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Grimmjow didn’t know what had suddenly gotten into the crazy cat lady and the even crazier madman with the striped hat. Throwing some weird-ass Kido at them. Speaking of Learn to finally get along and talk with each other like normal people and then just disappear with a Shunpo. What the fucking hell was that even supposed to mean?!
“Stop it, Grimmjow! You’re just making it worse!”
“Oh shut the fuck up, Kurosaki! This is all your fault!”
“Mine? Why? How?! Shit!”
Not only the Shinigami but also the Arrancar was pulled closer again by the golden glowing ropes connecting their hands and feet. The very same ropes, that had started to wind themselves around their entire bodies more and more with every step they were forced to take towards each other.
At first, they had tried to cut them with their swords. Then not only a Cero but also a Getsuga Tenshou had flown their way. But nothing. Except for losing at least two body lengths of space between them. His last hope had been using his Resurrección, but neither claws nor teeth nor his freaking Desgarrón showed any effect on the Kido. And now the distance between him and his sparring partner was narrowed down to maybe two arm lengths.
“I tell you why: ‘cause you’re the one who claimed this jack shit at the last Shōten drinking night!”
“Oh and that’s why it’s my fault?! ‘Cause I spoke the freaking truth?! For starters, it always takes two to quarrel! And in addition to that: Who is the damn retard that solely comes to the world of the living to fight me?!”
“As if you wouldn’t like our weekly spa-gah!”
Now only one arm's length remained. Grimmjow drilled his claws into the Shinigami’s shoulders, locking the muscles of his arms with all force to keep him away. So did Kurosaki, but with both hands placed on the Arrancar’s chest. Not that he would mind the body contact. On the contrary. But he didn’t want the Shinigami to know that. Mostly because he feared the other’s reaction if he would become aware of-
“Can you finally calm down, Grimmjow? Please?! This won’t get us anywhere!”
“You first”, rang through the air as a growl.
“God, what, are we in kindergarten now?”
“You first!”
“I’m trying, but you’re not exactly making it easier!”
The ropes were working again, ultimately tying them together into one big package of flesh, colourful hair and angry noises bit by bit. While they managed to keep their faces apart at the distance a lower arm provided, their hips were fastened in an instant. Pressed together in a way that one couldn’t call touching anymore. It was more like merging into each other. It took Grimmjow by surprise when he heard a little yelp escape the orange-haired’s throat, accompanied by a tiny blush on his cheeks. Was the Shinigami embarrassed or even worse? Or did the rope just manage to break his skin? The Arrancar even forgot to curse about the four kneecaps that met in a very painful way despite his Hierro.
“Oh great, that shitty Kido magic really knows no private space…”, was mumbled with brown eyes turned to the side. Only then the Hollow realised that never before had he had the chance to see them so close. There were tiny, reddish freckles in them that were probably the reason the pair of orbs always emanated such an immense warmth.
Yes, he used to hate those eyes, and he still did, though he did for other reasons now. He hated them because they haunted him in his dreams, remembering him of the fact that he would always have to let them go. Do without them for an entire week and sometimes even longer. Never be able to see them twenty-four-seven like he wanted to. Never be allowed to do so! Kurosaki sure wouldn’t allow it… he certainly wouldn’t want him around all day and night. Especially considering how uncomfortable the other seemed to be right now. Then their gazes met again.
“W-What are you staring at?”, yes. There was no way the Shinigami felt the same.
“Nothing…”
“O-Okay… well… N-Now that you’ve- calmed down, how about we try to figure out how to deactivate this Kido?”
The ginger couldn’t get away from him fast enough as it seemed. Of course. If he would have felt the same as the Arrancar, then he wouldn’t resist so much. Moreover, considering what had left the other’s mouth at the aforementioned Shōten drinking night, he could eventually assume to be nothing but a nuisance to the Shinigami. A pest, if one wants to call it like that. He wasn’t hated, that much he could tell, but sometimes he doubted they were some weird sort of friends. Not on his part, but in the eyes of the orange-haired. The thought of Kurosaki genuinely disliking him and just keep fighting him because it had become a habit or something of the like hurt deep down in Grimmjow’s innermost soul; making him clench his jaws together; his teeth grinding almost unhealthy. It drew concern to surface in brown orbs he hated, yet desired at the same time.
“G-Grimmjow?”
“You know, if you don’t want to fight me anymore, just say it…”, he said without even thinking about it twice. It earned him some confused blinking.
“Huh?”
“You heard me…”
“A-Are you saying-”
“If you’re sick of me just tell me and I’ll stay in fucking Hueco Mundo till you and I and this whole messed up world turns to dust!”
