''Do you have dreams?'' The male lead asks the female lead, his eyes pools of emotion.
''Yes, yes, I dreamed of headless chickens running around in a burning building.'' Ichigo mocks in a boneless tone.
Renji groans from where he is sprawled across his couch. ''Please, stop it, please, my head hurts.''
Ichigo laughs loudly, humorless, but he is still somewhat amused. A severe case of everyday sadism, he thinks.
''Who told you to get a hangover?'' He asks, not facing Renji and eyes fixed on the TV playing some Romantic melodrama.
Renji groans again, then gasps in pain, ''It's college, Ichi.''
Ichigo just hums, eyes wide when the scene unfolds into more drama and the female lead breaks down and falls to her knees, her pretty blushed cheeks wet with tears.
''It amazes me sometimes,'' Renji says slowly, ''How you manage to get yourself so indulged in whatever you do.''
Ichigo frowns, ignoring his friend completely at the turn of events in the movie.
''If only you had a goal to put that focus into.''
And this time, Ichigo does hear it, and does consider it, and it does pain him. But he ignores his friend.
Later, when he walking home, he looks up at the Sunday Sun in annoyance, shielding his eyes.
''Headless chickens, Renji.'' He mutters to himself uselessly.
Monday comes, the start of the week, otherwise known as Doomsday by students in distress all around the globe.
Ichigo notes that Grimmjow doesn't look much better, and his demeanor looks more gruff and irritated, face all scrunched up like dry paper.
Grimmjow doesn't even spare a glance towards Ichigo and the latter doubts that the other even remembered what happened Friday night, owing to how gone he was, and he was very content in keeping it that way.
Their professor takes her class, and Ichigo tries his best to concentrate, taking notes and remembering to write down any questions he has, because there are still some topics that Grimmjow has yet to discuss with him, and he decides to look them up later, or bring them up to his tutor Thursday evening.
He counts down the minutes, and with Ten minutes remaining, the professor ends her class and he sags in his seat, relieved.
It doesn't last long though, because the woman starts to say something and Ichigo sits rod straight when he catches the words, 'Project' and 'partners'.
''It's due next month. I will require you to make a video presentation as well, pairs in two. Meet me after Lunch and I will give a topic for each pair...''
Ichigo curses in his mind, he doesn't have any friends here. He doesn't want to work with someone who doesn't want to do any work, but Eighty percent of his class constituted of such human beings who practiced the art of assholery on an hourly basis.
He groans, why does the world hate on him?
His gaze lands on Grimmjow then, amidst all the chatter in the room, who is sitting still, his hood up over his head.
With no better choice, he gets up, and climbs down the steps, telling himself to relax, that this doesn't mean anything, he just needs a capable partner who wouldn't slack off, and Grimmjow is the only person in class he has at the least spoken to, and trusts on an academic level.
He stops beside Grimmjow's seat, making him look up.
'Oh wow, that is Incredible.' Ichigo thinks as he looks at the painful looking blood shot eyes. Did he pop a vein or something?
''Hey,'' He greets, his volume soft, he feels sorry enough that his douchebag qualities give in for once, ''Wanna be my project partner?''
Grimmjow takes a look around the class, some girls staring at him in what they thought was a discreet manner, others already partnering up, as if he were weighing his options. And Ichigo doesn't blame him.
''Sure.'' He says eventually.
Ichigo rocks on his heels, ''Okay.'' He says.
The topic they are given is on Enzyme Assay. They are given a month to finish the assignment.
It takes a few minutes for him to realize that he was frowning so he relaxes his expression and looks up at Grimmjow, who raises one eyebrow in question.
''I, yeah. What are we going to do?'' He asks the man and Grimmjow looks outside the window of the staff room hallways and simply shrugs, evidently uninterested.
''We'll work it out.'' He answers dryly.
''Nel loves Itsugo!'' His cousin screams in his ears for the hundredth time in just under that hour.
''Yes, yes, now please be quiet.''
Nel whines petulantly, ''Tell Nel you love her!''
