CHAPTER 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach...

Onwards...

XOXOXO

Clothes came off in a hurry and harsh breathing echoed throughout the room. Ichigo was on fire from head to toe and it had a lot to do with the fire fighter standing in front of him, kissing him retarded. Grimmjow had an iron grip on his waist and was backing him towards the bed – they'd chosen Ichigo's apartment; it was closer – their lips still connected and bodies turning the room into a sauna.

After the photo shoot, Ichigo had been shaking uncontrollably as he'd fled to the changing tent, his heart nearly coming out of his chest in its enthusiasm. He certainly hadn't expected Grimmjow to respond to his touch that way. When Ichigo had touched his chest, eyes helplessly glued to the firm pectorals and mountainous abdomen of the man he secretly eye-raped on a daily basis, Grimmjow's eyes had turned a gooey blue, like warm cupcake frosting.

Ichigo hadn't been able to believe it, but had been even more stunned when Grimmjow had run his large, calloused hand up his back. Fuck, that had nearly made Ichigo lose his mind right there in front of Yumi and all the other models and staff. Grimmjow was dangerously sexy...and the idiot had the nerve to know it, too. Ichigo had seen the disgustingly smug looks being shot his way after Yumi had stopped their collaborative shoot. It hadn't really been Ichigo's fault that he'd become a blithering idiot after the way Grimmjow had touched him and looked at him like he'd wanted nothing more than to lay Ichigo down and have his dastardly way with him.

And Ichigo had wanted him to.

Ichigo fell onto the bed, his hand gripping the collar of Grimmjow's t-shirt as he brought the bigger man down on top of him. Grimmjow smelled like comfy clothes and some type of unique cologne that Ichigo couldn't even begin to describe, but it made his toes curl and his body arch involuntarily. He clawed at the man's chest like an angry cat, his blood roaring in his ears as he tried to make sense of the lust flushing his system like cranberry juice. His teeth immediately latched onto Grimmjow's strongly corded neck as he bit down, then soothed the bite with an apologetic lick. Grimmjow grunted, his head turning to find Ichigo's lips, the blue-haired man's own lips firm and demanding.

Ichigo wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's neck and chuckled into the kiss. He was high as a kite, drunk off of lust, and plenty giddy. He felt like a kid sitting under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, waiting to catch Santa Claus in the act.

Grimmjow pulled back and stared at him with those unforgivably blue eyes. "What's funny?"

"I can't believe this is happening," Ichigo said without hesitation or fear. "You hated me in school, remember?"

"I never hated ya. I liked ya; just didn't know how ta show it."

Ichigo frowned as he let that comment sink in. Before he could, Grimmjow was at his sensitive neck, using his tongue to make the room waver like Ichigo had opened his eyes under water. He moaned and banished his over-active mind from his head. He only had room for sensation right now. Grimmjow's hands were absolutely everywhere and his voice was driving Ichigo to distraction. There was no way one man's voice had to be that fucking deep...and raspy...and sexy.

Ichigo grinned as Grimmjow ran a thumb across his peaked nipple. This was awesome in so many ways, but he was too far gone to name all of them. He plowed a hand into Grimmjow's surprisingly soft hair and tightened it. Grimmjow's hand was going lower...lower...lower...shit, almost there. Why was the man moving so damned slowly? Just as that thought formed in his head, Grimmjow's hand was firmly wrapped around his still-clothed dick.

Wow.

Grimmjow's chuckle sounded like a rumble of distant thunder as he lifted his head and met Ichigo's gaze again. "Excited, are we?"

"Fuck off," Ichigo snapped. He reached a hand between their bodies and none too gently grabbed Grimmjow's pipe through his boxers. "I could ask you the same thing, asshole."

Grimmjow's grin faltered for a split second before it was back in full force, splitting his handsome face in half. "Dude," he said, kissing Ichigo's cheek. "I was born excited."

"Hn. That's kinda pervy, dontcha think?"

"No."

Ichigo shrugged and that was that. They went back to tongue wrestling and trying to see who could get who out of their clothes the fastest. Ichigo won, hands down. Grimmjow was shoved onto his back – and what a feat that had been – and left staring up at Ichigo as Ichigo straddled the bigger man's slim hips, his hands braced on that broad chest.

"Loser," Ichigo muttered with a smug smirk.

Grimmjow arched a fine blue brow and gave that shark grin of his as his entirely too big hands crept up to Ichigo's waist. "That so?"

"Yeah. So?"

Grimmjow pursed his lips in thought and before Ichigo could even think about blinking, he was again on his back, staring up into oceanic orbs. "Who's the loser now, punk?"

