The Playtime Mini-Series - COMPLETE!

Title: Poolside
Authors: Kirei Kitsue and Cecilia Tsukineko
Pairing: Ichigo/Ishida
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No spoilers that we know of. It might even be a little bit AU, but not too much. Smut. (We’re talking mature audiences only.)
Authors’ Note: This is a third installment to our very first Bleach Yaoi FanFic. It’s kind of an ongoing thing, but each One-Shot can stand alone. Anyway, please, enjoy it, and we would REALLY appreciate feedback from anyone who reads it, even if it is to just say, “Great job! Write more!” But honestly, we prefer more solid constructive criticism.
Disclaimer: We don\'t own the characters or anything Bleach-related. We just came up with the little plot bunnies. They think our heads are breeding grounds or something.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Poolside
By: Kirei Kitsue and Cecilia Tsukineko


Classmates. Grudging friends. Determined rivals. Comrades in arms. Secret, passionate lovers.

There were a lot of ways to describe the relationship between Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryuu. Some days one description fit better than the others. Today, it had been secret lovers.

Lying back on the bed he\'d claimed for their weekend class trip to the beach, Ishida stared at the ceiling and thought. Thought back to a year ago, when one particularly nasty fight against a herd of Hollows had awakened the instinct to live so strongly within him and Ichigo, they\'d ended up ripping the clothes off each other and mating like animals right there on the ground, neither caring about the blood and gore they\'d been soaked in.

That one night, that one primal, animalistic night had sparked a strange hunger in them so deep they\'d only been able to stay away from each other for a couple days before meeting in secret to wordlessly fornicate.

Eventually words came, and later foreplay. It wasn\'t long before they stopped bothering with using battles as an excuse. And now...what? What were they? Friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? Lovers only in the physical sense? True lovers, the kind that comes with emotions attached?

Sighing, Ishida shifted and willed himself to stop thinking about how wonderfully his ass ached and stay on track. Just what did he feel for Ichigo? Simple camaraderie? Friendship? ...L-

“Everyone’s just about finished,” Ichigo announced as he entered the room. He didn’t feel the need to beat around the bush. After all, he’d left the marks that Ishida was trying to keep everyone from seeing. It wasn’t hard to understand why Ishida had trekked to his room instead of going straight for the cool showers just like everyone else.

“How’re ya feelin’?” It was his way of asking if he’d, by chance, gotten too rough.

\"Fine.\" One long finger snagged the hem of Ichigo\'s boxers and drew him closer to the bed. \"How about you?\" Ishida purred as he brushed the back of his hand against Ichigo\'s crotch. His train of thought had left him feeling very wicked and definitely horny.

For a moment, Ichigo’s eyes just fluttered shut and then he slowly knelt beside Ishida on the bed. “How else would I be other than fine after this afternoon?”

The hand on him through his well-broken-in boxers was arousing and Ichigo eased himself to his side on the mattress. They weren’t cuddly normally, but for some reason, it felt right to lay so close to his friend and rival. He actually…wanted the closeness for a change. It was strange, but that was nothing compared to some of the things in his life.

Scooting towards the wall so Ichigo didn\'t have to lie right on the bed\'s edge, Ishida turned onto his side and quietly gazed at the redhead. His eyes were thoughtful, curious, wondering...and a little worried. What would happen to him if someday Ichigo decided to leave him for someone else? He\'d already admitted to himself that he was addicted to the redhead\'s fire, his passion, his ability to make the Archer hard with a simple look. \'It\'s not as if I\'m emotionally attached,\' Ishida quickly told himself. \'Purely physical. That\'s all it is. Stress relief.\'

Warm brown eyes caught searching black and Ichigo blinked. Something…wasn’t quite right. He could feel it.

“What’s up?” he asked, feeling a little suspicious. It wasn’t like the Quincy to wear a look like the one he had now. Ishida was normally so…coolly composed. It was that realization that finally made Ichigo realize that he’d completely dropped his own scowling mask. Startled, he glanced down, brow furrowing. What…was going on between them? One year ago, it was all about release in sexual pleasure of stress and tension. Relief. Now…well, gradually it had become addicting, then…comfortable. Now…Ishida looked…worried…?

\"Nothing,\" Ishida said with a dismissive shake of his head. He could worry later, when Ichigo wasn\'t right next to him. \"You said the others were almost done, right?\"

\"Yeah. They should almost be done. Give them another...fifteen minutes, I guess. What was with that...look?\"

\"Never mind.\" Without really thinking about it, Ishida brushed a quick kiss to Ichigo\'s lips before climbing off the bed to prepare for his shower. Kneeling next to his duffle, he pulled out everything he\'d need.

Ichigo blinked at the strangely soothing action of being kissed to familiarly by Ishida - and yet that didn\'t seem as strange as it used to - and rolled to look at Ishida\'s back.

\"Why didn\'t you sit with us?\" he asked, point blank. It had been bothering him all day.

Smirking, Ishida leered up at him from searching through his bag for something. \"Because sitting next to you for any length of time is so distracting, I probably would have ended up jumping you right in front of everyone else. Especially after you finished putting on sunblock.\"

The red head snorted in that manner that said \'My manly pride has just been stroked and my ego boosted. I\'m amused.\' He hadn\'t quite realized that he affected Ishida quite so profoundly. Rolling onto his back, the Shinigami sighed and folding his arms behind his head, comfortable with the scent of Ishida all around...him. There was that strange comfortable feeling again.

\"That good, huh?\" he taunted, but there was no bite or overly too much vanity in the statement.

\"I wouldn\'t know, having no other experience to compare you to,\" the Quincy taunted right back, throwing a balled up pair of socks at Ichigo as he stood up, his bathing supplies tucked under one arm.

Shutting his eyes, the Shinigami smirked. “Hurry up.”

It was more a demand but somewhat of a request. Kind of…maybe… The smirk slipped from his lips, face going slack as he let his mind wander. When had things gone from a good fuck to a comfortable screw and now…sleeping companions…? There weren’t many stages left beyond that except…lovers and then lovers in the real sense of the word. As in boyfriends...but why wasn’t he as freaked out as he probably should have been? It was Ishida, the sewing savant and anal retentive Button Nazi. Shouldn’t he have been freaked to find himself practically unfazed by the idea of…practically dating the guy? He still didn’t have the answer by the time Ishida returned.

Giving in to the night\'s sticky heat, Ishida wore only boxers and a sleeveless shirt. He\'d left his blue-black hair damp in a futile attempt at cooling down. Tossing a teasingly annoyed look at the Shinigami for taking over his bed, the Archer sat down to lounge on Ichigo\'s bed on the other side of the tiny room. Most of Ishida\'s time in the shower had been spent thinking about their relationship, and he was still short on answers. The only way to find them all would be to actually talk to Ichigo about their odd relationship and stubborn pride made Ishida shy away from that idea. Of course, fear had nothing to do with it. Not in the least.

