Four months flew by in the blink of an eye to Grimmjow and before he knew it, they were practicing for their home game against Australia as September 20th approached. Grimmjow kept in touch with his mother over the summer via emails, planning their trip the day after the first game of September.

Grimmjow would fly up to see her on the 23rd and stay a week with her at her home. Ulquiorra would go with him. Grimmjow couldn't keep himself from fantasizing about himself and Ulquiorra roaming the streets together, drinking wine and eating only the best Parisian foods until they could burst, then retiring to their room and fucking until they were too spent to stay awake any longer. Grimmjow wanted to fall asleep naked beside Ulquiorra, staring out the window at the Paris skyline, the Eiffel Tower glowing golden.

Grimmjow was surprised to himself. He hadn't slept with anyone else this summer. If he were with anyone else, he'd had long since moved on by now, wary of their intentions. He couldn't end what they had. He was happier with Ulquiorra than he'd ever been with anyone else. He'd never connected with anyone on an emotional level before, but he and Ulquiorra understood each other and they enjoyed one another's company, in and out of bed.

This was the longest Grimmjow had stayed with anyone and he'd be damned before he changed a thing. Ulquiorra was too good to lose to someone else. As if anyone would get Ulquiorra the way he did, anyway.

Grimmjow wasn't sure what to call their relationship. They'd never actually sat down and had the talk. Grimmjow figured they didn't need to. Ulquiorra wasn't sleeping with anyone else, neither was Grimmjow. Grimmjow didn't know if that made them boyfriends or mutually-exclusive-friends-with-benefits.

He told himself it didn't matter. He liked to present himself as someone who lived in the here and now; it went with the whole I-don't-give-a-fuck image he had going for him. Asking questions and probing into things was Ulquiorra's duty. But Grimmjow did catch himself wondering what Ulquiorra would say if Grimmjow asked him what the nature of their relationship was, or if Ulquiorra saw a future with him.

Grimmjow saw a future with him, just ideas and fantasy, but that was something, wasn't it? He wanted to keep playing soccer with Ulquiorra. That was all he knew and he looked forward to every game they played together. Regardless of what they were or where things went, Grimmjow wanted to be on the field with him, or watching Ulquiorra play from the stands.

The ball bounced off his head and hopped off the floor. "The fuck was that, Ulquiorra? You wanna break my nose?"

"You were spacing out. Something on your mind?"

"I was thinkin' we should shower together after practice."

Grimmjow didn't miss the way Ulquiorra swallowed, his Adam's apple rising and falling. Every little reaction he got out of Ulquiorra brought him over the moon, especially when he remembered that only a year ago Ulquiorra had treated him like the wall.

"Shoot." Ulquiorra ordered, looking to make sure no one had overheard that exchange.

"Oh, I will." Grimmjow kicked the ball towards the goal and Ulquiorra blocked his shot. "Fuck. Come on, another!"

"You're still not the best at scoring. You're too eager and your kicks lack precision."

"Yeah, fucknuts? So how come I won us Iran, huh?"

"You're an opportunistic player and you can capitalize on an enemy's mistake, but I've never seen you make a penalty kick."

Grimmjow snorted. "Yeah, well, you're a shit defender. Now shut up and give me the ball!"

Ulquiorra tossed the ball back to him and Grimmjow set it down and aimed for just over Ulquiorra's shoulder. Ulquiorra blocked his shot again. "I'm going easy on you."

"There's very little you can do to surprise me. I know all your tricks by now."

Grimmjow saw that as a challenge and his stomach fluttered. "Oh, yeah? You really think so?"

"I do."

Ulquiorra was always challenging Grimmjow in his little ways. Grimmjow foresaw every night they spent together as another opportunity to find new ways to make Ulquiorra's toes curl. Ulquiorra was a reserved person, so Grimmjow took immense satisfaction in getting under his skin in bed and out of it. He was always rewarded when he did crack through Ulquiorra's mask, be it with a coarse moan of his name or a light flush of color to Ulquiorra's cheeks.

Grimmjow couldn't fight back the grin that split his face in two. "We'll see about that. Watch me tonight when we play. I'll fuckin' surprise the hell out of you, just you wait."

Ulquiorra's eyes twinkled and something in Grimmjow's chest tumbled over itself. "I look forward to it."


Australia commenced the kick off, and the third game in the third round of the World Cup began to the roars of the crowd. Grimmjow set his sights on a particularly aggressive midfielder who was intent on getting the ball to his teammate, a striker.

