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The sky was a perfect shade of cerulean blue. The air was cool with a sharp crinkle to the air, but had an unusual touch of humidity, and that was due to the immense spiritual pressure the two beings on the ground were emitting. The blue haired arrancar grinned sadistically at the orange-haired soul reaper in front of him. "What are ya waiting for, Kurosaki? Make the goddamn first move already!" Grimmjow was getting impatient with him, as Kurosaki in front of him hadn't moved a single inch from his spot, instead just staring intently at Grimmjow for the past couple of minutes. The arrancar had started to get some weird, warm feeling in his chest, and he wanted that to stop immediately. "Bastard, what the hell are you staring at?'' he snarled at him.
"I promise I'm not making fun of you or anything when I'm saying this," said Ichigo cautiously, "but you have the coolest eyes I have ever seen."
Grimmjow stiffened, as he felt that same feeling creep up towards his throat, slowly inching its way up as if threatening to devour him with those unfamiliar emotions. "Stop with that bullshit. If you won't attack me, I will." He growled, and charged towards Ichigo in an attempt to shake that off. Ichigo immediately blocked it with his zanpaku-to, and drove the arrancar's back instantly to a wall, restricting Grimmjow of any movement, which forced him to lock eyes with the soul reaper. "I'm serious," said Ichigo, not looking away from him. "Your eyes are amazing." Grimmjow was shocked. He had no idea what to say. Never in his hundreds of years of life, never in Hueco Mundo, never with Nel, never with Aizen, never even in his original life had anyone said that he had "cool eyes". Cool? Yeah, right. Every single one of the people he had known had never said anything about his eyes, In fact, they had gone as far to tell him that his eyes were absolutely terrifying. So why the hell was his sworn enemy pinning him to a wall and telling him he had amazing eyes, like he was some love-sick girl? Grimmjow fell out of his thoughts and shoved back Ichigo like he was some kind of disease. "I'm not in the mood to fight anymore, Kurosaki. Now get lost." The arrancar immediately opened a garganta and disappeared before the orange-haired man could ask any questions.
He appeared in Kisuke's hot spring, and instantly fell to the ground in a hacking cough. His chest sputtered, and when it finally stopped, he looked at the ground and saw a single flower laying on the ground covered in blood and saliva. An orange lily. Grimmjow picked it up and examined it, noting that it was the exact shade as Kurosaki's annoying bright orange hair. First that weird incident with Kurosaki, and now this mysterious flower that supposedly came from him. He took another glance at the lily, and crumpled it up in his hand, letting it dissipate to dust. This was just a one-time thing, thought Grimmjow. Yeah, that's what it was. Just some weird anomaly in his even weirder anomaly of a body. It was completely normal.
Except it wasn't. It happened again one day when Grimmjow and Kisuke were sparring. Kisuke flew up behind him and clubbed him in the head, and the ex-espada instantly swung around to call up a cero but for some reason he couldn't get the cero up fast enough. His movements felt more sluggish than before, but he decided to ignore it. He fired the cero a split-second too late, blasting a hole in the ground instead of Kisuke's chest, where it was originally intended to go. Kisuke looked up at Grimmjow with question in his eyes.
"What got you so distracted today, Grimmjow-san?" asked Kisuke playfully with just a hint of seriousness in his eyes. Grimmjow just ignored him and charged towards the blond-haired man again, but he suddenly got a sharp feeling in his chest, like someone had pierced glass through him, and he staggered and fell to the ground on his knees. He started coughing, and Grimmjow was coughing so hard that he thought for a second that his lungs might fall out along with whatever else was coming out of his mouth. He looked at the ground, and stilled. He saw about 6 orange lilies covered in his saliva and blood, and yet still shone brightly like that couldn't stop them. Now he knew. This was no one-time occurrence.
Something was horribly wrong with his body.
