Chapter XXIII: I Need Understanding
Ichigo stood in Grimmjow's doorway, mouth gaping at the information the older man had just revealed to him. Grimmjow's parents? Granted the man had talked about them in passing, but that was it. He couldn't even remember if Grimmjow had ever told him their names. The two of them stood staring at each other until a voice interrupted the deafening silence between them.
"Grimmjow, qui est à la porte?"
Grimmjow sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before he answered, "Juste un ami à moi, mère; je serai de retour dans une minute."
Ichigo wasn't sure what was being said, and it made him highly uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the concrete. Grimmjow gave him a sympathetic look before he stepped out of the house fully and shut the door behind himself. He reached out, hooking a finger under the orange-haired male's chin, forcing him to lift his head. Once he did, Grimmjow leaned down, pressing his lips against Ichigo's in a soft kiss.
"I'm sorry," he said, when he pulled away. "They kinda showed up out of nowhere. Or rather Nel just didn't bother telling me that they were back in the States."
"It's okay," Ichigo replied, glad his voice came out steady. He didn't want Grimmjow to know just how much that simple kiss had gotten to him.
"So what exactly did you come over for? And without calling first? Is something wrong?"
"I, uhh, I just. . ." Ichigo struggled to come up with a good enough reason. He didn't feel that now was the best time to reveal the true purpose of his impromptu visit to the Jaegerjaquez estate, which was in fact clear across the city from his own home. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. This was gonna sound so pathetic. "I just missed you."
Ichigo released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Grimmjow chuckled and pulled him in for a hug. "We just saw each other earlier today, baby."
"I know, but I'm spoiled," the shorter male responded, wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's waist. The older male pressed a kiss to his partner's forehead before he pulled away.
"Look, how about I call you when they're gone and you can stay over tonight?" Ichigo's face lit up with the brightest smile and Grimmjow smiled back. "Alright, I'll take that as a yes. Let me know when you get home."
"Okay."
They shared a kiss before Ichigo got back in his car and left. Grimmjow watched him drive away until his taillights were no longer visible, and he sighed before he stepped back into his house. He leaned against the door after he'd closed it behind himself and dropped his head. It'd been killing him all day, and his parents' sudden arrival certainly didn't help.
It wasn't that Grimmjow disliked his parents; he just wasn't as close to them as they'd like him to be. He never really thought about it, but honestly it was more their own faults for that lack of closeness than Grimmjow's. They were both very busy people who tended to value the prosperity of their thriving companies over spending quality time with their children. Nel was a little older than Grimmjow so it hadn't affected her in the same way as her younger brother. There were a lot of firsts that their parents missed in both their lives, but more so in Grimmjow's. Because he was the younger of the two of them, he had to work a lot harder for half the attention Nel got. In some ways he felt like she knew that and felt bad about it and it resulted in her deep connection with him.
His parents also didn't have the most desirable personalities either. They weren't terrible people, but his father was arrogant, his mother was pushy, and together they could both be quite the snobs. Sometimes he actually wanted to be around them but they'd ruin it by making some snooty or overbearing comments or generally ignoring social etiquette in favor of their own agenda. Sometimes Grimmjow thought that they felt like they were entitled to whatever they wanted just because they were rich, even personal information. He didn't like that.
"Grimmjow, are you coming back or no?"
"I'm coming now, mother." He made his way through the foyer and back to the parlor where they'd been talking before Ichigo showed up. He returned to his spot in the armchair adjacent to the sofa where they sat. "What were you about to ask me, mother?"
"Ah, yes, I'll return to that momentarily. But first, may I know who your friend is?"
"Mine. Next question."
"Grimmjow," Gerard scolded, and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.
"I'm grown, father. My associates have nothing to do with either of you."
"You still need to be respectful towards your mother."
"I can do that without her knowing my business. My friend has nothing to do with this conversation."
"Aww, let's just move on, Gerard. You know how he gets," Noëlle replied, with an airy laugh and dismissive wave. Grimmjow scoffed at her comment.
"As if either of you know anything about me let alone 'how I get'." Noëlle bristled at that, giving Grimmjow a stern look.
"Alright, we haven't seen you in months and you've done nothing but give us your ass to kiss since we arrived. What is your problem?"
Grimmjow looked between his parents' expectant faces and sighed before running a hand through his hair.
"I apologize. I just have a lot on my mind and wasn't expecting you guys, is all."
"Well, you can talk to us. I know we weren't the textbook best parents but we love you and don't want to see you hurting, son," Noëlle said, reaching over to grasp Grimmjow's hand. He smiled briefly and gave a slight nod.
