Tales of Imagination

Chapter 3: The tell-tale Heart

As the weeks went by and a new school term began, things changed in the already odd friendship between Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer.

"Hey, sensei, where're we gonna meet today?"

The emerald-eyed man really wanted to smack the teen with a book. Today he was carrying the Quixote, a particularly heavy volume, maybe one hit with that one would finally teach the teen about proper behaviour while at school?

Nevermind, he knew it was a waste of time. He should at least be grateful that the young man had not called him by his given name.

"In the same place we always do, Jaegerjaquez, and I have already told you not to mention our meetings at school. This seems like a lousy excuse to initiate a conversation, what is it that you really want?"

Grimmjow scratched the back of his head with a dumb grin adorning his features and a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Uhm… well… I think I had somethin' to tell ya, but I forgot haha. So… see ya later!"

And he dashed away through the crowded hallway, disappearing from Ulquiorra's sight. The teacher sighed tiredly and turned the other way, walking towards his next class.

So troublesome.

Ulquiorra took a glance at his wristwatch, knowing there was no point in doing so. He was a man of routine, so he arrived on time. But thad did not mean his companion would do the same. In fact, it was almost part of the routine that the person he was expecting arrived late and always at a different time.

The bell jingled erratically as the door of the small café was opened a bit too brutally and a tall teen entered the shop, seemingly agitated.

"Sorry, Ulqui, I stayed behind to… ehm… read, yeah… and since I dun have my bike t'day… yanno'…"

Ulquiorra's chin was resting on his hand, and he sent the teenager a disbelieving look.

"Of course. And that explains why you smell like burnt trash."

Grimmjow blushed as he sat and peeked at the menu. Unlike his teacher, he was sponteneous he liked to try new and different things, and he couldn't understand why the man would order the same drink every time they came here. Didn't he get bored of it?

"Fine, I went with Nnoitra and set fire on Aizen's trashcans. His house's on the way so… And… and he-he totally deserved it! He sent me extra homework 'cos I… oi! I don't hafta explain myself to ya!"

"Indeed." The green-eyed man replied nonchalantly and he made a sign to the waitress, ignoring the student's quickly deepening blush.

Sapphire eyes followed pale fingers as they placed the letters on the gameboard. It had been a month since the Christmas dinner with Grimmjow's family, and things had changed a lot between them. If the young student had to put it into words, he'd say they had gotten much closer since that night.

It had started after that Christmas dinner. A couple of days afterwards, Grimmjow had ventured to ask Ulquiorra if he wanted to hang out, since he was so bored he thought he would die. The teacher was reluctant at first, but he agreed to go with him to a nearby café. Then slowly, it grew into a habit. They would take a short walk in the park, go to the soccer grounds and join in the children's games (well, Grimmjow would, while Ulquiorra would watch and shake his head disapprovingly), and if Ulquiorra was in a good mood, Grimmjow would convince him to go to the arcade with him, only to find out that the little bastard could kick his ass in Street Fighters any time he wanted (was there anything that asshole couldn't do?). And then they would grab a small lunch and some coffee at the café.

When the winter break was over, it was very obvious they couldn't keep doing these things every day. So they decided (or rather, Grimmjow pressed Ulquiorra to agree on it) that on Fridays (they were, after all, their 'special days'), so as to not arise false and unwanted rumors amongst the teachers and students, they would meet after school in the same café, which was conveniently located right in the way to their building, and then they would take their way back to Grimmjow's appartment to play Scrabble as usual.

The raven-haired teacher lifted his cup to his lips and took a short sip, staring at him intently.

"Your turn."

The student blushed and scrambled through his letters.

"I'll swap, got no shit here."

He was actually too flustered for having been caught spacing out to try and figure out any coherent word. Ulquiorra made no comment and went back to study his game, his elegant fingers arranging pieces, forming different combinations where Grimmjow couldn't see. The young student allowed himself to be entranced by the swift way those digits moved from one letter to the other, the intense concentration reflected in the deep emerald eyes, the subtle movement of thin lips, quietly speaking to nobody, and he just wanted to lean in and…

Grimmjow was well aware of his feelings for the Literature teacher. He had tried to deny it when he had first kissed the sleeping man, but it had become more and more obvious that he was just lying to himself. He just kept making up excuses to spend more time with the raven-haired man. He wanted to see him all the time. And he enjoyed every minute they spent together. He loved observing the teacher's odd quirks and manias, his dislike for social interaction and his weird speech pattern. His deep voice, his beautiful eyes, and the way his raven hair contrasted against his pale skin. Yes, Grimmjow knew it was too late to deny his feelings for the young teacher.

