A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy instalment number five of When Life Gives You Lemons'! (I still haven't thought of a better name for it D:)
He walked down the pavement, his feet slapping the concrete in a steady rhythm as he made his way to his friend's apartment. He ran a hand through his unruly orange hair as he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth in an effort to calm his churning stomach. He had a banging headache that painkillers had yet to relieve and his stomach was going through tender pangs. Not so bad that he thought he would throw up, but enough to make it mega-uncomfortable – but considering what he drank last night he deserved much, much worse. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, looking once again at the new number that had been entered the night before; 'Hrimnkoy'. He was sure that wasn't how the name should be spelt, but he couldn't remember the actual name. It was unusual, he hadn't heard it before, but he knew it began with a 'G' and belonged to a fine specimen of a man. He looked up at the apartment complex he had just reached, making his way up on the second floor balcony walkway to get to a familiar door. He was about to knock when the door disappeared, opened from the inside by a very familiar figure. The guy looked down at him with his one visible eye and grinned before he stooped down to get through the door without hitting his head on the frame.
"Hey! Ye'v got a visiter." He called over his shoulder as he went, nodding familiarly to him before walking off the way the boy had come.
His permanent frown became heavier as he walked in and closed the door behind him.
"Shinji?" He called to the apartment at large.
"In here Ichigo," came a voice from the bathroom.
Ichigo took a seat on the small sofa and slouched, resting his head on the back cushion. The door opened and Ichigo cracked an eye, taking in his best friend clad only in boxers.
"Good night?" Ichigo smirked.
Shinji merely grinned in response and collapsed on the arm chair by the sofa, "One of the best, in all honesty."
"What was his name again?"
"Nnoitra, strange ain't it?"
Ichigo nodded, closing his eye again. He remained silent for a couple of minutes before he voiced another question, "Speaking of strange names. What was his blue haired friend called?"
When he didn't receive an answer for a long moment, he opened his eyes to see if his friend was still awake, only to see a knowing smirk adorning his face. "What?" Ichigo asked defensively, his face heating up.
"The man that you were checking out all night was called Grimmjow, and their other quiet friend was Ulquiorra."
Something clicked in his mind at the name, wondering how he'd even forgotten it. But he didn't say anything; he was too busy glaring daggers at his friend. "I was NOT checking him out all night."
Shinji laughed, "It's okay you know. I'm gay, you're gay, and it's okay to check out guys."
Ichigo scowled at the statement. "Not when people don't know."
Shinji sighed, getting up to enter his attached kitchenette and make some strong coffee. "I just don't understand why you won't tell people that you're gay. You've told me and your family, but how do you expect to get a boyfriend if you're hiding it from everyone else?"
"I just don't know what they'll say, and who says I even care about having a boyfriend?" Ichigo said, pulling a face.
"Probably the same thing as what they said to me? Nobody cares! And are you seriously telling me that you don't want someone to love you? "
Ichigo shrugged, stubbornly. He pulled his phone out and looked at the number, trying to decide if he should send him a text. He was so intent on his thoughts that he didn't realise that Shinji was practically hovering over his shoulder.
"Who the hell is that supposed to be?"
Ichigo yelped, leaping to the other side of the couch in shock. "G-Grimmjow I think," he sputtered, choking on air.
"Well, whoever typed that was quite clearly hammered." He sniggered. "Are you going to text him?" the blonde asked, handing his friend a cup of coffee before walking around sitting next to him.
"No! I think he's straight anyway."
Shinji shrugged, "That means nothing. Do you know how many married men with kids came into the host club and asked for me?"
Ichigo blushed then. Shinji had been in many lines of work for a 21 year old - two of them being hosting and stripping. Ichigo didn't really like to talk about it because it got him all flustered and embarrassed, but Shinji was pretty nonchalant and unfazed by it. "I don't even know what I should say…"
Shinji rolled his eyes and he took a long drink from his cup. He swallowed and smirked, "If it was me, I would pretend that I remember them, but not too well. You know, like," Shinji put his hand to his face and looked comically thoughtful. "Hey, this is Grimmjow, right? You're the one with the black hair? No, wait – sorry, blue hair. Yeah, I remember now. How are you? Smiley face."
Ichigo looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.
"What?" Shinji laughed. "I can't count how many times that worked for me."
Ichigo mumbled something unintelligible as he stared at his phone again, his fingers furiously tapping away at his keypad.
"If you've just made a crack at the number of boyfriends I've had then I've got news for you. I only got that many because I have techniques that work."
Ichigo scowled at him before he looked back to his phone.
"Tell me what you say before you send it."
Ichigo nodded distractedly, still working at his text message.
