To the mysterious Guest: You are God-sent! I was just losing my confidence, and was ready to give up on this completely, because I started feeling like I messed up everything, but those few words you gave me restored my Muse once more. Thank you so much!

Also, great many thanks to all the people who read, comment, watch and favourite my stories. I'm a terribly insecure person, and you guys seriously keep me going. Thank you once more! I can't seriously express what all those things mean to me. I'll try to keep up the work.

It feels like it's been forever since the last chapter, but that's old news. So, let's not let me bother you anymore.

Onwards with the new chapter! Or how I like to call it "Bath time-fun times with some heart-throbbing on the side".

I hope I don't disappoint, I apologize for any mistakes there might be and I hope you'll enjoy it.

CHAPTER 9: A Little Only Asks For More

When Ichigo woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that Grimmjow wasn't there. Or to say it differently, he somehow knew that the previous night he had the futon all to himself.

He couldn't remember when he fell asleep, but he was aware of that feeling of bitterness which followed him all through the night and into the next day.

Somehow, it seemed to him, he missed Grimmjow. It was unusual without him around; quiet.

The chirping of the birds and buzzing of cicadas were amazingly loud.

Ichigo wondered when the last time he noticed them was.

He got up and sat a few moments on the futon wondering. There was no clock in the room, so he couldn't tell the time.

Last night was weird.

'Well...' – he thought – 'It's not like I offended him somehow, right?'

He felt a weird pang in his chest when he thought about seeing Grimmjow again. He really couldn't tell why was he feeling... sadness? It made no sense.

Deciding that pondering too hard over his own feelings will only make his head hurt without actually solving anything, he started off trying to get dressed, only to notice (again) that he couldn't move his legs.

"Oh, shit! I forgot."

He sat a few moments strategizing over how he could pull on his own clothes without anybody's help, and in the end decided on his good old tactic of "thinking in stride" (or in this case "thinking on his butt, and any other body part that ended up on the floor in the process").

Ichigo didn't even bother thinking about how he got himself in his pyjama last night. Not that that could help him now, because he couldn't remember much after Grimmjow left anyway.

So, the first point of order, which he did fairly well and with no problems whatsoever, was changing his shirt.

Then came the tricky part: the pants.

The first idea Ichigo came up with was to lie down on his back and pull his pants down.

Truly marvellous idea which he greatly regretted till the end of his days!

Apparently, he forgot that poison paralyzed his legs, and he also forgot that pants cling to a rather prominent hill of human physique (also known as butt), so when he pulled down his pants, along came his underpants.

And that would be OK if things continued as until that moment and nobody was around to see his mistake and make a scandal out of it.

But, as if somebody arranged it, in the exact moment Ichigo laid himself bare for the World to behold, the sliding doors opened and there was Grimmjow, just staring at the view before him with his eyebrows raised, completely thrown out of tact by what he just saw.

If Ichigo had the wits about him to play cool, he would have done anything but the thing he did next.

In a desperate attempt to cover up, he forgot his hands and his pants and the blankets that lay in the close vicinity, and opted for the more complicated manoeuvre of trying to roll over, which he miraculously managed to pull off (albeit feebly), only to give Grimmjow an eyeful of his other side – namely, his butt.

At the point when Ichigo realized his mistake, Grimmjow gave in and bellowed with laughter.

And just like that, the awkward feeling from last night was replaced with this new awkward feeling of this morning.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

-"I'm never getting over it." – Grimmjow said at the breakfast, wide grin still plastered on his face.

While Ichigo grumbled in protest, he took a few moments to reminiscence on the moment of Ichigo's glorious embarrassment. That event did amuse him greatly, but the fact was that he was blowing his own reaction out of proportion. And he knew that very well. It pissed him off slightly, but as he thought it to be a necessary distraction, he felt grateful it was actually working. Grimmjow knew he couldn't afford himself to deal with the blow of intense desire he felt when he saw the boy's most sensitive parts exposed in front of him like an offering ready to be taken. Like electricity, desire spread through his spine, his jaw clenched, his mouth watered and that familiar pressure started up between his legs.

So, he laughed it off. Made the object of his desires seem ridiculous, insignificant and even worthy of contempt.

Just so he could retain his pride intact.

