Haiiii, it's been a while ^_^ uh, what can I say? Enjoy? And leave a comment... Pretty please?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.

XXXX

"Get these boxes to the front. Hurry."

"Aye."

His friend gave him a suspicious look. "You're surprisingly obedient. Something happened?"

Grimmjow gave his childhood friend, Starrk, a goofy grin. Other than the fact that he found the finest human being existing in this universe? "Nah, nothing too exciting," he said while he picked up a huge beer box in his strong arms and headed to the front. Starrk's eyebrows had reached his hairline in shock and the blue-haired man grew a little defensive. "What?"

"Well, this isn't exactly what you call your normal behavior," the handsome brunet stated blankly, pushing aside the dark-blue curtain and making his way to the bar, the same beach bar they had built with their own hands, "Did you smoke anything funny again?"

The surfer let down the heavy box and rubbed his sore back. Ever since he got back from the beach, Starrk had been bossing him around nonstop to gather all the drinks, set them in place, clean the glasses, the stools, the bar and the wooden tables, so that everything would be ready for their customers that night. It was the annual beach party after all, when all the surfers and party animals of the town came around to get drunk and laid. "You know Starrk," Grimmjow sighed and opened the beer box, "I give you hard time; you complain, I'm being nice; you complain again. Just what the fuck you want me ta do anyway?"

The brunet shrugged and yawned lazily. "Dunno, be yerself I guess," he murmured and began stuffing the freezer with the bottles, "Let's just finish this so we can go to bed. I'm freakin' tired."

Grimmjow couldn't help but chuckle. "You're always freakin' tired Starrk."

The brunet gave him a sheepish grin. "Oh shut up, not always."

"Oh not at all. You're the only person I know who can sleep two days straight."

"That was only one time and it was after exam period."

True. Grimmjow wouldn't admit it though. "Let's just get this over with," he grunted instead, scratching the back of his head tiredly, "I wanna go for a swim."

With a nod and a heavy sigh, Starrk picked up where he had left off and followed him suit, finishing what they had to do in a couple of hours. Grimmjow shooed Starrk away after a while because the man started sleeping and drooling on the tables he was supposed to be cleaning and that pissed the blue-haired man because it added to his chores.

It was so nice and quiet in there on his own. Not that Starrk made any form of noise, on the contrary actually; he was one of Grimmjow's quiestest friends.

Without realizing, the blue-haired man was humming a random melody, enjoying the rare peacefulness of the whole situation as he went through all the surfaces with the rag, his mind drifting off to the gorgeous redhead he met at the beach. Was he a redhead really? His hair was orange-like, not red-red. So weird. But so beautiful at the same time. Was it real? Grimmjow guessed it was real, considering that the man's eyebrows were the same color. He shouldn't be the one talking though, with that blue mess he called hair on top of his head.

A soft sigh left his lips and a smile tugged at the edges as he sat down on one of the stools. To be totally honest, Grimmjow hadn't seen a sight that beautiful in a really long while. He definitely appreciated all the hot bodies the fellow surfers had, yet the orange-haired man had a strange allure and that pulled Grimmjow in like a magnet. He couldn't really figure out what it was. The fiery hair on top of his head, that not-as-tanned skin, taut over lithe muscle? Perhaps. However, what captured Grimmjow's undivided attention was the ginger's eyes; the chocolate-brown, almond-shaped orbs hid the mysteries of the world within them. Grimmjow was very fond of riddles and puzzles.

He couldn't wait to figure this one out.

See, Ichigo had left him a little confused and intrigued. For one thing, Grimmjow could definitely spot the spitting fire in the other man's eyes, the undeniable hard-to-get attitude, yet he couldn't miss the unmistakable sadness that took over his expressive features every once in a while. Why sadness? Who in their right mind would ever try to hurt a creature like Ichigo?

Maybe he was imagining things. Yeah, Grimmjow was the kind of person who would read too much in every little thing someone would do or say. He could read people as easy as a book, but sometimes he was jumping into his own conclusions. Oh well, he thought and stood up to hide the rag, If he wants me to know, he'll tell me.

