Quick heads up about this chapter,
there is a trigger at the very beginning of this chapter involving suicide.
Pushing open the wooden bathroom door, Ichigo clutches onto the bedraggled white teddy bear in his arms, his tiny fingers trembling at the crimson mess spread out in front of him.
Whimpering, he patters over to the bathtub, nudging at the pale arm hanging over the bathtub.
"M-mum?"
"I-Ichigo...shushh, it's okay baby."
"But...you're bleeding...I-I'm scared..."
Pale chilly fingers reach out and slide across his warm hand.
"No need to be frightened, as long as you have your angel to watch over you, you'll be fine."
"Mum..."
"Ichi..."
The fingers slip from his hand, hanging limply over the tub.
"Mum! Mummy!"
"MUM!"
"AHHHH!"
Sweat dripping down his forehead and clinging to his loose white night shirt, Ichigo sits up in his now too warm bed, his chest heaving.
His anxious eyes dart around the darkened room, looking for someone who he's never going to lay eyes on again.
Looks like the nightmares are back to plague his dreams once again.
"Take it easy there King."
Ichigo feels the familiar icy chill of Shiro hit his back, and a pale hand weaves through his damp hair.
"S-Shiro?"
"Yeah, it's lil old me. Ya havin nightmares again?"
Ichigo nods, the coldness of Shiro seeming oddly welcoming to him right now.
The cold hand weaving through his hair continues it's comforting movements, while the other snakes around his chest and presses him back against Shiro's chest.
"No need to worry, yer angel's right here."
Ichigo huffs, his rapid heartbeat drumming in his ears.
"You're not an angel, Shiro."
Icy breath hits his warm ear as Shiro cackles.
"Hmm, Devil then?"
Ichigo glances back over his shoulder, bloodshot brown eyes meeting with maniac black ones.
"Why me?"
Shiro purrs lightly, nudging his nose against Ichigo's cheek.
"Cause yer special, Ichi. Ya should learn to embrace it, not fight it. Yer would be so much happier."
"Mum never hurt anyone."
"And look what happened to her, Ichi. Ya don't wanna meet the same fate, do ya?"
Shifting in Shiro's hold, Ichigo stares down at the bed covers.
"I don't know..."
Shiro leans his chin on Ichigo's shoulder, both of his pale hands locking around Ichigo's middle.
"It's not like yer would be doin it on yer own, I'd be with ya."
"But it's wrong..."
"Ya only think that cause ya keep listening to the idiots surrounding ya Ichi. Why don't ya use yer own mind and decide whether or not it's wrong for yerself?"
"I...I guess I'll think about it."
Shiro smirks, before pushing Ichigo back down onto the bed and curling up at his side.
"Knew yer would come around King."
Walking into the coffee shop bright and early the next morning, Ichigo knows he must look like a walking dead reject.
After that nightmare, he tossed and turned for the rest of the night.
Orihime is already behind the counter when he arrives, and she flashes him a bubbly smile and waves eagerly.
"Hey Ichigo! You don't look so good, are you okay?"
Nope, he isn't going to get away with it.
Ichigo does his best to return the warm smile.
"I'm fine, I just had a rough night. Where's Renji?"
"He's out back getting in some supplies."
Ichigo nods and quickly makes his way to the break room, putting on his apron and name tag before coming back out to the front.
"Right, anything that needs doing?"
Orihime blushes.
"Oh well, no no it's fine, I've got everything under control!"
As if on queue, one of the coffee machine's starts to shake and beep loudly.
"Oh, oh!"
Ichigo rushes over and attends to it, trying to push back the inappropriate laugh that is dying to burst out his mouth.
Well, no one can fault Orihime for lack of trying at least.
After the narrowly avoided disaster with the coffee machine, Ichigo makes himself useful by helping Renji bring the supplies in and put them in order in the back.
As the shop isn't so busy, Orihime is left out front, which Ichigo can't help but wonder if that is such a good idea.
"Um, Renji?"
Renji looks up from unpacking a stack of plastic cups.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it's a good idea to leave Orihime out there on her own?"
"She'll be fine, she's done it before. I know she seems like a total clutz, but it's not usually busy until lunch time so she'll have no problem."
Ichigo shrugs, deciding not to question Renji's decision any further and starts to unpack a box of coffee compliments.
"If you say so."
"Listen, I don't mean to pry, but you look tired Ichigo. I'm guessing you didn't sleep so good?"
Well, he was expecting Renji to notice as well.
"Just a rough night, I'll catch up tonight."
Renji huffs, fiddling with some plastic lids.
"Don't let morons like him get to you so much, people like that have no damn tact."
No tact?
Ichigo stops what he's doing, staring over at Renji.
Renji must notice, because he puts the lids down and stares back uncertainly.
