Ichigo sleepily hummed with his face against his desk in Literature class. He hadn't had much sleep last night so getting a few minutes in couldn't hurt anyone. The orange head faintly heard the slam of the door opening, or the footsteps that got louder, but he definatly felt the hair on his head being yanked up before being thrust back into the desk with harsh force.
"Shit" he groaned and slipped off of his chair to hold his nose and look slowly up at the figure above him. Ichigo really didn't know what he had done this time but upon seeing a menacing looking Nnoitra just hovering above him with wrath written across his face he got the idea. "Oh, hey Nnoi" he said nonchalantly and waved to his friend.
"Fucker!" Nnoitra screamed and raised his leg to bring it straight down. Ichigo easily dodged it and rolled away from the narrowly escaped hit. Ichigo swung his knees up to his chest and hoped up to stand and look him in the face as Nnoitra threw his hands up and they began their battle. Ichigo blocked a blow to his head and punched Nnoi's wall like face before pulling back and waving his hand in the air in pain.
"Holy shit" he swore and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.
"Mother fucker, I fucking trusted you!" Nnoitra yelled and caught Ichigo in a left hook. The tall man took this time to kick the younger man in his side then use the back of his heel to smack the back of his head down into the ground. He continued to beat the living crap out of Ichigo until he was grabbed by Komamura and Grimmjow who pulled him away.
Nnoitra was so angry that he hadn't even realized he'd been doing anything at all. The last thing he could truly remember was walking into Yumichika's class and grabbing him. Nnoitra took a deep breath and calmed himself down as he looked down at the damage. Truthfully, he didn't think that he had done enough. But the way that Grimmjow, Kisuke, and Komamura had been scrambling around to try to get him to stop pummeling a knocked out Ichigo was getting painful to ignore and Nnoitra just looked down at the betrayer.
As thoughts of Ichigo fucking Yumichika began to replay in his head Nnoitra felt himself get angry all over again and nearly dove for him again. But it would be a bit unfair seeing as Ichigo was unconscious, and Nnoitra really liked to hear the sound's of pain coming out of his victim's mouths. So he did nothing, just spit in the orange head's direction before turning and walking out.
"Nnoitra!" Jyuushiro screamed at him as he sat in his office. "Explain yourself immediately" Shunsei and Kisuke stood around him and he simply crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Now, Nnoitra! This is the seventh fight you've been in this year and with one of your closest friends! Explain!" Nnoitra turned his head up and looked his eye at a heaving Jyuushiro. He really didn't care that the old man had gotten all worked up, he didn't care about the screams of Shinji as he slammed Yumichika into the wall, and he certainly didn't care that he had beat Ichigo within an inch of his life.
"He fucked Yumichika" Nnoitra answered and looked back down with a grunt.
"Oooh damn" Kisuke said with a perverted smile. Nnoitra rolled his eye and huffed as Jyuushiro tensed once again.
"So your brother is in a relationship with and the first thing that crosses your mind is to go beat him!"
"Well, yeah" he shrugged. "Yumichika knows what he shouldn't be doing-"
"What he shouldn't be doing?" Jyuushiro seethed and walked up to Nnoitra. "Do you have any idea what that boy goes through every moment of the day! He doesn't speak to anyone outside of your group, he does everything for you Nnoitra, everything! That poor boy is so sweet and all he does is talk about you! For once in his miserable life he finds someone that he willingly gives his body to and you disapprove! You have no idea boy, you just have no idea. Get out..get out of my office NOW Nnoitra!" Jyuushiro screamed and slammed his fist down onto the desk. Taking a deep sigh he turned and walked back to his desk, Shunsei helped him sit as Nnoitra turned and stomped out of the room.
