Wooo! Finally the next chapter! I do apologise for the enormous wait! I hope you all enjoy!

Remember the Characters are not mine nor the lyrics. In this chapter they belong to Marianas Trench.

Chapter 9

Grimmjow and Ichigo were sat on the lounge watching television in Ichigo's apartment, Shiro and Nnoitra in the bedroom doing goodness knows what. Probably arguing… 'Or making out' Ichigo thought. They were the only ones left of the group they had this morning. After the girls woke up many hours after, they all had to get ready for the day as they all had personal errands to run, leaving Ichigo, Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Shiro to clean up the apartment. Not that they minded as Ichigo and Shiro were the hosts after all. But it was alright though as they all got to chill after.

When Ichigo finished in the kitchen and lounge room, he could hear Shiro, his voice angry as he was yelling at Nnoitra. He didn't pay much attention to what was being said, but he knew Nnoitra was annoying the hell out of him. He smiled to himself as he saw a glimpse of his room mate storm into his room and slam the door, but leaving it unlocked for his pursuer to follow behind.

'He needs this,' he thought to himself. 'He needs someone like Nnoitra to keep his mind on himself for a change. I'll do what I can by myself and perhaps try to lean on Grimm a little.' With his mind set, he curtly nodded to himself in determination and plonked himself onto the couch and turned on the T.V. Not too long after, Grimmjow made an appearance from the T.V room declaring that he had cleaned everything from top to bottom. He put the duster, spray and cloth back where they belonged and sat himself next to Ichigo.

"Wow, you actually dusted and everything?" Ichigo asked, somewhat impressed.

"What do you take me for? Of course I did," Grimmjow smirked.

"I am kinda impressed at your level of cleanliness. I mean, even on a good day I don't clean that thoroughly. I only do it if I really have to," he chuckled.

"Why thank you. I'm not always this thorough. I just thought, 'Why not?' and besides it didn't take me that long," Grimmjow replied. Ichigo chuckled again.

"Oh I see, well thank you."

"Nah, it's alright. It's the least I could do since we trashed the place," he laughed.

"Well Shi and I were the hosts, so we were kinda expecting a mess," Ichigo replied. Grimmjow opened his mouth as if to reply and then shut it again pondering.

"True," he finally stated. Ichigo laughed a little, a small smile on his lips as he turned his attention back to the television. There was nothing really to watch, so they had on Border Security: USA which was interesting enough to keep them occupied.

Back in Shiro's room, Nnoitra had Shiro in a firm embrace as they were passionately making out.

When Shiro had stomped into his room, he was determined to keep the annoying bastard Nnoitra out of his sight while he calmed down, but he severely underestimated his stride and forgot to lock the door. Within seconds of his bedroom door being slammed shut, it opened and closed again with Nnoitra's entrance. Mentally cursing, his anger surged and as he turned to give him a piece of his mind, he was there, warm lips on his own, long, strong arms wrapped around his smaller frame pressing him closer. His anger was snuffed...for the time being and he responded back by crushing himself further into the man and kissing back with fervour, practically melting into Nnoitra. He moved his hands so that they were skimming along the hem of the other man's shirt, slowly lifting it up and relishing at the feel of the bumps and dips of this torso as he went along. Nnoitra shivered at the feather-light touches, his own hands making their way up Shiro's neck to cup his face and grip at the strands of hair at his nape. At that Shiro let out a little moan, the nails of his fingers digging into the flesh in front of him causing Nnoitra to also voice his eagerness. Shiro smirked, logging his action into his brain in the hopes to do it again if they ever got down and dirty. Nnoitra's hand moved to grasp more hair using the action to tilt Shiro's head slightly in order to gain better access to his mouth. A strange, little sound escaped Shiro, totally unbidden, from the movement as it sent excited butterflies through his stomach and further down. Immediately Shiro opened his eyes and pushed away from the embrace, his increasing attraction to this man surprising him. At Nnoitra's questioning glance, Shiro made up an excuse about needing to breathe.

