Work Text:
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez joins Ichigo's highschool the spring of Ichigo's third year.
He's tall and he's gruff and he's as bright as Ichigo, as attention-grabbing, blue hair to the roots and a grin of gleaming sharp teeth to every murmur and cruel word behind his back. Their teacher looks between Grimmjow and Ichigo and already has a tired, resigned kind of expression as he sits Grimmjow behind Ichigo-- keep the two potential delinquents in the same-ish place to minimize the damage, Ichigo supposes. But he can afford Grimmjow a little smile as Grimmjow takes a seat, even if Grimmjow just scoffs and rolls his eyes.
"We should invite him up here to eat with us," Orihime says, apropos of nothing. She sets her lunchbox down by Uryū's. They've shared food like this, all in a little pile of boxes, since middle school. Chad is the only one who ever eats out of Orihime's, but Tatsuki is the one who'll chase the bits of rice around towards the end of lunch hour.
"Not a chance in hell," Uryū says, in perfect English and then in Japanese, because he's still sore that Ichigo got a higher score on the last practical test, and they've collectively promised to help. His english is perfect. He just. Gets nervous, during practicals. Ichigo doesn't think it's fair, that the teacher can reduce a score just because Uryū has a stutter when he's nervous.
"He's a member of track and field ," Tatsuki spits, because track and field has been taking potential club members out from under her for years, and she holds a grudge against anyone who chooses track and field over her martial arts club.
Chad says nothing, as usual, but his head falls on Orihime's shoulder.
Ichigo feels four sets of eyes on him. The tie breaker, as always. He steals a piece of egg from Uryū's lunchbox and thinks of blue hair, sharp eyes, correct answers mumbled behind Ichigo's head but his first words to their teacher being "fuck you" in an American kind of drawl.
The next day, Ichigo catches Grimmjow heading towards the west stairwell at lunchtime. It's where delinquents go to smoke, but. Not during lunch. During lunch they're behind the bleachers on the sports' field, and. Grimmjow is in track and field. He doesn't seem like the kind of person to sabotage himself like that.
"C'mon," Ichigo says, picking up Grimmjow's lunch-- something cheap from the cafeteria, and a bag of cookies and a bottle of sparkling water from the vending machine-- as he passes and heads up the stairs. "This is just sad. We're not gonna let you sit down here and eat all alone and sad."
"What are you, fuckin' student body president?" Grimmjow snarls, but follows anyway. Because Ichigo is holding his food. Because he doesn't really want to be alone. Ichigo is reminded of the stray dog that lives behind the store where he works after school, and lean and starved of food and affection, and the way it and Grimmjow tip their heads and bare their teeth in almost the same way.
"Nah," Ichigo says, and smiles, small and honest, as he kicks the door to the roof open. "But 'yu-chan is."
...
It took a week, for the stray dog to eat with Ichigo and not just grab the offered food and run.
It takes a week, for rough and chewed chopsticks to snatch a bite from Ichigo's lunchbox.
The next week, a new lunchbox joins the pile, made obviously carefully and painstakingly by hand. Tatsuki's head is in Orihime's lap, so Chad's head is on Uryū's shoulder, and all of them are pointedly not-watching when Orihime obviously carefully, slowly nabs a mouthful.
Grimmjow bares his teeth but doesn't bite.
Ichigo lets Tatsuki stretch her legs out over his thighs and calls that a win.
...
They take him to the park by the river, to icecream and karaoke and Tatsuki's competitions. To the weird dance bars Uryū gets them into where they can smell the alcohol but can't touch, and spend the whole time listening to Uryū fangirl over the costumes. Into their homes, and Chad's on the weekend, so Grimmjow can watch wide-eyed as Yasutora-san makes tamales like her husband's mother taught her when she was a younger girl-- she's always happy to have a new audience.
Spring passes. Grimmjow joins the "Walk Ichigo To Work" committee.
...
Summer comes, hot and heavy scorching the rooftop where there isn't shade. Ichigo sits cross-legged facing the chainlink, rubbing his thumb over the label of the sparkling water Grimmjow got him. Grimmjow is supposed to be packing up the track and field equipment, but instead he's practicing his pole vault, just a few more times, because he thinks no one can see. He's really very good, but he's also a lot like Uryū, except instead of a vocal stutter it's a like. A body stutter. His whole body freezes instead of just his voice, when too many people are watching.
But alone, it takes five paces and Grimmjow flies .
"It's okay, you know," Chad says. He isn't sitting very close to Ichigo, because it's too hot for that and they've both been described as living furnaces by their friends, but he still tips his head onto Ichigo's shoulder. "To like him. Different from how you like us."
Ichigo pushes his thumb over the label of the sparkling water. His mouth is dry.