Silence. Only the stare of brown eyes spoke volumes while Kurosaki’s brain must have been failing to comprehend what that implied.
“Where- where is this coming from all of a sudden?”
So he really didn’t know. He really had no clue. All the signs he placed in their fights. The little scratches to his butt and chest. The playful attempt to catch the orange hair. The teasing bite to the neck he gave him once. The many times he had pinned the Shinigami down, sitting on his lap, or letting the same happen the other way around. The soft grins he had sent him in those very moments. The fucking fact he had purred around him more than once. Nothing. The ginger hadn’t noticed any of it. Hadn’t caught up to any of it. Which meant, there definitely was no interest. If there was anything at all. He could feel how he was falling apart.
“Grimmjow?”
His lower lip started to tremble and tears crawled into his eyes, blurring his vision. Tears he couldn’t stop no matter how hard he tried.
“Grimmjow, what is wrong?”
Naturally, he would have jumped through the next Garganta a minute ago already, if not earlier. But with the damn Kido spell forcing him to stay where he was, he couldn’t escape the inquiring gaze of eyes he loved but despised for they never would belong to him alone. And so, not only his jaw but his entire body followed the lead of his lower lip. Slowly but steadily starting to shake more and more while he still tried to contain the tears that had already started to roll down his cheeks.
“Come on, talk to me Grimmjow! What is wrong?!”
At this point he couldn’t even get a single sound out, not to mention form actual words. He knew the only thing leaving his mouth would be nothing but agonised whines or even worse mewls. So, he kept it shut and swallowed hard instead. It was bad enough that Kurosaki saw him cry. Worries kept stacking up in warm brown, distorting the other's entire face by now.
“What is wrong?”
He couldn’t bear it any longer. And since he couldn’t answer, there was only one way to tell the Shinigami. So Grimmjow gave up the last bit of tension that kept his arms in place and Kurosaki away; golden glowing ropes immediately pulled them together, since the Shinigami probably forgot about them. His hands were caught between their chests, only half successfully preventing their heads from bumping into each other, but easily allowing Grimmjow to seal their lips together.
He had imagined it for so long. Hell, he had even dreamed about it. How it would be when they finally kissed. How Kurosaki would taste. How the touch would feel. And now with the other’s breath caressing his cheek and their mouths complimenting each other like never before, he could only think about peaches.
Kurosaki’s lips were soft like fucking peaches and he even tasted sweet and somewhat refreshing like the tiny fruits. And just like that Grimmjow felt even more addicted to the Shinigami, who had become his personal drug years ago already. The one person he could never get enough of. Needless to say, the wish for lingering in this moment for eternity, never letting it pass, was so immense. Yet, so was the pain of the knowledge that it would vanish in the blink of an eye. But not just that. He knew this was a first and a last. Knew it would be the only kiss he would ever be allowed to give the orange-haired because now the other knew and he would throw him away just like that. Disgusted as if Grimmjow was some piece of trash. That he was sure of.
So he forced himself to break the kiss; to not make it worse than it already was. It took him every little bit of self-restraint to achieve it. But he eventually did, breaking his own heart even further. He met brown eyes the size of dining plates right after.
“That’s what’s wrong… and now you know it all…”
Kurosaki’s mouth opened and closed again, struggling to say what he wanted to say. That was if there was anything to say at all.
The Kido ropes lost their glow before disappearing entirely. Grimmjow took a step back right away. His body started to calm down, but his soul ached worse than ever before. This was it. This was goodbye. He didn’t say so though. He only sent Kurosaki an apologetic look before turning around about to bring some more distance between them. He would rip open a hole into the air at any moment through which he could disappear one last time, never coming back to this world. But he was stopped by the firm grip of a gentle hand, that pulled him back close and-
Grimmjow’s eyes widened in disbelief when Kurosaki kissed him; engulfed him again in the peachy heaven he had just left. Why though? And why was it over after another second or so?
“You didn’t really think I’ll let you run away like that, after- well… this!”
The Arrancar blinked at him once, twice, his brain only slowly starting to work again.
“You- want an- apology?”, and he had never been so derailed before, especially not when speaking.
“No, you idiot. I want you to stay!”
Kurosaki entwined their fingers and only then Grimmjow caught up to what that meant.
“But- I thought you didn’t want to fight me anymore.”
“I never said that.”
“You sure made it sound like it when you complained about it…”
“I’m sorry. I was more than just tipsy that night, so let me rephrase it: I love to fight you, Grimmjow. But I’d also love to do other things with you.”
