Title: Untitled.
Dedication: Gal
Characters: Orihime, Ishida
Prompt: sleep
He was going to sleep with her.
It should have been an exciting event, one that should have had him stammering and flustered and turning sixteen different shades of pink (perhaps rose and fuchsia and maroon and crimson, for starters).
But… in all actuality…
“Inoue-san…”
Instead, Ishida found himself staring at Inoue Orihime as she broke down in front of him, her shoulders heaving with humongous sobs that seemed to be tearing her apart with each breath that she took. Her large gray eyes were hidden under dark lashes wet with tears and every whimper of her best friend’s name was like a very cold punch to the gut.
He had been there. He had seen Tatsuki die before his very eyes, but he hadn’t been able to do a thing. He had watched as Orihime fell into the room on her hands and knees, knowing what was coming even as she stubbornly heaved herself back to her feet and saw Adaro with her hand forcing the Hougyoku into Tatsuki’s chest. He had seen her confused expression change to one of pain and horror… of grief and anger. Things that should never have been on her face in the first place.
Still, Orihime had remained strong until the very end, fighting Ulquiorra with every ounce of strength she possessed, and then she had held on to him so fiercely that he couldn’t breathe.
That was fine. He had held her just as tightly, and he hadn’t given a damn who might have been watching the two caught up in a powerful .
And now, watching her weep for the death of her friend, he reached out and caught hold of her wrist, gently tugging her against his chest. His free arm encircled her shaking body and he carefully led her to the futon, gazing at her with softened blue eyes.
“Come here, Orihime… I won’t leave you. You won’t be alone.”
It was those eleven simple words that had her on the futon instantly, burying her face against his neck with her fingers curled into his shirt. He stroked her head soothingly, running his fingers through the cascade of auburn and gold, murmuring meaningless comforts until he felt her sobs slow and finally stop and her body relax into an exhausted repose. At times, she would murmur incomprehensible sentences and squirm closer, the tears still glistening on her pale cheeks, as shown by the moonlight filtering through his window.
With a soft sigh, Ishida closed his eyes and held her closer, just listening to the sound of her quiet breathing.
He was sleeping with Inoue Orihime. It was just a shame that they’d both had to suffer so much pain to end up like this, where all he could do for her was hold her and never let her go. And he could only be grateful that she was asleep, so she wouldn’t feel the hot tears fall on her face or hear the strangled sounds he was making in his throat.