Never thought I would sacrifice sleep for this, but here I am... But seriously, it had to be done. The finale! Kinda fluffy but I was in the mood. Also, it is not beta'd and I'm seriously half asleep now, so there may be mistakes.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.

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"Order up everyone!", Ichigo barked at his brigade and ten heads shot up from what they were doing, eyes focused and full of attention, "Table 21, appetizers; two seafood salads, entrées; one salmon, one duck! Get started!"

"Yes chef!"

Ichigo finished plating some of the dishes to be served and ordered his stand-by waiters to deliver them to the customers. His one Michelin star, Japanese-inspired restaurant, Mugetsu (aka Moonless Night in Japanese), was literally packed tonight, just like it was every single night. He didn't want to sound cocky, however, this was the case ever since he opened that shit three years ago. Ichigo couldn't be more proud of what he had achieved. Albeit it sucked the energy out of him on a daily basis, it was totally worth it; he had worked for three years straight to gather the money he needed to open his little baby.

The oranget had started from the bottom and headed, high-speed, up to the top. But he wouldn't have made it there, if it wasn't for that one person, that person who had supported him more than anyone else.

Grimmjow, his beloved boyfriend.

The orange-haired man smiled at the mere thought of his man. Him and Grimmjow had been together for how long? Six-seven years, approximately and if Ichigo was totally honest, he would have to say that these were the best years of his life. He had to work like a fucking dog to make his dream come true, sacrifice many hours away and awake, yet the blue-haired man was there, not questioning, not whining, not bitching. Besides, Grimmjow had his own dreams to worry about; the man finished engineering, just like his parents had wanted him to, then shoved his diploma in their faces and took off to become an actor.

And every since then, they were living together, each one doing his own thing, yet they always got time to be together. They weren't extremely rich, they sure had their problems, but at least they were incredibly happy.

Ichigo loved the blunet with all his heart and Grimmjow loved him back as well. Which only meant there was one thing left to be done.

The proposal. You know, the nice little ring, those little words that could change his life forever.

The nerves made Ichigo's stomach churn unpleasantly all over again, just like they had been doing for about a month now. He was dying to propose to his boyfriend, to take their relationship into the next level, yet... Yet he wasn't sure whether Grimmjow had marriage in his life plans or not. Maybe the blunet didn't want the shackles of a contract around his legs, Ichigo didn't know and that was why he was so nervous. It didn't help that him and Grimm had never talked about marriage before.

As much as nerve-wracking as it was, Ichigo had decided that he would do it. Tonight. He had invited his boyfriend for dinner, since it was their yearly anniversary and he planned on proposing, just like a chef of his kind would; it was lame a cheesy but Grimmjow was obsessed with his cinnamon-chocolate souffle, so Ichigo had thought to give the man the dessert with the ring on top. He had instructed his birgade to write something special on the plate with some molten chocolate too.

"Chef," a soft voice attracted his attention and the orange head snapped towards the speaker. His maître D, Findor, was standing in front of the pass, with his long, blond hair tucked in a low ponytail and smiling at him. "Your significant other has arrived."

"Oh," Ichigo breathed, his heart accelerating in his chest, "Okay, I-I see..." He wanted to take off his chef jacket, just because he would totally stand out in the dining room, however, Grimmjow had told him many times that the white jacket turned him on, so he decided to keep it on. Hey, people; he was dressed to impress here.

Taking a deep breath, the orange-haired man walked around the hot plate and out to the dining room, followed closely by Findor. Just before the tables were in view, he turned to his collegue and employee, trying to look as serious as possible. "I want nothing less that perfection, you hear me?", he muttered, "If those bastards screw something up, I'll fire them."

The blond smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry chef," he nodded calmly, "I will examine everything and if it is not perfect, I will send it back."

Ichigo gave the man a long, hard stare but in the end he patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Findor," he gave the man a tight smile, "This is important to me."