"What time is it?" Nnoitra shrugged and went over to his bag to find the time on his phone. Reaching into the pocket, his fingers brushed against the picture hiding within and he immediately sobered up. Sighing he found his phone and turned on the screen.

"Erm, it's five-thirty...Oh my gods! I didn't realise it was that late. I have some things to do. Sorry Snowflake, I've got to go." Nnoitra put his phone in his pocket and picked up his bag.

"No it's alright," Shiro replied as the other man walked back over. With a serious face he asked, "Can I have your number?" Surprised, Shiro nodded and gave his number as he saved it in his phone under 'Snowflake', effectively dispersing the serious demeanour replacing it with joyful laughter and angry remarks. Shiro huffed and walked out of the room, telling the other man that he had better go and do the things he has to do.

When both men left the room, Ichigo and Grimmjow looked away from the T.V and set their sights on them.

"What was all that arguing about just now?" Ichigo asked. Nnoitra's mouth grew into a wide smirk and Shiro just scowled.

"It was nothing," he responded, Nnoitra leaving his two cents out for a change. Ichigo shrugged and went back to the T.V. Shiro went into the kitchen to get a drink while Nnoitra went over to Grimmjow and whispered in his ear.

"I need to go and do 'work' stuff. Could I have your house key please?"

"Oh, yeah of course. What time-" Grimmjow's eyes widened when he saw the clock opposite him. "Oh shit! I better go too. Let's grab our stuff and say goodbye." He winked as he said the last part moving to stand and make his way to Ichigo's bedroom to get his belongings. Nnoitra had a full blown smile back in place when he went back into Shiro's room, giving him a sultry look as he passed by. Shiro suppressed a shudder, the hot kiss still fresh in his brain and made a point not to follow.

When Nnoitra came back out of the room, bag on his shoulder, he walked over to Shiro who was still in the kitchen and put his hands on his slim waist, turning him around and capturing those lips he won't be able to stop thinking about. There was a soft muffled sound of surprise from Shiro but he soon kissed back putting his arms around Nnoitra's neck.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was still sitting on the couch, mouth open and a blush on his cheeks at the very open display of Nnoitra and Shiro in the kitchen. For some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away but fortunately the sound of Grimmjow exiting his room gave him a well needed distraction from the scene. Grimmjow took a look in the direction of the kitchen as he walked out and made a face.

"Ah , c'mon guys! We don't want a show thanks. That's what clubs are for." The men in the kitchen pulled away, Nnoitra, as always, had a smug expression and Shiro had the faintest blush. Ichigo thought it was a nice change seeing him look so ruffled instead of the cool calm and collected person he has had to be for him. He will definitely tease him about it later though.

"Alright Grimm. We good to go then?" Nnoitra asked. Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah," he readjusted the bag on his shoulder and walked over to Ichigo. "I'll call you later." With that he kissed his forehead and headed for the door Nnoitra in tow. He thanked both men for the party and for letting both of them stay over.

When they got to the car park, they said their goodbye's to each other as they split ways to their cars, but after a chugging noise and quite a few expletives as Nnoitra tried to start his car, he called to Grimmjow to ask for a lift.

On the drive to Grimmjow's apartment, the two sat in a comfortable silence, each in their own thoughts. Nnoitra couldn't stop thinking about his little Snowflake and Grimmjow couldn't help but think about Ichigo. A sly smile crossed his features as a thought of Nnoitra and Shiro in the kitchen flew into his mind.

"So…" he began, capturing his friend's attention. "You and Shirosaki eh?" From the corner of his eye, Grimmjow could see Nnoitra's face form a great smile.

"Heh heh, yup. He is fuckin' amazing. He has such a temper and is so easily riled up," he said with such awe. "He's also a fuckin' great kisser." He added as an afterthought. Grimmjow grimaced at that.

"I did not want to know that. Although I am quite surprised ay how fast you guys came together. 'Cause Shirosaki seems so aggressive but kind of a loner. Like I know he invited all of those people last night but, apart from that Inoue chick, he didn't seem to know them that well."

