Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, meaning it does not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Bleach storyline (such as Aporro[in character, not name]) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

"I never thought I would meet someone as lazy as Stark, but you sure proved me wrong, Aporro…" Lilinette muttered from across the room.

I didn't answer. I stayed laying down on Stark's chest and staring off listlessly.

"…You know…" Lilinette began after a pause, "This looks really weird… From behind, it looks like Szayel is the one laying down on Stark."

"Lilinette," Stark mumbled, muffled by his arm across his face, "Shut up."

"What? I'm just sayin—"

"Aporro," Stark interrupted, "Vicenta was looking for you earlier… but you were asleep…"

"Thanks… I'll go find her later…"

Lilinette sighed heavily, standing and walking out.

Stark and I lay there in silence for a long time… Like Szayel, Stark had a soft body, though he was a bit more toned than Szayel. The upside, though, was that he was bigger, and it was a lot easier to just lay on him.

And even when he was awake, his heartbeat was so slow…

"Lilinette's right, you know…" Stark muttered amusedly after a while, "This does look a bit twisted… Only your hair is too long. I thought you were supposed to be a near exact replica?"

"He mentioned something about cutting my hair a while ago…" I muttered back, "Never did anything, though… How long is it?"

"Just passed your shoulders…"

"…Huh… He really has let it go…" I sighed, "Stark, it's getting late…"

"I'll walk you back to your room." Stark sighed, standing and setting me on my feet.

Of course, he would; my room was near on the other side of the complex. And I had to pass Szayel's on the way…

Still, with as familiar as I was with the corridors, it didn't take us very long to cross the complex. We still had to pass by Szayel's, though. All of the corridors sort of converged there for the sake of convenience; that way Szayel had access to corridors that led to every part of the complex.

Still… it was a bit of an annoyance for me.

And then it became just heartbreaking when I caught sight of movement in front of Szayel's door and looked, my blood running cold once again when I saw Szayel leading Cirucci in.

"Oh god…" I gagged, leaning against the wall and covering my face.

Stark sighed heavily, and there was a loud slap as he, presumably, hit his forehead with his hand, "Aporro, I assure you, you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you for trying to help," I gasped, forcing myself to keep moving towards my room, "But I don't want to hear it right now…"

"No… Aporro, you don't understand…"

I paused, looking back at him, "Do you have a legitimate reason for believing that they aren't in there… having relations?" The hesitance on Stark's face was all I needed. I whimpered, then turned and ran, locking myself in my room.

I must have paced my room for hours; Stark wasn't right behind me.

I knew it.

I knew it… Szayel was in there… having… sex with Cirucci.

Oh my god… I'm going to be sick…

I stumbled into the bathroom and lost my stomach over and over until there was nothing left, and then I started throwing up bile. Searing pain ran from my gut to my chest, and by the time I was done my throat was so raw there were small streaks of blood in the cloudy liquid that I had just finished upchucking.

I was sobbing as I scrubbed my teeth until my gums bled, and I was wailing as I stumbled back into my room to collapse on my bed.

By the time there was nothing left to cry, my mouth all the way down to my throat dry because I was so dehydrated, all I had energy left for were body-rocking dry heaves that made my gut and sides burn.

My mind was blank, and my body was hollow…

There was nothing left.

I really had lost Szayel…

He was gone…

Dear god, I'd never be able to look at Vicenta again… Never be able to look in a mirror…

I had thought that I could survive on just this one-sided relationship, but I had been wrong…

There was nothing left… I was nothing…

I couldn't even answer when someone knocked at the door. After a while, it opened of it's own accord and my ears thudded with the dull tromp of heavy footsteps as someone lumbered in.

I knew that gait… How could I not when I'd been spending so much time with the walker?

