Grimmjow took off his coat, setting it on the back of his chair as he took his seat at the table.
He really enjoyed the Toad and Hole. It was a British style pub, with wooden tables and chairs, dim lighting, lots of cigarette smoke and signs on the walls. The signs included old license plates, ancient propaganda and modern variations. He particularly liked the sign that said "Stay calm and Eat a Cupcake."
Cupcakes, though, were not on the menu. No, this was English pub grub and Grimmjow considered the menu for a moment. He didn't have a lot of money to spare, but he was hungry and the food here wasn't exactly expensive. He finally ordered some steak and kidney pie. The pies around here were pretty good, if you liked kidneys. And Grimmjow was actually pretty fond of kidneys. He also ordered a pitcher of a moderately priced brew. He was more than willing to treat Ichigo to a few drinks.
The next person to arrive was Ichigo, and Grimmjow smiled broadly as the kid pulled up a chair and immediately poured himself some beer.
"Rough day?" He asked sympathetically. He knew it had been rough. He watched the news, and the Mask had gotten into a fight with Dr. Mayhem. The 'good' doctor was trying to take over the city with a clone army. It hadn't gone too well for him when the Mask and a half-dozen other super heroes had gotten involved. Apparently, he'd been trying to actually clone their super powers, but the copies had been inferior to the originals. Dr. Mayhem had gotten away, though. Ichigo sighed.
"Work was a bit difficult." Ichigo admitted, reaching over to rub his side. Grimmjow wasn't surprised, he'd seen the part of the fight where the Mask's clone had kicked him there, hard. "How has your day been?"
"Not too bad. Attended classes and worked on my project, mostly." He said and Ichigo nodded, looking a touch depressed. Grimmjow gently patted him on the shoulder. "Work'll get better, just hang in there."
"Yeah… oh, there he is!" Ichigo perked up a little as a new guy entered the bar. Grimmjow almost choked at the spiky red hair. Could this be…? "Renji, over here!"
"Hi guys." He said as he took a seat with a smile. Grimmjow looked him over thoughtfully. Had the Red Tornado had cinnamon brown eyes? He rather thought he had. The rest certainly fit, although Renji seemed to have a slightly better sense of style these days, if he was the Red Tornado. The jeans and matching jean jacket he was wearing looked really good on him. "So you must be Grimmjow. It's good to meet you."
"Likewise." They shook hands and Grimmjow took note of the wedding ring. "You're married?" He asked and Renji nodded. "Any kids?"
"A little girl." Renji said proudly. "Do you have any children?" He asked and Grimmjow laughed before shaking his head. He was amused to see that Ichigo looked faintly relieved.
"Nah, I'm gay as gay can be. If I have a kid, it ain't gonna be the natural way." He said good-naturedly. "Try some of the beer, it's the good kind." Renji poured himself a mug and Grimmjow looked up as his pie came. It smelled excellent and the crust was nice and flakey as he dug in.
"Damn, now I'm hungry." Renji said as he looked over the menu. "Hey Ichi, want to share a plate of nachos, wings and deep fried pickles?" They quickly decided on the appetizer plate, which Grimmjow intended to steal a few pickles from. He loved those things.
The rest of the evening was fun, just chat about various things over brew and food. There was definitely a bit of subtle grilling from Renji, but Grimmjow didn't mind. It was kind of nice to see that Ichigo's friends cared about him, and he didn't have anything to hide. Well, except most of his past. He didn't have to lie much, though. He had stories about his mother and siblings, even a few about his deadbeat dad. He just didn't mention all the things they'd done, or the legacy of power he'd been born into. Grimmjow had left it all behind him anyway.
Over the course of the evening he learned quite a bit about Renji and Ichigo, too. Ichigo apparently had a very loving family, with an annoying dad and two sisters. Renji had both parents and one sister. They were both rather impressed to find out that Grimmjow had six siblings.
"Wow. Did you have to change a lot of diapers?" Renji asked after he mentioned that little tid-bit. Grimmjow grinned.
