Nothingness wasn't there to embrace him when he awakened. Instead he was met with tingling in his backside and lewd satisfaction. Moving caused the sensations to flare brilliantly, making him moan and clench his thighs in remembrance of what he'd been through, probably not too long ago. He tried to focus on other things in hopes of willing away the stiffness that was beginning to plague his loins.
He smelled and felt clean so it seemed that the demon had cleaned him. Redressed him too, as he felt the familiar softness of his pyjamas hugging his body. From the corner of his eye, he could see that the room was dark, so the sun must have been gone or at least very close.
Shff... He barely flinched at the sudden sound of movement near him.
"Are you awake master?"
Ulquiorra lifted his face from his pillow and glared at Murciel, who kneeled near the bedside with his fingers gently clawing at the sheets in a cat-like fashion. A seductive yet satiated smirk marred his face.
Without thinking the teen reared back his fist and swung. He hadn't been aiming but he'd still managed to catch the demon in the cheek, making his head snap to the side. Murciel didn't look pained or even angry at being struck. Only mildly surprised. "What the hell was that?" Ulquiorra demanded in a harsh, hoarse whisper. His throat had yet to recover from all the moaning and screaming from earlier. "Why would you do something like that to me? Where the hell did you even get those... 'devices'." Embarrassment slowly eked out of him in time to keep him from blurting out the words "sex toy."
Murcielago didn't appear to have heard him. The demon rubbed his alabaster cheek thoughtfully. "After you performance in your Gym classes, I wouldn't have thought you'd be able to throw a punch. A fairly good one, at that. Had I been human, I-"
"Answer my questions!" Ulquiorra stiffened as Murciel rose to his full height before crawling onto the bed. The pale teen ignored the tingling in his rear as he rolled onto his side and thrusted out his hands to keep the demon at bay. "Stay right there. I don't want you any closer than you already are."
Murciel made a slightly annoyed face, but nonetheless resettled on the floor next to the bed, though this time with his arms crossed on the mattress. "It may seem childish of me to say this, but it wasn't my fault."
"So what? It was mine? Are you going to say that I tempted you?" Ulqui scoffed.
"No it was your mother's fault," he muttered. "She gave me this weird smelling toy and it drove me out of my mind for the entirety of our romp, regrettably." Ulqui saw him shift slightly before something was dangled in his face from his pointed nailed hand. It looked like a small rat and he cringed before realizing that it was just a rat toy. "I hadn't planned on having my way with you, master, it just happened."
Ulqui took the toy, and sniffed it upon remembering that Murciel said that it had a weird smell. It smell minty yet... musky? Whatever the smell was, he couldn't place it, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. He tossed the toy to the side. "Catnip. I can hardly believe that this stupid cat crack made you so hungry and... horny."
"I was hungry, but I wasn't horny in the least. I merely had the intense urge to play, and doing that with you was my version of playing. I was so wrapped up in listening to your moans and watching you writhe that the thought of penetrating you hadn't crossed my mind until you begged so cutely for it." He licked his lips in remembrance, making Ulqui blush and will away more stiffness.
"Should I even ask where you got the toys from? Or from whom?"
Murciel shrugged. "Grimmjow told me about them one day, and I used your card to buy them from an adult store. The woman there was very nice, and helped me pick out everything."
The teen suddenly felt a little queasy.
"I have a few more that I'd like to try out on you, master."
"No!" he protested a little louder than he would've liked. "Never again!"
A lewd and cruel smirk grew on the demon's gob. "Oh? Are you trying to order me around? I'm sorry, master, but should the inclination to torment you again, sexually, arise, there would be nothing you could do or say to stop me." Ulqui made the mistake of blinking and found himself on his back with his wrists held together in one of Murcielago's strong hands. "I believe I'm feeling such an inclination right now." His lips clashed against Ulqui's, making the introverted young man grunt in protest as well as alarm.
~Wel-come to the End of the World Party!
Your first move might be your last!
Thi-is i-is the night we all leave it behind!
Goodbye for the last time!~
Phone to the rescue, Ulqui thought and pried away his lips. "Get off. I have to answer that; it might be my mom." The song was coming from the hamper across the room so it had probably still been in his pants pocket when Murciel cleaned up.
Murciel gripped Ulqui's jaw and brought his face back around so that he could reinitiate the kiss. "It's not. Your mother has the Welcome to the Black Parade song as her ringtone, does she not?" Lips met once more and Ulqui got away again, making the demon growl at his defiance.
"M-My dad then!"
"His would be Lights Out. A very odd choice, but I see no reason to complain."
"Just let me answer the phone!" He was snarled at, but was relieved when Murciel rolled off of him to sit on the edge of the bed. Ulqui scooted to the edge and lurched to his feet. "Ugh!" his knees turned into water underneath him and Murciel caught him just before his nose could make nice with the floor. He was tossed back onto the bed and the disgruntled demon made his way to the hamper, flipping on the light as he went. He recovered the phone just as the lead singer screamed "The e-end i-is ne-ear!" accepted the call and tossed it over to the human.
Ulqui fumbled comically with it for a moment before bringing it to his ear. He cleared his throat. "Hello?"
"Sup, Ulqui."
"... Grimmjow...?"
"The one and only."
Ulquiorra stared at his phone and then brought it back to his ear. "How did you get my number?!"
"I copied it down that day we went to the pet store. I'm surprised that you didn't notice."
Ulqui scowled, and missed the appreciative sound Murciel made as he looked over the small human. "I'm hanging up... Ugh!" He grunted when he was suddenly shoved onto his back. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at a porn mag, why?" Grimmjow answered, a bit too truthfully for the pale teen's liking.
"Not you!" he cried in disgust.
"Don't mind me," Murciel murmured happily as he yanked down Ulqui's pants and palmed the semi-erect length through his boxers. He freed it from its cloth cage despite Ulqui's protests and fighting hand and gripped it roughly earning a startled hiss from its owner. Murciel met Ulqui's gaze as he grinned and let his slightly tapered tongue slither out of his mouth. Green eyes followed the wet muscle and widened when it touched the head of his small member.
"Ulqui? You there?"
The teen didn't register the question and gasped as the tongue swirled around his head's circumference before stopping to prod the slit.
"Ulqui?"
"I-I'll call you back, o-o-or something," the teen gasped out before blindly hitting the end call button and dropping the phone. He reached to push Murciel's head away, but the demon engulfed his stiff cock in his mouth before he could be stopped. Ulquiorra arched at the sudden warmth that overcame his vulnerable bits and his small mouth opened to let out a low moan. Murcielago took the entirety of Ulqui into his mouth before slowly easing up and off of it to lap at the beads of precum forming at the slit.
He blew on the slickened head, earning a shocked gasp. "I'm glad the blindfold is gone, now I can look into your eyes while I bring to the edge and push you off." Before Ulqui could say a protest or throw any other angry words at him, he took the teen's length into his mouth again and gripped his balls.
A groan slipped past his lips when he felt his head touch the back of Murciel's throat and he shuddered as the demon bobbed his head, stroking his length with his lips. "Sto-Stop... it... ah!" Sharp teeth dangerously, and sensually, grazed the sensitive flesh sending sparks through Ulqui's body and shuddery moans out of his mouth. He felt his balls tighten, ready to release despite the copious amounts of spunk he'd spilled earlier, and Murciel gently massaged them. The touches soon set him off, and with a strangled cry he came. "Ahh-AHH! Ugh! M-Mur..." Very little sprayed from his shaft, but all the same the demon drunk up every last drop like Ulqui's ejaculate was cool water in a vast desert.
