As Grimmjow and Ichigo make their way home through the quiet streets, Grimmjow stops in his tracks, holding his hand out towards the confused Neko.
Ichigo stares down at it, his tail swishing behind him in curiosity.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
"Offering you my hand to take, duh. It's getting dark and I don't want you scampering off where I can't see you."
"I'm not gonna do that! I'm not a kid you know, I don't need to hold your damn hand!"
Grimmjow sighs, grabbing the Neko's claw in his hand and starting to drag him down the streets.
"Hey, let go! I said I'm not a kid, you bastard!"
Grimmjow chuckles, Ichigo glaring at him before giving in and walking alongside the older male hand in claw.
Ichigo watches his breath ghost out in front of him, glancing around at the quickly darkening scenery.
"Grimm?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there something...wrong?"
Grimmjow glances at Ichigo, his hand tightening slightly around the Neko's claw.
"No."
"Liar," Ichigo huffs.
"Trust me Ichigo, you don't want to know, it's for your own good."
"You're treating me like a kid again, if something is bothering you just tell me!"
Grimmjow stops walking again and narrows his eyes down at him, making Ichigo stare up at him warily.
"Tell me then, do you like that albino bastard back there?"
"Shiro? No...not really, he's a fucking pervert."
Without another word, Grimmjow starts walking again, dragging Ichigo along with him.
"Wait, Grimm, why did you ask me that? You're confusing me. Just tell me what's up with you today you idiot!"
"I'll tell you when we get home, now stop being a little brat and get your ass moving."
Ichigo growls, but does as he's told, keeping pace with Grimmjow as they make their way home in the chilly evening air.
As soon as they're both through the front door, Ichigo is pestering Grimmjow again, and as Grimmjow flops down on the couch with an irritated sigh, Ichigo sits down next to him, his brown eyes narrowed at the other.
"Ichigo, if you keep scowling at me like that your face is gonna get stuck that way."
"You made me wait all the way home, now out with it already."
Grimmjow runs a hand through his tousled blue hair.
"Fine, if you really want to know, it's Aizen."
"Your boss?"
"Yeah. He basically made me an offer, involving you and Shiro."
It takes a few moments for Ichigo to click on, but when he does, his eyes widen and he glances nervously at Grimmjow.
"You mean..."
Grimmjow stares down at him, keeping his expression as neutral as he can.
"Apparently a litter from you is worth a hell of a lot of money. And even more so with Shiro, who's a rare albino Neko too."
"Did you...agree to that?"
Grimmjow watches in silence as Ichigo's claw's ball into tight fists, and he bares his fangs.
"You did, didn't you! I knew it, I knew I couldn't trust you, you're just like everyone else!"
Ichigo growls angrily, and raises a claw, aiming for Grimmjow's face, but it's easily caught before it makes contact.
"You really think I'd do that to you? Just sell you, like you where some stupid possession to do whatever I wanted with? How fucking stupid are you, Ichigo?"
Ichigo hisses loudly, his chest heaving and his eyes stinging.
"Don't lie! I'm really just a stupid, obedient little pet and-"
Ichigo yelps as he's pushed roughly down on his back on the couch, Grimmjow looming over him, quickly pinning both of his claws over his head.
Grimmjow leans down, his face only mere inches away from the startled Neko's.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm all for your entertaining hissy fits, Ichigo, but I sure as hell am not gonna let you keep thinking this stupid shit about yourself any longer."
Now beyond confused, Ichigo blinks up at him.
"What are you-"
Grimmjow closes the rest of the distance between them and capture's Ichigo's plump lips in a slow, tender kiss, the Neko freezing up as soon as their lips make contact.
Grimmjow moves his lips against the still Neko's, his hands letting go of Ichigo's claws.
After a few moments Grimmjow suddenly pulls back, staring down at Ichigo, who's cheeks are dusted pink and his wide eyes full of confusion as he stares up at Grimmjow
With a heavy sigh, Grimmjow sits back on the couch, and Ichigo pushes himself back up, his eyes never leaving the other.
"Uh...what was that?"
"It was me being a dick. Shit, I'm sorry Ichigo."
Grimmjow gets up from the couch, averting his eyes from the Neko.
"You can take my bed tonight, the new mattress comes tomorrow morning, so I'm fine with taking the couch for the night. I'm gonna go take a shower before we eat."
Ichigo is too stunned to say anything else, his eyes just follow Grimmjow to the bathroom, watching the door close behind him.
Although Ichigo felt kind of bad about taking Grimmjow's bed for the night, the older male had outright insisted, not taking no for an answer, and practically dragged Ichigo into the room and dumped him on the comfy king sized bed.
After the kissing incident from earlier, they had sat down together to eat some leftovers from the fridge, both of them oddly quiet and keeping their eyes on the television screen.
