CHAPTER 6: CRUSH
Disclaimer:I do not own Bleach...
Onwards...
XOXOXO
One Week Later
They had been arguing. Over what, he couldn't even remember, but it must have been heated because he had the shorter man pressed to the wall with a hand wrapped around his throat, lips pulled into a snarl and faces mere millimeters apart. The younger man's eyes were spitting fire and he had both hands trying to pry away the one currently blocking his air supply. The tension was thick enough to slice with a plastic butter knife.
Then the entire atmosphere dissolved when the red head's expression softened and he lifted a hand to grasp the back of his head, pulling him forward into a feather-soft kiss. His head felt as though it were spinning like a top and before he knew it, the hand gripping the red head's throat slid around to the nape of his neck, long fingers plowing through soft orange spikes as the kiss deepened.
The red head let go a soft moan and parted his lips to pass a warm, wet tongue across the seam of his lips. Wasting no time, he opened his mouth to the searching tongue, and the red head's unique flavor filled his senses and threatened to overwhelm him. The younger man tasted like cinnamon flavored gum and a distinct something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Using his free hand, he gripped the red head's slim hip and pressed their bodies closer together, causing as much friction as possible.
God, it felt almost too good. The red head's hands were everywhere, roaming his chest, abdomen, back and arms, to finally rest at his waist. Without warning, he felt himself pressed against the wall and the red head's lips and tongue sliding over his jaw, up to the shell of his ear where the red head nipped and gently tugged on the lobe. A strangled moan found it's way from deep in his throat as he tightened his hold on the younger man's hip.
It was torture of the best sort the way the red head edged lower to his throat, nibbling, licking and sucking his Adam's apple, and then catching his teeth in his shirt collar as deft hands slipped underneath the hem of his shirt to caress his hard stomach and chest.
He growled deeply when his shirt was lifted over his head and the hands roaming his torso were replaced with a slick tongue and soft lips. It felt like all the blood in his body had decided to pool in his groin, making him lightheaded and giddy. The red head teased his sensitive nipples, first nipping, then soothingly licking and sucking until they were hard.
He hadn't even felt the fingers undoing his belt and jeans, until a warm hand slipped inside his boxers to wrap around his throbbing length, while the other hand pushed the clothes down to his knees. He grunted and thrust his hips forward encouraging the red head's sultry movements. The red head chuckled softly before swooping in for another sloppy kiss.
When the red head cupped his testicles and stroked his dick with added pressure, his whole body jerked. He pulled the red head closer, burying his face into his neck as he inhaled his delicious scent before licking and sucking hard enough to leave a mark. He heard the red head moan and tried to undo the younger man's pants, but was pushed away with a coy smile as the red head began lowering himself to his knees, licking and kissing his chest and abdomen on the way down.
His head was practically swimming when the red head nuzzled his stiff length against his cheek, gripping it at the base before leaning back and sticking his pierced tongue out to taste him...
Grimmjow was jerked awake when a loud banging threatened to damn near break his front door in two. He sucked his teeth as he shoved his blankets away and rolled out of bed. Figured he'd wake up as soon as the shit got good. At any rate, whoever was at his door was about to get an eyeful because he was still hard as a steel post and frankly, he didn't give a shit.
He threw the door open and frowned at seeing Nel standing in the doorway. What the hell? Grimmjow stepped back to let her in and remembered the problem in his boxers. Shit.
"Yo," he greeted as he plopped down on the couch and discreetly pulled a throw pillow into his lap.
"Ulqui asked me to tell you that you have an appointment tonight."
Grimmjow noticed Nel's face was drawn and she was fidgeting. "What's the problem?"
"Well, it's just that...Grimm, the guy that you're facing was really relentless about fighting you and only you. Ulqui tried to match him with Ichigo as his debut, but the guy made a big fuss. Don't you think that's strange?" she asked, her wide, wheat-gray eyes beseeching.
Grimmjow shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't give a shit. I never do. Guy wants to fight me, then he'll fight me. Why he wants to doesn't matter, 'cuz in the end it's still just a fight."
"You're going to get yourself killed with an attitude like that," Nel murmured, taking a seat next to him.
"Why you so worried 'bout what happens to me anyway?" He didn't understand why Nel was taking this so personally. They weren't that close.
"Because dummy, I feel responsible for you. I brought you into this and if you get-"
"Well, see that's yer problem right there. You ain't my keeper, Nel. Even if ya didn't bring me into this, I still woulda been fightin' and gettin' into all kinds a'trouble. You don't need to feel responsible for me because I can damn sure take care of myself."
Nel sighed deeply and stood, making her way to the door. Thankfully, Grimmjow's erection had made itself scarce, so he was able to follow her without embarrassing himself. After opening the door, Nel stepped through but paused in the hallway.