Ichigo squats down in front of the second grader and and clicks his tongue, then he ruffles her hair lovingly, ''I love you, Nel.''
Nel shrieks, cheeks rosy red, the blush spreads to her ears and neck.
Ichigo nearly coos, but he simply stands up and takes her hand, asking if she wants to be carried but she huffs adorably and tells him she isn't a baby.
Ichigo holds in the chuckle that threatens to come out of his mouth and squeezes her hand. Nel's mother, his aunt, had asked him to pick her up from school as she was busy at work unfortunately, and Ichigo's classes had ended very early so he agreed easily.
Nel looks terribly excited to see his big brother after months and Ichigo feels terribly contended because of her obvious affection towards him.
''Nel, do you want to eat something?'' He asks as he walks them towards Nel's home, Ichigo leaning down towards her to match her height.
''Ummm...'' she ponders, before her face brightens and she smiles, showcasing her missing teeth, ''I want pudding!''
''Okay,'' he replies, ''And?''
''And?'' She blinks, then pouts, ''And um...And, I want juice! And candy. I want coconut candy, Itsu-nii.''
Ichigo nods, ''Okay.'' and then he bends down, lower than Nel, ''Come on, on my shoulders, it will be more fun.''
Nel shrieks in joy.
When they reach a convenience store, because Nel insisted that the her brand of Coconut candies were sold 'only there Itsugo, only there, hurry before they run out!' And Ichigo had speed walked, because although he swam a bit in high school didn't mean he was particularly agile on land, especially with a child perched on his shoulders.
Nel directed Ichigo towards whatever she wanted and he carried her there like his life depended on it. It was the most fun he was having since that night he went to buy himself ice cream.
He laughs at the urgency in the child's voice and suddenly, they are doing a skit where he is a knight and Nel is the princess.
''Yes, princess,'' he says, feigning seriousness, ''Anything else you desire?''
Nel hums, ''What's 'desire'?'' She asks with child-like innocence.
Ichigo laughs, ''It means wish.''
''Ohhh.'' Nel hums in understanding, ''I want Itsugo to play with me everyday!''
''Sure.'' he replies, smiling, bending down to get Nel on her feet, with a carefulness he never knew he possessed (The cracked screen of his phone bears witness) and leads her to the register.
When they are out, Nel leads him to a play park, and he accompanies her to all the rides, childishly pumping his fists up in the air when he beats some random kid in a one on one basketball match.
It's later, after about an hour, that when Nel's eyes begin to droop and she makes grabby hands at him, that he picks her up in his arms.
The Sun is setting and he walks towards his aunt's house with her sleeping in her arms, head lolling on his shoulder.
They are passing by the same convenience store they shopped at when Ichigo notices someone familiar.
He's quite good looking, sitting on the hood of his car with his head leaning down.
Some high school girls passing by point their fingers at him and whisper, cheeks flushed and eyes wide with sparkling curiosity.
Grimmjow brings a lit cigarette to his lips. And for the first time, Ichigo's cheeks become hot.
Ichigo shakes his head no, and he reminds himself of Friday night, of when Grimmjow was stupid and drunk beyond hope, of when he couldn't understand human language.
But he watches, as he had stopped walking a few moments ago, as smoke is exhaled out through the other man's nose, twirling and twisting in the air around him before it diffuses completely.
It gives a false sense of life to him, a movement to what appears to be Grimmjow's still existence.
Or maybe it was Ichigo who was being influenced by his own mind, unpassionate in every second that he lives, and projecting it onto his views of the world.
Grimmjow's head tilts then, and then he is staring right at Ichigo.
Their eyes meet, and Ichigo is reminded of every Thursday evening, when Grimmjow tutors him because he has to, for some mysterious reason, and of this afternoon, how disinterested Grimmjow was in participating in their project together.
Not that Ichigo was particularly thrilled himself. But even when Grimmjow was drunk, his shockingly blue eyes were still colorless, lifeless.
Ichigo looks away, and starts walking, unable to think anymore of this without promising himself an unwanted headache.