It's a rare morning that Ichigo wakes up at dawn, and equally rare that Ishida doesn't. Today is special, in a shitty sort of way, but also not shitty at all because Ichigo gets to stand beside his roommate's bed and stare as long as he wants. Ishida won't mind if he doesn't even know about it.

Ichigo watches him for a minute before he notices the way Ishida's face subtly scrunches in displeasure. He makes a short, quiet noise which backs up Ichigo's theory that he's having a bad dream. What kind of friend would he be not to rouse Ishida from the perils of his own imagination?

Heavily plopping onto the side of his mattress, Ichigo loudly says, "Hey, Ishida, wake up."

He jolts awake with a soft gasp and bemusedly blinks up at him. "Kurosaki? What 's it?"

"Good morning to you, too."

Ishida sits upright, rubbing sleepily at his eyes, and automatically reaches for his glasses. Once he has them on, he gives Ichigo a pissy look and gripes, "It's Sunday. Why are you up so early? Don't you usually sleep until noon on the weekends?"

"Gimme a break, I did that once." Knowing one of the first things Ishida does when he gets up is drink some water, Ichigo swipes a half-full bottle from the nightstand and hands it over as he explains, "Believe me, I'd still be asleep if Goat-Chin hadn't woken me up."

"I thought he stopped doing that after I moved in," Ishida says in the tone of a question, unscrewing the cap to take a swig.

"Yeah, well not on the day we're all supposed to go to the cemetery together."

He halts mid-sip to solemnly appraise Ichigo. "Your mother?" The answer is a shallow nod. "I see…"

Ishida doesn't know what to say and that's okay. Ichigo doesn't blame him for feeling awkward. He doesn't expect anything from Ishida, even though they both lost their moms around the same time. They both went through the same misery and made it through a little stronger than before. None of it needs to be said and Ichigo isn't waiting for any kind of consolation just because the subject came up. He knows Ishida wouldn't want to make it a 'thing', either, if it were the anniversary of his mother's death.

"I just wanted to let you know we'll be gone most of the day since Karin and Yuzu always put together a picnic."

"All right." He finishes off his water and tells Ichigo, "Thanks for the heads-up."

"You probably want to study or something but it's cool if you come with us."

"Oh…" Ishida lets his surprise show unedited for a change. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time."

"Nah, it's no big deal. Dad said you're pretty much family anyway so he's fine with it." Ichigo smiles at the way his mild surprise turns to astonishment, then embarrassment. "No pressure, though. I already told them you have other stuff to do."

He starts to stand up and finish getting ready but Ishida pulls him back down. "I'll go."

It's Ichigo's turn to be surprised. "Really?"

"Friends are supposed to be there for each other, right?" Likely mistaking shock for disappointment, Ishida nervously stammers, "U-unless you don't want me to."

His smile makes a comeback, threatening to become a grin. "Hurry up and get dressed. We're leaving soon."

The walk across town feels shorter than usual. Ichigo doesn't have time to brood or anything like that when Ishida and the twins keep dragging him into conversation. If he didn't know better he'd say they're distracting him on purpose. They can all tell he's more likely to be in a foul mood because of the poor weather. His mom died on a rainy day, and the dark clouds gathering above are just waiting for the perfect moment to start pouring.

They make it to the memorial with no trouble. The morning is shaping up to be almost pleasant. But Isshin ruins it by wrapping an arm around Ishida's shoulders and corralling him in front of Masaki's headstone for an awkward introduction.

"This is our adopted son, Uryuu!" he cheerfully announces, and Ichigo's sisters burst into a giggle fit as Ishida turns beet-red. "He'll be helping out in the clinic for a while. I'll teach him everything I know!"

The part-time job Ishida wound up taking—by Isshin's obnoxious insistence—was being an assistant for the clinic. Something about college credit and flexible hours…Ichigo wasn't really paying attention at the time. He was just glad to hear Ishida would finally get his own cell phone since Isshin needed a reliable way to reach him in case of patient emergencies.

"N-nice to meet you," he murmurs and gives a modest bow.

Ichigo takes pity on him and steps in to nudge them apart. He promises his mother, "I'll try to make sure Dad doesn't scare him off the medical profession for life."

The girls are still laughing when Ishida weakly acknowledges, "I'd appreciate that."

