Anyone still remember this one? Yeah me neither...
Only kidding, been having a bit of writer's block and found that a daft modern AU was perfect to get me back into the swing. This one is tough to write. So looking forward to the next part though. ooooooo it's gonna be good. Show down with Daddy...
Please review if you're still reading this, every bit of encouragement helps!
Phoe
xxxxx
Chapter 14
Grimmjow was dozing in the seat, relatively pain free for the first time in day when a scream jerked him awake. He sat up with a jolt, his body protesting but he pushed through, getting up and limping towards the kitchen. Little Yuzu was bent over at the back door, a pot on the stove bubbling showing she'd been cooking before she'd got a fright. He could hear her crying and hobbled over to her, the two other males in the house appearing behind him and overtaking him. Yuzu was moved out of the way and Kaien and Szayel lifted the body she'd been trying to haul in with ease, Grimmjow recognising the coat.
"He fell against the door, I opened it and he just fell flat. What happened to him?" Yuzu's face was dripping in tears, hand out stretched towards her brother. Kaien and Szayel placed him gently on the kitchen table, a bowl and bag clattering to the floor as it was brushed aside by an elbow.
Kaien tilted Ichigo's head over to the side, Grimmjow seeing the trails of blood coming from the nose and Ichigo's eyes closed. He was breathing, which relieved all of them but he didn't rouse when shaken.
"Yuzu, grab the kit from the bathroom and get Kukkaku down here. Szay, help me get him out of his coat. He'd kill me if I cut it off him." The three men smiled grimly, it was true however. They had Ichigo up on his side to pull the coat out from under him and his naked torso was exposed. The coat had stuck to some of the weeping wounds but they teased it off, the fabric getting tossed to the side for the moment.
Grimmjow had to just stand out of the way as the others tended to Ichigo, the whip wounds getting cleaned and his wrists getting wrapped gently. He had a healing puncture wound to his side, not too deep but it was very red at the sides. Grimmjow wasn't sure but he thought that was where Ichigo had been hurt the night he'd been taken, the wound being the thing that took him down.
"I think they stabbed him with something the night he was taken, it put him down. Is that why he's out?"
"No, he's over taxed his shift, that's why his nose is bleeding."
"Kai, he's freezing, we need to heat him and quick." Szayel had finished dressing the bleeds on Ichigo's back and side but the body started to shiver.
"Grimmjow, strip." Kaien lifted Ichigo under the shoulders and knees, heading over to the other man. Grimmjow still hadn't moved. "Seriously, take off your clothes. He's shifted too often; the ice is in his heart. You need to heat him up, I'd do it but he'd probably prefer you."
Grimmjow started to throw off his clothes, hopping on his good foot to get them off. He followed after Kaien, leaving a trail of his clothes as they headed back to the living room. Grimmjow was on the chaise, Ichigo curled on his lap with his head on Grimmjow's shoulder before heaps of blankets were piled over them.
"Touch him, talk to him and get as much skin contact as you can. Look I need to go and see Byakuya and send a message to Urahara, I'll not be long."
Grimmjow was left in the room, completely shell shocked but the shivering of the man he loved brought him around quickly. "Ichigo? Love can you her me?" Grimmjow ran his hand down Ichigo's face, stroking his cheekbone gently. Ichigo's face was so young looking when he was sleeping, his scowl missing and he looked peaceful but Grimmjow wanted to see the fire in his eyes, hear his voice and feel his hot body instead of this cold, shivering thing. He lifted his leg, bending his knee to get more comfortable and Ichigo rolled slightly, brushing against Grimmjow's only piece of clothing. Grimmjow didn't want to completely strip in front of the others and Ichigo still had his trousers on anyway. That gave Grimmjow a thought, glancing at the door for a moment to see if he had the privacy. He knew exactly how to get Ichigo's blood boiling but he didn't really want Ichigo's little sisters witnessing it.
He reached down the front of Ichigo's trousers he stroked the wiry hair coating Ichigo's soft balls. He knew men's bodies didn't always need to be awake to participate. He could feel Ichigo's interest against his inner wrist. He moved his attentions to the awakening shaft, encircling it and stroking it slowly and firmly. He could feel the skin over him warming, the body moving slightly and he sighed with relief, stopping his motions. Ichigo whimpered, his hips jerking slightly as he searched for the sensations that had stopped, his now solid cock rubbing on Grimmjow's hand.
"Alright, horny one but you gotta wake up before I go on. I want to see you awake." Ichigo's head rolled on Grimmjow's shoulder, nuzzling into Grimmjow's neck as Ichigo rolled over Grimmjow more. The moment Ichigo groaned Grimmjow's spirit lifted, pushing at Ichigo's shoulders to lift him a bit to that he could look at Ichigo's face. "Ichigo, can you hear me?"
"You better be finishing what you started." Ichigo's voice was slurred slightly and he scrunched his face up, taking his weight from Grimmjow with one hand on the chaise under them and rubbed his face with the other. Grimmjow wrapped his arms around him gently, pulling him down and flush.