"Well last night he did say something about not getting out much 'coz of looking after Ichigo. Do you know why he needed looking after? I don't know 'coz Snowflake didn't tell me, but I was just wondering if you knew?"

Grimmjow nodded. "Mmm, yeah I do know actually, but it's not my secret to tell. Let's just say that it was a very similar situation to Joel's." There was an audible gasp.

"Oh my gods! Is...is he alright? Well, you know what I mean." Nnoitra was genuinely worried for his friend, as well as Ichigo but concerned in a different way.

Grimmjow sighed, "I think so. I mean he is still here and he trusted me enough to tell me what happened. He isn't without some problems but I want to be there for him and to help him overcome his barriers. I won't fail him as I did Joel."

"Grimm… You didn't fail Joel. There was nothing you could do. It was out of your control. But Ichigo is different. You have him, not anyone else. He is with you most of the time and when he is not he is with Shiro. He is safe." Nnoitra told him, although internally worrying about his situation involving Ichigo. How safe could he be?

Grimmjow sighed again. " I know you're right, I just can't help feeling like I could have helped him. Joel I mean. But like you said it was out of my control and I can't do anything about it now. I'll just have to keep my focus on helping Ichigo and building the relationship we have."

"That's probably best Grimm." Nnoitra affirmed. There was a small silence after that, Grimmjow taking a turn and slowing the car down to drive up a gutter and onto a driveway.

"Rightyo! Here we are at my humble abode," he exclaimed, turning off the engine. They were still silent when they moved from the car to the apartment, but when they entered Grimmjow showed Nnoitra to the spare bedroom and have him a tour of the place telling him to make himself at home. After thanking his friend Nnoitra went to the bedroom and Grimmjow did the same, going straight to his desk to write a song that he had stuck in his mind for a while. Nnoitra on the other hand had sat on the bed foregoing unpacking to stare at the polaroid. 'I have to tell Grimm…'

As the front door shut behind the two men Shiro turned to face Ichigo, who was blushing and had a very noticeable gleam in his eyes which was accompanied by a small smile. Shiro chuckled which broke Ichigo out of his daze.

"What?" he frowned.

"Oh nothing… just your cute face, staring after big blue," Shiro smiled. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, possibly to retort and deny Shiro's claims but closed it again. "Shush…" he finally said. Shiro laughed again and his smile grew bigger.

"So… Did you tell him?" he asked.

"I did! And he didn't reject me. But what was better… well it's not good but he told me about what exactly happened with Joel and it was awful. We kinda poured our hearts out and it removed some of the distance between us, which is good." Shiro visibly relaxed in relief.

"That is absolutely amazing Ichigo. I am so happy for you. So is that all that happened?" he asked. A smile formed on Ichigo's face as well as a blush.

"Well… he… he asked me t-to… be… his… boyfriend…" he answered, squirming with butterflies in his stomach remembering that part of the night.

"And you said... ?" Shiro pushed. Ichigo looked down at the floor, smile faltering.

"I said I would think about it," he said, his good mood slowly ebbing away as he remembered why he said that. The little voice in his head telling him to be wary.

"Can I ask why?" Shiro questioned, a little bewildered.

"I just can't bring myself to trust him that way. When he asked me, I was so happy but that little voice in my head just kept telling me that Grimm could become like the others and I just couldn't bring myself to say yes. The voice is too loud sometimes and the fear of something happening is too strong." Ichigo's face was downtrodden and all he wanted to do was cheer him back up to how he was moments before.

"You are so right Ichi. I am so sorry for pushing you. It's just that recently you have been so well that I momentarily forgot that you weren't as trusting as you appeared to be and that you fully hadn't recovered yet. Take your time and don't rush, but don't just blow him off either, okay?" he apologised. Ichigo nodded and put a smile on his face.

"It's alright Shi. I know you mean well. Grimm took it well though which is good," he replied. Then remembering what he actually said he hung his head and gave a short laugh. At Shiro's puzzled look he elaborated, "I didn't actually say anything apart from mumbo jumbo, but my lack of response was taken well and he hasn't said anything or pushed it. So I assume he understands." Shiro let out a laugh and facepalmed.

