Awkwardly they sat side by side, surrounded by their friends, Renji, Rukia, Nel, Nnoitra, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Shinji, and Shuuhei.
They were drinking at their usual haunt, Urahara's bar, but the laid back atmosphere that never ceased to envelope the occupants was kept at bay by the aura radiating from the boys, mixed between awkwardness, longing, and unspoken words.
Grimmjow had been dragged to the bar by Ikkaku, while Ichigo had initially planned to go; unaware that he would be meeting Grimmjow... or that they would be sitting next to each other in the crowded booths.
Perhaps this is for the best... thought Ichigo, maybe it's better to get this out of the way now.
That's what he'd thought, but Grimmjow was acting unusually awkward, trying to not press into Ichigo too much, being careful not to look him in the eye.
This forced avoidance baffled the red head. Hadn't he been the one to tell him not to avoid him!? Why was he being like this now!?
Well, the answer was painfully simply: things are always easier said than done.
And this was too soon, he hadn't prepared himself!
And so, the two sat in silence as their friends chatted, fighting to keep the morale that Ichigo and Grimmjow were threatening to drown.
"Oi, Ichigo, What's wrong with you two lately?" asked Rukia, blunt as ever. She'd heard about their problems from Nel, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to ask, make her own decisions about the situation.
"Ah! Uh! N-nothing! Why do you- uh, ask?" he stumbled over his words uselessly, heat flushing over his face.
"Ohhh?" she droned unconvinced, "ne, Grimmjow, what's going on with you guys?"
"None of your damn business, dwarf!" he shot back, relieved that he hadn't been questioned first.
"Is that so? I disagree," butted in Yumichika, taking the offense "you're here raining on our parade after all. I think that makes it our business. Indecisiveness really is so ugly."
"Who the fuck're you calling ugly, Swan Princess!?" demanded Grimmjow, standing from his seat, relieved for the distance it put between him and Ichigo.
"S...Swan Princess...?" questioned the tables occupants together, Ichigo included.
"Uh... well he's... got those feather things, and he's like a princess... all snooty and stuck up-"
"How dare you!" exclaimed Yumichika, fidgeting with his hair, "I am not a snooty princess, I'm simply more beautiful than you can ever hope to be!"
"Yeah, yeah! Come on Yumichika," intervened their bald saviour, "you called him ugly first."
"But he called me-!"
"That's not important right now!" Ikkaku interrupted, not in the mood for his friends antics.
"Hmph, it's important to me." He mumbled to himself as he took his seat again.
"Well I'm with Grimmjow, this isn't our business, we should just leave it alone" he intoned, eyeing all of his friends around the table to let them know he was serious.
"Like hell!" cried Shinji, "If you wanna fuck each other then fuck each other, it's as simple as that!"
The table was paralysed, Ikkaku and Yumichika the only exceptions as they struggled to stifle their giggles.
"The fuck was that!?"
"Shinji! What the-!?" The two in question cried in unison, Ichigo shooting up from his seat to join Grimmjow, faces bright red. They hadn't been aware that their friends knew of their predicament... but they knew now.
"Shinji, maybe that was a little..." trailed off Shuuhei, not sure how to fix the problem his lover had just created.
"Fucking hell!" yelled Ichigo as they fought their way out of booth, freeing themselves.
Now Ichigo couldn't look Grimmjow in the eye either; he strode off, fuming with rage and humiliation, quick paced steps taking him back to the dorms.
"Ichigo! Oi! Ichigo wait up!" called the last voice Ichigo wanted to hear at that moment.
"What the fuck, Shinji!? What the fuck!?" he screamed, distress clear in his voice, "Why would you say something like that!? Are you a complete fucking retard!?"
"...I'm sorry Ichigo, I went too far-"
"YOU THINK!?" he yelled back, frustration getting the better of him.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing more I can say." He replied, eyes sad, "I really am... hey, why don't you stay at my place tonight? Me'n Shuuhei're heading to his family's place for the weekend, so you can hide out here as my apologies, 'kay?"
Ichigo was puffing as he calmed himself down, his head banging against the wall with a thud; he really didn't want any of his friends trying to talk to him at the moment... Shinji's place would be really convenient.
"Fine...thanks." he mumbled, though he couldn't figure out why he said so; he'd been brought up a polite child, no reason to lose his manners now. He was too distressed to notice the smile in Shinji's eyes.
He caught the key Shinji threw at him, trudging the short distance to the pair's room, locking it behind him as he fell face first onto the bed, laying there for five minutes before stripping to his underwear and quickly falling asleep in the dim lit room.
"Grimmjow! Hey Grimmjow, listen to me," called Shuuhei, jogging over to the agitated boy as he stopped pacing, "Grimmjow, I am truly sorry about Shinji back there, he overstepped his bounds... but please let us make it up to you!" he called again when Grimmjow gave a grunt before walking off.
"Grimmjow! Let us make it up to you! Shinji and I are going away for the weekend, so you can stay at our place while we're away, okay?" he offered, extending a hand that held a key.
"Huh? Why would I want to stay at your place?" he demanded, annoyed.
"Well... wouldn't that hide you from the people who want to talk to you about this...?" offered Shuuhei, baiting the hook as he mentally apologised to Grimmjow. He may be the responsible one in the relationship, but that didn't mean he and Shinji had no common interests.
"Oh..." mumbled Grimmjow, not having thought that far ahead, "Fine."
He snatched the key from Shuuhei, darting to their room quickly, relieved when the key worked without a fight.
He gave a deep sigh; he was sick and tired of all this bullshit, a good night's sleep should help some though, he conceded.
