Ulquiorra was not going to lie; he was exhausted. He had spent the entire day lugging and moving all of his belongings into his new house, unpacking and arranging everything to perfection. And yet there was still a lot to do. The amount of boxes that were strewn all over the floor, still unopened, was proof of this fact. But those can wait tomorrow. Right now, the muscles in his body were aching and all he wanted to do was to rest.

It was a really nice neighbourhood, though, so this was well worth it. He was glad that his boss had decided to transfer him here. Living in a dodgy place like Hueco Mundo where crime was abundant was not what he would call relaxing. Not only were the houses and surroundings here nice, so were the people. This place was perfect.

Ulquiorra shifted his position on the couch to get more comfortable. He was so tired, he could fall asleep here. Forget the bed. He was too tired to drag himself upstairs.

Emerald eyes began to slide shut.

It was so peaceful here.

...

"MAKE THAT BITCH GO UP AND DOWN."

Ulquiorra snapped his eyes open.

"HAVE HER RUB AGAINST YOU."

The music was so loud and blaring, he could practically feel his house vibrating. Groaning, Ulquiorra glanced at his watch. It was 2 in the morning. Who on Earth was crazy enough to be up and partying at this hour? And playing such horrible music as well! For God's sake, he had to go to work tomorrow. Didn't that person know what a club was for?

Dragging himself from the couch, Ulquiorra made his way to the window and drew the curtains open, peering outside. It seemed that the source of the music was coming from next door. The lights were on and an endless stream of people were moving in and out of the house, all dressed to kill, some chattering in loud voices, and some dancing to that filth that was supposed to be called "music". The loudest one of all, and the one that caught Ulquiorra's eye, was a tall, blue-haired man. He was in the garden, standing in the middle of a group of people, entertaining them. He must have made a joke, because everyone started laughing along with him. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes.

Great. Just what he needed. An annoying neighbour.

He should have known that this arrangement was too good to be true.

Grimmjow was on cloud nine. He had finally gotten that promotion that he had been aiming for, and though it was late, he was touched that his friends and neighbours gave him a surprise party to celebrate this occasion. Imagine his surprise when he came home from a round of drinks with the guys to find his house full of people, all waiting for him.

Grimmjow studied his surroundings as he raised a cup of punch to his lips. Everyone was enjoying themselves and were mingling with each other. Heck, even that uptight bastard Szayel was letting himself go and was flirting openly with Nnoitra. Of course, having all of these people here meant that he was going to have a hell of a time trying to clean up the mess that always seemed to be present after every party. Well, he could always rope Yylfordt and the gang into helping him. They were the ones who came up with the idea for a party in the first place, anyway.

"Hey, Grimmjow!" called out Yylfordt. "There's someone here looking for you. Says that he wants to meet the owner of the house.

"Who?"

The blonde man shrugged. "No idea. Never met him before." He pointed at the spot under a tree which grew tall and proud at the front of Grimmjow's garden. "He's waiting for you there."

Sure enough, Grimmjow could see a slight figure standing under the tree. Curious as to whom would want to meet him yet not know who he was, Grimmjow drained his drink until only the ice were left before walking over to the spot that Yylfordt had indicated. The closer he got, though, the more the confused expression on his face was slowly replaced with a sly grin. Damn it. Yylfordt did not say that the guy was gorgeous!

The man had his hands tucked in his pockets, a disgruntled look on his face. He was pale, his emerald eyes large and analytical with a stray raven lock of hair obscuring one of them. His appearance was slightly dishevelled what with his hair being in a mess and his clothes slightly rumpled, but he did not seem to care. At least, not for now. The moment Grimmjow approached him, the man turned his face and cast emerald eyes on him.

Damn it. He was even sexier up close. Just looking at him was making Grimmjow hot all over. He fucking looked like he had just crawled out of bed for crying out loud, an image that Grimmjow did not mind at all.

"Hey, Sexy," Grimmjow drawled. He slammed the palm of his hand against the tree trunk, next to the man's head, effectively cornering him. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Are you by any chance the owner of this place, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?" he said drily.

"The one and only." Grimmjow grinned.

He glared at the arm that Grimmjow was using to corner him, as though willing for it to smoulder into nothing but ashes. He did not seem to appreciate being so close to a stranger. "Well, then. I would appreciate it if you could lower down the volume around here," he said, getting straight to the point. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Oh?" Grimmjow said, intrigued. "And you are...?"

The man stuck out his chin defiantly. "Your new neighbour."

