*sweats* ...it's been over a year. I can explain.

Actually, wait, I can't. I got zero excuses other than the fact that I hate(d) my writing and I didn't feel like continuing this. Also, I didn't have time during the year to write, so there's that too.

Either way, to whoever is still reading this shit - enjoy, pal!

XXXX

Ichigo felt like he wanted to puke his stomach. How the fuck that worked he wasn't sure but he wanted to do it.

Glancing at the blue-haired man walking next to him (who was by the way still arguing with his friend, Starrk) Ichigo wondered, What the hell am I doing? He was actually flirting with Grimmjow, which was so out of character for him and it felt so fucking good but so odd at the same time because it was like...it wasn't him but another person doing the sexy antics, yet, Ichigo knew he didn't have dissociative identity disorder and just recalling that fact that he and Grimmjow almost kissed, made him want to crawl in a whole and die from the embarrassment and scream in frustration that it didn't happen at the same time and-

His erratic thoughts were cut short because his balance started faltering. It wasn't fucking funny. There was one fucking elevation on the sandy ground and Ichigo was tripping all over it and his mouth would have been stuffed with sand, if it wasn't for these strong arms that held onto him, preventing his fall. Ichigo looked up to worried blue eyes and promptly felt his cheeks flood with blood. Great. So fucking smooth, Ichigo Kurosaki. You're a fucking charmer.

"You okay, ginger?", the blue-haired sweetheart asked, genuinely concerned instead of busting out laughing at his clumsiness. His awkward embrace remained and all Ichigo wanted was to bury his face in that delicious chest but he contained himself by nodding and straightening up, dusting off the non-existing dirt from his shirt.

"Um, yes," he muttered, face in flames, "I'm sorry."

A smirk formed on Grimmjow's face and Ichigo suddenly found it hard to breathe. "Don't apologize, ginger," the man said coolly, "It happens to everybody. Besides..." His voice dropped a little, his pretty blue eyes brightening up with mischief and hope - how was that possible? "I could always hold your hand to keep you on track. If you want to, of course."

Ichigo wanted to melt and become a useless pile of goo that would get absorbed by the sand. How can he be so perfect?, he wondered dreamily but on the outside, he put on his blank face and nearly scoffed, "I can keep myself on track just fine, thank you."

He instantly regretted it, as soon as the words came out of his mouth because Grimmjow's confident expression was replaced by devastation and the edges of his perfect lips turned downwards. "I-I didn't mean to offend you," he muttered nervously and Ichigo was at the point when he wanted to die. He didn't mean to dishearten the man; he was only trying to play hard-to-get! Only his poor, tortured soul knew how much he wanted to hold hands with Grimmjow, no matter how corny and stupid it was.

"I, um, I didn't mean...", he tried to patch things up, "Like, I didn't mean it like that and..." Grimmjow looking at him like a kicked puppy wasn't doing anything to help him formulate speech. In the end, Ichigo just huffed in frustration and facepalmed so hard he thought he saw stars. "Just... Please hold my hand."

With the corner of his eyes, just where he was peaking between his fingers, he saw Grimmjow's face personify uttermost shock before the man hid his face between his large, perfect hands and groaned loudly. Ichigo frowned in confusion and opened his mouth to speak but the moment he did, Grimmjow's head snapped up and he was staring at him with bright but dark blue eyes while biting his bottom lip. "You'll be the death of me," he simply murmured before Ichigo felt warm, strong fingers sliding into his.

Then after, the orange-haired man was too busy trying to slow down his heartbeat and redirect his blood from his cheeks to other parts of his body - like his fucking brain for example, because not only he was about to start blathering like an idiot, he was also about to faint. He averted his gaze when he caught Grimmjow staring at him when they started walking again, knowing very well that the man was grinning because of the blush on his face. Even though it was dark, the blush was just so much Ichigo knew it was visible.

"You are so cute," Grimmjow said, tracing Ichigo's thumb with his own soothingly but it wasn't doing much. Ichigo scowled.

"Don't look at me."

