Ichigo x Reader

3 - Study Date

The next morning, as promised, I woke up to a text from my favorite orangette. 'Morning, hope I didn't wake you up'

A smile crept onto my face as I shot back a quick message. 'Morning Ichi! And nah, you didn't. I don't usually sleep in very late on the weekends'

After hitting send, I crawled out of bed to begin my day. Throwing my hair up in a messy bun, I drifted across the hall to the bathroom. First I brushed my teeth, then washed my face before returning to my room. Throwing on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, I tugged on my converse, grabbing my backpack on the way down the stairs. Snatching up my keys, wallet and phone as well, I made my way towards a nearby coffee shop. There was a big test coming up on Monday and I didn't want to fail the first exam I was going to participate in.

Walking through the open door, the heavenly aroma of coffee hit my nostrils as I took in a deep breath. Placing my order, I scanned the cafe for a seat before finding a secluded corner in which I made myself comfortable. I slowly began pulling out my notes, highlighters and pens, laying them out on the small table before retrieving my phone from my bag. Scrolling through the myriad of notifications I spotted a text from Ichigo that had previously gone unnoticed. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment before I opened the message.

'What are your plans for today?'

My eyes widened slightly as thoughts began to flood my mind. Did he want to hang out with me and then I just ignored him? My heart dropped before swiftly replying.

'I'm just studying for our test Monday' I sighed as one of the baristas brought my order to me. I gave them a small smile while eagerly awaiting the next text. Taking a swift sip of my (f/d), I began to revise my notes, organizing them into their different categories and sub-categories. Next, I began to highlight what I thought was important, or what concepts I still didn't fully grasp.

'Bzzzt!' My (e/c) globes darted towards my phone before promptly plucking it from the table and scanning the message.

'Damn, I totally forgot about that' I couldn't help the giggle that escaped from my throat.

'You wanna come study with me? I'm at the coffee shop right down the street from our houses'

Not a moment later, and I had already received a response. 'Really? You're the best (Y/n). I'll be there in ten minutes'My heart skipped a beat before rapidly speeding up at his reply. I nodded, more to myself, before tidying the papers strewn about and continuing with my studying.

Sure enough, after ten minutes had passed, Ichigo burst into the shop and I felt my heart began to beat out of my chest. The way his shirt hugged his figure was almost too much to bear. Due to his abrupt arrive, he gained a few stares from the other inhabitants. I chuckled, the blush still evident on my cheeks. I waved him over to my small study nook, watching as he half-jogged over and seated himself next to me.

"I hope I'm not too late to the lesson." He offered a nervous grin, pulling out his own notes.

"You're fine Ichi, I was just getting started anyways."

He visibly stiffened as a light blush dusted his cheeks before clearing his throat. "S-So where do we start?"

I began to review all of my notes with him, walking through whatever concepts we were struggling with. The time seemed to fly by, as many of the previous occupants had left and were replaced with new customers. Unaware to us, it had begun to rain during our cram session.

"Damn, that rain is coming down pretty hard." Ichigo interrupted the silence, staring vacantly out the window.

"Yikes, you're right. Well, we can keep studying or just hang out. Your choice."

"Let's get to know each other, I think we've done enough studying for the day."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

He pondered for a moment before meeting your stare. "Is there anything off limits?"

Shifting in my seat to pull my legs up beside me, I shook my head. "I suppose not. Hit me." I smirked playfully.

"For one, I want to know if you live alone. And if so, how can you afford to do so?" He held up two fingers as if to prove his point.

Frowning, I twiddled my thumbs in my lap for a moment. "That was technically two questions, but because I'm nice I'll answer them both. Yes, I do live alone. I can afford to live there because my parents had life insurance. So when they passed, I inherited everything, seeing as how I'm an only child." A look of regret washed over his face.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. But, since we're getting personal, where is your mom? Did she pass away too?"

He nodded, the look of regret replaced by gloom and I couldn't help but to grimace. "Yeah, she died when I was nine."

My eyes softened as I put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "We don't have to talk about her if you don't want to." But he just waved me off.

"Nah, it's okay, I don't mind." Nodding, I awaited his next question. "So how was your house destroyed?"

Gulping, my hand retreated to the safety of my lap as I wrung my hands nervously. "U-uh you wouldn't believe me. No one did when it happened." I didn't notice it at the time, but his eyes narrowed at my words.

"Try me."

"H-huh?"

"You heard me. Just tell me." Smiling, he gazed into my (e/c) orbs intently.

"W-well there was this...thing, this creature I guess. I couldn't even begin to try and describe what it looked like. It was massive, a thing of nightmares. I hope I never see it, or anything like it ever again." Finishing, I peered up through a curtain of (h/c) to analyze his expression. My heart dropped into the pits of my stomach as he looked at me with fear in his eyes. "You think I'm crazy too, huh?" My eyes began to sting, indicating the onset of the tears that would surely spill soon.

"Did it have a white, skull-like mask?" He calmly muttered. Snapping out of my daze, eyes widening as I met his intense gaze. All I could manage was a weak nod, unable to process the fact that he knew what I was talking about and didn't think I was insane. "I should've known. They're called Hollows."

"So you mean there's more than just that one?" My breath hitched as terror overtook my body.

He simply nodded before continuing on. The tables soon turned as he began explaining how hollows are born, someplace called the Soul Society, what shinigami, quincys, arrancar, visoreds, and zanpakuto are, educating me on this completely different world.

"That's why you guys are gone from school so much..." I breathed, letting all of the new information sink in. "I feel like I should be taking notes." My attempts to keep the mood light were in vain as Ichigo's mood only seemed to darken.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to save your parents, (Y/n)."

Gnawing on my lip, I twirled a strand of hair around my finger. "Do you feel guilty because that's how your mom died?"

"H-how...?"

"You sound guilty as fuck. It's fine Ichigo, it's not your fault. Besides, I would never have met you or the others if it hadn't happened."

Finally, his shoulders dropped, the tension seemingly melting away. Peering out the window, I noticed the rain had finally let up some. "Wanna go back to my place? We can watch a movie and have some snacks if you want."

The corners of his lips upturned into a small smile. "That sounds nice, thanks."