Grimmjow groaned as he roused, the pain in his head being the first thing he could comprehend. He rolled over, pulling the bed covers up to his chin to try and curl back up into unconsciousness, but he was all too aware of the light beyond his eyelids. Something had woken him up, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He cracked his eyes, hissing at the light, and glared at his clock. 11:45. He groaned again, only this time, it wasn't because of the pain. Nel was bringing Shiomi back at noon, and he now had fifteen minutes to sort himself out. Last night was such a blur, he didn't even know what time he'd gotten home. He climbed out from under the covers, noticing instantly that he was completely naked as goose bumps erupted all over his body. The room spun for a couple of seconds, but he recovered fairly quickly, stumbling to his chest of drawers to pull out a pair of pyjama bottoms. They hung low on his hips as he went to make his way out of the room, only to stop because of a chime from his bedside table. He turned and saw the screen was lit up on his phone and the tri-tone was probably what had woken him up to begin with. He returned to his bedside, picking up the iPhone and swiping his finger along the bottom of the screen to unlock it.
He read the senders name; Ichifo, and instantly knew who it was. The orange haired guy from last night, only his name was spelt one letter wrong. He looked at the text then, reading over it quickly.
'Hey, I don't know if you have my number, but I have you down as Hrimnkow which doesn't seem right haha. You're Grimjow, aren't you, with the blue hair?' x.
Grimmjow genuinely laughed, highly amused by the error, before he quickly typed out a reply on his way to the kitchen. He corrected the spelling of his name, before confirming that he was texting the orange strawberry, expecting a very colourful reply. He put his phone down and filled a cup with water, reaching into the medication basket in one of the wall cupboards. He popped a couple of painkillers into his mouth and drank the water in one - craving it.
He braced himself against the counter, breathing in through his mouth and out through his nose, trying to quell his now churning stomach. He knew it was losing battle, but he was still surprised when it revolted and he had to dart to the bathroom, throwing up his water and whatever food he had consumed in the drunk haze that was last night. He spat and flushed the toilet, already feeling a little better. He walked to the sink, rinsing his mouth out and returning back to the kitchen. He took another two painkillers and pulled out some bread, popping it into the toaster just as he heard the faint sound of a key scrapping in a lock float through the silent apartment. He walked into the living room as Shiomi came running in ahead of Nel, a big smile on her face at the sight of her father. She ran to him, slamming into his already jelly-like legs. He grimaced, worried that a two year old girl could knock him over in this state as Nel came in, miss-judging his expression.
"That's a lovely way to look at your daughter…"
His head shot up. "That's not what I'm doing."
Nel smirked, just as Shiomi let go, reaching upwards to grab his attention. "Pick me up daddy!"
He sighed, looking uneasy. He didn't like picking her up properly, he always felt like he would drop her or something, despite Nel showing him how to do it. Besides that, he was terrified of throwing up on her. She'd spit up on him plenty as a baby – so he could just claim it as revenge, but that was not something one did to a child. He hesitated, until he was nudged by Nel. "Go on."
He reached down, lifting her up under the arms and shifting his arms to support her backside and held her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek before snuggling her head into his shoulder.
"So, was it a rough night?"
He shrugged, "It was fun, we had a laugh but I'm paying for it now."
She smirked, approaching them both and kissing them on the cheek in turn. "Well, I have to go. I'm going to see Aaroniero."
Something came back to Grimmjow from last night. "That's who he reminds me of!"
Nel gave him a strange look. "Excuse me?"
Grimmjow blinked, not realising he had practically shouted his revelation out loud. He smirked sheepishly and re-adjusted a jostled Shiomi. "Some guy I met last night. He's a younger, orange haired version of Aaron."
"Ooooooh," she laughed. "Well, I'll see you later. And by the way Grimmjow, you smell a little bit like stale alcohol and shame; with a tiny hint of vomit."
The bluenette sweat dropped. "Thanks."
Shiomi waved until Nel had disappeared into the hallway. When the woman was gone he turned to his daughter. "I don't smell that bad, do I?"
Shiomi visibly sniffed and then scrunched her face up. "You do smell, daddy."
"Well, you're one to talk."
"I know I can talk!"
Grimmjow chuckled, shaking his head lightly as he walked to the couch, plopping the little girl down on it and turning the TV onto a cartoon channel. He leant against the back of sofa, watching the cartoon animals on the screen try to set a trap to catch someone, until he smelt something. And it wasn't himself.
"Shit!" He scrambled into the kitchen, coughing at the putrid burning smell as his toast was practically on fire. He pressed the button that brought the bread up, grabbing it on the corner with his fingers and tossing it into the nearby sink and running the tap. He growled, annoyed that he had blackened his bread. He switched off the toaster and pulled a box of cereal from a cupboard instead, pouring some into a bowl to eat it dry. He didn't think he could stomach milk.
