Chapter Nineteen

There was a quiet knock on the door to the condo some time before noon but Ichigo was fast asleep on the couch. The sound of a key in the lock and the tumblers turning did nothing to disturb his slumber. As the door swung in gently a small woman walked in pushing a cart filled with supplies. Noticing the young man on the couch she pursed her lips and approached him, placing a cool hand on his shoulder and shaking as gently as she could. Ichigo blinked up at her in surprise and sat up quickly.

"I'm the cleaning lady." She said brightly as Ichigo continued to take in his surroundings.

"Oh." He rubbed his eyes. "Do… do you need me to leave?" He asked, not sure what to do in this kind of a situation.

She continued to smile. "No need for that, sir. I just didn't want to startle you. Are there any other guests staying with Mr. Jaegerjaques right now?"

He couldn't help but smirk at the name before nodding his head. "Yeah, in the guest room. But I don't think he's left yet…." He trailed off trying to remember if he had seen Nnoitra at all that morning.

"Arigato, sir. I shall start in the master bedroom then. Do as you will."

Walking back to her cart, she pushed it into Grimmjow's room and began her duties. Ichigo was at a loss. Grimmjow had a cleaning lady? He jumped when his phone rang at him and held his dizzy head in his hand as he reached for it.

"Why the hell havencha called me yet?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Because I just woke up. Geez, you sound like a nagging girlfriend."

"How ya feelin'?" Shinji asked, ignoring the grumpy sounding comment.

"Like I got run over. Worst is my shoulder though. It keeps bleeding and it's all achy. I'll be fine in a few days though." Grabbing his jacket Ichigo went to the porch he had only just found out the condo had and slipped outside. "He has a cleaning lady."

Shinji frowned at the sudden change in topic. "Who?"

"Grimmjow. She just woke me up. It's so weird."

"I can imagine." Shinji replied dully, not at all pleased that they were talking about him.

"How's your arm?"

"Broken, but fine. Shitty thing is I can't dance till it comes off. If Z doesn't find me something to do I might have to move back in with okaachan. Not that I would mind that so much, but ya know how she likes to make me do all the house work 'cause she sucks so bad at it."

Ichigo laughed. "Yeah, I'm kinda wondering what he's gonna do with me. My face shouldn't be a problem since I wear the mask, but the cuts all over my chest and the one on my shoulder…. He might just replace us."

"Waa! No way he would do that. Okay, maybe temporarily, but not completely. He'd loose out too much money. I've helped him with his books Ichi, he can't afford to loose us."

"Yeah."

Shinji suddenly giggled and Ichigo frowned. He really didn't trust that giggle sometimes.

"So you'll never guess who came over this just a bit ago."

"Are you really gonna make me guess?"

"Hanataro." Shinji paused for effect. "And his new wife."

Hanataro and his lovely young wife had gotten married in a small private ceremony about four months prior and had invited everyone from the club to join them. Yumi had of course tried to out shine the bride by wearing a very expensive silk furisode kimono and was overheard saying quite rudely that he was the most beautiful person there. He had been quite surprised when Hanataro's new bride was standing right behind him. She smiled and placed a hand on his arm, replying, "Oh, don't worry. You really are very beautiful. I hope one day to be half as beautiful as you." Everyone would have laughed had the poor woman not been utterly serious. She made an instant best friend that day.

"Really?"

"Yeah. They heard we got jumped and came over to give us food. Good food too." Shinji rambled. "Anyway, more gossip…."

"You're almost as bad as Yumi, you know that?"

"Shut up or I won't tell ya." Taking Ichigo's silence as a hint to move forward he burst out with, "They're having a baby!"

"No shit?"

Shinji nodded excitedly, babies were so cute, before he realized he was on the phone and Ichigo couldn't see him. "Yeah. Hanataro was so excited he couldn't hold it back and then he blushed and his wife blushed. It was cute. They look like freakin' twins."

"I can't believe he found a woman who would put up with him cross dressing and stripping in Nicho." Ichigo mused.

"Probably because he's like the nicest person you'll ever meet. Her too."

"Yeah. Shit, what time is it in England?" Ichigo had almost forgotten to call his sister like he promised.

Shinji gave the phone an incredulous look. "Fuck if I know."

"I gotta call Karin. I'll talk to you later, Shinji."

Shinji sighed dramatically. "Fine."