Once everyone says their piece and pays their respects, they spread out a broad blanket in the adjacent park to eat. Ishida helped make a couple of the side-dishes and Yuzu is quick to praise his skills, which branches into a discussion on culinary techniques. Ichigo stops listening halfway through. He doesn't even pay full attention when Isshin launches into some goofy story about how their mother used to do this or that when they were little. Ichigo has heard it all a hundred times already.

When he's had enough, he gets up and walks away.

"Where is he going?" he hears Ishida ask before he's out of earshot.

Karin's simple reply is, "He always does that whenever we come out here."

It's true. Every year they visit and reminisce. Every year Ichigo reaches a point when he needs to wander off alone. He really hates this day, especially when it rains.

He paces aimlessly through the shrubs and trees dotting the spacious park area. The first drops finally begin to fall. Ichigo pauses near a wide trunk, shuts his eyes, and turns his face up toward the sky. He knows his mother's death wasn't his fault; he stopped blaming himself a long time ago. But it doesn't make the memory of watching her get hit by that car any less painful.

Moments later he can't feel the rain pelting his skin anymore, although he can still hear it colliding with the earth all around him. He opens his eyes and finds Ishida standing beside him, holding an umbrella over them.

"Don't bother," he grumbles. "I'm already soaked."

"Wish I'd known that earlier." Ichigo watches him collapse the compact umbrella and push it most of the way into a pocket. "I'm the only one who brought an umbrella. The others went to wait out the storm in the shrine."

"You should go with them." He moves to lean against the tree behind him. Ishida takes the spot to his left. "You'll get sick if you stay."

"Then I guess we'll be coughing and sneezing on each other all week."

It's a comical image but Ichigo doesn't laugh. He wants to tell Ishida to take off his rain-spattered glasses so he can see his eyes clearly. Then Ichigo wants to ease in and kiss him, the taste of rain transitioning to the taste of just Ishida on his tongue. It would make him feel a lot better, he knows, but it's not worth risking their friendship. He tilts his head back onto bark and sighs.

The rain starts to pick up but neither of them seems to care. They don't speak. They don't need to because sharing each other's company is enough. He is aware that Ishida chose to stay as moral support. Ichigo asked him to come for the hell of it without anticipating he would say yes, much less stick by him when needed most. He's grateful. The only way he can think to show it is by lightly brushing the back of his hand against Ishida's. It feels weird and silly and nice. He sort of wants to do it again.

Holding his hand would be even better.

The instant that thought crosses Ichigo's mind, he feels fingers grazing the backs of his. He keeps his gaze straight ahead and Ishida does the same. Neither of them give any sign that they've realized what their hands are doing, ostensibly of their own volition. Not even when Ichigo slides fingertips down his palm and Ishida snugly fits their hands together like lock-and-key. It feels so good Ichigo has to suck in a deep breath and let it slowly slip out.

He's so grateful. But he's sad, too, because this doesn't mean what he wishes it did. This is just Ishida being a really awesome friend, not hinting he wants to be closer the same way Ichigo does. It hurts, but he's not about to let that show. Getting this far has been hard enough without him doing something dumb to ruin everything.

The rain is falling faster, heavier and he can feel the way Ishida starts to quake from the cold.

Pulling his hand free, he decides, "We should go home. The storm won't pass anytime soon."

"Kurosaki, I…" His voice is urgent but his expression is hesitant. Ichigo waits, and all he says is, "Never mind. Let's go."

They rush through the streets but don't run. Ishida's silence is oppressive and Ichigo blames himself. His dour mood rubbed off on the boy, so now they're both sulky. It seems like he should do something to fix it.

When they walk into the house, kicking off sodden shoes, Ichigo thinks about the clinic's newest part-timer and tries to joke, "I still can't believe you agreed to work with my dad."

"He's paying me very well," Ishida reasons as they ascend the stairs. "Better than he should. Probably due to the fact that I mentioned I'm trying to save up for my own place."

"Yeah?" Ichigo asks, suddenly tense. Pushing open his bedroom door, he wonders, "How's that going?"

"I should have enough soon," replies Ishida as he sets aside streaky glasses. "Maybe even by next week, depending on how many patients we get."

Ichigo halts in the middle of the room, a thousand emotions cascading over him in ruthless succession. It almost brings him to his knees.

"Is that so?"

Something in his voice must broadcast his distress because Ishida immediately turns to check on him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," claims Ichigo, but he still can't bring himself to budge.