"Just, try to be careful tonight, OK? Something about this guy doesn't sit well with me," she said softly, a perplexed expression settling across her features, but...yeah...Grimmjow just didn't do careful.
"You know better'n that," he said.
Nel just sighed and nodded. Grimmjow watched as she made her way down the hall to the elevators before he closed the door and padded back to the couch. What the fuck was that all about?
XOXOXO
Ichigo was sweating like a pig and breathing like a felled moose. His body ached in ways he hadn't felt since his days at Seireitei, which was understandable considering the harsh workout he'd just put himself through. God, he was completely out of shape.
Ichigo had just completed a rigorous menu of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats and weight-lifting. He'd had to borrow the weights from Chado, but his friend hadn't minded. After a short breather, he was going to go for a run; he needed to rebuild his stamina because he felt it severely lacking. This would have been considered a pussy work-out at Seireitei and Ichigo was thoroughly ashamed. Renji certainly wouldn't let him live it down to be seen damned near collapsing, or as Renji would probably say, "being such a fucking girl".
Speaking of "his assholishness", he hadn't seen or heard from Renji since the guy had confessed to being gay and in a relationship with Byakuya. Ichigo was happy for him, but he wondered about Renji's switch to the other team. He knew that Renji had been pining over Rukia for as long as he'd known him, so what had changed that? Had Renji freaked out?
Ichigo face-palmed. Why the hell did he care how Renji had reacted to liking a guy? That wasn't any of his business, and he should just be happy that Renji was happy.
Ichigo heard a soft chuckle and whipped his head around, searching for the source. What the hell was that? His eyes slowly scanned the living room and found nothing, so he started towards the kitchen. Maybe he was hearing things.
'Oh, this is too good!'
Ichigo stood rooted to the spot, fear enveloping him like a high wave in an ocean. He was sure he'd just heard someone speaking. Ichigo inched his head around and glanced over his shoulder, almost fearing what he would see. His heart had seen fit to take up lodgings in his throat and was currently tap-dancing its way into his mouth.
"What the fuck?" he murmured into the emptiness of the living room.
Hell, the TV was off so it couldn't be that.
'Calm down, King, it's jus' me,' the voice came again.
Ichigo was teetering dangerously on the brink of insanity when he noticed something. "You said King. Shiro?" he questioned.
'Yo.'
"How's this possible? I thought-"
'Don't worry, yer the only one can hear me since I exist in yer mind.'
"But how's this possible?" Ichigo stressed.
'Not really sure, but it might be from that hypno-somethin' ya did before.'
Ichigo moved back into the living room after grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, and plopped onto the couch. Knowing the guy existed was one thing, but hearing him in his head was an entirely different ball game. He really didn't know what to think of it.
'S'not so bad, King,' Shiro soothed and Ichigo snorted derisively.
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one talking to himself."
Shiro laughed and the sound was strangely contagious, making Ichigo smile. 'Ya know, ya don't have ta talk out loud. I can hear what yer thinkin'.'
Ichigo let the implications of that statement settle and before he knew it, his face was inflamed. Embarrassing! That meant Shiro had been there through his private moments in the shower, and more recently, his thoughts of a certain blue-haired Espada – Grimmjow wasn't it? Aw, man.
Shiro began howling with mirth and Ichigo scowled, imagining his white-haired look-alike doubled over and grasping his stomach. He must have seriously pissed someone off in his previous life to deserve this turn of events.
'I knew somethin' was off when I started thinkin' that blue-haired guy was hot. 'Sides, yer not exactly into females that way. Least not from what I c'n see,' Shiro stated matter-of-factly.
Ichigo froze and his eyes widened comically. What the fuck? Was that true? Ichigo tried to think back and remember if he'd ever had any crushes, but nothing came to mind. Come to think of it, he'd never really thought of girls or women like that. He didn't go ape-shit over tits and ass the way most men did. Oh, holy night. Was he...gay?
No. Just because he wasn't into women didn't mean he was into guys. But as if on cue, blue hair and blue eyes invaded his mind, making a complete mockery of him, and if that wasn't bad enough, Shiro was cackling like a fucking hyena.
"So he's hot, but so are some of the other Espada," Ichigo mumbled. Realizing what he'd just said, his heart came to a complete stop and his breath froze in his throat. Not only that, but the silence was acute and deafening...until Shiro was again laughing maniacally. "You're not fucking helping."
Shiro sobered up after a few more minutes of spastic chuckling and Ichigo's brooding. 'Sorry, King, yer jus' funny as shit sometimes.'
"Tch. Whatever."
'I don't see the problem,' Shiro said, suddenly sobering and making Ichigo blanch. 'Will bein' gay change ya?'
"I don't wanna talk about that right now."
Ichigo was flustered and really didn't want to talk about the very real possibility of him being attracted to his own gender. He ignored Shiro as he dressed in a pair of gray sweats, a black, pull-over hoodie and an old pair of running sneakers. Grabbing another bottle of water and his iPod, he headed out for a run, beginning by stretching.
