Chapter VIII: I Need Peace

Ichigo almost busted a move when the bell signaling lunch rang. He'd skipped breakfast because he woke up late and the hunger was real. He stopped by his locker, grabbing his leftover dinner from the night before and headed in the direction of the cafeteria. He waved to his friends who were waiting at their usual table before he went to stand in the line for one of the two microwaves.

I swear there's too many fucking people in this school for there to only be two microwaves, he thought, as he felt his stomach protest its current empty state. He was brought out of his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and instantly his scowl deepened to epic proportions. He was already hungrier than a motherfucker; he didn't need this shit too.

"Fuck you want?" he asked crassly. The other male had the nerve to look offended.

"You were kind of harsh on Friday, so I figured you were in a bad mood. I just want to talk to you."

"Please, not while I'm eating. Now get away from me; you're making me lose my appetite." Ichigo prided himself on being one of the nicest people anyone could meet, but there was a limit to his kindness; you only had one time to piss him off, and he was done. Maki had reached that limit a year ago.

"What the hell is your problem?" The raven-haired senior yelled in response. Suddenly all was quiet as the other students watched what was sure to be one helluva spectacle in a few short minutes. Ichigo turned around slowly, placing his food on the counter next to the microwave, his hunger long forgotten. He looked around at the people standing behind him who had also paused in their actions to watch what was happening.

"Hold on for a second while I find out who the fuck you're talking to."

The audience the two boys had acquired promptly erupted with jeers and laughter at Ichigo's comment, but he wasn't even interested. If there was one thing that pissed him off more than anything on the entire planet, it was someone yelling at him. Especially for no fucking reason. And then there was his second pet peeve. Maki stepped into his face so close that they were sharing breaths.

"You're the only person standing here."

"There are in fact two people standing behind me, you ignorant shit," Ichigo retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you have to be talking to one of them, because you sure as hell ain't talking to me. You got about three more centimeters before I dust your ass across this fucking cafeteria. Back. The fuck. Up."

The crowd's murmurs and jeers increased adding fuel to the already growing fire. Ichigo hated to get suspended again; he'd only had a couple of detentions so far that year, and he'd been trying with earnest to keep that up. But he'd had enough of this fucker here, and he figured it'd be worth it to blow his less-than-spotless record on this can of ass-whipping.

"One." The older male stepped closer to the oranget. "Two." Ichigo shifted into a fighter's stance, cracking his knuckles. "Thr-"

Before the other male could get the last word out of his mouth, he was landing on his his ass and clutching his more-than-likely broken nose.

"I gave you chance after motherfucking chance to leave me alone, Ichinose." The orange-haired teen danced on the balls of his feet, loosening his shoulders and smirking maniacally. "But now? Now baby? Your ass is grass and Ichigo Kurosaki is the motherfucking lawnmower."

Just as he was about to unleash a world of hurt on Maki, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the scene. His anger flared even more, and he struggled against the offending person.

"Lemme go! I'll break my foot off in that fucker's ass!"

"That's quite enough, Mr. Kurosaki. You're lucky I don't break my foot off in your scrawny ass," the stern voice of the principal, Kukaku Shiba, retorted.

Defeated, Ichigo ceased his struggling and let Principal Shiba drag him from the cafeteria. He couldn't help but feel a little ecstatic about knocking the shit out of Maki, even if he didn't get to finish what he'd started. His stomach growled as he was forced into a chair in front of the principal's desk.

Damn, he thought. I'm still hungry.


Grimmjow steepled his fingers and stared at the plans for a new building for one of the companies that he represented. He was no architect, but something didn't seem right. It seemed that someone thought they'd be able to slip some bullshit past him. That was just not going to fly. Not today. It's all fun and games until Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez has to choke a bitch. He was reaching out to page Momo, when her soft voice came through the speaker.

"Uh, Mr. Jaegerjaquez, your sister is here." Fuck, he cursed inwardly. He didn't need this right now. "Mr. Jaegerjaquez?"

"Alright, let her through," he relented. He steepled his fingers once more, this time in contemplation of whether he wanted to try to escape or not.

He and his sister were very close, don't get him wrong; ever since they were kids, she'd been his closest friend and confidant. She was there for him through everything that came with growing up, often filling in when their parents couldn't. She was the first person he told when he discovered that he was bisexual, and she even helped him get both his first girlfriend and his first boyfriend. When she got married a few years before, she'd asked Grimmjow to be her best man instead of having a maid of honor; he planned to do the same thing if he ever got married. Her three-year-old daughter, Véronique, was his little angel. Yes, he loved his sister more than anything, but that didn't mean he didn't find her to be the biggest nag in the history of the universe.

He'd spent too much time contemplating, and before he knew it, Nel was bursting into his office.

"You little shit!"

"I'm bigger than you. . ."

"Shut up, I'm talking! What did you do? Harribel cancelled all her appointments and missed two shows! Do you know how much money I'm losing?"

"And by that you mean, 'Oh hey, Grimm. Sorry to hear about your break-up. How are you taking it? Is everything alright?' Correct?" Grimmjow asked, raising an eyebrow. Nel huffed and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of her younger brother's desk.