Ichigo, for his part, was mildly horrified because of what happened. Some of the horrified part was because of his brain short-circuiting enough to produce a stupid idea such as rolling over while partly naked. Most of that horror was, however, exactly because of the "mild" part – the fact that he wasn't as distressed over Grimmjow walking in on him as he wanted or expected to be. Was it the result of him wanting to smooth things out with Grimmjow that made him so impervious to embarrassment? Well, that's what he chose to believe, anyway.

He was glad the situation resolved itself, but he really, really wished Grimmjow would get over the way it was resolved. Ichigo really didn't need a constant reminding of the disgrace he just lived through.

-"I can't believe" – Grimmjow continued his gloating looking at Ichigo – "how somebody can be so stupid!"

-"Come off it, already!" – Ichigo finally found his words – "Stuff like that happens to everybody!"

-"Not to me it doesn't." – returned Grimmjow with a scoff – "And it looks like stuff like that happens to you all the fuckin' time!"

He paused to relish in the effects of his words (Ichigo opened his mouth, mind scrambling for a decent comeback), then he continued to elaborate on what exactly he was thinking.

-"Remember the first night you spent here?"

Ichigo winced. Of course he remembered – it was really embarrassing!

-"You wanted to take a bath..." – started Grimmjow relishing in teasing, like there won't ever be anything as amusing ever again.

-"OK, that's it!" – Ichigo slammed his hand on the table, making the dishes on it shake dangerously.

-"I'm leaving!" – he said turning his back on Grimmjow.

Poor, poor Ichigo! If he only stopped to think before opening his mouth!

Yet again, he forgot he couldn't move his legs.

He could feel the incredible increase of fiendish delight behind his back. And just like he feared, it was followed through when Grimmjow laughed at him again.

-"And how do you plan on doing that?" – Ichigo could hear the grin in Grimmjow's voice.

-"I'll crawl!" – he replied back, actually getting himself in the position to crawl away.

Ichigo was so angry with Grimmjow he didn't care how uncool he looked as long as he could stick it to the bastard. And it seemed to him it worked, because there was no comeback on Grimmjow's part.

Instead, he heard rustling like somebody's getting up, and soon he felt one muscular arm wrap around his waist. Ichigo never knew it was possible for anger to disappear so quickly.

When he looked up and saw Grimmjow's face so close to his own, his heart started beating so hard that he was pretty sure that the heat he felt from redness in his face wasn't because of Grimmjow, but because he was embarrassed at the possibility of the bastard hearing his heart beat so viciously.

While he was still processing what was happening, Grimmjow's other hand came under his legs, and he was lifted up in Grimmjow's arms.

Oh, how hard Ichigo's heart was beating! He could hear blood pounding in his ears, and his face burning to such extent he got a light headache from it. Grimmjow's scent he noticed instantly – the scent which always made him feel lightheaded, but comfortable.

Because Ichigo instinctively sought a way to regain balance the instant he was lifted up, now his hand was resting at Grimmjow's bare chest. His skin was warmed up from the Sun, and Ichigo could see his own hand rise and fall gently in the rhythm of Grimmjow breathing.

And then there was that – his face was still very close to Grimmjow's. They were so close, when Ichigo looked up he could only see the endlessly blue eyes staring into his own.

It was weird. Were they close like this every time they shared a bed together?

'But, this is different.' – thought Ichigo – 'We're both awake now.'

Finding it hard to withstand Grimmjow's gaze Ichigo looked away. He quickly rebounded with attitude firmly planted in the shape of a really deep frown.

-"Don't princess-carry me! Put me down, I'll figure out my own way of moving around."

Ichigo knew that he probably couldn't come up with anything that would be better than being carried, and he was actually thankful and pleasantly surprised Grimmjow would do that of his own free will, but Ichigo really wasn't capable of acting cool with all those strong and strange emotions suddenly washing over him. It was an instinctive response. He was embarrassed to be carried like a princess, but in all honesty he didn't really want to be put down either (although he strongly denied that thought).

-"You don't say?" – grinned Grimmjow at him – "I'm guessing you're just gonna do it like before? Crawl your way around?"

Ichigo could only manage a scowl in Grimmjow's direction.

-"What would you do without me?" – teased Grimmjow almost affectionately.

Before Ichigo could think harder about that slightly more gentle comment, Grimmjow added with a grin:

-"So, where are you running away to?"

