Grimmjow rolled onto his side, his arm instinctively reaching out for the warm body that was supposed to be next to him. Confusion instantly set into place as his hand groped around the cold bed sheets, finding nothing. Slowly, his eyes slit open, cerulean blue hoping to lock onto pools of chocolate. Much to his dismay, he was certain that the carrot-top was not in his bed, and by the temperature of the sheets, he had deciphered that he hadn't been there for hours. Grimmjow cocked a blue eyebrow, before slowly getting up from the bed. He shifted so that he his back was against his flat headboard the white sheets pooling around his waist. He had remembered the night before, a feral smirk making its way to his lips when he remembered the way that Ichigo's hand worked his cock. Just as he was about to reach down to his morning wood, he heard an impatient knock on his door. Groaning, knowing the only person who knocked like that, he pulled his forgot underwear on and pulled the sheets back over his hips.

"It's open Nel."

Without any hesitation the door swung open, Nel standing in the door way, surveying the room before running into the room as fast as her little legs could take her. With a little struggle, she climbed onto the bed, making her way onto Grimmjow's lap. Once seated she looked around the bed, lifting the covers for good measure before dismay fell on her face, turning to Grimmjow with all seriousness.

"What did ya do with Itsygo?"

"Do? I didn't do anything?" He let out a sigh; it was too early for Nel's antics.

"He's not herya, ya had ta do sthomething to him!" Nel was staring at him with defiance in her eyes.

"He had to go home Nel, he told you that last night." Authority was clear in his voice as he wrapped his arms around Nel as he shifted on the bed so that he turned. His feet touched the ground lightly before he stood, moving Nel so that she was resting on his hip. "Here, how about this. If you're good and get ready quickly, we'll take a day off and go pick up the strawberry."

Nel's pumped in the air like she was at a sports game as she chanted. "Sthwabewwy! Sthwabewwy!"

Nel squirmed in Grimmjow's arms, signaling that she wanted to get down. With a squeal she ran off to the direction of the bathroom, stopping at the door waving her arm violently trying to get Grimmjow to hurry up. Grimmjow shook his head, as he padded to his dresser to grab some basketball shorts to pull on. He left his room following Nel to the bathroom where he could supervisor her from accidentally killing herself in the shower. Once bathed, he wrapped a bubblegum pink towel around her before following her to her bedroom, Nel practically skipping with glee as she picked out her clothes for the day. Sure that she was going to be fine by herself on her own, Grimmjow walked into his own room to grab clothes for the day, before heading to the bathroom to shower for himself.

Once deemed clean, he hopped out and dressed, opening the door to let the steam from his shower leave the humid room. After brushing his teeth, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror for several minutes, playing with his hair until he had achieved the right in between bed head and style. Through the mirror he saw Nel pop into the door way, jumping in place as she waited impatiently for him to finish.

"Onii-chan, leths go now!" She dragged out the now her voice ridden with anticipation.

"Okay, kid. Give me a sec."

Grimmjow walked out of the bathroom, noting the pastel green dress his sister had put on was backwards. Chuckling, he kneeled down to shove Nel's arms into the dress so that he could turn the dress around, before pulling her arms back out, adjusting the dress so she didn't look too messy. Standing and grabbing her hand, Grimmjow led her to the front door so that she could pull on her bright pink sandals while Grimmjow packed his bag with a couple of snacks and juice boxes for Nel. He grabbed his keys from the counter as he pulled on the leather satchel before walking over the coffee table to grab the coloring books and crayon box and stuffing those in the bag as well. Nel was standing at the door, stomping her feet in impatience.

Grimmjow glared at her impatience. "If you don't stop moving around, you're going to kindergarten."

