Notes: Hold on to your seats guys, the fun part has just begun...

He was breathing hard, any breath of air gushed out in pants. He was running for an hour. He was drenched in sweat and his legs were wobbly but he had to continue. His unused muscles were finally getting the wake up of a life time. He couldn't just stop now so he went on.

The floor kept moving, if he made a single wrong move he could fall. He didn't want to go through this torture but he had to. He was an athlete and his state right now was just an embarrassment.

"I'm sorry sir, you have used the treadmill for over two hours and currently other gym members would like to use it. We would appreciate if you could find another workout area, we recommend the boxing area or the machines," an employee stood next to him, holding the controls of the machine that was in front him. Ichigo gave the younger man an miffed look and walked off.

So much for VIP. He should have worn the membership pass around his neck. People be acting like they own the place.

He went to a corner, and sipped a cold drink from the cooler nearby. Tatsuki was walking from the staff lounge towards him. She was grinning at him and was practically laughing at what she was seeing.

"Seriously, two hours in and you already look like you want to die. That is just sad, Ichigo, sad."

"Shut up."

"Go to the third floor, there's a place you would like." The woman patted him on the shoulder and said to him, before heading off to one of her classes.

Tatsuki became a CrossFit trainer after she graduated college. According to Orihime, she didn't want to go for the Olympics route so she became a fitness trainer. And at the same time, helping Orihime pay for her cooking school admission. They started dating when Tatsuki asked her out right after their graduation. By then Ichigo had left, and the group had already parted. Being the only two left in town, they decided to go forward together, making sure to keep their bond strong between them and the others.

Ichigo grabbed a towel and went for the third floor. He looked for an elevator but internally face-palmed when he realised that he was in a gym. No lifts duh, stairs it is.

The third floor was a state-of-the-art martial arts gym. There were many lessons going on and Ichigo wondered why he couldn't see the people training from the windows outside. He walked through the area, there were kids, adults, and even old people practicing different forms of martial arts. There were so many kinds from what he could recognise - boxing, taekwondo, judo, muay thai. The whole place were resonating with groans, grunts, hitting skin, thuds and rubber being hit really hard. To Ichigo, tis was actually a nostalgic sight from high school when he was an athlete. He decided to go to the boxing area where there weren't any classes going on, he didn't want to disturb them.

Immediately, he could see a few people doing a variety of training exercises, most of them were using the punching bags or jump roping. He headed to the elevated ring to see a shirtless guy with a bald head, doing some practice punches with his coach. Both of them were furiously exchanging blows, the coach pushing him and the boxer hit even faster and harder. Now that's a coach.

Ichigo was always interested in boxing. He honestly felt that boxing was one of the basic forms of fighting and it was. Using the arms to punch was easy, but you need to know how to use your shoulder and the proper muscles to throw a good one. Physically, he was a little rough but mentally, he knew how to fight. Ichigo just stood at the back of the ring just watching the two practice, studying the proper stance and movement to throw in a proper, hard punch. The bouncing movement was similar in taekwondo but it was still more stationary in terms of dodging because there were only punches and no kicking.

After a while, the two of them stopped for a break, the boxer went off somewhere while the coach stayed. The coach was a monster, he was huge, muscular and was straight up intimidating. Anyone going in a ring with him better prepared to break something because he didn't look like he would throw any soft hits. The coach walked towards Ichigo who was still leaning on the ring, just watching.

"What d'ya want?" The Boston accent was thick and prominent. His looks matched his voice.

"Just watching. Looking around." Ichigo shrugged, his arms folded in his chest.

"You a fighter kid? Staring at us too hard, might think you looking for dick." Huh, the typical homophobic joke. Ichigo didn't expect much from people like him but he shouldn't read too much into his words.

"Taekwondo mostly but no boxing. Judo and jujitsu, here and there," Ichigo answered

"Come on up. Lemme see if you throw a punch like a girl." Hoo boy, the man was testing him. Ichigo may be intimidated by this man but he wasn't afraid to hit 'em. Ichigo jumped in the ring, and grabbed the pair of boxing gloves that was hung at the side.