For the time being, he had some business to finish at the back of the shop. But that didn't mean he would stop thinking about the gorgeous orange head and his perfect smile.

Damn. I can't wait until tonight.

XXXX

Yeah... The water didn't help.

Every time his thoughts wandered back to the drop-dead gorgeous blue-haired man, Ichigo would feel his entire body reacting, whether that was his stomach clenching or his intimate parts tightening ever so slightly. Even his heart would join the company at times; that stupid little organ, who had been asleep and aching for so long, stuttered and fluttered at the mere though of those mesmerizing blue eyes.

How on earth could a pair of eyes be so goddamned beautiful?

Ichigo was currently on his way back to the tent he shared with Shinji and Renji. He had waited for the annoying duo to join him for a swim but since they never came, Ichigo decided it would be best if he returned. Besides, he was a little anxious about the night's events. He had never been to a bonfire before... Who was he kidding, he was mostly excited about seeing Grimmjow again. Maybe he would get to talk to him a little more, if, of course, his shyness and awkwardness didn't push the other man away. Hopefully he could bring out his flirty side, like he did not so long before... Well, Grimmjow brought it out of him, being so straightforward and all...

He was so deeply absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize it as he finally reached his destination. He didn't even notice Shinji approaching him from behind until the blond man spoke. "Oi Ich!", he called and Ichigo literally jumped and turned around at the same time from the astonishment. Shit, he really was out of it.

"Where've ya... Been..." Shinji trailed off upon studying Ichigo's face, blond eyebrows reaching up for his hairline. "What's with that face?"

"What face?" Ichigo asked, genuinely confused. Had he something on his face?

Shinji snorted. "Ich don't shit with me; ya got this silly smile on yer face. That hasta come from somewhere. Unless you were jerkin' off and yer still high from the post-coitus-"

"What the hell is the matter with you?!", Ichigo exclaimed, shocked and a little annoyed by his friend's strange conclusions but before he got angry and destroyed his good mood, he huffed the anger away. Shinji was always like that, so what was the point of getting mad?

"That should be my line," the blond retorted, crossing his arms over his chest, "So ya gonna tell me or what?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why you are so happy! Oh my God, Ich, get it together!"

Ichigo pursed his lips to a thin line and frowned, averting his gaze. Well damn Shinji for being so attentive to every little detail. Well, it wasn't such a shocker really, since Ichigo hadn't smiled for a really long time, but Shinji was by nature very aware of his surroundings. And very stubborn too. He wouldn't leave Ichigo be until the orange head spilled the beans, he could see it in these mustard-hued eyes. Not that Ichigo didn't want to tell his friend about Grimmjow, however he knew that once Shinji found out, there was going to be a third degree interrogation about every little thing Grimmjow did and said.

Oh well, Shin will find out anyway...

"Okay," he sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "So, I met this guy at the beach..."

As expected, Shinji's ears perked up at the new information. "This guy?"

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered and licked his lips before continuing, "And he... Flirted with me."

The blond gasped, hands covering his mouth, eyes wide. "And?!"

Ichigo swallowed, opened and closed his mouth but didn't say none of the things he had in his mind. In the end, he straightened his back, took a deep breath and said, "Well, long story short, I'll see him tonight. At the bonfire."

Shinji cheered rather loudly and started jumping around victoriously. Ichigo couldn't stop his eyes from rolling at the back of his head, but he laughed anyway. Shinji was such a spectacle, a living circus. But Ichigo could see exactly how happy his friend was about him, so he couldn't hate the peculiar ways Shinji found to express himself. The blond rambled about how Ichigo - his little baby - was a grown up now and that he made good friends; things that made Ichigo laugh even harder.

"Jeez, why're you so loud?", a groggy voice interrupted the commotion. Renji was coming out of their tent, rubbing his eyes, his tattooed eyebrows pulled together in a scowl, "What the fuck happened?"