"Alright," Grimmjow chuckled and indeed looked away. In fact, he turned back to Starrk, who Ichigo had forgotten that tagged along and now he felt even more like an idiot, especially when he saw the brunet smirking in amusement, casually picking up the previous conversation, as if nothing embarrassing just happened.

"How many fires you've planned to set this year?", the blue-haired man asked.

Starrk shrugged. "I don't know, maybe thirty?"

Thirty? "Holy shit, really?", Ichigo gaped.

The two men snickered simultaneously. "It's not really a big deal," the blue-haired man said, "We just gather a bunch of people and a bunch of dry twigs and poof! It's done. Besides, each group of friends or couples can set their own fire and gather around."

"So, what do you guys do during these...bonfire events?"

"Basically we drink some beer and talk about life," Starrk said and then he chuckled, "Other times we reminisce about the past. Other times..." The brunet smirked teasingly and winked. "...we make out with significant others."

Ichigo blushed but thank God he wasn't the only one. "Oi Starrk!", Grimmjow grumbled urgently, "Cut it out."

Starrk lifted both of his hands in front of him in the form of surrender, however, that didn't mean he had regretted his actions, if the cheeky but somehow lazy grin he wore was any indication. "Alright big guy, don't give yourself an aneurism," he joked, "Either way, I should probably go help out and leave you two lovebirds to your love-birding. Laters!"

Both Ichigo and Grimmjow rolled their eyes at the other man as he started skidding away to the chaos of people on the shore and Ichigo started feeling the awkward silence taking over.

"So," it was Grimmjow who broke it, "How long you're stayin' here?"

"Eh? Oh, a week or so."

Grimmjow frowned. "So little?"

Ichigo felt himself smile with confidence he didn't usually feel. "Why? You gonna miss me?"

The blue-haired man glanced at him, then turned his attention back to the sand on their feet and chuckled. "Don't ask questions like that, ginger. I think you already know that the answer is yes."

Well, he hadn't expected that. Or at least, he hadn't expected Grimmjow to be so blunt with his answer. So, he felt his stomach clench nervously and fill with some sort of fluttering - maybe butterflies? "Well, I'll avoid asking questions like this in the near future."

Grimmjow's hand, which was warm around his, tightened in a comforting and very cutely attention-seeking manner. "Lemme ask you a question in return," Grimmjow said and took a deep breath, "I know a nice place where we could watch the sunset... How would you feel if I invited you to join me there tomorrow?"

The grey sand was suddenly a very interesting option to stare at as soon as Grimmjow stopped talking, especially for Ichigo Kurosaki who was a shy nerd that couldn't function when a human being as attractive as Grimmjow was basically asking him out. "I guess it'll be fun," he shrugged lamely, but on the inside he was flailing all over the place.

"Yosh," the blue-haired man cheered quietly and when Ichigo turned to look at him, he wore one of his magazine-worthy grins, "I'll pick you up from your tent tomorrow, okay?"

Shit, that smile could brighten up the sky better than the sun itself. It made Ichigo smile a little too. "Okay."

Grimmjow had opened his mouth to say something else and he would have done just that, but unfortunately for him, there was a loud shriek that attracted both of their attentions and all of a sudden, Ichigo felt like killing someone. Preferably his blond best friend who was running up to him and Grimmjow, terror depicted on his features.

"Ichigo!", Shinji screamed and jumped Ichigo's bones, making him almost tumble over, "Help me!"

The ginger tried to hold himself and his friend upright, scowling the life out of his eyebrows. "For the love of God, Shinji," he huffed, exasperated, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Shinji looked up at him and there was fear in his eyes. "Ich, you gotta help me, a monster is chasing me!"

"Shinji if this is one of your pranks, I'll break your precious nose, I swear."

"I'm not kidding, Ich!", the blond whined, hugging him tight, "This lanky ass motherfucker is tryin' ta eat me Ich, help me!"

"Who?"

"That lanky freak with the eye-patch!"

Lanky freak with the eye-patch? This was so confusing and when he heard Grimmjow chuckle, he frowned some more. "What?"

The blue-haired man shook his head in amusement. "He means Nnoitra," he said and chuckled again when Ichigo blinked at him, "The lanky freak with the eye-patch is my friend Nnoitra."