But just as much as he was aware of his feelings, he had also decided not to pursue the raven-haired teacher. Not yet at least. Ulquiorra was a rational person, a man that was too attached to his schedule and that followed the rules at all costs. These were all basic things that Grimmjow knew about Ulquiorra Cifer. And if he didn't play by the man's rules, he would lose the game in his first turn. A relationship between a teacher and a student was forbidden, illegal. Grimmjow might not give a damn, but Ulquiorra would never be able to ignore these details. Rules and laws were important. So he decided to wait. He'd wait for Ulquiorra to give him any sign. He'd respect Ulquiorra's rules and play by them. And when the tides were in his favor, when he noticed the first approving gesture, then he'd make his move.

Ulquiorra watched as his student faked concentration on his gameplay, trying to hide the continuous glances he kept sending in his direction. He let out an inaudible sigh as the teen placed his letters on the board with his big calloused hands, a triumphant smile showing on his lips. The young teacher found it greatly amusing how proud the teen felt when he came up with a 'big word' and how he sincerely believed he was becoming smarter. He could almost call it endearing.

Which led to Ulquiorra's current predicament. It was pitiful for a man of his kind and position, but he had actually fallen for the youngster's charms. He could not believe that such a pathetic thing was happening to him, but trying to deny it would be even more pitiful. There was something about the boy's loudness and immaturity, the way his delinquent attitude was balanced out by his naïvety. Ulquiorra knew it was forbidden, and as a grown-up man he was, he had set himself onto simply ignoring his ridiculous feelings, and ultimately, getting rid of them. It shouldn't be so hard to accomplish. Really, it wasn't a problem, that was, so long as those feelings remained unrequited. But he was no fool, there was no way he would miss the tender look in those sapphire eyes, the slight nervousness in his voice, the barely noticeable clumsiness in his movements, the faint blush on his tan cheeks… it was all too evident. And it was troublesome.

In spite of whatever inner turmoil that could be going on in either the teacher's or the student's head, life went on with some sort of normalcy and January turned into February with all the problems it represented.

Yes, February was a problematic month. Grimmjow was trying really hard to concentrate on whatever Drunktard-sensei was saying, he really was, but how was he supposed to when he was trying to gather up some courage to ask Ulquiorra for dinner on Valentine's day?

The accursed February 14th was just around the corner, and while Grimmjow had promised not to try to make any advances for the green-eyed teacher, this was Valentine's day and it was Friday, so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? They'd just have dinner and play Scrabble, like they normally did, and Grimmjow would give him a chocolate. A hand-made chocolate. They were friends, right? Ulquiorra wouldn't get suspicious about it, would he? Grimmjow slammed his sweat-covered forehead against the desk. He was acting like such a chick, it was disgusting. Nnoitra must never know of the shit he was thinking or he'd never leave him alone.

Ulquiorra had been wary when he heard Grimmjow's invitation for dinner at his house on Valentine's day. He knew the implications that came with going over to the teen's apartment that night. But Fridays at Grimmjow's house were now part of his routine and it would be hard for him to just ignore the schedule for the sake of his sanity. And then there was that part of him that he could not ignore and that really enjoyed the teen's company.

So he found himself sitting across a very flustered teenager in the usual coffee table, holding a cup of tea in his hand and watching quietly as the sapphire-eyed youngster prepared the gameboard while failing to hide his constant fidgeting.

Grimmjow wanted to hit himself. Why was he acting so nervous? He could notice the hint of amusement in Ulquiorra's eyes; the man could obviously see his agitation and was apparently quite entertained with the embarrassing display he was giving. He needed to get a hold of himself. This was just another normal Friday, they'll play a normal game and then he'll give Ulquiorra his chocolate as a token of their friendship. He didn't have any reason to be so fidgety. Still, he couldn't get rid of the deepening blush that had spread on his face.

Cifer picked his letters and took a sip from his tea, remaining unfazed by the young man's uneasiness. "Today is your turn to pick a theme. What will it be?" He commented casually.

Since classes had started in January, they had changed the way they played the game to make it harder and see if Grimmjow learned something about his other school subjects. Grimmjow had thus learned that Ulquiorra was not only a very wordy person, but that he was very knowledgeable in almost every subject, and he could pull out words like 'axiom' just like he could fluidly explain what an 'alkane' was. And today, it was Grimmjow's turn to choose what theme they would be playing by. He blushed. He could do this, damnit, he wasn't about to blow it just because his teenage hormones had decided to kick in today.

"W-well, it's kinda obvious, right? It's Valentine's day, so that's gotta be the theme. I guess shit like love and friends and cheesy stuff?"

The young teacher quirked an eyebrow. "I never took you for one to take this celebration so seriously. But if that is what you want, I am not going to object."

Grimmjow sighed in relief. So far, so good. His relief was short lived, though, for as soon as he saw the letters he had picked from the green Scrabble pouch, he regretted picking that theme. He had meant it playfully, as a natural way to act given the occasion, but he was starting to wonder if he was going to be able to keep his cool throughout the whole night. His hands shook a little as he placed the word in the center of the board. Beloved.

The student could see Ulquiorra's lips twitching upwards for a fraction of second. Unbelievable! Grimmjow was having a battle with himself and his morals and Ulquiorra was laughing at him.