"Mm," Murcielago moaned as he released the withering shaft with a wet pop. "I regret wasting your earlier release by wiping it up with a towel. You're delicious. Your seed was almost as good as your blood." He said the last part with a pleased look in his eyes.
Ulqui merely nuzzled the side of his face into his bunched up blanket and groaned in annoyance and satisfaction.
"... Well... that was interesting..."
Green eyes widened to an impossible degree and locked onto his phone which laid within arms reach. It seemed that in his frantic attempt to end the call, he'd only succeeded in turning it on speaker and opening the contact list; Grimmjow was still very much on the line.
"Anyway, I was only calling to tell you that me and my crew were coming over tomorrow," Grimm continued. "Probably around noon or something I don't know. And before you say anything, no you have no say in this. We're coming over whether you like it or not... Now if you excuse me, I need to go clean my hand off... and throw my pants in the wash. Night Ulqui, sweet dreams." Boop
Ulqui stared at the phone, even as the phone went dark, signaling that the call was indeed over. After a few more moments, he let out a long, suffering sigh and slowly closed his eyes. No words. There were no words to describe what he was feeling at that moment. Yes, there was an intensely burning ire towards the demon servant, and yes the urge to crawl under a rock and die of embarrassment was present as well, but "ire" and "embarrassment just didn't cut it.
He sat up and shoved the demon away before climbing to his feet and wobbling away towards the bathroom.
"Where are you going, master?" Murciel asked; his inquisitive tone also carried concern. "Rather, what are you doing?"
Hmm... submerging myself in ice-cold water sounds about good right now, he thought, momentarily forgetting that his and his servant's minds were linked.
He went rag-doll as long arms wrapped around him and lifted him off his feet as he was carried back towards the bed. "Now, now, master. None of that. Your situation is not so horrible."
That's what you think... Ulquiorra didn't feel like talking anymore. The anger and embarrassment had receded and now the familiar cloak of numbness was overtaking him. He remained limp as he was cuddled by Murciel, and only reacted by tensing when the demon gently pressed their lips together. Ebony eyebrows came together as a smell hit his nose. Musk and mint.
Catnip.
x~x
Tinkling keys and the sound of a door shutting firmly made emerald and gold eyes open and look in the direction of the noise. Without a sound or disturbing his master, Murciel rose from the bed and headed for the stairs. He mounted them and began transforming with each step he took until his cat form was what stopped on the bottom step. He made sure his white markings were in the right placement and that his collar and sweater still fit snuggly and comfortably before searching for the cause of the disturbance; Solita.
"Oh, hello there, Murcie-kins!"
He mewled his greeting to the older female and watched silently as she fixed the shoes on the shoe rack and made sure the jackets in the hall closet were straight before closing its door. Once done, she went over and picked him up as he'd expected. He purred and nuzzled the top of his head to the woman's cool cheek. She giggled and stroked his back as she headed for the kitchen and set him near his ceramic feeding bowls.
Upon getting said bowls, his master had made it quite clear to Solita that he would be the only one to feed the demon-cat, and she could do naught else but fill the water bowl and give him treats. She did as such, filling the bowl and feeding him a treat before he happily lapped up some water.
"I'm guessing my mopey son isn't up, huh?" Solita murmured to him as she started the coffee maker for her husband. She sighed. "It's almost one o'clock. I really wish he'd go out more on the weekends, but I can't really complain about his introverted ways anymore now, can I? He has you and he even made friends with that one boy with the blue hair. Grimm, I think that was his name, or something like that. I wonder if it some sort of mutation or just a dye job. Hmm. I hope he's not a delinquent or something."
She chewed her lip as she got out ingredients for breakfast, oblivious to the slight nudges Murciel gave her mind to make her prepare a hearty and healthy breakfast for his master. Pancakes were all well and good, but Ulquiorra was rather... emaciated. The boy needed meat.
The dotting mother set out to prepare the "suggested" breakfast as she continued talking to Murciel. "No, no! He was such a sweet boy. There's not way he's bad or something."
If only cats could smile.
She jumped and his head whipped to the side when there was a knock on the door. "Did I leave something at Angela's house," she murmured as she wiped off her hands on a nearby towel. "She could've just called."
Murciel was right behind her as she went to the door and opened it without first checking for who it was. The demon eyed her carefully. He'd have to endeavor to coax such trusting behavior out of the woman, lest she fall prey to some unsavory folk.
His thoughts were chased away by the delighted laugh Solita emitted. Standing on the front stoop was Grimmjow with Di Roy, and Edrad. "Grimm, I was just thinking about you," she said and tousled the main topic of discussion.
"Hey Mrs. C- er Solita," the sky-haired youth greeted. "This is Di Roy and Edrad; we're here to see short, dark, and gloomy."
The woman laughed, her purple eyes sparkling. "Well, he's still fast asleep probably. Head on up, and I'll make you all some omelets."
"You want help?" Edrad offered.
"Nah, nah, just go on up stairs."
The boys toed off their shoes, and Grimmjow stopped to look down at Murciel's diminutive form. "Sup, Murcie."
The demon-cat bobbed his head at him before darting off towards the stairs, the only sound coming from him being the jangle of his id tag and the little bell on his collar. He gracefully leaped back up the stairs and then onto the bed after curving around the barrier blocking his view of the room. His master was still out, breathing evenly and eyes twitching under their lids from dreaming. His body was stiff and didn't react when Murciel rested his meager weight on his chest.
The way Ulquiorra slept was strange to him. His body completely plank-straight with his hand to his sides or, more often, crossed over his stomach; looking eerily akin to a corpse resting in its final bed. If he wasn't sleeping like that then he was on his stomach face-down in his pillows as if attempting to asphyxiate himself.
He was brought out of his musings at the sounds of feet trumping up the stairs.
"So where's the demon," Di Roy asked as Grimmjow took a seat next to Ulquiorra. "Wake gloom-face up so he can summon him."
"No need," Grimm said and then jutted a thumb at Murciel. "He's right there."
"Where?"
"What do you mean 'where?' He's sitting on Ulqui's chest!"
Di Roy looked closely. "The cat? Well that's underwhelming."
Murcielago resisted the urge to snap into his full, winged and horned, form. Sure, that would get the point across that the boy should never underestimate people or creatures that he just met, but his screams would surely wake Ulquiorra up, and also draw Solita upstairs, and he didn't want his master mad at him for altering her memory. He instead opted for the milder approach of extending his reach to all of the boys' minds and speaking.
"How can you stand having such a narrow-minded fool following you, Grimmjow?"
Di Roy and Edrad jumped.
"Di Roy's good people, but he just can't see the bigger, underlying, picture sometimes. Be patient with 'em," Grimm requested of him. "So. You and him have anymore fun after I hung up?"
"Sadly, no. He was very distressed to find out that you were listening in on our coupling, so I only kissed him to sleep," Murciel admitted.
"Fun?" Edrad asked.
Grimm was the one to answer. "Murciel has sex with him occasionally, Ulqui didn't actually hang up on me last night so I overheard them going at it."
