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Underneath It All	By : Raceysama Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male > Grimmjow/Ichigo Views: 4160 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, any of the songs mentioned are not my own, nor do I make any profit from these works......

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
CHAPTER 13: WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach...
Onwards...
XOXOXOXO
Karakura Town
August 2008
"Where's your blue bodyguard now, Strawberry?"
"What the fuck?" Ichigo snarled through clenched teeth. Renji had his arms pinned back in such a way, that even the slightest movement sent sharp stabs of pain shooting through his chest, making breathing almost unbearable. "Get the fuck off me, asshole!"
"Ooo-hoo, feisty! I like that," Renji breathed in his ear.
Ichigo didn't like this. He felt vulnerable. Trapped. Caught at a huge disadvantage. Not to mention, Renji smelled like he had taken a soak in a tub full of alcohol, so there was no telling how unpredictable he was bound to be. The unmistakable odor seemed to seep from the bigger man's pores.
"How'd you get in my house?"
Renji shoved Ichigo to the floor and straddled his hips while pinning his wrists down. Ichigo thrashed and bucked, kicking his legs and basically trying anything in his power to get the drunk red head off of him, but Renji held fast, then leaned forward, the smell of vodka washing over Ichigo's face. His lips curled in distaste and Renji grinned.
"Fire escape. You should really lock your windows, sweetheart," then Renji frowned in annoyance at Ichigo's insistent thrashing, "and stop fuckin' movin' like that! You're prob'ly enjoyin' that shit, little faggot!" he spat, punching the orange head sharply on the jaw, making his head snap to the right and black spots dance across his vision.
Fuck! All he'd wanted to do was come home, shower, and sleep, but now he had to deal with his psychotic ex-best friend. Who breaks into someone's apartment nearly five in the morning just to fight? Seriously?
Ichigo tasted blood and grimaced, his ire starting to rise. He'd only bitten his tongue, but Renji had long since crossed the line, and it was time the prick got a taste of his own fucking medicine.
Renji lifted his arm to swing again, and right in that split second, Ichigo shot his right hand up, and using the heel of his palm, connected forcefully with the other man's chin. Renji fell backwards, grabbing his chin, his limbs trembling.
"Motherfucker," he hissed, eyes wild with something Ichigo was afraid to label. "Don't get cocky, you fruity shit!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fruity, I'm gay, but you're just fuckin' stupid," Ichigo retorted, rolling to his feet and hovering over the livid red head. "Tell me again, Renji, why do fight me all the time?"
"You're a fuckin' homo! You don't even deserve to breathe!"
Ichigo's hard brown eyes turned into tiny little slits as he narrowed them at the ignorant bastard at his feet. Sheer rage overcoming his senses, he reared back and mule-kicked the stupid fucker in the chest, making him sprawl onto his back, coughing and gasping for air.
Renji was pretty much immobile, but Ichigo straddled his hips, and pinned him to the floor anyway. The red head's eyes went comically wide, his features creased with terror. What the hell?
"Get the fuck off me! Don't fuckin' touch me!" Renji screamed in the midst of a full-out panic. "Get your filthy hands off me! I won't let you hurt me again!"
It was Ichigo's turn to have his eyes widen as he stared down at the man thrashing desperately beneath him. He gripped Renji's wrists, clamping them to the floor as he leaned in to get the larger man to focus.
"Renji? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Ichigo queried nervously, his face only inches from the other's, but that only served to worsen the situation. Renji's lips pulled down at the corners before he abruptly started screaming.
What in the fucking world?
They weren't manly screams either (if those even existed), they were high-pitched, blood-chilling, help-me-I'm-dying screams. Screams that raised the hair on the back of one's neck, and sent goosebumps skittering down one's spine. Scary as hell.
Ichigo leaped back, wondering if he should just go ahead and call an asylum for the obviously disturbed young man. He observed with eyes the size of saucers, as Renji sat up, scooting backwards with his arms raised and crossed in front of his face, as if to ward Ichigo off.
"Please! Please don't! I'll be good! I won't tell my mom, I swear!" he begged, tears now making tracks down his cheeks, and his nose beginning to run.