\"I ran into sensei on my way back. He said lights out in ten minutes,\" the Quincy stated as he lay down on his side. Ichigo\'s scent floated off the sheets and Ishida let himself slip into a comfortable state of relaxation.

Ichigo lay there for a moment and then slowly rose. He moved over to the light switch and killed the light. Sure it was early, but at least then they wouldn’t be disturbed. Without a word, he sat on the edge of the mattress at the foot of the bed, folded his legs and his arms, and stared into the shadowy darkness of the room, his displeased scowl thick on his brow. He didn’t want to talk about this…but if they didn’t talk about it, it wouldn’t get…better.

Grudgingly, Ichigo opted to start with a simple question. “Why didn’t you sit with us at the beach?”

Ok, so it wasn’t really a relevant question and it was one he had already asked several times, but the words had been right at the back of his throat…before it had closed up on them and shoved these past his lips instead.

\"I told you already. You\'re too much of a distraction.\" Ishida rolled onto his back and gazed down his body at Ichigo. Moonlight filtered in through the open window, coloring the room in shades of white, blue, and black. The only real color was Ichigo\'s bright hair, and even that was muted.

\"Oh, right.\"

There was a long silence before the light finally went on in Ichigo\'s head. \"Like hell, Ishida. You\'re the most anal guy I know! There\'s no way anything distracts you that much. What are you hiding?\" The suspicious glower, and the fact that Ichigo had suddenly reached over and grabbed him up by the front of his tank, leaning over him and lifting him until they were almost nose to nose aggressively, proved that Ichigo was serious.

\"And why would I lie about you being distracting? If you don\'t believe that, then you don\'t know me as well as you think you do, Kurosaki,\" the Archer stated calmly, completely unfazed by Ichigo\'s glare. He was used to being on the receiving end of the redhead\'s anger and frustration.

\"Just tell me what the hell your problem is and I\'ll leave you alone. I know there\'s more to it than just that, you bastard,\" the Shinigami growled as his eyes narrowed more.

\'Maybe I don\'t want you to leave me alone,\' came the unbidden thought. Hiding his disquiet with cool superiority, Ishida continued to calmly stare back. \"Fine. I also didn\'t want to get burned by sitting so close to the water.\"

\"I had real sunblock in my other pocket...\" Ichigo wasn\'t buying it.

\"I still would have gotten burned.\"

\"I can take care of a minor sun burn, even if you can\'t. You know that. What. The hell. Was your problem, bastard?\"

\"Nothing,\" Ishida lied smoothly. No way in hell was he going to admit that he couldn\'t swim. It was embarrassing.

\"Tch. Pansy-ass, can\'t even tell your friend what the hell\'s the matter with you. No wonder you\'re so screwed up.\" Ichigo dropped him back to the mattress and stood. \"Get outta my bed.\"

Twitching at being called a pansy, Ishida lay back down and folded his arms under his head. \"No.\"

\"If you don\'t move yourself, I\'m going to pick you up and drop you off the balcony and right into the god damned swimming pool. Them you\'ll have to explain to Sensei how you got down there without when you had to get past the Chaperones.\" His tone was dead-serious.

\"Do that and your family will have to plan a funeral,\" Ishida growled, glaring at him and hiding his panic. He knew Ichigo would do it and he did not want to drown in a stupid pool.

\"Then get the hell outta my bed.\"

\"No. I\'m comfortable.\"

\"You asked for it.\" Ichigo wasted no time in grabbing Ishida and throwing him over his shoulder. He immediately started for the balcony door. For the first time since they\'d been there, he actually cared that the dorms there were more like very, very small excuses for apartments and was glad.

\"Kurosaki, you bastard, put me down!\" His shell cracking a bit, Ishida let a little of his panic show as he thrashed and tried to get out of Ichigo\'s grip. Anything but the pool!

\"Stop squirming, dumb ass!\" Ichigo snarled and managed to get the balcony doors open. \"You didn\'t move even after I gave you that second chance! You asked for it!\"

Making the mistake of looking behind him and spotting the large, deep pool, Ishida clutched Ichigo in a death grip and shook as fear threatened to take over. \"Not the pool!\" he cried, almost begging.

Ichigo froze and looked down and then slowly lowered Ishida to his feet, but didn\'t let him go. Instead, he held his arms and in so doing held the black-haired teen close to his chest without actually holding him. \"You don\'t like the water.\" It was almost a question but more of a statement of fact.

Silent, Ishida took that opportunity to shove Ichigo away and go back into the room, his pride bruised at having Ichigo figure it out, even if he hadn\'t confirmed it. Settling on his bed, the Archer pulled the thin blanket over himself and turned his back towards the room.

For a moment Ichigo looked out into the night, then down at the glistening and dark waters of the pool. Ishida didn\'t like the water...but why. Determined to find out, Ichigo went into the room and calmly asked, \"Why not?\"

\"It\'s lights out. Go to sleep.\"

\"No. What is it? Can\'t you swim? Or is it that something happened?\" Ichigo\'s voice wasn\'t soft, but he wasn\'t being as loud and brash as he usually was.

Ishida\'s eyebrow twitched when Ichigo suggested he couldn\'t swim, but otherwise he didn\'t respond, pretending to already be asleep.

\"Fine.\" The red head jammed one slender pinky finger into his ear. \"I won\'t help you then, asshole. You can drown next time you end up in the water.\" He made his way back to his own bed and settled between the sheet and the covered mattress. He too put his back to the room and closed his eyes, but he couldn\'t go to sleep.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air and suddenly Ishida couldn\'t stay still. He tossed and turned as quietly as he could, trying to sleep. Frustration won at last and, with an annoyed huff, the Archer got out of bed and approached Ichigo\'s bed. Grabbing the Shinigami’s shoulder, he pulled him onto his back and settled over him on his hands and knees.

\"Fine. Teach me,\" he growled. \"And if I die, I\'m going to haunt you forever.\"

There was a temperamental silence as Ichigo glowered at him, but then twin strong hands came up to pull Ishida down and the scowl actually lessened a little. Then he sat up. There was another small pause and then Ichigo mumbled, \"Ok. Time to sneak out,\" as those hands left Ishida\'s body.

Nodding, Ishida went to the balcony and climbed over the side, dangling for a moment from the balcony\'s floor before letting himself drop down to the ground. Landing in a cat-like crouch, he quickly got out of the way so Ichigo would have room to land.