He sprung up to his feet and glared at the man in front of him. "Ugh, I never wanted to ask you this but whatever." He marched up to the blond-haired man and grabbed his collar. "Tell me what the fuck is wrong with my body, Kisuke." The man just smiled and held up his hands as if he was surrendering. "No need to get all violent, Grimmjow-san. Now, let me see what the problem is." Kisuke walked past Grimmjow and stopped when he reached where the arrancar had well, a moment. He bent down and picked up one of the lilies, inspecting it like some hawk-eyed detective. He glanced at Grimmjow, then glanced back at the lily. He glanced at him again, and then looked at the lily. Then his face turned grim. Grimmjow was so confused. What the hell was this bastard thinking about, he thought. "Well, what's the hold-up? Do I have some disease or some shit?" Kisuke smiled grimly and glanced at Grimmjow. "Yes. You do." The arrancar's heart dropped. Hollows could get diseases? He sure as hell didn't know that. The blond-haired man stood there silently. "Tell me." said Grimmjow finally. "How the hell did I get this disease?"
Kisuke walked over towards him and motioned for him to take a seat. Grimmjow followed, and the two sat there in a grim silence. Then, the man finally spoke. "This disease you have, it's called Hanahaki. It's very rare and it only happens to people who.." Kisuke glanced at him. "Happens to people who what? Just spit the goddamn truth out already!" The man took a deep breath and said, "This disease only happens to people who have an unrequited love."
^^
Grimmjow hadn't gone back to Kisuke's for a week for that day. When he had said that, the arrancar abruptly stood up and muttered something along the lines of, "that's bullshit", and speedwalked the shit out of that room, since he couldn't open a garganta in there. Unrequited love? What bullshit. He didn't love anyone, why the hell would he? He was Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, after all. The guy that had people shit their pants just by hearing his name. So why the fuck would he, out of all people, have this Hanahaki disease? Well, apparently he loved someone according to Kisuke, so he began to list off people. That chick with the big boobs? Nah, she was way too annoying. Nel? Hell no, he thought of her as more of an annoying sibling than someone to have sex with. Ulquiorra? Grimmjow cursed that thought the moment it entered his mind. Fuck no. That left one person..Kurosaki. Grimmjow scoffed. Like hell he would love his sworn enemy. But the moment he thought of him, his heart did a little stutter and his breath caught in his throat. He remembered when Kurosaki had pinned him against the wall and felt his face get hot. He stopped thinking suddenly, and froze. No way. There was just no way. He refused to accept it. He absolutely refused. Then suddenly, he got an idea. He picked up the cellphone that Nel had given him and dialed the number.
"Kurosaki, let's fight tomorrow."
"Wait, Grimmjow, you have a phone-"
"Besides the point. Meet me in Kisuke's hot spring basement, or whatever the hell that's called. Or are you too scared?"
"Hell no. I'm gonna go all out tomorrow, so you better be prepared."
"You're the one who should be prepared, Kurosaki. I'm beating your ass."
Grimmjow hung up and flopped down on his bed. Since when had he been looking forward to hearing Kurosaki's voice? Since when had his chest felt so fuzzy and warm, rather than a void and empty emotion that he had felt for the longest time? He recalled the memory of when he saw Kurosaki for the first time. The first thing he had noticed were his eyes. Those eyes that were burning with a passion that he had hated so much because he had always felt that they were belittling him, that they were an insult to his ego. But after so many fights against him, he had unconsciously noticed that Kurosaki's eyes had been getting softer and softer everytime they fought, and whenever Grimmjow got a bad injury, Kurosaki's eyes looked regretful, and his face looked like a kicked puppy, and he would stop the fight immediately, urging Kisuke to tend to his wounds. Why the hell did Kurosaki do that? Why the hell did Kurosaki make him feel this weird type of way? No, Grimmjow didn't feel any type of way. Absolutely not. He would figure everything out when they fought tomorrow.