"More than you could imagine. I'm the oldest, so I'm an old hand with rug rats. Me and my bro were the only boys, the rest were girls." Which had been a disappointment to his mother, but not a surprise. His father couldn't have cared less. "So what do you do for a living?" He asked, bringing the conversation back to them.
"Oh, I'm a plumber." Renji said and Grimmjow had to hold back a snicker, imagining him with a plumber's crack. Yeah, probably not. "Do you have any kind of job or are you just going to school?"
"I do bartending on weekends." He said easily, finishing another beer. That was his third, but he wasn't driving. Renji was, and he was still nursing his first. "Hey, I never asked. What's your job, Ichigo?" He was entertained to see what kind of lie his boyfriend would come up with.
"Oh, just some acting." Ichigo said with a smile, and Grimmjow smirked to himself. Acting? It was, in a way. "It doesn't pay much." He said sadly and Grimmjow nodded. Super heroes didn't get paid at all, in fact. Being a super villain was far more lucrative, if you did it right anyway.
"So you actually went to the ballet with him?" Renji asked with a grin as Ichigo winced. "Did you like it?"
"Sure." Grimmjow half-lied. He hadn't minded but it definitely hadn't been his thing. "Ichi's going to a Cirque de Soleil performance with me in a couple months." That was definitely more his thing. He loved seeing the acrobatics, and he'd actually considered trying to join them. But his super powers might have become obvious. "I got the tickets." They were probably even more expensive than the ballet, since Grimmjow had gotten the good seats. But he really liked Cirque, they were pretty much his one extravagance.
"The ballet and Cirque de Soleil? You guys do like high brow entertainment, don't you?" Renji said, shaking his head, and Ichigo blushed as Grimmjow laughed.
"Yeah, I guess! Pretty messed up when you think about it." Then he glanced at the clock behind the bar. The place was still packed, but it was definitely getting late. "I really need to get home soon. I've got an early class tomorrow." He hated having to get to the Uni for eight in the morning. With public transit, he had to be out of bed at six. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get out of morning classes entirely. Ichigo and Renji both nodded.
"I should get going too, Rukia's expecting me home." Renji said and they all made their goodbye's. Grimmjow hesitated, then decided to walk Ichigo home.
"You don't have to come with me, you know." Ichigo said quietly. "I can take care of myself." Grimmjow chuckled softly, hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, I know." Oh, did he ever. "I'm hoping for a goodnight kiss." He said and had the pleasure of seeing his date go pink. "Will I get one?" He asked and Ichigo flashed him a quick smile.
"I think so." He said softly and Grimmjow grinned. That was what he wanted to hear. Ichigo lived on the third floor and they took the stairs. When they reached his apartment, Grimmjow decided to take the initiative. He gripped Ichigo's shoulder turning him around and taking his promised kiss.
Ichigo didn't resist at all, just melting against him. Warm, sweet lips clung insistently to his and a wet tongue prodded at him, demanding entrance. Grimmjow was more than happy to allow that, letting the orange haired man control the kiss. They finally broke it off, both of them breathing heavily, and he looked into lust filled brown eyes.
"Would you like to stay the night?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow didn't hesitate. His morning class could go fuck itself.
"Yeah." He said, his voice husky with desire. Ichigo swallowed and turned back, fishing out his keys and opening the door to his apartment. Grimmjow spared it a bit of attention as Ichigo flipped on the lights.
Ichigo's place was a lot nicer than his. It was a bit more spacious, but what really made it was the kitchen. His little kitchen was a nightmare to work with, although he got by anyway since eating at home was hella cheaper than eating out. Ichigo's kitchen was still galley style, but with enough room to effectively open the fridge and the washing machine. Other than that, he had a decent living room with a comfortable looking couch and a plasma TV. That was also a lot better than Grimmjow's crappy old TV and the couch he'd picked up at a thrift shop.