"I merely sucked him off actually, but I did get a chance to use the toys on him earlier before that. It was as entertaining as you thought."
"Really? You did? Shit, I almost wish you'd recorded it."
Edrad's eyebrows lifted. "You're gay?"
Grimm shook his head. "Nah, I prefer tits to dicks any day, but Ulqui moans just like a girl when he's taking it, and I can't help but to get hard."
Murciel wished that he could smile. His master would be unbearably embarrassed if he'd been awake to hear such a comment.
"I'm still confused," Di Roy muttered and then pointed. "That's a cat. How is Ulquiorra taking anything?"
The demon sighed and began shifting into his humanoid form. "It appears that I will have to get uncomfortable save some headache," he muttered and peered at the sandy blond. He was wearing the sweater and slacks ensemble but the collar was around his wrist and his hair flowed freely from his head, spilling over his shoulders and drawing a curtain over Ulqui's face. He was crouched over the supine form in an almost protective manner, but in actuality it was more possessive.
"Shit! You really are the demon from that night!"
Grimm hit him. "Lower your voice, dipshit. Mrs. Solita'll hear you."
"Shall I wake my master so that you may speak with him?"
"No, I'm here to talk to you, not him."
Murciel cocked his head, his long hours of being a cat leaking into his non-cat forms. "Me?"
"Yeah. Is there any way to summon Pantera? Like a foolproof, guaranteed way of getting him and not one of those other lords?"
"Yes, but I can't just tell you how to summon the others. I'm under oath, and even demons take care in not breaking oaths." He shifted so that he laid on his side and gathered Ulqui up so that they were spooning with Murciel as the big spoon. Edrad took the seat at the desk and Di Roy continued to stand.
"Sit down already, you're making me anxious," Grimmjow growled at his underling. Di Roy planted his butt on the rug, and Grimmjow went back to questioning Murcielago. "So you can't help me? At all?"
"Now, I never said that. I can help you, but I can't simply blurt out the conditions." He smirked. "Tell me what you know so far and I'll form my riddles accordingly."
There was a moment of silence while Grimmjow racked his mind and compiled information. During the silence Edrad raided the bookshelf, quirking eyebrows at the sheer amount of poetry books and horror and mystery books (both novels and mangas) burdening the shelves, and Di Roy got up to explore. "What we did was for summoning you-"
"Incorrect."
"Wha..?"
"What you did was horrifically basic. Any demon lord with a vague interest in having a contract could come forth but they wouldn't be forced to do so as in what their specific summoning ritual would do. My ritual, and I can freely tell you this so no worries, requires the setting of a dark cave during the new moon, as well as specific herbs burning and a pentagram with certain words and symbols of power engraved in it."
"So way more complicated than that bullshit ritual I pulled?"
"Precisely." He shifted into his cat form when he heard footsteps on the stairs and looked over just as Solita's dark head appeared as she ascended the stairs.
"Breakfast is served," she chirped as she lugged and tray burdened with four plates over to the desk and set it down. "Ulqui, honey, come here and- He still isn't up?"
Grimm shook his head. "Nope, but then again, I hadn't tried to wake him up."
"Go ahead and wake him up, and make sure he eats; he's too skinny as it is!" With a warm smile she wiggled her fingers at them and headed back downstairs.
Di Roy grabbed a plate and shoved a bite of omelet into his mouth. "Now that's what I call a 'Milf'."
The demon hopped off the bed, landing on the floor in his human form. "Watch your mouth, boy," he muttered and stalked past him to get a plate for his master. He returned to the bed and rested the plate on the bedside table before tugging back the blankets, earning a disapproving grumble. "Time to wake up, master."
Ulquiorra turned onto his stomach and covered his face from the light. Murciel had expected this so he only retrieved the plate and rested his weight on the younger's back. He set the plate before him and coaxed him into lifting his head.
"Come now master, let me feed you." Murciel broke off a piece of veggie, sausage, and bacon-filled eggs with the fork and held it up to Ulqui's mouth.
It took a moment, but the teen allowed the food entry and chewed slowly. "So are you normal now?" he asked after swallowing the morsel. "You were still acting under the effects of the catnip when I went to sleep..." He yawned and rubbed his eye, but did not open them.
"Ah," the demon sighed and fed Ulqui another bite. "Yes, I am within my wits, master. And I have since disposed of that rat toy."
"Good."
Grimmjow took back his seat at the edge of the bed with his meal in tow. "Afternoon, Ulqui."
His green eyes snapped open in surprised before slamming shut once more, both from the bright sunlight and annoyance. "I... forgot you were coming."
"We're here too," Di Roy piped up.
Ulqui groaned and attempted to burrow into Murciel's chest. Oh God, hide me...
"I'll hide you later, master, but first you must eat; I didn't feed you yesterday."
Edrad humphed. "Who's really the 'master' in this relationship?"
"Ulqui is," Grimmjow said. "Murcie's just dominant, and Ulqui has no actual control over him."
Murciel fed Ulqui more food, and was disappointed when the teen took the utensil, now awake enough to feed himself. "My master has the potential to control me, but at his current power level he could only safely control Lady Fornicaras and any other Lords beneath her. Which leads me to ask: Are you sure Pantera is within your power limit."
The bluenet scratched the back of his neck. "Well... Pantera's actually pushing it. The 7th, Brujeria I think his name was, would probably be safer, but I'd rather have Pantera. So long as I use the runes I used with yours, even if I can't control him, he wouldn't be able to do any harm, but I'm certain that I'll be able to hold him under my thumb."
Murcielago wasn't too sure, and grunted accordingly. "I hope you're aware of how dangerous Pantera is..."
"I am. Can I have my riddle?"
Murciel sighed and smirked at the confused look Ulquiorra passed between him and Grimmjow. After a moment of thinking the demon began to speak.
"If controlling Pantera is what you seek,
Then one must cater to his wild spirit.
The basics of lord summoning is what you need,
But one must look to them with a different wit.
Virgin blood is required,
But other details are vague
From where it is acquired,
Is never quite said.
The king of the milder wilds
Needs the proper venue
And strong scents, not mild
Would be needed too."
Grimm nodded as he listened and made an appreciative grunt when he finished. "You think of that just now?"
"Yes. Just like my master, I have a great fondness for poetry." Murciel snuggled closer to Ulqui happily. "Want me to write down the poem for you?"
"Hell yeah."
x~x
The weekend went by a lot faster than Ulquiorra thought it would have, what with him avoiding Murciel (dumping him on his mother and then disappearing for the day) and his phone for those two days.
He was able to dump the cat on his mother Monday morning, and could proceed to school in peace.
Semi-peace, rather, as he somehow crossed paths with Grimm on the way to school.
"Wassup?" he greeted and then looked around searchingly. "Where's the demon?"
Ulquiorra shouldered his bag and walked a little faster. "With my mom..."
The bluenet matched his new pace easily and tousled his locks. "Damn, I really wanted to talk to him about his riddle, poem, thing." The was a crinkling of paper, and he produced the neatly folded up poem from his back pocket. He opened it and held it up for the raven-haired teen to read. "You're a poem guy too, so can you help me? I get like... 20% of this, but it's not a good 20%, yah know?"
No... I don't know...
