Enjoy!
By the way thank you for the nice reviews! They make me incredibly happy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters, however I do own and claim Emily and Emma.
XXXX
The next morning.
There was something warm and fluffy engulfing him, as well as something fuzzy tickling his nose. At the latter he frowned. His nose was itching and he tried to scratch it in his sleep but he missed several times before he succeeded.
Suddenly, there was a hushed giggle and he frowned again, this time, trying to open his eyes to see what was happening.
Yeah, no luck with that either. He was so tired, he couldn't move a muscle.
Another giggle.
"Emma!", a hushed scold, "Leave him alone, he's sleeping!"
"But mommy!", came the silent whiny response, "He is so cute!"
Ichigo finally managed to open his eyes and blinked multiple times before he was able to focus on something that made sense. There was something white on his periphery and that something was the thing apparently tickling his nose. He grasped it with his hand and pulled it away from his face to look at it and he was surprised to see... Martin?
That giggle was heard again and Ichigo turned his head to the side, searching where it was coming from. Once Emma's smiling face came into view, his own smile spread on its own.
"Good morning, little demon," he said, his voice hoarse and raspy from sleep.
"Good morning, Ichugo," said the little blue haired girl, "Did you sleep well?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yup. But why's Martin with me, sweetie?"
Emma tapped her chin and pressed her lips into a thin line before grinning once again. "I gave him to you."
"Why baby?"
"Because," Emma explained in an almost adult manner, "He protects you from the bad dreams."
Orange eyebrows reached an equally orange hairline. "He does?"
"Yeah!", Emma chirped happily, "Grimmy said that Martin would protect me at times when he couldn't!"
Ichigo swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, his mind traveling back to the little one-on-one with the big brother last night. He hadn't dreamt about it, had he? Grimmjow had... He had shared so many things with him, his fears, his painful memories and then... Ichigo frowned. They'd slept together?
Oh Dear Lord.
But there was one thing he wanted to ask. Something that was about to explain many things. "So, Grimmjow gave this to you?"
"Yup," the little girl said and reached out for the teddy bear and cradled it into her tiny arms. "I love Martin a lot but the truth is, I love Grimmy more."
Holy shit, Ichigo was fighting actual tears first thing in the morning and he wasn't known for being a sensitive one. Maybe because last night he went through a crazy emotional roller coaster, along with the blue haired big brother or maybe because he could see his little sisters in Emma's face... Hell, he didn't know. All he knew was that he pulled that little girl into his arms and squeezed her tight, trying to force the stinging tears back.
"What's the matter Ichugo?", Emma asked, her little voice muffled by his shirt. Ichigo pulled away and petted her head affectionately.
"Nothing," he said with a smile, "I was just touched by what you said. And I think that Grimmjow would be very happy if he knew that."
"You think so?", Emma asked, her blue eyes wide and full of hope. Ichigo nodded.
"I know so."
Emma's smile was slow but genuine; it reached her eyes too. She leaned in and hugged Ichigo on her own, burying her face into his shirt. Ichigo was dumbfounded at first but in the end, he grinned and hugged back the baby-demon. That sweet moment, however lasted until momma demon cleared her throat.
"So," Emily said slowly, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes staring intensely at Ichigo, "You are awake."
The orange haired man swallowed and broke the armlock with Emma. Emily was giving off dangerous vibes and he was honestly scared for his life. What the hell had he done?
"G-Good morning," he muttered.
Emily cocked her head to the side, not moving an inch from where she was but still, her eyes were clashing like a whip in the air. "You are in trouble, young man."
Huh? Didn't things go well with Kuchiki yesterday? Or something else? What the hell?
"Why?"
It was then that Emily took a few, slow steps towards the couch and Ichigo caught with the corner of his eye Emma skidding away, muttering a "Good luck". Oh shit. What was going to happen to him? And what had he done to deserve it?
"Stand up," she said once she was right in front of him and glaring down at him. Ichigo swallowed again but did as he was told. Emily stared at him, long and intensely, her face totally unreadable and that was driving Ichigo insane. Should he say something? He highly doubted that Emily would appreciate it.
Waaah, what should he do?