Thus he stripped his clothes completely, slipping beneath the surprisingly warm sheets, eyes sliding shut within seconds, oblivious to the semi naked Ichigo sleeping beside him.
Ichigo struggled into consciousness, throwing an arm over his eyes to shield against the harsh light pouring in from the windows.
Distantly his mind registered a beeping sound, head spinning uselessly as he tried to discern what it was. After several moments he woke up enough to realise that his phone alarm was going off.
The red head struggled as he grabbed for his pants, which were blessedly within reach, fishing the phone out of the pocket, sighing with relief as he pressed the button to turn it off.
The phone screen glowed a pale blue, 8:33 printed across the screen. He let the phone drop; Ichigo was a habitual early riser, but his current social standing kept him in bed, hidden beneath the covers in an attempt to pretend that last night hadn't happened.
Without warning a muscled arm draped heavily over his shoulders, the owner fast asleep, unwoken by the alarm.
"G-Grimmjow!?" shrieked Ichigo, his voice shrill.
The blue haired boy pried his eyes open, mumbling in annoyance at being woken, "Ichigo...? What're you doing here...?"
"What am I-!? What are you doing here!?" he yelled back, the sound waking Grimmjow properly.
"Ichigo!?" he asked with a jolt, eyes wide as he yanked his hand away, "the fuck!?"
The two stared at each other in horror, faces hot, Ichigo bursting from the confines of the bed sheets.
"the fuck're you doin' in my bed!?" demanded Grimmjow, sudden terror pumping his heart as he began to understand what this meant... did he... with Ichigo...?
"Your bed!? It's my bed!" insisted Ichigo
"Oh yeah! I just casually climbed into your bed!" replied Grimmjow sarcastically.
"It's my bed-! ...Wait... no it's not..." trailed Ichigo, his memories returning.
"I told you it was my bed!" spat Grimmjow, triumph creeping through the awkwardness.
"No, it's not. It's Shinji's bed."
Grimmjow froze, "Shinji...'s" suddenly his head cleared enough to remember fragments of last night's happenings, grimacing as he understood what had actually happened, relief flooding his chest before anger took it's play.
He sent a string of curses to the ceiling, hands balled into fists as he fought the urge to punch a hole in the wall.
Ichigo was stiffened when he realised that they'd been sleeping naked together, blush staining his face. He had been wearing underwear, but the same couldn't be said for his friend: Grimmjow always slept naked.
Ichigo was tired, his common sense and reasoning lowered as a result. At least in retrospect that's all he could come up with as the reason to his actions.
The red head reached over the bed in frustration, taking his friend by surprise as he kissed him roughly, forcefully, holding their faces together before abruptly letting go, "This is what you did to me! One stupid kiss and suddenly my head's all messed up! You stupid fucking asshole! Do you understand how I feel!? Could you understand how I feel!? Is there even the slightest possibility!? No! I don't think so!" Ichigo gave a string of curses and insults to rival Grimmjow's, directing them at the stunned boy.
Grimmjow's mind went blank, all common sense thrown askew, his eyebrows knotting together as he grabbed Ichigo's face and kissed him in retaliation, teeth brushing teeth as their lips were unintentionally forced apart.
The kiss was harsh, mouths curled into grimaces as the pushed against each other.
Ichigo ended the kiss with a shove, sending them flying apart, hand flying to his mouth with shock. It was one thing for him to lose himself in a moment of anger, but did Grimmjow really not understand the situation they were in.
"Grimmjow..." he growled dangerously, "are you a fucking moron?"
"Am I a moron? You kissed me first!"
"But I'm gay! Are you trying to provoke me!?"
"Provoke you!? What're you gonna do, force my hand? Like you could!" he yelled back. Ichigo had good brains and was strong enough, but in a fight there was no doubt as to who the winner would be.
Ichigo grit his teeth, he couldn't decide whether to scowl or grimace, and his mixture of the two was rather impressive, "That's not the point!" he yelled back, stepping closer.
"Then what is the point!?" he demanded, moving forward until their faces were centimetres from each other, ignoring the sheets as they fell away to bare his naked form.
Their eyes held a unanimous headstrong anger, a reckless emotion that caused both to persevere in their argument, faces moving together to lock lips, the battle for dominance beginning.
Their lips met harshly, opening and closing in attempts to gain leverage over the other, succeeding only in deepening the kiss as tongues were added to fill the gaps.
They grabbed at each other's hair, hands fisting in the locks, Ichigo's fingers trailing down to grip Grimmjow's face, anger resonating through their bodies.
Through the anger other emotions were forced to the top, embarrassment flooding Grimmjow's cheeks with heat, lust and worry tugging at the red head's mind.
Ichigo too felt the warmth run beneath his skin when his groin began to respond, hardening at the contact with his best friend.
Grimmjow's eyes widened in alarm when he feels the cloth beneath his hand slide, unintentionally hurling his weight into Ichigo in an attempt to regain balance, toppling them both onto the floor, Grimmjow lying atop his friend.
"Urgh!" they grumbled, hands reaching for their mouths to soothe the damage that mashing together in the fall had dealt, both relieved to find the skin unbroken, stiffening as they simultaneously noticed an unexpected pressure.
Sitting up Ichigo stared open mouthed at the semi-hard length protruding from his completely naked friend. Grimmjow pulling away hastily, blush running down his chest and over his ears, surprise making him gasp when Ichigo grabbed his biceps, keeping him from retreating.
The adrenaline of the situation rushed through Ichigo's body, filling him with daring as he grabbed Grimmjow's hand, pulling it to his own erection which stood at full mast.
