~~~:I am slowly but surely getting the chapters posted here. Bear with me! Life's busy here. =) If you absolutely must read ahead, SSSO is complete, and the entirety is over on AO3:~~~
Chapter 3: Errands With A Menace (Orihime Cooks From Now On)
Orihime awoke the next morning with the feeling of something rather heavy laying across her legs. At first she thought it was part of the dream her alarm pulled her out of, but she quickly realized that it was very much real. She opened her eyes and looked down towards her feet, and blinked a few times before her mind finally registered the white, furry mass that was draped across her lower legs. Puzzled, she gave her legs an experimental twitch, and it disturbed the sleeping animal enough so that it shifted to look at her with a disgruntled glare, only to readjust and curl back up.
Orihime giggled, reaching down to give the cat a gentle pat on its head. The gesture was met with immediate purring, and she ran a hand over its head and down its thick, fluffy white fur. The cat abandoned its slumber in favor of more attention, and it soon stretched its whole body out so she could stroke it from nose to tail.
A cat was an unexpected, welcome surprise.
"You sure are pretty," she cooed, rubbing its chin. Its purr deepened, if possible, as it ate the attention up. It stretched its neck up so she could hit every spot under its chin, and that's when Orihime noticed the bright blue collar around its neck, with a shiny round tag engraved with 'Pantera'. "Pantera, huh? I like that. And I think I know who you might belong to!" Much to the animal's dismay, Orihime got out of bed, breaking off all the attention. She quickly pulled her robe on over her pajamas and then turned to scoop the cat up into her arms.
Orihime hadn't been sure if it would have been appropriate to use the adjoining bathroom door, so she took her bundle of white fluff out to the hall and walked down to Grimmjow's door and knocked, somewhat hesitantly. Hoping that it wasn't going to be repeat of the previous day's first meeting, she waited patiently with Pantera purring away in her arms. "I wonder if he's even up yet?" she asked the cat.
As it turned out, he was.
Grimmjow, having apparently just woken up and not really adjusted to it yet, cracked his door just enough to blink at her a couple times. Orihime gave him a smile.
"Good morning, Grimmjow! I think I have something that belongs to you!"
"Oi, there she is," he said through a stifled yawn, pushing the door open so that he could take the cat from her. Pantera gave him a loud meow and immediately butted her head into his. He returned the gesture with a bleary smirk. "You must have left your bathroom door cracked. She likes to play in the bathtub sometimes, so I leave my bathroom door open for her. Sorry if she bothered you."
"She's not a bother at all! I love cats; I just wasn't sure if she was supposed to be out is all."
"Nah, it's fine as long as you're okay with it. She's getting old and her arthritis acts up sometimes, so she doesn't wander from my room a lot. She usually stays upstairs if she does decide to roam." He disappeared further into the room, and came back a moment later, cat-less, pulling a dark blue t-shirt on over a pair of jeans. He pulled his door mostly shut behind him, leaving it cracked for his cat. "I just gotta get some coffee in me, then we can go when you're ready."
"I just need to grab some breakfast, then I'm good," Orihime replied, giving him another smile. "I don't drink coffee much."
"Must be nice to not be a slave to caffeine," Grimmjow muttered, waving her off. "I'll be downstairs."
"Okay!"
Orihime quickly got dressed and ready for the day. She couldn't help but feel a nervous pang in her belly, though. What if Grimmjow turned out to be some sort of weirdo serial killer? Or if Ulquiorra collected human teeth and made sacrifices to some sinister god? And Tier had a garden of giant carnivorous plants that devoured Grimmjow's victims?
Don't be silly, Hime. If anyone had a garden of giant venus flytraps, it would be Ulquiorra.
