Chapter Four: Greed.
OR
Like riding a bike.
The natural sounds of the beach, birds, and the cool ocean breeze might just have added up to one of the most wonderful things Ichigo had ever experienced waking up to, especially when combined with the gorgeous man he lay next to, but no such kind awakening was in store for the tangerine.
First there was chirping laughter, soft thumps from footfalls on sand, and then the awesome experience of a 132 pound blond birthday boy landing in Ichigo's lap before he had the chance to open his eyes or sit up.
"Waaaake UP! Wake up, up UP!" Shinji sang, wiggling around until a hand shot out for his face. Shinji blocked the hit easily due to Ichigo not quite having his wits about him yet. What Shinji couldn't avoid was the sapphire glare coming from directly to Ichigo's left. Shinji rocked backward on Ichigo's lap warily and glared right back at a grumpy Grimmjow. Nobody was going to deny Shinji his best friend's attention on his day, not even said best friends new… what was Grimmjow again? Shinji decided to ask Ichigo about that later on.
"What the hell time is it?" Ichigo sat up halfway before finding a face full of Shinji's shirt. He collapsed back down on his sleeping bag, huffing out a heavy sigh. "It's not even completely light out."
"But it's going to take all day to get back home and I want to celebrate my birthday before you have to drive us back and be all boring," Shinji squirmed around in Ichigo's lap again. "C'mon, I wanna have some fun!"
Ichigo frowned at Shinji's hopeful face. He knew that look; it was the same one Shinji gave him last year and the year before. Then the year before that and so on. Ichigo had long since learned that the only way out was to do as Shinji wished. "Fine, whatever," Ichigo shoved the blond off his lap and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He peered over at Grimmjow for a moment, finding that the man had buried his head under a pillow and turned on his side away from him. "Grimmjow."
"M'wat?"
Ichigo repeated his name with one hand extending to touch the man's side. He watched Shinji hop away to wake Tensa up then returned his gaze to the blunet. "Think you can get up?"
Grimmjow turned his face out of the pillow and squinted at Ichigo. "Yeah. Doesn't mean I want to."
Ichigo rolled his eyes at him. "If you don't, Shinji's just going to bug you until you do."
"Let him try," Grimmjow brought the covers over his face, hiding from the sunlight. "Someone needs to teach that guy what personal space is," he mumbled into the sleeping bag.
Ichigo shook his head and had a good laugh. "Good luck with that," He threw the blanket back, forcing it off of both himself and Grimmjow while standing up. "I'm going to put something together for us to eat. That should give you about fifteen more minutes, okay?"
Grimmjow grunted in response, so Ichigo shrugged and walked off, hooking an arm in Shinji's when he passed him by. Poor Tensa looked dead tired, so Ichigo figured he'd do the guy a favor and take away the loud blond so he could wake up more naturally.
"Help me put some sandwiches out for everyone to eat, and then we can do whatever you want until we have to go. Sound good?"
Shinji looked thoughtful for a moment then dropped his chin into a quick nod. He squeezed Ichigo's arm before pulling away to start removing things from one of the coolers. "So you are you going tell me what you got me yet?"
"Nope," Ichigo laid out a clean blanket and found some paper plates to arrange food onto. "And if you keep asking, I might just keep it for myself."
"Nuh uh. You know you can't hide shit from me," Shinji gave Ichigo a mischievous look. "Didn't you learn this already? That one time when I found-"
"Don't!...say that out loud," Ichigo had a hand clapped over Shinji's mouth, already annoyed by the smile he could feel under his palm. "You said you wouldn't talk about that anymore!" His tone was hushed, eyes darting over to the rest of the group who were still struggling to wake up and untangle themselves from their blankets.
"Pfft," Shinji pushed Ichigo away and smirked to himself. "It's not my fault you leave your 'study material' out for others to find."
"It wasn't left out, and don't call it that. In fact, don't call it anything! Let's just talk about something else," Anything else.
Shinji shrugged and laughed. "Whatever you say, Ichi~"
Ichigo sighed and let his mind drift as Shinji helped him set everything up. Even if he'd been bombarded awake, it was still nice to open his eyes to see Grimmjow by his side. Ichigo wondered if that would be happening more often in the future, but he figured it might be a while before it was common. He still didn't know all that much about Grimmjow. Judging by his own friends reactions it seemed Ichigo sat right on the line between Shinji and Tensa in general openness. Shinji was always the more outgoing of the bunch and Ichigo could only guess what Nnoitra had meant last night by 'a proper birthday gift'. Then again, he and Grimmjow didn't exactly have any excuse for what they were up to, either.
Fighting a blush, Ichigo turned to see Tensa sitting down on Shiro's sleeping bag, running a hand through his hair to help coax him awake. Ichigo smiled. Tensa was the slower of the three relationship wise, always was. Ichigo couldn't blame him, considering his luck with other men. Ichigo kind of wished he had that much control. It seemed that Tensa was incredibly patient and strong willed. It worked out well, because the guys that were only in it to mess around quickly grew bored and screwed off, but Tensa wasn't having a whole lot of luck finding someone that would stick around.
Ichigo watched a sleepy smile break out on Shiro's face as he woke, then the albino grabbed Tensa by the neck and yanked him into a kiss. It was likely full of bad morning breath, but it seemed neither one of them minded. Was Shiro going to stick around? Ichigo sure hoped so, even if he insisted on calling him strange names and fucking up his hair.
With Shinji being himself and Tensa the cautious sort, that left Ichigo in the middle. Even Renji had his own thing going on. Before he had Rukia, he was more like Shinji than anyone, if not worse. Ichigo was still surprised when he settled down with Rukia and dated her for a couple years before they finally got engaged. Pre-Rukia, Renji was …quite the player. Ichigo snorted. At least Renji had taught him a couple tricks before settling down.
Ichigo liked to think he wasn't a total prude. Obviously, considering his actions the night before, but that was out of the ordinary for him. Most of the time, when Shinji would drag him out to clubs and other parties, Ichigo would do his best not to take any offer thrown at him. The majority of them weren't all that hard to turn down, but it was funny to see the oblivious girls that would come at him with everything they had. It wasn't as if Ichigo hadn't ever messed around with someone he'd just met, but it had been a while since he'd let go like that. Probably because it never seemed worth it after the fact.
The thing with Grimmjow wasn't like that, though. Ichigo couldn't figure out what the hell the guy was feeling, but he liked to think that in general he could read people rather well. The blunet just always had this mask on, not quite a scowl or a grin, but right in between where it was easy to shift into whatever expression came first. As much as Ichigo found the thoughtful scowl attractive, Grimmjow's smirk was undeniably his favorite look. Possibly because of the look in his eyes, like he knew something Ichigo didn't.
