omg you guys, you honestly have no idea how hard it is for me to write cute things O_o This story...I love it, but it's so taxing to write, for some reason XD I honestly don't get it. But anyway, another chapter I'm really not sure about~
Try to enjoy?
It was early in the morning, the sun just barely lighting the horizon and just two days after they'd shared breakfast high above the city. The air outside still clung to the previous night's chill and steam rose from the mug in elegant hands.
Ichigo knew he wasn't alone as he sipped his tea. The quiet hiss of sliding glass doors had alerted him to the arrival of his not quite invited guest, but he did what he did best, and pretended the big man wasn't there, despite that they were alone on the cafe's balcony. At least he wasn't late this time, his arrival expected or not.
There was silence for several, long seconds and Ichigo did his best to ignore the feeling of those impossibly blue eyes crawling over him, through him, studying him like they could see everything about him. Then the quiet was broken and the feeling vanished, forcing the slightest of chills to work up Ichigo's spine.
"Ya know," The owner of the rough voice stepped from the shadowed doorway. He crossed thick arms over his muscled chest as he leaned against the arched, elegantly crafted metal and brickwork, a smirk on his chiseled features. "For someone with everything and countless friends, you always seem pretty lonely."
Ichigo snorted a small sound, hardly looking up as he sipped on his favorite tea and flipped a page in the book on the table before him. "I suppose you would know all about that, wouldn't you?
"Nah, not really. I may not have all the fancy things you do, and only a fraction of the friends, but I've never been all that lonely. Or bored." Grimmjow watched as the smaller man sighed and closed the book he'd been reading, something with a dull, blue cover and scripting font, but he didn't know what the title said. "Finally going to admit you're interested in me?"
Ichigo snorted again, perhaps a little more amusement in it this time. This had become a game, like foreplay and he wasn't fooling anyone, not even himself any more. They both knew the attraction was already there, despite only having been in each other's company a handful of times.
He stood from the plush chair where he'd been lounging. "Not likely." He tucked the book under his arm, cooling tea in his left hand, and turned to head toward the opposite entrance of the small, quaint cafe and away from the bigger man. A faint smile touched his lips as he heard quiet footsteps follow behind him. "Now you're not only a stalker, but it seems you're delusional as well. Just my luck." He sighed.
Grimmjow cracked a grin and chuckled. He unfolded his arms as he pushed away from the wall and followed behind the orange haired lad. As the smaller male walked along beside the glass, metal-framed rail, Grimmjow carelessly hopped up onto it's top. The barrier was more than strong enough to hold his weight, since it was meant to keep people from walking off the edge of the open-air, outdoor balcony, but the top rail wasn't even half a foot in width, making it a narrow and precarious place to balance. He lifted his hands from his sides just slightly to help him keep his balance as he trailed at Kurosaki's side.
From the corner of his eye, Ichigo watched him, his orange brows furrowed just barely over slightly widened eyes. A slight nervousness bubbled in his gut, not that he'd admit to it. "Get down," He mumbled, "you're going to fall..."
"Aww~" Grimmjow cooed, his grin growing twofold. As if on cue, he teetered a bit as he walked, still matching the other male's leisurely pace. He threw his arms out to regain his balance, but his grin never faltered. "And here I thought you didn't care. How sweet of you, Birdie."
Ichigo scoffed, adamantly turning his gaze away. His act didn't fool anyone though, not Grimmjow, and certainly not himself. "I'm not worried. Fall. See how much I would care."
"That's cold... C'mon, just admit y-" But the bigger man's sentence cut off with a deep voiced yelp as he misstepped.
Ichigo gasped and spun, making a grab for him just as the bigger male dropped. Panic welling in his mind and coursing through his trembling body, he threw himself against the railing to look down as his breath caught in his throat and wanted to squeeze out as a small, hitched sound of fright.
He looked down with wide, fearful eyes, his hands in a white knuckled grip on the railing, only to find Grimmjow standing unharmed and steady on the roof of a covered walkway hardly a man's full hight below. The bigger male grinned up at him, his expression both smug and amused. "What was that about not being worried?"
The higher standing citizen's features twisted into a repulsed glare as Ichigo curled his lip and held his tea over the edge. Upturning his mug, he dumped the luke warm contents over the taller male and turned from the railing with a less than pleased mutter.