Ichigo gaped like a fish, mouth opening and closing in shock. What...the...fuck? Something was obviously very wrong here, but he had no idea how to proceed. Whenever he stepped forward Renji flinched drastically like he'd pulled a gun.
His phone vibrated in his pocket damn near making him jump clear out of his skin.
He fumbled in his pocket, then pulled the device to his ear. "H-hello," his voice trembled and cracked horribly.
"Oi, what's wrong? Why d'ya sound like that? Were ya sleepin' already?"
Grimmjow. Ichigo breathed a deep sigh.
"Uh, n-not exactly. I, um, well..."
"Ichigo," Grimmjow growled, "what's goin' on?" Fuck.
"R-Renji's here. He broke into my apartment and attacked me and we were fighting but we're not anymore...Grimm?" Ichigo said quickly, but paused when Grimmjow didn't respond. Did the call get disconnected? Then...
"He what?"
"Well-"
"Ichigo, are you hurt?" Grimmjow's voice was quiet, but frightening. He could feel the anger the man was holding back, pulsing through the phone line. "Nevermind, I'm coming," he snapped and the sound of a soft click was the last thing Ichigo heard.
"Great. He's probably gonna kill him," he muttered to himself.
Ichigo glanced down at the red head, who now had his legs drawn up tightly to his chest, his arms wrapped around them, eyes wide and watery as he rocked back and forth, whimpering softly. He couldn't beat his ass like that. Besides something was wrong. Why had he said he wouldn't tell his mom? And that he would be good, like he was a child trying to talk his way out of an ass-whooping?
Ichigo perched himself on the arm of his love seat, contemplating the bizarre situation, but the more he tried to figure things out, the more questions arose. Talk about fucking frustrated.
He was in the middle of speculating when Three Days Grace's "Never Too Late" sounded from the floor near the door. What the hell? Ichigo followed the sound and found a small red cell phone, ringing insistently. Renji must've dropped it during the scuffle. He peered at the readout and arched a brow. Uncle? Hunh. Maybe he could get some answers.
"Hello?" he tentatively greeted. There was a brief silence before...
"K-Kurosaki-kun?"
"Urahara-san?" Ichigo yelped. There was no fucking way! His boss was Renji's fucking uncle? Why didn't he know that? "W-what the hell?"
"I believe that's my line! Is my nephew unavailable?" the normally cheery blond cautiously asked.
"Er, well, you could say that. Actually, c-could you come pick him up? He's not doing too well," Ichigo fidgeted nervously, picking at a piece of lint on the t-shirt Grimmjow had given him at the club.
"Is he sick?"
"No, he, um...maybe you should just come see for yourself."
"Fine. Do you still live-" Urahara started, but Ichigo cut across him, eager to get him moving. He really didn't want the red head there when Grimmjow showed up because it certainly wouldn't be pretty.
"Yep. Same place you dropped me off before."
"Give me ten minutes."
Ichigo disconnected the call and looked down at Renji again, shifting uncomfortably as he did so. His ex-best friend was still rocking back and forth, staring at the opposite wall.
This was too much excitement going on within the space of twenty-four hours, and Ichigo was at a fucking loss. Violent, crazed Renji he could deal with, but this thing sitting on his floor looking fit for a straight-jacket and a padded room, not so much. Then add to the mix, his boss, Kisuke Urahara, was the guy's fucking uncle.
What the hell, man?
When he and Renji had still been on friendly terms, he remembered the loud red head mentioning an uncle and two cousins, but he would never introduce Ichigo to them, claiming they weren't important. Now that he thought about it, Renji always only came over to his place, he never offered to have Ichigo over. They always met up at school, the arcade or his house.
No wonder he didn't know shit about Urahara.
As he observed Renji he realized that there was a lot that he probably didn't know about the guy. He hadn't been very forthcoming about his past, family or other friends, and Ichigo had never paid it any mind, thinking Renji just didn't want to talk about it. Hell, everyone had secrets, right?
Obviously, Renji's secrets were still haunting him.
A thunderous knock at the door startled both him and Renji, the red head shouting and flinching at the same time, while Ichigo just shook his head exasperatedly. No question who that was trying to knock his fucking door down. He stalked over, threw it open, and like a gust of ice cold wind, Grimmjow's anger took his breath away.