By the time Ichigo and Shinji had enough sandwiches put together, some Tupperware bowls of fruit and veggies put out and water bottles lined up to be snagged, most of the others had wandered over, following the smells of food. When everyone seemed to have grabbed their breakfast, Ichigo glanced around, but didn't find what he was looking for. Grimmjow still wasn't up. Ichigo set his plate down on the blanket and got up to find the man. Sure enough, Grimmjow had burrowed into the sleeping bag and fallen asleep again. This time, Ichigo tried a different approach.
Silently, Ichigo snuck back under the covers, scooting in close to Grimmjow's back. He wrapped an arm around Grimmjow's waist and grazed his lips across his ear.
"What're you up to?" Grimmjow suppressed a shiver when Ichigo licked at his neck.
"Getting you up," Ichigo responded softly, allowing his hand to wander down over Grimmjow's thigh. "If you don't want me to get you hard in front of everyone else, you better get out of bed."
Grimmjow was silent for a moment, then he pressed himself backward into Ichigo's body firmly, enjoying the warmth he found there. "I don't really care what they think."
Ichigo sighed, starting to pull away, then jolted when he heard a rough voice from a man towering above them both.
"Here, berry. Let me show you how to get Grimmjow up," Without waiting for a response, Nnoitra reached down and ripped the blankets right off of them both, tossing them far enough away that they couldn't be reached without getting up. "Now wake the fuck up or Shinji's never gonna stop bitching at me about your lazy ass sleeping all day."
Ichigo laughed at the disgruntled look on Grimmjow's face and helped the man up out of the sand. "I tried," he whispered apologetically, then scooted off before he could be caught in the middle of a brawl.
Still too groggy to put real effort into kicking Nnoitra's ass, Grimmjow merely flipped him off and shuffled toward everyone else to find some food.
The rest of the boys had already scarfed down their meals by the time Nnoitra, Grimmjow and Ichigo had come back, so the three sat down to eat while Shinji eagerly gathered his birthday presents and started unwrapping them.
First was Tensa's gift of a rather expensive watch with spinning dials inside that made Shinji squeal with excitement. He'd always been somewhat of a watch fanatic and had so many of them at home that he had to have a shelf specially built to display them all while he wasn't wearing them. Shinji immediately strapped the new accessory around his wrist and held it up with a proud smile.
Next was Ichigo's gift, which Shinji had been looking forward to the most. He was surprised to find that it was a very nice mp3 player to replace the one he'd lost a couple of weeks ago. Also, Ichigo had taken the time to load it up with plenty of jazz, as Shinji absolutely loved that genre.
The final gift was from Renji and Rukia. The redhead hadn't actually put any thought into the gift, leaving the chore up to Rukia because everyone knew he was terrible at gifting. So of course, when Shinji picked up the card which contained the gift, he looked at Renji curiously and Renji smiled nervously.
"Just open it," Renji encouraged.
Shinji tore the envelope off of the card and opened it, gasping at what he saw. "Renji, you shouldn't have!" the blond raved, eyes practically sparkling at the little square of plastic.
Oblivious, Renji gave a big, smug grin and waved a hand in the air. "That should help with your line of work, right?" It had been the only hint Rukia gave him as to what it was, so he tossed it out there carelessly. What Renji didn't expect was for Shinji to lift the small Victoria Secret gift card and wave it around in the air happily. Renji's face ...was priceless.
Everyone laughed while Renji's whole upper half colored like a tomato and he backed up on the blanket they sat on, waving his hands ineffectually. "Don't...don't get the wrong idea! I didn't even pick that out.." he defended, eyes still wide as can be. "Rukia! Rukia bought it! I had nothing to do with it!" The redhead suddenly looked so very vulnerable and ashamed.
"Uh huh," Shinji said, still beaming while he tucked the card safely into a bag where he had been piling all his gifts to keep safe. "Thanks everyone, I love everything!"
Some of them clapped and Ichigo hugged Shinji close. When he pulled back, he shot a glance at Nnoitra and his face fell slightly. "What about him? He didn't get you anything?" Ichigo wasn't too surprised by Grimmjow and Shiro not having gifts, but he felt that Nnoitra should have done at least something.
"Oh, he already gave me something," Shinji fanned himself with a hand, a rare blush on his cheeks.
"What was it?" Tensa asked, still confused while his eyes shifted from Nnoitra to Shinji.
Nnoitra laughed and pointed at finger at Shinji, winking. "Something he'll never forget!" he claimed, chest puffing out proudly.
"..Oh," Tensa blushed awkwardly as Shinji and Nnoitra continued to grin at each other.
"I can give you more of that if you want, too," Nnoitra promised.
"Alright!" Ichigo stood up stiffly, not entirely comfortable with that idea. "Let's get in the water!"
"Yeah!" Renji hopped up, glad to no longer be the target of strange looks. He was seriously going to have to say something to Rukia for putting him in such an embarrassing position, but he knew inwardly that he would likely not even mention it. If he did, Rukia would just tease him about it and he'd end up even more annoyed.
Shinji, Renji and Ichigo grabbed a couple skim boards from the pile of things they brought over on the raft, then hurried out onto the beach, all smiles and excited conversation.
Tensa, a bit unsure about the water, decided to stay where he could be dry and fiddled with his guitar in front of the long since burned out camp fire they had. Shiro joined him and sat down to hear him play.
"Got any other talents I don't know about?" Shiro asked when Tensa paused to cast a fond look at him.
Tensa shrugged, lifting a sleeve covered hand to brush the hair from his face. It only fell back in his eyes, so Shiro reached out and tucked it behind one of his ears. Tensa bit his lip, showing a genuine smile.
"Fuck, I love when you do that," Shiro said. "Never thought I'd be saying this, but you're fucking adorable," The albino took the guitar from Tensa's arms and set it aside before turning back to the brunet's curious face. He pulled Tensa close with a hand tugging the front of his shirt, and licked his lips while staring at Tensa's mouth.
"I think you've got the best lips in the world," Shiro whispered, letting his tongue dart out across them, smiling at the left over taste of pineapple. "You should get 'em pierced," Shiro lifted a pale finger to the edge of Tensa's bottom lip. "Right here," he said, then kissed the spot.
"Think so?" Tensa touched the spot tentatively with his fingers. "I've always kind of wanted one, but I didn't know if it would look right."
"Hell yeah, man, it'd look hot as fuck on you."
Tensa grinned and reached out, grabbing the sunglasses Shiro insisted on wearing to pull them aside. Shiro grabbed his arm and scowled. "Don't."
"Come on," the brunet pleaded. "I like your eyes."
Shiro grumbled, but he let Tensa remove the glasses anyway.