Nnoitra knew he hadn't made a mistake, Ichigo shouldn't have touched him. He should have left him alone like everyone else had to be told. Not Ichigo, not someone whom he considered one of his closest friends and the bastard had actually fucked his otouto. Then Jyuushiro had yelled, he actually yelled at him. The man who never yelled at anyone ever, the man who only talked in light voices and kind smiles, had actually been incensed with him. If Nnoitra didn't know better he would have thought that for a moment the silver haired man had wanted to hit him himself.
But none of that actually mattered, Ichigo had fucked Yumichika. He was so angry at that moment he really didn't know what to think. He couldn't go back to his room because it was Yumichika's and he couldn't go to Shinji's because Yumichika might be there. So Nnoitra just stomped over to his car and got out of there. There were too many thoughts in his head and he needed to dull them. So he drove to a bar and drank as much as he could instead of doing what he wanted, which was going to the bastards room and beating him until he died.
(**)
Yumichika sniffled and blinked as he looked down at the floor. He had been sitting in his room waiting for Nnoitra to return for hours. Yumichika had already cried all the tears in his body and now he was just stuck staring down on his bare bed. He had crossed his legs and turned his body toward the door as he waited in silence.
His heart was bursting through the quiet. Yumichika hadn't spoken a word since he had woken up on the floor of the share time room. He just shook the hands of Shinji and Jyuushiro off of him and walked away to his room. Yumichika had briefly stopped to rewrap the orange scarf around his neck and the next thing he knew he was sitting in his room choking on his tears.
Shinji had knocked on his door a while ago and told him that Ichigo was taken to the hospital. He had asked if he wanted him to drive him but Yumichika hadn't even responded. He just couldn't, Nnoitra would be so angry. Angrier than he was already and Yumichika just couldn't deal with that. He loved Ichigo but that just didn't compare to how he felt about Nnoitra.
Nnoitra had been there for him, protecting him from so much in his life. He was wrong to go behind his back and do something like this, what had he been thinking? Allowing himself to fall in love with Ichigo? He was wrong, so wrong and now he was going to have to deal with the consequences.
Yumichika tried with everything to forget what Ichigo had done, how the beautiful orange haired man had made him feel because it was wrong. Everything about this was wrong and he was going to make it up to Nnoitra the best way that he could.
(**)
Nnoitra stumbled into his room at close to two in the morning. He growled and ignored the figure on the bed opposite him that was hunched over with his hands gripping the hair in them. Yumichika raised his head as soon as the door closed and Nnoitra had to look away from the glum look on his face.
"Nnoi?" Yumichika whispered as the light was turned off and the tall man threw himself on his bed. "Nnoi" the boy cried and turned to face him. Nnoitra turned his body toward the wall and ignored the sounds he was making as he tried to go to sleep. "Nnoitra!" Yumichika stood and walked over to stand over the bed.
"Ge' away" he slurred and moved his hand behind him to shove Yumichika back toward his bed.
"P-please Nnoi..im sorry" Yumichika sobbed and collapsed onto the floor. He scooted himself over and leaned his head on Nnoitra's bed as he began to cry again. Nnoitra clenched his eyes shut and tried to block out the sounds behind him. He absolutely hated it when Yumichika cried, it was annoying. It wasn't the fact that he cried, that he could handle, but the entire time he would try and stop himself. Yumichika always made the most painful noises when he calmed himself, once Nnoitra had ignored him and the boy had actually held his breath so long to keep the sobs down that he had actually made himself pass out.
"Yumichika!" he growled. Yumichika gasped and jumped away from the bed. "Go the fuck to bed! I don't want to hear you ya fuckin whore" Yumichika pressed a hand to his chest and felt it tighten. He soon picked himself off of the ground and went into the bathroom quietly.
Yumichika didn't bother taking off his clothes as he started the shower and got in. He didn't mind the cold water pouring down onto him and just sat down in silence. Nnoitra called him a whore, he was a whore..a dirty slutty whore and now it was true. He had never thought it could be true but in that moment it was, Nnoitra, the one who he knew could see who he really was, the only person in the world who's every word he had clung to. Yumichika now knew it was true, he was a whore and now Nnoitra knew it just like everyone else.
