You had left your home earlier than needed this morning, wanting to enjoy the warm summer sun on your way to work. Your report was secure in an envelope in your hand, swaying lightly at your side as you walked. The breeze was refreshing, teasing through your hair you had to keep down in order to hide the teethmarks bruising your neck. You felt surprisingly refreshed considering the nights sleep you had. It was plagued with vivid dreams, sensual lovemaking that had lingered with you this morning when you had woken. You felt light, carefree as you headed to your Captains office, looking forward to getting back into your routine. Today was going to be a good day, you could feel it.
A flash of orange caught your attention in the distance, standing out drastically in the sea of black uniforms and dark hair. You'd notice that floppy mess of bright orange hair anywhere. Ichigo was weaving in between the forming crowd of people on their way to work, trade mark frown on his young face. "Ichigo" you greeted him with a friendly wave as he neared you, stopping him short
His face relaxed upon seeing you, offering a half smile "YN, hey. How you doing?" He had stopped to chat with you, nodding to the side of the path where you wouldn't be in the way of the mornings traffic "heard you were the one Kyoraku lumbered Grimmjow with "
You chuckle at the pained look on his face, at least someone knew the right amount of sympathy you deserved, unlike Renji. "Better now that I'm home" you grin at him before sighing, you had a feeling many people would have questions over the trip you would rather forget "It wasn't that bad, you seeing Renji today?" Anything to change the subject
"yeah, I'll catch up with him and Byakuya later, promised Rukia I'd help train her new squad members" Ichigo explained while rubbing at his nose, seemed awfully itchy all of a sudden. You held back a laugh at the familiar way Ichigo addressed your Captain, knowing full well it aggravated him to be addressed so informally . He leaned in closer to you, giving you a strange look.
Leaning back slightly you raised a confused eyebrow "what are you doing?" He wasn't usually one to invade personal space like this, at least you've never witnessed it. You weren't actually opposed to physical contact and closeness, it was, however, unexpected from the young man.
"sorry, it's just.." he leaned in a little closer despite your obvious discomfort, sniffing at you curiously as his brows furrowed in confusion"you smell strange"
"I smell? Like what?" You ask flabbergasted, raising your arm to sniff at your uniform. It smelt fine to you, you had showered this morning and the subtle smell of vanilla still lingered on your skin "is it bad?"
"no" he shook his head, leaning in even closer trying to associate the smell with the memory refusing to come to the forefront of his mind "it kinda smells like.." the rest of Ichigo's sentence was abruptly cut off by a fist swinging in from nowhere, clocking Ichigo in the chin and sending him tumbling to the ground. You gasped, startled by the unexpected turn of events.
Grimmjow was suddenly standing in front of you, chest heaving with rapid breaths as he glared down at Ichigo rubbing at his darkening chin "what the fuck is wrong with you!" Ichigo snapped at the Espada from the floor, returning an icy glare. Grimmjow usually at least gave him the courtesy of a threat before he attempted to fight him.
Grimmjow had seen red when he saw Ichigo leaning in towards you. Invading your space, getting to close to what was his. He would be damned if he would just roll over and let that bastard try to steal away what was his. He thinks he could be a better mate? Give you what you needed. That weak ass bitch couldn't provide for you the way Grimmjow could, couldn't protect you as well, could please you as well. His alpha pride was screaming at him to annihilate the threat, take on the challenge Ichigo unknowingly laid down
His hands curled into fists, pupils thinning into slits as he regarded the other male angrily getting to his feet. Big mistake. "What the hell is your problem?!" Ichigo seethed through clenched teeth, shoving Grimmjow roughly in the chest, before ducking another lightening fast fist aiming for his nose. Grimmjow snarled back, animalistic and dangerous, sending all your hairs on edge
You had seen enough, finally getting over the shock you rushed in between them, laying a hand on each of their chests to try and diffuse the situation "stop!" You told them both sternly, eyeing first Ichigo then Grimmjow. Both their chests were heaving with unexplained anger. Well, Ichigo's anger was explainable, considering he had just been sucker punched for no apparent reason. "What's going on?"
"Ask him! Crazy bastard" Ichigo exclaimed angrily, though at least taking a step back. Grimmjow growled in response, trying to advance closer. He didn't even look at you as you pathetically tried to keep him in place, staring daggers over your head at his intended target. A small crowd had gathered around, curiously watching the spectacle unfold in the middle of the street
"You think your better than me?!" Grimmjow snapped to the orange haired man, pushing you away effortlessly. Not thinking clearly, he hadn't thought to adjust his strength as he pushed you. He knocked you away harder than he intended, not even glancing your way as you tripped over your own feet at the sudden force and landing on your ass with a huff. That was the second time that asshole shoved you over, and you were just about finished with it . "Think you can take what's mine?!"
