Various Shades Of Red
Title: Various Shades Of Red
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime, mostly from Ichigo's POV.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set a little later in the current arc (seventeen months after the Deicide arc); all you need to know is Xcution's plan worked.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Summary: When it came to Orihime, he saw many shades of red.
Authors Notes: For lostb4flight, who wanted Ichigo/Orihime fic where Ichigo crushed a phone. I'm surprised at how quickly this one came out...
---
Ichigo saw red every time someone came up to Orihime. Or rather, every time a male came up to Orihime. Well, not every time. Just boys their own age. And slightly older. Maybe all the way up to middle aged. Mostly it was guys that he knew were staring at her breasts, not her face, and angling for her phone number.
And it wasn't always red. Sometimes it was a pale shade of pink. Or salmon. And a couple of times it was neon pink. Pale shade was for little boys that were just hitting puberty. If Orihime had looked like that when he was their age he'd have the same reaction, so he cut them some slack. Salmon was for the guys who talked to her but were too nervous to do much else. Sometimes Keigo even fell into that category. Chizuru had the dubious honor of being the only female to get that shade, even though she actually made attempts, but thankfully Tatsuki still loved beating the crap out of the bespectacled lesbian for daring to grope Orihime. Neon pink went for Ryuuken Ishida. He didn't know why, but the older Ishida paying attention to Orihime bugged him a lot more than the younger Ishida paying attention to her.
Right now, though, his eyes were flashing red. Everyone in school knew they were dating, from their grade all the way down. Kids in Karin and Yuzu's school knew they were dating. So everyone left them alone, more or less, mostly because they were petrified of him. Orihime had male friends, ones that didn't bug him, so it wasn't as though he was controlling her. If he'd really wanted to do that he'd have found a way to stick her in Soul Society in that tower they had Rukia in, and set Kenpachi to guard it. And he was pretty sure if he gave Kenpachi a good enough fight the man would do it, too. For a little while, at least.
The guys at the university level, though, they didn't get it. They though money and cars was the way to get her attention. And Orihime, as much as he loved her (and he really did love her, he just hadn't told her yet...waiting for that perfect moment was killing him) did not really see that. She was just a friendly person by nature, and she believed she could be everybody's friend. It was refreshing in a way. He was so cynical, and she was so...not. They were a good balance to each other. He could relax around her, be himself, even though he still wasn't sure he was okay with this person he was now. He could be normal around her, not be all-powerful substitute shinigami.
And he loved being normal around her. They did the typical dates, sometimes. A movie and a bite to eat, usually. But there were little things she suggested that were special. She loved being on the swings, for example, and he loved pushing her as they talked. He never pushed her super high, not at first, but then the pushes would increase in strength and she'd go higher and soon conversation was gone and the sound of her laughter would fill the air and bring a smile to his face.
She loved his smile. Well, she said she liked it when he smiled. She hadn't used the love word, either. Maybe she was waiting for the perfect moment, too. But she always encouraged him to smile. His image had undergone some changes because of her. Yeah, he'd still kick anyone's ass who disrespected his friends or bullied kids, but he wasn't scowling 99.99% of the time anymore. More like 75% at school. Less when it was just the two of them at her apartment, or at his house. His sisters refrained from teasing, simply because they were so happy their nii-sama had finally noticed she liked him and done something about it. They adored her, Isshin adored her, and, well, he adored her. She fit in well in his life.
But back to the seeing red. Right now it was blood red, the same color he'd seen so many times in the fights he couldn't forget when he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Thoughts of Orihime did not occupy every sleeping moment, sadly. But this guy was leaning into her, grin on his face that told him that the guy thought he was getting lucky tonight. He was not getting lucky, not if it involved getting lucky with his girlfriend. And she was giggling, and looking at the phone he held out towards her.
And he was punching in numbers.
She was giving him her phone number.
His girlfriend was giving some puffed up jerk her phone number. Blood red did not even begin to describe the shade of red flashing in front of him right now.
He stalked over there before he even thought about it. She turned to look at him, wide eyed. “Kurosaki-kun!” she said as he grabbed the phone. “What are you--?”
She watched as he took the phone, pulled the flip screen back, and heard a satisfying crack. Then he tossed it on the ground and stomped on it for a moment. And then he looked at Orihime. “Why were you giving him your phone number?”
