Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez spray-painted that wall with Yylfordt Granz, Di Roy Linker and Shawlong Kufang. Three weeks since he had gotten caught by Ulquiorra Cifer. Three weeks since he was made to work at Cifer's pet shop. Three weeks since he got bitten by Murcielago. Three weeks since he was made to repaint the wall.
Though he initially had doubts about working at Happy Pet Pet, he found that he actually liked working there. Sure, his boss was a hard ass, but with each passing day that he got to know Ulquiorra, and once he managed to look past the whole this-motherfucker-can't-take-a-damned-joke-about-his-ass thing, he warmed up to him. It was also interesting to watch how the two cats, Pantera and Murcielago, were getting closer. They still fight a lot, but they now get along much better than they did before. Other than playing with Pantera and (getting bitten by) Murcielago on a daily basis, Grimmjow had also gotten to know the other animals.
There was the fat Yorkshire Terrier called Ira, the two rowdy Chihuahuas called Santa and Teresa, and the ever sleepy Golden Retriever, Los Lobos. The snapping turtle, Arrogante, and the turtle, Brujeria. The stuck up Siamese cat, Fornicaras (good God, what was Cifer thinking when he named that ca- never mind). The rabbits Tiburon and Glotoneria. And so many other animals that Grimmjow could not name at the moment.
And yeah, in case you are wondering, they all have weird ass names. With the exception of maybe Ira, Santa and Teresa, that Ulquiorra must have been high on some really strong shit when he came up with those names for the animals.
Anyway, after Grimmjow was made to repaint the wall, Ulquiorra made him help around the store. Sometimes Grimmjow had to feed the animals, sometimes he had to deal with the customers, sometimes he had to stay behind the counter. All in all, he liked it, though he was not one to talk to people a lot. It goes without saying that his favourite part about working there was being able to spend time with the animals. Grimmjow could definitely get used to working there, even if he was only supposed to work there for a month.
At least, that was his deal with Ulquiorra.
"Hey..." Di Roy said in a whiny tone, "What has Grimmjow been up to lately? That guy keeps disappearing right after school ends."
"Yeah! We've not hung out with him since forever!" Yylfordt agreed.
The Idiots and Shawlong – or so Grimmjow liked to call them – were in class, waiting for the lesson to end. Their Math teacher, Mr. Hanatarou, was a timid little thing so it was no surprise that the students took advantage of this and made a ruckus in class.
It was absolutely chaotic; students were talking amongst themselves, hardly anyone was listening to Mr. Hanatarou, and some had even taken to running around the class. To put it plainly; it was like a zoo. With this kind of environment, Shawlong, Di Roy and Yylfordt were able to chat freely without getting reprimanded. Mr. Hanatarou had other problems to care about other than the three idling students. For example, like that student who suddenly decided to pinch him in the bum just now...
"You two don't know?" Shawlong said coolly, as he flipped through the text book that he was reading, "Grimmjow has an after-school job now."
"Eh?"
That was right, news about Grimmjow having an after-school job had gotten around school. No matter how hard Grimmjow tried to hide this fact – honestly, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez working at a pet shop? One called Happy Pet Pet, at that. Will wonders ever cease? – and that he did not even tell this piece of information to anyone, people eventually got to know. All it took was for a couple of schoolmates to see him working at that place for the word to get around. It basically took less than a week for him to be discovered. So, now everyone in the entire school knew that Grimmjow was working at that place.
Everyone, but Di Roy and Yylfordt.
Because, well, they were idiots.
And Shawlong, who was well-informed on the matter did not even bother to tell Yylfordt and Di Roy.
"Why didn't he tell us? Why didn't you tell us?" they spluttered.
"Because you did not ask," Shawlong responded simply.
Yylfordt narrowed his eyes at Shawlong. "Oh, fuck you."
"No, thank you. I'd rather not."
The blonde was about to deliver a rather scathing remark when Di Roy intervened, saying, "Hey, how about we give Grimmjow a visit later?" He looked at Shawlong. "You do know where he works at, right?" The nod, no matter how slight it was, that came from Shawlong was enough to answer Di Roy's question. "So, where is he working at?" He grinned. "An arcade?"
Shawlong shook his head.
"Some shop at the mall?"
Shake.
"A restaurant?"
Shake.
"A workshop?"
Shake.
"Some bookstore?"
Sha-
"Oi," Yylfordt growled, fed up, "Quit shaking your head. I can hear it rattle all the way from here. Just tell us where the heck he is working."
Shawlong narrowed his eyes at this, not liking the way Yylfordt had spoken to him.
"Well?" Yylfordt poked him in the arm.
"Hmph..." Shawlong closed the textbook that he was reading. "If you must know, he is working at Happy Pet Pet."