However, Emily soon took him out of his dilemma; her eyes softened and she sighed, closing the distance between them and... Wrapped her arms around his middle. Ichigo was shocked, frozen on the spot. All he could do was blink owlishly at the blue head hidden in his chest.
"Thank you, you wonderful person," Emily muttered, tightening his grip around him. Ichigo frowned.
"Why are you thanking me?"
The blue haired woman pulled away slightly and then the blue eyes that locked with his made his chest clench and he shuddered internally.
What the hell was going on?
"Yesterday," she began and a small smile adorned her beautiful face, "Grimmjow... My son, explained to me why he had been isolating himself all these years. And he said that you told him some... Nice things that he hadn't thought before." Emily grinned broadly at him, her eyes watery. "You made my baby smile after so many years! Thank you."
Ichigo stared at her in shock with a hint of disbelief. He didn't know what to say, hell, he didn't even dare to move. Grimmjow talked to his mother? Already? And he actually gave him... Credit for his actions?
"Don't think of it so much," Emily said, kissing his cheek and hugging him once more, "Just accept my gratitude, please."
"Y-You're welcome," Ichigo stuttered in lack of words to say and hugged his boss back.
"Also," Emily began again, loosening the grip she had around him, "I'd like to talk to you about last night."
Ichigo pulled back from the armlock only to have that sensation of his life being endangered back full force. Emily was scowling at him again, her hands clasping on either side of her waist.
"Little smartass," she said lowly, "How dare you."
The oranget took a step back in fear, "I-I didn't-"
"I don't recall giving you permission to speak, young man," she bit out harshly and Ichigo swore he chomped on his tongue to shut up. He was getting a real bad feeling about this; Emily gave off murderous vibes now.
Was he going to die? Please no, he hadn't become a doctor yet!
All of a sudden, the intense heat gathered on Emily's face was gone after she let out a long sigh. "It's okay, Ichigo, I'm not gonna do anything," mumbled the blue haired woman, "I am just mad at myself that a toddler like you was able to outsmart and trick me so easily."
Ichigo frowned in confusion. When had he-
"You knew that Byakuya lo- liked me, didn't you?", Emily said, her blue eyes fierce and demanding only the truth.
Ichigo averted his gaze, not able to meet those waiting eyes just yet. But then again, there was nothing to hide, from his side at least. He had done it for the best and as Emily just said, his professor had apparently confessed his feelings, which was good.
As we say, mission accomplished.
So why was he shying away like a little girl?
"Yeah," Ichigo said sternly, squaring his shoulders, "I did. I know it was pretty arrogant of me to just intervene however I couldn't stand by and watch while Kuchiki melted all the way to his bone marrow for you and you, my Lady, didn't notice a thing."
Emily stared at him, her face completely unreadable but Ichigo was ready for whatever was to come. He hadn't done it to mock them or anything.
"You're truly a wonderful person," Emily said in the end with a small smile, "Although I am kinda ticked off that you managed to trick me, I'm really glad you did."
Ichigo swallowed. "So does this mean that you and Kuchiki..."
Emily smiled and blushed a little. "Yeah... I-I accepted his feelings and we'll... We'll try and work it out..."
His lips stretched into a big grin without his consent but it was okay. He grasped Emily in his arms and gave her a squeeze, hearing her gasping in astonishment in his ear.
"I'm so happy for you," he mumbled in her hair, "I'm really happy."
There was a small chuckle resonating from her smaller body before Emily embraced him.
"Silly boy. You did everything."
Maybe he did. Maybe Emily was just exaggerating the situation because she was pleased about how things turned out. Ichigo didn't know for sure.
However, what he did know was that he was glad he was able to see the smiles of all three Jaegerjaques members, all at once.
XXXX
Wednesday.
"So, remember I toldja 'bout that guy from the studio?"
Ichigo glanced at his blond friend walking beside him and nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he lied. He didn't have a clue about what Shinji was talking about but he wouldn't jinx the well being of his eardrums for the sake of being honest. Shinji was well known for the tantrums he threw if one forgot about something he had said, even if it was seven years ago.
"Well, on Saturday, I went out wit' him and..."
