La Puesta del Sol

The way I picture them is basically Way of the Househusband, a manga about a man whose entire life has made him someone with very poor social skills, whose demeanor instantly makes most people afraid of him. But really he's just a dude who really really loves his wife and is, somehow, making it all work (despite the many shenanigans that occur).

But really I just think that Orihime, a character whose main feature is getting her feelings ignored and being underestimated, should get to have an incredibly powerful significant other who is 100% willing to be put on a leash as they do their errands so she can feel In Control for once. She has to say to almost everyone that no, it's not a kink thing.

Also, bc I don't wanna make multiple posts, an idea: Orihime makes a big dinner for everyone and it's her usual "good lord what even is that" meal. They're all just staring at their plates and Ulquiorra takes the first bite. He rolls it around his mouth, swallows, silently puts his fork down, and leaves the room. They all listen for the sounds of vomiting, but he comes back with a bottle of mustard. Not a single ingredient in the dish goes well with mustard. He puts a tiny amount on it, and repeats what he did last time, but now after moving it around his mouth he simply nods and douses the whole fuckin thing in mustard. Orihime makes grabby hands at the bottle and once she gets it she does the same test bite, enthusiastically nodding and giving a thumbs up to Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra realizes he's dying and he looks at her. He CHOOSES her as what he wants to see in his dying moments, whose voice he wants to hear.

She never looks this heartbroken before or after this.

She knows he's dying too. This is the exact moment her heart squeezes and sinks and her body starts to feel cold with dread and sadness.

With her clothing ripped and her hair falling over her face, this is the most undone she ever is physically as well. She's disheveled and defeated here.

Then he asks if she's afraid of him and she's briefly shocked. She startles enough her hair jolts around her, her mouth drops open in disbelief for a second, then her face dominates the page like it does Ulquiorras attention and she looks so, SO sad and hurt that he'd think that and with all the kindness and warmth in her heart tells him she's not.

The sincerity here has all the force and passion of a love confession, but colored by grief.

And he looks back at her so softly, and then stretches his hand out further toward her.

He goes from a mostly relaxed hand:

to actively reaching, fingers spread as she walks toward him.

Ulquiorra has spent his entire life devoid of feeling, but in his final moments he feels longing for warmth and touch and companionship from HER.

They are mutually reaching out in the most explicit way so far.

But they don't reach out soon enough.