Grimmjow wanted to defend their goal. He also wanted to see if he could score one so he watched and waited for the opportunity to arise. Grimmjow launched himself into a slide, kicking the ball away from the midfielder's ankles and into Ichigo's feet and the orange-haired defender took this chance to shoot the ball out of their side of the field.

"Perfect slide tackle from Jaegerjaquez and Kurosaki takes possession. Excellent chest trap from Abarai, he dribbles and shoots up the field to Cifer who passes it to Maderame, Madarame passes to Hitsugaya. Turner is in hot pursuit of Hitsugaya, could we have our first goal for Japan?"

Hitsugaya was cornered by the defenders; he kicked it through their legs to the roar of support from the crowd. Grimmjow took off up the field towards the goal, ready to rush in from the left and kick the ball over the goal keeper. "Hey, Ayasegawa!" Grimmjow roared, catching his attention. Yumichika took possession and kicked it up the field towards Grimmjow as he ran for it.

Are you watching, Ulquiorra? Grimmjow's heart was pounding as he glanced through the sea of players and saw emerald eyes fixated on him. I'm gonna make you eat your words!

Grimmjow got a faceful of an Australian defender's chest as he raced in from Grimmjow's blindside and got between him and the ball. The collision was comparable to running straight into a boulder. Grimmjow's body bounced off the defender and he fell backwards, striking his head on the pitch floor as the wind was knocked out of him and his ribs caved inward from the collision.

Grimmjow huddled, clutching his shuddering ribs. Every breath felt like a blow to the gut. He was worried he'd cracked a rib, or broken a few. "Are you alright, Jaegerjaquez?" The referee touched his shoulder and Grimmjow tried to stand.

The referee helped him into a sitting position and to Grimmjow's relief, the ache in his ribs began to subside as he sat up. Grimmjow turned a hateful glare on the defender and spat onto the pitch in his direction. "Motherfucker."

"Hurt?" Ulquiorra was standing over him, brows furrowed in concern. Grimmjow snorted.

"Yeah, like that'll do me in. I've been hit harder by my baby cousins, shitstain." The defender curled his lip at him and tried to walk away only to be cut off the referee. Ulquiorra extended a hand and Grimmjow took it, rising to his feet. The defender succeeded in kicking the ball out of play, but he was shown the yellow card for his actions.

"Be more careful." Ulquiorra said, turning to leave.

"Worry about yourself." Grimmjow squeezed his hand as he brushed by Ulquiorra. Since the foul occurred in the penalty box, Grimmjow finally had his chance to make a penalty kick. He'd only scored a handful of penalty kicks in his career. He was a man of opportunity and therein lay his strength on the field. He was overzealous when it came to penalty kicks but he'd never wanted to score one more than he did today.

For the first time in his career, he wasn't playing for himself. He was going to score this goal for Ulquiorra. His need to win wasn't the only thing driving him, it was knowing that with every pass, possession and attempt at Australia's goal, Ulquiorra was watching him.

The spot where the foul occurred was marked and Grimmjow approached the ball and lined up his shot as the Australian goal keeper watched him intently. Grimmjow's heart pounded in his chest, ready to burst. His stomach fluttered and sweat broke out on his brow.

He wasn't playing for himself, not anymore. He was playing for Ulquiorra. For the first time in his life, Grimmjow finally had someone to play for. A smile tugged at his lips and despite the nerves twisting in his stomach, his heart swelled.

Grimmjow feinted, charging in from the left and the goal keeper ran left, arms outstretched. Grimmjow scooped the ball with his right leg and hurled it over the goal keeper as he plummeted to the floor and the ball caught in the far corner of the net.

"He scores! Jaegerjaquez scores! What a goal! The first goal of the match belongs to Japan!"

Jubilated, Grimmjow thrust his hand into the sky, leaping high into the air in his excitement. The crowd was on their feet, jumping up and down and chanting for him. Ichigo and Renji rushed him, jumping up and down with him and Grimmjow slapped them on the backs before he broke free, eyes seeking the man he had scored for.

The look on Ulquiorra's face made Grimmjow smile so hard, it hurt and his heart soared inside him, ready to grow wings and fly from his body. Grimmjow ran to him and Ulquiorra met him halfway and Grimmjow engulfed him in a bear hug, crushing Ulquiorra to his body. Grimmjow couldn't contain himself, jumping up and down with Ulquiorra in his arms.

"I told you I'd surprise you! I fuckin' told you! Who looks stupid now? Come on, admit it, I surprised you!" Grimmjow pulled away to look Ulquiorra in the eyes, their foreheads touching and green and blue eyes drinking in the others presence.

Ulquiorra's lips tugged upwards and he shrugged. "I'm a little surprised."

