KNOCK. KNOCK.
"...Aizen-sama..." she spoke in a surprised tone of voice, "…. can I help you?"
The famous, young CEO of Hueco Mondo Corporation stood in her doorway, disheveled, tired and barely keeping hold of his young nephews in each arm, her usual weekday charges as a nanny in the employment of Aizen Sosuke. The boys had tear-streaked cheeks and were still dressed in pajamas with winter coats thrown over. The toddler tightly clutched his Chappy-Bunny printed blankie. Before Aizen could respond, both boys made hasty attempts escape his hold, but only four-year old Grimmjow was successful in launching himself away from the tall man. Nel instinctively held her arms out for the young boy who wrapped his arms around his nanny's neck, buried his face in her hair, and in his best attempts to not cry, whined that "Uncle is no fun..."
Capable of commanding a multi-national corporation, delegating tasks to subordinates across the world, and defeated by the whimpers of a small child, Aizen ran a free hand through his unkempt hair in exasperation, shifting his other arm for a more solid grip on young Ichigo, who was not quite as strong as his older brother. "My apologies Nelliel-san. It seems that I am at a loss to help these boys..."
Nel held Grimmjow, gently rubbing his back to calm him and simply said, "I suppose you should come in, then. Care for a coffee?"
Aizen stepped over the threshold of the door, shutting the door behind him, and glad to be out of view from the nosey neighbors. He took a look around the humble apartment. Late morning sunlight was streaming though the large window in the living/office area. An artist's draft table stood directly in front of it, flooded with bright light. He noticed a steaming mug of coffee at the corner. She must have been working a moment ago.
The rest of the room was simply furnished with a sofa, a large and well-stocked bookshelf and a low coffee table. A turn-table and numerous plants adorned a simply-constructed unit of plywood and cinder blocks to the right of the door. It was... charming, in a way. Aizen's observations were disrupted by Nel's movements. Nel placed a calmed, but still quiet Grimmjow on the floor, bending down to whisper to the still-sniffling child, "Don't worry, Grimm, we'll just show Uncle how we have fun..."
Wiping snot and tears on the cuff of his jacket, Grimmjow nodded. Just being around his nanny made him feel better. She was all smiles, hugs and games. Not like his rarely-seen uncle, who until today, Grimmjow had only ever seen wear a suit and tie. Uncle never yelled, but still seemed so overbearing, as if his presence could be felt. Grimmjow and his young brother Ichigo were always required to be on their best behavior in front of Uncle Sosuke, which often meant silent. That was nearly impossible for Grimmjow and definitely impossible for his one-and-half-year old brother Ichigo.
"Grimm, why don't you go play with the train set?" Nel whispered, gently pinching his cheek before standing. The boy nodded with a shy smile and immediately scampered to the other side of the small living room for a crate of second-hand toys. "C'mere, Ichigo, I bet you need a change..."
Nel stretched her arms for the younger boy, who took the opportunity to reach out from his uncle's arms to his beloved nanny. She hugged the small toddler, tickling his belly while simultaneously blowing raspberry kisses on his cheeks. Ichigo burbled in delight and then snuggled into her arms. "Aizen-sama...did you, by chance, bring Ichigo's diaper bag?"
"Sosuke..."
"Nani?
"Please, call me Sosuke" he repeated, attention returning to the young, green-haired woman. He was still in shock from witnessing the immediate positive mood-change in his nephews just from being in her presence. "And...no, I believe not. What exactly, is a 'diaper bag?'" he queried.
Shaking her head, but not surprised the young businessman was so clueless, Nel turned on her heels towards the bedroom. "Nevermind...I think I have some spares here. Help yourself to the coffee. Just brewed a pot."
Aizen Sosuke felt immediately powerless. Here, a young woman of twenty-four, had the extreme upper-hand in the situation. He debated whether to take her offer for coffee, but was simply too overwhelmed and sat on the couch dazed. His attentions turned to observe his, now calm, four-year old nephew play. Still in his winter coat, Grimmjow sat on the carpet and played happily with the wooden train set. In mere minutes, he had constructed a complicated maze of tracks, bridges and stations. He was perfectly content to play with toys that did not have batteries, or lights, or made noise. In fact, he was happily adding "choo-choo" sounds as he busily pushed the wheeled-toys around the tracks.
"Here." Aizen turned to look at Nel who offered a mug of coffee. A freshly changed Ichigo was balanced on her hip, new formula bottle at his lips. "You look shell-shocked. What happened?"
Aizen glanced over to Grimmjow, still occupied with the train set, but now ramming different wheeled train engines together, then to Ichigo slurrping on his bottle. Nel resettled the toddler in her lap as she took a seat next to her employer on the worn, plaid sofa. It suddenly seemed too small. Aizen's 6'2' frame fit poorly on it and his knees knocked against the wooden coffee table. He sighed and then sipped the warm beverage before speaking. What had gone wrong today... he wasn't sure where to begin. "That's unclear Nelliel-San, but I'm certainly out of my element with these two."
"Nel."
"Hm?"
"Nel. Please call me Nel. Especially if you insist that I call you Sosuke..."
"She's Nelllly-ne-chan!" Grimmjow piped up, grinning. Nel smiled, but clarifed "Nel is fine." Aizen nodded in agreement. "Nee-chan" was far too familiar and childish of a nick-name for him to use.