The blue haired boy was frozen; how could Ichigo actually be hard? This was a show of strength! A pissing contest! How could he actually be getting off on it!? ...Not that his own situation was much better... but Ichigo was way further gone than him!
Mortified, Grimmjow was frozen, hand still upon his friends length, his only consolation that he wasn't the only one.
Flinching, Grimmjow noticed Ichigo's sudden advance, face drawing closer by the second, though slow, giving him time to move.
Grimmjow's eyes flicked around the room in horror, Move damnit, move! Why won't my body move!? He thought desperately, shock still coursing through his veins, eyes squeezing shut as contact was made, Ichigo's lips gentle and slow, eyes closed as he reached up to cup Grimmjow's jaw.
Ichigo added more force to the kiss, his initial anger remembered, urging him on, backing Grimmjow against the bed.
Oh now you're fucking angry, huh? Thought Grimmjow, pushing against his captor with a revived anger of his own, engaging once again in the fight for dominance.
Ichigo was in an unstable state of mind, the lust and passion merging with the anger, which in turn spurned the flames of such emotions within his friend, hunger building in Grimmjow despite his attempts to stop it.
The kiss became dangerous, no longer a competition, but a show of power, both sides fighting for supremacy.
Grimmjow was now completely erect, his instincts taking over, all worries forgotten in his lust, taking control as he pushed Ichigo onto his back, stripping him of his only item of clothing, pulling them both back onto the bed. Quickly he lined himself up with his friend, slowing when Ichigo struggled desperately.
The red head visibly relaxed when he stopped, reaching over to search the draws of the bedside table, retrieving a bottle of clear gel with triumph... well it was Shinji and Shuuhei's room after all.
"What's that" breathed Grimmjow, voice gruff.
"Uhh, I'm not sure but... you need to, uh... prepare me...?" ask wondered, trying to remember Nnoitra's words, "Uh yeah, umm... with your fingers..." he mumbled, face turning red, eyes averted from his captor.
Grimmjow also flushed red but didn't mess about, grabbing the bottle and squeezing a hefty amount onto his fingers, cautiously lining them up against Ichigo's opening, steeling himself for what was to come.
He had to keep from jerking his hand back when he slipped two inside, gasping at the tight heat that encompassed the appendages.
Face bright with chagrin he began pumping inside and out repeatedly, feeling more and more awkward as he became harder. Nervously he pulled out, lathering his length in the gel as he lined himself against Ichigo's opening again, gulped hard as he pushed inside, a broken gasp falling from his lips at the feeling.
It was similar to the feeling surrounding his fingers, but 100 times stronger, him being far larger than two fingers.
His burst of desire was cut short when Ichigo cried out in pain, clamping a hand over his mouth, face turned into his shoulder. He took a deep breath as he gripped Grimmjow shoulders; Grimmjow really was larger girth wise than Nnoitra.
"It's fine... I train with a sword right? This is nothing compared..." of course when fighting in matches the adrenaline was always pumping high...
Appeased, Grimmjow returned the task at hand, all consciousness of being straight forgotten, his instincts taking over.
Slowly he pulled halfway out of the boy, pushing back in with force, fingers digging into Ichigo's hips as he repeated the motion, distorted gasps filling the room as the friction created a difference kind of pleasure than sleeping with a woman.
Ichigo ground against him, impatient at the slow pace, memories of his night with Nnoitra flitting into his mind, urging him towards that release.
Wet slaps joined the gasps as Grimmjow sped up, encouraged by Ichigo's reactions.
"Ichigo..." he whispered involuntarily, too distracted to care, covered in a sheen of sweat.
The sound of his name on Grimmjow's lips was a huge turn on for Ichigo, who reached up to kiss his friend, arm around his shoulder, the other at his waist, the kiss broken occasionally by extra hard thrusts.
With Ichigo's face so close, it was all he could see, the flushed expression of pleasure surprisingly erotic, "Ichigo..." he mumbled again, met with his name similarly growled.
"Ichi... Ichigo..." he growled once more.
"Grimmjow..!" their breathing was becoming rapid, irregular, tearing from their bodies in great gasps as they bucked into one another, clinging to each other, lost in the passion.
"Ichigo...!" he grunted one final time, releasing inside of the red head, pleasure coursing through his body, muscles clenching.
Ichigo stiffened in response, reaching his own orgasm, the sticky fluid flying onto their stomachs.
The pair slowed to a halt, gasping for air, Grimmjow collapsing onto Ichigo, body heavy with exhaustion, both pairs of eyes sliding shut, slipping out of consciousness.
"You what!?" demanded Nel, eyes wide at the confession.
"Tch... you heard me..." mumbled Grimmjow annoyed.
They were in her room having a few drinks. Nel had always been the person he went to for support, and he really needed to talk to someone about this.
"I'm not sure I did!" she shrieked.
"Tch! I slept with Ichigo! I fucking slept with my best friend, alright!?" he yelled back, quieting when he remember the thin walls.
"But... then are you gay too?" she asked, head titled as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing.
"No! No..." he sighed, regret resonating through his mind, "but Ichigo thought I was... I mean afterwards... he thought we'd get together... now he's angry at me again, for leading him on he said, but he fucking kissed me first!"
"... Uh... Grimmy, I don't really think a kiss automatically dictates sex... maybe you should tell me what happened..."
He sighed again, chugging the last of his beer and cracking another open. He ran his fingers through his hair, heat tickling his neck as he began his narrative, leaving out all the detail. That was no problem to Nel anyway, her imagination was creative enough to conjure the rest... which she did... in great detail.
