Ten Kisses:

- Ichigo's kissing booth attracted a lot of attention every year at the charity fair, especially from his best friend Grimmjow who decided this year, maybe he would have a go too.

"Come on or we're going to be late!" Grimmjow rolled his eyes as his sister Nel bounded ahead grinning widely as they headed towards the annual fair of Karakura. "Ichigo's already there you know!"

"Yes, I know." He replied calmly, catching up to her as she stopped at the entrance. "What is that smirk for?" He asked suspiciously, catching sight of Nel's face and she shrugged.

"Ichigo's doing his booth again." Nel replied, glancing sideways at Grimmjow and he stiffened slightly. "He got such a good response last year, he's doing it again. I mean, he made a lot of money and he gives it all to charity doesn't he?" When Grimmjow didn't respond, she continued. "And it's not as if he has a boyfriend to get jealous so why not?"

He just made a noncommittal noise, decidedly ignoring Nel's probing. She rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and the two of them entered the fair. "So where are we going first this time?"

"Don't change the subject." Nel chided him, waving a finger in front of his face and Grimmjow had to the sudden urge to slap it away. Thankfully he resisted the urge, or Nel probably would have punched him and she had a mean right hook. "You get jealous, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really? So you haven't had a crush on Ichigo, your best friend, for at least four years?"

"Nope."

Nel laughed and shook her head. "You are such a bad liar. Oh look, there he is." Nel pointed across the path and they could see the line queuing outside the kissing booth was as long as ever. Grimmjow sighed, eyes narrowing as they passed it and the action didn't go unnoticed. "Yeah, obviously not jealous."

"Shut up."

"Why don't you give it a go?" Nel jerked her head at the booth and as they passed, they could see Ichigo sat at the booth. He glanced up, grinning as he spotted them and gave them a small wave. "You know you want to."

Grimmjow sighed, looking away from Ichigo to focus on Nel. "No. And don't try to persuade me otherwise."

"You are such a coward." Nel's eyes widened suddenly and she grinned, yanking Grimmjow away. "Oooh look! Come on I bet you can do that easily!" She pointed at a ring toss, dragging Grimmjow towards it. "It'll take your mind of Ichigo." Nel added when she saw him glance back at the orange head's stall.

"Fine." Grimmjow muttered with a heavy sigh, allowing her to pull him away.

Nel spent the next few hours dragging Grimmjow around the fair, playing on the various games and by the end of it, she was carrying several stuffed animals. "You are too good at these games." She said in an oddly proud voice, ginning at her brother who just shrugged. "You're not usually this modest?"

"Yeah well we all have to grow up some time." Grimmjow muttered, running a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. They were passing Ichigo's stall again and the queue had shortened since the day was drawing to a close. "Wait here." Grimmjow murmured to Nel after a moment's decision.

"Good luck." She called after him as he headed towards Ichigo.

"So…" Grimmjow leaned against the edge of Ichigo's table, waiting a moment as the orange head's next customer walked away. "Having fun?"

"Mmm, loads." Ichigo turned to face him with a grin. "What brings you over here? If you want a turn you better join the line." He indicated at the queue and Grimmjow snorted.

"No mates rates then?" He pulled a tenner out, placing it in the box in front of his friend. "What is it, a pound a kiss?" Ichigo just raised an eyebrow, tilting his head upwards slightly to look at him more clearly. Grimmjow sighed, bending down before he could think things through clearly and kissed him quickly. "Keep the change, and have fun."

"S-sure." Ichigo replied weakly and Grimmjow left.

As he returned to Nel, Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the grin she wore. "What?"

"You kissed him."

"And you sound impressed." Grimmjow pressed a finger to her lips when Nel opened her mouth. "And yes, it was good. Now let's go get food, I'm starving."

…

Grimmjow had been back at his apartment for almost an hour when Ichigo walked in. They had been sharing the apartment for about a year and a half now. Grimmjow wasn't sure if it was the best or worse decision he'd made in his life. But then again, the fact that he'd kissed Ichigo might just top it, depending on his reaction.

"So, how was it?" Grimmjow asked, turning to look at Ichigo as he sighed, dropping his bag on the kitchen table.

"Ok I guess, I mean I made quite a bit which is good." Ichigo sat down with a groan, scrubbing his face before looking up at Grimmjow. "Wanna know something?"

"Enlighten me." Grimmjow sat down too, setting a coffee in front of the orange head who took it gratefully.