^^
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, you're finally here! Grimmjow-san is in the spring alrea-" Ichigo sauntered past him, ignoring Urahara and keeping his eyes locked on the door in front of him. "Aw, don't be so mean, Kurosaki-kun, I was just trying to be nice!" said Kisuke playfully, walking behind Ichigo, and keeping a mischievous smile on his face. Ichigo opened the door and saw Grimmjow lying lazily on the ground, staring up aimlessly at the sky. The arrancar looked to his side and grinned like a feral cat, and stood up. "Kurosaki, you're finally here. Come on, let's fight." Grimmjow glanced past Ichigo and looked at the blond-haired man. "Kisuke, you better not forget to tell me after this." The man smiled and just said, "How could I forget, Grimmjow-san?" Ichigo glared at the blond-haired man as he walked away. Then he turned to Grimmjow with visible irritation on his face. "Why do you call him Kisuke?" The arrancar was confused. "Uh, because that's his name?" said Grimmjow, causing the orange-haired man to get more pissed. "Then why do you call me Kurosaki? Why don't you call me Ichigo?" Grimmjow looked at him and felt a light blush spread across his cheeks. "Well, because it's not the same!" he exclaimed, covering up his embarrassment by rolling his eyes. Ichigo's face darkened and he stormed off to the fighting area, leaving Grimmjow to catch up. He was so confused. What the hell was Ichigo even mad about?
^^
Grimmjow had to say, hands(or claws) down, that was one of the most intense fights that the arrancar had ever had. It seemed that in this specific fight, Ichigo went all out, probably because he was pissed at him for whatever unknown reason. The weird part was, Grimmjow didn't get a single injury. Well, sure, there were cuts and bruises, but that was expected from a fight. But there wasn't a single fracture, dislocation, or even a sprain. This was the most healed he had felt after a fight without even getting healed. He glanced over at Ichigo, who still looked irked from before. Grimmjow frowned. He felt like he should say something to make him happy, but he had no clue what. But before he could open his mouth, he started to cough severely, making Ichigo look up at him in alarm. No, thought Grimmjow, not right now! It was probably the worst possible time for this stupid cough to happen. God, his lungs felt like they would split apart in two at any moment. As he coughed, he covered his hand with his mouth to make sure the flowers wouldn't fall on the ground. When he had finally stopped, he looked behind him and saw Ichigo looking at him in pure concern. Grimmjow studied his face. There was no malice or any other intent in his face. Just pure, unadulterated worry for the arrancar. Grimmjow clenched his hand and hid it behind his back. Ichigo noticed the action and strode forward but he put a hand out. "Stop. This is none of your concern, Kurosaki. I'm leaving now. And don't you dare follow me."
He reached his hand out to open a garganta but felt Kurosaki pull him back which forced him to look straight into his eyes. Grimmjow subtly clenched the hand behind his back, relieved that Kurosaki hadn't noticed the arrancar clenching his left hand so hard that his skin was turning a deadly shade of white. Ichigo had always been shorter than him, but at this moment, he was practically looming over him with a weird mix of worry and anger in his eyes. His eyes softened when he saw Grimmjow looking at him with confusion. "Grimmjow, are you ok?" asked Ichigo worriedly. He hesitantly put a hand on Grimmjow's cheek, causing the other to look up at him with anger in his eyes, but that anger died down when he saw the look that Ichigo was giving him. He unconsciously leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, gently rubbing the palm of Ichigo's hand. To ever think, he thought.
To ever think he would fall in love with Ichigo Kurosaki.