The emerald-eyed teacher inspected the word the teen had chosen. He was slightly amused, yes, but he was troubled too. Perhaps coming here had not been a good idea after all. He had no doubt in the innocence and good intention of Grimmjow's actions, his nervousness and the childish blush on his cheeks gave him away immediately. But he was worried to think about what those actions could lead to. And they could certainly lead to deep trouble.

He scanned through his letters absentmindedly and his eyes widened for a second. Maybe he should really leave. This night, this game… all of it called for problems. Yet he couldn't find it in him to part from those cheerful blue eyes. So he simply wrote Confess on the board, unable to keep his emerald eyes away from the sapphire ones.

Grimmjow started to sweat. Was Ulquiorra mocking him? Maybe this was the signal he had been waiting for?

He nearly slapped himself. He had been the one to establish the "love" theme. He shouldn't be getting weird ideas now. The amusement was gone from Ulquiorra's eyes and his face had recovered its usual blankness. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He could have a nice, friendly Valentine's Day with Ulquiorra and be his usual self around the man, in spite of everything. He was no silly lovesick girl, he was going to get through this night and he was going to enjoy it, that had been the point to begin with. He glanced at his letters. Somehow, with a particular theme in mind, the words just lined up pretty neatly. He smirked as he placed his pieces on the board.

Flower. Bouquet. Roses. Embrace. Date. . Darling. Love. Kissed. Lust. Want. Passion. Desire.

The words kept connecting, one after the other. Grimmjow was panting. Somehow, the game's intensity had escalated, and something told him it hadn't been completely accidental. Whatever game they were playing, Ulquiorra was playing along, whether on purpose or not, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see where this could lead him. It was dangerous. It was tempting. Did the other man know what he was doing to Grimmjow? His face betrayed no emotion whatsoever as his elegant fingers danced across the gameboard, placing letters, enticing him with words. How did it turn out like this?

Sapphire eyes scanned his letters quickly, as if in panic. He had to take control over this situation or he would do something he would later regret. He had worked so hard and tried his best to keep a normal, friendly relationship with his teacher, he was not going to throw it away, and any future opportunities with it, just because of a bunch of hormones.

He scrunched his eyebrows in determination and grabbed the letters he was going to use. Fuck everything. He was in control of this stupid situation and he was going to prove it.

And so he wrote the word diaper on the board.

Ulquiorra blinked perplexed.

"Unless I am missing something, I am afraid there is no connection between 'diapers' and 'Valentine's Day'" he stated flatly.

Grimmjow huffed and crossed his arms indignantly. "Of course there is! Yanno' that Cupid thing? He wears diapers! Gotcha' with that one, didn't I?"

The raven-haired man quirked an eyebrow and his emerald eyes shifted from the odd word to the determined young student, and back to the board. And it started to bubble from within him until he couldn't hold it back anymore and it broke out from his dual-colored lips, a clear, musical laughter that filled the room with its deep echo.

Grimmjow was entranced. It was the first time he heard Ulquiorra's laughter. The pale teacher was not a very expressive man. He could count with his fingers the number of times he had seen those thin lips curve into a subtle smile. And this laughter… this laughter, Grimmjow thought, was the most beautiful sound he had heard in his life. He wanted to engrave its melody in his heart, he wanted to memorize the feel of the echo against the walls and the effect it had when it reached its ears. He wanted to imprint that beautiful laughter into his soul.

Before he realized what he was doing, he leaned in across the small coffee table and cupped the man's pale cheek to press his hard chapped lips against the other soft delicate pair. He stood still, ignoring his reason, or any sort of common sense he could have and relished in the moment, in the warmth that was spreading over his body.

When he pulled apart he was met with wide emerald eyes and a flushed pale face. Ulquiorra scooted backwards and stood up in a sudden move, startling Grimmjow.

"It's getting late, I have some things to tend to." He said, and left without any further explanation.

The blue-haired student stood frozen on the spot until he heard the door of the other's apartment shut close. His hand tightened in a fist as he stared at the closed door and the spot where the raven head had disappeared.

Shit.

There was no sign of Ulquiorra for the whole weekend.

Grimmjow felt like a caged lion, pacing around his little apartment for hours, walking from the window, to search for his figure in the outside world, to the door, waiting to hear the sound of his footsteps in the hallway. His car was still parked outside the building, so that meant he intended to come back someday, or so Grimmjow hoped.

In all due honesty, the younger man understood why Ulquiorra acted the way he did. He, Grimmjow, had crossed the line, and it was obvious that the green-eyed teacher wanted to put some distance between them to let everything cool down. He was just fretting because he felt incredibly stupid for what he had done, and because he knew that he had most likely ruined any sort of relationship or trust they had managed to build up so far. He had to give it time, leave Ulquiorra alone for a while and give him some space, perhaps apologize, and maybe, just maybe, he'd manage to get things back to how they were before.

