– Stray –
No way…
He meant it as a joke; a payback for the man's insult to him. Surely the school board didn't take it seriously. Bright jade eyes were wide as they stared at the high school principal standing in front of the class.
Principal Aizen had a lax smile on his face and his chocolate eyes were locked at no one but a certain blue-haired man.
"WHAT?!" Grimmjow roared, standing up from his seat and slamming on his hands on the desk in the process. His deep sapphire eyes were glaring at the principal.
"I'm congratulating you, Mr. Jeagerjaques, for being selected to be part of the student exchange program that our school is conducting." The brunet said easily.
"B-But, I thought you had to volunteer or submit your name or some shit like that to be included!" the muscular man stuttered, disbelief etched on his features.
"Yes, and the panel of judges had picked out your name from the ballot."
"BUT I DIDN'T SUBMIT MY FUCKING NAME! I DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT SHIT!"
"Now, now, no need for profanities…" Aizen appeased, maintaining his cool façade. "Well, if you didn't submit your name personally, then someone else who thought you deserved the chance must have submitted your name for you."
Hearing this, twin sapphire orbs burning with rage turned towards a certain pale-skinned man sitting directly behind him. "You…"
Jade eyes looked back, with a cold and emotionless front. A single brow was raised as though daring the man to put the blame on him.
"Anyway, regardless of who had submitted your name, Mr. Jeagerjaques, the fact remains that you were chosen and you will now participate in the foreign exchange program starting next week." Aizen continued. "Now, the program will span for one month and the school will take charge of all payments needed, including the plane ride, food budget and your lodging fee for the duration of the program. And we would also provide you with a cash allowance for the whole month that you will have to stay overseas. You will be sent to Karakura High in Japan and everything is already prepared for you there, Principal Yamamoto will give you further instructions when you arrive. I will be expecting you to report to my office on Sunday, with all your necessary baggage, like clothes, toiletries, and etcetera, brought along. Good day to all of you." And with that, the principal departed.
The door slid shut, echoing loudly in the suddenly too-still classroom.
Grimmjow was still standing on his seat, his blue eyes staring at nothing, with a most incredulous look on his boyish face.
"Congratulations, Mr. Jeagerjaques, now please do take your seat so we can continue with our discussion." The class Adviser, Rudobone, spoke, startling almost everyone in class.
– From G to U –
"WHAT THE FUCK WE'RE YOU PLAYING AT, SCHIFFER?!"
Heads turned at once at hearing the loud and profane statement coming from the cafeteria doors. Upon seeing who had said it, however, most of the students only shrugged and went back to their businesses. It was just him again…
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Jeagerjaques." Was the reply that the muscular teen received; courtesy of an ever-emotionless looking man.
Hearing this reply resulted in making the first man seethe even more.
"Don't take it so badly, Grimmjow," a third feminine voice appeased. "Many people would love to be in your place. Hell, even I submitted my name for that but I wasn't chosen… I'd gladly take your place, Grimmjow but I don't think the Principal would allow that…"
"They're sending me to fucking Japan, Neliel!" Grimmjow exasperated as they went to line up to buy food. It was lunchtime, after all. "You know I don't understand anything in their shitty language!"
"Well then, it'll be a great experience for you to learn about Japan and its cultures… Imagine, gaining so much knowledge and you don't even have to pay a single cent! The school's handling all the payments! At least get the most out of it, Grimmjow…" the girl named Neliel responded, setting her eyes on the food displayed at the counter. "Two slices of pizza and a large cup of juice, please…" She said to the woman behind the counter as she paid for her order, which was set down on the tray that she was carrying in front of her.
"Er… Just that energy bar," Grimmjow replied distractedly as his turn to order came. He paid, got his order, and followed the teal-haired woman to an empty table where they were soon joined by a certain ebony-haired man.
"Ulquiorra, are you feeling ill?" Neliel's voice brought up the green-eyed man's attention.
"Yes, I am perfectly fine," Ulquiorra replied mechanically, choosing to focus his vision on his lunch tray where he found a most queer assortment of food. There was a can of soda, a plate of fettuccini, and a slice of chocolate mousse. How the hell did those things get on his tray? He must've been out of his mind to purchase those but it wasn't like he could do anything about them now… Shrugging, Ulquiorra decided to just eat the stuff, even though he had a most curious feeling of emptiness in his stomach.