"Look at me," Tensa said lowly. One of his hands cradled Shiro's chin and lifted it. They locked eyes, gold meeting blue, and Tensa's face spread with a look of awe that made Shiro's heart beat almost sickeningly fast.
Shiro wasn't used to this sort of thing; feeling and caring, chest tightening and all that other mushy shit. He figured if Nnoitra and Grimmjow could do it, then he sure as fuck could, but it was a whole lot easier said than done. Not that he had a choice when the brunet looked in his eyes without judging or appearing squeamish.
Tensa brought Shiro closer then folded their lips together in a light kiss. It wasn't demanding or rough, just innocent and soft, and despite what Shiro's mind raged at him to do, he stayed close and accepted it without complaint. One of these days he'd get the brunet to let him ravage him for hours. Until then, he figured he could deal with sweet touches and romantic moments like this.
"Hey," Ichigo called, coming up the beach and stopping a safe distance from the two. "Are you guys coming or what? It's beautiful out there and the water temperature is perfect."
Tensa pulled away from the kiss with Shiro, shaking his head to bring his bangs down in front of his eyes. Shiro, still dazed, look up at Ichigo without his eyes hidden behind the glasses.
Ichigo raised a brow, but didn't comment. "Well?"
Shiro grinned and pulled Tensa up to guide him toward the water. Instead of dragging him into the ocean, Shiro held Tensa's hand and they walked down the water's edge. Ichigo smiled after them then turned around, jaw dropping straight down to the floor at what his eyes met.
Grimmjow, a few yards away, was bent over a cooler, fishing out a drink. From behind, all Ichigo could focus on was the curve of his backside and a bit of his lower back. Unaware, Grimmjow reached back and scratched a spot just above the back of his shorts, pushing his shirt further up in the process. Ichigo breathed out heavily and found himself walking toward the blunet without a thought. He came up behind Grimmjow as the man was standing back up straight, popping the cap to the Coke bottle off. Two arms wrapped around Grimmjow's sides and a hot mouthed kiss was placed at the back of his neck.
"That better be Ichigo or I'm going to kick your ass," Grimmjow growled, looking down to see that the arms around him were tan and familiar.
"Who else would kiss you like this?" Ichigo asked, and his lips moved down Grimmjow's neck and over his tensed shoulder.
"I could name a few dozen people that might want to," Grimmjow turned around to face Ichigo with a smirk. "What's got you so hot all of a sudden?" Even while he spoke, Grimmjow pulled out of Ichigo's embrace.
Ichigo stood there looking sheepish for a moment, a little thrown off by Grimmjow's lack of response. "Just...you, I guess." He scratched the back of his head and went for his own drink for something to do. "We have to go back soon, but I can't bring myself to tell Shinji."
They both looked out on the beach where Renji was showing Nnoitra how to skim board, Shinji looking on and cheering each time the redhead fell on his face. Nnoitra seemed to be amused at the very least, but Ichigo could tell even from afar that the tall man had no intension of actually trying any time soon. At least he and Shinji had that much in common.
Grimmjow stared over at Ichigo while sipping from his drink. He felt kind of bad for blocking Ichigo's advance, but he was still a tad overwhelmed by what had happened the night before. When he woke with Ichigo's hands all over him, it was nice, great even. He just didn't know what to do with that sort of feeling. Grimmjow wasn't even sure how things had started happening the night before. One minute Ichigo was talking to him, petting his hair, and then the next Grimmjow was writhing and moaning under Ichigo's touch like some sort of cheap whore for something as simple as a hand job. Ichigo had some magical hands, but that wasn't an excuse, was it?
Shit, it was the best damned hand job Grimmjow'd ever had, and the way that Ichigo had sounded when he returned the favor...it had been so worth it. Ichigo…well, the kid had this natural sex appeal that made Grimmjow feel like a teenager all over again. It certainly didn't make it any easier when Ichigo insisted on walking around without a shirt and some little form fitting swim shorts that hugged all the right parts of him. It wasn't as though Grimmjow would deny his attraction and it didn't bother him, it just confused him. How had he managed to go his entire life without realizing that that could turn him on? Maybe the kid was special after all.
"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, seeing the way Grimmjow's brows had pulled in concentration and his lips were pressed together tightly.
Grimmjow shifted on his feet and looked up at Ichigo, grunting a response. Stepping past the tangerine, he left a soft pat on the tangerine's behind before going out to join the rest down by the water.
For a moment, Ichigo just stared at the other, blinking and tilting his head. "...er, Grimmjow?" Ichigo jogged after him and yanked on the back of his shirt. "What's the matter?"
Grimmjow turned back. "Didn't you want me to join you?"
Shaking off the instinct to look as baffled as he was, Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Uh, let me get my board," Ichigo ran off to retrieve it from where he'd ditched it on his way up to talk with Tensa. He came back with a smile already decked across his face from the idea of getting back out in the water to do what he did best. "Have you ever done this before?"
Grimmjow frowned but reached out to take the skim board. "It's been a while," Grimmjow adjusted the board under his arm and took off in a run, tossing it down once he hit the water, then he jumped on it, riding it out into a small wave that had just crested. His body turned, the skim board with him, and he rode the wave out, grin on his face until the wave folded over him. Grimmjow rolled into the water before shooting back up and wading his way out, grabbing the board to take it with him.
Renji cheered from a little bit down the beach with Shinji chiming in behind him. Ichigo just stared, completely surprised. Was Grimmjow one of those guys? You know, the ones that are good at absolutely everything they do. Ichigo silently hoped not, he really hated to lose.
Grimmjow waved Ichigo over, laughing at his screwed up face. "What? Did you think I'd live out here most my life and never learn something like that?"
Ichigo just gaped, head shaking. "Do it again, then," It had to be beginners luck.
Grimmjow didn't even question the challenge. He turned back around and tore across the sand, launching himself into another building wave. Ichigo grinned, still shocked. No doubt, Grimmjow was either a natural or had a lot of experience with the sport. When the blunet came back again, Ichigo was sure in that moment that Grimmjow was the most attractive man he'd ever seen in his life.
Why?
Because Grimmjow came up the beach, dripping wet with his hair limp around his face. His cocky gait was in full swing and his shorts were slung low on his hips, weighed down by the water soaking them. Ichigo bit his lip. Maybe they could stay for a while longer..
Grimmjow and Ichigo took turns for another hour. Renji and even Shinji joined in while Nnoitra sat back on the beach to watch. Eventually, Shiro and Tensa came back from their walk, so Ichigo proposed they all have a beer in in celebration of Shinji's big day before they start packing up to go back home.