Grimmjow guffawed, wrenching Ulquiorra back into his arms to slap him on the back. Grimmjow couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to, nuzzling his face into Ulquiorra's neck to secretly run his tongue from the crook of Ulquiorra's neck to his jaw line.

Ulquiorra wriggled to get away and Grimmjow couldn't stop the laughter bubbling up from his chest to his lips. Ulquiorra rubbed his neck, pink coloring his cheeks. "Are you crazy?" he seethed, shoving Grimmjow in the chest. "You have the whole world watching you."

"So? Maybe I want 'em all to know the way I make your toes curl?" Grimmjow advanced on him and purred those words into his ear. Ulquiorra shoved him backwards, shaking his head.

"You're an idiot. What if we're discovered?"

"I don't care."

Never in a thousand years had Grimmjow imagined he would say those words. He'd kept his bisexuality under lock and key since he was a teenager. The only relationships he went public with were with women. His relationship with men didn't last longer than a night. The risk hadn't been worth the shame he felt the morning after, not even after he'd decided that what he did behind closed doors wasn't anyone's business.

But what did he have to be ashamed of? Ulquiorra made him happier than any woman or man he'd been with. If someone could make him this happy, how could it be wrong? He wanted the whole world to know Ulquiorra Cifer was all his.

Ulquiorra's lips were parted, brows furrowed in disbelief. "You don't?"

"Couldn't care less." Grimmjow assured him, unable to fight the grin that burst across his face. Ulquiorra huffed, shaking his head. Grimmjow didn't know if Ulquiorra was angry and embarrassed at him until he saw the tiny smile on Ulquiorra's face as he turned away.

Grimmjow was lighter than air, ready to float off the ground. The referee sounded his whistle and the game continued. The ball was tossed out onto the field by the Australian goalkeeper and Ulquiorra pursued it. An Australian defender took possession and Grimmjow watched as Ulquiorra flanked him. Grimmjow fell into a sliding tackle, knocking the ball away from the defender and the defender tumbled over him.

Grimmjow's feet touched the ball in a matter of seconds before the defender tumbled over him, barely avoiding a foul. The ball rolled into Ulquiorra's feet and Ulquiorra took off with it, shooting a look over his shoulder at Grimmjow. There was a twinkle in his eyes that made Grimmjow's heart sing.

Grimmjow gave him a grin that fell away when he saw the Australian defender running at Ulquiorra's blind side. Ulquiorra's attention was on Grimmjow. There was no way he would see the collision until it was too late.

"Ulquiorra!" Ulquiorra's name was barely past his lips before it happened. Ulquiorra turned back and saw the collision coming when the defender was inches from him. Ulquiorra's feet scrambled in the dirt, sending shards of grass and specks of dirt flying out in front of him. Ulquiorra was bowled off his feet and his body hurtled out of the field and rolled to a stop on his side against the stand.

The crowd groaned and gasped, the referee's whistle screamed and every man on the field turned their heads. Grimmjow held his breath, staring with wide eyes at Ulquiorra's unmoving figure, his right leg bent at an angle that wasn't natural.

"You can almost feel that collision," the announcer said, his voice hushed as the replay filled the screens. Grimmjow turned, watching with a knot in his stomach as the defender rushed in slow motion at Ulquiorra's side and threw all of his weight into his elbow which slammed into Ulquiorra's ribs.

"Look at his left leg, he lands on it just before he goes flying. God, that looks painful, look at the way the leg bends. If his ribs aren't broken from that collision, his ankle is almost certainly broken from the way he landed on it."

The referee pelted by Grimmjow, jolting him away from the screens and tearing his eyes back to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was sitting up, jaw clenched and his lips in a thin line. His chest expanded rapidly, his nostrils flared as he clutched at his ankle before the pain became too much and he fell backwards, his fingers curling against the concrete.

"Unfortunately for Cifer, this is a game-ending injury, and he'll be lucky if it isn't season-ending."

Grimmjow's skin was cold, his stomach twisting nauseously. He scrambled to his feet and ran off the field to Ulquiorra's side. Behind him, he heard a stampede of footsteps and the concerned babbling of team Japan and other Australian players behind him. Ulquiorra's breaths grew shorter and he inched himself closer to the wall, gasping as he dragged his leg behind him.

"Back the hell off, give him space!" Grimmjow bellowed, trying to keep the team at bay as they clustered around Ulquiorra's writhing body. "Move, move!" the referee hollered, breaking through the team as medics rushed through the crowd, carrying a stretcher.