Neliel nodded to show her understanding but she knew that something was bugging the pale-skinned man. Ulquiorra never ordered cake before and she remembered quite clearly hearing the man say that he didn't like them at some point in the past. Nonetheless, Ulquiorra didn't seem to want to talk about it so she just let it drop… for the moment, at least. Instead, she turned her attention to her other bothered friend, "Well, the program's already selected you, Grimmjow… What do you plan to do?"
"Well, I've got to fuckin' go, don't I?" Grimmjow muttered, taking a bite of his lunch. "I suspect the fucking principal's gonna castrate me if I don't turn up… Hell, I bet they just picked out the very slip with my fuckin' name just to get rid of me…"
"Now, don't think like that, Grimmjow…"
"It's JAPAN, Nel, JAPAN! You know JAPAN, an ocean and gazillion countries away from here! That Japan?"
"Stop overreacting like an impudent child, Jeagerjaques."
Sapphire eyes latched onto the pale form directly opposite him on the table. "Oh, so the great one speaks!" Grimmjow said mockingly, sneering at the smaller man. "It's all easy for you to say… You're just gonna be sitting on your scrawny ass for the next full month! While I will be chucked off to some stupid country light-years away! Oh, wait, why would you even care? When all of it is your fucking fault in the first place!"
Ulquiorra sighed and let go of his fork, his half-eaten plate of pasta didn't seem to have any chance of being finished today. His appetite had completely left him for some reason. He just couldn't place a proper definition on this churning feeling in the pits of his stomach.
Taking the other's silence as a sign of defeat, Grimmjow spoke again. "See! You're not even denying it! You put my name in that fucking ballot box! I'm right, aren't I Schiffer?"
"What difference would it make if I was the one who put your name or not?" Ulquiorra replied, not bothering to face the blue-haired man. A thin frown was on his lips as he surveyed the untouched slice of chocolate mousse on his tray. He looked up at Neliel, who was sitting on Grimmjow's right side, finishing off the last of her pizza. "Do you want this, Neliel?" he asked in his monotone voice, lifting the small plate of cake towards the woman. "I don't think I'd be able to eat it right now…"
"Er, sure… Thank you Ulquiorra…" the hazel-eyed woman accepted the plate and began to eat the cake, at the same time warily watching the exchange between her two friends.
"What? You talk to Nel but you won't even look at me? That's a new low, Schiffer." Grimmjow spat in disgust as he stood up.
Jade green irises diverted to the side. Why couldn't he look at Grimmjow? It was a simple thing to do but why couldn't he? Was he… guilty? No… Of course he wasn't. What a stupid thing to think of… He opened his mouth slightly but closed it not a moment too soon, shaking his head. What could he even say to calm down Grimmjow? Why was he even thinking of pacifying the man? They always argued like this, what's the big difference now?
Seeing the jade-eyed man shake his head, and taking it as another sign of snubbing him, made Grimmjow's anger rile up even more. "Argh! You know what? Why do I even bother with you? You unfeeling bastard!" More words were about to be shouted at the ebony-haired man when a student approached their table.
"Jeagerjaques, you are called to the Principal's Office," a sleepy looking man with a goatee stated as he stopped by their table. "Principal says you need to get there pronto… He's got a few more things to discuss about that foreign exchange program…"
"Thanks Stark." Grimmjow replied stiffly, standing up in the process.
Stark nodded and headed off.
"You know what, Neliel?" Grimmjow's brash voice shouted for the whole cafeteria to hear.
"Erm, what, Grimmjow?" Neliel asked in a small voice, feeling quite conscious that the entire room's attention was on them.
"That exchange program to Japan doesn't sound too bad…" Grimmjow mused aloud. "At least it'll take me miles away from a certain stuck-up, goddamned heartless bastard! A whole month without dealing with someone's overinflated ego is very much welcome! See you later, Neliel!" And with that, the muscular male stormed off, bringing along everyone's eyes with his departure.
A lone pair of hazel eyes settled on the ebony-haired man seated on the other side of the table. Ulquiorra's head was bowed down; black locks of hair covered his facial expression. Both his hands were on the table and his left one was fisted so tightly; his right hand, however, had a most peculiar disposition of clutching the edge of the table.
