always there

creeps up behind her, breath on her neck, smirk on his face - he squeezes her backside briefly and leans over her frame to pick up the book he was wanting to finish. “Hah, you’re in the way, ‘hime.” @gcntlesouled​

the breath on her neck made her pause, so did the squeeze at her backside. it did manage to get a small, joyful giggle out of her, though. the warmth against her back spreading throughout her body as he leaned over her considerably smaller frame.

the war had changed ichigo, he had became more comfortable in the dominating side that he had always pushed to the side. tried to fool himself into believing that his messiah complex was nothing short of common decency. but after nearly losing his friends, his now wife. it was almost like a switch had flicked, he was who he was, it was only time to relish in it.

as orihime joins him back on the sofa following a some sarcastic comment on the previous time they had left … with the stove on, he cannot help but chuckle louder. as she settles next to her, ichigo lifts the cup of tea and takes a large sip. setting it down to then draw focus to ‘hime. “ we’ve all made mistakes… yours just about burned down our house. “ it took all his will-power to not break out in full frontal laughter, but it wasn’t the right moment. not with the pending problem at hand. wrapping his arm around her curvaceous figure, he pulls her close and hums softly. he gives her a sense of false hope, that is until he turns to look at her. his facial expression a lot more stern. “ now… are you not going to apologise for that stunt you pulled in the restaurant? “

as she was about to sit upright to grab her own cup, the strong arm around her body held her in place. instantly, the previously low simmering heat returned to high, making her bite her lip and turn her head to look him in the eyes. the sight that greeted her made her swallow audibly. had you told her years ago that ichigo had this side to him, she would have started laughing, but over time she had seen him change. to be fair, it wasn’t really expected of her to be into a lot of the same things as well. with both of them going through significant trauma from when they were young, to fighting in actual wars, going through things a normal teenager shouldn’t, had definitely left marks on both of them.

she loved feeling like this, though. like a prey hunted by a predator, the gentle simmer of danger ichigo carried around himself sometimes. obviously things changed as soon as they both had had their fill and he turned back to his usual, goofy and relaxed self, but right now she knew she had to listen. not that she would even consider doing anything else.

“…!” PLOPS ONTO IT. Pillow deity.

“Definitely, yes…”

   he can’t help but match her excitable giggle with a hearty chuckle, if she hadn’t pulled that stunt in the restaurant then maybe he would approach her differently, but ichigo wanted to have her simmer, not knowing what was coming next. to keep her on her toes was to keep a spark. he clears his throat before speaking, “Thank you, ‘hime. Just make sure you don’t burn yourself.”

as his wife skips into the kitchen, he takes his blazer off, hanging it up at the door; whilst also loosening his tie & collar to set it to the side. it had been a long dinner with other doctors ( proposals of new treatment plans, different equipment to buy, really boring stuff ) and ‘hime had really tested his patience and will power. as she shuffles around the kitchen, ichigo sits down on their love sofa, one hand finding the remote to put some on mindless TV as he waited for his wife to come through.

as she put the kettle on the stove, she finally took a deep breath to make her shoulders relax again. as much as she absolutely loved her husband, she still hasn’t gotten used to the absolute intensity he brought to her life. it wasn’t a bad thing, it just was something she’s always noticed and made him all the more attractive to her. it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him, after all.

the signal of the kettle brought her out of her thoughts and she quickly but carefully prepared their cups before taking them to the living room. seeing him sit on the couch the way he did made her face light up just a little bit more. she still couldn’t believe it sometimes, that the man she had crushed on for so long and had saved her life multiple times was hers.