Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The decorative neon lights hung over the doorway, desk, and in the hall illuminated the room in shades of blue, pink, and green. Odd shadows were cast over the walls, furniture, and the two panting bodies in the room struggling to remain balanced on the reclined chair.

The black leather of the seat was cool against his back as the blond's shirt was lifted, dragged up to his armpits to expose the vulnerable bare flesh underneath. Large hands groped over the bared skin, fingertips pressing in-between the curves of ribs and drawing out little sighs of content excitement.

Straddling the chair, the other man's long legs were spread and his groin dangerously close to the blond's, hot even through the fabric of his jeans. He had the blonde pinned on his back against the chair, his skinny legs drawn up and spread over the blunet's thighs. The younger guy was breathing heavily, reaching up to brush his fingers over the man's face, aiming higher to run through rain dampened light hair.

A growl rumbled in his throat and he descended to drag his teeth over the blonde's throat, leaving a trail of saliva over the abused skin before sucking harshly. The blond threw his head back and turned a high keen into a vicious growl, hands scrambling at the man's shoulders and dragging against his flannel sleeves desperate for purchase.

"F-fuck Grimm," the blond panted, voice thick as he reached up to drag his blunt nails over the back of the blunet's scalp, drawing out a trembling breath from the larger man on top of him.

"That's the goal, yeah?" the man rumbled, his voice a rasp against the blond's throat. He mouthed urgently at the soft flesh, drawing up his own hand to cup the other's cheek, pressing his thumb against his bottom lip. With a grunt, he pushed harder, slipping the tip of his thumb under the upper lip to graze against hard teeth.

"Open up for me, Ichigo," he ordered, something in his voice and about the way Grimm's lips clung to and mouthed over the same spot on his throat making Ichigo want to obey.

Parting his lips, the blond let Grimm force his thumb inside and met him with his tongue, twisting around Grimm's finger and swallowing the taste of flesh and sweat. Ichigo shuddered when the man pressed his thumb down on his tongue and he licked at him eagerly. From below them, Ichigo's hips quivered and he rolled down hoping for contact with Grimm's groin but just barely missing him. The man made up the difference and crashed his hips up into Ichigo's, mouthing up his neck to kiss at his jaw as his unoccupied hand pet at his hip, squeezing suddenly and dipping a finger beneath the exposed hem of Ichigo's boxers.

"You're still cold," Grimm murmured, nuzzling the line of Ichigo's jaw and pressing his nose against the blond's cheek, eyes fluttering closed.

"You're warm," Ichigo drawled around his thumb, face flushing at how garbled his words were with Grimm sticking fingers in his mouth and the drool pooling over his tongue.

"Yeah?" Grimm rasped, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before drawing back and up to get a good look at the blond's face.

Ichigo stared up at him, breathing heavily around his thumb and swallowing desperately, his lips forming a seal around Grimm's finger as he licked him again. Those blue eyes were narrow and clouded, pupils blown wide from the dark and with lust. Even in the dim neon light, Ichigo felt happily and utterly trapped under that intense gaze.

Around several blocks from the main shopping district on the corner of a south-facing street and nestled beside a nail salon, Pantera stood in all its unglamorous three-story glory. The outside of the building was nothing impressive but it was well maintained, the front door freshly cleaned with available hours on a plaque hanging on the inside.

In the side window hung a neon sign reading OPEN in looped florescent letters. Decals in a holographic material made swooping and curved designs along the edges of the window and a large painting of a stylized panther decorated the display wall. There were more signs advertising the services within, from tattoos to piercings and walk-ins welcome.

In all, Ichigo couldn't help shrugging at Renji's expectant smirk.

"Still think I took you to a seedy dump?"

"Whatever, let's just go inside already." the strawberry blond snorted, gesturing towards the front door.

Renji shook his head and rolled his eyes, but even Ichigo's sour skepticism couldn't rain on his parade. Hopping up to the door and holding it open, nodding for his friend to walk in first. The shorter boy leered at him but sighed and stepped in, tapping his messenger bag against his hip as he moved to the side quickly to give Renji room to come in.

Over the past couple months, Renji had been coming to Pantera to fix up older tattoos of his from stupid high school days and had become so smitten with the artist's cleanup work that he'd signed on to commission a few more tattoos. He hadn't been able to shut up about the guy, bringing Ichigo papers with test sketches and work ups, gushing over the unique details and treating them like gold, holding the papers against his bare arms and shoulders and simply beaming in a mirror.

Ichigo had been a bit snappish at first, pointing out how expensive it was sure to get as what little he did know about tattoos was that artists don't work cheap even on work ups – rightfully so – but Renji had swatted him upside the head. His body was worth any investment, even if it meant picking up graveyard shifts at work to cover the extra expense. Nonetheless, even Ichigo couldn't be a dick forever and came around, admitting there was skill in the sketches and the cleanup job Renji had already gotten.

Slipping off his sunglasses and hanging them on the collar of his red v-neck shirt, Ichigo looked around the shop interior curiously as Renji went up to the small reception desk. No one was currently seated but further down the hall there was the sound of music playing and the distant buzz of a machine. The light haired boy quirked a brow as he eyed up the dark magenta walls and black and white tiled flooring.

Artwork was framed up on the walls beside posed photos of customers and their body art, as well as mounted folding portfolios that despite his opinions had Ichigo morbidly curious in flipping through. A sitting area off to the side was empty but had several comfortable looking chairs and a magazine rack with several more portfolio books on top of a low table in the center that had Ichigo more curious than he'd like to admit.

"Hey, who's home?" Renji called out suddenly, making Ichigo bristle at the loud shout.

The music down the hall lowered in volume and the buzzing sound stopped as some unfamiliar voices spoke. Ichigo shuffled closer to Renji to jab his elbow into the other's side, getting a snarl and a shove from the redhead.

"S'that for?"

"You can't talk like that in a store," Ichigo began to hiss out of habit, but stopped when a deep voice called from down the hall.

"Renji?"

Both college students looked up to see a man with a shock of bright blue hair step out from a room at the end of the hall, turning to find them and waving. His long legs carried him to the front of the shop quickly and Ichigo swallowed his surprise as the man approached. He wasn't necessarily young but not at all old either, the contours of his face angled sharply, and a long neck dropped to a pronounced collar bone. He wore a black tank top over his broad chest under an unbuttoned blue flannel shirt that hugged his shoulders and arms down to his elbows where the sleeves had been rolled up, showing peaks at his tattooed arms before black latex gloves obscured their view of his wrists.

But what had caught Ichigo's attention the most were the bright blue eyes set behind thick black lashes. Blue eyeliner winged underneath his eyes made them pop and it took him a moment to realize he was staring before he averted his gaze. Several strands of blue hair stuck to his forehead from sweat. Wiping the back of his arm over his forehead, he grinned at Renji and flashed a curious look in Ichigo's direction.

"Good to see you're on time, who's your friend?" the man drawled.

Shuffling in place and pursing his lips, Ichigo gripped the strap of his messenger bag tightly and his gaze flickered in Renji's direction.

"This's Ichigo Kurosaki, that artist guy I was telling you about," Renji said with a laugh, patting Ichigo's shoulder amusedly when he tensed and flushed a bit at the admission. "He wanted to be here for moral support while I get the next bit done and to check out the place."

"I-"

"Ah, so you looking into anything?" the man asked, his voice amused and his eyes bright as he nodded towards Ichigo.

"I'm not…interested in this sort of thing," Ichigo shrugged, holding in a breath and feeling Renji's eyes boring into him in a silent command to keep his manners in check. His dark brown eyes flickered up to the man and watched as he stared a moment before cocking a brow and shrugging even with his lips.

"S'not for everyone," he agreed simply, pulling off the black gloves and tossing them into a waste basket beside the reception desk. "But pretty chill to come sit with your friend, these sessions can run long and Renji's annoying when he's bored."

"H-hey!" the redhead snapped defensively, glaring when Ichigo laughed a bit.

"Renji's annoying period, it's in his nature," Ichigo snorted, curling his lip when Renji smacked at his arm.

"Takes one to know one," the blue haired man mused, watching Ichigo turn the leer his way incredulously and merely flashed a toothy grin in response.

"Who are you anyway?" Ichigo asked with an unimpressed sniff.

"Renji didn't get to introduce us proper, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the owner," he smirked, holding out his hand, "Call me Grimm."

Ichigo huffed and tilted his head but grabbed the guy's hand anyway, squeezing it with an informal shake. He was mildly surprised at how tightly Grimm squeezed his back but did nothing except wince.

"What kind of a name is that anyway?" he asked bluntly as he took back his hand, ignoring Renji's look of abject horror.

Grimm cracked a smile and laughed, pressing his palm to his hip. "Well it's mine. What kind of a name is Ichigo for a guy like you?" he countered.

Ichigo looked like he was ready to see red and Renji intervened quickly, knocking Ichigo in the side none too gently.

"Knock it off would ya?" he hissed, looking back to Grimm. "So uh, you seemed busy?"

Grimm's blue eyes widened a moment and his lips pulled into a smile and he nodded back towards the hall.

"Yeah, was just finishing up the slot before yours. One sec," he waved, leaning towards the hallway. "Hey Mila, care for a show?" he called down. The music turned off at that point.

"Sure!" a deep feminine voice called back.

Waving the boys towards him, Grimm began walking back down the hall.

"Just had some morning slots and Mila today, knew yours'd take awhile so I sent Nel home early and kept the rest of the day open," the man shrugged.

Renji's face lit up with an appreciative smile and Ichigo folded his arms over his chest, following after the two of them a bit uncertainly. When they reached the room, Grimm tapped on the door frame and grabbed a new pair of gloves out of a box on a small desk before taking a seat on a small rolling stool beside the chair.

"This's Mila Rose, just adding onto her today," he offered succinctly.

Ichigo and Renji froze and stared in awe at the woman relaxing against the black leather. Long dark legs were crossed at the ankle and jean capris hugged her thick thighs and hips. She wore a peach tank top and a crocheted white and pink shawl was draped over the back of a chair by the wall. Her dark mane of hair was pulled to the side messily in a clip behind her ear and her green eyes flashed when she looked from Grimm to the boys.

"So you must be Renji, Grimm's been telling me about you," she said amiably, getting comfortable as Grimmjow tugged his gloves tightly into place.

"O-oh he has?" Renji asked, looking over her bared arm appreciatively as she placed it on the pull-down armrest to give the artist better access.

"Sure, you're my meal ticket lately, gotta take pride in my work," Grimm joked, reaching for his iron and applying more colored ink.

"You can come in for a closer look if you're curious," Mila offered, thick lips pulling into a smile as Renji flushed and hurried over to stand beside Grimm excitedly. Ichigo hesitated until the woman quirked her brow at him and he followed after.

Along her shoulder was a spray of delicate looking roses in a dark violet and the profile of an animal skull – it looked feline. Grimm set to work on filling in a stylized lion stretching across her arm beneath the other design. The lines were careful and precise, the use of color strong but not overwhelming, giving the lion an elegant sort of quality. As Renji marveled at the details, asking Mila about them, Ichigo watched Grimm's focused expression as he moved the iron over Mila's skin. His long fingers in the black latex were dexterous and nimble, and Ichigo found himself staring with a dry mouth.

While he might have little interest in tattoos and may have held some negative opinions of them, in that moment he had nothing to say against the seriousness the artist clearly put into his work. Flashing his dark gaze between Renji and the woman, the blond sighed silently at their dual expressions of glee to see the art take shape.

Seeing it happen in real time and to see the appreciative looks on both their faces, it made Ichigo feel a bit embarrassed of himself for reasons he couldn’t necessarily name.

After several minutes, Grimm let out a sigh and turned off his machine.

"All done, how's that?" he asked, picking up a mirror off his work stand and holding it over to Mila who eagerly snatched it up to look over her new tattoo piece.

Her lips pulled into a wide smile that showed her white teeth and she giggled.

"It's just great, even better than the sketches," she purred.

Grimm nodded and set about finishing her up, taping down some plastic over the newly inked flesh and handing her off with a folded sheet of paper of the standard aftercare tips and product recommendations.

"Not that I think you need reminding of the steps, but if you need any more coupons for the moisturizer just lemme know and I'll grab some." he added, resting his elbows on his spread knees.

"You're so sweet to me, boss," Mila smirked, swinging her legs over the edge of the chair and standing, using her other arm to grab her shawl and purse. "I'll just drop the check off in the register before I leave," she said with a wave, walking past Ichigo with a wink.

"Boss?" Renji asked curiously, looking down at Grimm as the taller man began to wipe down his tools with disinfecting wipes.

"Mila covers Nel at reception sometimes, never can keep 'em at the desk long," the blunet shrugged, wiping down the leather seat with another sterile wipe. "So Renji, you ready? I just gotta grab the new ref sketches I made," he said with a breath, standing from the stool and shucking off his gloves to toss in the waste bin.

For whatever reason, Ichigo found himself appreciative of the care the guy seemed to take to keeping his hands clean between touching people and things. It was thanks to being so close that he noticed the remnants of dark blue nail polish still flaked on his well shaped nails as well. When he looked up, he felt his mouth twitch in distaste to see Grimm staring back at him with an amused smirk as he stepped out. He was barely close enough to touch but Ichigo caught the weakened scent of his aftershave as he walked out the door way and it made his stomach coil as though butterflies were stuck inside.

"I told you he was amazing, didn't I?" Renji asked, sitting himself down on the leather chair and peeling off his tank top while being mindful of his pulled back hair.

"Yeah sure, so he's good, I never said he wasn't…" Ichigo huffed, leering at the growing collecting of tattoos Renji had been adding to his body over the past couple months.

There were symbols and lines and curves as well as some outlines for future detailing along his arms and chest. At first Renji had had the idea in his head to get symmetrical tribal symbols done up, but after seeing Grimm's more artistic work had dropped the idea for instead making his body a living collage of art and symbols – at least so he would brag to Ichigo while begging him to try drawing basic ideas down for him when he was too lazy to do it for himself.

Ichigo settled down into one of the empty chairs across from Renji, setting his bag down as well. He'd brought along one of his European Lit books to prep read for the coming semester when the session with Renji got boring, which he assumed would be very early into it.

"…what'd you…tell him about me?" Ichigo asked after a moment, lips pursed tightly and tone just a little defensive.

"Hm?" Renji asked, tossing his shirt to Ichigo who grimaced and dropped it over his bag.

"When we first came in," he stuttered in annoyance.

"Oh, yeah, well you know. I've just told him I've got a hardass artist friend with a good hand but has a stick up his ass about body mods,"

"Pfft, thanks…wait then he knew and still asked me?" Ichigo snapped, frowning as his annoyance bubbled over more.

"You're wigging out over nothing, man," Renji snorted, "Like Grimmjow cares if you like 'em or not."

"Yeah well…" the blond's voice faltered when Grimm appeared in the doorway, paper under his arm and a six-pack of Dr. Pepper dangling from his fingers.

"Like I care about what?" he asked, blue stare lingering on Ichigo a little too long for his tastes.

"The fact that Ichigo's a whiny baby about body mods," Renji snorted, smiling and eagerly holding a hand out for the soda.

"I'm not a-"

Grimm handed it over and set the papers down on the desk before quirking a smile at Ichigo.

"Eh, not all opinions are permanent," he shrugged.

"Tattoos are."

"Hmn, even if that were the case, then it's best to make sure it's something you care about, yeah?"