His mother's speech was heartfelt and sweet, but it was a little late in his opinion. He didn't feel close enough to them to disclose his feelings to them, especially not the things he was feeling at that particular moment. He wasn't sure how much Nel had told them about his situation with Tier, but it couldn't have been much considering his parents hadn't come in on a rampage about it. He didn't want to dig his own grave by bringing it up either. He had to come up with something though, because he knew they wouldn't just let it go.
"It's work, mostly," he stated, and it wasn't a complete lie. Things had been rather hectic at Jaegerjaquez Inc. as of late due to rumors of a merger bringing on all kinds of unwanted phone calls from the press prodding for interviews. Grimmjow was beyond annoyed and had decided that if he found out who started that rumor he would break his foot off in their ass. "A lot of interviews and press conferences. I don't really like that stuff."
"Oh yes, we know how camera shy our gorgeous boy is!" Noëlle chided and Grimmjow smiled slightly at her excitement. He supposed talking to her wouldn't be so bad. "You're going to have to get over that someday, Grimmjow. You're a leader."
"Your mother is right. I am impressed with the direction you've been taking the company in over the past few years, but you can't be a shadow forever," Gerard added. Grimmjow grimaced slightly, but nodded nonetheless.
"I suppose you two are right."
"Good, now that that's settled, tell me what's really on your mind," Noëlle said, giving him an even look that reminded him way too much of his older sister. "You can say whatever you want about your father and me, but you're my son and I know when you're holding back from me."
Grimmjow sighed. He guessed now was as good a time as ever to concede. He couldn't very well wait until Felicity was born to tell his parents about her. If it was gonna be a shit storm telling them now (and he guessed that it was), it'd be a shit monsoon if he waited until then. He looked between both their expectant faces before he spoke,
"You're going to be grandparents again."
Both he and his father almost jumped out of their skin when Noëlle squealed excitedly. She hopped up and hugged Grimmjow tightly, and while he was surprised at the sudden affectionate gesture he hugged her back. When she pulled away, she looked down at him, her smile damn near breaking her face in two.
"I am so excited! How far along is Tier?" she asked as she returned to her seat next to Gerard.
"She's about seven months along now, so almost there." Noëlle squealed again and Gerard gave her a look.
"Love, I understand this is very exciting, but not at that decibel." Noëlle pouted and Grimmjow couldn't help but to laugh.
"You're both taking this a lot better than I thought you would, to be honest."
"Well how did you think we would react, Grimmjow? You're not a teenager; though I do wish you and Tier had considered marriage before conception," Noëlle responded and Grimmjow sighed once more. Here we go.
"Tier and I aren't together anymore, mother. She broke up with me two months before she told me she was pregnant."
His parents were silent and he waited with baited breath for their reaction. They weren't religious, so he didn't have to worry about any type of fire and brimstone sermons; however, Mr. and Mrs. Jaegerjaquez did have quite the concern when it came to optics. He had a feeling they wouldn't be fond of these particular optics.
His father was the one to break the silence. "So you don't know if it's yours?"
"I'm going to have a paternity test done when she's born, but it's only cautionary. Tier was already four months when she told me. She was considering. . ." He trailed off when he saw the look on his mother's face. He concluded that the rest of the explanation could be inferred.
"You won't be getting back together then?" Noëlle asked, and Grimmjow shook his head. His mother pursed her lips.
"We've already met with the attorneys and she's signed over her rights."
Although the silence from his parents was stifling, he did feel a great sense of relief that he'd gotten everything out in the open. He observed his parents' faces, searching for clues to their thoughts. He had a pretty good idea of what his mother was thinking; she'd want to see if she could talk Tier into trying to get back with Grimmjow, regardless of if he wanted that or not. His father was a bit more difficult to read, but he could guess; he'd want to try to avoid a scandal that could interfere with the company's bottom line. So basically they'd both be trying to get him to reconsider his relationship with Tier.
His mother was the first to start,
"Son, did you even try to reconcile before you made this decision? Pregnancy can do strange things to one's emotions and thought processes. Maybe she was just thinking irrationally?"
"Mother, did you forget the part where she broke up with me and then waited two months to tell me that she wanted an abortion?"
He didn't miss how she tensed up at the sound of that word. A look of distaste marred her features but she still seemed determined to convince him that he was wrong to make Tier give up her parental rights.
"Look, mother, Tier doesn't want to be a parent. Her exact words were 'I want nothing to do with it or you'. So what exactly do you think could be reconciled from that, hmm?" Noëlle didn't respond and Grimmjow sighed. "This was the best compromise. She was gracious enough to put her body through this when she could've just gone ahead with the procedure without telling me. That's her right. But now that she's decided to let me have the baby, it's gonna be by my rules."
