A/N: Lately, it's been almost impossible to find time to update this story, so I must apologize for leaving you with what many reviewers called a cliffhanger. *Is missing the good ole day when I could update weekly.* Anyway, I managed to get it done somehow even though it is a little short in comparison to the last couple of chapters. Before I leave you with this chapter, I suppose I should restate my warning that Affectional Experiment contains homoerotic contents, and therefore, should be read with discretion. Praises, criticisms and even flames are welcome, so feel free to leave any kind of comments.
IX
Widening his green eyes was the first response Ulquiorra had to Grimmjow's action. He had learned it long before that the Sexta Espada could be very stubborn when he tried to get his point across, but Ulquiorra never really expected that the man would suddenly pull him down by the wrist and steal his kiss.
Yes, he knew what a kiss was, or at least in theory anyway.
The second response was placing his free hand on Grimmjow's broad shoulder to keep his balance, vaguely aware how the skin he touched was colder than the lips that were pressing against his, though slightly warmer than the hand that was holding his wrist and the fingertips that rested on the nape of his neck.
From the look of things, he had three options. One, he could Cero that blue head point-blank for the uncalled-for action, but Lord Aizen would probably not be pleased to know that one of his precious Espadas was killed over a stupid reason. Two, he could push Grimmjow off, but by doing so, there was a high chance that he would lose his balance and fall into that canal. Or three, he could just go with the flow and allow Grimmjow to try and disprove his idea that a sexual relation between Hollows was pointless.
While Ulquiorra pondered on how he should react, Grimmjow slowly opened his eyes and pulled back just enough to see a serious, thoughtful look on the normally expressionless face.
He had to give it to Ulquiorra to be able to reflect on that situation when everyone else would have already followed their instinct and responded by that time by either returning his kiss or hitting him squarely in the face (although the latter case never actually happened because Grimmjow had never had to steal a kiss from anyone before, and even if that should have happened, he was certain that he was skillful enough in that department that he could make his target yield to his desire.)
But then again, Grimmjow had always suspected that Ulquiorra might have come from a whole different planet from him, so that could also be a reason for the man to be able to remain that unfazed.
"You know, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow commented as he, albeit hesitantly, let go of Ulquiorra, "if you don't feel like doing it, you can just refuse. It's not like you're under some kind of obligation to reciprocate."
It was just going to hurt Grimmjow's pride... a lot.
Contrary to what Grimmjow had expected, Ulquiorra didn't try to get away right at the moment he let go. In fact, the Cuarta Espada still sat there, with one hand on Grimmjow's shoulder and another hanging where Grimmjow released it. His expression showed that he was still very much perplexed by the whole episode.
"Hmm?" Ulquiorra uttered. The word 'obligation' somehow reminded him of the conversation he had had with Inoue Orihime before he departed from Las Noches. "But I was told that it was normal for friends to engage in this kind of activity."
Of course that could be another reason why Ulquiorra wasn't so troubled that he was kissed. He was just led to believe that it was something that friends normally did together. It took a few more seconds for the earlier statements to register to Grimmjow, and he could only drop his jaw afterward.
"Who told you that crap? Ichimaru?"
Somehow Ichimaru Gin was the only person he could think of that would be twisted enough to feed Ulquiorra with that ridiculous idea, which was the more reason why Grimmjow wanted to skin that Shinigami alive.
"Actually, it was the woman."
"The woman?" The Sexta Espada blinked. There was only one person who was referred to by that term, and it was Inoue Orihime. To think that he had once viewed her as innocent and harmless, but perhaps it was his own fault to have judged the book by its cover. That woman was probably more wicked than he ever gave her the credit for, but that wasn't what he was supposed to be concerned with at the moment.
"Was she wrong?" Ulquiorra inquired as he saw a strange expression from his friend.
"Not exactly...I suppose there are some people who would help their friends take care of their libidos," Grimmjow replied.
Ulquiorra furrowed his thick brows slightly before he remarked, "Alright, then, in that case, let's do it."
"Huh?" Grimmjow was sure it wasn't the first time he couldn't catch Ulquiorra's drift, and he was also sure that it wouldn't be the last.