"I read the books on the demon lords again, but they really only tell the basics about them, and they don't give much detail on any of the demon lords with anyone under the 5th rank vaguer than the rest since they've switched around a lot. I have no clue what Pantera even looks like, so how can I 'cater to his wild spirit'? And what is a 'milder wild' anyway?"
Ulquiorra sighed. If he held the confused thug, would he finally get some peace and quiet? "'Pantera' means 'panther'..."
"What? Dude, speak up."
Another sigh slipped past his lips. "'Pantera' means 'panther'. Panther's live in rainforests and mountains. You already know his payment, so figure it out from there."
"Panther, huh? Hm..."
Much to Ulqui's relief, his hints and insight kept Grimmjow thinking and therefore quiet all the way until they finally reached school. The doors were opened wide, welcoming them back to the realm of stress, angst, and teenagers. He lost Grimm in the crowd, and was able to get to class to begin his usual routine.
"Lunch, Ulquiorra! Today is omelets with leeks, sausage and strawberry perserves, a steamed asparagus, snow pea, carrot, and cashew salad, and sweet and spicy fried curry rice. Oh, and I didn't have time to make desert so I bought some little snack cakes on the way to school. I hope you don't mind."
Ulquiorra nodded approvingly, though was baffled by how relatively normal the lunch sounded. Minus the odd combination for the omelets of course. Chopsticks were shoved into his hand and he dug in. After a few bites, Tatsuki and Chizuru joined them. A few bites later, he realized that none of the women were eating. He gazed at them inquisitively.
Orihime giggled. "You have such pretty eyes, Ulqui."
A hand landed roughly on his head and fingers tangled into his hair. "I've never seen such good hair on a guy, either," Tatsuki complimented. "It's not greasy either; I hate greasy hair."
A slim finger poked his cheek. "Your skin's fairer than Hime's!"
"You should leave your hood down forever, Ulqui!"
He dropped his chopsticks like they were hot and reached for where the cowl would normally rest only to grasp at air. I...I forgot to wear my hoodie? It was such an absurd thought that he just had to look down. There was no zipper running down the length of his chest; just the album cover of Panic at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out blown up on a long-sleeved, dark green shirt.
They can... see me...
His mind went blank and his body went on autopilot, lifting out of the chair and speed-walking towards the door. He didn't hear the girls call after him as he escaped the classroom and nearly bolted down the mildly populated hall in the direction of his locker. Perhaps he'd had a lapse of judgement and had put his hoodie in his locker?
He spun the combination lock and opened it quickly. His jacket wasn't in there.
His body tensed at the sound of laughter down the hall. Without thinking, he threw himself inside his slim locker to conceal himself from whomever was strolling up the hallway.
It was dark inside, the horizontal slits in the door barely let in any light. He took a moment to breathe deep and calm himself. He wanted to chide himself for his panicked display now that he was out of sight. Then again he could hardly blame himself. He never left the house without something with a hood. He even kept a hooded shirt in the staff room at work since he couldn't wear a jacket while working.
The urge to go home was overwhelming, but that would mean letting a cities' worth of people see him, and that made his stomach lurch. Maybe he could call his mom, and ask her to bring his hoodie to school? He reached for his pocket and let his hand fall in defeat. There was no bulge to indicate the little communication device was in his pocket. It was probably in his backpack back in the classroom.
"... Master? What's wrong?"
The sudden presence in his head made him jump, but at the same time calmed him. Murciel?
"What's wrong, master? Why am I sensing such negative emotions from you?"
Ulquiorra wanted to laugh at himself now. With Murcielago whispering in his mind, his panic seemed so unnecessary and petty, though he knew as soon as the demon left he'd be back to freaking out and crying for his hoodie. I...I um... I forgot my hoodie at home...
"Would you like for me to bring it to you?"
If you don't mind...
"I'll put it in your locker."
...I'm in my locker...
There was a weird sound that could only be a laugh from the demon. "Are you stuck, my adorable master?"
No..!
Another laugh. "Where should I meet you then? After all, I will not fit in there, especially now that you're in it."
I guess... the bathroom near my locker, then. In one of the stalls...
"I shall meet you there."
The presence left, and just as he thought the panic and fear returned. He peeked out of the slits in the door for signs of life before messing with the latch and freeing himself. He quickly shut the locker and made his way to the bathroom a few yards away. There was no one inside and he headed for the wheelchair accessible stall. He turned and engaged the lock, and gasped when he turned around to be swaddled in the familiar fabric of his jacket. He slid his arms easily into the designated holes and looked up to see amused gold on emerald orbs. He grew embarrassed and lowered his gaze to the dirty linoleum. "Th-Thanks..."
A sharp nailed finger hooked under his chin, making him meet the mesmerizing eyes once more. "There's no reason to be embarrassed about needing your 'security blanket.' It's made you feel safe way before I infiltrated your life, and I will gladly bring it to you whenever you somehow forget it at home and you rather I wasn't around." He gripped Ulqui's chin, and leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. "Now... return to class."
"O...okay..." There was a warmth in him now, and he felt so much better. The panic was gone, and though he didn't feel like he could "face the world" he could surely mull around in it.
Murciel opened the door for him and gently pushed him out before disappearing.
Ulqui took a moment to fix himself, zipping up the dark fabric and pulling the hood over his head, before heading back to class.
"Noo!" Chizuru cried as if mournful. "Not the hood! You looked so nice without it!"
Ulqui ignored her and took his seat back. Orihime shoved a bite of omelet in his mouth. "Really, Ulqui! Why did you have to go get it?" she chided with a pout. As soon as he swallowed the first morsel a bite of salad was headed for his mouth. It seemed that she would be feeding him for the remainder of the lunch period.
"I'll be knocking that hood back off during gym, sourpuss," Tatsuki teased.
All ears in the room perked at the sound of an ambulance growing louder until it was undoubtedly in front of the school where it stayed constant. Ulqui always sat near the window, so he had a good view of paramedic rolling a gurney out of the back and through the front doors. After a good ten minutes passed, enough time for some students to become uninterested and move away from the windows, the paramedics were wheeling out the chem teacher on the gurney. They packed the old man into the back of the ambulance and screamed off.
Bing Bong~ Attention Students. Due to an accident, any classes scheduled for Mr. Taylor's chemistry class after lunch are canceled-
The few kids in homeroom who had chemistry later cheered.
- Those students are instructed to report to P.E during that time. Please expect a substitute teacher for chemistry until further notice. Thank you. Bing Bong~
Ulqui had noting to really worry about, since he'd had chemistry earlier, but he was already dreading how large the gym class would be that day. He sighed. They'd probably be playing dodge ball too...
Boy, did Ulqui hate being right.
Just as he expected, dodge ball was the activity of choice for the day; his class versus the visiting class. With all the confusion and the multitude of moving bodies, he hadn't seen the ball coming.
FWEEET! "Time out!" the P.E teacher called, and the students made a path for her to get to the felled teenager. "Lift your head, Cifer," she ordered. "Let me see."
With a groan and a hiss, he lifted his head from the floor and presented it to the teacher who hissed, telling him just how bad it was, and quickly helped him to his feet.
"Everyone," she addressed as she guided Ulqui out of the room. "Stay put until I return. I better not see one ball in the air when I come back, or you'll all be running laps!"
"Yes, Mrs. Scharf!"
