Alarms & Surprises
Title: Alarms & Surprises
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Orihime-centric, Ishida/Orihime
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Goes AU before chapter 448, so there's no spoilers for recent chapters.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: When he showed up on her doorstep she hadn't expected this to happen, but it felt...right.
Authors Notes: Taking a break from the help_japan fics for a little bit. I gave amorphic a prompt at her community (“No alarms and no surprises”) that I asked to be either Ichigo/Orihime or Ishida/Orihime. She doesn't write Ishida/Orihime but I do, so we figured we would take a stab at the same prompt with two different Orihime-centric fics. Mine kind of went away from the prompt, but I still love it.
---
She didn't like alarm clocks. Never really had, but it had gotten worse after Hueco Mundo. They startled her, and she'd panic and her throat would tighten up and she'd wake up gasping for breath. Sometimes she would imagine voices screaming at her until she realized it was her alarm, voices like Loly's or Menoly's or Grimmjow's or Aizen's. But Ulquoirra's voice was the hardest to deal with. When she woke up from that tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Within a week of being back the alarm clock was unplugged and unused. She slept in pants with a pocket and set her cell phone alarm to vibrate. It worked fairly well unless she rolled over too much and it slipped out during the night.
Still, things that used to not startle her made her jump now. A rustle of paper, someone's shadow behind her overlapping hers, the startled cry a bird made when it left unexpectedly. By the second week she was back she wanted to stay in bed all day, every day, and just hide from the world. She found herself wondering how much it would cost to soundproof her apartment but realized it would never block out all the sound.
She was a wreck, and her friends didn't know what to do. So she hid it. She got good at hiding it, so good that after a month most of her friends thought she was fine. Chizuru went back to trying to grope her, Tatsuki went back to their weekly karate lessons, Keigo went back to trying to impress her.
But her friends that had gone to rescue her, they knew better. But Kurosaki needed them more than she did, needed her more than she needed them, so she continued to paste the smile on her face and act like all was right in the world.
After a year she'd started to believe it herself. The nightmares had lessened, she wasn't startling as easy, and she felt normal again. Six months after that she was convincing herself she was perfectly fine. And then Ishida got attacked and her world went into a tailspin. And then Tsukishima came after her, and she just wanted to go back into hiding in her room again. It was too much, too soon, too painful. She had stood her ground, yes, but hadn't she stood up to Ulquoirra? And look how well that had turned out.
So she hid. Hiding was safer than dealing with all of it again out in the open. She didn't have to put on a mask. She could let her fears be out where she could look at them, examine them in the safety of her own home, and try to work through them in the way she should have all that time ago instead of supressing it. Because she had grown to like how she had been with the mask on, the happy, bubbly old her.
So when the knock at the door interrupted her third day of solitude, she cautiously went to the door and looked out the tiny hole in her door. She smiled, because it wasn't the enemy coming after her again. It was her friend. She opened it up and saw Ishida standing there, looking uncertain. “Ishida-kun! I didn't know you were out of the hospital.”
“I left against doctor's orders,” he said. “Sado told me what happened to you and I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“I am. I was just...” She opened the door and he came in. She noticed he was cradling his arm and she instantly went into worry mode. “You didn't need to leave early. If it hurts I can heal it for you, if you want.”
He looked like he was going to politely decline for a moment, but she touched his arm and he nodded. She let go and lead him into her living room and sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her. He sat down and she pulled her hairpins out of the pocket on her shirt and set them down on the cushion between them. It only took a few moments, but when she was done he moved his arm and smiled more. “I should have let you do this earlier.”
“I should have insisted,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Reaally okay, I mean?”
She looked at him, then shook her head slightly. “No, Ishida-kun. I'm scared.”
“I'll protect you,” he said. “I know I'm not Kurosaki, but he can't protect you and I can. Let me protect you.”
“That's very sweet,” she said. “But--”
“Please,” he said quietly, interrupting her.
She looked at him closely. “Why? I don't think he'll come back.”