Tired, Shinji didn't put up much of a fight, so the group of them dragged themselves back up the beach to sip their drinks and stare out at the water. The sun was high in the sky, its rays pouring down on them and making Shinji wary enough to keep applying sunblock. He hadn't completely gotten over his last burn and wasn't about to add to the pain. Undoubtedly, Ichigo would appreciate that, since he was the one that would take the heat for his aches.
Later, when most of the stuff was loaded back on the raft, Nnoitra hoisted Shinji up over a shoulder and toted the squealing blond down to the beach to deposit him safely on the bright orange floating device. He waited for Tensa to come up and join Shinji and then he shoved the raft into the water, watching while they lazily pedaled themselves toward the yacht.
The rest of them didn't race back to the boat, but swam languidly toward it, enjoying the cool water and beautiful day. Nnoitra, being the only exception, got there first this time, not wanting to fuck around in the water, which to him was basically asking for a cramp or some other unfortunate pain. Ichigo and Shiro came up next and then Renji and Grimmjow, both of them sharing a look that made Ichigo curious. Rather than investigating, Ichigo convinced himself it was a good thing that Grimmjow was bonding with his friends. Instead, he wandered off to remind himself how to navigate them home safely, and in a quick manner.
Once Tensa and Shinji came with the raft, everyone helped unloading it and then they started the journey back home.
Grimmjow fell into his bed, eyes already shut when he hit the sheets. As nice as it had been to relax with Ichigo and their combined friends, the beach and boating had taken quite the toll on him. He found himself dead tired once he got to his place and stumbled through the door.
Nnoitra had hitched a ride with Grimmjow. Shinji wouldn't drive the guy home and he was stubborn to take the bus, so he promised he wouldn't make the blunet take him home so long as he let him crash at his place. Too tired to care, Grimmjow agreed, so now the tall raven was stretched out on the couch, feet and arms hanging off at strange angles because he was just too big to fit.
Grimmjow turned over on his back, closing his eyes to the breeze from his fan. He'd never know why, but he just couldn't sleep without it on, perfectly angled to blow on his face while he drifted to sleep. It was typical that just as he was about to succumb to sleep, the brash tune he'd picked for a ringtone interrupted the calm of his room. Grimmjow groaned, turning over to grab at his phone, only succeeding in pushing it right off the bedside desk where it crashed to the ground, but kept ringing mockingly.
"Fuck!" Grimmjow leaned further off the bed, one arm dangling down to grab it, then shoved the phone up to his ear after hitting the send button. "What?" he asked with a rough voice.
"Sosuke has called for a meeting with you to take place in approximately an hour," a rich voice said in a no-nonsense flow of words.
Ulquiorra.
Grimmjow curled his lip to the sound and blew out an unrestrained sigh. "Yeah, alright," He clicked the phone shut and tossed it across his bed with another curse. The frequency of those meetings was starting to get annoying, but he guessed it made sense because he had been out of contact for two days. When he lured himself off the all too welcoming sheets, Grimmjow stepped out of the room to find Nnoitra staring at his phone with an equally annoyed scowl.
"Need a ride?" Grimmjow asked, and Nnoitra turned with a sneer.
"Yeah."
Ichigo's eyes glazed over as he stared at his hands under the cool, running water. He tended to find himself at the sink at least a dozen times a day at work, washing away public filth that made his skin crawl. Even when he was the one to clean the bar up before leaving, Ichigo found that it wasn't ever quite clean enough. Today, there was an extra roughness in his movements as he scrubbed, because in all truth, Ichigo was mad. All because of him.
"Ichigo! I didn't know you were working today. Change of schedule?" Tensa came up behind Ichigo and practically beamed when the redhead turned around. It was hard for Ichigo to stay angry at anything with his friend looking at him like that.
"Yeah, Kisuke had some...party to attend. Is that a piercing?" Ichigo squinted at the little hoop on Tensa's lower lip while the brunet took a deep breath to explain. Before he could, Ichigo interrupted. "That's for Shiro, isn't it?"
Tensa toed the tile floor beneath his feet and shifted anxiously. "Kinda, but I've always wanted one. Do you think Kisuke will care?"
"Are you kidding? He's strange enough with that damn hat he always wears and those clogs...I don't think you've got anything to worry about," Ichigo took one last look at the piercing and turned to dry his hands. "It looks good on you," Without realizing it, the scowl took over Ichigo's face again and he tried to keep his friend from noticing. It wasn't a big deal, he really shouldn't have been upset. It wasn't the piercing, either. Ichigo was happy for his friend, proud of him. He only wished his own relationship hadn't withered into nothing recently. Was it even a relationship?
Tensa spent the rest of the shift beaming at customers when they mentioned the new addition. Ichigo couldn't help but think that maybe Shiro was doing his friend some good. Did the albino actually call Tensa when he said he would? Probably. Ichigo rolled his eyes. Even Nnoitra could get things right with someone as picky as Shinji, so why couldn't Grimmjow step up?
The evening went by quickly enough, though Ichigo caught himself searching for blue hair in the booths a few times, of course, finding none. He hadn't talked to Grimmjow for at least two days, since they all returned from their weekend getaway. At first, he figured he'd give the guy space and let him make the next move if he was ready, but now Ichigo was starting to wonder if that was the right choice. Over the course of the day, he probably checked his phone a hundred times. Each time, his heart would soar up into his throat with hope until he found that he had no messages. Then it would sink to the floor where he proceeded to stomp it into nothing, hoping that he'd find the strength to stop checking. It didn't work.
The more and more Ichigo checked his phone, the worse it was, but avoiding it didn't help either. He would sit and wonder, glare at his pocket where it sat, and stand there with the moody look on his face as people demanded their drinks, paid up, and wandered off. Generally, Ichigo wouldn't let his mood set the tone for the day, but his current annoyance had all started with a small doubt that had been festering since he got home from Hueco Mundo.
Had he pushed Grimmjow too far? The entire second day on the island had a strange, tense feel about it that Ichigo didn't like. Even though the blunet kept smiling at him and looked gorgeous in the water, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why the guy shied away from his touches and wouldn't even stand in close proximity for long. The entire boat ride back had been boring as all hell for Ichigo. Everyone had stayed in the cabin while he, completely exhausted, sang to himself to stay awake with nothing but the damned silence as he drove them back.
Eventually, Renji being the great guy he is, came to sit with Ichigo, but he hadn't said a word. Ichigo was glad for the company, even in silence. He could tell from the slight pull of Renji's eyebrows that he was worried, but didn't want to intrude with any guesses. So they just sat, and Ichigo was perfectly fine with that. The only problem he had with the silence was that he was allowed to think. Just like now.