"Ulquiorra…?" Neliel asks hesitantly, keeping her voice low.
"I'm fine, Neliel, really." Ulquiorra's voice was clipped and there was a slight tremble to it that wasn't lost to the teal-haired woman. Slowly, the porcelain face looked up, a cold façade already set in place.
Neliel pursed her lips and said nothing more as she watched the pale man mechanically eat his pasta. Ulquiorra was not, in any way, 'fine' as he'd told her. What Grimmjow had said aloud a few minutes ago was not the truth either. She'd known the two for years now, petty lies couldn't lead her astray. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow had always gotten along… Well, there was the occasional – rather, frequent quarrels but it's all a part of friendship, right? But somehow, she could sense that there was something else brewing… It wasn't hatred, no… She couldn't define it just yet but whatever 'it' was, these recent events seemed to be wearing 'it' down… Neliel sighed. Boys…
– From G to U –
It was Sunday. Yes, the Sunday. Grimmjow frowned up at the school gate and clutched his backpack tighter. It was rather large, considering that he'd brought a month's worth of clothes with him, and more; but what did that matter? He huffed, this really was it… He looked left and right… He didn't know why he was doing it but… whatever. There was nobody there, anyway. What was he expecting, anyway? Someone watching him leave? Nah… Neliel had already wished him good luck and even gave him a gift last Friday. Who else would there be? Schiffer? As if. The two of them hadn't spoken to each other for the whole week; ever since that little episode in the cafeteria on Monday. Besides, Grimmjow still hadn't forgiven the man for not admitting that he was the one who placed him in the student exchange program. Well, whatever, he was here now. No backing out…
As the blue-haired man entered the school grounds, he noted how eerie it was to be there in a non-school day. There was absolutely no noise whatsoever… it certainly felt weird. Nonetheless, Grimmjow headed to the Principal's office, as he had been instructed to. Principal Aizen was all set to go when he got there, the man was accompanying him to the airport since it was part of his job as the high school principal. Besides, the one who was going to temporarily replace him for the program duration was due to arrive today so it was a given that the principal would come along. The Principal led him to a school van and they were taken to the nearest airport. Grimmjow just sat his backpack on his lap and focused all his attention there, the ramblings of the brunet beside him went in one ear and out the other. If he'd only looked outside the van windows, he would've spotted a pale figure watching them leave from a corner of the street.
– From G to U –
"Ah-Eh… I-My name's Inoue Orihime, erm, it's a pleasure to be here…" A girl with waist-length auburn hair was standing in front of the class. She had a wide smile on her face and her caramel orbs were wide with glee.
"A pleasure indeed…" a smirking Nnoitra called from the back of the class, his uncovered eye staring openly at the exchange student's figure. There was a small bit of laughter at the raven-haired man's words but it died down immediately once the Principal spoke.
"I'm glad to see that you've taken an inclination towards our guest, Mr. Jiruga. But I would just like to make it clear to everyone that Ms. Inoue is to be treated as she is one of our own for the duration of her stay here, is that clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very good. Now, Ms. Inoue you will be occupying the seat left by Mr. Jeagerjaques right there…" Aizen indicated the seat right in front of Ulquiorra, which the Japanese woman instantly took. "I'll leave everything to you now, Rudobone…"
"Of course, sir." The class adviser bowed as the principal left their midst.
"Hello, I'm Orihime…"
Ulquiorra looked up to find the auburn-haired woman talking to her new seatmate. He frowned. She was taking up Grimmjow's seat.
"Il Forte Granz…" the blonde man replied easily.
"Il Forte, what a nice name…" Orihime complimented. Suddenly, she felt as though she was being watched. She turned around and was faced with a mildly-irritated pale man. "Uh… Hello there… I'm–"
"Inoue. I know." Ulquiorra replied flatly, not bothering to wipe off the frown from his lips.
"Oh… okay…" the Japanese woman looked uncomfortable. Well, who wouldn't? Ulquiorra was practically glaring daggers at her. Thankfully, she was saved from responding when Rudobone announced the start of their lesson.
