FIC: cosmos, texture, distract
title. this love
rating. K+ to T
summary. fifty thousand words of Ichigo and Orihime.
note. about time i contribute something here! XD
part 9 to: birdhouse ; hopscotch ; sage ; mailbox ; lantern ; alignment ; collapse ; ink.
COSMOS
For the third time, she stands under the birdhouse.
It is so old now, Orihime thinks, as she stares at the birdhouse. She expects it to fall apart after five springs, five summers, five autumns, and five winters. But the birdhouse looks as if it hasn’t aged. It is stronger than it looks, she realizes.
“You know,” she jumps in shock but does not turn around. “I figured that the first thing you’d like to see once you decided to come back is the birdhouse.”
Her heart, oh be still, is beating so hard. It races, it beats so hard that Orihime thinks there are fireflies inside her, flying around, racing against each other.
“Knowing you… you’d probably get upset for those birds losing their home. So I fixed it annually.”
Orihime grips the front of her jacket, afraid that her heart might burst, afraid that the fireflies might burst free from her chest, and no, no, it would be morbid, right? And bloody, too!
“I…” Oh be still. “I’m glad.” Her heartbeat is louder than her voice.
“I waited for you.”
Plain and simple.
And Orihime’s world stop moving, freezing in its axis, and time screeches to a halt. It stands still. And the universe, oh traitor! The universe conspires against her and conspires with Kurosaki-kun!
It is unfair to her and to her heart.
Behind her, Ichigo continues in that voice of his, scratchy, oddly smooth, very deep. “Sometimes, I find myself standing here. Everyday, I wait by the mailbox. You know, it stands outside my house? It’s so old now but Dad always fixes it.”
Orihime clutches her jacket closer, suddenly afraid, secretly willing the universe to move, the time to move because -
“I,” Footsteps come closer. He is closer. “I want you to know.”
Orihime’s eyes widen as Ichigo grabs her arm and turns her around. With a hint of panic lacing her voice, she stammers, “Kurosaki-kun -”
“I want you.”
She gawks, stunned. “…!”
“And I want memories with you. Good, bad, annoying, weird memories, under the rain, everywhere, anywhere. I don’t want us to be a chapter in a book, you know, like a fleeting moment. I…” His grip tightens, and Orihime… her heart, the universe, the silence…
He starts to frown. “I… Why are you smiling like that?”
Orihime blinks, “I’m… smiling?”
Ichigo could not help it but feel a little aggravated; the momentum is gone and it is difficult to regain his courage to talk like that, you know, because in front of this girl, he is nervous. In front of this girl, he feels butterflies and goddamn it, in front of this girl- with this girl - he finds himself spiraling into one of his many written romance clichés.
“I’m sorry.” She is sincere, as always. “I…” But the corner of her lips is lifting until a dimple appears.
“What’s funny?” He growls and the half of his face twitches as he blushes. But that is a good sign, right, that she is smiling?
“Nothing,” she is still smiling albeit blushing. “Please continue.”
Ichigo narrows his eyes. “Hell no. You’re making fun of me.”
She has the decency to look embarrassed. “No! It’s just…” She averts her gaze, her cheeks pink. “O-okay. I… I just find it odd.” She glances up at him, under her lashes shyly, “Kurosaki-kun… The Kurosaki-kun I know… he’s not, um…”
“You’re talking about me rambling, right?”
She waves her hands in front of her chest. “N-No! You’re not rambling! Not Kurosaki-kun! Usually, Kurosaki-kun talks in three or four or five sentences and chooses to act rather than talk -”
“I do?”
She blinks, “I… I’m not really sure… Maybe?”
He is looking at her underneath his lashes. “I see.” He kisses her softly, as soft as he can and Orihime stands still, shocked. “In three sentences, huh?” murmurs Ichigo in her lips.
He locks eyes with her.
“Stay.” Orihime looks deeply into his heavy-lidded eyes with her big doe eyes. “Please stay. Stay with me.”
The tears are unrepressed now. They fall. They roll and make two or three racetracks where teardrops race against each other.
Ichigo smirks and thumbs the tear tracks but another racetrack replaces the previous ones, and Ichigo thinks, they’re stubborn, oh so very stubborn like the rain every June.
“I… I…”
He kisses her again.
“It’s too late,” He pauses and breathes, “Orihime.” She stiffens, her eyes wider. “It’s too late. You can’t let go now. You can’t stop this, you can’t stop,” his hands wrap around her head, his fingers tangling into the red-orange strands of her hair, his thumb on her jaw line, “us.”
Us.
His breath is warm and she flushes harder, eyes glazing over. “None of us can let go now.” He murmurs, leaning closer, closer… closer.
“I won’t let go now.”
And all is right with the world, his world, her world, the universe.
TEXTURE
Hm.
