Chapter Text
The sky above Karakura town reflected an array of colors as the sun began to set, beautiful oranges and purples winding together to create a unique mural in the sky. Orihime smiled softly as she made her way past the crowd of students going home after a long day. She had one more stop before heading home herself, and her heart leapt to her throat at the thought. She made her way slowly down the corridor towards the library, her steps silent on the bright linoleum floor. Her head was high, shoulders pulled back, and her face steeled with determination, despite the anxiety churning inside her. Today would be the day, the beginning or the end, she wasn't too sure but a big piece of her no longer cared, she needed to settle the never-ending war raging within herself, to settle every ‘what if’ question she had.
She had to confess, and whether he accepted her or not, she would no longer hide from either possibility.
Faster than she would have anticipated, yet after what seemed like an eternity she stood in front of the large wooden library door. She had always loved their library, it had slim and tall stained-glass windows that overlooked the courtyard beside the cafeteria, and on evenings like this, when the sun radiated through the stained glass, it reflected beautifully on the floors and walls. She had spent months in this library, alone after classes, doodling in her notebook instead of studying.
A sad smile touched her lips as she thought about how simple her life had been before she’d developed her powers; a part of her missed the stillness of the past, the days when she didn’t have to worry about hollows or rogue captains. Yet she had no regrets, and if she had to choose between that peace, or reliving everything she’d gone through, she wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter. She had not only made amazing friends along the way, but she had grown as a person; she felt more confident in herself, happier in her friendships, and had a new appreciation for her life that she hadn’t had before. So much of her new life was thanks to a certain young man, and despite her growing anxiety, she wouldn’t talk herself out of telling him how she felt. Not anymore.
She pushed the door open softly, taking a moment to admire the display of lights and colors before her, a warmth settling in her stomach as she took in the scent of books, and the soft lingering scent of linen; she smiled to herself, remembering when the older librarian had first plugged in the air freshener, following a murmured complaint of sweaty teen boys. This had been her home when she had felt the most alone, she’d made friends with all the characters in the manga books she’d read and for a long time, longer than Orihime liked to admit, they’d been her only friends. Then she met Tatsuki and though her life lost its simplicity, she had never been happier to be who she was.
Orihime licked her lips, her brown eyes scanning the long room before her, there were still students sitting at tables, some sat on bean bags in the reading corner, flipping through manga books, and others sat at the computer station, the sounds of someone aggressively typing on their keyboard reached her ears along with hushed laughs and muted conversations. She didn’t fight the smile that took over her face when she spotted Ichigo’s bright orange hair in the back corner of the room, he had one elbow propped on the table, fingers pressing against his forehead, his other hand held a pencil as he went back and forth over the paper in front of him, his signature scowl was visible to her even from across the room. Keigo sat beside him, face down on the table and Orihime didn’t have to strain to hear his muffled snores, only muffled because it looked like Ichigo had wrapped his sweater around the poor boy's head.
She made her way over to him soundlessly, clearing her throat as she got closer to get his attention and when his dark brown eyes met hers, it took everything in her not to falter.
'He is so handsome.' She thought, unable to look away.
The lines of his face were sharp, shadows catching on his jaw and cheekbones highlighting the strength there, his rich brown eyes caught the light and glinted with soft hints of amber and gold. His mouth had been set in a frown, but when he noticed her approach he offered her a small smile, tossing his pencil down as he pushed away from the table to stand.
"Hey,” he whispered, his normally husky voice sounding soft and low. “I thought you’d be home by now.” He frowned, checking his watch and coming around the table to stand before her. Orihime had to crane her neck back to meet his gaze, and she realized just how tall he’d gotten over the course of the year.
“I wanted to talk to you.” She whispered, her eyes darting between him and Keigo’s sleeping form “Outside if that’s ok?”
“Actually, I’m getting ready to call it a night, I’ll walk you home.” He said with a shake of the head as he turned to gather his things.
“Have you been here long? I thought you needed to study?” She asked, looking over the papers spread on the table and frowning, she didn’t know if he had any exams coming up and she hoped she wasn’t pulling him from something important.
Since the start of the new term, they hadn’t had many classes together, and the last thing she wanted was to be the reason he fell behind; though Ichigo wasn’t a studious person he wasn’t an idiot either, but they’d missed a lot of school in the past and she worried his grades had been affected by it.
“Nah, this idiot is the one that asked me to help him, and he fell asleep 10 minutes after we sat down.” Ichigo frowned down at his friend, shoving his things in his bag haphazardly.
“Yo, wake up.” he said, smacking his arm and the sound of Keigo’s wail was immediate.