"You were my best kiss." Ichigo stated in a matter-of-fact tone, taking a sip from the drink. "And, I've short-changed you."

"Well I am flattered. How have you short-changed me?"

"You paid me ten pounds, but only got one kiss. That means I owe you nine."

"You're going to give them to me?" Grimmjow asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow before standing up. "I said you could keep the change."

"Yes, but I feel like that's cheating and after all, it's for charity." Ichigo stood as well, walking to Grimmjow's side and grabbed his arm. "Unless of course, you don't want them." After a long pause, Grimmjow shrugged, making Ichigo smile. "Good enough for me." Leaning forward, Ichigo caught his chin, turning his head so their lips could meet again. "Eight left."

Grimmjow's hands cupped his face, bringing their lips back together again, groaning softly when Ichigo allowed him access to his mouth. "Isn't that more than eight?"

"I'll make an exception, if its consecutive then it'll only count as one, so it's still eight more." Another quick kiss and Ichigo stepped out of Grimmjow's hold with a grin. "I'm going to shower, see you in a bit."

Grimmjow watched as he went into the bathroom, sighing as the door closed. Licking his lips, he snorted softly upon finding he could still taste Ichigo, and it was a welcoming experience. "I'm in love with my best friend." He told himself, shaking his head as he went to his own room.

…

The fair was always on a Saturday so both Grimmjow and Ichigo had the following day off. Grimmjow wasn't sure when he woke up if he was happy about that or not. On one hand he got to spend the day with Ichigo, on the other, there was still those kisses Ichigo had insisted on giving him and Grimmjow wasn't sure how to react to them. If he responded how he wanted to, by trying to take it further then Ichigo would know how he felt and for all he knew, this was just the orange head playing around. After all, he was a major flirt, even if he didn't realise it.

"Grimmjow you lazy ass, get out of bed!" Ichigo called loudly and he groaned, reluctantly removing himself from his bed. "I'm starving and you promised pancakes today!"

"Alright I'm coming!" He yelled back, quickly changing before heading into the main room to find Ichigo sat at their table. The impatient look he received was all he needed and he got to work quickly on breakfast. "Waking me up because you're hungry, you know you really are a nuisance."

"You still love me though." Ichigo stuck his tongue out when Grimmjow turned to give him a questioning look. Rolling his eyes, he chose not to answer the question. As Nel had said, he was a terrible liar so better not to say anything. "Aww don't be sore, I love you too Grimmy."

Grimmjow's eye twitched slightly at the stupid nickname Nel used to call him and turned to glare at Ichigo this time. "No you don't, you love my pancakes and don't call me that."

"Sorry, how about Grimm." Ichigo said, moving to grab some plates and stood next to him. "That's what I get to call you, isn't it." Grimmjow snorted, Ichigo sounded oddly proud of that. Although it was true, he was the only one allowed to call him that nickname, as he had his own special one for Ichigo too.

"Alright Ichi." Flashing a smirk at Ichigo he took the plates, piling them high with food before placing one in front of the orange head and taking his own seat. "You better eat it all."

Ichigo just rolled his eyes and eyed the plate in a way that actually made Grimmjow feel jealous of the food. With an aggravated huff he stabbed his own food, glaring at Ichigo when he laughed. Shaking his head, Ichigo started eating and somehow, he managed to eat everything. How the man stayed in shape and ate so much food was a mystery to Grimmjow.

"How the fuck are you not a beach ball?" He finally asked, jabbing a fork at Ichigo's empty plate, he was only halfway through his own. "You eat so much food."

Ichigo winked and stood up, dumping his plate it the sink. "I work out idiot."

"Must be some workout." Grimmjow muttered darkly, his thoughts straying to a possible trainer Ichigo had. Maybe that was how he did it, if he was getting it on almost every night, surely that would burn off all the crap Ichigo ate. The thought did nothing to lighten his mood.

Ichigo seemed to notice the bad mood Grimmjow was settling into because he strode over, wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's neck from behind. "You could say that." He whispered in Grimmjow's ear, pleased to the the man stiffen and his fork fall with a loud clatter on his plate. "Maybe you should join me sometime."

"You are such a flirt." Grimmjow grumbled and he picked up his fork up again, shoving some pancake into his mouth. Ichigo just laughed and without warning placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Grimmjow choked, making him laugh harder. "Scratch that, you are an asshole of a flirt."

