Author's Note: I should really just have a standing trigger warning for Grimmjow.

But what's this? A challenger appears! ;D

this chapter is nsfw.

Night was peaceful at Seireitei. The majority of the settlement settled down no later than nine, wanting to save electricity and use daylight when possible. Grimmjow wasn't one of those people. He wasn't early to bed, and he sure as shit wasn't early to rise. With the passing of every day, their hope in finding Hitsugaya dwindled, and Grimmjow's filter disappeared with it.

Two in the goddamn morning. Izuru was out of bed in an instant. It wasn't as if he'd been sleeping well, to begin with. The nightmares from that god-forsaken outing had settled into his mind, revealing itself only while he slept. So what was the solution? Lying in bed, trying to invite sleep in its most shallow form, not wanting to get deep enough to allow the terror.

"Grimmjow, it is the middle of the night. What do you wa- hey!"

Grimmjow shoved past him, closing the door firmly. "Dude, I've gotta hide. I fucked up. I fucked up bad."

Gin looked back at all of the commotion, rubbing his eye sleepily.

"What'd you do now, Jaegerjacques?" Gin asked, voice hoarse.

Grimmjow dug his heel into the ground. "...Je baisé cette salope rousse."

Gin snorted. "Rangiku?"

"Hell, no! She'd bite it off!" he cried.

Izuru looked confused. "I don't speak French, but if I had to guess- you had sex with someone you shouldn't have?"

"...That woman. Inoue, I guess is her name?"

Izuru buried his head in his hands.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm goin' to bed," Grimmjow snapped, flopping down face-first on Izuru's bed.

"Hey, you have your own room!"

Wordlessly, Gin simply rolled over and opened the blankets for Izuru, who begrudgingly joined him in bed.

Grimmjow was well aware that he had his own room. He just couldn't bare to go in there. He'd always hated sleeping alone, always finding someone- or multiple someones to spend the night with. It was a security thing. Having Hitsugaya on the other side of the room allowed him to sleep peacefully. Now that Hitsugaya was gone, he was having to be creative.

"Woulda stayed with the bitch if she hadn't tried to smother me with her boobs."

"...That's called cuddlin', Grimmjow."

"...I didn't like it."

Ichigo was getting bored. He'd lost track of the days, but knew that it had to have been at least a week. Urahara stopped by frequently, bringing him food and water, as well as the occasional book. It wasn't until the fifth day that, through Rukia, Renji heard of his plight. Though initially surprised that Ichigo wasn't dead, Renji decided to take pity on the kid and brought him an Xbox, a few games, and a small TV.

"Some'a the dorms are a goldmine," Renji explained, watching Unohana hand the game system over. Ichigo set it up eagerly. "Yumichika's kid must have been a drug dealer. We found pounds of pot under his bed. Needless to say, that was a good night." He grinned fondly. "Grimmjow's like a dragon, sitting on a pile of snack cakes. It's a wonder he's not morbidly obese."

Speaking of Grimmjow, it'd been awhile since Ichigo'd seen him. Ishida still checked in, but with the immediate danger of him dying having passed, he spent most of his time alone. Rukia and Orihime dropped by frequently, but never for very long.

But there he was.

Without so much as a hello, Grimmjow slid against the door and pulled out his 3DS, just like he had on that first night.

"...What're you doing here?" Ichigo asked, brow raised.

"Hiding."

"From what?"

"Inoue."

Ichigo's brow shot up. "What the fuck did you do?"

Grimmjow threw his hand and stump into the air. "Can't a dude bust a nut without gettin' called 'honey?' Fuck me, you woulda thought I asked the bitch to marry me," he cried.

"She doesn't strike me as a.. casual sex kind of person."

"Yeah, thanks for the fuckin' warning. She called me 'sweetie' and tried to hold my hand."

It wasn't funny. It wasn't. Orihime had probably felt led on. Grimmjow was a smooth talker when he wanted something. He was manipulative. But, he was short-sighted. He didn't vet his bed partners very well. To be fair, he didn't think about a lot of things before he did them. He was impulsive. He was rude. Fuck, he was a jackass.

Ichigo couldn't help it. For the first time in a week, he laughed. He really laughed. Grimmjow regarded him with alarm, brows raised.

"I didn't know that the dead laughed," Grimmjow snapped, but the corners of his mouth were upturned.

"There's a first time for everything." Ichigo leaned back against the headboard of his bed. "They're saying I'm immune to the virus."

Grimmjow blinked. "Then why the fuck are you still locked up?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Urahara wants to run more tests. It's pissing me off. If I didn't have this Xbox, I probably would have murdered someone by now."