“What the hell dude, what kind of way is that to wake up your best friend up? That hurt!” Ichigo rolled his eyes and smacked a hand over Keigo’s mouth.
“Keep your voice down, we’re in the library remember? You fell asleep after dragging me here to help you. Also, I barely touched you.”
“Eydin-” Keigo tried to speak through Ichigo’s hand, but the boy just shushed him before letting him go.
“I’m walking Inoue home, so you’re on your own.” Ichigo slung his bag over his shoulder and walked around the table again, signaling for Orihime to follow.
“Bye bye Keigo-chan!” She waved with a hesitant smile, she felt bad for taking Ichigo away but a piece of her swooned at his kind gesture, he always did things like this, offering to walk her home, taking her bag from her hands while they walked, he even offered her his umbrella after school one day when it rained, her cheeks flamed and she’d barely managed a ‘thank you’ before he was jogging in the opposite direction.
“Dude serious-” Keigo started to yell but was cut off by the sound of multiple people shushing him to be quiet, his face turned beet red for a second before he burst into tears.
“Why does everybody hate me?” She heard him cry as they made their way out of the library door and Orihime couldn’t help the way her heart squeezed.
“Is he going to be ok?” She asked and Ichigo chuckled, shoving his hands in his pant pockets.
“He’ll be fine, he’s just dramatic. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?” He held the heavy metal door that led to the courtyard open for her and Orihime was thankful the sun had finally set, the blush she felt taking over her face would have been ten times worse if he could see it in its full glory.
“Oh, um.” she hesitated and chuckled nervously as they made their way off the school grounds.
The late evening air was quiet as they walked side by side along the narrow path just outside the school gates, she stole a glance his way and he seemed to be at ease. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his pants, and she noticed that the first handful of buttons on his school shirt were popped open, revealing a black shirt underneath, seeing him so relaxed around her made her heart race and she licked her lips to try again.
“I mean first thank you for walking me home, you really didn’t have to.” She started, trying to ease her way into the conversation.
He hummed softly, encouraging her to go on and she took a deep breath intending to try again.
“You know,” she cut herself off once more, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as he looked over at her once more.
“Orihime,” He said softly, a gentle smile on his lips “you don’t have to be nervous, there isn’t anything you could ever tell me that would make me look at you differently.” Orihime’s heart fluttered in her chest so hard she thought she would suddenly transform into a hummingbird.
He was so sweet! Even when he didn’t try to, he gave her more courage than she ever thought she’d be capable of, and on the rare occasions he spoke her first name (which in her humble opinion was too rarely) she felt her heart hammer in her chest like a bongo.
‘Ok, I can do this’ she thought to herself ‘Its now or never!’
“What if,” she heard herself whisper, her mouth felt dry and she forced her suddenly shaky hands to wrap around the strap of her school bag.
“What if I want you to?” she managed. He didn’t say anything for a moment and she gathered her courage to look up and into his eyes, chocolate orbs stared back at her with obvious confusion and something she hoped, was hope, though a rotten piece of her mind told her she was seeing things.
“What?” was all he said, voice low and eyebrows drawn together.
“What if I want you to see me differently, Ichigo?” She spoke his name the same way he spoke hers, gently, like each syllable was precious and she never wanted to let it go, maybe that’s why they both rarely used their given names, maybe it was because speaking them out loud felt… intimate, enticing in a way nobody else’s did.
Orihime shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts, she was running off with her imagination again, she focused back on his face. Ichigo’s brown eyes were wide for a moment before he cleared his throat.
“What,” he paused, then in almost a whisper asked “what do you want to be then? If not my friend?”
Orihime swallowed and, feeling braver than ever, she spoke the words that had been running through her heart for years.
“I love you Ichigo.” She smiled “I love everything about you. I love the sound of your voice and how rough it gets when you yell while playing soccer, I love your eyes and the flecks of gold in them on sunny days, I love your hair and how unapologetically you embrace the color despite people trying to bully you into changing it. I love who you are as a person.” Her voice wavered and she took a deep breath before he could say anything, her eyes watering with emotion.
“I love that you take care of your sisters when your dad is at work without being asked, and that you help the underclassman who get bullied, I love that you help ghosts cross over and how soft your voice gets when you do. I love that you walk me home without being asked, and that you take my bag so I don’t have to carry it. I love how dedicated you are in everything you do I just-“ her breath caught and she met his eyes, and through tears said again.
“I love you Ichigo. I want to be more than just your friend.”
