"Have you ever been on the verge of a burp and then you have to sneeze, so it gets stuck in your throat and makes you wanna puke?"

"Gross. Don't you have anything better to do than harass me?"

(HP -5)

Chizuru glares until he leaves her alone. As soon as Ichigo walks away, her character 'resets' and goes back to gabbing about nothing in particular to Michiru. That's what he gets for trying to be funny. Should've stuck with making casual small-talk. At least then he wouldn't keep getting his health bar chipped away by every girl he engages with. He sighs for the thousandth time and glances at the whiteboard behind the teacher's desk.

Sometime after he and Ishida returned to class, Ichigo noticed that the dry-erase board was graced with a tidy overview of his 'player stats' in bold black ink interspersed with occasional red highlights. He had no idea if it was there earlier and he just didn't notice, or if it had been added after he'd left to chase Inoue all over the school. Either way, it isn't very helpful. All it tells him is that he sucks at trying to chat women up, which he already knows, thanks.

Basically, there are four main types of scores that influences how receptive a given person is to his advances. High or low social charm, strength, intelligence, and sex appeal in the right combination dictate his success depending on what his conversation partner prefers. Ichigo's strength and sex appeal are fairly high—sounds about right—but his intelligence is only average. Which, okay yeah. His social charm, however, is lowest of all. Which, fuck that, he can be a sparkling conversationalist when he tries. This game is rigged, damn it!

Anyway, he takes all this to mean he should pursue the girls who favor his highest stats, assuming he can figure out which of his classmates is into power and sexiness. Isn't everyone? Apparently not, judging by what he has learned so far. Chizuru hates him no matter what, but she's probably a lesbian—no really, he's pretty sure it's not just his ego talking. Michiru is insanely shy and won't look directly at him. Tatsuki is immune to flattery and gets bored easily. Mahana asks random questions faster than he can answer them. Ryo will hardly give him two seconds of her attention before she is trying to pull out a novel—Ishida, much? Are they secret siblings? Inoue is still MIA. The only other boy in class who will talk with him is Tetsuo and all he wants to discuss is karate club.

His resounding failure is all the more frustrating because he knows every level-up improves his stats and he is this close to level eight after hours and hours of making the rounds. Seriously, how is Ishida his top XP contributor!? The thought flits through his brain and Ichigo glances at the boy quietly writing in a notebook across the room. Funny how he is the only 'character' who isn't aligned with anyone else during the sim's 'downtime'. Even the game's creators can tell he's the solitary type.

Maybe it's time for a strategy meeting.

"Ishida."

He finishes the sentence he was writing and flicks his gaze to Ichigo's as if it's the last thing he'd prefer to do.

"What do you want, Kurosaki?"

Pure, unadulterated horror slams into him. Oh, gods, no…Did he 'reset'!?

"Please, please, please tell me you didn't forget everything we talked about earlier?"

"Of course not," Ishida says with a small frown and a tap to those ill-fitting glasses.

Ichigo wilts into the seat beside him and breathes, "Thank all that is merciful and kind…I thought I'd lost my only ally!"

(XP +10)

"Are you having a meltdown?"

"Probably, yeah. I'm down to fifteen HP from freakin' eighty, and still fifty—er, forty XP from level-up." It feels like trying to walk around with a boulder on the back of his neck. He can really sympathize with Atlas right about now. "I am terrible at this game. Is your Cyrano offer still on the table?"

The archer snorts and sets down his pen. "Quoting Shakespeare at them didn't work?"

"I didn't try it. Seems cheesy."

Even if it impressed Ishida earlier, he is a special kind of dork. It is extremely doubtful anyone else would be as susceptible to poetic excerpts. It'd work on Ichigo, though.

"Maybe try a more modern approach?"

"What, like pick-up lines?" Ishida shrugs in response. Such wondrous confidence he inspires! "I'm supposed to have a bunch of pick-up lines memorized? You know I've never done this before, right?"

One slender eyebrow arches. That tiny gesture is enough to inspire a faint blush because Ichigo really should've been more specific about what he hasn't done. 'This' could mean so many things, or everything. He meant 'dating' but he can't even correct any assumptions because the truth is he hasn't done anything. Period. So what if he was always busy worrying about catching up in class between catching flak on the battlefield? Doesn't make him less of a man!

