Work Text:
Ichigo flipped to the next page in the biology textbook. Since deciding to work full time on the Mew Project with Ryou, she had been trying to learn more about the relevant information, but the science side of things had been coming more slowly than the history. She didn't like to voice her insecurities to the other team members but some days she felt like she should just stick to the fighting and give up on being more involved with the rest of the project.
Realizing Ichigo was starting to spiral in her thinking in a way that wouldn't allow for anymore learning tonight she shut the book and put it on the desk in front of her. She got up from her chair and stretched out her back after sitting so long in one place. Glancing over across the basement where Ryou was typing at his computer Ichigo saw he hadn't moved from his hunched up position in the last few hours either.
Ichigo walked over and poked the man in the side of the head. Ryou - predictability - flinched away from her finger then glared up at Ichigo for her rude interruption of his work.
"What is it, Ichigo?"
"Hey I'm just looking out for you! You're going to hurt your back if you don't remember to get up and move around regularly," replied Ichigo.
Ryou glanced back at his screen and gave a disgruntled sigh while running his fingers through his hair. After a moment of silence, he abruptly stood from his chair.
"Well you're not wrong," he said before moving toward the stairs leading to the kitchen.
"You could even say I'm right, if that's not too much of a challenge for you," Ichigo joked while following after him.
Ryou rolled his eyes at her as he started heading up. "You're a real comedian Momomiya, we should start an open mic night just for you."
"Oh yeah, good idea! I bet 'the government is putting microchips in the coffee beans' guy would love to get up on a stage! Or how about Ms Homemade Lamps, bet she would be a riot!"
After reaching the kitchen Ryou filled the kettle and put it on the stove to heat. "We should invite the little old lady with the purple hair too, then she can share her vaginal care wisdom with the masses."
Ichigo laughed, "it's a good thing she didn't become a regular until after Mint and Lettuce moved on."
"I think Mint would have moved her tea drinking spot to the back and said she was working kitchen from now on," said Ryou.
"HA you admit it!" Shouted Ichigo.
Ryou twitched at the sudden loud noise and blinked at Ichigo in confusion.
"About Mint never actually doing any work when she 'worked' here," clarified Ichigo.
"I admit to nothing."
"Oh come on! It's been ten years, say it, say 'Mint never did any of the work, and Ichigo did all the work around here'" Ichigo giggled.
"Mint is a fine upstanding citizen of the Earth who has done incredible work to protect it, and Ichigo is an average waitress," Ryou said with a smirk pulling at the edge of his mouth.
Ichigo huffed in fake annoyance. "Excuse me but I think you meant to say 'Ichigo is the most courageous superhero on Earth and this café would have never had a single customer without her hard work and dedication'".
Ryou leaned into Ichigo's personal space and smiled. He reached up and tucked some of her stray hair behind her ear, then flicked her nose making the young woman squawk in indignation. He laughed as she swatted his hand away.
Still leaning over her, Ryou said "Ichigo is a wonderful team mascot, when she can remember to get to work on time."
"Oh that does it mister! Those are fighting words!" With that Ichigo quickly closed the last bit of space between them and reached up to Ryou's sides where she had learned he was ticklish.
As she ran her fingers along the sides of Ryou's ribs he lost the battle to hold in his laughter. He half heartedly tried to push her away, but she just leaned into him harder.
Ryou took a step back away from Ichigo causing her to fall face first into his chest. Instinctively Ryou put his hands on her waist to catch her fall. They froze like that for a moment, Ichigo resting her forehead against Ryou's chest, and Ryou holding her still.
Ichigo looked up at Ryou's face inches from her own. His eyes seemed extra blue up close. He continued to stand still, not moving his hands or looking away from her face. Ichigo felt a tension building in her chest just standing there.
"You know sometimes I feel like you didn't add enough cat genes with how uncoordinated I can be," Ichigo joked to break the moment before it got awkward.
Ryou lowered his hands from her waist and said "I don't know, cats can be very clumsy, there are thousands of videos all over the internet documenting the phenomenon."
"Is that your excuse for making a bio weapon that trips over her own feet?" Ichigo quipped back, starting to get back into their normal playful banter.
The kettle started to whistle and Ryou finally stepped away to move it off the burner. "Would you like some tea as well?"
"Sure."
"Cream?"
"Of course."
Ryou busied himself with making the tea for the next few minutes. Ichigo meanwhile made herself comfortable in one of the kitchen chairs, enjoying being the one waited on for a change.
When Ryou finished he slid into the chair next to Ichigo, and put her mug down in front of her. Ichigo put her hands around the warm mug and breathed in the steam coming off the tea. The two sat in silence for a moment watching their tea cool.
"You already knew it, and singling you out as better at customer service wouldn't have been great for team bonding I alway figured back then." Ryou said while still looking at his tea.
Ichigo looked up at him in surprise at his words. It was nothing she ever expected him to actually say and wasn't sure how to actually respond to his comment.
Ryou continued to stare into his tea as he picked up again. "I was probably too hard on you at times back then, you were just a teenager and had never worked a job before. I had too many balls in the air and…"
Ichigo watched him struggle to find the words he needed and took pity on him. She reached out and touched the back of his hand where it was clutching at his mug.
"I get it. We were all too young to be dealing with so much."