Ichigo stared at her, eyes wide and heart hammering in his chest. Some of her words slurred together towards the end and he nearly missed what she said, what he didn't and couldn't miss was the step she took forward, her hands suddenly on his face as she pulled his head down to hers, her lips crashing over his in an instant. It was quick, over just as quickly as it'd begun, and she was suddenly pulling away, her cheeks a deep red as her eyes darted up to his. Almost as if by instinct his tongue darted out to lick his lips, and he saw her eyes follow before she pulled him back in for another kiss, this one he expected and despite his inexperience everything in him told him to react.
His hands came to her hips tentatively, pulling her flush against him and causing her to gasp, an opportunity he used to run his tongue over her lips and into her mouth. Ichigo hoped he was doing this right, hoped he wasn’t slobbering over her or taking more than she was willing to give but God she tasted sweet, like vanilla and cinnamon sugar and slightly like the tears she’d shed, it was surprising but so Orihime it nearly made him groan into her mouth.
He bit into her lip as he pressed her into the gate they’d been standing beside and she moaned deep in her throat, her hands, which she'd run through his hair, pulled on a few strands, her nails scraping his scalp and this time he did groan into her mouth. She wanted him, and for the first time in his life Ichigo knew exactly how that want felt like, his body was on fire, his heart racing. He wanted to be selfish and take everything she was willing to give him, wanted to know her inside and out, to taste her, to hear more of her sounds. The revelation had him pulling away nearly as much as the need for air.
Orihime's hands fell from his head to his shoulders and his hands remained on her hips, although lightly, he belatedly realized he'd been squeezing her to him harder than he intended. He pressed his forehead to hers, gathering his breath as best he could, like she hadn’t just delivered a shocking confession and mind-blowing kiss on a Friday evening outside their school. What the hell had just happened? He opened his eyes to see Orihime's closed as she tried to regain her breath as well, her long lashes fanned over her rosy cheeks. She really was beautiful, he'd known this, he'd always known this, he wasn’t blind, he'd just never seen her this way, never thought he’d see anybody this way if he were being honest, but Orihime Inoue and Ichigo Kurosaki were two completely different people, they were like opposite poles, and yet she’d said such beautiful things about him, about his character. His heart pounded in his chest again as he recounted her confession, she loved him, had loved him for God knows how long and he’d been blind.
"No way!" Keigo's bombing voice came from beside them suddenly, startling them apart. "What did I just see! The Goddess of Karakura and my best fri-" Ichigo reacted instantly, irritation and slight embarrassment at being caught in such an intimate position flaring inside him, along with -to his surprise- a possessive rage at the thought of Keigo seeing Orihime like this, rosy cheeked and freshly kissed. His closed fist reached Keigo's mouth at the same time Orihime turned away from them both, her feet carrying her away as fast as her shaky knees could carry her.
"Fuck! Orihime wait!" Ichigo's voice called after her to no avail as she turned the corner and dashed down the street.
Ichigo looked down at Keigo, the thin line of blood coming out of his nose doing nothing to satiate the sudden thirst he had for his blood. This idiot ruined everything! He looked back towards where Orihime had run, then back at his now unconscious idiot friend.
“Damn you Keigo.” He cursed, bending down to pick the idiot up. He wouldn't run after her, God as much as he wanted to right now he needed time to think about this, about what she'd said before it all. He'd kissed her back, he'd wanted to with everything that was in him, still wanted to, that meant he liked her too right? Or did he just like kissing her? Fuck, he wasn't good with feelings, but this was Orihime, his sweet, caring friend, the girl with a heart of gold who just confessed to being in love with him. He’d take time to sort his feelings then talk to her, because he’d be damned if he hurt her because he couldn’t figure out how he felt. He hoisted Keigo up and turned towards the idiots’ house, cursing him the entire time. His mind replaying the words she spoke and the way she kissed him the entire way.
Orihime ran as fast as she could until she was far away enough to catch a breath, collapsing onto a park bench and burying her head in her hands. She'd done it! She'd not only confessed her feelings to Ichigo but she’d kissed him! Twice!
She squealed into her palms and smoothed her hair back, looking around the park and taking a deep breath, her heart racing not just from the run there but from the memories replaying in her head. She kissed Ichigo, and he'd kissed her back! His lips met hers with tongue and teeth and a soft sort of passion that felt safe and commanding at once, his hands had been so rough on her hips she was sure she'd have bruises by tomorrow, but she didn’t care, for a moment he’d lost control and it was because of her, because he was affected by her, because he was kissing her.
She ran her tongue over her lips and couldn't help the smile that came to her, she knew it was impossible, but she felt as if she could still taste him on her lips – chocolate and coffee because of course he drank coffee at school after fighting Hollows all night- and she felt her stomach flutter as she replayed the kiss again, and again, and again. She had really done it.