"We disturbed your beauty sleep, little red? Sawwy," Ichigo teased, his mood significantly better than it had been in a really long while.

Renji flipped him the bird and scoffed, his eyes then falling on Shinji, who was still jumping. "What the fuck did ya give 'im?"

Although he would have normally snapped at the redhead, the blond beamed instead. "Ich's got a date!"

Renji's eyebrows flew to his hairline and he glanced at Ichigo. "Date?"

The orange-haired man felt heat creeping its way to his face and scratched the back of is neck nervously. "It's not a date, Shinji is just making things up again. He just said he'll see me at the bonfire."

"Who is 'he'?"

"It's a man Ichigo met at the beach and a little something-something has already started between them!", Shinji quickly explained, before Ichigo could even utter a word.

"It's not like that!", he protested, his anger rising up again, "He was just...like..."

"Flirting with you!"

"Well...yeah."

"Awww," Renji crooned and patted Ichigo on the back with a little too much force, "That is something! What's his name?"

Ichigo absently rubbed the abused spot. "Grimmjow," he muttered.

"And how's he like?", Shinji nudged him, wiggling his eyebrows, "Is he fuckable?"

Ichigo sighed. There he goes. The third degree he was talking about? "He is like...Tall, taller than me, swimmer-built, he surfs and...well, he has blue eyes and blue hair..." He stopped, scratching the back of his head and a grin found its way on his lips. "He is, like, so good looking... And seems like a very nice guy. He's fun. And he has a really nice smile."

"Oh sweet Jesus, yer whipped!", Shinji cheered and Renji nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not whipped," he grumbled and glared at his friends when they both have him their own version of incredulous look. "What? It just feels nice to...well, be liked by someone after so long!"

"Sure thing, but you've always had this weakness for blue and beauty," Renji said, quirking one eyebrow, "And dude combines both. Yer fuckin' losing yer mind for him."

"The idiot is right," Shinji added, ignoring the nasty glare Renji threw at him. Then he shrugged, "And even if yer not whipped, I think this Grimmjow guy will be a great distraction for you. You better not let your stupid insecurities take over."

Ichigo scowled. "I don't have insecurities."

His friends laughed dryly. "Right not at all," the blond added sarcastically.

Ichigo crossed his arms. "I don't have insecurities," he repeated. What are these two idiot talking about? Just because he felt inadequate and so-not-sexy, that didn't mean he had insecurities!

"Either way," Renji intervened, changing the subject, "I heard they also host a beach party tonight before the bonfire. At least that's what the dude from the next tent told me. It's the annual surfer party or something of that short..."

"We are definitely going," Shinji nodded and clapped his hands, "We'll meet new people!"

"Nah, I don't wanna go. I'll just join you afterwards," Ichigo said. He didn't want to go to a party. He didn't want to meet people. He just wanted to be with Grimmjow. Was that too much to ask?

"No way!", the blond man shook his head, "You're coming with us!"

"Aw, c'mon!"

"I ain't takin' no for an answer!" And with that said, the blond shoved Ichigo towards Renji's truck, where they kept their clothes - thanks to Shinji who brought his entire wardrobe with him. "We gotta make ya fine as eff, so that this Grimmjow guy falls harder fer ya!"

"Shinji, shut up."

"Take care, ladies!", Renji waved with a big grin, "I got some business to attend to!"

"No one cares!", Shinji retorted and Ichigo had to roll his eyes when Renji yelled something crude in response.

His friends were total idiots.

Back to the situation at hand though; aka, Shinji pushing him around. Hella annoying. But knowing pretty well that resisting wouldn't bring him any success, Ichigo let his friend do his thing and waited patiently as Shinji flickered through outfits, muttering "no, no" or "too slutty" or "pink doesn't suit Ich". In the end, the whole scene of random clothes flying here and then was so hilarious that Ichigo busted out laughing.

However, Shinji didn't find it as funny. "Stop laughing stupid and start changing outfits! Move out!"

