And the lovers reunite. this chapter wrote itself, can't wait to get on and write the next part. In fact, I'm off to do just that.

Reviewers, you are amazing! Thirteen in one day! might be an unlucky number, but not for me!

Phoe
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Chapter 3

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo felt his skin shiver at that voice. He'd not heard it in over seven years but it hadn't lost any of its power over him. It could make him respond instantly with every emotion but currently it was stirring something lower down. It'd been years since he'd been stimulated this much by a mere presence. Ichigo rubbed the girl's back, drawing her up from his neck and smiling at her tear streaked face. She dove in for another hug, almost strangling the other man but making him chuckle before drawing her arms apart, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead before encouraging her to get up, Ichigo pushing down with his ankles and standing gracefully from his position. Knowing he had no choice but to speak to the man in front of his pupils, parents and his boss, he approached the other, eyes drinking in the differences as well as the familiar. He was still gorgeous, face all clean lines that would make a plastic surgeon weep and clear piercing cerulean eyes. His body seemed more developed, his shoulders a touch wider than he'd been before and unbelievably, the man seemed more confident in himself than ever. Ichigo felt like a poor cousin to the man in front of him, stepping up before him, looking up into those bright eyes. A warm smile split his face and it was answered on the handsome face above him, genuine pleasure written on both their faces at seeing the other. Seven years is a long time.

"Hey Grimm. Long-time no see."

Grimmjow snorted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, you look good. Everything alright with you?"

Ichigo nodded, not knowing how to answer that question. He was a rubbish liar and the other knew it so he just avoided the question. "Thanks, you look good too."

Grimmjow snorted again, not speaking but just looking at the other. Kisuke Urahara, Ichigo's sensei and owner of the dojo broke the silence, clearing his throat before introducing himself, a clear glare at his ex-student promising he'd get some answers later. Grimmjow was drawn over to the desk to sort out Nel's paper work and the girl immediately took her daddy's side once more, clasping her hand as she looked at him right in the eye surprising Ichigo. The girl had always been tall for her age and had clearly hit the 5'9" mark recently making her the same height as him. She still looked like a little girl, just in a woman's body. Ichigo pictured the over protective Grimmjow hating how well developed his little girl had become.

The senior class was due to start soon and Ichigo was supposed to head home after but he just stood at the door, Nel having been drawn into her age group and Grimmjow still at the desk across from Urahara, the blond man casting glances towards him every now and again. Grimmjow pulled something out of his back pocket, leaning over the desk for a moment before it was put back and he headed for the entrance, waving at his daughter before drawing level to his ex.

"You got time for a coffee?" Grimmjow looked over the class as they formed up in lines for the start of the session, Ichigo looking the same way.

"I've got some time."

Ichigo left the man for a moment, heading for the changing rooms before reappearing in loose jeans and a baggy t-shirt, two things he'd have never worn when dating Grimmjow, the blue haired man liking to see his lover's body. He saw the other give him the once over, a blue eyebrow rose at his attire but he kept quiet. He'd mourned his skinny jeans and figure hugging tees when he'd had to get rid of them to keep the peace but they were just clothes after all and it was easier to hide hurts in looser clothing plus he'd lost weight and didn't like questions about it. He held the outside door open with his left hand, showing the white bandage he'd wrapped round his cut hand earlier. Sousuke had caught him across the palm, the cut long but shallow and not needing stitches. He had stressed about how close he'd come to losing the motor control in his hand but didn't want to dwell on it, there was little point. If Sousuke had really wanted to damage him, he would have. And Ichigo would have let him. He didn't know what was wrong with him at times.

Grimmjow had led the other to the car park, Ichigo instantly picking out the car they were heading to. Not only was it the only one he didn't recognise, this car was made to stand out. He had no idea how much a Nissan GTR cost to buy but this one certainly screamed money. From the deep red body to the black hood and roof the car was a wet dream on wheels and Ichigo wanted to climb behind the wheel.