Neighbour...? Since when did he...? Grimmjow flicked his gaze over at the previously empty house next door. Oh, yes. Now that he thought about it, he had seen the movers' truck pull outside that house just as he left to go out drinking with the guys. Turning back to look at the pale man before him, Grimmjow could not help, but to crack a lopsided grin. So this guy was going to be his new neighbour? Not only was he incredibly cute, but he was oblivious as to how popular Grimmjow was, or he just did not care. This was going to be fun. What with his completely adorable doll-like face, large emerald eyes and slightly messy hair, the man practically had a "Fuck me" sign flashing above his pretty little head.

Grimmjow leaned in closer, invading the man's personal space. "Why, in that case, hello, neighbour." Tucking his fingers under the man's chin, Grimmjow made him look up at him. "Now, how about we get to know each other a little more?"

The raven haired man did not seem fazed by Grimmjow's forwardness. If anything, it only made the scowl on his face grow deeper. "Mr Jaegerjaquez, I'd appreciate it if you'd be a little more serious."

Surely the man noticed the "Fuck me" sign by now? The damned thing was getting bigger by the minute!

"But I am serious," Grimmjow said easily. He had removed his fingers from under his new neighbour's chin and was now tracing his cheekbone before finally tangling his fingers in soft, raven hair. Emerald eyes glittered in the dark, angry. "I can show you around. What do you say, Sexy?"

The man pursed his lips, but instead of losing his cool like he obviously wanted to, he grabbed the front of Grimmjow's shirt, pulling him down so that they were eye-to-eye, before gently taking the cup that Grimmjow was holding in his hand. He was so close, Grimmjow could practically feel his neighbour's warm breath tickling against the side of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, but I would have to say no to your kind offer," the man said pleasantly. "And also..." Then he did the most surprising thing; he undid the buckle of Grimmjow's belt, and opened his pants, the man's warm hand pulling at Grimmjow's boxers, making Jaegerjaquez's breath catch in his throat. "Please remember this-" He dropped all of the ice from the cup into Grimmjow's boxers.

"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer, trash," he declared, shoving Grimmjow off of him.

As Grimmjow thrashed on the ground, yelling and cursing at how cold his nuts were and would someone please get the ice out from under his balls, he could not help noticing that as Ulquiorra left, the "Fuck me" sign was practically gargantuan size now.

Not only was Ulquiorra at a loss as to what to do with his annoying neighbour, he was also tired of his antics. He had only been staying here for over a month and Grimmjow had already made his territory clear. By now, all of his colleagues at his new workplace knew that a man by the name of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was courting him. Heck, even the entire neighbourhood knew.

How did they know? Well, it was pretty hard not to notice the amount of flowers, cards and gifts that kept flooding Ulquiorra's office and his doorstep, especially considering the fact that they all came from the same insufferable person. How Grimmjow even knew where he worked was beyond him. And then there was the way Grimmjow acted around Ulquiorra. Grimmjow was not one to be shy about his feelings... Or who he wanted.

Every day Ulquiorra would get at least one gift from Grimmjow, and today was no different. Today, when he had entered his workplace this morning, he was immediately greeted by Neliel Tu Odershvank, who informed him with a giggle that another package for him from Mr. Jaegerjaquez had arrived. Ulquiorra looked down at the "gift" that he had received, and wrinkled his nose. Really. What was the blue haired idiot thinking?

Ulquiorra let out a frustrated sigh as he got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Work was over so now he was outside his house, ready to retire for the day. Today did nothing, but frustrate him. Not only did he have a lot of work to do, but he also had to deal with his colleagues' constant questioning as to who Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was to him. Everyone kept on gushing on how lucky he was to have such a handsome and wealthy admirer like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Lucky his ass. And yes, they had seen him before. Grimmjow had come by the office once during lunch break to invite Ulquiorra out for lunch. Ulquiorra responded to his invitation by kicking him out of his office. He swore, the man was everywhere. Ulquiorra felt like he had a shadow. He often wondered what that blue haired idiot did for a living.

To put it simply, Ulquiorra had had enough of Jaegerjaquez and would love nothing more than to not have anything Grimmjow related bother him for the rest of the day. Now, if only Ulquiorra could get into his house without the blue haired idiot noticing...

No such luck.

Because the moment Ulquiorra attempted to shove the house key into the keyhole, he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Hey, Sexy."

Ulquiorra froze and promptly cursed under his breath.

Slowly, he turned to face the source of his annoyance. Sure enough, Grimmjow was leaning against the fence that was separating their properties from one another, a shit eating grin on his face. Ulquiorra could already feel a vein begin to throb in his temple at the sight. Should he ever get high blood pressure, he knew that Grimmjow would be the cause of it.

"My name is Ulquiorra," Ulquiorra retorted.