Ichigo realized that it would be pretty easy for Grimmjow to cop out of the whole thing, or try to forget it ever happened. But he wasn't so willing to let it go down that way. He'd resolved earlier in the day to call Grimmjow after his shift ended, if the guy hadn't contacted him first by then.
Unsurprisingly, Grimmjow didn't call, so as Ichigo walked out of Benihime's toward his car, he held the phone in front of him and scowled at the screen as if he could make the blunet contact him that way. It seemed like both Tensa and Shinji's relationships had started up without a hitch, but his own experience with Grimmjow was different. They might not have realized it, but by his friends constantly mentioning things about their good times and progress, Ichigo couldn't help but be jealous.
Now was the time to act; no more waiting around for Grimmjow to be the courageous one. Ichigo sent the call and held his breath while he heard the tone of each ring. His lips parted in preparation to give the man an earful, and then Ichigo turned his head when he heard a loud song break out in the parking lot. He turned with the phone still up to his ear, cursing in the back of his mind for Grimmjow taking so long to answer.
Then Ichigo finally cast a glance at his truck. There Grimmjow stood, arms crossed, back leaned up against the passenger door. Even though Ichigo was half a breath away from tearing into him, he felt all of that anger and annoyance ease when the weakening in his knees started. Ichigo came to a stop, staring at Grimmjow and the sight he was.
Right then, Ichigo wondered if he would ever get over the moment of shock he experienced every time he saw the other man. The breathlessness he'd feel and the pounding of his heart. Ichigo had spent the entire day running a constant repetition of what he'd say to Grimmjow as soon as he called, and now he couldn't remember a word. All it took was for Grimmjow to smile as he took out his phone and answered Ichigo's still ringing call.
"Hello stranger," Grimmjow said, and Ichigo heard the phone echo the man's voice just after he heard it across the lot. He wasn't far away, but it seemed like walking the distance was such a long and treacherous path. He had a few choices on how to take it from there, but the most favorable seemed to crowd his mind with images of Grimmjow stripping down and-
"Is anybody there?" Grimmjow asked in that teasing tone. Ichigo's blood boiled at the blunet's nonchalance and he made his decision. Shutting the phone, Ichigo gathered his pride up from where it melted at his feet and walked over confidently. Just because Grimmjow looked like a four course meal of sex with a side of seduction didn't mean Ichigo was going to forget how mad he was. So he stomped right over and stopped in front of his truck, just a few spare feet from the grinning bastard.
Did Grimmjow have to look like that? Like he could command Ichigo to undress with just the look in his eyes.
Ichigo shivered. "What are you doing here, Grimmjow?"
As if the look on Ichigo's face meant nothing, Grimmjow laughed. The sound might have enraged Ichigo if it didn't turn him on. Then the blunet just had to shrug his shoulders so that Ichigo couldn't put off staring at that broad chest or the man's thick arms any longer. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, almost angrily taking in the dark blue jersey material that made up Grimmjow's sleeveless shirt. It was outlined with a marine blue color around the edges, and Grimmjow wore a matching teal belt and dark blue jeans. They weren't tight, but not too loose. Just snug enough to tease Ichigo with the sight of Grimmjow's strong thighs and.. fuck, he was meant to be saying something. Something angry. Had Grimmjow answered him yet?
"And here I thought I'd be getting a welcoming kiss," Grimmjow reached out, and before Ichigo could react, the blunet grabbed his bartenders vest and dragged him close, drawing a growl from the tangerine when he realized what was happening.
"Why would you deserve a kiss?" Ichigo mumbled, reaching up to grab the hand fisted in his shirt, if only to look like he didn't want it there when he most definitely didn't mind. Grimmjow's knuckles grazed his chest and Ichigo took a breath when he felt the warmth of those fingers through his clothing.
"I came here, didn't I? It's not like I got any calls the last couple of days. Not even a text," Grimmjow was still smiling, as if he didn't care that Ichigo hadn't bothered to contact him. Bastard. It all seemed so very funny to him.
"You could have called me!" Ichigo said, sounding to himself like a five year old. Oh yes, great come back. He might as well tell the guy he had an ugly face while he was at it. Ichigo rolled his eyes.
"That's true," Grimmjow agreed, and Ichigo was taken a back because the man had given in. His surprise was immediately extinguished when Grimmjow added to the statement. "But I distinctly remember you saying you would call me about our next date. Remember, we just got back from the island and you looked like you were about to pass out?"
Ichigo stared at the man. How could he have forgotten? He had said he'd call Grimmjow, and like a complete dunce, he spent the last couple of days pouting and throwing unnecessary fits. Ichigo swallowed and finally extracted Grimmjow's hand from his shirt. "Oh I did, did I?" he asked, wondering if even Grimmjow believed that lie. Ichigo certainly didn't.
"You sure did," Grimmjow tucked his phone away and reached around Ichigo, pressing a hand against his back and pulling him in. Ichigo didn't struggle until it was too late, but he hadn't put up all that much of a fight. Grimmjow silenced his half assed protest with a kiss and the hand on Ichigo's back rubbed soothingly. It was right at the spot between Ichigo's shoulder blades where he had been held back on the island in the water. Ichigo couldn't help the moan he made. Grimmjow drank it in, returning the sound before separating.
Still shocked into silence, Ichigo stared into ocean blue eyes, and then it hit him. Just why those gorgeous blues had Ichigo captivated every time. They were as ever changing and beautiful as the water he loved; emotions coming and going like the oceans tides, with hues and shadows in those shining depths that he could float away and lose himself in. The effect of having Grimmjow return his gaze was stunning, and Ichigo wondered what the other man thought about when he looked into his dull brown. Grimmjow was talking again, and Ichigo hadn't heard a word of it. Judging by the look on the blunet's face, he knew that, too.
"In case you missed it, I was asking how many times I going to have to kiss you before you want to do it back."
Grimmjow's voice was low, a deep murmur across his lips, and Ichigo clenched his fists at his sides. Why did he have to fall for a man so irresistible that he couldn't think straight around him?
"How many kisses is that for me?" Grimmjow went on, lifting a hand to count them off on his fingers. "Five…six?"
Ichigo pressed both hands flat against Grimmjow's chest and pushed him hard against the truck. He curled his fingers in the blunet's tight shirt, hoping that it might have even slightly the same effect on Grimmjow as it had on him. Ichigo didn't complain or insult Grimmjow for discounting all the kisses he was sure he had given him. However, he did kiss the man hard, grabbing the hair on the side of his head with one hand as the other continued to press against Grimmjow's chest. The blunet made a pleased sound and pulled Ichigo closer, letting one hand wander down to rest on his lower back.