"So you see? It started off just... well, just a competition... but I sort of-we sort of lost control," he explained, "but I'm not gay, you know that!"
"So you had a big argument at the end?" she guessed, he hadn't quite explained that bit yet.
"Well yeah, I'm not gay after all; when I woke up I freaked out... he woke up first, so I couldn't just escape-"
"Grimmy!" she interrupted in disbelief, "you wouldn't have just left! Surely not Grimmy! He's your best friend!"
"Uh- Uh yeah... I mean, uh..." he held his hand up to defend himself, though they did little to soften her glare, "I mean I probably wouldn't have I don't know! I was... scared..."
"Scared?" Grimmjow wasn't one to admit when he was scared; she softened her expression, "Fine, you were scared, that's fair enough, but what are you going to do now?"
"You mean you're not gonna' tell me!?"
"Tell you!? Why should I have to know what to do?" she demanded indignant.
"You always know what to do!"
"Hmph, well thanks for the compliment, but I'm not a fortune teller, I can't just give you answer like that... hmm... well you have a few options... you could turn gay—I'm kidding!" she interrupted herself at the look on Grimmjow's face, continuing when he calmed down, "you could confront him about it, you could pretend it never happened, you could start one of those sex friendships... kidding again" she assured him at the grimace, "Well that's all I can think of..."
Grimmjow groaned to himself, "So my only real options are to pretend it never happened, or to talk to him..."
"Grimmy... you shouldn't pretend it didn't happen..."
"Why not!?" he demanded, he was going to choose that one...
She rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh, "have you no heart!? How do you think he feels about this!? It's like you used him and now you won't even face the consequences-"
"I didn't use him!"
"You know that! I know that! Does he know that!?"
He averted his eyes, head falling back after taking a swig of beer, "...so I guess it's the confrontation then..."
"It's definitely for the best!" she chirped.
"...No... no I won't do it! It was- I mean he's... I'll just act like nothing happened, we can go back to normal."
"Grimmjow..."
"No! We'll go back to normal like that!" he insisted.
Nel could only sigh, Grimmjow was adamant, he'd made up his mind, and nothing she could say was going to change that.
"Ichigo?" mumbled Nnoitra on a yawn, "what time is it..."
"Uhh... about 2:30...in the afternoon..."
"Oh... later than I thought... okay, whada ya want?"
"Uh... sorry but I... could I... talk to you...?" he asked awkwardly, "it's kind of... personal though..."
"...Sure, come in," he offered, stepping out of the way for the boy; now that Nnoitra was waking up properly he could see that Ichigo was in a frazzled state of mind, he kept fidgeting, biting his lip while his eyes roamed the room.
"Ichi, you okay? Whada ya wanna' talk about?"
Ichigo swallowed the excess saliva, taking a deep breath as he took a seat on Nnoitra's bed, "I just... just before I... with Grimmjow... I..." he ran his hands over his face, hiding the pained expression he couldn't hold back, "I..."
Nnoitra understood quickly, "I get it, so what's wrong? Isn't that a good thing?"
"When he woke up, he wasn't... I mean he said he didn't mean to..." he admitted, shoulders dropping, hands falling from his face, "he said it was an accident, that he wasn't gay... then he left, he was really..."
Nnoitra sat down beside the boy, a sympathetic hand resting on his shoulder.
"Fuck, Nnoitra... I think... I just made things worse..." he admitted, head falling to his hands, "why did I have to make things worse!? Why didn't I just leave it alone!?"
"Because you love him...?" Nnoitra pried; someone needed to ask the question after all.
Ichigo couldn't answer... rather, he didn't have the answer. Did he love Grimmjow? He didn't think so... but there was something.
"Ichigo, why don't you tell me what happened... from the beginning."
"Nel~! Can I speak to you for a second~?" Nnoitra sang to the green haired girl, earning a scowl.
"What do you want?" she snapped, she had other things on her mind to worry about.
He smiled his wide smile, "I think we should go somewhere a little less busy," he commented, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to a deserted corner of the school,
Nel was on the alert, particularly being alone with Nnoitra... not that she though he was going to attack her or anything, but something about him set her nerves on edge, "So what do you want?"
"You've been speaking to Grimmjow, right?" he asked, "You know what happened?"
She stiffened, looking him in the eyes, searching for a bluff, "I know what happened, do you?"
"Ooh! You wound me, insinuating that I was here to glean information!" he wailed dramatically, a hand pressed to his heart.
"It was more than an insinuation. So? Do you?"
"Mmhmm, Ichi and Grimm did the dirty, but Grimmjow freaked out at the end, while Ichigo was hoping for a relationship... they're in the middle of an avoidance match right about now," he summarised.
"Hmm, so you did know..." she mumbled with a pout, "fine, what about it?"
"Welll~ Come on! You were the only person to guess my little hobby, aren't you interested too?"
"Whether or not I'm interested I'll deal with on my own, I'd rather have nothing to do with you" she growled, sticking her nose into the air as she walked away.
"Wait!" he cried, pulling her back, "at least listen to what I have to say!"
"Why should I!?" she demanded, anger flaring, "why should I listen to a God damned thing you say!? After what you pulled, why should I care one bit!?"
"Nel..." his eyes grew a sad, "I said I was sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" she yelled back, forcing back the tears that threatened to form, her throat tightening.
"Nel... I really am sorry... it was wrong, I know that, but I can't change that now."
"You used me! I thought you loved me but you fucked me and threw me away!"
