I opened up a new AO3 account where I've been posting some of the stories that I took down from here do to content issues. See my profile page for the link.

Searchlight- 10

Now that they'd been released temporarily for lunch, Ichigo was starving and he headed over to the craft service table with Shirosaki. A girl with dark purple hair smiled at them as they came over. The nametag on her uniform shirt read Cirucci.

"Would you like me to make you a sandwich?" she asked cheerfully.

Shirosaki grinned at her the same way he had to the girl at the restaurant. "You bet."

Her expression in return was almost bland in comparison but Shiro didn't seem offended as he ordered hot roast beef and swiss on wheat. Plate in hand, he headed over to the nearby tables and chairs where a few of the cast and crew were already eating. Cirucci brightened when Ichigo asked for turkey with tomatoes and lettuce. Her change in demeanor wasn't unusual really. Ichigo had long since grown used to girls getting a little flighty when he was around now that he knew what to look for. He'd spend most of his high school years oblivious to his friend Orihime's feelings. Tatsuki had to literally beat it into him before he really knew why she'd been all shy blushes and stuttering words. Now he just took it in stride for the most part.

"Can I get you anything else?" Cirucci asked him sweetly.

"No, thank you. This is good." He nodded his thanks and snagged a bottle of water and a small fruit cup before heading over to join the others.

Shiro was texting on his phone, his lips twitching.

Shuuhei leaned over his shoulder to read the screen and snorted. "You're never going to get him up here."

"Twenty bucks says I can," Shirosaki said with a grin.

"Get who up here?" Ichigo asked as he sat down across from them.

"The elusive Akon." Shiro said in a way that reminded Ichigo of a nature show host that was stalking some rare animal that refused to show itself to the camera. The pale man laughed at something he read and typed a few things in response. "I snuck down there the earlier today to see what he was doing."

"And yet you still breathe," Shuuhei said with sarcastic awe. He chuckled and settled back in his seat. "I suppose miracles can happen."

It was Shiro's turn to snort. "Dude gets a little cranky when he's interrupted. Used a couple of insults I actually had to look up."

"He's been down there for three days working on some of the post for the finale." Shuuhei shrugged. "You're just lucky he didn't booby trap the door this time."

Ichigo eyed Shiro. "Any reason you're risking life and limb to get him up here?"

"Heard he had horns and I wanna see." Shiro read the screen and pouted. "Man, he set his phone on auto reply. Now all I'm getting is an anatomically impossible suggestion of what to do with my dick."

"Hmm. Must be working on something hot," Shuuhei murmured. "Tell you what, you can come hang at my place this weekend and I'll play you that demo I was talking about earlier. He'll show up eventually."

"Sweet." Shiro grinned. "So Ichi, what are you up to when you're not playing eye candy on the set?"

Ichigo was in the middle of sipping his water and it suddenly tried to go down the wrong way. He immediately broke into a coughing fit and had to remind his body how to breathe again. A hard slap on the back nearly made him fall out of his chair.

"Get a grip, Kurosaki," Grimmjow growled at him before he settled at the next table.

Ichigo took in a breath and had to clear his throat before he could reply. "Gee, thanks. That was super helpful," he muttered in a tight wheeze.

"Just got your ass back on the show. Don't want to see you keel over and make them seriously shop for a replacement." Grimmjow was known for being a jerk but that was laying it on pretty thick. Ichigo tried not to meet his eyes so he could avoid giving him any meaningful looks. He took a careful drink of water to soothe his throat and ignored him.

"I'm actually pretty busy most of the time," he told Shiro. "When I'm not filming here, I'm usually doing guest spots and appearances on other shows."

"I don't mean that." Shiro waved a hand. "I mean, what do you do for fun? You can't work all the time."

"I don't know. My home life is pretty boring actually. I like to take time to relax when I'm by myself." Which sounded pretty lame even to him. He spent most of his free time with Grimmjow but they didn't go out much because Ichigo was so overly cautious about being seen. He realized, not for the first time, that there were a lot of things they were missing out on because he just couldn't let go.

"Thinking about relaxing shouldn't make you look so depressed," Shiro told him, his features shifting to mild concern.

"Sorry." Ichigo waved it away. He hadn't realized he'd let that much show on his face. "I've just been distracted lately." His phone buzzed suddenly and when he checked the display, he saw a text from Yuzu asking if he could talk. Gathering up his trash, he threw it away and headed for the door. "I'll see you guys in a little bit. I'm going to my trailer."

Ichigo left the soundstage without waiting for a reply. Yuzu didn't usually bother him while he was at work and he worried that there was a problem. He dialed her number and it rang enough times that he was afraid it would go to voicemail.

"Onii-chan," she said breathlessly when she answered.

"Is everything alright?"

