A/N: I seriously need to get my mind out of the gutter, but what can I say? I'm a fujoshi. As always, many thanks to all who still follow this story to this point. I plan to write in a faster pace in order to wrap this story by the end of this year *finger crossed*. I hope you enjoy this chapter more than you did the last. Till next time.
XV
Although Grimmjow had fooled around a lot, it was the first time since he could remember that he was actually nervous when he entered someone's room with sex in his mind. If Ulquiorra were anybody else, the kiss that he gave him earlier would have been considered as a playful seduction. However, since it was from Ulquiorra, it could be just about anything; and the man could have just let him in for an entirely nonsexual reason, such as to continue their discussion or to have some tea.
Even so, Grimmjow wouldn't call himself a man if he let the chance slip away without making any move. After all, it wasn't every day that Ulquiorra would invite him into his private quarters.
Ulquiorra still looked as impassive as ever when he looked over his shoulder after he heard the door close with a soft click, though the man's emerald eyes were widened the moment Grimmjow suddenly pushed up against him from behind and wound his arms around the man's slim waist.
His voice was filled with urgency when he whispered hotly into Ulquiorra's ear, "Push me off if you don't want this."
When he said "this," Grimmjow didn't only talk about the hug, and he believed Ulquiorra understood it as well since the man held on to Grimmjow's forearms for a moment before he finally replied in a soft, yet firm tone, "It's fine."
To be completely honest, he didn't know why Ulquiorra decided to grant him that permission. As he still clearly remembered how Ulquiorra deemed sex pointless, Grimmjow doubted it was because Ulquiorra suddenly had some carnal desires. It could be because the man was still curious about the reason why some insisted on doing something even when it didn't have any real purpose, or it could be because he believed that he was obligated to do so since they were dating, or he felt pity for Grimmjow after hearing how he was at his limit. However, Grimmjow had already past his caring point.
He could contemplate those possibilities and sulk about them later when his head was clearer, but at that moment, he only wanted to hold Ulquiorra close and make love to the man until they were both melted with pleasure.
With that thought, Grimmjow unwound his right arm from Ulquiorra's waist and used his hand to tilt Ulquiorra's chin so he could place his kiss down on those thin lips while guiding them both toward the double bed that was set at the corner of Ulquiorra's room.
The kiss started out slow and gentle, yet it soon intensified into a battle of tongues. Grimmjow could taste green tea and honey Ulquiorra drank earlier during the meeting, and he thought it suited the man well.
Yearning for more skin contact, Grimmjow skillfully unzipped Ulquiorra's jacket with one hand then quickly removed that jacket out of his way and dropped it haphazardly down to the floor. Once he was done with the task, he kissed down Ulquiorra's neck to his chest then stopped to nibble and suck at Ulquiorra's nipple, then shifted to the other side to give it an equal treatment while being careful not to graze the man's porcelain skin with the remnant of the mark on his jaw.
The sound Ulquiorra made in his throat showed that he approved of the action while he slid his hands under Grimmjow's jacket and ran it along the man's broad shoulders. Getting the signal, Grimmjow rolled his shoulders back and let gravity do the rest of the work.
The taste of Ulquiorra's warm skin on his lips was heavenly. Grimmjow could feel his own desire growing rapidly and he didn't know how long he would be able to hold out until it finally broke out like water in an overflowed dam. He briefly wondered if Ulquiorra felt even remotely the same.
It didn't take them too many steps to finally reach to Ulquiorra's bed. Grimmjow gently pushed Ulquiorra back into the bed before he lowered himself down after the man.
He placed himself strategically between Ulquiorra's legs and used his kisses to push Ulquiorra further into the bed. After he had Ulquiorra where he wanted him, Grimmjow took his time to make a trail of kisses down to Ulquiorra's stomach while removing the black sash and later the knots that were holding Ulquiorra's hakama together with his keen fingers. Once the hakama was all untied, he had to take a few extra seconds to remove the white rokushaku fundoshi that was the last thing which stood between him and the flesh he wanted access. Traditional Japanese garments were sure very troublesome when it came to removing.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened in surprise when he felt Grimmjow kissed along the length of his manhood before he suddenly took it in his mouth. They certainly didn't do something like that the last time. It felt strange, yet gratifying.
