You're A Shock [Erica, Ranma]

To think that she didn’t experience whistles, flirts or even catcalling… was a blessing in so many ways. Oh precious Erica, in Ranma’s intoxicated eyes, you were like an engulfing venus fly trap… a cocky comparison, but also a rather strange one. Then again, once her embrace engulfed his form with her kind words and acceptance of him, he was already hers. He had, figuratively, fallen into her embrace and wouldn’t go anywhere else.

A venus fly trap… or perhaps just Venus herself.

“… I’m so glad… I thought you’d find my goofy ass one-liners corny, but since you don’t have any reference points, I can definitely be as corny as I want without being called out! Haha!!!” Ranma jubilated while raising his cup up in the air, a certain victory for his future with the cherry heart encased in candied roses that was Erica, “Just you wait! I’ll give you all the compliments you’d ever need, and beyond…!” Ohhhhhhh, he would never leave her alone for any of his visits at Squad 2’s infirmary without getting so cheesy that the other Kaidō practitioners would crack in half.

Strict… oh dear. If Ranma got on her bad side, that’d spell doom for further getting to know Erica – let’s be real, he fucking fancied her. He wasn’t afraid to tell that to himself now that the Sakura Carp Sake was grabbing the reins to his brain’s wires… but from what Erica told him about her mother, maybe she didn’t like Shinigami? Maybe not? I mean, Erica herself was one… and she spoke dearly of her mother, so that couldn’t be the case???

Y’know what, Ranma?! Win her favor with style! That was the only thing to do in this situation – just jam it in- I mean, no, not yet… stop, you fool.

“… I-I-I-Y-You sure?” he asked staggeringly with widened eyes at Erica’s excitement to meet his family in return, “You don’t have to… why associate yourself with assholes? They’d just trouble you, really… you don’t have to trouble yourself like that. Nope! Sure, there’s a mother over there, and a father too… but I don’t have parents. I had an uncle and an aunt, though- okay, I did have parents, I’ll take that earlier statement back… but… f-forget it! I’m talking bullshit, again…”

Troubled events to be brought up in his mind again… so he took another cup of Sakura Carp Sake to dampen his nerves. This was supposed to be a fun date, not another confession! “… I’d definitely be a much better parent.”

…

…

Ranma had tilted at this point during their date. The sake was delightful, and the host’s desire was granted – Ranma was now in the zone, with reddened cheeks, hazy eyes, and some grin on his face. The takoyakis were also brought to their table – steaming meat buns with peppered veggies on top, along with a tasty sauce to finish the masterpiece. And Ranma – being Ranma – had remained quiet for a bit… until he unleashed: “Fucking hell, Erica! It’s not faaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiir – you literally just walked into my life, and now I can’t fucking focus! I bet it’s the braids, they’re living rent-free in my braaaaaaaaain… ohhhhhh, damn, your birth marks are cute, too… look like a couple distant stars or som’thin- wait, stars aren’t black, nevermind. Are stars black? We always see them as white, but why trust our own eyes? Are there even stars near the Soul Society? Are you thirsty?”

“It’s only right that I’d want to meet yours too, right?” Erica replied, slightly surprised that he responded to her enthusiasm in such a way. “If you don’t want me to then that’s perfectly fine too. I don’t want to cause you any trouble and if it’ll cause problems then I’m fine not knowing them. I suppose given what you’ve been through, it might be the case that you’d rather not meet them again. You’re still welcome to meet my mum though, even if meeting my dad might be a little more difficult. He’s in the Gotei but I don’t see him very much because he spends a lot of time on patrol. There’s more chance we’ll see him by accident than on purpose.” She chuckled, remembering the first time she saw him, a happy accident and one that had been life saving for her and her mum.