She set her hairbrush down on the dresser, giggling at the thought of the green-eyed man baby talking to an enormous flytrap and tickling it under its chin. Maybe he would make them wear little bows, she thought to herself as she grabbed a hoodie and slipped it on. Making sure she had everything in her wallet and her phone was charged, she grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Tier was leaning against the sink, her phone in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. Grimmjow was sitting at the table with his cup, scowling at everything.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like that," Tier said softly. "She knows you still see things Ulki and I are tagged in on Facebook." Grimmjow's scowl deepened, and she shook her head. "She should have at least called you."
"No, she made it clear she didn't want to ever speak to me again. Serves me right for fucking everything up."
"You were not the only one to blame, Grimm. Some of the blame is hers too."
"Most of it's mine, though."
Orihime paused just outside the bat wings, sensing some discourse.
"Um, I'm sorry if I'm walking into something. I can leave if you want."
Both pairs of eyes, green and blue, turned to her, and she swallowed. Tier gave her a smile and motioned her to enter.
"We just got some news about a friend of ours, is all. It's good news, but..." She trailed off, turning her gaze back to Grimmjow, who took a big breath and let it out slowly.
"No, it's good news. She's happy, that's all matters." He ran a hand through his wildly blue hair and sat back in his chair. "I just hope that bastard knows how fucking lucky he is."
"Nel wouldn't have said yes if she had any doubts."
Orihime immediately concluded that this was the same Nelliel that Ulquiorra had mentioned last night, and that she and Grimmjow must have been a thing at some point. From the look on his face, it didn't end well, and he regretted every bit of it. And her saying yes must have meant that she had recently gotten engaged, and it wasn't something that Grimmjow had been privy to at first. Orihime gave him a small smile that she hoped that he didn't think was patronizing, but luckily, he didn't seem to notice as he drained his mug and got up from the table.
"I'm ready when you are, sweetheart. I'll be in the garage." Grimmjow left with a muted sigh, and both Orihime and Tier watched him go with concerned looks.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"Grimmjow's feelings about Nel are...complicated. I'm sure he will eventually be okay, but...try to not mention it for now, unless he brings it up. If he does...just let him talk."
"Do you think he would talk to me?"
"I'm not sure, but with him, anything is possible."
"O-okay. Thanks, Tier."
Orihime and Tier chatted a bit about their days while Orihime made herself a quick breakfast with some protein oatmeal she borrowed from the busty blond. Then she headed out to the garage, where she was met with loud music from an ancient stereo on a tool bench against the far wall. She looked around for Grimmjow, and found him bent over the engine compartment of an old, beat-up, blue Suburban. He glanced at her and gave her a grin, though it was overshadowed by his gloomy mood.
"Just checking the oil level," he said, trying to sound lighthearted. "This thing eats through it like crazy."
"It's okay. I'm not in a hurry." Orihime took the opportunity to look around, noting that there was an empty space dotted with stains on the cement next to the Suburban, and a gleaming Kawaski motorcycle parked in the middle, a helmet with a silver and teal stylized shark wrapped around it resting on its seat. Guessing that since Ulquiorra had obviously already left, and the rusty Suburban fit Grimmjow to a T, the bike belonged to Tier. Orihime wandered closer to it, daring not touch it, running her eyes over its spotless paint and highly polished chrome exhaust.
"That's Tier's baby," Grimmjow confirmed, straighting up with a grunt. "She bought it last year."
"It's beautiful! I've only ever been on a motorcycle once, when my friend Chad bought his. That was a long time ago, though."
"Maybe she'll take you for a ride if you're lucky." He dropped the hood shut with a loud clang, and went to shut the stereo off. "All set!"
The interior of the truck was just as worn as its exterior, though the matching black seat covers tried their best to hide the patchy grey fabric upholstery. Orihime climbed in, trying to ignore the creaking frame, and Grimmjow slammed the door shut behind her. He went around to the driver's side and pulled the door open with some effort, causing a loud squealing protest from the hinges, and slammed it shut, twice, before it actually shut properly. Orihime couldn't help but laugh. Grimmjow chuckled a bit too, nodding in understanding.