He held loosely on to Grimmjow's head while his hips began to move on their own in accordance with the rhythm that Grimmjow created. His instinct told him to move faster and harder in search of more intense feelings; however, Grimmjow's firm grip on his hips prevented him from moving all too fast and crushing head completely.
Ulquiorra felt a warm, pleasurable feeling built up deep inside of him, and he suspected Grimmjow could tell that as well, since he quickened the pace of his knowing mouth, did some kind of flicking with his tongue and sent Ulquiorra over the edge before he could voice any warning.
Grimmjow's mouth curved into a satisfied grin after he gulped down the last drop of Ulquiorra's seed. He was far from being done, however, since he wouldn't be fully sated until he managed to eat Ulquiorra up completely and properly.
Ulquiorra's emerald eyes were still darkened with desire when Grimmjow crawled up his body to reclaim his lips with a hot, urgent kiss. Seeing how Grimmjow was still half dressed, Ulquiorra moved his finger to the hem of Grimmjow's hakama and started to undo the sash and all knots that tied the garment to Grimmjow's waist one by one, and he had to be surprised to learn that Grimmjow was going commando.
Seeing that look in Ulquiorra's eyes, Grimmjow smirked and explained, "I like to have some freedom."
"Obviously," Ulquiorra stated before he traced his nimble fingers along the length of Grimmjow's proud member, earning himself a soft moan from his partner. "Shall I do the same to you?"
The offer was tempting, and he would have heartily accepted it if there hadn't been something else in his mind.
"Maybe some other time," Grimmjow replied huskily as he kissed Ulquiorra's lips again to keep the man in that position. "Now I don't suppose you have anything we can use as lube, do you?"
Although he asked, Grimmjow didn't really wait for an answer from Ulquiorra, and simply went on to make a trail down Ulquiorra's torso, using his lips, tongue and teeth in alternations.
Ulquiorra gasped softly as Grimmjow's licked along the rim of his Hollow hole. Even though he had just climaxed, the touch had built up yet another wave of desire.
"There should be a bottle of lotion in the nightstand's drawer," Ulquiorra replied hazily. "Why?"
Grimmjow didn't reply but Ulquiorra had a feeling that he was about to find out anyway, since Grimmjow quickly moved to open the drawer and searched for the wanted item. Finding what he was looking for, Grimmjow returned to his previous task and continued his trail of kisses. Spreading Ulquiorra's leg slightly wider, Grimmjow planted a couple of kisses on the inside of Ulquiorra's tights then flicked a lid of the lotion bottle open.
Ulquiorra arched his back slightly when he felt Grimmjow's hand sliding past his leg into the split between his buttocks and stopped just right when he reached to a certain opening.
"Can I touch you here?"
Ulquiorra blinked for a couple times and had an urge to ask Grimmjow what he intended to do, but he decided to trust the man and gave him a nod. After all, he had been feeling good so far, and Grimmjow had been rather gentle with his lovemaking despite how he always appeared to be a violent individual.
The response brought a satisfied grin to Grimmjow's face, as the man poured a handful of lotion into his own palm.
Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow with half-lidded eyes. He could recognize lust that was burning behind those cyan eyes, and he began to wonder what would be Grimmjow's next move. He wasn't kept in curiosity for too long as he soon felt Grimmjow's slick fingers moving around his opening as if trying to acquaint themselves with it, before he slowly pressed one down there.
"Relax," Grimmjow whispered into his ear. "Tell me if it hurts."