Looks soft, looks really… soft.
“What’s soft, huh?”
Ichigo curses and whips his head around. “What the…Renji!”
The redhead rolls his eyes, lounging lazily beside the orange-haired. “You’re not having perverted thoughts, are you?”
Ichigo gawks. Perverted… He snaps in attention. “The hell! I’m not like you!
“So defensive,” Renji yawns. “Looks like your hormones are finally kicking. We thought you’re gay.”
“W-What the fuck! Renji, you bastard, I’m not gay! I respect women!”
The redhead gives him a lazy appraisal. “Dork.” Ichigo bristles. “You know what, just ask Rukia.”
“Ask her what?” snarls Ichigo.
“If Inoue’s as soft and smooth as she looks.”
Ichigo gapes at him. “Y-Y-Y-YOU… bastard! What the fuck are you talking about?!”
“Rukia hugged her once.” Renji continues as if Ichigo hasn’t spoken a word. “And Rukia had the chance to feel her up.”
Ichigo is red, very red. “Feel… her… up?”
“Yeah. Rukia told me Inoue’s really soft and warm and - OUCH! THE FUCK, ICHIGO! THAT HURT! WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?!”
“S-SHUT UP!”
“You wanna fight, punk? I’m gonna give ya one, moron!”
“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!”
DISTRACT
“Damn it, Renji!” roared Ichigo. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go to my school and show up in public wearing abnormal clothes?”
“A-Abnormal clothes?!” Renji hollered back. He tugged at his colorful bunny shirt. “This,” he enunciated between gritted teeth, “is hip!”
A massive vein throbbed over Ichigo’s temple. “HIP?!” He repeated, yelling louder than before. “When you hang out with me, people stare and point!”
“Kurosaki-kun…”
“People stare at you because of your, and I quote idiot, abnormal hair, punk!”
“Damn -”
“Kurosaki-kun.”
Ichigo blinked and looked down at his girlfriend. “Orihime, what-”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him softly. “Behave, Kurosaki-kun.” She whispers with a smile and Ichigo gawks at her with a dopey look on his face.
“Don’t fight, okay? I’ll see you later.” Orihime lets go of his collar and turns to Renji. “See you later, Renji-kun!” She waves at the two boys and walks off. Ichigo stares after her, wearing a dorky grin.
Renji watches him blankly.
“Whipped,”
“S-say what?!”
comments are ♥ ; thank you!
for Hali Challenge here
other entries
rating. K+ to T
summary. fifty thousand words of Ichigo and Orihime.
note. about time i contribute something here! XD
part 9 to: birdhouse ; hopscotch ; sage ; mailbox ; lantern ; alignment ; collapse ; ink.
COSMOS
For the third time, she stands under the birdhouse.
It is so old now, Orihime thinks, as she stares at the birdhouse. She expects it to fall apart after five springs, five summers, five autumns, and five winters. But the birdhouse looks as if it hasn’t aged. It is stronger than it looks, she realizes.
“You know,” she jumps in shock but does not turn around. “I figured that the first thing you’d like to see once you decided to come back is the birdhouse.”
Her heart, oh be still, is beating so hard. It races, it beats so hard that Orihime thinks there are fireflies inside her, flying around, racing against each other.
“Knowing you… you’d probably get upset for those birds losing their home. So I fixed it annually.”
Orihime grips the front of her jacket, afraid that her heart might burst, afraid that the fireflies might burst free from her chest, and no, no, it would be morbid, right? And bloody, too!
“I…” Oh be still. “I’m glad.” Her heartbeat is louder than her voice.
“I waited for you.”
Plain and simple.
And Orihime’s world stop moving, freezing in its axis, and time screeches to a halt. It stands still. And the universe, oh traitor! The universe conspires against her and conspires with Kurosaki-kun!
It is unfair to her and to her heart.
Behind her, Ichigo continues in that voice of his, scratchy, oddly smooth, very deep. “Sometimes, I find myself standing here. Everyday, I wait by the mailbox. You know, it stands outside my house? It’s so old now but Dad always fixes it.”
Orihime clutches her jacket closer, suddenly afraid, secretly willing the universe to move, the time to move because -
“I,” Footsteps come closer. He is closer. “I want you to know.”
Orihime’s eyes widen as Ichigo grabs her arm and turns her around. With a hint of panic lacing her voice, she stammers, “Kurosaki-kun -”
“I want you.”
She gawks, stunned. “…!”
“And I want memories with you. Good, bad, annoying, weird memories, under the rain, everywhere, anywhere. I don’t want us to be a chapter in a book, you know, like a fleeting moment. I…” His grip tightens, and Orihime… her heart, the universe, the silence…
He starts to frown. “I… Why are you smiling like that?”
Orihime blinks, “I’m… smiling?”
