bubblepopbagels

[bubblepopbagels]

//so i may have failed to mention that i’m technically on hiatus for the next two weeks. my schoolwork is limitless and relentless and i haven’t really had time for any internet endeavors (and when i have, my internet connection hasn’t always been kind). i’m hoping things mellow out soon!

[bubblepopbagels]

[bubblepopbagels]

"Ah, um...SORRY"

He was so bad with cute girls, so awkward, so stupid! All he'd done so far was make a complete fool out of himself in front of her from the moment they'd first met. And all he kept doing was making it worse and worse. "I-I can't believe you're only a fifteenth seat! You seem much more successful!" Oh no! Was that rude too?

"Ah—"

"You don’t have to bow so low!" She giggled, flattered that he would treat her so. "No one has ever felt the need to do that for me. Really! Just relax, if you want. I’m just a fifteenth seat. I should be bowing to you!” Even if his enthusiasm was a bit strong, it was endearing.

[bubblepopbagels]

"You're always 'working hard'."

"You ought to give yourself a break."

"You wouldn’t be either if you had Unohana-taichou as a boss! She’s nice but there’s that aura of fear that compells us to do our work properly…"

"Either way you should cut me some slack, I’ve been working hard."

[bubblepopbagels]

"Well you haven't exactly been around for a while."

"What, am I not allowed to check in on a friend for no particular reason?"

"Don’t be cruel to me, Kato-kun."

[bubblepopbagels]

[ medellacantus started following you ]

"You need something Kinoshita?"

[bubblepopbagels]

"Oh - I - uh..."

He knows that if any of his squadmates finds out about his doing something like this, he'll never hear the end of it. But how can he say no to this sweet girl? He bows low and announces, "THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. I WOULD ENJOY IT."

"If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have offered~!"

She chirped with excitement, nodding. His anxious reaction seemed to slip past her notice. If she had the chance to make a new friend out of him, that was enough for her. “We could listen to music and eat snacks! Oh and maybe we can—” She paused, blushing. “Sorry, am I getting a little carried away?”

[bubblepopbagels]

"Oh, I-uh-I d-d --"

She wants to listen to music with him!? They have similar tastes!? Daisuke's so used to being poked fun at for his guilty pleasures, but he doesn't want to disappoint her - Sachi seems so excited by just the idea. How rude would it be for him to deny her something so small when she's only been kind to him?

"Y-you sure?"

His matter-of-fact approach to the issue was comforting, somehow. He hadn’t just laughed at her, so that was always a plus. She taps her chin thoughtfully, “Really, now?"

"We should get together some time and listen to each other’s music! I’m sure we have similar tastes. It could be fun. After all, we need a break from working sometime." The idea seems exciting to her. She only hopes she doesn’t come on too strong to him. She is always open to getting to know people better, and he seems like someone she’d like to know. She hopes he feels the same. Otherwise she’s just embarrassed herself.

[bubblepopbagels]

Daisuke looked the girl over attentively, attempting to make sure he hadn't reopened any wounds - provided there were wounds to reopen in the first place. What if he'd caused new wounds!? No, no, that was a preposterous idea... wasn't it?

"It’s just a little stab wound, I’ll be okay!"

He squinted, unsure how to respond to this - if it was "just a little stab wound", why did it look like she'd spent the night at the Fourth? Unless maybe it had just been late when she'd arrived seeking medical attention? Regardless, should she really be making such a small deal out of something that could have been potentially fatal?

“Er…when I put it like that it doesn't sound okay, but…" 

"So long as you're alright," he replied quickly. Maybe she just didn't want to talk about it. Of course she doesn't want to talk about it! She doesn't even know you, moron. Daisuke would have minimized the attention to his own wounds if the situation were reversed. There was no need to get a stranger involved in his problems, after all.

Still, he couldn't help but want to make sure she was alright, especially after nearly shouting at her for something that wasn't even her fault.

"I’m Sachi, by the way. Sachi Himura. I’m from the ninth, so I don’t usually spend much time around here. This was just…an exceptional occasion. Are you from the fourth? You don't look injured or anything."

He blinked. She was from the Ninth? If anything, Daisuke would have pictured her in the Thirteenth - there were plenty of cute girls in that division. But the Ninth... so that meant she had probably suffered the same way he had then. He tried to gloss over the sick feeling swelling within him at the mere thought, but he couldn't squash the tightening knot in the pit of his stomach. After all this time, it still bothered him.

"Um, no," he replied, scratching the back of his head and smiling sheepishly. "I'm from the Fifth. I came here to deliver something to a friend of mine, but I can't seem to find him anywhere." He glanced around on instinct, but saw no sign of his friend, and turned back to this girl - Sachi, she'd said.