"You done this before?" The coach asked, Ichigo shook his head. He had thrown some punches in his time but he never actually learned the proper thing. The coach was nice enough to give a free lesson, he wanted to learn and he had nothing to do.

Recollecting from what he saw a few minutes ago, he took on the stance of the boxer. His hands bent at the elbow and blocking his face. The coach held out his left hand and Ichigo stretched his right. And they continued to do so with the other side.

"Your postures correct. Now harder." Ichigo listened and punched, hard. Satisfied when he heard the hard polyester hitting sound. The coach seemed impressed by his strength but didn't comment. He did it again, following the coach's lead. They were gaining speed and Ichigo matched the coach's movements flawlessly. Every time the coach reached out, Ichigo would already have hit it.

Next thing he knew, the coach suddenly threw his hand too forward, like a punch and he did what he imagined he would do in a fight. He dodged swiftly.

"Wooo kid, you fast." The coach seemed pumped up and so was he. They both started to bounce on their toes and circled each other. They continued their exchange this time the coach would actually put in some of his own punches and jabs and Ichigo would dodge them flawlessly.

For a fleeting moment, Ichigo looked at the wall clock to realise they have been at it for ten minutes and he had to stop. There was a crowd that had formed around them, all of them who were already in their own training. As he was distracted, the coach tried to move in for a hard punch, Ichigo immediately avoided the outstretched arm as momentum to throw a roundhouse to the coach's temple. That's what he was going to get for sneaking up on him.

Ichigo wasn't sure if he could throw good punches but he was damn sure he had the strongest kicks. And it was definitely proven right when the 7 foot something coach tumbled to the ground, a little dizzy. He could hear the simultaneous gasps from the crowd but he sure wasn't sorry.

He took the gloves off and headed for the grounded coach. The man blatantly ignored the hand to bring himself up. Ichigo respected that, his pride's been hurt and all.

"You gon come here often?" The coach grunted to him in question, a little miffed from the kick he got. Most people would have been knocked out from the kick but the man looked fine, with a growing bruise on his temple though. It was pretty obvious something like that would only bruise him, given his size.

"Yeah. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Zaraki Kenpachi. I'm head coach. I'll be seeing you soon Kurosaki." Then the coach smiled which sent chills down Ichigo's spine. The expression was bloodthirsty and looked way too fearsome to be a polite expression. Ichigo just nodded and walked away, making sure to hang the gloves up. The crowd had dissipated but some stood to judge him. As usual, he ignored the looks and headed for the VIP locker room for a bath and some free granola bars and whatever was the fruit-juice-of-the-day.

Since he was already in the area, he went by Shinji's. He intended to return the apartment key to discover that the other man was indeed at home. He was in his corner office, busy with his work. The man was hunched in his office chair, drawing up some designs for what seemed to be necklaces. When Shinji finished whatever he was doing, they ordered delivery for lunch. And Ichigo shared with him what had happened with his family. Shinji smiled the whole time when he told him and at the end, his best friend hugged him.

"I'm proud of you Ichigo." And Ichigo just nodded, he had made the first steps of change and he was glad things were looking up for him. They ate and then ichigo was forced to take a bath because Shinji said he smelt like a dead racoon this time. And of course Shinji had to jump in the shower to rub a coat of sunless tanner on his body. He said something about his pasty white ass be attracting nobody. Ichigo let Shinji do his thing, since Shinji was the fashionista of the two, he couldn't reject.

Also not forgetting to mention, he was a model now so he had to look good. By then it was only 2pm so Shinji dragged him into the office and threw some sowing thread and pieces of individual jewels at him. He was utterly confused, Shinji was weird but this was another kind of weird. Then Shinji as his genius self, said "I need you to sow these together to something like this." He motioned to a 4 peaked jewel flower thing.

"I need another 4 pieces." He said not even bothering to wait on Ichigo's answer before turning back to his drawing.

"Why can't you do it?" Ichigo childishly answered. This was his day off.

"I'm busy planning out my designs for the runway coming up next season." Shinji answered never leaving his spot.

"But I don't know how to do this." Ichigo was frustrated, he loved the man to bits but being his bitch wasn't as fun.

"You shut up and go learn yourself. I did it myself too, you know" Ichigo rolled his eyes and grabbed the damn pieces.