"You love me really."

"You wish, I'm the only person able to put up with your sorry ass."

"Oh Grimmjow, you break my heart." Ichigo sighed wistfully and let go of him. "So…" He began, sitting on the table in front of him and he began swinging his legs. It was then Grimmjow noticed he was only wearing shorts and Ichigo's bare legs were not helping with his concentration. "What do you want to do today?"

"I could think of a few things…" Grimmjow muttered, shoving more food into his mouth so he didn't have to elaborate. At this rate he was going to get a hard on, something he really didn't want to explain to Ichigo.

The orange head raised an eyebrow when he didn't continue. "Alright… Let's go swimming!"

"Swimming?"

"Duh, it's fun and besides, the beach is always empty on Sunday's." Jumping off the table, Ichigo started packing a bag and Grimmjow knew there was no point in arguing. Once Ichigo got an idea in his head, there was little to no chance of dissuading him. "Come on…" He moaned when seeing Grimmjow still hadn't finished. With a roll of his eyes Grimmjow took an extremely long time to eat the final bite and Ichigo huffed impatiently once it was in his mouth, whisking the plate away. "Child."

"You're just so easy to rile up." He would never say it out loud, but Ichigo's pout was one of his major turn ons. The more he riled Ichigo up, the more frustrated and sexier he became. "I've had years of practice."

"Aren't you lucky." Ichigo suddenly smiled and grabbed Grimmjow's hand, dragging him towards the door. "Let's go!"

"Hold up I haven't even put my shoes on yet!"

…

Half an hour later Grimmjow was sat watching Ichigo swimming in the sea, his orange hair bobbing in and out of view occasionally. He was quite content to watch from the nice dry beach, Ichigo often said he was a cat and his dislike of being wet only proved this theory. Grimmjow often thought Ichigo was a dog, well more of an excitably puppy, not that he ever mentioned this to him of course.

"Grimmjow!"

He sat up straighter at the call of his name and looked out, frowning when he didn't see Ichigo. Standing up, he still couldn't see the recognisable orange hair anymore. Panic erupted in his chest and before he could think about what to do, Grimmjow was running down to the water's edge and he waded out until it was up to his waist.

"Ichigo?!"

Still no response and now the panic was overwhelming. What if the current had been too strong, what if Ichigo had drowned? Ichigo couldn't have died. Before Grimmjow could think about it anymore, something grabbed his leg and with a yell he was dragged under the water. Spluttering he resurfaced to find Ichigo in hysterics, almost crying with laughter.

"That wasn't funny!" Grimmjow hissed and he grabbed Ichigo's arms, giving him a shake. "I thought you were in serious trouble!"

Ichigo sobered up at bit when catching sight of Grimmjow's face, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "I'm sorry, but you've got to admit it was at least a tiny bit funny, you should've seen your face." He dissolved into laughter again and with a derisive snort, Grimmjow started back to the beach. "Aw Grimm c'mon, don't be mad." Ichigo grabbed his arm. "I didn't know you cared about me so much."

Grimmjow stopped, exhaling slowly before turning to face Ichigo again. "You, are the biggest asshole I've ever met. What did I do so wrong to deserve such a punishment?" Ichigo's expression fell at that and Grimmjow knew it was all an act, but it still had the desired effect and he sighed, shaking his head. "Don't do it again, please?"

"Can't promise that." With a grin and a sudden movement he shoved Grimmjow's shoulders and they both fell back into the water. Warm lips pressed against his own for a fraction of a second before disappearing and when he resurfaced again, Ichigo was already out of the water. "Hurry up I'm hungry!" He called back to him and with a roll of his eyes, Grimmjow followed him back to their stuff.

Ichigo was already sat down and eating by the time Grimmjow caught up to him. With a groan he lay down next to the orange head who threw him a sandwich. "Was all that an elaborate scheme just to kiss me?"

He just shrugged in response, finishing his mouthful before responding. "Maybe, or maybe I wanted to mess with you. It worked either way didn't it?"

Grimmjow chose not to respond, but finished his food instead. Sometimes Ichigo really was confusing. If he didn't know any better, then he could've sworn Ichigo enjoyed kissing him, but then again, Ichigo was a major flirt and this could all be a game to him.

He looked up as a group of girls went past, their giggling catching his attention. They were whispering behind their hands about something, and Grimmjow would bet it had to do with himself and Ichigo. "Hey Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"How many kisses left?"