Ichigo grinned, amused. A playful Grimmjow was interesting and fun. He wanted to see more of that side, so he let his hand slowly trail upwards between Grimmjow's pectorals, never losing eye contact. Grimmjow's brow creased like he was confused, but Ichigo just continued his journey, mind already planning the outcome of his hand's final destination. His fingers curved and teased the hollow of Grimmjow's throat, then edged up to the man's prominent Adam's apple. Ichigo felt a small quiver against his belly and chuckled when he realized that Grimmjow had shuddered.

"Oooh? Is your neck sensitive, big guy?" Ichigo teased. Grimmjow gave him a blank stare, his lips pressed into a thin line as he refused to answer the question. Ichigo nodded. "That's fine. Ya know I have my ways of making you talk, right?"

This drew a smirk from the blue-haired man, but still he didn't say anything, so Ichigo resumed where he'd left off, his fingers ghosting towards Grimmjow's right ear. He let his touch become barely there as he tickled the fine hairs along the fire fighter's carotid. Ichigo smirked when he caught Grimmjow tucking his lips between his teeth, blue eyes steadily darkening. His body had gone rigid as he stared down at Ichigo, making Ichigo feel somewhat like a cornered mouse. He shook the feeling aside and unknowingly dug his own grave as he continued to tease the bigger, taller, more than likely stronger man above him.

Ichigo's fingers curled around the back of Grimmjow's neck, where he proceeded to lightly stroke the soft hair at the nape. Grimmjow's eyes slid shut for about three impossibly long seconds before they snapped open and a muscle twitched along his jaw. Ichigo grinned coquettishly and added a little more pressure to his massaging finger tips. He let them slide higher into the man's thick hair, where he rubbed the scalp and lost himself to the softness of those bright blue strands.

Grimmjow grunted, the noise hardly audible, but Ichigo caught it. He cracked a full-blown Grinch grin and toyed with the man's hair some more, not realizing the danger he was in until it was sitting on his chest. Out of nowhere, Grimmjow's hand was wrapped around Ichigo's wrist, his eyes blazing as he drilled a hole through Ichigo's head.

"Feels good," he murmured. Then he lowered his head and gave a sideways smirk, their noses touching. "My turn, right?"

Ichigo tried to pretend as if those words didn't clang ominously around in his brain as he curled his upper lip back and sneered. "I didn't say that."

"Who says I need yer permission?" Ichigo lay there stunned. He had no come-back. No witty retort. Nothing. His mental smart-ass was on empty. Shit. Grimmjow bared a grin that screamed he was up to no good before he carefully removed Ichigo's hand from his hair. "Hold onto that fer a minute. Might need it ta grab the sheets er somethin'."

Ichigo would admit that his toes actually curled in anticipation as those words left Grimmjow's much too attractive mouth. He opened his mouth to say something snarky, but was immediately put in his place when Grimmjow lay a finger over his lips.

"Be quiet fer a change, yeah?"

Ichigo frowned, but that was quickly flipped upside-down as Grimmjow's lips slid over his jaw and under his chin. His tongue was like lighter fluid, igniting brush fires all over Ichigo's body where it touched. The same for those big, calloused hands. It was so clear that Grimmjow was powerful, from the broad, strongly built shoulders, to that magnificent back, down to those thighs that made Ichigo drool. Every move Grimmjow made spoke of tightly controlled strength and natural grace.

Maybe that was why Ichigo had had a hard time keeping his eyes off the guy.

Grimmjow ran his tongue down the entire length of Ichigo's neck, the soft, wet muscle pausing at his collarbone. Ichigo's eyes had been shut tightly as he'd languished in the feel of Grimmjow's tongue running over his overly sensitive skin, but at Grimmjow's sudden lack of movement, his eyes flew open. He peered down his straight nose, only to have the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up when he saw Grimmjow staring right back at him, eyes twinkling mischievously.

Ichigo had his mouth open, ready to ask what the hold up was, but Grimmjow dipped low with the swiftness of a striking cobra, his lips latching onto Ichigo's right nipple. Ichigo bit his bottom lip and squirmed in place. It felt weird because Grimmjow was being a bit too enthusiastic.

"Oi, too hard, bastard," he grumbled.

Grimmjow released his abused nipple and smiled. "I know."

Ichigo frowned. "Wha-"

Grimmjow was back at his nipple, but this time, there was none of the previous sting and annoying pulling. The sensation built slowly, stirring Ichigo's groin like an overturned hornet's nest. One of Grimmjow's hands was braced against Ichigo's abdomen, the other creeping beneath the waistband of Ichigo's boxers and curving around to grip his bottom. Ichigo's brows bunched together, his heart rate climbing as Grimmjow switched nipples, a low throaty rumble vibrating his chest. If Ichigo didn't know any better, he would think Grimmjow was enjoying what was happening more than Ichigo did.