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Gee, thanks."

(HP -5)

"You're welcome," he snarks right back.

Ichigo narrowly avoids glaring at him for the jab. It's not like Ishida is aware his disapproval hurts but still. Ouch. At this point, he is feeling pretty desperate. One more hit could be lights-out, permanently. Yet, out of anyone he has talked with, Ishida tends to distribute the most experience points per interaction. And Ichigo only needs forty more. What if he just complimented him a little? He hasn't done it on purpose before but that doesn't mean he can't. Hell, he probably knows Ishida better than anyone aside from Inoue and Chad, who actually pay close attention when he speaks and ask him stuff about his life. Ichigo can do it, too. Easy-peasy!

"By the way, Ishida, I like your…uh, glasses," he decides as they glint from a slight tilt of his head. "Yeah, I really like your glasses."

"Is that supposed to be a geek-joke?"

Shaking his head, Ichigo hurriedly blurts, "No! No, I'm serious, I really…all right, I actually hate your glasses but it's not what you think. It's just that they catch the light all the time and…Hey, do you know why the sky is so grey today?"

"Why?" he asks in the clipped tone of one who is not intrigued by the non sequitur.

"Because all the blue is in your eyes."

(XP +50)

Oh, damn. He can't believe that worked! Maybe there is something to this one-liner business after all. Ishida blinks and looks away on a soft scoff. He can posture all he wants but Ichigo can feel the truth of it in a tingling rush pumping through his veins like hot cocoa and caffeine.

"Kurosaki, that was awful. As your 'ally', I must advise you not to make such reckless attempts when your health is so low."

Right. Because Ishida can't see the bars and has no way of knowing he just refilled them.

"I'll take that into consideration. I guess it wouldn't hurt to sit down and brainstorm some better lines. Thanks for the pep-talk."

(XP +10)

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't."

Quashing an evil smile, Ichigo resolves that the first thing he will do once he makes it out of the game—after beating up some Fullbringers, obviously—is to tell Ishida all about his supporting Romeo-role in a dating sim and tease him mercilessly.

"Can I borrow a sheet of paper and a pen?"

"I only have the one pen."

"What are you writing that's more important than my seduction material?"

"It's a short essay for—"

"For a class that we'll never attend because this isn't real-life?"

Ishida sighs and grumbles, "Fine, take it."

Twenty minutes later, Ichigo has a list of potential pick-up lines jotted on the donated page. He nibbles the end of the pen in thought and smirks when Ishida makes a critical noise for the inanimate abuse. That's what he gets for trying to sneak a glimpse of the unfinished prose before it's ready. Ichigo shifts his body to block the paper like he's thwarting a cheater during an exam and laughs at the indignant call of his name.

"What? So impatient! Are you that curious to see what I've come up with so far? Okay, I'll test them out on you first. How does that sound?"

(XP +10)

"Sounds like I'd better brace myself," he dryly quips. "Give me back that pen."

Ichigo hands it over because he's done with it, but also because he wants to see if Ishida will wipe it off before using it. He doesn't. Whatever he's writing isn't interrupted by Ichigo's launch of rapid-fire one-liners but he knows the boy is soaking them in regardless.

"Tell me if any of these have potential. Be honest!" The visible corner of Ishida's mouth tightens but he doesn't argue. Ichigo dives into it with, "'I lost my teddy bear. Will you snuggle with me instead?' Thought maybe Michiru for that one."

"She is fond of stuffed animals. But now all I can picture is a miniature version of you in that Victorian dress I made for Kon once."

"Eugh, don't imagine me in a dress! Or at least pick a classier one than that pink monstrosity…"

(HP -10)

"It was fuchsia."

"My mistake," he grits around an ephemeral stab, "That fuchsia monstrosity. Moving on: 'Are you religious? Because you're the answer to all my prayers'. Ryo is Catholic, right?"

"Does it matter?"

"Guess not. 'Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?'"

"Oh, Kurosaki…just no."