"Kurosaki," he begins in a gentle tone, "is it about your mother?"

"It has nothing to do with her!"

Ishida is too stunned to speak for a long moment. He studies Ichigo, trying to puzzle him out so he'll know how to help. But Ishida can't fix it if Ichigo isn't entirely sure what's broken. All he knows is the thought of Ishida leaving feels like a serrated blade ripping into his chest. Ichigo knows it's ridiculous. Ishida isn't leaving, he's just moving somewhere else. But that means Ichigo won't get to see him as often anymore. They won't wake up together and stumble downstairs to eat breakfast every day. Won't walk back from school and do their homework. Won't argue over what to listen to or watch. Won't study or go to fun places on the weekends. Won't talk about the latest book or manga they read. Won't make each other laugh or sigh or gripe.

He doesn't want any of that to stop. Doesn't want to miss Ishida and wonder what he's doing at any given time. Ichigo has no idea when he became so dependent on their daily interactions but he doesn't think he's strong enough to give it up.

Obviously worried, Ishida comes to stand in front of him as he demands, "Will you quit acting like a lunatic and just talk to me?"

"You really wanna know what's bugging me?" Ichigo angrily asks.

"Yes, I do, so—"

"I don't want you to go!" he yells, experiencing both catharsis and remorse for exploding like this. "I want you to stay because…"

"Because what?"

He still looks worried, but for a different reason now. Ichigo knows he should stop here and tell him to forget the whole thing.

Instead, he stares straight into those ocean-blue eyes and confesses, "Because I like you, Ishida. I think about you constantly, even when you're right beside me. I want to be around you all the time and just the idea of you moving out makes me crazy." Ichigo shuts his eyes when the discomfiture of all that honesty catches up to him. "And I'm sorry 'cause I know you don't want to hear any of this. I never meant to tell you but—"

He cuts himself off with a gasp because for a second he could've sworn he felt…

Ishida's lips pressing lightly against his. He feels it again, definitively, and half of his brain melts right then and there. The third kiss is the spark that sets his entire body ablaze, inside and out. Ichigo kisses him back, hard, and digs his fingers into damp fabric. He tugs Ishida against his chest and traps him in the tight circle of his arms. The sound he makes then is close enough to a moan that Ichigo completely loses what's left of his sense.

He flicks his tongue over Ishida's lower lip, requesting entry, and feels the sharp intake of breath that becomes a shaky sigh. His mouth parts and Ichigo dives right in, groaning helplessly because the sensation of their tongues rubbing slickly together is the very definition of bliss. Especially when Ishida wraps his arms around Ichigo's neck, fingers slowly pushing into wet hair as he deepens the kiss a little more.

It's so much better than he imagined. He still can't believe this is really happening. And Ishida kissed him first! He's right here with Ichigo, starving for air and skin contact and the heat they're building with each passing second. There's this insane need to be as close as possible rising to crowd out all rational thought and make room for primal instinct. He wants to tear off Ishida's clothes and kiss him everywhere but the mechanics of such a feat are beyond him at this point. All he can do is hold on and try to remain standing even though his knees keep threatening to give.

Bed, his brain abruptly suggests some time later. It seems reasonable but his limbs aren't listening. Eventually, he manages to lead them toward his bed but he slips in one of the puddles they've been dripping onto the hardwood floor. They go down, but the mattress catches them and it's good—so fucking good—because now they can concentrate on how their bodies fit together without concern for trivial things like gravity or balance.

It's Ishida who figures out how much better it can get when he spreads his legs and arches against him. That small movement creates such a powerful jolt of pleasure that they have to take a time-out from making out and just breathe into each other for a moment. He does it again and Ichigo's stomach drops as if he crested the peak of a roller coaster tipping toward oblivion. Ishida's hands clench into the back of his shirt and he makes this thin, plaintive noise like he's cracking apart inside.

"Kurosaki…"

A shudder shreds down his spine, absolutely obliterating any semblance of restraint. He reconnects their mouths and starts rocking against Ishida the way he has wanted to since that day they exhausted each other in the dojo. The friction and pressure are intense. So is the notion that Ichigo is the one making him excited and breathless and desperate. He's the one working Ishida into such a frenzy that he can't say anything but Ichigo's name.

