Chapter VII: I Need to Talk to You

Once Friday came, Ichigo found himself nauseatingly anxious. He was extremely nervous about telling Grimmjow that he wanted to wait. He knew it was the right thing to do, but that didn't help with his anxiety. He paced around his room trying to find his favorite pair of DCs. Grimmjow hadn't been specific about what they were doing, but he'd said to dress comfortably. The orange head was on his hands and knees looking for the skate shoes when he heard light knocking on his door.

"Yeah, come in!" he called. The door creaked a little, and Ichigo caught a glimpse of a pair of Tinker Bell socked feet indicating it was Yuzu. "What's up, Yu?"

"Its me, Ichi-nii." Ichigo bumped his head on the bed before he sat up staring quizzically at his tomboyish younger sister.

"Uhh, what's with the socks, Rin?" he asked. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, my feet were cold, and I was all out. Anyway, I need to ask you something. Do you think Kisuke will let me help out around the store?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow before he resumed his search for his shoes.

"Why?"

"Because soccer season is starting soon. I want to play, but I know we don't have the money to-"

"I'll take care of it," Ichigo interrupted. He'd have to ask Grimmjow about it, but he had a feeling the older man wouldn't mind. Grimmjow had opened a line of credit for Ichigo on his account; they'd concurred it'd be better than Grimmjow having to give Ichigo six thousand dollars every time they saw each other. The orange haired male had no plans to use it except for things involving the clinic and other miscellaneous emergencies, but this was an emergency in his opinion.

"How are you going to do that?" Karin asked skeptically. Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly.

"I got a second job." It wasn't a total lie.

"Thanks Ichi-nii, I swear I'll pay you back," Karin said. She hugged her brother tightly, causing him to smile. He ruffled her hair fondly.

"Don't worry about it, Rin. You're my little sister, I'm supposed to take care of you."

"I'm gonna go call Toushirou and tell him that I can play," she said, as she turned to leave.

"And then you're gonna come back and tell me who Toushirou is, correct?" Karin rolled her eyes, and frowned, both actions looking quite contradictory to the light blush on her cheeks.

"Later, safety cone."

Ah, someone's got a crush, Ichigo thought. He'd get it out of her at some point. He finally found his shoes buried underneath a pile of clothes in his closet. He pulled them on and left his room to wait in the living room. He sat down just as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out thinking that it was Szayel; he frowned when he saw that it was in fact not Szayel.

Maki Ichinose: Hey what's up? Are we not friends anymore? You haven't been talking to me...

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Of course he hadn't been talking to Maki. He didn't like him. In the past he'd been too nice to tell the older teen that, but he was done being nice.

That's because we were never friends. You're an asshole with a bad attitude, and I don't fucking like you. Do us both a favor and kick rocks, kthx:)

With a self-satisfied smirk, he hit the send button. He didn't have to wait long for a response.

Is that really how you feel?

Yes. It's how I've always felt. Now leave me alone.

Is it because of that guy who picked you up the other day? I'm rich too, you know.

No, he has nothing to do with this, and I don't care about your money. I already told you why I don't like you. Leave. Me. Alone.

Ichigo wanted nothing more than to throw his phone across the room. This was the exact reason he'd never been in a relationship before. The idea of being attached to someone wasn't appealing to him. What made Grimmjow so different then? Nothing that Ichigo could think of. Plus, the man had leverage on him, a means of controlling him. He shouldn't have fallen for that sugar-sweet speech about being 'in this for more than sex'. Who was he fooling? What could Ichigo possibly offer Grimmjow besides sex? He shook his head. This was a bad fucking idea. He rolled his eyes as he got another text message, but sighed in relief when he saw that it was Szayel telling him that he was waiting down the street. Ichigo stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey, Yu. I'm going out with a friend. Let Dad know for me, okay?" Yuzu nodded and Ichigo headed out the front door, making his way down the street. He looked around for the Maybach but didn't see it. He pulled out his phone to text Szayel, but stopped when he heard a horn. He saw the pink-haired male sitting in the driver's seat of a shiny black Lincoln Navigator. Okay, so exactly how many cars did Grimmjow have? Ichigo jogged over to the vehicle and got inside. He greeted Szayel before the bespectacled man started the car and drove down the street.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked.

"Mr. Jaegerjaquez asked me to drop you off at his penthouse; he will take you from there."

"Penthouse?" Okay, so exactly how many houses did Grimmjow have? Szayel nodded and Ichigo settled himself in for the ride. About twenty minutes later, the truck stopped and Ichigo hopped out before Szayel could open the door for him.

"It's number twenty-one hundred."

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he headed for the entrance. To say the building was intimidating would be an understatement. He made his way through the lobby towards the elevator. He rode up to the twenty-first floor and found his way to the only door, knocking twice. He heard a voice from inside before the door swung open revealing the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his young life.

"Who're you?" she asked, and Ichigo could hear the slightest bit of an accent in her speech. She was brown-skinned, with a gorgeous body that was all curves. Her eyes were crystalline green, framed by thick blonde eyelashes that matched her equally blonde hair that was cut in a short choppy style that framed her radiant face. She wore a tight black v-neck shirt and stonewashed denim short-shorts with a pair of high top black Converse. And that body. Have mercy, that body. Ichigo almost drooled. This must be her, Grimmjow's ex, he thought. But what is she doing here? He was brought out of his thoughts by her snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Hellooo? I asked you a question, kid." He scowled.