"Renji...are you gay?"
Renji glances away, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm Bi, but I prefer guys. You're straight, right?"
"I think so."
Wait, did he just say he thinks so?
Damn it, wait a go brain!
Renji looks back at him surprised, and opens his mouth to say something, when Orihime rushes into the storeroom looking flustered.
"Sorry, but there's a police officer out front and he wanted to see a manager...something about some local break ins..."
Ichigo's heart jumps up into his throat.
It couldn't be...
not even he'd have the nerve to show up here after last night...
right?
Renji rolls his eyes, brushing down his apron.
"Okay, I'll go and talk to him. Can you finish up here, Ichigo?"
"Yeah, no problem."
As Renji and Orihime both head out to the front of the shop, Ichigo can already feel his heart thumping faster in his chest.
There are plenty of cops in town...it doesn't necessarily mean it's-
After a loud crashing comes from the front, Ichigo's brain shifts into fight mode, and he rushes out to the front.
The scene he's confronted with is pretty...unexpected.
Orihime is off to one side, obviously scared, while Renji is planted face down on the counter top, the familiar blue haired bastard leaning over him and cuffing his hands behind his back.
Growling, Ichigo stomps over to Grimmjow.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Grimmjow, having now noticed Ichigo's presence, grins down at him and finishes locking the cuffs onto a furious Renji.
"Hey there strawberry, was worried I wouldn't be seeing your gorgeous face again."
"Stop calling me that! What are you doing to Renji?"
"Your friend here assaulted a police officer, so now I'm dragging his stupid ass back to the station."
As Grimmjow tugs Renji back to his feet, Ichigo is down right dumbfounded.
"Renji, why'd you hit a cop?"
Renji averts his eyes and stares at the floor.
"I just did, he had it coming!"
Grimmjow arches a blue eyebrow.
"Well, now you've got a charge coming, hope you're fuckin happy with yourself."
"Asshole," Renji mutters.
"Renji, SHUT UP!"
At Ichigo's unexpected outburst, Renji stares at him in surprise, and so does Grimmjow.
"Look, let Renji out of those damn cuffs right now, or I'm gonna be more than willing to ring up your station and tell your boss you tried to force yourself on me last night. I'm pretty sure they won't be too pleased about one of their officers acting like that, will they?"
God, Ichigo may seem calm on the outside, but inside he's a quivering wreck.
How the hell these confident words are flying out of his mouth so easily is beyond him.
Adrenaline, maybe?
Grimmjow blinks back at him dumbly for a few moments, before a feral grin takes over his lips.
"Huh, guess you got me there then, Ichigo."
Wait...it worked?
Grimmjow un-cuffs the bewildered Renji, who quickly takes his place by Ichigo's side.
Grimmjow chuckles, attaching the cuffs back to his belt.
"Lucky strawberry's here to pull your ass out of trouble red, but next time you try somethin like that, you're gonna wish I'd dragged your dumb ass to the station."
Ichigo grits his teeth, as Grimmjow leans back against the counter.
"Kurosaki, I wanna have a word with you, in private."
Renji immediately opens his mouth to object, but Ichigo gives him a 'don't be so stupid' look, before nodding at Grimmjow.
"Fine by me, we can talk in the break room."
Well aware of Renji's and Orihime's eyes boring into his back, Ichigo leads the way to the break room, the blue haired cop hot on his heels.
After they're both inside, Ichigo shuts the door, only to find himself roughly pushed up against it.
Locked between Grimmjow's warm body and the wooden door, Ichigo isn't sure what he should do here.
Sure, he could hit him, but he's had time to calm down and think since last night.
Violence has to be his last resort.
But he'll be damned if Grimmjow think's he can just walk all over him.
Bringing his hands up, he pushes them against Grimmjow's clothed chest firmly, attempting to create some much needed distance between them.
But to his surprise, Grimmjow doesn't even budge an inch, and he shoved pretty damn hard.
If anything, fighting against him seems to just bring him more entertainment.
"I can already tell you're gonna like it rough."
Ichigo blushes furiously at the comment, pushing again at Grimmjow's hard chest.
"Shut the hell up you damn pervert, who do you think you are, huh? I couldn't make this any clearer for your dumb-"
Grimmjow's hot mouth swallows the rest of Ichigo's insulting words, and Ichigo tenses up as Grimmjow's tongue slips easily into his open mouth.
Wandering hands end up untying his apron at the back and then pushing themselves roughly under his shirt, sliding over his smooth stomach muscles, and he can't help the shudder that courses through his body.
He feels the blue haired bastard smirk against his lips, before leaving his lips and choosing instead to nip and suck at the side of his neck.
Damn he should stop him...
He should have stopped him as soon as their lips touched...