It had been like two weeks since he went to Grimmjow's place, he thought to himself on the way back. And I borrowed his umbrella. He quickly checked his gym bag to find that it was indeed there where he had put it in before leaving the apartment.

Heading back from Shinji's place, he had changed to a maroon shirt and some black jeans from I.D. He wore his Nike's from the gym as he couldn't be bothered to bring another pair of casuals.

These days he went in and out of Roppongi district either stopping by the shop, the gym or Shinji's place. Sometimes he would get called in as a waiter at the weird-hat's art gallery. He hasn't been back his house a lot and Yoruichi would always text him in worry. He made sure to text back, she worries a lot when he doesn't come back. He hasn't exactly had a good streak of being safe when he doesn't come back after a period of time. Usually he was drunk somewhere in an alley.

Being occupied all the time helped him kick the drinking habit and it did help with the withdrawal. And he was thankful that he has been able to control himself. In the past, it was almost too easy for him to just lose himself in the moment; get some booze somewhere and be as wasted as humanly possible. With all the current stuff that's been happening, he hadn't had the luxury to think about even getting a single alcoholic beverage. Ichigo usually drunk to supress a pain inside of him and everytime he did it would be successful. Reconciling with his family after six years, there wasn't a need for him to drown out anything. Though there have been moments where his body craved for something. A craving that wasn't strong but Ichigo was still afraid to indulge. It could potentially ruin him again. Every single time he had the opportunity he would decline. He didn't want it anymore. He didn't need it. Alcohol had been a part of him for so long but now it had no more space in his life.

He had to admit he was lucky enough his body didn't suffer any major long term injuries due to his habits. It did have a toll in his body, like his dad said. He didn't have to hear from his dad to know that his body wasn't what it was. He wasn't as strong, his metabolism had slowed down and he was having trouble breathing if he exerted himself too much. It was heavy burden on him but he was reassured that his father told him it could be fixed. He still had youth on his side.

He visited the family house another three times within the two weeks, staying the weekend in his old room which was untouched yet clean. He even got to meet Unohona who came by. Being with his family again was an odd feeling but he loved it. The notion that there was always another person in the house was new for him but it was familiar. Yuzu would always be in the kitchen, dad in the clinic with Unohana and Karin doing chores around the house. He would come by and join them, all of them appreciating his presence. Ichigo couldn't have been any happier. He finally had a life that he wanted.

And he could've had done it without Shinji and Orihime, most importantly Grimmjow he felt. If the man hadn't saved his life, he wouldn't even be standing here. He didn't expect the other man to realise that his life has changed because of him. But he wanted to repay what the man had did for him. Ichigo figured he could at least start with food and then they could actually be friends. Ichigo couldn't lie to himself and say that he wasn't attracted to the man. He was. The man was different, he was not what he looked to be. Instead of a rude, demeaning pushover, he was gruff yet a man with substance, who actually thought before he acted. Other than that, Ichigo still didn't know much about the man. The attraction was there, in terms of personality and physicality.

The man was tall, and bigger than him, which wasn't his type at all. But the way the man pulled off his size made Ichigo's stomach shuffle. He controlled his muscles with ease and he wasn't too oblivious or clumsy when using them. The man was definitely not a muscle head and that really made Ichigo's heart beat faster. He wasn't sure that the man would like him back or even considered liking his gender but Ichigo was okay with it being a one-sided thing. He did not want to make it a harder situation to handle. He wanted to repay the man no matter what and creeping him out wasn't an option.

He only knew Grimmjow from what he could learn from the conversations. There was always an inkling in his head that the man definitely was hiding something from him. His past was vague and Ichigo didn't even properly know what he did for a living. All he knew about it was that it was very physical and it was dangerous. He remembered seeing the scars, some of them old but a lot were new. Bruises were also littered all over his abdomen and limbs. There were not many but they were huge patches. People would usually groan or squirm as it hurt whenever the part moved or got hit but Grimmjow blatantly ignored it like it didn't even exist.

The man was used to be in pain and from what he could see, the man could withstand a lot. Ichigo was suspicious but he didn't want to prod any further without the man's permission. Overstepping privacy wasn't his intention. He wanted to respect the man's boundaries and all that.