But he still couldn't help the uneasy feeling coiling in his gut when he glanced at the lonely black car parked outside the building.

Monday came around and there was still no sign of Ulquiorra. When he left for school, the car was still parked outside. Was Ulquiorra intending to skip his morning classes? Had he overslept? That was something that the workaholic, schedule-freak Ulquiorra Cifer would never do. Maybe he should go to his apartment and check on him? But he had been paying attention to the hallway all night, there had been nothing to indicate that the man had come back at all.

During lunchtime, he overheard a couple of girls talking "think Cifer-sensei's okay? Hope he's not sick."

That made Grimmjow worry. Ulquiorra hadn't shown up for school at all? He had been searching for him all morning, but he thought the man was simply avoiding him. But that he had completely missed his classes was not like him. He really had fucked up.

On Wednesday he had Literature class with the missing raven-head. Or that's how it was supposed to be. But said raven-head was, as stated, missing. The man had disappeared five days ago and Grimmjow had had little sleep wondering what could've happened to him. And he was still worrying as he sat waiting, expectantly, hoping for that familiar petite body to cross the door exactly at the right time to start the class. But when the bell rang and he didn't hear sharp steady footsteps entering the classroom, he knew Ulquiorra wouldn't show up.

The class that had been filled with loud voices suddenly fell quiet. Grimmjow lifted his face from the desk and his eyes widened when he saw the usually sickly History teacher, Ukitake-sensei sitting at Ulquiorra's desk. Seeing someone else occupying Ulquiorra's desk made his heart ache.

"Cifer-sensei is taking a short break due to some personal matters, so for the time being I will be in charge of his class."

Whispers and voices rose through the room. The subject of the young teacher's sudden disappearance was the hot topic of the school rumors, and some people went as far as saying he had been involved in a scandal with a student, or that he had died. Grimmjow shivered every time he heard these rumors, and horrible nightmares plagued him every night because of them.

He shot a single glance at Ukitake-sensei, who was reviewing "Cifer-sensei's notes on the class progress" and banged his head on the desk. It was definitely no good if it was not Ulquiorra.

Friday night arrived and Grimmjow found himself lying on the floor staring at the ceiling, the Scrabble box by his side, the letters scattered everywhere due to a sudden moment of rampage in which he had lost control of himself and thrown the fucking thing against the wall. He'd have one hell of a night finding all of them, but he was not in the mood for it now.

His blue eyes scanned the room until they found the coffee table, the one that looked so oddly empty now that Ulquiorra was not sitting there, holding a cup of tea and arranging his letters on the board with unseen dexterity. On top of the coffee table he could see the little box wrapped in silver paper, the box containing the chocolate that he had intended to give Ulquiorra on Valentine's Day, but hadn't had the chance to, given the circumstances.

He sighed and sat up, his eyes still fixed on the tiny box. Why did it have to come to this? Fucking teenage hormones had to ruin everything. He slapped himself. It was already a week since Ulquiorra left. His car had begun to gather dust, something that the neat-freak teacher would've never allowed to happen, so Grimmjow had made it his duty to make sure the velvet black Lexus stayed as clean as Ulquiorra would normally keep it.

Thinking of the thin layer of dust that had been covering the usually flawless vehicle, the teal-haired teen's chest started to feel heavy. Was Ulquiorra really coming back? He was trying to convince himself that he was not the kind of man to leave the town and abandon his car just because he was upset with him. If any, Cifer would probably come back and pretend nothing ever happen, because that was the kind of guy he was, though he probably wouldn't want to be related with Grimmjow again. He reached out to grab the silver-wrapped chocolate.

The fuck am I gonna do with this now?

He could eat it, but he didn't feel right doing it. If he left it there until Ulquiorra came back, it would melt and become unedible, not that he would have the guts to face the teacher and give it to him. Or he could throw it away. But it kind of hurt to think that he would never get to deliver his gift to the green-eyed man. After all, Ulquiorra himself had once told him how much he liked chocolate, so he had tried his best to make it for him. But now it was going to be wasted because Ulquiorra was never going to eat it. He sighed. He was really pathetic, wasn't he?

In the end, the only thing he could really do was get rid of the damn thing. He shoved it into his pocket and decided to take a stride around the block to find a better place to dump the useless chocolate. He was doing himself no good drowning in self-pity, so he stood up and walked out of his small messy apartment (Ulquiorra wasn't around to make him clean the place).

Yet, instead of leaving the building as was his initial plan, his body froze the moment his eyes met the wooden door with the golden number four, right across the hallway. He fingered the box inside his pocket absentmindedly and moved towards the door. Maybe discarding it wasn't the right thing to do? It was still edible, and he had made it for Ulquiorra; and even if he had been rejected by the raven-haired man, he still felt like he should give him the chocolate that was after all, intended to be a token of their friendship.