"Fine, I'm sorry. How are you taking it? And what happened anyway for that matter?" Grimmjow sighed before he told Nel everything that transpired between himself and Tier. She sat quietly and listened, just like she always did, and only when he was done did she speak again. "She didn't tell you why? No explanation, just the text message?"

"Nope."

"Weird. That just doesn't seem like something she'd do."

"Believe me, no one was more shocked than me, Nel."

"So what've you been doing since we last spoke? And why didn't you call me and tell me what happened so that I wouldn't come in here and make myself look stupid? And have you called Maman and Papa and told them? Have you even called them at all? You're the worst brother and son ever!"

And, we're back to the nagging.

"Nel, it's too early in the morning for this."

"It's one-fifteen, Grimmjow."

"Exactly. Too early." Grimmjow was laughing at Nel's reaction to his statement when his phone vibrated on his desk. He picked it up, looking at the screen.

Ichigo Kurosaki: I got suspended from school.

What? Why? And for how long?

I broke this annoying fucker's nose, and I got five days.

Do you need me to send Szayel to pick you up?

Nah, I'm just gonna go to the park for a while. My dad's gonna read me my rights when I get home, and I'm not in the mood. I just wanted to let you know what was up, so you'd know why I'll be on lockdown for about a week.

Alright. I'm at work right now, so I'll call you when I get off.

Okay.

"Excuse me, Grimmjow Marcel Jaegerjaquez, do you hear me talking to you?" Nel poised her delicate hands on her hips as she stared down at him.

"Huh?" he answered dumbly. She leaned further over the desk trying to look at his phone.

"Who are you texting?"

"What? Nobody, mind your business."

"Lemme see."

"No! Get out before I call security again." Nel's lower lip poked out and quivered as she slumped back down in the chair. Her big grey eyes filled with tears as she sniffled and wiped at them.

"You don't tell me anything anymore. I thought I was your best friend." Grimmjow frowned a little before he got up and walked around his desk. He was about to approach Nel to hug her when she bounced out of the chair and snatched his phone off of his desk. "Haha, I can't believe you still fall for that, you silly goose!" The blue-haired sibling groaned, reaching for his phone, but of course he had no chance of retrieving it.

"Give me my phone, Nel," he lamented. "We're too old for this shit!"

He was too late, and Nel was already scrolling through the messages. She frowned slightly, and tapped on the screen as Grimmjow sat back down behind his desk.

"Grimm. . .how old is this boy?"

"Seventeen," he mumbled. Nel's eyes widened before they narrowed dangerously.

"Really, Grimmjow? Really?" Then a mischievous smile broke out on her face, and Grimmjow groaned again. "We robbing cradles now, bro?"

"Don't start, Boobzilla."

"Too late, I already have!" Nel said as she erupted with laughter. Grimmjow reached out to page Momo.

"Momo, security please."

"Yes sir, Mr. Jaegerjaquez."

"Oh, c'mon, Grimm, you're like zero fun."

"Get out." Nel continued to laugh, clutching at her sides and periodically wiping tears from her eyes.

"Alright, Véronique and I will be at your house tomorrow. I wanna meet this kid, and you're not allowed to say no, because you know she's dying to see your sorry ass."

"Fine, whatever, just get out."

Just then, two security guards came through the door, but Nel just waved them off as she continued to chuckle every now and again.

"Seventeen. I swear I've seen it all now."


Ichigo sat down underneath a tall oak tree and rested his head against the trunk. He was in no rush to get home, though he knew his dad was just waiting to kick his ass. It wasn't fair; Ichigo got stuck suspended for a whole school week while Maki just got after school detention for three days. That was total bullshit in his opinion. He'd tried to explain to Principal Shiba that Maki had been bothering him for the better part of the year, but she didn't listen to him. She gave him the whole, "you threw the first punch" bit, and she even included the curse words he'd used in the report. What kind of baby-back bullshit was that? His dad probably wouldn't let him out of the house for the whole week he was suspended plus another week for being suspended in the first place.

His phone vibrated in his pocket-another thing he'd be without for two weeks-and he pulled it out checking the text message.

Renji Abarai: Are you dead?

Not yet, but I will be. I got five days.

Damn, Isshin's gonna put a hole through your ass so big he'll be able to walk through it.

Tell me something I don't know, dude.

What are you gonna do about Grimmjow?

Dunno. I'll talk to him about it later, I guess.

Speak of the devil, his phone vibrated displaying Grimmjow's name on the screen. Ichigo tapped the answer icon and placed the phone next to his ear.

"Hey," he answered solemnly.

"I'm off work. Where are you?" Grimmjow asked.

"In the park five minutes from my house."

"That's not very helpful. I've never been to your place before."

"There's a pizza place not far from here. I'll walk there and then text you that address. Kinda don't need my dad seeing one of your nice ass cars coming through."

"Alright, see you there."