Grimmjow had always had a thing for powerful cars, he'd had a Subaru WRX when they'd met, they'd picked a Mitsubishi Evo 8 together as its replacement. This car was in a similar league but was much newer and shinier than they'd had. Ichigo wondered how the other had afforded the luxury.

Grimmjow smirked at the lustful look on the other's face, Ichigo not really being a car guy but had been converted slightly by him in their years together. He remembered taking the other in both of their cars, Ichigo easily turned on by aggressive driving and speed. He wondered if he was still the same and if they had enough time before he had to pick up Nel. Stupid thought, he knew that and it would definitely over complicate things but he hadn't christened his new ride yet and there was no one else he'd rather have shaking the windows with their moans than Ichigo. The smaller man walked over to the car, his long fingers reaching out to ghost over the hood, stroking up the side of the windscreen as he appreciated the lines. "This is gorgeous. How the hell did you afford it?"

"It's more like a company car, belongs to the business."

"You working for Nissan now?" Ichigo looked over at the other in genuine interest.

Grimmjow smirked. "No, but it's in the franchise so I got to get this beauty last year." Grimmjow worked for a large car dealership and had worked his way up from the workshop floor starting as an apprentice at sixteen. He stroked the door handle, the car unlocking at the touch. Ichigo raised his eyebrow, grinning over the car before they sat inside, gazing at each other for a second before Ichigo cleared his throat, looking out of the windscreen.

"We'll have to go somewhere close if we're to get back for Nel on time." The 'we' came far too easily to the man and he cursed himself quietly, wondering why he agreed to come at all.

"Yeah, we better go fast." Grimmjow grinned at the double meaning, hitting the power button, the engine roaring to life as he put it in gear and streaked out of the car park, the force of the car pushing them both into the red and black seats. He spared his ex a glance and saw the liquid brown eyes wide as he gazed straight ahead. His grin just got wider before he returned his gaze, pulling in at the local shopping centre near the coffee shop they used to go to.

Ichigo got out of the car slowly, trying to hide the fact he had an erection from the other but he wasn't sure how successful he was being. He thanked the loose clothing one more time but a guy walks in a certain way when his rod is like a rock. The car had smelled of Grimmjow, a wild smell that just reminded him of sex; that combined with the speed and ferocity of the drive had him on edge. Grimmjow gave the door handle another stroke and the car locked, the wing mirrors turning in automatically. He gave up trying to guess what that car was worth; he'd be too scared to breathe on it if he knew.

They went into the café, both standing at the till and ordered their drink, Ichigo just ordering a small tea before reaching for his wallet but Grimmjow had already paid for both drinks, his being an overly sweet hazelnut latte with cream. Sitting at a table Ichigo looked incredulously at his ex, one of the most masculine looking men he knew with a whip cream moustache, his long tongue trying to clear it off. It made Ichigo snort, the man reaching for a napkin before wiping the other clean, his hand dropping the balled up napkin on the table in shock at his actions.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Seriously, how can you drink that?"

"S'ok, I know I need a caretaker. I've never know how you could take the stuff straight, this at least tastes good." Grimmjow raised his mug as he spoke, commenting on Ichigo's preference for black, unsweetened coffee, at least when they'd been together.

"It worked, didn't matter what it tasted like. Are you going to be here long?"

"Yeah, got a permanent job so going to settle down. I know Nel will want to see you and you're in the same dojo. Is that going to be alright with you?"

Ichigo snorted. "I've not seen the girl for seven years; I didn't want to let her go today. She can see me when she likes. How the hell is she only a purple belt?"

Grimmjow flushed a bit, he'd been expecting this. "She kinda had a break when we were moving around a lot. We were settled anywhere for a few years and it was hard to get into anything. You should be proud of her; she got two belts in the last year even after a big break."

Ichigo stirred his tea with the little wooden stick, smiling into the drink. "I'm always proud of her." Ichigo broke off, grief at the loss of his little girl swarming on him. He wasn't there for her when she became a teenager, wasn't there to help her get over the hormone problems, she'd have had to go to her dad about girls problems and that made him shudder. "Why did you take her from me?" Ichigo whispered the question, wondering once he'd finished if he'd actually said it out loud.