Cranking the sound up to Three Days Grace's "Riot", Ichigo started off at a light trot. Buildings, houses and stores slid past as he gradually picked up the pace. He had forgotten how good running felt, and how it was a really good time to gather his scattered thoughts and try to piece them together.
So, he was attracted to men, huh? It felt strange even thinking that, but it probably should have occurred to him sooner. He didn't have a love life to speak of as Shinji so delightfully pointed out at the most inopportune moments. Ichigo had just never bothered to make much of an effort in that department.
Skillet's "Awake and Alive" pushed through the headphones and Ichigo started sprinting. Shit, so, what now? This was where things got a tad confusing. Ichigo wasn't about to just start hitting on men, whether he was attracted or not. Besides, how did one determine if another guy was interested? Fuck, this shit was hard.
'Only 'cuz yer makin' it that way,' Shiro said, no small amount of amusement lacing his voice.
'Yeah, well, excuse the hell outta me for being new to this. Mind you, I still gotta test this theory,' Ichigo responded silently.
Shiro didn't reply and Ichigo began slowing down before finally coming to a complete stop in front of a small convenience store almost on the other side of town. He would stop there for his cool down stretching and walk back home. Ichigo had barely raised his arms over his head to begin stretching, when he was interrupted.
"Yer Ichigo, right?"
The deep voice that had been plaguing his thoughts for the past week was suddenly right behind him.
Ichigo's eyes widened as he froze with his arms over his head, mid-stretch. He heard Shiro crowing gleefully and inwardly cursed before slowly turning to face the blue-haired Espada and gulping audibly.
Cornflower blue orbs gazed back at Ichigo, shining with amusement, a single brow raised. Ichigo couldn't keep himself from staring, even though he knew his face was probably all shades of red and he was pretty much making an ass of himself.
A very large, very masculine hand was suddenly held in front of Ichigo's face before the fingers snapped. Ichigo shook his head and focused on the man's face to see an almost concerned expression.
"Oi, you OK, kid?" the man asked.
Ichigo scowled and snapped out of his reverie. "I'm not a fucking kid."
Grimmjow smiled mischievously and shifted his weight to his left leg. Ichigo's insides melted at the sight, while he inwardly scolded himself for acting like a girl.
"Coulda fooled me."
Ichigo frowned and let his eyes roam the man standing before him. Grimmjow was wearing a white, long-sleeved, v-neck shirt and dark-blue jeans that fit like a dream. Black motorcycle boots completed the simple ensemble and Ichigo was hard-pressed not to outright drool.
"For you to call me a kid, you must be pretty up there," Ichigo dead-panned.
Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and stepped so close, Ichigo could smell him. Oh, boy. Grimmjow smelled like that blue Irish Spring soap, fresh laundry and something musky and completely male. Ichigo lifted his chin and stuck out his chest slightly, despite the immensely threatening aura coming from Grimmjow.
Grimmjow smirked dangerously before responding. "If ya wanna know how old I am, all ya gotta do is ask, Ginger Bread Man."
Ichigo scowled deeply and glared at Grimmjow. So what if the man's breath smelled like some type of minty gum, and Ichigo had been enjoying his closeness way more than he probably should have? He wasn't about to let Grimmjow get away with that "Ginger Bread Man" shit.
"I don't give a shit how old you are, and don't call me Ginger Bread Man," Ichigo grumbled, ending up sounding like a petulant child.
Grimmjow laughed and patted Ichigo on the shoulder. "OK, Ginger. What're ya doing on this side of town anyway? You don't live around here."
"Really? I hadn't noticed, but thanks for reminding me," Ichigo fumed.
Grimmjow just laughed again and headed towards a motorcycle parked at the curb. Ichigo's eyes widened considerably at the beautiful piece of machinery. Grimmjow was currently straddling a midnight-blue and chrome Kawasaki Roundup DSD_6731, and fitting a matching midnight-blue helmet over his head. Ichigo realized Grimmjow was wearing a backpack and grinned.
"What's funny?" Grimmjow's voice floated from under the helmet.
"Why do you have a backpack?"
"Whattaya want me to do? Carry the shit I need in my hands? Sorry, that don't really work on a bike, Ginger."
Ichigo could actually hear the man's smile and inwardly cursed his stupidity. Just walk away, Ichigo, just walk away. He heard Shiro snicker and wished he could punch him. Trying to hide his embarrassment, Ichigo started off in the direction of his apartment, but was stopped.
"Oi! Didncha hear me?" Grimmjow called out. Ichigo turned back feeling confused. When had he spoken? "Tch. I asked if ya wanna ride? I got an extra helmet," Grimmjow stated, holding up a black helmet.