Noëlle opened her mouth to protest, but Gerard stopped her by gripping her hand. He fixed his gaze on Grimmjow, and the younger Jaegerjaquez met it straight on, determined to stand by his decision no matter what counter arguments his parents threw at him.
"I don't disagree with your decision, son." His mother gasped, and Grimmjow himself was shocked as well. Gerard continued, "It is best to cover all bases when it comes to children."
"But Gerard - "
"No. It is for the best. If she does not want to raise the child, then she should not have an opportunity to try to gain anything from being the mother of the child. She has made her decision. Now we must support our son in his."
Though he knew the main reason for Gerard's support of his decision was financial, Grimmjow couldn't help feeling happy. His mom would just have to get over herself; eventually she'd see that this was the best option for everyone, including his unborn child. She didn't ask to be here after all, so at the very least he felt like she should be surrounded by love and not have to be subjected to the baggage of his circumstances with her mother.
"I appreciate your support, father." Gerard nodded and gave him a stern expression.
"Do your best to not let this get into the press."
"Right," Grimmjow replied, with a sigh.
Can't have it all, he thought.
Ichigo moaned as he used his hands to brace himself against Grimmjow's strong chest. He bit his lip as pleasure clouded his senses when his lover gripped his hips and thrust upwards to drive himself even deeper into Ichigo. The orange-haired male leaned down then, maintaining the rhythm they'd established, locking lips with the older man before he moved his lips to the shell of Grimmjow's ear.
"You feel so good, Grimmjow-sama."
"Ugh, fuck," the blue-haired male groaned when Ichigo licked his ear lewdly. The younger male sat back up, leaning back slightly propping himself up and rocking his hips back and forth at a steady pace. He watched Grimmjow's face contort with pleasure and it only made him want to do even more to please him. He returned to his initial position, although this time he opted to go from his knees to a more squat-like posture, balancing himself on his feet. He then braced himself on Grimmjow's chest once more and began to move up and down. He barely concealed a grin of self satisfaction at the sounds of sheer ecstasy that began to pour from his boyfriend's throat.
"You like that, baby?" Ichigo asked, and Grimmjow could only nod in response, his eyes rolling back as he did everything he could to keep from coming right then and there. The younger continued his work, moving almost expertly on top of Grimmjow, giving him utmost pleasure.
"Shit, Ichigo, that feels fuckin amazing."
Ichigo didn't know how much longer he would last, and judging by the sounds his partner was making, he assumed he wasn't alone. He continued to ride Grimmjow with enthusiasm, as the man underneath him praised his efforts. He could feel sweat rolling down his brow, but he kept going, the feeling of Grimmjow throbbing inside of him threatening to push him over the edge. He could feel that coil tighten in his pelvis, and he nearly screamed when his blue-haired companion's hand found its way to his turgid length.
"Oh, oh fuck, Grimmjow, I'm gonna - fuck!"
He couldn't maintain his rhythm once he came, though Grimmjow didn't seem to mind. The older male sat up and wrapped his strong arms around Ichigo's waist, cradling him as he thrust into him until he was moaning the other male's name with his release. Ichigo went slack in his arms as he laid back down, already fighting sleep. Grimmjow smiled and brushed away his lover's sweat-dampened bangs before kissing his lips gently.
"You sure you were a virgin when we met?" he asked, and Ichigo nodded, chuckling at the inquiry.
"I'm just a quick learner," he replied, looking at Grimmjow with a mischievous grin.
"You don't say."
The two males laid together in silence, Grimmjow's eyes on the ceiling while Ichigo's eyes were closed. The younger of the two was contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to try to discuss the topic he'd wanted to discuss when he'd rushed over to Grimmjow's house earlier that day. It did seem like kind of a mood-killer; his intentions were to talk about it beforehand, but he couldn't help himself once he got to the house and saw Grimmjow shirtless and glistening with sweat from his evening workout. The man was just too damn good-looking.
"Hey, Ichi?" The younger male hummed in response. "What do you think about meeting my parents?"
Ichigo's head shot up from its place on Grimmjow's chest so fast he was sure he heard something pop. He looked at the older man's face searching for signs of mirth. It seemed he was serious though.
"Umm, you don't think it's a little early for that?"
"I do, actually. But that's also kinda why I wanna do it. You know. Rip off the bandaid."
"Yeah, I don't know about that. Let me think about it some, okay?"
"Alright."
