A huge Thank you to all the people who have read and reviewed the previous chapters. Here's the next chapter hope you enjoy it. Sorry if there are any errors in it. I don't own Bleach :'(
Chapter 3: Family Forces, Rushed Choices
Grimmjow glanced around the room once again out of anticipation, eyes scanning the decorations, before finally focusing on a big portrait hanging on the wall above an intricately designed fireplace. The picture had a beautiful woman with flowing brown hair who held a young Ichigo of about 3 or 4 years on her lap. Ichigo was smiling happily while holding both the woman's and a rather crazy looking man's hand. Grimmjow realised that it must have been Ichigo family portrait as he recognized Ichigos dad from the time he spent at his clinic as he really hated hospitals… and he knew it would torment Ichigo, though he never knew why Ichigos dad never rejected him. Throughout all the years Grimmjow tormented Ichigo not once did Ichigos dad approach him, Grimmjow had always assumed it was because Ichigo was too ashamed to tell his dad but was never sure.
Grimmjow also recognized a picture of ichigos younger twin sisters, Yuzu and Karin, hanging beside the big portrait. He had seen the twins with Ichigo a lot of times when he had visited the clinic due to one injury or another. Yuzu had light brown hair similar to the woman in the bigger picture and had soft brown puppy eyes that contrasted deeply with her sisters dark grey eyes that were almost always set in the same scowl as Ichigo and black hair.
'GO AWAY GOAT FACE, I don't want to know, tell Karin and Yuzu I said hey and I've got a friend over at the moment so, yes ,I'm busy, bye… NO I said you CAN'T COME ROUND! BYE!' Ichigo ranted down the phone to his dad before slamming the phone down effectively cutting off whatever the man was going to say before Isshin started crying about something again. Seriously that man has to have way too many hormones or something Ichigo fumes as he spins round to a hopeful looking Grimmjow and before he even says a word, Ichigos heart begins to beat at an unhealthy rate. He slowly approached the sofa as his mind tried to organize all the information he had been assaulted with that day, he still needed to complete his sketch of a untamed beast for his college assessment that was due in only a week away from today and he still had no idea what he was going to base it on but all of his thoughts of college or anything that didn't involve the blue haired male was pushed to the back of his mind as he stood in front of the man.
He called me a 'friend' that's gotta mean something right? No maybe it was a slip of the tongue or just an excuse to the other person? Grimmjows mind was working just trying to make sense of what he had heard if in fact he had heard anything at all as Ichigo sat down beside him.
'Sorry about that, my dad isn't exactly the most normal person I know. Anyway yeah… um…' Ichigo had no idea what to say as he stumbled through his mind trying to string together a sentence, 'Do you want a drink? I have Tea or coffee or some orange juice but no beer, hate the accusing looks I get when I try to buy beer, I mean come on don't I look 18 or something?' The heavy atmosphere began to lift as Ichigo jumped up and began to head towards the kitchen.
'I'll just have juice please,' Grimmjow smiled towards Ichigo still trying to arrange his thoughts, he had come to Ichigos house expecting to be hit or at least spat on and turned away but now that Ichigo had done neither of these things he had no idea what to do. Maybe I should stop doing things on instinct so much and actually plan things out or at least-
'Grimmjow? Did you not want it?' Ichigo was waving the juice in front of Grimmjow as the blue haired man burned a hole in his carpet with the intensity of his stare.
'Huh? Oh sorry Ichigo, hahahaha just a bit lost in thought. Thanks for the juice' Grimmjow sipped the orange juice slowly almost hoping that if he drank more slowly he could think of what the hell he would say to Ichigo when both of their heads snapped up in surprise as three people wondered through the door towards them.
'DAD? What the hell! I told you I was busy what are you doing here?' Ichigo dodged as his father flew past him, trying to land a hit on the orange haired boy, and turned to face his sisters who had sat down next to an extremely uncomfortable looking Grimmjow before turning back to his father who had regained his balance. 'I was trying to have a serious conversation! Why don't you just go home?'
'Masaki our son doesn't love papa anymore! Oh, the pain!' Isshin stood there as tears flowed before a shoe hit his face and he curled up in a ball in the corner of the room repeating 'Why doesn't our kids love me?' over and over.
'DAD Stop being such a fool and why didn't you tell us that Ichigo had his boyfriend over? We could have come over another day.' Yuzu glanced towards Grimmjow as she mentioned boyfriend that caused a blush to creep its way up ichigos neck.
'MY SON IS IT TRUE? DO YOU FINALLY INTEND TO SETTLE DOWN AND MAKE LITTLE BABIES SO I CAN SPOIL THEM AND BECOME AN OLD GRANDPA! THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION! BRING OUT THE CHAMPA-' Isshin was flung across the room, as both Karin and Ichigo punched the crazy man, and slammed into the wall before falling to the floor with a resounding thud.
'Sorry Ichigo we'll come back another time. Just give me or Yuzu a call when ya free ok?' Karin collected the shoe she had thrown at her dad and started to drag the old man to the door as Yuzu quickly apologized to both Ichigo and Grimmjow before hugging Ichigo and followed her twin out the door leaving both of the males in a shocked silence.
'Um well that was…' Grimmjow was the first one to break the silence with a small chuckle as Ichigo ran a hand through his untamed hair and shocked Grimmjow by looking straight into his eyes with the same seriousness that they had held before his dad had barged in, almost like the incident hadn't occurred. Was that a common thing that happened in his family? But before he could think any more on the matter Grimmjow was pulled out of his thoughts by ichigos next words.
'For once in my life I'm gunna do something that I'm probably going to regret later and I'm going to forgive you because as fucked up as this is I don't see what the point would be of you making the trip here just to sprout some bullshit.' It pained Ichigo to say what his mind was telling him to say, instead of what his heart was but he knew he needed to make sure he wasn't going to get burned 'BUT I'm not letting you into my life(or heart for that matter) that easily, that will be something you have to earn.'
Grimmjow, who was always a man who lived off instinct, leapt towards Ichigo crushing them together in a bone breaking hug.
'G-g-grimm can't b-breathe' Ichigo gasped trying to remove himself from Grimmjows grip as his heart calmed from the sudden onslaught of emotions. Grimmjows grip loosened but he still held onto Ichigo like he was the only stable thing in the world for him to be near. Standing there Ichigo was unbelievably happy and shocked at the taller man's reaction before remembering his own words: He would not let him into his life not without him earning his place.
'Grimmjow please let me go' his voice was so calm it disturbed even himself as he stepped out of Grimmjows loosening embrace.
'Sorry Ichigo I must of surprised you I didn't think before I acted, hehehehe they did say I was raised by the wolves right' Grimmjows soft chuckle resounded throughout the room making Ichigos heart jump, attacking his chest. 'Ne, let me prove that I can be your friend at least then, let me take you out somewhere, your choice and I'll pay, ok? You can invite some friends if you don't trust me that much yet'
'Let me think about it ok? This is a lot to think about. Give me your number I'll need it right? I'll contact you when I've sorted my thoughts out, I just need some time,' Grimmjow smirks as he grabs his phone and hands it to Ichigo.
'Ring me if you need me… like for anything, I'll see you later then I suppose ichi and I really am sorry more sorry than you could ever believe' and with that Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez strolled out of Ichigos house leaving Ichigo quite shell shocked as a blush began to cover his face.
Did he just call me ichi?