“If he does, I don't want him to hurt you in a different way. He could kill you next time.” He moved his arm slightly, then used his finger on that hand to push his glasses up higher on his nose. “I don't want anything to happen to you.”
She searched his face, and then nodded. “Okay, Ishida-kun. You can protect me.”
He looked relieved, and a small smile crossed his lips for a moment before a serious look emerged on his face. “Do you mind if I stay the night?”
“Why?” she asked, puzzled.
He looked down. “I have no place to go.”
Her eyes went wide and before she could stop herself she gasped. “Ishida-kun! What happened?”
“My father said if I left the hospital before he cleared me I was no longer welcome in his home. I felt seeing you was more important. I'm allowed to go and get my things, but I am no longer allowed to set foot on the premesis after that.”
“Of course you can stay here! The other bedroom is small but you can have it. And you can bring your things here. We can make room for them, at least until you can get settled somewhere else. If you want to, I mean. You can stay here as long as you want.”
“Thank you,” he said gratefully.
“It's okay,” she said with a smile, a smile he caught when he lifted his head up. He offered her a small one of his own. “Do you want to go get your things now?”
He got a slightly sheepish look on his face. “If you had said no I planned on checking into a hotel, so I have them all out in a taxi downstairs.”
“Then let's go get them,” she said, standing up and offering him her hand. He used the hand of his newly healed arm to grasp it and she helped him up. It took them a half hour to bring the boxes all the way up to her apartment, but when the last box was out of the taxi he began to pay and she shooed him off and paid herself.
“You didn't have to do that,” he said, carrying the last box up the stairs behind her.
“Don't be silly, Ishida-kun. You're my guest, and you're going to protect me. It's the least I could do.” She flashed him a blinding smile and he felt himself go slightly warm. She opened up the door and let them in. “I'll get us something to eat.”
“Are you going to cook?” he asked warily.
She giggled. “No. I was going to get the sushi I bought this morning. I don't have a lot, but I have red bean paste and curry to eat. You can have the sushi.”
“Thank you,” he said, letting out a small sigh of relief.
She laughed a little harder. It felt good to laugh again. “I know everyone thinks I cook weird food. I know a lot of things people say about me. I listen.”
“That's good,” he replied. “But if you'd like, I can cook while I stay here.”
“Oh, that would be nice,” she said. “Need any help getting set up?”
He shook his head. “It can wait until later.”
“Okay.” She went to her fridge and pulled out the sushi tray and her bowl of leftovers. “Dig in!”
They ate slowly, talking about many different things but avoiding the reason she was hiding in her apartment. It almost seemed as though he knew exactly what to say to keep her mind off that topic, the few times the conversation would lull and her mind would start to wander. When they were done he began to clean up despite her protests that she could do it. She went to go get him fresh sheets and a blanket instead. Then she heard a sound from the other room and shrieked.
“What's wrong?” Ishida asked, coming to her side quickly. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine. It's just that I get startled easily, that's all.” She smiled at him. “It's okay, though.”
“Was that why you said earlier that you don't have an alarm clock?” he asked.
She nodded. “Sometimes when it went off I'd be having a bad dream and I'd think someone was yelling at me and I'd wake up in a cold sweat and it just got to be too much.”
“Well, I won't use mine, then.”
“It's okay,” she said. “The walls are kind of thick. I don't think I'll hear it.”
He took the sheets and blanket from her. “Still. It's respectful if I don't. I can just put my phone on vibrate.”
“That's what I do!” she said with a smile.
“Then that will work for me, too,” he said with a nod. She yawned, and he shifted slightly to put the sheets and blanket on the same side. “You should go get some sleep. It's late.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
He nodded. “I am.”
“Okay. Good night, Ishida-kun.”
“Good night.”
She went to her bedroom, closed the door and began to change into her nightclothes. She crawled into bed and quickly drifted off into sleep. It was not a peaceful sleep, however, and the next thing she knew there was a weight next to her and her eyes flew open. Ishida was sitting on the side of her bed, his hand hovering over her shoulder. “I'm sorry,” she said sheepishly.