Ah. Would he ever get used to Shinji's overwhelming actions of affection? The answer was no, simply because Shinji never stopped surprising him. The blond had his own ways and Ichigo dared to say he was kinda used to him by now. Kinda. Shinji cared about him a lot and it was adorable, and to be totally honest, he tried to make Ichigo happy more than the orange-haired man did.

Shit, I'm such a terrible friend.

"So, Ich, I was thinking this would go well with..." The blond paused, studying Ichigo's face carefully before frowning. "What's the matter?"

With a heavy sigh, Ichigo shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just grateful you're my friend."

Shock was clearly written all over the blond's face but in the end he flashed his notorious, piano-tooth grin and patted the top of Ichigo's head. "I love you, baby," he said, "All I want is to see you happy again." There was a brief pause and before Ichigo even opened his mouth to speak, Shinji was all over the place again. "So how do you feel about polka dots?"

The orange-haired man facepalmed and chuckled. Shinji's attention span was so incredibly short it could give him a whiplash. But it was okay. It shooed away Ichigo's negative vibes, simply because it distracted his attention as well. As a matter of fact, after that sweet moment, the two friends began arguing about whether polka dots on shirts were cool or not.

"Just promise me you'll give this man a chance," Shinji said after a couple of hours, when they had finally found something appropriate - in Shinji's opinion - for Ichigo to wear to the party. Brown locked with golden and Ichigo pressed his lips together.

"And you promise me you won't do anything to embarrass me in front of him."

He didn't like the teasing grin that suddenly appeared on his friend's face. He really didn't like it. "No, I can't give promises I can't keep," the little devil said and skidded away.

Ichigo shook his head and entered their tent, hoping to find some peace and quiet and catch some zees to be able to stay awake for the party. He had to clear his mind people, to relax his poor nerves, which were taut like guitar strings. Shit, he was nervous, don't judge him. Just thinking about meeting Grimmjow again made his systems go nuts.

Let's just hope that all this anxiety would be worth it.

XXXX

"Do we have clean glasses?", Starrk shouted over the blasting music, the customers' shouting sing-along and laughter.

Grimmjow turned to his friend while making a cocktail and nodded, bending over to pick up a tall glass from the bottom counter and pushing it towards Starrk. "Here!"

"Thanks man!"

Jeez, they were so busy. So freaking busy. Grimmjow always forgot how busy they got every year because of this party. But it was a good thing; the income from this night was enough to feed Grimmjow for at least one month, maybe two. Plus, he kinda enjoyed this event; what was funnier than a couple of happy and/or drunk people slurring nonsense here and there, or flirting with him or getting naked and skinny-dipping in the ocean. The latter wasn't exactly very safe, because of the risks of drowning but Grimmjow had a parallel job as a lifeguard so he could help any time.

A couple of customers called his name, trying to place their order over the music and Grimmjow grinned at them, getting to work immediately. He loved working with alcohol as much as he liked drinking it. Making cocktails was his thing, after swimming and surfing of course, and he was pretty damn good at it, however, he wasn't the kind of person who drank to get drunk. One good drink was enough. Either way though, Grimmjow couldn't get drunk. No way. No matter how much alcohol he consumed. For some reason, he had never gotten drunk. Tipsy, yes. But drunk... Never. Nevertheless, he wasn't very keen on the idea of losing control of his body and doing shit he would probably regret the next morning.

"Oi Grimm," a familiar voice grunted, "Move yer ass over, I brought clean glasses."

Grimmjow glanced at his other good friend, Nnoitra, the lanky freak of seven feet height and long black hair, and scooted over, despite the man's rude tone. He couldn't blame Nnoi for being grumpy; he was in charge of the cleaning and therefore he was shoved in the back, missing the party. He would occasionaly pop up to re-stock them on the glasses though and drink some.

"How's it goin'?", he asked.

"Pretty good," Grimmjow sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "The demand is high and cash is comin' in."

"Awesome," Nnoitra nodded, "I got rent to pay."

"Same."

Nnoitra nudged his ribs and grinned at him widely. "Did ya find someone interesting?"