Ichigo tuned his friend out completely after that. He really liked Shinji but he wasn't in the mood to listen to him rambling about how he got laid on Saturday. In his head, many different things were circulating; from anatomy to biochemistry and from biochemistry to ... Grimmjow Jaegerjaques.
It was true and it was worrying Ichigo. He couldn't get the blue haired boy out of his head, neither the things they had shared a few nights ago. Then, Emily's face would pop up and get his stomach fluttering.
You made my baby smile after so many years!
Had he really done that much? But... He just... Ichigo sighed. There was no point into thinking this through. Emily said that Grimmjow talked to her, that Grimmjow had smiled at her after so long and taking how watery her eyes were, Emily was dying from happiness.
And that was all Ichigo could ask for.
Shinji kept ranting about his problems but Ichigo wasn't paying attention, like always. They were walking in a very nice park and on the other side of that park was a diner the blond wanted to go because he had heard it was awesome.
I really hope I make it to the biochem lecture, Ichigo thought fleetingly. Okay, the place wasn't too far from the university but Shinji tended to keep him a lot-
Huh?
Ichigo abruptly halted in his tracks and squinted his eyes to see against the beaming sunlight. His eyes however widened again in shock once he registered a mass of blue hair along with the familiar face of his boss's son laying on the green grass, enjoying the sun with a half cigarette between his lips. How was this possible? He hadn't see the boy after Saturday and to think that he was here...
"Ichigo?", Shinji said, nudging Ichigo's shoulder, "What's a' matter man, ya look like ya saw a ghost."
"Hey Shin," Ichigo muttered, not looking at his blond friend at all, "Do you mind if I pass with the lunch? I saw a ... Friend of mine and I want to say hi."
Shinji quirked a fine blond eyebrow in disbelief, however Ichigo's eyes were glued to the blue haired boy so he didn't see it.
"Tell yer friend I said hi too," said the blond in the end. With a nod of acknowledgement, Ichigo left Shinji's side and began walking towards the blue haired teen.
He knew that Grimmjow wouldn't exactly appreciate his company and there was a high probability of them getting into a fight once again, but Ichigo couldn't stop himself. Something about this boy pulled him like the moth to the flame.
How long would it take until he got burnt, the orange haired man couldn't tell for sure.
XXXX
The sun was shining bright again, yet this time, he could enjoy the heat. After he talked things through with his mother, Grimmjow felt so energetic, so at ease and although it was scaring the shit out of him, he couldn't deny that he liked it.
And that was all because of that orange haired clown, Kurosaki.
Grimmjow knew that at some point he would have to thank the other man for his advice but right now, he didn't want to neither see nor talk to him. It'd be far too awkward for him to deal with Kurosaki. What if the man made fun of him? What if he went on about how awesome his advice was? Grimmjow would kick his ass for sure and things would get nasty again.
However... He dared to admit that he admired the man now. Mainly because he had gone through something similar, if not, more painful and yet he was still smiling. Maybe because a lot of time had passed since his mother died... No, that had nothing to do with it. If Grimmjow had lost his mother at such young age, he would never get over it.
The cigarette between his lips suddenly disappeared, as well as the sun that had been hitting his eyes and he frowned in confusion. Slowly, his lids slid open and his eyes focused on the familiar scowling face of the baby sitter.
Was he hallucinating?
"That's bad for your health," gritted the other, pointing at the Grimmjow's cigarette in his hand, "Besides, you're too young to smoke."
No, he wasn't. It was just reality being a bitch.
"Why the fuck are you here?", Grimmjow grunted, not willing to hide how unhappy he was to see the orange haired man. Kurosaki's scowl deepened, darkened.
"I could ask you the same thing," the oranget growled, "Weren't you supposed to be at school?"
Grimmjow closed his eyes again and said nothing, not in the mood to argue or explain himself. It wasn't Kurosaki's business whether he went to school or not. He might as well ignore him.
Yeah, how about no.
Kurosaki, the fucking bastard, kicked him on his side, not hard enough to bruise but it was enough to make Grimmjow jump and grunt in discomfort.
"What the fuck, asshole?", he yowled, now glaring up at the still standing orange haired man. Kurosaki smirked dryly.
"Don't you dare to ignore me, young grasshopper. I'll kick your ass right here and now."