Ulquiorra had to admit, though he did not really have high expectations for Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez when the teen first started working here in Happy Pet Pet, Grimmjow was doing much better than expected. The teen had a foul mouth, and he was brash, yes, but he seemed to have a soft spot for animals; a fact that Grimmjow did not want to openly admit, even if his life depended on it. Not only that, he actually did all of his work without complaint - Ulquiorra had expected Grimmjow to curse at him and disobey him, or do his work half-assed. It was almost as if he enjoyed working here; something that Ulquiorra initially thought was his imagination, till he actually saw much Grimmjow looked forward to working.
And he supposed that his relationship with the teen had gotten much better. Their arguments had lessened. There was no longer tension whenever they spoke. They were actually getting along, but only as how an employer and employee would, nothing more.
How long has it been since Grimmjow started working here?
Nearly a month, isn't it?
How quickly time passes by.
Ulquiorra watched as Grimmjow spoke to a customer, telling her how to care for hamsters. Now that he had gotten to know Grimmjow better, he supposed that Grimmjow was not too bad. Heck, he found that he was beginning to enjoy being in Grimmjow's company. The teal-haired teen was so immersed in the conversation and so animated about it that Ulquiorra could not help but to smile ever so slightly. The scene was so adorable and so laughable at the same time, that he almost laughed out loud. So he settled with just smiling softly.
... Wait.
Adorable?
Nuh-uh.
Since when are Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and the word "adorable" related? Never.
And without him realizing it, emerald eyes slowly went from gazing at the back of Grimmjow's head, down his back, his waist, to his tight ass. Almost immediately, his thoughts led to how it would feel to squeeze that nice piece of-
When the owner of said tight ass turned around and grinned at him, Ulquiorra coloured, his face turning into a fascinating bright shade of red.
...
Ulquiorra smiled at him pleasantly, then turned around to pretend that he was arranging the items on the shelves behind him. Once he was sure that Grimmjow had turned away, Ulquiorra smacked himself on the forehead so hard that he almost saw stars. He thanked God that Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez could not read his thoughts, or he would not be able to face him ever again.
Bad, bad Ulquiorra.
What were you staring at him for?
Thinking such perverted thoughts too, at that.
Honestly. What are you, a hormonal teenager?
Ow, my forehead hurts... I really shouldn't have done that.
"Happy Pet Pet, Happy Pet Pet..." Yylfordt muttered to himself, Di Roy and Shawlong trailing behind him, "And, here it is!"
The three teenagers stopped in front of the store.
The place looked the same as ever, minus the graffiti that they did. It was still cheery-looking with bright colours decorating it, and the animals peeping out of the window. A puppy wagged its tail upon seeing the new visitors. Shawlong bent down and pressed his finger against the glass separating them. The dog licked the glass, making Shawlong chuckle and smile. It really was a cute little thing.
"It has been awhile since we've been here, hasn't it?" Yylfordt looked at the wall that they had spray-painted a few weeks ago. The graffiti was gone, covered under layers of paint. "Aww. They painted over the graffiti that we painstakingly did. No fair."
"Yeah..." Di Roy sighed, feigning disappointment, "But we knew that that would happen." He gestured at the door. "Shall we?"
Grimmjow was inside the store, feeding the dogs, Santa and Teresa. Other than Murcielago, who was already beginning to warm up to him, Santa and Teresa were the only animals in the store that did not like him too much. Which was fine with him, really, since he was more of a cat-person than a dog-person. Not that he hated dogs, he just preferred cats more. And to be perfectly honest, sometimes dogs scare him a little, especially when they are in a less-than-friendly mood; less-than-friendly mood meaning I-am-gonna-bite-your-fucking-ass-off-right-now mood. Just sometimes, though.
But don't tell anyone that, yeah?
He stood up and stretched after filling the two dogs' bowls of water and food, ignoring their growls.
He yawned. "Yeah, yeah, I know that you hate me."
Damn. He was tired; he did not get enough sleep last night since he was up studying till late. Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was actually studying. Just because he did not look the part, did not mean that he was not. In Grimmjow's opinion, you cannot be better than everyone else if you are just strong. You have got to have a little something upstairs too.
Grimmjow was about to go and feed the other animals when he felt someone touch him on the shoulder.
"Oi..."
At the other side of the store, a customer had just paid Ulquiorra the required amount for the items she bought.
"Thank you," Ulquiorra said, smiling a small smile, because God knows that anymore than that would give anyone a seizure from pure, and utter shock that the stoic man could express more than that, "Please come again."
"Oh, I will," the woman simpered before sashaying out of the store. Just when she was about to step out of the store, she peeked over her shoulder and winked at him.
Ulquiorra simply waved at her and maintained that smile till she was out of the store and out of sight.