"Oh, feisty. I like 'em feisty," Grimmjow teased, thoroughly enjoying Ulquiorra's flushed face. Grimmjow seemed happy to be able to get a reaction out of the normally stoic man, and this fact only served to annoy Ulquiorra even further. Wasn't there anything he could do to make Grimmjow wipe that perverted look off of his face? Sapphire eyes caught sight of the item that Ulquiorra was carrying in one hand. "How do you like the present I got for you?"

"Present?" Ulquiorra said in disbelief. He really wanted to smack the idiot. Because of him and his stupid gifts, he kept getting embarrassed beyond belief at work. He raised the "gift" so that Grimmjow could see it more clearly. "Flowers, Jaegerjaquez? Roses, no less!" If murder was not a crime, then Ulquiorra would have done just that. "What do you think I am? A woman?"

"My woman," Grimmjow corrected him.

Frustrated, Ulquiorra threw the bouquet of red roses in Grimmjow's smug face before storming into his house. There was just no reasoning with the idiot.

Grimmjow chuckled as the image of an extremely frustrated Ulquiorra crossed his mind. Teasing the smaller man was just so much fun, especially since the reactions he received were always so adorable. Except for the ice incident, the reactions he received from calling Ulquiorra "Sexy" was precious. And his expression when Grimmjow had called him his woman? Priceless.

Grimmjow could not explain it, but for some reason, he was attracted to the emerald eyed man. Sure, he had had his share of partners, but Ulquiorra was something else. He liked everything about Ulquiorra. He liked the way Ulquiorra's expression softened whenever he saw a cat; he liked how passionate Ulquiorra was about his work; he liked that Ulquiorra always held himself in a dignified manner; he liked that although Ulquiorra was a calm individual, Grimmjow was the only one who was able to push his buttons; and he especially liked the way Ulquiorra would look at him when he thought Grimmjow was not looking or blush whenever Grimmjow teased him... before he would bite Grimmjow's head off, that is.

Normally, he would have given up and moved on to a new target if the one he was interested in was as unresponsive as Ulquiorra. Maybe he found what he wanted in Ulquiorra? Only time could tell. And he was pretty sure that underneath all of his annoyance, Ulquiorra liked him as well. Now, if only he could get Ulquiorra to agree to go out with him...

Upon feeling his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, Grimmjow pulled it out and looked at it curiously. It was his boss. Why on earth was he calling? Figuring that it was probably something work related, Grimmjow shrugged and flipped the cell phone open.

"Jaegerjaquez speaking."

The moment Ulquiorra opened his eyes the next day, he was reluctant to start his day. So instead of getting up and getting ready for work like he usually did, he stayed in bed and stared up at the ceiling blankly. He really did not feel like going through another Jaegerjaquez filled day.

He just knew that the moment he gets out of bed, he would see all of the gifts from Jaegerjaquez arranged neatly on the table, and some of the much bigger ones, on the floor. He knew that the moment that he walks out of the house, Grimmjow would greet him, and that maybe, another gift or invitation to go out on a date with Grimmjow would await him at his workplace.

Ulquiorra groaned and buried his face in the pillow, clutching it tightly.

Since when did everything in his life revolve around Grimmjow?

Before he moved here, Ulquiorra's life revolved around nothing, but work. Now that he was here, this one individual was quickly becoming a part of Ulquiorra's life, whether he liked it or not. He saw and spoke (or rather, argued) with Grimmjow every day, probably more than anyone else that Ulquiorra knew. If that was not enough to make Grimmjow a part of his life, he did not know what was.

Aware of the fact that if he chose to dawdle much longer, he would be late for work, Ulquiorra got out of bed reluctantly and began getting ready for the day. Once that was done, Ulquiorra made sure he had his tie on properly, then grabbed his briefcase, heading for the door.

Letting his hand rest on the doorknob, Ulquiorra took a deep breath.

Relax. It's just Grimmjow. He's nothing I can't handle.

With that in mind, Ulquiorra opened the door.

And was greeted with silence.

Ulquiorra blinked, confused.

Strange.

Usually, Grimmjow would greet him the moment he opened the door. Perhaps he was lurking somewhere, wanting to give Ulquiorra a scare; Ulquiorra would not put it past his annoying neighbour to do something like that. But when emerald eyes scanned their surroundings, they found no sign of that certain blue haired individual.

Well, then. Ulquiorra straightened up and made his way to his car. Maybe today he would get some peace.