He was definitely starting to feel the effects of the sake and Erica’s turned dark red when he started complimenting her on her appearance. Ranma went off on a bit of a tangent but the healer could tell that he was sincere about what he was saying. She knew that he cared about her and Erica could see past the booze, her green eyes seeming to look right into his soul. He’s spoken a lot about his past and how rough it’d been but despite all of that pain, there was a sweetness to him still that remained and it was oh so charming.

Yet, she was a little unsure of how to respond at first and so when the food came, Erica spent some time simply tucking into her meal, thinking over how to respond. The food tasted wonderful and her eyes lit up at the taste of the delicious takoyakis. Their host had clearly outdone himself and after taking another sip of the sake, she was almost overcome by the textures that were tickling her tongue and throat.

Giggling, she finally answered. “Mmm. I could drink this all night and still be thirsty for more, it’s so good.”

Draping her braids so that they were almost wrapped around her shoulders like a scarf, she’d add. “So you like my braids, huh? What else do you like about me?”

… Oh. Only right, huh… she was right, y’know. Meet her parent(s), meet his parents – that was common sense! Common sense! You had that, Ranma… so why…?

And yet, she was like ‘that is totally fine too’, even when he expressed himself in such a disgraceful light. And he couldn’t attribute it to some sort of lack of understanding… for she understood perfectly. Her words made that sharply clear. But one thing was for certain – what he had gone through… always brought such a sour taste in his mouth. And he wasn’t a sobbing mess! Ranma had become an exemplary, Unseated member of the Gotei United! There was nothing to pity him for!

“On accident? Huh… he doesn’t, like, come home often? Must have his hands full…” Ranma pondered with visible question marks floating around his dome, “Hands full… hnhh, hmhmh.” A small chuckle escaped his mouth upon envisioning something indecent, and since the Sakura Carp Sake had done its job at melting down a lot of his sense of restraint, he was no longer embarrassed by his thoughts.

That was, though, until she draped her braids around her neck like a scarf. Oh, the sake in his system was going to work overtime tonight – how could such a simple action make her a million times cuter?! What kind of sorcery? What number of Hadō spell was it?! “O-Oh…” he was taken by surprise, bewildered despite his intoxicated state, his face reddening even further until he looked like a bell pepper-

Wait, why was he getting so flustered? The power of sake wouldn’t let him cave in to her powerful advances that easily! If anything, she’d bend in before he did!

“Your face, definitely… like, how lucky you gotta be to have two birth marks placed so perfectly under each of your dazzling, emerald eyes,” he added in return, receiving a couple thumbs-up unknowingly by the host hiding behind a corner, “Mhm, there’s a lot of things I like about you, Erica! Like, I wish I could have braids… I don’t know, they’re kinda trendy.”

All of a sudden, he picked up a bean atop one of Erica’s Takoyaki balls and fiddled with it between his fingers. “But… there’s something else I like much more about you, if- wait-“ Braking in his tracks, he took another cup of Sakura Carp sake before continuing, as if his life was extended by the extra drink, “Okay… ya got one more trait I just can’t help but admire, Erica. Ya wanna know what it is?”

Holding the bean on his knuckle, he used his thumb to flick it in an arc across their table, watching it aim riiiiiiiiiiight into the slight opening that led to where hopes and dreams culminated. Right in the middle of the cradle to her heart, the bed of roses, a portal into a warm gesture that he was letting her know he caught onto a while ago. That bean quickly disappeared with the fall into Heaven.

“Ya… ya accommodate me. As much of a handful as I am, I’ve never felt so much at ease before… thank you.” Hmh, despite the silly gesture of his – which had made the host’s jaw drop to the floor – he sounded 100% serious. It was like Erica was… hmh, did he sound possessive? Obsessive, much?

It was like he could see a pleasant future… by her side. Or something. Maybe he was hasty, maybe not – but that was his genuine feelings.