And when the pleasure becomes so strong that it's either break for breath or kiss his consciousness goodbye, he buries his face in dark hair and holds on to the back of Ishida's neck. This 'very intimate gesture' destroys whatever resolve he's been sustaining to keep quiet. Ichigo listens in reverent wonder as he starts moaning on each thrust—short and hushed, yet steadily gaining volume and urgency—until it suddenly stops.

Ishida goes rigid beneath him, not making a single sound as he implodes, and the knowledge that Ichigo just made him come is all it takes to set him off, too.

They gasp and pant against each other's throats in the aftermath. Ishida's arms fall limply to his sides and his legs settle more or less straight against the mattress. Ichigo wants to collapse, as well, but he can't bring himself to move. If he moves, it's over. He's not ready for this to be over. He raises up far enough to see Ishida's face. His eyes open, slowly focusing on Ichigo's, and a bottomless fear grips him. The fear that he took this way too far.

"Sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean—"

"I wanted you to." Leaning up to kiss him reassuringly, Ishida firmly repeats, "I wanted you to."

Then they're smiling at each other and it's so perfect Ichigo figures he could die a very happy man. He moves to lie beside Ishida, staring up at the ceiling like he can perceive the glowing galaxy beyond and all its hidden secrets.

Shifting uncomfortably in his soggy, sticky clothing, Ichigo says, "We should probably shower before we really do get sick."

"Yes," agrees Ishida with an amused smirk. "We definitely should."

"You go fir—Whoa!" Ichigo yelps as he is dragged out of bed toward the hall. "Ishida?"

"It's still raining."

"And…?"

"And your family's not back yet."

Ichigo still doesn't get it until they walk into the bathroom and Ishida locks the door behind them. The implications make him dizzy with desire.

They're kissing again. Ichigo doesn't remember stepping forward but there he is, brushing Ishida's hair back to hold a palm to his jaw. He likes feeling the muscles move under skin as they align lips and tease with tongues. Ichigo's other hand goes to the hem of a pesky shirt blocking soft flesh he wants to trace with fingertips.

He stops himself to beg, "Please tell me you want this, Ishida."

"I want this," he agrees without hesitation. "I want you, Kurosaki. I-I always have."

Ichigo moans into their next kiss. It's exactly what he needs to hear, like one of his best dreams come to life. A fresh shot of adrenaline accompanies the resurgence of excitement. He gets a bit over-enthusiastic, advancing too quicly and putting Ishida off balance. They bump into the counter, knocking toiletries onto the floor with a clatter. Ichigo could care less about all that crap, but what makes him pause to rein in his urges is the way Ishida makes a muted sound of discomfort when his hip hits the hard edge.

"Sorry," Ichigo says, drawing him away from the sink. "Did I hurt you?"

"It's nothing."

Ishida goes in for another kiss to prove it but Ichigo doesn't let himself get swept under again. He kisses carefully, almost tenderly because Ishida deserves better than to be attacked like a rabbit at the mercy of a ravenous wolf. Ichigo is interested in a hell of a lot more than just getting off and he needs to make that clear to Ishida right from the beginning. He starts by slowly lifting up his shirt. Ishida helpfully raises his arms, then pulls off Ichigo's shirt in return. Their hands eagerly map the uncovered expanse of warm flesh. But he feels the tiny bumps triggered by shivers that are only partially due to pleasure.

"Are you cold?" he asks Ishida and rubs his thumb over a stiff nipple in emphasis.

A quick gasp, another shiver, and his teeth lightly tug Ichigo's lower lip before he answers, "Only on the outside."

It's one of the hardest things he's done in weeks, but he unglues himself from Ishida long enough to flip on the shower faucets and get the water heating. Then Ichigo is right back against him. Now that he has permission to touch, he'd swear he never wants to be anywhere else. Particularly when Ishida's fingers find his fly and fumble it open. Ichigo loves how out of sync his typically flawless movements have become under the circumstances. It means Ishida is just as lost in this as him. It's tough to keep calm and poised when you want something so bad you can't even think straight!

They're fine with pushing each other's jeans down but when it comes to underwear they get a little shy. Ichigo plays with the elastic waistband as he nuzzles and sucks at the curve of Ishida's throat. He can't bring himself to take that final step. Evidently, it's mutual because he doesn't go for Ichigo's boxers, either.