Opening his eyes to see the bright blush on Ichigo's face, Grimmjow caught a glimpse of white over the tangerine's shoulder. It was hard to focus with Ichigo kissing him so intently, and with skill Grimmjow had yet to experience. But there was a man, with a bright purple shirt no less, standing near the entrance to the bar, peering out at them. Narrowing his eyes, Grimmjow met the strangers gaze, and the white haired man stepped back, pulling the door to the bar open and retreating inside. Shrugging inwardly, the blunet returned his focus to the kiss and used Ichigo's distracted daze to switch their positions, bringing the tangerine around and against the metal surface of the car with a loud thump.
Ichigo grunted from the force of the push. His lips didn't part from Grimmjow's, and his hands wandered up the man's shirt, fingertips dragging over his sides. In his peripheral, he could see a strange darkness on Grimmjow's skin, and eventually Ichigo pulled back. Tugging Grimmjow's head to the side with the hand in his hair, he studied the fading mark on the blunet's neck. That was his mark, wasn't it? From the beach? Ichigo really, really hoped so.
"Yeah, you did that," Grimmjow confirmed, smirking at the tangerine. "I've been meaning to repay you for that, too. I've been getting a whole lot of strange looks," Leaning in, Grimmjow touched Ichigo's cheek, proud when the redhead leaned into the touch, revealing the right side of his neck and a peek of his collarbone from his unbuttoned dress shirt. Grimmjow reached up to pop out another button and tugged on Ichigo's vest, pulling it open as his mouth latched to the younger man's neck. A low moan vibrated against his lips and Grimmjow hummed in return, drawing Ichigo's warm skin between his teeth and sucking harshly, enjoying the tightening of Ichigo's fingers in his hair and on his side.
Ichigo's hips jerked forward and he gasped when he found the heat of Grimmjow's arousal pressed to his. As if in response, Grimmjow dropped the hand from his cheek and dragged it up from Ichigo's knee over his thigh. He grabbed the leg and brought it up, holding it next to his hip as he pressed the redhead firmly against the truck.
Ichigo groaned and rolled his hips. His heart fluttered when Grimmjow released his neck and started working lower, biting at his collarbone and undoing another button on his shirt with rough fingers.
"Grimmjow?" Ichigo tilted his head back against the window of the truck and tried to breathe. They were out in a parking lot, not exactly hidden from view, but Ichigo couldn't focus enough to care. He had to ask himself again if he really believed that Grimmjow was ever straight. The man was shameless, if anything, and certainly not new to drawing pleasure with his mouth. At least gender didn't matter all that much for those two things.
Grimmjow's hand strayed to Ichigo's belt, pulling on it, but not unfastening it. Just teasing Ichigo with the light pull on his jeans. The fingers of his other hand dug into Ichigo's thigh, tightening each time their hips met in a lazy thrust that had the both of them breathing hard when their lips met again. Grimmjow mumbled something into his mouth, and Ichigo peeked his eyes open to find lust darkened blue narrowing at him. Dropping his head back, Ichigo asked "What'd you say?"
"Why is this still on your arm?" Grimmjow lifted the hand from Ichigo's belt to pull on the paper wristband Ichigo still had from the carnival. Ichigo opened his mouth to explain, but the bracelet snapped and Grimmjow's brow lifted in surprise.
"You broke it!"
Grimmjow frowned and tossed the band away. "So? It's plastic, did you expect it to last?"
"It would if some asshole didn't yank it off!" Ichigo sighed and dropped his leg back down. "Never mind, you wouldn't understand."
"How do you know I wouldn't?" Grimmjow wasn't exactly ready to stop what was going on, and suddenly regretted asking the question. Ichigo looked pretty pissed, but he wasn't all that sure why. As good as the scowl looked on the tangerine, Grimmjow preferred and missed the dazed, aroused look he had before.
"It doesn't matter now," Ichigo pressed a palm to Grimmjow's chest to push him away. "You never told me why you're here."
Resisting the push, Grimmjow stepped closer, between Ichigo's feet, and he forced the tangerine to lean back against the truck again. "I told you, I'm here because you didn't call about our next date."
Ichigo looked surprised again and Grimmjow sighed. The kid sure forgot things easily. "So are we going to do something again or not?"
Nodding, Ichigo reached up to rebutton his shirt to hopefully distract himself from blushing. It was obvious that Grimmjow was still hard, and it wasn't easy to think with that heat against his body. "Are you free tonight?" he asked.
"Nope," Grimmjow stared down, wondering why it seemed so important for Ichigo to cover his chest back up.
Grimmjow shifted and Ichigo's eyes fluttered at the renewed friction. "Then what about tomorrow?" Something like a faint blush broke out on Grimmjow's cheeks before passing in an instant. What was up with that? "If tomorrow doesn't work, we can do it some other time," Ichigo said, wondering if he'd stumbled onto something important that might be happening for Grimmjow the next day.
Schooling his face, Grimmjow shook his head. "Tomorrow is fine," Closing his eyes, he withdrew slightly from the tangerine and frowned at all of the bullshit flooding his mind. Like how he had just pressed another man up against a truck in a public area. For a moment there, he had considered fucking the kid in the first decent place they could find.
Over the last few days, Grimmjow had been hearing all sorts of opinions about what he was doing with this job. His boss was all down his neck about staying on task and Ulquiorra was pressuring him to make progress. Nnoitra didn't seem to give a shit and Shiro told him to do whatever the fuck he wanted. It left Grimmjow a little pissed that he cared what any of them thought, and confused about what he should do. He didn't expect to be attached to the tangerine, not like this, and he didn't mean to be so attracted to him. He just…was. A fucking lot.
Stepping back further, Grimmjow straightened his shirt and glanced toward his car. "Give me a call tomorrow and we'll figure something out," Taking one last look at the quickly darkening mark on Ichigo's neck, the blunet left without another word, leaving Ichigo confused and a little turned on as he stood against his truck.
Grimmjow's car bolted out of the lot and Ichigo sighed. What had all that tension been about? Ichigo took a breath to ease himself and turned back to his truck, circling to the driver's side when he spotted someone jogging over, shouting to him.
"Ichigo, hold up!"
Ichigo raised a brow at the white haired, burly man. Kensei was what Ichigo guessed was another affiliate of Benihime's, though as far as Ichigo knew, the man didn't do anything for the bar itself. Come to think of it, Ichigo only ever saw Kensei entering and leaving the elevator to go down under the bar. There were a couple of people that did the same thing, but Ichigo figured there were friends of Kisuke's or Zan's. Neither of the older men were there this evening, so Ichigo wasn't sure why Kensei was hanging around.
"Hey, sorry to keep you here, but do you think maybe you can hang out for a little longer? I need to sign for a delivery Kisuke was expecting and I don't have a key to Benihime's to keep it open or lock up when its here.." Kensei smiled crookedly, hands tugging at the hem of his shirt.