As soon as Ichigo hung up he closed his eyes and tried to count backwards to figure the time in England. With a frown he realized it was probably somewhere around three in the morning over there and settled with texting Karin with a quick, call me when you get up. That finished he peeked back in the house to see if the lady was anywhere is sight. He felt weird being inside while she was working but it was too damn cold out to wait outside for her to finish. As he was pulling open the sliding glass door his phone signaled a incoming text. He slid it closed once more and looked down at the screen.

don't u know wut time it is?

He smirked at his phone and began to push buttons.

that's why i said when u wake up, baka

He was surprised when his phone rang instead of the text he was expecting. He answered it quickly.

"Well I'm awake now because of you. Anyway, why didn't you answer your phone yesterday?"

"Shinji and I got jumped and before you freak out we're both fine."

"How lame." Karin yawned. "Yuzu wanted to talk to you. Other than some headaches and she gets tired quick she's been doing really good. Dad says he's gonna keep me here until she's ready to go home though, that's why I called yesterday." Another yawn. "So you had better call him when it's decent here."

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Look, don't tell dad or Yuzu I got hurt. I don't want them worrying and it's nothing bad."

Karin chuckled quietly. "You'd say it was nothing bad even if you broke every bone in your body."

"Well I didn't break anything so shut up."

"Whatever. I'll talk to you later, Ichi-nii."

"Later Karin. Give Yuzu a hug for me."

He was glad to hear that his sister was doing well. Even more happy that Karin would be staying with his father until Yuzu was ready to come home. He didn't really have the means to take care of his sister and he wasn't about to ask Grimmjow if the both of them could stay there on top of Nnoitra as well. As he was turning around the sliding door opened and he was face to face with Grimmjow. Speak of the devil, he thought to himself fleetingly.

"The fuck'er you doin' outside?" Grimmjow asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"I had a phone call. Why didn't you tell me you had a cleaning lady?"

Grimmjow shrugged and stepped outside with him, lighting up and taking a deep pull.

"Forgot."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You know those things are bad for you, right?"

"No shit?" Grimmjow asked sarcastically.

"Don't tell me you came back early again."

"Nope. I forgot some paperwork that I need so I figured I'd make a pit stop for lunch." He smirked and leaned forward. "Why, did ya miss me?"

Ichigo snorted and looked away. He hadn't been awake long enough to miss anything.

"Go back inside, the cold will just make yer muscles stiff." Grimmjow said as he reached for his ringing cell phone.

Ichigo left with a sigh and returned to the couch, sitting and returning his attention back to Grimmjow. It seemed like he was yelling into the phone but he couldn't hear a thing. After flicking his half finished cigarette Grimmjow came back inside and grabbed a stack of papers from his desk.

"Konichiwa, Mr. Jaegerjaques." The cleaning lady said brightly as she dumped the bathroom trash in a large garbage bag on her cart.

"Konichiwa." He muttered in a distracted tone as he stuffed the papers in a slick briefcase. He turned his attention to Ichigo and grinned. "See ya."

It seemed like only an instant and he was out the door, Ichigo left alone with the cleaning lady once again with no idea what to do with himself.

Nnoitra looked over Ichigo's shoulder at what he was cooking and his uncovered eye widened.

"That looks good." He muttered, his mouth salivating from the scent.

"Quit hovering." Ichigo bit out. Nnoitra had been back for an hour and he was ready to hit him with the frying pan he had just put oil in.

"Then Gimmie somethin' ta munch. I'm fuckin' starvin'."

"You'll just have to wait till it's finished. Back the fuck up." Ichigo turned, and picked up the sponge from the sink, shoving it in Nnoitra's face. "Or you can do the dishes."

"Tch, fuck that." Nnoitra said, retreating from the kitchen. He could wait for the food.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Grimmjow asked startling both of them as they had not heard him come home.

"Yer bitch is tryin' ta burn the house down." Nnoitra grinned, his own small bit of retaliation for not getting a nibble.

"I am not asshole. Shut up or you don't get any."

Grimmjow came up behind Ichigo and looked over his shoulder sniffing lightly. Ichigo shivered at his proximity but hid it well by shifting his weight to his other foot.

"Pot stickers?" Grimmjow asked, his voice low and his breath tickling the side of Ichigo's neck.

"Yeah."

"You made these yerself?"

"Yeah. Yuzu insisted I learn how to cook some simple things before I moved out so I wouldn't starve to death."