"Where is he? I'll kill 'im," he snarled. Ichigo cocked a brow.
"First of all, calm down, Terminator. Everything's fine now," he stated, trying to soothe the beast currently breathing fire in front of him.
"You're bleeding and your jaw is bruised. How is that fine?"
Grimmjow was cute when he was trying to be protective, but right now, Ichigo was trying to prevent World War III from occurring in his living room. The blunet stormed past him, only to freeze at the sight of a cowering Renji. He slowly turned to face Ichigo, perfect blue eyebrow arched in amusement.
"Damn, Ichi. What the fuck didja do to him?" he laughed.
"Baka! I only hit him back once, but when I pinned him down, he started screaming like a bitch in a horror flick. It was fuckin' creepy," Ichigo retorted with a shudder. Just thinking about those screams gave him chills.
"What?"
"Yeah, that's why I said shit's fine. He's been like that ever since," he pointed at Renji. "I don't get it."
"Well, what the fuck're ya gonna do with him? I've got some ideas," Grimmjow said, a mischievous gleam in his electric blue eyes.
"No, he needs help! Look at him," Ichigo scolded, hands on his hips.
"Yer gettin' soft, babe," Grimmjow started gently, as he stood in front of him and wrapped his arms around his waist, "It was the same with that Ikkaku guy."
"I'm not getting soft, Grimm, I'm just satisfied knowing karma is indeed a bitch in a bad mood, and I don't wanna come back in my next life as a cockroach or something. Everyone deserves a second chance. I mean, who are we to judge anyone?"
Grimmjow smiled at him, then pulled him into a hug, and Ichigo sighed deeply, embracing his boyfriend right back. Grimm felt so good. Then he noticed what the blue-haired man was wearing, and unable to stop himself, burst into hysterical laughter.
"Grimm...what in god's name...are you wearing?" he gasped, tears forming in his eyes. Grimmjow glared at him with narrowed sapphire-blue orbs.
"I was in bed, ya little jerk," he snapped sullenly, mouth settling into an adorable pout.
The man was wearing a ratty black t-shirt with about a million tiny holes at the hem, black pajama pants with neon green cats, their backs hunched, fur bristling and tails stick-straight, all over them. Upon closer inspection, Ichigo realized the cats were glow-in-the-dark. Wow. Add a pair of rundown black Nike Air Force One sneakers with no socks, and you had Grimmjow's outfit.
"Heh, jeez, that's...classic," Ichigo chuckled.
"Shutup, they're my favorite jammies," he grumbled, then wrapped Ichigo in a headlock, giving him a noogie.
"Ow, ow, ow! Fuck, your knuckles are hard! Stop!"
"And don't ya forget it!"
Suddenly, Renji stirred, but immediately settled back down. Grimmjow let Ichigo loose, glaring down at the red-haired man with obvious contempt.
"Ichi, I don't see how ya can forgive these guys for what they did to ya," Grimmjow muttered.
"Everyone has a story, Grimm. They're no different," Ichigo stated quietly.
XOXOXOXO
Karakura Town
February 2008
Karakura General Hospital
A lie. It had all been a filthy fucking lie, and it took the orange-haired little bastard beating the life out of him, for him to realize it. How he had allowed himself to be led down such a destructive path, he would never know. Maybe his own sense of denial? Fear? Or just good, old-fashioned stupidity?
Whatever the case, Ikkaku had been living a lie, and it was time to stop the madness. He was being a hypocrite, joining Renji in beating the fuck out of an innocent kid all because the kid was gay. God, he disgusted himself.
And Yumi. His beautiful Yumi. If he ever found out what Ikkaku had been up to for the past few years, he would leave without looking back, and it would be his own damned fault. Losing Yumi would quite literally kill him. The raven-haired man was the only good thing in his life, considering his past had been bleak, from his mother being a prostitute to his father being a dope-addicted criminal, in and out of prison. He'd been raised by the system, finally living on his own at sixteen, which was around the time he met and started hanging out with Kira and Renji.
They had been his only real friends, or so he'd thought. He had known since he was twelve that he liked boys, but when Renji had befriended him without question, and didn't ignore or shun him because of his appearance, he'd had no choice but to hide that from the openly homophobic teen. He felt like he owed him that much.