"Sorry to bother you. I didn't even check the time before I hit the send button. I just wanted to check and see if you were still coming to dinner tomorrow night."

Relief flooded Ichigo and immediately eased his mind. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me." He checked the time himself and frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" She was studying nursing with a minor in medical administration. She'd always planned to help their father run the clinic when she got out of school.

"No, Mr. Lombardi threw his back out again and he won't be back until next week, so I've got some free time. Um, Ichigo?" Her tone became hesitant.

"Yeah?"

"I've seen some of the trailers for the new shows. Is that you? You know, with the white makeup and scary eyes? Are they contacts?"

Ichigo paused with his hand on the doorknob to his trailer and smiled. "No. Urahara just found somebody who looks a lot like me. And he's not all that scary in person." Just mildly unsettling, but Ichigo was starting to think that was mostly on purpose.

"I was just wondering. The show's getting kind of creepy again. I hope it doesn't last too long."

Ichigo had no idea how long this story line would go on. He wasn't looking forward to when his sister saw the episodes where he played the villain. "Don't worry. It won't be permanent."

"Okay. Remember to bring Grimmjow with you this weekend," she said cheerfully before saying goodbye and hanging up.

Ichigo shook his head and went inside. He froze immediately when he saw the vase of flowers sitting on the small table. There was another card with the message 'hang in there' printed on it. He'd been busy enough these last two day that he'd almost forgotten about the stalker. Ichigo never bothered to lock the trailer because there was nothing particularly valuable in it and the back lot where it was parked was under lockdown. Nobody could get in without going through security or scaling the ten foot fence that surrounded the perimeter. But someone had still managed to get in and left the vase.

Ducking quickly back outside, he scanned to the lot to see if there was anyone around. But aside from a couple of electricians smoking in the distance next to the back door and a single production assistant hastily spray painting a door for the set, there was nobody in sight. Ichigo had to get rid of the vase before Grimmjow saw it. Things had been tense enough between them lately and this would just make it worse. Rushing back in and snatching the vase off the table, he made it all the way to the dumpster without running into anyone. But as drew back his arm to toss it in, Shiro came around the corner.

"Hey, Urahara is asking for you-"

"Shit!" Ichigo jumped and fumbled the vase. It hit the edge of the dumpster and shattered, scattering the flowers over the ground in a puddle of broken glass.

"Whoa. Getting rid of evidence or something?"

"Grimmjow's not out here, is he?" Ichigo asked him as his eyes scanned the area.
"No, he's on the soundstage talking shop with the demolition guys for that thing next week. Why?"

"Nothing, never mind." Ichigo started picking up the biggest pieces of glass and looked in vain for a broom to sweep up the rest. He paused as Shiro picked up one of the fallen flowers and examined it.

"You know, hiding this kind of thing isn't going to make it go away," the albino said casually as he twirled the stem in his fingers.

"I'm not hiding it, I'm getting rid of it."

"These are from the stalker, right? You're not going to tell Urahara about it?"

"So he can do what? Tell me not to worry? They were in my damned trailer. Whatever he thinks he's doing, it's not working." The thought of somebody being in his private space bothered Ichigo a lot. He'd been so freaked out when he found them that he hadn't bothered to check anything else. What if there was something else waiting for him in there?

"Well, whatever you're doing to relax in your free time isn't working either." Shiro tossed the flower into the dumpster and shoed Ichigo away from the mess. When the redhead glared, Shiro gave him a flat look. "You're shaking so hard you're going to cut yourself. I'll get it." He tossed the worst of it away before steering Ichigo back towards the middle of the lot. "C'mon. Let's get your shit together before you go back in there."

Ichigo was going to refuse but he realized that he was practically trembling. The hit of adrenaline was fading and leaving an empty, drained feeling behind. He paused at the door to his trailer before forcing himself to go in. He could do this. He wasn't going to let fear rule him. The next few minutes were spent looking for anything that looked out of place. But either he was missing something or there was nothing for him to find. Shirosaki watched him patiently from the tiny kitchen area without saying anything, his expression strangely calm. Ichigo stood in the center of the trailer after he was done and looked around feeling a little lost.

"Sit down," Shiro told him gently as he settled him in one of the chairs before laying his fingers lightly on Ichigo's shoulders. "Hmm. You've got some serious knots here. You been stressed lately or is this from being tied up all morning?"

Ichigo shrugged lightly and felt the tightness. "Don't know. It's been a little rough lately, I guess." He suddenly felt very tired.

"Just take a few minutes then. Close your eyes." Shiro's fingers were gentle as he started to carefully massage Ichigo's shoulders. Despite how unnerving the pale man could be on occasion, there was none of that now as his calm voice settled Ichigo's nerves in a way he hadn't expected. "What kind of place is relaxing for you?"