With this in mind he walked across the hallway, which seemed really easy to accomplish now that he had this new-found resolution, and took out the spare key Ulquiorra had given him some time ago.

"You may come and borrow any book you want if am not home." He had said back then, with his usual nonchalant expression, but Grimmjow knew, damned hell, he knew that getting the key to Ulquiorra's apartment was fucking important because a man as closed up and reserved as he was, would never let anyone into his sacred sanctuary unless they had his complete and absolute trust. And so he started feeling slightly guilty for breaking that trust by using that precious key in such an inappropriate time and for the wrong reason. But damnit, he just wanted to be close to something, to anything of Ulquiorra's, and he was getting so pathetically desperate that he had to make up a ridiculous excuse to get into the aparment.

The moment he stepped into the apartment, he was instantaneously hit by the characteristic "Ulquiorra-scent", as he had labeled it. The scent of papers, books and warm tea. He had a sudden need to get enveloped in that scent, let it cling on to him and never leave. He chuckled.

"I can't believe I'm this pathetic."

He walked towards the bookshelf he knew so well, and took in the scent of the books, of the old paper and the leather covers. He had come to love that scent and how it seemed to cover every inch of the room.

His fingers pulled out a thick volume, one that he was very familiar with and particularly fond of. He stroked the cover of the Tales of Mystery and Imagination, the first book he had borrowed from this library, as if it were something precious. And it was, he realized. Books were, all things considered, the reason he had met Ulquiorra in the first place.

He put the book back in its place with a quick move. What the heck was he doing, getting all mushy and mopey? He needed to get his shit back together, because this was definitely not like him. He was not going to get his brain screwed by some stuck-up moron that just decided to take off just because he couldn't handle one little kiss. He left the gift, the supposed reason that brought him here in the first place, in the fridge, and exited the apartment without looking back.

It had now officially been two weeks since Ulquiorra disappeared and Grimmjow was finally getting back to the normal pace of his life. He had even hung out with Nnoitra a couple of times, which he hadn't done in ages. And though he kept washing and polishing the velvet black Lexus that laid abandoned outside of his building, he was starting to believe that he was going to recover the normal teenage life he used to have before he met the emerald-eyed teacher.

Yeah, right.

Deep down, Grimmjow knew he was just as miserable as he had been the first night after Cifer's departure. He was just trying to forget about his own loneliness with Nnoitra's crappy booze (hadn't he promised he wasn't going to drink that shit anymore? He was sure he could hear his braincells agonizing eveytime he swallowed one swig of that… suspicious looking liquid). But instead of convincing himself with that idiotic lie and at least getting a fake feeling of going back to his old mundane life, he felt even more miserable and pathetic than before.

It was Tuesday and he was on the rooftop, skipping through some class that he didn't quite remember. He had started to lose track of time recently and though he had tried not to skip many classes, he felt in a particularly dark mood today. So he just watched Nnoitra take long drags from a cigarrette while rambling about their next escapade, to which he wasn't paying much attention.

"Sheesh, dude, what's wrong with ya? Ya been actin' like a chick since Emo-prick left. Didja have a fight? 's that why he left? Seriously, get over it, y're so pathetic, it's fuckin' borin'."

Grimmjow ignored him, though deeply tempted to punch the living daylights out of him, and instead he stood up from the ground and returned to the building for his P.E. class. It was then that he saw it. A flash of emerald as he walked past the third-year classrooms. He stopped dead in his tracks and took two steps back just to stare dumbfounded at the inside of the room, where those deep green eyes that occupied all of his thoughts and dreams were standing in front of a group of students as if nothing ever happened, as if they had never disappeared.

Suddenly the bell rang and a mass of students started to flood the halls. Grimmjow had to hold onto the walls to avoid being swept away by the noisy crowds, his eyes still fixed on the petite figure that had yet to leave the classroom, too concentrated in putting his books away to notice the sapphire eyes staring at him.

Grimmjow's knees started to go weak when he heard those firm yet soft footsteps approaching the door where he was standing. What would he say? What would Ulquiorra say? Would he be angry, would he want to talk to him? By the time he thought that maybe running away might have been a good idea, the door flung open, and those green eyes were staring right into his.

"Yes?"

Grimmjow never expected Ulquiorra to be the one to speak first, nor did he expect him to do it so soon, and thus he was completely unprepared for it. Whatever he could've thought of saying became a flood of incomprehensible babbling, and no matter how hard he struggled to form a coherent sentence, his brain was completely blank. After he made a fool of himself for a full minute, Ulquiorra sighed and turned his back on him.

"I will see you in class tomorrow, Jaegerjaquez."

And he passed him by with no further word, leaving Grimmjow completely stupefied. For a second, he tried to lunge forward and stop the petite man, but instead he just stood there, watching the raven-haired teacher disappear among the crowd.