But it does feel really good...
his self control slipping from him, Ichigo brings his hands up and tangles them in Grimmjow's wild untamed blue locks, tugging harshly and earning himself a deep groan from the larger male.
NO!
Wait a damn minute!
This is bad, he shouldn't be doing this!
Especially not with someone like him!
Like snapping out of a vivid daydream, Ichigo gathers enough sense to wriggle himself out of the other's grip, and scowls at Grimmjow darkly from a few feet away.
Grimmjow smiles cockily, before smoothing out his hair.
"Well, took ya longer to run this time, so at least we're getting somewhere."
"We are not getting anywhere, I mean it!"
Grimmjow tuts.
"Body says otherwise, kid."
What does he-
Ichigos eyes widen, and he quickly puts his hands over his crotch, his face feeling like it's on fire.
"Shut it, it's a natural reaction!"
"Sure it is."
Anger flaring in his veins, Ichigo tentatively retrieves his apron from the floor and secures it around himself shakily.
"I-I need to get back to work, surely you should go and do your job too."
Grimmjow happily opens the door and gestures for Ichigo to go right on through.
Which he mistakenly does.
As soon as his back is turned, he feels strong hands cup his backside.
With a yelp, he jumps and turns around to glare daggers, before stomping away to the staff restroom to get some much needed alone time before returning to work.
Splashing some refreshing cold water onto his flushed face, Ichigo sighs to himself.
What the hell is he thinking?
This is his second chance at a new life, he can't go screwing it up like this.
"Yo."
Ichigo flinches, his eyes locking on Shiro leering over his shoulder in the bathroom mirror.
"Shiro, what are you doing here?" Ichigo whispers furiously.
"Ya seemed like ya needed some help, so here I am! How can I help my king?"
Ichigo rolls his eyes, drying his face off on a paper cloth.
"You can't be here, I have to work."
Shiro glances curiously around the empty bathroom, trailing his fingertips along Ichigo's shoulders.
"Work, ya say?"
Ichigo tenses as Shiro leans in to sniff at his neck.
"Ya don't smell like workin, ya smell like ya have been letting that blue haired beast have his way with ya."
Ichigo growls, leaning away from Shiro.
"It wasn't like that! I'm going back to work now!"
Shiro tsks, before leaning against the wall and chewing on his black nails.
"See, I knew there was a reason ya still ain't torn up that card he gave ya."
Ignoring Shiro now, Ichigo takes one last long glance in the mirror to check he looks fine, before leaving the restroom to get back to work.
Thankfully his albino counterpart doesn't follow.
Ichigo stays behind as usual to help Renji lock up for the day.
Hanging up his apron, Ichigo grabs his stuff ready to leave and head home, when a firm grip on his wrist stops him in his tracks.
Startled, he turns and stares up to see Renji staring down at him, his red brows furrowed.
"Renji?"
The redhead sighs and closes his eyes briefly, before his face fills with anger.
"What were you playing at earlier, Ichigo? You should know better than to threaten someone like him!"
Ichigo's mouth gapes open, before he gets angry too.
"ME? If you hadn't hit the guy I wouldn't have had to get involved in the first place!"
Renji releases his tight grip on Ichigo's wrist, averting his eyes.
"Not like he didn't deserve it."
Ichigo's features soften, and before he realizes what he's doing, he pulls Renji into a tight hug, burying his face in the redhead's neck.
He feels Renji tense up at first, then his hands come up to wrap around Ichigo.
Ichigo pulls back after a few quiet moments, staring up into Renji's eyes.
"I can handle myself, you know."
Chuckling, Renji quirks an eyebrow down at him.
"What makes you think I did it for you?"
Ichigo grins, before quickly reaching up and planting a chaste kiss on Renji's warm cheek.
The taller redhead instantly flushes crimson, making Ichigo snicker.
"W-what was that for?" Renji stammers out.
"I felt like it. Have a good night, Renji."
And with that, Ichigo steps out into the cool night air and makes his way back home to his apartment a few blocks away.
Kicking off his shoes, Ichigo barely has time to stretch his tired muscles before theres a loud rap on his door.
Strange, he never gets visitors.
Shiro, who is observing him closely from the couch, raises an eyebrow at the door.
"Expectin someone, King?"
Ichigo shakes his head in reply, putting a finger to his lips.
Shiro rolls his dark eyes, his blue tongue coming out to lick at his pale lips.
Ichigo cautiously opens the door, his curiosity getting the better of him.
As his eyes take in the all too familiar older man stood before him, his hands ball into tight fists at his sides.
"Hello, Dad."
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, followed and favorited this story, it means a lot :)
And for everyone wondering, there will be GrimmIchi smut coming pretty soon, I just didn't want to rush into it with this story, so that's something for you guys to look forward too :D
Thanks for reading the latest chapter and hope you enjoyed it!