"Che," Grimmjow snorted and rubbed the spot Kurosaki had abused, "I'd like to see ya try."
"Oh, don't push me, Grimmjow," threatened the other but sat down next to the blunet nonetheless, as if they hadn't been fighting few seconds ago.
"Gimme back my cigarette, damn it."
"No."
Grimmjow growled and sat up, trying to grasp the steaming cancer stick but the orange haired man was faster into getting it out of his reach.
"Give it back, asshole!", he gritted with a lot of heat, glaring into those fiery brown eyes that were somehow too close for comfort. He wouldn't back out though.
Kurosaki smiled sadistically in his face, not backing down either. "No."
The blue haired man snarled and after giving an agitated huff, he slid into his previous comfortable position, his back touching the soft grass and the moist soil. He didn't mind if his shirt got wet.
They fell silent after that little argument and Grimmjow was somehow beginning to forget about the oranget's existence but... eh well. The bliss didn't last for too long.
"Why aren't you at school?", Kurosaki asked.
Grimmjow opened his eyes into slits and glared at the other man, though the nasty look went in vain since Kurosaki wasn't looking his way.
"Why do you care?"
"I don't give a shit actually," the oranget said earnestly, casually, making the fire inside Grimmjow begin boiling once again. He wanted to break the motherfucker's head into two. Or maybe cut that smart tongue of his and feed it to the dogs.
"I am just curious to know why," Kurosaki then added, his eyes now looking straight into Grimmjow's. Damn, he hated those eyes. They were so lamely brown and ordinary yet again, they had something... extraordinary. They were slicing like fucking blades. The teen had this uncomfortable sensation that Kurosaki could see right into his bare soul and the thought alone was enough to unnerve and anger him.
"I hate school," Grimmjow said after a long suffering sigh. Was there any possibility he could get away from the interrogation or the lecturing that was about to come? If there was, please let him know; he would do anything.
The orange haired man stayed silent for a while, obviously searching the correct words to say. Grimmjow observed him against his will, his curiocity winning over his pride and childish denial. Kurosaki pressed his lips into a thin line, then bit the lower one before running his tongue over it and sighing.
"I know that school sucks," he finally said, "It only teaches us the one sided approach of life, the notorious utopia. Things don't always work out that way. Fuck, things never work out that way. They don't teach the exceptions and when those exceptions come to bite you in the ass, you can't avoid them and you end up with a big, red chomp and a throbbing butt."
Grimmjow was dumbfounded. Kurosaki had just read his mind, there was no other explanation. Damn it. He somehow expected that the oranget would start preaching him, to rub his experience as "the older one" in his face but no... Kurosaki shared his opinions, didn't preach, didn't whine like all his fucking teachers did.
Grimmjow kinda liked that. That was why he, secretly, began to respect the man.
"If you agree wit' me, then why ya ask?", he asked and threw his arm over his eyes. He didn't want to be tempted to look at the oranget again.
Kurosaki chuckled, a soft airy sound, without heat, without the normal sarcasm. Grimmjow had to fight nail and teeth against the urge to look at the man once again. He hated that contradiction Kurosaki created.
Why was Kurosaki so hard to read?
"I don't know," admitted the oranget, "I just wanted to ask, I guess."
"Yer weird," Grimmjow snorted to hide the curiosity that nudged his gut relentlessly. Kurosaki didn't say shit "just because". He must had a good reason.
Kurosaki let out a small sigh and went to mute mode again. This time however, Grimmjow wanted the man to talk, to explain what he had meant before. He'd rather cut his tongue before he asked personally the oranget to speak but that didn't mean he didn't want to know.
There was a soft rustling sound disturbing the absolute silence between them and the blue haired boy couldn't stand it anymore; he uncovered his eyes and glanced at the oranget, only to have them widen dangerously, his eyebrows pulling together in a scowl.
Kurosaki was holding his notebook. His notebook! And he was going through the pages too! What the fuck? Didn't his parents teach him anything about not being so fucking nosy?!
"What the fuck, Kurosaki?", Grimmjow growled, sitting up. He wasn't sure how he had managed to keep his temper from snapping like a twig but he did. The fucking nerve! "Ya just see shit and open them to read 'em?"