Nel's eyes went wide as she stopped moving; going completely still that it gave Grimmjow the impression that she was holding her breath as well. Grimmjow shook his head as he pulled the small pink cardigan hanging on the hook off, kneeling to wrap it around Nel's waist for later use. Standing back up, he pulled his leather jacket off, slipping his way into his shoes before finally unlocking the door behind Nel. At the sound of the lock, Nel let out a loud sigh, which only proved Grimmjow's theory that Nel was holding her breath. Shaking his head, he watched as Nel shot out of the apartment, running to the stairs before stopping with her hand on the rail. She turned around her, arm stuck out as she waiting for Grimmjow came to her side to hold her hand as the descended together. This was a rule Grimmjow had placed whenever they had moved to the apartment, Nel having to hold his, or someone's, hand anytime they were out of the apartment.

Slowly the two descended down the stairs, Nel's little legs only able to move so fast. Once Grimmjow's car was in sight, Nel wiggled her hand out of her brother's grasp, running out towards the car, jumping by the door. Grimmjow picked up his pace, unlocking the door from a distance so that Nel could open it. She climbed inside, situating herself in the booster seat, buckling herself in from practice. Once Grimmjow noted that she was securely inside, he got into the driver's seat. The two peeled out of the apartment complex's parking structure and headed towards the small clinic that Ichigo's family owned. Grimmjow called the elementary school to let them know that Nel wasn't coming in today. Fortunately, Grimmjow was off for the day and all that was left was to convince Ichigo to hang out with him.

Grimmjow smirked at his plan. He had known that if he had come to Ichigo's house on his own, he wouldn't be able to convince the carrot-top to skip school, but with his secret weapon that was Nel, he knew that the strawberry wouldn't be able to get out of her persuasion. Grimmjow smiled the entirety of the ride. Nel was humming to herself as she played with the Chappy bunny doll she had left in the backseat on her last car ride. Grimmjow pulled up to the curb in front of Ichigo's house just as the orange-head had stepped out. Ichigo's eyes went wide when he saw the sleek black car pull up to his house. He saw the backseat door pop open, looking like no one had gotten out until he saw a flash of green and pink running towards him, tiny arms wrapping around his thighs.

"Damn it Neliel, how many times do I have to tell ya not to run in the street?" Grimmjow yelled as he walked around the front of the car.

Nel was trembling slightly from her spot at the tone of his voice. "But Itsyugo!"

Grimmjow closed the space between them, standing a couple feet away from Ichigo and her. "That's not an excuse Nel and you know it."

Ichigo smiled at the exchange of the two. "It's fine, Grimm, cars don't drive fast around here."

"Not the point, berry." Grimmjow locked eyes with Ichigo, a small smile playing on the edges of his lips.

"What are you two doing here?" Ichigo bent to pick up the small girl and place him on his hip. He felt Nel lean forward, bits of her green hair tickling the base of Ichigo's neck.

"We're playing hooky Berry, why don't you come with?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "I can't Grimm. Midterms are next week."

"Itsyugo, pwease!" Nel shot her head up, wide grey eyes already playing with Ichigo's heartstrings. "Onii-chan said we can play all day!"

Ichigo felt his resolve wavering. He knew he should say no, he knew he should go to class and prepare of midterms. But standing in front of the blunette and having the small girl in his arms, he felt himself giving in. Ichigo let out a sigh, knowing he should have fought harder than he did. Ichigo shot him a glare before he put Nel back on the floor. Nel held onto his hand, arm swinging between the two as she rocked onto her heels and toes. Nel took a few steps forward, tugging on Ichigo's hand as she tried to close the distance between him and her brother.

"Leths go, leths go!"

"Yeah berry, let's go." Grimmjow cocked his head back, motioning to the black car that was waiting behind him.

"Fine, but this is the only time I'm doing this."

Grimmjow let out a bark of a laugh, "That was way easier than I thought it would be."

"I can still back out." Ichigo shot an annoyed look at Grimmjow

"Ya could, but you wouldn't." Grimmjow gave Ichigo a knowing smirk.