"Mm…" Ichigo felt his face heat up but whether out of anger or being flustered he wasn't sure.

"Oi Renji, hand me one of those," Grimm gestured to the cans and Renji was quick to slide one loose of the plastic ring for him.

Opening the can with a hiss and pop, Grimm took a long drink and set the can aside before grabbing a new pair of black latex gloves. Situating himself back on his stool, he rolled a bit and shrugged his shoulders again. Pursing his lips, he seemed to change his mind about something and slid his flannel shirt off, flapping out the sleeves and tying it around his waist.

Renji gave a breath of appreciation and Ichigo eyed the man's arms with critical eyes. Multiple designs in different styles swept over most of his exposed flesh, bold blacks and colors alongside faded marks to show some age. Several stylized animal skulls adorned one upper arm, and along the inside each of his wrists, several numbers in bold script were forever etched. There were other designs, compact quotes and symbols weaving together with a colorful dollop of flowers here and there to fill in more space, their colors seemingly more meaningful alongside the other designs. But they also felt far too personal to start asking about.

Grimm glanced over at Ichigo through his lashes and his lips curled into an amused smirk when Ichigo looked away to stare at Renji.

"What's the soda for?" he asked.

"Want one?" Renji asked, already pulling a third can free of the plastic. Ichigo reached over for it and didn't seem to notice the slight color in his friend's face as Grimm chuckled heartily.

"Renji's passed out on me twice in the chair," Grimm teased, reaching behind him to grab his can again to drink as Ichigo's eyes widened in a wicked kind of glee.

"What? Seriously?" he asked, looking to Renji for confirmation. The flustered frown on his lips was enough of an affirmation. Slapping his knee, he snorted. "Even I wouldn't do that, who's the baby now?" Ichigo taunted.

Grimm raised a brow while drinking and gave Ichigo a challenging look.

"You really think so? I've had guys twice Renji's size black out. It happens, I bet you'd go under on me too if you were down long enough."

Ichigo ignored how somewhere in his mind he'd interpreted that sentence a bit differently.

Renji gave a more thankful look to the tattoo artist and snarled in Ichigo's direction.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Ichigo," the redhead chuckled.

"Like hell I'd ever get one done to find out," the other snapped, crossing his legs and leaning back in the chair as he opened his can to take a sip. Flashing a look towards Grimm, he saw the man give him another amused glance before chuckling silently and looking away. Ichigo clenched a fist in his lap in annoyance.

Grimm set about organizing the papers he'd brought and ducked his head in low to discuss a few quick things with Renji, pointing at areas of his upper chest and shoulder and back to the paper. Ichigo hadn't been paying the closest attention but whatever they'd said Renji had nodded eagerly and begun to lean back in the chair as Grimm flipped the armrest up and away.

As the machine started and Grimm leaned down over Renji's body, he looked up curiously to glance at Ichigo before turning attention back on Renji's flesh.

"So how did you two meet?" he asked casually, starting the tattoo.

Renji gave a light sigh at the first press of the machine and flashed a grin in Ichigo's direction.

"Funny story…" he began vaguely, watching as even through his disinterest the blond's lips quirked up in a smile.

Over the next two hours, Renji and Ichigo took animated turns telling or retelling stories from high school and other stories from their past year at college. Back when, Ichigo had taken it upon himself to seek out Renji wanting to kick his ass for distracting behavior in one of their shared classes freshman year. Renji had taken it upon himself to swear revenge on the hypocritical asshole and they'd spent the next several months sending one another to the infirmary and skirting around suspensions. What had taken the cake was when they'd shown up at a mutual friend's birthday party and started a fight that left them with a black eye or busted lip and covered in remnants of well…cake.

Several times Grimm had paused and pulled away from Renji to laugh, his voice a deep rumble in his chest or a high cackle at the ridiculous heights or rather lows of immaturity the two had gone to while going after one another. This was one such break where the blunet had rolled to rest his back against the desk and drink from his second can of soda, watching and listening intently to the conclusion of the story.

"Turns out birthday girl had made her own cake anyway so we kind of did everyone a favor…" Ichigo mused, chuckling softly at the memory.

"Rukia still salvaged enough of it to eat, though." Renji shuddered.

"She'd do anything for Orihime, s'gonna get her food poisoning," Ichigo sighed unpleasantly.

"What exactly made you friends, then?" Grimm asked curiously, eyes alight and brows raised high.

"Well I broke his nose," Ichigo shrugged.

" I busted his lip, to add to the black eye."

"And?" Grimm asked.

"That’s kinda it."

"What!?" the man cracked, shoulders shaking as he laughed.

"Just been friends ever since, applied to the same university and all, too. Don't dorm together though,"

"We'd murder each other in our sleep."

Grimm shook his head, finishing his can and watching as the two college students beamed viciously at one another. Looking over Renji's chest, he pursed his lips and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Hey Renji, I think we should break here. Session length could be pushing it," he said with a sigh after a moment.

Renji blinked in surprise and glanced up at a clock hung up over the doorway.

"Huh, didn't seem as long as usual," he shrugged. "Can I get a mirror?"

"Sure," Grimm nodded, handing off the same hand mirror he'd offered Mila.

Renji took it eagerly to admire the current place of Grimm's work. Over his right shoulder and upper chest, Grimm had been laying base work for a spray of spider lily flowers and the long coiled spine of a snake, the start of a skull taking shape. The intricate details of the flowers were evenly inked down, the petals looking severe and lovely and the base pink color even stood out from Renji's flesh.

"Gonna hit in the red and flesh out here and here…" Grimm began explaining his plan for the next session to Renji who listened intently, but Ichigo found himself blankly watching Grimm's latex covered fingers pointing at and just barely touching Renji's chest.

Looking up, the blond saw the focus in Grimm's expression, as though he could already see the finished design on the skin and the way his lips quivered holding back a grin did more than reveal his excitement for the project. Renji was nodding along, twisting his chest to try and catch more light on the start of his new tattoo to admire it in the mirror.

The excitement shared between the two left Ichigo feeling left out and he awkwardly thumbed the tab of his soda can. If he were more childish he might kick the floor wondering 'what's to be so excited about' but being so out of his element and literally surrounded with evidence of the opposing opinion left him feeling like the immature, thoughtless one.

Hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he broke out of his thoughts to look up and meet Grimm's bright gaze, staring over at him with amusement again. Ichigo sucked in a breath and narrowed his eyes – was the bastard laughing at him? Know something he didn't? Or worse, could he read his mind?

But the blunet shrugged at him and looked back to Renji, nudging his fist against the redhead's bare shoulder amiably as they laughed over something he'd said.

"I'd like to see you again around the twelfth, let's get up to the desk and pencil you in, yeah?" Grimm asked, taping down plastic on Renji carefully.

Ichigo stood by quietly and stewing in his own misdirected annoyance as Renji made the next appointment and handed over payment. As they headed to walk out, the automated bell above the door ringing, Grimmjow waved after them, Ichigo swearing his blue eyes were burning holes into his own.

"See you next time!" he'd called, still watching Ichigo with that infuriating smirk.

As they stepped out into the darkened streets, Ichigo pursed his lips tightly as he adjusted the way his messenger back hung from his shoulder. Renji was adjusted his tank top, being mindful of the plastic on his chest and unable to drop the doofy smile on his lips.

"Just damn, he's so good have you looked at this?" he mused, dropping his hands into his pockets and laughing giddily to himself, bumping elbows with Ichigo.

"Yeah yeah, he's good," the blond sniffed sourly, glancing at his watch and grimacing at the time. They'd have to hurry to catch the next train or be stuck waiting another half hour.

"Well don't be all excited for me at once," Renji sighed, unbothered by the other's pessimism.

"He's annoying."

"Who, Grimm? He's cool, man."

"You're both annoying." Ichigo sighed, nudging Renji's shoulder with his own, offering a weak smile in truce.

"Well hey, you wanna come with me again next time? You could probably look at his portfolios if you wanted to," Renji offered, trying to coax him into it.

Ichigo shook his head.

"No way, not interested. You can go hang out with him by yourself."

On the twelfth, after Renji had checked in around half past five in the afternoon and gotten comfortable in the familiar black leather seat, Grimm was ready and had gone to turn up the music when they were interrupted by the sound of the automated door bell ringing. The echo of shoe soles on tile announced the hastened approach of their visitor and both men looked curiously to the doorway when Ichigo slipped inside, looking around quickly to assure they were there.

Swallowing the slight pant in his breathing, he licked his lips and walked over towards the empty chairs against the wall, dropping his bag and butt into a seat.

"Ichigo?" Renji asked curiously, a thick brow raised.

"Sorry I missed my first train," he shrugged, not looking up as he dug his Euro Lit book out of his bag and pulled it into his lap. "I said I'd come, didn't I? You can…start or whatever," he said airily, still catching his breath if the red on his face was anything to go by.

Renji stared at him with confusion but huffed and rolled his eyes before leaning back in the seat.

After a second, the blonde glanced up through his lashes and froze seeing Grimm staring at him from across the room. Blue eyes were bright and amused, his lips pulled into a pleased sort of smirk. He was first to break eye contact and turned his attentions to Renji fully, pulling up his iron and setting off to work.

Ichigo swallowed the knot in his throat and demanded the butterflies that had flown up into his chest to dive back down into his stomach where they belonged.

He wanted to punch that smug smirk off Grimmjow's face.

After a couple more sessions of work and oddly easy conversation between the three with several provoked outbursts from Ichigo, Grimmjow and Renji decided the shoulder piece was complete.

Renji leaned against the wall to the side as Ichigo sat uncertainly in one of the side chairs and the two students watched as Grimm cleaned up the room, wiping down the seat with sterile wipes and organizing the desk and his workstation. Renji was still admiring his ink beneath the plastic, tugging the sleeve of his tank top down to have a better view of it, his chin nearly touching his chest. Ichigo flipped another page in his book, thoroughly bored but too nervous to risk looking up and staring at the artist lest Renji see or worse, get caught in the act by the target himself.

Trapped in his own continuous cycle of anxiety, the blond didn't notice Renji watching him with a confused look. The redhead looked from his friend to the book to the look of holding his breath and chancing a fast glance at Grimm. Then it dawned on him. Smirking, he fixed his shirt and knocked his knuckles on the wall to catch the artist's attention.

"Hey Grimm, can Ichigo check out one of your portfolio books? It was one of the reasons I got him to come along in the first place, but he hasn't seen a single one."

Ichigo felt a stone drop in his throat as he looked up with shocked wide eyes promising a haunting as he glared miserably in Renji's direction. Face reddening with heat, he refused to look in the direction of the artist as Grimm straightened up and shrugged.

"Huh? Yeah sure," he said, turning his head to flash a grin at the frozen stiff student. "You guys got time for that?"

Renji glanced up at the clock over the door and his lips dropped into a bit of a frown. "Hm well, last train leaves in a couple hours and we gotta grab food, but shouldn't take too long?" he guessed, looking to Ichigo. "What say you, Ichigo?"

"H-hm?" he choked, pulling up his head quickly, forgetting what he'd been trying to avoid doing the moment his confused dark eyes fell in line of Grimmjow's waiting blue stare.

Grimm chuckled and Ichigo seethed, fingertips digging into his book. Renji sighed in annoyance and nodded towards Grimm.

"You wanna check out a portfolio, right? Hurry up and decide, we still gotta grab food on the way home."

"Oh…uh…yeh…" the blond stammered, his tongue feeling dry and his stomach bottoming out from being put on the spot. Sure, yeah, he was really curious and wanting to see Grimmjow's art, but at the same time he couldn't just come out and say that and see that fucking smug grin again.

After a few of the most awkward and humiliating moments of his life, Grimm started laughing, the freaking jerk. Peeling off his gloves, he tossed them in the trash and wiped his palms on the thighs of his shredded jeans.

"Why don't you both come upstairs and I'll call for pizza?" he offered with a toothy grin. "I'd be getting it anyway, and Nel hates when I heat up leftovers for lunch the rest of the week so," he shrugged.

"What really?" Renji asked excitedly, eyes widening as a smile spread on his face. "I'm so down for pizza."

"How about you, Ichigo?" Grimm asked, turning his head to cock a brow at the blond, catching him by surprise.

For whatever reason, Ichigo couldn't remember if Grimmjow had ever addressed him alone by name before. It irked him yet a traitorous butterfly ticked the back of his throat. Coughing lightly he looked away with a huff and nodded his head.

"Sounds uh…good…"

"Just lemme close up and shit, then we can head up." the blunet said with a sigh as he strode out of the room and towards the front desk. "You can go wait by the black door to the left," he called behind him.

Renji waited for Ichigo to stand up before heading out and looking for the black door. A stairwell plaque was bolted beside it to the wall and a sign was taped to the door reading "Employees Only" and might have been taken more seriously if not done in metallic pink marker and flowery handwriting. Ichigo guessed the other worker, Nel, had made it. He'd only met her a couple times for a few minutes each but it seemed like something she'd do.

Some of the overhead lights flickered off further down the hall and both boys looked up in surprise when Grimm walked up to them, his cell phone pressed against his ear. He drew it away and covered the speaker with his palm for a moment to ask them what they wanted on the pizza.

When he resumed the order, Ichigo grimaced when Grimm added on to have extra pineapple topping on the entire thing. Hanging up, the blunet flashed them both a toothy grin and stepped between them to push open the heavy black door, holding it open for both of them to step into the small stair hall.

"Just go on up, door's open." he explained. Renji tore up the stairs excitedly but Ichigo hung back, squeezing the handrail and throwing a sour look at the artist.

"Problem?" Grimm asked.

"Why'd you go and get pineapple on the whole thing?" the blonde demanded, his distaste clear in his face and voice.

"Because it makes everything else better, you sound like someone that hasn't had it before."

"Of course not, it's gross."

"I'm not the kind of person to say you should try anything at least once," Grimm started with a shrug, gesturing for Ichigo to start heading up the stairs, "But this is where you're wrong, I'm right, and you're going to thank me."

The smirk on his face was insufferable.

"Gross," Ichigo huffed, but he drug his feet up the stairs nonetheless, morbidly curious what sort of living space the guy kept.

Renji had left the door open for them and when they entered, Grimm laughed seeing Renji already poking around a tall bookshelf holding books, movies, and what seemed to be small sculptures he glanced over. As Grimm went to join him after slipping out of his shoes at the door, Ichigo hung back, ignoring their conversation as he looked around.

The space was a wide and open floor plan with high ceilings, dark floors that looked like hardwood spread from wall to wall. A half wall converted to a counter lead into a kitchen with just enough counter space to make preparation easy enough for one or two people. A couple stools were set up at the counter, and there was a small table set up against the wall with two tucked in chairs.

Along the walls were several canvases of different sizes and framed art prints of different styles of art. Ichigo felt his mouth go dry looking at them and he itched to inspect them more closely but his feet felt rooted to the doorway. Two folded up easels caught his attention from across the room, and curiously enough they were propped up against the far wall near the large windows with a couple blank canvases.

Speaking of, the two large windows on the far wall were eye-catching at the very least – starting at about waist height and going up several feet to give what Ichigo guessed could be a hell of a view when shit wasn't dark outside. Tugged off to the sides of the windows were long gauzy looking slate gray drapes which he guessed were for when one wanted some privacy.