Grimmjow lowered Ichigo's boxers centimeter by centimeter, the slow rustling of fabric giving Ichigo heart burn as he anxiously awaited the man's next move. Finally, after what seemed like a million years of agony, his boxers were bunched around his knees and those wicked fingers of Grimmjow's were lightly tracing his straining and pleading erection. Ichigo arched shamelessly, sweat forming along his upper lip. He was getting too excited, but he had no way of slowing down his libido. Grimmjow seemed to grow tired of the teasing foreplay because he skipped the niceties and went straight for broke, his hand wrapping firmly around Ichigo's length.

Suddenly, loud trilling echoed in the silent room, scaring the shit out of Ichigo and making him nearly jump off the bed. Grimmjow, on the other hand, growled loudly, the noise making Ichigo arch his brows in shock. Blue eyes were hard and angry as Grimmjow rolled to the edge of the bed and reached to the floor for his shorts.

"If this ain' important, yer ass is grass," he mumbled darkly before answering his ringing phone. "Yo!" he snapped.

A beat of silence passed before Ichigo realized that something was terribly wrong. Grimmjow surged to his feet, his mouth open and eyes wide with fear: something Ichigo thought he would never see in the other man's expression.

"Y-Yo-chi?" he gasped.

Ichigo frowned. Who the hell was Yo-chi?

"Wha's wrong? Where's yer mom?" Grimmjow continued, his voice deepening with his obvious concern. "Hey, stop cryin'. Put yer mom on."

Ichigo sat up on the bed and stared at the nearly naked man pacing the floor in the middle of the room. Grimmjow was running his hand through his wild hair, disrupting it even more, his blue eyes wide, confused and panic-stricken, although it was clear he was trying to tame that last one.

"Yoichi. Put yer mother on the phone," Grimmjow said firmly.

That deep voice sent chills racing down Ichigo's spine, but this time not because of lust. He didn't know what was going on, but he felt dread sneaking up on him. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask too, but thought now wasn't the time for that. Grimmjow seemed distressed and besides, Ichigo didn't want to seem all needy.

"Whattaya mean ya can't put her on the phone? Where's yer mother?"

Silence. Ichigo couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the phone, even though the room had gone deathly silent. That was when Grimmjow exploded.

"WHAT? SHIT! DON' MOVE, YOICHI!"

Ichigo's eyes were the size of basketballs as he watched Grimmjow end the call and rush to his clothes on the floor. His face was tight with terror, mouth balled up and turned down in the corners as he stepped into his shorts. Ichigo was afraid to ask what was going on just from the look of Grimmjow. He'd never seen the bold, most times crass and annoying fire fighter look that way and, truthfully, it scared him.

Deciding he would never know unless he tried, Ichigo cleared his throat timidly, his fingers twisting the edge of his sheet. "Gr-Grimmjow, what happened?"

Grimmjow froze for half a second before resuming his breakneck pace. "I got somethin' ta do. Fam'ly emergency."

Family?

"O-oh. Um-"

"I'll call ya," Grimmjow grunted before sticking his phone in the pocket of his shorts and running to the door.

He slipped around it without another word, leaving Ichigo breathless. What the hell had just happened?

XOXOXO

Grimmjow couldn't breathe. His chest was too tight and his heart was beating too fast. Please no, not again, he thought desperately as he flew through the streets, dodging cars and dipping in and out of traffic like a police cruiser. Please.

Things had been normal, amazing even since he'd finally gotten his hands on Ichigo. He'd been right in the process of making the smaller man scream in a ridiculous falsetto, when his cell phone had gone off in his shorts, upsetting the moment. Grimmjow knew never to ignore his phone or pager, in case of emergency, so he'd answered it, hoping it'd just been Renji or Shiro wanting to go out or something so he could nicely tell them to kick rocks and call him when they got done. Instead he'd been shocked almost speechless to hear Yoichi, his godson, on the other end, crying uncontrollably and refusing to put his mother on the phone so Grimmjow could figure out what the fuck was going on all of a sudden.

When he'd told Yoichi to put his mom on, he'd claimed he couldn't. Grimmjow hadn't understood, until the next few times he'd asked the young boy. Yoichi had stuttered and sobbed that he couldn't put his mom on the phone because she was asleep in the tub and didn't want to wake up. Grimmjow got it all too clearly then.

He knew he was panicking, but he hoped he was wrong. He hoped that everything running through his mind at the moment was completely off base and that he was just being ridiculous. The hammering of his heart told him otherwise, though. Grimmjow cut the wheel and skidded onto Nel's block, turning the corner on two tires. He couldn't get to the house fast enough it felt like. He avoided parked cars and finally pulled to an abrupt stop in front of the house his best friend had started his family in.