This irritated Ichigo more than he let on.
Why is Grimmjow acting so weird with him, when he's the one who had basically pinned him down and then kissed him?
Now he's alone in bed and able to think about it clearly, it pisses him off.
His ears droop and he bares his fangs up at the ceiling as he scowls.
After a few moments of needed scowling time, he turns onto his side, staring towards the closed bedroom door.
The small charm on his collar jingles as he moves, which he chose to leave on, for now at least. In fact, he kind of likes the collar now, it helps him feel like he belongs.
Ichigo know's Grimmjow sure can't be comfortable on the couch, that's for sure. Ichigo is smaller than him and even he wouldn't be comfortable laying down on it, never mind be able to sleep on the thing.
Ichigo shoves the blanket off and fumbles his way to the door in the near enough pitch black, managing to find the light switch and then opening the door.
The bedroom light illuminates the front room, and Grimmjow is laid down on his back on the couch, his blue eyes flickering to Ichigo.
"Ichigo? What are you doing up still, it's like one in the morning,"Grimmjow yawns.
Ichigo rolls his eyes, clasping his claws nervously in front of himself.
"Oh yeah, could ask you the same question. The couch isn't so comfortable, huh?"
Grimmjow shrugs, shifting his weight.
"It's fine, I'm not a big sleeper anyway."
"Sure you aren't," Ichigo snorts.
"Please don't tell me you pissed the bed or something."
"I DID NOT FUCKING PISS THE BED, I'M A GROWN MAN YOU JERK!"
"Ugh stop shrieking, it's too damn late," Grimmjow grunts out.
"I'm not shrieking, I'm shouting!Just...ugh, look, I just got up cause I...well, I feel kind of bad about taking your bed, so if you want to share the bed, it would make me feel kind of better..." Ichigo can feel his cheeks flaming as he rambles on, but he just hopes it's concealed enough by the remaining darkness.
Grimmjow sit's up, his blue hair already tousled as hell as he stares curiously at Ichigo.
"You trying to say you miss me?"
Ichigo huffs indignantly, his ears twitching and his tail wrapping around his thigh.
"No, I feel bad okay, that's all!"
Grimmjow smirks coyly, getting up from the couch and stretching with a loud groan, and when his white top rides up to show a glimpse of taut stomach muscles Ichigo has to swallow and avert his wandering eyes elsewhere.
"Well, we can't have that, can we?"
Grimmjow strides over and steers Ichigo back into the bedroom by the his shoulders, switching off the light.
They both climb into the large, king size bed, which is still warm from Ichigo being sprawled out in it, Ichigo on the left and Grimmjow on the right.
Ichigo tries to push the unwelcome feelings flooding into him from his thoughts, his body still feeling slightly hotter than it should.
But then again, that might just be the on-setting of his heat, but he'll be fine for tonight, he can still control himself.
He's pretty sure of that, until he feels a strong arm wrap around his middle, and warm breath at the nape of his neck.
He tenses up, his eyes flickering open in the darkness, feeling the warm heat of Grimmjow's body near his back and willing himself not to shiver at the close contact.
"Grimm..."
"Bitch at me all you want in the morning, now go to sleep," Grimmjow mumbles sleepily.
Ichigo considers retaliating with a smart ass comment, but he is actually really tired himself, and as he hears Grimmjow begin to snore lightly, his own eyes flutter closed, and the dark veil of sleep welcomes him.
Grimmjow wakes up the next morning as light floods in through the thin curtains near his bed, and he grumbles, shifting his weight to get more comfortable.
He freezes when he hears soft purring in front of him, and his eyes shoot open.
Nothing could prepare him for what he see's.
Ichigo is still fast asleep, his spiky orange hair now tousled all over his head, his ears twitching every so often as he dreams, a lopsided grin on his face as he purrs contentedly.
Grimmjow remembered falling asleep with Ichigo's back to him, but apparently the Neko must move around in his sleep.
With his heart thundering in his chest and his throat suddenly way too dry, Grimmjow bravely reaches out a hand, sliding a few fingers down the side of the sleeping Neko's face.
Ichigo purrs louder, leaning into the touch without hesitation even in his sleep, and Grimmjow has to quickly pull away as blood shots to his groin.
For fucks sake, he should at least try to control his damn self, especially after that stunt he pulled yesterday, which he's sure Ichigo must still be mightily pissed about, even if he's good at hiding it.
But it's as if, as soon as Ichigo even gets close to him or even touches him, his rational thoughts just go right out the window, and the fact that they're supposed to just be a simple 'owner and pet' just goes out the window too.
And yet, he deliberately keeps putting himself in situations where the orange Neko has to be close to him, so yeah, he's a real glutton for punishment all right.