"I like the beach," Ichigo murmured as he felt himself begin to loosen a little. "Haven't been in a while."

"Think of warm sun and soft sand." Shiro's fingers dug in a little deeper. "The sound of the waves on the shore, the breeze."

Ichigo took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. A lot of the tension seemed to flow out with it. The weather was getting steadily warmer now that the seasons were turning. Maybe he'd head out to the beach this weekend. He could ask Grimmjow if he wanted to go. They'd never been there together and he really wanted to do something for him. Ichigo suddenly realized that there were another man's hands on him and he straitened from where he'd been slouching in the chair. Shiro seemed to pick up on his change in mood because he drew his hands away and took a casual step back.

"Better?" Shiro asked him as Ichigo stood up.

"Yeah. Thanks." Ichigo wasn't sure if there was anything meaningful in the look Shiro was giving him or if he was reading way too much into it. He headed toward the door in what he hoped was a casual way and went outside, grateful that Shiro quietly followed him without making nay comments. Mentally shaking himself, he remembered why the other man had come to see him in the first place. "Didn't you say Urahara wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yeah. Something about pressing a button," Shiro said as they headed back across the lot.

Ichigo couldn't quite hold back the grin. "He's really going to let me. Awesome."

Shiro watched him with a quite smile on his face but didn't say anything as they went back inside.

. . . . . . .

Dante prowled down the back alley tracking one of his last leads. Whatever had taken control of Cole's body had been leading him on a wild chase across the city. Martin had almost caught up to him the day before but at a heavy cost. Three people had been killed in the devastating car accident and Martin himself was clinging into life in the hospital. The only good thing that came out of it was the fact that Mary Sweets was sitting at Martin's side instead of poking her nose in the middle of everything to find a story. The last thing they needed was for her to get herself dead. Cole had walked away from the accident without a scratch laughing that distorted, spine tingling laugh. But Dante was going to catch him if it was the last damn thing he did.

Adam was coming in from a different direction as they tried to pin Dante's elusive partner down. Splitting up was probably a bad idea but they really had no other options. The longer that thing was out in the open wreaking havoc in Cole's body, the higher the chance that Cole's reputation would be completely ruined. It didn't matter that he'd officially been declared dead. He was alive now and he needed Dante's help. Dante had felt something the other day, something that he couldn't explain. He thought he'd heard Cole's voice calling out to him. And he knew it hadn't been the thing that had taken control. So he followed his instincts and here he was trying to track the damned thing down.

"Cut."

Grimmjow whipped around and glared at Urahara. He'd walked down this damned alley four times trying to get the right kind of look. "What the hell was wrong that time?"

The director gave him an innocent smile. "Oh, nothing. We have what we need. I just wanted to be thorough. Now," He flicked his fan open. "Let's get over to the next street to get Renji's shot. We've only got this location for a few more hours."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and headed over towards the tent where Ilfort was waving a powder brush at him rather enthusiastically.

"Keep doing that and you're going to pull a muscle," Grimmjow muttered.

"I just need to do a couple of touchups."

"Well, get on with it, then." He practically threw himself into the waiting chair.

"I swear," Ilfort huffed. "We need to keep Ichigo on salary and have him hang out on the set just to keep you from getting so damned grumpy."

Grimmjow pulled back from him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just that you're never this irritable when he's around. You two didn't have a fight or anything, did you? Things have been going relatively well lately." He moved in with his brush deliberately as if daring Grimmjow to pull back again.

Grimmjow wasn't entirely sure. This weekend had been nice. At least at first. He and Ichigo had spent most of Saturday lazing around in bed before heading over to Ichigo's dad's house for dinner. The guy acted like a moron but he was funny and didn't give Ichigo a hard time about who he was. And Ichigo's sisters were sweet. Grimmjow had grown up an only child so he had no idea what it was like to have siblings. He'd been wary at first but was pleasantly surprised to find that he liked spending time with them.

But Sunday hadn't gone quite so well.

Ichigo had surprised him by suggesting that they go to the beach. They'd never really gone out in public by themselves before. With others yes, but never alone. Ichigo had obviously been nervous about it but at least he was trying to get past his issues. Grimmjow had to give him credit for that. But just as they'd been about to pack up and go, Ichigo had gotten a call from Renji. One of their friends from college was coming to visit and they wanted Ichigo to come hang out. Ichigo had been apologetic but the relief in his eyes had been obvious.

Shrugging it off dismissively, Grimmjow had dumped his bag back in his room and changed his clothes without really saying anything. He'd declined Ichigo's last minute offer to let him come with. The mood had been completely broken. Grimmjow wasn't going to keep Ichigo from going out without him but it still rankled that he would drop their own plans so easily and feel so relieved by it. The tension that had been hovering in the background for a couple of weeks was back in force. Because of course, Ichigo had picked up on Grimmjow's darkening mood. But it was obvious that neither one of them wanted to argue or start a fight. So both of them had stayed silent instead which was almost worse.

