UraIshi AU Ch. 8
Title: Unravelling Threads of Fate
Rating: PG-13 for now.
Pairings: UraIshi
Summary: AU. Ishida has had a hard life. With the help of some friends, it finally looks like things are going to work out. When he meets a bizarre and cheerful man named Urahara Kisuke, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. But when Ishida discovers the truth about Urahara's past and its ties to his own, difficulties arise.
Notes: I keep on forgetting to thank kirstian for her quick beta-read every time. XD You rock.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the genius KT. ♥
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
“So, that’s everything.”
“Are you sure you didn’t-”
“Oh, believe me. I didn’t miss anything. For your sake, I double-checked all my information,” Yoruichi said, slouching back on the couch.
Urahara sighed, hands clasped before his face as he stared darkly at the coffee table in front of him. Yoruichi had arrived promptly at noon and began to talk, information pouring out of her in a stream of words - words that made his life entirely too difficult.
“I had suspected half of what you told me but I would have never dreamed of the other half. The first half was easy; he looks so much like his father, I’m surprised I didn’t realize it right away. The second half, on the other hand,” he closed his eyes as he tried to imagine what she had described to him, “it is simply unthinkable.”
“You can’t say you didn’t suspect his motives from the very beginning. I remember you telling me your doubts when SOUL was just getting started.”
“All the more reason why I should have been able to stop him.”
Yoruichi leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her eyes solemn. “It’s not your fault, Kisuke.”
“You say that but do you think he will?” Grey eyes opened to stare back at her. “If I look at it from his point-of-view, Ishida-san has every reason to hate me.”
“He won’t. Not if you just tell him and explain it all.” She lifted a lock of her long, dark hair and began to absently twist it through her fingers. “What happened occurred after you left, so you had no part in it.”
“That’s exactly my point. If I hadn’t left, it may not have happened at all.”
“You had your reasons for leaving.” Yoruichi paused to eye him sharply. “Legitimate reasons.”
Urahara simply shook his head, eyes lost beneath the shadows of his hat. There were times that Yoruichi hated that hat - now being one of them. She prided herself on being fairly good at reading people’s faces but he was one of the few that were impossible to read, experts at hiding their emotions. His one weakness, if you were to call it that, was his eyes. They were such expressive features that they always gave away his emotions, no matter what kind of stupid grin he had pasted on his face. She supposed he had realized this because one day he had taken to wearing that hat and since then, she rarely saw him without it.
She didn’t need to see his eyes to tell that he was not particularly cheerful at the moment though.
“Kisuke, just tell him,” she sighed. At the lack of response, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
He made a noncommittal sound before standing up and exiting out onto the patio.
“You’re only going to make it worse if you don’t tell him soon!” Yoruichi called to him as she picked up her briefcase. “I’m sorry it had to turn out this way, I really am. Just, call if you want to talk, okay?”
A hand lifted from the railing to wave at her vaguely while he stared down at the city. Shaking her head a little, she let herself out.
~~~
Ishida was worried.
It had been a month since Ichigo’s birthday and things had seemed fine but he had noticed that Urahara’s mood had… changed. He still laughed, still grinned, but the boundless joy that used to be there was faded and strained. Ishida often found himself frowning in concern at the man whenever he wasn’t looking. Something was wrong and he didn’t know what; he hated not being able to fix whatever it was when Urahara had done so much for him already.
As a result of this, Ishida’s own mood had become slightly temperamental and he found it difficult to focus on his work. Instead of spending his spare time after work sketching out designs, he curled up on his bed with little squares of paper, patiently folding them into cranes. He only had a hundred or so remaining until he reached a thousand and was already forming a wish in his mind. Something he wouldn’t have wished for five months ago.
The days passed and it only felt as if Urahara was drifting even further away. The young designer felt panicked, wondering if he had done something wrong or if it was something his friends had said at the birthday dinner. But Ishida never said anything because what if he was overreacting? What if he was just being paranoid?
Everything became much worse when Urahara started to avoid their dinners altogether.
Ishida scratched idly at the paper on his worktable, tracing over the same line again and again. He was supposed to be translating one of Rukia’s drawings but his heart just wasn’t in it.
“You’re going to make a hole through the paper if you keep on doing that, Ishida-san.” He looked up to see Rukia standing by his desk with a gentle smile. “Is everything okay?”