"That's the spirit," Grimmjow praised.

They spent the next couple of minutes in silence. They stared at each other, around the room, around the hallway.

"Hey. Put on some tunes. I see that iPod in there. Let's see how bad your taste in music sucks."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Hey, go fuck yourself. My music's fine," he defended, plugging the device into the speaker.

Grimmjow's eyes lit up as he recognized the opening guitar riff. He jumped to his feet and approached the glass, enthusiastically banging his head.

"She's got a smile that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky," Grimmjow sang loudly, moving his body to the beat. His accent, thick with his fatigue, damn near disappeared with the volume of his singing.

Ichigo approached the glass and joined him, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to let off a little bit of steam. They rocked out with more intensity than was probably necessary. But hey, what other outlet did they have? Grimmjow was being blocked from going out and mangling things, and Ichigo had been confined to a room barely large enough to have a bathroom for a week. They needed to get their heart rates up. They needed to scream.

The mood intensified when the song changed. Grimmjow put his hand against the glass, volume increased and lips curled in a snarl. Ichigo would have been terrified in any other circumstance, but it just served to make Grimmjow look as small and vulnerable as he wouldn't admit that he was.

"I like the kick in the face, and the things you do to me! I love the way that it hurts! I don't miss you, I miss the misery!" he screamed, with Ichigo yelling back at him. They were staring into each other's eyes, so invested in what they were doing that they didn't notice Urahara round the corner. It took the man maybe three full seconds to decide that he probably shouldn't interrupt. He high-tailed it out of there in less time than it'd taken him to approach.

When a softer song played over the speakers, Grimmjow and Ichigo took the opportunity to catch their breath. Their voices were hoarse, their hearts beating hard against their ribcages. Grimmjow's chest heaved as he held the previously initiated eye contact. It was unsettling, but Ichigo made no move to disconnect. It was a fight for dominance, he supposed. They were sizing one another up.

It was Grimmjow whose gaze diverted first.

"See ya on the flipside, Walkerbait," he said flippantly, grabbing his game system and walking away.

Urahara took the opportunity to emerge from the shadows. He entered Ichigo's room, holding a mid-day snack for him. "Walkerbait. I like it." He grinned.

Renji had a reputation to uphold. He was the fastest runner in Seireitei. He could run a mile in five minutes, less if the terrain cooperated with him. So what did that mean? Exercise. A lot of it. He needed to be able to jump. He had to be able to absorb impact. It was more important than ever. What happened on that mission would never happen again.

Early morning was his favourite time to work out. The gym was empty. It was just him and his iPod, strapped conveniently to his arm while he ran his heart out on the treadmill. He could see sun rising over the campus, the air crisp, but not terribly cold, even for January.

He didn't notice the door opening. It wasn't until he caught the unrolling of a yoga mat and the dropping of a bag in his peripheral vision. He slowed the treadmill to a walk and tugged an earbud out of his ear.

Byakuya.

"Morning, Captain," he greeted politely.

He looked gorgeous. Byakuya had tied his hair out of his face, securing it in a ponytail at the base of his neck. He was clad only in a black tanktop and red shorts that allowed Renji's eyes to wander further up than was safe. Renji felt overdressed in his body-hugging white pullover and navy capris.

Hey, he hadn't expected to see anyone else.

Setting his water aside, Byakuya stood tall and greeted his subordinate. "Renji. Do you care to join me?" he asked politely.

Renji didn't see a way he could refuse. "Of course. Let me just-" He turned off the treadmill and set his iPod down. He took a long drink of water before standing across from Byakuya, feeling awkwardly small, though he knew he had at least three inches on his Captain. Those grey eyes were vicious.

"Take off your shirt."

"Excuse me?"

"Take off your shirt. The sleeves will hinder your flexibility."

Right. Of course. Renji tugged his jacket off. He hadn't worn anything under- there was no need. Removing his clothing didn't help the small feeling. He was just small and naked. Well, mostly.

The only sound in the room was their breathing. Byakuya's was slow and controlled. He flowed like water from one pose to another. Renji was far more uncertain, looking to his captain for guidance, awkwardly trying to mirror his moves. His breathing was more ragged, his posture more cramped and far less flexible.

"Breathe."

It was a simple reminder, but a necessary one. Renji met Byakuya's gaze and nodded softly, letting out a long, slow breath. He deepened his stretch and closed his eyes, allowing his hesitance to roll off of his shoulders.

When they were finished, the sun was beating through the windows. Renji felt as if he were made of jelly, while Byakuya had barely broken a sweat. They walked side-by-side, with Renji trying to figure out a tactful way to phrase his next question.