Things were quiet lately. Too quiet. There was no longer anyone to greet him whenever he left for work or whenever he returned home from a hard day of work. Sure, most of the greetings consisted of "Hey, Sexy" and other annoying things like that, but still. Even the constant flood of gifts had stopped and his colleagues noticed this as well, a fact that they did not dare utter out loud in front of Ulquiorra, who might just chop their heads off if they did. Yes, Ulquiorra had been in a rather bad mood lately, but he was sure that this had nothing to do with that blue haired idiot. Why, he had not seen Grimmjow around for well over a week now!

... Which was when Ulquiorra's bad mood coincidentally started.

With a frustrated sigh, Ulquiorra put down his pen and leaned back in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. This was ridiculous. Even when the blue haired idiot or anything blue haired idiot related was not around, he kept thinking about him! If he was not careful, people might start thinking that he was actually in love with Grimmjow. Which he was not. He was absolutely sure that he was not attracted to Grimmjow in any way. Sure, Grimmjow was handsome, had gorgeous hair and also- oh, for the love of God.

Ulquiorra stood up abruptly, nearly causing his chair to topple over, but he did not care. He was breathing hard. This was useless. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on work if the only thing that he could think about was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. After packing all of his things into his briefcase, Ulquiorra clicked it shut before exiting his office, briefcase in hand. He was just about too make for the elevator when he heard Neliel and Cirucci gossiping in hushed tones, making him stop in his tracks.

"- He's angry again, isn't he?"

"Of course he is! Ulquiorra-kun broke up with his boyfriend."

A gasp. "Really? Why?"

"Well, I heard that Ulquiorra-kun initiated the break up."

"What? But they look so good together!"

Ulquiorra whirled on them. "What, exactly, is so interesting that you find it necessary to gossip instead of working?" he demanded.

"Ah, sorry, Mr. Cifer! We won't do it again!" Neliel said quickly, her face flushed with embarrassment for being caught.

"Hn." Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at them, then turned on his heel and immediately made for the elevator. He had no doubt that those two would continue gossiping the moment he was out of sight. Women were almost impossible to shut up.

Ulquiorra squeezed his eyes shut as he ran a hand through his raven hair. He could feel a headache coming on. This was ridiculous. Why was he letting Grimmjow of all people get him so worked up? Grimmjow was not even here! It was not like he particularly cared for that man. If anything, he despised him. The idiot had done nothing, but annoy him to no end; it seemed that he found joy in teasing Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was nothing, but an idiot.

At least, that was what he told himself throughout his entire drive home, and even now, as he stood outside his own house, he told himself that very thing when he found himself gazing at Jaegerjaquez's house.

Ulquiorra bit his bottom lip, not even moving an inch even though sweat was beginning to make his hair stick to the back of his neck. It was a hot day today.

Jaegerjaquez's house was large and white, very much like his own, following the standard design of all of the houses in the neighbourhood, though it seemed that he had made a few modifications here and there, choosing to renovate it to make it bigger. The garden was neat and well taken care of, the smell of freshly trimmed grass filling his senses; it seemed that the gardener had just tended to the garden today while Ulquiorra was at work. Usually, the lights downstairs would be left on at Grimmjow's house, but this time, it was dark, with the curtains obscuring the view inside of the house. Grimmjow's car, which was usually parked outside, was nowhere in sight. All of these things made the house look so... Empty. And the way the slight breeze was making the plants and the leaves on the tree of his property sway lightly made the house look all the more lonely.

Emerald eyes travelled back to the empty driveway where Grimmjow usually parked his black car.

It was not too long ago that his annoying neighbour had made him sit in the passenger's seat of his car.

"This is absolutely unnecessary, Jaegerjaquez."

"Fuck yeah it's necessary!" Grimmjow retaliated, trying to drag an extremely reluctant Ulquiorra out of his house. When Ulquiorra did not budge, Grimmjow added exasperatedly, "You're sick!"

Ulquiorra wrenched his hand back from Grimmjow's grasp, and crossed his arms across his chest, the scowl on his face deepening. He almost regretted telling Grimmjow that he was not able to go out with him because he was sick, because the moment the words "I'm sick" slipped past his lips, the grin on Grimmjow's face immediately fell and he stopped saying "Hey, Sexy". In fact, he started fretting over Ulquiorra, making Ulquiorra feel perplexed over the amount of attention that he was getting, and he fretted even more, making Ulquiorra feel annoyed.

"I may be sick, but I'm not a child, Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra said firmly. He turned his face away from Grimmjow's. "Besides, it's nothing, but a slight fever and cold. Don't create such a fuss. I'm old enough to take care of my-" And it was exactly then that his coughing fit decided to act up. Blast it. Just when he nearly had Grimmjow convinced. Now that determined look to care for Ulquiorra was back on Grimmjow's face again. And to make matters worse, Ulquiorra actually doubled over due to how hard he was coughing.

