Sociology

The night is quiet, basking within the pale light of a full moon that hangs high over Karakura. In an apartment complex near the far end of town, a couple of three months lies together in the privacy of their room. The smaller male, Ichigo Kurosaki, gazes up into the deep blue eyes of his boyfriend… his raven haired boyfriend. Kai is a handsome man, built with lithe muscle and tan skin. He found Ichigo after a particularly bad breakup… So many years of being around violent men has taken its toll on Ichigo's preferences. Unfortunately for him, he's drawn nothing but violent and abusive males to him. Not that he's complaining too much, he thoroughly enjoys putting them in their places… but if he could just find one man that could treat him halfway decent, he'd put up with just about anything to feel wanted for more than just his body.

"Ichigo," Kai murmurs. "You still with me?"

"I'm sorry," he sighs. "I'm just… distracted."

"I can see that," Kai chuckles. "What's got your mind preoccupied?"

"… Do you love me?"

"Sure, of course I love you."

Ichigo frowns, not liking the hollow answer given just to please him. He's been in a few less than meaningful relationships, he's no newbie to sex, and whenever things start getting serious… those relationships always end up abusive. He thought Kai was different, but that answer is the same one they gave him.

"I'm not asking for the answer you think I want to hear," Ichigo huffs. "I'm asking for the truth. I don't fucking care if you love me or not, I'm not particularly certain I love you, I just want to know."

"… You're beautiful, Ichigo," he starts off. "You're smart, you're sexy, and you're a wonderful trophy fuck… but I'm not entirely sure I would call what I feel for you love. It might progress, has a damn good chance of growing into love, but it's not there yet."

"That's what I was looking for."

Ichigo smirks, wrapping his arms around the other's neck as he pulls him in for a kiss. Kai slips his knee between the orangette's legs, rubbing it against the quickly hardening member and drawing a low moan from the vibrant haired teen. He latches on to Ichigo's slender neck, hands running over the expanse of tan skin as the other yanks at his hair in pleasure. Those insistent hands slide down Ichigo's sides, fingers hooking on the waistband of his jeans, and…

"No!" Ichigo gasps as he scoots away. "Don't."

"Come on, Berry," Kai whines. "It's been three months since we started dating…"

"I said I'm not ready," he snaps. "Don't make me tell you again!"

"You'll enjoy yourself, I promise."

"No," he warns once more. "I told you it would be a while, Kai! I told you not to expect anything that serious for about a year! I've had enough of relationships turning sour on me!"

"Maybe if you'd put out more often, they wouldn't!"

"What? That's it, I'm not taking this!" Ichigo yells. "Get the fuck off me, I'm leaving!"

One good shove and Kai is on the floor, watching Ichigo in shock as the orangette grabs his shirt and pulls it over his head. Ichigo is an uke, he can admit that with relative ease, but if they think he's the simpering feminine type they've got another thing coming!

"Don't call me!" Ichigo snaps. "I've been with enough assholes to catch on before things get out of hand! You're no different from them and I'm not gonna put up with it!"

He slams the door to the apartment as he leaves, rattling the windows with the force. He blames his inner Hollow for his tendency to sway more toward violent men, though Shiro insists Ichigo's just twisted like that. He had lost his power after the fight with Aizen, but regained it tenfold after just getting used to being human again. He's a new breed, something with the ability to change forms willingly and the inability to die. Kurosuchi is calling him a Shiniviman… but Ichigo is adamant he's going to change that ridiculous name before he sticks his foot up the man's ass so far he'll taste his sneaker. The twelfth division Taicho is working on it.

A little way from our favorite orangette, a Gargantua opens up and a muscular teal haired Espada steps through. It's been four years and he's eager to beat that insignificant brat of a Shinigami into the ground, one more establishing that he's the top… feline. He searches for the reiatsu of the smaller, grinning maniacally when he pinpoints it, and then heads in that direction. When he reaches the other, he stops and watches curiously. Ichigo is picking up his pace as a male, built slightly larger than the other, hurries after him.