Grimmjow wished he could stay in that moment forever, just him and Kurosaki, alone, without a care in the world. He didn't want to look at his expression, but he couldn't stop himself. He opened his eyes and looked at Ichigo. Ichigo looked startled, but on the inside, Ichigo was more than startled. He was freaking the fuck out. He was freaking out because Grimmjow hadn't attacked him and said "fuck off, Kurosaki," when he had put his hand on his cheek but instead the arrancar had welcomed the touch and even nuzzled him. This has got to be a dream, thought Ichigo. It had to be one of the recurring dreams he had almost every night about the arrancar. Meanwhile, Grimmjow was in a trance, hoping the moment would never end but he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and tore away from Ichigo. "I have to go," he said, disappearing before Kurosaki could even try to comprehend what Grimmjow just did. He reappeared in the apartment that Kisuke had rented out for him, and fell onto his bed, burying his face into the pillows. Suddenly, he got up and scowled. He turned around to face Kisuke sitting on his bed.
"Tell me, Kisuke," said Grimmjow, hiding his turmoiling emotions behind his ever-present snarl, "How do I get rid of this fucking disease?" Kisuke smiled grimly, and stood up. "There is a surgery we could perform on you, which would completely remove the flowers from your chest." Grimmjow sighed in relief. Well, why the hell didn't this bastard tell him earl-"But your feelings for that person will be completely gone." The arrancar stopped talking and stood there in silence, letting the words sink in completely, and not fully believing them. He thought of a life without his feelings for the soul reaper. But he just couldn't picture it, no matter what. After all, that's what made him. That's what got him going through the day, just the thought that he could get to fight with Kurosaki tomorrow. "I'm not getting the surgery," said Grimmjow immediately, but he was surprised when he saw that Kisuke's expression hadn't even changed, in fact, he looked like he was expecting that response. "Yeah, I figured," said Kisuke, sighing. Then he walked up to Grimmjow and looked him dead in the eye. "Seriously, though, think about it. You'll die if you don't get this surgery." The arrancar simply nodded and waved him off. His mind had already been made up. There was nothing else to discuss.
^^
Grimmjow didn't know how long he could keep up the act to Ichigo. He had been ignoring the man for the past 3 weeks, giving the most random and bullshit excuses to him everytime he asked for a fight or asked what's wrong. Well, it was to be expected after all. Every time Grimmjow was near Ichigo, he would start getting a painful feeling in his chest and start coughing up flowers. It was also a good thing that Ichigo didn't know that Grimmjow had an apartment in the human world, he always thought that he went back to Hueco Mundo every time after they fought. He grimaced in pain, and looked down at his chest. It was covered in bruises blooming with black and blue, and some were even a shade of violent purple, and there were even the distinctions of the roots of a flower growing from one spot in his chest underneath his skin that seemed to stop just right at his neck, as if threatening him to make one wrong move.
Suddenly, he heard a loud crash right outside the apartment, then the opening of a door. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and stood up. It was probably some unsuspecting burglar, and now was the perfect time for the arrancar to take out all his frustration on him. But as he rounded the corner of his apartment, he felt an intense spiritual pressure that made him feel woozy and almost made his knees give out. He reeled back in shock, covering his nose as quickly as possible. What the fuck was Kurosaki doing here? How the hell did he find him? He had to get out here, right the fuck now. But his body suddenly buckled due to the unfamiliar movement and he expected to hit the floor but instead felt warm hands pulling him up and uprighting him gently. "Grimmjow, where have you been? And are you ok? I've been calling you so many times but you wouldn't answer!" said Ichigo, full of worry in his voice. Grimmjow felt a warmth that he hadn't felt for a while, and it felt so comforting, but he pushed Ichigo away. "I'm fine, Kurosaki. And how the hell did you find me, anyway?" Ichigo's face contorted into displeasure, and he sighed. "You're not fine, Grimmjow. You've been skipping fighting me and I know for a fact that you would never do that, unless you had a serious reason." The arrancar's face burned with embarrassment, but suddenly, he felt a dangerous itching sensation that was slowly creeping up his throat.
No.
No fucking way.