"Oh, that's it!" Grimmjow exclaimed, absolutely convinced that he must carry out his mission at all costs. "You're going to the doctor's!"

"No, no, wait...!"

Ulquiorra tried escaping, but to no avail, because Grimmjow had already grabbed him by the waist and flung him over his shoulder, Grimmjow's arm wrapped securely around Ulquiorra's waist to ensure that he would not fall down. Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he realised what sort of position he was in.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! Let me down this instant!" Ulquiorra struggled, kicking and raining punches down on Grimmjow in the process. Not that that had any effect on him. Grimmjow merely ignored the struggling Ulquiorra and walked towards his sleek, black car calmly as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Heck, he even waved at one of the passersby cheerily and greeted them with a "Heya, how're you doing?". "You idiot! What are you doing? This is embarrassing! Let me down!" Ulquiorra hissed.

"No," Grimmjow answered simply.

"What?" Ulquiorra said in disbelief. "Just let me go. Now."

"Ulqui..."

"This is embarrassing and highly unnecessary. I'm not a child, Jaegerjaquez. I-"

"You know," the blue haired man said, interrupting him, "If you stop making such a racket, you'd attract less attention."

Upon realising how much Grimmjow's words rang true, seeing that they had attracted a small audience, Ulquiorra stopped struggling and fell silent, allowing Grimmjow to carry him to his car. But that did not stop Ulquiorra from scowling and thinking of ways to end Grimmjow's life as painfully as possible, though.

Soon, Ulquiorra found himself seated in the passenger's seat of Grimmjow's sleek, black car with Grimmjow sitting in the driver's seat. He felt like lowering himself in his seat when he saw some passersby giggle and point at him, apparently amused by their previous display. Stupid Grimmjow.

"This is ridiculous," Ulquiorra mumbled.

"Ulqui," Grimmjow said, "While I think it's incredibly cute the way you talk when you have the sniffles-" Ulquiorra immediately pressed a hand against his traitorous mouth, "- But I don't want you to be sick."

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at him. "Why should you care?"

And the obnoxious grin was back on Grimmjow's handsome face. "Well, I've gotta take care of my woman, right, Sexy? I- Ow!"

"Just drive, Jaegerjaquez."

As Grimmjow whined about how cruel Ulquiorra was and nursed his arm where Ulquiorra had punched him, Ulquiorra turned his face to look out of the window, fervently hoping that Grimmjow did not notice the pleasant blush that spread across his features.

What is the idiot doing now, Ulquiorra wondered. Probably chasing after new prey.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ulquiorra turned his back firmly on Grimmjow's house. "Trash," he scoffed.

"Damn it!" Grimmjow cursed and hit the steering wheel in frustration. Of all times his car chose to break down, it chose to break down in the fucking rain at night! And to make things even worse, his cell phone was dead! He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

It was raining. Perfect. Just perfect. Of all times the weather chose to rain, it had to rain at night when visibility was bad enough as it was without having rain to make things worse. Though he was returning from work much later than usual, today was just like any other day; he went to work, he did his job, he dealt with his colleagues, he worked some more, and then went home.

Ulquiorra sighed as more rain pelted down on the windshield. It really was difficult to see... He had to squint just to make sure that he was going the right way. He could barely see anything other than what the light from the headlights touched. There were some lone cars on the road, most of them, Ulquiorra assumed, were people who were returning late from work as well; some stray dogs were trying to seek shelter; some people were running as quickly as they could to their homes with their hoods pulled over their heads; a blue-haired idiot was trying to repair his car in the middle of the rain...

Wait.

What?

Hang on.

Ulquiorra pressed on the brakes, coming to a stop right next to the broken down car that the blue haired man was attempting to fix. Was that really Grimmjow? There was only one person that he knew who had such a crazy hair colour. Well, there was only one way to find out. His mouth dry, Ulquiorra found himself hoping that the blue haired stranger was indeed his annoying neighbour as he rolled the window down.

"Jaegerjaquez?" Ulquiorra said tentatively. When the man did not respond, Ulquiorra called out his name again, in a much louder voice, "Jaegerjaquez."

The man froze, and slowly turned to face Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow said in disbelief.

To say that Grimmjow was shocked to bump into his neighbour here of all places, in the middle of the rain, was an understatement. Grimmjow looked just like he always did, just extremely wet to the bone. And Ulquiorra, he was ashamed to say, felt his heart flutter at the sight of seeing his blue haired neighbour's face again.