Ichigo yanked the keys out of the car door and turned back. "Alright. What's it for? Just more drinks?"
Kensei walked with Ichigo back toward the bar, one hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. "Not exactly. It's kind of a personal matter Kisuke has been working on. I'm not sure I was even supposed to mention it, but he'd kick my butt if I didn't collect this delivery and store it properly. I can't do that without your help."
"He's storing stuff down there that's not related to Benihime's?" Ichigo opened the door then put an arm out to stop Kensei from stepping inside. "It's not something illegal, is it?" Ichigo wouldn't put it past the shady bar owner to do something like that.
Kensei chuckled and the sound rolled into an awkward string of nervous laughter. "No, no. You know how he is, just secretive about stuff that's no big deal. I think it might have to do with his anniversary with Zan or something."
"Oh," Ichigo dropped his hand and followed the snowy haired man inside. "Is that coming up already? Man, I guess they've been together a long ass time."
"Sure have," Kensei seated himself on a stool and tapped his fingers against the counter. "It should be here soon, so you won't have to wait long."
Ichigo nodded. "It's fine, didn't really have plans tonight anyway."
"No? Nice guy like yourself has nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon?"
"Not till tomorrow," Ichigo's mouth had drawn into a goofy smile as he thought of his supposed date with Grimmjow the next day. Kensei caught the expression and without missing a beat, smacked a hand on the tangerine's back.
"Got a date, by the looks of that grin you got. Nice, man."
"Yeah. I'm still not sure where we're going," Ichigo plopped down next to Kensei on another stool, finding it strange that he was on the customer side of the bar for once.
"Well that doesn't matter, just so long as you've got your… girl. I'm sure you'll keep her entertained the whole time."
Kensei gave him a funny look and Ichigo blushed, not bothering to correct the man. He was still basically a stranger, after all. Strangely, the guy looked to be confused by his lack of response.
A honking came from outside and Kensei jumped up, moving toward the door. "That's him," he said, waving Ichigo over. "Mind helping us bring it in?"
Ichigo agreed and followed after Kensei, still wondering to himself what it could be that Kisuke had delivered. There had been countless deliveries made in the last couple months that, now he thought about it, he didn't know the nature of. Ichigo just always assumed it was something related to the business, but then, how often was normal for deliveries like that? Benihime's was the only bar he'd ever worked at, so Ichigo didn't know for sure.
When they got outside, Kensei spoke with the driver then signaled Ichigo closer. "Just a few boxes today," the man said, turning toward the truck and both men grabbed a handle on the door to the back of the truck to reel it open.
Ichigo stood back and half expected some absurd cargo to be unveiled, maybe oblong boxes or something as colorful as the bar owner himself. The door rolled up to reveal simple, cardboard boxes in typical cube shapes. They were heavy, Ichigo quickly found out, but he couldn't really peg that as abnormal. It took a dozen or so trips to transfer everything inside, then Ichigo was on his way back out, heading home.
Nnoitra slammed his hand down on the mouse and cursed, shoving his chair away from the computer desk. "I swear, those little fuckers cheat! Spy is such an overpowered class!"
Shinji shooed Nnoitra out of the seat to take his turn. "Then try another class next time. You're killin' my rep here with your constant deaths."
When Nnoitra had called a few hours earlier, Shinji had just been about to sit down to play TF2 with some of his free time, so rather than putting it off, he had the man come over and join him. The blond was pretty surprised to find that Nnoitra had hardly played any first person shooter games before, and sucked at them, too.
"Oh yeah, like 'AFag' is really a reputable name to begin with," Nnoitra said, pointing at Shinji's monitor. "Did you really have to be so blunt?"
Shinji hunched over the keyboard, jamming keys and staring intensely at the screen. "I chose that name because.." he trailed off for a moment and grinned. "Because when I kill someone it says 'SoandSo was killed by AFag.' It's funny."
"Oh...It's not that funny."
Shinji shrugged. "It's better than 'Rumple4skin' or 'XXhotgirlJennyXX'" His hands flew up for air quotes then back down on the keyboard and mouse. "Sit your ass down, you're making me nervous."
"I'm still gonna hover over you while sitting 'cause I'm tall," Nnoitra mumbled, pulling a chair over to sit. "How long does this game last? I'm already bored."
"It lasts as long as I want it to because I can just go for another round when one is done," Shinji flicked his eyes over to study Nnoitra's slumped form in his newly acquired seat. "What's wrong with you? Most people love this shit."
"But I suck at it," Nnoitra leaned back in the chair, kicking his feet up onto the corner of Shinji's desk. "Let's play somethin' else."
"Like what?" Shinji closed out the game at the end of the round and turned toward Nnoitra expectantly. "Are you going to entertain me?"
"I was thinkin' you could do that for me," Nnoitra licked his lips and sent the blond a wink. "Come here."
"Oh, I'll entertain you," Shinji sat forward, giving Nnoitra a look that told him there was more to that. "But you have to answer some questions."
"Questions?" Nnoitra grunted when Shinji dropped down in his lap. "Hey, I like this already."
"Mmh, I bet you do," Shinji slid a hand over Nnoitra's chest and covered his mouth with a soft, but demanding kiss.
Nnoitra lifted his hands to Shinji's waist, opening his mouth to the warm tongue sliding between his lips. Shinji's thin fingers fluttered over stomach, down to his belt. "How many questions you got?" Nnoitra asked, pulling away when he felt need tightening his pants.
"Lots," Shinji muttered, kissing his way down Nnoitra's neck.
"I can't promise you'll get any more than three answered before I push ya on the floor an-"
"I get it," Shinji tugged on the collar of Nnoitra's shirt, pulling it down. Without hesitation, his soft lips he fell on the bits of his chest he revealed. "So how is it that you ended up being friends with so many gay guys?"
"That's your fuckin' question? Why does it matter?"
"Just answer or I'll send you home," Shinji threatened.
Nnoitra sighed, but gave in because it was easier that way. "I don't know, maybe it's contagious."
The blond rolled his eyes and sat back. "You aren't even trying. That answer is ridiculous."
"You never said it had to be a good one. Besides, Grimmjow is supposedly straight and Shiro and I are into whatever.." Nnoitra tilted his neck when Shinji's rewarding mouth grazed over his jaw, possibly prodding for more. "I get the feeling something happened between Grimmjow and Ichigo at that Hueco Mundo place, so who knows."
Shinji's eyes flew open wide, surprised he hadn't heard it from Ichigo first. "Did you hear anything, or are you just guessing?"
"Just a guess. Fuck, quit stopping," Nnoitra grabbed Shinji's arms to pull them back to his chest. "That's two, you've got one more."