Grimmjow didn't spend a lot of time examining the place, though. He was far more interested in looking at what was in front of him. Ichigo set out straight for the bedroom and Grimmjow paused for a moment, wondering if he should use his power to cover his tattoos. He finally decided against it. Ichigo might sense it, and even if he didn't, well, he didn't bother to cover them at the beach. It would be easier if his soon to be lover knew about them immediately.
"You do have some lube, right?" He asked quietly and Ichigo nodded, stepping close for another kiss. It was just as good as the first time, but this time Grimmjow took control, exploring Ichigo's mouth and making the other man groan.
"Have you got a condom?" He asked after they parted and Grimmjow nodded, fishing it out of his back pocket. "Good." Ichigo murmured before stepping back and working on his clothes. Grimmjow tossed the little wrapper onto the bed before disrobing. When he was done, Ichigo was looking at him wide-eyed, and he wasn't the least bit surprised. There was a reason why he always wore long shirts.
"You never mentioned you had tattoos." Ichigo murmured, stepping close and running a hand up his arm. Grimmjow glanced down at his body, reminded of how impressive the collection was. It wasn't a full body suit, but it was close.
Stylized snakes coiled loosely around his arms, the heads resting on his shoulders. Nothing but black ink, the bodies of the snakes were formed from tribal style lines. On his back, there were wings on both shoulder blades, also done tribal style. There was a huge tattoo directly over his heart, a flowing design that had deep significance for focusing his power. Another intricate design focused on his navel, surrounding his belly button. Of course, the real shocker was…
"You have tattoos on your cock?" Ichigo sounded really shocked now, reaching out to touch him. Grimmjow gasped softly as that hand encircled him, stroking the black marks on his flesh. "Didn't that hurt?"
"Nah, my mom gave me some good painkillers." He said easily. His mother had actually deadened the pain with her power. Ichigo gave him a wide-eyed look and he decided to explain. "They're actually a religious thing. Everyone in my family has them, and they ain't optional. I started getting mine when I was five." That had just been the tiny tats, the baby ones that had eventually morphed into the full design. "I don't follow that religion anymore, don't worry." He said as Ichigo looked uneasy. That made his friend smile, relieved.
"Well, they do look amazing on you." Ichigo said, drawing him towards the bed, his hand still on his cock. That was sexy as hell and Grimmjow made sure to return the attention as they fell onto the bed. Ichigo's body was completely untouched by any ink or piercings, and he loved it. Sliding a hand over that unmarked skin, he ran his fingers over Ichigo's cock. His lover was already half-hard, and he set about fixing that, giving him firm but gentle strokes. Ichigo moaned softly, laying back on the bed, and Grimmjow smiled. He could bottom, but he was too dominant to enjoy it often. This was how he preferred things.
He took his time, exploring Ichigo's throat and making the redhead gasp as he gently nibbled the soft skin. Then he ducked his head, slowly exploring a nipple with his tongue. Ichigo's hoarse gasp made him smile, and he continued teasing that pert nub of flesh. Soon the young man under him was panting and Grimmjow winced as Ichigo gripped his hair, gently tugging on the soft blue strands.
"Grimmjow, stop teasing me." He said, his voice drenched with desire. Grimmjow chuckled and gave his lover a deep, passionate kiss. The fire between them was growing, and he could feel Ichigo's hardness rubbing against his inner thigh. His own cock was registering his pleasure, poking Ichigo in a similar place.
"Where's the lube?" He whispered and Ichigo gestured towards the bed stand. "Right." He quickly got it out and popped open the top, spreading the contents on his fingers. Grinning, he decided to get Ichigo a bit worked up before going any further. He gently gripped Ichigo's cock, dampening the straining flesh. Then he slid his hand over his own cock, before stroking them together.
"Nngh, Grimm!" Grimmjow grinned at the cute, needy sounds Ichigo was making, then gasped as the orange haired man arched, rubbing against him like a cat. "That feels… so good…" He moaned out as Grimmjow stroked them both firmly, deeply enjoying the feeling of Ichigo's hard length against his own.