"You didn't think I loved you!" he defended himself, "Fine, I knew you loved me, but you never thought I loved you, at least own up to some of the blame. You kept on pushing, even though I told you..."
She looked away, she couldn't help it, the tears fell, running down her face. She swiped her hands over her eyes angrily. Why did tears always come at the worst time? She wasn't sad, she was angry, but tears only made her seem weak.
Nnoitra didn't try to comfort her; he knew that his touch would only make things worse, "Nel... you know Ichigo loves Grimmjow..."
She stopped, "He said that?"
"He didn't need to, it's obvious. He wanted Grimmjow to feel the same way... but Grimmjow slept with him and just left... kind of reminds you of a situation a little closer to home, doesn't it?"
"But Grimmjow... he was scared, he even admitted it..."
"I know. That's why I'm bothering with this, because unlike me, he is a relationship kind of guy, and if those two do get together don't you think it'll be a happier ending? Nel, I'm not asking you to forgive me... just help me with the plan, I can't do it alone."
Nel brushed away the rest of her tears, drying her eyes on her sleeve as she regained some dignity, "do you actually have a plan?" she asked, relenting.
"Heh, believe it or not, I actually do!"
"Urahara! Hi! Remember you told me about the cellar you have under your store that you never use? Could I borrow it for two days? Pretty Please?" begged Nel, Urahara had always taken a liking to her.
"hmmm? He asked, eyeing Nnoitra behind her, "planning mischief?"
"Of course!" chirped Nnoitra, "but it's good mischief! We're locking Ichigo and Grimmjow down there!"
"Nnoitra!" shrieked Nel in a whisper.
"Don't worry, they'll have food," he assured the blond man quickly; he knew that Urahara was a little left of the law sometimes, not to a large degree, but keeping a couple people locked in a cellar for two days wasn't a problem... as long as they didn't die.
"Hmmm... okay!" he agreed easily, reaching behind the bar to shuffle through a few keys, finding the bulky one easily, "just return the key when you're done!"
They walked off in triumph, making their way to the back of the bar where they found the cellar doors, picking up the items they'd left outside on the way. They unlocked them, prying the heavy doors aside so reveal a wooden staircase leading down.
Nnoitra pulled the hanging light switch, walking down the stairs to place the basket of food, three days' worth just in case, two pillows and a single blanket. However Nel felt about him, she shared his love of matchmaking, and harboured a very similar mean streak. Neither of the boys worked, and they both had Mondays off... Nnoitra and Nel would call in sick for them on the Tuesday.
Casually the climbed out again, each fishing their phones out of their pockets, finding the number of the pair in their phones and calling.
"Ichigo... Hey, I wanna' talk to you about somethin' important, can you come down to Urahara's? ... Yeah... yeah, I'll wait outside... 'kay, thanks."
"Grimmy? It's Nel here! I have a surprise! Come down to Urahara's! ...Now! ...No, come now! It's a surprise! ...Come on, It'll help, I promise! ...Mmhmm, I'll wait outside for you!" she hung up, "...So what do we do if they get here at the same time...?
They both stiffened, turning to face each other worriedly, "Uhh... let's just hope that doesn't happen..."
"Hmph! Ohwell, Grimmjow'll be late anyway, he usually is."
True to her word, after several excruciatingly awkward minutes Ichigo showed up first, clearly surprise written clearly over his face to find them together.
"Itsygo! Come here!" called Nel, leading him behind the shop with Nnoitra, wrapping the piece of cloth she'd brought with her around his eyes.
"Huh!? Nel, what're you...?"
"I can't ruin the surprise!" she sang, leading him to the doors, now watch your step, we're going down some stairs from here on... good... now sit down, just one the ground's fine, and DO NOT take your blindfold off! It's a surprise!
Seconds after she rose from the steps Grimmjow turned the corner with Nnoitra, also blindfolded; she held a finger to her lips for quiet.
"Sshhh, don't make any noise!" Nnoitra whispered in Grimmjow's ear, too close for comfort... though what was really making Grimmjow uncomfortable was that Ichigo had slept with this man, he couldn't stop thinking of it.
Carefully they descended the steps, Ichigo startling when he heard sounds.
"Now sit down, just on the ground there~!" ordered Nnoitra in a sing song voice, making a run for the entrance as soon as he was sat, locking the door swiftly behind him.
"Huh? What's wrong? Nnoitra?" asked Ichigo confused, "is someone else here?"
"Ichigo!?" gasped Grimmjow in shock, tearing his blindfold from his face.
Grimmjow!?" demanded Ichigo, just as shocked, pulling the cloth free from his face as well, "what the hell?"
"Soooorryyy~!" called Nnoitra from the entrance, followed by a fit of girlish giggles from his partner in crime, "but if you're not gonna' sort things out yourselves..."
"Then we'll help you!" finished Nel, still giggling spastically.
"Nnoitra! Nel! What's going on!?" they demanded, furious at being tricked.
"We'll be leaving you here for two days, so make sure you sort everything out by then! There's food in the basket!" called Nel cheerfully, "we'll call in sick for you both, don't worry!"
"Nnoitra! Nel!" Cried Ichigo again, his sentence punctuated with a string of swearing from his friend.
"Have fun~!" called Nnoitra in a final goodbye, the two walking away, leaving them trapped.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Damnit! Fuck!" cried Ichigo, Grimmjow being little more inventive in the back ground, the pair crawling up the stair in the dark, searching the walls for a light switch, Grimmjow finding it as the string bumped against his head.