"Shut up! This shit is hard! Let's see you come up with something better."

Pausing his pen's incessant scritching, Ishida retorts, "What do you think I'm doing?"

"What, really? Lemme hear one."

"'If you were a chicken, you'd be impeccable'."

Ichigo stares at his deadpan expression for a beat, then bursts into helpless laughter. "You would say something like that! Puns are one hundred percent 'you'. That is priceless."

(XP +20)

Hilarity subsides as he ponders that appropriation. Shouldn't being laughed at make him angry? Well, not if it was meant to be funny. Knowing Ishida, though, that was an attempt at charm. Ichigo can't say he isn't charmed by how goofy it was.

"I could go more risqué. You want 'sexy', right? Try, 'kissing burns five calories a minute. How about a workout?'"

Eyebrows ascending, Ichigo commends, "That is…not bad at all. I might have to steal it."

(XP +20)

Ishida dons his patented 'proud' smirk. The one he usually wears when he's trouncing some poor schmuck who underestimated him in combat. Ichigo hasn't seen it in a while because the Blood War wasn't fun for anyone. Especially not when he'd thought for half a second that Ishida might actually have been the enemy. But that's practically ancient history by now.

"Let's see you top that," Ishida challenges, sitting sideways in his seat to face him directly.

"Oh, I've got some steamy stuff here. Prepare yourself!"

"I'm all a-quiver," he mutters and Ichigo chuckles.

"'You've got an ass like the North Star; wise men are gonna follow it.'"

Ishida's smirk widens into a smile. "Here's a classic: 'That outfit is amazing, but I bet I'd look even better on you'."

"Hah. Fashion jokes suit you, too. Get it? Suit."

(XP +20)

"You're a comedic wunderkind, Kurosaki, but don't sign up for Open Mic Night just yet."

"Are you jelly, Ishida? 'Cause I'm a donut looking for some filling."

(XP +30)

"I…" Well, looky there. He's blushing! "I don't think that will work with females."

"Um." Now he and Ichigo are matching. "Good point."

He bites his lip and breaks eye contact with Ishida because awkward. That was a spur-of-the-moment line that sounded clever in his head until he realized the insinuation. Ichigo clears his throat but he isn't the one who supplies the next bit of gold.

"'Do you live in a cornfield? Because I'm stalking you.'"

"Love it. Similar subject: 'Do you like bacon? Wanna strip?'"

(XP +20)

Despite rolling his eyes, the smile has become a full-fledged grin. Ishida suggests, "Pretend to snap a photo of them with your phone, then say, 'I just wanted a picture so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas.'"

"Festive and cute," praises Ichigo, scooting a little closer to him, "But December is a long way off. I've got a few more raunchy ones if you think you can handle the heat in my kitchen."

"Go ahead and dish it out."

There is a delighted pitch to his laughter. He contains it long enough to serve up, "'I heard you were looking for a stud. I've got an STD, so all I need is U.'"

Ishida cringes as he taunts, "How nauseating."

"Did it leave a bad taste in your mouth?"

(XP +10)

Whoa. Really?

"That is too salty, Kurosaki."

"You want salt? 'If it's true that we are what we eat, then I could be you by morning.'"

His jaw drops, but…

(XP +30)

Man, Ishida really does like the dirty ones!

"I guarantee you will get a slap for that one no matter who you use it on."

Everyone but him, thinks Ichigo with a sly tilt to his leer. "Hmm, then I also shouldn't try, 'I wish you were my pinky toe, so I could bang you on every piece of furniture in my house.'"

(XP +30)

A hand goes to cover Ishida's mouth because he is laughing—no, that's definitely a giddy giggle. It gets Ichigo going again, like they're feeding off each other's silly energy. It takes a couple of minutes for them to sober up and Ishida lifts his glasses to wipe moisture from the edge of an eye.

"You're killing me," he weakly complains. "I did not need that visual associated with Kurosaki Clinic."

Now Ichigo is picturing it, quick as a flash of lightning. Molten and startling as one, too, because it is Ishida he is picturing. Scantily clad, hair wild, glasses skewed, lungs gasping, fists clenched, slick lips, voice moaning, rhythmic hips—Holy fucking fuck! Why did he have to envision it!? Ichigo's face is flaming and his platonic friend is giving him a weird look for his sudden silence. Say something!