After that, Grimmjow nibbled gently on his earlobe, distracting him from the sense of intrusion that was occurring at his lower body. Ulquiorra lifted his head up to kiss the crook of Grimmjow's neck in response, then sucked it lightly, making a fade mark on the area.
Feeling encouraged from Ulquiorra's action, Grimmjow quickened the pace of his fingers, and then earned himself a sharp gasp from Ulquiorra when his finger brushed past a certain spot. Wanting to know if he remembered the spot right, Grimmjow repeated his action and received yet another sweet sound from his partner.
Since he was already at the limit, that sound was more than enough to slip the last brink of control out of Grimmjow's system. The Sexta Espada quickly removed his fingers and replaced them with his throbbing member.
Ulquiorra took a sharp breath as his body was suddenly filled with something much larger than earlier. The feeling was stranger than anything he had ever experienced. He didn't have much time to adjust, however, since Grimmjow began to thrust into him.
It hurt slightly at first, but the pain soon merged with the intense pleasure and caused his mind to go numb. Wanting to feel a little more of that strange ecstasy, Ulquiorra experimentally rolled his hips. It appeared he had done something right, since Grimmjow let out a low purr before he rocked himself harder against Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra bucked his hips to meet with Grimmjow thrust to thrust, feeling that he was close to yet another climax, and judging from the way Grimmjow quickened his own paced, he believed the man was quite close to it as well.
Reaching his hand down between them, Grimmjow rubbed hard against Ulquiorra's proud flesh, sending the man over the edge. Then he dove hard into the man's body, following him to the seventh heaven before he collapsed on top of the man.
Grimmjow lay in the bed and stared blankly at the white ceiling as he was coming down from cloud nine. It took him another moment until he propped himself up slightly, careful not to move his right arm as he didn't want to disturb Ulquiorra who was using it as a pillow. He had a strange urge to cuddle the man, but it seemed they were in a little awkward position as there was a chance that he would crash into the thick helmet that was Ulquiorra's Hollow mask; therefore, he opted against it and turned his attention around the room instead.
While it was the first time he had ever been invited inside that room, he couldn't say he was surprised by the way it looked as it wasn't much different from how he had imagined it. Ulquiorra's room remained mostly in undecorated. The room was fully painted white, just like all others room had been when Aizen first built it. The pieces of furniture in the room – a wardrobe, a study table, a chair, a lamp shade, a pair of curtains, the double bed they were in and the nightstand – were the ones that came with the room from the start, and they were all in white. In fact, all colors that he could see in the room were from covers of the books Ulquiorra kept on his study table, and even those were also in dull shades.
"You do realize that Aizen allowed us to redecorate our own quarters and even gave some budget for it, right?" Grimmjow said, knowing that Ulquiorra was still awake.
"Everything in this room serves its purpose, so there is no point for redecoration," Ulquiorra remarked. "Besides, it is not as if I have ever invited anyone into my room."
Although he had already expected that sort of reply from Ulquiorra, Grimmjow still couldn't help feeling very privileged and at the same time wondering how Ulquiorra viewed him and his previous love life, since the Cuarta Espada never expressed any direct opinion about that matter.
"Well, that's true, I guess." Grimmjow commented. "But anyway, instead of commenting on your room, I should ask you if you're alright, you know, down here—" As he said 'down here', the Sexta Espada reached his left hand down and patted softly on his lover's hip. "—cause if you're not, I can always kiss it and make it feel better."
"I'm fine," Ulquiorra replied, catching Grimmjow's wrist and guiding it to his waist to prevent it from roaming down any further down. "Though I must say I doubt a kiss could make it feel better if I were not."
"You really do know how to ruin the mood, don't you?" Grimmjow rolled his eyes, but despite what he said, he still encircled his arm around Ulquiorra's waist and slowly traced the line of Ulquiorra's ripped abs with his finger.
"Someone has to," Ulquiorra replied, doing his best not to turn his head since he didn't want to cause a fatal accident. "Or I have a feeling that you might transform into a rabbit someday."