Moments later, Ichigo landed beside him with equal grace. \"Let\'s go,\" he whispered close to Ishida\'s ear and pulled the young man closer to the pool. The reached the edge and there, Ichigo stopped and turned to face his comrade. \"Do you trust me?\" The question was a very, serious one.

The Archer took a deep breath and nodded in equal seriousness. How could he not trust Ichigo when they put their lives in the other\'s hands on a regular basis?

\"No screaming,\" he ordered and caught Ishida\'s hand before jumping right off the ledge of the pool and into the cool, rippling water, pulling the Quincy in with him. It wasn\'t deep, barely up to Ichigo\'s chest, but that meant it seemed a little deeper to the slightly shorter Quincy.

Gasping at the sudden cold and in fear when he couldn\'t immediately find the bottom, Ishida yanked on Ichigo\'s hand and clung to him, blinking owlishly behind his water-splattered glasses. He couldn\'t see a thing through them. Gingerly, he planted his feet on the bottom and let out a quiet sigh of relief. As long as he could stand with his head above the water, all was good.

\"How are you doing? Ok?\" he asked and began to walk slowly backwards. Ichigo took up both of Ishida\'s hands and held them securely in his own. So long as Ishida remained this calm things would be fine.

\"Fine.\" Letting Ichigo lead him, Ishida tried to focus on the feel of Ichigo\'s hands in his instead of the water\'s heaviness, the way it pushed back on him as he stepped forward. \'I\'m not under the surface. The water can\'t push me down. Shallow. It\'s shallow. I\'m fine. I\'m okay.\'

\"I can\'t believe you\'re afraid of the water. You face down Hollows every damn day and a little water scares you,\" Ichigo jibbed, trying to get the paler-than-usual youth to retort and take his mind off what it was about water that bothered him. That was obviously not being able to swim would. Ishida tensed out of no where as he realized they were moving deeper into the water. \"Easy. I\'ve got you, just like always.\"

\"Shut. Up.\" Ishida stood as tall and straight as he could, holding his head high above the water as it steadily got deeper. His grip on Ichigo\'s hands tightened until the water swallowed his shoulders, at which point he let go and fled back to the shallow end, fighting the water all the way and struggling to not trip. Clutching the lip of the pool, Ishida shook and gasped, trying to calm himself down. \'Safe. You\'re safe. Shallow. Plenty of distance between your head and the water. Safe.\'

Solid arms wrapped around his shoulders and for a moment, seemed to be there for comfort. And then Ichigo hauled Ishida backwards, right into the deepest part of the pool and under with his final kick off the pool bottom. The red head didn\'t see any point in beating around the bush. There wasn\'t much to fear in the enclosed, chlorinated swimming pool.

Panic took over and Ishida flailed, not caring if he hit Ichigo in the process. Air! He had to get to the surface before the water pushed him down and he drowned! Kicking and clawing, he managed to get to the top and gasped, only to have his mouth fill with water. Even more frightened, he began to thrash. The more he struggled, the more water he swallowed, and the more panicked he became.

The Shinigami surfaced and caught Ishida from behind with one arm around his chest. The Archer\'s glasses were at the bottom of the pool somewhere and now Ichigo would have to go get them, but that was a worry for another minute. Right now, his concern was calming Ishida down.

\"Relax!\" he hissed in the Archer\'s ear. \"Relax and get your feet back and forth rhythmically. I\'ve got you and I won\'t let you drown. Do you hear me?! I won\'t let you drown.\"

Coughing and sputtering, Ishida slowly calmed down and awkwardly did as he was told, swinging his legs back and forth in a scissor motion. Every time he hit Ichigo\'s legs, he tensed and began to gasp again. What if their legs tangled and they sank to the bottom?

\"If you just relax, you\'ll practically float, idiot. Calm down,\" Ichigo muttered and winced when the Archer\'s fingers tightened on his arm which was around Ishida\'s shoulders and chest. His other hand tred water to keep them afloat. \"Now, let\'s get you turned around so I can show you how. C\'mon, just relax.\"

\"Take me back to the shallow end,\" Ishida demanded, his voice shaky with fear. He didn\'t want to die in a stupid pool, and they would surely die if they got tired in the deep end and couldn\'t tread anymore and ended up sinking! He did not want to end up a statistic or a front page story! Not like this!

\"Take me back now.\" Ishida tightened his grip further, nails digging into Ichigo\'s arm and turning his knuckles white.

\"No, you need to relax and let me take care of you for a few minutes. I don\'t want you dead, idiot. Who else would I get to sleep with me?\"

Despite his words, Ichigo pulled them to the edge. They were still in the deep end, but at least he could hook his arm over the side and hold them up.

\"There. Now relax and trust me for a minute.\"

The instant he felt the wall, Ishida tried to scramble out. Only Ichigo\'s firm grip kept him in the pool.

\"Let me go!\" he hissed, fighting harder and getting a mouthful of water in the process. All he wanted right now was to have solid, safe ground beneath him, preferably in the form of a comfortable bed. What the hell had he been thinking when he asked Ichigo to help him?! He could be asleep right now!

There was a moment of struggle before Ichigo simply let go. Ishida began to sink but the red head caught him by his shirt front and used it to keep him above water and turn him around. Once Ishida was facing him, Ichigo pushed him against the pool wall and pulled himself to the Quincy\'s body, pressing him back.

\"Stop it, pansy ass,\" the Shinigami muttered in agitation and then ordered, \"Put your freaking arms around my neck already, idiot. Geez, I never figured you for a freaking wuss. A pansy and freak, but not a wuss. Suck it up already...I\'m not going to let you sink.\"

Ignoring him, Ishida used his feet and Ichigo\'s support to push himself up, then put his hands on the edge of the pool behind him and hauled himself up onto the edge before Ichigo could stop him. The Archer scrabbled backwards out of Ichigo\'s reach and flopped onto the tile, panting as relief replaced fear. He was safe at last.

Ichigo was out of the water and beside him in a second. If he\'d had a stick, he would have prodded the Quincy with it. As it was, he didn\'t and had to settle himself with simply catching Ishida\'s wrist and hauling him to his feet. \"C\'mon, sissy-ass. Back into the water. You stand down Hollows regularly for crying out loud.\" Grumbling, Ichigo began to haul the idiot back towards the water.