Futilely they pulled and pushed at the door, shoving at it with their hands, unable to use their legs due to the angle of the staircase, but either way it was no use, the wood was solid, and hung on sturdy hinges. It didn't give an inch.
Ichigo was the first to give up while Grimmjow kept on attacking the doors.
The red head made his way down to the basket, finding a letter at the top of the food, addressed to the both of them.
Dear Ichigo and Grimmjow,
No doubt you're very angry with us right now, we're sorry about having to do this, but you were both being so evasive of your feelings. We decided to take things into our own hands, and so you'll be spending the next two days locked in this cellar.
I'm very sorry, but we've had to take your phones, we took them while you were blindfolded, don't be angry, we had to prevent you from calling for help.
It's no use yelling for help, the only people that will walk behind the store are Urahara and Tessai, or their two little bar hands, but we've already asked permission, so they won't let you out.
Instead of wasting your time on things like escape, you should talk about your feelings. Either way you will be stuck there with nothing to do for two days anyway, you'll have to talk eventually. Of course the Ichigo and Grimmjow I know wouldn't have any problem staying amused while together for two days.
Try to pull back that relationship. Good luck!
Love,
Nel and Nniotra
P.S.
There's a little present hidden in a corner of the basket just in case!
Ichigo finished reading annoyed, searching to find his phone really was missing.
"Grimmjow!" he called to his friend, motioning to the note and passing it to him as he went to search the basket. It held bottles of water, energy bars, a few apples, and a large supply of sandwiches. They were only here for two days, it would last them plenty.
He searched the corners of the basket to find a small bottle of lubricant, a small card reading "just in case xx" attached.
A light blush crept up his neck at the thought "yeah, I wish," he muttered under his breath, slipping the cylinder back into its nook.
Grimmjow came up beside him, fighting for a space at the basket, searching the corners immediately, flushing bright red when he realised what it was, stuffing it back in.
They fought for the space at the basket, heads banging into each other as Grimmjow examined the contents, Ichigo being more mature and moving away.
The blue haired boy felt a pang of guilt, offering Ichigo a sandwich, which was taken gratefully. They sat and ate in silence, the air filled with an electric atmosphere, both parties needing to talk, but not wanting to with the strongest fear.
Five hours later...
Ichigo was twisting the plastic wrap that had surrounded the sandwiches he'd eaten, turning them into various shaped animals... each animal looking exactly like a twisted lump of plastic...
Grimmjow was sitting in a corner at the opposite end of the cellar, but the cellar was small enough that it didn't make any difference.
Grimmjow was juggling three of the apples, cursing every now and then when he dropped them; Ichigo was sure they wouldn't be fit to eat by the end of it, but let it be. There really wasn't anything else to do.
As they sat there, each participating in the mindless activities they had chosen, they each thought of their predicament in great length, Grimmjow entertaining ideas of escape, while Ichigo worked up the courage to address the problem properly.
Clenching his fingers he took a deep breath, head falling forward in defeat, "...Grimmjow... ... ..."
He faltered, he didn't know what he wanted to say, or what he wanted to achieve by it.
"...Ichi...?" he asked, eyes squeezing shut, preparing himself for "the talk".
The nickname brought a smile to the red heads face, "it's been a while since you called me Ichi last..."
"Yeah... I guess so..."
Another deep breath, "Grimmjow, I think we should talk about this... I... I overstepped my bounds. I'm sorry if I forced you to do something you didn't want to... I didn't know."
"I don't really wanna' talk about that just now-"
"So?" asked Ichigo incredulously, "So you don't wanna' talk about it, that means we just let it be and always have that awkward memory between us? To never resolve any of it? Is that really what you want?"
"Just not now! Why should I have to talk about it now!?" Grimmjow demanded his temper sparking.
"Then when!? What better time than now!? It's not like you have anything better to do, is it?"
Grimmjow could only stare, teeth clenched together in a grimace of fury. He didn't know when or why not. Why should he? He was just as confused as Ichigo, more so, why should he have to talk about it if he didn't want to?
He looked away, pointedly ignoring his friend; a conversation couldn't take place if he refused to join in.
After several minutes of silence Grimmjow's curiosity won, "What time is it?" he asked. His phone was missing and he didn't own a watch.
"I'll tell you if you agree to talk," bargained Ichigo.
"Tch, fine," he spat, "keep your damn time."
They sat in another silence, guilt eating at Ichigo's mind, "10:45."
"I'm going to sleep then," Grimmjow informed his friend, reaching over to rifle through the blankets and pillows, "Huh?"
"What?" asked Ichigo, curious.
"There's only one blanket, did you take the other one?"
"No, I haven't touched them"
Grimmjow couldn't help but blush when he realised that this was a part of their plan, teeth gritted in anger, "fine," was all he said, throwing the blanket to Ichigo, taking his pillow and turning away.
"Grimmjow... are you sure...?"
"Sure."
"But I mean... we can share... or... rock paper scissors...? he offered.
"I said it's fine!" Grimmjow shot back, becoming annoyed, "it's too warm for blankets anyway."
"... Too warm for blankets...? It's freezing..." Ichigo insisted.
"See, you're cold and I'm hot, you keep the blanket. Now shut up, I'm going to sleep."
It was no use arguing with an adamant Grimmjow, so Ichigo turned away himself, wrapping the blanket around him and curling into a ball, trying to retain his body heat.
"Nghh," groaned Ichigo shivering, rubbing his fingers over the goose bumps that had formed. It took him a moment to remember where he was; there was no light, but he could hear the sounds of breathing near him.
Slowly he remembered what had happened, eyes adjusting to the dark. He checked his watch quickly: 4:20AM.
