XxxxxxX

Ichigo has been pacing his room for the past half hour. He was frustrated. He had exams in two weeks and although he was mostly up to date with his studying, he was nervous and somehow felt unprepared. His life consisted solely of classes, his part time job at Urahara's Shoten and taking care of his twin sisters Yuzu and Karin. His dad worked around the clock at their family clinic adjoining the house and only came over to shower and eat, catching what little sleep he can between patients. It's been that way since his mom died. Yuzu becoming something of a surrogate mother to them all with her cheery disposition. It's been six years but he still felt a twinge in his heart whenever he thought of her or walked past the huge shrine his father had erected in her memory. It consisted of a gigantic photo of Masaki smiling brightly at the camera with flowers and candles always lit below. His father usually lit the candles but when he could not Karin would light them.

He was on the brink of a meltdown over his exams when he saw his new neighbor through his opened window. Ichigo rarely opened said windows but today he needed the fresh air that blew in. The new guy seemed to be washing his car, a hose and bucket nearby. It was such a mundane activity but Ichigo couldn't help but look on as the man bent to retrieve a sponge and began sliding it over the body of the midnight blue car, suds flying everywhere and covering part of the other man's upper body. Somehow Ichigo wasn't too keen on the idea of having a new person around.

Karakura was a fairly small town and everyone seemed to know eachother. The arrival of someone new was rare and mostly it was extended family of whoever was there before. This person however looked like a foreigner. The man had baby blue hair on his head for Christ's sake and piercing blue eyes. Ichigo figured he couldn't judge considering his own hair was a bright orange but he at least knew his was natural. For now he assumed the guy dyed his hair that way as some sort of fashion statement. Looking a bit more intently he saw a tattoo on the man's lower back. It was a gothic stylized six but the placement was odd. It was a bit off to the side, not quite in the middle of his back and tilted a bit to the left. He was wearing stone grey cut off jeans and black flip flops on his feet.

His father had asked him to greet the neighbor and make them feel welcomed to the town as he was way too busy to do so and Ichigo figured that it was a task that was better done sooner than later before the novelty of being "new" wore off. Turning away from the window, he reached for his phone deciding that he would call up his best friend Shinji to hang out a bit and then he would go over to the blue haired man's house later. Yuzu had already prepared a welcome basket and she had also been nagging him about delivering it.

After a few rings a bland voice answered the phone, "Moshi moshi"

"Is that anyway to greet your best friend in the entire world?" Ichigo chided

"Aaah Ichigo. I'm kinda in the middle of something, mind calling me a bit later?"

Ichigo was taken aback. Shinji was usually quite spritey and excited to hear from Ichigo. Sure they went to the same college but with him studying medicine to help out at the clinic and Shinji majoring in fashion and design, they barely saw eachother and that was only on weekends. Feeling a bit disappointed he simply replied with a quick "sure" not bothering to hide his annoyance and hung up the phone. Since his plan of having a few beers with Shinji had gone down the toilet bowl he headed downstairs intent on grabbing two beers from the kitchen, grabbing the welcome basket and heading across the street for introductions and small talk.

Today was a shit day.

XxxxxxX

Grimmjow had found himself staring off into space. AGAIN. It was the third time that day and it irked him to no end. He didn't think that moving would've affected him this much, but what do you know, it had. He was missing his old life but every time he began to reminisce he remembered exactly why he had to leave in the first place. Sighing, he turned his attention back to his car, his baby as he so often mused, and wiped her down gently. He had Pantera for almost a year now but still treated her as though he had just brought home from the dealership. His midnight blue Audi R8 meant the world to him and that was not about to change any time soon.

After drying her off, he looked back up at the direction he was staring in. It seemed to have been the bedroom of one of his neighbors. All the houses on the street basically had the same layout, so it wasn't too hard to guess. This one however had an adjoining bulding on the side that sported a sign at the top that read "Kurosaki Clinic". Grimmjow had seen his new neighbors around a few times since moving in. He knew there was the older man who ran the clinic, two little girls who looked to be the same age but somehow didn't look like twins, with one having brown hair while the other's was black and a teenage boy with bright orange hair. He'd never seen a woman so he assumed the mom was either always working or just never came outside while he was there. He thought about being friendly and going over to introduce himself but his job usually kepy him cooped up inside and so he never found the right time to do it.

Turning away from the window in question, he sauntered into his house. He didn't know how long he had spaced out, but it didn't matter. He had bigger issues to deal with. His "ex" was flying in today from America and he didn't think he was ready for the conversation that was sure to ensue. He'd never even told the man he was leaving, just hopped on a plane and fled the country, never to be seen or heard from again. Until last night that is. He received the call at around twelve and answered without bothering to check who it was.

"Hello?" he grumbled into the cell phone. His voice thick with sleep.

"Hello Grimm-kun. Missin' me yet?"