Ichigo found himself a feeling a little top off balance today even at the gym. He played it off figuring it was just gas or something.

While getting to Grimmjow's house, he took the time and studied the environment around him. He never noticed them the last time he went by here because the man was with him. He noticed that getting by the area, he had to pass by a red light district which wasn't as creepy in the morning or afternoon like that day. It was already 8-o'clock and the place was beginning to 'liven'.

Women in scantily clad clothing roamed the streets, shady individuals stood in dark corners and a lot of people coming out of clubs. He alighted the bus and took the opposite route to Grimmjow place instead of his own. Ichigo wanted to return the umbrella because it was just convenient then. And maybe grab some dinner with the man again. The man didn't turn him down the first time so he figured the man wouldn't mind another round.

Ichigo did consider the option of what if the man was not at home but he figured he'd just try. He could just go back since his own house wasn't that far. He went to a Chinese restaurant that he knew was around the area and ordered some chow mien and pot stickers. Passing by a mini-market, he grabbed some stuff for sandwiches for tomorrow. He was passing the store anyway so why wait till he goes back at whatever time to buy it. The shop might be closed by then.

With a few grocery bags in hand and his gym pack, he went to Grimmjow's apartment. The building was pretty decent even though it was a walking distance from the red light district. There was an actual working lift, decor, and the carpeting of the building was clean. The place could be a little pricey considering it was in good condition in a pretty shady neighbourhood.

He decided to take the emergency staircase up to the house because fitness and all that shit. There was a weird smell coming from the area so he ignored it the best he can.

Then, he noticed that there were stains on the ground of something that dripped off someone as they were climbing up. It was a deep red colour, he started seeing the stains the higher up he went. Obviously, blood. He continued going up, a little suspicious of the blood stains. As he reached the third floor where Grimmjow's apartment was, the blood pooled there the most and there were red hand prints on the door where someone pushed it. He had goose bumps but he quickly headed for the man's apartment. The stains didn't continue so Ichigo was relieved a little.

Finally standing in front of the door, Ichigo immediately paled.

What the actual fuck?

There was dried blood stains on the door handle and it wasn't even closed properly. He made sure to check the apartment number, multiple times. He could hear the TV running from inside. Whoever in there didn't bother to close the door before entering, which was really off. Ichigo steeled himself and slowly pushed the door open.

Oh god, please don't be a dead body.

He went inside the house, the place was dark, and all the lights were off. Ichigo, as quietly as he could, put his stuff on the ground by the door, preparing himself to fend off a possible intruder. With nothing on him, he took silent steps forward, passing the kitchen he saw the fridge door opened and Grimmjow's room door left ajar.

He made his way to the couch where the TV was playing some trashy show. He saw the shape of the man lying on the coach at the corner, splayed out with a vodka bottle in his hand. There were empty bottles thrown around the area. He took a step closer,

"Whoever you are. Get the hell out before I break your fucking neck," the man growled. Ichigo recognised that voice it was Grimmjow. Ichigo was pretty sure, no, definitely, the man was Grimmjow from his slight accent and all.

Ichigo immediately sighed in relief. All the tension just flew out, he went by the wall where the switches were and turned on all the lights. Ichigo was so stressed out and was pretty sure the man could be a homicidal killer. Thankfully, it was the owner of the house.

As the lights flickered on, the man on the couch immediately groaned in pain. Dropping the vodka bottle to shield his eyes, Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing.

There was blood covering the man, some even dripping on the hardwood floor. The bottles that were lying around had bloody handgrips on it. Ichigo hurriedly went to the Grimmjow's direction,

"Grimmjow, what is with all the bl- oh my, what the-, what the hell happened?"

Grimmjow was on the couch, his torso was bare except for some sweatpants, a huge bleeding scar from the bottom left of his stomach coming diagonally to his right nipple. A few long slashes on his left arm.

Ichigo could only cover his mouth in shock. He couldn't process so much blood on the man. Grimmjow was pale, his breathing was laboured. He looked like could barely lift a finger. Then, he just reached to a corner to grab a beer can and chug it down. The man had been bleeding his ass off and he was mixing his alcohols. The man had to be way out of it, just to mask the pain. When he reached over, Ichigo noticed the slash on his stomach wasn't too deep but the ones on his arm were still a gushing red, occasionally dripping off liquid.