Grimmjow laughed. "I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but in any case, my sex drive isn't that high."
"So you just like cuddling, then?"
The Sexta Espada tilted his head slightly as he tried to recall the last time he had the urge to cuddle someone after sex, but he shrugged as he couldn't think of even one time. It could be due to the fact that all he had ever had were casual flings.
"Hm? Maybe. I dunno. What does it say in your cat handbook whatever that's called?"
"A Kitten's Feeling by Komamura Sajin, and it said that it depended on a cat's personality and the environment it was raised," Ulquiorra stated before he furrowed his brows. "Though I must say it is strange that you should mention that. After all, you always denied the fact that you are a cat."
"I still don't accept it. I just realize it's pointless to argue with you on that matter," the Sexta Espada noted. "Anyway, what about you? Do you like cuddling?"
Hearing the question, Ulquiorra glanced down to Grimmjow's arm holding his body. He didn't make it a habit to touch anyone or let anyone touch him unless it was truly necessary, but strangely enough, he didn't really mind Grimmjow snuggling up to him.
"It is fine, I suppose," the Cuarta Espada replied noncommittally.
Grimmjow grinned lopsidedly as he commented in a smug tone, "Maybe you start to love me a little."
"I wouldn't know about that," Ulquiorra replied in all honesty. "All I can say is that I have changed quite a lot since we became friends."
"If you put it that way, then I've changed, too," Grimmjow commented, looking up to the wall. "I can't tell if it's for the better or for the worse, though."
Ulquiorra decided to shift his position so he lay on his stomach instead so that he would be able to turn his head and look at Grimmjow's face without accidentally poking the man with his horn. After he had done so, he propped up on both of his elbows and adjusted the angle of his head so he could see Grimmjow's face.
"This is quite awkward, isn't it?" the Sexta Espada commented as he moved his hand to touch the little horn on Ulquiorra's helmet. "What kind of bat has a horn anyway? Or is this supposed to be your bat ear? But I'm pretty sure you do have earlobes."
To make sure, Grimmjow poked his face closer to Ulquiorra's while running both of his hands on the side of Ulquiorra's head through the man thick hair in order to locate the earlobes in question. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra could only blink at how fast Grimmjow could change the subject.
"I think you can say it's a horn when I'm in this form," Ulquiorra replied. "Though, in my final release form, I do have bat ears."
Grimmjow tilted his head and stared at Ulquiorra's face as he tried to recall what Ulquiorra looked like in his Resurrección, but he couldn't really remember much except that Ulquiorra had a pair of black wings and that his half helmet grew into a full one, though in a different shape. After all, Ulquiorra didn't make it a habit to draw our Murciélago, much less release it.
"Sorry, Ulquiorra, but I don't really remember what you look like in your Resurrección," Grimmjow confessed. "I mean, I think I only saw it once when Aizen asked you to demonstrate your power for the first time."
"You do realize that I'm forbidden from releasing my zanpakutō inside of Las Noches, don't you?"
Grimmjow nodded.
"Of course, and that kinda makes me glad that I'm just the Sexta, coz I don't get that stupid restriction," said the blue-haired Espada. "I mean, it's pretty inconvenient, isn't it? Especially if you feel like training coz you can't use the gym."
"I can simply ask Aizen-sama for permission to go out of Las Noches to train," Ulquiorra pointed out.
"Yeah, right, I forgot you're his favorite," Grimmjow huffed as he let go off Ulquiorra's face and just flopped back into bed.
Ulquiorra tilted his head so he could get a better look at Grimmjow once the man changed his position.
"Don't tell me you're jealous."
"I'm not. I'm just a little irritated," Grimmjow denied, looking away. "That's a bit different."
Ulquiorra shook his head before he rolled back to his right side and closed his eyes.
"I don't know what you should feel irritated for," the Cuarta Espada commented. "But speaking of training, would you like to train together with me sometime? I mean, the enemies are approaching us, so it wouldn't hurt to be prepared."