\"No.\" Just as stubborn as the redhead, Ishida went completely limp and leaned back against Ichigo\'s grip. He\'d had enough of water for one night, especially in the deep end. \"Besides, I don\'t need to know how to swim in order to fight Hollows. So let go.\"

\"Heh. No, you really don\'t, but knowing how to swim isn\'t a bad thing. What\'s your problem, dumb ass?\"

\"I don\'t like being in deep water, alright?\" Ishida snapped, yanking his wrist out of Ichigo\'s grasp and squinting evilly at him. \"It\'s perfectly reasonable for someone who can\'t swim to be afraid of drowning. So piss off.\"

Ichigo briefly longed for pockets to shove his hands in so that he wouldn\'t knock Ishida upside the head. Since he didn\'t have pockets, however, he ended up doing just that.

\"The only way to get over it is to learn how to swim. You\'ll let me watch your freaking back in a battle but you won\'t even give me the chance to teach you to swim. I knew you were screwed up, but this really just...\" Ichigo glared. He was less than happy. \"You even fucking asked me to help you, you freak! I came all the way the hell out here and got wet just so you could chicken out.\"

\"You dragged me into the deep end and almost drowned me!\"

\"Do you want to start in the shallow end like a three-year-old brat?!\"

\"Actually, yes.\"

\"Fine. Get your ass back in the pool.\"

\"Only if you promise not to try and kill me again.\"

\"Yeah, fine. I like you better breathing anyway. Get in the damn pool, dumb ass.\"

Ishida walked over to the shallow end and slid in, muttering all the while about how much of a pain in the ass Ichigo was. And not the good kind of pain.

Ichigo stepped in right behind him and waded out until he was waist deep in the water.

\"C\'mere,\" he beckoned angrily and motioned Ishida over with one hand while the other skimmed the water absently.

Head held high, Ishida approached him and looked expectantly at Ichigo. If the redhead made any moves to drag him into the deep end again, there was going to be a dead body in the pool.

Gently catching the archer\'s wrist this time, Ichigo tugged him close and brought his other hand up to cradle Ishida\'s jaw. \"Relax,\" he murmured and leaned in for a gentle kiss. It was just a short brush to the lips and then he murmured, \"Trust me.\"

Anyone else would have gotten nervous at Ichigo\'s sudden tenderness, but it worked to calm Ishida down. Nodding slightly, the Quincy returned the light kiss and took a deep breath. He could do this. As long as he knew the water wasn\'t deeper than he was tall, he could do this. \"What first?\"

\"We have to get you to a depth that you can actually swim in and still put your feet on the bottom. So we\'re going to move back until the water\'s to your chest, got it?\"

\"Okay.\" Ishida let Ichigo lead him out to where the water reached the middle of his chest. The Shinigami tried to lead him a little deeper, but Ishida planted his feet and refused to go any farther.

\"Alright, fine. Now, step closer to me.\" As Ishida cautiously inched toward him, Ichigo looped his right arm around Ishida\'s waist and put the palm of his other hand on the middle of Ishida\'s chest, ignoring the clingy T-shirt valiantly. \"We\'re going to move to that side of the pool and you\'re going to swim to the other side. I\'ll be beneath you the whole time, so don\'t freak, got it?\"

\"And how exactly do you suggest I swim when I\'ve never done it before?\"

\"It\'s not that hard really. You kick your legs and reach out to pull yourself through the water with your arms however’s most comfortable for you. Dog paddle for all I care, but paddle.\"

\"You want me to dog paddle,\" Ishida deadpanned. He took a couple steps back. \"Then forget it.\"

\"Then breast stroke...if you know how...\"

\"How the hell do you do that?\"

\"If you stay there, I\'ll show you.\" Ichigo let Ishida go and took a step backwards.

Ishida crossed his arms. \"Fine. Show me.\"

Ichigo turned and disappeared cleanly beneath the water\'s surface. He appeared again at the far end of the pool, treading water. Taking one deep breath, he pushed off the wall a little and began to pull himself along with his arms, kicking his legs smoothly. When he neared Ishida, he stood smoothly and took the remaining few steps to stop before the Quincy. \"Like that.,\" the Shinigami huffed lightly.

\"You are forgetting a couple important things. One, I\'m essentially blind without my glasses,\" Ishida pointed out. \"Two, it\'s dark out here. Meaning, all I saw you do is go under and come back up. I didn\'t see what you actually did under the water.\"

Sighing in annoyance, Ichigo reached out and caught Ishida\'s wrist with a scowl. \"Fine. Then just come here and scrap what I said before. With the way you panic, it probably wouldn\'t have worked anyway.\"

\"Fine.\" Letting himself be pulled, Ishida suggested, \"Let\'s dry off and go back to bed. This was a stupid idea.\"

\"No, I\'ve got a better one,\" the red-head murmured and leaned forward a little to brush a gentle kiss against Ishida\'s lips before catching the hem of the Quincy\'s shirt, lifting the clingy fabric up a toned upper body. \"Lift your arms,\" he practically purred.

\"If you\'re thinking what I think you\'re thinking, you\'re insane, Kurosaki.\"

Despite his words, Ishida lifted his arms and let Ichigo pull the soaked cotton over his head. Shivering as air hit his wet skin, the Archer stepped closer to Ichigo\'s warmth and caught soft lips in a quietly passionate kiss.

The wet plop of the discarded garment hitting the poolside tile went unnoticed by the two fighters. Ichigo\'s arms wrapped slowly around Ishida\'s body as the kiss gradually deepened. One hand cradled smooth ribs while the other delved down Ishida\'s back until it slipped into the back of his sodden boxers. Ichigo didn\'t need to tell Ishida that his assumption was accurate. He was pretty certain the Archer could feel the reality of it pressing into his stomach rather clearly.

Growling deep in his chest at the feel of Ichigo\'s erection pressing against him, Ishida\'s length quickly filled and long-fingered hands pushed down on the redhead\'s boxers, sliding them down slim hips until the elastic band rested on Ichigo\'s arousal. Tongues dueled in a slow, familiar dance, neither gaining or losing ground in the battle. Just to hear his lover moan, Ishida grabbed Ichigo\'s groin and squeezed.

The Quincy Archer was rewarded with an instant groan before Ichigo’s hands caught Ishida’s wrists and pulled them up over his shoulders. Once Ishida had his arms around Ichigo’s neck, the Shinigami turned them and backed him to the wall of the pool pressing the Archer back with the weight of his larger frame.

“Just think, Uryuu…someone could look out their window at any minute and catch us. And we thought that shack was public…” Ichigo’s chuckle was devious. He was thrilled by the idea that they might get caught so out in the open. As demented as that might have sounded…

\"You talk too much,\" Ishida purred and bit Ichigo\'s lower lip, roughly sucking on it before thrusting his tongue into the warm cavern for another fierce kiss. Tangling his fingers in water-darkened orange hair, Ishida wrapped his legs around the Shinigami\'s slender waist and ground his erection against a hard stomach, groaning at the wonderful pressure and friction. The thought of getting caught... only made Ishida harder and even more eager to continue their tryst.

