Unexpected

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters, this is only meant for reading and fun. ^_^

It was the end of a school day and Ichigo hurried home, ditching everyone he stumbled upon. His reason was understandable, though, because he discovered the thrill of chatting online with various people. Only, it wasn't about various people anymore – he'd 'met' someone he thought was pretty special.

His friends noticed that he'd changed somehow, but they still weren't certain if it was a good or a bad thing. He, of course, never told them that he spent his evenings on his computer, corresponding with this person. This person, whom he met in a specific chat-room and he wasn't about to tell anyone its name – the room for 'sexually confused'.

At first, Ichigo cringed when he saw the name, but then, after some thinking, he decided to take a look. He'd always been uncertain where his interests went, and since he liked Chad's or Renji's chest better than Inoue's or Yoruichi's, he figured he should at least inform himself a little better. Nobody knew him there anyway, so there was no harm.

This special someone had a nickname 'Archer16' and he was always online at the same time as Ichigo. At first, they'd talk about anything that came to their mind – movies, music, how school can be boring... Considering personal stuff, they've only learned that they're both guys and of the same age, but it didn't stop them from admitting they really like each other, in many ways.

Ichigo came hurrying home, genuinely surprising Isshin, who now had no reasons to come flying at his son. He just stared as Ichigo waved 'hello' and grabbed a sandwich that was conveniently waiting on the kitchen counter. He went up to his room and only had enough patience to change clothes while his computer was starting up.

He signed up on his messenger account – he befriended Archer16 so they didn't have to spend more time in the chat-room, declining strange and sometimes disgusting offers – and seeing that the other boy was online, he began typing.

"Hi there! Missed you the whole day..."

"Aw, cute... I missed you too. How was your day?" Archer16 immediately responded.

"School, boring... Nothing interesting... Thank god it's Friday. You?"

"Same here..."

"Hey, listen... I wanted to ask you this for some time..." Ichigo wasn't sure it was the right time, but it was something he'd been thinking about for the past few days.

"Sure, you can ask me anything."

"What do you look like?" Ichigo typed, biting his lower lip. He already liked this 'Archer' guy so much that he doubted it would matter, but he was still curios.

"You tell me first!" Archer16 responded, adding a smiley-face at the end of the line.

"Um, I'm 5'9'', 134 lbs, brown eyes, weird hair."

"Weird, how?"

"Well, it's kinda blond but more like... reddish?"

"Orange?" Again, a smiley-face.

"Yeah, shaddap... Your turn, now."

"I'm 5'6'', 121 lbs, blue eyes and black hair."

"Wow..." The combination of these few facts, along with the personality made such a picture in Ichigo's mind that he couldn't but sigh wistfully.

"What?"

"I just wish I could... See you... We know each other for some time now, and I really... like you... I wish we could hang out together, like for real..." Ichigo sighed again, looking at the screen gloomily. What were the chances that Archer16 lived anywhere nearby? He could be all the way up in the north of Japan for all he knew.

"Where do you live?" Came the question.

"Karakura town... Ever heard of it?"

"You're serious? I'm from Karakura!"

Ichigo stared at the screen, his heart pounding rapidly. They could actually meet. He cracked his fingers nervously before laying them over the keyboard again, gathering courage to type a question.

"So... We could meet?"

"I'd really like that," Archer16 replied, putting a little red heart next to his words.

"I still can't believe you live here too. Maybe we know each other?"

"Haha, who knows, maybe. We'll see. When would you like to see me? Gosh, it sounds so weird... We're going on a date, you realize that?"

"Yeah, I do," Ichigo typed, grinning like an idiot, "And I can't describe how thrilled I am! Um, about the 'when'... Are you free tonight?"

"It's already nearly eight, and I'm home, sitting in front of my computer. What do you think?"

"Point taken," Ichigo laughed quietly, barely believing that they were actually going to meet. Today.

"How about nine-thirty, by the gateway to the park?"

"Okay... How do I recognize you?"

"I'll recognize you. Not gonna be hard with that 'weird hair', don't you think?"

"Yeah, alright. Well, I should go get ready then... I'll see you... Soon."

"Okay, bye."