Even though she was starting to feel the effects of her drinking, Erica was still more than aware enough to know that he was being serious. Her green eyes were focused upon him while he spoke, remaining quiet and letting him say what he needed to. She appreciated the compliments to her appearance although his little act with the bean didn’t get much of a reaction from her, preferring his words over actions at that point. He’d commented on her hair and marks before but she still smiled at them regardless, always appreciating such sweet words.

It was his last admission that took her slightly off guard and her already pink cheeks darkened slightly more as she realised what he was saying. Of course, she was nice to everyone or tried to be, whether it be at work or not and Ranma certainly seemed to need her support. He’d been in such a state when she’d met him and ever since then, Erica couldn’t help but think about him, even when she wasn’t intending to. He was a tortured soul, one that was determined to become whole again and she felt herself pulling for him, wishing to help him find what he never had before.

“I can’t help but think about that day in the infirmary.” She replied with a smile, commenting about some of her thoughts aloud. “I’ve had a lot of people who’ve come to me for healing but never have I felt so strongly for someone then I do for you. I don’t fully understand it and it confuses me all the time but there’s something there. I keep seeing your face in my mind’s eye, hear your voice in my ears and feel your spiritual energy wherever I go. It’s like I’m never alone anymore and I don’t mind that one bit.”

… Oh shit.

She didn’t appear… uh, well… anything, really, with his bean trick. And here he tried to make her blush in a little bit of goofy embarrassment, just to distract from his own sandstorm of a face – this was just swiping the heat riiiiiiight back to his own face again, wasn’t it? Quite embarrassing for him.

And as if his face hadn’t suffered enough heat… she had to open her heart now. Sharing her thoughts, which sounded to have been preoccupied with their first meeting in the infirmary- wait, she thought about him a lot, too? Woah, woah, woah, he wasn’t alone here? That actually made his eyes widen in surprise – the idea that she thought a lot about him was… f-fucking exciting, really.

She didn’t seem to fully understand her feelings, and Ranma was no psychic, but…

“I… kinda have the same thing going on. Hehe…” he revealed, albeit his daydreams were filled with pleasant, rosary scents, a delicate hand caressing his chest, candied braids twirling around his face and a tickling lip whispering sweet nothings to his ear. “It’s… it’s… it’s almost like…”

“C’mooooooon, Ranma… help realize each other’s feels, man!” the host whispered to himself behind the corner, one eye spying towards the couple, “Break the fucking ice, already…”

“It’s almost like, uh-“

“Almost theeeeeereeeee…”

“-Like-“

Would she, perhaps, panic if he confessed here? Would she find it too out of nowhere? Would it… embarrass her? But she thought about him a lot, didn’t she? And so did he- well, he thought about her a lot, too! So why hold back?!

“-Like falling in love… mhm? Huh?”

"YES!!! I-I mean- *whistleeeeeeee'"

… Oh, who was he kidding? He had fallen in love. A weak attempt to move on from that statement was him pouring up another cup of sake for him and Erica, before he’d continue: “N-No need to take me seriously, though… *sip* who am I kidding, please take me seriously. I think I love you! I-I mean, I think I’d like to love you! And I’d love to, really! FUCK!!! I meant to say ‘I like you’ first, and then build from there up until the grand reveal, and I just skipped like a HUNDRED steps… what the hell’s wrong with me? Can’t believe I’m the first drunk creep confessing to you like this…”

Huh, self-awareness even when wasted? That was new.

It was clumsy but Erica waited patiently for him to finish what he needed to say, her eyes not leaving him for a moment. She understood what he was saying and it felt oh so similar to how the healer felt herself. The healer briefly wondered if maybe it was the sake talking but that thought was pushed aside by the overwhelming feeling of happiness that was growing within her. She didn’t want to believe that it was anything other than his true feelings for her. Yes, it was all incredibly fast but since when was there a manual for how such things occurred? Not all people fell for another over months and years. Everyone was different, after all. She didn’t care about the speed of it all, just that they were both honest with one another.