Blue eyes rolled and Grimmjow shook his head negatively. On one hand, he had been way to busy to look for someone interesting, but on the other hand, his mind was solely occupied by a certain orange-haired man and he wasn't willing to let anyone else take that place. Ah, he would get to see him in a few hours, at the bonfire... Grimmjow really couldn't wait, it felt like ages-

Suddenly everything came to a halt. As soon as Grimmjow looked away from his friend, towards the jumping crowd, he spotted that unmistakable orange hair. At first he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him, however, he soon realized that a few meters away from him stood his favorite ginger indeed. Ichigo was glancing right and left with confusion and a little bit of hesitation in his eyes, looking so damn fine with his black shorts, his white-and-blue stripped tee on top and the white flip-flops, that Grimmjow had to fan himself a little. "Damn," he sighed and scratched the back of his head with a lazy grin. Shit, he looks so much more perfect than in my memories.

"Damn indeed," Nnoitra agreed, his voice a little lower than before, "Who's that babe walking next to yer ginger?"

Blue eyes momentarily left the magestic being called Ichigo and glanced to where Nnoitra was looking, only to roll his eyes at how predictable Nnoitra's taste was. Next to the orange-haired man stood a shorter, slender man, with shoulder-length blond hair and an equally searching look on his face. "Yet another one of yer bleached boys, Nnoi," Grimmjow chuckled in amusement.

"Shut yer mouth, Grimm. He's a natural blond."

Grimmjow had to laugh at that. That was his argument? "Yeah well, s'cool and all but now get yer ass back to the kitchen."

"Nah man, fuck you," Nnoitra scoffed and whacked him at the back of his head before walking away, "I'm goin' after that ass." And with that, he was already on the way to hunt the poor blond down.

The blue-haired man gave his friend an amused stare before turning his attention back to Ichigo, only to gasp in astonishment as these pretty brown eyes stared straight into his. Ichigo quickly averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head, but then he hesitantly glanced back at the blue-haired man. By that moment, all Grimmjow wanted to do was jump and tackle the adorably shy man to the ground and cuddle the life out of him. Despite how strong that urge was, Grimmjow fought against it and with his index finger, he beckoned at the other.

A small smile lifted the edges of these beautiful lips and Ichigo pointed at himself, mouthing, "Me?"

Damn, that little piece of shit is playing with me, Grimmjow thought to himself and promptly felt his stomach flaming, So he's a shy flirt? Fuck. So hot.

"Yeah you," Grimmjow nodded as he kept inviting the man over with his finger.

Ichigo flashed one of his dazzling grins and turned to the blond next to him, obviously to tell him that he was coming to the bar. But then the blond glanced towards the bar and as soon as he became aware of Grimmjow, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The blue-haired smirked, amused by the fact that Ichigo elbowed the man and scowled deeply. They exchanged a couple of heated words before the ginger was finally walking towards the bar, briefly glancing around to the dancing bodies. Grimmjow smiled; he was avoiding eye contact. That was fine. They would make enough eye-contact later, Grimmjow would make sure of it.

Ichigo's eyes were finally on him when he was by the bar. "Hey," he said almost timidly. Almost.

"Hey yourself," Grimmjow grinned and propped himself on the counter, inching as close as common courtesy allowed him to, "You settled down?"

"Ugh," Ichigo groaned and rolled his eyes, "As much as I can settle down with two idiots in the same tent."

"Two?"

"My friends Shinji and Renji."

Renji? That sounded familiar... Oh! That had to be the sexy redhead with the tattoos Shuuhei hadn't shut up about. So the blond one had to be Shinji. Grimmjow didn't know why but he was happy to know about Ichigo's friends. "Are they fighting?"

Ichigo nodded with a dramatic expression on his pretty face. "You have no idea," he sighed, "But let's talk about something else."

"Before we talk about that something else, tell me what can I get you?", Grimmjow suggested and got ready to impress, "Cocktails are my specialty."

"Hmm... You got tequila? I need something strong."

"But that's not a cocktail..."