Grimmjow had been pacing around his appartment like a caged animal ever since he had arrived. After the classes had ended, he apologized to Nnoitra and left without further explanation, earning a 'tch' from the taller teen, as he rushed back home. Because, no matter what, Ulquiorra had to go back to the building, and then Grimmjow would confront him. He wouldn't let him run away this time. Not ever again.

And so now he was waiting, waiting to hear the steady pace of those swift footsteps, the soft rustling of clothes as he searched for the key in his pocket, the subtle noise of the door across the hall clicking open, the…

Oh shit, he's here.

Grimmjow opened the door with a bang and was met with startled emerald eyes. Without thinking what he was doing, he pinned the small teacher against the wall, ignoring the pounding heat creeping all the way through his body.

"You… I… I kissed you."

Cifer regained his composure and stared up at him, apparently unfazed by the current situation.

"Your hair is blue."

"That's not the point, I mean I… wait… eh?"

The pale man blinked, his expression remaining unchanged.

"I thought we were establishing obvious facts."

Grimmjow snarled angrily and clenched his teeth in frustration.

"No! You… you're not just gonna play smart words and get your way out of this just like that. I mean, what the fuck? I- I kissed ya and ya just run away like that? And then ya come back an-"

"I did not run away."

Once again, Grimmjow was dumbfounded by the teacher's response. He didn't get Ulquiorra at all, how could he act so calm after everything that had happened? And now he was saying that he hadn't run away? The more they talked, the more confused Grimmjow felt.

"How's that not runnin' away? I kissed ya –fuck, I've said it three times already, don' make me repeat it again, damn it- and the next thing I know, you've left the town and nobody knows where the shit you went. How'd ya call it then?"

"I went to visit my mother. Her birthday was last month, but Ukitake-sensei was sick and could not cover for me back then. Now that he had recovered I asked for permission to take a few days off to visit her. I could tell you to ask the headmaster if you want confirmation, but I am not a teenager, I do not need to prove the truth in my words."

Grimmjow wanted to curse out loud and pull at his hair, not understanding one shit of what was happening. Was it really all there was to it? Visiting his mother for her birthday? He knew Ulquiorra was very close to his mom, he had heard him calling her frequently to tell her that he was doing fine and that he was enjoying his new life in the small town. But it didn't make sense to him. It sounded more like the petite teacher had actually run away and in the midst of his confused frenzy had decided that it was a good time to visit his family.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about? I have to read Ukitake-sensei's report on every class's progress during my absence."

The teen was snapped out of his daze and drew his body closer to the smaller man.

"Eh? What… No! Shit, yer runnin' away again! I- no, don't interrupt me, I'm tryin' to say some important shit here and if you cut me off I'm never gonna be able to say it." he lashed out as he saw Ulquiorra open his mouth to say something. "You… I mean, you can't just have something like that happen, then leave without sayin' a fucking word, and then come back and pretend everything's fine an' dandy." His resolve started to crumble and his grip on the wall loosened as his shoulders shook slightly. "You… you can't… I was here all the time thinking I had fucked up big time… that you weren't coming back… and now yer here and yer not sayin' shit and actin' all Ulquiorra-high-and-mighty and I… fuck!"

Ulquiorra tilted his head to the side, apparently amused by the teen's struggle, though his face betrayed no emotion as usual.

"Grimmjow, what do you want from me?"

Sapphire eyes widened and for a moment, the student didn't know how to answer to that question. What did he want from Ulquiorra? Of couse, the obvious answer was that he wanted him to reciprocate his feelings, but he was not going to say that out loud. If he was going to ask for something, he wanted something that Ulquiorra could give him willingly and sincerely.

"I want… I want an answer."

The raven-haired teacher gave a long, calmed sigh and rose his emerald eyes to look into the teen's face. Before Grimmjow knew what was happening, the petite man had stood in his tiptoes to press his pale lips against his own chapped ones.

"I expect you to understand that I am your teacher and will still be so until the end of the school year. What happens afterwards is not in the concerns of the school policy. Now if you will, I have a lot of paperwork to do. I will see you tomorrow in class, Grimmjow."

The young student was so absolutely stupefied that all he could do was nod and produce and uninteligible grunt while he let his arms fall to his sides, allowing the small teacher to walk away from him. When he finally recovered some notion of reality, he saw Ulquiorra entering his apartment and closing the door behind him.

"O-oy! Are we still on for Friday… you know… the usual?"

Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks for a moment and allowed himself a small chuckle.

"Are we back to the obvious statements, Jaegerjaquez?" and with no further word, he disappeared behind the door.

For the next few weeks, it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. Ulquiorra came back to school and continued giving his classes as usual, making no comment about his disappearance. And their Friday routine went back to normal, having lunch in the café, playing Scrabble until dawn…

The thing is, Grimmjow wasn't sure if he liked it. Sure, he was happy that Ulquiorra didn't hate him, damn, he was absolutely ecstatic because Ulquiorra was actually talking to him. But this pretend that nothing happened was getting on his nerves. Had he imagined that sort-of-kiss in the hallway? Had he misunderstood the teacher's words back then?