"Uh, yeah, that's…crazy."

"I've got one that might be legitimate pick-up material. 'If I had to rate you, I would give you a nine because I'm the one that you are missing.'"

"Wow, self-deprecating and complimentary? That would totally work on me."

"Are you sure it didn't?"

No. No, he is not. Ichigo laughs it off anyway, relenting, "I'll admit, you've got a knack for this. No surprise, though; I always knew you had a way with words."

(XP +50)

"I think you just stumbled onto another gem there. Honest accolades are usually the best."

"Perfect. I'm pretty good at honesty."

"Better than most," agrees Ishida with uncharacteristic generosity. "I only have one more sultry example."

"Me, too."

"You first."

"'If I told you I was a pirate, would you let me plunder your booty?'"

Fast as a whip, Ishida returns, "You wouldn't know what to do with my sweet cache."

"Oooh," Ichigo sings, thoroughly impressed. "Nice! What's yours?"

"'If I were an enzyme, I'd be a DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes.'"

"Yes. So much yes, Ishida. Nerdy jargon punctuated with a pun? I think you've reached your pinnacle!"

(XP +20)

"I'm only getting warmed up."

Funny he mentions that, since the room does feel a tad warmer. It could just be the humor. Ichigo hasn't laughed like this in a very long time. Too long, and never with Ishida. It's…pleasant. Even equipped with contrived conversational ammo, Ichigo kind of wants to stay right where he is. Plus, he has accrued over three hundred experience points in less than an hour, whereas it took him five times that with everyone else combined.

"Well, keep 'em coming," he requests as he slowly stands. "I'll go make the rounds and be back for more ammo later."

"Good luck." He can't tell if Ishida is being serious or sarcastic but it doesn't really matter because he adds, "Let me know how it goes," and seems to mean it.

Imbued with a solid game plan and his co-player's sincere endorsement, Ichigo confidently approaches one of the girls for a fresh try at winning their interest.

How long he keeps at it is anyone's guess, but he doesn't throw in the towel until his HP is running scarily close to E yet again. Maybe he's just tired, or fed up, or burnt out but it seems the harder he tries to gain ground with someone, the faster his health drains. It doesn't help that he's getting distracted more and more often as his thoughts periodically drift back to Ishida like the tide to shore.

Ichigo is really not trying to contemplate an obvious alternative but his eyes stubbornly flick to the boy's impassive face in spite of his intention to hold his current partner's gaze. Seriously, how is swapping spit with Ishida shaping up to be his best option at this point!? Never mind the innate weirdness of such an idea, but even if Ichigo did it as a last resort to keep from dying he'd get murdered anyway! Just telling Ishida he's part of the romantic selection would probably do the trick.

Still, Ichigo can't control his impulses—which is why he notices the very instant Ishida stands to leave the classroom. He'd swear the assclown who came up with this dastardly scheme must know the Quincy very well, seeing as they programmed these occasional sulky excursions that fit right in with his loner personality. Ichigo has no clue where he's going but his instinct is to follow immediately.

He almost bails mid-conversation to do exactly that but the girl he's dialoguing with happens to be Tatsuki, and she does not appreciate being ignored.

"Ow!" he complains when she punches him in the arm hard enough to bruise. "What the hell?"

At the same time:

(HP -10)

She crosses her arms and glares at Ichigo's dumbstruck expression. "Don't ask me a personal question like that and then tune out!"

"Sorry. Geez…" The sad thing is he already forgot what he asked. Scrabbling for a way to salvage the scenario, he blurts, "Violets are blue, roses are red, what's it gonna take to get you in my bed?"

And Ichigo knows he should shut his mouth even before the first stanza is out but it's almost like he wants to fuck this up for himself because kissing Tatsuki? Pretty much like trying to smooch one of his kid sisters and that is miles worse than settling for a dude. A good-looking, incredibly skilled, undeniably reliable dude he recently realized doesn't actually hate him so…yeah.