She looked at him for a moment, blinked once, then twice, and suddenly her mouth twitched and broke out into a grin as warm laughter spilled out. “Oh, Kurosaki-kun. I was giving him Tatsuki-chan's phone number! He's one of her students at the dojo and he needed to arrange some private lessons.” The way she said that last part, he realized she knew exactly what the guy had meant by private lessons.
He hoped for Orihime's sake that Tatsuki wouldn't mind giving the guy private lessons, or he feared his girlfriend would not be able to escape her wrath,
He looked at the guy, who for some reason wasn't pissed, and was instead staring in disbelief. Ichigo knew he himself looked sheepish, and he reached in his back pocket for his wallet. “How much was your phone?”
The man stared at Ichigo, then the phone, then Ichigo again. Now he was starting to look pissed. Ichigo groaned. This was not looking good. There was going to be another fight. Orihime hated it when he fought in front of her unless the person really really deserved it. On the plus side, if he actually got hurt she'd take care of him, so...
Orihime quickly plucked the wallet out of Ichigo's hand, pulled out some money and thrust it at the man. Both he and Ichigo turned at her, surprised, as she grinned widely. “That should be enough for a new one!”
Ichigo took his wallet back and frowned. The amount of money Orihime gave him would actually get him a better phone than the one he'd broken. He sighed, and closed up his wallet, sticking it back in his pocket. There went the movie he'd planned on taking her to, and dinner afterward. But it was his own damn fault for being so rationally jealous. He really needed to stop doing that.
The man took the money, looked at Ichigo, who shrugged, then back at Orihime, who was still smiling. She grabbed Ichigo's hand, waved at the man, and then pulled Ichigo away quickly. They'd made it three blocks away before she stopped pulling him and slowed her pace. And then a block after that she stopped. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “What am I going to do with you, Kurosaki-kun?” she said with a soft smile and a slightly exasperated sigh.
“Don't look like you're giving your phone number out to skeevy university guys?” he suggested.
Her smile widened. “Didn't you know that when I get asked for my phone number I simply give them Chizuru-chan's?” His jaw dropped. He knew his jaw had dropped because he could feel his mouth being wide open and he knew his eyes were wide, too, which probably made him look really stupid right now. All he got was a giggle in response and a finger pushing his chin up. “I grew up a while ago, Kurosaki-kun,” she said, a bit more seriously. “I'm not as oblivious to things as I used to be.”
“Huh,” he said. “Then I apologize for embarrassing you, Inoue-kun.” She shook her head, then let go of his hand and put her arms around his neck. Suddenly it didn't matter that they were in the middle of the sidewalk, in plain view of everyone who passed by. He put his hands on her hips for a moment before sliding them back and positioning them on her lower back. He pulled her a little closer. “Can I tell you something?”
“Sure,” she said, a warm smile on her face.
“I love you,” he said simply.
Her smile widened. “I knew that. If you didn't love me you wouldn't get jealous like that.” And then she leaned in and kissed him softly, a lingering kiss full of promise. “I love you too. I have for a very long time.”
“Good,” he said, a wide grin forming on his face. So. She loved him. He didn't need to act like a stupid idiot because even if guys were flocking after her she wanted him and only him. He didn't need to worry anymore. He let go of her waist and she removed her arms. He grabbed her hand as soon as it dangled down by her hips again. “Giving out Chizuru's phone number is a stroke of genius.”
She giggled slightly. “I've learned there are limits to what friends can put up with.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “You've changed a lot, Inoue-kun.”
“No, not really. I just realized that maybe I don't need to be as naïve.” She turned to look at him. “I just don't want to be as cynical as you are. Were. You've changed a lot yourself, Kurosaki-kun.”
“I've been under a good influence,” he said.
Her sparkling laugh echoed around him. “I'm glad I'm a good influence.” Then she tilted her head slightly. “Want to go see a movie?”
“You kind of gave the guy all my money,” he said.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into a little O. And then her dazzling smile broke out again. “Well, then it's my treat. And then we can have ice cream afterward, okay?”
“Okay,” he said with a laugh as he was pulled along again. Today...today was going to go down as one of the best days of his life.