Grimmjow hopped out of his car, the engine still running as he sprinted to the front door. It was locked, of course, but luckily, Gin had given him a key before he'd passed away. Grimmjow fumbled with the lock a few times, his hands shaking badly and making him curse like a sailor. Frustrated, he started to put his foot to the door and break it down, but the key slid into the lock on the last try. He turned it and stumbled inside in his haste to find his godson. He stopped in the deserted sitting room, his ears and eyes alert for any signs of movement. After a few seconds, he heard crying coming from the second level of the house and it spurred him into action.

Grimmjow took the stairs three at a time, his heart tripping wildly as he rushed into Yoichi's bedroom. He looked around, but didn't see the little silver-haired boy anywhere. He listened again and realized that the crying he'd heard had been coming from the bathroom. He felt nauseous. Bile and fear were creeping up the back of his throat as he edged his way to the bathroom, the wooden door cracked open. Terror seized him and made him drag his feet. He could hear Yoichi crying clearly now. The little boy's sobs were erratic and heartbreaking and Grimmjow was afraid of what he would find when he stepped inside the small room.

But he did.

And immediately froze, horror gripping him from the inside out and staying his steps. He couldn't move. He'd been paralyzed by the sight that greeted him after he pushed the door open completely. Yoichi sat with his back to the side of the large, white jacuzzi styled tub, his knees drawn up to his chest and face buried in his arms.

Nel. Nel was...

Shit.

Grimmjow finally found the strength to move and went beside his godson, instantly scooping the little boy into his arms so he could get him away from that sight. Yoichi clung to his neck, his sobs louder and more gut-wrenching. Grimmjow clenched his jaw, tempted to cry himself. He hated that Yoichi had been exposed to something as horrific as what lay in the bathroom. He carried the boy down the stairs and sat down hard on the couch in the sitting room. He cradled Yoichi close, his body automatically rocking back and forth in an effort to soothe his godson. He knew that no amount of rocking, no amount of reassuring words would do any good, though. That image would probably haunt the small boy for the rest of his life and it saddened Grimmjow. Then it pissed him off.

He couldn't believe Nel had been so irresponsible. So careless. Selfish above all. Didn't she give a shit that she had a small kid that needed her and depended on her to raise him into an adult? Grimmjow understood that she'd been depressed, hell, Gin's death had devastated him as well. That didn't mean it was OK to just give up. Throwing in the towel with a kid in the equation was unforgivable. Grimmjow's eyes squeezed shut as he tried fruitlessly to block out the bright crimson stains decorating the floor beside the tub. The red that filled the tub. Nel's pale face and wet, sea-green hair.

No child deserved to see something like that...ever.

Grimmjow reached around a shaking Yoichi in his lap and withdrew his cell from his pocket. His hands still shook terribly, but he managed to call the police so he could report what he'd seen. When things decided to go bad, damn did they.

XOXOXO

Two Weeks Later

Ichigo sat in his living room, vegging out in front of the TV, his hand in his shorts. He yawned before taking another sip from his bottle of beer. He was bored, but more than that, he was pissed. He hadn't heard from Grimmjow since the day the man had left Ichigo's apartment like it'd been on fire. Ichigo sucked his teeth and made himself even more comfortable against the couch cushions. Had he done something to make the man just stop talking to him? Ichigo hadn't even seen the man on his way home from work the past couple weeks. It was strange.

He knew that Grimmjow had said he'd had a family emergency, but to completely stop talking to him? It made him feel a bit slighted. He hadn't done anything that he could recall to make Grimmjow stop talking to him. Not to mention, they had been interrupted right in the middle of what was sure to be the best sex Ichigo had ever had in his life. Well, that's how it had felt at the time anyway. Now he wasn't so sure.

Ichigo kicked his feet up onto his coffee table and changed the channel. A pointless game show was playing, so he continued surfing, trying fruitlessly to find something interesting. It didn't seem to be working. He grabbed his phone and opened up the Angry Birds application. He was determined to rid himself of the boredom that sat heavily on his shoulders. Ichigo spent ten minutes flinging scowling birds at grinning, green pigs before he gave up and closed the application. He was about to climb to his feet so he could shower and call it a night when his phone starting ringing persistently. He glanced at the readout and sat up in shock before answering.

"Yo!" he snapped.

There was a pause and a sigh. "Hey, Ichigo."

"Where the fu-" Ichigo started, ready to chew a hole in Grimmjow's hide, until he heard the resigned tone in the man's deep voice. "What's wrong?"

"Can I come over?"

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he gave his living room a critical once-over. "Y-yeah, OK."

"Be there in ten."

"Alright."

Ichigo ended the call wondering what the hell had Grimmjow sounding like he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Well, he thought as he leaned back against the cushions again. Guess I'll find out soon enough.

Thanks for waiting! Next time, then...