I swear this isn't supposed to be a chapter story; I have too many obligations for that. But, here we are…

"You…are dead."

"You know, I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"Because it's true. You are dead. Dead to me. Dead to the world. Dead to me."

"Well, damn, Ichigo, if my feelings weren't hurt before…"

"Your feelings? Your feelings? You're lucky I don't kill you right now."

"You can't anyway, there are no weapons…funny, I didn't notice that shard of glass earlier. And just where were you hiding that, ah?"

Ichigo ignored the other in favor of using said glass to pick the lock of the cell door.

Grimmjow sucked his teeth. "You know, Berry, half your plans are too fuckin' meticulous anyway. I mean, we did what we came here to do, right?"

The redhead turned to his partner, an incredulous look on his face. "We weren't actually supposed to burn the guy alive, you insufferable ass. And this is the tenth time this month you've blown shit up this month. Stop. Or else."

"Because I can really stop something I don't know is about to happen from happening," the blue haired man scoffed. "You fuckin' done with that, yet?"

Ichigo gave Grimmjow a flat glare and pushed the cell door opened. "I'm also sure 'getting captured by the enemy' wasn't in Aizen's plans. But then again, why bother, you seem to have such a hard time listening, maybe we should just stick you in an institution and be done with it."

Grimmjow flinched at the other's tone. "Well, shit…you're really good at making people feel like crap, you know."

Ichigo smirked. "I know."

"I'm sorry, did you just tell me that Ginjo was dead?"

"You fuckin' deaf? I just said-OW! Dammit, Ichigo, one of these days…"

"Show some respect, you ass!" Ichigo straightened his shirt and took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, Aizen-sama, this idiot here," he started, gritting his teeth. "Decided that busting in guns blazing was better than the completely strategic and might I say absolutely wonderful and perfectly good plan you gave us, Shachou. Forgive him for his complete disdain for authority."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the redhead's tone of voice. "Never talk to me to sweetly, damn kiss-up…"

"What was that, Jaques? Something on your mind?" Aizen gave the other a blinding smile. Grimmjow just managed to resist the urge to leap across the table and smash the man's face in.

Breathe, Grimm. Don't let this bastard get to you.

He heard Ichigo sigh lovingly beside him and wondered for a moment how fast he'd be dead if he did leap at his boss. Damn.

"Well, as much as I wanted to…exact my own sort of revenge on Kugo, I suppose I can forgive a small mistake like this-

"Mista-HE BLEW UP THE BUILDING!" Ichigo exclaimed, flailing his arms and hitting Grimmjow in the face.

"Hey, hey, the dynamite was already there; how was I supposed to know that tossing a half-lit cigar would set the place on fire?"

Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. "I just wish you would be more careful sometimes…"

"But that's what I have you for, isn't it?"

The redhead chanced a look at his partner and saw a sardonic grin on the other's face. He couldn't help but grin in response. "You dork."

"Awww~! You two are entirely too cute for words!" Urahara, who had been silent until now, waved his fan in front of him, a creepy look in his eye. "Why, this is almost as sweet as that time when Ichigo accidentally walked in on Grimmy in the shower!"

Ichigo's face went from its normal shade of apricot to scarlet in seconds. "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT YOU FUCKING PERVERT?"

"Now, now, Kurosaki-kun, do try and be calm. Kisuke here was just being a little mischievous at the time and had forgotten to take all the secret cameras-

"SECRET CAMERAS?" Ichigo managed to squeak and holler at the same time.

Grimmjow just barked out a laugh beside him. "Wow, is that right? And just what does our little Berry get up to when he's alone?"

Urahara smiled evilly. "Let me tell you, he's more of a pervert than I could ever be. Some of the things I've seen that lithe body do," he paused, fanning himself dramatically. "I could never top any of that-

Ichigo leapt across the table and smashed his fist in the blonde's face, effectively shutting him up. "You-you-I cant believe you, you irritating little shit! I should kill you!"