The Cuarta Espada looked at his companion with a look that said the man was stupid to have asked.
"Sex, I mean."
Ulquiorra's bluntness made Grimmjow choke. The only time that Ulquiorra had been that forward in his advance was in Grimmjow's dreams, and that scene was starting to feel like one, except for the fact that Ulquiorra didn't jump him right after he made that suggestion.
"Haven't you just said it was pointless a moment ago?"
Once again, Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow an 'are you stupid' look.
"That I did, but were you not the one who tried to convince me that there are some points to it and that I should try doing it once before I pass my judgment?"
"I was, but you weren't so enthusiastic about it then," the Sexta Espada observed, "so what makes you change your mind?"
"I don't recall rejecting you in the first place."
And when Grimmjow came to think about it again, he realized that Ulquiorra was right. The man hadn't rejected his advance. He was simply taking too long to make up his mind that Grimmjow had almost lost his mood – just almost.
"So you're saying you wanna try having sex?"
"If your offer still stands."
"Of course, it does," Grimmjow replied.
Regaining the courage he had lost just a moment earlier, Grimmjow put his game face back on. His left hand reached up to rest on the side of Ulquiorra's waist while his right took its place at Ulquiorra's nape and guided the man toward him in a much less forceful manner than when he had stolen what might have been Ulquiorra's very first kiss. However, just before he claimed Ulquiorra lips again, Grimmjow stopped and asked just to make sure, "Are you sure you really want to do it?"
"I already said that I did, didn't I?" Ulquiorra replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Although he believed the reason Ulquiorra would be irritated had more to do with the fact that Grimmjow doubted his resolve than because the Cuarta Espada might crave to be kissed, his ego was still boosted up by several folds.
"Yeah, you did."
"So why do you still need to ask?"
Grimmjow chuckled.
"I'm just trying to be nice by giving you the last chance to back off, 'coz after this, I ain't gonna stop even if you beg me to."
And with that last word, Grimmjow leaned forward to Ulquiorra so they could pick up from where they had left off.
The whole area suddenly become pitch-black right when Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were about to kiss for the second time, causing the silver-haired Shinigami who had been watching them from a monitor to cry out in frustration, "Aw, gee, not a blackout!"
All lights in the room went on right after Ichimaru Gin made his complaint; however, much to his disappointment, the television screen did not turn back on together with the lights.
"It's not a blackout, Gin. I just turned the TV off," was an explanation from the brown-haired man who was sitting on a white chair, holding a remote control.
"But why, taichō? Our favorite telenovela is just about to turn x-rated."
Aizen gave his subordinate a side glance.
"You've just answered your own question, Gin. I may be a lot of things, but a pervert is not one of them."
Ichimaru scratched his head and wondered how Aizen could still say so after they had been stalking the two Espadas with a camcorder ever since the two had left the ground of Las Noches.
"Could've fooled me," he muttered under his breath.
Aizen put on his trademarked gentle-yet-evil smile on his face before he explained as if he could read Ichimaru's mind, "I only watched them for the comedy, not for something like this. However, I must say I never thought you would even want to continue watching it, Gin. I always thought you were into women."
"Well, you should've known by now that I'm always open-minded, Aizen-taichō," the lieutenant countered lightly.
Aizen rubbed his chin. He could never tell when Gin was serious or when he was joking, but he doubted it really mattered in that case.
"Ah, that is probably true. However, if you really are interested in that type of thing, I suggest you go to Nnoitra's quarters and borrow one of his AV collections instead," Aizen suggested. "We should give those two at least that much of privacy. After all, we still have to work with them at least until the war is over."
Ichimaru's smile broadened.
"Are you sure you're saying all this because you're afraid that you won't be able to look them in the eye if we watched them, and not because you want me outta here so you can watch it all by yourself, Aizen-taichō?"
To that question, Aizen smiled.
"Take it this way, Gin," the leader of Las Noches began, "why would I need to watch someone else having sex when I can easily find a partner to do the deed should I ever want to?"
Ichimaru snickered.
"Ah, good point. So does this mean that you're gonna call someone in to satisfy your need now, taichō?"