"I was so worried about you." Grimmjow buried his nose in Ichigo's long hair at the back of his head.
Ichigo returned the embrace, turning his head and pressing his lips onto Grimmjow's. "I was worried about you as well." Ichigo ran a finger over the bruise on Grimmjow's face. He sank back down, laying his body along Grimmjow's so he could capture Grimmjow's lips again and free his other hand to run it through Grimmjow's soft hair. The kiss grew heated and Ichigo thrust down, rubbing his aching groin over Grimmjow's but he also dropped too much weight onto Grimmjow's injured rib cage, making the larger man gasp. Ichigo stopped, sitting up on his knees and making the blankets fall down. His eyes widened at the bruises and contusions on Grimmjow's skin, purple and red blotches marring the pale skin. Ichigo sat down hard on Grimmjow's legs in the shock, bolting up again when Grimmjow cried out at his ankle being jerked.
Ichigo jumped to the side, standing and really seeing Grimmjow for the first time as the beaten, injured man he was and Ichigo sank to his knees, clutching Grimmjow's hand and leaning his forehead on Grimmjow's shoulder.
"Hey, I'm alright. Don't worry about me. Ichigo look at me." Grimmjow stroked Ichigo's head, pulling it up to look at him. Ichigo's eyes were glassy.
"They hurt you to get to me."
"They hurt me to bait you in. If it wasn't for me they would never have got your hands on you and you wouldn't have been hurt. It goes both ways. I'd rather have you and just deal with this together."
"You should stay away from me; you're going to ruin your life." Ichigo backed away, wobbling a bit on his feet.
Grimmjow got up, a deep scowl on his face. He limped over to the other, grabbing his upper arm and pulling him back. Ichigo impacted on the broad chest and was held there by long arms. "I'll only stay away if you tell me to, if you don't want me around. Otherwise shut the fuck up and hold me back." Ichigo arms crept up, holding Grimmjow gently. He laid his cheek on Grimmjow's bare chest, closing his eyes for a minute just to feel his heart. "What happened to you?"
"Woke up tied to a beam. Got lashed for not cooperating. They did something, stopped me shift with something but it wore off. They're trying to breed more civil shifters, thought with my 'double' shift I'd be a good sire."
Grimmjow chuckled; glad Ichigo's uniqueness was still a secret. "Do you know who it was? Apart from my dad anyway."
"Largo, I ran from his house not far from here. Look can we go into details in little while?" Ichigo smirked, scoring his nails down Grimmjow's back gently. When they went over the still sensitive marks Grimmjow growled, pulling Ichigo's face back up. He hobbled backwards, checking over his shoulder before sitting on the chaise, pulling Ichigo to straddle his hips. He leaned back, enjoying mapping out Ichigo's mouth and feeling his body so close.
"Hmmm, good to see you both feeling better."
The two boys broke their kiss, turning to see who was watching, Grimmjow blushing furiously and Ichigo scowling.
"I take it you figured out a way to warm him up?"
"Yup, and you interrupted." Grimmjow pulled Ichigo off his lap to sit next to him, pulling the blankets over them both to cover their 'problems'.
"Well it's innovative anyway. Ichigo, how are you?" Kaien had a little smirk on his face as he walked in but he was still concerned ab out his cousin.
"I'm alright, pushed myself a bit hard but I'll survive. Looks like I've got some new trophies anyway." Ichigo gestured over his shoulder at his lash marks.
Kaien's face grew grim. "Yeah, I had a look at them and cleaned them up. Not sure you're fit to be messing around on a sofa though."
Ichigo grinned. "The last time I saw you, you were messing around on that chair with a guy with pink hair so I'll just not listen to any lectures from you." Ichigo pointed over to the chair he'd watched Szayel and Kaien make out on.
"Perhaps but had I just been kidnapped? I don't think so. Anyway, Urahara is going to come round later to see you. You'll both be safe here." Kaien saw both of them relax slightly. "Grimmjow, Byakuya is pleased you are safe and wishes to speak to you tomorrow if you feel up to it. By the way you are also not fit to be messing around."
iiiiiiii
Urahara's face betrayed his relief at seeing the younger man, now clothed, sitting on the chaise next to Grimmjow. Grimmjow's swollen ankle was propped on the central table on a cushion to try and relieve the pain but for the most part, Grimmjow was feeling much better. It may have had something to do with the man tucked against him.
"Ichigo, can you show me what happened?" Urahara perched at the very end of the chaise, holding out a hand.
Grimmjow frowned as Ichigo took it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He felt the first tremble go through Ichigo's body before a light sweat broke out over his face. When the trembling increased Grimmjow broke the hand lock, Ichigo's eyes bursting open as he slumped back into his lover.
Urahara took a deep breath before reaching for the boy again, Grimmjow pulling Ichigo away. "No, he's had enough. He overloaded earlier so you'll have to do it the old fashioned way." Grimmjow turned Ichigo sideways so he could sit across Grimmjow's lap, Grimmjow tucking Ichigo's head into his neck.