Ikkaku didn't know why Renji was so against homosexuality, but whatever the reason, it ran deep and had the red-haired boy tight within its clutches. Shortly after, they started abusing the orange-haired boy, Ichigo Kurosaki. He'd found out from Rukia, Renji's fucking shadow of a girlfriend, that Ichigo and Renji had been best friends not too long before they started attacking him.
That was fucking sad and made him more than skeptical of his "friend". If Renji could turn on someone he'd been close to for years, then he didn't stand a chance in hell. So, he'd lied, hiding his true self from his "friend", and mercilessly attacking Ichigo at every opportunity. It was sickening, but his sense of loyalty towards Renji wouldn't let him walk away from it.
He started hating himself and having nightmares as time went by. Then he met Yumi. He had been eighteen, in a seedy little bar where the owner didn't give a shit who he served, when the dark-haired vixen had snatched his attention. He'd come in to relieve the last bartender, and Ikkaku had instantly been smitten. That love at first sight shit had always been for sappy suckers, but now...he was a firm believer. Yumi had stolen his heart that night with three words, "Ya need somethin'?"
He'd been so drunk that his normally flawless mask had slipped, and he'd asked the guy out. His pride had been decimated when Yumi had flat-out refused, but instead gone on to slip Ikkaku his number with a, "call me when you're sober." So, he had. They'd gone out on several dates, Ikkaku always making sure they stayed away from Renji's haunts, and by their sixth date they'd had mind-blowing sex.
Ikkaku was well and truly smitten, in love, head over heels...all that good shit, but it was becoming increasingly hard to keep Yumi a secret. He wanted to stand on the nearest rooftop and scream his feelings to the entire city, but that would only be counter-productive, no matter how satisfying.
Then, the shit with Ichigo had come to a head in October. They had ganged up on him in impossible numbers, chased him down, then proceeded to damn near beat the kid to death. He'd had nightmares about that for months. His only consolation had been the blue-haired guy that came out of nowhere with a gun to rescue the orange head. That night had changed everything for him. Left to his own devices, Renji would have, without a doubt, killed Ichigo.
After they fled the area, Ikkaku had cornered his red-haired "friend" and told him he couldn't do it anymore. He refused to keep abusing someone whose supposed crime he was guilty of as well. It was ridiculous.
Renji hadn't reacted the way he'd expected, only shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly and stalking off in the opposite direction, Rukia close on his heels. They hadn't spoken since then. Last he heard, Kira and the other members of their makeshift gang had abandoned the cause as well, leaving only Renji and Rukia.
Things had been going well, him and Yumi getting along wonderfully, until they'd had the mother of all arguments, and he'd left. Angry as hell because Yumi was pissed about him still smoking, being completely unreasonable, he'd gone off in search of a pick-me up. Stopping at a pretty popular club, he'd popped an ex-pill for the first time ever with an old acquaintance, and gone inside to get his party on. And he had. Although his guilt for fighting needlessly with Yumi had been festering and bubbling beneath the surface the entire time.
Then he ran into Ichigo, intense anger swallowing him whole, as he took out his frustrations on the orange head. It hadn't been pretty for Ikkaku. Ichigo had broken his nose, split his bottom lip, put a gash above his left eye, and had given him a concussion, but also consequently knocked some sense into him.
The next thing he knew, he'd awakened in a hospital bed, Yumi beside him, eyes red and exhausted, and he'd caved, telling his raven-haired boyfriend about everything. Ichigo included. Yumi had been upset, disappointed even, but above all, understanding. He'd told Ikkaku that the past was behind him, and the time for repenting and making amends had come. That had been two days ago.
Ikkaku loved Yumi so much it physically hurt.
XOXOXOXO
Karakura Town
Las Noches
July 2008
"Yumi, this is crazy! He's probably gonna shoot me!" Ikkaku snapped, tugging at his lover's sleeve.
"Ikku-chan, don't be a coward! You haven't been taking those classes for nothing! Now come on!"
