A/N: I have to explain something! It might not have been clear for anyone other than me but, there are time skips in this story! Not if you go down on each individual - all of the chapters out of Renji's POV follow a straight time line, as well does all of Ichi's and all of Grims aso, aso. But if you look at it in the way that I post the chapters, there are small jumps back and forward. For example, chapter 9 (A Time and a Place, Shuu POV) takes place before chapter 7 (The Same one you Lost, Grimm POV). I hope you understand. Also, they don't follow day by day, this is actually a whole month after the incident where Ichi knocks Grimmjow out. There's a limit to how much filler I want to write, and one to how fast I think things should happen. I apologize for not explaining this earlier! If you want to understand the time line better, tell me and I'll draw a map up for the next chapter :D
Music: Mt Eden Dubstep - Sierra Leone
.
Happy And Sad Music
.
"Have ya moved in here now?" I ask the blunette that's sitting by my kitchen table. I've grown pretty used to seeing him here the past month. He just raises an eyebrow and grins as he always do when he sees me. It's really quite disturbing.
"Maybe I like it here."
"Ya know, I'm quite broke, so I would have to charge ya." I pour myself a cup of coffee and continue to glare at him as he raises his hands in submission and laughs.
"Hey hey! Ya know I'm poor too! And I'm just visiting Ichi." And the mouse walks right into the trap.
"Ichigo isn't even here right now."
"So? I'm visiting you then. No worries honey, he'll be back soon." I can just sigh. I don't have it in me to jibber with this man right now. In fact, I have nothing against him.
"Why ain't ya ever at yer place?"
"We're at my place all the time."
"Yeah? So, why can I hear ya fucking all the time?" I'm not even bothered by it anymore. I can, truthfully say that I'm almost completely over Ichigo. I mean, I have Shuuhei, I've moved on. And it doesn't hurt when I see Grimmjow's arm around Ichigo anymore either. But it's not very fun to deal with customers when you haven't slept very well...
I still love Ichigo. He broke my heart, I will never be able to forget him.
"Cause the berry doesn't like to sleep in my bed."
"Huh?" Ichigo isn't the kind to complain over things, right?
"Yeah, he says that it's too hard and that a couch can never be a proper replacement and yada yada."
"You don't have a bed?" Why do I know so little about the people that I live with?
"Well, it would be a little suspicious to have a bed in my office when the fucking health inspector comes by." And there's that grin again. I'm starting to feel a little frustrated, not to mention confused.
"You live in your office?"
"Well, I sleep in my office. I usually eat by the big mats, do my business and shower in the locker rooms and porn surf on the the front desk computer."
"Wait. That sounds kinda like-"
"A gym maybe?" He looks at me with a mildly surprised expression. "You didn't know I was the owner of K:O?"
"K:O?" I've heard of that before. Shit, that's 'the gym' Ichi mentions from time to time? And he's the owner, and personal trainer, manager and boyfriend. Wow, Grimmjow's quite amazing.
"Yeah."
"No, you haven't told me."
"Well, I've been pretty much living here for over a month so I just assumed. The berry should have bragged about me."
"Ichi and I doesn't talk much like that."
"I noticed. Shouldn't you guys be tight or something?"
"We're not on bad terms or anything, he just, doesn't say anything about himself." Or is it that he just doesn't say anything to me?
"Yeah, I can imagine." Have he told Grimmjow about things?
Of fucking course he has. He's fucking the man, and I know that that doesn't mean jack shit, he's practically living together with him, and that means nothing too. They're together.
Grimmjow is Ichigo's boyfriend. I know that. I am okay with that.
"He's been living here for two years now, I still don't know shit about him."
"You wanna know?" His words are light but serious, and they make me freeze for a second. I was right, he do know. But, is he serious?
I eye him warily, cause I have this suspicion that he's just asking me to see what I would answer, but having no intention upon acting out on it. "Of course I wanna know." I can't help but glare at him, and hold his gaze. "But I don't know if it's right for you to tell me." If Ichigo doesn't want me to know, then maybe it's the best for me to stay away.
Maybe it's best for me to be left in the dark. But-
I want to know everything about the enigma that is Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Tell me."
.
I'm laying in a sort of coma on the couch. My gray couch.
And for once I hate the deed that I participated in right here for a completely different reason.
Grimmjow's words are running through my head over and over again. I thought that what he would say would make me understand things a bit more, but I'm more confused than ever.
He just made the whole thing much more... more.
Ichigo.
When will you leave my mind?
There's a knock on the door but I don't get up until half a minute later when the person bangs a little harder and I realize that I'm the only one home.
"Am I disturbing?" Shuu-chan smiles at me, leaning against the door frame and pulling his hand through his hair. I can feel a grin grow on my face at the mere sight of him.
"Heh, no. I was just lost in thought."
"Is something bothering you?" I step backwards as he closes the door behind him and kicks his shoes off into the pile.
