65 and 66 ichigo/uryuu? :3c

anonymous

“I really don’t think this is going to work out,” Uryuu said with as much dignity as he could muster while crouching behind a steel crate and trying to fumble an arrow in place with numb fingers.

Kurosaki shot him the look that statement honestly deserved. “What gave you that impression? The awkward silences at dinner or the way dessert was interrupted by people after my head?”

“I was thinking more the fact that the idea of dating anyone simply doesn’t appeal to me,” Uryuu admitted as he leaned around the edge of the crate and fired an arrow at the first flicker of movement he saw. He jerked back under cover barely in time to dodge the bullets that rained down and began to fumble another arrow in place. “Why I ever agreed to Hime’s idea in the first place…”

“Because she has you wrapped around her little finger, just like she has everyone wrapped around her little finger,” Kurosaki said with amusement, reaching out to capture Uryuu’s hands between his own. Heat seeped into Uryuu’s fingers as Kurosaki held them, and he didn’t seem at all bothered by the look Uryuu shot him at the presumption. “Admit it, you’d do anything to make her smile.”

“I’m not in love with her,” Uryuu groused, pulling his hands away and flexing his fingers experimentally. Now that he could feel them again, his dexterity was closer to what it should be; he really needed to invest in some sort of glove or spell of warmth if he was going to be hanging around in the north more often.

“I never said you were.”

Uryuu scowled at Kurosaki, searching for a hint of deception and finding nothing. With a scoff he leaned over, shot another arrow, and settled back against the crate before anyone could retaliate.

(Honestly, he was about five seconds away from simply saying screw the rules and launching a rain of magical arrows that would deal with their… pest problem.)

“Look, how about we set this whole… dating… thing aside and deal with the more immediate issue?” Kurosaki suggested. “We can tell Hime we tried and that it won’t work between us and that not everyone needs to be tooth-rottingly in love like she and Tatsuki and Nelliel are.”

“How about you get to tell her that and in exchange I’ll help you deal with whatever hornets nest you stirred up this time?” Uryuu made his counter-offer as he began to gather magical power. Whatever else Kurosaki said, he was right about one thing: Orihime had both of them wrapped around her little finger, and the idea of disappointing her made him cringe.

(Even if she’d tried to set him up with Kurosaki of all people.)

(Why would she even think that would work out?!)

Kurosaki laughed, deep and cheerful, head tipped back and flame-bright hair spilling across his shoulders like water. For a moment, Uryuu could almost see the temptation of it, the reason someone might be attracted to the fool, and then he blinked and it was just Kurosaki next to him, just his obnoxious almost-friend from high school who continually barged into his life time and time again, usually dragging trouble in his wake.

(He’d thought becoming a mage-for-hire would solve that but… in hindsight he probably should have considered the for-hire part a bit more thoroughly.)

“Deal,” Kurosaki declared, holding out a hand and giving him a look that was all teeth and danger.

“Deal,” Uryuu echoed as he gripped Kurosaki’s hand briefly, feeling their magic flare between them to seal the agreement. And then, freed of the stuffy rules that said he couldn’t magically interfere beyond protecting himself, he swept a hand out, funneling power through his fingers and painting the air electric blue with magical arrays. “Oh, and Kurosaki? Do try to keep up this time.”

With a last, sharp edged smile at Kurosaki, he triggered the layered spells and hurled himself from behind their cover, straight at the nearest clump of assholes.

(He had some frustration to burn off and an implied competition to win.)

(These people were about to learn exactly why no one ever interfered with him.)