"Yer cookin' me dinner?" Grimmjow teased.

"N-no. I was hungry and I figured you'd be home soon so I just happened to make enough for everyone."

"Mhmm, sure." Grimmjow would have tackled him injuries or no if he had been wearing an apron and he made a mental note to acquire one in the future.

Ichigo reached for the pot of noodles he was cooking and quickly snatched back his arm with a hiss.

"Fuck." He mumbled and squeezed his eyes shut as the slice of pain lanced through his shoulder.

"Idiot. Scoot over."

"But…." The look Grimmjow gave him silenced him; he wouldn't get anywhere arguing that one.

Nnoitra peeked into the kitchen to see how close things were to being done and almost laughed out loud at what he saw. Ichigo and Grimmjow were standing almost hip to hip in front of the stove but he could tell from his friends stance that he wanted badly to reach out to the young man. Fuck, Grimmjow can be such a fuckin' sap sometimes. He thought to himself.

After they ate Nnoitra took off, claiming he had a few things he had to do. Grimmjow put away the dishes and ordered Ichigo to sit down.

"You look exhausted. Yer pushing yerself too hard."

"I'm not fucking broken. It's just a few cuts and bruises, I'm fine." He said but sat on the couch nonetheless. He was rather tired.

When Grimmjow returned to the room he handed Ichigo a glass of water and a pain pill. He shot Grimmjow a sullen look before taking the proffered pill and glass, handing the glass back when he was finished. Grimmjow set it on the table and plopped on the couch close, but not too close, to Ichigo. He flipped through channels, trying to find something the both of them wanted to watch before settling on an action movie that had just started. Ichigo wasn't one to watch a whole lot of TV but it felt nice to relax after all that activity in the kitchen. Grimmjow draped an arm over the back of the couch and shifted to get comfortable.

A few minutes later he felt a tickling sensation at the back of his head. He twitched slightly but decided to ignore it. When the tickling sensation turned into fingers toying with the hair on the back of his neck he turned a frown to Grimmjow.

"What are you doing?"

Grimmjow grinned but didn't look away from the TV. "Petting you."

"You have three cats. Pet them." Ichigo grumbled.

The fingers moved up to thread through the hair on the back of his head and he barely held back the groan that tried to escape. A secret pleasure not even Shinji knew about was having his hair played with and Ichigo's brain was slowly turning to mush as the strong yet thin fingers weaved their way up his scalp. He couldn't hold back however when those same fingers brushed over the sensitive spot behind his ear and the small groan slipped out as his head hung forward. Grimmjow grinned and scooted closer to Ichigo, pulling him so that his head leaned on his shoulder. Ichigo was in no state of mind to protest as the sudden closer contact made it easier for those glorious fingers to work their magic over more of his head than before.

"Good?" Grimmjow questioned quietly, his grin still firmly in place.

"Mmm." Without thinking Ichigo's head tipped up and his lips brushed Grimmjow's neck before pressing in a light kiss.

Grimmjow's eyes slid closed, the movie forgotten, and he continued to run his fingers through Ichigo's hair. His grin turned to a contented smile when one of Ichigo's arms slipped around his waist and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. He kissed the top of the orange head and returned his attention to the movie, content as he hadn't been in a long, long time.

Over the next few days Grimmjow and Ichigo, and even Nnoitra to a lesser extent, settled into a comfortable routine. Since Ichigo had nothing better to do until school started he studied his books during the day and made dinner at night so that it was just about ready when Grimmjow got home for work. He pushed back the thoughts that tried to force themselves forward about him being a bit too domestic but figured once school started up again this really wouldn't be happening anymore. He'd be too busy studying to cook like this. And besides, it was the least he could do for being allowed to stay there until he found a new place to live.

After dinner Grimmjow and Ichigo would watch a movie on TV, except for Saturday night when wrestling was on. Ichigo shook his head as he watched Grimmjow get just as into the event as his father and sister usually did. Their nights ended with a cuddle, though neither one of them would have admitted out loud that that was exactly what was going on when Grimmjow "pet" Ichigo and Ichigo curled into him, before they made their way to the bedroom for sleep; resulting in more cuddling.