"I said wait, damn it!" Kai growls. "Don't you know how to listen, you stupid bitch?"

"Don't you ever call me that!" the orangette snarls as he whirls to face the other.

"I don't like your attitude," the raven haired man snaps. "Shut the fuck up, or I'm gonna have to set you in your place."

That's about where Ichigo snaps, opening his mouth to warn off the other. Kai, taking this as a rebuttal to his comment, swings. Grimmjow watches the whole exchange, excitement and curiosity filling his cyan orbs. It's been so long since he's seen the other fight, but he's intrigued by the relationship between these two humans. His observations don't last long, as the larger male has used his brute force to his advantage and slammed the teen's face into a metal light post. Ichigo is disoriented, swinging blindly, when the other pushes him into the street. Ichigo collects himself, yet he's stunned into stillness when he's blinded by the headlights of a truck. Like a deer caught in those headlights, he just stands and stares stupidly. Just before he's about to get flattened, a hard body slams into him and large arms of coiled muscle encase him in a safe zone he's never felt before. It's the most graceful thing Ichigo has ever felt, the body grabbing him in a cradling motion before landing gently on the ground across the two-lane street. A feeling deep within his gut tells him not to look up, but his curiosity has always won out over his gut feeling. He looks up to see a strong and angular face, bright cyan orbs that seem to glow in the dark and perfectly imperfect locks of teal hair.

"… Grimmjow," he whispers in shock.

"Hey, Shinigami," the other grins widely. "Did you miss me?"

The orangette is dumbstruck, staring like an idiot at the teal haired Espada, so Grimmjow takes that moment to set him on his feet. With his mouth on an open hinge and his eyes as large as saucers, Ichigo's mind has finally short circuited. He's drawn back to himself at Kai's yelling, the other stomping over and shouting a string of curses at the teen.

"Who the hell is this, you fucking tramp!" he snaps. "How long you been seeing him?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo growls. "I haven't been seeing anyone!"

The innocent and slightly confused answer has Kai infuriated, the other grabbing Ichigo's shirt collar and hauling him out of Grimmjow's hold. The Espada growls lightly at the action, yet he stills his temper. This is the human world, there are things you just can't do here unless you want Shinigami up your ass… which he most certainly doesn't.

"Then who is he? You see pretty chummy with him!"

"I hate him! We fight all the time!"

"And they're glorious fights," Grimmjow grins widely. "We're lucky we survived the last few."

"Now isn't the time to reminisce on past triumphs," Ichigo hisses.

Kai slaps the orangette, creating a strange clenching in Grimmjow's chest. He frowns, looking down at his chest in hopes of seeing what's wrong with it. He scratches the back of his head in confusion, returning his eyes to the fight at hand.

"I don't want you talking to him!"

"In case you missed it, Kai, you just tried to kill me! I want nothing to do with you!"

"Oh, but you'll let that playboy fuck you?"

"What is your deal! Is that all you think about?" the orangette fumes.

"You're not good for anything else, so why would I think about something other than that?"

His features twist to convey his hurt and indignation, the orangette wrenching himself from Kai's grip and backing away until Grimmjow is just behind him. He's at a loss for words, which isn't anything new to the Espada… Ichigo was always relatively quiet during their fights. Everything the other had to convey was in his eyes, those eyes that have burned themselves into Grimmjow's memory… the eyes he dreams about every night.

"You're wrong," Ichigo states so quietly Grimmjow almost misses it. "I'm worth far more than just that… You just don't want to believe that."

"Don't lie to yourself," Kai scoffs haughtily. "You're nothing without me; I'm the only one who'll ever love you in any way."

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouts. "You're lying!"

The teal haired Espada tilts his head in question at the outburst, noting that Ichigo seems to be at war with himself. He snorts at the thought that the smaller male would be stupid enough to believe such obvious lies, waiting patiently for the Kurosaki he knows to pounce and start wailing on the human… but he doesn't come. Ichigo watches the ground as he murmurs out his reply.