"Ah, dammit!" Grimmjow cursed and wiped at his face with his hands, pushing them back and through his now drenched hair before shaking his arms out, sending a fine spray of droplets across the surface he stood on. "Hey, wait! Wait a second!" He shouted at the smaller man's retreating figure. People using the walkway below him stared up at him, pointing and wondering who the crazy man standing on the wrong side of the protective glass was. He ignored them, looking back up at the orange haired male as the smaller paused but didn't turn back around to look at him again. "You still haven't told me your name..."
At that, Ichigo did turn back around to look at the odd young man, and snorted a derisively amused sound. He sent the blue haired man a narrow eyed look, trying to decide just what he was up to this time. And then it dawned on him that Grimmjow knew his last name, and he'd assumed it was because he'd read the ID tattooed under his wrist at the fete several weeks ago, but if that were the case, Grimmjow should have known his first name too. "How is that you came by my last and not my first?"
"A friend told me... She recognized you as being some doctor's son." Grimmjow answered truthfully, voice raised enough to be heard between the distance that separated them.
A bit of a sly expression settled over boyish features, "The girl you stole candy for?"
"Didn't steal it, I bought it." Grimmjow countered, grinning up at him through a heavy, blue curtain of soaked hair.
"You stole the bracelet."
"Borrowed, actually, I gave it back."
"To it's original owner?" Of course, Ichigo knew the big man hadn't delivered it to it's home. There had been an entire investigation into who had stolen the Kuchiki heir's account information and bracelet.
"Well... I could have given it to the wrong old man..." Grimmjow rubbed at his neck sheepishly, "I was a little pressed for time, you know."
Chuckling a bit, though he'd never admit how amusing he found this entire situation now that he knew Grimmjow was unharmed, Ichigo leaned his elbows against the railing, still peering down at his admirer. He was quiet a moment, features slowly taking on a thoughtful expression as he steered their conversation back on track.
"Why have you not just read it yet?" Ichigo called back curiously, holding up his right hand and flashing his tattoo to make his meaning obvious.
He had his speculations about the reason, but part of him felt a little guilty over making the assumption. The big man was in no way stupid, and just because he was less fortunate than Ichigo, didn't mean he was uneducated. Still, the signs were there and it had been the topic of Ichigo's curiosity and musing on more than one occasion.
Grimmjow chuckled, but there wasn't the usual amount of humor in it. He hesitated for only a moment, blue eyes drifting away for a split second, but it wasn't very like him and so Ichigo picked up on it anyway. "I know you haven't exactly been hiding it from me, I'm not that dense...but, uh, it doesn't really do me much good..." His hand ran back through his chaotic blue hair again and he curled his lip a bit at the damp, slightly sticky feel. "I...can't really read it."
A mildly shocked expression flitted over Ichigo's features but it was surprise more from how openly Grimmjow had admitted it, like it only bothered him a moderate amount and he didn't think it set him apart from anyone else. Then again, Ichigo didn't really know all that much about his blue haired shadow. Maybe in his everyday life, Grimmjow had no need for the skill, so maybe not being able to read really didn't set him apart from those he was surrounded by most often.
Setting his glass on the flat top of the railing he looked over, Ichigo pulled the book from under his arm and tugged a few loose sheets of lined paper from under it's cover. "So learn." Then he dropped the book over the side and watched Grimmjow scramble forward to catch it before it could thud to the thick glass he stood on. With that, Ichigo turned back around and left, ignoring the shouts for him to wait.
The blue haired man sighed and looked down at the book in his hands. Then sighed again as he turned and began working out how he was supposed to get down from the top of the covered walkway. This hadn't exactly been his most well thought out idea...
Resourceful as always, he eventually managed to rescale the balcony, practically sprinting through the door, into the cafe's indoor section and through the front entrance as the manager opened the doors for the morning. The employees and owner stared at him as he went, incapable of missing the wide, pleased grin that took over handsome features as he disappeared. Only an hour later, he was sitting in the corridor out in front of Nel's home, waiting for her to get back.
