A/N: Oh yes, Chapter Nine is part two of the sappy romantic saga. I'm not good at this kind of thing, so you'll have to bear with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, by Tite Kubo

Szayel felt a dull ache in his chest as Ryuuken stared down at him. He blinked, trying to rid his face of that stupid, bewildered expression. He finally looked down. He thought that maybe Ryuuken assumed he was crying, and scoffed at that. Crying was below him, and it had been for the last eleven years of his life. He sighed and looked at Ryuuken, determination in his eyes.

'You should leave,' he stated in a flat tone. Renji raised his inked eyebrows and made his mouth into an 'O' shape.

'Woo, he looks pissed. I'm gonna stay with Shuu, Uryuu, until everything smoothes over and he leaves,' he inched his way slowly out the door. Ishida didn't like hearing that; Shuuhei was probably Renji's worst influence, besides Rangiku. The two were perverted, drunk and didn't go to class. Renji already skipped math half the time and made obscene jokes at dinner. This was not something he needed at his point in life. Ishida was looking at Szayel in bewilderment, wondering why he didn't say anything to back him up.

Love. Szayel repeated the word repeatedly in his mind, hearing Ishida's voice ringing out. Ishida would be wondering why Szayel didn't say anything... why Szayel just stared at the ground and thought of what his next move was going to be. He felt weak and numb. Then an idea came into his head. This would be easier than saying it outright, he decided, and poured all of his energy into turning sharply, back to Ryuuken, and planting a loving kiss on Ishida's surprised lips. Szayel was not fond of public displays of affection, but Ishida did not feel awkwardness in the kiss. Szayel felt Ishida wrap his arms around his waist and Szayel let them stay there as he nibbled Ishida's bottom lip. When he heard and felt Ishida let out a soft groaned, Szayel pulled away. Ryuuken stood there, his eyes betraying his facial expression. Anger and confusion made them glimmer as he cleared his throat. A blush spread across the dark-haired man's face when he looked at his father. Szayel stared indignantly, wondering why he suddenly had all this courage; he hadn't solved the problem, he had no reason to feel victorious. Ishida looked happy enough with his response, if only a little bewildered. Szayel liked explaining things, so a nonverbal response was rare.

'I see,' Ryuuken straightened his already straight tie.

'I'm glad,' Ishida snapped, grabbing Szayel's arm protectively. For such an unemotional barrier that he puts up, Ishida really liked having something to hold when he was upset, especially with his father. When he was little, he could play with his mother's old jewelry when Ryuuken snapped at him; she always had a silver pendant, it was a pentacle, with blue trim on a silver chain. He would relax at the smooth, metallic feel of it.

'Ishida…' Ryuuken glanced at his son as he made his way to the door.

'What do you want?' Ishida spat, glowering, 'You have your explanation.'

'Don't do anything stupid. Don't rush this twisted deformity you call romance, not that I care. It's unnatural, to be sure, but I am concerned for your welfare; I'm not heartless.' Ishida snorted. Ryuuken turned away again, still noting Szayel's confused expression as he exited the room swiftly, with a quiet grace.

'S-Szayel?' Szayel turned to a very upset Ishida.

'Yes?'

'You do love me…right?' Here it was. Szayel could lie. He could say yes, and Ishida would be happy. It was only words. However, they weren't just words to him. He didn't want to lie to Ishida about love. A confession he'd declared in front of his slightly homophobic roommate and his father, who acted as if he had a stick up his ass.

'Y-Yes. I do, Ishida,' Szayel said, aware of how stupidly pitiful his voice sounded.

'You do what?'

'I…I love you too,' he stated, trying to put as much emotion as possible into the words. They left a bitter, upset feeling in his mouth. Love didn't seem like an emotion that should do that. Ishida smiled, though. Such a happy smile, like he probably smiled when he was younger. It was genuine. Szayel wanted him to smile like that all the time. He caressed the other man's lower lip, putting his free hand on Ishida's back, pushing him towards Szayel.

