Chapter 11
It Could Have Been Worse
"Ichigo, what are you doing in my room?" Stark repeated. He blinked in surprise when the young werewolve's mouth opened and no words parted.
"You don't remember?" Ichigo asked. There was a whirl of emotions that sunk in his gut. He wasn't quite sure why he felt disappointed, when he should have felt relieved. He wanted to make sure that the few memories he had were real and not dreams. Or he prayed that they were dreams.
Stark cast his gaze over Grimmjow and towards Aizen. Grey eyes narrowed slightly and recollection gathered in the confused depths. He turned back to Ichigo in surprise. "You marked us..."
"I did what?" Ichigo asked, his eyes widened. The young man began to panic and his voice rose loud enough to wake Aizen up. "No, there is no way that—no, please tell me we aren't!"
The leader of Los Noches rolled onto his side, quickly processing the situation. He saw Ichigo panicking and immediately reached out towards the seventeen-year-old, who jumped upon feeling the touch on his bare shoulder.
"Calm down," Aizen ordered gently. "Take breaths. In; and then out."
Ichigo obeyed the mandate. He sucked air in as slowly as he could, held it, and then released. He repeated the process several times and soon found himself calmer. The hand on his shoulder squeezed him gently.
"It's not the end of the world," Aizen said softly. He shared a look with Stark, who nodded in agreement.
"It isn't something to panic about right now," the brunette with longer hair added.
"But I marked you!" Ichigo's face turned redder as he recalled his entire night with the men. "A-And we slept together. Doesn't that mean it's something to worry about?"
Stark looked the young man over with a cursory glance. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
"I'm a little numb," Ichigo admitted. He also felt dirty, covered in sweat and other substances he didn't wish to name. Although he was glad that they had 'consummated' the bond elsewhere. He preferred having the clean sheets. Ichigo glanced over at the wolves. Grimmjow was the only one on top of the comforter and still effectively pinned the young man to the bed. Aizen was between the sheet and comforter, as was Stark. He dimly wondered why but decided it a better idea not to question it.
"That is a good thing," Aizen said with a friendly smile. "I understand that you probably feel embarrassed and nervous, and that you have many questions. However you should probably take a shower before we talk about what happened last night."
The orange head jerked up. "We're going to talk about it?"
"Of course," Stark replied. "Being marked is serious business and it is wise to know where we all stand. If you go get cleaned up, you can check yourself for any markings we may have given you."
Ichigo's face had died down to a simple pink. The red flooded back into his face.
"Alright," he agreed. The young man's head drooped a little. "Uhm...can you move Grimmjow off? He's too heavy for me to get up."
Stark and Aizen pushed the younger Alpha off without hesitation. Ichigo sat up quickly, clutching the sheet to him. He reached for bathrobe hanging off the bed knob and used it to cover himself. Ichigo hesitated to leave the room for fear that the two would disappear.
"We'll be here," Stark promised him, a look in his eye that was far gentler than any he had been given before. "Just take a shower; there will be food for you when you get out and we can talk this through."
。o.0.o 。o.0.o 。
~Ten Minutes Later~
Ichigo peeked out of the bathroom and caught sight of the three Alphas. Stark and Aizen sat on the bed dressed in clean clothes. There were two sets laid out, one that Ichigo recognized as belonging to his brother.
The seventeen-year-old cleared his throat. "Can you hand me some clothes please?"
Stark turned towards him with a smile. He took up the neatly folded stack and carried it over. Ichigo took them gratefully, closing the door once more. A few minutes later he exited from the bathroom and walked over to the bed. He chuckled when he saw Grimmjow on the floor with the comforter cast over him in a careless manner.
Aizen gestured to a tray that had been set behind him. "Would you like something to eat?"
"The toast would be nice," Ichigo replied as he settled down onto the bed. He suddenly felt hyper aware of the two men and had developed a shyness that he couldn't quite understand.
This seems too awkward, he thought to himself.
"We don't mean to embarrass you," Aizen informed the young man, handing over the plate that had toast, bacon, and eggs. Ichigo took it.
"But talking this out seems like an unusual thing to do."
"Would you rather us forget about everything?" Stark asked. "We simply wanted to make sure that you are okay. Being marked is emotionally tolling. Not only that, but you lost your virginity last night as well, did you not?"
Ichigo averted his gaze. "I wasn't marked," he mumbled. He nibbled at the toast.
"Then there is one good thing that came out of this," Stark replied. He saw Ichigo's curiosity and pushed his hair to the side. The young man gasped as he saw the distinctive bite mark just behind the ear. He looked towards Aizen expectantly. The man exposed the skin of his hip. Sure enough, there was the same bite mark.
"I marked both of you?" Ichigo exclaimed in horror. "How is that good?"
"Werewolves enter rut cycles until they find a mate. These cycles become increasingly painful with age," Aizen explained. "Being marked will regulate the rut cycle to an annual matter lasting only one or two days now. Although Grimmjow will probably react differently."
"I marked all three of you? Please tell me that you're joking," Ichigo begged.
"We aren't," Stark replied. "That's why we need to know where we stand now. What do you think of trying to make a relationship out of this mess?"
Ichigo was speechless. He wasn't entirely sure he was even thinking rationally at this point.
The young man swallowed hard and forced himself to think about the question. He liked Stark as a friend; after all Stark was the one he interacted with the most aside from Shiro. Grimmjow was annoying and headstrong, but he seemed to be likeable enough (when not trying to annoy Ichigo). And Aizen was still a mystery.
"I don't know," he said slowly, unsure of his own answer. Suddenly Grimmjow began to stir slowly He blinked his eyes open and then sat up. After looking around his eyes stopped on Ichigo. The blue haired werewolve rushed up, grabbing the seventeen year old by the shoulders.
"Ichi, are you okay?" he asked. Ichigo was surprised by the question and the genuine concern in vivid blue eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. "Why do you ask?"
"You said it hurt. Last night, you said it hurt. Do you still feel any pain?"
Ichigo shook his head. The grip on his shoulders relaxed a little, not letting go.
"Ichigo, we need to know," Aizen prompted. "Do you want to try to create a relationship with all three of us?"
Ichigo chewed his lip. While Grimmjow looked confused, he still seemed to be concerned about his well being. Stark was someone he trusted. And Aizen...
Why is this so complicated? He wondered. I barely know them, and we just had sex because we were apparently drunk. I can't be crazy enough to want to have a relationship with three men!
The young man looked at the Alpha's waiting faces; Aizen had explained everything to Grimmjow and there was a spark there. Hope. Stark had it, as did Aizen.
I must be insane...
"Yes, I would like to try to have a relationship," he finally whispered. He looked towards them. "Just—no sex yet, okay?"
It was Grimmjow who surprised him. The usually brash wolve took his wrist up and pressed a kiss against the pulse. "We would never force you," he murmured gently.