Leaning back against the wall next to his friend's front door, he settled the book in his lap and flipped through pages, frowning at the almost childish nature of the pictures and drawings of various, random objects. A folded sheet of lined paper fell free, fluttering between his legs to land on the gritty tile below him. Arching a brow, he picked it up, setting the book aside for the moment. Unfolding it, he found neat, precise handwriting, the spacing between the words even and the shapes of the letters carefully penned.
Grimmjow frowned curiously as he scanned the paper. To his surprise, he found his name within the first few words and realized he was looking at a handwritten letter from his pretty little birdie. At the very bottom, a name had been signed; two words, surname first in the traditional fashion and then the shorter first name. A bit of a smirk wormed its way across his lips and he folded the paper back up, tucking it away in the book. He hoped Nel didn't keep him waiting all day.
A few hours later, the woman he was waiting on came walking down the hall. Grimmjow hopped up from where he'd been seated on the floor and there must have been an extra spring to his step as he met her half way to her door because she gave him a bit of an inquisitive look, before her wheat grey eyes were drawn down to the heavy book in his hands. Then the look turned into something closer to a frown, because what would a man who couldn't read well need with a book?
"Something you found outside?" Nelliel asked, brows arched a bit as she continued walking.
Finding such things was rare. Books especially, because the old paper didn't hold up well to the elements, but if anyone could manage to scrounge up something of that much value while wandering the near lifeless surface, it was Grimmjow. She vaguely wondered how much it would be worth. What she could see of the heavy cover made it look antique. She'd heard of books that fetched high prices before; copies of tales that had been banned in the old days, or books that had quit being printed even before the paper needed for the pages had become such a precious thing. That was when trees still supposedly grew from the ground and not from buildings in designated spots.
It was a hard thing to imagine, but Grimmjow assured her that he'd found evidence of such trees on his journeys and she believed him.
Grimmjow took a place beside her, and walked her the rest of the distance to her front door. "Nope, haven't been outside yet today."
At that, her steps faltered a bit and she turned an appraising eye on the big man. Grimmjow simply grinned back, eagerness showing in his stunning blue eyes. She looked back down at the book in his hands, finally paying it enough attention to realize that while it looked old, it was still in good condition. It had been well taken care of, obviously not something Grimmjow had found outside or lying around the short districts by chance. She asked, "Alright, what's going on? Where did you get the book?"
If possible, Grimmjow's grin widened, "It was a gift...kind of...from a certain orange haired boy upstairs."
Nel wasn't surprised to hear he'd snuck up into the tall districts again. He'd done it often enough before he'd had something that so thoroughly held his interest. Now, he actually had a reason to do so and it seemed that maybe that reason wasn't going to be as short with him as Nelliel and Nnoitra had first feared. In all honesty, it was starting to look like the upper class citizen was quite taken with their friend. Or maybe just fascinated by someone so exotic as a handsome man from the poor levels of the city.
She shook her head a bit, hoping Grimmjow knew what he was doing, but knew it was fruitless to try warning him against further outings. Besides, Grimmjow really seemed to like the young man, and he was her friend so she would attempt to be supportive. "You still don't even know his name, do you?"
"I do! Or... I will," Grimmjow shrugged and grinned, opening the book's cover to pull out the sheet of paper again. He handed it over. "as soon as you help me out."
Nel only half listened as she scanned the top of the paper, taking in neatly written words and elegant but simple handwriting. A small smile slowly spread across her pretty features, before she laughed quietly and handed the paper back. "Sorry, Grimm..."
His features dropped, brows pulling together as he hesitated in taking the paper back, a serious expression on his handsome face and blue eyes never leaving her form. "What the hell does that mean?"
"It means I'm not allowed to help you read it." She smiled at him, and something in her sparkling grey eyes made his slowly growing ire calm back down, "It says right in the first paragraph," She explained, pointed at the sheet of paper, "he asks that Nnoitra and I help you learn, but don't actually read it for you. He wants you to figure it out."
Grimmjow stood in silence for a moment, looking down at dark ink on white paper. "...that's messed up."
Nel only laughed a pretty sound and shook her head as she pulled the heavy book from his hands. "No it's not," She assured him, "It's actually very sweet."
This kid, a complete stranger, was giving them everything they needed to help a man he didn't even know learn how to read, including a motive. Grimmjow wasn't stupid, he was just too high strung and stubborn for Nel or Nnoitra to ever teach him before, when they were all younger. He couldn't sit still that long and simply wasn't interested in looking at books when he could go exploring outside or sneak up into the tall districts.