Yumi's face was stern, gaze unflinching as he stared him down. This was terrible. He wasn't a fool, and he knew the blue-haired boss of the soon-to-be-opened gay club, Las Noches, would remember him from what he'd done to Ichigo. He was also aware that they were dating, having heard from his know-it-all boyfriend, and that certainly did NOT bode well for him.
Fuck, he was gonna get shot in broad daylight.
"Yumi, he doesn't like me, I'm sure of it. Why do I have to do this?" he whined, very unmanly-like.
"We work together, baka."
They stopped at the foot of a wide set of stairs that led to a pair of large, wooden double doors, then proceeded upwards, Ikkaku's heart beating triple-time.
He's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill me-
Yumi knocked on the doors, and there was the sound of papers shifting, soft laughter and whispering before the command to "come in" was boomed by a familiar deep voice. He froze when Yumi opened one of the doors, and stepped inside. He couldn't go through with this. Why had Yumi brought him to his death? He thought his boyfriend loved him...
"Ikku-chan, come on," Yumi coaxed, sticking his head out the open door to peer at him.
Fuck it. If he was gonna die, he wasn't going out like a goddamned coward. Straightening his back and hardening his resolve, he stepped into the room with Yumi smiling warmly beside him. He could do this.
His confidence stumbled slightly when his eyes landed on a pair of narrowed ocean-blue eyes glaring at him with obvious loathing. He swallowed nervously, but lifted his chin defiantly. He wasn't a coward. But then...
"Ah, Ikkaku! Nice to see you again," Ichigo smirked from beside the blue-haired man's desk. Shit! Oh, yes, today he would meet divine judgment.
"I-Ichigo," he nodded hesitantly as he stared. His heart had risen into his throat and threatened to jump right out of his mouth any second now. Seeing the kid again had snapped something inside of him, and before he knew it, he was on his knees at Ichigo's feet, head to the floor. "I was wrong! Young and stupid! I'm sorry! Ichigo, please, please forgive me!" he cried out.
He felt like an entirely different person, like he had been possessed or something. Every emotion he had been bottling up when he'd taken part in hurting the man before him, gushed forth like a geyser. It felt like he wouldn't be able to move forward in his life without Ichigo's forgiveness, even though he certainly didn't deserve it. So, he begged.
There was silence, then the soft rustling of clothes indicating the orange-haired man had moved. Oh, god, was he gonna hit him? Ikkaku just wanted to apologize for being so dumb. No, he had no excuses, but he NEEDED to apologize, at least to let Ichigo know that he had changed, grown up so to speak. Even if they never became friendly towards each oth-
Ichigo's hand on his shoulder halted his thoughts and brought Ikkaku's head up, his eyes finding warm brown creased into a smile. Ichigo was crouched in front of him, making it easier to be at eye level.
"Don't worry about it," the orange head said softly, as he gently squeezed his shoulder. Ikkaku frowned in confusion, shaking his head slightly.
"Wh-wha?" he stuttered.
Ichigo just continued to smile, but scratched the back of his head uncomfortably as he rose to his feet. Then he looked back down at him with a more serious expression.
"I'm not God, Ikkaku, I can't and won't judge you for what you've done. That's not my job. My job is to forgive you, and hope that you were being sincere," he stated firmly, then the smirk returned as he added, "Besides, if you do cause trouble, I'll just kick your ass again, ne?"
He couldn't breathe for about five seconds, and then as if a dam had been broken, silent tears poured down his cheeks as he slowly climbed to his feet. He stepped forward, and thrust his hand out, nodding soberly. Ichigo grinned crookedly and clasped his hand tightly.
Relief. Like an ice cold drink on a swelteringly hot day. It washed over him, wave after wave. He didn't deserve it, but he was lucky to have Ichigo's forgiveness.
A throat was cleared before, "Fine, but he's not the only one ya gotta worry 'bout if ya fuck up again," the blue-haired man stated. "Name's Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. I'm the boss, and you two can come back for a real interview and orientation in about a week. I'll give ya a call."
Yumi squealed happily, agreeing enthusiastically as he grabbed Ikkaku's arm, pulling him towards the door. Once they reached it, he turned one last time and locked gazes with Ichigo. They both nodded shortly before he finally followed his excited lover down the stairs.
Lucky indeed.
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Underneath It All