He thought Ulquiorra had told him to wait, wait until the school year was over, until Ulquiorra's time as a substitute teacher ended and Tousen came back for his job. Because there were rules and someone like Ulquiorra Cifer was not one to break them. And Grimmjow understood that and respected it. He hadn't expected anything from Ulquiorra, to begin with; shit, just that kiss (it had been real, right?) had been enough to keep him in the moon for a whole week. But waiting was not his thing, especially if he wasn't sure if all that waiting would be worth it in the end. Because Ulquiorra was acting way too… Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow was wondering if there really was something to wait for or if he should just give up on all hopes.

The young teenager knew asking directly was not the best approach in the current situation, but he knew no other way to get any signs from the emerald-eyed man. His gaze drifted from the ceiling, where he had fixed his eyes, to focus them on the gameboard and Ulquiorra's elegant pale fingers. He truly loved to watch Cifer play; his eyes scanning the letters, his slim fingers forming combinations away from his view, deeply concentrated, just to choose the best word and place it swiftly and smoothly on the board.

Thoughts.

Ulquiorra had used all of his letters to write that word. For a moment, all Grimmjow could do was frown, because the bastard always got the best words and the highest scores. And then he noticed the man was tapping on the table with his finger. It was subtle, soft, just loud enough to get his attention. The teacher's face said nothing, his eyes pointed towards the board. And Grimmjow understood. It was not a simple word, rather, it was a question. Ulquiorra had noticed him spacing out and wanted to know what he was thinking. He was about to open his mouth, but then he glanced at the board and then at his letters. So that's how it was.

Hallway.

Grimmjow smiled in satisfaction. He had actually pulled off a seven-letter word. He just hoped Ulquiorra got the message, because he couldn't think of any other way to explain himself in just one word. And although he was a bit afraid to look at the pale man's face, he still managed the courage to raise his sapphire eyes and meet his neighbour's emerald ones.

The other man eyed the word carefully as in deep thought. His face still showed no emotion, and he didn't look at Grimmjow either, his gaze fixed on the board. After an agonizingly long silence, the man directed his eyes at his letters and started arranging them in the board.

Patience.

And then Grimmjow remembered that he had to breathe as a wide grin formed on his lips.

"Is Cifer-sensei really leaving?"

"But whyyyyy? He's so cuuuute!"

"They say he got involved with a student so he got laid off."

"I heard he was inviting students to some cult… he has that kind of look."

Grimmjow was this close to snapping at the idiotic group sitting right behind him in the closing ceremony. Had everyone forgotten that Ulquiorra was just taking Blindshit-sensei's place until he recovered? Seriously, a cult? He eyed the petite teacher, who was now standing in front of the microphone and giving a speech about his departure. His pale skin, his messy, raven hair, his big emerald eyes, his dual-colored lips, the green tear-like tattos running down his cheeks…

Fine, he did look like the kind of guy who would start a cult.

Still, he hated to think that he would be remembered like "the teacher that was kicked out because he had some cult" or some other strange thing like that. But he knew it couldn't be helped. It was not the first time a teacher left the school and it always came with odd unbelievable rumors forming around them. People talked and gossipped, there was nothing to do about it.

"It has been a pleasure to be a part of this school and to be your teacher. Even though my time here was short it was a good experience for me, and I will remember it as such. I hope all of you keep working hard and making your best efforts for the sake of your future. Thank you."

The crowd clapped as Ulquiorra left the stage and the class representative for the graduating generation took the microphone. Grimmjow followed the emerald-eyed man with his eyes and smiled.

The raven-haired man leaned against the black Lexus parked outside the school. Waiting. What would happen now? Even he didn't know for sure. Still, he waited. And for once, he pushed the consequences to a deep dark corner of his mind where they couldn't bother him.

And though he was Ulquiorra Cifer, and he was usually unaffected by the world around him, he couldn't deny how his heart skipped a beat when he saw a tuft of electric blue hair rushing towards him while waving his hand enthusiastically. He felt kind of guilty.

He is too much of a kid.

Yet, he couldn't stop the tiny smile from appearing on his face at seeing the wide grin on the younger boy's face.

"Yo, Unemployed-sensei!"

Ulquiorra sent him a sideways glance. Indeed, too much of a child.

"As a matter of fact, I have a job offer from the Karakura College and I plan on taking it. So I will not remain 'unemployed' for long."

Grimmjow laughed and scooted closer to the petite teacher, leaning back against the shiny black car.

"Then I'll make sure not to apply for that school. It was crappy enough having to wait for this year to end so that ya wouldn't be my teacher anymore."

The petite man sighed. Cutting straight to the point huh? And here he was enjoying some peace of mind. But apparently, the brash teen would have none of that. And he was entitled to it, after he had waited for so long. He took a step away from the car with a calm expression and turned to face Grimmjow.

"And what are you going to do now that I am no longer your teacher?"