Upon hearing Ulquiorra's voice calling out for him moments ago, Grimmjow could not believe his ears, so he was surprised when he turned around and saw Ulquiorra looking right back at him. Looking like he was glad to see Grimmjow, no less. Normally, he wore a look that said he found Grimmjow's presence extremely irritating and would he please back off. So when he saw Ulquiorra's soft expression, he had to blink once, and then twice, to make sure he was not imagining things.

He was not.

However, as soon as he made that confirmation, the usual scowl was back on the raven haired man's face. Ulquiorra looked pissed off. Uh oh.

"Ulqui...?" Grimmjow said hesitantly.

The scowl deepened. "I have no intention of speaking to you."

Oh, yeah. He was mad.

"Ehh, why not? Come on, Ulqui, don't be like that. What's wrong? I just got back, and I-"

Ulquiorra began rolling up the window.

It was then that Grimmjow became painfully aware of the fact that he was all alone with a broken down car and a dead cell phone in a place where he did not know anyone.

"Whoa, hey! Ulqui, don't do that! Are you just going to leave me here like this?"

A pause.

"Yes."

"Ulqui!" Grimmjow said exasperatedly. "Come on, what's wrong? Are you mad at me or something? I swear, I'll make it up to you-"

"Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra said calmly, though his voice had an air of danger to it, "If you don't remove your hands from the window, I will crush them."

Grimmjow stopped, and looked at Ulquiorra in disbelief. Was he serious? "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

"Then do it," Grimmjow challenged.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at this. He looked at the window, then at Grimmjow's face, contemplating whether or not he should follow through with his threat. He pursed his lips. "Fine," he finally said. "Get in."

Grimmjow grinned. "Thanks, Ulqui. You're the best."

Ulquiorra only responded to this with a glare.

After making sure that his car was locked so that he would not find it stolen the next day, Grimmjow quickly climbed into Ulquiorra's car before Ulquiorra could change his mind. The drive back home was an extremely awkward one. Grimmjow could practically feel the tension in the air, and he did not dare say anything in case Ulquiorra decided to kick him out of the car. So poor, confused Grimmjow spent the entire ride trying to figure out the reason to Ulquiorra's anger. Heck, Cifer did not even want to look at him throughout the entire ride, much less talk to him.

Even when Ulquiorra pulled into his driveway, Grimmjow still did not manage to solve the mystery to Ulquiorra's behaviour. Fact was, while he had always seen Ulquiorra either irritated or stoic, and if he was lucky, he would be able to catch that small smile that was present on Ulquiorra's lips whenever he was happy, but Grimmjow had never seen Ulquiorra angry.

"We're here," Ulquiorra intoned.

"Thanks, Ulqui." Grimmjow dug his hand into his pocket, searching for his keys. "Now I'll just get back home, and I'll- Uh oh." Grimmjow laughed nervously. "Uhh... Ulqui?"

"What?" Ulquiorra said dangerously.

Grimmjow shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I... I kinda left my house keys back in my car."

If Ulquiorra did not feel like strangling Grimmjow just now, he did now.

"Are you serious, Jaegerjaquez?"

Grimmjow nodded.

Ulquiorra could feel another headache coming on. Oh, God, please help him. He rubbed his temple, trying to think. Well, he sure was not going to drive all the way back just to retrieve Grimmjow's keys. And though he was angry, he did not really want to leave the man out here in the cold. Especially since he was so near his house; the idiot would probably howl outside of his house, whining about how unfair Ulquiorra was being. But that did not mean he wanted Grimmjow in his house either. Ulquiorra let out a shuddering breath. Fine. It looked like there was no other way around it.

And before Ulquiorra could even stop himself, the words, "You can stay at my house for the night" slipped past his lips.

Damn it.

Ulquiorra's house was just like how imagined it to be; neat and organized. There was not a single thing out of place here. It was spotless. To be honest, he had not expected Ulquiorra to offer him to stay for the night. The moment he had told Ulquiorra that he had left his keys behind, he thought that he was done for.

Though Ulquiorra was still angry with him, he was still a good host. Cifer had given Grimmjow a towel and some clothes to wear after he finished showering; he did not want Grimmjow to catch a cold. Right now, Ulquiorra was downstairs preparing dinner. Grimmjow was sorely tempted to say that Ulquiorra was acting like a wife would to a husband, just to tease him, but decided to hold his tongue. He did not want to look for trouble.

Stepping out the bathroom, Grimmjow pushed his hair out of his eyes, and made sure that he had tied his towel securely around his waist. It was then when he looked around Ulquiorra's bedroom that the reason to Ulquiorra's anger finally clicked into place. Grimmjow smirked.

"Jaegerjaquez?" Ulquiorra called as he knocked the door to his bedroom. "Are you done yet? Dinner is ready."

No answer.

