Amber eyes blinked open slowly as the owner tried to figure out where he was. There was a stream of light filtering in from somewhere, and judging by its dimness, it wasn't artificial. The teen used his instincts to guess his surroundings – he was lying comfortably on a soft futon, and the blanket was warm; very warm, which meant he had been unconscious beneath it for more than an hour.

What the heck had happened to him?

Ichigo twitched his fingers, flexing them as he checked for any signs of injury. There were none. He wiggled his toes for signs of life. All good. He wondered if he'd gotten knocked out in a fight. As he sat up, groaning a little because his muscles ached, Ichigo felt a weird tingle rush through his spine, and suddenly he remembered.

Everything that had transpired up till he had cuddled in Grimmjow's arms for a nap after eating filled his mind, and sent his panic levels up to full blast.

"Grimmjow!" He ran to the door, stumbling over the blanket that trailed around his feet, threatening to trip him.

As he crashed the door open, he was met with Inoue and Ishida, who looked just as surprised as he was to see them. Inoue dived to embrace him in a big hug, while Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose.

"You're awake, Ichigo." Chad said from behind them. He reached out to squeeze Ichigo's shoulder. "You feeling alright?"

The orange haired teen nodded, awkwardly patting Inoue on the head as he tried to lean against a wall for support. Ishida reached for Inoue's arm, intent on pulling her away before Ichigo staggered to the floor.

"Good." Chad smiled. "I'll go and get Abarai-san."

"What happened to Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked weakly.

Inoue shook her head, while Ishida shrugged. Ichigo felt his heart drop somewhere around his knees.

"Did they . . . execute him?"

"What?" Ishida frowned. "No, of course not. Abarai-kun helped him escape."

Wow.

Ichigo felt his heart leap back up into his chest. Grimmjow was alive! More questions were burning the tip of his tongue, but he tried to keep them in check. Was Grimmjow safe? Had old Yamamoto lifted his death penalty? Where had Grimmjow escaped to? Did Aizen know of this? He chewed on his lower lip, trying not to blurt out his worries. It wouldn't do to pressure his friends when they clearly didn't know any more information.

To his relief, Renji and Rukia came into view, followed by Chad, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"Renji!" He said, feeling a sense of urgency to know everything that happened.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said, her dark eyes reflecting her relief. "You're alright!"

"Yo." Renji clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Take a deep breath, calm down. Everything's okay."

Was it really?

"Grimmjow's safe." Renji said quietly, while the others studied Ichigo's face.

Running a hand through his spiky orange hair, Ichigo breathed a soft sigh of relief before feeling the brunt of his body aches. He staggered forward, and almost collapsed. Renji and Ishida's arms caught him just in time before he hit the floor.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue darted forward, immediately sending her healing power out to envelope him in its warm embrace.

"He's alright." Renji calmed her. "Just needs a lot of rest. His body's reacting to the energy he's used up since the medication."

Tuning them out, Ichigo allowed himself to sag in his friends' strong grasps. Now he could finally relax.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he wondered what Grimmjow was doing.

x

Several months later . . .

There was a heavy beeping coming from his Shinigami badge. Ichigo dropped the book he'd been reading and tugged on his jeans. It wouldn't do to have Kon running around doing lecherous things in his body while he only wore duck-patterned boxers. Setting one sneakered foot on the windowsill, Ichigo stopped himself before leaping out. Right, he still had to yank his soul out of his body!

"You're getting sloppier lately." Kon remarked as the teen heaved a sigh and trudged back to his bed. "Maybe you should stay back here and let the other Shinigami do their thing."

"Kon, that's the whole reason why I became a Shinigami substitute." Ichigo's voice was muffled as he popped soul candy into his mouth and bit down on the round capsule. "To relieve them of their duties. Besides, I actually like this sort-of job. Call it whatever, but it's a great way to vent my frustrations out on Hollows trying to invade this place."

The little mod-soul just sighed. "Come back in one piece."

"Why, you gonna miss me anytime soon?"

"Not if I get to watch porn on your TV."

"Don't you dare turn the volume up, freak."

"I won't, I won't. So get going already." Kon waved a lion paw at the teen, who winked at him before soaring out the window.

With a grin, the mod-soul slipped out of his plushie body and into the teen's, chuckling as he flexed the fingers on Ichigo's hand.

"It's fun time!"

Said hand reached under the teen's bed for some DVDs.

Ichigo leapt over the antennae of a news channel building, gaining momentum as he travelled on a higher altitude. He sent out tendrils of his reiatsu to feel for the Hollow's presence, but surprisingly it had disappeared. The teen stopped in mid-air, turning around to survey the darkened town below him – his beloved home – and scratched the back of his head worriedly. What if it was some sort of Hollow who had learned how to shield its presence from others? He was never really good at finding the annoying little things.

He wondered if Renji or Rukia had gotten to it before he had. But then he would surely have felt their reiatsu as they cleansed the Hollow. His well-honed instincts told him this was strange.

Still, it didn't mean the problem would go away if he couldn't sense it. Putting in all of his effort, the teen searched the surrounding area for any traces of the Hollow. It had seemed normal, but now it had vanished into thin air, like there had been a door somewhere for it to step through. Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"Come on." He muttered, half to himself, and half to the enemy. "Show yourself, dammit. Coward."

"Okay, but you asked for it."

A sword slashed into his vision, coming close to lopping his nose off. Ichigo stepped back and somersaulted away to a safe distance. Honey brown eyes stared into cerulean orbs with a mixture of confusion, surprise and disbelief.

"G – Grimmjow?"

So this was why Renji and Rukia were nowhere to be seen.

"Look at you, you're all grown up now." The Espada greeted him with that familiar one-sided smile. "Still need a bit more flesh to hide those bones, though."

"Oh god." Ichigo dropped his sword hand, his eyes taking in everything – Grimmjow's knowing smile, the affectionate look he had in his eyes, and the relaxed pose he was wearing. "It's really you."

Grimmjow held up both hands in surrender. "I'm not here to fight or anything. Just wanted to . . . you know. Well, no, you don't. But I couldn't get Szayel and the rest off my back if I didn't come see you and do this, so . . ."

Ichigo blinked. "Do what?"

Every inch of the teen was roaring at him to race forward and tackle the Espada. He fought to control his emotions.

"Apologize." Grimmjow said with a small laugh. "For what I did to you. Turned you into a child and all that. Took you home with me against your will. Ring any bells?"

At Ichigo's blank stare, the Espada took a step backward, looking confused. "Did they erase your memories or something, kid?"

"I'm no kid." Ichigo smirked. "Of course they didn't, Daddy."

It was Grimmjow's turn to stare. "Oh."

There was an awkward silence as Ichigo struggled to keep himself in check, and Grimmjow warred with his inner demons, trying to figure out a proper apology.

"Anyway." The Espada cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that I . . . never regretted taking care of you. Before you chew me out, I want you to know that I'm sorry if I robbed part of your childhood, and I don't blame you if you're mad at me. Having you around was . . ."

Grimmjow found his arms full of an orange haired teen, the boy's arms wrapped around his torso so tightly he felt winded. ". . . one of the best things that ever happened to me."

"Daddy." Ichigo said into Grimmjow's jacket, somewhere around his neck. "Did you know you're so cheesy sometimes?"

"Did you know it freaks me out when you call me that now you're back to normal?"

Ichigo pulled away to watch Grimmjow burst out laughing. He threw the Espada a petulant pout.

"I was only joking." Grimmjow pulled him back for another tight hug. "Just joking, Ichigo."

The teen buried his face in the crook of Grimmjow's neck, breathing in the Sexta's familiar minty scent and the smell of Las Noches. Ichigo felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. Memories – sweet and sour alike – burned fiercely in his mind, and brought tears to his eyes.

"Whoa, are you crying?" Grimmjow leaned back to wipe at the sides of Ichigo's eyes. "I didn't know you missed me that much."

"Grimmjow, I love you."

"Huh?"

Ichigo laughed at the stunned look on the Sexta's face. "I'm not joking, Grimmjow."

Shaking his head, Grimmjow pulled Ichigo back into the hug with an amused smile. "Is this your answer to the times I said it to you?"

Ichigo nodded, intent on squeezing the air out of his favourite Espada. "You'd make a great dad, Grimmjow. Ever thought of that?"

"Can't say I have." Grimmjow chuckled, the deep vibrations sending comfort rolling through the teen. "I already have an overgrown son right here."

"So don't apologize, silly." Ichigo grinned, cupping Grimmjow's face in his hands. "We both never regretted it, and I'll never accept that apology anyway. You didn't do anything wrong."

Revelling in the moment, Grimmjow broke out into the most beautiful smile. "This is why I love you, Ichigo."

x

So much cheese. Alternate ending with Bad!Ichigo coming soon.