Opening his mouth to say he was fine, he changed his mind and simply shook his head with a little sigh.
“What’s wrong? I’ve been watching and you seem to be getting moodier by the day.”
“Well, I suppose it’s nothing really. I just haven’t seen Urahara-san in a while…” Ishida started to half-heartedly trace the pencil line again.
The tiny, dark-haired designer tilted her head a little. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t think so. He did tell me that he was going to be busy for a week or so.”
“Oh! If he said that, why are you so worried?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, frowning down at the paper before him. “Something just didn’t seem quite right.”
“Why don’t you - oh, hello! May I help you?”
Ishida blinked and turned in his chair to see who Rukia was talking to. Yoruichi stood at the top of the staircase, her face unreadable as she gazed back at him.
~~~
Yoruichi had gone to visit Urahara earlier that morning and was not pleased at what she saw at all. She found him flipping through the pages of one of his first-edition books, several others stacked on the floor around him where he sat propped up against the couch. Immediately, she knew something was wrong - Urahara never brought out his books unless he needed a distraction.
“Kisuke, what’s wrong.” It was a statement, not a question to be argued with. Of course, that never stopped him from avoiding an answer before.
“Why, Yoruichi-san, nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re with your books. That means something is wrong.”
“Mm?” He blinked at her innocently. “I’m only bored.”
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him. After so many years of being his friend and employee, she had learned to never trust that innocent look of his. “…why don’t you go visit Ishida?”
Something flashed across his face so quickly that she couldn’t tell what it was, but it was still enough.
“He’s busy today,” Urahara stated shortly, looking back down to flip a page.
Well, it’s something about Ishida, that’s for sure, she mused to herself. I have a feeling I know what it is…
“So, how did he take the news?”
“Fine.”
Yoruichi released a noise of frustration and left without another word. When Urahara got into moods like that, it was impossible to talk to him. He could reply in short sentences that never really answered the questions for hours on end, only resulting in her wanting to strangle him. Luckily, there was another source of information who would probably be a lot easier to talk to.
So that was how she found herself seated across Ishida Uryuu in the bistro next-door to the Hell Moth studio. It wasn’t very hard to notice that he looked as moody as Urahara.
“Ishida, how are things between you and Kisuke?” she asked gently.
“That’s practically what Kuchiki-san just asked me,” Ishida said, staring down at the tabletop. “I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks.”
She stared at him, her suspicions beginning to fall into place. “Did he say why?”
“He said he was going to be busy. Did he say anything to you about that, Yoruichi-san?”
“Ah… yes, he did.” She gripped her suitcase, wanting to dart off right at that moment. “But I think he’ll be done by this evening. Give him a call after dinner, I guarantee he’ll answer.”
“Oh, okay.” It pained her to see his mood lighten a little.
“I have to get going, I’ll talk to you later, Ishida.”
“But you just got here?” The young boy blinked up at her in confusion.
“I just remembered I had something to do.” Yoruichi stood up but paused to look at him. Just to make sure I’m not jumping to conclusions… “Ishida, did Kisuke say anything important to you last month?”
He frowned, clearly confused. “No, not really.”
“I thought so.”
She arrived back at the hotel in record time, storming into the penthouse suite to see Urahara still seated among his books.
“My, my, two visits in one day. Should I feel honoured, Yoruichi-san?”
“You didn’t tell him?!”
The grin on his face vanished. Standing up slowly, he gathered up his precious books and began to pack them back into the box they came from.
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“Kisuke, you’re being completely unreasonable! You’re acting like some immature, love-sick teenager….” She trailed off to stare at him. “That’s it, isn’t it. You love him.”
Urahara tucked the last book into place before flopping onto the couch, his face hidden in the shadows of his hat. “If I tell him what I know, I’ll lose him.”
“You’ll lose him with the way you’re treating him right now.” Yoruichi walked over to sit down beside him. “He misses you, Kisuke. By just abandoning him like this, you’re only hurting him. I told him you would answer if he called tonight because I assured him you wouldn’t be ‘busy’ then.”
“Why didn’t you tell him everything yourself?” he asked coolly, glancing sideways at her.
“Because it’s not my job to do it,” she snapped back. “From what I can see, you have two options: one, tell him despite the fact that you’ve already hidden it for over a month and deal with the circumstances, or two, act like it never happened and just try to be happy with him. Although I really discourage option two, I have a feeling it’s the only one you’ll consider. The only reason why I’m even offering it is because he doesn’t deserve what you’re doing to him right now, Kisuke. You’re being unnecessarily cruel and I can tell you care too much to want to do something like that.”