There was a large section that Ichigo supposed counted as the 'living room' with the inclusion of some plush looking contemporary chairs and a large couch all done up in black upholstery. There was a large teal carpet laid out underneath the furniture as well as a wide low rise table in the center, and a large built-in entertainment center against the wall housing a large enough flat screen and what looked like a few game consoles in the shelving underneath.

Renji and Grimmjow were at a bookcase close to the entertainment center discussing something about the DVD in Renji's hands as Ichigo took a hesitant step in further. There was what looked like a bedroom walled off by the windows on the other end of the living space, and another door beside that as well as a hall that led who knows where.

"Earth to Ichigo," Renji called out in a snicker, watching the blond's face redden as he snapped back to attention.

"Not what you expected?" Grimm asked with a laugh, tucking the DVD back on the shelf as Renji walked back over towards the door to slip out of his shoes.

Renji tapped Ichigo's arm as he did so and the blond clicked his tongue in annoyance but did the same, setting aside his red sneakers beside Renji's against the wall. Grimm nodded in appreciation and headed towards the kitchen, opening the fridge.

"We've got like twenty minutes, pick your poison?" he called over his shoulder.

"Ichigo's twenty so nothing hard for him," Renji called gleefully as Ichigo colored and banged his elbow into Renji's side.

"Gotcha," Grimm called, not commenting on it as glasses and cans clinked and the fridge shut.

He came to join them at the low rise table, handing off a tall can of beer to Renji and a blue can of soda to Ichigo. The blunet popped open his own can of beer as Ichigo pursed his lips and opened his. He gave Renji a pointed glare over the edge of his drink as he took a sip that the redhead chose to ignore. It wasn't like Ichigo didn't drink anyway but Renji just had to go an embarrass him…

"How old are you, anyway?" Ichigo asked, looking over to Grimm with a raised brow as Renji choked.

"Hm?" the man flashed a surprised look but his lips curled into a relaxed grin. "Turned twenty-four s'past July."

"Oh, both July…" the blonde murmured, pressing an elbow on the edge of the table. "D'you go to college?"

"Yeah," Grimm chuckled, sipping his drink casually as Renji shot warning glares in Ichigo's direction. "Started in Germany though, came here for a year, finished at home and came back to open up shop. Liked the area," he shrugged.

"So home's in Germany? Why'd you come here?" Ichigo pressed, his scowl lifting a little in interest.

"Home's here too, I guess," Grimm sighed, "Parents are mixed, dad's family lives around Tokyo."

"Oh…" Ichigo nodded lightly, drinking from his can again.

"An' you? What with the hair and all," Grimm teased, reaching over to quickly brush at the light orange tresses faster than Ichigo could think to react. "S'it natural?"

"Yeah on his mom's side," Renji answered for him, dark eyes watching Ichigo carefully. The blond hadn't slapped Grimmjow's hand away fast enough before the older guy had withdrew it.

"It's natural, doesn't take dye well, I've fuckin' tried," Ichigo sighed in annoyance. It'd been enough of an annoyance when he was younger and got called out on it all the time by other fucking kids.

"Well I like it," Grimm beamed, his teeth white against his lips. He didn't comment on the deflection away from the mention of Ichigo's mother.

Ichigo paused, staring at him oddly for a few moments before shrugging it off and staring down at the table.

"Uh…thanks?"

"Must be nice to not worry about roots," Grimm laughed, leaning back to balance on his free arm, sipping his beer casually. "Gotta treat mine at least once a month or shit starts lookin' weird."

Somehow the way he said it was just really amusing and Ichigo let out a laugh. As soon as the sound fell from his lips, it was like a tension had lifted around the table and Grimm's eyes lit up. Conversation fell all over the place until Grimm got a call on his phone that the delivery guy was waiting outside the shop downstairs.

He left to grab the food and ignored Renji and Ichigo's offers to pitch in for it, and when he came back he had a victorious smirk on his lips as he dropped the large box on the table. The pizza was wide and thick and even with the gross chunks of pineapple littered all over it looked like the most delicious thing to either college student.

Grabbing slices for themselves, Ichigo had half a mind to pick the bits of fruit off but Grimmjow gave him a challenging look that made him feel a need to prove just how gross it'd be to eat them on the pizza. Damn the blunet's cocky attitude and idea of taste.

By time Ichigo was half done with his second slice, he was avoiding eye contact with Grimm because he'd been wrong, really wrong, about the pineapple being gross. And was he ever loath to admit it. Grimmjow had scooted closer to his side of the table to try and make eye contact to see if Ichigo saw his smug smile despite it all, and Renji shook his head at the antagonizing.

A couple more beers down in both Renji and Grimm had lead to conversation turning more obnoxious and loud and Grimmjow was more open about bothering Ichigo with his commentary. Turns out the guy liked one of the single most annoying shows ever that Ichigo despised and was intent on proving Ichigo's judgment of it just as wrong as he was about the pineapple. Renji was no help, taking part in the festivities and driving the annoyingly so very sober Ichigo up the wall as well.

At some point, whatever Grimm had said made Ichigo feel ever the more annoyed and he leered viciously at the larger man lounging far too close to him for comfort. He could smell sweat, pizza, the tang of beer, the underlying scent of his aftershave…and with it all mixed together it made his gut twist and the butterflies flutter urgently against his ribs as though to tickle an epiphany right out of him. But Ichigo wanted to shut it all down because the guy with blue hair and well shaped nails but who still kept old flakes of nail polish around was impossibly annoying and made Ichigo want to…want to…

Grimm turned to look at him then, lips in a lazy smirk and eyes light with a buzz and amusement. Ichigo was too lost in his thoughts to hear all he said but then his ears caught "strawberry" and he saw red before Renji could react to the situation. Grabbing the collar of Grimm's t-shirt, Ichigo pulled him more to face him and jerked his fist back before slamming it against the side of the blunet's face, knocking him back in surprise.

As soon as he'd pulled his hand back, panting heavily, Ichigo felt a drop in his stomach that was a tell tale sign he'd done a very, very stupid thing and the ache in his knuckles was a pretty good alert of that. But worse was when Grimmjow sat up dazedly, holding the side of his face in one hand as he turned a fiery leer back at Ichigo. Before the blonde could move, Grimm lunged at him, fisting a hand in the front of his hoodie and pulling him forward as he returned the favor and connected his fist with Ichigo's face.

The blond bounced back to the carpet and Renji banged his knee on the table with a curse as he jumped to get between the two. Grimm didn't struggle against his hand pushing against his chest, the guy actually coughed and stumbled to stand and hurry towards the kitchen. Renji heard him spit in the sink, curse in maybe German, and run the water. He then turned his attention to Ichigo, brows furrowed and mouth set in a hard line of annoyance and concern.

"Dude, the fuck?" he demanded, shaking Ichigo's shoulder as the blond stared up at the ceiling unblinking.

He winced at the shake and turned his head, drawing up both hands to cover his face that was reddening in both embarrassment and pain.

"I don't…"

Renji looked up to see Grimm walking over holding something up against his cheek and another odd something in his hand. The tall guy stopped at where Ichigo was curled up on the floor and his lips curved in an unsure frown as he nudged the blond's back with his foot. Squatting down, he gave Renji a questioning look before staring warily down at Ichigo.

"So uh…sorry but what the fuck?" he asked curiously, licking his lower lip and swallowing oddly.

"You were being so god damn annoying…" Ichigo mumbled from behind his hands, cracking his fingers to stare up at Grimmjow when the guy started laughing.

"I've been drinking and yet you threw first," he sighed, falling back on his ass and nudging the blond's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Here,"

Ichigo took his hands from his face gingerly and eyed the thing Grimm was offering. It was a bag of frozen peas. Trying to lift his brows and wincing at the pain, he struggled to sit up and take the bag before carefully pushing it up against his slightly swollen eye.

"Uh…thanks…"

"Yeah," Grimm laughed, wincing when his split cheek rubbed against his teeth in his mouth. "Made me almost swallow a shitton of blood, though, you've got a hell of a swing" he cracked, his lips curling into a toothy smirk as he nudged Ichigo with his elbow none too gently.

Ichigo took it and gave a dry chuckle, "I feel like I got hit with a brick, you work out?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you even lift?"

"Oh my god."

Renji watched the two of them with an uncomfortable sort of horror creeping up the back of his neck. This was certainly not normal or acceptable and…and…he sighed and reached for his beer on the table and took a long drink. This was probably how a majority of their friends felt about him and Ichigo, come to think of it.

Funny thing being on the outside looking in.

After awhile, when the frozen veggie bags had warmed considerably and the remains of the pizza were nothing but stray toppings and strings of cheese in the box, Ichigo and Renji were heading out. Renji needed a bit of help with his shoes but was otherwise good for the walk to the train station.

"Ichigo, have Renji text me when you both get on the train so I know, yeah?" Grimm asked from the shop doorway, having walked down to see them out.

"Huh, uh yeah, sure," the blond nodded, looking to Renji and curious why the older guy hadn't just told him himself.

As the two friends walked towards the station, there was a bit of a heavy silence before Renji broke it with a growl and a hard shove into Ichigo's shoulder.

"Dude, what,"

"Christ Ichigo, what were you thinking!?" Renji seethed, smacking the shorter boy upside the head and drawing out a leer.

"What do you…I don't…I don't know! He was just being really annoying and I couldn't stop looking at his stupid face and he was so fuckin' annoying…" Ichigo mumbled defensively, crossing his arms.

"Wha…you…Oh my god I don't understand how you function."

"…I never saw one of his portfolios…" Ichigo murmured as the train station came into view and Renji gave an exasperated sigh.

It was quarter to three when Ichigo stepped through the front door of Pantera with his head down and clutching the strap of his messenger bag tightly in both hands. Lifting his dark brown gaze from the tiles to the desk, he winced seeing Grimmjow sitting at the ready.

The tall man's left cheek was a bit swollen and bruised along his jaw but he otherwise seemed to be pretty okay. For a moment, Ichigo was self-conscious of the swelling in his right eye and the bruising on the top of his cheek but he swallowed it down with a breath and raised his head. Grimm was watching him, and catching his gaze the blunet surprised him and flashed him a smirk. It made his blood bubble but not boil, so he pursed his lips and walked over.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"So uhm…" Ichigo began, lifting a hand behind his head to run through his hair nervously. Somehow the odds and ends and appointment book on the desk were far more interesting than what he'd come there to talk about…but that was no good.

Brown eyes flashed up and his brows knit together as he gave Grimmjow an apologetic look. The man's eyes widened a bit and his smirk faltered a bit and he parted his lips as though to say something but Ichigo knew he couldn't let him talk first.

"Uh, I wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a shit last night. I've got…anger issues?" he shrugged weakly. "But I don't dislike you. You're a really cool guy and I've been a dick so I wanted to…I dunno, and Renji did tell me to come apologize but I was going to do it anyway I swear but, I wanted to take you to lunch or something?" he said, ending more in a question as his cheeks heated up in his nervousness.

Grimm waited a moment before crossing his arms on the desk and leaning on them. His smile seemed more genuine, if still a little smug.

"Are you asking me out?" he purred, lifting a brow amusedly and watching as Ichigo froze and swallowed, red in the face.

"Ah uh…well, I mean, you…" Why didn't he just say he wasn't?

"I'm closing shop at three so I'm free then."

"O-oh, okay!" Ichigo choked out, shrugging his shoulders when he realized how excited he'd sounded. Grimm laughed. The blond swallowed, liking the sound. "Ah uh…you're not…because of…"

Ichigo brought his hand down and vaguely gestured to his face hoping Grimm would get the hint. He was embarrassed enough of his actions last night, he didn't want to verbally repeat them. The artist read him easily and shook his head.

"Nah, just had call-ins, no more appointments today. I'm going crazy just sitting here. Reception's a boring job, no wonder Nel hates it," Grimm shrugged.

Ichigo nodded mutely, somewhat relieved his being stupid hadn't messed up the guy's work schedule. With a bit of horror, he realized things might be different if he'd hit him just a bit higher and gotten him in the eye. Somehow able to sense the what-if-terror building in him, Grimm gestured Ichigo towards the sitting area.

"Oh yeah, never got around to showing you stuff. Blue binder over there has some of my work in it from the past couple months if you wanted to take a look while I clean up." The blunet grinned at the relieved and somewhat curious look Ichigo flashed him.

As Grimm went to pack up the desk and go through the book and cash register, Ichigo perched himself on the edge of one of the chairs, surprised at how comfortable they were. He vaguely recognized them as similar to the chairs he'd seen up in the apartment above the shop. On the low table were a few portfolio binders, a bright pink one and a green one, both with flowery script in metallic sharpie on top obviously Nel's, but then there were a couple black and red ones, and then the blue one Grimm had specified.

Licking his lips, Ichigo reached for it and flipped it open. There was an anxious vibration in his gut and tongue and fingertips as he flipped the pages. There were sketch papers tucked in the plastic sleeves as well as some with photographs of the tattooed customers beside their design drawings. While he narrowed his eyes at some of the designs and placement decisions, he ultimately felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

It was like Grimm had taken a pencil to skin in some of them, the sketches and designs good on the page, but once on the skin seemed to hold life and movement unlike what you could accomplish on flat paper. One design that had him fascinated was a thigh piece. Another snake on pale white skin with scales a myriad of colors from white to green, blue, and violet twisting around the leg with elegant flowers and a string of pearls draping around beside it.

The page beside it surprised him when he recognized Renji's arms on display for a photo. Back in high school junior year, he'd gone to a less than refutable artist for designs on his lower arms that came out looking uneven and scratchy. They'd been an annoyance of his the past couple years and caused him to wear long sleeves somewhat often. But after just two sessions with Grimmjow, the artist had managed to make them clean and even, sealing Renji's admiration of him.

"Renji's cleanup was pretty easy, lucky for him," Grimmjow spoke up from above, surprising Ichigo into jumping and nearly dropping the binder.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked uncertainly, looking back to the pictures.

"Mm, Cyan's is still one of my favorites," the tall man added, pride evident in his voice as he tapped the page with the snake tattoo.

"It's…really amazing…" Ichigo agreed, staring intently at it again. "I hadn't really thought that…tattoos can really look like…art…" he stammered out, knowing it'd sound bad but hoping Grimm would recognize the compliment. The man laughed from above him as he leaned over closer, apparently not offended.

"Took me five sessions since I wanted to be so careful with it. She's a friend of Mila's too," he added conversationally. "She comes in sometimes, you might lose it if you saw how great it looks in the flesh."

"Heh, you're not very humble, are you?" Ichigo asked in a teasing tone though he still looked up carefully, hoping his words wouldn't be taken the wrong way.

Grimm caught his gaze and smirked.

"People don't want art from someone who's too modest, they want the best they can get," he prided, as though a cat puffing out its chest.

"And you're the best?" Ichigo ventured.

"Fuck yes. Now where are you taking me to eat? I'm starved."

A burger joint in the shopping district had stolen Ichigo's heart some months ago for its generous helpings and reasonable prices. He'd brought Grimmjow and actually felt a bit giddy when the guy admitted to not having been yet. Seated at a booth, Ichigo had begun pointing out his favorites on the menu and which extra toppings were worth the extra cost. It was all his treat for the pizza and an apology so he pushed Grimm to pick whatever caught his eye.

When they'd gotten their orders not even minutes after ordering, Grimm stared wide eyed at the behemoth of a burger on his plate as Ichigo merely keened.

"I'm starting to see why you'd like this place," the blunet mused, catching Ichigo by surprise mid-bite.