(**)
Ichigo groaned awake and held his head in his hands. He could feel a warm hand patting him on his shoulder and he blinked his blurry eyes open with confusion. "What happened?" he questioned and saw a blue haired figure to his right.
"Nnoitra happened" his friend replied with a light smile. As Ichigo's vision came to he noticed that everyone from their group was there, with the exception of Nnoitra, Yumichika, and Shinji.
"Shit" he breathed out and sat up, laying back down quickly he held his stomach in pain and groaned.
"Woah there, your gonna hurt yourself Kurosaki. Calm down, the bastard did quite a number on you" Grimmjow said and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I cannot believe you two!" Szayel hissed and crossed his arms at the end of his bed. "Going on with that secret and not even telling me! You're both going to hell" Ichigo felt a twinge at his heart as Szayel's words struck him.
Yumichika. He had almost forgot about..no. Ichigo put his hands to his face as it all came crashing down and he realized that what he had with the teen was done. It hadn't been long, maybe three weeks that he and Yumichika had been together and now it was over. Now Nnoitra knew and surely Yumichika would never come to him again. He'd never hold him again, or kiss him, he had a sneaking suspicion that he may not even speak to him. Nothing, ever again. Without Yumichika Ichigo didn't even know who he was anymore, this whole thing had turned out horrible and somehow he knew it was his fault.
"Oh..no, Ichigo, your not going to hell..I was just joking" Szayel consoled and walked around the bed to put his arms around Ichigo who tried his best not to show his sorrow.
"Come on Ylfordt" Grimmjow grumbled and walked out of the room. He really didn't want to see his friend like this, the best person who would be equipped with handling this situation would be Yumichika and since he was out of consideration he supposed Szayel and Ulquiorra would suffice.
"Ichigo" Ulquiorra stepped toward the teen who breathed deeply and attempted to stop the tears pouring down his face.
"Fuck" Ichigo groaned and wiped his hands down his cheeks. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hands.
"It's alright Ichi" Szayel said as he rubbed the tall teen's back. Ichigo sniffled and closed his eyes.
"Where? Is Yumichika ok?" he asked quietly through a coarse throat and turned his head toward Ulquiorra without actually looking at him.
"He's..well, I suppose I shouldn't lie. Truthfully, we haven't seen him since share. He locked himself in his room and hasn't said a thing. No one can find Nnoitra and we don't actually know anything that's going on" Ichigo nodded and moved out of the pink haired teens embrace. He hissed in pain as he ripped the IV out and made his way to stand. "Ichigo, you really should stay in bed. Nothing is going to change tonight"
"I have to see Yumichika" he croaked and ripped some sticky bandage from his arm. "Drive me home!" he barked and walked out of the room to look for Grimmjow.
"-"
"Shove it" he shouted and made his way out of the hospital. Ichigo hopped into the passenger's side and pressed his bandaged head against the glass the whole way there. The only thoughts going through his mind were of Yumichika and how bad he must feel. Ichigo would never forgive himself for letting it blow up like this, they should have been the ones to tell Nnoitra and whoever did was going to get it.
When they had gotten to the parking lot Ichigo ran so quickly from the car that he didn't even have time to close the door. He quickly got to his dorms and sprinted up the stairs. Silently, he cautioned himself before knocking on the door because Nnoitra lived there as well and that could prove to be big trouble. But Yumichika was defiantly worth it so he lifted his fist and knocked loudly.
When the door opened and Nnoitra's eye came upon him Ichigo knew he was in trouble and ducked as the clumsy punch came to miss his head. He groaned as Nnoitra fell forward and pushed him off with anger. "Drunk bastard!" he yelled and kicked the man in his chest. Nnoitra landed back on his head with a painful moan and clutched his stomach.