"Come here," he told him, outstretching his arms for a hug. Ichigo happily walked into the embrace. A sudden mischievous expression appeared on his face as he thought about Grimmjow's friend Nnoitra.

"So… You and Nnoitra make a cute couple," he stated. Shiro pulled away from the embrace stuttering.

"What? N-no! H-he and I… What? He is nothing to me. We are definitely not a couple." By this point Shiro was quite red in the face.

"So what then? Bum chums?" At that he choked, the term catching him off guard. It was a good thing he didn't take a drink otherwise it would have been all over Ichigo's face.

"I just said we were nothing to each other," Shiro persisted.

"And yet you two were making out in the kitchen… in full view," Ichigo added. Shiro's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, I forgot about that…" he trailed off.

"You forgot about that one hell of a kiss?" Ichigo laughed. He shook his head.

"No. More like I forgot that it was in the kitchen… and that you saw… Oh gods," he sighed.

"Oooh so it was that good that you forgot where you were? Sounds like a keeper," Ichigo carried on. Shiro let out a defeated groan.

"I can't deny it now that you've said that, can I? Oh gods… So far there is nothing official between us but there is definitely something," he admitted, but before Ichigo could say anything in return he carried on of his own accord. "He just exudes this confidence and challenge and when I rise up to it… I dunno, it just turns into this hot mess and-"

"Woah woah! Too much info their Shi," Ichigo interrupted. Shiro's face lit up like Rudolph's nose on christmas.

"Aha, sorry Ichi. This guy really has made an impact hasn't he?" he apologised sheepishly. Ichigo laughed. " He really has." He walked over to the couch and plopped himself down, gesturing for Shiro to follow.

"So now that you have spilt the beans, tell me…What did you do in the bedroom? And I mean last night and this afternoon."

"Do you want tame or full detail?" Shiro asked.

"Tame, definitely tame," Ichigo replied, laughing. Shiro laughed also and scrubbed his hand over his face.

"Well last night when I went into my room after Nnoitra, he was already in my bed… down to his boxers and I just thought he was already asleep so I was as quiet as possible and got undressed and got in bed. It turned out that he was not asleep as he cuddled me from behind and we talked for a bit which was nice. Then we… we made out for the first time then."

"Not even a peck? You guys just dived right in? Wow," Ichigo joked, his smile still in place and Shiro laughing at his comment. "Yes, Ichigo. We just… dived in. But before anything went further I stopped it. Then we cuddled again and went to sleep. This morning we had another little make out session before we got up aaaand then in the kitchen."

"Wow. Just wow. I have no words." They both suddenly burst out laughing, wiping tears and doubling over.

After they calmed down, Shiro made a sound signalling that he had an idea. "Ichi, I still reckon you should show Grimmjow your songs. I think he will appreciate them." Ichigo put his knuckles to his chin in thought. "Mm, yeah that is a good idea. I had almost forgotten about doing that. I'll do it tomorrow. I better message him so that he can keep the afternoon clear." As he took out his phone to text Grimmjow, Ichigo was suddenly flooded with inspiration. He sent the text and then stood up. " I'm going to write, I suddenly have heaps of ideas. Thanks Shi, for everything." He smiled at his friend then went to his room.

Shiro chuckled and sighed happily when Ichigo's door shut. He layed down on the couch and turned on the T.V, however finding nothing interesting to watch he closed his eyes. Suddenly a picture of Nnoitra flashed in his mind's eye, half naked in his bed with his pale and soft skin glowing in the moonlight streaming from his bedroom window, looking so delectable that it almost… almost had him salivating. He felt heat pool down low and flood his cheeks as he remembered the body against his, how those hands cupped his jaw, firm but gentle, guiding him to those soft, magical lips that seemed to make him melt… He opened his eyes at a familiar feeling down below and peered down to see the beginnings of a problem. Dropping his head back he let out a sigh, although it sounded more like a whine. 'Bloody hell, I sound like a bitch in heat.' After that thought and his imagery successfully embedded in his brain, Shiro moved from the couch to he room to 'sort out' his problem.