Grimmjow's heart sunk. Ulquiorra was out of the game. He'd known the moment he'd seen Ulquiorra's ankle, but he'd wanted to believe he could recover and get back on his feet. The medics helped Ulquiorra on the stretcher and Ulquiorra collapsed, sweat gleaming on his forehead as his chest rose and fell with every labored breath.

"Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow tried to follow them but the referee grabbed his arm.

"He's going to be fine, Jaegerjaquez. Get back on the field."

Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra over the referee's shoulder until he'd been carried from the field. The referee whistled and Grimmjow turned and his blood boiled at the sight of the defender who had caused Ulquiorra's injury. The defender was shown the red card.

"Are you fucking serious? I was going for the ball!" The defender argued. "Not my fault he got in my way, mate!"

Grimmjow's hand curled into a fist. "Bullshit!" He shoved between the referee and got in the defender's face. Grimmjow shoved him in the chest and the defender stumbled backwards and nearly lost his foot. "Go for the ball like that with me; I'll break your fuckin' nose! What, he's smaller so you think you can get away with that shit, you pussy?"

The referee's hands clawed into his arm, trying to separate them and Grimmjow wouldn't have it. Grimmjow lunged, throwing himself at the defender and tackling him to the floor. Grimmjow pinned him and plunged his fist into the defender's face. Warm blood gushed across his knuckles. The Australians rushed at him and punches rained into his back, hands tugging at his hair, a knee flew into his ribs and sent him flying.

"Get in there, boys!" Renji bellowed as he charged in, tackling one of the Australians away from Grimmjow. The defender rolled onto Grimmjow and Grimmjow tensed the muscles in his stomach as his knuckles rammed into his stomach. The blow knocked the wind from him and Grimmjow shoved at his chest, hooked his knee over the defender's hips and bucked.

The defender tumbled onto his back and Grimmjow climbed on him and threw his fist into his face a second time. Grimmjow could hear nothing over the scream of rage driving every punch, his senses were muted, his reasoning was gone. Then he was thrown to the floor, scrambling in the dirt to regain his footing as the referee sounded his whistle and the assistant referees tore the fighting teams apart.

The referee thrust a red card in Grimmjow's face and Grimmjow wasn't angry, just disappointed he hadn't broken the Australian defender's nose like he'd shattered Ulquiorra's ankle. The referee marched them off the field and Grimmjow shoved the Australian defender in the other direction, spitting over his shoulder at him. "Go fuck yourself!"

Kenpachi bellowed at him as Grimmjow forced open the stand door and flung himself into a seat beside the substitute players. "What the hell is the matter with you, Jaegerjaquez? You've got no fucking self control! I need you out there, you dumbass!" Kenpachi slapped him over the head.

"Whatever."

Kenpachi threw his hands in the air and plopped onto the bench, shaking the floor. "You've really got some anger issues, kid. You just cost us any points you earned from that goal, for fuck's sake!"

"So we'll win 'em back." Grimmjow didn't like being lectured, but he liked the disappointment in Kenpachi's voice even less.

Kenpachi snorted, shaking his head. The game continued with the referee adding stoppage time from Ulquiorra's injury and showing Renji a yellow card for fighting. Kenpachi shoved his shoulder and leaned down to whisper, "Did you make that fucker bleed?"

Grimmjow nodded and Kenpachi clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man."


Japan lost the game four points to Australia's five, their second loss in their season. This game put them in fourth place, the lowest they'd been this late in the season since they started playing. Grimmjow left the stadium with a bitter taste in his mouth. If they won Russia, they would be in third place and they would have one game left to snag a spot in second place, which was the highest they could hope for this late in the games.

Second was fine. They could get to the World Cup on second place.

For now, Grimmjow would push these thoughts to the back of his mind and rush to the hospital. He'd texted Ulquiorra after the games and Ulquiorra told him he was hospitalized nearby He needed to know if Ulquiorra could still play their remaining games. With Ulquiorra off their team, Grimmjow was poised to think they would end their season in third place.

Mexico was a tough team. He didn't think they would fare well without Ulquiorra's abilities on their side. As Grimmjow reached his car, reporters came at him from both sides. "Jaegerjaquez-san, why did you fight Williams on the field, what did you say to him?"

Microphones were thrust under his nose and Grimmjow turned to confront the reporters. "He fuckin' disrespected me, that's why."

"How did he disrespect you? It was Cifer-san he hurt, wasn't it?"

"Same difference. He wouldn't have tried that on any of the bigger guys. So I gave him as good as he got. Cifer couldn't get even, so I did it for him. It's simple as that."

Grimmjow wrenched open the car door and slammed it, muffling the reporter's babbling. He started the engine and made a mental note to pick up a house-warming present for Ulquiorra on his way there.