ichigo?” she said without turning around.
“Yeah?” he said, the first words he'd managed to wrap his tongue around since Tatsuki had started to laugh.
“You guys would make a cute couple, and I know you wouldn't hurt her. You wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her.” She turned. “So for your own sake, ask her out on a freaking date today, okay? It'll do you a world of good to go out with someone who loves you the way she does.”
He watched her go, and slowly he checked his thoughts out. He'd always thought she was just a friend. Maybe it had been because it would be easier, safer that way. If he saw her as more than a friend, he would do anything for her, do anything to keep her safe. And wouldn't that stifle her? If he really thought about it, he cared for her more than he cared for the rest of his friends. He knew that Ishida and Chad and, to an extent, Tatsuki could take care of themselves, even though he still worried about them. But she was different, special.
But then he thought back to the last few months. In the whole situation with Ginjou and Tsukishima, he remembered she'd trained to make her defensive shields absorb and fire back attacks. And there had been this new sense of calm, stability and internal toughness to her, too. Maybe he'd just been blind to the fact that she didn't need him to protect her all the time anymore. And if that was true...well, who knew? Maybe not needing to protect her meant he could loosen up and give her something that would make her truly happy, and didn't he really want that?
So three hours later he found it was just him and her siting under the tree, unwrapping their lunches, and she was humming quietly to herself. He recognized the song and smiled. It fit her well. He paused in his own act of getting ready to eat and just watched. Would it really be so bad to let go and just do something for himself? Because the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of seeing her as something other than a friend.
“Kurosaki-kun? Is something wrong?”
He blinked and then vehemently shook his head. “No, nothing's wrong, Inoue. Just thinking.”
“About your crush?” she asked.
“Kind of, yeah,” he said. “I decided that having a crush on a teacher is kind of pointless.”
“Oh, that's too bad,” she said. “What made you decide that?”
“Well, there would never be anything coming of it,” he said with a shrug. “So I figured maybe it would be better if I focused on girls my own age. I kind of have my eye on one, actually.”
“Someone I know?” she asked.
“Yeah, you know her.”
“Oh, well, who? I mean, she'd be very lucky to date you, but...who is it?”
“Do you really want to know?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes, Kurosaki-kun, I'd like to know,” she said. She had a smile on her face but he could tell she looked kind of disappointed, and that just endeared him a little more.
“You,” he said quietly.
She let out an audible gasp and her hands flew to her mouth. “Me?” she squeaked.
“Tatsuki said you liked me, and the more I thought about it the more I realized I really like you,” he said. “As more than a friend, I mean. And she told me I should ask you out, so...you want to go catch a movie this afternoon? I don't have to patrol until eight, so maybe we can get something to eat, too. If you want to, I mean.”
“Umm...umm...” she said, turning red. “Okay, Kurosaki-kun. Okay. A movie sounds good.”
He grinned and pulled her hands away from her mouth, and then shifted and sat closer to her. “What do you want to see?”
“Something with comedy!” she said. “I want to see you laugh and smile and have fun,” she said with a grin as her blush began to fade.
“We can go see something funny,” he said with a nod.
She looked at him and inched closer so their shoulders were touching. “And can we get ice cream later?”
“Yeah, we can do that,” he said with a nod.
“I never thought you'd say you liked me,” she said, turning to face him. She found her mouth inches away from his, and she ducked her head slightly. “I thought you'd never notice.”
“I just needed a push in the right direction,” he said, tilting her head up but backing away a little. “And a very informative story.”
“Oh, well, that's good,” she said, the blush coming back.
“Could I do something right now?” he asked quietly.
“What?” she asked just as softly.
“Kiss you,” he said.
“Oh. Umm. Okay. Yeah. I mean yes. Yes, you can kiss me.”
He leaned in and his lips touched her and he felt like something inside him would explode when she kissed him back. And at that point, they both completely forgot about their lunch, instead concentrating on making the moment last until they had to go back into class.
Title: love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo-centric, one sided Ichigo/OFC.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: It had been a very long time since he had a crush.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #9 (Ichigo has a crush on a teacher). Title is a quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.
He hadn't had a crush in so long he forgot what they were like. Sure, he was around attractive girls. He'd have been stupid not to realize Orihime was pretty, but she was a friend. She was someone he needed to protect. Besides, he'd been unable to stop the whole Hueco Mundo disaster from happening. She may say she was okay, but he was pretty sure somewhere deep down she knew it was all his fault. He certainly knew it was. If she'd never gotten tangled up in his life fighting Hollows, Aizen would never have known about her.
Most people thought he and Tatsuki were an item, at least with a very twisted relationship considering they were usually volleying insults at each other in public. In private they got along well, and he knew some people knew that the insults were just a way of showing they cared, so most people assumed the whole insulting thing was a front to make everyone think they weren't dating. Tatsuki cracked up every time someone brought it up to her, and he just grunted and glared. Both tactics seemed to work, because if people still thought they were dating they kept it to themselves.