Idiot. He was probably still showering, using up all of his water.

Ulquiorra was about to knock on the door again when the door suddenly opened, causing Ulquiorra to stumble into the room and fall against Grimmjow's chest, the door closing behind him.

"Hey, Sexy." Toned arms immediately wrapped themselves around Ulquiorra's waist brazenly.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened at this. Of all the-! He glared up at Grimmjow. "I thought I told you not to call me that." He did not like the look on Grimmjow's face. "And what on Earth are you doing?"

"Let me ask you something, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said, completely ignoring Ulquiorra's question. "Why are you mad at me?"

Ulquiorra averted his eyes. "That is none of your business."

"Is it because you had a hard day at work?"

"..."

"Is it because you didn't want to put up with me?"

"I'm warning you, Jaegerjaquez, let me go." Ulquiorra attempted to push Grimmjow away, but Grimmjow only tightened his grip on him.

"Is it because I did something wrong?" Grimmjow pressed.

Ulquiorra flushed. Close, he nearly got it right, but Grimmjow was saving the correct answer for last. "I don't need to answer any of your questions. Now stop being so weird and let go of me." Grimmjow still refused to let him go. "Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra said exasperatedly.

"I love it when you say my name, Ulqui." Grimmjow lowered his lips to Ulquiorra's neck, letting his warm breath run across that pale skin, sending shivers down Ulquiorra's spine and effectively silencing him. He could feel Ulquiorra tighten his grip on his arms. "Now, be truthful with me. Why are you angry?"

"I..." Ulquiorra could feel his mouth go dry. He really was at a loss for words. He could not think, especially not when Grimmjow had his half naked body pressed up against him, his scent and warmth filling his senses, and his lips grazing ever so slightly against the side of his neck. Grimmjow was close, much too close. For the first time in his life, Ulquiorra did not know what to do.

"Or maybe I already know the answer," Grimmjow continued, pushing Ulquiorra up against the wall. He raised his lips to Ulquiorra's ear. "You're angry because I left to work outstation, aren't you?"

Ulquiorra stiffened. There was a pregnant pause, but after a long while, Ulquiorra spoke tersely, "And why do you say that?"

"Because," Grimmjow said. He pulled his face out of the confines of Ulquiorra's neck and smirked. "You've kept all of the gifts that I gave to you. Even the ones that you said are embarrassing. If you hated me, you would have thrown them all away, but you didn't now, did you?"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened.

Bingo.

"I... I..." What was he supposed to say? No matter how much he wanted to deny it, everything that Grimmjow said was all too true. Yes, he had kept the gifts because in a sense, it was like keeping Grimmjow close to him. And yes, he was angry that Grimmjow left because it felt like Grimmjow abandoned him, even though before that, Ulquiorra had repeatedly rejected Grimmjow without a thought. And it certainly did not help that Grimmjow did not even bother to call him at all when he went to whatever place he went to! Who did he think he was? But admitting such things would mean hurting his pride, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.

"That is preposterous, Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra said smoothly. "There is no reason for your absence to bother me. We are, after all, mere neighbours."

The look on Grimmjow's face could only be described as taken aback. Ulquiorra felt a sense of pride for being able to wipe that infuriating smirk off of Grimmjow's face. It was about time someone had taken him down a peg or two. Ulquiorra carefully removed himself from Grimmjow's loosened hold on him, and with his back to him, Ulquiorra lightly touched the wooden surface of the door to the bathroom.

"Since you are done showering, I suggest that you put on some clothes. It's time for dinner."

"No." Grimmjow grabbed Ulquiorra's wrist, making Ulquiorra face him. "Tell me the truth, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow hissed, his expression no longer playful. "I know that I tease you sometimes, but other than that, we're good, in our own way, but ever since I got back, you've been acting like a bitch and giving me the cold shoulder. Yet at the same time you act like you care. And when I finally have you figured out, you shoot me down. What gives?" He was not angry. He just... He just wanted some answers. Something that Ulquiorra was not willing to give.

"What have I ever done wrong to you, Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow demanded.

"Ulquiorra?"

"Ulquiorra!"

"Well, it's not my fault that you didn't even bother to call me when you were away!" Ulquiorra snapped.

Grimmjow blinked. "What?"

Shit.

Ulquiorra could feel the heat rise up to his face. He had not meant to say that. Damn it. What was Grimmjow going to say to that? It sounded like a love confession. He felt like a foolish woman. Jaegerjaquez was definitely going to mock him for this. But instead of laughing at him like Ulquiorra had expected him to, Grimmjow's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"But, Ulquiorra..." Grimmjow said slowly. "I did call you."