“I want to take you seriously. I want to take every word you say as gospel. I like you too and every cell in my body is saying that. I’m new to all this, Ranma, I’ve never been close to anyone in this way but I can’t deny how I feel. I’ve no idea what’s going to happen or what this is all going to lead to but I’m not afraid of that. Forget the steps and just focus on what you feel. That’s what I’m going to do and I hope you do the same. Let’s see where this all goes and find our own way.”

Drinking the sake that he’d poured for her, she’d shake her head briefly, before continuing on with a chuckle. “My colleagues are going to have a field day when they discover I’ve fallen for a patient but who cares about that. I care for you too and that’s not the sake talking either.”

It was… a little tormenting that she never broke eye contact with him while he was pouring his flimsy heart out like that. Like, super embarrassing, and she witnessed all of it… but Ranma let it slide. After all, if it was her, he could be as embarrassing as possible.

She took him seriously, verbally, physically… it was clear enough, and she made it clearer. There was no doubt any more – these two fell for each other. And Erica, despite her dazzling atmosphere, wonderful braids and welcoming attitude, revealed to not have experience in such romantic relationships, which kinda made Ranma feel extremely lucky – like, privileged-ly lucky. As if a blessing was bestowed upon him.

Just focus on what he felt.

“… O-Ohhhhhhh…” Cupping his cheeks, Ranma really was beside himself – as he’d fallen for her, he found out that his feelings were reciprocated. “… I-I don’t even know what to say…”

A couple drinks later, and Ranma had moved around to Erica’s side, sloppily rubbing his face against hers with his arms around her shoulders. He fell victim to a sudden, irresistible urge to hug her and couldn’t hold himself back, since per Erica’s advice – he simply focused on what he felt. And what he felt was a source of warmth that’d melt all his worries away.

“Ericaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, you even smell like apple now~! Is it the candy apple I gave ya earlier? Maybe if I rub candy apple over myself, I’ll smell like apple too!”

The takoyaki had been spicy, but Ranma was full now – full of food, and full of unrelenting love and affection for the person who’d confessed to him. But it’d also gotten a bit late, and-

“Why can’t we continue at my place or something? It’s not thaaaaaaaaaaat late… right?!”

“It’s dark outside.”

“Well, screw that~! It’s not like we got work tomo- wait, you got work tomorrow, and I got work tomorrow… I’ll walk ya home, then!” Covering Erica’s tab on the meal, Ranma… quickly latched his arm around Erica’s shoulder again, realizing that it was late enough to make him sleepy. “I-I’ll walk ya hooooome… hoooooome…”

The healer reacted to his sudden displays of affection with all the sweetness that she could muster within her frame. Her cheeks turned dark red but any embarrassment that she might have felt was nothing compared to the immense joy that went along with it. He felt the same way she did and that was all that mattered to her. Alright, he was coming on a little strong now but she knew that it was probably due to the alcohol and spicy food combo that was no doubt playing havoc with him. No doubt he was going to feel it in the morning and thinking about it, she probably would too. Still, it was well worth it and she wouldn’t forget their date, not in a million years. The start of something special or she hoped so at least.

When he draped himself around her, Erica giggled, the alcohol starting to have its way with her as well. Her vision was starting to blur and there were moments where she saw three of Ranma rather than just one but for the most part, she was OK enough to walk and after a small smile and wave to the bar owner, she’d help Ranma to leave the place before they ended up making a mess. Any chill in the air was easily fought off by the alcohol and spicy food, leaving the pink haired woman in a state of happiness that she hadn’t felt for a long time.

“Come on. Let’s get you home before we both pass out.” She said with a chuckle, helping him walk through the streets and back towards his home. Unfortunately, she wasn’t all that sure where that was and so had to rely on him for directions, something that made her laugh again. Who knew where they could end up?

As if it was reading her mind, her sword would suddenly release a scent of sweet flowers, which somewhat helped her clear her head although it also seemed to stimulate her at the same time.

