I am so happy people are enjoying this story. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, faved and alerted this fic. I hope you guys are ready for chapter five. There is another piano selection in this chapter, so be sure to check it out. It's an amazing song and it was actually the whole inspiration for the story. Thank you again, Racey.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Chapter: 05
Dinner was a little more awkward than Ichigo wanted it to be. Everyone was silent and not a single word had been said since everyone sat down. The soft sound of chopsticks clinking against the plates and chewing was the only thing to be heard. Ichigo could even hear the purring of Pantera as he chewed his food in silence. He could feel the murderous aura coming off of Renji, but wasn't sure what had made it come about. The silence was driving him crazy, so he decided to strike up some kind of conversation.
"So, Yuzu, how was school today?" The brown haired girl looked up from her plate and cleared her throat.
"It was good. We got our tests back today and I got a 98." Ichigo smiled at how happy Yuzu sounded. She always did so well in school and he was very proud of her.
"Congratulations and what about you, Karin?"
"…" Ichigo frowned when she didn't respond to him. He heard Yuzu whispering to his dark haired sister, but she refused to say anything.
"Karin, what's wrong?" He heard a set of chopsticks being thrown to the plate and the chair being pushed out. Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down. Karin had been a little unresponsive since Ichigo had become blind and she refused to hold any type of conversation with her older brother. The day he stepped out of the hospital and came home, the first words from her mouth were, "You aren't even the same Ichigo anymore." He couldn't deny that. He wasn't his old self, but they were all going to have to get used to it. Karin had still refused to acknowledge Ichigo as her big brother. Her snarky remarks and down turning sarcasm was the only thing that Ichigo received from her, other than the complete silence.
He tried to ignore it, but it hurt him to know that Karin didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. It wasn't like it was his fault he was the way he was. It was as if she was blaming him for being blind.
"She's just not feeling good, Ichigo. I'll go make sure she's okay." The orange haired man listened as Yuzu's tiny feet padded across the floor and disappeared.
"I apologize for that, Grimmjow." He thought that this would be a nice end to an exciting day, but everything was going down hill fast. "She gets a little anti-social every now and then."
"It's okay. On the other hand, this is some damn good beef." Ichigo chuckled as he moved his chopsticks around his plate and felt for a bit of food. "Does Yuzu always cook for you?" Ichigo nodded, chewing on a piece of broccoli.
"Yeah, I'm not used to my surroundings yet, so I can't cook like I used to and Renji is kitchen illiterate. He burns anything that has to do with heat."
"I do not!"
"Renji, you burned a plate of food when you wanted to heat it up in the microwave. We almost had to get a new microwave because of you."
"That wasn't my fault. It said 3 minutes, so that's what I put it on."
"You put it on 30 minutes than went off to play some stupid video game. Regardless, he's not allowed to go near anything that has to do with cooking. I'm surprised he hasn't broken the refrigerator yet."
"Whatever…," Renji mumbled. Grimmjow chuckled over the two. He could see Ichigo loved to rattle the red head up. It seemed both of them had flaming tempers and would go back and forth at each other. "Don't laugh asshole. That shit ain't funny."
"You're right, it isn't. It's funny as hell."
"How about I stuff my fist down your throat? Then we'll see who's laughing."
"Tch, anytime, anyplace, I'll kick your ass." Grimmjow sneered over Ichigo's head at the red haired man. He was about sick and tired of hearing that fool talk shit to him.
"What is wrong with you two? Too much testosterone build up?"
"No, it's just that blue haired assholes make me sick," Renji said, still glaring daggers at Grimmjow.
"Well, get over it, because you will be seeing a lot of that asshole." Ichigo rose from the table and reached his hand out to the table, feeling for his plate. He picked it up and cautiously made his way over to the sink. "Now, if you two would be so kindly as to bring your dishes over here, that would help me a little."
