Chapter 10:

The smell of cooking meat and the sounds of laugher did nothing to calm Grimmjow nerves, nothing at all. Whoever said it would be a good idea to do this now was obviously insane. Said person suddenly gave him a small push in the back, making him move towards the voices and Grimmjow dug his heels into the carpet to stop himself falling outside onto the patio.

Ichigo gave an impatient huff, appearing in front of him with a raised eyebrow. "Problem?"

"No." Grimmjow said, clearing his throat because his voice had come out too small to be normal. "No." He replied more firmly, looking at him.

"Good, come on then." Ichigo smiled and with a swift look around to see they were alone, leaned forward for a chaste kiss before disappearing outside.

Taking a deep breath Grimmjow tried to calm himself. He was not afraid damn it he was Grimmjow goddam Jaeggerjaques and he wasn't afraid of anything, well except maybe the dark but still, he was dealing with that. After what had happened in the mines and everything that had followed, he couldn't stand darkness anymore. The only way he'd tolerate it is if Ichigo was there which most of the time he was now.

Ichigo had for the most part moved in with him after Grimmjow was finally discharged from the hospital. Not that he was complaining since he was still having a hard time letting the orange head out of his sight and it had been almost a year now. Even so, it made him anxious to leave Ichigo's side and he doubted that feeling would ever entirely disappear, even if there wasn't anything to worry about anymore.

After Ulquiorra had revealed himself to be Mr Heart the department found more than enough evidence in the man's house to condemn him. His accomplices like Ichigo had said when Grimmjow woke up were all dead by the man's own hands no less, no loose ends was what they finally agreed on. No-one could pretend to understand Ulquiorra's motives or reasonings and Grimmjow had found himself pondering the man's last words more than once.

He had gone to Ulquiorra's funeral, Ichigo only agreeing to come because he didn't want to leave Grimmjow. They had stood at the service alone, no-one else had bothered to turn up and it was only Nnoitra who joined them briefly to break the silence. He couldn't remember how long he'd stood by the grave after that. Ichigo left at some point, returning later with coffee and it was only then Grimmjow agreed they should leave. He had hoped seeing the man being buried would give him some peace of mind but all it did was leave more unanswered questions.

Was it all just an experiment in the end, to see if anyone could pass the tests he had set up? What reasoning was behind them? How could he have gone on for so many years without any of them noticing? Ulquiorra had always been a closed book. Grimmjow knew nothing of the man's childhood or even where he attended school or grew up. But after some digging he found out that when the man was a kid his mother had died in a fire, their house collapsing and only Ulquiorra and his father made it out.

Maybe he blamed his father for not saving his mother, that would explain the man's obsession with sacrificial love. At least, that was Grimmjow's conclusion. He didn't like to dwell on the past too much these days, instead he was looking to the future which at this current time wasn't looking to bright.

Taking another deep breath he followed Ichigo outside. "Grimmjow there you are!" He flinched in the sudden brightness and lifted a hand to shield his face, almost groaning when he saw who had called his name. His mother was currently making her way towards him and in a fit of panic Grimmjow darted towards the table to grab a drink. She soon caught up with him however. "Darling what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, his eyes landing on Ichigo to see he was pressing his lips together in an effort not to laugh. Looking back to his mother he smiled. "I'm fine."

She frowned, her lips pursing as she looked him over. With a small sigh she smoothed his collar. "You're acting very odd, where have you been? Ichigo said you were on the phone inside. I hope that Nnoitra isn't working you too hard."

After everything had been sorted out when Ichigo had been found safe and alive the department needed a new head. Nnoitra got the position which was only due to the fact Grimmjow had gone AWOL he firmly believed. His new partner, Tesra drove him up the wall much to his former partner's amusement.

"No he's not, he was just calling to say he couldn't make it." Grimmjow lied smoothly, he was getting better at it now. After all he and Ichigo had been lying for a long time now about their current relationship. Thinking about that brought on a nervous sweat again and Grimmjow jumped when the glass shattered in his hand suddenly. His mother jumped back, letting out a shocked noise and he hastily bent down to pick up the broken shards. "Sorry." He told her when he stood again. "My hand hasn't been the same since… what happened." It was true, his hand had given one of it's sharp spasms where he gripped whatever he was holding in a tight hold.

He dropped the remains of the glass in a nearby bin, picking up a new glass and was careful to keep it in his other hand. He and Ichigo had learned the hard way after several episodes that he shouldn't handle breakables in that hand anymore.

"My poor baby." She murmured, taking his hand delicately. "What did that man do to you?"

Grimmjow sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not a child don't call me that." He whispered, painfully aware of how close Ichigo was now. The man had moved closer after he'd smashed the glass. He almost groaned when he saw the look on Ichigo's face, he had heard. "And don't worry about it, I've got it under control. Sometimes I just grip things to hard it's nothing to worry yourself over."

She pursed her lips again and Grimmjow was just preparing himself for another tirade of worried remarks when Ichigo thankfully stepped in. He smiled at his mother and kissed her cheek. "Mrs Jaeggerjaques I hope you're enjoying yourself so far, hopefully dad will be finishing the barbecue soon and then we can finally eat!" He laughed, elbowing Grimmjow in the ribs and the man managed a weak laugh, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit.

"Ichigo!" She said in delight, pulling him into a hug. "I'm so glad you invited both me and Grimmshaw over, it's been such a long time since we've seen you. You've grown so much since last time."

"Well it has been five years." He joked.