He'd expected, eventually, he'd get a crush, but he hadn't expected it to be a teacher, and he certainly hadn't expected her to be American. But Cook-sensei was not only beautiful, but she was a Shakespeare fanatic and spoke flawless Japanese, making it easy for her to jump between one language and another during class. And she didn't think he was a delinquent, either, probably because she hadn't grown up with that stereotype. He was smitten, all right. As were most of the other guys in the class.
He worked his hardest, bringing his grades up dramatically in an attempt to impress her. But no matter what he did, he felt it wasn't enough. After all, she was older, probably wanted older guys, and he was just a kid. Half the time he was smitten, the other half of the time he was trying to talk himself out of the crush. It was almost like his emotions were on a yo-yo. And he didn't know what to do. Going to his father was a bad idea, going to Tatsuki was just asking for trouble, and none of the guys he was friends with would understand.
So that only left one person. He didn't think she would laugh at him, and he hoped getting a female's perspective would help. So, in the end, he pulled Orihime aside and offered to walk her home, just to talk. She got so excited, but when they began to talk he noticed her bubbly personality dimmed a bit. Then, after a moment, she smiled again, and said something surprising. “I know how you feel,” she replied. “Let me tell you a story...”
---
Title: love is a smoke and is made with the fume of sighs
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Orihime POV, one sided Orihime/OMC, implied one sided Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: She has a story to tell.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #10 (Orihime has a crush on a teacher). I figured it might be interesting to write this as though Orihime was telling the story. Title is a quote from Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare.
When I was younger, I think when I first started at this school, I had a crush on a teacher, Onazuka-sensei. Do you remember him? Most people don't because he was only here for part of the year. But he was a wonderful man. He never laughed at my silly ideas, and when I would go on some strange tangent he would listen patiently. He reminded me of my brother, and of Tatsuki sometimes. But he was nice, and I liked him a lot.
I wasn't the only one. There were other girls in class who liked him, because he was nice to them as well. He was nice to everyone, even people who didn't think he was a good teacher. But he wanted us to learn, and he made it fun, and every teacher should do that, right? So we all enjoyed his class. Even the guys enjoyed it, a lot of the time.
One girl liked him a little too much, though. She had a bigger crush on him than all of us. And she would go on and on about how attractive he was and how funny he was and how much she wanted to marry him. We would laugh and agree, and sometimes we would share our own fantasies, but she was serious about them. And she got him in trouble because she followed him home and tried to break into his home one day to wait for him. And to get away from her he had to leave, which made us all sad, and angry at her. School wasn't as much fun after that.
But I'm not saying a crush on a teacher is bad! No, they can make you better. You just shouldn't act on them. If you don't want something to happen to them to make them go away you should keep your crush to yourself. Enjoy it, because it can brighten your day, and make you want to come to school and do your best and be the best person so they notice you. But just be careful if they notice you, because you don't want attention that will get anyone in trouble, you know?
Oh, do I have a crush now? I do, actually. It's on a boy our age. I've had a crush on him for a long time now, but I don't think he knows. Or if he does, he just thinks I'm a friend. But I've accepted it now, because maybe I shouldn't have a crush on just one boy. I need to move on, I think, because it just isn't going to happen. Who is he? It's not important. Really.
I should tell him? I might. I have to soon, though, because we graduate this year. But if he leaves he may not want to date me, so I probably shouldn't. See, I can talk myself out of crushes too! So it's not just you. Oh, don't worry about me, Kurosaki-kun. It's okay not to have a crush on someone. It would have been nice, though. I'll be fine! You don't need to beat him up. You couldn't anyway. If I don't tell him then that's my decision. I can't make him like me back.
Thank you for walking me home, Kurosaki-kun. I hope you figure out what to do about your crush. Oh, I think any girl or woman would be lucky to date you. Just be careful, okay? I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt. You're always protecting me, and maybe this time I can protect you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Have a good afternoon!
---
Title: i would not wish any companion in the world but you
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo-centric, Ichigo/Orihime.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set in the current arc, but farther in the future.
Summary: It had been a very long time since he had a crush.
Authors Notes: Written for ichihimefanfest, for prompt #15 (Ichigo and Orihime have lunch alone together). Title is a quote from The Tempest by William Shakespeare.
He really thought about her words, harder than he'd thought about anything other than his studies. He didn't think he'd turn into a stalker like the girl she had mentioned, no, but he wondered if there was a point in having a crush on someone who was unattainable. Orihime had found fun in it, but he hadn't really found fun in his. Purpose, in a way, but not fun.
He found himself stuck on the fact that Orihime had a crush on someone else. He was happy that she did, but also mad at the idiot because he didn't notice her. She was sweet, kind, funny, smart and he liked being around her. And if she wanted to be happy with a guy then maybe he could give the guy a talking to. Not a stern one, or that might scare him off, but play up her good qualities. Everyone deserved some happiness, especially her.