The nurse's office wasn't far - for good reason - and he was soon laying on one of the three cots with a towel wrapped icepack on the left side of his face, awaiting the arrival of his mother.
Solita arrived soon, and signed him out in the office before helping her wounded son to the car and later, after a bit of questioning and a lot of red lights, to his room and into bed with another icepack. She left to start up a soup and Murciel hopped into his lap.
"Should I have stayed?"
Ulqui shook his head, and had to reposition the pack. "There's nothing you could've done. Besides, this is the lightest wound I've ever gotten from playing that stupid game..."
Murciel shifted and looked down on the human with concern in his eyes. He moved the icepack away and gently touched the bruising. "I hate that your pretty face has been marred in such a way. I would heal it, but that would raise suspicion, would it not?"
Ulquiorra nodded.
They both looked to his backpack when his phone started singing. Murciel recovered it and stared at the number on the screen. "It's Grimmjow."
Ulqui held out his hand for the phone. "I'll have to add him to my contacts and give him a ringtone. Teenagers seems appropriate." He swiped the screen and looked to the text that was sent to him:
You okay? Where'd you go?
No, I'm not okay, and my mom came and picked me up.
How bad is it?
Murcielago plucked the phone from his master's hand and quickly took a picture of the side of his face. Ulqui winced when he looked at the picture; the left side of his face was darkened by bruising. He shook his head and sent the picture to Grimm.
Damn, that's bad! Can you see out of that eye?
Not at first, but it's fine now.
Good. Hey, did you hear about Mr. Taylor?
What about him?
Old guy had a heart attack. Probably'll be out for a while. Haha we'll get a substitute to torture, can't wait
Have fun
Geez, I can hear your dead tone through text. You gonna be in school tomorrow?
Probably...
Well, if you do come, bring the demon. I need to talk to him.
Fine
Well, good night, then
Night
x~x
His face had swollen slightly, and his jaw felt stiff, but Ulquiorra was up for school. Staying home where his mother would coddle and smother him wasn't really a good option anyway. He had to endure being driven to school, however, as the amethyst eyed woman wasn't going to let him walk in his condition.
The drive was calm, the radio turned low on the smooth jazz station, and Solita humming serenely along with it. Ulqui watched the world go by while gently scratching Murcie's soft ears.
"Oh," Solita suddenly murmured. "There's Grimm." Before Ulqui could search for blue hair she was pulling up beside the teenager. "Morning, Grimm! Hop in."
The car dipped as new weight was added and the back door slammed shut. "Thanks, Mrs. Solita. Hey Ulqui. Murcie."
Ulquiorra grunted and the demon meowed.
They were in front of the school shortly and without thinking Ulqui carried Murcie towards the building.
"Ulqui-dear, you can't take Murcie with you."
He looked to his mother and then back to the cat in his arms before he gently tucked his small form into the inside of his hood right behind his neck. Murciel shifted until he was comfortably draped around his neck, creating nary a bulge in the fabric.
His mother sighed, unwilling to even attempt an argument with her son. "I'll be expecting a call from your principal later, it seems."
"In his defense, there's nothing in the handbook stating that small, tamed, animals can't be taken to school," Grimmjow told her.
"Really? I'll have to find the one at home and look it over. See you later sweetie."
Ulqui turned and headed for school as he heard her drive off. Due to the drive to school, he was there much earlier than normal. The halls were barely populated, but slowly growing all the while, and even a few teachers had yet to arrive. Grimmjow said that he'd borrow the demon during his free period before lunch, and they parted Ulqui heading for his homeroom and the bluenet heading who-knows-where. Once he'd settled at his desk, Murciel spoke for the first time since their usual morning bath.
"I believe I can see how you take such comfort in having a hood on while outside, master," he purred in the human's mind. "It's warm and delightfully dark, and gives the illusion of invisibility and safety. Mayhap I will begin wearing the cowl on my own outfit from now on."
It's good that you understand, Ulqui thought back. Are you okay back there, by the way?
"Ah, yes, yes. Quite fine. Very comfortable as well. Darkness is my element afterall, coupling that with your delectable scent makes this all the better! I will have to spend more time here-
"Ulqui!"
The teen looked up slightly, surprised to see that the owner of the voice was Tatsuki, as she didn't usually call him by his name. She walked over with Orihime on her heels, and took up seats next to him like they did during lunch.
"You okay? You disappeared after Mrs. Scharf took you to the nurse's office," Tatsuki said, concern in her voice.
"I didn't even know you'd gotten hurt until after school ended," Orihime added.
Ulqui turned his head and gently tugged the edge of his hood to display the damage.
Tatsuki sucked in a hissing breath, and Hime gasped sympathetically.
"Does it hurt? Should I go get a bag of ice?" Orhime asked, her latent healing spirit showing.
Ulqui shook his head, lightly disturbing the cat on his neck.
"Okay, well if you need anything, just tell us, sourpuss," Tatsuki told him, already back to using the chiding yet endearing nickname for him.
Orihime dug her lunch box out of her bag and opened it. She retrieved a small bite of food from it and shoved it in his mouth. "Salsa banana pudding on a vanilla wafer cookie. Just something to brighten your day. Is it good?"
Ulqui savored the sweet and savory dessert, spreading it out on his tongue before biting into the wafer cookie. He nodded his approval of the dessert.
The oranget beamed at him. "There's more left over for lunch."
He nodded again before pulling out his chemistry homework since that was his next class. He was about to look it over when he remembered that there'd be a substitute for that class and put the textbook away. He instead pulled out his iPod and turned on the soothing yet playful dubstep violinist Lindsay Sterling and let his eyes flutter closed. He remained that way until later, much later, when a hand tapped his shoulder, telling him that it was time to go to his first period class.
The large chemistry classroom was one of the biggest in the school, a little over double the size of his homeroom/math class actually. The front had regular desks for lectures and whatnot, while the back half had experiment tables as well as locked cases with authorized chemicals and substances in them, as well as protective gear like goggles and lab coats. Since there was a substitute, it would probably be a while before they used the back half of the room again.
Ulquiorra walked briskly to his seat, not sparing a glance as he passed the substitute teacher, and settled in it prepared for some reading and maybe some sort of work sheet. The classroom filled slowly with a few slipping in a few moments after the bell rung. It wasn't until everyone was sitting down and mostly quiet that he heard the substitute speak, his voice sounding vaguely amused and calculating.
"Hello class. I am Mr. Granz, and I will probably be your semi-permanent teacher as long as Mr. Taylor is... indisposed."
There were a few scattered greetings from anyone who bothered.
"I want to start by saying that I know how your minds work," he muttered with disdain hinting in his voice. "You will test me. Not necessarily all of you, but a good chunk of you will attempt to rile me and push my buttons to see me snap and become frustrated. This will not work. If I find that you are acting out or you simply annoy me, I will not hesitate to put you out. Am I clear?" Mumbles of acceptance went through the air, but Ulqui knew that some of his fellow classmates were already conjuring up pranks, and he was sure that the sub knew too.
He decided to look up and actually look at Mr. Granz. The man was tall and lanky with a comfortable yet scholarly sweater vest, pin-striped shirt, and slacks outfit covering him. His medium length hair was shockingly pink, and if Grimmjow was next to him there would be comments on how, together, they resembled cotton candy.