She stood quickly, the wind rustling the trees around her as she headed home slowly, trying to refrain from skipping with joy. She tried not to think about what would happen now, tried not to smile so wide so her cheeks wouldn’t hurt, but she caught herself smiling wide again and again as she walked, in the reflection of shop windows when her mind was somewhere else and her cheeks flushed.
Orihime had done it, she’d confessed, she’d kissed him, and the slight ache on her hips was nothing if not proof that Ichigo felt something too, even if he didn’t know it yet. She focused on the good, trying to keep her mind from spiraling into the panic that was beginning to set in, the questions, the anxiety that was threatening to make her hyperventilate with how quickly it assaulted her. She focused on that dull ache on her body, that constant reminder that he'd wanted to touch her, on the memory of his tongue running over hers, and his groan when she'd pulled his hair.
She made it home in record time, thankful no Hollows had attacked while she was distracted and made her way into her kitchen for a drink, her chest swelling with an emotion she hadn’t felt so strongly in years, happiness. She drank a glass of cold water and rested her forehead on her fridge, a smile still on her lips. She would deal with the anxiety, and the panic later, for now, she just felt light, like her life was finally, after so long, on the right path.
.
"Oh my God I can’t believe I kissed him!" Orihime groaned the next morning, smacking herself in the face and sitting on her couch. "What is wrong with me, kissing him without asking, without warning." She buried her face in one of her cushions and screamed, all her previous excitement seeped out of her body, now replaced with realization, insecurity and dread.
He hadn’t run after her, he hadn’t texted her or even called her afterwards, was he upset after all? Had he kissed her back because he felt… forced to? The thought made Orihime flinch inwardly, she never, ever wanted to force him into something, she hadn’t thought at all about how he would feel, how her actions could have come across to him if he didn’t have any feelings for her. She had been so focused on confessing she could have possibly ruined one of the greatest friendships she’d ever had.
She sat back with a heavy sigh, her eyes watering as her thoughts raced. She'd been so proud of herself for being so bold for once, for taking charge, and although his response was everything she wanted, everything in her now was panicking because of the uncertainty that came next. She mentally cursed herself for running away when Keigo showed up, but her legs had moved before her mind could catch up.
A startled yelp left her lips when three sharp knocks came from her front door, and she turned to face it with a racing heart. Could it be? Had he come to see her? To confront her for her brazen acts? For kissing him without permission?
“Hime open the door I gotta pee!” Tatsuki’s voice came from the other side of the door and the ball in Orihime’s throat turned to tears as she pulled the door open to greet her best friend, she had panicked, again!
“Woah! What happened? Why are you crying?” Tatsuki asked immediately when she saw her face, Orihime tried to speak and instead a sob pulled from her throat and she wrapped her arms around Tatsuki, crying into her friend’s neck.
Tatsuki held her, patting her back gently, though she had no idea what was wrong with her friend she was growing increasingly worried as the tears kept coming.
“Hime?” She said softly. “What’s wrong?” Orihime pulled away from Tatsuki just enough to cry out, tears on her cheeks.
“I CONFESSED TO ICHIGO AND KISSED HIM YESTERDAY!”
Tatsuki’s entire body stilled, her eyes widened for a second as she processed what Orihime had said, she confessed? She kissed him? Tatsuki frowned, taking in her friends disheveled state and rage filled her, now aimed at a different orange haired teen. Had he rejected her? Hurt her? Is that why she was crying? Tatsuki knew Ichigo better than anyone, she knew he could be an idiot, but she never thought he’d be mean to Orihime, so were her tears just because of the rejection or had he been cruel?
“What did he say? Because if he was a dick, I’m going to his house right now and I’m going to kill him, Shinigami or not.” She deadpanned and Orihime laughed, watery but genuine.
“He kissed me back.” She whispered.
“He did what?!” Tatsuki’s eyes widened, and she pulled back, grabbing onto Orihime’s shoulders and looking into her teary eyes. “In the house, now. I need details.”
Orihime and Tatsuki moved to the living room, settling on the couch and Orihime recounted the previous evenings events to her best friend, her confession, the kiss that left her breathless, her happiness afterwards and the panic that filled her now.
Tatsuki listened, stopping her only to use the bathroom and get them drinks before letting Orihime continue venting her worries.
“What if the reason he didn’t text me is because he’s mad because I kissed him without permission? What if he hates me now and doesn’t want to be friends with me anymore? Oh God Tatsuki what do I do?