– From G to U –
"Ulquiorra? Classes have ended… aren't you going to get up?" Neliel's voice asked from somewhere on his left but the ebony-haired man didn't budge; he continued reading in his seat.
"You can go ahead, Neliel, I'll finish this first…" Ulquiorra replied, keeping the thick book in front of his face.
"Ulquiorra come on… Stop that already…" the hazel-eyed woman urged, gently pulling down the book away from her friend's face.
"That text was vital for tomorrow's assignment, Neliel," Ulquiorra stated but allowed the book to be put down anyway.
"Tell me what's bothering you…" Neliel asked with a serious air. There was no one else in the classroom now; everyone had left to go home. "Its' been two weeks already, Ulquiorra… Won't you just stop the foolishness and admit it already?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't quite catch what you're saying Neliel." The ebony-haired man responded coolly.
"You've been snubbing Orihime as though she was dirt ever since she came here," Neliel pointed out.
"I can't get along well with everybody…"
"You don't get along with Nnoitra but I've never seen you ignore him when he tripped right in front of you…"
"Nnoitra has never tripped–"
"You know what I mean, Ulquiorra!"
"There were a lot of people around; I don't see why I have to be the one to help her up…"
"It's not only that! She keeps trying to befriend you but you're the one who's not cooperating!"
"Is it so wrong now to not like that woman?"
"Just because she's sitting at Grimmjow's place? Yes, it is wrong, Ulquiorra." Neliel spoke sternly, looking at her friend eye to eye.
"Who said it had anything to do with that man?"
"Oh, so Grimmjow's only 'that man' now, is he?" a teal brow arched. "Ulquiorra just tell me what's wrong…"
"There is nothing wrong, Neliel…" Ulquiorra replied firmly as he closed the textbook.
"You miss him, don't you?" the woman asked gently, an understanding look settling upon her features.
"No I don't Neliel." Ulquiorra faced his friend, showing much indignation in his face.
"Ulquiorra–" Neliel sounded apprehensive but then she stopped. Her eyes looked over the pale man and was directed towards the back door, an expression of utter surprise was etched on her face. "Grimmjow! You're back early! I thought there was still two weeks to go?!"
The thick textbook clattered noisily to the floor as Ulquiorra's head whipped to look where the teal-haired woman was staring. A most crestfallen look came over him when he saw nothing but an open door. He turned back to face the Odershvank woman only to find her smiling kindly at him.
"Nice reaction, Ulquiorra," Neliel stated gleefully in her childish voice. "You don't just miss him. Nope. You're actually longing to see him again, aren't you, Ulquiorra?"
"What nonsense, Neliel." Ulquiorra replied stiffly, ignoring the heat on his cheeks as he reached for his fallen book. Really, how stupid could he be to fall for such a low trick? Curse that Neliel… He so does not miss Grimmjow.
"It makes sense, you know…" the teal-haired woman continued. "While Grimmjow was around you had someone to banter with, compete with and whatnot… You liked having challenges, even if you won't admit it. You like besting other people while Grimmjow just won't have that. So you two continue to have all those petty squabbles to keep your own sanities but now that Grimmjow's overseas and some bubbly woman takes his place, it's quite a blow to you, ain't it Ulquiorra?"
Jade eyes pointedly looked away. He hated to admit it, but the woman was somewhat right… somewhat.
"And now you're sulking because you realize that Grimmjow was actually a big part of your everyday life…" Neliel concluded. "Are you even keeping in touch with him?"
"Why should I when he doesn't even bother to? Besides, when it's morning here, it's nighttime at Japan…" Ulquiorra replied.
"We keep in touch, via e-mails you know… Maybe he sent you a message and you just weren't able to see it…"
"I check my mail everyday, no such thing has arrived."
"Oh."
"Neliel, get real, he's in Japan. He's most likely having the time of his life over there…"
"Stop being so bitter about it, Ulquiorra… Chances are, Grimmjow's missing you, too…"
"As if."
Neliel allowed herself a grin.
– From G to U –
The days wore on… and on… and on…
Ulquiorra had to admit that it was slowly beginning to be a chore. Going to school, that is. Maybe, Neliel was right… He had been used to having Grimmjow around. And now that the muscular man was miles and miles away… Well, he can't do anything about it. Not now, not anymore. Admittedly, he felt the tiniest bit of resentment that Grimmjow was sending messages to Neliel while he received none. But then he reminded himself that the sapphire-eyed man was might still be furious at him for getting him into the student exchange program.