“Nightmares?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“About Hueco Mundo?”
She shook her head. “About the attack a few days ago. Though sometimes I still have nightmares about that, too.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” he asked.
She hesitated. “Could you stay in here tonight?”
“I can sleep on the floor,” he said with a nod.
“No, I was...” She paused. “Sometimes Tatsuki stays over and when I get a nightmare she sleeps in my bed with me.” He grew red. “But you don't have to! If you want to sleep on the floor I can give you some pillows and a different blanket and another one to cushion you.”
“I won't try anything,” he said.
“I didn't think you would,” she said with a smile. “You're a good person and I know you don't think about me like that.” He was quiet. “Ishida-kun?” she asked softly.
“I do think of you like that, sometimes,” he said quietly.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small O. “Oh,” she said finally.
“Which is why I thought I should sleep on the floor.” He got off the bed but she reached over and grabbed his arm. “What is it?”
“Could you please sleep next to me?” she whispered. “I just...I want to feel close to someone.” He hesitated, then nodded slowly. She let go of his arm and moved over, and he laid down next to her, not touching her for a moment. Then she rolled over and faced him and pulled the blanket over them. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Would you ask Kurosaki to do this?” he asked her intently.
She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. But I don't think he'd do it, so there would be no reason to ask.”
“And you asked me because you thought I would?”
“Maybe. I think. I'm not really sure.” She sighed. “He doesn't like me the way I like him, does he?”
“No,” he replied. “And I think that's very stupid of him. You're a great person. Loving, kind and beautiful, and if he doesn't see that then he's just stupid.”
She smiled. “You think I'm beautiful?”
“Yes,” he said.
She leaned in a little more. “Well, I think you're handsome.”
“But not as handsome as Kurosaki,” he said quietly.
“Did you know that he was there the day I got attacked?” She saw him shake his head in the faint light. “He and Sado-kun came after the man left. Sado-kun came by the next day to make sure I was okay. And you came over tonight, even though you were still injured. Kurosaki-kun didn't. Whatever it is he's doing, it's more important than making sure I'm okay.”
He thought for a moment. “As I said before, he's stupid.”
She laughed softly, just a little. “And you're not. You're the smartest person in our class! You can't be stupid.”
“I can be stupid sometimes.”
“I doubt it.” Before she had time to continue he leaned in and kissed her. After just a second of hesitation she tentatively kissed him back. Not because he was there, because that wasn't fair to him, but because he'd made a move and she did like him and she was kicking herself for not realizing that he was just as worthy of her love and affection as her beloved Kurosaki-kun. So she kissed him back, but before she really got to enjoy it he pulled away, and she frowned slightly. “Why did you stop?”
“Like I said, I can be stupid sometimes,” he said.
“I kissed you back!” she said, shaking her head vehemently.
“You didn't kiss me just because I kissed you, right?” he asked.
“No! I kissed you because you're here and you care and yes it was also a little bit because you kissed me but mostly because I would have done something stupid if I didn't kiss you back because you like me and I like you too, and before you say anything please stop comparing yourself to Kurosaki-kun, okay? Because you're different.” She hadn't realized she was rambling until he put a finger to her lips. She looked at him and saw he had a smile on her face. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled, his finger still on her lips.
“So even though I'm not Kurosaki you like me?” She nodded. “I'll stop comparing myself to him, then. Will you let me kiss you again?” She nodded again, and he removed his finger.
This time she leaned in first, and pressed her lips softly against his for a few moments before pulling away and smiling. “I kissed you second.”
“You did,” he said. “Do you want to go to sleep?”
“Yeah.” He moved a bit and pulled her close, and she settled in against him, shutting her eyes. She listened to the sound of his breathing slow down and level off before she drifted off to sleep. And when she woke up in the morning to the soft vibration of his cell phone, she realized that some surprises were wonderful. And if he was close like this to her every morning, maybe she could even stand an alarm again.