And yet again, Ichigo regretted not thinking his own actions through. Because, he really didn't plan his escape route. So, all Grimmjow got in response to his question was a frown that clearly revealed Ichigo's lack of forethought.

-"You don't know?" – asked Grimmjow with sadistic delight apparent in his voice. He started swaying from side to side with Ichigo in his arms, like he couldn't decide where to go. Ichigo tightened up at that slightly violent action and grabbed at Grimmjow in panic.

-"Don't drop me!"- he yelled angrily.

-"Please, don't drop me, Grimmjow-sama." – said Grimmjow, stopping to look at Ichigo's face.

Ichigo answered with a grimace. There's no way in hell he'd say that!

-"You won't say it?" – asked Grimmjow. He seemed pretty serious even though he was teasing.

-"I think I know where I want to go." – Ichigo tried to divert the conversation, even though he wasn't really sure where he wanted to go.

-"Don't change the topic." – said Grimmjow, dangerously dipping Ichigo, feigning that he was about to drop him.

-"Enough, enough! You can put me down here! Here is good! Let me finish my breakfast! Please!" – shouted Ichigo in panic.

And he was a bit surprised Grimmjow actually listened to him.

-"I hate you." – commented Ichigo with a frown, once when he was safely on the ground, sitting at the table, facing Grimmjow who was seated opposite of him and giving him one of his most maniacal smiles.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

During the afternoon, Nekozawa came around carrying the antidote.

-"Here it is." – he said, handing it to Ichigo – "It might take some time for it to work, but I expect you should be able to more or less stand on your own by tomorrow."

-"That's good to hear." – Ichigo breathed out, casting a mean side-glance at Grimmjow, and gulping down the disgusting liquid like it's the best thing in the World.

Needless to say, the thought of being to walk on his own cheered him up greatly.

But, he still had to wait for it to work.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

The nightmare known as that day dragged by way too slowly for Ichigo. He spent the entire day needing to be carried by Grimmjow (so he made sure not to require that particular favour too often), and he was pleasantly surprised that he was dropped only three times. And all of them were on purpose, but that wasn't really surprising.

Once evening came, Ichigo experienced the good old "it has to turn worse before it turns better" law better than anyone before him, because how in the World could he had taken his bath with no assistance whatsoever?

As bath time drew closer, that question weighed on him gradually getting heavier. It devastated him once Grimmjow took it upon himself to throw the answer out in the air.

And he did it by simply carrying Ichigo into the bathroom.

Ichigo registered what was happening only when Grimmjow put him down on the edge of the bathtub and started unzipping his trousers.

-"Waitwaitwait!" – he yelled, blushing and grabbed Grimmjow by his hands – "What the hell are you doing?! That's sexual harassment!"

-"Sexual harassment?" – Grimmjow echoed, not moving his hands from Ichigo's zipper – "Then try taking your own clothes off. With your legs like that see how much success you'll have. Or do you plan on bathing in your clothes?"

Ichigo spluttered.

-"I don't need your help!" – the thought of being undressed by this guy made Ichigo's blush turn towards the more darker shades of red – "I'm starting to get back the feeling in my legs. I can do it myself!"

Grimmjow opened his mouth to prove how wrong the stupid brat is, when the struggle Ichigo started to free himself from Grimmjow's grip ended up with him tipping backwards and splashing into the water-filled tub.

-"Congrats, you smart ass!" – Grimmjow couldn't resist commenting – "Look where your brain got you. Now have fun undressing yourself. You know, like you did this morning."

He grinned at the last sentence.

Ichigo grumbled indistinctly in response. He didn't think it necessary to grace Grimmjow with any further reaction. Ichigo was glad he managed to get his body and his clothes away from Grimmjow's clutches. From that moment onwards, he hoped to handle everything himself.

Oh, how wrong he was!

Realizing that Grimmjow was still hanging around, Ichigo shifted his attention to him, and turned positively merlot with even greater embarrassment.

-"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" – he hollered.

-"What do you mean 'what'?" – deadpanned Grimmjow, standing there relishing in his own bare majesty (or more truthfully, Ichigo's reaction upon seeing him naked).

-"I'm taking a bath too." – he stated matter-of-factly.

This was too much for Ichigo to process all in one moment. He barely moved once Grimmjow got into the bath and started settling in on the opposite side of Ichigo.

Well, it wasn't exactly the first time he saw Grimmjow naked (there was that incident at the very beginning), but. But! This was certainly the first time Ichigo got a really good look at him.