"Get the fuck out of my house."

Ichigo darted off, immediately heading into the guest room where he had been in before. He vividly remembered that the room was stocked with medical equipment. He had seen the man open a drawer, seeing packages of gauze, antiseptics and other major first aid materials.

He rummaged the drawer, grabbing a nearby box tray thing. Sorting out the items he grabbed the stitching material bandages antiseptics. He even noticed that there were bags of IV drip in the drawer, he took note of them, already preparing himself to give it to Grimmjow.

Ichigo was prompt, he had to work fast in these situations. During his school breaks, he would help out with his dad at the clinic. His dad had been practically training him for a career with nursing. The clinic had been the neighbourhood's E.R, the hospital was too far away and sometimes too expensive for some of the locals. Everytime there was someone in need, even during the middle of the night, his dad would tend to them and Ichigo followed suit. Trusting him to bandage patients at 13 and even stitching shallow wounds by 15. His dad always mentioned it was a good thing to learn and he might need it someday. Well, now he certainly did.

Ichigo came back to see Grimmjow trying to stand. Ichigo rushed in front of him to slowly settle him back down on the couch.

"Ichigo?" The man's eyes were blurry. His forehead was sweating profusely, he was so out of focus. Shit, I gotta work fast.

"Grimmjow, you have to listen to me okay? I'm going to stitch you up before you lose any more blood. You hear me?"

The man just nodded, he was so lucid, Ichigo figured the man couldn't even fathom what he was even saying.

Ichigo went down on his knees to handle the one at his stomach first because it was the most vital one. As he reached out to pat the skin with the alcohol, the man immediately pushed his hands away.

"I'll, I'll do it myself." The man mumbled, he could barely open his eyes. Ichigo just patted his chest and went up to stare at his face. The man looked straight into his eyes and Ichigo did the same.

"You got to trust me." The man didn't react.

Ichigo just continued his work, and the man just sat still. At the first prick of the sewing needle, the man flinched but he still sat calm. Going further up the body, the man began to fidget and Ichigo's patience was waning. He didn't want to mess it up.

Ichigo then laid his hand from his position, on Grimmjow's chest again; a warm contact on the man's cold skin. The man halted his fidgeting and Ichigo continued the stitching. The whole moment was silent, he could only hear Grimmjow's heavy breaths and gasps from the pain. Every single second, thoughts were flying around in Ichigo's mind.

The wounds were obviously from a knife. Multiple knives, multiple people. There were also dark purple bruises forming all over the man's body. His face especially his left cheek. It was a huge one.

Ichigo pierced the skin on the man's upper arm and the man shoved him away, his unwounded hand pushing Ichigo's shoulder.

"Get the away from me!" Ichigo has had it with the man. He was trying to help him; stich the man up and he was acting like a little kid. Ichigo lifted his right hand up, with his palm out, ready to slap Grimmjow in the shoulder. With the positon, it was as if he was disciplining his kid. And to his utter surprise, Grimmjow actually flinched. A ready reaction as if someone had actually hit him before. Ichigo was speechless for a while and he slowly put his hand down, not knowing what to do.

"Uhhhh, just stay still Grimm. I'm helping you okay." Ichigo tried to show affection. He ran his hand through Grimmjow's blue mane and the man seemed to calm down.

The gashing wound slowly closed up as Ichigo sewed it shut. Blood no longer dripped out. Stitching the man had taken at least two hours and a few rounds of the stitching string. Ichigo concentrated every single moment, never losing his focus. He made sure to do a clean and proper job of handling the stitches. He covered the cleaned wounds with bandages and gauze. The man also had a couple of cuts on his face, his temple and his other parts. They looked minor compared to the ones he already worked on but they still needed to be tended to.