Grimmjow ignored the fact that Ichigo called him an asshole to help bring the rest of the plates over. He knew he could be an asshole sometimes, so it didn't really bother him. "Ichigo, are you sure you should be washing dishes?" Grimmjow sighed when Renji's voice spoke out into the dining area. Was that guy seriously asking that? Great way to bring down Ichigo's self-esteem, dick wad.
"I'll be fine, Renji. Quit worrying so damn much." Ichigo's voice sounded annoyed as he started to fill the sink with hot water.
"But-"
"Why don't you go into the living room and do some squat thrusts or something," Grimmjow said. He smirked over his shoulder before turning his attention towards Ichigo at the sink. He could hear Renji cursing under his breath and scooting his chair across the floor.
Ichigo shook his head at the red head's action and slipped his hands into the steaming hot water, loving the feel. "He is such an idiot sometimes."
"I can imagine. So, want me to help?" Grimmjow stood next to Ichigo with his hands on the edge of the counter. He watched as Ichigo pulled a plate from the water and started to scrub at it with a yellow sponge. He ran his hand over the plate to make sure no particles were left before slipping it back into the water. He used his other hand to turn on the faucet and change the setting of the water to a much cooler temperature. Ichigo pulled the plate back out and started to rinse the plate under the water before handing it off to Grimmjow.
"You can dry." They worked in a comfortable silence, neither one of them really wanting to talk about what happened in the bedroom. It didn't make them feel awkward, but they knew if they started to speak of it, that that feeling would change.
Ichigo really didn't understand why he kissed Grimmjow. He had never taken that kind of step with anyone. It may not have been a big thing to someone else, but to him it was a serious matter. First off, he still didn't even know if he was into men. He guessed it was kind of late to even think about that considering he pecked the blunet on the lips. Those soft, moist lips. He still couldn't get rid of the tingling feeling kissing Grimmjow had given him. He couldn't deny that he wanted to do it again.
He sighed at the thought of feeling those lips against his again. He handed off another plate to Grimmjow and his body jolted when his fingers touched Grimmjow's calloused ones. The plate dropped to the floor and shattered, scaring Pantera who scattered away.
"Shit." Ichigo dropped down to pick it up.
"Ichigo, don't! You're going to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ichigo cut his hand on the side of the broken plate. He pulled his hand back, hissing as the air hit the long cut on his palm. "Shit, come here." Grimmjow pulled Ichigo up by his wrist and slipped his hand under the cold water to rinse the blood off. The blunet inspected the wound, but was relived when it wasn't too deep. "You're lucky it didn't cut deeper. Where is your first aid kit?"
"I don't know," Ichigo whispered. "Yuzu usually takes care of that. I don't know where she put it." The orange haired man frowned when he heard Grimmjow sigh and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." Grimmjow shut off the faucet and led Ichigo over to the table. "Sit here. I'll ask the meat head if he knows where one is." After cleaning up the plate, he went on a search for the red pineapple. "Hey, Pineapple!"
"What!" A door flung open and long, red hair and tattooed eyebrows popped up. Grimmjow was surprised the man was that attractive with his hair down. Too bad he was a douche bag.
"Where's the first aid kit?" Renji frowned and pulled the door open the rest of the way. He stepped out, shirtless, showing off his intricate tribal tattoos. They ran down his body and disappeared behind low hanging pants.
"There's one in the guest bathroom. In the medicine cabinet." Renji watched as the blunet made his way towards the bathroom. "Why?" he asked, following behind him.
"Don't worry about it," Grimmjow growled without turning to look at Renji. The red head sneered up at the blunet, watching him remove the kit from the cabinet and make his way back towards the kitchen. He walked to the corner and looked around it to see Grimmjow walking over to the table and sitting down across from Ichigo.
His brows creased and he made his way over towards them. He saw the cut on Ichigo's hand and his blood rose. "I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to wash the dishes." Ichigo tried to ignore Renji's rage induced speech about how it was dangerous to do such a thing and blah, blah, blah.