"Don't shove her!" Ichigo ignored Grimmjow's shouting, reaching down to offer you a hand up with muttered concern . You were about to gratefully accept the hand when Grimmjow lunged at him, tackling them both to the ground in a frenzy of trading blows and spited insults. You jumped to your feet yourself, at a loss of what to do. You needed to stop the fight before it got out of hand and weapons were involved, but you weren't stupid enough to risk getting close when they were wresting around on the floor like that
"stay away from her" you heard Grimmjow threaten before throwing a punch to Ichigo's face, getting blocked by said man's crossing arms "the hell are you on about? You're the one who hit her asshole!" They seriously couldn't be scrapping because you got knocked over. There was a deeper meaning behind this scuffle, which you couldn't care less about at this point, you just wanted them to stop fighting.
"cut it out!" You tried calling to them, your plea washing over both their heads as they grappled in the dirt. Ichigo got his foot between them, planting it on Grimmjows stomach and kicking him off as hard as he could. Grimmjow landed in a crouch, feet and hands skidding across the floor with the level of power he was kicked with. With both men springing to their feet you took the opportunity to dart in between them. You trusted Ichigo enough to not accidentally attack you when your back was turned to him, so chose to fully face a pissed off Grimmjow, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
"Grimmjow, stop" your plea came out strained with the exuberance you needed to attempt to hold him back, shoulder shoved into his midsection, arms wrapped around him. He felt hot to the touch, whole body vibrating with adrenaline as he glared at his rival, standing a few feat away watching intently, ready to react if he were to turn on you. That only enraged him further. Like he was some rabid beast who couldn't control himself around his own mate. His mate who was annoyingly trying to hold him back from defending his claim. Not mate, Grimmjow mentally corrected himself.
"woman" Grimmjow lowly warned you, attempting to get around you without shoving you again. You stubbornly followed his movements, not letting up the pressure you had on his middle. Grimmjows eyes flicked down to yours. You looked mad, confused. A little scared. That bastard had scared you, and he was going to pay "move"
"no" you stubbornly refused, tilting your chin up to meet his eye. Trying to get him to see you were serious, if he was going to try and get at Ichigo, he was going to have to go through you first. You couldn't tell in that moment if you were being brave or stupid "not until you calm down"
"My my, isn't it wonderful to see you children all playing nicely together" A new voice interrupted the moronic display, musical lilt indicating thick amusement in the deep voice. Relief flooded you at the new appearance, someone to help talk sense into this idiot. Urahara had walked over to investigate the commotion, amused grey eyes peering over the fan he had in his hand, loftily wafting it over his face. His usual hat was tilted back enough to allow his eyes to be visible as he watched the chaotic scene, sharp vision taking note of all the visible damage between the two parties
"You!" Grimmjow growled, turning away from you so suddenly your arms lost their grip, to stomp over to the eccentric exile. Urahara pointed at himself in a over exaggerated "who, me?" kind of way, lowering his fan to reveal the ever present smirk on his face "come with me" Grimmjow growled a moment before he grabbed Urahara by the face, muffling an unmanly squeak before dragging him away with the help of his sonido technique. The quick departure knocked up an angry cloud of dust where you had last seen Urahara standing
You stared amazed in the space where they had disappeared, waiting for your brain to catch up and make sense of what had just happened. The crowd of nosy onlookers started to disperse, gossiping between themselves at the spectacle they had just witnessed. Your mouth opened and closed a few time as you struggled to form a coherent sentence. Well, Grimmjow was Urahara's problem now. Or depending on how you looked at it, Urahara was Grimmjow's problem.