Ichigo just grunted in response and returned the kiss, nipping and licking at Ishida’s lips and chin hungrily. He ground back eagerly, reveling in the feeling of hard length against hard length despite the thin, wet layers of clothes between them. The cool water lapping at his skin seemed to heighten his arousal with every caress and he smoothed one powerful hand down Ishida’s side and around until he could slip his hand beneath the elastic band weakly barring the way. A gentle middle finger traced Ishida’s entrance questioningly.

A low moan answered him and Ishida wriggled in encouragement. Even if he was still a little tender from their earlier activities, it was a good kind of pain and Ishida was more than willing to have Ichigo\'s finger or erection inside him. The pleasure was worth any and every later discomfort. Eager hands tightened in Ichigo\'s hair, silently commanding him to continue as Ishida devoured his lips and chin and neck. The Archer didn\'t care if someone spotted the possessive marks he left and questioned, or even suspected, their origin. Ichigo was his and no one else\'s.

Pleased, Ichigo immediately began to work his finger up into Ishida’s body, flexing the digit as it slipped past the tight ring of muscle to caress warm velvet. Oh, he wanted to just plunge his raging hard on into Ishida’s body right then and there, but without lubricant, he’d definitely hurt his partner and then…no playtime for later. Consoling himself with the prospect of later reward for his patience, Ichigo rocked his finger, never ceasing to grind their pelvises tightly together.

\"Nngh... I-chigo...\" Ishida gasped when that finger found his prostate, making the Archer tremble and push himself down, impaling himself further. The desire for both of them to be naked hit him like a semi truck and he unwound his legs from around Ichigo\'s waist just long enough to shove their boxers off, moaning all the while as he moved against Ichigo\'s finger. Not caring what happened to their clothes, Ishida kicked his boxers off his feet and wrapped his legs around Ichigo\'s waist again, this time grinding flesh against flesh. Moaning at the heavenly feel of his erection pressing against Ichigo\'s, Ishida let his head drop forward to rest on the redhead\'s shoulder.

Ichigo grinned a little wickedly and nipped Ishida\'s neck. His finger never still, he resumed the slow grinding of their hips. Kicking his own boxers off to the side, Ichigo reveled in the feel of hard flesh against hard flesh. He\'d find their clothes and Ishida\'s glasses later. Right now, he wanted to get Ishida\'s mind entirely on the pleasure of the moment.

Brushing his finger against Ishida\'s prostate one last time, he withdrew the digit and slipped that hand between their flexing stomachs, the water making it far easier to do so. Closing his fist around both their pulsing shafts, he stilled the movement of their hips only to replace it with the firm pumping of his hand. Together, they were too much for one hand to hold and he nuzzled Ishida\'s neck, murmuring, \"Wanna lend me a hand?\"

Whimpering quietly in protest at the removal of Ichigo\'s finger, Ishida wrapped his hand around their lengths and pumped. The process was a little clumsy, what with having two hands involved, and Ishida pushed Ichigo just far enough away for him to get his hand around only the redhead\'s erection. Firmly pressing the thick vein running along the underside and teasing the slit, the Archer leaned forward to suck and bite at Ichigo\'s earlobe.

\"Or we could do it this way,\" he purred with a savage nip. \"Touch me, Ichigo...\"

There was a soft moan from the Shinigami as he wrapped his fingers around Ishida’s arousal. He caught Ishida’s rhythm and matched it, tightening his hold and running his thumb over the head. Ichigo’s muscles trembled in fine tremors of pleasure with every jerk of Ishida’s hand and he moaned again, panting as he tipped his head a little to lap at the Quincy’s ear.

Ishida looped his free arm around Ichigo\'s neck and captured his lips in a furious, fast, passionate kiss. Leaving his lover breathless, Ishida broke away to coo right into the Shinigami\'s ear, \"I want to feel you inside me. In my ass or my mouth, I don\'t care, so long as I am the one to receive you when you cum, Ichigo.\" He crooned his lover\'s name so sensuously, Ishida felt his own arousal pulse and harden further in need. \"Only I can receive you, no one else. You\'re mine, Kurosaki Ichigo.\" Strong teeth latched onto the base of Ichigo\'s jaw, leaving the beginnings of a dark bruise.

Ichigo’s heart skipped a beat before it began to pound hard and when Ishida’s teeth took hold of his jaw, Ichigo gasped sharply. He had been contemplating inching their way into the deep end, but with words like that…

“Drop. Your legs.” He had to say it slowly or else he might end up losing control.

He was immediately obeyed and Ishida leaned back just enough to gaze at Ichigo with smoldering black eyes glazed over with lust.

The Archer found his arm seized and he was dragged bodily to the steps at the shallow end of the pool where he was sat on the lowest step.

\"Lean back.\" Ichigo\'s voice was low and rough, commanding, and it was all Ishida\'s damn fault. Not that Ichigo minded much.

Scooting up onto the next step, Ishida leaned back onto his elbows and spread his legs invitingly. He didn\'t care if they had any lube, they could make do with water. Sure, he\'d be even more sore tomorrow than he would be if they used lubricant, but he didn\'t care. He\'d gotten good at hiding any discomfort he experienced as a result of their coition.

For one confusing moment, Ichigo simply straddled Ishida\'s lap, but it was only boggling for that moment since Ichigo made his intentions clear. He planted one hand against the pool\'s edge by reaching up with one hand, leaning a good deal of his weight on the Archer. Then gentle fingers came out of the water to caress Ishida\'s lower lip.

\"I want this...\" he purred and lowered the hand to caress one wet nipple, rolling it in circles.

Confused, Ishida shivered at the touch to his chest and looked up at Ichigo in uncertainty.

\"Ichigo... are you sure? I mean, I\'m used to it, but I\'ve- we\'ve- we\'ve never... We don\'t have anything...\" Since the beginning of their strange trysts, it had always been the Quincy on the bottom. It felt odd and yet right at the same time to care about how being taken without any lube would affect the Shinigami. Ishida\'s body was used to being stretched and invaded. Ichigo\'s wasn\'t.

It took the red head all of two seconds to realize what Ishida was thinking. By the third second, Ichigo\'s hand had firmly met with the side of Ishida\'s head. \"No, idiot! Suck me.\"

\"Ow! Bastard! So, sit up on your knees, and next time be more clear about what you want! Sheesh...\" Rubbing the sore spot on his skull, Ishida glowered at Ichigo. It wasn\'t his fault Ichigo had been giving off mixed signals!