Urahara leaned forward, resting his forehead against clasped fingers. “You’re right. He doesn’t deserve to suffer just because I feel guilty.”
“I assume you’re not going to go for option one.” He only smirked, causing her to sigh in resignation. “It’s your risk, Kisuke.”
~~~
Urahara waited patiently for the phone call, using that time to force his guilt away. If he was going to love the boy, he was going to keep him as happy as possible. Ishida deserved some happiness in his life.
They spoke briefly and he reassured Ishida cheerfully that nothing was wrong, apologized for acting strange for the past month. He could hear a tone of relief touching the young designer’s voice as Urahara told him that he had plans for them the next night. It wasn’t a lie, he had arranged the evening’s events almost two months ago and had meant to cancel them but ended up leaving them on some internal hope. He was glad he had kept them.
The next evening, Urahara picked up Ishida for dinner, greeting him with a gentle kiss as an apology. The boy smiled slowly, entangling their fingers and giving the older man’s hand a squeeze before climbing into Benihime. Their meal was subdued, almost as tentative as their first date, as if they were trying to rebuild something that had almost slipped away from them. But their bonds were stronger now and rebuilt quickly; by the end of the dinner, it was like nothing had happened.
As the pair climbed back into Benihime, Urahara leaned over to open the dashboard compartment and pulled out a strip of cloth. Ishida frowned at it suspiciously. “What’s that for?”
“It’s a surprise~ And I don’t want you peeking.” He reached out to tie the strip around Ishida’s head, careful not to make it too tight so that his glasses became uncomfortable.
“You could have just taken my glasses away. I’m practically blind without them.”
“I’ll take note of that for next time.” Urahara grinned and started up the car.
When they reached their destination, he helped Ishida out of the car and steered him gently towards the building. Nodding in thanks at the caretaker who pulled open the gate, they walked together down the ramp.
“Okay, Ishida-san! Are you ready?”
“…I think so.”
Urahara laughed and untied the fabric, pulling it away from the boy’s eyes. They stood in the newly renovated underground viewing area of the aquarium, the lighting dim so that it wouldn’t intrude on watching the whales. Ishida’s lips parted in surprise as he stepped slowly towards one of the large windows, a dark shape moving past it. His fingers pressed against the surface as he watched the orcas swim gracefully through the water, his face an expression of pure awe. Urahara smiled gently as he watched him and walked forward to join him only to stop in his tracks as the designer turned to look at him.
Multi-faceted light shimmered over Ishida from the water’s reflection and his eyes were bright with gratitude as he gazed at him. It was such a beautiful image that he felt his voice catch in his throat and his heart twisted in turmoil.
I should tell him.
“Ishida-san, I-”
“Urahara-san, I need to say something.” Ishida dropped his eyes, fidgeted a little. “Something was wrong the past month and I don’t know what it was, but I’m glad it seems to be over. In all my life, no one has ever treated me like you have. I’ve never trusted anyone as much as you either. There are no words to express exactly how thankful I am to you, to have met you. There’s only one thing I can offer…”
Urahara froze. He knew what was coming. He needed to stop him, tell him all that Yoruichi had informed him of before he said anything but… he wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it.
Ishida looked up, met his eyes and smiled nervously. “…I love you.”
“Uryuu…” The name was out before he could stop it. Urahara had wanted to call the boy by his first name for quite some time but had refrained from doing it. He watched as Ishida’s eyes widened in surprise, as he stepped away from the window to walk towards him.
“I haven’t had someone call me that for so long,” he said softly. “I like hearing it from you.”
“Uryuu,” Urahara repeated. His resolve was crumbling, the chance to explain everything was a moment in the past. All he had left was to devote himself to this relationship entirely. “I love you too.”
Ishida beamed at him before flinging his arms around the man in a hug. After a moment, he pulled back with a blush, pushing up his glasses with a finger.
“Ahah, I just… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so happy before.” He peered up at Urahara shyly. “Does this mean I can call you… Kisuke?”
Urahara grinned and bent down to kiss him. “As many times as you like.”
A/N: HAHA SAP. ...anyway. lol XD
To Chapter 9
X-posted places
Rating: PG-13 for now.