All the while Ichigo was in his own world writing a song already. It had been forming since he left the main room to his own so when he sat down the melody and lyrics flowed from his brain to the paper and then from his mouth,

"You thought by now,

You'd have it figured out.

You can't erase the was it pulls

When seasons change.

It hurts sometimes

To find where you begin,

But you are perfect porcelain…

"Oh man, this is pretty good! I hope Grimmjow likes it…" Ichigo was on a roll and would be in his room for hours.

Back in Shiro's room, he was on his bed with his left arm over his eyes and right hand in his boxers. He couldn't keep the pictures from his mind; Of long pale fingers stroking him softly, gently, teasingly. He moaned quietly as new imagery flooded his mind making him squirm and wish for the real thing. He envisioned a warm, rough hand cupping his face caressing his cheek and ghosting over his lips, then slowly moving lower to his neck, then his chest… stopping to teasingly rub over his nipples. Shiro let out a shuddering breath, slightly shocked at how vivid his imagination was but he didn't dwell on it too long as he was too far gone to really care. He lightly pinched his nipple and quickened his pace, gasping loudly as he did so, only worried for a second whether Ichigo had heard him.

Thinking of that tall, lean body leaning over him with a hand now on his backside massaging the firm buttocks had him squirming for more. "Suck," he imagined him saying while he pressed his long fingers to his lips. Playing out his fantasy Shiro removed his arm from his eyes and began to suck on his own fingers. Once he deemed them wet enough, he rolled over onto his knees with his face in the bed just like he'd imagined he would be told to do. When he felt he was ready he pushed one finger against his entrance, hissing a little as it had been a while since his last encounter. Once he was relaxed enough he pushed in his second finger, taking it much easier and adding to his pleasure. He gasped out and moaned as his imagination gave more to his already steaming fantasy. When he added the last finger he was almost over the edge so he put his face into his pillow and let his voice out, envisioning his partner making similar sounds and encouraging him to let his out because he wanted to hear more. Complying with his fantasy he sped up his hand moaning more and as loud as he would allow into his pillow. He imagined his partner saying, "Yeah, that's it… C'mon Snowflake, louder…" letting out his own moans which added fuel to the fire until Shiro saw nothing but Nnoitra's face as he came to completion.

Coming down from his high Shiro muttered, "Shit…" as he realised how much he was affected by Nnoitra. Groaning, for a whole different reason this time, he moved from his bed to assess how much mess he made. Although he was fully clothed the front of his pants still got wet, but fortunately his bed sheets were still clean so he grabbed some tissues from his bedside table to clean himself. All he could smell now was sweat and a musky scent so he opened his window and turned on his fan then went to dig out some air freshener from his wardrobe. Once his room was deodourised he picked up his towel and proceeded to his bathroom to shower.

Once he was done, feeling refreshed and squeaky clean, he dressed and walked out of his room to get a can of Coke, only to find Ichigo in the kitchen preparing dinner. Taking out two cans from the fridge he opened them both, took a swig and went to give Ichigo a hand.

Grimmjow was much like Ichigo; He was in his studio (his other spare bedroom) in the zone finishing off a song that he had been itching to get out since he walked into the door. He didn't know long he was in there for but when he finished writing the last lyric, coming out of the zone, he found that he was absolutely starving. He checked his phone to find that he had a message from Ichigo to his delight.

Hey, Grimm. I was just wondering if it would be okay to meet up after work tomorrow so I can show you some songs that have written. If you don't want to, that's okay. It was just a suggestion to help with the new album.

Have a good night. I will see you tomorrow. :) x

The text read, Grimmjow smiling at the smiley face and the kiss. He didn't hesitate to reply,

Hello Ichi x

Of course you can that would be absolutely amazing! Thank you!

I will see you tomorrow, goodnight! :) x

He giggled like a little girl when he sent the reply with his own kisses on them, then stood from his desk chair and stretched. Upon his stomach rumbling again he headed to the kitchen to make something to eat, knocking on Nnoitra's door as he passed to ask if he wanted something also. His friend said he did and followed him into the kitchen stating that he wanted to talk to him anyway.