Across the small space he could see his friend shivering, curled into a fitful sleep.
Ichigo couldn't help but sigh at his friend, so stubborn even though he's freezing cold; carefully Ichigo stood up, hissing as the cold air hit his skin, creeping over to where his best friend lay. He draped the blanket over him, climbing beneath it again, pressing their bodies together for warmth.
"I-Ichigo!?" stuttered Grimmjow when he awoke to find Ichigo pressed up against him, an arm slung over his shoulder, "What're you...?"
"Grimmjow... sorry... you were shivering..."
"Well I'm fine now," he was informed as Grimmjow quickly distanced himself again, scooting over to the other side of the room.
A veil of awkwardness fell over the room once more.
Grimmjow didn't know what to do, he and Ichigo had been camping before and done the same thing, but things were different now. All the same, Grimmjow was touched; that must have been awkward for Ichigo too, yet he manned up so that they were both warm...
"I don't know."
Ichigo looked up surprised, "You don't know...?" he asked, What the hell does that mean?
"You wanna' talk? Fine. You wanna' know why I... with you... well I don't know, I have no God damned idea, and I wish I did, but I don't."
"...Spur of the moment... I get it. I really do, Grimm, but... what do you wanna' do?" he asked, relieved that his friend was ready to talk, "I mean okay, you're not gay, I've always known that... so what now? We pretend it never happened?"
"Sounds like a plan to me."
"Except that... I don't know... if I can stop feeling like this. I don't mean to, but I don't think I can just stop by... pretending it didn't happen... and so things won't go back the way they were. They can't go back to the way they were."
"We can forget about it-"
"Can we!? Are you so sure about that!?"
Grimmjow grit his teeth in irritation, "Are you so sure we can't!?"
"Yes! I'm pretty fucking sure! Because I know you, and I know me!" he retorted, voice raising as he pushed away from the ground.
Grimmjow joined him, moving to get in his face, "You're my best friend, Ichigo! Are you really just gonna' let that go without even trying!? Do you really think it isn't worth the effort!?"
"It's a wasted effort!" yelled back Ichigo, stepping closer as well.
"So we should just give up!?"
"No! I didn't say that!"
"It sounded to me like you did say that!"
"Well I didn't!" The two weren't a centimetre apart, glaring at each other, eyes bright.
"Then what did you say!? What did you mean!?" Grimmjow demanded, fury rushing through him as he shoved his friend against the wall, forearm against his chest, eyes meeting equally hot eyes.
They both froze, shock hitting the red head like a tonne of bricks when something jabbed into Ichigo's thigh, "Grimmjow...? Are you...?"
He swallowed harshly, eyes trailing down to rest on the tented fabric at Grimmjow's crotch.
Mortification became Grimmjow as he tried to jump back, Ichigo grabbing his arm to stop him, face bright red at being found out a second time.
"Grimmjow... is it... that maybe you..." Ichigo gulped, blush over his own face, "I mean the last time too... we were fighting... do you..."
"Ichigo this isn't-"
"Maybe like it rough...?" Ichigo finished, looking up into Grimmjow's face but not meeting his eyes.
Grimmjow could only stand there, still caught in Ichigo's unrelenting grip, face red with humiliation; he had no answer for the boy, what could he say? The normal Ichigo did nothing for him, but the second he got angry the blood rushed to his groin?
Grimmjow bowed his head, fragments of half-hearted protests falling from his mouth, eyebrows twitching, mouth hanging open.
The silence grew to be too much, Ichigo let go of his friend, backing off, though he could only take a single step back before he met the wall; he had to fight not to kiss his friend, the expression on his face so undecided. That undecidedness was what gave Ichigo such a painful hope: It wasn't a straight forward no.
Under the pressure of controlling his urges, Ichigo's face contorted, eyes hooding with lust, a primal need reflected in his eyes.
Grimmjow broke. He relented his refusal, closing the small gap between them, pushing his wide eyed friend against the wall once more.
"Ichigo... you're gay right?" he asked, leaning in nervously, "Then you won't mind... if I..."
He leant in, kissing the orange haired boy with lightly trembling lips, surprised when Ichigo let go of his control, kissing back with a passion. He had known that Ichigo liked him, but he wasn't prepared for the need that surged through the kiss.
They once again found themselves in a duel, relieved and forceful, tongues sliding against each other, Grimmjow gasping into the other's mouth when Ichigo slipped his hand beneath the waistband of his jeans, wrapping around his erection.
"Ichigo," he growled, sending shivers down the other's spine. Deftly he slipped his hands beneath Ichigo's shirt, sliding it over his head and throwing it to the ground, purring with satisfaction when Ichigo did the same to his. They struggled with each other's belts, plucking the buttons undone, hastily pulling the zippers down.
They were overcome with a desperate need to be connected; the second Grimmjow had relented, their end had been decided.
"Ichigo... what you said before... about my maybe... liking it... rough..." mumbled Grimmjow, blushing.
"I'm a man Grimmjow, you don't need to be gentle," he assured his friend, shuddering at the look that passed over his face. He looked like the Devil himself.
"Ah!" gasped Ichigo as Grimmjow slid a hand to press against his opening, two fingers pushing past the first ring of muscle, "G-Grimmjow! Wait! ...In the basket..."
The blue haired boy gave a grunt of understanding, reaching back to rifle through the sandwiches, pulling out the small bottle of lotion, irritation sparking in his mind as he realised this was all going according to someone's plan. He let that thought go, opting to squeeze the lotion into his hand instead, rubbing it along his length, "Ichigo... ...?"