Kurosaki didn't even raise his head from the page he had been reading when he answered Grimmjow. "If I had asked you, you would have said no, so I took the initiative by force."
Grimmjow could do nothing more but stare at the cocky man, clenching his fists and burying the urge to punch the shit out of him. He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm his raging body.
"Give it back, Kurosaki," he enuciated slowly, threatingly. Kurosaki was apparently unfazed because he nonchalantly shook his head.
"No, I won't," he said, completely oblivious to Grimmjow's murderous intents. The blue haired teen was ready to snap; he had even raised his hand to grab his notebook from the other's filthy hands and greedy eyes but at that point, Kurosaki spoke up again.
"You've written all these?"
The fire didn't subside at all, but it certainly backed down for a half second. "Yeah," Grimmjow grunted, "And I also didn't give ya permission to read them."
"Your words are really beautiful," the orange haired man ignored him once again, "They are so painful, but truthful. It's amazing."
Grimmjow frowned in confusion, not expecting such reaction at all. He simply blinked at the other man, who kept looking through the pages, unbothered and untroubled, as if he wasn't violating Grimmjow's privacy.
"Thanks, I guess," he muttered, all the heat from before vanishing and morphing into the awkwardness that made him scratch the back of his head nervously.
Kurosaki confused him and he vehemently hated it.
There were so many things going on through Grimmjow's head at once; the most dominant were the ways he could beat the shit out of the nosy bastard but there were others thoughts, softer, that didn't involve violence. Like, why did Kurosaki liked the shit he had written? They were emotional, sick and weak nonsense. No meaning. Yet again, the oranget found them... Beautiful.
How?
Why?
Please say more, Kurosaki.
As if the orange haired man had heard his mental plea - Grimmjow wouldn't be surprised if he had - he spoke up once again.
"Do you believe that?"
"Believe what?", Grimmjow asked in confusion, inching closer to the other man to see what he had been reading.
"That beneath you lies the ugly, black sky, the angry rain."
Grimmjow froze, his eyes meeting intense brown ones after a while. Damn, their gaze was burning him straight to his core. How could a pair of common brown eyes be so absolute? So fucking dissecting? Kurosaki was expecting an answer, an honest answer, Grimmjow could see it. The orange haired man wouldn't be satisfied with less yet Grimmjow was still contemplating whether to tell the truth or not.
"Yeah," he muttered sullenly, settling with telling the truth, "I believe it."
Kurosaki gave him another long, hard stare before nodding in understanding and reaching for his backpack. At that, Grimmjow quirked one eyebrow. "What are you doin'?"
The orange haired man revealed a small pencil case from his bag and pulled out a red pen. Then, he looked back at Grimmjow, his eyes round and pleading.
"Can I write something as well, please?"
Grimmjow frowned, his gaze alternating between his notebook and Kurosaki's expectant eyes. So now he was asking for permission? Sneaky bastard. To be totally honest, it was eating Grimmjow to know what the other man had in his mind. He wanted to get a chance to look into the other's soul, even if that was only one glimpse. He didn't know why he had this urge, he couldn't explain it but he couldn't bring himself to care as much.
Like the moth to the flame, the orange haired man was pulling him closer and closer.
At what point would he get burnt though? If he did, would it hurt?
"Sure," he grunted and watched a small smile lift the corner's of the oranget's pink, full lips. Pink and full? What the hell. Since when he noticed such things?
Kurosaki bit the edge of his pen and frowned in consideration, before getting to work.
Kurosaki was left handed.
The myth said that left handed people were kind and smart.
He also noticed that Kurosaki had long and very slim fingers. That would definitely be useful for his future job. It was a lot more pleasant to be examined by a doctor with delicate fingers rather than a doctor with nasty sausages instead. Maybe if the man wanted to become a surgeon, it would be easier for him to manipulate the machines and the necessary equipment.
Maybe he could ask Kurosaki what kind of doctor he wanted to become.
Speaking of Kurosaki, the man scribbled a couple of words in a hurry before he suddenly closed the notebook, the movement so fast that Grimmjow jumped a little in astonishment. Kurosaki gave him a sheepish grin and handed him the notebook. "Here."