"If you ever come near me again, I'll make you regret it," he remarks. "You're no better than the others, trying to control me with those lies. I believed them once… I won't believe you."

With that, the nineteen year old turns and walks away. Grimmjow grabs his bag from the raven's hand, grinning saucily at the other before following after his prey. Ichigo doesn't even bother to take note of his follower, simply content to stew in his anger and hurt. The Sexta, however, can't help but think that no one should be allowed to hurt Ichigo like that except him. After all, Ichigo is his prey and only he has the right to pursue him.

*Wait… what? * he muses. *Why the hell should I care who hurts that insufferable pain in my ass? I should be happy they're knocking him down a few inches… right? *

Ichigo's apartment is in a dark part of the neighborhood, a few bars down the street and a couple night clubs down the other. It isn't unusual to see drunks laying about the sidewalk at night as he heads home, so it's nothing new to see the three males that normally lounge about his place. The complex has many buildings, each with two floors and four flats total. Ichigo lives on the top floor of the second building… ironically, in the number six apartment. Grimmjow can't help but grin at that, surprised the orangette doesn't seem to think anything of it. To get to the second floor, he has to climb a staircase on the side of the building, leading to a wrap-around porch of light wood. The three men are blocking his way, slouched on the stairs and waiting.

"Oh, come on!" he huffs. "Are you serious? My day hasn't been bad enough without you drunks pissing me off?"

"Bad day?" a slim brunette grins. "I could make it better for you. How about it, sweet thing?"

"I'm going to kill you," Ichigo snarls.

"Empty threats, we know how you are. If I told you if was either you or that pretty strawberry blonde lacking brain one in her head… I know you'd lay down for me. Am I right?"

"… That's not the case."

"I don't know… she does have ample breasts to play with. She might even be fun," he grins sickeningly sweet. "But I won't touch her if you play along."

"Are you seriously gonna listen to that shit?" Grimmjow scoffs.

"… Come on," Ichigo sighs reluctantly. "But just this once."

"Once is all I need."

"You can't have gone that stupid while I was away, Shinigami!" Grimmjow snarls. "That guy's gonna kill you when he's done!"

Ichigo ignores him, looking to be walking death row as the other follows licking his lips. The teal haired male curses his young rival, unable to believe he could be that selfless and hating him for it. If he would've known it was that easy to get Ichigo to lie down, he would've done it back when they took that girl prisoner. He sticks close as they head up to the apartment, Ichigo turning to unlock the door and Grimmjow quickly opening a Gargantua beneath the man eye-raping his prey. The cry is cut short as the portal snaps shut, the orangette turning and looking around in confusion.

"What did you do?" Ichigo scowls.

"Who, me? I don't know what you're talking about, I have no reason to help you out," Grimmjow remarks petulantly.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, what… did you… do!"

"I sent him through a Gargantua."

"YOU WHAT!" Ichigo panics. "Oh my god, go back and get him! Don't let him get killed!"

"Why not? From the way he was eyeing you, he'd end up there anyway."

"You can't just send people you don't like to Hueco Mundo, you dumbass!"

"Sounded like a good idea to me."

"Bring him back!"

"… Fine, but I'm not setting him down anywhere near you!"

He calls the other back from the white sands of his boring home, dropping him off a few blocks down and hoping he gets knifed before he makes it back. Ichigo breathes a sigh of relief, opening his door and walking into his place. Grimmjow doesn't wait for an invitation, just walks in and makes himself at home. As surprised as Ichigo is at this, he doesn't really say anything to prevent it from happening. Unbeknownst to Grimmjow, Ichigo has been very lonely as of late. The Shinigami have all gone back to Seireitei, his friends are all out on vacation or visiting family, his own family moved to Tokyo so his father could work at a larger hospital, and Kisuke and company have been very busy moving between the human world and Seireitei. Ichigo has been left alone for the first time since his mother died… something he's made very poor decisions trying to rectify. All his relationships over the past four years have been jumped in to much too quickly, leading to bad breakups and violent altercations. He just wants someone to be with, it doesn't even have to be love or even an intimate relationship… just someone to share a place with him and talk to.