To that question, Aizen tilted his head. It was difficult to tell from the tone he used in his next question whether he was really serious or just trying to mess with Gin's head.
"Why, Gin? Are you offering?"
The smile on Ichimaru's face did not falter, and he replied with the same ambiguous tone Aizen had used with him earlier, "Well, that depends, Aizen-taichō, on whether or not you're interested."
Aizen smiled. This time it seemed he was really amused, and not just putting on another facade.
"As enticing as that sounds, I don't have any intention to bring a snake to my bed," Aizen replied, "not yet anyway."
Ichimaru sighed, although it was difficult to fathom whether it was out of relief, disappointment or something else entirely.
"Ah, well, since there's nothing else to see here and you've rejected my offer, I guess I'll just take my leave," said the silver-haired man. "Unless, of course, there is anything else I can do for you."
"No, it's fine. I'm planning to return to my room as well," Aizen replied. "In fact, why don't we leave together, so you can't accuse me that I will remain here and watch those two after you leave the room."
Gin laughed. Bowing at his master and made a gesture to the door, he remarked, "In that case, after you, taichō."
Nodding, Aizen rose from his seat and left remote control on the arm of his chair. Then the two Shinigami walked out of the room together. Whether they were truly uninterested in Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's affair was the question only they knew the true answer.
Ulquiorra believed he saw a desert locust flying past them before he turned his focus back to Grimmjow's face which was inching closer towards his. From what he had just experienced, he could tell that Grimmjow was about to kiss him again; yet even though he told himself he was prepared for the new experience, he still couldn't help feeling flustered.
While he possessed some knowledge about osculation and copulation, they were still new to him in a practical sense, and Ulquiorra never felt at ease when he was in a situation which he was not familiar with.
Grimmjow probably sensed Ulquiorra's uneasiness, since he suddenly stopped and opened his cyan eyes to meet with Ulquiorra's emerald ones.
"You're not supposed to stare when someone's about to kiss you. It's unnerving," he commented.
"Oh..." Ulquiorra exclaimed before he quickly closed his eyes.
Ulquiorra could hear a soft chuckle from Grimmjow, and he could feel the man's breath on his lips when Grimmjow whispered, "Relax, Ulquiorra. You can trust me."
Then he felt that his lips were brushed by something soft and warm, which was probably Grimmjow's lips. The hand that had been holding on to his waist earlier left its position and moved to stroke the side of Ulquiorra's face lightly, making him feel a little less tensed.
He supposed Grimmjow was right and he could trust the man to guide him. Feeling a little more at ease, Ulquiorra decided that he shouldn't waste the chance to gain new knowledge from the experience. Therefore, he tried to imitate Grimmjow's move.
Encouraged, Grimmjow increased the pressure of his kiss, and even nipped softly on Ulquiorra's lower lips to see if he would get a better response.
And he got it.
Ulquiorra gasped and parted his lips slightly in surprised, and Grimmjow didn't hesitate to use that chance to slide his tongue into Ulquiorra's mouth.
Although he was a little surprised by the intrusion, Ulquiorra refused to back away as he told himself that there were things that could only be learned by doing. Besides, the feeling of Grimmjow's tongue exploring his mouth was not bad. It was good, to be honest. Subconsciously, his hand reached to the back of Grimmjow's head, combing through the electric blue hair that was unexpectedly soft to the touch, before he gave a response of a kind.
Things were heating up as a result.
Caught in the haze of passion, Ulquiorra didn't notice when Grimmjow pulled down the zip of his jacket until after he felt Grimmjow's hand caressing down his torso and then moving back up again. He was almost breathless by the time Grimmjow broke the kiss to nip at his earlobe and then down to his exposed neck.
Sensing what Grimmjow was hinting at when the man slid his hands up his shoulder and pulling down his shirt as he made a trail of hot kisses down his torso, Ulquiorra let go of Grimmjow momentarily so he could roll his shoulders back and allow Grimmjow to remove his coat.