Shinji finally separated himself from Ichigo and gave Grimmjow a look of disbelief. "And why is he after me?"

"Because yer blond. He's weak to blonds."

The blond facepalmed and groaned in such frustration that Ichigo felt all the murderous intents die down. He in fact grasped his friend's shoulder and squeezed in a soothing manner. Or so he tried. Because he remembered exactly how scary and creepy Nnoitra looked; he couldn't blame Shinji from freaking out. "Well, you could always try to be more open-minded..."

Shinji's head snapped up and glared daggers. "If the man courting me was as hot as yours I would be more open-minded indeed," he clipped sarcastically, then glanced at Grimmjow with pleading eyes, "Would you mind a threesome?"

"Shinji!", Ichigo nearly screamed, slapping his friend's shoulder. Grimmjow, the filthy bastard, simply laughed.

"Nnoi ain't a bad guy," he said smoothly, "Give him a chance."

"So you do mind a threesome," Shinji sighed dejectedly and looked back at Ichigo who was at the process of blushing and rolling his eyes. "I'm jealous."

"You're not jealous; you're an idiot," Ichigo deadpanned, now pushing his friend away, "Now leave. I was in the middle of something."

"Oh c'mon! Someone needs to cater for my poor ass!"

"Go bug Renji."

"That stupid monkey is probably fucking his new beau by now, plus, he's useless most of the times anyway."

The blond had driven him to the point of pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to breathe slowly. Couldn't he get the hint? He turned to Grimmjow with an apologetic expression. "Excuse my potty mouth," he said, then glared at his best friend, "Shinji, fuck off. Now. I said I was in the middle of something."

Shinji gasped loudly and clutched his chest and if Ichigo didn't know the man for the most of his life, he would have been convinced that he had indeed hurt his friend. Shinji was a really good actor, especially when he wanted things to go his way. Unfortunately for Shinji though, antics as such didn't work on Ichigo anymore. "You can gasp all you want, I don't give a shit."

"Maybe you're being a little too hard on him," Grimmjow butted in hesitantly, but when he saw the look of utter betrayal taking over Ichigo's face, he rushed to patch things up, "I mean, we're going to the shore anyway; he can tag along till there and then on, we can continue on our own."

Ichigo had opened his mouth to tell Grimmjow that he was being too nice and that Shinji was just being a huge drama queen but said blond beat him to it by crooning rather loudly with a grin on his face. "God, what a sweetie," he said and grabbed Grimmjow's hand in a vigorous handshake, "And since Ich is being a dick, I should finally introduce myself on my own; I'm Shinji Hirako."

More than just a little baffled by Shinji's short attention span, the blue-haired man played along. "I'm Grimmjow," he said, "Good to meet ya."

"You know, when I asked Ich to gimme a description of you a few hours ago, he just said you're "good looking" and all I gotta say is that my friend was a little too short on the complement." Shinji shook his head at Ichigo in disappointment. "I'm sure Greek Gods would be fucking jealous of how gorgeous you are."

Ichigo thought he couldn't be more embarrassed of his friend.

How wrong he had been.

What the hell is Shinji doing?

"Well, thanks," Grimmjow muttered with an uncomfortable smile, his blue eyes darting to Ichigo, who was redder than ever before by that point.

The redhead took a deep breath. "I thought I told you not to embarrass me in front of him."

Devil Shinji grinned sheepishly before turning to the blue-haired man and patting his shoulder. "Our Ich is a little shy," he said, "Go easy on him."

"That should be my line," the blunet quipped suddenly. He was scowling. "Stop making him so uncomfortable; he's your friend for fuck's sake." Annoyed blue locked with brown. "C'mon ginger, let's go."

Shocked but so fucking relieved by how fast Grimmjow had rushed to his rescue, Ichigo started to suspect that the blue-haired man was a superhero in disguise. Or at least something like that. "Thanks," he muttered with a grateful smile as soon as they started walking away from a frozen-in-shock Shinji, "And I am sorry about his behavior. His mouth is not usually connected to his brain."

Grimmjow shrugged nonchalantly. "S'good," he said, "I'm kinda used to this kind of behavior; Nnoitra is like that too."