A heavy hand on your shoulder embarrassingly made you jump in fright, adrenaline wearing off made you a little wary. Ichigo had that frown back on his face as he looked down at you. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you?" He asked softly. Like Renji, he didn't agree with violence of any kind against woman and seeing you get shoved to the ground irked him. Not to mention he knew how important you were to Renji, he would look out for you the same way he would want Renji to look out for his own sisters, how Renji had already looked after his sisters
"Im fine" you promised. You really were, you didn't hit the ground hard, and your ass cushioned your fall. Ichigo let his hand slip from your shoulder as you turned to face him "are YOU okay? That's one hell of a bruise forming on your chin" you nodded the the rapidly blackening mark across his jaw. Ichigo rubbed it gently with a shrug
"lucky shot"
"Do you know what got him so mad?" You couldn't for the life of you what could've sent Grimmjow into such a fit of rage. Neither of you had even noticed him until he started swinging. There was nothing he could've overheard you two say that would warrant a reaction like that. Ichigo shrugged, seemingly Unphased by the altercation now that it was over
"It's Grimmjow, does he need a reason?" Fair point well made. In your very limited experience of Grimmjow, no, he didn't need an excuse to become unhinged. Just another part of his radiant personality
"You know, I would of happily followed you back here if you had asked. You didn't need to drag me across the Seireitei by my face" Urahara happily told Grimmjow when they came to a stop outside of his own small lab on the outskirts of the twelfth. Kyoraku had gifted him the space after his help during the Quincy war, along with the option to return to soul society at his pleasure. While he had decided to split his time between here and the world of the living, the gesture was appreciated.
Grimmjow ignored the overly happy quip, all but ripping the door from its hinges and walking into the lab. Grimmjow restlessly paced the little free floor space, waiting for that idiot to follow him in. Urahara leaned against one of the desks, watching Grimmjow pace like a caged animal.
"what can I do for you Mr. Jaegerjaquez?"Urahara questioned in a light tone. While he found it better to be direct with Grimmjow, he couldn't always pass up the opportunity to tease him. Perhaps this wasn't the time for that though.
"there's something wrong with me, you need to fix it" Grimmjow spat the words, unrelenting in his pacing, refusing to look him in the eye. He hated asking for help, loathed feeling weak. Urahara had proved himself to be a genius, even if he was a childish asshole. If anyone knew how to fix him, it was this guy.
"Yes, I'm leaning towards anger management issues with psychotic tendencies myself, but without the proper examinations I wouldn't like to diagnose.." Okay, there was always time to tease the explosive Espada. Urahara stopped his comical, yet accurate assessment of Grimmjow's mental state when said lunatic whipped around to bare his teeth. Urahara held up in hands in mock surrender, trying hard to remove any evidence of amusement from his face "What are your symptoms?"
"I think someone used one of those shinigami spells on me" Uraharas eyebrows shot up under his messy hair, he hadn't expected that. He waved his hand in a 'elaborate' motion, interested in the unusual claim "I keep getting feelings , thoughts that ain't my own. It's like I can't control my own damn thoughts or actions "
That didn't sound like any "shinigami spell" Urahara had ever heard of. Being someone who had mastered nearly all of them, and created a few of his own, he very much doubted there was one like that, that would escape his notice. Grimmjow was being vague for some reason, very uncharacteristic for the blunt man. "I'm going to need you to tell me everything Grimmjow, if you'd like for me to help you. I cannot fix what I do not know"
Grimmjow growled frustrated. Of course the nosy bastard would want to know every little detail. Gritting his teeth, Grimmjow saw very little choice in the matter "I fucked someone. Now I can't get the bitch out of my head. She's making me feel things I don't fucking feel. My instincts are overpowering my head, I feel like I'm going out of my damn mind." Grimmjow dragged his hands down his face, mentally exhausted battling with his instincts and intrusive thoughts. Already they were creeping in, demanding he go back and finish off that punk Ichigo, take that woman back to her den and fuck her to cement his claim.
Urahara studied Grimmjow for a moment. The dark circles under his eyes, his restless moving around. He did look like he was fighting some internal battle, and that he wasn't necessarily coming out victorious. The idea that Grimmjow had gotten feelings for this mystery woman flashed through his mind briefly, before comparing the notion to what Grimmjow had said.
While Grimmjow may not have experienced caring for someone before, let alone love, it really wouldn't explain his instincts going haywire. Nor feeling like he wasn't in control of his own thoughts or feelings. Love could make one do crazy things, it didn't actually turn them crazy. He was concerned for Grimmjows sanity as it was.. Urahara concluded it had to be a hollow thing, not human. He had studied hollows for decades, everything from their special abilities, their eating habits, to sleeping habits to..