"Since this is my first day," Mr. Granz continued, pushing his rectangular glasses back up his nose, "I will make myself familiar with your names and the nice seating chart Mr. Taylor left me." He walked over to where a male classmate was sitting, rocking back in his seat with his phone clasped in his hand. "Hello," Mr. Granz paused to look at the seating chart in his hand, "Ms. Jessica Moore. You look a lot manlier than I would've imagined."
The class laughed.
"Yeah, I've been taking testosterone and junk..." the classmate murmured.
The sub grew a wry smile. "Please go to your correct seat. Same with everyone. If you are not in you assigned seat then please go there now."
"He is rather amusing, huh, master?" Murcie purred as a few students moved to find their real seats. Ulqui flinched, having forgotten that the warm lump against his neck was the cat. "Forgive me for startling you."
It's okay...
"There are also some notes next to some of the names." Mr. Granz walked back to the same student who was now seated a few rows over and more towards the front. "Jinpei Nagase. 'Watch out; trouble maker'."
Jinpei just laughed.
The sub went through the chart, reading off instructions and earning more laughs. Ulqui tensed when he stopped next to his desk. What could there possibly written next to his name? He never caused problems for Mr. Taylor as far as he knew.
"Sorry if I say this wrong. Ool-qui-arra Ke-fer?"
"UHL-KEE-OR-RAH SHI-FUR," someone at the front of the class corrected. Ulqui said a mental thank you to them.
"Thank you Ms... Kunieda, but couldn't you have told me that yourself, Mr. Cifer?"
"Ulqui doesn't talk," someone said. "He's like... mute or something."
"He's not mute," someone else argued. "I've heard him say stuff before."
"Like what?"
"'You're standing on my pen.'"
Laughter.
Mr. Granz called for order and brought his attention back to Ulqui, much to the introverted teen's chagrin. "The note next to your name says 'Don't bother'. Care to explain?"
Seems pretty obvious... don't bother me... He shrugged.
"No answer? Well, unless you give me a reason, I going to have to bother you. Firstly, I seem to remember that wearing hooded jackets in school is prohibited, so I'm going to have to ask you to take that off."
Ulqui tilted his head up just enough to see the teachers face but not enough for his own to be visible. He sighed and scribbled on the notebook he had out on his desk for just these occasions. The hood stays on... ask anyone...
"Am I so beneath you that you can't spare a spoken word for me? You have to write me a note?"
"Dude, I just said that he doesn't talk."
Mr. Granz ignored the student. "And what do you mean? The teachers here allow you to break the rules? What make you so special?"
"There are quite a few things actually," Murcie murmured.
Quiet you... Ulqui shrugged in answer to the teacher's question. He could foresee complications with the male. I never take off my hood. Ask anyone.
"Mr. Cifer, if I let you break this one rule, then I'll have to let everyone else."
I hate that argument. Everyone uses it.
"If you continue to refuse to follow the rules, I will have to ask you to leave."
Ulqui picked up the pen again. Are you assigning any homework?
"No... why?"
Ulquiorra began putting the few items he had away and stood.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I'm not going to take off my hood, so I will be going now...Ulqui slung his bag over his shoulder - earning a slight protest from the demon - and headed for the door, sparking some not so hushed murmurs of surprise.
"Holy shit, the goodie emo's getting put out? Is the world ending?"
"I see a rift in the sky! It's Armageddon!"
The proclamations of the end of the world continued despite the sub's calls for order, and Ulqui slipped out of the room. The hall was quiet and rather barren, and he was instantly aware of his ignorance of what to do when put out of class; he'd never been put out before after all. He heaved a sigh and headed for his locker.
"What are you doing out here?"
Ulqui looked up from his seat on the floor to Grimmjow who loomed over him with his hands deep in his pockets. He'd been sitting there, in front of his locker with Murcie hidden behind his backpack, for only ten minutes. "I was put out, you?"
"Taking the long way back from the bathroom. Why the Hell did you get put out?"
"Because I wouldn't take off my hood..."
"What? Why would they suddenly- wait was it the chemistry sub who put you out?"
"Yes."
Grimmjow smirked. "Good for him, he's already on my bad side. Don't worry, Ulqui, I've got your back."
Ulquiorra shook his head. "Don't bother, I don't care."
"Too bad, I do. No body messes with my emo, especially not over something so stupid."
"Thank you for helping, Grimmjow. I'm sure my master is grateful as well, though he will not express it."
"You're welcome, cat... where are you anyway?"
Murciel took this moment to reveal himself, hopping into Ulqui's lap and getting comfortable. "Right here."
"Cool, can I borrow you now? That way you can be back with Ulqui by the time lunch comes around."
"I don't see why not. Where will you put me?" He let out a sharp purr that must've been a sigh when Grimmjow presented his backpack and opened it. "This will be very uncomfortable..."
"Quit yer bitchin', it's the only place I have on me big enough to carry you." He shook the bag urgingly. "Hop in."
Murciel let out another sharp purr, and gracefully leaped in. When Grimmjow zipped the bag and put it back on his back they heard, "It smells... funny in here..." and Grimmjow cackled. The bluenet waved at Ulqui and headed back to class, leaving Ulqui alone. The introverted teen just pulled out his music iPod and switched on his Nightcore playlist. He read some poetry to the moving verses of Eminem in The Monster. He expelled a calm sigh; Nightcore made everything sound better.
The bell rung, and he unplugged and headed for homeroom for lunch. Orihime and Tatsuki were already there, and Chizuru appeared after he'd taken his seat. The oranget happily set out lunch and gave him his chopsticks, and he dug in.
"Is that a cat?" Tatsuki asked as she packed up her empty lunch box.
Ulquiorra looked up as Murcie walked in and strolled up to him, earning the eyes of all the students in the room. Being a demon, he could've easily hopped back into Ulqui's hood, but he had to drag it out in front of the normal humans to appear like the small cat he looked like. He climbed up Ulqui's pant leg, to his lap, and then onto the desk, up his arm, and back into his hood. After he settled Ulqui fixed his hood and went back to eating.
"Is that why you always have a hood on?!" someone cried.
Ulqui cringed as people who usually ignored him gathered around to ask about Murcie. Dammit demon!
"I'm sorry, but there was no way I was staying in that putrid smelling knapsack any longer."
"Alright, people, back up! Quit crowding him! One at a time!" Tatsuki commanded, going body guard on them. The facade shattered and she leaned on the table. "Me first! Has that cat always been there?"
Ulqui heaved a sigh and shook his head.
The question of "What's its name," erupted from many.
Get out here, he thought at the demon cat and rapped the table. Murcie climbed down his arm and presented himself.
Orihime squealed and plucked him off the desk. "Murcie," she read off of his tag and held him in front of her face by his armpits. "Hello little kitty! Aw, you're just so cute!"
Murciel touched her nose with his paw. "Yes, yes, I hear that alot, but thank you nonetheless young lady." He mewled earning a few 'aws'.
The bell dinged signalling five minutes until lunch was over, and many students abandoned his desk in favor of finishing their lunches. Orihime set Murcielago on the desk, and he remained there to receive pets from Chizuru and Tatsuki.
For the rest of the day, Ulquiorra had to deal with students from his homeroom randomly walking up and petting the area of his hood where Murcie was. Needless to say, the teen was very glad to leave school that day.
Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go.
And through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the streets.