"Oh, right! I'm the Fifth Division's Seventh Seat, Kato Daisuke," he said, returning the introduction and giving her the formal one out of habit. Hopefully that wasn't off-putting, but so far it seemed she wasn't insulted by his nervous quirks. 

"You seem so energetic this morning! I feel like if we’d met before, I’d remember a guy like you."

"I-I, well, I..." He felt his blush returning. Energetic wasn't a negative term, no, but she could always just be trying to be nice. "I'm n-not usually that exciting! I-I just --" He just what? Got loud when he was embarrassed or nervous? That wasn't exactly something he wanted to admit to someone he'd just met...

the waves carry us || daisuke&sachi

[bubblepopbagels]

She's even cuter when she blushes, he thinks, a smile spreading across his face. The music she listens to can't be as embarrassing a taste as what he enjoys - Daisuke is sure of it.

"They probably just can't appreciate different music," he replies. "A lot of people in the Fifth don't really like my preferred music either." The people in the Fifth are probably generally more open to new things than in the Ninth, he thinks, but he doesn't mention it. That openness, after all, is one of the things their former captain had instilled in the division, though now it's more than just ironic.

"Ah! Um…" She hadn’t expected him to ask. The apples of her cheeks became dusted in pink. She’d been told that her taste in music was obnoxious at best. That wasn’t something she cared to admit to him. For some reason his approval mattered to her quite a lot. It didn’t make any sense.

"I listen to some stuff that someone brought back from the world of the living and left lying around the office in the ninth…It’s nothing special. Her name’s Kyary or something. I’ve been told she’s a pop singer. The people in my division don’t like her very much."

[bubblepopbagels]

[bubblepopbagels]

He blushes. Why did she have to remind him of that ridiculous scene she'd walked in on? Sure, it could have been worse - he could have been dancing along (thankfully he hadn't embarrassed himself that much). Daisuke's blush fades quickly as she moves the focus of the conversation off him.

"O-oh? What do you like to listen to?" She's cute when she laughs, he thinks. Not that she isn't cute regardless.

"Quiet?" A giggle escaped her lips, transforming into effervescent laughter.

"It wasn’t so quiet when I walked in. But if you say, so!" The music had been what had gotten them talking in the first place, so she didn’t mind it at all. But still, something about the way he said it struck her as hilarious. “I know what you mean, though. I don’t have a way to play music so sometimes I sing when I work. If I had a music player, I’d probably be just like you."

[bubblepopbagels]

Daisuke nods along as she speaks, following her words carefully. He smiles, glad to be of assistance, even to this girl he barely knows.

"Huh?" he says, unprepared for the subject change. He scratches the back of his head and laughs. "No, you're fine. It's been pretty quiet here lately; I'm glad you dropped by!"

"Thank you. I’m trying my best to get stronger. I really am. Having people like you around to encourage me really helps, though!" She didn’t notice his awkward mannerisms, answering the question with sincerity. 

"But I’ve been talking all about myself. I’m sorry! That’s pretty rude, huh? I just meant to drop off some paperwork and I’ve disrupted your whole routine."

[bubblepopbagels]

"That's good! N-not about the problems you're having with whoever it is, but I mean I'm glad your shoulder's getting better and that you're feeling better now in general than you were before."

He closes his mouth, realizing that he's rambling and waits for her response. I'm not making her uncomfortable, am I?

She notes his reaction to her outstretched hand with dismay. Had she done something wrong? Was he somehow already afraid of her? His question comes as a welcome distraction.

"My shoulder’s much better, but…I can’t lie. I wasn’t doing very well earlier. I’m sort of…not getting along with someone who frequents my division. That’s what landed me in the fourth. But a friend of mine talked to me about it, so I’m feeling a little better about it now."

[bubblepopbagels]

He nearly jumps at the sight of her hand and stares at it for a second before taking it.

"Ahh, no, I'm fine. But, speaking of the Fourth, if I may ask, how are you faring?" he asks, trying to pretend that the kpop debacle didn't just happen.

When he fell to the ground, she stepped further into the room. Looking down at him, she offered a hand to help him to his feet.

"Are you alright? Don’t hurt yourself! I’d rather not have to go back to the fourth too soon!"

[bubblepopbagels]

//Quietly enters and leaves a box of bandages with a note: "I always see you falling down. I really don't want you to get hurt! Please take care of yourself! -Himura"

[/finds the box after lunch and blushes profusely]

[bubblepopbagels]

The stupid machine is still making noise and he slams his hand down over it to make it stop, but misses by inches, and falls onto the floor. He can feel his face growing hotter by the second as he reaches up and finally shuts the damn thing off.

"I-I -- YES MUSIC IS NICE!"

She watches him struggle, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

"I wouldn’t have guessed you liked that sort of music, Kato-san. I— I like music too. It’s okay."