Blue eyes narrowed in scepticism, unsure of what crazy kind of reality he was currently stuck in. “Other things? Like what?”
“I don’t know”, the Shinigami shrugged, before he scratched his nape with his free hand. “Maybe watch a movie or eat at fancy restaurants. Or simply chill together. You know, just the typical couples stuff.”
The Arrancar’s eyes shot back to more than full size. This couldn’t be happening. The other didn’t just really say the one word he had never thought to hear in the context of the two of them together. It almost broke his brain in half again.
“C-Couples stuff…?”
“Yes. Couples stuff.”
“You mean-”
“I’d like to ask you out on a date, Grimmjow.”
This sentence made his hair stand on end with anticipation and disbelief. Ok. This could be nothing but a dream. There couldn’t be any other explanation. Right? Right?!
He pressed his eyelids together and turned his head to the side, while he tried to calm his breath alongside his nerves. The attempt of freeing his hand from the Shinigami’s was prevented by a tightening of the other’s grip though.
“Stop messing with me, Kurosaki!”
A hand grabbed his chin, rough yet still somewhat careful. It forced him to look back at the ginger and he drowned once more in the warmth the other’s gaze emanated.
“I’m not messing with you, Grimmjow. And- damn, if I had known I would have asked you earlier.”
“Earlier?”, oh he felt so stupid for repeating every other word the Shinigami said. Yet he still couldn’t fathom what was happening right now. He wasn’t even sure he was indeed awake which made it double impossible to keep his usual cool. The fact that Kurosaki’s thumb drew the softest circles onto the back of Grimmjow’s hand did nothing to help it either.
“Yes, earlier.”
“Wait! Does that mean-”
“I’ve been in love with you for quite some time already. But I was too scared to tell you, ‘cause you didn’t seem interested in me like that at all. I mean- you never picked up on any of my hints, so I figured-”
“Hold on! What kind of hints?”
“You know, when I let you eat my food without complaining, or make tiny compliments about your fighting style, or-”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I am not!”
It was the most ridiculous of situations and Grimmjow couldn’t help but massage the bridge of his nose with two clawed fingers for a few seconds – with deadly precision not piercing his own eyes out during the process.
“So- you’re telling me, this whole time, the both of us have been throwing hooks and hints and clues and whatever around without the other noticing?”
“W-Wa- you- you did so too?”
“Of course, I did!”
“But when?”
“When I bit and clawed at you!”
“That- This-“, Kurosaki started to rub his forehead. “That’s not how people flirt!”
“I’m not people, smartass!”
“Oh pardon me. How could I forget? You’re just a big dumb cat!”
“Tsk. Glad you noticed”, the Shinigami raised his eyebrows in a questioning way, obviously not having expected Grimmjow would agree with him. “And as I said, it’s all your fault for you should have known better.”
A sunrise-like smile snuck onto the ginger’s face. “Guess I should have. But then again, I only know the warrior-you. So what do you say: would you like to go on a date with me, so we get to know each other better?”
“Only if it includes sushi.”
“I have no objections against that.”
“And we eat at your place.”
“You know, I still live with my Dad, right?”
“But you have a room of your own, correct?”
“Jup.”
“Then I don’t care.”
Kurosaki chuckled. Another thing Grimmjow couldn’t get enough of. And something he hoped to hear more often from now on.
“Any other demands?”
“Cuddling.”
The Shinigami’s expression changed into a cheeky grin reaching from one ear to the other. “Uh, that one depends. Do you like to cuddle? Or do you love to cuddle?”
Grimmjow paused for a second, realising what he had just said out loud before he answered with a hot tickling burning in his cheeks; half looking to the side. “Maybe…”
“I take that as a both. And Grimmjow?”
“What?”
He turned his head partly back as the orange-haired leaned in to place a kiss on the Arrancar’s cheek. “You look cute when you’re blushing.”
Feeling the tickling grow even stronger he lunged for the Shinigami, who danced out of the way of too-sharp claws – only now letting go of Grimmjow’s hand – and giggled like the little gremlin he secretly was. “I fucking murder you!”
“Then you need to catch me first!”
And just like that Kurosaki was on the run. Laughing. With Grimmjow at his heels. He wasn’t sure they would actually make it to a place where they could grab some sushi followed by invading the Shinigami’s home, where they could eat and cuddle for a while. But he didn’t care about that right now. All he cared about, was the smile that decorated the same face those wonderful warm orbs belonged to and the fact, that from now on he would be allowed to see Kurosaki whenever he wanted. Because from now on Kurosaki was his and his alone.