Ishida saves them from themselves by taking off his own and stepping under the spray. That works for Ichigo. He follows the example and they negotiate for space beneath the cone of hot water like a simple kind of dance. The steam rises to flush their cheeks pink, or maybe it's the insane rush of lust he feels when he lets his eyes trail down the length of Ishida's lithe body. His gaze gets stuck just below the belly button and Ichigo tries not to stare—really, he does—but he never thought he'd get to witness incontestable proof of Ishida's attraction to him. He wants to drop straight to his knees, take it into his mouth and taste it on his tongue.

One more second and he'd be there but Ishida chooses that second to turn away from him, only to reach behind and pull Ichigo against his back. They both moan at the shock of full-body contact, and the way his erection fits snugly against Ishida's ass as if it belongs there. Ichigo's arms wind around him on their own, holding him close. Ishida braces one hand to the wall in front of him and curves the other around Ichigo's hip to keep him steady for a shallow backward thrust. It feels so good his eyes roll back and his mouth falls open.

"Fuck, Ishida!" he hoarsely exclaims. "If you keep doing that, I'm gonna come all over your back."

"Promise?" He does it again, more firmly this time, and takes Ichigo by the wrist to lead it down. "Touch me, Kurosaki."

He doesn't need to be told twice. Ishida gasps and bucks against him as his cock is gripped in a tight fist. Ichigo's instinct is to go fast and rough but he forces himself to take it slow. He concentrates on the shape of Ishida in his hand and tries to mimic what he enjoys most on the rare occasions he has done this to himself.

Taking his cue from Ichigo's pace, he undulates smoothly and steadily in place. Ishida lets his head fall forward and starts making those short, hushed noises from earlier. Ichigo wonders what it would take to make him cry out like the euphoria is so intense it almost borders on pain. He immediately resolves to find out some day.

"Ishida," he moans, kissing his shoulder, the back of his neck, the spot between shoulder blades, whatever he can reach without messing up the rhythm too much. "God, you feel amazing…Is it good?"

"No." Ichigo's pace falters in surprise. He's about to ask how he can make it better when Ishida suddenly turns around and shoves him against the tiles with such a predatory look in his eyes that Ichigo barely keeps from shooting off right then. "It's fucking fantastic." Ishida presses in close and kisses him deeply. "I'm trying so hard not to come, Kurosaki."

He groans loudly to hear it. "Me, too. You're so damn sexy."

Ishida's laugh is breathy and warm against his lips. "Do you even know what you do to me?"

Smirking at the praise, Ichigo slides his hands down to squeeze pert cheeks. Ishida's eyes close as his hips start grinding circles against him. His nails dig into Ichigo's shoulders but he's not about to complain when he's one good thrust away from a truly spectacular orgasm. There's just one more thing he needs.

"Kiss me, Ishida," he growls into an ear. "I wanna feel your tongue in my mouth."

With a throaty moan, he tilts his head and does precisely as requested. Ichigo can't hold back anymore. He tightens his grip on Ishida's ass and starts thrusting wildly against him. They're both trembling, bodies gone taut with impending ecstasy. It hits them at nearly the same time, and Ichigo breaks the kiss on a wordless shout. It feels like his spine is melting even as his stomach clenches so hard he bends forward against Ishida, who is sucking in sharp draughts of air like he just breached the surface of a very deep river.

"Kurosaki," he quietly calls, kissing him between quick breaths. "Don't let go."

It's just because his legs are too weak to hold his weight yet, but Ichigo solemnly replies, "Never."

The wide-eyed look Ishida gives him isn't unexpected. The passionate way he kisses Ichigo for saying it is, though, and he has to wonder if their feelings for each other are already more serious than he assumed.

Once they start to catch their breath and regain their strength, Ishida stands on his own and allows a bit of space between them. He glances down their torsos and smiles wryly.

"We might want to actually wash up at some point. We've just made ourselves messier since we came in here."

"Heh. 'Came in here'." He gives Ichigo a flat look for the dirty joke but his smile only widens. "All right, pass me the shampoo."

"Which one?"

"Whichever one you use. The seaweed stuff or whatever."

"It's 'dead sea minerals'" corrects Ishida without real irritation. "Do you actually think my hair smells like seaweed?"

Taking the bottle he is handed and squirting shampoo into his palm, Ichigo gently lathers dark hair as he responds, "You never let me close enough to tell. Until now."

"You're the only one I ever let close," Ishida says on a sigh as he shuts his eyes and leans into Ichigo's touch.

That warrants a sweet kiss, if anything does. But one turns into two, turns into three, turns into, "I'm getting hard again."