"Excuse me, is this seat available?"
The ebony-haired man was brought out of his musings by a polite voice querying him. Looking up, jade eyes spotted the auburn-haired exchange student standing before him with a tray of food in hand, referring to the seat directly opposite him. Grimmjow's seat. The expression on the porcelain face tightened. "No. Someone sits there." Ulquiorra answered coldly.
"Oh." Orihime looked uneasy at hearing the reply.
"Well then she can take the seat beside you, Ulquiorra…" Neliel suddenly appeared beside the Japanese. "Nobody sits there, right?"
Ulquiorra glared at Neliel for a few seconds before shrugging.
"There you go, Orihime…" Neliel said jovially as she pushed the exchange student to the empty seat before heading to her own.
"Th-Thank you, Neliel-san…" Orihime replied meekly.
"No problem… Anyway, I've got something to ask you…" the teal-haired woman said with a smile.
Ulquiorra was staring at the empty seat across him, chewing idly on the sandwich in his hands. He had no intention of paying attention to whatever Neliel wanted to discuss with the Japanese girl.
"I heard that the student exchange program was going to be extended by another month, is that true?" Neliel asked, loud enough for the seemingly disinterested Ulquiorra to hear. Seeing the confused look on the other woman, Neliel gave a wink, indicating for the other to play along with her.
Understanding the teal-haired woman's signal, Orihime nodded and answered. "Oh yes, Principal Aizen had informed me just yesterday. It seems that the program worked very well and they'd like to see how it can further affect the students… or something like that…"
"Wow. So you're gonna stay here for one more month…" hazel eyes locked onto the pale man who appeared to have frozen in his seat. "That's great Orihime! My friend, who was your exchange in Japan, said that he was beginning to like the place. I told him he'd like it there and I was right…"
"Yes, Japan is a wonderful place but over here is great as well…" Orihime followed the other woman's line of view and found the ebony-haired man sitting stone-still. "It's a bit refreshing to travel to other places once in a while…"
"Hey, Ulquiorra. What can you say?" Neliel asked, gaining the stoic man's attention.
Jade eyes looked at her and the Japanese woman's expectant faces. A stony expression was on the porcelain features as Ulquiorra replied. "I have no interest in that student exchange program. Kindly keep me out of your conversation." With that, he reverted to staring at the table and munching most dejectedly at his sandwich. Another month…?
Meanwhile, Neliel and Orihime were sharing identical smiles.
– From G to U –
'Let's hang out at d café 2nyt, 7 pm.'
That was what Neliel's text message had told him a few hours ago. So now he was here, sitting alone on a café table in the corner of the shop, nursing a cup of espresso, waiting for the woman to arrive. It was Saturday night and there were quite a number of people in the shop. Checking the watch on his left wrist, Ulquiorra noted that it was five minutes past seven. Neliel was late.
The wind chimes resounded as the door opened. Jade eyes quickly shot up to see who was arriving, freezing when a muscular figure went through the doors. Blue hair, blue eyes, and a decided frown upon tanned lips; Grimmjow…? No way. Neliel said that the program was extended by another month. That Inoue girl even confirmed it. Grimmjow couldn't be here… Was his mind playing tricks on him? No, no, no… Ulquiorra closed his eyes and shook his head. It was just his imagination… Opening his eyes once more, disbelief flooded his system at finding Grimmjow still standing there, what's more, the man was looking directly his way.
There was a long tense moment as sapphire orbs held the gaze of jade irises. Slowly, finally, Ulquiorra nodded, acknowledging the other man. Grimmjow soon made his way over and sat on the only other seat available.
"Neliel didn't tell me you were coming…" Grimmjow muttered crossing his arms as he leaned on the back of the chair.
"I thought you still had another month abroad on the student exchange program…" Ulquiorra responded evenly.
"What? Another fucking month in that hellhole? No shitting way."