\"Well, when have I ever let you top me, dumb ass?\" Ichigo snapped with a scowl as he rose to his feet and stepped up to the next step, kneeling so that he could straddle Ishida\'s shoulders. The position forced his legs apart but gave him better leverage for thrusting. It also put his weeping, dripping arousal at about face level for the Archer. Ichigo\'s left hand grabbed the pool\'s ledge while his right slid back through Ishida\'s hair to cushion the back of his head. The roughness of the steps on his knees was a minor discomfort compared to the ache of his groin. \"Hurry up.\"

Snorting, Ishida scooted back a bit so he wouldn\'t have to curl so much and slid one hand up the inside of Ichigo\'s thigh as he lapped up the precum coating the head of his lover\'s erection. Slowly, torturously slowly, he tongued the slit as he cradled Ichigo\'s balls in his hand, stroking and squeezing them. If Ichigo wanted him to go fast, then Ishida would take his sweet time.

Soft pants and quiet moans filled the still air around them. Ichigo\'s fingers flexed against the back of Ishida\'s head as Ishida\'s evil tongue caressed the weeping slit. The hand on his balls made him even harder and the next swipe of Ishida\'s tongue drew a moan from deep within the Shinigami\'s chest.

\"As soon as I cum,\" Ichigo panted roughly. \"I am going to drag your ass right back up stares and make you scream and beg to get off if you don\'t hurry...the fuck...up. Oh, god...Nhhg, Ishida...\"

His words only served to make Ishida slow down even more. He lazily licked and sucked at the head of Ichigo\'s erection as he continued to stroke the heavy sacs in his hand. The threat to make him scream and beg sounded more like a wonderful promise to the Archer, and he definitely wasn\'t one to say no to the idea of being at his lover\'s mercy. Feeling himself get harder at the image his mind provided - it involved a huge bed, lots of silk, and an abundance of ropes - Ishida took half of Ichigo\'s length into his mouth and purred. Even blind as he was without his glasses, Ishida just knew Ichigo was going cross-eyed with need and pleasure.

\"You...sadistic little...nnnh...bastard,\" Ichigo panted and arched into Ishida\'s mouth hoping to be taken in even farther. It hurt he was so aroused, but the pain was so very welcome. This was the kind of pain he would die for. The hand in Ishida\'s hair loosened and then came away from Ishida’s scalp. It trembled as he stroked his fingers through the Archer\'s wet locks once more, repeatedly. The gesture was a soothing one, though if it were for Ishida or to get himself back under control was as much Ichigo\'s guess as Ishida\'s. It felt right, however, to be so tender, especially with the pace that Ishida was setting.

An evil smirk gracing his mouth, Ishida released the throbbing organ. \"Takes one to know one.\" He licked a light, teasing trail from the tip of Ichigo\'s trembling member to the base and kept going, right down to the sacs in his hand. A warm tongue bathed the heavy spheres, and the Archer enjoyed the way they tightened under his ministrations. Vaguely Ishida wondered if he could make Ichigo cum just by playing with his balls.

\"Oh, god, you\'re demented.\" But the moan that followed Ichigo\'s comment told a different story on what the Shinigami thought of the situation. Gentle fingers caressed the tip of Ishida\'s ear before diving into his hair again. \"More,\" he groaned.

The Quincy had other things in mind. Anything Ichigo wanted from him, Ishida wouldn\'t give. Ichigo wanted fast, Ishida would go slow. Ichigo wanted more, he\'d get less. The dark-haired teen kissed his way from the redhead\'s balls to the inside of his thigh, where he began to lick and suck and kiss, eventually leaving behind a large mark.

The hand in Ishida’s hair tightened and Ichigo pulled until Ishida’s neck was arched as the Quincy was forced to tip his head back. Ichigo’s cloudy brown eyes looked black-ish-gray in the dusky light of the half-lit pool. “What…the fuck…is your problem?” he growled, scowling.

\"Nothing. It\'s just incredibly amusing to get on your nerves,\" Ishida stated with a smug, evil smirk. One light fingertip ran down the length of Ichigo\'s erection.

\"Well, amuse yourself some other time. Right now,\" Ichigo\'s other hand came away from the poolside to caress Ishida\'s mouth, tracing his lips almost tenderly while still holding his head back. \"I want this...all around me so I can got off and then make you scream...\"

It would have been a very sexy purr...if it hadn\'t been for Ichigo\'s current state of breathlessness.

\"How about I make you scream?\" Grabbing Ichigo\'s ass in one hand, Ishida pulled him forward and took Ichigo\'s whole length into his mouth, burying his nose in damp, musky orange curls and hummed as he swallowed around the swollen head.

The result would have been exactly what Ishida had wanted except that Ichigo\'s throat choked up on the scream as he came, completely not expecting it. The orgasm left him gasping and shaking and ready to collapse except that Ishida was beneath him and he didn\'t want to crush Ishida\'s spine into the edges of the steps.

\"Go~d...\"

Not letting a single drop of cum go to waste, Ishida happily busied himself with licking Ichigo clean. He\'d \'heard\' Ichigo\'s scream in the way his body had tensed and how instantly he\'d cum and was feeling particularly smug. Taking firm hold of the redhead\'s hip to keep him steady, Ishida continued to lick him long after he was clean, relishing the taste of his lover\'s wet skin.

It took several long moments for Ichigo\'s brain to function again and when it was running - albeit haltingly, tripping over the memory of that shocking orgasm, but running - he stood and caught Ishida\'s wrists. Hauling the pale youth to his feet, he turned his back to the Quincy and murmured, \"I\'m going to get your glasses and our shorts. Don\'t move.\"

\"Of course.\" No way in hell was Ishida going to follow, and he had no reason to leave, especially if he wanted the favor returned.

He didn\'t have long to wait, and Ishida was soon wiping the water off his lenses as best he could with a wet finger. It was a failed mission. Still, he pushed the wire frames up his nose. \"Did you get my shirt too?\"

The sodden garment hit him square in the face and Ichigo brushed past him. \"Move your ass.\"

Dressed in his soaked clothes, Ishida followed Ichigo back into the building and headed straight for the showers to wash the chlorine from his body. He hoped Ichigo would follow. Taking a shower together was always enjoyable, even if it did spark some rather interesting arguments.

Ichigo appeared, just as Ishida was beginning to lose hope, with fresh towels and dry clothes for both of them. Stripping, the red head walked over to Ishida and contemplated the showerhead beside Ishida\'s. There was a moment\'s pause and then he pushed his way under Ishida\'s already running water. Certainly sharing wouldn\'t bother the Quincy...and it gave Ichigo the opportunity to feel his partner up a little more, which he took full advantage off by reaching down to caress one hip bone.