Pairings: UraIshi
Summary: AU. Ishida has had a hard life. With the help of some friends, it finally looks like things are going to work out. When he meets a bizarre and cheerful man named Urahara Kisuke, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. But when Ishida discovers the truth about Urahara's past and its ties to his own, difficulties arise.
Notes: I keep on forgetting to thank kirstian for her quick beta-read every time. XD You rock.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the genius KT. ♥
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
“So, that’s everything.”
“Are you sure you didn’t-”
“Oh, believe me. I didn’t miss anything. For your sake, I double-checked all my information,” Yoruichi said, slouching back on the couch.
Urahara sighed, hands clasped before his face as he stared darkly at the coffee table in front of him. Yoruichi had arrived promptly at noon and began to talk, information pouring out of her in a stream of words - words that made his life entirely too difficult.
“I had suspected half of what you told me but I would have never dreamed of the other half. The first half was easy; he looks so much like his father, I’m surprised I didn’t realize it right away. The second half, on the other hand,” he closed his eyes as he tried to imagine what she had described to him, “it is simply unthinkable.”
“You can’t say you didn’t suspect his motives from the very beginning. I remember you telling me your doubts when SOUL was just getting started.”
“All the more reason why I should have been able to stop him.”
Yoruichi leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her eyes solemn. “It’s not your fault, Kisuke.”
“You say that but do you think he will?” Grey eyes opened to stare back at her. “If I look at it from his point-of-view, Ishida-san has every reason to hate me.”
“He won’t. Not if you just tell him and explain it all.” She lifted a lock of her long, dark hair and began to absently twist it through her fingers. “What happened occurred after you left, so you had no part in it.”
“That’s exactly my point. If I hadn’t left, it may not have happened at all.”
“You had your reasons for leaving.” Yoruichi paused to eye him sharply. “Legitimate reasons.”
Urahara simply shook his head, eyes lost beneath the shadows of his hat. There were times that Yoruichi hated that hat - now being one of them. She prided herself on being fairly good at reading people’s faces but he was one of the few that were impossible to read, experts at hiding their emotions. His one weakness, if you were to call it that, was his eyes. They were such expressive features that they always gave away his emotions, no matter what kind of stupid grin he had pasted on his face. She supposed he had realized this because one day he had taken to wearing that hat and since then, she rarely saw him without it.
She didn’t need to see his eyes to tell that he was not particularly cheerful at the moment though.
“Kisuke, just tell him,” she sighed. At the lack of response, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
He made a noncommittal sound before standing up and exiting out onto the patio.
“You’re only going to make it worse if you don’t tell him soon!” Yoruichi called to him as she picked up her briefcase. “I’m sorry it had to turn out this way, I really am. Just, call if you want to talk, okay?”
A hand lifted from the railing to wave at her vaguely while he stared down at the city. Shaking her head a little, she let herself out.
~~~
Ishida was worried.
It had been a month since Ichigo’s birthday and things had seemed fine but he had noticed that Urahara’s mood had… changed. He still laughed, still grinned, but the boundless joy that used to be there was faded and strained. Ishida often found himself frowning in concern at the man whenever he wasn’t looking. Something was wrong and he didn’t know what; he hated not being able to fix whatever it was when Urahara had done so much for him already.
As a result of this, Ishida’s own mood had become slightly temperamental and he found it difficult to focus on his work. Instead of spending his spare time after work sketching out designs, he curled up on his bed with little squares of paper, patiently folding them into cranes. He only had a hundred or so remaining until he reached a thousand and was already forming a wish in his mind. Something he wouldn’t have wished for five months ago.
The days passed and it only felt as if Urahara was drifting even further away. The young designer felt panicked, wondering if he had done something wrong or if it was something his friends had said at the birthday dinner. But Ishida never said anything because what if he was overreacting? What if he was just being paranoid?
Everything became much worse when Urahara started to avoid their dinners altogether.
Ishida scratched idly at the paper on his worktable, tracing over the same line again and again. He was supposed to be translating one of Rukia’s drawings but his heart just wasn’t in it.
“You’re going to make a hole through the paper if you keep on doing that, Ishida-san.” He looked up to see Rukia standing by his desk with a gentle smile. “Is everything okay?”
Opening his mouth to say he was fine, he changed his mind and simply shook his head with a little sigh.