The ginger smiled at him. "I know. Let's do some shots together, 'kay?"

After spending some time eyeing him carefully, Grimmjow finally grinned. "Sure," he said and picked up the bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, the lime and the salt. Ichigo watched him closely, observing his hands carefully as Grimmjow got everything ready for the first round. Jeez, he looked so freaking expectant as soon as he got the little shot in his hands. "Bottoms up," Grimmjow smirked, bumping his glass against Ichigo's.

Ichigo shrugged playfully. "And the devil laughs."

Grimmjow was about to shoot back the alcohol but he stopped to laugh at what Ichigo had said. "He laughs huh?"

His brown eyes were shining in amusement and Ichigo quickly downed his drink, satisfaction written all over his face as soon as he swallowed. "Ah, let him laugh," he sighed, "We're all going to hell anyway."

The blue-haired man followed him suit and finished his drink in one go, licking the salt and acid off his lips before he spoke, "Why you say that?"

"It's simple, really," Ichigo quirked one of his eyebrows and bit his lower lip, "Tell me one for the seven deadly sins you haven't fallen into yet."

Grimmjow pondered on the idea and tapped his chin. Wrath... Well, he tent to snap easily and get angry a lot. Greed, sloth and pride... He wasn't really greedy or lazy but he was kinda proud as a person. Envy... He was jealous, but only because he was possessive. Gluttony... That one was one hundred percent because he loved eating a lot... And lastly; lust. He eyed Ichigo, who was still looking at him, clearly expecting an answer and licked his lips slowly, hungrily.

Yeah. He knew about lust alright.

"I am going to Hell," Grimmjow said in the end, earning himself a soft chuckle from the ginger.

"See? I told you."

"What about you though?", was Grimmjow's next question.

Ichigo tilted his head to the side in the most adorable questioning expression Grimmjow had ever seen in his life. "What about me?", he parroted.

"Which one of the deadly sins you've fallen into lately?" The dry chuckle that escaped the beautiful, full lips made Grimmjow realize that he had somehow stepped on a dangerous territory. "If you wanna tell me that is."

"It's fine," Ichigo shrugged, even though he looked a little bit bitter, "I've been really into wrath lately."

"Wrath?"

"Yup." A sigh. "I was pretty angry up until recently. See, I just got out of a rather...messy relationship."

Albeit he knew he was being a nosy son-of-a-bitch, Grimmjow couldn't stop his curiosity. "Messy?"

The orange-haired man nodded and pursed his lips into a thin line. "Basically, he was cheating on me with a woman."

Grimmjow wrinkled his nose in disgust. Uh, duh, cheating on your significant other is so not cool. It was a huge blow on the other's ego. "Ouch."

"Tell me about it," Ichigo said and shifted on his legs, propping himself on his elbows. He gave Grimmjow an almost pleading expression. "But let's talk about something else, more pleasant."

Grimmiow suddenly caught up with how nosy he had been acting and he mentally scolded himself. He couldn't help it though. He wanted to know more about the orange-haired man, to answer all these questions that had been boggling his mind all day. At least now he knew the reason behind the sadness in Ichigo's eyes. But still, he had to do tha right thing and apologize. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry or anything."

Ichigo shook his head in amusement and he gently tapped Grimmjow under the chin. "Relax soldier," he said, "It's not that you forced me to tell you."

Trying to hide exactly how much that short contact had turned him on, Grimmjow nodded. "Fair enough." He lifted the tequila bottle and filled their glasses again. "Down for another one?"

"Always." When Grimmjow was done, the both lifted their shot glasses in the air and their eyes met. "To unfaithful exes."

"...And future lovers," Grimmjow added, not caring that he was being way too obvious. It earned him another one of Ichigo's smiles, so he could live with it.

"And future lovers," Ichigo reciprocated and they both downed the shot at the same time, biting the lemon slice in the end.

"Ah shit, it burns," Grimmjow breathed and cleared his throat.

"That's the best part of it," Ichigo commented, his nose wrinkling and his eyes narrowed from the same burning sensation Grimmjow was talking about.