"Dude, shut the fuck up. He doesn't need you pestering him about ridiculous things." The orange head was happy that Grimmjow was getting the red head to leave him alone. He had long given up on trying to tell Renji otherwise. The man was just as stubborn as he was and no amount of talking was going to change that. He really hoped Grimmjow could get some sense into him.
"Don't interfere, stranger. This is your fuckin' fault. He knows he can't do these things." Grimmjow was about ready to burst, but tried to stay focused on treating Ichigo's wound. For someone who claimed to be Ichigo's best friend, he sure was doing a lousy job.
Without looking up from Ichigo's wound, Grimmjow responded. "You are such an asshole. Do you really think Ichigo is that handicapped? Anyone can cut their hand on a fuckin' broken dish. Shit, they can slice their finger open with perfect vision." He began to wrap the disinfected cut with a piece of gauze. "Don't act as if he can't do normal things just because he's blind. What is wrong with you? Seriously? Ichigo is Ichigo regardless if he's blind or not. Stop being so over protective and offensive about everything. How is that going to help the situation or even Ichigo's pride?"
Ichigo was shocked at what had come out of Grimmjow's mouth. It was true that what Renji said usually bothered him, but he didn't think anyone else would think the same thing. Most people he came into contact with always treated him like someone who couldn't do things by himself. He knew he couldn't do everything, but he was glad someone else was at least giving him the benefit of the doubt. Renji just stared down at Grimmjow with a speechless expression. He didn't know what to comeback with and it pissed him off.
He hated when someone made him feel stupid, especially in front of other people. Before he even thought, his arm shot out and his fist connected to the side of Grimmjow's cheek. Everything seemed to freeze and Ichigo's eyes were wide. He didn't see, but he heard the wind flowing and the crunching sound. Renji wanted to hiss at the pain in his knuckles, but didn't.
Grimmjow could feel the blood in his mouth and the throbbing pain in his cheek. He saw red and rose from his seat, launching himself onto the red head and tackling him to the ground. His fist connected to Renji's face, once, twice, thrice before Yuzu and Karin came running down the hall. He couldn't hear anything around him and enjoyed the feeling of his fist connecting to flesh.
Yuzu was screaming for him to stop, but he made no move to. Ichigo finally yelled for him to stop and his body froze. He looked down and noticed how bloody Renji's face was. The man's eyes were swollen and his lip and nose was busted. Blood was everywhere. He quickly retreated from the broken form, watching as Karin and Yuzu ran to the red head's side. He shakily brought his hand to his mouth before pulling it away, looking down at how bloody it was. He glanced over at Ichigo to see the boy staring in the direction of where the fight had been.
He backed away and made his way over to the door and quickly slipped into his shoes. "Grimmjow?" The man couldn't answer Ichigo. He felt ashamed for being able to be baited by the red head. "…Grimmjow?" He let the boy continue to call him, refusing to answer.
He opened the door, gripping the side of it tightly. His hand leaving the light wood stained with blood. He cursed under his breath and started to make his way out. "Sorry, Ichigo," was the last thing he said before leaving, closing the door behind him.
Grimmjow's eyes were unseeing as he drove the empty streets. He was going on instinct and routine. His hand clutched the steering wheel in a death grip, trying hard to figure out what had gone wrong. He wanted to know how his rage had the best of him. It had been a long time since he went into a fit of blind rage and he was worried that he actually did something that wouldn't be forgiven. He knew Renji was just being an asshole, but he was trying his damnedest to keep his cool.
Time and time again, he would try to control his temper, but it seemed that it would control him. It had always gotten him into bad situations. He pulled over and stopped his car before leaning his head back against the headrest.
What did this mean for his chances with Ichigo? He practically beat the man's friend to a bloody pulp. Was this the end of them trying to make something between them? And even after that amazing kiss. He sighed and looked out the passenger window. He couldn't believe he had went there of all places. He turned his car off and stepped out into the biting cold air. He walked around the front of it and headed towards the one place he knew he could get his mind off of things.