"Grimmjow, when you slept with this woman, was it by chance your mating season?" Urahara had a suspicion he knew what had happened, though if it had happened without Grimmjows knowledge or this woman's consent... oh boy
"Rutting season" Grimmjow automatically corrected, nodding the affirmative yet waving a dismissive arm. The fuck had that got to do with anything? He had halted his pacing to watch the hat wearing idiot come up with a solution to his problem
" I see, and did you, per chance, happen to claim her?" Urahara asked as evenly as he could, pressing his fingertip together over his chest
"I fucked her?" Why did this idiot always have to speak in riddles. Fucking is fucking. What more was he getting at
"You misunderstand. Did you claim her? Mark her? Bite her hard enough to draw blood?" It was scary how accurate he described what had happened that night. Grimmjow remembered the taste of your blood on his tongue as he sunk his teeth into your neck. How you moaned like a bitch, writhing beneath him as he marked you as his own,ah shit. Grimmjow reluctantly nodded, seeing where this fool was heading
"Congratulations ! It appears you have successfully mated!"Urahara proclaimed animatedly, clapping his hands together as though it was a joyous revelation. Impossible. You were a shinigami, not a hollow. He couldn't of ACTUALLY mated with you , despite his inner alpha taking over his instincts and treating you as such.
"bullshit" Grimmjow snapped, kicking over a small table, sending paper flying all over the floor. A just reaction to the nonsense he was being presented with, He needed a solution, not some crazy story this crackpot had cooked up "She ain't a hollow"
"No, I agree, it is quite unusual that you had mated with someone who could not reciprocate" Urahara absentmindedly rubbed over his scruff on his chin, thinking over all he knew about hollows and their matings. No studies were ever conducted between Hollows and humans, however. This was completely unprecedented. "But it seems to be the likely cause of your distress. You've formed a bond, it's understandable how it could be effecting your instincts, it's a big change"
Grimmjow looked like he was about to throw up. His eyes were wide with shock, staring at the floor hardly believing the words he heard. He couldn't be bonded to you. You drove him fucking insane. He didn't want a mate, didn't want to be bonded. You were a weak shinigami bitch, you couldn't even mate! How could he have mated with someone who couldn't mate!
"How can I break it?" Grimmjow asked almost desperately. There had to be something he could do to undo what happened. He'd be willing to try just about anything. He couldn't stay like this, couldn't be bonded to you. To someone who wasn't even bonded to him
"Im afraid you can't, hollows mate for life as far as our research has revealed " Urahara watched silently as Grimmjow struggled to wrap his mind around the surreal reality Kisuke just delivered. It was a lot to take in, granted. Grimmjow leaned heavily on the wall, sliding down the cool surface to sit on the floor, legs suddenly feeling weak. He propped up one leg, using his knee to support his elbow as he raked his fingers through his hair, internally imploding
"So..." Urahara's teasing voice made a reappearance, curiosity getting the better of him. He hated half stories and questions left unanswered, he honestly waited as long as he could before asking, admittedly, it wasn't that long. "who's the lucky lady?"
Grimmjow sent Urahara a murderous look at the return of his teasing tone. Funny, Urahara mused, he was well aware of the old proverb "curiosity killed the cat", turns out, the cat was about the kill the curiosity.
Grimmjow was just about ready to make him eat that hat. The fake innocent look he got in return wasn't fooling him. Bastard was enjoying this. Well fuck, Grimmjow thought, amazingly considering answering the question before it dawned on him. The fuck was your name again? He racked his brain trying to remember what the old drunk had called you when he introduced you. He couldn't remember, his annoyance dominated the memory, too pissed at being lumbered with her to pay attention to what they had said. His face must have show his confusion
"Grimmjow! Don't tell me you don't know her name!" If he didn't get that stupid look off his face, Grimmjow was going to punch him. It wasn't like he had planned any of this, why would he bother to remember your damn name!
"I didn't fucking listen when she told me! We didn't talk so I didn't fucking ask. I was never going to see her again! She's not in the 11th!" Grimmjow angrily defended himself. He felt like he was going insane. This had to be some kind of joke. Mated to someone who wasn't mated to him, mated to someone he didn't even know the name of.
"well there's a start, do you know what division she's in?" Urahara tried to help narrow it down, his own selfish curiosity getting the better of him. Though he thought it best to find out her identity, he'd have to have a chat with her, explain everything that was going on. Grimmjow didn't seem stable enough to adequately explain the situation. He barely seemed to grasp it himself.
"No" Grimmjow hadn't asked and she didn't offer up the information. Not that he would've listened if she had. The whole thing was a damn mess.He couldn't concentrate enough to seriously try and remember her name, not with the tormenting thought of Ichigo getting close to you dominating his thoughts. "That damn Ichigo knows her"
"Ichigo knows a lot of people Grimmjow, that doesn't exactly narrow it down" Urahara explained gently. The Espada seemed one distasteful joke away from loosing his mind, perhaps it best to save his teasing where Ichigo is concerned. He'd already stumbled upon their fight this morning, before nine am no less. He didn't want to add fuel to that particular fire
"The old drunk knows her, made me go on a mission with her" That was useful information at least, seemed a visit to the head captain was in order. He should be made aware of the situation, considering what Urahara knew about hollows and how protective they could be with their mates, that's not even fracturing in the influx of testosterone and other chemicals when in mating season. Thankfully, hollows only had two mating seasons a year.