The unspoken question hung in the air... Grimmjow didn't want to use his fingers at all. The orange haired boy blanched, but regained his composure, forcing a smile, "I already said you don't need to be gentle."
Their pants bunched around their ankles, Grimmjow grinding his erection into Ichigo's holding them together before pulling away, lining himself up against Ichigo's entrance.
He pushed inside, the shorter boy clinging to his neck, eyes scrunched closed.
Pain shot through his body as Grimmjow pushed inside, a scream tearing from his lips, silenced by his hand clamping over his mouth.
"Grimmjow..." he groaned, an intense pleasure mixing with the pain, pushing their lips together in another battle, tongues parrying as teeth clashed.
Without warning Grimmjow began to move, thrusting strong at the very start; he reached down to grip his friend's length, jerking roughly along the engorged flesh.
They could taste blood, the tangy coppery taste mixing with saliva; neither knew who it belonged to, it could have been either, it could have been both.
Ichigo moaned Grimmjow's name into his mouth, the word muffled by the kiss. With each thrust he was pushed harder and harder against the cold wall, flesh scraping painfully against stone, body jerking as Grimmjow thrust over and over, grunting in exertion.
Ichigo spasmed as his prostate was hit, a lewd moan filling the room, bringing an amused smile to Grimmjow's lips.
The red head scowled into the kiss. Why was he the only one making those sounds?
He clenched tightly around his friend, grinning cheekily when the boy's breathing caught, a fractured moan dying in his throat.
"Ichigo" he mumbled breathily, nearing the end of his rope, the intense heat becoming too much to bare, "Ichigo..."
He pushed a hand against the wall, fingers curling into it, the other hand digging into Ichigo's waist. He thrust aggressively into Ichigo once more, shuddering with euphoria as he released into his friend, mind vaguely registering through the haze a warm splatter over his stomach as Ichigo reached his own orgasm.
The small room was filled with sounds of ecstasy as the two stopped moving, leaning heavily against each other, shivering at the cold that radiated from the walls.
Unsteadily Grimmjow pulled away, sliding out as he made his way to the blanket, laying it out on the floor and pulling Ichigo down with him.
They huddled together, the blanket protecting them from the chilly floor, limbs entwined.
They lay there in silence, enjoying each other's body heat through the afterglow, both minds somewhere else, one filled with worry and anticipation, the other lost in a sea of not so distant memories.
"But didn't you say two days?" asked Nel, confused as they made their way to the cellar.
"Two days if they don't make up, but we've gotta check on them to make sure they haven't killed each other or something," answered Nnoitra as he silently stuck the key into the lock, undoing it with a click.
He peeled a door back, Nel squeezing beside him to look into the dark room, making out two sleeping figures as their eyes slowly adjusted, speechless as they realised they were naked in each other's arms.
The sleeping pair groaned their annoyance as the sunlight washed over them, shielding their eyes.
"What...?" mumbled Grimmjow, freezing as he realised what was happening.
"Sorry for waking you!" called Nnoitra from above, a devilish smile painted across his face, "we'll just leave the door unlocked then!"
"Good job on making up!" called Nel from beside him, giggling unrestrainedly.
They dropped the pair's phones on the top step before closing the door on the two mortified boys, laughing with each other as they walked away.
Nel cut off as she remembered who she was laughing with, coughing awkwardly before giving in with a sigh, "... I still don't like you... but... tha...thankyou for helping them..."
Nnoitra smiled his wide smile, waving as he walked away wordlessly. Of course Nel didn't like him, but she didn't hate him quite so much anymore.
Thus the truce was ended, the hate continuing in a slightly softer form.
A/N
EDIT: I CHANGED MY MIND! After a comment about how this sort of ended the way their first night together ended, and that nothing was actually resolved I finally decided to write an ending chapter, rounding things off properly. It's not very long (Indeed it's not even fully written yet) but it should do the trick :) A fifth chapter is yet to come!
Aaannnnd... now onto my original A/N...
First of all... I'm sorry this took so long to come out... I mean it didn't take that long, but 14 days... yeah, well to be perfectly honest with you... I started watching a new anime... and it's OVAs... and it's original series plus the remake... anyway, blame Hunter X Hunter :P
Oh my golly gosh golly... I hadn't realised just how much they laugh in this fic ^^' and how much they sigh...
So yeah, anyway, my third chapter was predictable and out of character, so I thought I'd make up for that with this last one, and hopefully I've succeeded in ending it well! I'm not so sure about it all, but I'm happier with it than the third chapter.
Please review, I reply to all reviews and PMs!
And I'm open for fic requests, though right now I've racked up a bit of a to do list, so all fic requests are being put on hold until I get the time to write them. Until then, please tell me if you'd like one, because I'll definitely write it when I'm free! (Probably, unless you want M-preg, furries, or any of the other few exceptions that I've listed on my profile. But I accept most! So please request them!)
Anyway, SAAAAAAANNKKYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUU! To everybody who followed this story as it was being written, and to everyone who read it after the fact. This fic is finished now, not to be continued, sorry if you're unsatisfied ^^ If you like my writing, please check the rest of my gallery.
Thankyou all so much for reading, and for every alert and favourite I received!
I hope that you all enjoyed this, please do let me know what you think, even if you didn't like it. :)
Have a very Merry Christmas! (Not a Happy Holiday, but a Merry Christmas! Please people, we read and write yaoi, there's no point in being politically correct.)
I don't know where you all live, but I'm in Australia... it's 39° Celsius here... so not much chance of snow for me, but I hope some of you guys get snow!