The voice on the other line was enough to make Grimmjow sit right up in bed and forget all about sleeping. For the second time in his life he felt genuine fear. He covered his tracks. Never made a mistake. Disposed of who and what he had to. So how did this fucktard get his personal cell phone number? Feigning calmness he replied steadily, trying to keep his breathing even.

"Have ya ever known me ta miss anyone?"

"Indeed, I never heard ya utter those words, don't mean ya don't feel that way, ne?"

Hearing the playfulness in the person's voice only served to increase Grimmjow's ire. He didn't understand why this was happening. Stretching and pushing down his rising panic, he replied,

"Fuck ya want at this hour? I already refused ya previous job offers"

"Geez Grimm-kun, all tha' hostility is unnecessary ya know. Can't I just check in on a dear old friend? I really wanted ta ask a huge favor of ya also, If ya don't mind that is."

Grimmjow didn't like the sound of this but paused long enough to consider hearing the man out. If it meant never hearing from him again then he would do whatever he asked.

He sighed, "Tell me then. What is it that ya want from me?"

"Ooohhh Grimm Kitty. I knew ya'd come through for me."

Grimmjow sneered upon hearing the name. He hated it. Always have. Always will.

"I never agreed ta anything fox-face. Just tell me what ya had in mind."

"Mah-mah Grimm-kun. You know what our arrangements were always like."

"If I agree ta this last thing, would ya just finally leave me the fuck alone?"

"Oooohhh Kitty, i can't promise but I'll try my best to not lust after that sweet little ass ya got there."

At this time Grimmjow was having a hard time controlling his breathing. Both his panic and anger were rising at an alarming rate and it took everything within himself to not tell the Fox faced bastard to go fuck himself. However, he knew how to play the game, and this time he'd make sure he had the last move. He'd win his freedom at all costs.

Hardening his resolve, he simply replied, "Yes Ichimaru-sama"

The line was silent for a while before a moan could be heard from the other man.

"Aaaaahhhh I have my Grimm Kitty back, even if it is for one last time ne? I'll be there at two o' clock. Please prepare yourself. Oh and Kitty, if ya even try backin out of this one, I'll have ta do somethin' ya surely won't be likin' yea."

With that the phone line went dead and Grimmjow screamed. A loud blood curdling scream that would have woke the neighbors had his bedroom not been sound proof. Tears filled his beautiful blue orbs and streamed down his face in tiny rivulets. Never had he once thought he'd be caught. He'd become complacent, too comfortable, and now he was going to pay. He couldn't even believe that the man had been able to get his address and phone number so quickly. As far as threats go Ichimaru was not one to take lightly. Sleep was no longer on his mind. He lay there, afraid to close his eyes, knowing the nightmares would return. He decided to face this head on and so, forcing down the bile that was slowly rising, he got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, deciding that simply working until the other man arrived was better than laying in wait.

XxxxxxX

Ichigo didn't want to be here. He'd made it as far as the other side of the street and now he seemed to be having second thoughts. He just wanted to lay down and wallow in his nerves but knew he couldn't take anymore whinging on his family's part. They always wanted to be so courteous. It seemed that in the time it took him to dress and prepare everything, the man had finished washing his car and so instead of meeting him outside like he'd planned it seemed he would have to actually make an effort. Scowl in place he rang the doorbell. When he heard nothing, he rang again, feeling his irritation increase. Just when he was about to turn and leave he caught movement at the front window. It was the smallest of actions but still noticeble. Now that the guy had already seen him, he had no choice but to stand there and wait. The chiming went on for a while before the door swung open revealing a disheveled looking nighbor. Haunted blue eyes locked with coffee coloured ones and Ichigo couldn't help but think that the guy looked like hell. Deep blue bags were sitting heavily under his eyes, his hair was messy and worst of all, he seemed to emit an aura that screamed "Don't Fuck With Me". Blue eyes seemed to pierce through his and Ichigo immediately felt like he should NOT be here.

When the man cocked a blue eyebrow and looked at him, silently questioning why he was here, a deep blush slowly made it's way up his neck and stained his cheeks. He hated that his nervousness made him blush. He wasn't sociable in any way, only having Shinji as his friend and only talking to other classmates when he absolutely had to. Having to be here simply added to his anxiety and his father would pay for this one way or the other. He knew he must have looked stupid because he had yet to utter a word. Trying to reign in the anger that usually came with his embarrassment he said, "Hey, you moved here recently right?" He cursed himself immediately. Well obviously shit face. Real smoothe Ichigo, but he didn't receive an answer. Nothing. The man said nothing. Not a word was uttered. Ichigo instantly felt as though he really should not have gone over there.

"Uh, I'm sorry if now is a bad time. I really just came to welcome you to the neighborhood. My family prepared something of a welcome basket for you and your family so I just came to drop it off."