He pulled the dark wood door open and stepped into the lounge club that he was so familiar with. He headed towards the bathroom, knowing he could never stain the one thing he loved with someone else's blood. It wouldn't be right and he practically forbade it of himself. His mind was running like clockwork now, trying to think of ways to salvage what he had done earlier. He knew that he would never apologize to the red head because, well, he did nothing wrong. It wasn't the problem of kicking Renji's ass. It was the problem of how it was going to affect his relationship with Ichigo.
He stepped out of the bathroom and made a beeline straight for the grand piano situated in its normal home. The gleaming black spoke to him, shining and sparkling with the want of being played. He didn't notice the weird looks coming from Shunsui as the man filled a few glasses with alcohol. He slowly made his way up the dark wood stairs of the platform and sat upon the black bench. He ran his fingers over the obsidian lid that was keeping him separated from the long ebony and ivory keys. Flipping it, he sighed and ran his fingers over the cold origins of melody. His body relaxed and he would let the anger and confusion he felt flow into the beautiful instrument before him.
Ichigo sat in the waiting room of a sterile hospital as Renji was getting fixed up. A broken nose, fractured jaw and two black eyes, not to mention how hard Grimmjow had tackled the red haired man to the ground and sat on him, breaking a few ribs. In laymen terms, Grimmjow had fucked Renji up. The man would probably think twice about attacking an opponent he knew nothing about. Ichigo didn't even want to be there, but he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it. He wasn't even mad at Grimmjow. He had known it wasn't the blunet's fault and if Renji hadn't swung the first punch, he might not have had his face looking like a smashed tomato.
He sighed and felt for his watch, pressing the side of it so he could hear what time it was. 6:24pm. He wondered if Grimmjow was home and if he was, should he call him? He didn't want to leave things how they were and have the blunet thinking he hated him. He scowled, trying to think of a solution.
"Hurry up and go to him." Ichigo was shocked to hear Karin's voice flooding through his ears. He turned in the direction the voice came from. It felt like he hadn't heard her neutral voice in so very long. It was always laced with anger and disappointment. He was confused about what she was saying and stared in her direction with confusion. "You like him, right? Go tell him it wasn't his fault."
"But-"
"We all know how stubborn Renji's temper can be. I don't think for one second that other guy started it, though his eyes did look a little angry." Ichigo's mind really wasn't on Grimmjow anymore. He still couldn't believe Karin was speaking to him.
"You're…talking to me." He heard her sigh and tap her foot against the tiled floor. "You haven't said anything…normal to me for months."
"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I was just…mad, okay? It's just hard seeing you like this." She walked over and sat next to Ichigo and interlocked her fingers together. "I hate seeing that vulnerable look on your face. I remember seeing it after our parents died. I was little back then, so of course I didn't understand it, but now I'm a little older."
"Karin, I-"
"No, Ichigo. I'm sorry for blaming you for something that wasn't your fault. Ugh, I sound so mushy. Look, whatever, I'm not mad anymore, okay? So, just go back to being my big brother."
"…I never stopped." Karin frowned, but stood up from the chair.
"Whatever, just go see that blue haired guy…before you lose someone else that means a little something to you." Ichigo sat there and listened as Karin's footsteps disappeared. He couldn't believe his sister had actually said something decent to him. He smiled, glad that there wasn't any permanent damage keeping them from having a normal sibling relationship. He needed his sisters more than he needed anything else in his life. He rose from the plastic chair and looked around. He had been to that hospital before, but he didn't remember the layout. He knew if he moved one-step he would confuse himself and get lost.
"Can I help you, sir?" Ichigo frowned when he heard a feminine voice coming from in front of him. He guessed he would have to ignore his pride for the moment.
"Uh…yeah. I need help calling for a cab."
Ichigo sat in the back of the cab, riding to his destination. Before he left, he had called Grimmjow on his cell phone numerous times, but the man wouldn't pick up. He figured it was either not around him or he was just completely ignoring it. He hoped that when he made it to the lounge club that the man would be there. It was the most logical place other than the blunet's apartment, which he didn't know the location of.