Overall, it had been pointless and frustrating. Ichigo had walked out and Grimmjow had spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening out at a bar. The owner was a friend of his and Starrk had listened without comment where they sat at a quiet booth in the corner. Ichigo hadn't come back that evening and Grimmjow was too stubborn to go to him. He'd slept badly last night. It wasn't often that he slept alone anymore and the bed had felt huge and empty. He desperately wanted to make it right even if he didn't want to give in first. But Ichigo wasn't on the call sheet today so he hadn't seen him at all. And he hadn't called.

"Hey. Earth to Grimmjow." Ilfort tapped him on the nose with his brush. "I've been trying to get your attention for almost five minutes."

Grimmjow glared at him. "What?"

"They're waiting for you. Get a move on so we can get the hell out of here."

Snarling under his breath, Grimmjow got out of the chair and tried not to think about how he was probably going to end up spending another night alone.

. . . . . . .

Ichigo hefted the plastic grocery bags he carried to get a more secure grip as he stepped off the elevator. Yesterday had been so stupid and pointless. He'd finally worked himself up to going out in public with Grimmjow and then faltered at the last minute. He was still letting fear get the best of him but he wasn't quite sure how to stop. He'd spent the entire afternoon thinking about how he'd screwed up, but when he got back home that evening, he couldn't quite make himself face him. Then he'd spent the entire night cycling through his thoughts about Grimmjow and worries about the stalker. And to top it all off, Shirosaki kept worming his way in there to make it more complicated.

So after spending and entire day brooding, Ichigo had swallowed a bit of his pride and gone to the store to pick up some groceries. He was going to cook Grimmjow dinner as a piece offering. He was pretty sure that the other man felt just as stupid as he did about the whole thing and hopefully they would get over it. The silence between the two of them had been surprisingly painfully and so much worse than a screaming argument. Ichigo knew he couldn't leave things the way they were so he'd made up his mind earlier that day. They were going to talk and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

But as he rounded the corner, he saw someone standing at Grimmjow's door. He stopped dead in his tracks as his thought process derailed completely. She was petit, yet professional and polished in a slick pewter colored pant suit with low, sensible heels. Her graying sable hair was swept up in a clean twist. And she looked familiar somehow even though Ichigo was pretty sure he'd never met her before. It wasn't until she turned to look at him with a pair of piercing blue eyes that he realized who he must be looking at. Ichigo felt like his stomach was suddenly full of drunken butterflies.

"Um, Mrs. Jaegerjaques?" he asked carefully. To his surprise and relief, her shrewd expression softened. Juggling his bags to hold them in his left hand, he extended his right. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." He'd never really gotten over the mild awkwardness of introducing himself to people when they obviously knew who he was already. But if she noticed, she gave no sign. "I'm a friend of Grimmjow's."

"Pleased to meet you." Her grip was confident but gentle as she grasped his fingers. She was still smiling but her gaze was intense like she could see inside him just by looking. "I believe I my have made a bit of a miscalculation. I was looking for Grimmjow's apartment."

"No, you're in the right place. You want to come in?" Ichigo was already unlocking the door before he realized what he was doing. It was something so natural that he did so often, he didn't even give it a second thought as to how it would look that he had a key to Grimmjow's place. His fingers faltered on his keys for a moment but he shook it off and opened the door. That was why he was here after all. He wanted to make himself open up. Of course, declaring himself to his partner's mom might be reaching a bit high right out of the gate. But there was no stopping now. "He won't be home for another hour or so but you're welcome to wait."

"I did not mean to impose. I should have called first." She tucked her small handbag under her arm and drew herself up as if to leave.

Ichigo turned to look at her, all thoughts of discomfort suddenly gone. "No, please. Come in." He saw her weighing the options and composing a polite decline but Ichigo shook his head. "He really misses you," he told her quietly.

Ichigo caught something that might have been a crack in her calm composure and she blinked twice rapidly before taking a measured breath. He felt a little awkward about this and he was well aware that he could be making an huge mistake that could blow up in his face. But while Grimmjow hadn't really talked much about his visit to see his dad in the hospital, when he told Ichigo later how his mom had forgiven him his voice had cracked at little. It had been such a tightly charged emotional moment. And then Grimmjow had smiled and sank into Ichigo's arms where he'd slept more peacefully than Ichigo could remember. There was no way he could let him miss a chance to see her.

"I'm cooking tonight, so please stay for dinner. He'd love to see you." Ichigo grinned. "And until he gets here you can tell me all kinds of embarrassing stories about when he was a kid."

Her lips curled up in a quiet smile. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of a few."