The man had to think about it for a moment before responding, it didn't seem as if he'd noticed the girls, which was exactly what Grimmjow was hoping for. "Six, why?"

"Make it five." Ichigo opened his mouth, presumably to ask another question but Grimmjow lent forward and kissed him, cutting the question off before it could be spoke. If Ichigo was going to give him his kisses, then he sure as hell was going to enjoy them. A new chorus of giggles broke them apart, louder than the previous ones and Ichigo looked over his shoulder to see the gang of girls now all staring at them and blushed, turning to stare at Grimmjow accusingly. "What?"

"You call me an asshole." Shaking his head, Ichigo groaned and lay down, closing his eyes. "Don't start." He added when Grimmjow opened his mouth to object. "I'm an asshole, you're an asshole. Let's just agree we're both assholes yeah?"

Grimmjow snorted, but conceded and lay down too. "Alright, fine by me."

…

When they returned home that evening, Grimmjow was fit to murder Ichigo. Not only had the idiot forgotten sunscreen, he had also conveniently forgotten to wake him up when he fell asleep and now, he had a very sore sunburn.

"Hey, don't expect me to remember everything all the time. You've got a brain don't you?"

"Oh right, as if I had time to think about sunscreen when you were dragging me out the house without time for shoes!" Grimmjow snapped in reply and with a huff he sat down, wincing as he hit his back against the sofa.

Ichigo sighed. "Take your shirt off."

"Why?"

"So I can put some after sun cream on of course, which should stop you complaining for a few minutes." Ichigo grabbed the bottle and sat down next to him, raiding an eyebrow. "Turn around." He waved his hands at Grimmjow who, after throwing him a dirty look, did as told and turned his back to Ichigo. "It's not that bad you know."

Grimmjow hissed as Ichigo poured the cold cream onto the sunburn. "You can't talk, you're not burned." He relaxed however as Ichigo started rubbing the cream in and the pain lessened.

"Not so bad eh?" Ichigo grinned and let go. "Ok, turn around then, let's see your front." Grimmjow complied and Ichigo looked down at his chest for a moment in contemplation. Grimmjow wouldn't lie, it unnerved him slightly to see Ichigo scrutinising him, not that he'd ever admit it out loud. "I don't think you got burnt on your front… But we should put some cream on, just in case."

This time Grimmjow was ready for the cold cream and only flinched slightly as Ichigo touched him and started rubbing it in. "You know…" He started, flashing Ichigo a smirk when he looked up questioningly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think this was an excuse to feel me up."

"You wish." Ichigo laughed, his hands coming to a stop on Grimmjow's chest as they looked at each other. "Careful now or that ego of yours is going to overbalance your head." He had murmured the words so quietly that Grimmjow almost missed them, fortunately the orange head was leaning closer to him so it was hard not to hear them. "Tell me something." Ichigo whispered.

"What?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

The question caught him of guard, which seemed to be what Ichigo wanted as he leaned closer and kissed him again before he could respond. Unlike the previous few, Ichigo didn't pull back but threaded a hand in Grimmjow's hair to keep their lips firmly pressed together. Grabbing his hips, he pulled Ichigo closer but the action caused them to fall back on the sofa and their combined weight on his back caused Grimmjow to grunt in pain.

Ichigo sat up immediately, his face flushed and eyes wide, but he was smiling and Grimmjow swore, if he wasn't already in love with the man, he'd sure as hell fell hard then. "So are you going to answer the question?"

Grimmjow frowned, he had to think for a moment to remember what exactly Ichigo had asked. "Yes." He finally responded and got up to pull his shirt back on.

"What that's it?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"I answered the question didn't I?"

"So who is it?"

He held up a finger to silence Ichigo. "Nope, I answered your question, I don't have to answer any more."

Ichigo huffed and folded his arms. "You are such an-"

"Asshole, yeah I've heard." With a smirk Grimmjow left to shower. He could still sell the sea water and it was not a pleasant smell, maybe Ichigo was right about him being part cat after all.

Once he had finished and changed again, Ichigo had made dinner and was just serving when Grimmjow joined him. "Are you psychic or something?" He asked, waving a fork at Grimmjow as he sat down and started eating. "Because you have a real knack for arriving just in time for things."

"Maybe I am, but I'm also a cat remember, or am I something else now?"