He felt the cab slow to a stop and he pulled out some money. He slipped out of the car, unfolding his walking stick. He handed the man a ten-dollar bill, hoping it was enough. He didn't get any lip from the driver and quickly but cautiously made his way into the lounge club. As soon as he stepped through the door, his ears were assaulted by the most heart throbbing music he had ever heard. He instantly knew it was Grimmjow. Though the music sounded angry and sorrowful, he could tell who was creating that music.
[Requiem for a Dream (Lux Aeterna) - Clint Mansell]
He reached his hand out to feel for a booth and slowly made his way down and through the sets of booths. He finally came to one where the music was a little more distinct and he sat down, folding his walking stick and placing it on the booth next to him. Ichigo looked into the direction of the piano and let the music flow around him. He knew Grimmjow was angry from the way the man was a playing the piano, but he didn't realize what was tearing him up so badly. The slamming of the keys was almost threatening in a way. It felt like he was completely taking his frustration out on the instrument before him. What a way to take all of your anger out.
He had heard the song being played before, but never in a way that made his heart thunder, his skin form goose bumps and his body shiver. So much fire, pain and so much beauty. He could feel it penetrating and spreading throughout his whole body, like a poisonous arrow. Was what had happened earlier really bothering the blunet that much that he had to come here and play? Was this song an affirmation of what the man was feeling? He could perceive it as so many things, but he didn't like the fact that Grimmjow was angry. Though the harmony was astonishing, it was bone chilling and quite frankly, it frightened him.
Grimmjow's face was glistening with sweat. His fingers throbbed with pain and his heart was thundering in his body. He could feel his hair sticking to his forehead and his white cotton t-shirt was clinging to his body. He was angry with himself. He was angry about how he always dealt with things. He was angry with how his life was. Angry with Luppi. Angry about his money problems. Angry that his mother left him. He was angry about how he was too afraid to even achieve his goals. What kind of man was he? How could he let life push him around? Twenty-four and nothing to show for it other than playing the piano. Was that how he really wanted to live the rest of his life? Working as a lowly pianist in a lounge club in the middle of a small town like Karakura?
What happened to his dream of becoming a composer? What happened to his pursuit to find someone for himself? Was love even an option in his lifetime? He really didn't care much for the thing called love, but being alone sounded so pathetic. He couldn't say he enjoyed being with Luppi, but being with Ichigo? That was something he could do on a daily basis. Something that made his heart drum in his chest and his lips tingle. The feelings he had for the man were an enigma. He didn't know if he enjoyed the fact that Ichigo saw things in a totally different light or the fact that the man was practically innocence in human form. He sighed as his thoughts and the music were starting to drain the energy from his body. He was glad that he was finally ending because he refused to stop in the middle of the song. He continued to play, creating the thunderous melody coming from the piano. He was glad that he had pushed most of his anger out and now that the song was over, he could go home and pass out.
His hands slipped off of the keyboard and he opened his eyes, tears rolling down from them. What a pussy! Was he really feeling that bad? He wanted to chuckle, but forgave himself for brushing off that want. The people that had been occupying the booths at the club clapped and whistled, but he ignored them all when he saw fiery orange hair and clouded white eyes looking in his direction. Was he dreaming? Was this even real? He would pinch himself if it wouldn't make him feel like a complete idiot. He rose from the bench and descended the stairs. He didn't even care that he was perspiring from his forehead or that his t-shirt was drenched in sweat or even that his face had tearstains. He was a real piece of work at the moment.
He sat at the table across from Ichigo and gazed at him for a while. He just wanted to look at the man who couldn't even see him. The man that changed his perspective on things with one, simple kiss. His lips trembled with want and he finally pulled his cerulean eyes away from the clouded ones.
"What are you doing here, Ichigo?" He watched as the smaller male's brows furrowed in concentration. The boy lowered his eyes to his hands that were gripping each other tight on the dark wood table.
"I-I wanted to come see if you were…okay," Ichigo whispered.