It was nice like this. Despite the heaviness of the atmosphere when Ichigo was talking about his ex, it felt good to sit there and throw back shot after shot, while opening up to each other. Although Grimmjow hadn't really told much about himself yet, he could feel that it was his turn. Because Ichigo's eyes were focused on the blunet's wrist and soon enough, his hands were turning Grimmjow's hand so that the palm was facing upwards.

See, Grimmjow had a tattoo on said wrist. The Chinese Yin-Yang. Ichigo stared at it for a while, tracing it with his fingers and giving Grimmjow goosebumps, but in the end, he looked up and said, "That's pretty."

"Thanks," Grimmjow grinned, "I feel that it's something we should all keep in our minds."

"There is a balance between two opposites, with a little bit in each," Ichigo muttered absently, never breaking their eye contact, "Isn't this what the proverbs say?"

"Yeah, it's also like...blue and orange," Grimmjow drawled and let his fingers slide over Ichigo's sharp jawline. He licked his lips when he saw these gorgeous brown eyes darkening a little at the contact, "They are complementary colors; one completes and makes the other better."

Ichigo hummed softly and sighed, his warm breath brushing over Grimmjow's lips in the most sensual way possible. "I like the way you said this..."

Holy shit, that was intense. Grimmjow's mind went blank, the world around him completely forgotten. He could almost taste him, there mouths mere inches away from one another... Ichigo had even closed his eyes and waited and Grimmjow was about to kiss him and-

"Hey, Grimmjow!"

Starrk's voice abruptly cut through their moment and Grimmjow could swear to everything Holy in this world that he would kill his best friend in the most violent way possible. The savage urge got worse when Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Grimmjow, scratching the back of his neck while a blush swallowed his entire face and neck. He turned his head and glalred daggers at the brunet who had the audacity to look amused. "Starrk," he growled, "Can't you see I'm fuckin' busy?"

"Oh yes, of course I can see that you're busy," the evil - soon to be dead - man chuckled and walked closer to them, his grey eyes fixed on Ichigo. "Hello," he greeted the orange-haired man, offering his hand, "I am sorry to interrupt you two. I'm Starrk by the way."

Ichigo gave him a weak smile and shook his hand. "Ichigo. Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Starrk hummed with a lazy smirk, "I'm guessing you're the reason Grimmjow had been in such good mood today, right?"

Brown eyes blinked in confusion. "Eh?"

Grimmjow clenched his fists to stop himself from strangling his best friend. "Starrk," he hissed, "Don't you have somewhere to go?"

Starrk gave him a sideways and very teasing grin. "I do," he said, "We all do. We're going to get the fires going. Wanna join us?"

Shit, he had completely forgotten about that. As a matter of fact, with a quick glance around him, Grimmjow realized in his utter astonishment that there were no more people partying and drinking all over the place, the loud music gone along with them. Okay, that was a first; to lose himself completely in another person's eyes. Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo, who seemed to be in the same state of shock, and quirked one eyebrow. "So? What do you say?"

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically. "Heck yeah. That's why I came here tonight."

Grimmjow placed a hand over his chest, frowning a little too dramatically. "You mean you didn't come here for me?"

The brunet next to him laughed loudly when Ichigo dumbfounded him with a surpisingly flirty smirk and a wink. "I'm good at multitasking."

That left the blue-haired man high and dry and very aroused. Like he said, Ichigo was shy but a flirt nonetheless and that was incredibly hot. He kept Grimmjow on the edge, not knowing what to expect and that made liquid fire spread through his veins. He hoped, he really begged the Gods that Ichigo would stay in the camp for a while. Ask him how long he'll be staying, he mentally noted and a grin found its way to his face.

Grimmjow wanted to take his time with this one. Whether he got sex in the end he didn't care, although he definitely wanted some one-on-one time with the sexy ginger. Grimmjow had this feeling that Ichigo was a keeper. And all that was left to do was to confirm this suspicion of his.

Time. All he needed was a little bit of time.

XXXX

Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter :D