Ichigo paced the room, unable to suppress his fury and not really trying.
He knew what Grimmjow was doing. His hollow could scent it and it was pretty damned obvious anyway. Byakuya had wanted private time with Grimmjow and he'd been quite firmly excluded from their dinner date. His fists clenched as he thought about it.
He wasn't in love with Grimmjow, but… the man… woman… arrancar had taken his virginity. He swallowed as he remembered what it had felt like to be buried to the hilt in that warm, accepting body. His hollow had let him share the experience and Ichigo had been grateful but deeply disturbed. He was only sixteen. He was too young for all this. And now Grimmjow was sleeping with Byakuya, which roused a great anger in him. The Espada had taken his virginity like it was nothing!
Ichigo knew his hollow was furious too, although he didn't know what was going through his darker half's mind. In truth, their reasoning was quite different. Ichigo was reacting mostly from emotions and the feeling of betrayal, while his hollow was having a more dangerous reaction. In his mind, Grimmjow was his mate and also his inferior in terms of power. That meant that he should destroy the interloper that was trying to take his mate and discipline Grimmjow firmly for his error in judgment. But the collar made that impossible and the hollow seethed in frustration, trying to figure out how to establish his dominance.
When Grimmjow entered the room Ichigo's head snapped up. The lazy blue eyes and the shit eating grin on the Espada's face infuriated him even more and he heard his hollow hiss in rage.
"You bastard!" He snarled, stepping forward with his fists clenched. Grimmjow just stuck his hands in his pockets, still grinning. "How could you, you asshole?!"
"I'm not sure what you're going on about, Kurosaki. You knew I was assigned the both of you." The Espada's tone was amused and it only ticked Ichigo off more. He wasn't sure how angry he could get, but Grimmjow seemed to be willing to find out.
"You were my first!" He spat out and then darkness rose with his temper. He lashed out, slamming Grimmjow against a wall, his fist at the arrancar's throat. The Espada grunted but just looked at him, a bit of desire sparking in those blue eyes. "You belong to me." His voice was echoing but Ichigo didn't care. His hollow was right.
"The fuck I do. You belong to me, shinigami." And just like that Grimmjow was trying to turn the tables on them, slam them against a wall. Ichigo snarled and lashed out, struggling with the Espada. They staggered through the room, nearly smashing a coffee table but neither one of them cared. Not so accidentally, they stumbled into his bedroom and ended up on the bed.
If he'd thought about it, Ichigo would have been alarmed by what was happening. The lines between himself and his hollow were blurring, becoming fuzzier and fuzzier as he gave into his instincts. This wasn't his hollow trying to swallow him, though. It was a unity of thought that was vaguely like wearing his mask, but more intense. But Ichigo was in no condition to think about it. His erring mate was beneath him, squirming and growling in a way that was setting his instincts on fire.
"You are ours." He said, not caring a bit about the pronoun. Then he harshly bit Grimmjow's neck, enjoying the groan he pulled from the Espada. "Ours!" The chuckle that followed made him narrow his eyes and growl. Honey gold eyes met bright blue, but the arrancar just seemed amused by the unspoken threat.
"You're just like a hollow, Ichi… unh." Grimmjow grunted as he was bitten again and retaliated by sudden grasping his assailant's manhood. Ichigo gasped as a jolt of pleasure went through his body, then rocked against that hand with a snarl. "Get this shit off." Grimmjow muttered as he yanked at the black shinigami uniform. Ichigo complied easily, yanking it off in a few smooth moves. Grimmjow's outfit was even easier since he didn't wear anything beneath it.
"Why don't you wear anything under there?" Ichigo asked, really examining Grimmjow's naked body for the first time. His instincts took a back seat to fascination as he saw that the Espada looked extremely male, except between his legs. But then, he knew that already. He'd had that body ramming into him plenty of times and there hadn't been anything soft about it. Grimmjow chuckled softly.
"'Cause it would hurt, soul reaper. I can't stand anything rubbing against my – ah shit!" Grimmjow's body arched as Ichigo ran a slow, teasing finger down his… dick? It looked like one, certainly. "Th-that oh crap." Grimmjow sounded like he was losing it and Ichigo smiled as a thought crossed his mind.
That's for submissives. His hollow protested but Ichigo ignored him. They were separating out again as his temper eased, and he wanted to do this. Kneeling between Grimmjow's legs he slowly ran his tongue over that organ, hearing his mate whimper. Then he took it in his mouth, sucking on the surprisingly soft flesh. Grimmjow arched with a ragged gasp and Ichigo reached up to toy with his entrance, slipping a finger past damp navy curls.
"I thought… I was your first… ngh!" Grimmjow's insides rippled around his questing finger as Ichigo obeyed his hollow instincts. Also, his hollow was hissing instructions in his ear. Ichigo vaguely wondered how it seemed to know about this, but he could worry about that later.
"Quiet." He commanded, his voice dark and echoing, before he pulled his hand away and moved up the body of his mate. Grimmjow was breathing hard and his powder blue hair was damp with sweat. His legs were spread wide and Ichigo gave him a sharp, forceful nip before sinking into that welcoming warmth. "Mine!" He growled and Grimmjow just moaned, tossing his head as his eyelids fluttered.
Ichigo and his hollow were united again in pleasure as they reclaimed their mate. He gripped hard, well-muscled thighs, taking Grimmjow quickly and forcefully. Fingers tore at his back, nails sinking in, but the mild pain only aroused them further. Ichigo bit down as hard as he could and finally managed to penetrate the Espada's hierro, drawing a lusty cry from his partner. The sweet taste of blood on his tongue made his hollow purr and they completely lost control, giving themselves over to the mating instinct. Grimmjow's insides were tight and wet, sliding as smoothly around him as a velvety dream.
Tiny drops of sweat beaded on pale flesh and Ichigo lapped them away, golden eyes meeting blue. Grimmjow's face was flushed, his breath coming in sharp pants as Ichigo drove him closer and closer to orgasm. But he didn't want it to end too soon and deliberately slowed his pace, drawing a whimper of need from his mate. Ichigo felt a deep satisfaction at that sound and knew it partly came from his hollow, but found he didn't care. This was right, this was as it should be.
He wasn't sure how long he kept his lover suspended in pleasure. He only knew it was a while, and Grimmjow was making sounds of pleasure that made his toes curl. Finally deciding it was enough, Ichigo speeded his rhythm until he was taking Grimmjow harshly again. The Espada reacted with a cry, his insides tightening almost unbearably. Ichigo nearly came in that moment but he managed to hold back. He could tell Grimmjow wasn't quite there yet. Just a little more…
Grimmjow convulsed under him, his eyes rolling back as his insides spasmed repeatedly, clenching and unclenching around his member. Ichigo gasped at the feeling and gave himself over to the pleasure, releasing in a rush of ecstasy. For a moment he felt numb, shocked speechless, but then his mind started to reboot. He gazed into the face of his exhausted, utterly sated mate and smiled before giving him a kiss. Grimmjow accepted it eagerly and Ichigo savored the feeling, enjoying the passion behind it.
Your first kiss King. His hollow supplied helpfully and Ichigo almost choked. The worst part of it was, he was right. He'd had sex twice but this was his first kiss. Grimmjow gave him a quizzical look as they parted and Ichigo smiled, brushing back a bit of errant blue hair.
"It's nothing. Do you want to sleep here?" He hoped the Espada would. Grimmjow tilted his head, looking curious.
"Byakuya asked me that too. Does sleeping together mean something for shinigami?" He asked and Ichigo blinked, a bit speechless. He wasn't sure how to explain. But his hollow came up and Ichigo let him have control. It was just easier, he could put it in ways a hollow would understand.
"It's a show of trust, that the one you're with won't hurt you when you're asleep and won't leave before you wake up." Ichigo felt his body shrug. "Pretty much what it means for hollows, really." Grimmjow nodded as Ichigo took back control, pulling away from him and settling down beside him.
"Then I'll stay." He murmured, smiling warmly. But then the smile morphed into a wicked grin. "But tomorrow I'm staying with Byakuya. He's part of this pack too, hollow." He said tauntingly and Ichigo felt his hollow bristle. But they were both too tired to fight about it.
"We'll see." He mumbled before cuddling up against the arrancar. Grimmjow had a very interesting scent, musky and wild. It reminded him a bit of a big cat, but more… comforting.
Soothed by that feral, wild yet welcoming scent he drifted easily into sleep.
"Are you well, Jaegerjaques-sama?" A soft voice spoke from his elbow, knocking the arrancar out of his fugue. Glancing down he saw the speaker was a small woman with dark brown hair, wearing the insignia of the Sixth Division. She was looking at him in a combination of concern and wariness.
"Yeah, just tired." He lied. The truth was, he'd slept like the dead last night. The hell butterfly containing Tosen's summons had had to practically shock him before he took the message. He'd even called the servants to help dress and bathe him, something he usually avoided like the plague. "What am I doing here again?" He asked himself but it was the shinigami who answered.
"We are sealing a naturally occurring garganta. Are you sure you are well, sir?" The concern was more pronounced now and Grimmjow struggled to gather his brain. It felt like it was full of cotton.
"I'm fine. Let's get this shit done." He growled gruffly before gripping his sword. Pantera felt good in his hand and he drew the blade. "My job is to kill the hollows so the shinigami can close the breach." He reminded himself under his breath. "Shit." Why was he so completely out of it?
Fortunately he didn't have to think much when they got to the garganta. Gillians were maundering through like it was the most natural thing in the world. Normally he would have batted them down like flies, but today Grimmjow had to work for every kill. The shinigami helped him, which delayed their work and he vaguely realized that Tosen was going to be pissed. But he just couldn't fight any harder, not unless he used his resurrection. And pulling that out against Gillians would just be pathetic. He had his pride.
Grimmjow wiped his blade off and sheathed it wearily before wiping his forehead. Then a numero appeared beside him and he started in surprise. That brief startle made him frown and the numero swallowed, clearly terrified as he delivered his message.
"Tosen-sama wants to see you, Grimmjow-sama!" The numero bowed as well and Grimmjow sighed to himself. Time to get his dressing down.
"Yar, yar. Take me to him would you?" He was vaguely aware of Tosen's location but just didn't feel up to hunting him down with his own senses. Why was he so damned tired? This wasn't right at all.
Tosen was calm and composed on the surface, but Grimmjow knew him well enough by now to see he was pissed. The numero almost ran as he faced his 'commander'.
"You took far too long destroying the gillian in your sector. Can you explain this?" Tosen asked and Grimmjow blinked, trying to think of something. His mind came up completely blank.
"I don't have a fucking clue." He said honestly and flinched as Tosen's annoyed reiatsu suddenly lashed him. It shouldn't have had much effect at all, except letting him know the shinigami was pissed. But he found himself bending over, struggling against the weight of it. The reiatsu lifted immediately but Grimmjow fell to his knees, black specks chasing across his vision. He felt so weak…
Tosen was kneeling beside him and saying something but it took him a few moments to clear his head enough to comprehend. The shinigami wanted him to release his sword? Grimmjow was bewildered by the order, but it would only make him stronger and that was good right now. Reaching to his obi he pulled out his weapon with a shaking hand.
"Grind, Pantera." He said, expecting the usual burst of energy. To his further surprise, the weapon just dissolved in a few blue sparkles. Grimmjow suddenly felt immeasurably better, but it wasn't the rush of power he usually associated with his release form. It was just comfortable and he frowned before looking down. "Holy shit!" To say he was taken aback would be an understatement.
His armor wasn't there. Instead he was still wearing his jacket and hakama, over a body that was pretty much identical to his usual released form. But instead of white bone, he had light fur on his legs and navel, starting just below his hollow hole. Grimmjow glanced at his clawed hands and saw the black color gradually faded away, vanishing completely at his elbows. He reached up to touch his forehead and was relieved to find that the crown of bone was there. His hair was as thick and wild as ever, but what was going on?
"Interesting. I'd wondered what would happen when an arrancar became pregnant." Tosen's tone was unreadable and Grimmjow gaped at him as the words sank in. "Report to Unohana immediately, Quinta. I will send a messenger to Szayel." He would want to run plenty of tests on the first ever pregnant arrancar. Grimmjow swallowed hard, glancing down at himself. He couldn't really pick up any hint of new life yet, but it would have to be very early. Tosen was just guessing but Grimmjow was certain it was a damned good guess.
"Uh, right. I'll… call Kurosaki to escort me." He said after gathering his wits and Tosen nodded. His vulnerable time had just started. If the shinigami was right, he'd been lucky to defeat the gillians at all!
It didn't take very long for Kurosaki to get there, scowling as usual. He was about to say something but his eyes went wide as he saw the new look Grimmjow was sporting.
"What happened to you?" He asked and Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh. That was just hilarious.
"Your dick. Tosen thinks I'm knocked up." He said cheerfully and Kurosaki looked like he'd been hit on the back of the head with a board. "Or maybe Byakuya's dick. Why don't we go see if the science guys can figure out which?" That was a bit mean, since he knew Kurosaki's hollow would be keenly interested in that bit. Sure enough, Kurosaki's eyes narrowed dangerously before he managed to control himself.
"Right." He said briskly. Now that he was in his released form Grimmjow felt fine, and they quickly made it to the Fourth. Szayel very nearly beat them there. As it was, he arrived just as they were ushered in to see Unohana. Kurosaki moved to block Szayel instantly, his brown eyes lighting to honey gold. Grimmjow could practically smell the aggression in him, no surprise from a hollow looking at the prospect of his first litter.
"Calm down. Tosen says he gets to look at me with the woman." He told Kurosaki, exerting a bit of gentle influence through the collar. There was a bit of resistance but the hollow inside the teen finally backed away and his eyes went back to their usual brown.
"He better not try anything. I know his type." Ichigo growled and Szayel looked offended. Grimmjow could scent a touch of fear on him, though, and he heartily approved.
"Not to worry Kurosaki-kun. He will not do anything untoward in my Division." Unohana said with a sweet smile that seemed to spell doom even to the Espada of Destruction. He blinked at the expression and the scent of Szayel's fear increased for a moment. Then it flattened out, probably because the Octava wasn't actually planning any trouble.
"Not to worry. Aizen-kami himself told me to handle any possible pregnancies delicately." Szayel assured them and Grimmjow nodded. He wasn't too surprised, since the whole idea had come from Aizen in the first place.
Many arcane tests followed, both with kido and Szayel's instruments. Kurosaki took a spot behind him, hands on Grimmjow's shoulders. To his delight, they were able to give him one important detail immediately.
"You will be having twins." Szayel said cheerfully and Grimmjow almost purred at the prospect. He'd been afraid his humanoid body would only be capable of singletons, so twins were a nice surprise.
"I cannot tell precisely who the fathers are at this time." Unohana informed them and Grimmjow winced a little as Kurosaki's hands tightened on his shoulders. "There is a great deal of hollow reiatsu mixed with shinigami, but until the children are better formed and have a steady reiatsu rotation it will be hard to say who they belong to."
"We'll just have to be patient." Kurosaki said with a soft sigh. Grimmjow reached up to rest a hand over one of his.
"Hey, cheer up. If these ones ain't yours we'll just have to try again until you get some." The thought made him feel a bit tingly in a lower region. Kurosaki's hollow probably scented his arousal because the teen lowered his head and gave him a teasing nip on the throat. Grimmjow grinned as Szayel adjusted his glasses with a pained look.
"Grimmjow-san, could you please come to the Twelfth for a more detailed exam tomorrow? We'll need some time to set up all the equipment." Szayel said and they both gave him distrustful looks. But the scientist had an ace up his sleeve. "I will of course have my new assistant, Ishida Uryuu, present to aide my research." Kurosaki stiffened at that and Grimmjow sighed to himself.
"Yeah, we'll be there." He knew Kurosaki wanted to see his friends. He'd even been thinking about how to arrange it, but it was difficult. Looking like he cared was a weakness among the Espada, so he'd mostly wanted to arrange chance meetings. This was pretty much the perfect way to see Ishida and maybe that Renji guy too. Szayel had taken him for some reason. "Will that redhead with the tats be around too?" He asked and felt Ichigo tense, his fingers digging into his shoulders a bit. Szayel just looked scornful for a moment.
"That idiot? I think not. He's useful only as a test subject." He said and Grimmjow could sense temper not just from Kurosaki, but Unohana as well. Szayel was making a lot of friends today. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He swept out and Grimmjow sighed to himself. A test subject, that wasn't good.
"Sorry." He turned his head to look at Kurosaki. The teen took a deep breath before managing to give him a tight smile.
"It's okay. I expected it really." He said quietly and Grimmjow could see how much being helpless hurt him. "I'm just glad Ishida is alright."
"Yeah. Well, we'll see him tomorrow." That made Grimmjow think about the redhead, though. He was aware of his own instinctive reactions and knew that pleasing his mate was part of his instincts, but that didn't make the drive any less potent. Was there anything he could do to get the redhead away from Szayel?
He would have to think about it.
The next day was filled with annoyances.
The first annoyance was Kurosaki. He wanted to come with him to Szayel's lair and Grimmjow couldn't really deny him, but he knew the whole thing was going to test his limits. He got Byakuya to come too, hoping the calmer shinigami would be able to keep Ichigo in check. Then he remembered. Wasn't that Renji guy Byakuya's old fukutaichou…?
"Shit." He only hoped he could keep everyone alive and breathing. If Szayel got fucked by the two shinigami under his thumb, it would be Grimmjow's non-existent balls on the line. Resolving to keep a firm grip on the collars he used sonido to the Twelfth. To his irritation, he was slower than both his escorts. The babies were soaking up his energy like little sponges.
The Twelfth was a bit of a surprise to him. Grimmjow had been expecting something like Szayel's wing back in Hueco Mundo, but this place was surprisingly open and airy. There were also lots of potted plants and Grimmjow paused to sniff a flower. The shinigami escorting them wasn't too happy with the pause, though, so he kept moving. Szayel was probably waiting.
And he was, with a metric assload of equipment and the Quincy boy. Grimmjow hadn't really seen much of him, but he still recognized him. Aside from the change in clothing – he was wearing a lab coat like most of the shinigami here – he looked unharmed. He was wearing a collar, but not the same type that Aizen had put on Byakuya and Ichigo. It was probably some kind of invention of Szayel's.
"Ishida!" Ichigo immediately tried to hug his friend and got fended off with an irritated scowl. "You're okay?"
"I'm fine." The Quincy's tone was rather short and Grimmjow suddenly had a bad feeling. He wasn't blaming Kurosaki for this, was he? From the stricken look on Ichigo's face that had just occurred to him. "You would be the pregnant Espada?" The Quincy looked him over dubiously. "You are more masculine than I would have expected." Grimmjow was tempted… oh fuck it. He stuck his tongue out at the boy who blinked and adjusted his glasses.
"Yes, this is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Now, let's get started." Szayel had his mind on business and wasn't going to let the friendly talk stretch out too long. Grimmjow just passively accepted the tests. He had no idea what most of them were for.
He was interested in how Szayel was getting on with his lab assistant, though. From what he could see they seemed to work well together although he sometimes caught a dark look in the Quincy's eyes that would have put him on guard, if he'd been in Szayel's shoes. But then, that Renji guy was his friend. What exactly was happening to him?
"Hey, Szayel." Grimmjow said with studied casualness. He wasn't a great actor but he wasn't bad either. "I was wondering about that redhead of yours. He's taichou level, isn't he?" He could feel Byakuya's stillness and Ichigo's interest through the collars. They were both wondering what he was up to. Szayel just nodded, studying his equipment. "Would you mind giving him to me?"
"Hm?" Szayel looked up from his work, slightly surprised. "What would you want with that loudmouthed idiot?" Clearly they were not getting along. Grimmjow shrugged.
"Just another protector. Yammy is creeping me the fuck out." He said honestly. The last time he'd been in a meeting with Tosen, Yammy had been there, and that grin of his was beyond creepy. Szayel made a 'hmm' sound but didn't comment. "And those tats of his are cute." He could practically feel Ichigo bristle through the collar and grinned to himself. That hollow of his was territorial with a capital T. Szayel gave him a look of disgust but considered it for a moment. "…You haven't already broken him, have you?" Grimmjow asked apprehensively. It was pretty soon for that but with Szayel you could never be sure. The scientist waved the question away.
"Oh no, he's stronger than that." He assured them and Grimmjow felt relief from both of his mates. "I suppose I don't really need him that much anymore… I could find a different shinigami for the last two experiments, someone more expendable." He mused and Grimmjow shuddered a bit to himself. He didn't want to know what those experiments would be. "Hm… I'll give him to you on a few conditions."
"What are they?" He asked warily. Knowing Szayel it could be a piece of his liver. The scientist smiled innocently, which was a miserable failure. Innocence just looked ridiculous on him.
"Well, I would dearly love some arrancar eggs to examine and experiment on. Would you believe even the fraccion have refused to give me any?" Szayel pouted and Grimmjow grimaced. He could see why. "Of course, the harvesting is a bit uncomfortable. But nothing you won't survive! And I would also like to examine a vizard." He eyed Kurosaki like a starving man eyeing a steak. The teen swallowed hard but nodded after a moment.
"No fucking him up or I'll sic Aizen onto you." Grimmjow growled and Szayel looked hurt. Then he glanced at the Quincy, noticing a deep relief in his eyes. What had the Octava been doing to that poor bastard? "When can we collect him?" He figured the redhead might need some time to recover, and he was right.
"Give me, hmm, two days. He should be fully healed by then." Szayel said cheerfully. "The egg harvesting will have to be done when your pregnancy is completed, of course, but if you could bring the vizard we can do that right away." Grimmjow glanced at Kurosaki and the teen nodded again, more firmly this time.
"Alright." Grimmjow smiled as he felt the warmth from Ichigo and the approval from Byakuya. They were both really happy about this, and that made him happy. He couldn't help it even if he wanted to.
Pregnancy hormones were a bitch.