“What’s wrong? I’ve been watching and you seem to be getting moodier by the day.”
“Well, I suppose it’s nothing really. I just haven’t seen Urahara-san in a while…” Ishida started to half-heartedly trace the pencil line again.
The tiny, dark-haired designer tilted her head a little. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t think so. He did tell me that he was going to be busy for a week or so.”
“Oh! If he said that, why are you so worried?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, frowning down at the paper before him. “Something just didn’t seem quite right.”
“Why don’t you - oh, hello! May I help you?”
Ishida blinked and turned in his chair to see who Rukia was talking to. Yoruichi stood at the top of the staircase, her face unreadable as she gazed back at him.
~~~
Yoruichi had gone to visit Urahara earlier that morning and was not pleased at what she saw at all. She found him flipping through the pages of one of his first-edition books, several others stacked on the floor around him where he sat propped up against the couch. Immediately, she knew something was wrong - Urahara never brought out his books unless he needed a distraction.
“Kisuke, what’s wrong.” It was a statement, not a question to be argued with. Of course, that never stopped him from avoiding an answer before.
“Why, Yoruichi-san, nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re with your books. That means something is wrong.”
“Mm?” He blinked at her innocently. “I’m only bored.”
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes at him. After so many years of being his friend and employee, she had learned to never trust that innocent look of his. “…why don’t you go visit Ishida?”
Something flashed across his face so quickly that she couldn’t tell what it was, but it was still enough.
“He’s busy today,” Urahara stated shortly, looking back down to flip a page.
Well, it’s something about Ishida, that’s for sure, she mused to herself. I have a feeling I know what it is…
“So, how did he take the news?”
“Fine.”
Yoruichi released a noise of frustration and left without another word. When Urahara got into moods like that, it was impossible to talk to him. He could reply in short sentences that never really answered the questions for hours on end, only resulting in her wanting to strangle him. Luckily, there was another source of information who would probably be a lot easier to talk to.
So that was how she found herself seated across Ishida Uryuu in the bistro next-door to the Hell Moth studio. It wasn’t very hard to notice that he looked as moody as Urahara.
“Ishida, how are things between you and Kisuke?” she asked gently.
“That’s practically what Kuchiki-san just asked me,” Ishida said, staring down at the tabletop. “I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks.”
She stared at him, her suspicions beginning to fall into place. “Did he say why?”
“He said he was going to be busy. Did he say anything to you about that, Yoruichi-san?”
“Ah… yes, he did.” She gripped her suitcase, wanting to dart off right at that moment. “But I think he’ll be done by this evening. Give him a call after dinner, I guarantee he’ll answer.”
“Oh, okay.” It pained her to see his mood lighten a little.
“I have to get going, I’ll talk to you later, Ishida.”
“But you just got here?” The young boy blinked up at her in confusion.
“I just remembered I had something to do.” Yoruichi stood up but paused to look at him. Just to make sure I’m not jumping to conclusions… “Ishida, did Kisuke say anything important to you last month?”
He frowned, clearly confused. “No, not really.”
“I thought so.”
She arrived back at the hotel in record time, storming into the penthouse suite to see Urahara still seated among his books.
“My, my, two visits in one day. Should I feel honoured, Yoruichi-san?”
“You didn’t tell him?!”
The grin on his face vanished. Standing up slowly, he gathered up his precious books and began to pack them back into the box they came from.
“He doesn’t need to know.”
“Kisuke, you’re being completely unreasonable! You’re acting like some immature, love-sick teenager….” She trailed off to stare at him. “That’s it, isn’t it. You love him.”
Urahara tucked the last book into place before flopping onto the couch, his face hidden in the shadows of his hat. “If I tell him what I know, I’ll lose him.”
“You’ll lose him with the way you’re treating him right now.” Yoruichi walked over to sit down beside him. “He misses you, Kisuke. By just abandoning him like this, you’re only hurting him. I told him you would answer if he called tonight because I assured him you wouldn’t be ‘busy’ then.”
“Why didn’t you tell him everything yourself?” he asked coolly, glancing sideways at her.
“Because it’s not my job to do it,” she snapped back. “From what I can see, you have two options: one, tell him despite the fact that you’ve already hidden it for over a month and deal with the circumstances, or two, act like it never happened and just try to be happy with him. Although I really discourage option two, I have a feeling it’s the only one you’ll consider. The only reason why I’m even offering it is because he doesn’t deserve what you’re doing to him right now, Kisuke. You’re being unnecessarily cruel and I can tell you care too much to want to do something like that.”