"So how is it you were left alone with them, Aiz….ahem, Sosuke?" Nel asked, guiding the conversation back to the odd situation at hand. Although the young boys' nanny, it was her only weekend off this month. It was unexpected that her employer and charges would appear at her door at 11:30 on a Saturday morning, in their pjs no less. Well, not Aizen. He was dressed in jeans, a well-worn university tee-shirt with a corduroy jacket thrown over, but compared to his usual business attire, this may as well have been pajamas. Nel was still in her gray leggings and a white v-neck tee, unshowered. She made the most of her morning off with an early yoga class and then was at the drawing board when her "guests" arrived.
Another sigh escaped Aizen's lips. "I inexplicably scheduled all the staff's time off for the same weekend." Nel nodded, but was not following why that meant the current gathering in her living room. Aizen continued, "In addition to you, that includes my assistant Ulquiorra, my driver Yammy, the house-keeper, and the cook. I did not realize caring for two small children required... so many hands."
"Uncle can't cook! He makes yucky food!" Grimmjow chimed in again, with a pout, adding a perfectly timed tummy rumble for effect. Aizen wanted to glare at the young boy for making him appear an inept and neglectful care-taker, but Grimmjow was right. Aizen was a terrible cook.
"And you are a picky eater, Grimmjow" Nel added. "Little boys have to eat all sorts of things to become big boys." Grimmjow continued to pout, but it had no effect on Nel. She admonished him further, "It's rude to describe food someone made for you as 'yucky.' "
"You may be giving me more credit than is fair, Nel-san. I would not describe what I offered Grimmjow as "cooking," and he's probably right in calling it... what did you say, Grimm?"
"Is YUCKY." The boy answered firmly.
"Yes, indeed. Yucky." Aizen affirmed. Nel laughed lightly, happy to see the two at least conversing. She had feared the worst when they first walked into her tiny apartment. "Well then, I suppose that means we should have some breakfast. Or lunch... or brunch."
Nel passed Ichigo to Aizen for the remainder of his bottle-breakfast. The chubby, toddler's eyes-widened and threatened tears again as Nel stood up from the couch, untucking her long legs from the half-lotus position she had inadvertently sat in. Nel reached over to dam up the water-works by toussling Ichigo's mop of orange-hair. "Don't worry, Ichi, be back in a minute." Nel grabbed a nearby dishtowel off the coffee table, realizing her flat was overdue for a good tidying-up, but then tossed it to Aizen. "Here, burp him in a few...once he's done that is. I'll make some pancakes. Grimm, want to help?"
"PAAAAAANCAKES!" was all the four-year old shouted in response as he shot off the carpet in the general direction of what Aizen assumed, was the kitchen.
A few bangs, clatters, and "oopsies" later, a heavenly, warm, bread smell wafted over the kitchen counter. Aizen was uncomfortable being alone wih Ichigo and not clear how a towel would help him burp a toddler, so he carefully held the young boy as stood up and headed towards the delicious smell.
In those brief minutes Nel and Grimmjow disappeared into the kitchenette, and even that was too generous a description for this tiny area of the flat, Grimmjow had doused himself in flour, sugar and even managed to get raw egg in his cerulean blue hair. He stood on a stool to reach the counter top and peered over the bowl of pancake batter, happily stirring and slopping the goo while Nel prepared a fresh fruit salad and monitored the frying cakes on the electric griddle.
"Maybe we should teach your Uncle how to make pancakes, Grimm? What do you think?"
"Yesh, yesh. These are more yummy than stinky naggo."
"Natto" Aizen corrected.
"Natto?" Nel asked. "You fed fermented soy beans to a four-year old who's only lived in Japan for four weeks?"
"It's healthy...?" Aizen challenged weakly, knowing the real reason he suggested it as breakfast was that it was already prepared.
"Not disagreeing with you, but it's a rather... acquired taste and uhm, Grimm seems to be used to German and American foods, not traditional Japanese cuisine."
"Yes, well, his mother was part-German and his father...loved junk food." Aizen added. Nel knew that Aizen's older brother Gin was the father of both boys, but that each had a different mother. Women, who in Aizen's opinion, were unsuitable to the task of parenting, if either were still even alive. Not that Gin would be considered a suitable parent by anyone either.
"Did Ichigo burp yet?" Nel asked, deliberately moving the conversation away from the awkward topic of the boys' parentage.
"Uhm, yes he did. Is that good? I'm not clear on what use a towel is in relation to burping?"
"Baby-barfy." Grimmjow explained for his obtuse relative and care-taker. "Ichigo likes to puke."
"Grim!" Nel tsked, "it's better to say 'throw up' than puke, and no, Ichigo doesn't like to throw up. It just happens when he drinks too quickly. But yes, to answer the important question...it's good that he burped."
"He drinks quickly a lot..." Grimmjow muttered, challenging his nanny's opinion of the situation.
Nel shushed him and returned to flipping the remaining pancakes.
"Can I assist you?" Aizen asked, realizing he was idly standing as everyone worked around him and Aizen Sosuke was not one to be called lazy in any situation.
"Uhm, sure. Can you set the table? Clean plates are in the drying rack and silverware is in the drawer below" Nel explained, tipping her head back in the general direction of the sink behind her. Aizen nodded, but then realized he had the awkward pleasure of walking the narrow space between Nel's voluptous, legging clad, rear and the wall to reach the sink area. He shifted Ichigo to his left arm and grabbed three small plates, piling the silverware on top.
"Where exactly do you dine, Nel-san?" Aizen asked, noting that there was not an actual dining table in the apartment.