"Huh?"

"College student, bottomless-pit-stomach," he shrugged, carefully fitting his fingers around his own burger after lifting the top bun to inspect the toppings.

"Hah, well it helps when the place won't run off with your wallet," Ichigo chuckled, opening his mouth wide to sink his teeth in.

Grimm winced a bit when he opened his own mouth too wide but he pushed through the sting to get his own first bite. True to Ichigo's sung praises, the mix of meat, toppings, and sauces was worth the pain in his jaw and cheek. Across the table, Ichigo was nearly moaning into his food. The first couple minutes were spent in a shared silence as they ate heartily, but then they had to come up for air and let the first several ambitious bites settle.

Sipping from his soda, Grimm watched Ichigo sit back contentedly. Swallowing and exhaling, Grimm propped his elbows up on the table, licking a bit of sauce from his thumb.

"Renji talks about you a lot, that you do art, too," he spoke up, watching Ichigo curiously.

"Uh, yeah but it's really just a hobby of mine…" Ichigo admitted bashfully, kicking his heel against the bottom of the booth.

"Remember what I said about modesty?" Grimm smirked. Ichigo snorted.

"No seriously, I'm just okay I think, never really studied it much. Renji's the one who's all into it seriously, he's the art student." The blond shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So what do you study?"

"Ah well…I'm still undecided. Don't really know what I want to do I guess? Trying to branch out a bit…my dad's a doctor so I feel like maybe I should look into that too, but I'm just…"

"Not in love with the idea?"

"Yeah…I must sound so lame," Ichigo huffed awkwardly, scratching at his ear.

"No way, not everyone knows what they want to do." Grimmjow sighed, playing with his straw and giving Ichigo a long look. "You think I knew when I was eighteen that I wanted to come here and open a shop? Hell, I couldn't even decide what to wear until the minute before I had to be somewhere," he joked. But there was a reassuring sort of sincerity behind his words that made the blonde relax a bit.

"Amazing that all these years later you've fully embraced flannel," Ichigo teased.

Grimmjow laughed, his shoulders shaking with his chuckles and his face reddening.

"What about it?" he grinned.

"Every time I've seen you, you've had a different flannel shirt on." Ichigo shrugged, sipping his drink.

"You just showed up on flannel days is all," the blunet defended, eyes bright and amused. "You don't know how hard it is to find shirts that fit shoulders like mine,"

"Yeah…" Ichigo said quietly, meaning to have made it a question but his attention was distracted as he looked over Grimm's shoulders. Even in the flannel, his upper body definition was on display and his shoulders looked solid. His entire arms looked solid, everything looked solid on Grimmjow.

"Hm?" Grimm piped up, brows high in curiosity as Ichigo blinked back into focus.

"Oh uh well…yeah…?" the blond stammered, caught in the light and unsure of how to escape it. Grimm gave him an out. Sort of.

"So you've noticed I've been wearing different shirts each time, huh?" he purred, leaning back against the booth cushion contentedly as Ichigo squirmed against his.

"How about I drop the shirt thing if you answer a different question?" he asked suddenly, sucking from his straw smugly when Ichigo gave him a grateful look.

"Ask anything." Grimm's shoulders shook in a snort at that.

"Okay, you an' Renji seein' each other?"

"…What?" Ichigo's brown eyes were wide and lips curved in a confused scowl. "What, no. We're friends but don't you remember? Extended exposure leads to homicidal tendencies. Why?" the blonde's brows furrowed at that before his eyes widened slightly and he swallowed nervously.

"Just wanted to know I wouldn't stir up trouble," Grimm shrugged, sipping his drink again casually.

"Trouble? How?" Ichigo choked.

"I want you," Grimmjow said, setting down his drink and leaning forward against the table, "to come work for me."

Ichigo took every single anxious flutter of his inner butterflies as a personal offense.

"W-Work for you? Wha- I can't do anything and I mean, why would I-"

"Nah, I don't mean that kinda work," he said chuckling, "I told you, reception sucks for me an' Nel. It'd be easier if we had someone specifically for the job since Mila can't work regularly around her own job."

Ichigo was quiet a few moments, thinking it over, and the pain in his eye made him look up cautiously.

"Why me?"

"Well Renji's annoying," Grimm laughed, making Ichigo crack a smile at the joking tone. "But I already know his schedule's too full with the up-coming semester. And I honestly don't think he'd be very cut out for it, plus you know he gets annoying when he's bored."

"And why do you think I'd be any better?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Takin' a guess and I just kinda want you around." Grimm said bluntly, smirking when Ichigo's cheeks flushed. "'Sides, I just might be able to teach you if I have more time with you,"

"Teach me what?" Ichigo asked after a laugh.

"To appreciate something you don't understand," Grimmjow shrugged, catching the blond off guard. "If you're interested just gimme your schedule and I can work around your availability, I'll give you my number and email address. So what do you think?"

"I…" Ichigo drew his lip beneath his teeth, chewing the tender flesh thoughtfully as he stared down at the tabletop.

He'd just met this guy a few weeks ago, punched him in the face not even twenty-four hours ago, been punched back, kinda sorta maybe asked him out to a lunch date, and now he was being offered a job?

"It's not exactly a high in demand job so if you want time to think it over," Grimm began, but stopped when Ichigo shook his head.

"I…I'll do it. Sure, why not. It'll be something to rub into Renji's face too," he added with a vicious sort of smile that made Grimmjow smirk.

"And here I was hoping to not stir that pot," he sighed, sitting up. "Let's shake on it then?"

Ichigo nodded, reaching across the table to grasp Grimm's hand, squeezing it a bit. Grimm squeezed back tightly, but Ichigo wasn't as surprised this time around, he did nothing except grin.

Despite the busied rush of the fall semester officially starting up in late August, Ichigo found himself learning the reception ropes relatively quick over at Pantera.

Nel, an impossibly tall woman with long green hair and legs that went on for days was mildly helpful at answering his questions, more clearly than Grimm was anyway. Or rather Ichigo just didn't want to give Grimm the satisfaction of needing his help.

Taking calls and keeping the appointment book organized were new but came to him easy enough, and he'd worked at a convenience store part time in high school so the cash register was nothing too complicated. Keeping Grimm and Nel on schedule was the more taxing job and Ichigo was suspicious that they were only being difficult to cause him trouble.

Talking with walk-ins was a bit similar to dealing with convenience store patrons but now Ichigo was memorizing a list of questions to ask to gauge how ready or prepared they were before talking to either tattoo artist so as to not waste their time and the routine ID screening to see the ages of the potential customers. Being new, Ichigo took no chances and carded anyone and everyone that walked in. There were more embarrassing cases of some walk-ins requesting information on piercings and procedures however, which left Ichigo utterly caught off guard the first time a guy asked him about getting his dick pierced.

What was becoming Ichigo's favorite part of the job, not that he knew how to feel about that, was getting pictures of the finished products on the happy customers' bodies. Nel showed him how to work her camera on the basics – an expensive one if Ichigo remembered anything from one of Renji's rants about art class supplies – and he caught on fast enough. Being around happy people was infectious and made the waits between seeing them come in and watching them come out a rewarding experience. Something about the unabashed glee and excitement on the faces of the customers made Ichigo's stomach twist and churn in confusion with his own feelings on the matter.

A few regulars who came in had asked him about his "own" body art when they first met him and Grimm introduced him as his new receptionist…and it had been mildly embarrassing to admit he had none and no, didn't plan on getting any in the near or distant future. He knew his answers had earned Grimm a few confused looks from such customers as well but the man never brought it up with Ichigo, only ever grinned or smirked and asked how he was doing. It was an odd comfort.

Another perk to the job was that outside of busy times, he was generally left with fuck all to do. Grimm told him to be free to work on school work or amuse himself however, and sometimes either Grimm or Nel would sit with him and talk while waiting on the arrival of a appointment or between working times. To his new boss's amusement, Ichigo had taken to bringing along a sketchbook to keep him company up at the desk. Every so often he'd try sketching in it. Sometimes he'd show Grimm at the end of the day, sometimes he'd hiss if Grimm even brought up the idea of showing him.

While closing times were sometimes earlier than later, every so often – and steadily becoming more of the norm – Nel or Grimm or both would ask Ichigo to eat with them. Sometimes at a place on the way to the train station or in the shopping district, and sometimes Grimm would ask them or just Ichigo up to his apartment to share takeout or something simple. On rarer occasions, Renji found time to join him for a bit and catch a meal with them, but his course load was far more dedicated than Ichigo's was and time out of class was sparse.

But Ichigo was enjoying himself. The flexible scheduling didn't hurt either…and playing a game of keep track of the flannel with his boss was one of many inside jokes they'd begun squirreling away for their own private amusement, much to Nel and Renji's exasperation. Grimm was easy to work for and work with.

Eventually, Ichigo stopped being embarrassed to ask him questions about the job.

It was late into September on a Friday after closing that Grimm approached a tired Nel and Ichigo with a grin and an envelope in each hand.

Nel giddily accepted hers and Ichigo took his with a bit of confusion.

"What's this?" he asked curiously, beginning to slip his thumb underneath the seal.

"Payday, dumbass," Grimm smirked, reaching over to run a hand through the blond's hair – to Ichigo's flustered annoyance.

"O-Oh, kinda forgot about that," the blond said thoughtfully, looking the envelope over curiously before slipping it into his bag. Grimm laughed and shook his head.

"I'm meeting my friends for drinks so I can't stay," Nel said quickly after checking her watch, flashing a grin in Grimm's direction as she skipped off towards the door. "See ya next week Ichigo, bye boss!" she called with a wave.

The guys saw her off and Ichigo slowly returned to picking up his things from the desk. Mostly he was curious if Grimmjow would be inviting him to eat or not. He may have been a bit slower than usual…for no reason in particular…

"You about done?" his boss's deep voice rumbled, causing him to look up wide eyed.

"Huh? Ah yeah sorry to take a bit,"

"Nah, that's not a problem. I was wondering though," Grimm began, leaning against the desk edge.

Ichigo felt the butterflies in his chest fluttering at high alert despite the fact that he could practically guess exactly what Grimm would say before the words even left his lips.

"You free to grab dinner?"

The blond blinked, feeling the butterflies settle down contentedly.

"Yeah, I didn't make plans or anything."

"Cool, let's try the Chinese place again, yeah?"

"Sounds good."

After Grimm had locked the shop door behind them, Ichigo hung back waiting for his boss to catch up to him on the sidewalk. Falling into step beside him, Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets and breathed a little happily. Turning an inquisitive eye up at the taller man, Ichigo cleared his throat to grab his attention.

"So, is this a date?" he asked, just enough of a teasing tone in his words to easily brush them off…but the flush in his cheeks could have easily given him away.

Grimm smirked down at him and nudged his arm with his elbow.

"C'mon, we should get going before the dinner rush," the man mused, deflecting the question.

Ichigo shrugged it off and picked up the pace, laughing at something Grimmjow said.

That next Wednesday, Ichigo waited for Grimm's last appointment of the day to pay before he walked down to Grimm's work room to watch him wipe things down. His gaze fell over his boss's hands, covered in tight black latex as they thoroughly cleaned the chair and equipment.

Grimmjow glanced over his shoulder to catch Ichigo watching him and flashed him a curious grin and raised brow.

"You wanna grab something to eat with me?" Ichigo asked, leaning his shoulder against the door frame and straining to keep his face neutral.

Grimm hummed, pausing a moment as though considering it before his lips curled into a grin and he laughed.

"Sure. S'this a date?" he asked, the curiosity sounding almost genuine.

Ichigo swallowed and wet his lips.

"Yeah, figured one of 'em had to be," he shrugged, cool composure cracking to reveal a smile when his boss chuckled.

"I suppose so, where are we going, Casanova?"

Grimmjow honestly shouldn't have been surprised that Ichigo had picked the burger place again.

Much to Ichigo's satisfaction, Grimm admitted that the only times he went were with Ichigo. Out of preference rather than lack of fondness for the food, the tall man had laughingly reassured him. As though to further cement his fidelity to the restaurant, he ordered two burgers for himself, his regular set up and a new one to try. When their food arrived, Grimm agreed to split the new one with Ichigo down the middle.

As always, the first few minutes were spent ravenously devouring as much food as they could stuff in their mouths and only did the conversation pick up when they were sitting back catching their breath, waiting for their food to settle before finishing things off.

Kicking at Grimm's foot under the table, lips curled in a bemused sneer at his toe tapping, Ichigo lazily chewed on his straw as he drank his soda.

"What did you study? When you were in school?"

"What, haven't looked at my degrees on the wall?" Grimm chuckled, peeling a pickle out from his burger and eating it.

"Pretty sure they're in German," the blond huffed.

"No shit?" the blunet smirked, resting his cheek on his fist as he dropped his elbow up on the table.

"Come on, I'm curious," Ichigo added earnestly. For more impact, he gently rubbed the side of his foot against Grimm's shoe as though in apology, making the man snort and kick him away.

"Ended up with a degree in business administration and communications," he shrugged. "Studied all over the place first couple semesters, failed a few classes too – that wasn't pretty to talk about on the holidays. Kinda wish I looked into entrepreneurship, might've made some things a little easier at the start. Took a few art classes, but body art's a different kind of school in itself," he explained chattily, swirling the ice in his glass.

"How is it? Bus. Ad. I mean…"

"Honestly? Annoying as shit, fuck me sideways if I ever have to take statistics or make a business plan group project again," Grimm sighed wearily, still holding a big smile on his face. "What's with the curiosity all of a sudden?"

"Just…wanted to know about you," Ichigo admitted, his smile faltering for a more serious look at the older artist.

A clouded look fell over Grimm's face and his mouth twitched in surprise before he rolled his shoulders and relaxed against the booth cushion. He flashed a gentle smile at Ichigo and nudged his drink along the table absently with his knuckle.

"Ask whatever whenever, I'll give you the rights to my biography if you want 'em," he joked, drawing out a laugh from the blonde.

They ate slowly for a bit after that, making small commentary on the food and the day they'd had at the shop. When the waitress took their plates and brought them coffee at Grimm's request, the tall man fixed his stare on Ichigo.

"How goes school? Don't you usually get advising near mid-semester?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm meeting mine in about a week I guess," Ichigo shrugged, pouring a few of the milk cups into his drink until it was a light brown. "Honestly I…was thinking about trying some business classes next semester."

"Well shit, good for you," Grimm smiled, poking at the boy's ankle with the toe of his shoe. "You ever need a study partner, I might not be too rusty," he joked, but something about his tone told Ichigo that his offer was genuine nonetheless.

"Thanks, Grimm," he breathed out, feeling his face heat up at the use of the man's name. It felt weird, in the quiet lull of the restaurant and the casual and comfortable air of their conversation, with Grimmjow's blue eyes still bright in the low light and fixed on him.

"I should probably see you off at the station before it gets much later," Grimm offered, glancing at a clock up on the wall.

Ichigo glanced down at his watch and frowned, it was definitely getting around that time or else he'd have to wait longer for the last train.

"You don't have to walk all that way," he began awkwardly, kind of wishing he was less polite to decline the offer.

"Nah, I wanna see you off safe." Grimm winked, making Ichigo swallow a knot of butterflies back down his throat.

When they paid, Ichigo argued to let him cover Grimm's meal as well but he only gave in when Ichigo allowed him to cover the coffee at least.