\"Wonder what the faculty would think if they walked in on me fingering you right here on this floor,\" Ichigo murmured seductively against Ishida\'s temple. \"With you on your hands and knees, all flushed and begging with my name for release...\"

It was a pretty picture and Ichigo felt a shiver run through him but he wanted Ishida on one of the beds in their room tonight, so they could muffle the Quincy\'s screams in a pillow rather than wake the whole hall.

\"Oh, I see. You\'re planning to suffocate me so you\'ll have my spirit all to yourself after I\'m dead. Pervert.\" Purring at the feel of Ichigo\'s hands on his body, Ishida gladly returned the favor, especially around the redhead\'s ass and lower back.

\"Mm...no, but that\'s a thought. I think you\'ll look sexy with your ass in the air with my fingers buried in it and your face half buried in my pillow as you writhe and moan.\" Ichigo shivered. Where the hell had he gotten such an openly dirty mouth anyway?! Not that it mattered. The minor disorientation of the unusual language coming from him was overshadowed by the arousal of the look on Ishida\'s face.

\"I always look sexy.\" Ishida brushed wet bangs out of his face and tilted his head up to nibble at Ichigo\'s chin. Every word from that desirable mouth was making the brunet even harder and desperate for release. \"Especially when you\'re doing something to me. Like, say, bringing me off as payment for totally blowing your mind away in the pool,\" he suggested heavily, rocking his hips into Ichigo\'s thigh.

“The room. Now.”

The water was gone and Ishida had yet another swath of cotton launched at his head as Ichigo lobbed a towel at him. Ichigo was dry and dressed and waiting by the door in moments. They’d wasted enough time and he wasn’t about to waste any more.

Ishida wasn\'t far behind. He didn\'t bother with pants, only putting on a shirt over the towel around his waist. Grabbing Ichigo\'s hand on the way by, the Quincy led them back to their room and, as soon as the door was closed, pinned Ichigo to it for a hard, demanding kiss.

Matching the kiss with a ferocity of his own, the Shinigami pushed Ishida back until he bumped into the bed and tumbled onto it. It only took about seven steps, but Ichigo couldn’t have cared less. He had his Quincy Archer beneath him.

“Lose the clothes.” Another short order that Ichigo even followed himself. He wanted to press skin to skin in any way that he could once Ishida was naked and on his knees.

Gone were the towel and shirt, thrown off the bed without regard to where they landed. Ishida didn\'t care. Both of them naked, the brunet wrapped his legs around Ichigo\'s waist and crushed their hips together at the same time as long fingers wound in orange hair, pressing their lips together hard enough to bruise.

Ichigo hadn\'t thought he\'d have the energy to get it up again. He would never have admitted it openly, but they\'d already gone at it in the shack and he\'d cum in Ishida\'s mouth in the pool, but then...there weren\'t many Hollows on this part of the continent and he wasn\'t expending all that extra energy fighting. As his member began to fill again, Ichigo ground against the Quincy and broke the kiss to gasp for air and ask, \"Where\'s the nearest lube?\" Surely Ishida - Obsessive-Compulsive freak that he was - would know.

\"My bookbag. Side pocket. Unless you have some closer.\" Trailing his lips over Ichigo\'s cheekbones, Ishida ran his hands down the redhead\'s back to his flexing ass, cupping a globe of muscle in each palm and squeezing.

\"No.\" Ichigo pulled away with some effort and grabbed up Ishida\'s bag. It took him two seconds to find the lube and then he was beside the bed again. \"Stomach. Now. I want to play with you, you freaking tease, and give you a taste of your own medicine.\"

Smirking, Ishida rolled onto stomach and got up onto his hand and knees, arching his back as he spread his legs in invitation. Anything Ichigo wanted to do to him was more than welcome.

Getting up behind his lover, Ichigo coated one finger and smoothly inserted it, pumping it in and out without pause. Ishida\'s body knew what could come of such things and greedily pulled at Ichigo\'s digit. The Shinigami\'s tongue lapped at the base of Ishida\'s spine before nipping the top of each ass cheek.

\"Arch your back, Ishida,\" Ichigo ordered and reached between the Quincy\'s legs to grab and gently squeeze the Archer\'s balls for emphasis.

\"It-Nngh... already is, moron. And here I\'m- ah! -supposed to be the... blind one.\" Sweat beaded on pale skin and Ishida panted as even the lightest touch from Ichigo heightened his arousal. He was painfully hard now, his erection dripping heavily onto the sheets. Squeezing his passage around Ichigo\'s finger in encouragement, Ishida moaned as he imagined it to be his lover\'s thick length instead.

\"You know what I meant, idiot.\" The red head\'s ring finger and thumb encircled the base of Ishida\'s erection just as Ichigo\'s questing finger found Ishida\'s prostate. Those two digits tightened, preventing orgasm neatly. He\'d known that Ishida was on the edge, or at least close enough to fall if pushed correctly, so he\'d taken precaution. \"Lower your shoulders and take those glasses off.\"

\"Make me,\" Ishida growled, glaring at Ichigo over his shoulder for cutting off his orgasm. He\'d been right on the edge, too! The brunet hit Ichigo\'s leg with his foot, demanding that he continue and let him cum this time.

Shifting around to kneel more beside Ishida than behind, Ichigo reached out and snatched the Archer\'s glasses neatly. They had been slipping down his nose as it was, so it wasn\'t like Ishida would miss more than he had already been missing. Setting them where they wouldn\'t get broken, Ichigo resumed his position behind his lover, his finger never ceasing to glide in and out of Ishida\'s tight entrance. He wasn\'t stretching him really, but that was part of the plan. The tighter the Archer was, the better it could be for both of them. Ishida was used to this sort of invasion now after all.

Coating his length with lubricant, Ichigo rose up more on his knees and withdrew his finger, reaching forward to shove Ishida\'s shoulders, chest and face into the pillow and mattress. Tossing the lube out of the way but still within reach, the red head reached around the brunet\'s hip and grabbed the base of Ishida\'s arousal again, teasing him. Ichigo forced his way into his lover\'s body, gradually but quickly filling the Quincy\'s unstretched passage completely.

It was a very good thing Ichigo had shoved Ishida\'s face into the pillow, because it effectively muffled the long, loud moan that erupted from the Archer\'s chest as he was impaled on Ichigo\'s burning length. Clutching the pillow with both hands and teeth, Ishida pushed back into the cradle of his lover\'s hips and clenched his muscles, clamping down on the redhead\'s erection as tightly as he could. He was teetering on the edge of orgasm, kept from falling over by the evil fingers holding the base of his erection. If he could just distract Ichigo long enough to cum...