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Orihime-centric, Ishida/Orihime
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Goes AU before chapter 448, so there's no spoilers for recent chapters.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: When he showed up on her doorstep she hadn't expected this to happen, but it felt...right.
Authors Notes: Taking a break from the help_japan fics for a little bit. I gave amorphic a prompt at her community (“No alarms and no surprises”) that I asked to be either Ichigo/Orihime or Ishida/Orihime. She doesn't write Ishida/Orihime but I do, so we figured we would take a stab at the same prompt with two different Orihime-centric fics. Mine kind of went away from the prompt, but I still love it.
---
She didn't like alarm clocks. Never really had, but it had gotten worse after Hueco Mundo. They startled her, and she'd panic and her throat would tighten up and she'd wake up gasping for breath. Sometimes she would imagine voices screaming at her until she realized it was her alarm, voices like Loly's or Menoly's or Grimmjow's or Aizen's. But Ulquoirra's voice was the hardest to deal with. When she woke up from that tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Within a week of being back the alarm clock was unplugged and unused. She slept in pants with a pocket and set her cell phone alarm to vibrate. It worked fairly well unless she rolled over too much and it slipped out during the night.
Still, things that used to not startle her made her jump now. A rustle of paper, someone's shadow behind her overlapping hers, the startled cry a bird made when it left unexpectedly. By the second week she was back she wanted to stay in bed all day, every day, and just hide from the world. She found herself wondering how much it would cost to soundproof her apartment but realized it would never block out all the sound.
She was a wreck, and her friends didn't know what to do. So she hid it. She got good at hiding it, so good that after a month most of her friends thought she was fine. Chizuru went back to trying to grope her, Tatsuki went back to their weekly karate lessons, Keigo went back to trying to impress her.
But her friends that had gone to rescue her, they knew better. But Kurosaki needed them more than she did, needed her more than she needed them, so she continued to paste the smile on her face and act like all was right in the world.
After a year she'd started to believe it herself. The nightmares had lessened, she wasn't startling as easy, and she felt normal again. Six months after that she was convincing herself she was perfectly fine. And then Ishida got attacked and her world went into a tailspin. And then Tsukishima came after her, and she just wanted to go back into hiding in her room again. It was too much, too soon, too painful. She had stood her ground, yes, but hadn't she stood up to Ulquoirra? And look how well that had turned out.
So she hid. Hiding was safer than dealing with all of it again out in the open. She didn't have to put on a mask. She could let her fears be out where she could look at them, examine them in the safety of her own home, and try to work through them in the way she should have all that time ago instead of supressing it. Because she had grown to like how she had been with the mask on, the happy, bubbly old her.
So when the knock at the door interrupted her third day of solitude, she cautiously went to the door and looked out the tiny hole in her door. She smiled, because it wasn't the enemy coming after her again. It was her friend. She opened it up and saw Ishida standing there, looking uncertain. “Ishida-kun! I didn't know you were out of the hospital.”
“I left against doctor's orders,” he said. “Sado told me what happened to you and I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“I am. I was just...” She opened the door and he came in. She noticed he was cradling his arm and she instantly went into worry mode. “You didn't need to leave early. If it hurts I can heal it for you, if you want.”
He looked like he was going to politely decline for a moment, but she touched his arm and he nodded. She let go and lead him into her living room and sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her. He sat down and she pulled her hairpins out of the pocket on her shirt and set them down on the cushion between them. It only took a few moments, but when she was done he moved his arm and smiled more. “I should have let you do this earlier.”
“I should have insisted,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Reaally okay, I mean?”
She looked at him, then shook her head slightly. “No, Ishida-kun. I'm scared.”
“I'll protect you,” he said. “I know I'm not Kurosaki, but he can't protect you and I can. Let me protect you.”
“That's very sweet,” she said. “But--”
“Please,” he said quietly, interrupting her.
She looked at him closely. “Why? I don't think he'll come back.”