"You did no such thing," Ulquiorra retorted, miffed.

"I did! Every day!" Grimmjow insisted. "Not your house or your cell since I don't have the numbers, but I did call your workplace. The woman who picked up kept on either saying you were in a meeting or out and-"

Oh, nice. Wonderful. In addition to feeling foolish, Ulquiorra felt stupid.

How could he have forgotten that he had told Neliel to give some excuse to Grimmjow should he ever call so that he did not have to deal with him? Ulquiorra ought to have the word "Stupid" stamped across his forehead.

"- I didn't want to bother you so I never insisted on speaking to you when you were busy since I know how much work means to you-"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra interrupted, his cheeks a slight pink.

"Huh?"

"About that..." Ulquiorra paused, taking a deep breath. "That's my doing. When you first started... pursuing me, I felt irritated and told Neliel to do that." There you go. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Stupid" was now permanently stamped across his forehead.

It took awhile for Grimmjow to digest this new piece of information, but once he did, he chuckled, his playful demeanour returning. "So it was all a big misunderstanding." He brushed a raven lock of hair from emerald eyes, tucking it behind Ulquiorra's ear. "But it's alright. Though I can't say I'm not a bit hurt by that, I know that I can be persistent when it comes to what I want, so I'm sorry." He smiled, making Ulquiorra flush. "I'll try to lay off a bit to give you some space."

Ulquiorra could not help, but to feel touched. "Grimmjow..."

Grimmjow nestled his face in the crook of Ulquiorra's neck, pushing him against the door. "Now, where were we?"

Ehh? This guy!

"What?" Ulquiorra said in disbelief.

"Things were just heating up just now. Let's continue where we left off," Grimmjow suggested.

This guy was unbelievable! How did he go from incredibly sweet and understanding to perverted within seconds?

"You...!"

"I like it when you call me by my name," Grimmjow said, his lips moving against Ulquiorra's skin. He gathered a bit of flesh between his teeth and pulled at it slightly, making Ulquiorra's breaths quicken. "Just now... Just now was the first time you called me that. I like it," he continued.

Ulquiorra looked at him from under heavy lidded eyes, breaths heavy. He mustered up a small smile. "Pervert."

"Mmhmm," Grimmjow agreed as he continued biting, sucking and kissing along Ulquiorra's neck, pleased to see that emerald eyes were beginning to glaze over with lust. He bit down on Ulquiorra's earlobe, tugging gently, his breath hot against Ulquiorra's skin. "Shall we take this elsewhere?"

The steam from the shower rose and clouded their vision, intermingling with their breaths. The only sound that could be heard now was their panting. Drained, Grimmjow leaned against Ulquiorra, trying to catch his breath.

"Say... Say something," Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open, suddenly becoming extremely aware of his surroundings and what had just happened. Oh, dear. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. He pushed Grimmjow's chest slightly, making him look at him in the eye. "This... This is the last time that I'm allowing you to do something like this," Ulquiorra said, though he did not sound convincing, even to his ears.

Grimmjow considered him for a moment, and then gave him a lopsided smile. "Riiiiiiight."

"No, I'm serious! This is just a one time thing," Ulquiorra tried once more, and failed. Horribly.

"You're so cute, Ulqui." Grimmjow nuzzled Ulquiorra's neck. "Especially when you're in denial like that."

Ulquiorra blushed.

"You see this here?" Grimmjow parted Ulquiorra's collar slightly, allowing him a view of an expanse of milky skin. Emerald eyes fell onto the expanse of skin that Grimmjow had exposed. There were numerous love bites that littered Ulquiorra's skin. "This shows that I have made my mark here. I don't care what you say; there is no way that I'm letting you go easily. You're mine."

Ulquiorra's eyes softened. "Grimmjow..."

Of course, Grimmjow just had to ruin the moment by adding, "You're my woman."

"Idiot," Ulquiorra scolded, smacking him on the shoulder. He scowled, though his blush intensified upon being considered Grimmjow's. "I'm not your woman, trash."

Grimmjow chuckled, tightly hugging a disgruntled Ulquiorra, who slowly returned the hug, his nose pressing against wet, raven locks. Ulquiorra could deny all he wanted, but no matter what Ulquiorra said, Grimmjow knew that Ulquiorra was already his.

A/N: A belated birthday gift for my DA friend Kakashi-kun who wanted a GrimmUlqui shower scene. Happy birthday! I hope you like this, I know I kinda OCD-ed on it. Reviews are appreciated.

EXTRA NOTE: This fic has been censored to fit the M-rating of this site. To read the uncut version, go to my profile and click "Fic LiveJournal". You can search for "Hello, Neighbour" from the first post.