Ichigo had to snort at that. "Then they are perfect for each other."

"Yeah, I think they could at least get along."

"You're too nice, trying to pair up people this way."

"Nah, it's not a matter of kindness," Grimmjow shook his head, "I just want to be alone with you with no interruptions."

Grimmjow's bluntness would soon make him a cardiac patient because the stupid thing called heart started stuttering all over Ichigo's chest once again. He was not well. Not at all. Almost as a reflex, he averted his eyes and gazed at the horizon, where little dots of red had started to appear. "I'm sorry to break it to you but I'm a rather boring person. I don't have all these fun situations people talk about," he said.

"Although I doubt that, it's still fine," Grimmjow chuckled, "You're still young; maybe the interesting things will come later in life."

"Or maybe not at all," Ichigo added.

Grimmjow stopped walking and when Ichigo finally looked up, he realized that the man was scowling and started to mentally freak out. Shit, why can't I keep my mouth shut? But before he started spouting stupid excuses, Grimmjow silenced him with his words.

"Don't be so pessimistic," he said, "You've been lucky enough to be born in this world, you've seen and heard and learnt so many things, so act like you're grateful. Because, like my grandfather used to say, the only bad thing about this life is that it ends too quickly and when you realize this, it'd be too late."

Ichigo was caught all the way off guard. He already felt like a huge idiot for saying what he said out loud before, but what Grimmjow told him made him feel like worst of trash. The fact that he was rather pessimistic by nature wasn't an excuse; he went to the camp with his friends to have fun; Grimmjow wanted him to have fun. So he might as well do that. Create the interesting things Grimmjow of so fondly talked about.

A smile grazed his lips when he said, "You're right. Thank you."

Relief washed over him when the blue-haired man's face softened once again. "S'good to see some happiness on your face," he said, tapping Ichigo's chin, "It suits ya."

"Well, you kinda brought it."

"And I plan on keeping it there," Grimmjow added triumphantly and without further ado, he linked their fingers once again, "C'mon; let's go find Starrk."

The rest of their journey of finding Starrk was basically dominated by Grimmjow's magical voice, which talked all about surfing and bonfire parties. The man said that although he loved this time of the year, they sometimes had bad turn of the events when drunk people decided to swim in the night. "Some drown," he had said with a sad expression on his face that told Ichigo there was something behind that sadness, something he didn't know but it went deep. Hesitant as he was, he didn't question it.

As they walked closer to the shore still hand-in-hand, the orange dots morphed to big-ass flaming nests with random and happy-looking people laughing, singing, talking, dancing around them. Some were drunk, some approached them and tried to coax them to stay with them but Grimmjow always explained that we're here with company, so they left them alone quickly.

Despite the crowd of people on their surroundings, finding Starrk wasn't as difficult; the tall brunet was chatting with an equally tall blond, tanned girl with huge breasts that made Ichigo's eyebrows rise to his hairline. But before he got the chance to say anything, Grimmjow was tagging him towards the two with nothing but excitement on his face. "Starrk, Tier," he called, "Finally found you!"

"About time you did," Starrk said and when his eyes drifted to Ichigo, a smirk took over his face, "I thought you two got yourselves some privacy."

Uncomfortable, Ichigo simply averted his gaze but Grimmjow glared at his friend on his behalf. "Quit being a dick," he muttered curtly.

"Can't give promises," the brunet chuckled before turning to Ichigo, "I forgot to introduce you; this is Tier." He motioned towards the expressionless blond, "Tier, that's Ichigo."

The woman simply nodded and Ichigo gave her a small smile. "Nice to meet you."

She didn't say or do anything else other than that and it gave Ichigo anxiety that he had done something wrong. Perhaps he was just being stupid but either way, he stuck next to Grimmjow and brought his attention to their conversation with Starrk instead.

"And you gotta be ready, my man," Starrk stressed with a serious expression, "A lot of drunk people will try skinny dipping tonight. I need you there for first aid, if accidents happen."

Grimmjow rolled his beautiful blue eyes. "Can't someone else do it for me tonight? I wanna spend time with Ichigo."