"Grimmjow, you hear me? I'm going to bring you to the toilet, we need to finish patching you up." The man had seemed to sober up a little after a while, and looked more coherent. He could actually stand this time although he grunted when the wound on his stomach stretched. The man seemed to handle the pain well which Ichigo found slightly disconcerting. Ichigo held the man by the back with the other man's shoulder on his, he was supporting the blue haired man's weight. They slowly trotted to the bathroom, Ichigo sat Grimmjow on the toilet seat. Ichigo went back to the guest room to restock the bandages. He came back in the toilet, seeing Grimmjow had wet some sort of cloth and was trying to clean himself up.

"Here, I'll help." Ichigo rinsed the cloth again and added soap. He dabbed the man's torso, avoiding the wounds, cleaning off the layer of sweat and dirt. He began to sterilize the tiny cuts and put plasters on them. Ichigo even made Grimmjow take off his pants so that he could find any wounds on the man's legs. Ichigo quickly ran to the other room and gave him a pair of new clothes to change into.

After three hours, the man was finally patched up. Bandages covered his whole body. Ichigo's heart was still racing from all the adrenalin. This sort of emergency first-aid usually made him stressed. It was such a long time since he had to experience it. The last time he did it was with his dad's supervision. The whole time in the toilet Grimmjow was silent, quietly obeying what Ichigo had asked of him. He looked better, colour returning to his cheeks but he was still panting heavily.

The silence was burdensome for Ichigo but it definitely made him think better.

"I'm going to clean up here. You should go and rest in your room." Ichigo stood up from his kneeling position. He was exhausted, not exactly out of breath, but his body and mind were a little numb. He heaved a sigh of relief the moment he stood up, relishing the stretch of his muscles.

He washed his hands in the sink. The blood being washed away by water. It was Grimmjow's blood. The man was definitely hiding something, and it was really dangerous. He thought he could trust the man, but this was definitely a sign.

He continuously rubbed his hands under the running water, rubbing soap and washing the suds off. His mind had wandered somewhere. He was so deep in thought, he'd forgotten that the other man was still in the cramped toilet with him. He splashed some water in his face, and for good measure he rubbed his wet hands in his hair. This is all real, Ichigo. You just stitched a man up. And the man could be a fucking murderer.

He couldn't believe what he had done. He had practically saved the man's life. The man who had done the same thing for him days ago.

Turning off the tap, he braced himself on the sink, his head leaning down. Letting the cold droplets trickle down his face. He felt something press up behind him, a warm presence. He lifted his head to the stare at the mirror in front of him. Again, he met the pools of blue. Deep pools that held a look of sadness, anger, regret. Ichigo stared at the reflection and it stared back at him.

He turned his body to face Grimmjow. The man was expressionless but the eyes told him everything. Two hands went to the small of his back, the large grip embracing him. Ichigo didn't move, he just stoned and stood there silent. Grimmjow leaned forward and their lips touched. And suddenly nothing and everything mattered to Ichigo.

The meeting of lips was an initial shock to him but he warmed himself up to it. He relaxed in the grip of the man, and his eyes shut close. The exchange sent shivers down his back, it felt so right, so good. There was no arousal in their exchange of tongues. Each kiss and nip Grimmjow left was like a small gesture of thanks.

The man's lips were exactly what it looked like, they weren't soft and pouty like his; they had density and packed a punch like the owner did. The man tasted like tobacco and alcohol. It wasn't too appealing but he had no room to complain. Their exchange took his mind off the severity of the situation.

They were wrapped in an embrace, Ichigo's arms on the other's shoulders, playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. He rested his arms lightly making sure not to disturb any wounds. Their bodies were pressed against each other, both sharing their body heat.

They parted, both a little out of breath. Their make out session wasn't exactly vigorous or rushed, just a warm exchange of lips. The kind of kiss where you appreciate your partner for who they were, for what they did. It was everything Ichigo hoped the exchange would ever be. There was an immediate flood of guilt because he knew the man was drunk and he wouldn't even remember the exchange when he woke up. He slightly pushed the man's shoulders,

"Get back to your bed. I gotta clean up outside."

Grimmjow just nodded and obeyed. The silence from him wasn't unbecoming of him so Ichigo just accepted it. Ichigo turned to stare back at the mirror, and the reflection was staring back at him.

What the hell am I getting into?

What is Ichigo getting into? DUN DUN DUUFUFUFFNUFNNN