"She's not pretty, but she's paid for," he protested, his grin a bit more genuine now.
"I wasn't making fun of 'her'," Orihime said around a hand, hiding her smile. Grimmjow shook his head, starting it up. Surprisingly, it started without an argument.
"Nah, it's a shitbox. Cash is tight, that's all." He gave the dash a fond pat, and then they pulled out and started off.
"So, if you're not a student, what do you do?"
"A bit of everything. I work for a commercial contractor when he needs an extra hand, wash dishes at the supper club Ulquiorra bar tends at when they're short staffed. I work on the occasional vehicle with a buddy of mine, and I mow a lot of grass in the summer. I also do work on the house in trade for rent. Ulki's always got some project he needs me to work on when I'm not busy doing anything else."
"And you can cook! That chili was amazing!"
He cracked a smile, shrugging.
"I'm not good at much else. I make a pretty good pasta sauce too, but other than that, it's not my strong suit. Tier and Ulquiorra are a lot better at it than I am."
"Then we're going to have to change that," Orihime said with a giant smile. "I can show you how to make a homemade pizza crust that'll knock you sideways!"
By the time the morning's errands were done, Orihime's stomach was growling, a fact that she desperately tried to hide from Grimmjow. She had saved back enough money to make sure she had groceries for herself for the next while, but her next paycheck was still a week away, so extra cash to grab lunch was out of the question. So, she chewed a piece of gum she found in her purse furiously, trying to ignore how much her stomach was grumbling.
She was sitting in the Suburban waiting for Grimmjow to come back from the pharmacy, scrolling through her phone, when she got a text. Frowning, she dragged down the top of the screen with her fingertip, and her breath caught when she saw who it was from.
It was Ichigo's number. She hadn't deleted it for the same reason she hadn't deleted anyone else's numbers: What if?
Hey, can we talk? It read.
Her heart instantly started hammering against her rib cage and she was transported back to that night when she left. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she found herself breathing raggedly. She hadn't heard anything from him since, and she hadn't expected any sort of communication period. So why now?
Orihime blinked hard, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. Tatsuki must have said something to him about her progress with her new life.
She closed the message screen with a sigh, choosing to ignore it and leaving it on 'read'. Let him sweat her response out.
By the time Grimmjow came back with a couple small pharmacy bags, she was trying very hard to not cry. He took one look at her face and frowned, climbing up into the truck's cab cautiously.
"You okay, princess?"
Orihime sniffled, nodding.
"I just got a text from Ichigo. I haven't replied to it yet. He wants to know if we can talk."
"Ah." He slammed the door shut, it closed properly on the first try this time, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You need a slice of pizza. And a shake. My treat."
"No! No, I'm fine!"
"Nope. Made my mind up. Besides, your stomach's been growling, and I know you're broke."
Despite her protests, and the rebuttal of her offers to pay him back, they were soon eating lunch together on a bench down at a small, well shaded park with a tall white fountain in the center. Orihime's mood was quickly lifted, and she was laughing at a story he was telling her about Ulquiorra from when they were still small. She found herself extremely grateful that he seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel better, and she told him as such.
Grimmjow shrugged.
"I'm not gonna lie; it's a learned thing. If it weren't for Ulki's Aunt Beatrix, I probably wouldn't be here."
Orihime's eyebrows climbed at the comment.
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say, I didn't come from an ideal situation. I'm still messed up from it, and I probably will be for the rest of my life. The meds help," he jerked his thumb towards the truck parked behind him, indicating the bags from the pharmacy, "but they're not a cure-all. Bea took me in and helped me get my life back on track, got me to have some sort of positive view on life. Ulki gave you a list of phone numbers and shit yesterday, right?"
Orihime nodded. She had it neatly folded into thirds in her purse.