…
Summer creeps and drags. Uryū and Orihime have extra classes and Grimmjow has club meets and Ichigo has work. Tatsuki drags Ichigo to the dojo where they work up a sweat to the tune of an ancient, rattling air conditioner. Ichigo drags Uryū and Orihime to Karin's football games, and when the game is over the four of them pass and bounce the ball around long after the sun has gone down. Chad picks up Ichigo and Yuzu on weekends and brings them to his house where Grimmjow is already waiting, and Yasutora-san teaches them how to fill corn husks and cook food that burns sweetly with every bite.
Ichigo's birthday comes and passes. They agreed a long time ago that they don't expect to get gifts for their birthdays, Uryū and Orihime live alone and Chad's grandmother doesn't work and Tatsuki's dad owns a dojo and Ichigo has to look after two little sisters. But Orihime lets him wear her hairpins for the day and they eat lunch in the park, instead of on the roof, and Grimmjow looks at Ichigo like he's seeing him for the first time, a little stunned and a little wonder.
"I didn't know," Grimmjow says.
Ichigo shrugs awkwardly where he has his head on Grimmjow's shoulder and Uryū's head in his lap. "It doesn't matter."
...
Summer gives way to autumn, and the sky splits open with rain.
Grimmjow has club meets and so does Tatsuki, and all of them have homework, and it rains more days than it doesn't so they eat in the top-floor music room instead. Ichigo doesn't eat much-- instead, he sits under the window and props it open, just barely, for the humid, wet scent as he watches the water fall. The sky is grey, and Ichigo's world is greyed out along the edges, and through autumn he just... exists.
It's still raining, but it's the one day out of the year when Ichigo's absence isn't questioned when he disappears for a few periods in the middle of the day, and he's otherwise a perfectly healthy teenager, his father is a doctor and he's been to more than enough therapy, but while time heals all wounds sometimes it takes a while and Ichigo is still mourning.
Ichigo is dripping wet and Grimmjow is scrambling to his feet like he was sitting there waiting and Ichigo's world is grey around the edges but Grimmjow's hair is bright, bright, bright.
"I didn't know," Grimmjow says.
There are so many ways he could respond to that. A hundred answers on Ichigo's tongue. "It was an accident," Ichigo could say, or "I wasn't the only one who lost someone that day." Or, maybe even, "It was a long time ago", because it was, but today it still feels like it happened just yesterday.
"It doesn't matter," Ichigo says instead, and rests his head on Grimmjow's shoulder, and they stand there, together, out of the rain.
...
Something changes, after that, paper stretched to its very limit before finally giving way. Grimmjow sits with his shoulder pressed against Ichigo's at lunch, when they go for icecream, karaoke, Uryū's bars and Chad's house. His mutterings in class are less snarky and more honest advice. Ichigo sits on the back of Grimmjow's bike on the way to work, and it isn't pity, and it isn't understanding, but it's something else that builds a slow and heavy and welcome weight in Ichigo's chest.
And sometimes Ichigo thinks about reaching out and taking Grimmjow's hand and sometimes Ichigo thinks about bringing Grimmjow home and sometimes Ichigo thinks about being honest, with Grimmjow, with himself, with everyone. And sometimes Karin and Yuzu laugh themselves sick when Ichigo tells them and sometimes Chad gives him a Look and Ichigo feels a plastic bottle label under his fingers.
"It's okay, you know. To like him. Different from how you like us."
And Ichigo's mouth goes dry.
...
It comes to a head when it's late, and dark, and the first chills of late autumn are just touching the air, and they're finally tired enough to give the autumn a rest, and they start to wander off in different directions towards home but Ichigo hesitates a step before following Grimmjow-- and does his best to ignore when Orihime notices and her eyes go wide and she gives him a big smile and two thumbs up.
Grimmjow picks up the conversation where they left it, and Ichigo doesn't remember a word that's said. Chad's words bounce around his skull and his mouth is dry and so is Grimmjow's hand when Ichigo reaches out and takes it. And he can't tell if it's better or worse, that Grimmjow doesn't even notice, just keeps talking, eyes bright and other hand waving for emphasis.
And heading to Grimmjow's house takes them through another park, not the riverside one but one full of statues and fountains and Grimmjow looks at one, a man on a rearing horse, with a mischievous glint in his eye. He turns and takes Ichigo's other hand, and grins, all gleaming sharp teeth, and tugs. Not hard, just a question, a suggestion.
"C'mon," Grimmjow says, and, oh , Ichigo thinks, I would follow you anywhere .
And it's such a stupid, delinquent thing to do, but Grimmjow jumps over into the fountain and Ichigo follows, laughing as he splashes Grimmjow and Grimmjow splashes back. And it could probably get them arrested, or hurt, but Grimmjow climbs the statue because he "wants to see how it looks from up there", and Ichigo follows, because he's stupid, and tonight he's a delinquent, and from the top of the statue the city doesn't look that different but Grimmjow gleams bright, bright, bright in the light of the nearest streetlamp and Ichigo's mouth is dry .
