(Untitled)

[berry_of_death]

Name(s): Ichigo, Orihime
Location: Hufflepuff Common Room
Week: 35
Time: Monday evening
Rating: I can't imagine it going above PG

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[halcyon_hime]

Orihime made sure she washed her face thoroughly, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious that she'd spent much of the day crying. She looked over at Strawberry-tan, sitting happily on her bed as he'd been for most of the day. She patted his ears and left him there. He'd be fine for a while longer.

She paused at the door, taking a breath to steady herself. If she burst into tears in front of everyone she'd only make them worry. She was going to be fine. With another deep breath, she set off down the stairs.

She stopped when she saw Ichigo at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her. Looking up the stairs at her with that worried look on his face. "Ku-kurosaki-kun-" She began, suddenly unsure that this had been a good idea. The desire to run down the rest of the stairs and cry into his shoulder was almost overwhelming. But she couldn't.
She couldn't.

[berry_of_death]

It wasn't too apparent, but sometimes, Ichigo could be observant, and he was looking for it right now.

Orihime had been crying.

Abruptly, Ichigo wished he was five again and believed that anyone could become a ghost, just so he could reassure her. The breath she took to steady herself was painfully obvious, and it was around about then that all of his awkwardness and stress and freaking out about whatever the hell it was that he was feeling for her stopped mattering.

Above anything, everything else, Orihime was his friend. Nakama, if was getting cultural about it. And the world new that Ichigo wouldn't let anything hurt his friends if he could help it.

"Oi, Orihime," he said, voice almost gentle, scowl nearly entirely gone now. He didn't even register his use of her given name.

[halcyon_hime]

Orihime made it down the rest of the stairs. Somehow.

She kept her eyes on her feet though, focusing on breathing and not bursting into tears. And not looking at Ichigo, in case she stopped doing either of those two things.

She forced herself to look up when he spoke. "Hey~" she said simply, and even turned the corners of her mouth up a fraction in a vague semblance of a smile. The important thing was that he thougt she was fine. Because she was fine. She was going to be fine.

[berry_of_death]

Normally, Ichigo was not a touchy-feely sort of guy. Normally, one of his best friends didn't look like the world was about to end.

He didn't even think about it, which for him was not all that strange. What was strange was that the moment Orihime got close enough, Ichigo's arms acted of their own accord and carefully enfolded her in a hug.