"The fuck am I supposed to do now?" Grimmjow grumbled from the floor, forming and releasing a fist in his lap, absentmindedly flexing his bruised knuckles. Ichigo's jaw was tough, he hated to admit. Not so tough that he couldn't break his jaw though.. that was an appealing thought.
"These feelings aren't going to go away. If anything I imagine they'll get stronger as they progress and solidify. Perhaps it best for you to try to get to know this woman, see if you can't get her to fall in love with you" Grimmjow bristled at the word, head snapping up to stare at Urahara as though he had suddenly sprouted another head. Why the fuck would he want to do that?
"why the fuck would I do that?"
"Because, Grimmjow, your feelings aren't going to go away. I'm not confident in saying what will happen if they're not reciprocated. Your instincts are going to want to be around your mate. Wouldn't it be better if she also wanted to be around you?" Urahara Sincerely hoped Grimmjow would take his advice seriously, he had a few theories of what could happen if you didn't accept his advances. From his experience, nothing good ever came from denying your instincts.
"How the fuck do I do that?" He asked carefully, not wanting to seem suddenly eager to win you over. He was still debating running away, finding himself a den in the Forrest and living off the land away from everyone. Would be a damn sight easier than trying to prove himself as a mate. Sure, he could easily kill any man that chose to challenge him, could hunt and kill to provide you with food. He had no problem satisfying you, if your previous encounters were anything to go by
"Romance, Grimmjow. Romance. Women appreciate a sensitive man who'll talk about their feelings. Now I'm not one to brag, but I've been quite successful with the ladies myself" there was that urge to vomit again. Grimmjow felt like his whole world had been pulled from under his feet, dumping him mercilessly into the dark unknown. He hardly heard the blonde man prattle on about romance, flowers and chocolates. Didn't absorb the recommendation for candle lit dinners and moonlit walks. The whole idea made his stomach churn, he felt suffocated in the room, walls closing in on him.
Grimmjow jumped to his feet, ignoring the call of his own name as he marched himself out the room, looking for the salvation of wide open spaces. Grimmjow ripped the door open, not stopping when he roughly bumped into someone trying to enter, unhearing the muffled call from Urahara and the annoyed remark from whom he had body checked. As soon as he was free of the walls he ran, sprinted as fast and as hard as he could to the tree line. Pushing himself further, easily weaving between the dense trees, running as far away from his problems as he could
"Captain Hirako, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Urahara finally addressed his new guest after they had lost sight of Grimmjow in the trees. A problem to deal with at a later date. Unprompted visits from his long time friend weren't uncommon, though it was quite early in the day for Shinji to be avoiding work.
"how many times do I gotta tell ya to stop with all that Captain nonsense" the usual greeting from over one hundred years ago fell as easily from his lips as breathing did. He breezed into the room as if he owned it, looking down at the array of papers strewn out on the floor, raising a questioning eyebrow to his companion
Urahara just shook his head. He'd deal with the mess later. He indicated to the empty chair in-front of him, smiling when his friend stubbornly chose to stand leaning against the same wall previously propping up Grimmjow
"you look stupid in that hat". Shinji couldn't help but add the tease. They struggled to have a conversation without at least one jab each, which delighted him to no end. At least he didn't have that same stupid look on his face as he used to have when Kisuke first became Captain. The years had given him a confidence he didn't possess back then.
"almost as stupid as that wonky hair cut your sporting" Urahara grinned from behind his fan, unable to hide the amusement from his eyes. He enjoyed their back and forth, Shinji's dry wit hadn't changed much over the years.
"so, what the hell is his problem?" Shinji Hirako asked of his friend, nodding to the door Grimmjow just ran through. Urahara sighed, Grimmjow wasn't going to make this easy on himself. But that was a problem for later. He instead, smiled at his new guest, pulling his fan from the folds of his top to fan his face.
"Grimmjow just received some very difficult news" was the simple explanation offered. Shinji nodded, he already had a pretty good idea what that news was, it was actually what he had came to speak to Kisuke about. Shinji went on to explain what he needed to explain, getting a similar solution to the one he had thought of himself. A very awkward meeting was needed, and soon.