The young woman flipped open the book as Grimmjow pulled her door open for her. Right away she knew what she was looking at; a children's dictionary, complete with definitions, pronunciations, and pictures of the things being spelled. The wording in the descriptions was simple, aimed toward people with still developing minds and less understanding, but it would be perfect in aiding someone learn how to read.
She looked back up at Grimmjow, gently closing the book. A disgruntled but determined frown creased his brow as he yet again scanned back through the short letter in his hands. She smiled, "Let me make something to eat, then we'll sit down and get started."
Grimmjow grumbled a low sound under his breath and Nelliel could already see the restless energy making him want to pace. She laughed a pretty, charming sound and headed for the little kitchen in her home.
Much higher in sky, as the sun sank below the horizon and deep shadows swallowed up the city, Ichigo hummed a short, frustrated sound and scowled. Sprawled on his back upon his bed, his teeth toyed at his bottom lip as he stared up at the screen hovering above him. His eyes coasted through lines of text.
With a sigh, he shook his head slightly, and pulled his hands from behind his head. Positioning his fingers before him, a keyboard shimmered into being and he typed up a quick respelling.
He eyed the letters critically, before decided the arrangement looked much better. When he hit enter, the search on his screen began reconfiguring. Ichigo relaxed back again, hands folded behind his head upon his pillow.
Only a few minutes later, the search had run through every single name in the database that belonged to his city: the scraper his home was located in. His scowl only deepened when this search came back equally as empty.
He was positive he'd spelled the name right, though... Maybe Grimmjow was some sort of odd moniker, something other than the big man's birth name? It seemed unlikely, considering the ring and nature of the name, but then... Why couldn't Ichigo find him? Because of his Class A standing, he had access to some of the very best tech, military grade stuff, and yet a simple, low standing man was evading him. It was ridiculous and it brought an unhappy furrow to boyishly handsome features.
Ichigo sighed and swiped his hand through the air in an irritated motion. The screen was disrupted as his fingers passed through it, breaking up the image and sending it away. The keyboard disappeared with it and Ichigo rolled over onto his stomach as he listened to the quiet wind whistle between the buildings outside. The rest of his house was silent, his sisters and father asleep, but Ichigo lay awake in the dark, his mind adrift.
It looked like he'd just have to learn more about the target of his thoughts the old fashioned way.
•••••••
It'd been more than a week since he'd seen his blue haired stalker, though, with the task Ichigo had given the man, he wasn't surprised. What did surprise him a bit, however, was that Grimmjow hadn't attempted to seek him out yet. In his letter, he'd requested the man not come to him until he'd completed the given task, but he hadn't honestly expected his wishes to heeded. The fact that such a stubborn and strong-willed individual -a man that regularly went against the rules and law even when the consequences could be dire- seemed so willing to please him spoke volumes to Ichigo. The mere thought left a gentle smile on his lips.
Relaxed in his usual seat, Ichigo glanced over as his waitress arrived, a small silver plater balanced between her hands. Upon it, a blue cup of steaming hot, freshly brewed tea, a small bowl of sugar and -Ichigo frowned a bit, orange brows furrowing just slightly at the oddity- an object that he'd never before seen nor had brought to him in all his previous visits. "What is that?" He asked curiously as the young lady approached.
The girl bowed slightly as she began setting out his tea. "A crane, I think, sir." She answered, "One of the evening waitresses left me a note saying that it was meant for you. It was delivered just before closing yesterday. Unfortunately she didn't say who left it for you..."
Ichigo frowned down at it curiously as the little paper crane was set on the table next to his cup. Ignoring the tea, he picked up the carefully folded creation and studied it. The little wings flapped when pulled just right. It hardly took him a moment to figure it out and he smiled as he did; a little, paper bird. Clearly it was from Grimmjow. How fitting, considering the man's odd choice of nicknames for him.
It was impressive, cute even, but Ichigo had asked for a letter in return, not origami.
Still inspecting the little bird, he picked up his tea and sipped as he rotated it in one hand. Only when he flipped it over did he see the out of place little marking on the underside of the fake bird's wing, right where the fold was and very nearly hidden. Ichigo set aside his tea again, and pulled the crane closer. Ink.