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Ichigo/Orihime, mostly from Ichigo's POV.
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set a little later in the current arc (seventeen months after the Deicide arc); all you need to know is Xcution's plan worked.
Warnings (if applicable): None.
Summary: When it came to Orihime, he saw many shades of red.
Authors Notes: For lostb4flight, who wanted Ichigo/Orihime fic where Ichigo crushed a phone. I'm surprised at how quickly this one came out...
---
Ichigo saw red every time someone came up to Orihime. Or rather, every time a male came up to Orihime. Well, not every time. Just boys their own age. And slightly older. Maybe all the way up to middle aged. Mostly it was guys that he knew were staring at her breasts, not her face, and angling for her phone number.
And it wasn't always red. Sometimes it was a pale shade of pink. Or salmon. And a couple of times it was neon pink. Pale shade was for little boys that were just hitting puberty. If Orihime had looked like that when he was their age he'd have the same reaction, so he cut them some slack. Salmon was for the guys who talked to her but were too nervous to do much else. Sometimes Keigo even fell into that category. Chizuru had the dubious honor of being the only female to get that shade, even though she actually made attempts, but thankfully Tatsuki still loved beating the crap out of the bespectacled lesbian for daring to grope Orihime. Neon pink went for Ryuuken Ishida. He didn't know why, but the older Ishida paying attention to Orihime bugged him a lot more than the younger Ishida paying attention to her.
Right now, though, his eyes were flashing red. Everyone in school knew they were dating, from their grade all the way down. Kids in Karin and Yuzu's school knew they were dating. So everyone left them alone, more or less, mostly because they were petrified of him. Orihime had male friends, ones that didn't bug him, so it wasn't as though he was controlling her. If he'd really wanted to do that he'd have found a way to stick her in Soul Society in that tower they had Rukia in, and set Kenpachi to guard it. And he was pretty sure if he gave Kenpachi a good enough fight the man would do it, too. For a little while, at least.
The guys at the university level, though, they didn't get it. They though money and cars was the way to get her attention. And Orihime, as much as he loved her (and he really did love her, he just hadn't told her yet...waiting for that perfect moment was killing him) did not really see that. She was just a friendly person by nature, and she believed she could be everybody's friend. It was refreshing in a way. He was so cynical, and she was so...not. They were a good balance to each other. He could relax around her, be himself, even though he still wasn't sure he was okay with this person he was now. He could be normal around her, not be all-powerful substitute shinigami.
And he loved being normal around her. They did the typical dates, sometimes. A movie and a bite to eat, usually. But there were little things she suggested that were special. She loved being on the swings, for example, and he loved pushing her as they talked. He never pushed her super high, not at first, but then the pushes would increase in strength and she'd go higher and soon conversation was gone and the sound of her laughter would fill the air and bring a smile to his face.
She loved his smile. Well, she said she liked it when he smiled. She hadn't used the love word, either. Maybe she was waiting for the perfect moment, too. But she always encouraged him to smile. His image had undergone some changes because of her. Yeah, he'd still kick anyone's ass who disrespected his friends or bullied kids, but he wasn't scowling 99.99% of the time anymore. More like 75% at school. Less when it was just the two of them at her apartment, or at his house. His sisters refrained from teasing, simply because they were so happy their nii-sama had finally noticed she liked him and done something about it. They adored her, Isshin adored her, and, well, he adored her. She fit in well in his life.
But back to the seeing red. Right now it was blood red, the same color he'd seen so many times in the fights he couldn't forget when he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Thoughts of Orihime did not occupy every sleeping moment, sadly. But this guy was leaning into her, grin on his face that told him that the guy thought he was getting lucky tonight. He was not getting lucky, not if it involved getting lucky with his girlfriend. And she was giggling, and looking at the phone he held out towards her.
And he was punching in numbers.
She was giving him her phone number.
His girlfriend was giving some puffed up jerk her phone number. Blood red did not even begin to describe the shade of red flashing in front of him right now.
He stalked over there before he even thought about it. She turned to look at him, wide eyed. “Kurosaki-kun!” she said as he grabbed the phone. “What are you--?”
She watched as he took the phone, pulled the flip screen back, and heard a satisfying crack. Then he tossed it on the ground and stomped on it for a moment. And then he looked at Orihime. “Why were you giving him your phone number?”