Grimmjow took it in his hands and glanced suspiciously at the other. "Yer so fuckin' nosy.."
"Sorry," Kurosaki apologized, not feeling sorry at all if that smug smirk he had plastered on his face was any indication.
The blunet placed the book on his lap and sighed. He wanted to see what Kurosaki had written but he wouldn't do it just yet. He didn't want the man to see how eager he actually was.
"Just like a fuckin' girl," Grimmjow continued with his insulting and was impressed that Kurosaki wasn't offended.
"I may be gay but I ain't a girl," he said, whacking Grimmjow at the back of his head, "And I was just curious, aren't we all?"
Grimmjow didn't know what to say for two reasons; first of all, he had been entirely too curious himself not a few minutes ago and secondly... Kurosaki was gay? He had a small suspicion from before, from the first time they had "met" but he didn't really entertain it.
The orange haired man didn't look gay at all.
"Ya don't look gay to me," he said, voicing his thoughts out loud. Kurosaki chuckled and shook his head.
"Just because I'm gay, I have to look like it?", he asked.
"Dunno," Grimmjow grunted, looking away in embarrassment. Yeah, the man was right.
"You expected me to go out wearing dresses and shit?", prodded the other, his mocking tone stirring awake the sleeping anger inside Grimmjow, "You have a misled and deceived perception about gay people, young grasshopper."
"Fuck you, I didn't say that," growled the blunet agrily, "And don't fuckin' call me that!"
"Call you what?", the other smirked sarcastically, "Young grasshopper?"
Grimmjow glared at those pretty brown eyes dancing with mischief and seethed. "Shut up, asshole."
"Why?", asked the other, "Irritating you amuses me."
Fuckin', cocky, little faggot. Grimmjow was litterally breathing fire, so angry he was. He was about to lung himself at the other and adorn his angular jaw with a few bruises here and there, but Kurosaki glanced at the watch on his own wrist and his brown eyes instantly widened.
"Shit!", he cursed, "I'm late!"
Grimmjow watched the other man in astonishment as Kurosaki jumped to his feet and hastily threw all of his belongings inside his backpack, which in turn soon found itself on his shoulder. He gave the blunet a small grin and friendly waved with his hand, as if they weren't at the verge of tearing each other's necks a few seconds ago.
Maybe it was just Grimmjow who took everything Kurosaki said as a reason to start a fight.
"I'll see you later, 'kay? I have biochem class in five minutes," said the oranget, his face apologetic.
"U-Uh, sure," stuttered Grimmjow, caught all the way off guard, "I'll see you later."
Kurosaki nodded with a grin and faster than the wind he skidded away from Grimmjow, who in turn stared at his retreating back with his eyebrows hidden in his hairline.
Kurosaki was such a weirdo.
Sighing in relief, welcoming the peace and quiet that slowly enveloped him, Grimmjow laid back down on the grass, taking his notebook along with him. Now it was time to see what the orange haired man had written. He searched for the correct page, which wasn't really hard to find since Kurosaki had written the fucking thing in red, and let his eyes absorb the short sentence. Though, he had some difficulty doing that.
What a shitty handwriting Kurosaki had! How could he honestly read that shit himself?!
Che. Doctors.
However, as soon as he was able to make the text out and the words sunk into his brain, Grimmjow's stomach fluttered and his heart missed a few beats in his chest. A smile formed on his lips without his permission and he laid there, grinning like an idiot at a piece of paper. How pathetic.
Beneath, you're beautiful too, read the little note. Grimmjow chuckled and closed the notebook, placing it on top of his chest. He then stared up at the blue, cloudless sky, still smiling like a moron and allowed those little, almost insignificant yet full of meaning words tumble around in his mind and fill him with joy.
Beneath, you're beautiful too.
He kinda liked the sound of that. It was new, out of the ordinary.
Beneath... You're beautiful too...
What a sappy dork Ichigo was.
XXXX
I have been meaning to ask you guys something; would you like Grimm and Ichigo get to it as fast as possible or you would like to see their romance build up slowly? In my opinion, the most suitable would be the slow pace but I'd like to hear your opinions too. Lemme know please.
Thanks for reading,
Queen.