Ishida snorts and moves away to rinse. "I don't want to be in here when the hot water runs out."

"I can't believe it hasn't."

"Well, the sooner we're done the sooner we can go back to your room." When Ichigo doesn't respond, Ishida quirks an eyebrow and adds, "The sooner we can keep fooling around somewhere dry."

The incentive serves its intended purpose, spurring Ichigo into action. They finish washing and rinsing in record time.

They're kissing again before they even make it back to his bedroom. The towel around Ishida's waist is dangerously loose and low-slung. It takes all of Ichigo's willpower to resist giving it a tiny tug. He's staring at the little indentations above Ishida's ass as he roots through the dresser for pajamas. Ichigo doesn't bother picking an outfit when he has no intention of putting it on anytime soon.

He walks up behind Ishida and plants his hands against the dresser on either side of him. "You know I can't let you put those on yet, right?"

"See, this is why I need my own place. How are we supposed to keep our hands off each other if we're sleeping in the same room every night?"

He's teasing, mostly, but Ichigo doesn't think it's funny at all. Flinging Ishida onto the bed, he climbs astride and warns, "You're not going anywhere." He leans close and licks his lips, noting the way blue eyes alight on the motion. "You'll be lucky if I let you sleep at all tonight."

"Kurosaki," he tries to protest but Ichigo sees right past it. Hard not to with the way Ishida's pupils are blooming black and his breathing is picking up fast. "We have school tomorrow."

"I'll take being tired in class," Ichigo begins, kissing his way down Ishida's chest, "if it means I can watch you come over and over 'til you beg me to stop."

Biting his lip when Ichigo laps at his happy trail, Ishida makes a valiant-yet-futile effort to resist. "When have I ever begged you for anything, idiot? I don't—"

He cuts himself off with a gasp because Ichigo yanks the towel away and grins to find him well on his way to a healthy hard-on. Ishida can talk back all he wants but he's not fooling anyone when his own dick is determined to give him up.

Ichigo is too focused on what he wants to do next to see it coming: Ishida abruptly flips them over to pin him instead. He tosses damp hair out of his face and stares down at Ichigo, half angry and half hungry.

"Oh, so you wanna fight, Ishida? No way you're gonna win when we both know you want to lose."

"Fuck you," he flippantly suggests, a smirk tugging at his mouth. "I'm stronger than I was the last time we did this." Dipping down to nip Ichigo's ear, he threatens, "I won't hold back."

"Promise?"

They move at the same time, grappling and rolling and twisting for the upper hand. His towel gets displaced somewhere in the shuffle and Ishida takes advantage by rubbing his thigh against Ichigo's straining cock. It blanks his brain long enough for Ishida to scoot down and put his tongue in place of his leg. Just like that, Ichigo's will to rebel is literally sucked away.

"I had no idea you could make noises like that, Kurosaki," he taunts, stroking when he's not licking. "You sound like a lost puppy."

"Fuck…" The word 'you' is meant to follow but Ichigo forgets between one breath and the next because Ishida's tongue is swirling, so hot and silky, in places that really make Ichigo not give a single shit what sorts of noises he's making. "Ishidaaa~"

Ichigo hears a soft laugh in response to his shameless moan. Then he can't hear anything but the roar of blood in his ears since Ishida is avidly trying to swallow him whole—not quite succeeding but close enough that Ichigo is going to lose his god damned mind if he can't hit his climax soon. He has just enough sense left to warn Ishida right before, but it makes no difference. Ichigo moans in astonished bliss as he feels a throat swallowing around him. His fingers clench into the blanket, the pillow, whatever is handy because if he doesn't ground himself somehow he'll float up into the sky and never come back down.

He opens his eyes in time to see Ishida sit up, wiping the corner of his mouth with a thumb that he then licks clean. With a thoughtful hum, he comments, "Salty, but not too bad."

"Oh my god," Ichigo groans into his hands, thinking he's never seen anything hotter than Ishida calmly taste-testing his come. "Are you trying to make it impossible for me to ever stop touching you?"

"At the moment, I wouldn't mind if you didn't."

Yeah, because he apparently had so much fun listening to Ichigo's 'lost puppy' noises while giving wonderful head that he's still raging hard and more than ready for his turn to be taste-tested.