"What do you want Ichigo!" Nnoitra slurred and sat up. He took one look down at Ichigo's state and collapsed into a fit of laughter. The orange head was certainly messed up. His head was all bandaged, he had dry blood coming out of one of his ears, and his shirt had stayed ripped open. Most likely from the paramedics. Ichigo didn't seem to think this was funny and his face contorted in anger.
"Stop it asshole!"
"Stop what? Look at you! What ya can't shower after gettin' a good beat down?" he giggled and looked back at his friend. Ichigo made a small grin as he looked down at himself and let out a small laugh himself. He really was a wreck.
"Shut up, I just came from the hospital"
"Oooh, I see. First ya fuck my Otouto then you wanna come and sing kumbaya together?"
"No" he growled and stood up straight, offering a hand to the one eyed man laying on the ground. Nnoitra took it and lifted himself up to sit on the bed. He groaned and scooted back to lay his head on the wall behind him. "I came to speak to Yumichika"
"Ah, so ya wanted a fuck me better quicky huh? Well I'm home so..oh well!" Nnoitra laughed to himself and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Nnoitra" he said sternly and looked down at the man. "I-..I'm not gonna say I'm sorry cause I'm not"
"Well thanks Ichigo, at least I know your the man now" Ichigo breathed and turned his head to the bathroom door. He could hear the shower running and it took everything in him not to burst into the door and take Yumichika into his arms and make him feel better.
"You can't do this to us" Ichigo stated and turned his body to face Nnoitra's. "Yumichika and I..we're.."
"Yeah Ichi, or maybe I should call you chichi huh? Yumi always made up little names for his toys so I'm gonna assume that was you. You fucking..when huh! What, as soon as I went away you just hopped in his bed? Aint that fuckin fresh neh? I'm off getting my brain fiddled with and my best fucking friend got my little brother bent over the bed heh?" Nnoitra screamed and swung his fist back against the wall to put a hole in it.
"We didn't, we talked then but nothing happened. We didn't start anything until a couple days ago alright! We were going to tell you-"
"When! When were you going to say anything to me at all huh Ichigo! It doesn't fuckin matter, fuck you. Get out of my damn room"
"I'm going to speak to Yumichika" he said quietly and braced himself as Nnoitra jumped off of the bed to stand over him.
"Betcha yer not" Ichigo squinted his eyes and hissed up at the man who towered over his already tall frame. The orange head got out the big guns and nodded with a grin.
"You know, it really suprises me that you would be so hung up on what me and Yumichika are doing"
"Yeah, and why is that?" Nnoitra said as he took a step closer.
"Well seeing as your doing the same thing with his best friend I can't see how you could be so offended" Nnoitra's eye opened impossibly wide and he took a step back. "Ylfordt's got a big mouth, your just lucky he didn't tell Szayel cause then Shinji would be in my position wouldn't he?"
"You keep his name out of your mouth" He growled. Ichigo stood his ground and clenched his fists at his sides.
"You really are a piece of work yanno Nnoitra, you haven't paid your full attention to Yumichika since you started fucking that bitch and now your gonna get in my face because he found someone too? How can you even say that he's your precious 'Otouto' when all you do is cause him pain, please tell me he's not in there crying his eyes out because of something you did. Not me Nnoitra, I didn't hurt him, so why am I getting this! Beat yourself up Nnoi, cause im sure if we went through the reels of his life it wouldn't be me he was trying to forget"
"Don't act like you know anything-"
"Oh I don't? Tell me, what did you do when you carried Shinji out of here yesterday huh! You probably held him close until he stopped right! Yumi told me what you do when he's crying and im sure they don't compare. Well guess what Nnoitra, I fucked Yumichika and he loves me. He loves me and there is nothing you can do about it, no matter how long you keep us away from each other or hit us you can't destroy what we have. Fuck you!" Ichigo screamed and braced himself for the fight he nearly knew was coming.