As they stepped out into the slightly crisp autumn air, Ichigo huffed and bunched his shoulders up in his hoodie, his messenger bag hanging against his right hip. Grimm walked beside him to his left, hands in the pockets of his well-worn black leather coat.

The shopping district was starting to clear out with few people walking around under the bright gold lights of the street lamps. A few places had closed in the late hour while a few others were the exception and still running, windows bright behind the storefront windows. As they walked together through the chilly quiet, Ichigo found himself moving a bit closer to Grimmjow until his arm was nearly touching the man's elbow.

"So uh…how was that for a first date?" the blond asked, voice soft and hesitant.

"First, huh?" Grimm chuckled low in his throat.

"F-First, twelfth, what difference does it make right?" Ichigo huffed, pursing his lips together tightly. Shit…

"Oho?" the man whistled, laughing a little more loudly before quieting and leaning down a bit to murmur "So you've been keeping track of my shirts and this too?"

"And you? How'd you know if twelve is the right number?" Ichigo accused, refusing to look the man in the eye as his face warmed up against the cold.

"Bit of a guess, thought it might be higher…" the other shrugged.

"If Nel or Renji were there…those don't count." Ichigo muttered, looking off to the side opposite of Grimm's direction.

"They're not here now," Grimm said, pulling his right hand from his pocket.

"No…they're not." Ichigo agreed shortly, his left hand swinging idly at his side, his fingers itching and twitching, the burn of the cold biting at his fingertips…

Grimmjow's knuckles knocked against the back of his hand, brushing against his wrist. Ichigo gasped soundlessly and hunched his shoulders, squeezing his hand into a fist for a moment before blindly reaching off to the side, fingertips sliding over the smooth leather of Grimm's jacket sleeve. Warm fingers wrapped around his own chilled ones, guiding his hold back down between them as Grimm's hand's warmth spread to Ichigo's.

"You're kinda cold," Grimm drawled, unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Yeah, you're warm," Ichigo murmured quietly, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip before smiling too.

On Thursday when Ichigo came into Pantera at one after his eleven o'clock class, he was a bit disappointed to only see Nel at the front desk and no telltale buzz of a machine in the hall.

Her long green hair was piled up on top of her head and she wore a sheer sleeved black chiffon top that showed off the hint of tattoos spreading down from her shoulders but tightened around her ample chest, and a pair of acid washed skinny jeans with flat-heeled knee high black boots. While Grimm dressed rather plainly in solid colors or flannel, Nel always managed to steal the show with oddly dressy outfits several times a week.

"Where's Grimm?" he asked, trying not to sound too curious as he dropped his bag off behind the desk and took a seat beside Nel on a stool.

"Beer run," Nel sighed, flipping a page in the magazine she was reading.

"Really?"

"Yeah, said he'd be too busy this weekend to go," she shrugged, putting down the magazine as she watched Ichigo pull out his sketchbook. "Ooh lemme see?"

"No way," the blond scoffed, sliding it under the appointment book and resting his arms on top for good measure.

"No fun, oh!" the woman perked up when the automated bell above the door rang as Grimm stepped into the shop, two cases of beer in hand.

Ichigo swallowed dryly and sat up straighter as Grimm adjusted his hold on the cases. The man looked up to first smile at Nel and then his blue gaze fell over Ichigo, pausing for a moment before his lips pulled a toothy grin and he nodded.

"Some help here? Gotta take this upstairs."

"S-Sure," Ichigo piped up, sliding off the stool and hurrying over to grab a case.

Grimmjow led him down the hall and to the black door, pushing it open with his shoulder to hold for the blond to slip past and start heading up the stairs. Once Ichigo was considerably further up, Grimm followed after him, taking the steps two at a time until he was near flush behind him and Ichigo managed to nudge the apartment door open to hold open for him.

"Th'shit's heavy, you having a party or something?" Ichigo asked with a sigh as they reached the kitchen.

Grimm laughed and shook his head, ripping open the top of a box and opening the fridge to start stocking the bottom shelf. Ichigo leaned up on his toes to glance around him and grimaced at the plethora of colorful soda cans beside the tall beer cans.

"Nah, just saw my favorite brand was on sale, can't let a good chance slip by, yeah?"

"You live off the worst stuff," Ichigo snorted, scratching his nail over the logo on the cardboard case he'd dropped off on the counter.

"Hello, kettle," Grimm teased.

"Just saying,"

"Mm-hm…"

Ichigo watched him finish stocking the fridge and stack the leftover cans in the second case on top of the appliance. Leaning his ass against one of the tall kitchen stools, the blond worried his lower lip between his teeth until Grimm turned around, lazy smile on his face curving into a smirk.

"So…" Grimm cocked his head to the side, sliding the fingers of one hand into his jeans pocket idly. "You got plans tonight?"

"No…but I've got a nine AM tomorrow morning," Ichigo sighed a bit, eyes lowering to the dark flooring beneath their feet. His brown gaze flickered up to chance meeting Grimm's intense blues and was surprised to see the man nod slightly and spread his lips in a bigger grin.

"How about tomorrow night then? Thinking of eating in…do you wanna come up?"

Ichigo shuffled his feet, feeling his face warm up like last night all over again.

"Yeah…Yeah I wanna," he admitted, blinking as though expecting Grimm to no longer be looking at him.

He was still watching him, eyes bright and a pleased look on his face.

"Sounds good, we'd better get back down, I was expecting a one-thirty and Nel hates the desk."

"Yeah," Ichigo parroted himself, flushing red when Grimm cackled and approached him, throwing his arm around his shoulders to make it easier to ruffle his hand through Ichigo's hair, much to the boy's annoyance.

Waving Nel off to enjoy her Friday night and locking the front door, Grimm turned around to flash a grin Ichigo's way as the blond tidied up the desk. While Ichigo was usually more organized and mindful he'd knocked over a few papers and pens and other odds and ends off the desk that day. Usually at the fault of Grimm coming too close and saying something or catching him off guard.

"So what are you feeling? Pizza, Chinese," the blunet began to list off options on his fingers as he came to lean against the front of the desk but Ichigo shook his head interrupting him. "Huh?"

"I was uh…actually thinking of making you something?" the blond's words wavered off in a question as he opened his messenger bag and pulled out a box of dried pasta noodles.

Grimm's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded eagerly as he pushed away from the desk and flicked his fingers in a follow command. Shutting off the lights in the front of the shop, leaving the neon decorations to light up the way, he and Ichigo made their way towards the black door and up to his apartment.

Getting a large pot out and filling it with water to boil became a pair effort as Ichigo curiously poked around the drawers and cupboards getting acquainted with Grimm's organization and searching out a few things. He'd gone the easy route and brought along two cans of tomato sauce rather than deal with making his own, but finding a can opener was proving its own task.

By time the noodles were bubbling in the water and the two sauce cans opened and ready, Grimm had pulled out a beer to wait out the cooking, perching on a stool as Ichigo stuck by the stove. Conversation was light so as to not be too distracting, but Ichigo seemed capable enough to stir the pot and hold up his side of the dialogue.

After a quick stir to assure no noodles would stick to the sides of the pot, Ichigo turned around and nodded towards the can of beer Grimm held.

"How about you get me one of those?" he asked, doing his best to up the charm.

"Dunno, doesn't sound very…responsible of me, to enable underage drinking and all," Grimm shrugged, pointedly sipping from the can. Ichigo scowled.

"C'mon, you think I can't handle myself?"

"What a convincing argument," Grimm rolled his eyes but slid off the stool nonetheless and opened the fridge to grab him a drink.

Snapping it open with a pop, Ichigo grinned and tossed back a swallow before checking on the pasta again. He didn't notice Grimm come closer until the man was at his elbow.

"Alright but now you've gotta watch my show with me," he teased, poking the boy in the side just to watch him squirm.

"Wait what? You mean THAT show? No way," the blond whined, cringing away from Grimm's touch.

"C'mon, please?" Grimm pushed, reaching around the blond's other side to jab his thumb into his waist, causing him to jump with a snort.

"God fine, but I'm gonna need more than one beer to get through this." Ichigo groaned, giving in and swatting the man's hand away.

As it turned out, Ichigo was on drink number three before the show was completely over.

After the pasta had finished cooking, they'd mixed it in with the tomato sauce and carried plates of it with their second drinks into the living room. Grimm turned on the TV as Ichigo made himself comfortable on the teal carpet with his back against the couch and Grimm parked himself beside him.

Within twenty minutes their plates were cleared, forgotten on the low table, and Ichigo had gotten up for a third drink, bringing another for Grimm on his way back. With the alcohol sloshing around, Ichigo's own obnoxiousness climbed a bit as he vocalized his criticisms of the show loudly. Smacking Grimm's arm and pointing to the screen incredulously at a midway plot twist, he rolled his eyes with a groan as the man just smirked and shook his head.

"No no, you just can't appreciate it," he laughed, pressing his forehead against Ichigo's shoulder cackling as the blond continued to angrily squawk at the screen.

After the episode ended, Grimm had gotten the bright idea to pop in a DVD of the first half of the first season, swearing that he could change Ichigo's mind if he could just show it to him with fresh eyes. Ichigo had angrily huffed and gone to fetch more beer. They sat against the couch again, the thought of actually using it properly and sitting on the comfortable cushions never even occurring to them.

As the episodes went on, Ichigo leaned in closer to smack Grimm's chest with the back of his hand when some stupid plot point made a mess of the story. In return, Grimm had slung an arm around Ichigo's shoulders, tugging him in close to point out 'genius camerawork' or 'moving performances' from the melodramatic cast.

By the fifth drink, Ichigo was chuckling along and less irate with the whole thing, much to Grimm's gleeful amusement. At one point they'd noticed the time getting very late, and Grimm had grabbed his shoulder tightly, flashing another of his toothy grins. His teeth were so white and straight, Ichigo couldn't help thinking.

"Stay over, forget the train." Grimm urged.

"Gotta text my roommate…" the blonde slurred, not even bothering with a song and dance around a polite decline.

Conveniently, the last episode on the first disc had come to a close, the credits rolling over music that was far too exciting for what the show considered suspense in Ichigo's opinion. As Grimm jumped up to switch to the second disc, Ichigo fumbled with his phone to send Keigo a short message so he wouldn't freak out. Whether the message was fully legible would be up to the other guy's abilities to read drunk Ichigo texts. The blond couldn't care less at the moment.

"M'hot…" he sighed, dropping his phone to the floor. With his hands free, he peeled his sweatshirt off, leaving him in his black tank top with a Batman logo spread across the chest. Grimm glanced over his shoulder at the frustrated grunts the other had made trying to yank his arms out of the sleeves and snorted seeing him chuck the shirt off to the side.

Setting the DVD to play, the man stepped back over, plopping down next to the student and chuckling when Ichigo tilted his head back to rest his neck against the edge of the couch cushions.

"I gotta piss," he announced suddenly, turning a partly confused and partly annoyed glare up at Grimm.

"Pfft, you know where the bathroom is," the man nodded his head, sighing when the blond gave a curt huff.

"Yeah yeah…"

"I'll pause it for you!"

"No no…please don't!" Ichigo grumbled.

As he stumbled his way towards the bathroom, he almost walked into Grimm's bedroom by accident. Pausing at the right door, he peered curiously down the small hall that seemed to have a couple more doors and a staircase. Feeling his gut protest the wait, he huffed and went into the bathroom to do his business.

Returning to sit with Grimm after a few minutes, not commenting on the fact that the main overhead lights had been turned off leaving them illuminated only by the bright glow of the TV screen and the mild light pouring in through the windows, he was rubbing his still damp hands on the thighs of his jeans. He glared perplexedly at his fingers, bringing them up close to his nose to sniff them. From beside him, Grimm watched him amusedly, already moving to place his arm around his shoulders again.

"Your soap stinks," Ichigo snapped tactlessly, glaring at Grimm as it was all his fault.

"Yeah?" the blunet questioned, holding back a laugh.

"Like…cake an' stuff, s'weird," the blond huffed.

"It's vanilla and it's good," Grimm mused, relaxing against Ichigo carefully, just barely pressing into him but making enough contact to feel his body heat.

"Hmm…" Ichigo clucked unconvinced, but his brown eyes flickered to the table and noticed the several empty cans ordered off to the side with the dirty plates and two tall glasses of water front and center. "Huh?" he grunted intelligently, looking up at Grimm curiously.

The man chuckled, his chest and shoulders shaking as he reached over to grab a glass, sipping from it before offering it over to Ichigo. The boy peered at it as though tempted, but still raised a brow at the other.

"D'you want to wake up with a hangover? Rehydrate, now." the blunet ordered, grinning wide when Ichigo obeyed and accepted the glass, lifting it to his lips.

It wasn't the same edge Grimm had drank from, but the boy tipped his head back to swallow the water greedily nonetheless. Grimm left him nursing it in both hands before getting comfortable and starting the next episode. Ichigo groaned seeing that the man had indeed paused it to wait for him after all.

Grumbling to himself and blowing bubbles in the water as he took another drink, the blond looked away from the screen back to Grimm, or rather his jaw. He seemed focused on it a few moments before nudging him with his elbow.

"Hey. What's up the stairs?" he asked bluntly.

Grimm paused and Ichigo vaguely wondered through his buzz if it was a blush on his cheeks or a flush from the drinks.

"Office, second bedroom, storage, take your pick." he shrugged, shifting his arm around Ichigo's shoulders so that he could rub Ichigo's upper arm with his fingers. The student said nothing, merely leaned his head in against Grimm's shoulder, satisfied with the answer.

They made it through a few more episodes, Ichigo draining his water and sharing the second glass between Grimm and himself. He'd also nestled himself pressed up closer to the man's chest, enjoying the warmth of his body heat. At some point Grimm had lifted his hand to sift his fingers through Ichigo's strawberry blond hair, petting him and dragging his nails gently over the back of his scalp. Ichigo said nothing about it, still piping up with a complaint about the show here and there, but even then he was losing thunder and focus.

Just…Grimm's long fingers…pressing and stroking and scratching…he could feel him scratching gently behind his ear, fingertips brushing over the soft curve of his earlobe curiously. Blinking heavily, Ichigo vaguely registered he had no idea what was going on in the show, he'd missed something somehow, they were suddenly in a different place and talking…who where they talking about? Why did…he not care…at all…

If he heard himself moan from Grimmjow's tender ministrations against his ear, he didn't mention it. He just closed his eyes, turning his nose into the soft flannel fabric hugging Grimm's shoulder.

With the largest windows facing to the west, the early dawn light didn't necessarily flow into the apartment so much as residual light leaked inside. The open room was still darkened in thick shadows of cool blue tones, and there was a slight chill in the air. Nestled between the couch and table, Grimm and Ichigo were a tangle of coiled limbs.

On his side, back against the couch, Grimm's arms were wrapped around Ichigo's skinnier build, holding him close to his chest. Ichigo's face and a hand were pressed against the junction of the man's throat and shoulder, his other hand pressed against Grimm's undershirt, two fingers hooked in the neckline. Their breathing was slow, and the blunet shifted slightly, blinking as he stared down silently at the boy's mop of bright hair. Swallowing carefully, he tried bringing up a hand to touch Ichigo's hair without waking him but the movement ending up stirring him anyway.

Pulling his head back and blinking blearily, Ichigo winced as he looked up, dark brown eyes meeting Grimm's sleepy blues. A flicker of surprise flitted over his face, and his fingers tightened in Grimm's shirt, his lips parting and closing slowly.