"Sure does… unh…" Briefly, Grimmjow considered just finishing like this. But he wanted to go further, he wanted to feel Ichigo's insides. Fumbling around, he found the condom and broke the wrapper, unrolling it onto his cock. Ichigo whined at the loss of sensation then stopped as he saw what Grimmjow was up to. The blue haired man reached behind him, slick fingers finding his entrance. "Ah…" That sound was not entirely pleasure, and Grimmjow looked into Ichigo's face as he pushed a finger past that tight ring of muscle. The young man was biting his bottom lip, his face adorably flushed. The sight sent a frisson of desire down to Grimmjow's cock, but he kept his cool and carefully added a second finger, stretching his partner out. "Ngh!" Ichigo suddenly jerked and Grimmjow smiled, devoting some special attention to that particular spot. Not too much, though. He wanted to make this last.
When Ichigo was panting and turning into a puddle of desire, Grimmjow pulled his fingers away and slathered more lube on his cock. Then he carefully positioned himself and eased his way inside, gasping softly at the incredible tightness surrounding him. It felt like heaven in there, and he had to struggle not to thrust in with all his strength.
But Ichigo was whimpering now, shivering a bit in pain from the penetration. Grimmjow stroked his hair and tried to soothe him, whispering sweet nothings in his ears. He stayed still until the tremors eased, but his body had demands and he had to move. Ichigo gasped harshly as he pulled out and thrust back in, taking the other man with a slow, steady rhythm. Then the orange haired man moaned, his muscles tightening as Grimmjow found his prostate again.
"You like that… huh…" Grimmjow whispered into his ear, speeding up his thrusts as he nuzzled his partner's throat. Ichigo gasped, one hand tangling in soft blue hair as the other gripped Grimmjow's back, raising marks on that pale, tattooed skin.
"I love it! Grimmjow!" The hot desire in Ichigo's voice made blue eyes widen in appreciation, and Grimmjow slid a hand between them, finding the other man's cock and stroking it in time with his thrusts. "Nnngh!" Beads of sweat were running down pale skin and Grimmjow licked them away, savoring the taste. "Hnnh!" Muscles clamped down on him like a vice and Grimmjow jerked, almost shooting his load right then. But he held on as Ichigo quivered under his assault, thumbing the tip of his erection and spreading a drop of pre-cum over the hard length. "Oh god!" Ichigo threw back his head and Grimmjow took the opportunity, nipping and sucking that milky throat and leaving hickies behind. He tried to thrust deeper into that glorious heat, the need to take his partner as hard and as fast as possible consuming him.
It was too much. The heat, the pleasure, the cute sounds from Ichigo were all too much. Grimmjow felt his rhythm become fast and erratic, felt the pleasure reaching a peak, and brought Ichigo with him, hitting his prostate again and again. He squeezed the other man's throbbing erection and was rewarded as Ichigo cried out, his muscles cramping so tightly Grimmjow felt like he was going to be crushed. It was the best thing he'd ever felt and it took him over the edge, those tight muscles milking him for his release. He was hardly aware of Ichigo coming, milky white fluid spilling over his hand and his partner's taunt belly.
Grimmjow almost collapsed onto his new lover, spent, but managed to keep himself up. He was heavy, even for his height and size. Ichigo was panting, his eyes half closed and his expression dazed and exhausted. Grimmjow just looked into his face for a moment, savoring the afterglow before leaning in to give him a gentle, but oh so passionate kiss. Ichigo returned it, their tongues weaving together for a moment before they parted in mutual bliss.
"So good." Grimmjow murmured before pulling away and disposing of the condom. Ichigo sighed softly, utterly content. He curled up on his side and Grimmjow slid in behind him, putting an arm over his waist. Ichigo's warmth was comforting, as was his slow, even breathing and the gentle beat of his heart.
They fell asleep together, comfortable and content.
Ichigo woke up the next morning with a minor headache and an empty bed.
