Title: A Christmas to look forward to.

Author: codegal

Rating: M (not exactly for smut. XD)

Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach.

Summary: [GrimmNel/IchiHime] It's the Christmas season, and there is much to be celebrate and be thankful for.

Author's Notes: Merry Christmas, masq-yy. Thanks for being the best e-sister and friend that I could ever ask for. Your claims of innocence never fail to crack me up. Love ya heaps. Best of luck for your final year of school.

On a side note, there are things that should be revised but I hope you enjoy. :wtf

…

Neliel watched entranced as the snow fell, the white puffs of snow lining the windowsill, turning the outside into a winter wonderland. She smiled with joy, sipping her hot chocolate as she watched families build snowmen, as the older kids indulged in snowball fights.

"What are you looking at?"

Nel glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her husband before turning back to the window. "The snow. Its so much more prettier than the sand back home."

Grimmjow sat on the arm of the chair, gazing outside as well, his hand coming to rest on Nel's shoulder. He grunted in amusement as a kid copped a snowball to the face before turning back to his wife. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself here," he murmured, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her neck.

Nel shivered in reaction, a small jolt of pleasure running through her at the contact to her sensitive neck. "I'm glad you suggested it. I definitely needed time away from Las Noches after the ravages of the past war." She paused as the familiar desolate look overcame her, telling Grimmjow that she was thinking of the heavy losses to their kind at Aizen's hand.

"Hey, look at me," he ordered softly, framing her face in his hands, turning it up so he could look into her eyes. "Forget about it, OK? After today, when we return home, we'll rebuild, we'll start all over again and Hueco Mundo will be run to the interest of the arrancars. For now, just enjoy your time in the real world with your friends. It'll be time soon enough to get back to important matters."

Nel gave a tremulous smile, taking a deep breath to dispel the heavy mood. "You're right. You always know what to say."

A smirk crossed his lips. "Well, of course, I am king after all."

"King, huh? Well, Your Majesty, as your loyal servant, allow me to give you my gratitude."

"Your gratitude? And how will you be doing that?"

Nel let out a laugh and swatted his wandering hands. "Not til later, big boy. Orihime will be coming back from the grocery store any time soon and it'll be time for dinner. You can just keep to yourself until then. Which reminds me; tomorrow is the day that humans celebrate "Christmas". It seems like a day in which "gifts" are exchanged. We should perhaps get something for Orihime."

Grimmjow furrowed his brow. "What the hell for? We're not human. And what the hell does this holiday mean?"

"I am not quite sure. What I have gathered from Orihime is that gifts are given to those who are special to us. I think we should get something for Orihime for being so gracious in taking us in, and something of course for Ichigo."

Grimmjow grumbled. "Sounds like a waste of time to me. Why the hell do we have to get something for Kurosaki?"

Nel frowned and poked Grimmjow in the side. "Because he's a good friend of mine and if you just let yourself get over your pride, you'll be able to accept the fact that he's a good friend of yours as well."

"I'll die first before admitting such foolishness."

Nel narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Its talk like that that makes me not want to give you a gift for tomorrow."

Grimmjow paused before giving a slow smile, his hand moving to rub slow circles on her upper arm. "Gift, huh?"

Nel turned her head, telling herself not to give into his sensual touch, despite the goosebumps that rose on her flesh and the shiver of anticipation that ran through her. She remained silent and folded her arms, moving slightly to the left, away from his touch.

Undeterred, Grimmjow grinned and bent down close to her ear, whispering, "I've got a gift for you right now," before running his tongue along the ridge of her ear and then gently nipping the ear lobe.

Nel closed her eyes, swallowing audibly. "A g-gift?" She mumbled incoherently.

Grimm gave a low laugh before continuing in a seductive murmur. "Yes, its right here, sweetheart." He grabbed her hand and guided it slowly to the front of his jeans, and Nel's insides quivered at the familiar feel of the iron hard ridge beneath his fly. She rubbed at it softly, causing Grimmjow to give a low growl before his hard hands clamped on her shoulders, bringing her roughly onto her feet.

He covered her mouth with his in a bruising kiss, his raw sexual hunger electrifying the air around them that butterflies fluttered wildly in Nel's stomach as she met his tongue with her own and tried to burrow closer in his arms. Grimmjow's hands roved her body, stroking down her back to her buttocks, shaping them before lifting her up, fitting her better to his body.

He broke away from her lips, moving down to her neck, allowing for some sanity to return to Nel at that moment. "Grimmjow, wait," Nel panted, tilting her head to the side to allow for better access. "Orihime will be back soon."

Grimmjow lifted his head long enough to smirk down at her before returning to her neck, chasing her faint sweet scent. "Wrap your legs around me," he ordered while nibbling on her neck.

"B-b-but--"

Grimmjow shifted her so that he was supporting her with one arm wrapped around her bottom, leaving his other hand unencumbered. He placed that hand on her stomach, sliding it up the centre slowly and veering to the left to cup a full breast. Nel's nipple immediately tightened, her breast feeling achy. "Do it, now," he growled.

Nel obeyed blindly, her legs coming up to lock around his hips as she arched her torso, wanting more of Grimmjow's touch. Abruptly, Grimmjow turned in their embrace and began walking to their guest room, his strides causing Nel to lift and all on the hard ridge that rode between her legs. She stifled a moan and leant up to bite the underside of Grimmjow's jaw, licking along the firm line of it, eliciting another growl.

He sped up, his movements jerky, causing the sensations between their bodies to rise painfully. Approaching the door to their room, Grimmjow shoved it open with his shoulder, pausing only to kick it close with his foot. Looking up in to his face, Nel had to giggle at the look of intent focus on Grimmjow's face.