The word training put a certain spark to Grimmjow's blue eyes, and the man suddenly propped himself up once again and leaned over Ulquiorra's head to look at the man like an excited child.
"When you said training, did you mean in full Resurrección?"
"No," Ulquiorra replied. "I do have my restriction. Besides, if we really go all out against one another, I'm afraid things may escalate out of control."
Grimmjow smiled sheepishly. Although he was a little disappointed, he had to agree with Ulquiorra. After all, he knew once he engaged in his battle mode, he wouldn't back down until he defeated his opponent, and judging from Ulquiorra's character, the man wouldn't easily back down either.
"I guess I'll have to agree with that one," said Grimmjow. "It's not like I can hold back when I fight someone."
Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly to meet Grimmjow's eyes.
"I didn't say that because I was afraid that you would injure me, Grimmjow," the Cuarta Espada noted, leaving the rest of the sentence, which was 'it was the other way around', unsaid since he didn't want Grimmjow to be under an impression that he looked down on him.
"Yeah, you just thought I'd destroy a part of Las Noches and make Aizen angry, I know," Grimmjow replied in a joking manner. "Anyway, yes, I'd like to train with you, so come get me whenever you feel like. I'm mostly free anyway, since Aizen ordered everyone to stay put."
"Then perhaps we can do that tomorrow," Ulquiorra said thoughtfully.
"Sure. Tomorrow's great. I can't wait for that."
"Then why don't you just sleep? It'll be morning when you wake up," Ulquiorra suggested, closing his eyes. "I'll do the same as well."
Grimmjow blinked twice. He couldn't quite tell whether Ulquiorra meant to kick him out or to invite him to stay over since it could be translated in either way.
"Hey, does this mean you want to kick me out?"
"You can stay if you want. I don't really mind. Actually, it would save me the trouble of fetching you in the morning."
Grimmjow chuckled. "You seriously aren't romantic, Ulquiorra."
"What do you expect to hear from me then?"
Grimmjow sighed. What did he expect to hear from Ulquiorra, exactly? He didn't really know. He just had some kind of hope, even though he should have known better than to expect anything. After all, the man had made it clear from the start that he was in it for the sake of experimentation, but he got a little too carried away by how sweet Ulquiorra had been to him during the heat of sex.
"Never mind that. I was just being stupid," he said as he nuzzled behind Ulquiorra again. "Good night, Ulquiorra."
Ulquiorra didn't respond to the sentence and simply allowed Grimmjow to cuddle him tight. Judging from the man's breathing pattern, Grimmjow took it that Ulquiorra soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Although he knew that there was still a long way for them to go in their relationship and that there might not be enough time since the war could wage at any given moment, Grimmjow decided not to think too much about it. After all, he couldn't tell what was going to happen in the future, so the best he could do was to revel the moment he had the person he wanted right in his arm. Everything else could wait for later.
"The enemies have already defeated the Sand Guardian, Aizen-sama."
Tōsen announced right after he entered Aizen's private quarters.
Aizen turned and left the balcony where he stood and looked out into Hueco Mundo night sky. He couldn't honestly say that he was surprised to hear that the Shinigami had defeated the Sand Guardian, as he would have been disappointed if it was the other way around.
"Is that so? They would reach here in three days, then," Aizen calculated.
The blind Shinigami shook his head.
"I'm afraid it would take them little longer than that, since they have fallen into the forest of Menos after they defeated the guardian," Tōsen stated. "That forest is filled with Menos class Hollow, and not to mention, no different from a labyrinth. It would still be hard even for them to break out of it and find their way here."
Aizen couldn't help smiling at the thought of his enemies getting lost underneath the desert. He could imagine the Shinigami fighting among themselves and causing their journey to take longer than necessary.
"It would be rather boring to wait for them any longer," the brown-haired lord commented. "However, since you have witnessed their fight, what is your opinion about Kurosaki Ichigo's improvement?"