Ichigo turned off his computer and hurried to the bathroom to take a shower. He could hardly wait to meet this teen, to be able to talk to him in person, to see if their 'relationship' would go further... He smiled to his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he dried himself quickly, nearly falling over while pulling up his boxers.

After he was done with the bathroom, he rummaged through his closet, trying to find something a little nicer than those ripped baggy pants he liked so much. He found a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt to go with it, and soon, he was downstairs, earning another confused look from his dad and sisters.

"Going out, don't wait up, bye!"

Isshin eyed him suspiciously while he was putting on his sneakers, then straightening up to check himself out in the hallway mirror and fix his hair a little. He grabbed his jacket and flashed the older man with a grin before he disappeared through the door.

"I'll be damned... He's got a date," Isshin murmured, his lips quirking into a smile.

Ichigo approached the park, spotting the slim silhouette waiting there. He figured it was Archer16 and he hurried up, impatient to see him at last. There was something familiar about the figure standing there under the street lamp, but he couldn't quite place it. The teen was turned with his back to Ichigo, so the blond called his nickname when he was just a few steps away from him.

As the boy turned, Ichigo's eyes widened and he all but stared at him.

"I-Ishida?"

What made him confused even more was that the Quincy gave him a warm smile.

"Hi... Surprised?"

"Um, yeah! I... You... You're Archer16? H-how?"

"Quincy, a bow... Archer. And I'm sixteen. Get it?"

"But, it's you!"

"So, you're disappointed," Uryuu asked quietly.

"No! Really, no! I'm just surprised... You... You never showed me the cute and warm side of yourself all this time."

"Neither did you," the raven smirked, "But I really like the guy that wrote those cute little messages, making my day with them."

"I meant all that," Ichigo admitted, taking a step closer. "You know, I'm kinda glad we already know each other. You aren't gonna break this off now, right?"

"Of course not... And, honestly, I hoped it would be you... When you told me you've got weird hair, and that you're from Karakura, I got this strange feeling... And here you are... When I felt your reiatsu approaching, I knew I was right."

"You hoped it would be me?" Ichigo grinned, coming so close to the Quincy that their chests were touching.

Uryuu chuckled, shaking his head, "You really pick what you wanna hear. Come on, how about we take a walk through the park?"

Ichigo wordlessly complied, never stopping smirking, and walked so close to Uryuu that their arms were touching. After few minutes of just walking and being quiet, Ichigo reached for the other's hand and entwined their fingers. He was really nervous about it, but he longed for this moment for a couple of months now, so it prevailed.

The Quincy stopped and looked at his friend, smiling softly. "You never stop surprising me, Kurosaki."

"Then how about this," Ichigo gripped the raven's chin and leaned close, his lips only a breath away from Uryuu's.

"You wouldn't dare," Uryuu smirked, a silent invitation in his eyes.

"Watch me," the blond murmured, kissing the other teen slowly. He gently pressed his smiling lips against Uryuu's, keeping it light and simple so the raven wouldn't freak out by any chance. He could hear and feel the other teen sigh softly into his mouth, pressing both his hands on his chest, completely relaxing against his body. Ichigo could do nothing but pull him closer and embrace him, like he wanted all this time while corresponding with him.

Ichigo switched to nuzzling the smooth neck before pulling away and giving his friend a warm look.

"I'm really, really happy it's you."

"Yeah?" Uryuu smiled softly.

"Yeah. I don't have to miss you the whole day and wait until evening to hear from you. I don't have to fear you won't respond to my message one day – I know where to find you," his smirk became a little devilish.

"I can sneak into your place at night, or smuggle you into my room... It would be awkward if we didn't know each other already."

Uryuu laughed openly, shaking his head before giving the blond a gentle kiss. Ichigo kissed back, but then pulled away, his face serious.

"And the most important thing: We already know what we are. I don't have to fear you'll think I'm crazy if I tell you I see and speak to ghosts. Neither do you."

"I know," the Quincy nodded, leaning closer to Ichigo. "I just can't believe you've been right under my nose."

"Ditto," Ichigo chuckled, hugging the slim body in front of him. "So, where do we go now?"

"My place, so you don't have to sneak in later," Uryuu offered, snuggling into the embrace.

"Ooh, Ishida, do you always ask strangers back to your place?"

"Only this once," the raven grinned, and took Ichigo's hand, taking him home.

The End