Looking down at her weapon for a second, she’d ask, grinning like a cheshire cat. “Why are you always doing that?”

She didn’t expect an answer but all of a sudden, the healer felt another intelligence brush against hers, a feminine voice in her mind. “Someone has to keep you thinking straight, my dear.”

Erica almost jumped out of her skin in surprise, before turning to her drunk new boyfriend and saying with a confused tone of voice. “Ranma, my sword’s talking to me, I’ve drunk too much sake.”

He meant to lead her home, y’know, like a gentleman – it was quickly reversed, and she was now the one supporting him on his stroll across the street, giggling and humoring each other under the influence of the pink sake they drank. His affection rather cat-like – lots of rubbing his face against her, sharp pupils, a deep purring echoing from his bellow – which funnily matched his mismatched eyes.

“Sweetie, ya smell good… and ya bouncy soft too,” Ranma sighed, almost wanting to just fall asleep here and now when leaning up against her on their walk, both with his jolly face and his chest which had plenty of comfort brought from her side. Some sharp, sweet scent had just emitted from Erica that put him at ease, but he didn’t know anything about her Zanpakutō, so he chalked it up to just another one of Erica’s many charms… at least, until she asked her weapon a question. “Mhnm, huh? Is your Zantoakapaukatapaulauaptakutō bothering you?!” he was suddenly rallied up, mistaking the sword’s intentions for malicious. Erica straight up denied that the sword was even saying anything to her, but it wasn’t like he could hear anything… so he tilted his head.

“Ya haven’t drunk more than meeeeeeee… far from! A-And Hōkamaru only talks to me when I’m boutta fuckin’ die or sum’ shieeeeeeeeeee…”

His complaints about his own Zanpakutō were often heard, but he’d mellowed out in that regard. Instead, Ranma spoke words of gratitude: “Bah… bah… but I can move in slooooooow-mooooooooooow… y’know, like ya movin’ slow and all. ‘s pretty awesome. Wut kinda thing ya Zan-thingie do?”

“I don’t know what my sword does besides releasing that sweet smelling stuff.” Erica replied truthfully. “I haven’t had a proper conversation yet with it and I don’t even know how to activate its ability. It just releases that pollen whenever I’m stressed out. Maybe it’s a flower type? Suits me quite well.” It was getting hard to think about anything, let alone talk about her sword and the alcohol was definitely having its way with her. “I’m pretty sure I just heard something though but maybe it is just the booze after all. Why would it choose to talk now?”

“Because you are drunk and need someone to keep you from making a fool of yourself. I cannot believe that my Master is such a lightweight.” Erica could then hear a chuckle in her head, a light and teasing one that caused the pink haired woman to laugh too. Her sword would release another spray of pollen at that point, covering the area around the two Shinigami with its scent. “Inhale my pollen, my dear, it will help you find your way home.”

The healer did as she was told and felt the effects of the alcohol fade away a little. It was a strange feeling and one that left her a little light headed but her vision started to return at least, enough for her to see where she was going. Turning to her boyfriend, she’d say excitedly. “She did talk to me! She’s going to help us get home. Inhale the pollen, Ranma, it’s the power of my sword.”

In her mind, she’d call out to her sword. “Tell me your name. Please?”

There was silence for some time before a measured reply came back. “Not yet. It is not time for you to learn that. Keep moving forward and for the love of all that is holy, keep smiling. You have no idea how angry I get when you cry.” With that, the voice and presence were gone.

The healer guessed that she should’ve been unhappy that her sword had refused to give her name but there was no chance of that. The night had gone too well for tears. Her first boyfriend and her sword making contact with her? How could she possibly be upset? It was all going so well.

Turning to Ranma, she’d lean in close and kiss him on the cheek, a deep a meaningful smooch that caused her feelings for him to come gushing out like water from a tap. She was devoted to him and would be for as long as he let her be. “I love you Ranma and I always will.”