"Time flies doesn't it?" She suddenly looked at him sternly. "And don't call me Mrs Jaeggerjaques anymore, it makes me feel so old. Call me Pantera."

"Of course, Pantera." Ichigo caught Grimmjow's eye and smiled as he rolled his eyes behind his mother's back. "How is everything with… Grimmshaw?" He hesitated slightly before using his first name, apparently unsure but Pantera continued as if the pause never happened.

"Wonderful dear, except for well…" She sighed, looking at Grimmjow with dubious eyes. "I was hoping by now Grimmjow would have settled down. He's gone thirty now you know and still no-one. What about you Ichigo are you dating at the moment?"

"Yes actually I am." His eyes flickered to Grimmjow momentarily but not long enough for her to notice anything unusual.

"See Grimmjow, Ichigo is ten years younger than you and he's dating."

Grimmjow choked on his drink, opening his mouth in outrage. "Mother! My love life is none of your concern! And actually I have found someone thank you, I just haven't told you about him yet." Her eyes lit up at the prospect of him dating someone but fortunately they were interrupted as Grimmjow's father joined them.

"Food's nearly ready, Isshin said it would take a couple more minutes." He clapped his hands together and beamed at them all. "So what's going on over here."

"Grimmjow was just telling me he's dating someone." Pantera said and Grimmjow felt the nerves return. Maybe it wasn't so fortunate his father had joined them after all. "What's their name dear?"

"Um, well…" Grimmjow trailed off, his stomach turning unpleasantly.

This was exactly what he was dreading, confessing to his parents. It wasn't that he was ashamed to be dating Ichigo, quite the opposite actually he couldn't feel prouder of having someone like the orange head to call his own. No it was the thought that his parents wouldn't like Ichigo as his partner, especially due to the age gap.

It had taken Isshin a few months to get used to the idea. Ichigo and Grimmjow had both agreed they wouldn't flaunt the relationship in front of him, but they wouldn't hide it either. As far as Isshin was concerned the two did no more than hold hands and occasionally kiss which they were both perfectly happy with him thinking.

Grimmjow's parents however still didn't know. And this was where Ichigo's brilliant idea came from. Have a family barbecue at his father's house and invite the Jaeggerjaques to join them since it had been so long since they'd all been together. The perfect time to confess and come clean. Unfortunately Grimmjow's nerves didn't seem to agree with this plan.

As his parents stood watching him expectantly Grimmjow looked to Ichigo for help and as if it was the most natural thing in the world the orange head stepped beside him and slipped his hand into his own. He smiled, albeit slightly nervously, at Grimmjow's parents. The two didn't seem to understand at first, then comprehension dawned on their faces and Grimmjow's hand tightened around Ichigo's, waiting for the fallout that was sure to ensue.

"Oh Ichigo!" Pantera sobbed suddenly, dragging the orange head into a tight hug and taking the rest of them by surprise. "I've always known you were something special, that is was such a shame there was such a large age gap between you two because you were so perfect for each other. But it doesn't matter does it? I'm glad you two found each other this way!"

Ichigo looked bewilderedly over his mother's shoulders at him and Grimmjow couldn't help but snort. Maybe his mother was more perceptive than he gave her credit for. He couldn't help but wonder how long she'd held onto that secret hope for the two of them.

"Ichigo's a bit young, isn't he?" Grimmshaw finally asked in a low voice so only his son heard as Pantera gushed over a slowly reddening Ichigo. "I mean, he isn't too much trouble to keep around is he?"

"You don't know the half of it dad." Grimmjow replied, a small smile pulling on his lips. "Didn't you hear what happened with Mr Heart?"

His father frowned in thought, recalling the vents that transpired a year ago. "Yes, he kidnapped Ichigo and you saved him?"

Grimmjow nodded. "He took Ichigo because we were in a relationship, it was to hurt me not him. I got him back though as you can see." They both watched as Ichigo attempted to and failed miserably to fend off the kisses Pantera was now bestowing across his face. "I love him, I don't care how old he is."

After a slight pause Grimmshaw nodded. "I can see." Grimmjow frowned, how could his father see? He had only just told him. But the man offered no explanation other than a small sigh. "Just don't break your mother's heart, she loves that boy to pieces and if you break up, it will devastate her."

"Nice dad, guilt trip me into staying with Ichigo, real smooth." Grimmjow replied sarcastically but his father just chuckled and went to help Ichigo remove himself from Pantera's affection. When Grimmjow finally got the orange head back he was bright red in the face and very flustered. "Well, at least she took it well."

Ichigo spluttered, unable to say anything for a good minute whilst he calmed down. "Pantera's very… affectionate."

"You can say it you know." He leaned close to Ichigo and whispered quietly so no-one else heard. "She's bat-shit crazy."

Ichigo looked affronted at this. "No she's not! And don't talk about your mother that way!" Grimmjow just laughed, leaning down to place a kiss on his lips to pacify him. It worked and Ichigo made a small grumbling noise before grabbing a new drink.

Catching his mother's eye Grimmjow grinned and winked at her as she eagerly gave him the thumbs up. It was actually quite freeing to be able to kiss Ichigo in front of them. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he wasn't nervous anymore know that they knew. Isshin suddenly called that the food was done and as they sat down to eat Grimmjow kept close to Ichigo's side and they both knew the other enjoyed it.

"So when's the wedding?" Pantera asked and both of them choked on their food.

Really, what did an age gap matter anyway?