He didn't have a time to pay attention as to where his coat was discarded since Grimmjow moved back up to reclaim his mouth with another heated kiss, and he was grateful that Grimmjow did so, for that kiss helped to stifle the sound of his moan that was let out when he felt Grimmjow's hand brush past his crotch when the man was trying to undo the knots on Ulquiorra's hakama.
Ulquiorra briefly wondered if Grimmjow was an expert at undressing people, since the man didn't have to spend much time to finish undoing all the knots that Ulquiorra had neatly tied, but he didn't think it was the right time to voice his curiosity, especially when Grimmjow put his arm tightly around his waist, before he briefly broke the kiss so he could demand, "Lift your hips."
Ulquiorra obediently complied, but before he had to wonder why Grimmjow wanted him to do so, Grimmjow removed Ulquiorra's hakama and underwear then tossed them aside. Then he eased Ulquiorra down into the canal in one swift move.
While the coldness of the water surprised Ulquiorra at first, the heat he felt from where their bare skins touched made it much easier for him to adjust to the temperature.
Once he managed to get Ulquiorra into the canal, Grimmjow began to make his way down Ulquiorra's jaw to his neck, and his shoulder and his chest, alternating between kissing, sucking and nibbling in the same urgency with a thirsty man who had just found an oasis after having been wandering in a desert for days.
He could feel his need for Ulquiorra grow as he heard the smaller man moan in response to his touches, and he had to use all of the self-control he had not to just spun Ulquiorra around and took the man then and there.
That would definitely extinguish his burning desire, but it could also ruin the purpose of the whole thing.
Once again, Grimmjow needed to remind himself that he was doing it simply to show Ulquiorra that the man was wrong when he commented that aside for reproduction, sex had no other purposes. Therefore, it was more important to show Ulquiorra a good time than to satisfy his own urge. To give in to his own desire meant that he would most likely hurt Ulquiorra and gave the man a more negative view on sex. Moreover, Ulquiorra had a tendency to want to try everything; so if he had his way with the man, there was a chance that the Cuarta Espada would demand to try the same to him in return; and Grimmjow was still not ready to have his nightmare realize just yet.
However, with them standing in a canal, there was not much option for him to choose from. Therefore, Grimmjow settled for kissing Ulquiorra on the lips while caressing down the man's body and then stroke lightly on the man's heated member, while making a mental note to choose a better location should he ever want to seduce Ulquiorra again.
Ulquiorra drew a sharp breath, and subconsciously tangled the blue hair he had been running his finger through, as Grimmjow's touches sent a kind of tingling feeling up his spine.
That soft gasp went straight to Grimmjow's groin. It was strange that just a little response from Ulquiorra could turn him on that much.
Since he got a good reaction from the first time, Grimmjow rubbed himself against Ulquiorra, eliciting yet another moan from the man, before he held both of them in one hand and made another stroke, harder this time.
Ulquiorra arched his hips into Grimmjow's touch, wanting more. Subconsciously, his right hand left Grimmjow's shoulder and moved down to grip over Grimmjow's hand to increase the delicious friction.
His reaction more than pleased Grimmjow, as the Sexta Espada grinned as he remarked, "My, aren't you a fast learner? Move with me then."
There was no doubt in Grimmjow's mind that Ulquiorra would comply to his demand, since the man was already deep in the haze of passion.
No longer able to focus on two things at a time, their kiss broke, and the two Espadas put their sole focus on the hands that were pumping their members together, putting them both closer to the edge.
Grimmjow could feel his own orgasm building up, and from the flush on Ulquiorra's face and the moan that man occasionally gave out, he could tell Ulquiorra was getting there as well. Thus, he increased the pace and the pressure of his hand, wordlessly hinting Ulquiorra to do the same.
It didn't take long for their passion to peak and then explode, leaving them both empty yet fulfilling.
After he went down from the wave of ecstasy, Ulquiorra found himself resting his forehead against Grimmjow's right shoulder, heaving. He was grateful that Grimmjow was still holding him near, or otherwise he would have already been drowned or at least floated away, since his knees had lost their strengths and he could barely stand his ground.
His mind was still very much in a chaotic state, but he still noted, though very vaguely, how Grimmjow planted soft kisses on top of his shoulder and on the curve of his neck before the man finally put some distance between them, but didn't completely let go until he was certain that Ulquiorra gained enough strength back to stand by himself.