"Don't laugh," Grimmjow muttered. "I'm so blue right now, I think I'm gonna explode as soon as I get it in you. And no, I'm not talking about my hair here."

Nel laughed with delight as Grimmjow threw her down on the bed, coming down on her.

…

Orihime skipped down the street with the groceries, beyond excited at the prospect of cooking a large Christmas dinner. She'd completed her Christmas gifts earlier, opting to make her gifts this year so as to save her money for the Christmas dinner she had invited everyone to.

Orihime bounded up the stairs to her apartment, juggling the grocery bags to get out her house key to unlock the front door. She bumped the door open with her hip. "Nel-san? Grimmjow? Hello?" Orihime called out, looking for signs of her two friends. She walked through the small living room to the kitchen, placing the groceries on the bench countertop. Leaving her plans for dinner aside for now, Orihime went in search of her guests to make sure that they weren't in need of anything, stopping to strip off her jacket and gloves on the dinner table as she walked by.

A quick look around the front rooms had her turning towards the guest room in which they were staying. Raising her hand to knock on the door, Orihime paused when she heard Grimmjow growling followed by a throaty giggle by Nel-san. She smiled to herself, thinking they must be playing a game and wondered if it would be too rude of her to ask if she could join. Shrugging to herself, she turns to leave when a sudden moan followed by the exclamation "yes" freezes her in her spot. Eyes wide open; she turned back to the door and heard a subsequent moan.

Heat filled her cheeks and she clutched her hands to her face in mortification. Not wanting to be caught out, Orihime turned and blindly ran from the spot, heading back outside onto her front porch, the crisp, cold air washing over her flushed face.

Several minutes later, Orihime's heart slowed down enough for her to breathe properly, for her to recollect her thoughts, for her to feel the chilling bite in the air. She braved the inside of her apartment long enough to grab her coat and gloves that she'd left on the dining table earlier. Pulling them on, she head back outside and contented herself with watching the children snowball fight. Ten minutes later, Orihime watched as the kids were called inside by their respective parents, and she wondered to herself just how much longer she'd have to wait outside, which promptly brought another flush to her cheeks as she wondered what one did to each other that could last so long. She knew there was handholding and kissing, but what else was there?

She was still deep in thought when a certain carrot-top bounded up the stairs to the second floor of her apartment building. He stopped in surprise at the sight of his Orihime standing outside her apartment, a curious expression drawn on her face. He knew that when she got like this, she'd remain deep in her thoughts until she was either roused from them, or she'd come to some kinda conclusion that no one but herself would understand.

Smiling to himself and shaking his head in exasperation, he approached his spacing girlfriend, gently bringing his arms up around her, drawing her close against his body. He felt her jolt of surprise, indicating that she was out of her reverie. "What are you doing out in the cold, silly?"

Orihime shook her head to clear the images of tickling competitions and moustache men, bringing her arms up to wrap around Ichigo's waist, inhaling his scent. "I was just giving enough time for…the Christmas mood to set in," she finished lamely.

Ichigo drew back from the embrace and looked down at her, a puzzled look on his face. He noticed Orihime's inability to look him in the face, as well as the blush that stained her cheeks. "Orihime, what's going on?"

She brought her fingers to her lips, not sure if she should divulge him of the facts or not. She wanted to always be honest with Ichigo, wanted a relationship without deceit or subterfuge, and avoiding the question would be a form of lying, wouldn't it? As if on cue, to absolve Orihime from any wrongdoing, a loud moan emanated from beyond the living room, bringing more colour not only to Orihime's cheeks but also to Ichigo's. "That damned horny bastard," Ichigo mutted under his breath, throwing an annoyed glance at the apartment door before looking back at Orihime.

"I guess that's why you're standing outside, huh?"

She nodded, a pondering expression settling over her features. "I wonder why it's taking them so long. What games could they be playing?"

Ichigo paused as the idea of "playing games" with Orihime flashed through his mind. He mentally cursed as his body reacted physically to the image, and desperately tried to think of something else. He hoped Orihime wouldn't notice, though as close as they were standing, he didn't think it would be a sure bet.

"Ichigo?"

He groaned to himself and looked down into her upturned face, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead before tucking her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry. Forget about that. My promise still stands, I won't try anything until you're absolutely ready."

There was quiet, giving Ichigo an uneasy feeling. He'd never tried to hide his desire for Orihime from her before, wanting her to know that she was a very desirable woman. But at the same time, he'd always made damn sure that she knew he wouldn't try anything until she was ready. And always before, there was always a quick acknowledgement from her before they moved on. Her silence now was deafening.

He was on the verge of pulling back to read her expression when her hold on him tightened and she burrowed closer. "Maybe soon. I heard a lot of laughing from there and I want to be able to hear Ichigo laugh some more."

Stunned by her reply, he pulled back again and looked at the quiet smile on her face. "Orihime, I don't want you to feel obliged to—"

She placed a finger against his lips, stemming his flow of words. "I love you and I want to do things that would make you happy, make you laugh, make you smile. Just in the same way that I know you'd do anything to make my happy. And besides, I…I feel like I'm almost ready to be yours. Completely and wholly yours."

Ichigo stared down at her, gauging her sincere look and his gaze filled with tenderness. He kissed the finger held against his lips and smiled down at her. "We've got all the time in the world. I never let go of what's mine." And with that, Ichigo leant down and brushed his lips against hers, keeping the touch light and gentle.

"Come on," he said, lifting his head. "Let's go back inside. You can tell me what you're planning for dinner tomorrow night."

"I learned a new recipe from the book I borrowed from the library. I'm so excited about it that I brought twice as much red bean paste that I usually do for flavouring the dish!"

"…"

"Ichigo?"

"Sounds great, Orihime. Can't wait."