Ichigo stood up and headed in the direction of the nearby pizza parlor. So far it'd been a pretty shitty day; he hoped that getting to spend a little time with Grimmjow before he became a prisoner in his own home would make things better. He pulled his phone from his pocket once he got to the pizza parlor and texted Grimmjow the address. He was ordering himself a slice of pizza when he got a notification of another text from Renji; he opened the message, instantly frowning.

Ichinose is spreading shit about you guys fucking.

I swear to insert deity here, man, I'ma finish what I started today. He keeps fucking with me, and that broken nose will be the least of his worries.

Want me to tell him that?

Yeah. And I want him to step to me. I'ma wish on a star tonight that that motherfucker will. I wish, I wish, with all my heart; that with me some shit that fucker will start...

LMFAO! You're a dumb ass!

"Wow, you look so much better when you smile, Ichi," a deep voice rumbled. He recognized the voice as Grimmjow's, and he looked up from his phone, still smiling.

"You're not so bad yourself, gorgeous," he replied, gesturing to the seat across from himself. "Care to join me?"

The blue-haired CEO sat down in the chair, letting out a tired sigh. Ichigo took a bite out of his pizza as he admired the older male's handsome form. He was dressed in a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, charcoal grey slacks, and no tie. The top three buttons of the shirt were undone, revealing some sexy man cleavage. Ichigo continued his eye molestation as he ate. He never considered himself to be a religious person, but there must've been some god somewhere who was currently jacking off to Grimmjow's every move.

"Been a long fucking day, huh?" Grimmjow asked. Ichigo nodded since his mouth was full of food and he didn't want to be that person. "My sister came to my office today, raising hell about T and talking about how much money she's losing."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but it was only because she didn't really know what was going on. She's a bit hot headed, and one helluva nag, but she's the best sister anyone could ask for," Grimmjow said. Ichigo nodded as the other male flagged down a waitress to order some pizza for himself. "So besides that, tell me what happened with the person at school? I take it he's been bothering you for a while?"

"How'd you guess?" Ichigo asked, a little shocked. Grimmjow just shrugged and relaxed a bit more in his seat.

"I don't know. You don't really seem like the type to just pick a fight with someone for no reason. To me, it seems like you only fight when provoked." Ichigo placed a hand over his heart and sighed.

"You know me so well," he said, only half-sarcastically. "But you're right. I try not to let things get to me usually, but that asshole has been pestering me since my freshman year. He got in my face today, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I would've beat the living shit outta him if the principal hadn't come. Now my friend tells me that he's spreading shit about us having sex."

"Sounds to me like he's begging for an ass-kicking," Grimmjow said, and Ichigo nodded his agreement. The two were silent for a while after that, both simply enjoying each other's company. It was Ichigo who broke the silence.

"This is nice, yeah?"

"What?"

"Just being together like this. After the shitty day I've had, it's really nice being here with you and just being able to relax."

Grimmjow took a moment to think about what the younger male had said, and he definitely agreed. He'd never felt this comfortable around anyone but Nel; not around Tier, not even his own parents. There was something about the orange-haired teen that just made Grimmjow feel at peace. He had to admit, it was a really good feeling.

"Yeah, you're right. Oh, by the way, my sister wants to meet you." Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Grimmjow shrugged.

"She's up in my business as always, and you happen to be that business. She's really not that bad, I promise. Also, my niece is the one kid to rule them all, you'll love her. They're coming to my estate tomorrow." Ichigo frowned and shook his head.

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm pretty sure my dad is going to murder me. You might not see me for a while."

"Understandable, and there's no pressure. If you can't make it tomorrow, we'll just postpone, yeah?"

They spent another hour or so together before Ichigo surmised that it was time for him to head to Alcatraz Island, formerly known as his house. Grimmjow agreed, and they left the pizza place, stopping next to his black Bentley Phantom.

"Seriously, man, how many cars do you have?" Grimmjow chuckled a bit before reaching for Ichigo's hand and pulling him in for a tight embrace.

"I had a good time with you, Ichigo," he said, softly, kissing the younger male's forehead. A bright blush broke out on the teen's face and he hid in the crook of the taller man's neck.

"Me too. I'd kiss you, but I think the hug is already too much for such a public place."

"That's alright," Grimmjow responded, releasing Ichigo from his grasp. His brilliant blue eyes locked with Ichigo's nut brown ones in a heated gaze. "Like I said before, there's no pressure. We've got all the time in the world, yeah?" The blue-haired man reached out, ruffling the bright orange head, and Ichigo blushed once more, averting his gaze and nodding slowly. "See you soon, Ichi."

Ichigo watched the other man get into his luxurious car, sighing once he'd driven out of sight. He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets as he started his walk to his house.

Boy, he thought, am I the past tense of spring, or what?


Here's yet another update for you all...sorry there's a lot of dialogue, but it's how I get my point across, and I also have to insert some humor somehow or I'll just get depressed and won't want to write anymore...I'd like to thank everyone who offered suggestions for the title of the chapter...special thanks goes to SesshoPuppy, and huggles for you too, hun ~(^_^~)

Alright, thanks so much for reading...until next time,

Patd06