Blinking lazily, like a cat Ichigo mused, the man tightened his arms around the blond and lowered his head to press a kiss to his forehead.

Ichigo breathed in, paused, and sighed, eyes fluttering closed as he nuzzled closer up against the other's warm body. He'd become somewhat aware of a chill that'd settled over his bare arms and Grimm's body heat was all the more appealing.

"M'cold," he whispered, voice still weak from sleep. Grimm hummed against him, rubbing his back with one hand thoughtfully.

"Be warmer in bed," the man suggested quietly.

"Don' wanna move…"

"C'mon," Grimm coaxed, though he seemed to unwrap himself from around Ichigo reluctantly at first, drawing up into a kneel.

Helping a less than willing Ichigo sit up, Grimm guided him to lift an arm around his neck as he slid one hand beneath the blond's knees and around his back before pushing up off the ground with his knee. Ichigo's hold around him tightened as he was lifted in a dazed sort of panic. But once the man stood up straight and his hold was more secure, the boy relaxed in his arms and looked up at him appreciatively as Grimm carried him towards his bedroom.

Nudging the door open with his foot, Grimm brought Ichigo over towards his bed, letting him down gently atop the downy comforter and pillows. The room was not very large, much of the space taken up by the large bed and a wide dresser and a wall mounted TV facing the bed. There was one seemingly large window against the back wall but it looked like two sets of drapes had been drawn over it to block out most light and keep the room in the dark. The glowing blue numbers on the alarm clock on the nightstand read as 5:12AM. It was hard to discern the colors of anything else in the room properly so Ichigo just contented himself with curling up against the pillows as Grimm tugged the blankets out from under him and tucked him in.

"Wait…where're you-?" Ichigo slurred, staring up at Grimm's face in confusion. The man smirked tiredly.

"Gotta piss."

"Oh, okay," the blond sniffed, watching Grimm walk quietly out and listening for the bathroom door to close.

In his absence, Ichigo rolled over in Grimm's bed, moving his legs a bit and shifting around, trying to get a better feel of the mattress and find just the right place on the pillows for his head. Grimm's room had a clean scent, his sheets soft and at first a bit cool to the touch but quickly warming in the presence of his body heat. But his pillows…Ichigo closed his eyes, burying his face in the puff of pillow before he inhaled deeply. It smelled like Grimmjow's aftershave and something sharp and fresh, his shampoo maybe.

It had a calming effect, lulling him into a half asleep state despite the slightly aching throb behind his eyes and the dry mouth.

His eyes flashed open to a light chuckle as Grimm shook his shoulder. In his other hand he had a full glass of water and despite not wanting to, Ichigo pulled himself up into a sitting position to take it. By time his lips touched the glass, he guzzled the water greedily, eyelids fluttering at the hydrating relief it brought and the smooth way it went down. He nearly spilled a bit when Grimm slid onto the bed beside him, sticking his long legs down under the covers. Ichigo handed the half full glass to him, blinking slowly when Grimm drank from it as well before setting it on the small nightstand beside his bed.

"Lie down with me?" Grimm asked quietly, sliding down further in the bed against the pillows and holding his arm out invitingly.

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, scooting down and wriggling closer to be within arm-hugging distance.

Grimm wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, drawing him in closer as he nestled against the pillows comfortably.

"Your bed is really fuckin' soft," Ichigo spoke up after a moment, making Grimm chuckle.

"I'm a delicate flower," he murmured, his lips close enough that Ichigo could feel his warm breath on his face.

"Can…Can I kiss you?" Ichigo's voice was small but urgently needy. Grimm's breath caught in the back of his throat.

"Y-Yeah…you gonna remember it?"

"What? Yeah," Ichigo insisted, voice rising a bit as the butterflies made his stomach flip out of place excitedly. "I remember you didn't try last night," he added, unable to hide the disappointed line in his tone.

"Didn't wanna take advantage, didn't want you to forget by morning," Grimm admitted seriously, leaning in close until the tip of his nose brushed against Ichigo's.

Without another word, Ichigo leaned in, his lips sliding over Grimm's nose and brushing down to graze against the soft skin of his lips. They paused, soaking in the feeling before Ichigo hesitantly pressed further, mouthing against Grimm curiously. Only then did Grimm return the action, nuzzling the corner of Ichigo's mouth, bringing his hand from the boy's back to his jaw, brushing the pad of his thumb against his cheek.

Ichigo sighed against him, pushing forward and drawing his lips across Grimm's. Feeling the man drag his teeth over his lower lip had Ichigo near shaking and he licked at Grimm's upper lip. He hadn't kissed much, especially not lately, but the pressure of Grimm's hand on his jaw and the heat of his mouth pressed close to his own was enough of a status report that he seemed to be doing well.

It was then that a familiar scent assailed his senses and Ichigo paused. That warm vanilla…it was mixing with the fresh depth of the aftershave and shampoo scent and was overwhelmingly soothing. The soap from the bathroom…Grimm's hands were the source of the scent, his fingers warm against Ichigo's cheek.

When they parted lips to take a quiet breather, Ichigo reached between them to grasp at Grimm's shirt from under the sheets. Curling his fingers in the material tightly, he breathed in softly and kissed the corner of Grimm's mouth.

"You smell nice," Ichigo murmured. Grimm smiled in the dark, petting the boy's face gently with his fingertips.

Grimm leaned in to kiss him again, nuzzling his cheek for a moment before drawing back. Ichigo's breathing was slowed and steadied, and he seemed to have closed his eyes. Shaking his head a little in silent surprise, Grimm lowered his arm to reach under the blankets and tug Ichigo closer to him so he could tuck his sleepy blond head beneath his chin. The student seemed to barely awaken at the movement and immediately fell back under with a quiet little groan.

Rubbing little circles in the boy's back with his fingers, Grimm nodded off not minutes later.

Saturday afternoon, Grimm walked Ichigo to the train station, an arm slung around the student's shoulders and Ichigo's face flushed mildly red. Seeing him off, Grimm's fingers lingered over the wrist of Ichigo's sweatshirt sleeve a few moments too long as Ichigo hesitated between shaking his hand or…or…he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do and Grimm seemed to pick up on that and let him go. He smiled nonetheless, nodding towards the platform.

"Better get going, your roommate pitchin' a fit?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, glancing down at his feet as his hand went to his shoulder bag strap. "I'll…see you on Monday?"

"Yeah," Grimm laughed, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Ichigo looked up into his blue gaze as he dragged his lip between his teeth. Grimm quirked an eyebrow at him and his lips twitched in a confused smile when Ichigo made up his mind. Lunging forward, he reached for the collar of Grimm's shirt and pulled him down just enough to press a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. The man made a sound of surprise with no time to react as Ichigo was pulling away and adjusting his bag before running off.

Once on the train, Ichigo panted and stared out the window absently, going over what he'd done and trying to stop the shaking in his tongue and fingers. Digging his phone out of his pants pocket, he sighed and tapped out a fast message to Renji.

--I'm in trouble.

Sunday night, Ichigo reclined in his dorm bed, headphones over his ears and a notebook in his hands. His roommate sat at one of their desks agonizing over a paper but the blond drowned him out with bass and guitar, turning up his MP3 player a bit. It wasn't particularly late, and his eyes kept falling to his phone lying at his hip atop the bunched up blanket.

Sucking in a breath and grabbing his phone, he opened his contacts folder and scrolled through until Grimm's name was highlighted. Glancing off to the side to see that his roommate was still plenty busy focusing on his laptop, Ichigo began a short message. When he pressed send, he felt his stomach drop and immediately regretted it.

--Hey. Haven't heard from you.

The blond stared up at the ceiling, hating how freaking clingy he sounded. But worse was the way his heart skipped when his phone buzzed in his hand.

--Wanted to give you your space.

--That's…weirdly considerate.

--Seems to have worked out.

Ichigo smirked and settled further back against his pillow.

--We didn't finish your stupid show.

--Yeah. Passed out on disc 2.

--Maybe we should try again?

There was a pause as the blond waited for a response. He chewed the inside of his cheek eagerly, glaring at the phone screen as though that could hurry things along. When the reply came, he sighed in relief.

--Next Friday? No beer this time.

--Why not? I can't watch that shit sober.

--Can't kiss you drunk.

Ichigo felt his heart pound urgently against his ribs and a shaking in his fingers as heat pooled in his cheeks.

--Okay. No beer.

--See you tomorrow B3

Choking on his spit, Ichigo rolled over on his side to shove his face into his pillow to try and muffle his laughter. Never in a million years would he have suspected Grimmjow of all people to use cat faces. But then, Ichigo mused to himself, ignoring Keigo's distressed whining in the background, he wouldn't be Grimm if he didn't do something weirdly stupid.

That flannel-wearing, drama-watching, cat-facing, vanilla-scented hot solid rock of a man that Ichigo wanted to kiss again right that second.

On Monday, Ichigo didn't let Grimm hear the end of it on the cat face. The man's only defense was that his cats were cool because they wore shades. Ichigo snapped that that was the lamest use of the letter B in history. Grimm shut him up when he grabbed his jaw and pressed a kiss to his lips in the front of Pantera.

Nel lost her shit and Ichigo scrambled away, red in the face and upset because he wasn't upset.

That Friday, Grimm surprised Ichigo with the fixings for soft shell tacos spread out over his kitchen counter and the meat ready to cook. In the place of beer he'd supplied Dr. Pepper and they actually made use of the couch, getting comfortable as the opening sequence of the episode began to play.

Mid disc, the food was devoured and Ichigo had sidled up against Grimm's side. The man had wrapped an arm loosely around his shoulders and absently fingered the thin material of Ichigo's long sleeved v-neck. Sober, Ichigo found himself more exasperated by the show than legitimately upset, but he still swatted at Grimm when something he deemed stupid happened. To his silent satisfaction, Grimm would still jostle him excitedly to point out something to keep his eye on or hint towards one of the stupid plot twists.

He was cute when he got excited.
...
That was a thought that happened.

When Grimm went to exchange the second disc for the third, Ichigo pulled out his phone to tap out a message to his roommate, pausing to ask Grimm if he was staying.

Grimm's answer had been a smirk and an "I'd hoped so."

They got through half of the third disc before Grimm had leaned down to graze his teeth over Ichigo's ear and the student flipped around to mash his lips against Grimm's stupid hot face. Having to go back an episode or so to rewatch what they'd missed while making out, the pair finished the disc around two in the morning, a feat that left Ichigo yawning and leering at Grimm while criticizing his shit taste.

But he'd still followed the man back to his room, shucking off his socks and after a thought his jeans as well. Grimm had flashed him an interested look and smirk, taking in the boy's red face before dropping his own jeans in solidarity and pulling back the comforter and bed sheets.

They'd moved a bit awkwardly as though reluctant to touch one another at first as they slid under the blankets and propped the pillows up, but then Grimm's hot hand was on Ichigo's hip, petting the skin, fingertips flicking at the elastic waistband of his boxers. But he didn't dip his hand further or touch any deeper, only silently suggesting for Ichigo to roll and move until his back was to Grimm's chest and ass was pressed flush against his groin with nothing but underwear between them in a spoon arrangement.

Grimm whispered quietly if it was okay as he adjusted his arm around Ichigo's waist, hand tentatively slipping underneath the boy's shirt. Ichigo's gasped 'yeah' was quiet and airy and Grimm buried his nose in his bright hair appreciatively. For a few minutes they spoke in quiet whispers, a casual sort of pillow talk that felt far more intimate than it really probably was.

Before Ichigo left on Saturday, they scheduled their next date.

Grimm walked him to the station again, taking the initiative to pull Ichigo off to the side behind the corner of a wall before kissing him, hot and quick and leaving Ichigo a vibrating mess of feelings, all of which that didn't want to go back to his dorm room. Grimm saw him off with a wave, and texted him once out of eyesight, adding a stupid cat face at the end of the text.

October was a flash of exams and work as Pantera's appointment book filled up much to the owner's delight and Ichigo found himself feeling even more mixed up with every new portfolio picture he took of happy, satisfied customers and their new body art.

Work hours were much the same when Ichigo had time to come in a few days in the week, though he'd been pulling out the sketchbook a bit less and reviewing for tests or jotting down homework more often. A new addition to his day was Nel's curious prodding about his and Grimm's dates and personal questions, mostly trying to get Ichigo to admit embarrassing things the man did. Renji would also sometimes ask about it, mostly out of curiosity to see if there was something he could try to tease Grimm about for once and to be someone Ichigo could talk to about it all. While not hiding it, Ichigo had only thought to tell a handful of friends he was seeing someone and they'd all been supportive enough, even wanting to meet the guy but the blond drew the line there for whatever reason.

Another new addition was the fact that Grimm wasn't opposed to showing PDA at work and seemed to feed off of Ichigo's embarrassment and flustered state. He didn't do it in front of customers, but Ichigo could be sitting at the front desk reading one moment and the next find hands grabbing his hips and lips at the back of his ear or have Grimm rest his chin at his shoulder, nuzzling him like a cat.

Several more times they'd met up again, eating out together after work – which Nel would graciously back out of with a wink and a wave on her way out alone – and hanging out in Grimm's apartment on the weekends. What puzzled Ichigo and made the man appear all the more stupidly charming was that Grimm had no problem inviting him up, feeding him, and leaving him alone completely to study or use his wifi to crack down on schoolwork with his laptop. During those times, Grimm would amuse himself with a book or sketching on the low table or he'd buzz off to his office on the third floor to do 'business shit' he'd called it on the desktop he said he kept up there. The quiet environment made studying almost pleasant, especially with the comfort that Grimm was just a shout away.

They'd had a couple more sleepovers, late nights spent murmuring in Grimm's bed cuddling or kissing with or without pants but never further than that. Ichigo had wondered if something was up. Feeling up Grimm's arousal on one occasion and being pinned down against the pillows when their making out turned heated had lead to an awkward freeze and withdrawal on the man's part when Ichigo had wantonly pleaded for him.

Grimm had said he wanted to take it slow, make him comfortable, not push him into anything. Ichigo had seethed pointing out that the only thing Grimm was pushing him towards was crazy with want. That admission had left them both quiet and the blond priding himself for making Grimm's face red for once. The man had promised 'Soon' and every so often while staring at him at work or over dinner, Ichigo wondered with annoyance just how soon 'soon' meant.

Soon, as it turned out, was a Wednesday.

The clouds crowding overhead had hung low and dark with imminent rain all day, leaving the air an awkward mess of chilly humidity. Ichigo had come in with a sour look on his face and Grimm wasn't in the sunniest of moods either but they'd privately disappeared in the stair case behind the black door for a few minutes while Nel hung back at the front desk.

When they returned, they seemed somewhat more relaxed. Ichigo's face was a bit red and Grimm looked pleased enough. Nel whistled and reached over to pinch the student's ear, chuckling at the red bruise behind it. Ichigo slapped her hand away and threw a glare in Grimm's direction that melted into a flustered blush before normal work resumed.

There were only two appointments and a piercing walk-in that Nel saw to rather quickly. While not very late, the sky was very dark and a stormy wind seemed to have picked up. Grimm decided it'd be best to call it a day and to clean up early. In Nel's haste to hop off her stool, she accidentally knocked Ichigo's bag off the desk and sent it and its contents falling to the ground in a spill.