When Sunday night came Ichigo was packing the books he would need in his bag and trying not to find a reason why he shouldn't go. Though his bruises were now a pale yellow and his sore muscles were more a result of lack of activity than from the fight, he had gotten too used to lounging around all day. Getting up early to go to school and spending the day outside was going to be nice but he was going to miss doing nothing. He knew this feeling would pass once things got going again but it still didn't stop them from happening. Grimmjow came into the bedroom and shut the door, something that Ichigo had demanded since they had come home from Osaka and messed around with it open about a week prior. Since they both had long days ahead of them they had decided to forego TV/couch cuddle time, again a term neither one of them would have used even under torture, and headed straight to bed. Ichigo watched as Grimmjow's pants slid to the floor and he stepped out of them, walking to the adjourning bathroom to brush his teeth. He bit his lip and looked at his blushing face in the mirror over the dresser. Everything had been going so well lately between them it was almost too good to be true. Ichigo shook his head. It was too good to be true and he was beginning to wonder when it was all going to slip away like a long and vivid dream.

"You comin' to bed?" Grimmjow asked as he pulled back the covers.

Ichigo nodded and finished what he had been doing, crawling into bed beside Grimmjow and moving close to him. He wrapped one arm around Grimmjow's waist and nuzzled his shoulder.

"Aren't we affectionate tonight." Grimmjow teased, his fingers automatically going to Ichigo's hair.

"Blame the pain meds." Ichigo mumbled. He hadn't actually taken any pills since the last time Grimmjow had forced them on him but he had used them as an excuse for "odd" behavior anyway.

Something felt weird about him that night and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was curled up against Grimmjow's side but he still wasn't close enough. His leg twitched and he frowned in the darkness. He needed… something. Seemingly of it's own accord the arm he had around Grimmjow's waist rose, his fingers brushing lightly against Grimmjow's chin as his own head tilted up. He could barely see Grimmjow's face but it was enough to help guide him, his lips nudging against the others in a slow kiss. The burn of the wound in his shoulder was nothing compared to the fire of his skin that the kiss ignited and he shifted his weight for closer contact. Grimmjow moaned quietly and let his tongue graze Ichigo's bottom lip before sucking it gently between his teeth and tugging. Ichigo shivered at the feel of those teeth and his knee bent and began to slowly travel up and down Grimmjow's thigh. With a soft growl Grimmjow let his hands wander over Ichigo's torso, careful of the bandages that were still there, and plucked the small nipples. Ichigo arched his back and ground his half hard cock into Grimmjow's thigh causing Grimmjow to shift his weight and grab Ichigo, pulling his closer. It would have been a smooth move had he not grabbed Ichigo's upper arm to do so. Ichigo pulled away from the kiss with a loud hiss, his face screwed up as a white hot sliver of pain lanced through his arm.

"Fuck. Sorry."

"It's okay." Ichigo said through gritted teeth and tried to kiss Grimmjow again.

Against his better judgment Grimmjow pushed back and settled with one last soul eating kiss before returning Ichigo to where he had been before, curled up beside him with his arm around his waist.

"We both gotta get up early. Maybe tomorrow." He said with a thick voice.

He wanted to kick himself for saying it but he didn't want what could have been a great sexual experience ruined by pain and blood of reopened wounds. Ichigo sighed and tried to recapture the breath that had been pulled out of him with that last kiss. Now he was dizzy and slightly confused on top of everything else. Why had Grimmjow pushed him away? He frowned into Grimmjow's chest and closed his eyes. As soon as Ichigo's breath evened out Grimmjow slipped away to the window and pulled a cigarette from the pack he kept in the sill.

Nnoitra had gotten close to a few men that knew the man they were looking for, if not where he was it was still a start. If things kept up like this they would find the guy and have everything worked out, by that he meant the guy would be dead, by Friday. He smiled at the window before looking back over his shoulder. These last few days with Ichigo had been like a dream and he had realized something he hadn't been expecting from the start. He wanted Ichigo around for a good long time and he would do what it took to make that happen, regardless of how the young man felt. Ichigo mumbled something in his sleep and rubbed his face on the pillow. No matter what, Grimmjow thought to himself as he flicked the half smoked cigarette out the window, the Strawberry belonged to him.

A/N Ah, the fluffy goodness. Sorry about the first part, it was kinda lame, ne? I decided to move things ahead instead of dwelling on filling time with silly chapters that mean nothing. This chapter was short, yes, but the next one will be back on track with the others, offering drama, some action, and maybe, if yer lucky, some smexy time with our Grimmkitty and Berry-tan. So yes, thoughts? :D

~Penny

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