Her eyes flare and her jaw drops. She has no words. But then her eyebrows scrunch in impending violence and:

(HP -30)

"Shit," he hisses when it feels like someone shoved a bag of rusty razors into his gut through his belly button.

There's more coming, he can tell. The game's punishment is done but Tatsuki still has her own hurt to dole out and his HP meter is blinking an emergency-esque scarlet with a little number five representing his remaining sliver of life.

Ichigo runs.

He thanks whatever spirits or deities are listening that he is somehow slightly faster than Tatsuki and she doesn't catch him straight off. She is terrifyingly close behind, though, and Ichigo can't keep this pace. His heart is thumping pitifully from the strain of exertion in spite of the flashing bar that reminds him how easily he could wink out of existence. One more wrong comment or question and it's lights-out.

Intent on spotting an escape route, he turns his head in time to see Ishida strolling down the hall to his left. Ichigo's sneakers skid and squeak on the tile as he takes a tight corner at the last second. Since Ishida is traveling away from him, he doesn't notice Ichigo's approach until he hears labored breaths and tapping soles. He pauses, looks over his shoulder, and starts to say something but his question gets lost in a startled yelp as his arm is tugged toward the nearest door.

Bursting into an empty classroom with Ishida in tow depletes the dregs of his energy. Ichigo wearily sinks to his knees, still clinging to the boy's wrist like a lifeline, and says something so embarrassing he almost wishes he'd gotten caught instead.

"Please, Ishida," he rasps between fast, uneven breaths, "I need you."

Your help, Ichigo meant to say but he barely notices the slip because:

(XP +500)

(Level +1)

(Level +1)

It hits him like a mallet to the forehead. His fingers slip from Ishida's wrist and he slumps sideways onto the floor, clinging to consciousness despite a brutal wave of pleasure threatening to sweep him under. Dimly, he hears himself moan as his eyes roll back and his spine arches a little. It feels like an orgasm, he thinks incredulously. God, there is something so wrong about the way he wants to look up at Ishida and thank him for this amazing feeling—secondary to saving his life, which he totally just did. Ichigo's HP bar is full twice over and he just made level-freaking-ten.

"I'm here, Kurosaki," he's urgently assuring when Ichigo surfaces from the haze of euphoria enough to listen. "Tell me how to help?"

Brown eyes flutter open to see Ishida kneeling beside him, expression tense with anxiety. His hand is gripping Ichigo's shoulder, shaking gently to keep him alert. Ishida's so worried for me, he bemusedly realizes. But since when did he care this much?

Ichigo rises to prop his back against the wall with some assistance. He sucks in a deep breath to get his panting under control and decides to tell Ishida, "You just did."

"What? How?"

He cringes in anticipation of the blow his HP bar is about to take for explaining, "You're part of the sim, Ishida. You just saved my ass by bumping me up two levels."

Because he liked—no, loved hearing Ichigo desperately proclaim that he needed him. The same epiphany registers on Ishida's stunned features as a vulnerable undertone. Then his expression closes completely and:

(HP -50)

Ichigo grits his teeth against the intense pain he knew was coming but he doesn't bother hiding it. Ishida sees it and gasps, knowing what it means now. He straightens to take several steps away from Ichigo as if his affliction could be contagious.

"Y-you scheming bastard!" Ishida indignantly shrieks, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "All this time you've been—"

"No!" Using the wall's support to slowly stand, Ichigo argues, "I mean, not at first. I wasn't trying to use you, Ishida, but you were helping me out in more than one way. You just didn't know about it."

"That's precisely what using someone is, idiot!"

"Well, how was I supposed to casually mention something like that when you never even told me you're gay?" he fires back as his temper is riled.

(HP -20)

Okay. He totally deserved that.

"It's none of your damned business," Ishida grits through his teeth.

"Yeah, it kinda is when I'm stuck in this wannabe softcore porn twilight zone with no way out but to maybe make out with someone and you're the only person in this entire fucking school who makes that seem remotely possible, so—"

"Shut up," he snarls, hand slashing aggressively through the air. "You're insane if you think I would ever—"

"No? I've got seven levels' worth of experience that suggests otherwise."