'Ishida…' He locked his sultry golden eyes with curious dark ones.

'Yes, Szayel?'

'I finished that essay.' Ishida grinned up at the pink-haired man, wrapping his arms around his neck and connecting his lips with Szayel's with what Szayel imagined was love.

Szayel got bored quickly. He got bored with test subjects, he got bored with school, and he got bored with people. He didn't expect to be bored with Ishida, though. It wasn't a maddening boredom, but he knew it was there. In the back of his mind, he was bored with playing their games; he was bored with lying every night, when Ishida would collapse next to him and ask, "Do you love me?" and every time, without fail, Szayel would say yes, and he would not mean it. If only he loved Ishida. Surely, that would cure the boredom. But he knew he wasn't. If he was in love, he would dread the moments apart, and die on the inside when Ilforte lowered their relationship to questions such as "Would you like to borrow the leash?" on the phone. He was tired of coming home at a certain time and seeing Ishida cooking dinner, like a fucking housewife, and greet him cheerily. He was tired of his graceful touch, ghosting over his pale skin like it was fragile, while Szayel did no such thing, pounding the poor boy into the mattress every night, getting a rush of pleasure for every scream and drop of blood. Szayel wanted something new. So that's why he was glad when spring break came. Not that he enjoyed the prospect of Ilforte and whatever new flame he'd picked up on the way forcefully dragging him away to his condo of raging homosexuality to spend the time, but he wanted a change of scenery.

This is why he was currently waiting outside in the rain, without an umbrella, for Ilforte to pick him up. Ilforte, however, didn't get off work for another hour. So why was Szayel standing in the pouring rain?

Ishida had gone through the regular routine with Szayel; there wasn't much to do, since they didn't have any work to do, and if Ilforte was picking him up at four, Ishida didn't need to start dinner. They were keeping to themselves, Szayel reading a book and Ishida sewing something for Inoue. Until Ishida looked at Szayel, curled in a chair, and asked him,

'Since it's raining, do you wanna do something different for Spring Break?' Szayel froze.

'Ilforte is picking me up,' he muttered.

'Well, yes, I know. But isn't he a bit of an outdoors kind of person?'

'Usually I just stay at home when he goes out, unless it's to the bookstore, or the mall. Otherwise, I just sit at home and listen to him and whats-his-face.'

'You don't know his boyfriend's name?'

'I haven't met him. He's new every time. He's been going strong with some submissive Tesla kid, but I'm not sure,' he said with an offhanded wave of his wrist.

'Oh. Do you want to do anything with me and Kurosaki?'

'No,' Szayel chirped.

'Why not?'

'I want to see Ilforte.' Ishida made a noise that resembled disbelief.

'I don't hate him, I just don't like it when he bursts into my living area, or calls me in the middle of sex, you know that.' Ishida blushed.

'To tell you the truth, Ishida, I would like to get away for a while. To myself.'

'Well, we could just rent a hotel…I know Ryuuken's PIN,' he offered.

'N-no. Just me. Alone, with whats-his-face and Ilforte shagging next door.' Ishida grunted.

'I thought you liked spending time with me,' he replied, frustrated.

'I do. But I need alone time.' Szayel noted that he was always especially womanly when he sewed.

'Okay, then I'll help you pack now.'

'Ishida? Ilforte comes at four…it's three.'

'Yeah, but I know how much you like alone time.'

And that is how Szayel Aporro Granz got around to standing in the rain, without an umbrella, and with a pissed boyfriend on the campus somewhere. He looked at his watch. 3:15. Only forty-five more minutes, not including how late Ilforte would be. He sighed and wiped his glasses clean for the fourth time in fifteen minutes, trying to distract himself.

A/N: Ooh, I made Ishida a PMS-ing freak. Also, yes, I did imply Ilforte/Tesla. I'm going to get shot in my sleep XD