“If he does, I don't want him to hurt you in a different way. He could kill you next time.” He moved his arm slightly, then used his finger on that hand to push his glasses up higher on his nose. “I don't want anything to happen to you.”
She searched his face, and then nodded. “Okay, Ishida-kun. You can protect me.”
He looked relieved, and a small smile crossed his lips for a moment before a serious look emerged on his face. “Do you mind if I stay the night?”
“Why?” she asked, puzzled.
He looked down. “I have no place to go.”
Her eyes went wide and before she could stop herself she gasped. “Ishida-kun! What happened?”
“My father said if I left the hospital before he cleared me I was no longer welcome in his home. I felt seeing you was more important. I'm allowed to go and get my things, but I am no longer allowed to set foot on the premesis after that.”
“Of course you can stay here! The other bedroom is small but you can have it. And you can bring your things here. We can make room for them, at least until you can get settled somewhere else. If you want to, I mean. You can stay here as long as you want.”
“Thank you,” he said gratefully.
“It's okay,” she said with a smile, a smile he caught when he lifted his head up. He offered her a small one of his own. “Do you want to go get your things now?”
He got a slightly sheepish look on his face. “If you had said no I planned on checking into a hotel, so I have them all out in a taxi downstairs.”
“Then let's go get them,” she said, standing up and offering him her hand. He used the hand of his newly healed arm to grasp it and she helped him up. It took them a half hour to bring the boxes all the way up to her apartment, but when the last box was out of the taxi he began to pay and she shooed him off and paid herself.
“You didn't have to do that,” he said, carrying the last box up the stairs behind her.
“Don't be silly, Ishida-kun. You're my guest, and you're going to protect me. It's the least I could do.” She flashed him a blinding smile and he felt himself go slightly warm. She opened up the door and let them in. “I'll get us something to eat.”
“Are you going to cook?” he asked warily.
She giggled. “No. I was going to get the sushi I bought this morning. I don't have a lot, but I have red bean paste and curry to eat. You can have the sushi.”
“Thank you,” he said, letting out a small sigh of relief.
She laughed a little harder. It felt good to laugh again. “I know everyone thinks I cook weird food. I know a lot of things people say about me. I listen.”
“That's good,” he replied. “But if you'd like, I can cook while I stay here.”
“Oh, that would be nice,” she said. “Need any help getting set up?”
He shook his head. “It can wait until later.”
“Okay.” She went to her fridge and pulled out the sushi tray and her bowl of leftovers. “Dig in!”
They ate slowly, talking about many different things but avoiding the reason she was hiding in her apartment. It almost seemed as though he knew exactly what to say to keep her mind off that topic, the few times the conversation would lull and her mind would start to wander. When they were done he began to clean up despite her protests that she could do it. She went to go get him fresh sheets and a blanket instead. Then she heard a sound from the other room and shrieked.
“What's wrong?” Ishida asked, coming to her side quickly. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine. It's just that I get startled easily, that's all.” She smiled at him. “It's okay, though.”
“Was that why you said earlier that you don't have an alarm clock?” he asked.
She nodded. “Sometimes when it went off I'd be having a bad dream and I'd think someone was yelling at me and I'd wake up in a cold sweat and it just got to be too much.”
“Well, I won't use mine, then.”
“It's okay,” she said. “The walls are kind of thick. I don't think I'll hear it.”
He took the sheets and blanket from her. “Still. It's respectful if I don't. I can just put my phone on vibrate.”
“That's what I do!” she said with a smile.
“Then that will work for me, too,” he said with a nod. She yawned, and he shifted slightly to put the sheets and blanket on the same side. “You should go get some sleep. It's late.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
He nodded. “I am.”
“Okay. Good night, Ishida-kun.”
“Good night.”
She went to her bedroom, closed the door and began to change into her nightclothes. She crawled into bed and quickly drifted off into sleep. It was not a peaceful sleep, however, and the next thing she knew there was a weight next to her and her eyes flew open. Ishida was sitting on the side of her bed, his hand hovering over her shoulder. “I'm sorry,” she said sheepishly.