He walked back to the sofa and sat down next to his daughter, propping his legs up on the coffee table and staring absent-mindedly at the TV. Shiomi moved into his side and made herself comfortable, at the same time making him feel ever so slightly uncomfortable. He didn't think he would ever get used to this kind of random affection. He chewed the cereal slowly as he tried to decide what to do today, coming up empty.
He finished his food and looked down at his daughter, smirking as he placed the bowl on her head. She giggled, trying to balance it and failing miserably. He laughed, catching it before it fell into her face and grabbed her attention. "Did you have lunch with Auntie Nel?"
Shiomi shook her head and Grimmjow nodded. "Okay, just stay here and watch TV while I have a shower."
He got up and walked to the bathroom. He knew he shouldn't leave her alone like that with her being so young, but she was a good girl and he didn't really have a choice. Besides, he would only be ten minutes.
And ten minutes he was. He returned to the living room to see her in exactly the same position as he left her in, completely engrossed by the TV. He'd pulled on some boxers and jeans in his bedroom, and was busy towel drying his hair when there was a knock on his door. He looked through the peep hole, seeing a big grin very close to the glass. He smirked, Nnoitra always came really close to the peep hole, because he knew that Grimmjow always checked it. The blue haired titan opened the door, letting the giant into the apartment.
"Hey Kitty, what're ya doin' taday?"
"I dunno, why?" Grimmjow asked, yawning widely as he followed the giant back into the living room.
"I'm thinking we should hang out," he said, his eyes caught the little girl on the sofa, "Don' worry, it'll be child friendly."
Grimmjow shrugged. He had felt much better after throwing up this morning, but he couldn't be bothered with a strenuous day, especially not with a child in tow. "Like what?"
"We could go fer food. Take Shiomi ta the park or somethin'. It's an alrigh' day after all."
Grimmjow looked out of the window, taking in the weather for the first time. The sky was cloudy, but not as grey as it had been, and it looked as if the sun was fighting to shine through. "Sounds good to me. Just let me get us dressed first."
"Fuck me, I'm so hungover." Grimmjow groaned, leaning forward on the park bench he occupied with Nnoitra. He had his head in his hands, with a cigarette held precariously between two of his fingers. He had thought that he was feeling okay, but the longer he had been out, the worse he had begun to feel. His headache was coming back with a vengeance, his stomach felt like it was full of ice and he was majorly tired. "Keep your eye on Shiomi for a minute, will ya?"
"Haha, very funny." Nnoitra grinned, contradicting what would usually be a sarcastic phrase. He set his lone eye on the little girl, watching her play by the fountain with a couple of other children about fifteen metres away.
He was suffering too, though not as badly as the man next to him. He drank copious amounts on a regular basis. Grimmjow, on the other hand, did not. At least not anymore.
Another groan escaped the bluenette's lips as he occasionally brought his cigarette to his lips.
Nnoitra glanced at him before his eye found Shiomi again. "Fuckin' hell Kitty, yer pathetic. I've seen fifty year olds deal with hangovers better."
"What does age have to do with it?"
"Yer young, yer suppose' ta be resilient."
"Tch," Grimmjow sat up again, "I've gotten a little out of practise, if you haven't already noticed."
Nnoitra shrugged, "It's hard not ta notice when all I have is Emo Boy fer company."
Grimmjow laughed, slowly forcing himself to his feet as he put out his cigarette. He walked a little ways towards where she was playing before he called out for his daughter, beckoning her over.
She did as she was told, toddling over haphazardly - the way all young children did - and stopped centimetres from her father, so she had to crane her neck as far as it would go to look up at him.
"Do you want to go get some dinner?." He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.
She nodded, before turning around and waving goodbye to the other children. She then proceeded to go over to Nnoitra, who had just stood up and stretched his body. Sitting on a park bench for so long sure did leave him stiff.
"Up!" She cried, holding her arms high in the air in a gesture to be lifted.
"Sorry, Shi-chan. Not today." He said, instantly seeing the look on her face drop into that of utter disappointment.
"Up!" She cried again, jumping a couple of times.
Nnoitra looked to Grimmjow for help, only to be greeted with a smirk.
"Up." He said, shrugging his shoulders and turning to walk away, leaving Nnoitra to give in and hoist the little girl onto his shoulders and catch up with his long strides. Nnoitra may see himself as a badass and everything, but he had grown attached to the little girl and was like putty in her hands. Grimmjow found this very amusing.
They walked through the Kiba Park, Shiomi pointing at all the people milling around the BBQ area, still cooking despite the extremely average, grey spring weather. Nnoitra looked pointedly at Grimmjow and tipped his head over to it, clearly suggesting that they eat there. Grimmjow shook his head, fighting back the urge to vomit at the thought. Barbecue was not what he needed right now.
They weaved around people in the bustling Tokyo streets to get to a semi-decent place to eat, Grimmjow at least having a particular food type in mind. A lot of people stared at them, but they paid them no heed – simply because they were used to it. What with Grimmjow's unnaturally coloured hair, Nnoitra's unusual height and the fact that they have a two year old girl with them – they made quite the trio to see.
"I need my hangover food." Grimmjow moaned, swinging the little pink and flowery backpack that belonged to his daughter in his right hand. "I need it now."
Nnoitra scoffed, telling him to follow him. They ended up in a little ramen shop on a quieter side street, standing outside and looking up at the sign.
"I've never been here before." Grimmjow said, reading the store name: 'Gintoki's Ramen Bar'.
"Dude, it's awesome. Bin' a couple of times."
They walked in and picked a booth that was a little away from the rest of the customers. Grimmjow put down Shiomi's bag and asked her to pick what she wanted to play with when she climbed in and shuffled towards the wall – boxed in by Grimmjow. Nnoitra took the opposite seat, sitting more across it with his feet still on the floor, and they talking about nothing in particular at first while they decided what they wanted and ordered it. It wasn't until the food had come, and was almost gone, when something popped into Grimmjow's head. He checked that Shiomi was distracted, colouring in a book she had pulled from the bag, before he broached it.
"So what happened with the blonde from last night?"
Nnoitra smirked, leaning back against the wall with his arms behind his head and an utterly smug look on his face. "I nailed it."
Grimmjow cringed at his casual and clear synonym, but laughed regardless. "At least somebody got some last night, but I wasn't very likely to find a promising woman in a gay bar, was I?"
Nnoitra grinned, "Ya still had a good night though, didn't ya? Ya made a new friend an' all." Looking pointedly at the iPhone that just dinged on the table in front of Grimmjow.
"Ichigo? He was alright. Funny guy once he loosened up a little." He shrugged, spooning the last of his soup into his mouth as he picked up the phone and read the text. He smirked, typing out a quick reply before turning back to Nnoitra - who was wearing a condescending smirk.
"I knew I'd find ya a nice lil' boy ta fuck." He winked.
Grimmjow frowned, dropping his spoon loudly into his bowl. Shiomi looked at them briefly before going back to her colouring, distracted by the clattering of the cutlery as opposed to the conversation.
"I don't need a boy, I need a woman. Besides, Ichigo doesn't seem gay anyway."
Nnoitra rolled his eyes, "Well everybody would think I would fancy myself a nice pair a' tits because I don' 'seem gay'. Obviously tha' ain't tha case."
Grimmjow shrugged, "Regardless, I'm not gay."
"'m not so sure…"
Grimmjow 'hrumphed'. He was sick of having this conversation with Nnoitra. It just went in circles and he was sick of having to defend his sexuality. He didn't see why Nnoitra was so adamant that he would be gay. True, Grimmjow had told him some things in the past – something that turned out to be quite the mistake – and Nnoitra just wouldn't seem to let the notion go.
He had gotten on quite well with the boy really, he'd been texting him all afternoon, though the texts were becoming less frequent now. He learned a little bit about the boy in that lengthy conversation, but he seemed to be quite a private person, just like Grimmjow. One thing the boy did share though, was that he was nineteen so legally, he was underage to drink, and that he was studying to become a doctor..
He hadn't really expected much from the conversation this morning – thinking it would just be one of those confirmations of who's number you had managed to troll the night before, never to speak again until you each respectively deleted the other number.
Fuck it, Nnoitra could think what he liked. Grimmjow was talking to someone interesting that he'd just happened end up speaking to after swapping numbers on a night out. Didn't mean they had to be anything more than friends. He'd made plenty of them that way! Well… Not really, but it's never too late to start.
Grimmjow walked back into the apartment, heavy with tiredness and ready to fall into bed and never get out. But unfortunately, he had not been able to do that for years. Shiomi was tired too, because she was dragging her feet and yawning chronically as they walked along the corridors of the building, holding his hand.
He opened the door and lead her straight to her bedroom to put her in her pyjama's. Nel had bathed her that morning, so he would just put her straight to bed. She didn't fight to stay up like she did most nights, and she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
He walked into the living area, glancing at the clock. It was only ten to eight, so he collected his briefcase from by the dining table. If he went to bed now, he'd probably wake up at stupid o'clock in the morning anyway. His mind was alert, despite his bodies' weakness, so he opened the case up and pulled out the last two campaigns and his notepad, determined to finish his own homework before work tomorrow.
MisaxMisa: So who was this guy Grimm?
Grimm: Tch, as if I'd tell you.
Nnoitra: Oh, I'll tell you you might recognise him actually, he's-
*SMASH*
MisaxMisa: Holy shit Grimm! You hit him in the head with a frying pan!?
Grimm: Well... He was gonna tell you...