Nel gave Ichigo's arm a particularly hard tug, catching him off guard, making Ichigo stumble a bit. Grimmjow laughed again at the sight, he knew Ichigo was weak for the little girl even though he had only known her for a month or so. Grimmjow turned back to the car to open the back seat of Nel to resume her place in her car seat. Nel skipped while Ichigo walked back to the car with her hand happily swinging between. Ichigo lifted her up into her booster seat and buckled her in, smoothing out her hair before the shutting the door. Ichigo jogged slightly around the trunk of the car and towards the passenger side, sliding off the messenger bag before taking his seat next to Grimmjow. The blunet started his car and looked over his shoulder before pulling away from the curb.

Ichigo shifted a bit, alarmed that Grimmjow had already started driving without letting the redhead put his seatbelt on. "Where are we going anyway?"

Grimmjow shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road as he weaved in and out of traffic. "Nowhere in particular, "Grimmjow shot a quick glare at someone who had cut him off," was I kind of just going to wing it

"Wing it?" Ichigo shook his head. "You ask me to skip school to wing it?"

Grimmjow laughed heartily, something so genuine that it made Ichigo feel funny on the inside. "Yeah, berry. Spontaneity, ya know?"

Ichigo scowled, "I know what spontaneity is. I just figured that you had a plan is all."

Grimmjow stole a glance at Ichigo, "If I had a plan, would it make you feel better?"

"No, but it would have made me feel less guilty about missing class." Ichigo looked down at into his lap, suddenly feeling shy.

"Tch, you would have skipped class anyway. As soon as you saw Nel, you were putty in her hands."

"I was not! I was to-" Ichigo stopped midsentence when his kneed was suddenly warm. He stared at the large hand that the other male had nonchalantly placed onto his leg. Through the corner of his eye, Ichigo could tell that Grimmjow was watching him and trying to gauge his reaction. Ichigo tried to play it cool, "I was totally about to deny your invitation, but I figured I could use a break before the craziness of midterms." That was a lie.

Grimmjow shook his head as he put his eyes back on the road, "Alright Berry, whatever you say."

The two were quiet save for the noises that Nel was making in the backseat. Every few seconds Ichigo would look down at the hand on his knee, trying to figure out if he should do anything about it. After a couple of minutes, his hand moved on its own as it reached out to grab it; Ichigo's fingers wrapped around Grimmjows, using his palm to cover the back of Grimmjow's hand. He gave Grimmjow's hand a small squeeze as a small smile formed on his lips. Grimmjow's hand started to race a bit, his mind still reeling over the fact that him and Ichigo had some undefined status of a relationship. Grimmjow tore his eyes away from the road long enough to lock eyes with Ichigo, trying to read the carrot-top's mind.

"We're gonna stop by the convenience store." Grimmjow stated as he pulled off the road and into the convenient store parking lot. "Ichigo stay in the car with Nel. I won't be too long."

Without another word Grimmjow stopped the car, leaving Ichigo's knee cold at the sudden loss of its heat source. Ichigo sighed as Grimmjow got out of the car, his heart feeling a bit heavy. He knew that he had to talk to Grimmjow, about a lot of things: from their relationship to the conversation with the two goons from last night. He sank back into his seat, rubbing a hand against his tired face. After his encounter with the two thugs, he had spent the rest of the night looking up articles on Aizen's corporation and its rivals, trying to uncover anything he could. He wasn't even sure what he had been looking for as he combed through the thousands of websites that came up with a simple internet search. Ichigo jumped slightly, lost in his thoughts, when the door and Grimmjow reentered the car.

"I've decided where to go," Grimmjow was smiling, obviously pleased with himself.

"Yeah, and where's that?"

Grimmjow looked over at Ichigo and smirked, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Yeah, but if I tell ya that would ruin the surprise."

"I love suhpwises!" Nel screeched from the back seat, causing Ichigo to smile.