Ichigo snorted and rolled his eyes. "Ok Mr Psychic, predict something."

Grimmjow cleared his throat and eyed Ichigo for a moment. "Ok, I predict that before the end of the night, you'll kiss me again."

He contemplated this for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, that isn't much of a guess though since you know I've still got four kisses to give you."

"Ok, ok. I predict… a change."

"A change?" Ichigo repeated dubiously, a smirk playing across his face. "Wow, how imaginative."

"Oh shut up and eat." Grimmjow snapped and he eyed Ichigo angrily until he conceded and started eating. What he didn't tell Ichigo was that he was thinking of his own fate. It was getting hard not to say something to Ichigo now, not to indicate just exactly how deep his feelings were for the other.

Just four more, that's all he had to tell himself. Just four more kisses to keep his mouth shut through, and then it would be over. That unfortunately left an unpleasant feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with Ichigo's cooking.

Of course, one of his predictions did come true. They had sat watching telly for the remainder of the night, Grimmjow unfortunately to being able to relax properly because of his back. So he had decided to retire early but when he stood to leave, Ichigo jumped up and grabbed his arm.

"Ok so fine, you guessed right." Ichigo sighed and stood in front of him, eyeing him warily.

It was definitely different, being told he was getting a kiss rather than it just happened. Yes it was definitely odd to watch Ichigo lean closer to him, to see him close his eyes as their noses brushed, he'd never realised how many freckles the orange head had on his face before. Their lips met and his own eyes slid closed, his arm going around Ichigo's waist to pull him closer. Kissing Ichigo just felt so right, how could he deny how he felt when nothing in his life had ever felt as right as this?

When they broke apart, Grimmjow opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue but nothing came out. Ichigo was looking at him expectantly, almost hopefully. "Goodnight." He finally muttered, dropping his hand from Ichigo's back.

Ichigo looked oddly disappointed with this, as if he'd expected Grimmjow to say something else. But he stepped back to put an appropriate distance between the two of them. "Goodnight Grimm." With that he turned and left for his room, Grimmjow looking at the door as it closed in confusion, what did Ichigo expect? Shaking his head, he retired to his own room for the night.

…

The next day couldn't have been more different from the previous one. Grimmjow was woken up by a loud crash of thunder and a flash of lightning illuminated the room for a moment before it went dark again. With a groan Grimmjow rolled over to look at his clock to see the neon numbers reading it was four in the morning.

"Ah fuck." He muttered, rubbing his face before kicking the covers off to go into the main room. It was pointless trying to sleep now, Grimmjow knew once he woke up he didn't be able to fall asleep again so there was no point. "Ichigo?" He asked in surprise when he saw the orange head in the kitchen. He was sitting on the table, nursing a mug in his hands but he looked up when Grimmjow in, his expression softening slightly. "What's wrong?"

Ichigo sighed, watching as Grimmjow pulled a chair out and sat down next to him, waiting a moment before responding. "I hate storms." He muttered darkly, gripping the cup tighter so that his knuckles turned white. The dark room lit up momentarily as another flash occurred and Grimmjow saw Ichigo flinch slightly.

"I know you do." Grimmjow gripped his arm and Ichigo exhaled slowly. Letting go of his cup, Ichigo set it down before allowing Grimmjow to pull him onto his lap and ducked his head under the blue haired man's chin. "You know you're safe now though."

Ichigo hummed, shifting closer to his chest and nodded. "I know, thanks."

Whenever there was a storm, this always happened, ever since Ichigo's mother had died during a storm. Even when they hadn't lived together Ichigo would always come to him when there was one, and they always ended up like this. Grimmjow had to admit though, it was like a guilty pleasure as he actually liked it when a storm came around so he could hold Ichigo, not that he'd ever tell him that.

"You smell like fruit." Grimmjow told him in surprise, laughing when Ichigo stiffened.

"Shut up. It's that stupid shampoo Yuzu got me last Christmas. I ran out of my usual stuff and haven't had a chance to get some more." He punched Grimmjow's arm lightly. "Don't call me a fruit."

"I didn't, I said you smell like one. But you're gay so doesn't that mean you are a fruit?"

"Ha ha." He replied dryly, flinching again as lightning flashed across the room. "Can we go to bed, please?"