At the sound of these words, Ichigo felt like total shit. Yes, he knew he should be ecstatic - albeit a tad embarrassed - that Grimmjow so blatantly showed his interest in him, but he didn't want to be a burden. "No, Grimm," he cut them off, "Please, don't think of me - I mean, we are already going to be together tomorrow, so it's alright. Do your job tonight."

The blue-haired man pouted in the most adorable way possible. "But-"

Ichigo placed a finger on the man's lips, silencing him. "It's okay," he smiled, "We will be together nevertheless; you just keep your mind alert for potential accidents, okay?"

Grimmjow's piercing stare held him captive for a long while before the man finally sighed in defeat. "Alright," he muttered, taking a hold of Ichigo's hand as he turned to Starrk, "What he says, goes."

"Amazing," Starrk sighed in amusement, "Ichigo, tell me your secrets on making Grimmjow so obedient."

Ichigo felt heat rising on his face again. "I didn't-"

"He asks me nicely, Starrk," Grimmjow huffed in annoyance. But then, a slow grin spread on his face. "Also, I'm pretty fucking weak to these eyes."

Starrk snorted and for the first time during this whole conversation, Tier made a disgruntled sound. "This is so gay," she deadpanned and turned on her heel, "I can't bear to watch." And with that, she just...left.

"As if she's not gay at all," Grimmjow smirked after her.

"She's just jealous," Starrk cackled, his eyes falling on Ichigo, "She ain't got no beau, like you do."

"The struggles of the resting bitch face!" Grimmjow's strong arm was suddenly around Ichigo's waist, his lips bumping against Ichigo's temple. "Tell you what, ginger," he murmured and honest to God, Ichigo was about to shiver but forced it down, "Let's get to a place more private so we can talk."

Ichigo held on Grimm's black tee to regain his suddenly lost balance. "Weren't you supposed to-"

"Yes," the blue-haired man cut him off with a nod, "But I know a nice, isolated place where we can sit and watch all the shenanigans these drunkards decide to do. Join me?"

"Y-Yeah. Okay, sure, why not."

Grimmjow flashed that blinding grin of his one more time before turning to Starrk, who was smirking in amusement whatsoever. "Yo, we shall dismiss ourselves."

The brunet shrugged. "Enjoy yourselves, lovebirds. Just keep your mind off the clouds, Grimm."

"Yeah, yeah." Grimmjow then gently pulled Ichigo after him with an enthusiastic, "C'mon."

Unable to find proper words to express his feelings because, one; Grimmjow's presence was overwhelming and two; he was too busy trying not to stumble on every fucking taller-than-the-rest pile of sand, so he just scurried along with the blue-haired man, eyeing that broad back in mild amusement. He was having a fantastic time, he wasn't gonna lie; although he struggled to keep up with Grimmjow in both literal and metaphorical way, he felt rather light for once. Perhaps it was the tequila kicking in, perhaps it was the sea, the bonfires, Grimmjow's enthusiasm, hell, he didn't know; all he knew what that he was happy. And according to Grimmjow, that was all that mattered.

"Here we are," the man's voice drawled after a while of silence. Ichigo looked around him. They were far away from the fires, even though the music and the cheers were still audible, nearby the rocks on the other end of the beach. To Ichigo's utter relief, Grimmjow didn't make them climb any rock; he just settled on the sand right in front them and tapped the spot next to him.

"Come," he said with a smirk.

Sighing, Ichigo complied and took his rightful seat, crossing his legs Indian style. Then, a blue head flopped on his lap and bright blue eyes gleamed mischievously up at him while he stared at them in confusion. "Oh?"

Grimmjow grinned. "I hope you don't mind," he said, "Though if you do, I will sit right up, even though it'll break my heart."

Ichigo laughed. "No, it's alright." Then he paused, pondering. "But I will play with your hair."

"I am laying in your lap; you are obliged to play with my hair."

"Then we are good," was all Ichigo said before his fingered delved into that ridiculously blue hair. Then he frowned. "It's so soft," he whispered, confused and a little marveled.

Grimmjow snorted. "It's called conditioner."