For a moment, he felt a crushing disappointment. He'd hoped to see Grimmjow in the morning and greet his lover with a kiss. But then rationality grabbed him and shook him by the scruff of the neck. Grimmjow had an early morning class. He'd probably needed to get up at five AM to get home and get his books. Of course he was gone, and it was just as well he hadn't woken up when the man left… Ichigo wrinkled his nose, glancing around. Why did he smell bacon?
Puzzled, he pulled himself out of bed, wincing at the slight soreness. It had been a long time since he'd had sex, but he was no virgin. Finding a pair of pants, he shuffled into them and went to investigate. Were his neighbors cooking something? But the smell seemed rather strong for that.
Despite the scent of cooking food, Ichigo was shocked to find Grimmjow in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. He was looking freshly showered, his powder blue hair sticking to his head a bit. A big skillet of food was on the cook, and Ichigo licked his lips as he looked at it. He usually made do in the morning with a bit of cereal and milk, but he kept bacon and eggs in his fridge for evening meals and Grimmjow was clearly a fan of big breakfasts. The toaster dinged and Grimmjow grabbed the toast, buttering them and sliding them onto a plate.
"Grimmjow?" Ichigo questioned, glancing at his wall clock. It was almost seven. "Aren't you going to miss your class?" There was really no way he could make it. Grimmjow looked up from his food prep with a grin.
"I decided to skip it last night. No way was I getting up at five AM, that shit is for the birds." He said firmly and Ichigo laughed. "I hope you don't mind me making breakfast, but I thought I'd get it all ready for you when you woke up." He said and that warmed Ichigo as much as waking up without the blue haired man had hurt him.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful." He said with a smile, slipping into the kitchen to give Grimmjow his morning kiss. He could taste bacon grease on his lips. "I can tell you've already had a bit." He said teasingly as the blue haired man nuzzled his neck playfully.
"Just a bit. Bacon screams to me, 'Eat me Grimm! Eat me!' And who am I to say no?" He said with a grin and Ichigo laughed, stealing a bit of that bacon and eating it. It was nice and crunchy, but not burnt, just perfect.
"I usually eat cereal in the morning, but this is good." He didn't mind it a bit. This kind of breakfast put cold cereal with milk in the shade. He took a seat at the tiny breakfast nook as Grimmjow put the eggs and bacon on the table, then slid over the toast. Ichigo took a slice, putting an egg onto it and taking a bite. "I'm sorry about your class." He said contritely. He really hadn't thought of that when he'd asked Grimmjow to stay over. His lover just laughed.
"Don't be. Sex or math class?" Grimmjow put a finger to his lips, looking up theatrically. "Man, I just can't pick." Ichigo snorted just as he was taking a sip of water, and almost got it up his nose. Grimmjow desisted from his teasing with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll just get the notes off someone else."
"Good. Uh… Grimmjow…" Ichigo swallowed nervously. He really should have brought this up before hopping into bed with the handsome man. But better late than never, and they really needed to have this discussion. "Are we serious now? I mean… are we exclusive?" He asked, unsure of what he would do if Grimmjow said no. They had used a condom, but still… he didn't want a boyfriend who was sleeping around. Condoms could break, after all. And it just wouldn't be right.
"Damn right we are." Ichigo blinked at that quick reply then blushed as Grimmjow reached across the table to touch his hand. Those beautiful blue eyes were dark and intent. "I'm not the crazy jealous sort, but I'm warnin' ya. When I'm exclusive, I never cheat and I expect my boyfriend to never cheat. You okay with that?"
"Perfectly okay." Ichigo said, feeling like he was floating on air as he squeezed Grimmjow's hand. "I feel the exact same way." He said with a smile. "So don't sleep around, because I can get crazy jealous." He said teasingly, but with a bit of seriousness. He knew his temper, it came out when he fought super villains and wore his mask. Finding out the love of his life was cheating on him, well, his temper might come out again. Grimmjow laughed.