Tōsen had a troubled expression on his face as he replied, "It appeared that the Shinigami and his friends have deliberately tried to prevent him from engaging in any battle with anyone so far. It is almost as if they view him as their trump card and do not want him to fight until it becomes necessary. As for the Substitute Shinigami himself, he isn't continuously oozing out his spiritual power as he normally would."
Aizen's brown eyes shone with interest once he heard Tōsen's comment.
"Perhaps he has been training hard in those months we took our eyes off him that he manages to gain a better control over his reiatsu," noted the Las Noches ruler. "How interesting! I was quite disappointed with him before, since he didn't seem to be able to do anything without his bankai lately, but now it seems he may have improved somewhat. However, if what you said is true and his comrades are keeping him from fighting, then he probably won't get to do anything in the forest either."
Tōsen could only wonder why Aizen was so obsessed with the Substitute Shinigami's improvement, but he didn't voice his question since he didn't deem it necessary.
"In any case, Kaname," Aizen continued, "please make sure to get everything ready. We will march to Karakura Town the day Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions reach inside the wall of Las Noches."
Knowing that Aizen had implied that he left, Tōsen bowed at his boss.
"Yes, Aizen-sama. Have a good night."
With that, the former captain of the Gotei 13's Ninth Division turned around and left without so much as expressing a greeting to a sly silver-haired Shinigami who had come to stand by the threshold at some point while he was talking to Aizen.
Aizen, on the other hand, quirked an eyebrow as his favorite subordinate.
"Is it me or you really are getting worse at stalking, Gin."
Taking Aizen's words as a permission, Gin walked leisurely in.
"I don't do stalking, Aizen-taichō," the silver-haired Shinigami stated. "When I mark anything as my prey, I'll follow it openly, let it know of my presence to keep it in constant worries if and when I will finally strike it down."
A cold smile appeared on Aizen's lips.
"I guess I can't argue with that."
"Anyway, taichō, about Kurosaki Ichigo, are we really going to march out and just trap him here with his friends once he arrives? I thought you would stay around to see how much he has improved."
"That boy's power," Aizen observed, "always evolves whenever he faces the verge of death. Surely it would be interesting to see how well he could hold himself against Grimmjow or Ulquiorra."
"Why them?" Gin asked, truly curious.
"Why, you ask. It's simply because they are the two Espadas who have any reason to fight that kid at all," Aizen explained. "Grimmjow is holding some kind of grudge with him. Whereas Ulquiorra kidnapped his friend and is assigned to guard her at all costs."
Aizen explained as he moved toward a table at the corner where a tea set was placed. He then pulled out a chair and sat down before he poured himself a hot cup of tea.
"However," Aizen continued, "as interesting as the battle might be, whether I would stay and watch it or not still depends on what time of the day Kurosaki Ichigo is going to turn up here."
Ichimaru tilted his head.
"What does time have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with everything, Gin," Aizen replied coolly, lifting the teacup up with his lean fingers. "Because if he arrives at night or early in the morning, I can afford to hang around and watch his battle for a while. However, if he arrives any later than noon, I would rather just march to the real world and face the rest of the Shinigami. After all, I don't really need to sit and watch his match to tell if he has progressed. I mean, if he hasn't, he would simply be killed, but if he has, he would certainly defeat our Espadas and find his way back to Karakura to help the Shinigami."
Gin scratched the back of his neck.
"I get the last part, but I still don't see why the time matters, unless, of course, you are superstitious and need to move our troop at some specific time."
Once again, Aizen put on his smooth expression.
"It has nothing to do with superstition, Gin," he remarked. "I simply want to conquer Soul Society before the time for my afternoon tea. That's all."
With that said, Aizen sipped his tea as if to emphasize his point, making Gin wondered if the man was always that twisted or simply overly obsessed with the beverage.
End of Chapter XV