For some reason I don't wanna tell him. Cause it's about Ichigo, and I don't want Shuu to know about Ichi. I don't want him to know my feelings, I don't want him to be bothered by that, I don't wanna make him mistrust me.
"No, it's nothing." I wave it off. "Did you know that Grimmjow's the owner of K:O?" Changing the subject, even if he don't know it.
"Yes. I have been there a few times. You did not know?"
"No, he told me today. I was a bit surprised." I crash down on the couch, and he sits down beside me.
"I thought you knew." He pulls an apologetic face on, which just makes me laugh and kiss him on the cheek.
"You guys forget that I'm not a fighter."
"Really? Cause I heard otherwise from Rankiku-san."
"When did you talk with Ran?" Have I missed something here? When did you become such a big part of my life?
"Last weekend when you invited her over for dinner." Yeah, that's right. He walked her home.
"Should I feel threaten?" For a short second his face is blank, a state that I've come used to seeing him in. Then he smirks at me evilly and I can't help but laugh again and hug him.
Hours later, after a bowl of tortellini each, we've moved to rest on my bed.
I'm watching as he moves around my private area, fallowing the racks that are stacked with CD's and tour DVD's. Time to time picking one out to read the backside or flick through the booklet. Singing along with what's playing.
"Interpol, Unkle, The Knife, Tv on the Radio..." He pulls out Portishead's first album and just stares at it. There's a big crack through the plastic from when I left it laying on the stereo and it fell to the floor thanks to the high volume making the speakers vibrate.
That album has meant so much to me through the years. I put it on whenever I'm feeling so down that noting matters anymore. Playing Roads over and over again.
I played it until my ears bled after Rukia passed away.
I can feel Shuuhei's gaze move to me as his body shifts lightly, but I can't take my eyes away from the album in his hand. After a while he turns back, letting his fingers grace the crack before putting it back on the shelf. And it's first then, when I see it up there, safe among all the others, that I can feel myself breath again.
"Your collection is amazing."
His voice is low but clear in the silence that's between two songs and I meet his eyes.
"I have never seen a shelf that has so much of what I myself have listened to and liked." I can feel myself smile again as he picks out an early Nickelback album and puts it on before laying down next to me.
"Kensei was a big Nickelback fan. He pretty much forced them onto me until I was as addicted as he was."
"Personally I love them, but it seems like quite a lot has something against them." I sneak an arm around him, pulling him closer to me, his head resting just over my armpit.
"Yeah, you either love them or hate them."
"Hm."
"Do you remember which albums you had in your player the first time we were here?"
"Yeah, War Stories and Sleeping With Ghosts. I don't remember the third one, I'd fallen asleep by then."
"Placebo is my favorite band."
"Wow, talk about skills I have then."
"More good luck, I would say." Me, having good luck? For some reason I feel like laugh until I can't breath anymore.
"Which one's your fav album?"
"Sleeping With Ghosts." I can't help but grin at that. What a coincidence.
"Song?"
"Running Up That Hill." It's amazing how much we have in comment when it comes to music and movies.
"Mine too, by them I mean. Or I Know." Clothes too, considering that it's his shirt that I have on right now.
"I lost my virginity to them."
"I lost mine to Queens Of The Stone Age. No One Knows." A festival, behind a bunch of Portaloo's. At least I didn't have to worry about how I smelled.
"Sound's good. I haven't listened that much to them but what I've heard I've liked."
"Hm, ya should see them live, they're awesome."
"We will see." He bites me in the armpit and I yelp at the sudden weird feeling, and when the short image of a shark attack leaves my mind I spin us around so that I can revenge.
.
We've both made peace with each other. And in a bundle of covers and pillows on the floor I suddenly realized how hot it is. And how uncomfortable it is to have jeans and socks on when you're under a cover.
His cheek is pressed against my stomach, my shirt have slipped up a bit in the fight and I swear that I can feel his scars against my skin.
"When's your b-day?"
"August 14th."
"That's pretty soon."
"Two weeks."
"Hm. Have you planned to do anything?" It's unnecessary to ask, I know the answer.
"No." He never plans ahead more than one day when he doesn't have to. And the only thing he feels like he have to plan is the fights. And I know how uncomfortable he is over those.
"I know. But, I'll be having a party here on the 13th. You're free to come if you wanna." You don't have to decide now, you don't have to feel obligated, you just have to know.
"You just made that up now."
"Yeah, but since the 14th is a Sunday I'd thought the 13th would be better. And I probably have work on Monday." I sigh, I don't like work. It's only the parents that ever ask for help, and they're always completely clueless.
I never get to talk to the geeks.
It's Sunday tomorrow. I have the day off, maybe I should just stay home and play video games.
Fucking filler chapter. I wanna puke all over it.
Wanna play with me? I've decided on one or two numbers between 1 and 10, the one of you who can hit that number with a review I will grant a request - for a drawing that is, one character/feeling/idea/graphic design to put on your business card. If you wanna see how bad/good I am, my name on DA is Babyluw too. So the address would be: babyluw/deviantart/com (change the "/" to dots)