"...Why didn't you tell me about Hisana?"

Byakuya paused. He gave Renji a side-eye before continuing to move.

"I assume that Rukia told you about her?" he asked, chin raised.

"Not much. Just that you were married to her."

Renji could damn near see the emotion bottled up behind Byakuya's eyes. That kind of secret was heavy. It would have to come out at one point or another. Wordlessly, Byakuya changed his path, and motioned for Renji to follow him. Instead of going straight to the stable, he was taking him back to the dorm. They sat together on Byakuya's bed. Now it was Byakuya who felt small and naked. He wasn't one to bare his heart to anybody, let alone a crass brat like Renji. But they were partners. They could trust one another. Renji had done more than enough to deserve to see some of his captain's vulnerability.

"I was eighteen when we married, and she was nineteen," he began. "We'd dated for a year, if that's the correct term. I was a hot-tempered, tempestuous child. She was dear and forgiving. She was far too good for me," he chuckled. "I loved her far more than she loved me, I suppose.

Hisana and Rukia lived in poverty when we met. I brought both of them into my home to give them a life that I felt they deserved. I paid for Hisana to attend college, and Rukia was allowed to travel, choosing to study at Karakura High School, for reasons I will never understand." Byakuya's gaze lifted to avoid dropping, not wanting to be perceived as weak.

"Hisana suffered from a chronic lung disease. It was a nuisance, but not unmanageable. Not until we lost access to healthcare due to the.. crisis." He closed his eyes. "Winter was approaching. I couldn't keep her in Vermont. So we moved west. We were able to drive as far as New York, but from there, we travelled on foot. I think it was her determination to find Rukia that kept her going as long as she did." He didn't even notice when Renji put his arm around him, symbolically giving him strength.

"...She died in my arms. September the third." He blinked quickly. Nobody had heard that much of the story. "She begged me to find her sister. After she passed, I.. buried her, and I pressed on. I had no other choice." The hesitance in his voice was peculiar.

"I was lost. I'd meant to go to Karakura first. But something drew me this way. And, from there, I believe that you were present."

Renji said nothing. For several long seconds, he sat in silence. His eyes locked onto Byakuya's, gaze soft. He wrapped both arms around him, grip tight enough to hopefully distract Byakuya from some of his heartache. He pressed his cheek to his captain's, subtly inhaling the scent of his hair. Byakuya slumped against him in a moment of weakness, finally succumbing to the gravity of losing his wife.

And Renji's heart broke for him.

Ichigo was beginning to think that they were never going to let him leave. If he was impatient before, he was filled with rage at that point. In his mind, there was no real reason to keep him detained, except for Urahara's own morbid curiosity. The bite on his chest had almost healed over, save for a rather impressive scar. His blood samples and bite swabs were all clean, as were his saliva, urine, and.. other excretions.

He wanted to go.

"No more."

Urahara hadn't even been able to put his tray down. "What?"

Ichigo glared at him. "No more. Let me go," he insisted firmly.

Urahara placed the tray of food on the table and approached. He took Ichigo's radial pulse, and placed his hand on his forehead.

"Alright. You can go."

It didn't take Ichigo a second. He shot out of bed, tearing off electrodes and hauling ass out the door. He screeched to a halt and turned on his heels, however, picking up the sandwich that his captor had brought. Hey, he was still hungry.

Never again did he want to see the Fourth Squad building. Ichigo groaned as he felt the raw sunshine on his skin. Even in the mild chill of the January afternoon, he felt invigorated. He was getting strange looks- people probably thought he was dead.

What drew him to the gate, he'd never know. Maybe he wanted to talk to Uryuu? Maybe he just wanted to take a look over the confines of the compound? He entered the little hut, coughing slightly as he opened the door. Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Grimmjow were seated inside, cigarettes in their mouths. He could see Uryuu up in the tower, well away from the smoke cloud down below.

"Fuck, open a window," Ichigo coughed, doing so for them.

"Maybe you shouldn't come in uninvited, Walkerbait," Grimmjow snapped, though it was more playful than aggressive.

Ichigo scowled, and chose to stick his head out of the window. He reveled in the gentle breeze, taking in the sight of grass, of trees, of-

"Hey, Matsumoto, gimmie your walkie," he insisted, holding out his hand. Rangiku acquiesced and handed it over.

"Hey, Katniss, what do you see up there? Over."

"Looks to be a deer. Over."

"Look closer. Over."

There was a long pause.