As soon as she was gone, the smile dropped, and he shuddered. Ugh. That woman had been coming here nearly every day now just to hit on him. She kept making extremely suggestive suggestions, showing more cleavage and leg than necessary, and also touching him more than necessary. He found it all extremely sickening.
If not for the fact that she was the customer, he would have long rejected her before she could say anything to him.
He shook his head and looked around the shop, wondering if he could find anything else to do. He did not like to stay idle.
The first thing that his eyes caught sight of was the sight of three teenagers talking to Grimmjow. Normally, he would not have paid this any mind since they often got teenagers coming by here; some that truly wanted to take a look at the store, some that just wanted to check Grimmjow - or Ulquiorra - out. Obnoxious as the teen was, Grimmjow was rather attractive.
He supposed.
Ahem.
He glanced at Grimmjow once more, and an inaudible sigh escaped his lips. He could not believe that in just a few days' time, Grimmjow would not be working here anymore. "Hn..." He watched with mild interest how the three teenagers were talking to an uninterested Grimmjow in an animated manner. It was going to be a shame to see Grimmjow leave. He really was starting to get attached to that teen. Ulquiorra would have stopped watching so that he could mind his own business when he suddenly heard the words "Quit this job and come hang out with us" slip out of the lips of one of the teenagers.
He frowned.
... Hmph. Troublemakers.
The owner of Happy Pet Pet reached out to pet Pantera, who was laying curled up in a basket on the counter, pretending to not have noticed their presence.
"Yeah! So what if you gotta pay back this guy? Just ditch this gig..."
Pantera purred, enjoying the attention that she was receiving from Ulquiorra. Not long after, Murcielago, who had finally decided to come out of his cage - though Ulquiorra always kept it unlocked should Murcielago ever want to stretch its legs - came and lay down in the basket with Pantera, looking at Ulquiorra expectantly.
The teenagers kept on talking, not realizing that Ulquiorra was listening to every word that they were saying.
"We've not seen you in ages..."
"... It's not like it's a big deal."
Not a big deal? Ulquiorra almost scoffed.
He extended his hand towards Murcielago and petted him on the head as well, then scratching him behind the ears. The cat merely closed his eyes and purred softly.
"How come you didn't tell us about this anyway? You weren't the only one who spray-painted his wall."
Wait. He wasn't?
"Che," Grimmjow finally spoke, "None of your fucking business."
Ulquiorra almost wished that he could see Grimmjow's expression, but the teen had his back to him. So the emerald-eyed man continued to pet Murcielago, straining his ears to listen to their conversation. From the way those teenagers were speaking to him, they must be Grimmjow's friends. Maybe even the ones that helped him spray-paint the wall.
"So, are you coming or not?"
Hmm...
He stroked Murcielago.
Well?
Murcielago's purring got a little louder.
What is your answer, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?
...
"... Nah. I'm staying," Grimmjow said.
Ulquiorra stopped petting Murcielago momentarily.
"Eh?"
"What are you looking at me with those faces for?" Grimmjow's voice again. "Idiots. I chose to work here on my own damned free will."
"But..."
And Ulquiorra did not hear the rest. Grimmjow actually opted to stay. Yet another smile reached his lips, but this time, unlike the smile that he gave to the woman just now, it was sincere. He continued to pet Murcielago once more, in a much better mood than before. After awhile, the three teenagers finally left, though not in a very high spirits. They looked downright moody. The one with blonde hair actually scowled at Ulquiorra before leaving. Ulquiorra merely smiled at him, not caring that he looked a bit angry.
"Heh," Grimmjow said as he sat on the seat next to Ulquiorra, "I'm tired."
"I'm not surprised," he murmured, eyes still on Murcielago, "It has been a rather busy day..."
"Yeah..."
Silence.
Grimmjow leaned back in his seat, making his chair stand on its two back legs, then placing his hands at the back of his head. He closed his eyes, looking completely relaxed. Ulquiorra would have warned him that sitting in such a way could cause him to topple over if not for the question that he asked Ulquiorra next; "So, are you happy now?"
"Hm?"
"Heh." A chuckle. "Well, you seemed awfully moody when Yylfordt suggested that I leave this place."
No response.
Ulquiorra froze, and simply stared at him.
How did he know that?
Another chuckle. "Don't look so surprised," Grimmjow said, his eyes still closed, "I'm not an idiot, ya know?"
... Well.
Ulquiorra smirked slightly. "I know."
So... Tomorrow was going to be the last day of working at Happy Pet Pet.
Grimmjow rubbed his bright blue hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it.
He should be happy, shouldn't he?