"So, how was it?" Grimmjow asked in a whisper. "Do you still think that sex is pointless?"
Grimmjow probably knew that the question was dangerous, as it had a potential to ruin his pride forever should Ulquiorra ever reply with a yes.
"It was..." Ulquiorra paused for a moment to collect his thought and search for the right word, yet that short moment seemed to last for an eternity for Grimmjow. "...gratifying. I can now begin to understand why some would relish this kind of activity."
With that answer, Grimmjow almost sighed in relief, for it meant that his pride still remained intact. However, he couldn't help noticing that Ulquiorra still hadn't answered to all of his questions.
"However," Ulquiorra continued, "it left us somewhat vulnerable afterward, so I doubted it's worth doing just for the sake of pleasure alone."
Technically, whatever Ulquiorra said should have been none of his concerns, since he only tried to show the man how pleasurable sex could be, and he didn't fail in that task. However, he still felt his heart sink when he heard that reply.
Even though he kept telling himself that whatever Ulquiorra wanted to believe had nothing to do with him, Grimmjow still couldn't stop himself from stating, "You really know how to take the fun out of everything, don't you, Ulquiorra?"
"Life is not just about fun and play," Ulquiorra countered.
Somehow Grimmjow wasn't surprised to hear that kind of response.
"Yeah, but they make life more worthwhile," Grimmjow noted. Seeing that Ulquiorra was about to open his mouth to argue, Grimmjow raised both of his hands as if to tell him to stop. "Anyway, you can just see it however you like. It's not like what you believe is any of my business. I'm getting out first."
With that, Grimmjow moved to the bank and climbed up.
Ulquiorra would have followed Grimmjow right away since he had no reason to stay in the water, yet the view of Grimmjow's naked back reminded him how intimate they were just a moment ago, and it gave him a strange sensation, so Ulquiorra simply remained in his spot.
Averting his eyes from the view, the Cuarta Espada mentally berated himself for letting his thought strayed to where it didn't need to be.
The area was filled with silence, and it was awkward to say the least, so Grimmjow quickly put on his clothes and remarked once he was done, "Well, then I'll see you back at the camp."
"Alright," Ulquiorra replied, still keeping his eyes away from Grimmjow's direction.
Just when Grimmjow was about to walk away, he had to stop on the spot when he heard Ulquiorra voice saying, "Oh, by the way, Grimmjow—"
He said nothing as he stood there and waited for Ulquiorra to finish the sentence that he had started.
"—thank you for your guidance."
Grimmjow pursed his lips and closed his eyes. It was only normal for Ulquiorra to act as if nothing had transpired between the two of them, since to Ulquiorra, what had just happened was only one meaningless action to satisfy his curiosity. And to Grimmjow, sex was something he did just for the pleasure of doing. There was no more or less meaning to that action. So what did he expect to hear really?
Taking a deep breath, Grimmjow replied, "Don't mention it."
It wasn't until Grimmjow was half way back to the camp that it finally struck him.
Suddenly it became clear to him why he had always tried to get Ulquiorra's attention; why he chose to sit right across to that man in the meeting table when there were many other seats he could take; why he always wanted to prove himself worthy in Ulquiorra's eyes if only as an opponent; why he was so eager to take down Kurosaki Ichigo even though the kid hadn't provoked him in any way; why he agreed to help when Ulquiorra asked to be his friend to prove some strange theory from that human girl; and why he was so eager to show Ulquiorra how good sex could be.
He was attracted to Ulquiorra, and he wanted the man to acknowledge him as something more than just another piece of trash. And now that he had finally got the taste of what it was like, he wanted more, but upon considering Ulquiorra's view in the matter, he doubted he would ever get another chance.
"Man, I should've just fucked him raw," Grimmjow muttered to himself, although a part of him told him that even if he had done so, he would still not be satisfied – at least, not until Ulquiorra showed that he genuinely wanted him for him, and not for the sake of some learning experience. "Shit! I'm really in deep, aren't I?"
End of Chapter IX