His features lit into a wide, happy smile. He almost hated to unfold the note, actually quite fond of the paper bird it took the shape of, but after a moment's hesitation, he realized he could simply have Grimmjow make him a new one if he couldn't figure out how to refold it. So he oh so carefully began unfolding the careful creases and flattening the paper out.
The letter was short, simple, written in careful penmanship that showed the foreignness of the task. As he read, Ichigo's delight only grew. He picked up his tea and smiled into his cup as he sipped.
.
Dear Ichigo,
It's nice to finally be able to call you by name, though I'm still probably going to call you my little Birdie. Nel says that you must be a saint for putting up with me and I should thank you. So thank you for kind of helping to teach me how to read, even though all you did was drop a book on me.
I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow. I'll probably be coming straight from work, but I wont be late this time.
.
And at the bottom of the paper, it was signed simply, Grimmjow, with no last name, but Ichigo could hardly care. In all honesty, he was impressed with the man's attempt, and success, with sticking to mostly proper decorum in his letter. No doubt he'd used Ichigo's own as an example but there was something rather sweet about that. The thought was an endearing one.
Ichigo sat in the peace of a quiet morning, drinking his tea as he studied the careful handwriting of the man he was quickly falling for. The smile wouldn't leave his features for the rest of the day.
Even when he had to join his father for a consultation with a patient, a small ghosting of a smile lifted the corners of his lips. Isshin Kurosaki glanced sidelong at his boy, practically feeling the change in the younger, and smiled as well. It was hard for a father to miss the obvious signs of an unhappy child, and just as impossible not to see when that unhappiness began slowly melting away, draining a little more with each day. He didn't yet know what had changed, but he was glad for it.
In an exceptional mood himself, because of his boy's seemingly high spirits, Dr. Kurosaki and Ichigo sat relaxed in a private room with a nervous woman and her worried husband, and assured them they were in the best of hands.
Hours later, Ichigo took his leave from his father's hospital, leaving Isshin to oversee his empire. The older man, in a goofy but pleased tone, made a show of praising his son for a job well done that day, and bid him a good evening. He'd be home late that night, as he was everyday.
Ichigo tolerated the usually annoying antics of his old man with an exasperated chuckle, and waved a farewell as he disappeared through sliding glass doors to find his shuttle. He made it home in record time, practically running down long hallways and up steep staircases until he reached the floor his house sat on. He unlocked the front door with the ID on his wrist and an automated voice greeted him, turning on the low level lights and drawing up the blinds in the entryway so that the evening sun could warm the space.
The young man ignored the familiar, mindless voice -really just an over glorified doorbell- and hurried through the home, toward the back, where his rooms were located. He busied himself with changing into something nicer that didn't consist of hospital scrubs and a lab coat, before he worked on tidying things up a bit as a way to keep himself busy.
An hour later, Ichigo's gaze was just swinging toward the clock when the confident, but not overly forceful knock sounded through his home. He startled slightly, then climbed to his feet and rushed to the front door, only to pause and smooth out his shirt, tugging the wrinkles free. Just before a second round of knocking could break the quiet of his home, he pulled the lock from its place and slide the door open.
Handsome, smirking features met him. Blue eyes looked a little wide, not unsure or uneasy, but maybe a little surprised, and Ichigo realized this must have been quite the sight for a man from the short districts. He quickly banished the thought, not wanting it to sour his mood, and stepped from the doorway to allow his guest entry.
Grimmjow took a single step inside, before toeing off his shoes and leaving the filthy things at the door. He was quite aware of the slightly amused expression being aimed his direction as he looked around, hoping the shock and awe didn't register too openly on his face.
He'd thought the outside had seemed fancy... The entry way alone was larger than Nel's bedroom, maybe larger than her sitting room. One entire wall was made up of floor to ceiling glass, giving a spectacular view of the city's roof tops and clear, blue skies. On the other side, a row of neatly potted plants stood about man hight, the leaves green and healthy. The walls were white, the ceiling as well. The ceramic pots were a light grey, glazed to shine and the flooring below his feet was a smooth, medium toned wood.