Ishida doesn't utter a word of complaint when he is promptly tackled to the mattress and voraciously kissed. Sweeping his tongue inside, Ichigo has to agree he tastes a bit saltier than usual. But he doesn't let himself get distracted by idle observations. He can't wait to hear Ishida moan his name and see him make that gorgeous face that lets Ichigo know he's doing a stellar job as a lover.

That thought trips him up for a second. He is Ishida's lover now. Officially. Or, as official as it's going to get without making vows and exchanging rings. Ichigo already knows this is one door he's managed to open that he can't ever allow to close.

He slinks his way down Ishida's body, holding his glossy-eyed gaze as he goes. Those eyes snap shut on the first light lick. Feeling devious, Ichigo can't help teasing, "Do you want me to suck here, Ishida?"

"Yes, you secret sex-fiend."

"Hey, you're the one who went down on me first," he points out, giving the reddened head a few quick laps just to hear him hiss. "You even swallowed and everything."

Opening his eyes to force a glare, he reaches out to playfully tug Ichigo's hair. "You're the one who humped me into the fastest orgasm of my life."

"You kissed me first."

"You confessed first."

"You still haven't confessed," he reminds Ishida, then softly blows on the wetness just to watch him shudder.

"I said I wanted you."

Ichigo kisses a trail up the shaft and retorts, "Doesn't count; not the same."

Heaving a frustrated sigh, he snaps, "If I say it will you quit driving me crazy and do it properly?"

"Sure."

He uses his grip on orange hair to guide him up so they are face-to-face. Ishida locks eyes with him and unflinchingly states, "I like you, Kurosaki. Ever since you broke that bastard's nose for me."

They kiss each other with a very specific type of emotion that Ichigo has never experienced. It makes his heart thud powerfully and his breath ease out contentedly. He pulls away to say, "Come on, you liked me before that. Admit it."

Ishida rolls his eyes and starts to answer but they both freeze to hear a door opening downstairs.

"Shit. Your family's home. Hurry and get up so I can—"

"Oh, hell no. I've been looking forward to this too long, Ishida."

"Are you nuts!? One of them could come up here any minute!"

"Then we'll just have to do this quick and dirty," Ichigo says with a wicked leer. "Won't we?"

"Kurosa—" His protest is cut short by a sharp inhale that turns into a low moan. Ishida's fingers tighten in his hair as Ichigo sets to work, but he kind of likes it. "At least tell me you…locked…the…door…Aaahn!"

Ishida claps a hand over his own mouth without being told. Ichigo would laugh if he didn't currently have most of Ishida's cock between his lips, sliding toward the base of his tongue. Ichigo doesn't gag but it's a close thing, and he realizes there's a little more to this than he figured. Damn prodigy that he is, Ishida just made it seem easy when he was doing this to Ichigo! He's not about to lose, though. No way. So, he clears his mind of everything but the task in front of him.

It seems to be working, judging by the way Ishida squirms and hums these helpless little noises like smothered whines beneath his own palm. The frequency increases when Ichigo starts bobbing. He's getting louder, bit by bit, without even realizing it but he's also getting close. It's obvious when Ishida's hips are subtly pumping in and out of Ichigo's mouth—just shallow thrusts that he probably has zero control over because it feels that fucking good.

And damn it, Ichigo is getting hard again.

Ishida moves his hand long enough to call his name in warning. Ichigo plans to stay right where he is and finish this like a pro but he's actually worried Ishida's sexy voice will travel and get them caught. So, much as it pains him to abandon his post, Ichigo crawls north to kiss him quiet while his fist finishes the job. He makes up for the trade-off by basically tongue-fucking Ishida's mouth to keep it hot for him while also serving as a decent gag.

Ichigo thinks maybe it's working too well when he tries to break the kiss for air, but he can't let Ishida do it. He uses his idle hand to keep him captive with an unyielding grip at his jaw until the exact moment he seizes up, and Ichigo finally lets him breathe as wave after wave of potentially salty fluid spills over Ishida's belly and chest. Ichigo has a front-row seat to the show, and Ishida's enraptured expression when he comes is a thing of true beauty.

Just like the other times, the moment of his climax is silent. But the way he gasps afterward is not. Then there's this long, sated sigh that might as well be considered a moan. It's not loud but Ichigo panics and kisses him again in case of any other overtly sexual sighs. Once he's kissing Ishida, however, he doesn't want to stop. Ichigo is definitely still horny and he's seriously contemplating borrowing Ishida's thigh or maybe the cleft of his rear to do something about it.