While annoyed, Ichigo waved it off and set about picking up his things, assuring Nel he didn't care. Nothing particularly valuable or fragile was in his bag anyway. She'd apologized profusely before stepping back to leave him to it and to do a final sweep of her workroom. Grimm came to join him on the floor, picking up his flash cards that had scattered over the tiles.

"Thanks," the blond sighed, flashing an appreciative smile the man's way as he stuck another thing into the bottom of his bag.

"You carry a lot of shit in there," he laughed, handing off the cards that Ichigo took gratefully and packed quickly.

"So it goes I guess."

"You wanna grab something to eat?" the blunet asked, raising a brow. "Nothin' better to do on a day like this."

"Sure, Nel too?" Ichigo questioned, looking up to see the woman coming around the corner of the hall, her expression still apologetic and awkward when she caught sight of them both on the ground.

"Hm? Yeah, family dinner," the man chuckled.

"Oi Nel, let's get food?" Ichigo called, getting her attention.

The woman looked at him in surprise before a relieved smile crossed her lips and she nodded eagerly.

Finishing up with closing, Grimm flipped the sign on the door and cut out the OPEN sign in the window before the trio took off at a hurried pace to the nearest food place. While Grimm and Ichigo's dates could run awhile, Nel made their pair a party and brought her own fun with her when she wanted to. She and Grimm ordered drinks while Ichigo grumpily stuck with a soda. He did notice that Grimm only had the one beer and opted for water afterwards while Nel knocked a few back with her food.

As the time grew later and Nel seemed to finally find the tipping point between buzzed and a bit influenced, Grimm called it a night. Before Nel and Ichigo could pull out their wallets, though, Grimm waved them off and covered the bill himself. Nel pouted and Ichigo pursed his lips but they knew better than to try to win that fight. With Nel as she was and the lack of time they'd had as it was, Grimm said he'd walk with them to the train station.

"You don't have to, what if it starts raining on the way back?" Ichigo asked concernedly, Nel nodding.

"Yeah boss, don't want you catching a cold on your lonesome," she whined.

"Then we'll be quick," Grimm winked.

As they walked, Grimm in the middle, Nel wrapped her arms around the man's right arm and leaned against him muttering about the weather. One the other side, Grimm locked his fingers with Ichigo's right hand, squeezing gently as he smirked down at him. Ichigo chuckled, huffing out a breath of hot air that flitted white into the cold air.

Just their luck, it began to sprinkle about three quarters of the way there and the trio took off at a faster pace to avoid getting much wetter. The train station was comfortably warm when they made it in and Nel fretted over her wet hair and quickly chilling scalp.

"Oh Grimm, I'm sorry," she sniffed, glancing out the windows to see the rain picking up.

"Don't worry about it, it's not that bad of a walk." He assured her, laughing it off. Ichigo pursed his lips and tugged the man's hand, earning a confused look from Grimm before it turned appreciative. "Seriously, it's fine. I'm European, little cold rain isn't gonna kill me."

Nel nodded and pulled her wallet and train pass from her purse and gestured for Ichigo to join her as she walked towards the main entrance. Ichigo reached into his pocket, furrowing his brow as he then groped around inside his bag. Blanching, he looked up at Grimm wide eyed, lips gaping. Nel turned around curious why he hadn't yet moved.

"My wallet, my pass…there're not in my bag."

Nel's mouth fell open and she hurried back over, grabbing the student's arm tightly.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry, this is my fault," she panicked, looking up at Grimm and then back down to Ichigo.

"It must be back at Pantera." Grimm sighed.

Nel's face fell even further and she bit her lip, squeezing Ichigo's arm again.

"I'll go back for it!"

"You can't go, especially not like this," Grimm shrugged. Ichigo nodded, shaking off his shock.

"He's right, you shouldn't have to. It was just an accident. I'll go back with Grimm and get it, is all."

"B-but, should I wait? I could come…" she insisted.

"No way, what if you missed your other train too? You catch another one from Y station right? Don't worry about it," Ichigo smiled, shrugging it off. "Besides, there's a later train I could catch if I miss mine."

Nel didn't look happy, but she nodded her head a little. "At least text me that you're okay when you get it back?" she asked, lip shaking.

Ichigo brought up a hand to squeeze hers reassuringly and grinned. "No problem."

She saw him and Grimm off as they took off at a run from the station, disappearing amongst the crowd and the rain.

It took longer than they'd have liked to get through the rain, having to go a little slower to be sure not to accidentally miss a street in their haste to dodge the rain. They didn't speak unless pointing out an awning they could stand under to catch their breath or to alert the other to a street. By time they got to Pantera's door, they were soaked through and shivering. Grimm's hand shook a bit as he unlocked the front door and he pushed Ichigo in first, ducking in after him and closing the door behind them.

Ichigo shivered as his eyes scanned the floor in the dark. Grimm went to go find the lights when a sound caught their attention. Opening his bag and reaching inside, Ichigo looked around for his phone and froze, shoulders slumping. Lifting a brow at the odd movement, he walked up to him to look over his shoulder, also pausing in surprise.

"I…uh…Nel texted me…" Ichigo murmured, his voice sounding tired. In his hand, his phone screen was brightly lit with Nel's icon on the screen but beneath his phone was Ichigo's wallet.

"It…I must have pushed it in with my phone when you handed me my cards…" the blond sighed, feeling blood rush to his face in embarrassment. "I should…probably text her…let I know I found it…" he said awkwardly, tapping out a quick message to assure Nel all was fine.

Behind him, Grimm was terribly silent. Ichigo was hesitant to turn around, worried for the teasing or looking stupid in front of the man, or worse if Grimm was upset for getting worried over nothing…but when Ichigo reluctantly glanced over his shoulder to meet Grimm's gaze, he was surprised to see none of that. In fact, it wasn't even close.

"Grimm…"

"I'm not letting you go back out there," the man murmured quietly, bringing up his hands to cup Ichigo's face gently between them.

"Wha–" Ichigo's question was cut off when Grimm leaned down and kissed him head on, hot tongue brushing over his cold lips.

The decorative neon lights hung over the doorway, desk, and in the hall illuminated the room in shades of blue, pink, and green. Odd shadows were cast over the walls, furniture, and the two panting bodies in the room struggling to remain balanced on the reclined chair.

The black leather of the seat was cool against his back as the blond's shirt was lifted, dragged up to his armpits to expose the vulnerable bare flesh underneath. Large hands groped over the bared skin, fingertips pressing in-between the curves of ribs and drawing out little sighs of content excitement.

Straddling the chair, the other man's long legs were spread and his groin dangerously close to the blond's, hot even through the fabric of his jeans. He had the blonde pinned on his back against the chair, his skinny legs drawn up and spread over the blunet's thighs. The younger guy was breathing heavily, reaching up to brush his fingers over the man's face, aiming higher to run through rain soaked light hair.

A growl rumbled in his throat and he descended to drag his teeth over the blonde's throat, leaving a trail of saliva over the abused skin before sucking harshly. The blond threw his head back and turned a high keen into a vicious growl, hands scrambling at the man's shoulders and dragging against his flannel sleeves desperate for purchase.

"F-fuck Grimm," the blond panted, voice thick as he reached up to drag his blunt nails over the back of the blunet's scalp, drawing out a trembling breath from the larger man on top of him.

"That's the goal, yeah?" the man rumbled, his voice a rasp against the blond's throat. He mouthed urgently at the soft flesh, drawing up his own hand to cup the other's cheek, pressing his thumb against his bottom lip. With a grunt, he pushed harder, slipping the tip of his thumb under the upper lip to graze against hard teeth.

"Open up for me, Ichigo," he ordered, something in his voice and about the way Grimm's lips clung to and mouthed over the same spot on his throat making Ichigo want to obey.

Parting his lips, the blond let Grimm force his thumb inside and met him with his tongue, twisting around Grimm's finger and swallowing the taste of flesh and sweat. Ichigo shuddered when the man pressed his thumb down on his tongue and he licked at him eagerly. From below them, Ichigo's hips quivered and he rolled down hoping for contact with Grimm's groin but just barely missing him. The man made up the difference and crashed his hips up into Ichigo's, mouthing up his neck to kiss at his jaw as his unoccupied hand pet at his hip, squeezing suddenly and dipping a finger beneath the exposed hem of Ichigo's boxers.

"You're still cold," Grimm murmured, nuzzling the line of Ichigo's jaw and pressing his nose against the blond's cheek, eyes fluttering closed.

"You're warm," Ichigo drawled around his thumb, face flushing at how garbled his words were with Grimm sticking fingers in his mouth and the drool pooling over his tongue.

"Yeah?" Grimm rasped, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before drawing back and up to get a good look at the blond's face.

Ichigo stared up at him, breathing heavily around his thumb and swallowing desperately, his lips forming a seal around Grimm's finger as he licked him again. Those blue eyes were narrow and clouded, pupils blown wide from the dark and with lust. Even in the dim neon light, Ichigo felt happily and utterly trapped under that intense gaze.

Grimm leaned down and took his thumb from Ichigo's lips to replace it with his own mouth, dragging his teeth over Ichigo's lip. The blond moaned up into his mouth eagerly, rolling his hips against the chair again. When the man paused and pulled away, Ichigo glared up at him until he saw the frustrated furrow in his brow.

"Not here."

"G-Grimm?" he questioned.

"I'm not fucking you in the chair," the man clarified, sitting up and easing Ichigo's jean-clad legs off his thighs. Ichigo stared after him with a touch of concern in his eyes as Grimm slid off the chair and stood to his full height, offering his hand to the boy. "You deserve a bed, I'm taking you upstairs," he explained quietly.

Ichigo didn't speak, just nodded dumbly, vaguely aware of the blush intensifying in his cheeks the longer he stared up into Grimm's eyes. Taking his hand, he let Grimmjow pull him out of the chair to his feet and with their hands still entwined, followed him up the stairs.

They'd just sort of stumbled into Grimm's workroom after he'd locked the shop door before resuming their kiss. But now that Grimm had stated a destination in mind, it felt like Ichigo was in a dream and wading through water following him. The only thing keeping him grounded was the warm hand holding tightly onto his.

Grimm didn't even bother searching for a light when they reached his apartment, just leading Ichigo straight to his bedroom. The room was flooded in shadows, the weak light from a street lamp outside barely coming in through the heavily covered window, and Ichigo blinked quickly trying to adjust when the man finally let go of him. With a tiny click, the nightstand lamp lit up the room with dim amber light, revealing Grimm standing beside it.

He looked back over to where Ichigo stood. Breathing shakily and clutching the wet hem of his shirt in both hands, the blonde was unsure of where else to put his hands.

"Ichigo," he spoke up, voice a soft rumble that caught his wide eyed attention quickly. "Come sit on the bed, I gotta get you out of those wet clothes."

Something about the way he said it was…different, but Ichigo eyed him for only a moment before deciding that it made perfect sense for a couple reasons and to go along with it. Having the sense to toe off his shoes at the wall by the door, he turned back to walk over towards the bed, hesitating to sit in his wet jeans but dropping down when Grimm nodded to him.

His hands went back to his shirt, peeling the wet cloth up over his back and shoulders as Grimm watched him, standing close. He took the shirt from him and dropped it to the floor, sinking down on one knee in front of Ichigo. The blond watched him with wide eyes, curious as the man's big hands came to slide up his thighs to the waistband of his jeans. Grimm's blue stare was just as intense in the gold light as he stared up into Ichigo's dark brown gaze, his thumb flicking open the button and slipping his fingers in to draw down the zipper easily.

Ichigo braced his arms behind him, unable to look away from Grimm's face as the man began to gently tug his jeans down. The boy helped by lifting his hips to make sliding the pants over his ass and down his thighs easier. The little smirk Grimm gave him made his heart skip in an anxious flutter as it hammered against his ribs.

The damp denim slid down his calves easily enough and Grimm slipped off his socks as well, warmed fingers ghosting up Ichigo's bare ankle and sending a visible shiver up his body that made the man chuckle silently. Feeling a blush rise to his cheeks from being the only one near naked, Ichigo reached out to tug at the collar of Grimm's damp flannel shirt.

"It's embarrassing being the only one," the blond muttered, watching as Grimm's eyes narrowed in interest.

"Yeah?" he sighed, letting go of the student's leg before standing back up and toeing off his shoes which he kicked off to the side.

Ichigo bit his lip as he watched the man pulled his arms out from the flannel sleeves, discarding it on the floor before he grabbed at the hem of his undershirt. The lamplight made the bare muscles on his arms glow, the tattoo designs fanning out over the flesh now dark and almost a little mysterious in the low light. Each revealed inch of Grimm's torso had Ichigo near panting in excitement until the whole tank top had been yanked off and dropped to the floor.

Brown eyes widened as they spread over the bared flesh dotted with more tattoos along his hips and sides. Distantly, he realized he'd never seen Grimm fully shirtless before, which was honestly a little weird considering how many times they'd made out in his bed without pants and – Ichigo's train of thought sputtered out when found himself staring too long at the definition of his abs and hips and he felt heat bubble up to his face. The lamplight flickered on something on either side of his hips as Grimm moved to push his jeans down.

"Oh…you've got…"

The blunet merely grinned and took a step closer as his hands made quick work of his pants. Ichigo glanced over his body again, noting the light trail of dark hair running down his navel and disappearing beneath the hem of his boxers.

"Got them done a few years ago," the man gestured with his fingers to the small metal studs at his hips.

Ichigo's gaze fell from his fingers, following the defined V of his hips to his black and blue boxer shorts, which were doing little to hide the growing arousal Grimm was sporting. His mouth went dry and he winced, glancing down into his own lap feeling his dick respond eagerly.

"You uh…do you have…?" Ichigo's voice wavered off when he gestured with a nod towards Grimm's groin. The man caught on quick enough and shook his head amusedly.

"Nah, not really my thing," he said, closing the distance between them and pressing his warm hand against Ichigo's chest, pushing him back on his arms a bit. "Scoot up on the bed."

Ichigo scrambled to obey, backing up against the pillows and trying to level his breathing as Grimm slowly crawled up onto the bed, the mattress sinking under the weight of his knee. The muscles in his thighs made Ichigo forget to breath for a few moments until Grimm's hot hand on his knee brought him back.

Looking up with a bit of surprise at how close Grimm had gotten, the blond swallowed around a knot and reached out to grab his wrist, wanting more contact. Tilting his head back, he licked his lips and looked up at the man through his lashes in what he thought might've been a coy invitation. Grimm growled low in his throat, his lips curling into a smirk before he leaned down to claim Ichigo's lips in a heated kiss.

Grimm's other hand came up to pet his fingers over Ichigo's throat, fluttering down to caress his collarbone and moving onto his shoulder to push him down against the pillows. Mouthing against him hungrily, Ichigo reached up to wrap an arm around Grimm's neck and to bury the fingers of one hand back in his hair, fisting in the soft tresses to guide him in the kiss. The man keened deep in his throat appreciatively and tilted further into the kiss, his tongue sweeping over Ichigo's lips.

A shock of heat raced down his leg when he felt Grimm's hand slide down from his knee to pet along the inside of his thigh, creeping closer and closer to the bottom of his boxers and his straining dick. Ichigo parted from their kiss to press his forehead against Grimm's cheek, panting raggedly and quivering when Grimm's hand pressed against his dick through the thin material.

"G-Grimm," he breathed airily, tilting up to kiss the corner of his jaw urgently, rolling his hips into the man's hand.