"What the hell is up with you?" Grimmjow frowns. "You were so different back during the war."

"… Things changed," Ichigo shrugs. "I grew up, people left… I've gone through a lot."

"Like what?"

"I lost my power, Grimmjow," Ichigo sighs. "I gave it all up to save everyone during the war."

"Bullshit!"

Ichigo sighs and flops down on the couch beside the Espada. Grimmjow's eyes are hard, almost disappointed with the thought of his rival nothing more than a human now. It hurts to see that disappointment, something Ichigo's strived to keep out of people's eyes.

"I'm not lying… It came back, but not for half a year. By then, I had become accustom to human life and had to adjust all over again."

"Those Shinigami just can't let you be, can they?" the Espada snorts. "Don't they know how to fight their own battles?"

Ichigo smirks dryly at that, he's asked himself that same question for a long time now. He leans back, sighing in content as he closes his eyes. The Sexta raises a brow at that, curiosity on Ichigo's behavior getting the best of him. The orangette never let down his guard around him before. He lays back into the plush couch, slipping an arm around the back of the couch and lightly tickling Ichigo's slender throat with his elongated claws.

"I thought you were more honorable than that," Ichigo smirks slightly. "Killing your enemy in their sleep? How low, Grimmjow."

"You're the idiot letting down your guard."

"Yeah… but it feels good."

It comes out as a sigh and Grimmjow is surprised to hear it, baffled to realize just how… starved for attention the other has gotten. A few reasons come to mind, yet neither seems much like the other. He doesn't seem like the type to blossom under the type of extreme attention he had been getting during the war, but he also doesn't quite strike Grimmjow as a submissive… then again… he was with a man.

"Who was that guy?" Grimmjow wonders.

"My ex-boyfriend," the orangette sighs sadly. "I always seem to attract the violent ones."

"That's probably because you're feisty as all hell," he grins. "I'd bang you if I could."

"… Seriously?" Ichigo voices as he opens one eye to scowl at the other. "Is that all you violent types think of? Is sex the only thing you live for?"

"Sex and fighting," he shrugs. "I'm an Arrancar, what did you expect."

"That's… but… why is it…" Ichigo stammers before falling silent in his confusion.

Within his mind, Shiro grins maniacally. Although they evolved before regaining their power, he's been bored out of his mind for something interesting to happen. Their power has evolved in a way they both can manipulate it and learn it… but Shiro has learned a few things he hasn't told Ichigo. Taking control of his aibou's body for the moment he's a puddle of bewilderment and stray thought, gold on black eyes take in the Espada his aibou has been plagued with wet dreams about as they sit together on the couch.

*Heh… Time fer some fun, * he thinks maliciously. *Let's see how the Shinigami deal wit more than one like me! *

Before Grimmjow can say anything, Shiro is yanking him forward and smashing their lips together. It takes all of two seconds for Grimmjow to overpower the smaller male and take control of the kiss, something Shiro doesn't like but approves of for Ichigo. As they kiss, Shiro extends the reach of his power and it creeps through Grimmjow's body. Slowly, it starts to change him. First the hole in his stomach mends itself, and then the bone fragment on his cheek cracks before it falls off. Grimmjow pulls Ichigo into his lap, deepening the kiss as his hands knead a perfect ass. Unwilling to let go of such a moment, as Shiro's been seriously sex-starved for too long, he rubs their members together and moans into the kiss. Shiro reluctantly pulls away when he feels Ichigo fighting for control again, a wide manic grin on his lips. His eyes turn from gold to amber, Ichigo gasping in shock at the sight of Grimmjow… a very human Grimmjow.