As if reading Ichigo's extremely naughty thoughts, Ishida breaks the kiss and twists his wrist at a painful angle to get his attention.

"Ow! What the shit, Ishida?"

"Get off me and put on some clothes before one of your sisters shows up to let us know dinner will be ready soon."

"Fuck, fine." He lets go of Ichigo's wrist and moves to get up, but an arm braced to his chest keeps him in place. "Just one more thing."

Ishida's eyes widen, then narrow in disbelief as Ichigo bends over to steal a proprietary taste of the pearlescent liquid decorating his front. Yep, salty.

Before Ishida can break his elbow or something, Ichigo snatches up one of their abandoned towels and hastily wipes the rest of the evidence clean. Then he gets up and tosses the clothes Ishida picked out earlier his way before fishing for some of his own. They get dressed in a hurry, like firefighters responding to The Call, and collapse side-by-side on Ishida's bed as if it was all a false alarm.

"Tell me again why having a little more privacy would be a bad thing?"

"If you don't quit bringing that up…"

"What are you so afraid of, Kurosaki? It's not like I could keep you from visiting whenever you wanted if I tried."

"Do you hate living with me that much?"

It's supposed to come out a tad facetious like the rest of their conversation but it mostly sounds petulant. He realizes he accidentally pushed them into Real Talk territory when Ishida stares at him instead of continuing their banter.

"If you still have to ask me that after we—"

"No, I know," Ichigo backtracks, wearily rubbing a hand over his face. "Forget it. Stupid question."

"Yes, it is. A very stupid question." Waiting until their eyes meet, Ishida continues, "But the reason you asked isn't. What's really upsetting you?"

"I just…" It is kind of stupid. Ichigo shakes his head, intending to change the subject, but Ishida's fingers twining comfortingly with his gives him the boost he needs to go ahead and say, "If you move out, I'll miss you. I don't want to miss you."

His features transition from concerned to understanding. He kisses Ichigo and tells him, "Then maybe you should come, too."

"What?"

"We're graduating soon, right? Then it's just summer vacation and on to university. It'll be no problem finding a nice apartment if we both have part-time jobs."

He slowly sits up, blinking dumbly at Ishida. "Are you…asking me to move in with you?"

The way he blushes faintly and glances aside makes Ichigo want to hug him and never, ever let go. "I-it's not like I'm proposing or anything! I'm just saying it makes sense when we're probably going to the same university anyway and we study well together. We don't hate each other's hobbies or habits, either. At least we both know how to cook, so we won't starve. I guess if I had to pick a roommate, you wouldn't be the last on my list."

Ishida is muttering self-consciously by the end but Ichigo's heart is in genuine danger of exploding from happiness. He scoops Ishida into a crushing embrace that he half-heartedly resists until Ichigo starts kissing him like they're reuniting after a decade apart.

There's a knock at the door and they separate reluctantly. Ichigo calls, "Come in."

Karin pushes open the door and walks inside. She stops when she spots them sitting on the same bed but it's not strange enough to mention. "Yuzu asked me to tell you dinner's almost done."

"Got it."

The message has been delivered but she doesn't leave right away. She glances between the two of them and asks, "Didn't you guys get back over an hour ago?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, why does it look like you just got out of the shower?"

Seeing Karin gesture toward the towels on the floor, Ichigo scrubs at his wet hair and huffs. She's the sharpest in the family; of course she'd be the first one to suspect the truth. He looks at Ishida with a question in his eyes and gets a slight shrug in return.

"We took a really long shower."

"You…?" Comprehension dawns and her eyebrows rise. "Oh. Um, okay."

"Really? Just 'um, okay'?" Frowning, Ichigo demands, "How come you don't seem that surprised?"

Karin chuckles and pushes her hands into her pockets. "I mean, it was pretty obvious you had it bad for Ishida-kun since the first day you brought him over."

"What? No, I didn't." Ichigo glances sidelong at Ishida and frowns harder at the smug smile he's wearing. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, well keep it that way," he grumbles. Returning his attention to Karin, he shares, "Don't tell Dad, but we're moving into our own apartment soon."

"Okay," she says and turns to leave.

"Hey! Why the hell isn't that surprising?"

Pausing in the doorway, Karin grins as she replies, "It was pretty obvious Ishida-kun had it bad for you since the first day he came over, too."