So he did what he always did to find out about Orihime. He went to Tatsuki, and actually asked outright who Orihime had a crush on. The look on Tatsuki's face confused him, as did the peal after peal of laughter that spilled out of her mouth. She laughed so loud tears streamed down her face. When she finally stood up and wiped away the tears she grinned at him. “She likes you ,you idiot! She's liked you for years. Wow, I thought you'd have realized this by now. You are such an idiot sometimes, you know that?”
He had no clue what the expression on his face must have been like, but Tatsuki slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled his ear closer to her mouth. “Look,” she said, taking pity on him. “You may be dumb, but the fact that you asked means you care about her happiness. So make her happy and talk to her, just the two of you, at lunch. I'll keep that goofball friend of ours out of your hair.” She paused. “Better yet, you guys go down where the girls usually eat. I'll round everyone up and we'll all eat on the roof today, okay?”
She let him go and then turned away, stopping after a few steps. “Oh, and Ichigo?” she said without turning around.
“Yeah?” he said, the first words he'd managed to wrap his tongue around since Tatsuki had started to laugh.
“You guys would make a cute couple, and I know you wouldn't hurt her. You wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her.” She turned. “So for your own sake, ask her out on a freaking date today, okay? It'll do you a world of good to go out with someone who loves you the way she does.”
He watched her go, and slowly he checked his thoughts out. He'd always thought she was just a friend. Maybe it had been because it would be easier, safer that way. If he saw her as more than a friend, he would do anything for her, do anything to keep her safe. And wouldn't that stifle her? If he really thought about it, he cared for her more than he cared for the rest of his friends. He knew that Ishida and Chad and, to an extent, Tatsuki could take care of themselves, even though he still worried about them. But she was different, special.
But then he thought back to the last few months. In the whole situation with Ginjou and Tsukishima, he remembered she'd trained to make her defensive shields absorb and fire back attacks. And there had been this new sense of calm, stability and internal toughness to her, too. Maybe he'd just been blind to the fact that she didn't need him to protect her all the time anymore. And if that was true...well, who knew? Maybe not needing to protect her meant he could loosen up and give her something that would make her truly happy, and didn't he really want that?
So three hours later he found it was just him and her siting under the tree, unwrapping their lunches, and she was humming quietly to herself. He recognized the song and smiled. It fit her well. He paused in his own act of getting ready to eat and just watched. Would it really be so bad to let go and just do something for himself? Because the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea of seeing her as something other than a friend.
“Kurosaki-kun? Is something wrong?”
He blinked and then vehemently shook his head. “No, nothing's wrong, Inoue. Just thinking.”
“About your crush?” she asked.
“Kind of, yeah,” he said. “I decided that having a crush on a teacher is kind of pointless.”
“Oh, that's too bad,” she said. “What made you decide that?”
“Well, there would never be anything coming of it,” he said with a shrug. “So I figured maybe it would be better if I focused on girls my own age. I kind of have my eye on one, actually.”
“Someone I know?” she asked.
“Yeah, you know her.”
“Oh, well, who? I mean, she'd be very lucky to date you, but...who is it?”
“Do you really want to know?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes, Kurosaki-kun, I'd like to know,” she said. She had a smile on her face but he could tell she looked kind of disappointed, and that just endeared him a little more.
“You,” he said quietly.
She let out an audible gasp and her hands flew to her mouth. “Me?” she squeaked.
“Tatsuki said you liked me, and the more I thought about it the more I realized I really like you,” he said. “As more than a friend, I mean. And she told me I should ask you out, so...you want to go catch a movie this afternoon? I don't have to patrol until eight, so maybe we can get something to eat, too. If you want to, I mean.”
“Umm...umm...” she said, turning red. “Okay, Kurosaki-kun. Okay. A movie sounds good.”
He grinned and pulled her hands away from her mouth, and then shifted and sat closer to her. “What do you want to see?”
“Something with comedy!” she said. “I want to see you laugh and smile and have fun,” she said with a grin as her blush began to fade.
“We can go see something funny,” he said with a nod.
She looked at him and inched closer so their shoulders were touching. “And can we get ice cream later?”
“Yeah, we can do that,” he said with a nod.
“I never thought you'd say you liked me,” she said, turning to face him. She found her mouth inches away from his, and she ducked her head slightly. “I thought you'd never notice.”
“I just needed a push in the right direction,” he said, tilting her head up but backing away a little. “And a very informative story.”
“Oh, well, that's good,” she said, the blush coming back.
“Could I do something right now?” he asked quietly.
“What?” she asked just as softly.
“Kiss you,” he said.
“Oh. Umm. Okay. Yeah. I mean yes. Yes, you can kiss me.”
He leaned in and his lips touched her and he felt like something inside him would explode when she kissed him back. And at that point, they both completely forgot about their lunch, instead concentrating on making the moment last until they had to go back into class.