And it pissed him off that the first word that popped into his mind at that moment was the word "huge".

His next thought was of that yaoi manga he skimmed through in the convenience store. He had no idea why now, of all the possible moments, he had to think of it. There was no connection, no reason for him to remember it – or so he thought. His mind started whirring hysterically, and he even thought about running away from this awkward situation. At the moment Ichigo thought he should find another way to get out of this predicament (because running away when paralyzed wasn't possible), Grimmjow spoke to him.

-"What, you're still in your clothes?"

Before Ichigo could focus enough to respond in any way, Grimmjow was already in front of him, continuing the previously abandoned task of pulling down Ichigo's now drenched pants.

Together with his underwear, of course.

Grimmjow didn't want to admit to himself the actual reason why he fussed so much over undressing Ichigo. He kept saying in his mind that it's because the brat's currently incompetent of taking care for himself, and since there was that one incident when the Shinigami interfered when Nnoitra appeared, it was only logical for Grimmjow to take care of him as a way to return the favour. In fact, vehement desire impelled him to seek to at least lay his eyes on Ichigo's nude body at least once more. That passion tormented him more than any other hunger he ever felt as a Hollow. The deeper voice inside him, the one to whom he couldn't lie, said that only once would be enough, only once would satisfy his hunger.

And as it usually goes with Hollows and addicts alike, a little only asks for more.

When Grimmjow pulled down the boy's pants and sprawled his legs open, the truth of what he's been feeling dawned on him. Blood boiled in his veins, so he instinctively huffed in a desperate attempt to cool down. It became clear to him he might not be able to hold back.

The first thing he thought about next was his pride. So, in attempt to retain it, he turned to teasing Ichigo again.

-"So, you really are a natural orangehead." –he smirked.

That broke Ichigo's initial shock. He spluttered, still red in face, and aggressively pulled down his wet shirt to try and cover up.

-"Sh-shut up!" – he stuttered angrily, even though he tried not to. Blood rushed into his face, and he felt something clench in his chest. If he could, he would've closed his legs too, but sadly, that was beyond his ability now.

It was such a weird feeling, being stared at like that. The look in Grimmjow's eyes was weird. Ichigo couldn't tell what it meant – so many things seemed to blend in the deep blue of his eyes. That gaze sent a shiver down his spine. Ichigo wasn't really sure how all of that made him feel. It both attracted him and frightened him; no one, so far in his life, has ever looked at him in that strangely flattering way.

Yet, the situation was awkward and embarrassing. They were both men!

-"Stop staring at me." – Ichigo frowned more.

-"Why should I?" – Grimmjow shot back.

Ichigo did some quick thinking.

-"But, why would you?" – he replied with a question, deeply satisfied with his smart comeback.

-"Well, why wouldn't I?" – Grimmjow was apparently determined to be difficult.

Ichigo was at loss at that last question. He made a small pause.

-"There's nothing to see." – he stated shyly; his reaction was much weaker then he wanted it to be.

-"That's not true." –started Grimmjow almost gently. He didn't expect Ichigo to come off so bashful, and that softened him up a bit. He liked that reaction; it seemed to calm him down a little, and he was pleasantly surprised it did.

-"I think what you have here is rather cute." – Grimmjow ended, his voice lowered to almost a whisper.

Ichigo was so embarrassed after hearing that sentence he couldn't react in the moment. Did Grimmjow really say it? Did he say such an embarrassing line? Ichigo wasn't sure he heard correctly.

-"We-we're both men!" – was all he could come up with.

–"You shouldn't say stuff like that to other men." – he added quietly, blushing just by thinking about it.

-"Why? I'll say what I wanna say."- Grimmjow switched back to his usual tone of speaking –"Besides, I'm just stating the facts."

Once again, Ichigo find it hard to process anything that was going on. He couldn't tell what exactly Grimmjow meant with all the things he did and said, and he couldn't tell what he himself was feeling. It was embarrassing to be complemented by another man on something he never thought he'd be complemented on. (That was a complement, right?) It was awkward and embarrassing; it was unheard of, perverted and disgusting. It was extremely flattering.

Ichigo couldn't wrap his head around his own feelings.

'There's no way this is... that, right? No way, right?' – he thought.

Before he could arrive to some sort of conclusion, Grimmjow, of course, grabbed his attention again.