The man still had his stupid eyebrow cocked and looked Ichigo over slowly. It was as if he was uunder a microscope and it made his anxiety infinitely worse. When their eyes locked again they seemed to stare at eachother for what felt like years but couldn't be more than a few seconds. He think the man was saying something but Ichigo couldn't hear over the blood roaring in his ears. He HATED eye contact, hated meeting new people and now this person was dissecting him with his eyes.

Ichigo decided then and there that he should leave. Resting the basket and beer on one of the chairs on the porch he turned to leave. However, Ichigo was stopped in his tracks by a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't sure whether he should turn around and attack or not. The hand didn't seem threatening but one could never be too careful. He slowly turned around, the hand fell away, and he came face to face to face with the man once again. Those eyes that were picking him apart just a minute ago were suddenly filled with a deep sadness that even Ichigo could not understand, but it was gone just as quickly it came. He decided that he should try again at verbal communication. "Are you okay man? Do you want me to leave or something? Cuz I can if you're busy." Ichigo thought it wise to stop there.

After a few more seconds he heard a small, "No, it's fine. Come on in."

Stumped once again, Ichigo just gaped. He didn't expect to be invited inside. He had prepared himself for idle small talk on the porch and would have been on his way but now he felt a bit pressured. He couldn't very well leave now. The door wasn't opened too widely, so Ichigo had to pass really close to his host, who by the way, didn't even seem to notice or care about their proximity. Stepping into his house was like entering "Bachelor Pad of the Year". Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. Clearly this person lived alone.

The house had the same basic layout of his own but as far as everything else went it seemed like he'd stepped into another world. There was a wide array of electronics set up in the living room. Samsung smart tv, Play Stations 2, 3, 4 and 5. Even a Wii could be seen a little off to the side near boxes upon boxes of what looked like video games. His white furniture wasn't too flashy but still blended well with the navy blue carpet and light blue walls. A wet bar could be seen closer to the kitchen area where Ichigo noticed he had counter tops made out of grey marble. Matching stainless steel appliances stood out against the lime colour of the kitchen while white tiles adorned the floor. Ichigo barely had time to notice anything else as he imagined what it would be like to knock back a few beers while playing video games all day.

XxxxxxX

Grimmjow couldn't believe he had invited the kid in. He'd seen him at the window and had indeed prepared himself for idle chatter on the front porch. However, when he opened the door and saw him up close he froze on the spot. With all the thoughts swimming around he simply looked questioningly at him. He was so tired he didn't even hear the other guy greet him and what made things worse was that now he had turned his back and seemed to be leaving. This jolted him out of his musings and he soon found himself reaching out the younger man, simply needing an anchor to prevent him from spiraling into madness. When those chestnut eyes were upon him once more he was startled to see just how much concern was buried within them, and so, like an idiot, he let the kid in.

He had really put himself in quite the predicament. His "ex" was flying in from America today and was scheduled to arrive in the two hours. Grimmjow was a fool to believe that the impending interaction was about to head anywhere but south but he still had hope that he would not have to actually do what was being asked of him by the man. FUCK. He was stuck and to add insult to injury, his neighbor was currently checking out his immaculate bachelor pad. He couldn't very well be rude now could he

Grimmjow prided himself on having a beautiful home and the only reason it was able to remain in any sort of acceptable state was because he worked from home. Being a beta tester for many different game designers did have its ups and downs, but one thing he was glad for was the flexibility, the money wasn't half bad either. It helped him afford his home and all the nice things he filled it with and let's not forget his baby (Pantera). While the teen's back was turned to him, Grimmjow took his time to observe his guest. That mess of orange hair atop his head reminded him of a warm sunset and soon enough he was wondering if it was his natural hair colour. He knew a lot of people thought that his blue locks we dyed and it felt like an insult. He decided he wouldn't assume the same of the kid. Grimmjow's gaze moved lower, taking note of the black form fitted tshirt, green basketball shorts and black flip flops. He wasn't as tall as Grimmjow was, a couple of inches shorter but his body was slim and built strong. He had to admit that the kid looked pretty good.

At this point he really didn't know what to do. He was socially awkward and things had taken a turn when he ran away from his old life. He was now enjoying his seclusion. Having that threatened by his ex and now having to entertain his new neighbor was too much. He wanted to scream. He didn't even have much time before his ex was scheduled to arrive. Quickly shoving the idea of his ex out of his mind, Grimmjow decided he wanted to see just where his evening could go and if that meant upsetting his ex and setting their meeting back by a day then he'd take the risk.

He needed to relax and he'd spied beer in that welcome basket.

OK everyone. First Fan Fic so please be kind. ALL suggestions are welcomed and if you see any errors feel free to point them out. This was originally supposed to be a oneshot but now I don't know. This story has taken on a mind of it's own. I will try to churn out the other chapters ASAP, still not sure exactly where to go with this but I do hope its'a enjoyable read for all of you

Love Avii Elle