"Squad Four to gate. Repeat, Squad Four to gate. Over." Uryuu's tone was firm, and Ichigo could hear the urgency.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Squad Four doesn't help animals, Kurosaki. That's good eating." He protested as Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow by the stump and led him to the window, forcing him to look out.

"Open this gate. Now," he screamed at Ikkaku, grabbing him by the collar. Ikkaku shoved him off before taking a look for himself, and running out to open the gate. Grimmjow was seconds behind him, hitting the grass at a run as soon as the gate was opened.

A lone horse was trotting along gently as to not displace its rider. It was dirty- mud concealing much of its true color. But the tuft of white hair peeking out from between the pony's ears was unmistakable.

Hitsugaya.

Grimmjow was the first to meet him, with Rangiku and Ichigo close behind. He was practically vibrating with excitement. A creepy, almost sadistic grin was spread out over his face. He waved his arm and stump to stop the horse, the tired animal lowering its head as Rangiku reached out to rub under its forelock.

Hitsugaya looked down at Grimmjow, a tired smile on his face. "It takes more than that to kill me."

Without warning, Grimmjow delivered a quick, powerful punch to Hitsugaya's thigh. Hitsugaya screamed out, leaning forward and rubbing his thigh.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"For being a fuckass," Grimmjow yelled, punching his leg a couple more times.

"Al-Alright, I got it!" Hitsugaya hissed, kicking at Grimmjow weakly.

Unohana, Hanataro, and Isane arrived from Fourth Squad, rolling a gurney after them. They helped Hitsugaya dismount slowly, and pulled him onto the stretcher. "I'm fine," he said softly. "Well, except for my goddamn thigh," he grumbled. He sighed in relief as Grimmjow approached, pressing their foreheads together briefly, his hand holding the back of the other man's head.

Knowing that he wouldn't be allowed to visit him for a few hours, Grimmjow turned toward Hitsugaya and flipped him the bird. He held up his stump, wanting him to know that he was giving him both fingers, though one was in spirit. Hitsugaya responded with a chuckle, closing his eyes with a relaxed sigh.

Ichigo was dumbstruck. What kind of half of a month had this been? They'd lost Chad. Rukia'd been injured. Ichigo had been bitten. Grimmjow's mental state had weakened significantly. It'd been one hell of a ride so far, hadn't it? He was broken out of his musing, however, by a pair of arms around his waist. Well. An arm and a stump.

"Let's go fuck," Grimmjow whispered into his ear.

Ichigo turned to face him. "Excuse me?" he asked, absolutely flabbergasted.

"I'm fucking pumped. I gotta get this energy out somehow." He was bouncing from foot to foot. "Either we go for a romp, or I've gotta find something to fuck up beyond recognition."

"Sweet Jesus, Grimmjow," Rangiku swore, shaking her head.

Ichigo gave weak laughter. "You're fucking kidding me." He paused, feeling something suspiciously hard against his ass as Grimmjow pressed up against him. "...You're not kidding."

"Come on," Grimmjow groaned, burying his face into Ichigo's neck. Ichigo didn't have to give a verbal response. His body was doing the talking. Grimmjow let his hand wander down, and gave a crazed smirk as he felt the beginnings of an erection in Ichigo's pants.

Ichigo had never seen Grimmjow move so quickly in his life. He practically dragged Ichigo up to the dorm he shared with Hitsugaya, slamming the door behind him. He took Ichigo by the waist and threw him onto the extra-long twin bed. Unexpectedly, Grimmjow grabbed him by the hair, and pulled him into a long, deep kiss. Grimmjow didn't really strike him as a kissing-during-sex kinda guy. He seemed more.. down and dirty. He damn near bit down on Grimmjow's tongue as he toyed with one of his nipples through his shirt.

"You liked that? Really?" Grimmjow asked, spreading Ichigo's legs so that he could settle between them. Ichigo didn't respond, but clenched his teeth as Grimmjow's hips ground against his. With absolutely no patience, Ichigo's shirt was torn off, and small bites were peppered along his collarbone. With a mischievous smirk on his lips, Grimmjow crawled down to Ichigo's crotch, using a combination of his hand, teeth, and sheer force of will to pry his pants open. With a victorious 'aha!' he slid the jeans off of his partner's legs.

Ichigo didn't anticipate that Grimmjow would have any semblance of patience. He also didn't expect him to take his cock into his mouth so suddenly. Ichigo hissed and thrust his hips upward, causing Grimmjow's stump to dig itself into his hip. No words were needed. Grimmjow stared up at him excitedly as he sucked his cock enthusiastically. Throwing his head back, Ichigo grabbed a handful of his partner's hair, which seemed to only encourage the crazy man between his legs.