"Thank you, Ichigo." Ryou turned his hand around and squeezed her fingers. "I should say it properly though… I'm sorry for putting more of the business side of things on you. All of you had just as much going on in your lives and I pushed you harder on working at the café because you picked it up the fastest."
They sat in silence again for a moment, looking at where their hands touched on the table. Ichigo pulled away first and took a gulp of her tea.
"Thank you as well, Ryou." Ichigo leaned her head down until she could catch Ryou's eyes from where he was still staring intently at his mug. "I really don't need an apology, but it is nice to talk about these things."
Ryou gave her a nod of his head and took a sip of his own tea. "I'm not good with…" he trailed off again and took another drink.
Ichigo watched as he shifted in his chair with nervous tension. She reached out again to take his hand from where it still sat on the table. She had rarely seen him so flustered. As she took his hand again she saw him flinch, and a tension seemed to snap over him.
Just as Ichigo had felt come over her countless times over her life, she watched as Ryou's body changed and cat ears appeared on his head.
"Oh!" Ichigo gasped and covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. "I had no idea it could happen to you too!"
Ryou flattened his ears to his head and blushed, which just made Ichigo lose her battle with her laughter.
"Yes, it occasionally happens to me as well. Thankfully not as often as the rest of you," said Ryou.
"Could I touch them? Please?" Asked Ichigo.
"What, why?"
"They look soft, and normally I'm the one with the cat ears," said Ichigo.
"You want to pet me?"
"I guess so," Ichigo squirmed in her seat.
Ryou growned, "fine. Since you said please."
Ichigo reaches up and ran her fingers with his fur. It had a slightly silkier texture than her own furry. A touch less fluffy though. She brought her hand to the base of the ear where it met his skull, feeling the spot where human skin became cat. The seam felt the same as on her own head.
It made Ichigo wonder if the spot on Ryou was as sensitive as on her own head. She curled her fingers and scratched lightly at the base of his ear. Ryou gave a gasp under his breath and leaned into her hand the smallest amount. Ichigo smiled and brought up her other hand so she could scratch at both of his ears at once.
After a minute Ichigo heard a familiar soft noise coming from Ryou's chest. Her grin grew in delight to see him so relaxed at her hands.
"You're purring," Ichigo said softly.
"No," Ryou denied half-heartedly while leaning into her hands more.
"Definitely purring."
"Nope you're hearing things."
Ichigo slid her one hand down from his head to his chest where she could feel the vibrations against her palm. "Hearing, and feeling things?"
"Yep, all in your head, Momomiya."
Ichigo giggled softly again.
Ryou made eye contact with Ichigo and held it for a moment, making Ichigo slow to a stop on her scratching. He moved forwards until their foreheads were touching.
Ichigo felt her heart climb into her throat at the sudden proximity. He was so close she would barely have to move her head for their lips to touch. The thought set off a flock of butterflies in her stomach.
"Ryou…"
"May I kiss you, Ichigo?"
"Yes," she managed to whisper around the lump in her throat.
Softly Ryou tilted his head till their lips brushed.
The butterflies in her stomach turned into a storm. Ryou's mouth was so soft and warm against Ichigo's, it made her toes curl in her shoes. Paradoxically she felt both more calm and excited in that moment then for longer than she could remember feeling in ages. Ichigo thread her fingers through Ryou's silky hair and move the hand on his chest so it was wrapped around his shoulders.
Ryou mimicked Ichigo, wrapping his one arm around her shoulders and the other came up to play with the ends of her hair. He tugged lightly at the end of one of her pigtails, sending tingles to her scalp that made her gasp softly against their joined lips. She leaned forwards to bring their chests closer together- and squeaked as she slid off her stool.
Ichigo gripped onto Ryou to keep herself on her feet. He chuckled at her mishap and smiled at her with adoration in his eyes. "You okay there?" Ryou asked.
"I think I'll live," replied Ichigo. She smoothed her hands down her shirt and fiddled with her skirt to make sure it was still on straight, giving herself a moment to think. She had just made out with Ryou in the café kitchen at 1:00 in the morning. Not something she had seen coming when she woke up earlier that day, but as she turned it over in her mind she couldn't say it was unexpected. They had been dancing around each other since the day they me,t it felt like. They had both been so young back then though, and Ichigo had hardly known anything about Ryou, other than he was the one who made her into a mew mew.
Now here they were, over a decade later and running the café together, recruiting new members to the team together, researching aliens and dead gods together. No, maybe not something she could have predicted happening tonight, but something they had been inching towards everyday they chose to keep each other so close in their lives.
Looking back up at Ryou, Ichigo froze for a moment. His hair was messy from Ichigo running her fingers through it, his lips red from their kiss, and his eyes had a hungry look Ichigo hadn't seen on him before. He was beautiful at that moment and Ichigo thought she could watch him forever like this.
Ryou shifted his weight and opened his mouth to speak, breaking the spell on Ichigo keeping her still. Before he could say anything she leaned forwards and captured his mouth again. He let out a soft sigh as she kissed him. His mouth was so soft and warm on her's, it made her feel like all the butterflies in her were going to burst from her chest.
They both leaned more into the kiss to deepen it and clinked their teeth together. Ichigo giggled as Ryou pulled back from the kiss. They were still wrapped in each other's arms where they stood in the kitchen.
"Maybe we should find somewhere more comfortable than the kitchen?" Ichigo suggested.
Ryou gently kissed Ichigo on the forehead before responding. “Yes, let's do that.”