"She's my daughter, my responsibility. We broke up so I left and she came with me."

"No, I don't mean the fact you moved across the country, I understand that and I know why that happened. I sent her a card for her twelfth birthday and it was returned by the new owner of the house. I don't know what happened to the other letters I'd sent close to that time, if she'd got them or not, if something had happened to her. Then I got a card from her for Christmas, telling me she loved me but I couldn't get back in contact. Four years of not knowing if she was alright, if she was happy is a long time. I didn't know you hated me that much."

Grimmjow felt his heart splutter at the confession, Ichigo looking down to try and hide the fact he was getting upset. He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to try and figure out a way around this. He reached out, holding the hand round the tea cup. "I don't hate you. I'm sorry; I guess I didn't think about sending you a forwarding address. She's been great, difficult at times but she's a chick so I didn't expect anything else. It's stupid I know but she takes after you in so many ways and totally knows how to wind me up. I've missed you."

Ichigo glanced up, eyes still bright with tears but a blush across his nose and cheeks at the last confession, eyes returning to the hand on his around his cup. A buzz in his pocket reminded him of reality and he pulled his hand free, lowering it off the table without looking up. He knew who it was contacting him but he really didn't want to answer if in front of Grimmjow, he wanted to suspend his shitty life for just a little bit longer. It wasn't to be as his phone went off again, on silent from training still but on vibrate which was strong enough to make a slight noise.

"I've got to go; my partner will be worried that I'm not home on time." Ichigo couldn't look up, couldn't bring himself to see Grimmjow's expression. He stood up, pushing his chair in. "Thank you for the tea." Doing his all-round best to not run out of the coffee shop, Ichigo hit the door with a fair bit of force, breaking out into a run when he hit the car park.

Grimmjow sat staring at the vacated seat, unable to compute Ichigo's words. They'd made a connection in the dojo, there had definitely been sparks in the car and even though it had hurt, their conversations over their drinks had been heartfelt and meaningful. He didn't understand why the partner hadn't been mentioned before. Urahara-sensei had commented that getting Ichigo back might be more complicated than he had thought but he had just been counting on overcoming Ichigo's pig headedness and earning his trust again.

The sensei had recognised the name as soon as the man had applied for a place for his daughter and had made sure to give her a place in a class that backed onto one of Ichigo's so that they'd have to meet. He'd not expected the girl to be so invested in the younger man but it couldn't hurt. Sensei had told Grimmjow as he'd been completing the paper work that Ichigo hadn't been the same since he'd left and it'd all taken a turn for the worst in the last couple of years, him breaking off contact with most of his friends.

Grimmjow hadn't liked the sound of that, Ichigo and Renji had been attached at the hip since they were six and Grimmjow had to earn the red head's approval before Ichigo would even really consider dating him for real. Renji was more like Grimmjow than Grimmjow liked to admit and they'd butted heads more than once in the months before Ichigo and Grimmjow became serious. It was actually during a fairly heated argument that Renji turned to his friend and told him to keep the smurf; he was good to argue with. Ichigo's response had been he'd been planning to do that all along.

And now there was a partner. Not a boyfriend, or a lover but a partner. Grimmjow considered the possibility that it was a business partner for a moment or so as he headed out to his car, stroking the handle to unlock it, he loved touch technology. He dismissed the idea as he sat down, no work partner worries about someone getting home on time. He'd been meaning to ask the man what had happened to his had as well, the bandage he was wearing around his palm was needing changed and any wound across the palm was fairly serious. He hoped he'd get to see him again at some point soon; he had to return the abandoned bag in his hand anyway.

iiiii

Ichigo didn't stop running until he was at the right building, streaking through the door to the elevator, tears gathering in his eyes and he fought them. It was only when the lift opened into Sousuke's home that he realised he didn't have his bag, he'd ran out and left his gi and equipment in the café, he hoped the other had picked it up for him.