All at once, Ichigo let go and they both tumbled over the cliff\'s edge as Ishida\'s tight channel milked Ichigo\'s seed greedily and while Ichigo\'s hand caught and smeared the brunet\'s cum all over his length. And then they collapsed with Ichigo\'s arm trapped beneath Ishida\'s stomach and Ichigo\'s weight.

Triumphant and sated at last, Ishida released the torn pillow and gladly let himself go limp, panting heavily. Smirking, he reached back with a shaky hand and took hold of Ichigo\'s - the one not trapped beneath them - to lace their fingers together.

\"Evil bastard,\" he murmured, his eyelids dropping. Two trysts in one day made him feel wonderfully relaxed and he was ready to fall asleep right then.

\"Mm, c\'mon. Clean up and then we\'ll go sleep in the other bed.\"

It wasn\'t that he wanted to move, but he was really tired and Ishida looked ready to pass out. Rising he helped his partner up and together they wiped off on a dirty shirt of Ichigo\'s. Once cleanly enough for sleep, they slipped back into bed, only this time between the sheets on the clean one.

Ishida yawned as he settled on his side facing Ichigo, curling up as best he could when sharing the little bed. Happily basking in the afterglow of orgasm, he draped an arm over Ichigo\'s waist just for the sake of contact. It was wonderful beyond words to have a companion he could have nearby and simply do nothing but enjoy each other\'s presence.

There was a long silence in which neither so much as moved and then Ichigo shifted slightly. It was nagging him again. The fact that he wasn\'t sure what to consider Ishida, or their relationship in general. It was probably time he found out. He started to speak, halted, and then tried again. This time, he managed, but the question came out a little coarse and filled with his usual \'couldn\'t-care-less\' attitude.

\"So, where does this put us?\"

\"Mm, what do you mean?\" One sleepy, questioning dark eye cracked open to gaze at the redhead.

“What are we, idiot?” Ichigo repeated, keeping his eyes closed and expression blank as if he didn’t care.

\"We\'re boyfriends,\" Ishida answered bluntly in a tone he knew would annoy Ichigo and closed his eye. \"The kind that kiss and hold hands and give each other blowjobs in public. Now shut up and go to sleep.\"

First, he choked and then, with his teeth grinding at Ishida\'s tone, Ichigo introduced his fist to the side of Ishida\'s head not for the first time. \"We haven\'t done any of that, moron! I\'m serious!\"

\"Bastard. Fine, so take out the blowjob part and there you go. Now go to sleep already.\" His relaxed state turning into mild irritation, Ishida pulled the pillow out from under their heads and put it over his own as a shield both from noise and any more blows.

\"Ishida...\" Ichigo was sitting up now, back curled so that he could rest against his one drawn up knee. \"I\'m serious.\"

Sighing, Ishida brought the pillow down to his chest. \"What do you want me to say, Kurosaki? Boyfriends? Lovers? Fuck buddies?\"

\"I want to know...which you think it is, bastard.\" Ichigo glowered at him for a minute before turning and stretching out on his side with his back to the Archer. \"You know what? Forget it.\"

\'Asshole...I\'m trying to figure out something important and he has to be a lame ass about it...\'

\"No.\" Ishida propped himself up on one elbow and leaned over the Shinigami. \"Now that you brought it up, no I won\'t forget it. Seriously, what do you want me to say? Because honestly, I have no idea what we are. I don\'t even know what I want us to be.\"

Ichigo was stubbornly silent for a moment, but the need, the urge, the desire to know what they were to each other, what they were as a whole, was very strong. So strong that it was almost burning within him. Grudgingly, he rolled to his back so that Ishida was looking straight down into his face and reached up. Their lips met as Ishida was pulled down and the kiss was long and hearty, soul-searching, but entirely pleasurable beyond that. It was speak his mind now, or maybe never. How long did they have to truly live anyway?

“I don’t ever want to loose this,” he murmured almost hesitantly against wet lips. “You…give me something to fight for, like my family and the innocents, but…you fight with me, so you’re different. Damn it, why is this so hard!?” Growling in frustration, Ichigo pressed on. “I want…you to be there when I wake up in the morning, or after being knocked silly by some dumb ass Hollow. I want to know you’ve always got my back no matter what’s going on. I don’t…want to see you with someone else. Ever. I might just send their soul straight to hell… But, what does that all mean? I mean, are we lovers or do we just like to fuck each other’s brains out and I’m just feeling territorial or something?”

\"Knowing you, it could very well be both.\" Smiling softly, Ishida pressed a gentle, tender kiss to Ichigo\'s mouth. It was strange, hearing his own feelings perfectly described in Ichigo\'s gruff manner, and yet, somehow very appropriate.

\"I don\'t ever want to lose this either,\" he murmured, resting his forehead against Ichigo\'s and gazing down into brown eyes. \"You\'re a stubborn idiot who never thinks before doing anything and you say the dumbest things sometimes, but... I wouldn\'t want you any other way. And anyone who touches you gets an arrow through them.\"

A low, playfully possessive growl rumbled in Ishida\'s chest as he nipped at the redhead\'s bottom lip.

“Arrow?” Ichigo paused for a second, mumbling the word past Ishida’s nibbles and looking a little confused, but then it dawned on him. He’d been a little…distracted…

“Idiot,” he snorted after a second and hugged Ishida close, pulling him down on top of Ichigo’s lithe-almost-broad chest. “I’d have to kill you for blowing our cover, just like that,” he murmured and rolled them to their sides. He kissed Ishida soundly and then tucked the brunet’s head under his chin. “Sleep, baka. We have to go home tomorrow afternoon, and I still have to teach you to swim.”

\"As long as it doesn\'t involve the deep end, fine. But if you pull that stunt again, you\'re not getting any for a month, and don\'t think I don\'t mean it.\" Wrapping his arms around Ichigo in a tight embrace, Ishida gladly used the redhead\'s bicep as a pillow as he settled for sleep. \"Night.\"

\"Heh, yeah, whatever.\" Ichigo curled close to his lover and curled the arm that Ishida was using as a pillow to stroke the Quincy’s temple. \"Night.\"

~Fin~

Second Author\'s Note:: Don\'t get us wrong guys. We understand that everyone has their own lives to lead and stuff, but if you can spend the time reading the fic, you can spend three minutes or so to write a short, meaningful \"thank you\" or whatever. Honestly, saying you can\'t be bothered is kinda...well, mean. Anyway, that\'s not my point. My point is, a decent review will often take less than two minutes. I know. I review anything that I read that I enjoy. They\'re never long, but at least I do it.

Thank you to all those of you who have reviewed so far ^_________________^ We love you! And we\'re still posting because of you!