Orgasm was imminent. Ichigo's knee was trembling. His breathing was tight. His abs were clenched. The hand in Grimmjow's hair tightened. Right when Ichigo felt the coil tightening in his bell begin to spring, the friction was gone. He could have screamed. And he would have, if he hadn't been distracted by the dick in his face.

"Your turn," Grimmjow insisted, teasing the head of his own cock, lightly tapping at his slit.

Ichigo hadn't hesitated before then. But then again, he hadn't been asked to do anything up to that point. He'd accepted Grimmjow's request partly to shut him up, and partly because.. well.. he was quickly learning that life was short. He didn't want to die a virgin.

So softly, experimentally, Ichigo licked up the shaft. Grimmjow sighed, settling into a better position. He arched his hips out, trying to encourage Ichigo to quit licking, and just give him a proper blowjob already, dammit.

As in all things, Grimmjow was mouthy. He was loud, muttering 'fuck,' or 'c'mon, Kurosaki' every few seconds. He reached down and brushed Ichigo's hair out of his face.

"I could cum all over your face right now."

That earned him a murderous glare.

"But I won't. Get your ass on that bed," he commanded, pushing Ichigo off of him and shoving him down onto the bed. He grabbed his partner by the hips, and pulled them into his lap. Out of instinct, Ichigo wrapped his calves around Grimmjow's waist.

"Guess I won't need this," Grimmjow snorted, throwing a condom off to the side. He did, however, apply a generous amount of lubricant to his cock and fingers. Without much preparation, he slid two fingers into Ichigo. Ichigo hissed, but Grimmjow was able to tune it out. At least he was preparing him at all. Grimmjow'd been taken dry dozens of times- but this was Urahara's little chosen one. He could be gentle.

This time.

For Grimmjow, 'gentle' was a loose description. Ichigo didn't know what he was supposed to feel, but didn't think that would be it. He held his breath as Grimmjow entered, both hands fisting the bedsheets. Grimmjow wasted no time, bracing himself on his good hand as he began to thrust. His lips were curled in a snarl, blue eyes clenched shut, sweat on his chest and forehead. It hurt. Ichigo didn't know how he was supposed to act. He was tense. Grimmjow's hips were merciless, driving into him without abandon.

Grimmjow's chest lowered to his. He was tiring, and quickly. The slight angle change sent sparks up his spine. To muffle his cry, Ichigo bit into his shoulder.

Bad move.

Ichigo regretted that decision in mere milliseconds. Grimmjow pulled out hard enough to make Ichigo cringe. He flipped the redhead onto his stomach and pinned him down. He wasn't being passionate. He was being violent. He grabbed Ichigo's arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Never. Again." His voice was dark and serious. Ichigo could say nothing but nod.

Grimmjow seemed to relax, and settled behind him. "Back to business."

Losing his virginity hadn't been what Ichigo had expected. It wasn't bad, well, not most of it. But it didn't feel right. But what had he expected? Sunshine and flowers? Hell no. But he hadn't expected to almost die, either.

He hadn't even gotten to finish.

Grimmjow's step was springy, where Ichigo's was heavy and hindered by his limp. He was sore. He probably would be for a while. When they arrived at the Fourth Squad's building, he declined the seat that was offered to him in Hitsugaya's room, hoping that nobody questioned it.

Hitsugaya was looking better. Well, he was clean, fed, and hydrated. Some wounds were dressed, and had reopened during the cleaning process. He looked exhausted. His face and hands were sunburnt. He looked like shit, but.. better shit.

"Kurosaki!" Uryuu's voice. Ichigo excused himself quietly, though he was pretty sure that Grimmjow didn't even notice. All of the air flew out of his lungs as, in a mathematically unlikely scenario, Ishida wrapped his arms around him. Ichigo stood there, dumbfounded, awkwardly reaching one arm around his back as the hug lingered, and the other hand settled on top of his head.

It was cathartic, really. Ichigo had read that, in the face of close, gentle contact, the body would relax, release feel-good hormones, soothe anxiety. That was why his parents would hug him for longer than he ever really wanted. That hadn't hadn't happened moments ago, when Grimmjow was on top of him. But he could feel it, there in Ishida's arms. He slumped like a happy cat, his chin resting on Ishida's shoulder and inhaling the faint scent of orange blossom in his hair.

"Good. You're already here." Urahara's voice made Ichigo turn, Ishida still in his arms. Behind him stood all of the captains, as well as a select few others. Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia, Izuru. Everyone who had been on that ill-fated mission.

"Let's talk about what the hell went wrong, shall we?"