"You really wanna do this? I gotta ask," Grimm purred, petting Ichigo's dick and pushing teasingly. The boy groaned and shuddered beneath him.

"Fuck yes," he hissed, pulling on Grimm's hair and making the man grit his teeth excitedly.

"Thank god," he gasped, pushing up from Ichigo who reluctantly let go of him to watch him with lust-dazed eyes.

Gliding his tongue over his lip, Grimmjow flashed his teeth in a grin as he raised himself up on his knees and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers. As he stripped, Ichigo dragged his teeth over his lower lip taking him in. The dark black hair around his groin was neatly trimmed and his dick was thick and red with arousal, already glistening at the tip. Grimm took himself into his hand, rubbing his thumb over himself lazily as he stared Ichigo down, blue eyes practically glowing.

"C'mon, show me?" he asked, his request more of a direction that had Ichigo scrambling to follow, wanting his approval.

Dropping his underwear off the side of the bed, Ichigo leered up at Grimm, his lips curling into a bit of a smirk as he lifted a brow. He may not have been as impressive as Grimm, but he knew he had nothing to be ashamed of. The man sighed roughly, his nostrils flaring as he eyed Ichigo from the bottom up. When he reached out again, Ichigo's whole body twitched just before he placed a large palm on his hard chest.

Sliding his hand lower, he reached under Ichigo's arm and pushed up, urging him to sit up further so he could nudge himself closer. Ichigo caressed up the man's arm to take a hold of his shoulder, squeezing his fingertips in and marveling as he always did over just how…solid…Grimm was. The blunet leaned in close to ghost his lips over Ichigo's brow, pressing a kiss to his temple before inching lower, kissing just below his eye – feeling the flutter of Ichigo's lashes against his cheek – and pulling back and down to kiss him properly on the lips. The blonde eagerly reciprocated, meeting him with his tongue and slipping into the man's mouth.

As Grimm enjoyed his mouth, his other hand fell between them, touching Ichigo's dick gently and curiously. His fingertips mapped him out blindly, sliding over the base and dipping below to fondle his testes, coming back up to palm the shaft and slip his finger beneath the head with his thumb over his slit to spread a pearl of precum over the sensitive flesh. Ichigo moaned into his mouth, arching up into him and grabbing his wrist with his free hand, pressing down, urging for more.

Grimm chuckled into the kiss, parting their lips for breath before returning to him. At the same time, he maneuvered his and Ichigo's dicks up against one another so he could fist them both together. The blond shivered and keened low his throat, biting Grimm's lip and jostling his hips to push into the man's hand. As the blunet pumped them a couple times, he could feel them both stiffen and pulse hot against his hand.

Ichigo broke away from him, gasping for air and pressing his forehead against his shoulder, shaking slightly as panted little whines escaped his lips.

"W-Won't last, I c-can't," he stammered.

"You can go right here," Grimm whispered, pausing his hand anyway. Ichigo shook his head.

"Don't wanna, not right now, I want…I want…"

"Gotcha," Grimm swallowed thickly, letting go of both of them with a wince as he scooted back a bit on the bed.

Ichigo fell back against the pillows, sliding down a bit with the extra space but having to keep his legs spread a bit to make room for Grimm. As he swallowed more air and came down a little more to his senses, he turned his head against a pillow and tried to squeeze his thighs together a bit. His hand came to rest at his hip but hesitated before curling his fingers into a weak fist. He didn't want to touch himself…not yet…not with what he wanted next…

He watched Grimm lean over him to get at the first drawer of his nightstand. A small bottle and the crinkle of foil in his hand was all he needed to hear before he sighed almost dreamily. It'd been…a long time since his last time…and as much as he enjoyed it, he always got skittish with his own fingers and was honestly a little worried how it'd feel. Looking back up at Grimm, he was surprised that the man had already been looking at him and he glared with the guy smirked down at him.

"Talk to me, where are you?" he asked quietly, setting the condom down on the bed and uncapping the lube with his thumb. Ichigo blushed.

"I…it's just…been awhile. I don't…" Grimm's eyes softened and he brushed his fingers over Ichigo's knee gently.

"I got it. I'll take it slow, just talk to me," he promised, and Ichigo found himself nodding along. Grimm's voice and gaze just then was like a security blanket, wrapping him up safe.

He parted his thighs willingly, but with a fierce red blush at the wantonness of the whole thing. The man's shoulders shook with a shiver as he stared down at Ichigo's arousal, pushing up red and hot against his belly, and lower, over his soft sack and down to his entrance. There was an obscene squirting noise as Grimm squeezed the clear gel onto his fingertips that made them both pause and laugh a little, easing the tension some.

Eyes fluttering closed in nervousness, Ichigo held his breath when he felt wet fingers swirling over his dick and balls, and then slide lower to push gently but not seriously at his anus. The gel was a bit cold but Grimm's fingers were hot and made up for the difference.

"Ichigo, breathe," Grimm ordered gently and to the boy's surprise he automatically obeyed.

He cracked his eyes open curiously to catch Grimm staring down at his ass as he used his other hand to spread his cheeks for easier access. The lube had been spread over his skin and he tried to relax and loosen himself when he felt Grimm begin pressing one fingertip against him. Exhaling, he gasped wordlessly when his finger pressed into him, gliding a bit from the lube before his muscles clamped down.

"Uhn," Grimm audibly grunted, narrowing his eyes as he withdrew carefully, not fully removing his finger before pushing back in, twisting to try and spread the lube around. His dry thumb and forefinger pressed harder into the flesh of Ichigo's ass cheek to try and open him a bit more as the man brought up his second finger to tease the edge of his opening as well.

Ichigo whimpered when the second finger pushed inside and he bucked his hips, digging his fingers into his hip with the one hand, and grabbing a fistful of blanket in the other. Grimm hushed him, murmuring quietly as he continued to thrust and turn both fingers within his sensitive walls.

There was nothing but heat and wet friction now between his legs and the slight chill of lube on Grimm's third finger made Ichigo drag his teeth over his lip and he tilted his head back against a pillow while enduring the insistent push. The man's voice, low and thick but steady both excited him and made him flush with embarrassment as each noise that fell from his lips and each visible twitch of his body and roll of his hips made Grimm talk more…encourage him more.

While the first few thrusts and withdrawals had been careful, gently working him open, Grimm had quickened his pace and added to his force, reaching deeper within the boy and stretching his fingers within him. Ichigo swallowed around a mouthful of drool to pant and whimper for him to just get it over with, but it only made Grimm chuckle and pet the back of his thigh with his dry hand.

"I want you to feel good, babe," he murmured gently, somehow at that moment brushing his fingers over Ichigo's prostate and causing him to shake his head whispering 'No' and shiver.

With a cry, Ichigo came, spattering against his own belly without even touching himself. His hand weakly went to his dick, half-heartedly pumping out the rest of his orgasm as his chest rose up and down with his fast breathing that slowly eased down. Grimm withdrew his fingers from inside and pet at his thigh, leaving wet traces of lube behind on the skin as his dry hand went up to cup his cheek.

"Hey hey, what was wrong? Do you not want me to call you 'babe'?" he asked.

Ichigo pursed his lips together tightly, not looking at him at first but he sighed and shook his head. His whole face felt on fire as he tried to find his voice for the words.

"Not that...I…I wanted to come with…with you inside…" he stammered, wincing when Grimm panted an incredulous little laugh.

"Ichigo, I'll do whatever you want."

As though to seal the promise, he leaned down close and pressed a kiss to Ichigo's lips, nuzzling his cheek before pulling back.

"Think you're ready?" he asked, voice low and a rasp as his wet fingers began to stroke absently along his own dick.

Ichigo looked down between them and sighed seeing Grimm's cock still full and red, and for a moment the blond felt a tingle of worried anticipation blow beneath his skin. How was that going to possibly fit inside him…and how would it feel…? His dark brown eyes flashed up to lock gazes with Grimm's pale blue stare. Swallowing, Ichigo nodded, bringing up a hand to push sweat-and-rain-damp bangs from his forehead.

Without another word, Grimm grabbed at the forgotten condom wrapper and tore it open. Rolling it down over his dick quick enough, he grabbed the lube and uncapped it again with his thumb before pouring a liberal amount in his palm. Closing the lube and dropping it on the bed, he slathered the lubricant in his palm over his wrapped dick, being sure to coat everything to ensure a smooth and comfortable entrance for Ichigo.

The boy watched him with a half-lidded gaze, fingers tentatively stroking his dick as his arousal came back strong bit by bit. Grimm had noticed and nodded his approval which caused a warm sort of happy feeling to curl up inside of him. When the man had grabbed his leg and made him spread himself further, leaving him open to whatever Grimm wanted of him, he moaned with want. Want for Grimm to just take it, to take him. When the man grabbed his hip with his other hand and squeezed tightly, Ichigo knew he was going to do just that.

Grimm had aligned the head up against his entrance, pushing in slowly until Ichigo accepted him in further with a growl and then he thrust his hips in to the hilt. Ichigo jerked against him, throwing his head back into the pillows as his lips parted, crying out a throaty moan that was far from pained. The man took it as his sign to keep going and withdrew slowly before thrusting back in. Less than a rhythm and more experimentation, he watched Ichigo's face intently as the boy shivered and quaked beneath him.

The blond was yanking at the blanket desperately in one hand and had taken a hold of his prick, stroking and pumping himself trying to keep time with Grimm's movements but unable to find the pattern. At one point as Grimm pushed in tortuously, he opened his mouth to snap at him but lost the words seeing the sweat on his brow and the lust darkening his eyes.

It was as though in that moment he somehow understood that the man was testing his movements, searching out for what felt good for him.

Ichigo felt his heart swell and jump up his throat at the thought.

Feeling his eyelids flutter with one of Grimm's rolling thrusts, he grit his teeth and growled, feeling the rumble in his throat and saliva pooling under his tongue. The man narrowed his eyes at him curiously, panting heavily as he thrust his hips against him yet again, earning a wet whimper. Ichigo squeezed his own dick until he saw spots. Blinking up at the man blearily, Ichigo let go of the blanket and grabbed at Grimm's arm with a trembling hand.

"Grimm…please…"

Ichigo's voice was a soft whisper and the sound crashed in on Grimm's eardrums like fireworks. Growling and giving him a feral leer, he squeezed his hand around the boy's thigh and raised his leg against his side higher, drawing out a groan in protest that quickly melted into pleasure as Grimm's withdrawal passed over Ichigo's prostate.

Ramming into him again and again, Grimm smirked when Ichigo began to squirm and pump his dick faster, rutting his ass against his thrusts and panting and gasping desperately for air. Murmuring to him, he encouraged him to let go, tip over the edge. With one more rather vicious thrust, he felt Ichigo's muscles quiver and contract around him.

With a harsh cry, Ichigo arched upwards and came again, making a mess between their laps. Grimm thrust into him a few more times, eyes nearly rolling back from the amazing sensation of changing pressure on his own dick as Ichigo rode out his second orgasm, shaking and quivering against him.

Ichigo tried to keep their eyes locked, despite having trouble focusing with the man still pumping into him. As his body quieted down, he panted and whined with every thrust Grimm continued to give. The pleasure was becoming painful to his hypersensitive nerves but he almost didn't want it to stop.

Thrusting inside Ichigo deeply, Grimm shuddered when his orgasm finally hit and he grit his teeth as he moaned, the wash of release knocking the wind out of him. He stayed inside the boy a few moments, sighing weakly as he tried to pull out as gently as he could. Ichigo whined at his absence, the sound coming from his lips making Grimm ache for him all over again.

Letting go of Ichigo, he slid back on the bed and peeled off the condom, tying it off and tossing it into the waste bin beneath the nightstand. He sat there watching the boy dazedly for a moment before he glanced at the mess of cum on his stomach.

"Lemme," he sighed quickly, moving off the bed and to his feet.

He grabbed an empty glass from atop the nightstand and left the room. Ichigo looked after him, hearing water run from probably the bathroom sink before Grimm returned seconds later, full glass of water and a washcloth in hand.

Not taking a chance, Grimm stood over Ichigo at the side of the bed and held the glass for him as he gratefully drank.

"Th-thank you," the blond breathed, weakly smiling up at him as Grimm nodded with a smile and drink from the glass as well before setting it down again.

He soon set to wiping the sweat from Ichigo's face with the damp cloth. The coolness was welcome as far as he was concerned and he near purred as Grimm patted down his neck as well. Then he wiped at the mess of cum on his stomach, finally wiping at his dick as well. Ichigo merely laid back and enjoyed the gentle touches. He had never been treated like that by his past partners, they'd been nice enough as he'd never had patience for inconsiderate jerks, but…they'd never been as…attentive as Grimm was being.

Always was.

Ichigo looked up curiously at the man then, brown eyes still clouded over with lust and now something more. Grimm didn't quite notice at first, looking him over and folding the cloth into a ball to discard on the bed. But then he looked back to Ichigo's face and paused. And smiled.

Reaching for Ichigo's cheek, he leaned in and kissed him. As he pulled away, Ichigo stopped him with a touch at his arm.

"Can I hold you?" the boy asked.

Grimm was silent a moment, Ichigo watched him swallow and nod as he croaked out an almost grateful sounding 'yes' with a grin curling his lips.

Crawling back onto the bed, Grimm wrapped himself beside Ichigo, drawing him into his arms and helping him settle his sweaty body against his own. Ichigo rested his head against his chest, amusing himself with tracing the lines of Grimm's muscles down his chest as the man twitched and purred under his touch.

After having cuddled with him the same way so many times, it was almost surreal to be naked and wrapped up in his arms. It was almost unbelievable that they'd just had sex if not for the physical strain it left on their bodies and the scent of musk in the air.

Nearly ten minutes of snuggling and murmured words later, Ichigo seemed to have snapped out of his dazed state and was curiously asking about some of the tattoos on Grimm's torso. There was a colorful horned and hoofed animal posed over his hip near the piercing that Ichigo traced over the lines of before asking what it was.

"Antelope, Nel's favorite animal," Grimm chuckled. "She designed it for me for my twentieth birthday."

"It's nice, kinda different," Ichigo mused, tracing his fingertip over the small, horned-head. "You're both really good with colors…"

"You should let me see more of your stuff sometime," Grimm said after a moment, rubbing his shoulder affectionately. "Gimme all these nice compliments and I just get to see your silly doodles sometimes, no fair,"

"As if I'd show you now…" Ichigo huffed, still petting his hand down Grimm's abs appreciatively. "Damn you're just so…solid…"

"What?" the man laughed, the rumble even vibrating against Ichigo's chest.

"Y-y'know…you're jacked," he mumbled, feeling his face heating up. "I like it…but I'm envious."

"You're not so bad yourself," Grimm shrugged, his hand dropping from his shoulder to sweep down his side appreciatively. "You do anything?"

"Not regularly, I played soccer through school," the blond shrugged, "I stay lean though, it's hard to put weight on."

"Well you've got killer legs from it anyway, I can't stand it when you've got those black jeans on," Grimm chuckled, squeezing Ichigo's hip. "Your whole body just makes me want to run my hands all over you," he confessed, his voice going low into an almost growl.

"Even right now?" Ichigo asked after a moment, turning his head back up at Grimm in a challenge. The man snorted.

"If you wanna, I'm yours," he offered.

Ichigo grinned impishly and leaned in to kiss Grimm, licking his lip eagerly.

"Then please, touch me right now."

"With pleasure."