"Really? I was under the impression that you liked that place…"
"Are you on drugs, Schiffer?" Grimmjow raised a brow at him. "Who'd want to spend another day in a place where all you know to say is fuckin' 'ohayou'? Seriously, I can't wait for the stupid program to end…"
"Neliel said…" But Ulquiorra didn't trust himself to finish that statement, so instead, the ebony-haired man focused on drinking his espresso.
"What did Neliel say?" Grimmjow pressed on, quite intrigued.
Ulquiorra looked at the blue-eyed man for a few seconds before finally answering. "She said you liked Japan…"
"What? That's total bullshit, I hate the goddamn place," Grimmjow exclaimed at the same time calling a waitress to his side. "Give me one of those espressos…" He ordered, the waitress wrote it down on a notepad and walked away.
"Well, I had only Neliel to rely on for news about you… It's not like you told me anything about Japan…" Ulquiorra said, setting his elbow on the table and cupping his cheek with his right hand, his eyes looking away from his only other companion.
"Whoa, if you wanted to hear from me then you could've just sent me an e-mail…" Grimmjow's frown widened. "Stop blaming me for all the shit in your life."
"Thought you were still mad at me…"
"Yeah? Well I thought you were the one angry at me…"
Bright green irises looked at the sapphire-eyed man from the corner of his eyes. "I suppose I should apologize now… You were right; I did put your name into that student exchange program…"
"Why the hell are you saying those stuff now…" Grimmjow raised a brow at him just as his order arrived.
"I… I don't know…" Ulquiorra's gaze fell down to his own cup of espresso. His mouth was moving on its own, he didn't know why it suddenly began to spurt out his innermost thoughts. Nonetheless, the jade-eyed man didn't seem to mind it as much as he'd thought. Speaking out like this made him calm down a great deal. "I'm… guilty, I guess… I didn't really expect them to take you away for a month… School is… it's different… very different when you weren't around…"
The cup was stuck in between Grimmjow's lips as he digested what the smaller man was telling him. Slowly, the muscular man set down the cup upon its saucer, his head buzzing with thoughts brought about by the other's words. "Well… Do you want to know about… what happened to me… in Japan, I mean…" Grimmjow found himself saying, inwardly cursing himself for speaking such lame words.
Ulquiorra nodded. "Neliel seems to be running late… We could talk while we wait for her…" Even saying those words felt weird to the pale-skinned man. He and Grimmjow never did just 'talk'. They snapped at, bantered with, and (to a certain extent) dissed each other… Neliel was usually the one who brought them to converse civilly with one another.
"Well, I got to Japan right on time for school," Grimmjow began. "So with no time to get over jetlag, I was pushed into the damn classroom. You know how pissed I can get when I lack sleep, right? So I was in no fucking mood to get along with anyone… Some people over there seemed to take it personal and I ended up punching a guy called Itsy-go – no, I think it was Itchygo – ah, who gives a shit? Anyway, first day in, I got landed in detention."
A wry smile settled on pale lips as Ulquiorra continued to listen in silence to his friend's story.
"So I punched one guy, right?" Grimmjow continued after a gulp of espresso. "And then the next day, the whole student body's against me! It's like that guy I punched was their god or something… An offense against him was like an offense against the whole damned school. And that was just the first fucking day…" As such, the muscular man related his experience overseas as his companion listened intently.
Their drinks were now finished, the cups sat empty upon their saucers on the table. Ulquiorra had both his hands atop each other on the table, his jade irises intent on his companion. Grimmjow, on the other hand, was sitting back on his chair, his hands crossed over his chest as he continued to speak ill of Karakura High.
"So basically, I didn't get along with anybody… They just couldn't gang up on me coz I'm all 'privileged' because of the exchange program shit. Basically, that's the only thing that the stupid program's worth. It was dull back there… I couldn't wait to get back here… to go back home…"
Sapphire eyes landed on his companion and Grimmjow was slightly taken aback. There was some sort of glazed over look on the bright green orbs with a small smile tugging at the corner of black and white lips. A most mysterious smile was on Ulquiorra's features; one that reflected calm but not total happiness.
"Er… Schiffer?"
No response.
"Schiffer?"
Still nothing.
"Yo, Ulquiorra!"
Finally, pale eyelids fluttered as a sense of focus came back onto jade eyes. A confused expression was on the porcelain features. "Jeagerjaques?"