Ichigo shuffled his feet as he contemplated the offer on the table. On one hand, he didn't feel like walking and the thought of riding that sexy bike made him anxious as a kid on Christmas Eve, but on the other hand, that meant straddling a beastly piece of machinery and hanging onto a man he was very much attracted to.
Ichigo bit his lip. Then again, the ride might be a good way to test his sexual preference. Just because he was attracted to Grimmjow didn't automatically mean he wanted to have sex with him, right? Well, that was his story and he was sticking to it, dammit.
'Whatever makes ya feel better, King,' Shiro commented.
'Shutup!' Ichigo inwardly argued as he moved towards Grimmjow and the offered helmet.
Ichigo pulled it over his head and was about to sit behind the blue-haired Espada, when Grimmjow held up his hand, halting his progress. Ichigo watched as Grimmjow pulled off his backpack and handed it to him.
"If ya don't mind holdin' onto that, it'll be more comfortable for ya," he murmured and Ichigo wished he could see his eyes.
"Thanks."
Ichigo settled himself onto the purring machine after slipping the backpack on and cautiously wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's waist. Shit, he felt good.
"Hold on!" Grimmjow yelled and tore away from the curb.
XOXOXO
Grimmjow couldn't keep his heart from beating viciously against his ribs and damn, was he glad he had a helmet on, or other motorists would have thought he was insane from the wide grin he just couldn't keep in check. To think he would run into the red head at his favorite store, and then be able to get him onto the back of his new toy.
As Grimmjow rounded a corner, Ichigo's arms tightened around his waist, making his shit-eating grin spread. Damn, if the Ginger Boy didn't feel amazing pressed against his back and clinging to him like that. Grimmjow was finding it incredibly hard not to pull over and molest Ichigo wherever they stopped, public be damned.
Ichigo was so fucking cute! Blushing all crazy when Grimmjow had called him "Ginger Bread Man." Not to mention, bickering with him was pretty stimulating too. Grimmjow was looking forward to future hassling because he had every intention to have Ichigo all to himself.
About three days after seeing "Ichigo", Grimmjow had reconciled the fact that he was very attracted to the Ginger Boy, and what he wanted he got. He wasn't one to take "no" for an answer and he wasn't about to start now. He would just have to proceed with caution because he wasn't sure of Ichigo's sexual preference. No matter. He could wait, even though he wasn't the most patient of people. Actually he wasn't patient at all, but now was as good a time as ever to practice some self control.
All too soon, Grimmjow was pulling up to Ichigo's apartment complex and cutting the engine. As he pulled his helmet off, Ichigo's arms slowly slid from around his waist and Grimmjow already missed their warmth. Ichigo pulled the helmet off and handed it to him, his face thoroughly flushed, his hair flattened and a wide grin spread across his face. Grimmjow sucked in a breath. Shit, Ichigo was damn beautiful.
"I take it you liked the ride," Grimmjow stated.
"Hell yeah! I love bikes," Ichigo said with much enthusiasm.
Grimmjow's shit-eating grin was back with full force. "Good ta know. I gotta go get ready for tonight, Ginger, so I'll see ya around."
"Wait! You're fighting tonight?"
"Yeah, Nel or Ulquiorra will be gettin' in touch witcha a little later to let ya know in case ya wanna come and watch," Grimmjow said, fitting the helmet back over his head.
Ichigo nodded. "OK. And thanks for the ride, Grimmjow."
"Anytime."
Grimmjow peeled away headed for home, thoughts still reeling from his name on Ichigo's tongue, and being so close to him. Ichigo didn't know it yet, but he was going to be his.
XOXOXO
"So, everything's been taken care of?" he asked.
"Yeah, they'll have it in time for the fight," his brother replied.
"Good. He won't be walking away from that arena tonight if I've got anything to say about it."
"Sharp, what if he notices? Won't that have the opposite effect?"
"No. By then, it'll be too late," he calmly answered and observed his brother. The younger man's face was twisted with concern as he shifted uncomfortably. "Keiji, everything will be fine. You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course, but I'm still worried for you. You are my big brother and the only family I've got left. I just don't want anything to happen to you. I mean, I understand you want to avenge Luppi, but the people you're up against are pretty powerful."
Sharp sighed. Keiji was always like that: worrying where it was unnecessary. That was his kid brother, though, so he put up with the nagging and clinging. Sharp wasn't going to fold on this subject, however, because Luppi didn't deserve to die the way he had.
"Keiji, I understand your concern, but there really is nothing to worry about. Tonight, step one will be executed and the Sexta Espada will be no more," he said grinning broadly.
For those of you that don't know, this is the first story I've ever shared with FFnet. I wrote it back around August of 2010. After taking it down, I've decided to re-post, just correcting minor mistakes and errors along the way. Thank you to everyone leaving reviews and overall enjoying the story again. Or for the first time! :)