His attention was drawn back to Ichigo as the smaller started to speak, "You, um... You've got-" Ichigo reached up slightly, and awkwardly swiped his thumb along Grimmjow's jawline, "-some... actually, you're basically covered in dirt..."
Grimmjow grunted a laugh, a lopsided grin tugging his features as he looked down at the smaller male. A just barely noticeable red heated Ichigo's features to a pretty, lively shade and though he'd pulled his hand back, it still hovered awkwardly not quite at his side.
"Yeah, well," The larger replied, "I did tell ya I'd be coming straight from work."
"True." Ichigo conceded, shaking his head slightly. It wasn't really a negative statement though, and he motioned for Grimmjow to follow him as he led deeper into the house. "How about a shower first? I'll grab you a clean set of clothing while you bathe, and then we can relax and...whatever."
Used to doing just that at Nelliel's home, Grimmjow wasn't shy in the least when he agreed to the offer. He followed his host through the large house, passed a sitting room that housed several large, plush dark couches and black and white paints on the walls, a kitchen with all stainless steel appliances, and several closed doors. Ichigo stopped in front of one such door, and eased it open, revealing a spacious bathroom with tile flooring and a separate tub and shower.
"I'll find you something clean to wear. I'll be just a moment." Ichigo informed, turning to continue down the hallway.
Grimmjow watched him disappear through a door towards the end of the hall, before stepping into the bathroom. He made his way to the shower and pulled the glass door open, the bottom of which was frosted while the top was left clear. Not a single fingerprint marred it. He stripped from his shirt, dropping it to the tile flooring, then stripped from his pants as well.
A knock on the bathroom door announced that Ichigo had found him something to wear. The young man's voice called through, "...are you decent?"
Grimmjow took that as a request to come in and seeing as he wasn't the type to really worry about modesty, called back, "You can come in." while still looking the fancy shower over.
"I realized noth- Oh my god!"
Grimmjow grinned. He could hear as Ichigo choked and turned away from him in a quick jerk of stunned motion. Turning to look over his bare shoulder he was quite pleased to find how red the back of Ichigo's neck had turned, his ears the same shade and most likely his face as well.
"I'm sorry! You said you were dressed-!" Ichigo practically shouted, "I-I"
The poor guy... Grimmjow almost felt bad for flustering him so. Almost. "No, but I did tell you you could come in, so relax. Besides, it's not like you haven't looked at my ass before."
"I have not!" But Ichigo paused, rolling his eyes. He swore he could hear that damn grin getting wider by the second. "Ok, well that's different! You don't have pants on this time...!"
"Lighten up, Birdie." Grimmjow chuckled, "If I'm not shy about it, why should you be embarrassed?"
"..." Ichigo realized that that was actually a decent point. It wasn't like he was the one standing naked in somebody else's home. But he still didn't turn around as he set the stack of clean clothing on a shelf near the door. "O-ok, anyway. The clothes are my father's, since I don't think mine will fit you, but he wont mind. Umm... Take as long as you need. Towels are in the cupboard beside you."
Grimmjow chuckled and bent to turn the water on as he heard the door close, announcing that Ichigo had scrambled from the room. He missed as the smaller male sneaked one last, quick look at sculpted shoulders and long legs before pulling the door closed.
Once safely outside the bathroom, Ichigo covered his red-stained features with his hands for a moment. He was positive he'd never return to his normal pallor at this rate. Blowing out a sigh, he pushed away from the bathroom door and once more turned down the hall, this time towards the front of the house and his well stocked kitchen, where he pulled a few beers from the fridge. Returning to his room, he placed the bottles in the half-sized fridge there, before glancing around his space and contemplating what else he should grab. He had no idea what kind of foods the bigger man preferred, so he'd just kind of grabbed a few random things earlier.
The bigger man's shower was remarkably fast, compared to what Ichigo was used to, at any rate. Ten minutes later -15 at most- and Ichigo heard the sound of dials being turned, before the hiss of running water disappeared. Still he waited, seated upon the luxurious, almost too large mattress that was his bed. Nervous tension made him drum his fingers silently across the dark, violet bedspread, though he had no idea what he was nervous about.
Finally, after deciding he'd given his guest enough time to redress and tidy himself up, Ichigo stood, crossed the space of his room, and exited into the hallway.
