Exposed!

Exposed

Chapter VII

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The rays of the sun poked through the window of the Urahara Shoten and Ichigo blinked his eyes open. He was rather surprised it was morning already, but then he had been really tired last night, exhausted from emotions that he usually didn’t allow himself to feel. Ichigo rolled over and came face to face with a wide awake and already dressed Grimmjow. The orange-haired teen yelped in surprise, now fully awake, and scrambled back. Next to him, Grimmjow chuckled and handed him some clothes that someone must have brought from home. Ichigo took them and noticed for the first time that Grimmjow’s mask and hole were absent.

“So,” he yawned tiredly, “Urahara made you a gigai overnight, eh?” He sighed and got out of the warm futon to put on his clothes. When he straightened, he noticed that Grimmjow even had normal human clothes on. Ichigo smirked at Grimmjow and the Espada-turned-human smirked back.

“Looks good on you,” Ichigo mumbled, blushing slightly.

Grimmjow grinned and took his hand. “I thought we’d go for a walk today in the park. After all, it has been two months.” His lover blushed at this comment and followed him, stopping only to get a piece of buttered toast from Yoruichi, whom he hadn’t noticed last night.

Grimmjow grinned and tugged him over to Karakura Park, where they had ended up after they fought the night before. Ichigo smiled, wondering if this was what it was like to be a normal couple on a normal date instead of a Shinigami/Vaizard and an Espada. They were still holding hands and Ichigo laced his fingers with Grimmjow’s, half expecting the Espada to pull away. When he didn’t Ichigo looked up to see the older man smiling down at him. Ichigo smiled shakily back and Grimmjow pulled away to wrap his arm around the strawberry’s waist.

All was silent for most of the walk until Grimmjow opened his mouth.

“Listen Ichigo… I… I’m not good at saying thank you, but what you did at the Shoten was beyond my expectation. I want to help you out. I was thinking maybe, since I know Aizen better than any of you, I could help.”

“You mean be an informant?” Ichigo asked as he stopped walking.

“Yeah,” Grimmjow grinned, tugging the kid’s hand to get him to move again. Ichigo looked at him a moment longer and nodded, smiling.

Ichigo couldn’t help but wonder why Grimmjow would offer himself to the Shinigami. For all Ichigo knew, the Sexta Espada hated both sides and wouldn’t want to participate in the war at all. That was why Ichigo was rather surprised when Grimmjow volunteered to give information. The kid pondered all the reasons that Grimmjow had to promise his help, and came to one conclusion. He really didn’t have a reason unless it was because of what Ichigo did, what he had said. Last night he had said he was in love with Grimmjow, and he knew that Grimm wouldn’t be able to say it back so easily. Maybe this was Grimm’s way of admitting his feelings?

Ichigo squeezed the Espada’s hand to get his attention and murmured, “I understand. Thank you, Grimmjow.”

Grimmjow stared at the teenager in shock. He hadn’t expected Ichigo to understand his reasons behind offering himself to the Shinigami, but it seems the kid had caught on rather quickly. Grimmjow had to admit, he was impressed. He really had no place left to him anymore, in any world, and especially not Hueco Mundo. Ichigo’s voice interrupted his thoughts again.

“Listen, I know you’re too proud to admit you’re sad or lonely or worried, and I know that Hueco Mundo was your only home since you probably don’t remember your past life here in the material world, and that’s okay. It’s perfectly find to feel that way. I understand perfectly, and I’m here.” The carrot-top said all of this without looking anywhere but the ground, his hand tight around Grimmjow’s, who had nearly stopped walking in surprise. Ichigo looked up at him with a smirk on his face and Grimmjow grinned back, silently thanking his lover for his insight.

‘I wonder when the idiot went from being stupid and arrogant to understanding? Since when has he known me so well?’

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Rukia sighed and ran her hand through her sudsy hair. She heard Ichigo leave with Grimmjow and had decided to take a shower. She always loved the shower because it gave her some alone time to think, which she desperately needed right now.

She had thought for a few moments at least, that she and Ichigo could have had a relationship. Maybe that was why she was so shocked when he admitted his love for Grimmjow and the fact that they had been dating for so long. Well, maybe not dating. More like ‘involved,’ which was the word that Ichigo had used. She felt kind of foolish that she had even thought about her and Ichigo ever being together. After all, they were really just best friends, and besides, she was a dead woman. If she cared about him at all, she wouldn’t let him fall for her. So why had she hoped things would one day amount to that?

Rukia really had no answer for that. Perhaps she was just selfish. She frowned at the way she had acted last night; the way she had stormed out of the room upon seeing Grimmjow comforting Ichigo was embarrassing enough. She hoped Ichigo wouldn’t think she was angry with him, because really, she had been the one with blinders on. She leaned back against the tile of the shower and enjoyed the warm water flowing over her skin.

A loud bang startled her out of her relaxation and she could hear two husky voices, one familiar and the other not quite so. She turns the shower off and steps out, wrapping a towel around her body and slipping into a bathrobe, thankful that Urahara had let her and Renji stay for as long as they needed.

Rukia opened up the door and peeked out, surprised to see that Grimmjow, the Espada, had Ichigo up against the wall, a knee between the teenager’s legs, kissing the living daylights out of each other. She watched, blushing, as Ichigo moaned and wrapped his legs around the Espada’s waist as Grimmjow rolled his hips into Ichigo’s. They both groaned and Ichigo threw his head back hard against the wall, but didn’t seem to realize that it should have hurt. Grimmjow attacked Ichigo’s neck and collarbone and the younger man twined his hands in Grimmjow’s blue hair. Rukia’s blush deepened as Ichigo’s hoarse, husky voice called out Grimmjow’s name, his hands slipping from the blue hair to push at his shoulders. Grimmjow detached his lips from Ichigo’s earlobe and looked at him in frustration.

“Not here, Grimm,” Ichigo panted. “I know it’s been 2 months but please, I don’t want to disrespect my friends. Especially since they just found out.”

Ichigo begged with his eyes to be understood, eyes that were half-lidded and hazy with lust. Grimmjow growled at him and backed away, giving Ichigo ample time to find his footing again. The kid gripped Grimmjow’s shoulders as they caught their breath. Rukia sighed and loudly (to make sure they heard and had time to detangle themselves) walked down the stairs. She smiled, trying hard not to snicker at the fact that Ichigo and Grimmjow were now on complete opposite sides of the hallway.

“Ichigo. I want to apologize for my actions last night,” she said on a whim, holding out her hand. She watched as a slow smile blossomed on her friend’s face as he accepted her hand and her apology.

“No harm, no foul,” he said happily. Grimmjow came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder and lay his head down on Ichigo’s. Rukia chuckled at the height difference, realizing that Ichigo was almost a whole head shorter than his lover. Once again, she barely managed to hold back her laughter.

‘At least the idiot’s happy now. As his best friend, that’s all I could ever ask for,’ Rukia thought as she turned to the room Urahara had given her and began to get dressed. Outside the room, she could hear Grimmjow and Ichigo’s laughter.


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