“Nightmares?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“About Hueco Mundo?”
She shook her head. “About the attack a few days ago. Though sometimes I still have nightmares about that, too.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” he asked.
She hesitated. “Could you stay in here tonight?”
“I can sleep on the floor,” he said with a nod.
“No, I was...” She paused. “Sometimes Tatsuki stays over and when I get a nightmare she sleeps in my bed with me.” He grew red. “But you don't have to! If you want to sleep on the floor I can give you some pillows and a different blanket and another one to cushion you.”
“I won't try anything,” he said.
“I didn't think you would,” she said with a smile. “You're a good person and I know you don't think about me like that.” He was quiet. “Ishida-kun?” she asked softly.
“I do think of you like that, sometimes,” he said quietly.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small O. “Oh,” she said finally.
“Which is why I thought I should sleep on the floor.” He got off the bed but she reached over and grabbed his arm. “What is it?”
“Could you please sleep next to me?” she whispered. “I just...I want to feel close to someone.” He hesitated, then nodded slowly. She let go of his arm and moved over, and he laid down next to her, not touching her for a moment. Then she rolled over and faced him and pulled the blanket over them. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Would you ask Kurosaki to do this?” he asked her intently.
She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. But I don't think he'd do it, so there would be no reason to ask.”
“And you asked me because you thought I would?”
“Maybe. I think. I'm not really sure.” She sighed. “He doesn't like me the way I like him, does he?”
“No,” he replied. “And I think that's very stupid of him. You're a great person. Loving, kind and beautiful, and if he doesn't see that then he's just stupid.”
She smiled. “You think I'm beautiful?”
“Yes,” he said.
She leaned in a little more. “Well, I think you're handsome.”
“But not as handsome as Kurosaki,” he said quietly.
“Did you know that he was there the day I got attacked?” She saw him shake his head in the faint light. “He and Sado-kun came after the man left. Sado-kun came by the next day to make sure I was okay. And you came over tonight, even though you were still injured. Kurosaki-kun didn't. Whatever it is he's doing, it's more important than making sure I'm okay.”
He thought for a moment. “As I said before, he's stupid.”
She laughed softly, just a little. “And you're not. You're the smartest person in our class! You can't be stupid.”
“I can be stupid sometimes.”
“I doubt it.” Before she had time to continue he leaned in and kissed her. After just a second of hesitation she tentatively kissed him back. Not because he was there, because that wasn't fair to him, but because he'd made a move and she did like him and she was kicking herself for not realizing that he was just as worthy of her love and affection as her beloved Kurosaki-kun. So she kissed him back, but before she really got to enjoy it he pulled away, and she frowned slightly. “Why did you stop?”
“Like I said, I can be stupid sometimes,” he said.
“I kissed you back!” she said, shaking her head vehemently.
“You didn't kiss me just because I kissed you, right?” he asked.
“No! I kissed you because you're here and you care and yes it was also a little bit because you kissed me but mostly because I would have done something stupid if I didn't kiss you back because you like me and I like you too, and before you say anything please stop comparing yourself to Kurosaki-kun, okay? Because you're different.” She hadn't realized she was rambling until he put a finger to her lips. She looked at him and saw he had a smile on her face. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled, his finger still on her lips.
“So even though I'm not Kurosaki you like me?” She nodded. “I'll stop comparing myself to him, then. Will you let me kiss you again?” She nodded again, and he removed his finger.
This time she leaned in first, and pressed her lips softly against his for a few moments before pulling away and smiling. “I kissed you second.”
“You did,” he said. “Do you want to go to sleep?”
“Yeah.” He moved a bit and pulled her close, and she settled in against him, shutting her eyes. She listened to the sound of his breathing slow down and level off before she drifted off to sleep. And when she woke up in the morning to the soft vibration of his cell phone, she realized that some surprises were wonderful. And if he was close like this to her every morning, maybe she could even stand an alarm again.