She looked at him for a moment, blinked once, then twice, and suddenly her mouth twitched and broke out into a grin as warm laughter spilled out. “Oh, Kurosaki-kun. I was giving him Tatsuki-chan's phone number! He's one of her students at the dojo and he needed to arrange some private lessons.” The way she said that last part, he realized she knew exactly what the guy had meant by private lessons.
He hoped for Orihime's sake that Tatsuki wouldn't mind giving the guy private lessons, or he feared his girlfriend would not be able to escape her wrath,
He looked at the guy, who for some reason wasn't pissed, and was instead staring in disbelief. Ichigo knew he himself looked sheepish, and he reached in his back pocket for his wallet. “How much was your phone?”
The man stared at Ichigo, then the phone, then Ichigo again. Now he was starting to look pissed. Ichigo groaned. This was not looking good. There was going to be another fight. Orihime hated it when he fought in front of her unless the person really really deserved it. On the plus side, if he actually got hurt she'd take care of him, so...
Orihime quickly plucked the wallet out of Ichigo's hand, pulled out some money and thrust it at the man. Both he and Ichigo turned at her, surprised, as she grinned widely. “That should be enough for a new one!”
Ichigo took his wallet back and frowned. The amount of money Orihime gave him would actually get him a better phone than the one he'd broken. He sighed, and closed up his wallet, sticking it back in his pocket. There went the movie he'd planned on taking her to, and dinner afterward. But it was his own damn fault for being so rationally jealous. He really needed to stop doing that.
The man took the money, looked at Ichigo, who shrugged, then back at Orihime, who was still smiling. She grabbed Ichigo's hand, waved at the man, and then pulled Ichigo away quickly. They'd made it three blocks away before she stopped pulling him and slowed her pace. And then a block after that she stopped. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “What am I going to do with you, Kurosaki-kun?” she said with a soft smile and a slightly exasperated sigh.
“Don't look like you're giving your phone number out to skeevy university guys?” he suggested.
Her smile widened. “Didn't you know that when I get asked for my phone number I simply give them Chizuru-chan's?” His jaw dropped. He knew his jaw had dropped because he could feel his mouth being wide open and he knew his eyes were wide, too, which probably made him look really stupid right now. All he got was a giggle in response and a finger pushing his chin up. “I grew up a while ago, Kurosaki-kun,” she said, a bit more seriously. “I'm not as oblivious to things as I used to be.”
“Huh,” he said. “Then I apologize for embarrassing you, Inoue-kun.” She shook her head, then let go of his hand and put her arms around his neck. Suddenly it didn't matter that they were in the middle of the sidewalk, in plain view of everyone who passed by. He put his hands on her hips for a moment before sliding them back and positioning them on her lower back. He pulled her a little closer. “Can I tell you something?”
“Sure,” she said, a warm smile on her face.
“I love you,” he said simply.
Her smile widened. “I knew that. If you didn't love me you wouldn't get jealous like that.” And then she leaned in and kissed him softly, a lingering kiss full of promise. “I love you too. I have for a very long time.”
“Good,” he said, a wide grin forming on his face. So. She loved him. He didn't need to act like a stupid idiot because even if guys were flocking after her she wanted him and only him. He didn't need to worry anymore. He let go of her waist and she removed her arms. He grabbed her hand as soon as it dangled down by her hips again. “Giving out Chizuru's phone number is a stroke of genius.”
She giggled slightly. “I've learned there are limits to what friends can put up with.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand. “You've changed a lot, Inoue-kun.”
“No, not really. I just realized that maybe I don't need to be as naïve.” She turned to look at him. “I just don't want to be as cynical as you are. Were. You've changed a lot yourself, Kurosaki-kun.”
“I've been under a good influence,” he said.
Her sparkling laugh echoed around him. “I'm glad I'm a good influence.” Then she tilted her head slightly. “Want to go see a movie?”
“You kind of gave the guy all my money,” he said.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into a little O. And then her dazzling smile broke out again. “Well, then it's my treat. And then we can have ice cream afterward, okay?”
“Okay,” he said with a laugh as he was pulled along again. Today...today was going to go down as one of the best days of his life.