And when you're gone we want you all to kno-ow-
Ulqui flipped out his phone and answered. "Ma'am?"
"Hey sweetie, there is a little bit of a traffic jam, but I'll be there pretty soon," Solita told him.
"Okay." ." Ulqui hung up after his mother sent him a few kisses and headed for the bench near the street.
"I'm figuring it out."
The teen flinched at Grimmjow's sudden appearance.
The bluenet sat heavily on the bench and unwrapped a chocolate bar he pulled out of his pocket. "Cater to his wild spirit and virgin blood go together right? So, I'm guessing I need nonhuman virgin blood to call him; maybe pig blood from the butchers or something? And then, since you told me that your ritual would have to be in a cave, then his would have to be in the woods behind my house, because that's a type of 'milder wild'. How am I doing so far?"
"Quite well, Grimmjow. Though one problem. How could you be sure that the pig's blood would be virginal?"
Grimm took a bite of his candy. "Shit you're right... hmm. Piglet blood would be good, but butchers don't usually have that kind of stuff... Huh..." As he thought he surprise attacked Ulquiorra, shoving a piece of chocolate into his unsuspecting mouth. Ulqui glared as he chewed. "What? 'Sharing is caring.' Oh, I have a hunting license. I could go out and get a baby deer or something!"
As he finished, Ulqui's mother pulled up and her son stood and headed for the front seat. "Good hunting," he murmured.
"Hey, Grimmy!" Solita greeted. "Heading our way?"
"You go by Dayvee Street, right?"
"Sure do."
"Then, yeah." The bluenet hopped in and buckled up and Solita pulled off.
Ulquiorra remained relatively quiet as Grimm and his mother chatted about what happened at school, though Grimm, thankfully, skipped over the part about Ulqui getting kicked out.
"Was Murcie a good kitty?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"That's good, but I don't think you should take him into school anymore, okay?"
Ulqui shrugged and turned his focus out of the window.
They soon turned down Grimm's street, and pulled up in front of the small brown colored home at the end of the cul-de-sac. As the bluenet described, the house was flanked by an immense amount of trees, and a few deer loped back into the trees upon noticing the car and the blue-haired human exiting it.
"Thanks Mrs. Solita."
"Anytime dear!" Her gaze was suddenly on something behind him. "Is that your father?"
Grimm turned. "Yeah. I usually miss seeing him before he heads to work."
The older male noticed them and walked over. He looked almost exactly like Grimm, but with brow creases, black hair mostly slicked back over his skull with a few defiant strands, and a stern scowl unlike the bored one his son sometimes wore. Grimmjow moved out of the way to let his father lean against the passenger side door and Solita rolled the window down.
"Vat did he do now?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a light German accent.
"Oh uh..." Solita stuttered in confusion at the accusatory question. "Nothing. I was just bringing him home."
"Ah, das ist gut. Sorry, I'm just used to him being brought home by teachers vith bad news."
"Really? Grimm's such a good boy around me."
He chuckled at that, his scowl softening. "I am Alois Jeagerjaquez, you?"
"Solita Cifer." She reached an arm across Ulqui's space and shook the man's hand.
"Cifer? You are Latigo's wife?"
"Yes. You must work with him at the station, then. It's very nice to meet one of his coworkers."
"Pleasure meeting you too." He diverted his striking blue eyes to Ulqui. "So quiet. Are you one of Grimm's friends?"
Ulqui shrugged and Solita shook her head and answered for him. "They've been hanging out for a week now. This is Ulquiorra by the way."
"Ah, yes, I remember now. Latigo told me about you." Alois looked to Solita. "Perhaps we could get together and chat about our problem children, ja?"
She gave him a sad smile. "Don't listen to my husband, Ulqui's a good kid, he just can't show it sometimes."
Alois nodded though didn't seem to fully believe it. "Ah, well I have to get to work. Guten Abend." He turned and headed for the car in the driveway, smoothing back his son's hair as he passed him.
Grimm groaned and remessified his hair before waving to Ulqui and Solita, and heading for the house. "I'll text you later, Ulqui!"
Solita pulled off with Alois close behind her, and turned left at the mouth of the cul-de-sac while he turned right.
"He was a nice guy, though it's a shame your father has already gotten him thinking badly about you..." Solita murmured. "I know! I'll invite him for dinner. Him and Grimm. Won't that be lovely? I'll just have to ask Lati about his and Alois' schedules."
x~x
Solita forced her son to stay downstairs while she fixed him a snack, though he, of course, didn't want to, he sat at the dining table anyway. His father walked in while his mother was making him the snack. Since it was also his worked day, it seemed that work for Latigo started a couple hours later than Alois'. Solita greeted him, and asked her questions from earlier.
"I wouldn't mind having him and his son over. Yeah, I'll ask him when I get to work." The older man jumped when Ulqui's phone sang loudly behind him:
Teenagers scare the living shit outta me!
They could care less, as long as someone'll bleed!
So darken-!
Ulqui pulled it out of his pocket and opened the text to read it.
You home yet?
Ulqui grunted when Latigo's hand came down heavily on his head. "You're actually using that phone for something other than calling us? I'm amazed." Latigo proceeded to ruffle his hair roughly before putting the teen in a one-armed headlock making Ulqui finally protest the rough treatment. Latigo laughed, and let him go.
Ulquiorra smoothed his hair and rubbed his neck before answering the text.
Yeah.
Cool, I wanna talk over the plan with you.
If it's about Pantera, then not now. I'm in the kitchen with my parents.
Okay, I understand. I wouldn't be talking about him if my dad was around.
German?
What? Oh, yeah, I'm German-American. Third generation... or maybe it was fourth...
"Are you texting Grimm?" his mother asked as she set a nice sized sandwich in front of him. She continued speaking when he nodded. "Could you ask him about his hair? I wanted to ask while he was in the car, but it felt too awkward."
My mom wants to know why your hair's blue.
I got it from my grandpa. Now that guy had an accent you could cut.
Ulqui turned the phone for his mom to see, and she took it into her dainty hands. She smiled and scrolled through a few of the texts, as he'd expected her to, before typing something and giving the phone back.
Whoa, Ulqui! Did you start taking meds for your emo-ness?
Ulqui quirked a brow and scrolled to the text his mother sent:
How neat, thank you :-)
He sighed and shook his head. My mother sent that...
Oh, that makes so much more sense. Man, that actually scared me a bit.
Ulqui took a bite of his sandwich, and caught a bit of mayo that spilled on his lip with his tongue. He grunted in thanks when his mother set a mug of herbal tea in front of him. Solita pressed a kiss to his cheek and left with Latigo trailing after her with a sandwich of his own. They're gone. What did you want to talk about? Grimmjow took long enough that Ulqui was able to take a few more bites of his snack, and burned his tongue sipping the tea.
Great. I just wanted to tell you that after I finish getting everything for the ritual, and looking up more symbols to put on the pentagram and maybe more panther facts, I want you to be there for when I actually preform it.
I'll try. When will you do it?
Not sure, it totally depends on when I can get everything and the weather and stuff like that.
Makes sense. He popped the last of his sandwich into his mouth and put the plate in the sink. The cup was still to hot for him to handle, so he grabbed one of the two towels that hung over the sink to use. His phone dinged signaling that Grimm had texted him back by the time he reached his room. He set his tea on the bedside table.