Grimmjow started the car, backing out of his spot, before exiting the parking lot and on to the main road. As soon as they were back on the main road, Grimmjow's hand had taken its former spot on Ichigo's knee. Ichigo didn't think much of it this time, his hand instinctively reaching forward to grab it again. The rest of the car ride was uneventful, every relatively quiet as Grimmjow continued their drive. Ichigo had no idea where the three were going until he recognized the windy road that led up to an aquarium on the top of a hill. Grimmjow pulled into the parking lot and Nel let out a squeal.

"We're gonna look at the fishies!?" Nel couldn't keep herself in her seat any longer, struggling in her chair as she tried to take her seat belt off.

Grimmjow and Ichigo got out of the car, Grimmjow holding the door for Nel as she finally freed herself from her car seat. She screamed with glee as she jumped out of the car, running around the back to stand next to Ichigo. Grimmjow came around as well, grabbing Nel's hand as before leading the three off to the front of the aquarium to pay for their tickets. The trio stepped into the darkened building, Nel brimming with excitement as her eyes widened at every single fish she saw. She had managed to detach herself from her brother so that she could run up to the tanks, pressing onto the tips of her toes to get a better view of the inhabitants. She'd run off to the next tank, but never staying too far in fear that Grimmjow would make her hold his hand again.

Ichigo was enjoying himself despite the thoughts that were still plaguing his mind. He was happy that Grimmjow had confessed to him, and he was happy that Grimmjow enjoyed kissing him, but he needed to know what they were. If they were taking it slow, did that mean they were a couple? Was Grimmjow sure that he was okay being with another man? Most importantly, who were those guys who came up to him? Ichigo tried to shake his head from the thoughts; he really just wanted to spend the time with Grimmjow and Nel without making a big deal over things. He watched Nel run off to the eel tank, watching with fascination as the long creature hid in the corals. The three turned the corner where the giant tank was held, Nel's eyes growing the size of saucers when she had seen all the fish and different sea creatures swimming peacefully behind the class. Instantly, she ran to the front of the glass, practically drooling at the sight. Ichigo and Grimmjow had decided to take a seat on the benches in front of the giant glass, both keeping a watchful eye on the green-haired girl.

"So you gonna tell me what's on your mind or are you just going to keep making weird faces all day?"

Ichigo jumped at the sound of Grimmjow's voice, instantly scowling at the harsh tone. "I wasn't making faces."

Grimmjow gave a noncommittal grunt. "Yeah, right. You've been making faces since I got in the car from the convenience store. Now, what's wrong?"

Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow before locking back onto Nel. "It's…it's nothing."

Grimmjow turned to look at Ichigo's profile, studying his scowl. "It's not nothing; tell me what the fuck is on your mind."

Ichigo turned back to Grimmjow, hard eyes catching Grimmjow's glare. "I was just thinking about us!" Ichigo had wanted to yell, but knowing they were in the aquarium kept him from doing so.

"What about us?" Grimmjow growled, his heart beat quickening at Ichigo's statement.

"I just don't know what we are." Ichigo sighed, his whole body dragging down with him. "Are we dating, are we on the way to fuck buddies, are we exclusive? You told me you liked me but we didn't go into the details."

"Why does all of that matter? Why can't we be together without having a title on it?" Grimmjow's facial features hardened. This wasn't the conversation he was expecting to have when he took Ichigo out for the day. "You already know that I like you, which was hard enough to do in the first place."

"I get that, I do." Ichigo's body felt tired. "But, Grimm, you have to understand I've liked you for years. I don't want to jump in this, or to be held into a relationship of no title dragging me into a relationship that was one sided."

"If you liked for me for years, why'd you date the red-head." Grimmjow shot Ichigo a look, not sure why he was feeling so angry.

Ichigo stared at Grimmjow incredulously. "Are you fucking serious Grimm? Are you fucking kidding me? God, does it not even occur to you that Renji and I broke up practically as soon as you came back? As soon as you reentered my life, we broke up because guess what, I couldn't hide my fucking feelings for you from my own boyfriend." As much as Ichigo wanted to keep his voice down, he couldn't do it. "God Grimm, I like you so much and I just want to know if you want to be my boyfriend. It's as simple as that!"