But nothing happened. Nnoitra just let out a large huff and sat back down on the bed. He really had nothing to say about it anyway, it was true. Ichigo hastily turned on his heels and left with the slam of the door. He was much too angry to even see Yumichika right now, he didn't want him to see him this way. Ichigo stomped over to his room and was relieved when he saw he could be alone. He walked into his shower and with a growl he kicked at the tub. He ripped the curtains from the shower and threw bottle after bottle at the wall until nothing was salvageable.
Settling down, Ichigo pressed his back to the wall and leaned his head back with a sigh. He slid down and gasped as the tears sprung to his eyes once again. The orange head could hear Yumichika in the other room, so clearly like their heads were laying in the same place just listening to each other. Ichigo closed his eyes and listened until he heard the sobs on the other side of the wall stop about two hours later, then he fell asleep against the cold wall.
(**)
The next few days for the group were rough. Nnoitra wasn't speaking to Ichigo, he even went as far as to skip every single class he had with the orange head. This actually turned out harder than it seemed because for the most part Ichigo got the same idea and they usually ended up in the same place, back to back sitting on the same bench smoking cigarettes together while they waited for the next class.
Ulquiorra had banned Shinji from anything that had to do with them. Which Shinji didn't seem to hurt about now that he got to spend all this new time with Nnoitra who had been spending more and more nights laying in bed with him. Szayel had repeatedly asked them why he had been soundly banned to which Ulquiorra simply replies 'he know's what he's doing'.
Ichigo had been in a depression. He only left his room for class and even there all he did was lay his head on the table and stare at the wall. The orange head looked tired and worn as if he hadn't slept in days and everyone noticed. The cheery, most approachable member of Las Noches was a kindred spirit. After literally everyone had heard about Ichigo and Yumichika's secret romance the news had blown up and it seemed that every time anyone asked him about it he just got deeper into the hole that he had dug himself.
But Ichigo was doing at least a little better than Yumichika who hadn't stepped out of his room in days. The only time he had ate anything is when Jyuushiro and Shunsei had shown up and had to hold him down as they shoved food down his throat. Yumichika just spent his days laying in bed staring at his walls. He had ripped every picture down and now there was just white. He could hear Ichigo come home every day and lay down in his bed on the other side of the wall. Every time the orange head would knock but he never knocked back. Just that comforted him though, just that small knock everyday was keeping him sane.
"You gotta tell him" Grimmjow said to Nnoitra while they sat in the cafeteria one day. Nnoitra yawned and looked at him with confusion. Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Ulquiorra sat together at a long table by themselves and the conversation got intense.
"What?"
"About you and Shinji" Nnoitra's eye narrowed and he slowly looked over at Ulquiorra who looked back at him with an emotionless expression.
"Don't look at me like that Nnoitra. I made no promise to you or that bitch, you're just lucky I haven't gone and told Yumi of your..activities. Suppose it's because I care for him too much" Nnoitra flinched visibly and looked away.
"I'm not"
"Oh so your just going to sit around and watch the both of them rot then? Yumichika hasn't gotten out of bed in days and Ichigo is a walking zombie, you can't have your cake and eat it to Nnoi" Grimmjow said with a growl and looked over at his friend. They were all worried all seemingly except for Nnoitra who seemed completely normal like nothing had happened at all.
"I don't see how me and Shinji have anything to do with that"
"Oh really, your a hypocrite Nnoi. Fuck you" Ulquiorra spat and shoved away from his table before walking away. Grimmjow got up to follow and with a sigh he turned back to Nnoitra with pleading eyes.
"You gotta tell him" Nnoitra sighed and looked down as his friends walked away. He didn't fuck up, he and Yumichika were two different people. Nnoitra had fucked while Yumichika got fucked, Nnoitra was masculine and Yumichika was feminine. He needed protection, not sex. Yumichika had had too much pain in his life and Ichigo would surely add to it. He knew he wasn't wrong, he couldn't be, he was never wrong with Yumichika.
"Hey" a voice said quietly and sat opposite of him. Nnoitra didn't have to look up to see the bright blond hair come into his vision. "You alright?"