"Humm," Shinji's fingers tickled under Nnoitra's shirt. "How did you meet those guys?"
"Are you serious? You're just fucking playing with me aren't you?" Nnoitra stood up, clutching Shinji close to body and carted him off toward the bedroom. "No more questions, I'mma give you what's comin'."
"No, wait!" Shinji bounced once when he was tossed on the bed, arms coming up in defense. Nnoitra leaned down over him to start tearing away his clothes.
"Just answer the question...and I'll do that thing." Nnoitra got a gleam in his eye, so Shinji continued. "You know, the one where I lick-"
"We met like six years ago," Nnoitra interrupted. "When we started working together. All three of us," Nnoitra slipped out of his pants and threw his shirt aside. "Now open your mouth."
"What? No," Shinji bit his lip when Nnoitra's boxers dropped to the floor. "What do you do? I don't even know where you work!"
"You're out of questions. You'll have to ask me another time," Nnoitra grasped the back of Shinji's head to bring him close. "Gonna suck it or not?"
"Y-yes," Shinji eyed Nnoitra's full erection, feeling his own twitch in his pants at the sight. It wasn't that he didn't want it, but he knew the answers to his questions were harder to come by than Nnoitra's erections. "Can't you tell me what you do first?"
The taller man snorted. "I fuck chatty blonds into the mattress when they ask too many questions."
"Nnoi," Shinji poked out his bottom lip, brows dipping while a pleading look took up residence in his eyes.
"You know that shit just gets me harder, right?"
"Mmhm," Shinji wrapped his right hand around Nnoitra's arousal and smirked when the tall man shivered. "Where do you work?" He dipped his head forward, letting his mouth fall open.
Nnoitra groaned, hips jerking forward to bring the head of his member to Shinji's waiting lips. "I-" He hissed when Shinji took him into his mouth and sucked lightly.
Shinji pulled back, eyes not leaving Nnoitra's and he lifted the other's length with a thumb under the head, licking a slow path all the way up.
"I'm a real estate broker," Nnoitra said breathlessly. His other hand shot into Shinji's short, silken hair, tugging him closer and watching while pink lips steadily enveloped his cock. "I j-just sell houses and shit. Nothing interesting," He jumped when one of Shinji's hands slid up his thigh then closed around his shaft, working what he couldn't swallow. "Ah, shit."
"So you guys kissed...and jerked each other off and you're telling me this guy isn't even into men?" Renji lowered the sheet of instructions in front of his face and quirked a brow. "Sounds fishy," And a little on the TMI side of things if Renji was honest with himself.
"It's not fishy, he just didn't know he liked guys. Now he does...maybe," Ichigo studied two wooden pieces of a crib he was helping Renji assemble. The redhead had called him early in the morning sounding a little desperate.
Apparently Rukia was in a bad mood and took it out by chastising Renji for still not having the nursery ready for their little family addition. In truth, Renji had tried plenty of times to put the damn crib together, but the instructions were ludicrous and the parts didn't seem to fit in any conceivable way without just falling apart the second he let them go. With nobody else to turn to, Renji called Ichigo over for help. Thus the two sat, putting their heads together and still making little progress. Meanwhile, Ichigo saw fit to chat about his love life. Renji didn't mind all that much, but it was still an awkward subject for him.
"People don't just wake up one day and realize they're gay, Ichigo."
"Actually," Ichigo sighed when the two planks of wood he thought were secured slid apart. "It happens more than you would think."
"What? Is that how it happened for you?" Renji clenched the instructions in his hand, tempted to crumple the worthless guide and toss it across the room. "This is the worst piece of crap I've ever had to put together."
"It wasn't how it happened with me, but I heard some rumors about how Zan was straight before he got together with Kisuke. He was even engaged to this girl, then broke it off and went right into a gay relationship," Ichigo threw his hands up when the pieces of crib fell apart again in front of him. "This really is a lost cause. Why didn't you just buy one of the premade ones in the store like I told you to do?"
"Oi, don't give me that! You said yourself that this one looked much better. It's just...complicated. I can't… take it back now."
"What? You didn't keep the receipt, did you? You can't do anything right!" Ichigo picked up a screw and tossed it at Renji.
"What did you say?" Renji got up on his knees and jabbed a finger at his friend. "Who's the one that couldn't even wash his own clothes when he moved out? Who had to have somebody come over and teach him?"
Ichigo bristled to the reminder and he too, shot up to his knees, ready to attack. "Hey, that frickin' machine has way too many dials, more than most do! Anyway, weren't you the one who couldn't even ride a bike until recently?"
"Oh that is IT!" Renji launched himself at Ichigo, tackling him to the ground and dodging a bony fist sent at his face. He managed to pin one of Ichigo's arms, but the other swung wildly around in his face and he leaned back. "Fuck, sit still you little shit!"
"Nope!" Ichigo grinned, jutting his elbow out to hit Renji in the ribs, then he brought his feet up under him by bending his knees and rolled to the side, shoving Renji right off his lap. Ichigo fisted the front of the redhead's shirt and stared into his face, the corner of his lips twitching while he tried to look serious. "Are you sure you didn't wake up gay, Ren? Jumping on guys laps?"
"Oh screw you!" Renji spat, wrenching Ichigo's hand away from his shirt by grabbing his wrist. Renji twisted it around behind the tangerine's back and got to his feet, yanking Ichigo up with him.
"Ow, ow okay!" Ichigo scrambled to his feet to ease the pain. "Stop, damn it! You're going to break it!" As Renji's grip slackened a bit, Ichigo kicked out behind him, catching Renji's shin with his heel. The soon-to-be-father crumbled to the ground with a howl of pain and Ichigo dropped to the floor too, nursing his shoulder where the pressure had been put from Renji's lock. After a moment of both catching their breath, Ichigo looked up and locked eyes with his friend.
Then they laughed. Hard and long until their lungs ached and they held hands to their chests in pain.
Fights like that happened way too often between the two of them, and always ended the same. Ichigo could never stay mad at Renji.
"You really like this guy?" Renji asked, bringing the instructions back over to scowl at them while his other hand went up to fix his bandana.
Ichigo rolled his eyes but nodded all the same. "Yeah, I do."
"Give him a chance, then. Maybe he just needs a while to get used to the idea of wanting a dick in the ass, you know?"
"Yeah," Ichigo snickered. "I guess that is a lot to handle all of a sudden."
"Hell, I know I'd be freaked the fuck out if I started getting off to dudes out of nowhere. I think you should be glad he didn't turn tail and run after you guys kissed."
"I am glad." Ichigo smiled, feeling more confident about his date later in the day. "I really am."