Urahara leaned forward, resting his forehead against clasped fingers. “You’re right. He doesn’t deserve to suffer just because I feel guilty.”
“I assume you’re not going to go for option one.” He only smirked, causing her to sigh in resignation. “It’s your risk, Kisuke.”
~~~
Urahara waited patiently for the phone call, using that time to force his guilt away. If he was going to love the boy, he was going to keep him as happy as possible. Ishida deserved some happiness in his life.
They spoke briefly and he reassured Ishida cheerfully that nothing was wrong, apologized for acting strange for the past month. He could hear a tone of relief touching the young designer’s voice as Urahara told him that he had plans for them the next night. It wasn’t a lie, he had arranged the evening’s events almost two months ago and had meant to cancel them but ended up leaving them on some internal hope. He was glad he had kept them.
The next evening, Urahara picked up Ishida for dinner, greeting him with a gentle kiss as an apology. The boy smiled slowly, entangling their fingers and giving the older man’s hand a squeeze before climbing into Benihime. Their meal was subdued, almost as tentative as their first date, as if they were trying to rebuild something that had almost slipped away from them. But their bonds were stronger now and rebuilt quickly; by the end of the dinner, it was like nothing had happened.
As the pair climbed back into Benihime, Urahara leaned over to open the dashboard compartment and pulled out a strip of cloth. Ishida frowned at it suspiciously. “What’s that for?”
“It’s a surprise~ And I don’t want you peeking.” He reached out to tie the strip around Ishida’s head, careful not to make it too tight so that his glasses became uncomfortable.
“You could have just taken my glasses away. I’m practically blind without them.”
“I’ll take note of that for next time.” Urahara grinned and started up the car.
When they reached their destination, he helped Ishida out of the car and steered him gently towards the building. Nodding in thanks at the caretaker who pulled open the gate, they walked together down the ramp.
“Okay, Ishida-san! Are you ready?”
“…I think so.”
Urahara laughed and untied the fabric, pulling it away from the boy’s eyes. They stood in the newly renovated underground viewing area of the aquarium, the lighting dim so that it wouldn’t intrude on watching the whales. Ishida’s lips parted in surprise as he stepped slowly towards one of the large windows, a dark shape moving past it. His fingers pressed against the surface as he watched the orcas swim gracefully through the water, his face an expression of pure awe. Urahara smiled gently as he watched him and walked forward to join him only to stop in his tracks as the designer turned to look at him.
Multi-faceted light shimmered over Ishida from the water’s reflection and his eyes were bright with gratitude as he gazed at him. It was such a beautiful image that he felt his voice catch in his throat and his heart twisted in turmoil.
I should tell him.
“Ishida-san, I-”
“Urahara-san, I need to say something.” Ishida dropped his eyes, fidgeted a little. “Something was wrong the past month and I don’t know what it was, but I’m glad it seems to be over. In all my life, no one has ever treated me like you have. I’ve never trusted anyone as much as you either. There are no words to express exactly how thankful I am to you, to have met you. There’s only one thing I can offer…”
Urahara froze. He knew what was coming. He needed to stop him, tell him all that Yoruichi had informed him of before he said anything but… he wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it.
Ishida looked up, met his eyes and smiled nervously. “…I love you.”
“Uryuu…” The name was out before he could stop it. Urahara had wanted to call the boy by his first name for quite some time but had refrained from doing it. He watched as Ishida’s eyes widened in surprise, as he stepped away from the window to walk towards him.
“I haven’t had someone call me that for so long,” he said softly. “I like hearing it from you.”
“Uryuu,” Urahara repeated. His resolve was crumbling, the chance to explain everything was a moment in the past. All he had left was to devote himself to this relationship entirely. “I love you too.”
Ishida beamed at him before flinging his arms around the man in a hug. After a moment, he pulled back with a blush, pushing up his glasses with a finger.
“Ahah, I just… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so happy before.” He peered up at Urahara shyly. “Does this mean I can call you… Kisuke?”
Urahara grinned and bent down to kiss him. “As many times as you like.”
A/N: HAHA SAP. ...anyway. lol XD
To Chapter 9
X-posted places