As quietly as he can, he gets out of the bed, and seeing Ichigo is still sound asleep, he heads to the bathroom to start getting himself ready for another gruelling day at work.
Stretching out his claws above his head, Ichigo yawns loudly, then snuggles back into the warm blankets around him.
It takes him a minute to realize he's now alone in the bed, and he stares around curiously, his ears pricked and alert for any noises.
He can hear movement and various bangs and thumps from what sounds like his own bedroom, and he cautiously gets out of bed and creaks open the door, staring out into the living room.
No one is in there, so he follows the sources of the noises, finding his bedroom door wide open and small curses being uttered from within.
Standing in the doorway, Ichigo can see Grimmjow manoeuvring the new mattress onto the bed, nearly falling on his ass in the process.
Ichigo lets out a chuckle before he can stop himself, making Grimmjow push the mattress down and scowl over at him.
"Is my frustration funny to you, huh?"
"Oh yeah, definitely," Ichigo chuckles again.
Grimmjow's glare turns into a huge grin, and before Ichigo can duck out of his way, Grimmjow rushes over and grabs him around the middle, lifting him off his feet with one arm.
"Oi what are you doing, put me down asshole-OOF!"
Ichigo is tossed down onto the mattress on his back, and Grimmjow climbs over him, a wicked smirk on his face.
"W-what are you-"
Ichigo doesn't get chance to finish his sentence as Grimmjow begins to tickle him mercilessly in the sides and underarms, and Ichigo squirms and writhes beneath him.
"No no stop! Ow ow no no-" Ichigo half laughs, half wheezes, but Grimmjow doesn't let up one bit.
It's a lot of fun for both of them, and it helps relieve some of the tension that's been building heavily since yesterday.
Once Grimmjow's hands start to cramp up he stops, and he catches sight of Ichigo's long tail now coiled around his thigh, which he hadn't even felt happen.
Ichigo, bright red and trying to catch his breath, follows his gaze, and when he sees his tail, a flare of embarrassment spikes through him.
But before he has chance to move it, Grimmjow runs a hand down it gently.
Ichigo shivers at the sensitive touch, and Grimmjow's eyes immediately flicker back to his, darkening slightly at Ichigo's expression.
Ichigo bites his lip and tries to move, but his body is having none of that.
As Grimmjow strokes his tail again, Ichigo closes his eyes and turns his head to the side, not wanting to embarrass himself any more, today at least.
"Ichigo."
Even though Grimmjow's voice is calm, there's a hint of authority behind it, making Ichigo tremble in a surprisingly good way .
The hand not stroking his tail glides up his exposed thigh, until it rests on his crotch, giving the area a light squeeze.
Ichigo whimpers loudly, all coherent thoughts flying out of his head as his body thrums with adrenaline.
"Do you want me to stop?"
It takes a moment for the words to register properly in his mind, but once they do, he opens his eyes, finding Grimmjow staring down at him intently.
"I...I don't know..."Ichigo stammers.
Grimmjow smiles, moving his hand away and instead taking Ichigo's chin and tilting the Neko's head up as he capture's his lips in a wet kiss, before pulling back and getting off of the surprised Neko.
"Why are you staring at me like that," Grimmjow asks, frowning deeply.
Ichigo sits up, crossing his legs and hiding his tail behind him.
"You stopped..."
"Well, you didn't sound sure, and I'm sure as hell not gonna force you into something you're not sure about."
Ichigo gapes at him for a few moments, before he grins happily and jumps off of the bed, hugging Grimmjow tightly.
Grimmjow ruffles his hair and scratches behind the now purring Neko's ears.
They stay like that for a while, before Grimmjow reluctantly untangles himself from Ichigo.
"Better fix you some breakfast before we have to go to work again. That is...if you want to come today after what happened yesterday? No pressure at all."
Ichigo nods, determination plastered on his face.
"I'm not going to let that stupid pervert stop me from spending time with you Grimm."
"That's what I like to hear. Let me guess...pancakes again?"
"Heck yes!"
Once they arrive at Grimmjow's work, Ichigo heads for the elevator, only to be looped around the waist by a strong arm and all but dragged up the stairs, much to his frustration.
Grimmjow only lets go of the swearing Neko once they get inside his office, and Ichigo scowls at him as he sit's behind his desk and boots up his computer.
"Like I told you yesterday, you keep making that face and it's gonna get stuck that way," Grimmjow scolds, but Ichigo just hisses at him and flops down onto the chair near the window, his tail swishing in the air as he watches what's going on outside.
Knock knock
"Come in."
The office door swings inward, revealing an all too happy Gin, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Why good morning, Mr Jaegerjaquez and Ichigo, how are you both today?"
Grimmjow mumbles some curses under his breath, before clearing his throat.