Grimmjow was already coming toward him, though had the look of someone who hadn't been entirely sure where he'd been headed. His handsome features, smeared dirt gone and golden skin smooth and touchable, parted in a smirk as those ridiculously blue eyes landed on Ichigo. Damp, sky-blue hair hung around his features carelessly, weighed down and lacking the normally chaotic but careful styling. Brushing the tops of the man's broad shoulders in the back, Ichigo realized it was longer than he'd first noticed.
The black, neatly pressed dress slacks Ichigo had dug from his father's closet -he couldn't remember the elder Kurosaki ever having worn them- seemed to fit quite well. Almost too perfectly, and despite that the tailored, sophisticated look was a bit odd on the lower standing male, it wasn't a bad look at all. Grimmjow had forgone the button down Ichigo had given him to borrow, and now walked towards Ichigo in only the plain, white undershirt. It stretched tight across his chest and shoulders, and, not tucked in like it would have been had it been worn under something as it was meant to be, it rode up along one side to show just a peek of cut hipbone.
Ichigo swallowed and forced his eyes back upward, only to find that that teasing little smirk had transformed into an infuriating grin. Orange brows knit downward as Ichigo turned and swept his arm in welcome toward his open bedroom door, allowing the bigger man to proceed him.
"My apologies, my rooms are kind of small..." He excused, following behind Grimmjow. His gaze dropped toward the floor with his unsureness. Grimmjow was barefoot still, he noted.
"Small?" Grimmjow paused in the center of the main room, spinning a short circle to take in the space. The ceiling arched in the middle, where a chandelier hung and bathed the room in sufficient, but not harsh lighting. The bed took up the middle of the far wall, massive beyond any bed Grimmjow had ever seen. The carpet below his feet was a neutral color, soft and warm. The walls were clean, shelves filled with books and other items lining one wall, while the one opposite held an arched doorway. Photos decorated either side of the portal.
The doorway opened up into a short hallway, another door on both the left and right sides. One held Ichigo's study, the other a small but completely furnished bathroom.
Grimmjow arched a skeptical brow at the smaller. Nelliel's entire home would fit in Ichigo's rooms, never mind the rest of the tall district boy's house. And Grimmjow had never seen so many books in his entire life, let alone in one place. There was a fortune just in this room, and Ichigo thought this was small?
"Uhh...Yeah," Ichigo fidgeted a bit where he stood, "Some of my friends' rooms are bigger." He shrugged.
Grimmjow merely snorted and shook his head, before confessing, "My friend lives in a house the size of your bedroom. This place ain't small."
Ichigo looked stunned, to say the least, "...really?" He wandered to the half-height fridge that sat in one corner, pulling it open to extract two bottles. He held one up in wordless offer.
Grimmjow happily accepted it as he nodded, "You haven't been very far downstairs, have you?"
"No...I haven't..." Ichigo admitted. He wasn't naive, he knew he was privileged, but he was only just beginning to really see just how far the gap between himself and his world and Grimmjow's was. He'd long since known the man was socially below him by quite a bit, but the few personal things he'd gathered through their interactions was really starting to make him realize how far.
Grimmjow twisted the cap off his beer, and tilted it to his lips.
A bit of a furrow forming between his brows, something of a determined light shone in brown eyes. "Maybe you'll have to show me around sometime."
The bigger male snorted a dry laugh and pulled the bottle from his lips, "Trust me, Birdie, you don't wanna dirty your pretty wings down there."
That fire in warm eyes only grew, "Beautiful things sometimes grow from dirt."
Grimmjow stared back at the smaller male for a long moment, and he knew Ichigo wasn't being naive or literal. He knew, as vivid blue locked with unrelenting brown, that Ichigo was throwing his argument away, telling him their status difference didn't bother him, that it was unimportant.
After that long minute, chilled blue thawed a bit, and Grimmjow smirked as he brought his beer back to his lips.
A triumphant, nearly stunning smile spread across normally scowling features as Ichigo tipped back his own bottle. And just like that the heavy air melted away, and something calm and playful settled in its place.
"Tell me, Grimmjow," Ichigo bid, a mischievousness to his words, "have you ever learned fencing?"
Thoughts? Hope you enjoyed the update~