“First, take a deep breath.” Tatsuki said, taking Orihime’s hands in her own. “Then, you think about the fact that you have been feeling this for years and you just confessed to a dense idiot that thought you guys were platonic friends AND kissed him. I’m not saying you don’t have room to worry because honestly the entire thing is nerve wracking since you don’t know how he feels but let’s try to give Ichigo some time to wrap his head around the fact that you’re in love with him.” Tatsuki said softly, pulling her friend into a side hug.
“I know Ichigo isn’t the type to throw away years of friendship because he doesn’t feel the same Hime, but we don’t know how he feels yet ok? Try not to worry yourself sick.”
“But what if-“ Orihime tried again and Tatsuki put her finger to her lips to quiet her.
“Listen, after his mom died Ichigo basically burrowed into himself, he drew up walls to keep everyone out except his sisters and a few friends. He’s not mad at you, he’s processing, you need to give him time.” Tatsuki’s eyes softened as she spoke.
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“Oh no! I couldn’t ask that of you!” Orihime sighed “you’re right, I just get so in my head sometimes. I’ll try to be patient, I know Ichigo isn’t the type of man to leave anybody waiting for anything. Thank you Tatsuki.”
“Of course, what are friends for.” She smirked “Now tell me again about how you initiated the kiss you sly girl!”
Orihime blushed and covered her face, embarrassed as Tatsuki laughed at her predicament, thankful she could help her feel less worried about things out of her control. She looked out of Orihime’s window, at the bright blue day outside and stood, reaching for the girl’s hand.
“Let’s go for a walk, it’s a nice day.” Orihime smiled and nodded wiping her eyes before standing to grab her purse and cardigan.
“You’re right, let’s go enjoy the day, there’s a new ice cream parlor I’ve been wanting to try.” She said as she moved around the room, no longer boggled down with anxiety because of the prospect of ice cream in the future. Tatsuki chuckled to herself, noting how easily Orihime seemed to be swayed by sweets and joined her at the door, grabbing her own purse.
The red head pulled the door open and froze, a gasp leaving her lips. There, clad in a black V-neck long sleeve shirt and green cargo pants stood Ichigo. His closed fist was raised as if he had been getting ready to knock on the door when she pulled it open. His orange hair was windblown, and his cheeks had a dusting of pink when he met her eyes, though he quickly looked away.
“Yo,” he said simply and Tatsuki rolled her eyes, looking between them both.
“Hime maybe we can do that some other time, I actually just got a text from my mom, I gotta go.” Tatsuki lied easily, if Ichigo was here, that could only mean one thing, and as anxious as it made Tatsuki, she knew he wouldn’t be comfortable talking with her around. She hugged Orihime tight and whispered encouraging words in her ear before walking out the door, she leveled Ichigo with a look and, soft enough only he could hear, said
“If you fuck this up, I’m kicking your ass.” Then, she turned and walked towards the stairs, leaving the two orange haired teens alone.
Ichigo looked after Tatsuki for a second, her threat repeating in his head before he scoffed and looked towards Orihime. She was wearing a simple mauve cardigan over a black dress, and her hair was in a ponytail, one of the rare times she wore her hair up.
‘Damn it she’s beautiful.’ He thought to himself.
“Can we talk?” He asked, clearing his throat, his voice was low and gravelly when he spoke, and he noticed the way she shivered before nodding.
“Ok, sure. I- I was about to go for a walk, would you…” She trailed off and Ichigo nodded.
“A walk is fine, want to go to that new ice cream place? I remember you said something about it a few weeks ago.” He gestured towards the stairs with his head, and Orihime’s heart swelled in her chest.
‘He remembered that?’ she thought to herself. Outwardly, she nodded and locked her door.
“That sounds great.” Her voice was soft when she answered, and she looked up at him for a moment before walking towards the stairs. Ichigo caught her eye and gave her a small, genuine smile before turning to follow. His heart raced and he shoved his shaking hands into his pockets, forcing himself to keep a casual pace beside her as they walked.
Ichigo moved her to the inside of the sidewalk, so he was on the side facing traffic as they walked, he did it so casually, like it was second nature to want to have her away from any oncoming danger and it made his own heart stutter in his chest. He cared for her, deeply, but God was that enough? He wanted to talk to her, to tell her everything that had kept him awake the night before, how he thought of her eyes, her lips, the sound of her voice when she said she loved him. He wanted to be honest with her but damn it he was scared. Scared of how he felt, scared that he couldn’t love her the way she loved him. Orihime was someone that mattered to him, he didn’t want to hurt her.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, the air loaded with things they wanted but couldn’t say, both lost in their thoughts, their hearts aflutter.
‘Now or Never.’ Ichigo thought to himself, gathering his courage.