"My name is Ichigo. I'm here to see Grimmjow," he said. The woman rolled her vibrant green eyes before she stepped sideways and gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. Ichigo's scowl deepened as he walked through the foyer. The penthouse was just as lavish as Grimmjow's mansion, but Ichigo wasn't surprised. He was quickly getting used to the opulence that was Grimmjow's life. He just wasn't sure where he fit into it.

"Grimmjow, there's a kid named Ichigo selling Girl Scout cookies!"

"I'm not a kid, lady," Ichigo growled. Tier chuckled as she picked up a large box and headed for the door.

"Yeah, whatever."

Ichigo sat down in what he assumed to be the living room and waited for Grimmjow to appear. Before long, he heard a soft sound akin to growling behind him, and he turned around and saw a small dog. He smiled gently; he'd always liked dogs, but he wasn't allowed to have one because of Karin and Yuzu's allergies. He reached out a hand and the dog sniffed it cautiously before she licked it. She came around to sit down next to Ichigo's feet, and he reached down to pet her.

"Wow, that's new," Grimmjow said as he joined Ichigo in the living room, sitting down on the loveseat across from him. "She doesn't usually take to people so quickly." Ichigo smiled again.

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"She's not mine, she's Tier's." Ichigo frowned in confusion. "I got her for Tier two years ago as a birthday present. She hates her though. Garnet hate's Tier, I mean, so she's leaving her with me."

"Well, that woman's a bitch. No offense."

"None taken," Grimmjow said with a laugh.

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them sure how to bring up the topic that they both wanted to discuss, uncertain of how the other would react. Ichigo was afraid that the other man wouldn't agree to help him anymore if he said he'd rather wait on the whole relationship deal. Grimmjow was more unsure of himself; he didn't know if the whole situation with Tier was completely over, and until he became sure, he didn't want to start another relationship. Finally, they both relented; there was no need for pussy-footing around the issue.

"I need to talk to you," they said in unison. They both chuckled nervously, Grimmjow scratching through the blue hair at the nape of his neck.

"You first," he said. Ichigo nodded.

"I-uh, I think we should. . .you know, slow things down a bit. It's not that I don't like you, because I do, like a lot, but. . ." Ichigo trailed off trying to find the correct words. "I just don't know if I'm ready to be in a relationship. I'll do whatever I have to to merit your payment; I just think we should keep it strictly business for now."

Grimmjow was surprised to say the least. He wasn't expecting Ichigo to have the same thoughts about their relationship as he had. The kid was much more mature than he'd given him credit for.

"I agree, and I'm sorry for rushing things. I'm an impulsive person, and you kind of made me feel. . .I don't know, different? I do want to give us a shot, but as you've witness, I've got one helluva skeleton in my closet that I've got to clear out. So I'm fine with keeping it platonic for now, and I don't mind helping you out. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to."

Ichigo resisted the urge to flail around like Orihime while reading one of her porno stories. Instead, he remained calm and crossed the room to sit next to the CEO. In his seventeen years, he'd never met someone so willing to help others without expecting anything in return. It was a personality trait of the blue-haired man's that made Ichigo all the more infatuated with him. He reached for the older man's hand and grasped it in his own.

"Now that that's settled, could you please explain to me how someone as wonderful as you ended up in a relationship with that woman?" he asked. Grimmjow chuckled a bit at the way the younger male had asked the question.

"I met her at this party that my sister threw. It was a mutual physical attraction that started it all. I'm not entirely sure how we ended up official, but I'm sure Nel had something to do with it. She's always meddling and trying to tell me how to live my life. It's beyond annoying."

"Sounds like a normal older sibling thing to do. I know I do the same thing to my little sisters. Oh, speaking of, my little sister Karin wants to play soccer for her school. Would it be okay if I used the credit card to buy her equipment? I swear I'll only use it for things like this and not for dumb shit."

Grimmjow stared at Ichigo inquisitively for a second. Was the boy really asking for permission to use his own credit card?

"It's yours, Ichigo. Why are you asking for my permission?"

"Well, I mean it's connected to your account, so I thought-"

"No, incorrect. You don't have to get permission every time you use it, and you don't have to use it for only emergencies. I really hate to say this, but do you know how rich I am? Not only do I have money, my entire family has money. You couldn't put a dent in it if you tried."

Ichigo just sat staring at Grimmjow for a while. He was unsure of how to react to what the man had said. It was a little much to take in at once. The thought that one person could have so much money while another could be near starvation was almost nauseating. He knew it wasn't Grimmjow's fault though, so he wasn't mad at the other man, but at the system. It was truly fucked up when he got to thinking about it. In the end, he just shook his head slowly.

"Well, thanks a lot for agreeing to help me. You're really generous," he said. Grimmjow gave one of his dazzling smiles and entwined his fingers with Ichigo's.

"No thanks necessary, Ichi. You hungry?" Ichigo nodded and Grimmjow pulled out his cell to call for takeout. "I'll order some food and then we'll take Garnet over to the dog park. You can turn on the TV or something. I'll be right back."

Ichigo opted not to turn on the television and instead beckoned Grimmjow's dog over to him. Garnet immediately hopped up from where she'd been near dozing and joined Ichigo on the couch. She rested her head in his lap, and he absently stroked her soft fur while he thought. Grimmjow was amazing. It only made Ichigo wonder what the man saw in him even more. He was just a kid, really, despite what he said. He didn't have anything to offer besides himself; sure that might've been enough right then, but what about in the future? He couldn't help but get the strong feeling that Grimmjow would get tired of him eventually. That was a scary thought in itself; then again, maybe he was over-thinking things. He decided to turn on the television after all. Thoughts and feelings were frightening places to get lost in.


Hey there, here's another update for you all...thank you very much for reading...until next time,

Patd06