It was quite late now, and it was time for Ulquiorra to lock up the store. The emerald-eyed man was once again in the store room, arranging the items on their respective shelves when he suddenly heard a pained cry, followed by a yell come from the shop. What on Earth...? Without so much as a second thought, Ulquiorra immediately stopped what he was doing and bolted out of the room, wanting to see what was wrong.
"What happened here, Grimmjow?"
There, in the middle of the room was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, his face pale with sheer horror as he pointed at something in the corner.
"HOLY FUCK NUTS!"
"Grimmjow! What is it? What are you-"
And then he heard it again; a pained cry from an animal. A cat, to be specific. Slowly, Ulquiorra turned his head to the source of the sound.
"I'll say it once more, that cat is a demon."
"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said tiredly, "How many times must I tell you not to call Murcielago a demon?"
But Grimmjow was not listening, because he kept on ranting and ranting about Murcielago. "No, no... That cat ain't just any demon... It's an... It's an incubus!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Ulquiorra countered smoothly, "She is a cat, and she was not sleeping when it happened."
"That... that ain't the point...!"
"Oh? Then care to tell me what is the point, then?"
"That cat... he... he...!"
"Yes...?"
"He hurt Pantera!"
"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra did not seem bothered at all by this piece of information. He was even looking at all the shops they walked past, seemingly finding them much more interesting than the conversation that he was having with Grimmjow. "You're overreacting. That is a natural process."
"You're acting like Murcielago did not fuck Pantera in the middle of the-"
Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, annoyed.
"Shh." Ulquiorra placed a finger on Grimmjow's lips, effectively silencing the teen. A sigh. Grimmjow clearly could not get the image of Murcielago mounting himself on Pantera and... "hurting" her out of his mind. He withdrew his hand, letting it fall to his side. "Calm down."
"B-but...!"
He placed his finger on Grimmjow's lips once more. "Come," Ulquiorra said, with a slight smile, "I'll treat you to a drink. Maybe that will help calm you down. Okay?"
Grimmjow nodded, quiet and still upset. "Can it be hot chocolate...?"
Ulquiorra wanted to laugh. And he almost did if not for the fact that Grimmjow was so upset that his favourite cat had just lost her innocence. "Of course it can." Another smile. Ulquiorra let his finger slide down Grimmjow's lips and back to his side. "Now," he said, grasping Grimmjow's shoulder lightly, "Shall we, little one?"
Grimmjow sniffed. "I am not little," he grumbled. "I'm gonna graduate soon. Just because you're a few years older..."
Ulquiorra chuckled, and listened to Grimmjow rant as he led him to a nearby cafe.
Upon entering the cafe, the aroma of coffee beans immediately reached their nostrils. Grimmjow looked around, curious. He had never been in here before. It was a quaint, tidy little cafe tucked at the very end of the street. The person who was minding the counter waved at Ulquiorra, who, in turn, acknowledged her with a nod before choosing to sit at the table in the corner. Huh. It looked like that Ulquiorra is a regular here. Not that much of a surprise because this does seem like the sort of place Ulquiorra would go to.
He sat down, sitting directly opposite Ulquiorra.
As soon as he sat down, a woman came to his side, a notebook and pen in hand. The waitress.
"Hello," she said with a smile, "What would you like to have?"
While Ulquiorra told the woman what their order was, Grimmjow fidgeted in his seat. He had never hung out with Ulquiorra other than in the store, so this was pretty new to him. He was not even sure how he was supposed to act around him. Should he treat him like his boss, or was it okay to be more friendly towards him...?
"Tch..." Grimmjow shifted in his seat, and immediately stopped when emerald eyes glanced over at him, making him go still. Grimmjow looked away, something that looked suspiciously like a blush gracing his cheeks. "Che..."
"My, my, is that a blush I see, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra said teasingly, once the waitress went away.
Grimmjow scowled as the blush traitorously deepened. "... No."
"I see." The expression on Ulquiorra's face right now could only be described as one of amusement. Deciding to change the topic, Ulquiorra said, "Well, Grimmjow, today is your last day of working at my store."
"Yeah..."
The pale man raised an eyebrow at this. "You should be happy. You will no longer need to work for me."
More fidgeting.
"Yeah, about that..." Grimmjow hesitated.
"Yes...?"
"Can... Umm..." Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck. "You don't suppose that I could, umm..."
Ulquiorra waited for him to finish his sentence patiently.
"I know we both got off on the wrong foot, but, umm..."
When Grimmjow did not continue his sentence, Ulquiorra said tiredly, "Grimmjow, cut to the chase or I will not listen to whatever it is that you want to say."
Grimmjow took a deep breath.
"Is it okay if I work for you at Happy Pet Pet for a little longer?"
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, everyone! First semester of university is finally over~! Expect to see me spamming this site more often. Reviews are very much loved and appreciated.