"I know it is, chef. That's why we're gonna do our best. We wish you the best of luck."

Briefly thanking the other man, Ichigo briskly made his way across the dining room, smiling pleasantly at the customers who greeted him. Athough he wasn't really a people's person, he had grown accustomed to talking to strangers. At least his customers, heh.

The shock of blue hair seated on one of the VIP tables in the private section wasn't hard to miss. Some of the customers were already looking and murmuring, however Grimmjow paid no mind. With a big grin on his face, his heart hammering in his chest and the nerves fiercer than ever, Ichigo skidded briskly towards his lover.

"Hey there beautiful," he drawled as soon as he was close, leaning in and stealing a small kiss. As soon as they parted, Grimmjow smoldered him with that smile of his.

"Hey yerself," he said, glancing subtly around, "You look busy. Is it okay to be here?"

Ichigo shook his head and sat down on the other side of the table. "No biggie. The amateurs can take care of things in the kitchen. Trained them well."

Grimmjow chuckled in amusement and drank from his water. "Trained by the one and only; the orange-haired Demon-Chef. Why am I even asking?"

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh at that; it was true that the critics had named him like this, since he was a tad more... assertive than average. What? He couldn't help it; it is a matter of character people.

"Nobody has standards as high as mind," the orange-haired man said smugly, "So they gotta be trained before they try'na talk big."

"Always so fuckin' humble," the blunet shook his head in amusement.

It wasn't long before Findor came to their table, all smiles and pleasantries, to take their order. All of Ichigo's staff knew Grimmjow and said man knew them as well; as much as Ichigo intimidated them, Grimmjow made them all feel at ease. With some of them, they were even in first-name terms.

"I will make sure your food comes the soonest possible," the blond promised, while collecting their unneeded menus, "I will be back."

"Thanks Findor," Grimmjow smiled, stealing Ichigo's breath away, who by the way hadn't stopped looking at him.

"So," the oranget began as soon as they were alone, "How was your day?"

Grimmjow shook his head, the smile leaving his face. "Crappy, really," he sighed, "We have this play next week and the rehearsals have been killing me." The man chuckled dryly, "Then, there are those stupid co-actors of mine that don't wanna sit down and do some work and we end up staying for longer hours..."

Ichigo frowned in concern and covered Grimmjow's hand with his, brown eyes searching and desperate. "What can I do?"

Blue eyes glanced up at him expectantly. "A back rub is what I really need. Those hands o' yers are magical."

"Done," Ichigo grinned, "When we get home, I'll work some of this magic on you."

"Yay."

This was pretty much how the rest of the evening went; they talked, they laughed, they ate. It wasn't something new, to be honest. The had been dong this for the past six years, yet, Ichigo felt as if they were on their first date all over again. God, their first date; he could still remember it. He could still remember how Grimmjow was looking at him all the time and his stomach would go crazy. It still amazed him how far they had gone since that day.

He really, really, really wanted to spend the rest of his life with that man. And he wouldn't ask for anything more.

"Any of you, gentlemen, would like a dessert?", Findor asked kindly while the waiters took their finished meals away. Grimmjow's eyes instanlty lit up.

"Ah, you know I'm gonna have the soufflé," he said and both Ichigo and Findor laughed.

"For you, chef?"

"Nothing for me, thanks."

With a small bow, the blond haired maître D politely excused himself.

All the nervousness was back. Ichigo's heart was at the process of breaking his chest, he was even sweating for Christ's sake. Pheeew, man, chill out! Don't be so nervous or Grimmjow will noti-

"Ichigo?", the deep voice pulled him out of his musings. Brown locked with concerned blue and Ichigo cringed mentally. Great. "Why you look so nervous, love?"

"It's nothing," Ichigo lied uncomfortably, "I wonder if those idiot will make your dessert good enough."

One blue eyebrow quirked incredulously. "Is this really why you look ready to throw up?"