"That was Bea's doing. She did so much for the people of this town that they should've put a statue or somethin' of her up at the library. Or the jail." Grimmjow chuckled, draining his soda before continuing. "Woman's bailed me out a few times. Tier a couple times too."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. I have a temper, Tier has the drive to protest anything she doesn't like. Don't ever let her convince you to wave a sign anywhere. You'll be screaming at cops and getting arrested before you know it."
"Noted!" Orihime laughed, and downed the rest of her chocolate shake. "So, Ulquiorra told me that he's known you his whole life. Did you really grow up together?"
Grimmjow nodded, stretching his legs out in front of him. He stared down at his feet, clad in a pair of worn boots, thoughtfully. "He lived in another town with his parents where he went to some hot shot private school, but he always got dropped off at his aunt's place as soon as summer vacation started. I lived in the trailer park six blocks down on the other side of Main Street, and used to ride my bike through there all the time. We met on the playground not too far from the house. Tier too -she lived a few houses down from Bea's, and we went to school together. Somehow, we all got along. That was probably Nel's doing, actually." He allowed himself to trail off, his eyes growing a bit foggy. Orihime bit her lip, hearing Tier's warning echo through her head. But, whatever thoughts were going through his head were kept to himself, and he pulled his phone out to check the time. "We should probably wrap this up, princess. I need to get that damn mower fixed and the grass mowed before Ulki goes batshit on me."
She gave him a big smile, relieved that their companionable moment wasn't going to get ruined, and they set off back to the house.
Ulquiorra was back by the time they returned from their errands, seemingly to trade time slots with Tier, who had left at some point. Orihime noted the older black Volvo parked where the empty spot was and decided that it was a perfectly fitting, sensible choice for him. Grimmjow helped her bring her groceries in before he disappeared back into the garage to tinker on the mower. She was humming cheerfully to herself as she carved out a niche for her refrigerated stuffs when the black Volvo owner walked into the kitchen, and leaned against the countertop next to the sink.
"Ms. Inoue, did you sleep well last night?"
She turned to give him a grin.
"I did, thank you! I even woke up with a cat on my legs!"
"Ah, so you've met Pantera. She is a delightful little allergen." He pushed away from the countertop and helped move some of his stuff over so she could fit a gallon of milk onto her shelf. "Did your morning with Grimmjow go well?"
"It did. I got my motel room settled and gave the key back, and got myself some groceries, and picked up my books. He even bought me lunch, which he absolutely didn't have to do, and I told him that, but he doesn't listen very well, does he?"
Ulquiorra smiled faintly at her bubbly mood, and shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid his cat is better house broken than he is. What is all this?"
Ohihime looked over her shoulder to see he had looked inside the last bag, which contained a large package of ground beef, a package of freshly baked onion rolls, and a package of sliced tofu.
"I'd like to make dinner tonight, if you don't mind. Grimmjow said it was your turn, but you also weren't going to argue if I wanted to take your spot. How do burgers sound? I even got some potatoes to make homemade french fries!"
"That sounds perfect. You even got some tofu for Tier, I see."
"Grimmjow mentioned that she likes it fried with onions, and those onion rolls are going to be so good with it!"
"She will be very appreciative of that. You did not have to go through this much trouble, though. House family meals are sort of a 'gather funds' ordeal."
"I wanted to, though! You guys have already welcomed me in and made me feel so much better about picking up and moving that I felt like I had to do something. This was in my budget, and I still have plenty of stuff to get me through to payday." She gave Ulquiorra a broad smile. "I'm really not all that great at doing much besides cooking, so let me thank you via your stomachs!"
"As you wish, Ms. Inoue. Would you like some help when you start dinner?"
"If you could peel and slice the potatoes for me, that would be awesome!"
Ulquiorra nodded, fascinated. She clearly liked being in a kitchen, and carried herself in an authoritative manner as she swept around the room putting her groceries away and creating a checklist for things she would need. She hummed the whole time, her smile never once slipping.