He corrected that thought, it would be better if he hadn't noticed and all Ichigo had to do was contact the shop to get them to hold it for him. He walked out, looking around for the other man before spotting him on the sofa, one hand in his boxers.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry Sousuke, we had a new start tonight and I had to sort a few things out." No lies there.

"I was all ready for you earlier, now I'm going to need some help and you need to do it."

Ichigo didn't even argue, knowing sucking the man off was much less unpleasant to getting smacked. Not that it was particularly pleasant; the man had a funny taste to him. He hoped Sousuke would let himself go in Ichigo's mouth; he didn't really want his sore ass to get injured more. He tried to keep the other from penetrating him two nights on the go. He'd ended up with a nasty infection when Sousuke had split him deep, the natural waste that passed the wound causing the infection and making him have to seek medical help. A dose of antibiotics was all it took but the examination had been humiliating, other bruises on show to a stranger doctor as his ass was on display. He'd been sat down afterwards, gently of course and the doctor had asked him very nicely if he'd been raped. Ichigo had replied that his boyfriend had just been a bit over keen the night before and the doctor had accepted it, giving him a prescription and sending him on his way. That was over a year ago and there are times when he wished he'd said yes, got Sousuke locked up far away from him and his family but the money would have gone as well no matter if the man couldn't touch him anymore, they needed the help.

Ichigo sank to his knees, freeing Sousuke's member from the boxers, stroking it a few times to harden it and to brush the hair back down. He ran his tongue over the tip, wrinkling his nose slightly at the taste before swallowing it down, opening his throat slightly to take the whole length. He couldn't help but drift his mind back to times when his mouth was wrapped around a much nicer cock, Grimmjow's being larger in every way and it even looked nicer, for a dick. And the taste, it could be that the taste was directly connected to how he felt about a person but he clearly remembered Grimmjow tasting almost sweet alongside the salty heaviness. He moved round, letting him ease the member in his mouth more smoothly and he felt the long fingers in his hair grip on tighter, signalling the other's imminent release. One hand cupped the drawn up balls, rolling them gently as he ran his tongue over the blood filled head again, digging into the slit slightly. That made the hands in his hair yank painfully before his mouth was filled, Ichigo having to swallow quickly to avoid inhaling the thick fluid. The hands were still pulling at his hair, hurting him but he didn't complain, it could be a lot worse. The hands eventually softened, starting to stroke him as the man looked at him with a soft smile on his face.

"I love you Ichigo, you know that right?" The older man pulled Ichigo's face closer to his own, hands starting to stroke his cheek bones, one finger running down his nose. It reminded Ichigo of the start of their relationship, where Sousuke had been kind and attentive and it made him smile in return. He nodded, leaning his face into the hand. "You are so beautiful I almost want to cry. How could I get such an angel?"

Ichigo ducked his head, not able to take such praise from anyone.

Sousuke pulled it back up, eyes wandering over his face. "I don't want to lose you; I need to keep you safe." The hands on either side of Ichigo's face tightened, making him sit up to try and get away, That just made Sousuke sit up to, keeping firm hold of the younger man, Ichigo's hands now on Sousuke's wrists.

"Sousuke, you're hurting me."

"It's ok, I'll keep you safe. It might hurt a bit but no one else will ever hurt you again, you'll be mine forever."

Ichigo paled, the hands still painfully tight on his head. "Please, Sousuke. I'm not going anywhere."

The murky brown eyes turned on him, anger in them. "You've said that before but you keep leaving, you keep walking out that door. One day you'll not come back. Only I can keep you safe, only I can keep your family safe."

More colour left Ichigo' face, he tried to let the unhinged man forget his family were even involved in this but occasionally he commented about them, either his father or his little sisters, both in university far from here but still reachable by the powerful man.

Sousuke released him finally, tossing him aside so he landed on the floor in front of the sofa, head pounding but still relatively unhurt. "It's your fault, it's always your fault, you get me so work up. If I didn't love you so much I'd kill you."

Please review! 10,000 words in 24 hours is worth a couple of words from you, no?