The bridge of his nose scrunches in outrage but his gaze drops to the floor between them. He hates Ichigo for saying it but he doesn't rip into his HP meter.

"Just…stay away from me, Kurosaki," he growls and pushes past to leave.

Ichigo goes back to homeroom after that. What else can he do? Ishida was genuinely his best shot at freedom from this sucktastic waking nightmare and now he won't have anything to do with Ichigo. He hasn't even returned to class since it happened. His reiatsu says he's sequestered in the library's dusty, disused bowels, undoubtedly brooding over being found out. It's not like Ishida should feel ashamed for having a crush on one of his friends—unless it's the whole 'stupid Shinigami' thing all over again.

Rolling his eyes at the annoying notion, Ichigo shifts back in his seat to bend forward onto the desk with his head on folded arms. He's so fucking tired in every sense of the word. All he wants to do is find a dark closet somewhere and sleep for about three days but this sadistic game probably won't let him get any real rest. The fact that he's down to thirty-five HP after his tiff with Ishida and an accidental run-in with another student on his way back definitely isn't improving his mood.

In a sudden fit of pique, Ichigo jumps up and goes to fling open the window for a cathartic bellow aimed at the pouring rain.

When he's done primal-screaming, he turns to see Inoue standing beside him. Looks like she finally decided to quit hiding. Not only that, but she isn't nearly as fidgety or timid around him anymore. If anything, she appears rather resolved about something.

"Uh, hey, Inoue."

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun."

"Everything okay?"

(XP +5)

Nodding, she gives a little smile and asks, "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," he agrees and rotates to face her properly. "What's up?"

(XP +5)

"I just wanted to let you know that…" Inoue's teeth worry over her lip as she wrings at her sweater sleeves. "I really l-l-like you, Kurosaki-kun."

Wow. He was not expecting that. Isn't it against the game's guidelines for a character to confess to the player? Plus, she keeps shooting him these lovelorn glances like she's just dying for Ichigo to scoop her up and kiss her senseless. Hell, if she likes him enough to confess first, she probably is. He wonders if the real Inoue would ever be this bold.

But Ichigo doesn't have time for idle thoughts when she's anxiously waiting for his reply.

What should he say? This is the perfect opportunity to take the win and get the hell out of here. It's likely to be his only opportunity, if he's being realistic. The problem is he promised Ishida he wouldn't use her that way. Ichigo knows that's fair, particularly since he can't fully return her feelings. Inoue is a precious friend and she always will be, but there's a good reason his brain is bringing up Ishida during this intimate moment that really has nothing to do with him.

"Thank you, but…" he touches her shoulder consolingly, "I like someone else."

(XP +10)

Her smile shifts sad but nonetheless sweet. "I know."

"You do?"

"Yep. And don't worry: he likes you, too. You should confess to him soon," she says and calmly returns to her seat.

Once again, Ichigo is left speechless and shocked at how realistic this dumb game can be. He can totally picture Inoue observing them unnoticed and figuring it all out on her own. How long has she understood Ichigo's feelings without him even suspecting they were already reserved for someone else? Because there's no doubt in his mind that he has liked Ishida since a while ago. Emotions this strong don't crop up overnight—or over the course of an infinitely infuriating role-playing sim—and Ichigo reckons it has to be mutual.

Unless he's so, so wrong and the real Ishida won't hesitate to shoot him full of blue arrows at the mere mention of romance.

But that's a concern for later. Right now, he doesn't feel like fighting the urge to find Ishida and pour his freaking heart out.

Ichigo finds him in the library and they both freeze as their eyes meet.

"You still pissed?"

"Yes," Ishida confirms but doesn't throw a fit when the seat beside him is claimed.

"I'm sorry." He scoffs and Ichigo presses, "I'm serious, Ishida. I didn't mean to embarrass you or take advantage of your feelings for me."

Breaking eye contact, he grumbles, "What feelings?"

