[Hearing something like that should make him smile, but it just. Doesn't. Not with the way she seems to cry harder when he touches her head. Ichigo only seems to frown harder as he watches her, watches the way she straightens out and wipes her tears away.
And then she asks him why, and Ichigo reels a little bit, kind of taken aback by it. He shouldn't be surprised, Orihime is eerily good at finding the positive in any bad situation, but it's still something that catches him off guard right now.
The look is wiped away and replaced with a very serious one in an instant though. His hand never moves from her head as he speaks, and he squeezes the one still holding his gently as if to emphasize the emotions behind his words. It's insistent, the way he addresses it, almost fierce.]
That's... that's not all that matters, though! I know that you're always gonna try to see the positive or whatever, and that you try not to let things bother you but--[A shit, Ichigo has to yank his hand away from her head so that he can cough into his arm for a moment. Once the fit passes, he continues as if nothing just happened at all, though his voice definitely sounds quite a bit more scratchy.] I-I wouldn't take back what I did, I meant that in that trial, but I'm still gonna regret that you had to watch what got me there in the first place, and. And that you had to watch me die... again. You shouldn't have to endure that, Inoue, and I went and made you do it again. So... yeah, I'm gonna apologize, and I'm also gonna promise to do my best to not ever let it happen again. I don't... [Ichigo pauses, glancing away from her with that same hard frown.] I don't like it when you cry, and especially not over me.
no subject
And then she asks him why, and Ichigo reels a little bit, kind of taken aback by it. He shouldn't be surprised, Orihime is eerily good at finding the positive in any bad situation, but it's still something that catches him off guard right now.
The look is wiped away and replaced with a very serious one in an instant though. His hand never moves from her head as he speaks, and he squeezes the one still holding his gently as if to emphasize the emotions behind his words. It's insistent, the way he addresses it, almost fierce.]
That's... that's not all that matters, though! I know that you're always gonna try to see the positive or whatever, and that you try not to let things bother you but--[A shit, Ichigo has to yank his hand away from her head so that he can cough into his arm for a moment. Once the fit passes, he continues as if nothing just happened at all, though his voice definitely sounds quite a bit more scratchy.] I-I wouldn't take back what I did, I meant that in that trial, but I'm still gonna regret that you had to watch what got me there in the first place, and. And that you had to watch me die... again. You shouldn't have to endure that, Inoue, and I went and made you do it again. So... yeah, I'm gonna apologize, and I'm also gonna promise to do my best to not ever let it happen again. I don't... [Ichigo pauses, glancing away from her with that same hard frown.] I don't like it when you cry, and especially not over me.