"Do you want to shower with me?"
Grimmjow smiled, rubbing circles on the small of Ichigo's back. "Sounds like you're not trying to get clean at all." Ichigo laughed.
"Perverted old man."
"You go ahead and warm it up. I'll be in in a second." They shared a kiss before Ichigo slid out of the bed and headed for the bathroom.
Grimmjow grabbed his phone off the nightstand, remembering a few emails he needed to answer before the morning. He'd asked Ulquiorra to look into who might've started the rumors about the merger. Grimmjow had had a few talks with some lower level executives at Nijigasumi, but that was it. They were brief talks about acquiring some assets but a merger? The word was never uttered once. Even still if they were in talks for a merger, why the hell would they be getting the press involved? It all just seemed really fishy, and Grimmjow was not happy about it. He already had enough press issues, being labeled "America's hottest CEO", which seemed somewhat dystopian in his mind. In short, he neither wanted nor needed any extra publicity.
As he scrolled through the thorough and extensive documentation from his anal retentive COO, a message from a number he didn't recognize popped up on his screen. Raising an eyebrow he tapped on the banner.
You don't know me, but I know you. I have something for you.
His eyes widened as photos began to flood the message thread. Most of them were just him going about his day; having coffee at his favorite place near his office, meeting up with his partners after work for a drink, mundane things. But what really threw him off were the photos of him with Ichigo. He didn't understand how someone could have been following them so closely without him noticing. There were photos of them in the park together, photos of them leaving the doctors office with Tier, and even photos of them together in France. It honestly freaked him out but he maintained his composure as he typed a response.
Who are you and what do you want?
He kept looking through the photos, his anxiety rising with each revelation. He couldn't believe it, but he had no choice. Someone was definitely stalking him. But why make their presence known now? And why involve Ichigo? Another message interrupted his thoughts and he found it nothing but frustrating.
All will be revealed soon, my friend. I hope you're prepared.
As if he needed anything else to worry about. He would have to get in contact with that guy. He rolled his eyes as he switched back over to his email. What a goddamned pain.
Once he was finished sending emails, he finally slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. The steam curled out of the room as soon as he opened the door. He smiled to himself when he heard Ichigo humming to himself inside the shower. He pulled the glass door back and stepped inside, watching Ichigo wiggle his hips to the tune of the song he was humming. The boy was too cute for his own good. Ichigo jumped slightly when he turned and saw Grimmjow.
"You scared me." Grimmjow snickered before he wrapped his arms around Ichigo's slim waist. "I didn't hear you come in. What took you so long?"
"Just had some work stuff to do. I bet you might have noticed me if you weren't so busy humming Toxic." He laughed when Ichigo blushed and held tighter when he tried to pull away.
"Leave me alone."
"Never."
He pulled the shorter male in for a kiss; it was sensual and needy and full of what was no doubt love. He still hadn't found the right time to say it but he had a feeling he wasn't alone. When they finally came up for air, Ichigo was looking at him with those pretty brown eyes. It was then that he knew; he'd never felt this way about anyone in his life. He'd be damned if he let some weirdo who didn't even have the balls to approach him themselves mess this up for him.
"Hey, Grimm?"
"What is it, baby?"
"I - umm. . ." Ichigo was looking way too nervous about whatever it was he was trying to say.
"Is there something wrong?" The younger male shook his head before he smiled.
"I just wanted to say. . .I love you, Grimmjow."
Holy shit.
He wasn't expecting that, and he definitely wasn't expecting how absolutely amazing it would feel to hear it. He hoped his grin didn't look as dumb as it felt.
"Well, shit. And here I was thinking I was a sap for wanting to tell you that."
"I'm waiting, sap." He laughed at that, kissing Ichigo's lips.
"I love you too, Ichigo."
Yes, he was definitely going to take care of this situation without getting Ichigo involved any further. Even if it meant dealing with a particularly annoying individual to do so.
It's been quite some time. I don't think I could really express how much I missed writing this story in particular. I know it seems a bit strange for me to start updating again like out of nowhere but I decided I need to finish this. I was in a really bad headspace two years ago when I said I wouldn't write anymore. I'm still not 100% and I probably never will be but this is what I want to do. I worked hard on all my stories, but this one I definitely put a lot of effort into. I can't let anyone take that away from me. So I will definitely finish this, although I am reluctant to give any kind of timeframe because my motivation and inspiration come and go. I won't give up though, and I hope there's still people who want to see where this goes. Even if there's not, I'm still going to write because I have to do this for myself. I appreciate anyone who decides to accompany me on this journey.
Until next time,
Patd06