A grin broke out on Grimmjow's lips, which made Ichigo even madder. "You like me so much do ya?"

Ichigo groaned and rolled his eyes. "This is serious Grimm."

"And that was a serious question. You like me so much you want me to be your boyfriend? You're asking me to be your boyfriend, berry?"

"Yes!" Ichigo sighed. "Yes, I want you to be my boyfriend."

Grimmjow laughed. "Why the fuck didn't you say that in first place?"

Embarrassment washed over Ichigo, his face reddening by the second. "Grimm…"

Ichigo didn't get to complete his sentence as Grimmjow leaned forward and closed the distance between them, dragging the smaller man into a deep kiss. Ichigo's eyes went wide and his face grew hotter in embarrassed. Regardless of the lighting, Ichigo and Grimmjow were still in the aquarium where families, including Nel, were walking around. Grimmjow lingered for just a bit before pulling way, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah, I'll be your boyfriend." Grimmjow's voice was husky and deep, and Ichigo was certain that his face couldn't get any redder.

"Onii-chan!"

Ichigo jumped at the sound of Nel's voice, pulling back from her brother as his head whipped to look at the little girl. She was standing with her back to the class, a large smile on her face. She ran over to them, tripping on the way. Both Grimmjow and Ichigo moved to go get her, but she got up like nothing happened, continuing her run over to the two.

"Nel are you okay?" Grimmjow placed his hands on her shoulders, twisting her body to see any scratches or bruises.

"Onii-chan, I'm fine!" Nel whined as she struggled to get out of her brother's grasp. "Can we go pet tha fishies now? I waited good til tha gwon ups were done talking like ya taught me to."

Grimmjow chuckled as he stood up, his figure completely towering over the small girl, "Nel I don't think you can pet the fish."

Ichigo stood up too, clearing his throat as he tried to find his voice. "Actually you can: there are tide pools outside."

"Please Onii-chan! Pet tha fishies!" She gripped his hand, tugging on it slightly. "Itsyugo said we can pet tha fishies."

Ichigo cocked his head, turning on the ball of his foot slightly to lead the trio over to the back of the aquarium where there was an outdoor area with shallow pools. There were numerous kids leaning over into the pools, giggling with glee whenever their fingers brushed against the marine animals. Nel squealed in delight as she skipped over to the pools, her hand instantly going into the cold water to feel for a fish. Ichigo watched her face lit up before turning to Grimmjow, who was staring at him.

"Are we good?" Grimmjow's voice was low, speaking as if they were the only two in the area.

Ichigo nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think we are."

Grimmjow's eyes flicked across Ichigo's face as he tried to find the truth behind the pools of brown. "Are you sure? I don't want ya freaking out on me like that again."

Ichigo nodded firmly. "Yeah, I am. I think I was just spooked out by something that happened last night on my walk home."

"On your walk home?" Grimmjow turned to Ichigo with all seriousness. "What happened on your walk home?"

Ichigo's eyes flicked to the small girl who was playing in the by the water. "Can we please talk about this later?" Ichigo reached between them, taking Grimmjow's hand into his own. "Let's enjoy this day together. You, me and Nel." A small smile played on his lips, hoping his eyes would convince Grimmjow.

Grimmjow watched Ichigo's face, his heart unwillingly tugging towards the pools of brown. "Fine, but we're talking about it when we get home."

Ichigo nodded, a smirk etching onto his face when he read the word home, liking the way it sounded like Ichigo was included into their home. The rest of the day went on uneventfully. Grimmjow and Ichigo had to practically drag Nel away from the tide pools, only coming when Grimmjow had mentioned lunch, causing Nel to realize how hungry she was. The three stopped by a nearby park where they had a quick lunch before Nel shot off to play in the park. Grimmjow was secretly hoping that he'd be able to tire Nel out before they got home. Grimmjow sat on a bench on the outskirts of the park, watching as Ichigo played with his little sister. Ichigo was definitely a natural at handling the young girl, whether it was listening to her stories, chasing her around the park, and always getting on her level when he talked to her. Grimmjow could tell that Nel adored Ichigo and was quickly becoming attached to the carrot-top, which made Grimmjow a little wary.