"Wouldn't want it any other way." They tucked into breakfast then and Ichigo deeply enjoyed the morning with Grimmjow. And as they ate, he tried to decide. How long should he wait before asking the other man if they should live together? Maybe he should ask when Grimmjow's lease expired. He'd seen the other man's apartment, and his was in a slightly better location, closer to transit. Ichigo thought it would be better for Grimm to move in with him when his lease was up. Combining expenses would really help with the money situation, too.
Of course, that was all far in the future. For now, he would think about the present.
Grimmjow and Ichigo dated steadily for the next six months.
Ichigo got a chance to meet Grimmjow's friends, although they were mostly acquaintances and drinking buddies. He'd met them all in the engineering program, and they helped each other out with studying and projects, but the blue haired man wasn't deeply attached to them. Still, they were very nice and fun to hang out with.
He also got a chance to meet Grimmjow's family, although he wasn't sure he was glad of that. They were… odd. That was the best description he could come up with. All of Grimmjow's siblings were heavily tattooed, and his sisters looked unhealthy, with very pale skin and dark circles under their eyes. And his mother was the unhealthiest of them all, looking almost like a corpse wearing makeup. The way she was constantly moving, cleaning or cooking, only made the appearance worse. The only one who looked remotely normal was his brother, and he had spent the entire time they were there trying to fix Grimmjow up with some girls he knew. That had been insulting to them both and Ichigo had never been gladder to get away.
On the other side, Grimmjow got a chance to meet both Rukia, Renji and their daughter. He also got to meet Chad and Orihime. Unfortunately, Uryu had left the city to pursue his dreams of a career in medicine, so Grimmjow hadn't been able to meet him. But the others had made up for it and Ichigo smiled to himself as he thought of it. Chad and Orihime both had special powers, although they'd only dabbled in super heroing. Orihime's powers, in particular, were a bit too gentle for fighting crime. Although she did take the healing role quite well when she was in a group. Ichigo wondered what Grimmjow would have thought, if he'd known he was surrounded by people with super powers.
He also got a change to introduce Grimmjow to his family. Grimm's family had a strange religion and celebrated different holidays, so he was expected home for the winter solstice, but his mother and siblings couldn't care less about Christmas. So Ichigo had taken him home for Christmas and they'd had a riotously good time. At least, he thought Grimmjow had enjoyed it, once he got over the initial sweaty-palm reaction to meeting his lover's family. Grimmjow had hit it off well with his dad and sisters, and had enjoyed the food and wine.
Then Ichigo stopped coming to math classes. Grimmjow wasn't concerned at the first one, of course. That happened all the time. But by the second, he was starting to get concerned. And when Ichigo didn't answer any of his texts, he became very concerned. Fortunately, he had Renji's number and quickly gave him a call.
"Hey Renji?" He leaned against the wall at the coffee shop. "It's Grimmjow. Do you know where Ichi's gotten to? He's not answering his phone." It wasn't unusual that there was a delay in his answering, sometimes a very long delay, but not answering at all was odd.
Oh… I think he's had a family emergency. He'll probably call you soon. Grimmjow scowled. Renji didn't sound happy, and family emergency was usually Ichigo's code for super hero stuff. But he watched the news religiously now, and the Mask hadn't been up to a damned thing that he'd heard of. Maybe it was something he wanted to keep secret for some reason? Not everything super heroes did made it onto the news, after all.
"Yeah… well, I'm worried about him. Tell him to call me soon, okay?" After hanging up the phone Grimmjow thought for a moment and grimaced. He wasn't sure what to do. Ichigo was probably working on something as the Mask, and if he tracked the guy as El Pantera he'd have no real excuse for it. He could leave his helmet at home, but Grimmjow didn't want people to know about his super powers.
He'd have to think it over a bit more. Because one thing was for certain, he was not going to let his lover get killed. He might be the Mask and he might be powerful, but anyone could die.
And that was something Grimmjow would not allow.