Brown eyes rolled. "I use it too, dumbass. It's just that my hair ain't all that soft." Then he signed, a wave of melancholy filling him to the brim.

Grimmjow's sharp senses caught on it and he grasped Ichigo's free hand, leading it to his lips. "Hey," he murmured, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Ichigo sighed, "I just have things on my mind."

"I'm hoping these things on your mind are me and only me, otherwise I'll get really jealous."

Ichigo chuckled airily. "It is about you though."

Grimm's eyes lightened up, a smile forming on his face. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded. Then he titled his head up, gazing at the sky and sighing again. "You're too perfect to be true."

What was he saying all of a sudden? That goddamned alcohol destroyed all filters he usually had for his damned mouth, there was no other explanation for the amount of bullshit coming out of him. Right, okay, that bullshit were his genuine thoughts and fears and insecurities but why the fuck was be sharing them with Grimmjow? With someone who was so clearly interested in him? Was he trying to turn him off subconsciously or something? Glancing down at the blue-haired man, Ichigo saw that previous smile slowly disappear from Grimmjow's face and he mentally cursed himself for that. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I'm pretty sure you meant it more than you like to admit," Grimmjow cut him off curtly. Ichigo cringed. Good, you annoyed him. Useless, as always.

"Sorry, I was-"

"Honest?" Grimmjow had this bad habit of not letting people finish their sentences. But it was okay; Ichigo was getting lost in the intensity of these blue eyes, his train of thought crashed.

To his silence, Grimmjow continued. "I like honesty, you know. And you don't have to pretend with me." A small smile. "Be yourself. Be your least perfect self. It's fine."

"No it's not." Ichigo shook his head vehemently. "Being myself is not something people like. Even I don't like it." He paused, wrinkling his nose. "I'm so...flawed."

"No one is perfect, Ichigo. As cliched as this may sound."

"You are perfect," he said, "Too perfect actually."

Grimmjow opened Ichigo's palm flat and pressed his thumbs on the pads of Ichigo's fingers. He looked preoccupied; not angry or uncomfortable as Ichigo had feared - just deep in thought. Apparently he was thinking of ways to either yell at him or excuse himself and escape the angsty bullshit Ichigo's existence always brought along.

Ichigo had just opened his mouth to say something which would break the silence when Grimmjow finally spoke up. "I'm annoyingly sarcastic and cranky when I'm hungry; I have a rather short temper for specific things, so I tend to snap lots; I am stubborn to the point of obsessive and very possessive of the people I'm into; I hate figs, like what's up with that shit, they smell weird and taste too sweet." He caught Ichigo's gaze dead on, blue eyes spitting flames. "I call out people on their bullshit, sometimes on the most inconsiderate ways possible, which is mainly why I have earned the title of the big asshole." That toothy grin was on his face again. "See? I'm totally imperfect, just like you. I'm still likable though, aren't I?"

"You are absolutely adorable," Ichigo smiled back.

"Same goes for ya," Grimmjow said and winked, "So stop worrying."

Ichigo's smile, however, fell once again. He pushed his fingers through Grimmjow's soft hair and bit his lip. "It's a shame that only you see it like this."

"Hm?"

His expression started to get darker. "My ex said I am too emotionally demanding and exhausting when I asked him why he had cheated on me."

"Hey," Grimmjow's voice called softly. When a hand cupped his face and titled it, Ichigo just realized he had been staring somewhere else. "Your ex is a shitty person," Grimmjow said earnestly, "You were too good for him and like the pansy he is, he got scared."

"That's just comfort bullshit."

"Fuck you, you ain't gon' tell me if I'm honest or not; I know I'm honest."

At Grimm's harsh tone, Ichigo retrieved both of his hands and hid his face within his palms. There he was, causing trouble to Grimmjow again. "Sorry," he muttered, "Ignore me, I'm just being angsty."

"Be as angsty as you want, I don't mind," Grimmjow said, "But don't let any asshole make you feel inadequate. You're amazing, right?"

"How do you know? You barely know me a day."

Grimmjow smiled. "I see it in your eyes; that fire; that passion for life, for love, for pleasure, for new things. You're a restless soul, ready to devour the world at any chance you're given. And these are my favorite kind of people."