Within the hour, Ichigo walked back to Grimmjow with a faint tint to his face from exertion of playing with the energetic five years old. Nel was in Ichigo's arms, her head lolling a bit proving she was desperately in need of a nap. Grimmjow looked at his watch and noted that it was already two in the afternoon, which meant they had been out and about for nearly four hours, so it was no surprise that they small girl was ready to knock out. Ichigo shifted her on his hip, her head falling completely on his shoulder, her small mouth opening as she fell deeper into sleep.

"I think it's time to get going." Ichigo half whispered not wanting to wake the small girl. Ichigo could remember how moody both of his sisters could get when they were sleep deprived when they were younger.

"I didn't really have plans for the day, so did you just want to head back to the apartment?" Grimmjow had already started walking to the car, hoping Ichigo was following in step.

"Yeah, we can do that. We can put her down for a nap, while I make dinner."

Ichigo made his way to the back seats to put Nel in her car seat before heading to his own seat on the other side of the car. The two were quiet one the car ride home, Ichigo resting his head on the headrest as he stared out the window. He hummed slightly when he felt Grimmjow's hand on his knee, his thumb rubbing small circles into his knee cap. Ichigo hadn't thought anything of it until he realized Grimmjow's whole hand was moving. Through the corner of his eye, he noted that Grimmjow's hand had moved up slightly so it was now resting onto his thigh. His hand was rubbing small circles, causing small shivers to run through Ichigo's body. Ichigo tried not to make any expression of the action, but his body was a different story. Every time Grimmjow's hand had moved up a bit, Ichigo could feel himself hardening. Ichigo stole a glance at Grimmjow, but the other male seemed completely fine. Grimmjow's eyes were trained on the road and his face gave no sign of emotion. Despite his stoic features, Grimmjow's hands continued their trek north, not stopping until Grimmjow was openly palming the carrot-top's front. Ichigo was shocked to say the least, his head whipping to look down as Grimmjow massaged the area.

"Grimm...what are you doing?" Ichigo looked at Grimmjow very slowly.

Grimmjow shrugged, trying feigning nonchalance, but there was a small hint of a smile that Ichigo caught. "I dunno what you're talking Kurosaki."

"Grimm, N-Nel's in the back seat." Ichigo shot a worried look over his shoulder as Grimmjow began to grope him with eagerness.

"She's fast asleep." Grimmjow was openly smiling at this point, but still not looking over at Ichigo.

Ichigo tried to hide his panting, but was struggling to do so. After last night, he was still need in release because he was never able to get himself off after giving Grimmjow a hand job. Grimmjow became daring and had begun to loosen Ichigo's belt, fingers slowly working the button and fly of the jeans. Ichigo tried to suppress a moan when Grimmjow's warm hand fondled him from the outside of his briefs. Ichigo looked out the window, teeth biting into his knuckles. Just as Grimmjow was about dip his hand between the elastic of Ichigo's briefs and his waist when the car came to a stop. Ichigo looked around him and found that they had parked the car in the apartment's designated space. Ichigo groaned a little, torn between disappointment and relief. Ichigo heard the clicking of a belt buckle and suddenly Grimmjow's lips were pressed against his ear.

"I'd go further, but I'd rather not get you off for the first time in front of my kid sister."

Grimmjow licked the sensitive skin behind Ichigo's ear before moving back and exiting the car. Ichigo openly shuddered at the words, listening to Grimmjow open the back door and take his sister out of her car seat. Ichigo sat in the car for a sec, fixing the buckle on his belt before getting out of the car himself and following the blunette into the apartment. Grimmjow made quick work of putting Nel into her before meeting Ichigo in the living room. They two locked eyes, the heat and tension airing around them, before Ichigo took the first step and closed the space between them. His hands instantly went into Grimmjow's hair, fisting the locks as he brought their faces together.

Hungry lips met each other as the two pressed their bodies closer together. Ichigo had made the first move, slowly pushing Grimmjow backwards until the other backed into the wall. Ichigo's hands were everywhere, sliding up Grimmjow's shirt to trace the different grooves of the man's abs. They moved from the front to his back, fingers dancing to tans shoulders before curling to scratch along Grimmjow's back. Grimmjow didn't even try to hide his groan at the feeling, his jeans hardening at the action. Ichigo pressed onto his toes to deep the kiss. Grimmjow's own hands came up to Ichigo's neck, cradling Ichigo's head to angle the carrot-top trying to gain control of the kiss. Ichigo didn't allow him to as his hands moved south to work on Grimmjow's jeans. Ichigo palmed the front of Grimmjow's pants in a similar fashion that Grimmjow did had in the car. Grimmjow pulled out of the kiss loving how lust had filled Ichigo's eyes.

"Damn it Berry, one second you're blushing like a damn virgin, the next second you're all over me like damn sex demon." Grimmjow's voice was husky with amusement.

"Well, looks like you don't do anything but teasing." Ichigo licked his lips as he leaned into Grimmjow, "Seems like I need to show my boyfriend how to do this like a real man."

Grimmjow's eyes widened as Ichigo slowly slid down Grimmjow's body, his hands continuing to work on loosening the pants in front of him. Ichigo locked eyes with Grimmjow and licked his lips, making the smirk already on Grimmjow's face to break out into a full on predatory smile. Just as Ichigo's knees had touched the floor, a loud banging had started at the front door. Ichigo jumped slightly before staring at the wooden door behind him. Grimmjow growled, but stayed in place begging that the knocking would stop on its own. When the noise hadn't stopped, Grimmjow grunted as he side stepped past Ichigo. Grimmjow hadn't bothered to fix his jeans and Ichigo had made no movements to get up from his spot on the floor. Angrily Grimmjow threw open the door, his eyes narrowing at the person behind it.

"Nnoitra, what the fuck are you doing here?" Grimmjow growled, his body seething that he was being interrupted.

Thanks to his height, Nnoitra could easily look past Grimmjow to see Ichigo kneeling on the floor with his eyes wide. "Oh, sorry Grimmy. Shoulda put a sock on the knob ta let me know you were busy."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna ask again, Nnoi. What the fuck do you want?"

Nnoitra looked at Grimmjow with all seriousness. "Boss needs ta see ya; said to pick ya up myself 'cause it's regarding G-I-N."

Grimmjow felt his blood run cold at the name, his hand flexing around the doorknob he was still holding. "Gin?" Grimmjow lowered his voice and looked over his shoulder at Ichigo. "Give me two minutes."

Without hesitation he slammed the door in Nnoitra's face. He dropped his head before turning around to look at the man who was still kneeling on the floor. Ichigo's face had fallen as soon as he heard Gin's name, still unaware of what connections Grimmjow had to the man.

"I'm assuming you're leaving." Ichigo stood up from his spot, eyes locked on the man in front of him.

"Yeah, sorry I-"

Ichigo cut off Grimmjow, "Who's Gin?"

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed, "Why the fuck do you care?"

Ichigo held his stance, "Heard the name recently and now I'm hearing it again."

Grimmjow took a step towards Ichigo, his body going into a defensive stance. "Heard the name recently? Recently as in last night, as in what spooked you on your way home last night?" Grimmjow studied Ichigo's face, noticing how Ichigo didn't say anything. "What happened last night Kurosaki?"

"Two thugs stopped me on my way home last night. Said to give you a message that someone named Gin was looking for you. But they didn't say anything else."

Ichigo was shocked when Grimmjow's hand suddenly slammed against the wall near Ichigo's ear. Grimmjow got really close to Ichigo's face, "They fucking approached you and you waited this long to fucking tell me."

Ichigo was surprised. "I didn't think anything of it! I told you we were going to talk about it when we got back."

Grimmjow slammed his hand against the wall again. "Ichigo, two fucking thugs come up to and you think it's okay to shrug off!? Are you fucking serious!? Do you know what they could have done to you?"

"Of course I don't!" Ichigo shoved hard against the brute man in front of him. "I have no idea who Gin is or who those people were, or what their relation is to you! You have no fucking right to get this mad or something I have no idea about!"

Grimmjow was still seething, eyes narrowed, "I see you later."

He said nothing else as he turned around, throwing up the front door and slamming it behind him. Ichigo stood there, shocked, confused, and extremely pissed off. Who the fuck was Grimmjow to get that mad? Ichigo heard a door in the hallway open, tiny feet pattering against the carpet. Ichigo looked down when he felt a trembling hand grasp on his. Ichigo looked down and found Nel next to him, her lip trembling and water pooling at the rims of her eyes.

"Onii-chan is mad."

Ichigo sighed and kneeled down. "Yeah, but he's not mad ahEt you."

"Onii-chan is made at Uncle Gin. He always gets mad at Uncle Gin."

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow at the statement. "Uncle Gin?"

Nel nodded her head, "Uncle Gin used ta work for tousan, and onii-chan would yell evewy time Uncle Gin came ta tha house."

Nel didn't say anything else as she wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling slightly, but seemed to have calmed down. Ichigo stood back up and let go of Nel's hand. The little girl walked off to sit in the living room to play with her toys. Not knowing what to do Ichigo walked to the kitchen to get started on dinner.

It was several hours later when the apartment door slid opened and Grimmjow walked in. He noted how quiet the apartment was, which he figured was normal considering it was nearly one in the morning. He threw his keys onto the dinner table before walking down the hallway to his sister's room. He opened the door to peek inside, his heart going into worry when her bed was empty. Looking around the apartment for no sign of her, he finally made his way to the back of his apartment where his room was. The door was ajar so that Grimmjow could see into the room before actually entering it. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Ichigo lying under the white sheets with Nel curled up in his front.

Grimmjow sighed, staring at the serene picture in front of him, knowing that he was going to disturb it as soon as he woke up Ichigo. Grimmjow ran hand on his tired face. The day had been going great until his meeting with his step-father. His step father hadn't given him much details of his work assignment other than he had to leave in the next few days. He thought he was over that, but apparently his step father was going to pull him back in. Grimmjow took a few steps into the bedroom, grabbing a pair of sweats and a shirt and heading out to the bathroom. He changed quickly before he leaned over the sink and splashed some water onto his face. Carefully walking into his room, Grimmjow peeled back the covers on the empty side of the bed, hoping not to disturb the current occupants. As soon as Grimmjow had leaned onto the bed, the other side of the bed shifted, as Ichigo woke. Blue and brown locked with one another but no words were exchanged.

Grimmjow sighed as he leaned into the pillows. "I promise I'll talk to you in the morning."

Grimmjow said nothing else as he rolled over to his side, exposing his back to Ichigo.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello everyone! I've spent two days writing this and I'm still on the fence with it. I have a great vision for the two and yet I'm finding myself unable to clearly get it all on to the page.

I'm currently in the midst of getting a beta, so hopefully my editing will get better with time!

That being said, I'm going to work on the next chapter soon, as well as Flashing Light's next chapter.

Thank you to all that have story followed or story favorited, it makes me happy knowing so many people are interested in this story. I hope I'm doing you guys justice with my favorite couple.

BTW can I just say how much I love the difference between my GrimmIchi here and my Grimmichi in Flashing Lights? Despite being the same characters, they are so different in terms of relationships.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Let me know your guys' thoughts. :)