Aizen just chuckled from his place at the table. "My, my, Kurosaki-kun, I don't believe I've ever seen you this passionate before."

Ichigo paused momentarily in his simultaneous shaking and choking of on Urahara Kisuke to look at his other boss. "Ah…sorry, Sir, I didn't mean to…well…" he gently put the other down and got off the table. "I don't know what came over me-

"I never said I didn't like it, Ichigo," the brunette said with a smile.

Ichigo had to briefly grab Grimmjow's arm for support at that look. "Well, um, yay…?"

The blue haired man beside him smacked his face with the other hand. "Wow, Berry, real articulate there."

The redhead glared at other before noticing that Aizen had stood up. "Um, sir?"

"I have other business to attend to at the moment, boys, so I'll be seeing you later." Aizen grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and turned to leave. "Oh, and if you could take care of this," he gestured at an unconscious Urahara." That would be great. Goodbye for now, Kurosaki-kun, Jaques." With that, the man left.

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "If I had known this is what I'd be getting into…"

"What? The secrets, the espionage or the dumbass idiots that run this place?" Grimmjow asked with a snort. "Cause they are indeed idiots."

The redhead turned to the other with a grin. "Yeah, they are."

The blue haired man blinked before frowning. "I certainly hope I'm not included in that category."

"Course not. You're actually pretty useful when you want to be." Ichigo gave the other a look. "…you knew that dynamite was there."

"Yeah?" Grimmjow took a cigarette from his breast pocket and snapped his fingers at the end of it, the metal rings around the tops parts of his middle finger and thumb sparking the stick to life.

"Why did you-

"I didn't fuckin' like the way that bastard was looking at you."

Ichigo blinked. "Excuse me?"

"The same way Aizen looks at you. And Urahara, but that guy deserves whatever violence he receives anyway for just being a royal fuckin' asshole…" the blue haired man trailed off and breathed in deeply. He stood there a few seconds before he realized that Ichigo was staring at him. "…what? What the hell do you-

"Say it."

"…come again?"

The redhead gave of curious look and moved to stand in front of Grimmjow. "Say the words. The ones you were apparently thinking when you decided that blowing the guy up would be the best course of action. Surely you had to thinking something at the time."

Grimmjow scoffed. "Whatever. I don't even remember…" but the look the other shorter male was giving him clearly said 'bullshit' in bright orange letters and wouldn't budge. "…God, you're so fuckin' annoying sometimes, Berry."

Ichigo then crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "I'm waiting."

"What? What do you want? For me to say that I was trying to protect your innocence? That I didn't want that guy to have a chance to come back and hurt you?"

"He wouldn't have if you had just done your job and gotten Ginjo to Aizen. As was the plan."

"Fuck Aizen and his shitty plans."

Ichigo frowned at those words. "Then what were you thinking?"

Grimmjow made a show of looking around them. "You really want to know?"

The redhead had taken the bait and was now looking genuinely curious. He nodded his head.

"…you sure? I don't know if you can handle what this mind was conjurin' up at the time, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded his head again. It was always serious whenever Grimmjow used his actual name.

The blue haired man sighed. "Okay then." He leaned down to whisper in the other's ear. "The truth is…I was thinking that guy had no right to look at what belonged to me."

Ichigo blinked taking a few seconds to process that. By then, Grimmjow had teasingly licked the shell of his ear. "Ah-what the hell!" he jerked back to yell at the other, but the smoldering look in his partners eyes stopped him. "…Grimm?"

"You are mine, Ichigo. You always have been. You always will be." The older of the two straightened and walked away from the redhead and out the door.

Ichigo let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He shakily grabbed one of the chairs at the round table and sat down. "What the hell…?" he asked no one, reaching a hand up to feel his ear. When he drew his hand back, he was surprised to find blood on his fingers. How did he not notice? That bastard had bitten him!

You always have been. You always will be.

He couldn't find it in him to argue with the thought. Or the growing smile on his traitorous face.

…till we meet again.