"I do have an answer for you, you know." Stark grunted as he flopped down on my beanbag, "It's just… nothing I'm comfortable talking about…"

I pushed myself onto my elbows weakly and stared at him, listless, "How did you know I was awake? I didn't answer and I should be laying here still enough…"

"I'm excellent at sensing reiatsu." Stark shrugged, "And I've been watching this entire complex since I arrived… As the former Primera, I have something of a latent sense of duty to keep an eye on everyone here. And, since you live here, that includes you. At this point… you're just a bit more prevalent in my mind with all of this drama that's going on. I've been watching you since you left, and I know the difference between your spiritual pressure while sleeping and while awake."

"…Creepy."

Stark snorted.

"…So, what was your explanation?"

Stark twitched, then sighed and let his head flop back, staring at the ceiling. "It's about… Arrancar sexuality…"

I frowned, wincing and burying my face into my comforter, "Do I have to hear this right now? I mean, they're probably still… going at it…"

"They're not." Stark sighed, "They never started. Szayel never planned to. He left his room two minutes after we saw them walk in and he never went back…"

I lifted my head again and stared at Stark, "…How do you know that nothing happened? What do you mean… Arrancar sexuality?"

Stark paused, lifting his head and scratching the back of his head, a half-annoyed, half-embarrassed look on his face, "Arrancar… mate for life."

I stared at him, blinking. "…What?"

He rubbed the back of his head harder, scrunching up his face, "When an Arrancar finds someone they want to mate with, and seriously enough that they want to and eventually have a child, they become monogamous. After they find their life-mate, they never engage in intercourse with another being." Stark threw me a flat look, "You have a child with him. You are his life-mate. That's how I know… nothing is seriously happening between him and Cirucci. Being his life-mate is basically the human equivalency of being married to him… only you don't have to worry about him cheating on you."

I stared at him, blinking, "…What?"

Stark groaned, letting his head fall back, "Szayel is bound to you. Nothing is going on between him and Cirucci."

"…Arrancar… are sexually monogamous?"

"Not a good enough explanation…" Stark sighed, "Arrancar can have as many non-serious partners as they wish, but they never have offspring with them. It's the offspring that initiates the monogamy. Sometimes the intent to create an offspring is enough to initiate it, and other times it's the actual birth of the offspring. It depends on the couple… Haven't you ever wondered why you have never seen Arrancar offspring or two Arrancar in a close relationship?" Stark raised his head again, "Because the life-mate… is a weakness."

I blinked.

"When we find someone we believe to be our life-mate, all else becomes… irrelevant. We act outside of who we are, we chase this person… We are driven." He glanced at me wryly, smirking slightly, "Grimmjow actually thinks that your daughter, Vicenta, is his life-mate. That's why he's willing to wait…"

I balked, staring at him, "You're… serious…"

"Nothing is going on between Szayel and Cirucci." Stark said once again, "Szayel… is simply trying to deny the obvious. Just wait and see, though. Nothing will happen between them, and it will start to show…"

I blinked, "…Just… wait?"

And, for once, Stark smirked, "Do you want to make him pay or not?"

I walked down the hall easily now, no longer weighted down or depressed. Actually, I was quite happy now. Not to mention comfortable.

Like I said, Stark had a comfortable body.

Not in the same way Szayel did… but in his own way.

His arm around my waist was comfortably heavy, and he wasn't even trying. He was just that massive…

And it was nice to, for once, not walk beside someone who had my height, my weight, my body structure, my face… It was nice just to be me.

And the look on Szayel's face every time I saw him was definitely an added bonus.

With what Stark had told me that night prevalent in my thoughts, it was a lot easier to pretend that we were actually together. It became almost second nature to walk with him, eat with him, and sometimes just fall asleep on him wherever we happened to sit…

Then again, in the last aspect, Stark just had that kind of sleepy aura that could lull you into closing your eyes and giving in.

And with this ease came the happy ease to be as 'affectionate' with one another as it took for others to believe we were actually serious about this relationship.

And, doubly with that, came the absolute freakin' joy of watching Szayel watch us in sheer horror.

FUCK, THIS WAS GETTING FUNNY!!

Every time we saw them, Szayel would stop and watch us pass with open shock and disgust and Cirucci would look between us and Szayel, pissed.