Ichigo climbs down first, and as Grimmjow is climbing down his foot slips on the slick metal and he goes tumbling right into Ichigo and he's. He's fine, breathless and laughing against Ichigo's shoulder and he's so warm and Ichigo
is ready to start being honest.
Grimmjow turns his face up and their noses brush, and Ichigo can't hear over the pounding in his ears, and
Grimmjow
smiles, small and soft and honest.
Ichigo doesn't know who closes the distance, and he doesn't care. And it's cold and wet but Grimmjow is warm, warm, warm, and he kisses like someone who knows what he wants, and Ichigo is frozen, he's flying .
(Grimmjow takes him home.)
...
Omake:
This isn't a side Ichigo shows to anyone else.
It's not like he's ashamed of it. Not really. It's just. Confusing. He knows it can be confusing. And none of them would judge him for it, but he doesn't want to confuse them, or make them uncomfortable, or try to explain this thing about himself that he doesn't himself understand.
But Uryū is his cousin, the closest thing Ichigo's ever had to a brother, and a talented seamstress with steady hands besides. So Ichigo sits very very still while Uryū sits on his hips with lipgloss in one hand and an eyeliner pen between his teeth and listens while Uryū complains that most of his cosplay commissions are more skin than fabric.
They're on the couch, because Ichigo doesn't really want to look in a mirror while Uryū works. The dress is thin straps and dark green, with a top layer of something lighter and sheer and shimmery-gold, and when he's standing up it falls to mid thigh but sitting and shifting makes it ride up.
And Uryū is just starting into a rant about costume armor crafting and the impracticality of wearing armor right against skin when there's the rattle-shove of someone at Uryū's shitty front door and then Grimmjow is bursting in, arms leaden with bags of groceries and complaints about their world history project caught on his lips.
There is a moment when they are all three caught shock-still. Uryū delicately removes the eyeliner pen from his mouth.
"I. May have forgotten that this was today," Uryū admits, and he's trying for levity but it just comes out strained.
Grimmjow takes it in stride. He bustles his way into Uryū's shitty little kitchen, unpacking groceries into the fridge and the cabinets and starting up a pot of something. He gives Ichigo a single, long once-over as Uryū extricates himself from Ichigo's lap, before launching a bag of shrimp chips directly at Ichigo's face.
"Dont ruin my hard work," Uryū snaps, straightening makeup so that it takes up only half the coffee table instead of the whole thing.
"That shade of pink doesn't suit him anyways," Grimmjow growls back, and Uryū launches himself at the counter like he's trying to go for Grimmjow's throat, and Ichigo feels something tight and stuck unwind in his chest.
Ichigo raises a hand to his lips, sticky with gloss, and. Wonders. Because he doesn't usually wear lipgloss-- usually, when they do this, it's more. Overt. Red lipstick and smokey eyeshadow and dresses that are slinky and tight. This is the first time Ichigo's ever been. casual. With this.
He smooths the fabric of the dress against his hip. Even with the wrong shade of pink, its. Nice.
"Ichigo," Uryū whines, and Ichigo is on his feet and padding towards the kitchen before he's even thinking. "Tell him he's wrong!"
"You're wrong," Ichigo says. Leans on the other side of the bar from Grimmjow. Hes chopping daikon, quick and sure, but instead of a cookbook he has his textbook open at his elbow.
"I am literally reading it to you," Grimmjow gripes, and points at the passage with the tip of his knife, but Ichigo's eyes are caught on the flexing of Grimmjow's wrist, soft skin and tendons in sharp relief.
Grimmjow glances at Ichigo, a flash of narrow ice blue eyes, and he snorts, but he smiles, and scrapes the daikon into the same bowl as the carrots, all waiting for the water to boil.
"You got any of that stuff Tatsu-chan wears?" Grimmjow asks, apropos of nothing, and Ichigo remembers track meets, and festivals, and shopping trips, and the pale pink of a sakura petal just before the white, and Uryū scoffs.
"That's going to be too light," Uryū complains, but he disappears into his room to look for it anyways.
And then it's just Grimmjow, and Ichigo. The strap is sliding downIchigo's shoulder, but pulling it up will just draw more attention to it. To Ichigo's shoulders, narrow and thin, and the sharp edges of Ichigo's bones, and the tattoo nestled against the relief of Ichigo's collarbone because he might be too young to walk in and get one himself, but annoying isshin is one of the few causes for which Uryū and ryuken-san will show a united front.
"You should let me take you out sometime," Grimmjow says, but he keeps his eyes down as he strips the skin from an eggplant with practiced motions. "Like--" he pauses, tongue between his teeth. Eyes still down even as he gestures to Ichigos. Everything. "--that."
And Ichigo raises his fingers to his lips and thinks of autumn chill, and fountains, and the way this dress rides up when he sits and shifts, and says "Maybe" with a small, secret smile.