"Finally! I thought you went and died on me, Ulquiorra! Really, not reacting like that!"
"…Did you just call me by name?"
Grimmjow's mouth was left hanging open as he processed the smaller man's words. "Well, you weren't reacting when I called you 'Schiffer'…" he replied sheepishly. What the hell was he being sheepish for?!
"…I wasn't?"
"Nope."
"Oh."
"There's something on your mind?" Grimmjow guessed, placing his crossed arms on the tabletop, surveying his friend using sharp blue eyes.
"It's nothing…" Ulquiorra replied hastily, looking at the doors for some reason.
"Tell me, Ulquiorra." The blue-haired man urged.
"It's nothing, Jeagerjaques…"
"Grimmjow."
"What?"
"Just call me Grimmjow."
"Jeager–" Ulquiorra attempted to protest but a finger on his lips instantly stopped him.
"Ulquiorra shut up." Grimmjow stated, keeping his finger on the other man's lips. "Look, we've been hanging out with each other since middle school. We're in third year high now."
"That has nothing to do with it-"
"You call Neliel by her first name." Grimmjow stated bluntly.
"Yes, but what you're asking me…" Ulquiorra grabbed the tanned hand in front of his face and pulled it aside. "I've got a lot of things on my mind lately… I don't want to think much, Grimm–" Jade eyes widened and pale lips instinctively pursed up. Dear lord no…
Grimmjow's lips formed a wide smile, catching his friend's slight slip up.
"You never heard that." Ulquiorra's brows furrowed slightly at his 'threat'.
"And I missed you too." Grimmjow replied, leaning in towards the pale man.
Ulquiorra could only blink in surprise as he felt warmth spread through his left cheek and left hand. Grimmjow was just pulling away from him, still wearing a smile. Closer inspection revealed to him that the taller man's hand was settled over his pale one.
"You…" a look of pleasant surprise came over the ebony-haired man's features. "Jea-I mean, Grimm- no, wait, I…"
"Hm?" the sapphire-eyed man inquired, watching the other man with an amused air. Seeing Ulquiorra become inarticulate for even just a short moment was something to be remembered. Who knew kissing the guy on the cheeks could make him flush a bright pink?
Ulquiorra broke eye contact with his muscular friend, his gaze falling on their hands. An unusual sensation filling him as he registered what had just transpired. Following his instinct, the pale hand was slowly turned upwards, his palm making contact with a rougher counterpart. "C-Can you just say that again, Grimmjow?"
The blue-haired man leaned closer to his companion and whispered. "Goddamn, I missed you, Ulquiorra…"
A genuine smile settled on a pair of pale lips. "Ditto," Ulquiorra breathed out. He felt loads better now.
"Hey, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow suddenly called, causing the other man to shoot him a questioning look. "Neliel set us up didn't she?"
The pale man only shook his head wryly, "That Neliel… Yeah, I suppose she did…"
"Well, let's go then…" Grimmjow invited as he took out a few bills and set those on the table before he stood up, his right hand still enclosing a pale left hand.
"Where to?" Ulquiorra asked as he left his seat as well.
"Time to give the fairy godmother a visit…" Grimmjow answered with a grin.
"I don't think Neliel would appreciate us suddenly barging into her apartment…" Ulquiorra told the taller man as they headed out the café doors.
"Believe me, she already has dinner for us there…"
"Alright, I believe you…"
A pale hand clutched tighter at a calloused tanned hand. There was nothing more to be missed.
– From G to U –
A/N: I have no idea how student exchange programs work since we have them at my school but those would be waaay awesome, especially if it's across countries… I don't care if they all speak Spanish or Japanese or Mandarin or German or some other language I can't understand… It'll still be awesome… But then, I suppose you have to be a top grade student to be included in those exchange programs but for this fic, I had them just draw lots to make it more fun, agree?
And sorry for Grimm's foul mouth… He's just like that… : |
5526 words for this ficcy…
[I KNOW I should be working more on Catwalk now but hell, I've just sent the manuscript (lol, it sounds so professional, haha) to my beta the other day and it has yet to come back... my beta/friend is a college freshman too so we're both kinda hectic at the moment... and we don't even go to the same university -sob- so there's kinda slow progress... I beg for forgiveness!!]