-"Now..." – he started like nothing happened so far – "What part do you need help to wash?" – he grinned, casually rubbing his palms together in a lustful manner.

Ichigo stared at Grimmjow's hands, and he definitely had a whole flurry of mixed feelings wash over him as he watched. He noticed this weird wish that popped into his mind; the wish to reach out and hold those big hands in his own ones.

So, in the spirit of that notion, he tried putting aside his embarrassment, and reached out. He gently touched Grimmjow's hands, separating them and stopping that lecherous motion of theirs.

-"Just... Just the back, please." – he said softly, whilst battling his own bashfulness.

That inexplicably tender and almost cuddly reaction of his stunned Grimmjow completely. He expected Ichigo to get angry and shout or even try to hit him. This compliance was something he didn't saw coming.

Grimmjow was always the one for the rougher, cruller variant of things, but this time he felt that that thing called "softness" might suit him for the first time. Some new desire welled up inside him – the desire to firmly embrace this boy and never let him go.

Before he could act on his wish, the bathroom door opened.

Both Grimmjow and Ichigo looked up at the same time.

-"Ah!" – said Nekozawa, holding a broom in his hands – "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were here."

The mood was gone.

Grimmjow could feel seething rage taking up the place of those warm feelings like a storm. He was ready to strangle the little man.

And before he could say or do anything, Ichigo spoke up.

-"Ah, it's OK. We were almost done anyways."

That was, of course, a lie – one of those pleasantries used to make a person who made a mistake feel a little better.

Also, it was one of those things Grimmjow couldn't comprehend; it only made him angrier, and this time his anger was directed at Ichigo.

And when the boy started chatting with the old man, filling him in about his current state, practically ignoring Grimmjow even though he was unmistakably there – he wondered how in the world he, of all people, could think about such stupid things such as being nice to the idiot Shinigami.

That thought added some bitterness to his anger, almost like that sweet desire from just a moment ago wasn't entirely dead inside him yet. But, the chance was lost now, and it would probably never come around again, so there really wasn't any point in dwelling on it.

And, good riddance! This way, his reputation and pride would remain intact.

Yet, no matter how much Grimmjow tried convincing himself of that, the bitterness and the anger wouldn't go away.

So he made a scene out of getting out from the tub, grabbing a towel and grumbling something about being done with bathing.

As Ichigo watched the door close behind him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something went wrong here. He said to himself he was glad to be rid of the embarrassment, but even he knew that something in that statement didn't ring entirely true. He didn't feel glad to see Grimmjow go now, when he was strangely in peace, almost in need with his presence – it felt like a part of him left through that door together with Grimmjow. And truth be told, at the point of interruption his embarrassment already turned into this weird giddy feeling.

But, Ichigo never dared to completely admit that to himself.

Nekozawa also stared after Grimmjow for a few seconds.

-"The wish that hurts someone the most is the one that's denied at the very moment of its fulfilment." – he commented, then added:

-"It seems I made a terrible mistake. I'm sorry."

He smiled apologetically at Ichigo.

-"Umm…. Like I said, it's OK." – blinked Ichigo in confusion, still thinking about Nekozawa's previous words.

-"No, it's not." – said Nekozawa firmly, but gently.

-"I'm sorry." – he repeated.

-"I'll leave you to your bath. Once more, sorry for the intrusion."

When Nekozawa went away, Ichigo was left once more in a state of complete confusion.

For God knows what time he concluded that he really doesn't get Nekozawa.

And then, his thoughts turned to Grimmjow.

That weird, giddy warm feeling he felt was now cooled off, and it sat upon his heart like a block of ice. He felt terribly lonely without Grimmjow around.

And that feeling amplified when he went to the bedroom only to realize that this night too, he was to sleep alone.

Grimmjow is sulking.

Also: Cockblocking 101 - Opening the doors at the worst possible time.

There is teensy-weensy development between those two. In all honesty, when I imagined the bath scene, I imagined it somewhat milder and more comedic. But, when I started writing it, Grimmjow just grabbed the wheel out of my hands, and before I knew it was "All aboard the Passion train, we're spiraling down fast to the R Town!"

And then I had to use Nekozawa for damage control. And also, a whole bag of soft emotions. Because, if it was up to Grimmjow, he'd wreck the quality of the narrative, just to have Strawberry every chapter.

Panther appetite is the real deal.