I'm going to go fix myself some dinner. I'll text you again later.
Okay.
He laid the phone on the bedside table as well, and climbed onto his welcoming mattress. I'm tired. From the corner of his eye, he saw Murciel shift into his human form and walk over to his prone body. Ulqui gasped and slapped away the demon's hands when Murciel grabbed his belt. "What are you doing? I don't want you undressing me after all that happened the other day."
Murciel smiled. "Not to worry, master. I am quite satiated when it comes to your blood and body, I merely wished to change you into your sleepwear." He tried again, gripping his master's shirt, but Ulqui stopped him. "Master, even if I wished to bed you, I wouldn't do so while your parents were home."
Ulqui was hesitant, but eventually allowed himself to be undressed, and swung his legs over the bed's edge for Murcielago to slip on his pyjama pants. Per the demon's request, he stood to allow him to pull the garment over his rump. He flinched when Murciel cupped his face.
"Does your wound still hurt, master?"
Ulqui shrugged. "A little. Wh-What are you doing?!"
Murciel was in the process of gently kissing the bruised flesh circling his eye and marring his cheek. "Stopping the pain, of course. How I wish that this was the olden days when magic was known and widely practiced. I could heal this petty wound with not a second thought." He pressed a few more kisses to the bruise and then captured his lips for a moment before yanking the nightshirt he'd chosen for him over the teen's head.
The abrupt yank startled Ulqui, but after a few owlish blinks he slipped his arms through the sleeves and laid back down. He watched with eyebrows raised as Murciel's clothes shifted right before him. The demon's sweater and slacks morphed into a long inky black skirt.
"I've never seen you in that before..."
Murcielago chuckled as he crawled up behind his master and wrapped his long arms around the younger. "That's because you always go to sleep before me, if I sleep at all that night. However, today I feel like resting with you at this early hour. I blame my cat form."
"What if my mom comes up to check on me?"
"She cannot see me unless I allow her, and I must be conscious to do so. Now enough chatter, I believe you wanted to sleep..."
x~x
Ulqui flinched when he saw Orihime reach for his hood during lunch.
"Oh, I'm not trying to take it off," she claimed as she pulled back her hand. "I just wanted to see if Murcie was there."
"I'm here," the demon murmured behind Ulqui. He was wearing the fancier clothes he'd worn after the first time he'd bedded Ulqui, though 'bedded' might not have been a good word for it since there'd been no mattress involved. Just a concrete floor and a lot of refuse.
Quiet you. Ulqui shook his head making the orangette pout.
"Aw, you should've brought him again! I was looking forward to-" she stopped when she rolled her head on her shoulders and noticed something at the front of the classroom. "Is that Ichigo?"
Orihime and Chizuru both joined her in looking at the front, while Ulqui continued to eat the tofu, apple, and onion curry dish Orihime had whipped up. He couldn't care less if that was the tall, grumpy-faced, carrot-topped teen. He was just another popular guy a lot of girls swooned and blushed over; including Orihime.
"Kurosaki-kun, you're back!" the orangette proclaimed, solidifying the earlier, tentative observation.
"Hey, Orihime. Tatsuki. Chizur-AGH! Let go!"
At the mention of her name, Tatsuki jumped up and dragged Ichigo into a headlock. "Bastard! What's with you disappearing without a word!? You had us worried!"
"It's not like I'm obligated to tell you when I'm leaving!"
That earned him a punch.
Orihime gasped. "Careful."
"No, this deadbeat deserves every lick I give him!" Tatsuki told her.
There was a giggle behind Ichigo. "You have such fun friends!"
All (except Ulqui, yet again) looked to the speaker. The introverted teen did not recognize her voice, and did not have a face for her, so she was either new or he'd just never bothered to notice her.
The unfamiliar voice spoke again, her voice cheery and a bit high-pitched. "Hi! I'm Rukia Kuchiki; Ichigo's cousin! I'm staying with his family for a bit."
Orihime greeted her as Chizuru gasped lurched out of her seat. "What a lovely maiden we have here! So adorably small in stature and best of all in-buh!"
Ulqui peeked up in time to see Tatsuki take a firm elbow to the red-head's temple, knocking her off of the dark-haired girl he could now see. She met his eyes and he looked back down at the empty bento box.
"Who's your dark and quiet friend?" Rukia asked.
"Oh, hey Ulquiorra. I didn't see you there," Ichigo greeted and came into his line of view. "Still hiding under that hood, I see. Huh, I don't think I've ever even seen your face."
"We saw it Monday!" Orihime told him excitedly. "And yesterday he had the cutest kitty with him in his hood."
"How cute!" Rukia cheered and placed her hands on his desk, startling him as he hadn't seen her draw near. "Maybe you could sneak it in again?"
Ulqui started when he felt a hand on his head. Standing quickly, he slapped away the Rukia girl's hand and glared at her through his bangs while she looked surprised, and maybe even a bit frightened. Ulqui grabbed his bag and hurried away with Murcielago on his heels. He didn't stop until he was in front of his locker, where he leaned against the cold metal and dropped his bag.
He heaved a sigh and rubbed his head where the Rukia girl's hand had touched. I can't believe she touched me like that... He let his hand drop and looked to his demon servant. His eyebrows came together, as Murciel seemed to have a perplexed look on his face as he scratched his bald chin. Something wrong?
Murciel looked to him and then he seemed to return to whatever state of mind he'd been in before. "I'm not sure what it means..."
What what means?
"...I couldn't read the thoughts of Ichigo or Rukia..."
Ichigo huffed as Rukia dragged him out of the room and away from his friends, who he'd been happy to see after spending so much time in the Soul Society. They went a few feet from the classroom before he took back his arm and glared at her. "Quit dragging me; what's going on with you?"
Rukia grew a glare of her own. "You couldn't sense it?"
"Sense what? Wait, does one of my friends have high spiritual pressure?"
"Tatsuki does, but that's not the point."
"Well, what is the point?"
"I don't even know! It was like... a weird presence, and it wasn't hollow, but it definitely wasn't human. I just don't know, but it worries me; it was coming from that gloomy Ulqui-whatever character."
Ichigo waved it off. "He's always been weird and a bit depressing, I wouldn't be surprised if he simply had a spiritual pressure to match."
"Ichigo. It wasn't human."
Orange eyebrows came together and he scratched his neck as he really thought about it. He couldn't sense spiritual pressure in others, but with Rukia able to and quite shaken by it, he felt he had to take this potential threat seriously. "What should we do?"
"I... I'll talk to my brother about it. He'll be able to help."
"Sounds good. I think I'll alert Urahara as well. He'll jump at the opportunity to study and document... whatever Ulquiorra might be." He bit his lip. "Are you sure the pressure was threatening? I don't think Ulqui could hurt a fly."
Rukia shook her head. "I don't know... but it's better safe than sorry..."
Yay! Another chapter out for this story! Below I've listed the songs featured/mentioned in the story in order by when they appeared (Sorry if I forgot any, I wrote this chapter sporadically over the course of a month XD). I really hope you enjoyed, and will leave me a review to enjoy myself! Thanks and have a nice life!... or unlife if you happen to be a zombie. You know what you are *nudge nudge*
End of the World Party by I See Stars
Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance (MCR)
Lights Out by Mindless Self Indulgence (MSI)
Teenagers by MCR