"The same ones I have for you." His head snaps up at that. Ichigo laughs softly. "Yeah. Turns out I like you, too. It just took me a while to figure it out. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Ishida is staring at him in a very similar way as Inoue did. Only with a lot fewer fluttering hearts and twinkling stars in his eyes, but a lot more macho posturing. Ichigo won't hold it against him. They're both terrible at showing vulnerability, like most guys their age—like most guys, period—and that's fine. Besides, the way Ishida is trying to act tough while blushing a delicate pink is sort of…extremely cute.

But Ichigo's stomach sinks to hear him say, "You can't like me. I'm not real, remember? This is all just a game you're trying to win."

He leans toward Ishida to firmly state, "Whether or not this is a game, my feelings are real and I didn't come here to 'win' anything. It was driving me nuts thinking you were upset 'cause of me, so I wanted to apologize. How do I make it right?"

Those blue eyes bore into him for an eternity. Ichigo swallows nervously and reminds himself to be patient. He can't force Ishida to forgive him and it's his choice even if he refuses to ever speak to him again. Ichigo knows he has no right to demand anything more than his friend is willing to give.

"You want to make it right?" He earnestly nods and Ishida closes most of the distance between them, pausing right before their lips touch. "Kiss me."

His breath sighs out hungrily to hear those sultry words but he hesitates. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, stupid Shinigami." Ichigo smirks at the nickname that just became permanently affectionate, then grins as Ishida adds, "I would've kissed you already but this ridiculous game won't let me."

Well, that settles it.

Ichigo kisses him lightly, then intently, then passionately because the longer their mouths are in electrifying contact, the more he wants them to stay that way. Preferably forever.

Yet, a handful of blissful moments is all they get before Ishida breaks the kiss with an alarmed gasp.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asks but he can see for himself as soon as he opens his eyes. The world around them is fading, and so is Ishida. "No!"

"Tell me," he urgently insists, grabbing the front of Ichigo's shirt like he can steal a few more seconds with him as an anchor. "You have to tell the other me, Kurosaki! I already—"

Ishida vanishes in a flash of white that spreads to eclipse his field of vision. Shutting his eyes and raising an arm to protect against the light, Ichigo falls straight through the floor.

He cries out as a jolt of pain suddenly flares throughout his whole body. When the ache fades, he feels solid ground beneath his back and water pelting his skin. It's raining. A dark, geometric-shaped hole is closing in the sky directly above him. The thick grass that broke his fall wasn't quite enough to cushion the blow but at least he's conscious. And he can hear voices.

"You said he'd never beat the sim!"

"He shouldn't have been able to. I set it on the highest difficulty!"

"Ugh, this is why I told you to leave that dorky archer out of it…"

"His character's receptivity was programmed lowest of all, Riruka."

Ichigo jolts at the name. It was those Fullbring bastards! Two of them, anyway. He sits up carefully and spots them arguing nearby. It's time for some well-earned payback!

"Oh, just admit you're a crappy game designer, Yukio. That redheaded bimbo practically threw herself at him!"

"You're the one who suggested we use their reiatsu signatures for authenticity. I could only influence their decisions so much when their baselines were—"

The grouchy teen cuts himself off to see Ichigo rise and approach them.

Riruka hisses, "Shit, he's awake! Let's get out of here!"

Too late.

Ishida doesn't look happy to see him. He opens his apartment door, gives Ichigo's sopping wet form a disdainful once-over, and impatiently demands, "What do you want, Kurosaki?"

"Can I come in for a sec?"

Frowning like it's the last thing he wants to do, Ishida steps aside to grant entry but stipulates, "Wait by the door. I'll get you a towel."

"Hold on," Ichigo says and grasps his wrist for good measure. "I need to tell you something. It's important."

Ishida is standing a step up on the hardwood floor while he is still on the concrete genkan, soggy shoes yet to come off. The slight difference in height combined with the purpose of Ichigo's visit make this feel a tiny bit like a proposal—which it is, in a way. It doesn't help that he sprinted straight here after whooping those Fullbring jerks, who thought it'd be entertaining to torture him for revenge. As if it's his fault Ginjo and Tsukishima got themselves killed trying to knock Yhwach off his big fat high-horse!

Tugging his arm free of Ichigo's loose grip, he sighs and prompts, "Out with it, then. I don't have all night."