"I left for a reason. You really shouldn't have come here. I'm not the kind of man you should be around." He could see the orange haired man's lips trembling and the long smooth fingers shaking.
"I-I'm sorry for what Renji did and I-"
"Don't apologize for that asshole. I didn't leave because of him."
"Then why did you leave?" Grimmjow pressed his lips together. He didn't want to tell Ichigo that he felt like a coward, afraid of how Ichigo would react. He fled like the pussy he was. He had wanted to stay, but seeing the blood on his hands and the confused look on Ichigo's face made him feel like he had done something horrible. He had felt like a child who was about to get scolded by his mommy. "Grimmjow?"
"Shit, Ichigo…I don't…know," he said. He had lied. LIED! Why did he have to lie? Ichigo wouldn't have care if he was a coward, if he was scared of a normal reaction. He didn't feel that way though. He felt like his actions would determine if Ichigo ever wanted to talk to him again. He didn't want to seem like he was gutless, but at that moment he felt like the only possible thing to do was flee.
"You are such an idiot!" Grimmjow's eyes went wide at how loud Ichigo's voice was. He knew people were looking in their direction.
"Wh-wha?" He watched as Ichigo slid around to his side of the booth. He didn't understand what was going on. Was Ichigo going to hit him for what he did to Renji? He probably deserved it. He would take it if that was his fate. He stared down into white eyes again, trying to gauge what Ichigo was thinking.
"Idiot, such an idiot." Ichigo leaned over until he was close enough to Grimmjow to feel hot breath against his lips. Grimmjow was frozen and didn't know what to do. He felt soft lips press against his and groaned at the feeling. It was just as tingly as the first time. He could feel Ichigo's hands clinging to his wet shirt, yanking it to get closer to him. Ichigo pulled away too quickly for the blunet and he looked down at the shorter man. Half-lidded white eyes were looking forward and Ichigo was softly panting. "You know that?" Ichigo breathed against Grimmjow's lips.
"I…do now," the blunet responded before capturing Ichigo's lips. He was much needier than the smaller male. He pressed his lips harder, running his tongue along the bottom of Ichigo's, asking for entrance. The orange haired man gladly gave in and opened his mouth letting the blunet in. It was so hard to try to suppress the urge to moan against the bigger man's lips. His hands gripped tighter to the wet shirt and he leaned in, pressing his clothed chest against Grimmjow's.
Ichigo's hands were quivering and his body felt like it was on fire. He felt one of Grimmjow's hands slide across his neck to the back of it, tilting it for better access of his mouth. His other one ran up Ichigo's thigh, gripping the boy's hip. He let the blunet caress his tongue with his as his breath was practically being taken away. He needed air badly, but he didn't want to stop kissing the man in front of him. He just hoped that he didn't pass out.
He whined and Grimmjow slowly let go of his lips, letting a string of saliva connect them before it broke. Hooded azure eyes looked down into hooded white ones and he sighed. He had really needed that. The innocent kiss was okay, but he was a man that loved to get a little rough every now and then. He wanted to say something, but his brain felt like mush at the moment, so he just stared. He didn't notice the ladies that were looking their way with heart shaped eyes or the way Shunsui was practically chuckling at how open they were being.
Ichigo swallowed his heart which had been lodged in his throat and looked away. He could feel Grimmjow's eyes on him and he needed to say something for the awkwardness to go away. "Uhm…" Ichigo realized that his hands were still gripping the t-shirt and he slowly removed them, grimacing at how wet his hands were. "You're wet…and you stink." He scrunched up his nose in emphasis.
Grimmjow couldn't even be mad. He chuckled loudly and listened as Ichigo joined in with a giggle. He felt great, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. It was amazing what that little berry could do to him. He sighed, still chuckling quietly as he looked down at Ichigo. "Seriously…you stink. You need a shower."
"Yeah, yeah okay."
Hehehehe, more fluff and a little fighting. Poor Renji, NOT! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and see you at the next one. Please review & thank you.