As Grimmjow was clanking around in the kitchen, Nnoitra was having a mini nervous breakdown. He hadn't been this nervous since his first days in the Espadas, but he had to do it now otherwise he would back out like a coward and not say anything at all which, in the end, will be worse especially in the hands of Grimmjow's wrath. Speaking of, Grimmjow had taken out some vegetables and was chopping them when he spoke, effectively making Nnoitra's heart speed up and hands shake from the nerves. "So what did you need to talk to me about?" He took a deep breath to hopefully calm his nerves and addressed his friend.

"Uhh well it's about my job...it's important," he replied, voice steady. Grimmjow stopped chopping for a second to look at him through his lashes before carrying on. "Go on," he said. Nnoitra took another steadying breath before continuing.

"You know how I have been pretty good lately, with my assignments and such which is why I have no money…" he started, waiting for some response from his friend who nodded, "Well I was given a new as one last chance by the boss to redeem myself. I told him I would think about it and let him know the answer by the end of the week. I was actually thinking about taking it when I was evicted, but when I got the picture, which was just after I rang you, I couldn't do it." At this point Nnoitra was wringing his hands and gauging his friend's reaction but he had far more nerve wrecking information to tell.

"Why wouldn't you take it?" Grimmjow asked. Nnoitra felt like he was going to have a heart attack and just blurted it out, it needed to be said.

"Because the picture was of fucking Ichigo!" There was quite a loud bang as the knife Grimmjow had sliced through a carrot effectively cutting it in half and embedding it in the thick, wooden chopping board, leaving a deafening silence and Nnoitra fearing for his life.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could please repeat that?" Grimmjow asked, head still bowed to the vegetables although they were now the last thing on his mind. Nnoitra felt his heart go out to his friend and struggled to find the words again, he felt so deflated, the revelation taking all of his energy to say. He took a seat on the lounge and put his head in his hands.

"Grimm...I'm sorry, on the polaroid was Ichigo. He is my next assignment." There was a small silence and he didn't even want to look up to see his friend's face, worried at what expression he might have.

"What are the orders?" Grimmjow's steady voice carried through the quiet apartment, his question one Nnoitra had hoped to avoid. "Grimm, I don't wanna -"

"Just fucking spit it out Quinto! What. Were. Your. Orders?" he demanded, his fists balled up on the counter and eyes boring into Nnoitra's with such intensity he felt it in his soul.

"My orders were to acquire and deliver, okay?" This caught him off guard.

"What?" he whispered, his expression loosening from the scowl and eyes going wide with surprise. "What the fuck does the Boss want with Ichigo?" Nnoitra just shook his head.

"I don't know and to be honest I don't want to know, the sick fuck," he sighed. "What do we do?" Grimmjow shook his head this time, his voice sounded empty. "I… I don't know." Angry tears began to roll down Grimmjow's cheeks as the weight of the situation settled on his shoulders. Nnoitra stood up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

"Well what I do know is that I don't want to do this anymore. I can't keep acting like I don't care, pretending that my assignments weren't people with family and friends. I can't fathom the thought of the roles being reversed, if it was Shiro instead of Ichigo," He confessed. He knew how he felt about Shiro even after knowing him for a short while. There was something about him that made him feel like he had known him for years and he didn't want anything to jeopardise it. "I need to quit, but how? Without endangering my sister?" Grimmjow scrubbed at his face, wiping away the tears and placed his hands on his friend's neck bringing their foreheads together.

"I understand what you mean, which is why I am going to help you. I don't want Ichi mixed up in this anymore than you want Shiro involved. I cannot and will not let anything happen to either of them." He promised with more conviction and confidence than he felt at that present time. Nnoitra closed his eye and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much Grimm. But the question still remains: How are we going to do this?"

I do have to apologise for the formatting I am having to resort to copy 'n' paste and FF has changed the way I had it set out.