Grimmjow stared at him quizzically, wondering what kind of answer was the man expecting from him. He knew that Ulquiorra wanted him to take some sort of action in regards to… them, but he just didn't know how to make a move now. The determination that brought him here started to falter and he went back to being the nervous fidgety teen he always was when his feelings got the best of him.

"I… I was kind of expecting that ya'd tell me what I should do… or at least give me a clue…" Damn, he was being so silly now.

Ulquiorra dug his hands into his pockets, his eyes fixed on the taller teen and kind of amused by his struggle.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

He watched as the boy's cheeks flushed red and watched him stutter and blabber with embarrassment and he felt slightly guilty for toying with him like that. But just when he was about to open his mouth again, Grimmjow seemed to remember that as young as he was, he was no kid, and he needed to grow up and say things directly as he should have done in the first place.

"I… Please go out with me!"

Ulquiorra was taken aback by the sudden declaration, and stood speechless, waiting for the teen to continue.

"Ulquiorra, I… I really like ya. I mean, I'm not the smartest shit an' yer… well yer much smarter than me, an' cuter too. And I didn't think of some sappy speech for today, I'm not as good as ya with words, but the point is that I-"

Ulquiorra cut him off. With a kiss.

"I get it, Grimmjow. And yes, I would like to go out with you."

Grimmjow grinned. He didn't need long, wordy, complicated answers, even if it was Ulquiorra.

"So it's my turn to pick tonight's theme, isn't it"

Ulquiorra sipped his tea quietly and nodded, watching the enegetical teen expectantly.

"Then let's do it with Poe's Tales."

The teacher quirked an elegant eyebrow quizically. "No videogames or licor themes tonight?"

"Oy, I can come up with 'smart' topics to play too."

The emerald-eyed teacher just nodded and sipped his tea again, glancing at his letters while waiting for Grimmjow to start the game. The teen scratched his chin in concentration and took a couple of minutes fingering his pieces before he decided what to write on the board.

Ligeia.

"If ya need to know, that's my favorite tale. Well, the Rue Morgue is pretty cool too."

Once again, Ulquiorra looked up at him questioningly. "Ligeia? I never knew you were one for romantic tales."

Grimmjow grinned like a mischievous child and sent a meaningful glance towards Ulquiorra. "Well, yanno'… Ligeia was a beautiful intelligent woman with raven hair and pale skin… 'Sides it's not totally romantic, it's spooky too."

The raven-haired man frowned, slightly annoyed by the youngster's teasing. He drove his eyes back to his own letters, mentally forming words and combinations, searching for the best possibility.

"In that case, what's yer favorite tale then?"

His game was not really good this time, luck was apparently not on his side. In spite of his superior brains and capability, he would probably be forced to a weak start considering the letters he had on him.

"My favourite Edgar Allan Poe tale? It should be obvious…"

He did not suppress a tiny smile as he placed the word on the board.

Black.

"The black cat, of course."

End

It's over! Ahhh, this was so quick! Though it didn't feel like that to me since it took several months to write this chapter (just you guys didn't notice, lucky you).

Thanks Tokyo Kitty for beta-reading this! Even if I sent her the last chapter six months after she checked the second one she was willing to help with it, I'm incredibly grateful ;-;

Now, in this chapter I inadvertently (I always have problems spelling that word) emphasized the Scrabble game and how important it is to their relationship, I kind of liked how it came out (especially since I love Scrabble). I almost changed the name of the story to "Scrabble" but it felt too flat (and I would've had to change all the chapter titles to adjust to it) so I left it with Poe. But I still love the tension the Scrabble game creates between them and how it becomes a way of communication for their feelings, I hope I could portray those scenes right.

The chapter title The tell-tale heart is a really famous Poe tale, I chose it because Grimmjow's concealed feelings burst away of his own control.

Other books mentioned here: The Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes is an all-time classic, and VERY heavy book. I have just read fragments of it, but it's a classic of Hispanic literature. The other Poe Tales mentioned are all tales I like, (my particular favorite is The Murders in the Rue Morgue)

My only fear here is that I feel Grimm was a bit too OOC, you'll have to tell me if I messed up. I might have gotten carried away with the fluffiness. I still hope you liked it. And I also noticed there are very few actually romantic scenes, even the last scene is kind of mundane, but I feel that's the kind of relationship that fits them here, too much mushiness didn't feel quite right.

I SERIOUSLY right too many notes. But I hope you've liked this story and I'll be publishing some more stuff soon now that the GrimmUlquifanbook is out (GO CHECK IT OUT! It's totally AWESOME!) For now this is it, I loved all your encouragement and I hope I could give you some good time with this story. Please tell me what you think, I really appreciate all of your reviews!

Oh! And Happy belated birthday Grimmjow! I wanted to upload this for the 31st but my sister got bitchy and I had to fight her for the PC Dx. Anyway, see you next time. End giant author notes that nobody reads!