"Alright, give me a second." Grimmjow shifted Ichigo so he could pick him up and carried him back into Ichigo's room. His room had light tight curtains, one for such events and two because he had told Grimmjow he couldn't sleep unless it was completely dark. "Ok, wait here." He placed Ichigo on the bed and checked the curtains to make sure they were closed properly before returning to Ichigo and lay down.

Although they couldn't see the flashes any longer, they could still hear the rain and Ichigo flinched at each crash of thunder. Grimmjow didn't mind though since each time it happened Ichigo would scoot closer to him until it was physically impossible for him to get any closer. "You know you're the only one who makes me feel safe when there's a storm." Ichigo mumbled quietly, lifting his head slightly to look up at Grimmjow. "At least I don't have to walk halfway across the city anymore to get to you."

"One of the many perks of living with me."

"More like the only perk, you know you snore right?" Ichigo leaned over him to turn the light on before grinning down at him. "It's true, I can hear you from here most nights."

"Yeah well you're messy. How many times do I have to tell you to clean up towels when you have a shower?" Grimmjow asked, raising an eyebrow but he was smiling himself. "Besides, my snoring can't be that bad if you've never complained before now."

"I regularly complain, you just have selective hearing." Ichigo's expression softened as he looked at Grimmjow, lowering his head so their foreheads connected. "I'm going to tell you something tomorrow ok, just promise you won't be mad at me."

"How can I promise that if I don't know what you'll say?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly and he sighed, nodding after a moment. "Ok I promise, as long as it's not complaining about the snoring."

Ichigo smiled. "Don't worry, it's not. Besides I'm used to it now." One of his hands came to rest against Grimmjow's face and Ichigo looked up. "The storm's stopped." He tilted his head slightly so their lips met, catching Grimmjow by surprise who wasn't expecting one of them at that moment and it was only a brief kiss so he had no chance to respond. "Goodnight Grimm." Ichigo whispered, pulling away to settle next to him.

Grimmjow sighed, turning the light off and laid down, placing an arm around Ichigo's waist to pull him closer, you know, just in case the storm started up again. "Night Ichigo."

…

"Grimmjow?" He made a questioning noise in response, unwilling to open his eyes since he was quite comfortable in the warm bed at that moment. However when he felt the bed indent next to him and warm fingers trail through his hair, he couldn't help but become more alert. "You awake?"

"Ichigo?" He asked slowly and rolled over, cracking his eyes open to see it was indeed his orange haired friend who was currently lying next to him with a grin. "What are you doing, shouldn't you have left for work?"

"One."

"One what?"

"One more kiss idiot." Ichigo's grin widened when Grimmjow frowned, closing his eyes again.

"I thought it was three? No wait it's two since we kissed last night."

"Mmm yes. But now it's one." Ichigo scooted closer, his fingers tightening in Grimmjow's hair as they looked at each other. "Want to know something?"

"Sure."

"You're cute when you've just woken up." Grimmjow went to object to being called 'cute' but Ichigo had closed the gap between them and kissed him so he never got the chance. The grip in his hair tightened further, almost to the point of pain but it was easy to ignore this in comparison to the feeling of Ichigo's warm body pressed to his own.

Maybe it was because he was half awake, or because Ichigo had taken it up a notch, but kissing him wasn't enough anymore. Grabbing his hips, Grimmjow flipped their positions before returning to kissing Ichigo, giving him time only to take in a shocked breath at the sudden change. He had just started unbuttoning Ichigo's shirt when the man's phone rang.

They paused and Grimmjow pulled back to see Ichigo had a hesitant look on his face. "That'll be work." He whispered, almost apologetically. He tried to sit up but almost head butted Grimmjow when he didn't move. "Grimm?"

"I love you."

The words had slipped out, Grimmjow hadn't meant to say them, hadn't even thought about it. But the moment they left his mouth, he regretted it. There was no passing it off as a joke, he had said the words with such conviction that it left no doubt as to their meaning. Ichigo however didn't say anything, his eyes went wide and he stared at Grimmjow in shock.

"Grimmjow I-" But whatever he was going to say got cut of as a loud beeping started, making them both jump. Ichigo reached out and grabbed his pager, letting out a low curse before finally answering his phone. "Yeah?" His expression changed and suddenly, Ichigo looked a good few years older. "I'll be right there."

Waving a hand at Grimmjow who sat back, Ichigo stood up and with his phone still pressed to his ear, he began redoing his shirt and grabbed a tie from one of the drawers. Grimmjow watched his progress around the room, his heart settling somewhere in his stomach. He had just made the biggest mistake of his life and right now, there didn't seem to be a way to fix it.