Grimmjow doubled over and started hacking over and over again, but this time he couldn't hide the remains of what he had coughed. There, on the ground in plain sight for Ichigo to see, were the bright orange flowers laying on the ebony wooden floor, speckled in bits of clotted blood. Ichigo looked down at the man in realization and another emotion that Grimmjow couldn't quite place, and knelt beside him. He picked up a flower and looked at it. The arrancar was literally going insane because he had no idea what Kurosaki was thinking, but he was sure that the man had already figured it out by now. "Listen, Kurosaki, can we at least-"
"So who is it?"
The arrancar stilled from the pure coldness in his voice, he had never heard the man speak to anyone like that. Besides, did Kurosaki not know it was him? Wow, he was really fucking stupid, that was for sure. "Tell me Grimmjow. Who the hell is it? Tell me so I can beat their fucking ass." Grimmjow stood up and smiled at Ichigo, but this time was different. This time it was a real, genuine smile, and Ichigo just gaped at him which made him go back to his indifferent expression. "No, do that again," said Ichigo, putting his hands on Grimmjow's cheeks in an effort to stretch them out into the smile before. Grimmjow started to cough again and Ichigo started to rub his hand up and down his back which just made Grimmjow more irritated. He pushed him away and looked at him in disbelief. Had this idiot still not figured it out? "Grimmjow, please just tell me who it is," begged Ichigo. "I won't let you die. You're not going to die," he said almost desperately. Finally, Grimmjow couldn't take it anymore.
"IT'S YOU, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
"Huh?!"
"YOU'RE THE MOST IDIOTIC PERSON I'VE EVER MET!"
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW??"
Grimmjow took a deep breath. "First off, you're the only person that I avoided for the past two weeks, and second, tell me why the FUCK would these flowers be the same goddamn color of your hair if I wasn't in LOVE WITH YOU???"
Ichigo stood in silence and the arrancar sat there in satisfaction, knowing that this was probably the last time he would win a fight against Ichigo, verbally or physically, because the man would probably be too weirded out to fight with him anymore, so he wanted to remember this moment for a long time.
"But it's only for people with an unrequited love," began Ichigo. "So why do you have it when I love you too?"
"How the hell would I kn-"
Wait. What did he just say? Did Kurosaki just-
"Yeah, you heard me right. I love you, Grimmjow."
Grimmjow stood there, unable to form a comprehensive sentence and Ichigo stepped closer and closer to him until their chests were fully touching. The arrancar subconsciously noticed that he didn't get that sharp feeling in his chest, the feeling he got when he was about to cough. "Kurosaki-" began Grimmjow, unsure of what to say. Ichigo frowned. "Don't call me that. Call me Ichigo." What? Call him Ichigo? But that was if you were intimate with the other person- "It's not fair that you call Urahara by his first name but not me," said Ichigo crossly. "I call him that to annoy the hell out of him, you know," said Grimmjow. "Not because I'm close with him or whatever." He saw the stunned look on Ichigo's face and started laughing. "Ichigo, you're the dumbest person I know," said Grimmjow, rolling his eyes.
"Did you just call me by my first name?"
"..No."
"You did! You just said "Ichigo, you're the dumbest person I know!""
"Well yeah, because you're the DUMBEST PERSON I KNOW!"
Ichigo lifted the arrancar's chin slowly and gently touched his lips to his. He stayed like that for a second, and drew back, his ears so red that they could have lit up the whole room. Grimmjow stood there, just looking at Ichigo, who started to look at him nervously. Then suddenly he smiled and the soul reaper felt as if in the world, at that moment, it was just the two of them, in that room, and oh, Grimmjow had never looked so beautiful. Then Ichigo's face formed into the dopiest grin that the arrancar had ever seen and he had to stop himself from doubling over and laughing.
"You call that a kiss, brat? That was literally a peck!" said Grimmjow with a huge grin on his face.
"Don't call me a brat," said Ichigo crossly, even though his eyes were shining. He took the arrancar's hand in his and held it shyly, and Grimmjow clasped his hand with so much force that Ichigo winced in pain.
“C’mon, Ichigo. Let’s go home.”