"Um…" Now that he's here, the whole thing seems sort of melodramatic. Maybe he's taking this too seriously. Starting with humor might be the way to go. Yeah. "If I were an enzyme, I'd be a DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes."

Ishida just stares at him. Shit.

"Go home, Kurosaki."

Again, he tries to walk away but Ichigo latches on to his shirt this time.

"That wasn't it!" he claims, resisting Ishida's attempts to shake him loose. "That's not what I wanted to say, okay? This is just kinda trickier than I thought and…"

I'm nervous, Ichigo realizes. He likes Ishida and he's nervous about confessing because now that he knows he likes Ishida, getting rejected would seriously suck. Which is probably why he never confessed to Ichigo, either. But inside information says Ishida likes him back, so the risk is fairly low, right? All he has to do is make one little love confession and they can remember this as a cute, awkward memory. Right?

"What is going on with you today?" asks Ishida, eyeing him with equal parts concern and irritation. "You're acting a lot stranger than usual."

"That's 'cause I figured something out about us and it's really messing with my head."

"Us? What is that supposed to mean? There's no 'us'. We're not even fr—"

"Oh, fuck you, we are totally friends," he reflexively snaps. Seeing the way it makes him glare, Ichigo carefully regroups and steels himself to say, "We're friends but I want more."

"All right, that's enough. Whatever game you're playing ends now."

The irony of hearing Ishida mention a game almost startles a laugh from him but he reins it in and takes a deep breath. Ichigo looks him right in the eye and declares, "I like you, Ishida. Will you go out with me?"

Rather than answering the normal way, he tries to shove Ichigo back outside. When that doesn't work, Ishida gives a frustrated scoff and tries to retreat. When that doesn't work, he snarls, "Get the hell out of my apartment, idiot!"

"Not until you take this seriously."

Struggling to break Ichigo's hold on him, he argues, "As if I'll give you the satisfaction of making a fool out of me!"

"I'm not." Ishida isn't buying it, even when he suggests, "One date. Just go on one date with me and if you hate it I'll never bug you again. I'll pay and everything!"

"Do you really want me to take this seriously?"

"Yes!"

"Fine, then the answer is 'no'."

The fact that he actually does seem serious when he says it robs Ichigo of all self-assurance. He slowly lets go of the boy as his heart collapses in on itself in poignant disappointment. Ishida turns to leave him in his dejected stupor.

Ichigo stops him at the last second, looping both arms around to bring them flush together. He feels Ishida go stiff as a statue where he stands facing away from him. Before he can start screaming, Ichigo leans close to murmur beside his ear, "Please, Ishida. I need you."

Maybe it's cheating but Ichigo is desperate. Anyway, he means it so it's not even manipulation. He needs Ishida to be brave enough to let this happen because Ichigo can't bury these feelings now that he knows they're there, and it kills him to think Ishida has already been feeling this way for a while with no hope that it could ever lead to anything.

A shaky breath translates through the subtle movement of his chest. Ichigo smiles to feel the tension gradually leaving his muscles. Then Ishida turns around and holds him steady with both hands for a very serious kiss. Apparently, that (XP +500) was no joke!

Pulling him in tighter, Ichigo kisses back the way he wanted to during that god-awful game. Ishida's not going to disappear this time, thankfully, but that doesn't mean they have any reason stop right away. Especially when things are getting heated fast. Ichigo grunts softly as he is pushed against the door and Ishida greedily deepens the kiss.

A few minutes later, he eases up to look down and half-heartedly complains, "You're getting me wet."

"And you're getting me hot," Ichigo counters with a lopsided smirk, "so I'd say we're even."

Ishida tries but he can't quite keep a straight face. "Go home and take a shower before you catch a cold."

"Who needs a shower when I've got you to keep me warm?"

Dodging the next kiss Ichigo aims, he smoothly replies, "I'm a third-date kind of guy, Kurosaki. If you're lucky."

"In that case, we'd better not study together."

"Why?"

His smirk widens to a full-on sexy grin as he explains, "'Cause you would be my homework, Ishida. I'd slam you on the table and do you all night long."