"Ok I'm leaving now." Ichigo ended the call and sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair before turning to face Grimmjow again. "I uh, I have to go ok?" He started backing away towards the door and for a moment, a sad smile played across his lips. "We'll talk when I get back tonight."

Grimmjow just nodded in reply and Ichigo left. He waited until he heard the door close before letting out a load groan. Ichigo was going to kill him.

…

Grimmjow took his time at work that day, dragging it out for as long as possible before forcing himself to go home. Of course once he got there Ichigo was naturally waiting for him. With a mental curse Grimmjow noticed the orange head was still wearing his white doctor coat, which didn't help with his concentration. He would never admit it out load but that coat had starred in a few of his wilder daydreams about Ichigo.

"So…" Grimmjow started, tapping the edge of the table next to where Ichigo was sat. He was resigned to his fate now and had made a deal with himself during the day. Whatever Ichigo asked he would answer, as long as it wasn't too embarrassing.

"I had a ten year old boy to operate on today." Ichigo abruptly said and he wasn't looking at him, but rather at Grimmjow's hand on the table which he had now stopped tapping. "There was a car crash and he had broken his skull. He started bleeding out and I didn't know what to do, my hands were shaking so bad…" Ichigo paused and looked down at his hands before clenching them into fists. "I had to calm down, I had to fix him. And do you know what I thought of to do it?"

He finally looked up at Grimmjow who frowned. "No, what?"

Ichigo smiled and he grabbed Grimmjow's hand suddenly, giving it a quick squeeze. "I thought of you, what you said this morning. I thought of you saying you loved me. And I stopped shaking, I fixed the boy up and he'll be fine. He's at the hospital now with his parents. I have you to thank for that." He stood up suddenly and Grimmjow stepped back in reaction to the quick movement. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I love you too."

They looked at each other in silence for a moment and then Grimmjow stepped forward and cupped Ichigo's face, lifting it so he could press their lips together. Ichigo pressed closer to him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down further. Unlike before, Grimmjow felt no need to restrain himself, there was no barrier between them now.

Ichigo pulled back after a few minutes and beamed at him, Grimmjow couldn't help but grin back. "How long?" He finally asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly as he sat down on the table, wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's waist to pull him closer. "Months? A year, more?"

"More than a few." Grimmjow murmuring, leaning down to kiss him again but Ichigo pulled back, pressing a finger to his lips. "What?"

"I've been in love with you since we were fourteen. Tell me this isn't a dream." He sighed, moving his hand to cup the side of Grimmjow's face. "Ten kisses, I promised myself if I could kiss you ten times, then I could tell you that I loved you. It only took nine."

"Nine kisses and your damn kissing booth." Grimmjow's expression darkened suddenly. "Don't you dare do that next year."

"Oh really, who say's we'll be together in a year? Besides, if it wasn't for that booth we never would have kissed." He paused, a wicked grin forming on his face. "Or are you worried I'll find someone who's a better kisser than you?"

Whilst Grimmjow mulled this over, Ichigo took the chance to unbutton his shirt and when Grimmjow realised what he was doing, his shirt was already fully open and Ichigo was starting on his belt. "We both know that's never going to happen and as for the year, I'm never going to let you go."

Ichigo stopped and looked up again. He got up from the table and grinned, grabbing Grimmjow's hand and started pulling him towards his bedroom. "Come on Grimm, I have a feeling we've both been waiting for this for way too long."

"One condition." Ichigo paused at the door, turning to look at him questioningly. "Keep the coat on."

Ichigo's eyes widened and after a moment he laughed, shaking his head. "I was planning to anyway." He stopped again however after opening the door. "Hey I just realised, your prediction came true!"

"What?"

"That one from last night, you said a change was coming and look, it did."

Grimmjow snorted. "You know that was a load of bullshit Ichi."

Ichigo seemed to ignore this comment and was looking at him shrewdly. "Maybe you are psychic."

"Alright… So do you want to know my next prediction?" Ichigo nodded and he smirked, picking the man up quickly to carry him into the bedroom. "I predict you'll be naked within the next five minutes, excluding that coat of yours. Now are you going to break my streak or let it come true?"

Ichigo just smiled, wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's neck. "I think I'll let you keep your streak for now."