"I was only going to touch him in affection. You're right; he's been through too much today. Look I think you should both come back out to Haven, hide out there until we can get this figured out."
"Is that what Byakuya said? Because I want to fight. I want to haul my father up for child abuse charges as well as assault and battery."
"I thought you didn't want to risk your name?"
"Fuck the name. I'm hardly any use anyway hiding out. May as well paint them as the bad guys first. They were organised Urahara, they knew what they were doing."
"And they knew I would be at Grimmjow's they knew I'd be round after he got home. Someone must have told them we were friendly. We've got an informer hidden somewhere."
Urahara nodded along, frowning as he listened. "Yeah, I wondered about that though I don't think it's as obvious as one of ours talking. Their plan for you worries me though, how many have they got already in place. I don't recognise the girl they brought to you but I don't know everyone, I'll broadcast her face around and see if we can get an identity. What about you Ichigo, they've targeted you already; do you want to go out to Haven?"
Ichigo snorted, snuggling down closer with Grimmjow. "Forgetting the most obvious reason for me to stay, when have I ever run away? When have I ever not stayed and faced it, and when have I ever lost?"
iiiiiiii
Byakuya came the next day, not taking any sort of refreshment, just asking to speak to Grimmjow alone. Ichigo was reluctant to leave his side but after some urging, he went to spend some time with his little sisters.
"I did not think I would ever be meeting you in these circumstances. I know you are aware of my sympathies but to see yours so blatantly is a surprise. I would have thought with your upbringing that you would not be as comfortable around shifters."
Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "My upbringing taught me to not trust my father and that rejecting difference was wrong. Pretty much the exact opposite of what my father tried to teach me."
"Interesting. I am sure you can imagine, my upbringing was similar to yours, my home is closer to the city than yours but still a rural district. And Kurosaki? How did you get involved with him?"
"I watched my father beat the crap out of him when he was five, then he threatened me and bullied me when we arrived at the city. It took a while for him to even speak to me civilly. I think it helped when my father gave me matching marks on my back. It wouldn't do for him to mark my face."
Byakuya's normally stoic face dropped, his eyebrows rising in shock. "Your father whipped you? I knew Kurosaki had been whipped as a child, his scar is fairly visible after all."
"Yeah, he whipped me for being in communication with Kaien, god only knows what he would have done if he'd known it was with an actual shifter."
"We can have him brought in and charged, you are still under his care as you are still in education."
"He also arranged to have three guys kick the shit out of me to trap Ichigo. Please excuse my language my Lord, it's been a long day."
Byakuya chuckled dryly. "I am used to it, being around the shifters so much. My dear Hisana, may she rest peacefully, didn't have a foul tongue but her sister leaves much to be desired at times. And your young partner is just as bad. Make sure you control yourself when we are in court, I should hope I don't have to remind you of that."
Grimmjow eased his leg down, shifting his body around as it stiffened. "Hisana, was that your wife's name?"
"Yes, you can imagine my difficulty I'm sure, keeping her unique abilities secret. Things were even worse back then. Do you even know where it all started?"
Grimmjow frowned as he remembered his history lessons at home. "I was told a demon seduced a noble lady, giving her a demon child that she tried to pass off as her husband's. From what I remember, she was killed protecting the child and the boy child was the first shifter, blamed with causing the infection known now as shift. So basically that boy must have slept around so much he had dozens of children, who went on to have dozens of children and so on and so on until shifters became a population in their own right."
"Yes, the usual bias nonsense. I know you well enough to know you are smart enough to know better. It only came to light when the first noble child showed abilities but we've managed to chase lines running through the common blood that back date it two or more generations. It appears to be nothing more than an evolution of genetics, like blue hair turning up in a blond family for example. You'd be surprised how many 'norms' aren't. Sometimes having someone with keen senses, strong arms or a persuasive personality comes in handy, who's to say they aren't shifters?"
Grimmjow nodded, it was pretty much what he'd assumed for a few years. "So, in a government that is pretty much full of shifters, why are they so against the common ones? Szayel's older brother was cast out because he has mind shift. His mother freaked at having a boy know so much. Why wasn't he kept a secret like others?"
Byakuya sighed, the subject turning difficult. "Strong shifters can't be hidden. The middle Granz boy is a strong mind reader, able to sense from a distance and can project as well. Strength causes fear, you wouldn't have heard of the Urahara's, their family was cast out when your father was a baby and his name has been removed from records even before Kisuke was born. They died trying to protect their children from segregation, Kisuke's grandfather being that boy child you heard about. Or as I like to think of it, it's all his fault."
Grimmjow sniggered. "So, back to the point. What can we do?"
"We can make it public."
Grimmjow frowned, shaking his head. "It's been what? About a hundred years since all this started, why now? Why will it work now?"
"You. It will work because of you."
Ooooooo, it feels good to be writing this again, cheer's Lady LRC. So, why Grimmjow? anyone? and I wonder if anyone has a suspicion about a major twist, I hinted that someone they knew wasn't a norm...