Oh shit, was it really so obvious? Ichigo indeed wanted to throw up. "It's just yer imagination, Grimm," he kept on lying casually, "I'm perfectly fine."

The man didn't look convinced but he dropped the subject anyway, favoring his wine instead. They stayed silent for a few moments, the tension inside Ichigo building up and up and up... Seriously, he was going to throw up.

Especially when his eyes fell on Findor approaching their table with that ominous looking dome, under which hid Ichigo's future happiness or disappointment.

XXXX

Ichigo had been jittery the whole night and it had started to piss him off. Like, seriously? Did the orange head really believe that Grimmjow was stupid enough to believe his lame excuses? We've been together for so long, mister, that I know what kind of underwear you're wearing at the moment, the blunet thought to himself sarcastically.

His lover's brown eyes glanced towards the kitchen for the twelfth time within the past five minutes Aha! Busted! Something was wrong in the kitchen. Something that Ichigo wasn't telling him, however Grimmjow wasn't gonna press. He had learnt throughout the years that his lover didn't like nagging and every time something was wrong, sooner or later the oranget admitted it and asked for help.

It was only a matter of time. And Grimmjow had patience.

But then, there was this paleness. The color was slowly leaving Ichigo's face, replaced by an almost purple hue. Especially when Findor came around with a large dome in his hands. Dome? What the hell? Why did his souffle had to come in a dome?

"Your dessert, sir," the blond said with a knowing smile that irritated and confused Grimmjow at the same time, "I hope it will be sweet enough for your tastes."

Sweet enough for... huh? What the hell?

Then the dome was off. Then everything slid to place. All of a sudden, Grimmjow realized why Ichigo had been so jittery, so anxious, looking like he was fucking constipated. But that didn't mean the sight which greeted Grimmjow underneath the large dome didn't shock the fuck out of him. As a mater of fact, his heart accelarated, his blood roaring into his ears.

There, in the middle of the plate stood proudly his favorite dessert, garished with a diamond ring on the top. It was gorgeous. Much like his lover. And then, blue eyes slid lower, to what was written at the bottom of the plate, with molten chocolate.

Will you marry me, stranger?

Grimmjow instictively covered his open mouth with his hand, pretending to rub it thoughtfully, while he stared at the subtle marriage proposal that was being done to him. Was this... Was this real? Was Ichigo really... Oh God.

He was so happy. You know people, yes, he loved Ichigo, that was given. He loved him with every fiber of his body and he had thought about marrying the man oh-so many times he couldn't even count them anymore. But he always hesitated. He hesitated because Ichigo had never mentioned anything about marriage during their seven year relationship.

He had been a wuss.

And then... Ichigo goes and suprises him like this. So adorable. So sweet. After all, Findor knew what he was talking about, eh?

"S-So?", a timid voice attracted his attention and Grimmjow locked eyes with his lover. Ichigo seriously looked ready to die from anxiety and Grimmjow was ready to laugh and lung himself at the man, shouting his answer. But he wanted to listen the words coming off his boyfriend's mouth, not from a written with chocolate note. C'mon people, let him live his romance. Shit like that happen once in a lifetime - for most people.

"So, what?", Grimmjow questioned, hoping that his face was as straight as ever. If Ichigo's panicked eyes were any indication, then Grimmjow's acting skills were coming in real handy.

"Wh-What's your answer?", the man prodded, after he swallowed a few times. Grimmjow cocked his head to the side, pretending not to undertand what his lover was talking about.

"My answer to what?", the devil asked again, "You didn't ask me a question."

Ichigo looked at him as if he had just sprouted another head. "I-I...", he stuttered and drank from his wine, "There is a question on the plate."

"Oh, there is?", Grimmjow exclaimed, pretending to study his plate once again, "I thought it was just garnish." He turned the plate around, so that the letters were facing towards Ichigo and he gave his almost-fiancé a serious stare. "Care to read it to me? I haven't got my glasses with me."