He had homework he needed to do. He should go do it. However, he found himself reluctant to leave the kitchen, and soon enough found himself helping her gather ingredients and utensils, much to her delight. He was rewarded with a sparkling, surprised smile when he pulled out a heavy cast iron griddle that fit across three of the stove top's burners, and it made his throat tighten a bit.
"Oh, Ulquiorra, that's beautiful! Was it your aunt's?"
"Hmhm. She made it a point to keep her cast iron at the ready. She entertained a lot, even after the cancer started winning. Of course, she had a lot of help towards the end, too. If you're careful, you may use her pieces as long as you take care of them."
"Absolutely! Thank you!"
Grimmjow had come in through the back mud room at some point mid-meal prep, covered in bits of grass, and his hands coated in black gunk. He glanced at the cast iron griddle and then gave Ulquiorra a hiked eyebrow. Ulquiorra returned it with a flat look that said to stay quiet, and the blue-haired man shook his head knowingly.
"I think you should watch your eye strain, doc," he said with a smirk.
Orihime paused in mixing up her burger seasoning to give the two of them a confused look.
"Huh? Eye strain? Is something wrong with your eyes, Ulquiorra?"
Ulquiorra's hard look turned into a glare, and Grimmjow chuckled.
"Mower's fixed, grass is mowed. I'm gonna go shower before I eat a thousand of those burgers kitchen queen is making."
Orihime giggled.
"I like that one. I should get that embroidered on an apron!"
That night, before she climbed into bed, Orihime once again brought Ichigo's message up on her phone screen, giving it a frown as she thought as she thought about her reply. Did she want to talk to him? Well, yeah. But...what if he was just going to try to convince her to come back? She was pretty sure that it probably wouldn't take much to talk her into it, unfortunately. However, she did also acknowledge that she was going to have to talk to her ex again at some point, and probably soon. She did leave a lot of stuff behind at the apartment, and now that she found a spot to stay for a while, she could now arrange to go back for it, or have it shipped to her.
Orihime sighed, and dropped her phone into her lap in favor of petting Pantera, who had quickly realized she was sitting on her bed with plenty of time to suck up for attention. The big fluffy cat was on her back with all four paws in the air so her new source of affection could rub her belly.
After a few minutes, she made her mind up, and picked her phone back up.
Yes, but not right now. I'm not ready to yet. I'll text you when I am, okay? She hit Send, her mouth set, staring at the screen and hoping he wouldn't respond right away. Unfortunately, Ichigo was always good at staying on top of things, and his reply was almost immediate.
Okay.
I'm sorry for all of this.
Please take care of yourself.
There was a moment where she thought he might add 'I love you', but, perhaps wisely on his part, it never came. Orihime swallowed hard against a wave of tears that threatened to slip down her cheeks. She couldn't help but feel like there was a sort of finality in his words that suddenly felt like a weight on her chest, and it made it hard to breath.
"Pantera, you're so lucky you're a cat without a care in the world outside of food and comfort," she murmured, scratching under the animal's chin. "I bet all you need is a patch of sunshine and you're all set."
Pantera offered no reply, no words of affirmation, but she did curl up next to her and purred, and Orihime found that worked just as well.
"All I'm saying is that she should cook dinner every day. That's it!"
"That's highly unlikely to happen, Grimmjow. She's a medical student. If she's not at school, she'll be doing homework."
"Well, then we need to figure out how to clone her, because if she can make burgers like that, then think of what else she can make!"
Tier chuckled from her spot at the table where she was scrolling through her phone.
"Even I have to admit that the girl can cook, and my father was a world class chef." The person in question turned an exasperated look onto the blond woman, who winked at him. "Not to encourage blue boy, mind."
"See? Even Tier agrees with me." Grimmjow crossed his arms with a huff. "We should convince her to drop out of school and cook for us. That way, she has to stay here and can't run off in terror when you ask her to marry you. I mean, why else would you let a complete stranger use Bea's cookware? You don't even let Tier use it!"
Ulquiorra sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