"We're doing just fine. Can I help you with something?"
Gin giggles.
"Aizen asked me to come down here personally and give you this."
Gin unclasps his hands and removes a thin folder from his white suit jacket, putting it down on Grimmjow's desk.
Grimmjow sneers at it but flips it open, frowning as he skims through what's inside.
"He wants me to go do a presentation now, with no notice and without chance to even read this properly?"
"Oh we all know you're the best at this particular topic, you know it like the back of your hand, don't you? At least, that's what you seem to enjoy bragging about. God forbid you've been telling fibs, Mr Jaegerjaquez?"
Scooping up the folder, Grimmjow gets to his feet.
"Fine, let's get this shit over with."
Gin points over at Ichigo, who has been watching the exchange warily.
"And what about your dear little Neko?"
"He can stay with Ulquiorra-"
"I'm afraid Mr Cifer is also in a meeting, along with Mr Gilga, what a shame, hmm? Although, you could always leave him in my capable hands-"
"No way in hell, don't think I can't see what you and Aizen are trying to pull here, and it isn't gonna work. Ichigo?"
Ichigo's ears perk up at the mention of his name.
"Will you be okay if I lock you in here for an hour? You can play around on the internet while I'm away."
"Yeah, I'll be fine Grimm," Ichigo nods, and Grimmjow gestures towards the door, his angry eyes on Gin.
"After you."
"Oh why thank you," Gin grins, waving a goodbye at Ichigo as he leaves.
Grimmjow smiles warmly at Ichigo before he leaves, and Ichigo hears the door lock behind him.
Well, he might as well entertain himself and see what he can find on the internet.
It seems like more than an hour since Grimmjow left, and Ichigo is getting anxious.
The internet isn't keeping him distracted any more, so he slinks over to the window, staring out and trying to distract his overworking mind.
Nothing interesting is going on outside either, so he sighs and stares at the door.
And to top it all off, he needs the bathroom now.
He stares down at his claw, then back at the door.
Maybe he can pick the lock and quickly go to the bathroom...he'll only be what...five minutes?
But then again, what if Shiro's there?
Growling in frustration, he goes over to the door and slides a long nail inside, trying to jingle it open.
It takes a few minutes, but he eventually hears the lock slide open.
The only reason he knows how to pick locks so quickly and easily is because he used to do it a lot in the Neko home, usually to escape from other Neko's or to just get away from Yoruichi trying to force him into the adoption room, or introduce him to some damn people wanting to adopt.
He glances down the corridor, but no one else is in sight, and he can't hear anybody nearby either.
So he makes his way down the hall and turns, heading towards the male Neko bathroom.
But just as he heads past one of the darkened offices, the door is wrenched inward and a pair of arms grab him, one firmly around his middle and one over his mouth.
He gasps in surprise as he's unwillingly dragged into the dark office, the only light in the room seeping through the gaps between the closed blinds.
As Ichigo's survival instincts kick in and he bucks and writhes against whoever's grabbing him, warm breath hits his ear, and an all to familiar maniac voice fills his ears.
"Hello again, my lil Ichi."
Ichigo's eye's nearly pop out of his head, his body freezing.
"If I move my hand, ya gonna be a good lil boy?"
Like hell he is, but he nods his head, and Shiro slowly moves his pale hand away from his mouth.
But the hand locked around his middle doesn't give an inch, much to Ichigo's frustration.
Fangs barred, he glares at the albino over his shoulder, his blood boiling as he see's the other leering down at him, a huge sadistic smirk on his pale lips.
"What in the fuck are you doing, Shiro?"
He tries to sound as menacing as he possibly can, even growling loudly after, but Shiro only cackles, leaning closer to sniff at his hair.
"Ain't it obvious? I'm here to take what's mine."
Ichigo trembles and grasps the arm around his middle, trying desperately to dislodge it so he can make a run for it.
"No way, let go off me right now you freakin pervert before I-"
"Before ya what, hmm? I dunno whether ya noticed but yer the one at a disadvantage here, Ichi. And ya ain't going nowhere till I'm done with yer sweet ass."
As Shiro's obvious intent sinks into his mind, he opens his mouth and starts to scream at the top of his lungs.
"HELP-"
The snow white hand is clamped back over his mouth in a flash.
"A real shame, now I'm gonna have to do this the hard way," Shiro husks, and Ichigo can only hope and pray for a damn miracle.
Uh oh, you've really gone and dropped yourself in it now Ichigo!
I know this chapter is a little shorter than the others, but the reason for that is because the next chapter which I'm already writing is quite dramatic and stuff, so this is a good cut off point for that.
I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, I am! But I will probably have the next chapter out within a week, two at most.
Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far too, I love hearing what people think about what I write!
Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and thanks for reading!