Ichigo could not help it but feel a little aggravated; the momentum is gone and it is difficult to regain his courage to talk like that, you know, because in front of this girl, he is nervous. In front of this girl, he feels butterflies and goddamn it, in front of this girl- with this girl - he finds himself spiraling into one of his many written romance clichés.
“I’m sorry.” She is sincere, as always. “I…” But the corner of her lips is lifting until a dimple appears.
“What’s funny?” He growls and the half of his face twitches as he blushes. But that is a good sign, right, that she is smiling?
“Nothing,” she is still smiling albeit blushing. “Please continue.”
Ichigo narrows his eyes. “Hell no. You’re making fun of me.”
She has the decency to look embarrassed. “No! It’s just…” She averts her gaze, her cheeks pink. “O-okay. I… I just find it odd.” She glances up at him, under her lashes shyly, “Kurosaki-kun… The Kurosaki-kun I know… he’s not, um…”
“You’re talking about me rambling, right?”
She waves her hands in front of her chest. “N-No! You’re not rambling! Not Kurosaki-kun! Usually, Kurosaki-kun talks in three or four or five sentences and chooses to act rather than talk -”
“I do?”
She blinks, “I… I’m not really sure… Maybe?”
He is looking at her underneath his lashes. “I see.” He kisses her softly, as soft as he can and Orihime stands still, shocked. “In three sentences, huh?” murmurs Ichigo in her lips.
He locks eyes with her.
“Stay.” Orihime looks deeply into his heavy-lidded eyes with her big doe eyes. “Please stay. Stay with me.”
The tears are unrepressed now. They fall. They roll and make two or three racetracks where teardrops race against each other.
Ichigo smirks and thumbs the tear tracks but another racetrack replaces the previous ones, and Ichigo thinks, they’re stubborn, oh so very stubborn like the rain every June.
“I… I…”
He kisses her again.
“It’s too late,” He pauses and breathes, “Orihime.” She stiffens, her eyes wider. “It’s too late. You can’t let go now. You can’t stop this, you can’t stop,” his hands wrap around her head, his fingers tangling into the red-orange strands of her hair, his thumb on her jaw line, “us.”
Us.
His breath is warm and she flushes harder, eyes glazing over. “None of us can let go now.” He murmurs, leaning closer, closer… closer.
“I won’t let go now.”
And all is right with the world, his world, her world, the universe.
TEXTURE
Hm.
Looks soft, looks really… soft.
“What’s soft, huh?”
Ichigo curses and whips his head around. “What the…Renji!”
The redhead rolls his eyes, lounging lazily beside the orange-haired. “You’re not having perverted thoughts, are you?”
Ichigo gawks. Perverted… He snaps in attention. “The hell! I’m not like you!
“So defensive,” Renji yawns. “Looks like your hormones are finally kicking. We thought you’re gay.”
“W-What the fuck! Renji, you bastard, I’m not gay! I respect women!”
The redhead gives him a lazy appraisal. “Dork.” Ichigo bristles. “You know what, just ask Rukia.”
“Ask her what?” snarls Ichigo.
“If Inoue’s as soft and smooth as she looks.”
Ichigo gapes at him. “Y-Y-Y-YOU… bastard! What the fuck are you talking about?!”
“Rukia hugged her once.” Renji continues as if Ichigo hasn’t spoken a word. “And Rukia had the chance to feel her up.”
Ichigo is red, very red. “Feel… her… up?”
“Yeah. Rukia told me Inoue’s really soft and warm and - OUCH! THE FUCK, ICHIGO! THAT HURT! WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?!”
“S-SHUT UP!”
“You wanna fight, punk? I’m gonna give ya one, moron!”
“I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!”
DISTRACT
“Damn it, Renji!” roared Ichigo. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go to my school and show up in public wearing abnormal clothes?”
“A-Abnormal clothes?!” Renji hollered back. He tugged at his colorful bunny shirt. “This,” he enunciated between gritted teeth, “is hip!”
A massive vein throbbed over Ichigo’s temple. “HIP?!” He repeated, yelling louder than before. “When you hang out with me, people stare and point!”
“Kurosaki-kun…”
“People stare at you because of your, and I quote idiot, abnormal hair, punk!”
“Damn -”
“Kurosaki-kun.”
Ichigo blinked and looked down at his girlfriend. “Orihime, what-”
She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him softly. “Behave, Kurosaki-kun.” She whispers with a smile and Ichigo gawks at her with a dopey look on his face.
“Don’t fight, okay? I’ll see you later.” Orihime lets go of his collar and turns to Renji. “See you later, Renji-kun!” She waves at the two boys and walks off. Ichigo stares after her, wearing a dorky grin.
Renji watches him blankly.
“Whipped,”
“S-say what?!”
comments are ♥ ; thank you!
for Hali Challenge here
other entries