Apparently, Ichigo got the message loud and clear because, all of a sudden, his face went beet-red. He licked his lips and swallowed, taking a deep breath through the nose before he spoke those words Grimmjow wanted to hear.

"Will you marry me, stranger?"

His heart was busting out of his chest, a smile finding its way on his lips. Ichigo wasn't looking at him but he was blushing like no tomorrow. "Look at me," the blunet said quietly. Wary brown eyes reluctantly left the floor and locked with his, making all of his insides a puddle of goo. Useless, pathetic. But there was one thing he had to say before he scolded himself for thinking like a girl.

"Yes," he said sternly, "Of course I'll marry you, stranger."

Ichigo blinked at him for a few moments, before he dropped his head in both his hands and let out a shuddering sigh. "Idiot," he murmured and Grimmjow laughed. The orange head snapped up once again, brown eyes watery and fiery, but the smile on Ichigo's face betrayed all of his emotions. "I almost had a heart atack, idiot."

"I know," Grimmjow assured him with a smug smile, eliciting a half-hearted glare, "But I wanted to hear you say it."

"S-So," Ichigo stutted uncertainly, "You will marry me, right?"

The blue-haired man grasped his lover's hand and brought it to his lips. "What ever made you think that I would say no?", he murmured within kisses. Ichigo shuddered a sigh again.

"Dunno...?"

"I love you, Ichigo," Grimmjow stated seriously, athough he wanted to grin like an idiot that had just ejaculated, "Of course I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

Those soft, nut-brown eyes filled with a new round of tears and Ichigo scowled, rubbing his face on his chef jacket, looking so adorable Grimmjow wanted to eat him. "Now," the blunet concluded, "There's one thing left to do."

Ichigo looked at him with a mixture of confusion and relief, but as soon as Grimmjow wiggled his fingers, the oranget "Aha!"ed quietly. With his fingers, the man detached the diamon ring from the dessert, gingerly grasped Grimmjow's hand and slowly slid the ring on his ring finger. Blue eyes examined the jewel; it was so pretty and shiny and for some reason - all the right reasons - it made Grimmjow's heart flood with happiness.

"You like it?" Blue eyes locked with brown and Grimmjow smiled.

"I love it."

"I love you," the orange-haired man muttered and stood up from his seat, walking the short distance around the table. Grimmjow soon understood and he rose to his full height, dragging his fiancé in a tightest, warmest and giddiest hugs of all. Ah, he loved the man. He loved him so much and he was so fucking happy they were walking the final phase of their relationship.

"I was so worried," Ichigo mumbled, the sound muffled by Grimmjow's shirt, "I was so worried that you'd reject me."

"You're so silly sometimes," Grimmjow sighed and tightened his grip around his future husband, "Of course I'd say yes."

"Well, excuse me for being apprehensive," the other retorted petulantly, "I've never done it before."

They pulled apart briefly and the blunet leaned in for a little kiss. "And you will never do it again," he said, very, very seriously. Ichigo chuckled and sniffled. "I'm serious," Grimmjow stressed, poking his lover's nose, "You're stuck with me forever."

"Forever sounds too short to me," Ichigo murmured with a soft smile, "I wish I had more."

Grimmjow's heart fluttered. How did Ichigo come up with this shit? Was he trying to give Grimmjow a heart attack for vengeance?

"Then, we shall enjoy the time we have to the fullest, right?"

Ichigo gave him another breathtaking smile. A smile Grimmjow knew he wanted to see everyday for the rest of his life.

"Yeah," the man nodded, "That's right."

Their lips came together and they lost themselves in their own, lil' world, not noticing the whistles or the standing ovation they were receiving from the rest of the customers. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

"Forever sounds too short to me."

Yeah, to me too. But we will get the best out of what we have, like we always do.

Right stranger?

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Thanks y'all for reading, favoriting, following, reviewing and everything! You people make me happy.

Queen.