"M' fine" Nnoitra grunted and looked at his hands.
"Can I go talk to Yumi again?"
"No" he said sternly and raised his head to look away. He refused everyone the key to come see Yumichika. Ever since the last time that Shinji had come and as soon as he left Yumichika had put a pillow over his head and cried for hours. Nnoitra had to just sit there and wait, he just watched as the shakes and sobs wracked the smaller teens frame and he curled up around himself. Nnoitra wanted desperately to cross the room and lay with him, to calm him down but he was much too angry. After that no one was allowed in their room and that was it.
"Please Nnoi..he needs someone"
"Shut up Shinji. Shut your big fucking mouth alright bitch? I don't need to hear any more of this. What do you want me to do?" Nnoitra growled and put his palms to his head. He didn't have the time for this. Slamming his fists down on the table before getting up and stomping out of there in anger.
"Nnoitra!" Shinji yelled from behind him and grabbed onto his arm in the hallway.
"What!" The tall man yelled and spun around to look down at the bothersome boy.
"You can't do this, please let him see Ichigo" Shinji flinched as his upper arm was grabbed and he was shoved into a locker.
"Nnoi your hurting me" he whined and looked frantically into the eye that was looking down at him with anger. Nnoitra looked down at his hand and slowly let his grip softened, his heart beat thunderously as he looked into Shinji's frightened eyes. He remembered that look, that fright, the sadness, then he remembered the reason why he liked the blond in the first place. He wouldn't even have touched Shinji and gotten into this romance if he hadn't reminded him so much of Yumichika.
"Fuck..Shinji I-" Nnoitra closed his eye and turned his head away then snatched his hand back as if the feeling of Shinji's skin burnt him. "I didn't..I'm sorry" he put his palms to his eyes and fell forward on his knees. "I'm sorry" he whispered and hunched over.
"It's okay, I'm fine alright" The soft hand on his shoulder warmed his body and Nnoitra leaned forward to bury his face into Shinji's stomach. The blonde was easily pulled forward and he wrapped his arms around his hips. Nnoitra didn't do anything, he just took in a deep breath and let himself feel Shinji standing against him. "Nnoi, please..for me?"
"Shin..I can't"
"You have to, Yumichika's a mess and neither one of them are gonna be the same. How would you feel if someone told me I could never see you again and I just shut you out and listened? Do you really want to be the cause of that pain? Especially for Yumi?" Nnoitra's expression hardened and he leaned back to look up at his lover. It wasn't really until that moment that Nnoitra had even thought about it, Yumichika was hurt and what did he do? He sat on the other side of the room and watched silently as he watched his Otouto's heart break because of him. "Nnoi" Shinji pleaded and looked down at his boyfriend with tears in his eyes.
Nnoitra stood and turned to walk toward his dorm. He didn't speak a word even as Ylfordt snapped his fingers in front of his face and said he was a dick before leaving him to walk by himself. Nnoitra walked up the stairs and stopped a room right before his own. He silently looked down at his feet and wondered how it would feel when Shinji left him.
Nnoitra wasn't blind, Shinji was a beautiful creature and he was him. It was a matter of time before Shinji got bored and he would be alone again. He had no right to stop Yumichika from feeling happy right now, even if eventually Ichigo freaked and left him in the worst possible way. That would be the day he would tell him not to see him again, not now because it was not obvious to him that it was too soon. Right now Yumichika needed Ichigo and he needed Shinji, it wasn't like they wouldn't always be together. This was just, the fun they had on the side that made them forget. This was something they both needed and Nnoitra wasn't going to be pigheaded anymore. It wasn't fair to either one of them.
Nnoitra raised his fist to the door and banged on the door. When Ichigo answered he didn't say a thing, he couldn't. He didn't know if it was shame or still anger, it really didn't matter now. Nnoitra took the keys out of his pocket and tossed them at the confused teen. He turned and walked away with a sigh.