Ichigo wasn't sure if he was amazed or amused at Grimm's answer. "All that you see in my eyes? What kind of an eye doctor are you, mister?"

"One that would kiss you until you stopped thinking of stupid things."

There was a pause. A long, pregnant pause, during which Ichigo scanned Grimm's face for deception, for mockery, for something which indicated that the man was kidding. He found nothing but a solemn, serious expression. Then, his gaze dropped to Grimmjow's lips, full and parted and waiting as they were. He licked his own and took a deep breath.

"I think I'd like to stop thinking for a while, yes, thank you."

Grimmjow shot up from his lap in vertigo speeds. He then turned towards Ichigo, blue eyes holding him hostage. He was hesitating, Ichigo could see it; he was nervous, unsure; he was licking his lips. Ichigo couldn't help but smile, yet he casted his eyes away. Goddamn, it's not the right time to be shy!

Yet, that smile had to be the green light the blue-haired man sought because all to soon, Ichigo felt large hands cup his face and soft lips gently slanting over his. It was nice - so nice, and Grimmjow smelled amazing and he was warm and tender and careful. He didn't plunge directly in with tongue, like the people Ichigo had kissed usually did; instead, he nipped on Ichigo's bottom lip, kissed the corners, then nudged Ichigo's nose with his own until they both chuckled breathlessly. Ichigo could feel his cheeks flaming and he knew Grimm could feel it too, so he couldn't bring himself to look the other in the eye, even though he could sense Grimmjow's penetrative stare on his face.

The lips which met his we much more confident this time, slightly demanding, but without losing their initial gentleness. Ichigo places his hands over Grimmjow's, his fingers trailing down to muscular forearms, then to thick biceps only to do it again and again and again while Grimmjow kissed his thoughts away. Still without tongue though. Not that he minded, it was amazing either way, but Ichigo did want a dash of greater intimacy.

Perhaps Grimmjow doesn't like French kissing, he mused as they parted. He still wanted to hazard a chance so he poked his tongue out and traced the rim of Grimmjow's lower lip. Grimmjow's eyes shone with intensity and want, making Ichigo cast his down. It was overwhelming right? And a tad embarrassing too. However, Ichigo didn't have time to ponder on it for long because Grimmjow let out a small groan as his hands slipped into Ichigo's hair.

"It drives me insane when you do that," he said, voice husky.

"Do what?"

The fingers holding his hair tightened. "When you do something sexy and then go all shy on me." He let out a harsh breath. "You playful little elf."

Elf? That's a first, Ichigo thought in amusement. "It's not like I do it on purpose you know," he said.

Grimmjow's thumb coursed over his lips, parting them at the seam. His eyes were big and scanning and spitting fire. Ichigo was losing bits of himself in them.

"For whatever reason you do it," Grimmjow rumbled, "...I will eat you up, hm?"

"Please."

Grimmjow had apparently gone easy on him before. Babied him, even. Because as soon as their lips collided again, as soon as Grimmjow's tongue found his, Ichigo felt his being getting seized by a force named Grimmjow. Sparks of electricity went up and down his spine, furry bunnies crawling on his skin and giving him goosebumps, as Grimmjow claimed his mouth in the sweetest but most intense way possible.

Their tongues played a lot, making the kiss sloppier but it was Grimmjow who was still on control. No more, Ichigo briefly mused as his competitive spirit took over and pushed Grimmjow's tongue back into its place. He got some skills to show off too, skills which proceeded to earn him the breathiest and sexiest moans he had ever heard in his short life.

When they finally broke apart for air, Ichigo was more than satisfied to see Grimmjow's eyes all glassy and disoriented.

"Wha- I-", he stuttered, then facepalmed. "Fuck, you had me speaking in tongues a little over here."

Ichigo smirked. "It didn't sound French to me though."

Grimmjow stared at him incredulously. Then dissolved in hearty laughter. "You're the hugest and cutest nerd in the world, you know that?"

If it made Grimmjow smile like that, Ichigo had zero problems with being just that.

XXXX

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