And, of course, Szayel had a reason to be scared and disgusted.

Unlike him, I wasn't bound by this Arrancar life-mate monogamy. For all he knew, I was actually sleeping with Stark. With this on his mind, it was getting pretty hard for him to hold up the façade that he was actually interested in Cirucci.

And it was obvious that Cirucci not only noticed, but was getting rather pissed about not getting any.

So, by doing what we were doing, Stark and I were not only screwing with Szayel, but also that Thunderbitch whore.

"Why are you still doing this?" I asked Stark, laying stomach down on his chest and propping my chin up on my crossed arms.

He smirked down at me, quirking a brow, "What? Can't I get my own entertainment every now and then?" He then lay his head back, closing his eyes and going to 'sleep'.

I stared up at him for a moment longer, then rolled my eyes and smirked, laying my head down and dozing.

"…Will… you… two… GET… UP?!"

Stark and I both yelped as Lilinette pounced, shrieking.

"Honestly!! You two getting all sleepy lovey-dovey right in the middle of the library?! Have you no shame?!"

"Eeeeeeehhhhh…" Stark whined, waving at her, "Lilineeeeeeette… Stoppit…"

"Honestly…" I rasped, wincing when she jumped on and popped my back. I then flipped around and kicked her in the gut, sending her flying, "Let us sleep!"

Stark chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I sighed and smiled, reaching back and clasping my arms around his neck.

"Ewww…" Lilinette stared at us, making a face, "That's soo nasty…"

"You'll understand it someday." I smirked, nestling back down against Stark and working my fingers into his hair.

Lilinette twitched, glaring at us with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, "I am wwaaaaaaay older than you, girl…"

"In years, perhaps." I sighed, "But not in body or mind. That only meets one third of the requirements, so it doesn't really count."

"Che." Lilinette twitched, "Fine. You two wanna be all physical, I don't care. I'm gonna go eat something." She turned and stormed out.

"Did you have to piss her off?" Stark chuckled, rubbing my stomach, "You know I'm the one who has to deal with her when she's like that…"

I shrugged, rolling over and smiling, "Aww, but you know you love to…" He rolled his eyes and I grabbed his neck, pulling him down into a kiss he returned. I shuddered when he slipped a hand under my shirt, one gloved finger trailing up and down my side.

We both smirked at the sudden increase in a nearby reiatsu that was distinctly Szayel.

Instead of me following Szayel around, Szayel had started following me around when he realized I had given up. The tables had turned…

And it was abso-fuckin'-lutely hi-fuckin'-larious.

Seriously, I was getting a kick out of this.

And didn't I have every right to?

Even if he didn't love me, Szayel had bound himself to me with this monogamous life-mate shit, and he hadn't said a single fucking word. Instead, he'd left me to wonder, to pine, to get so fuckin' depressed over this that I made myself physically sick.

No.

Fuck him.

He was going to pay for his.

I pulled Stark closer, deepening the kiss.

Szayel was going to pay, and I was going to make sure of that.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stark asked as we walked down the hall, tightening his grip on my waist slightly. "Even after what I told you…"

"Don't speak so loudly; he could be listening." I sighed, "And it is because of what you told me that I am doing this. Szayel may still have his doubts that you and I are sleeping together, so let's banish those completely. I'm spending the night in your room, unless you oppose."

"…No." Stark sighed, "I don't mind."

"Your room is completely unmonitored." I went on, waiting until he opened the door for me to walk in, "I've checked. He's watching us walk in, but once the door closes…" I smirked as Stark shut the door, "He's in the dark."

Stark sniffed, walking by and smirking, "Conniving bitch."

I glanced at him, "You gave me this idea."

"I know…" He glanced back, "Bed?"

I nodded, "Bed." I waited until he was laying down to follow suit, curling up against him and sighing happily in his arms.

I may love Szayel, but Stark is undeniably a much calmer sleeper and much better sleep buddy.

Regardless, I couldn't wait for Szayel in I to be back in our bed. Together.

…Fuck, that was so corny.