The Cat and the Strawberry

A War Between Friends

            Grimmjow opened his mouth to speak, his mind drawing a blank before the redhead spoke up again.

              "Come inside!" Ichigo was quite happy it seemed as he closed the door behind his friend. "Thanks for coming over today, I'm sure you probably wanted to relax a bit more on your day off." There he was, jumping to some sort of conclusion all on his own.

             "Don't thank me. I invited myself, remember?" Grimmjow recalled as he followed Ichigo deeper into the apartment. The redhead gave a short laugh as he nodded at the memory.

             "That's right, isn't it? You'd never asked me for anything before." He smiled again, Ichigo's observation only bringing a deep flush to Grimmjow's face. Fuck, he hadn't realized that. Whether he actually wanted to acknowledge it or not, this kid paid more attention to him than he let on.

              Ichigo's resounding laugh was enough to make Grimmjow a little dizzy, his blush searing further into his skin. The taller man sulked a little, finding himself completely helpless as his emotions had become nearly palpable.

             Avoiding the redhead's gaze, he quietly looked around the apartment. It really wasn't all that different from his own. Of course, rather than it being three rooms, it was only one. Well, it made enough sense for a guy living on his own for college. Just like Ichigo had said, it was empty as all hell. Sure, there were a few decorations here and there, and it was clear that this space was being lived in... but it didn't have the warmth or comfort of a home. Grimmjow decided to leave Ichigo's comment open ended. He certainly wasn't wrong, and he wasn't particularly keen on delving deeper into the subject.

            Grimmjow spared another glance in Ichigo's direction as the redhead took his backpack from him, slinging it over his shoulder before easily depositing it in the corner of the living room.

             "You packed more for tonight than I've ever seen you bring to class." He joked, though the suggestion left Grimmjow with a whole new tide of nervousness in his stomach. Geez, he really couldn't read Ichigo at times like this. S' like he was actually flirting with him 'r somethin.

             Grimmjow simply shrugged it off as he took a seat beneath the table in the center of the small living space. He leaned back on his hands, letting his torso slack a bit as he looked up at the redhead.

              Damn, his hair was fuckin' pretty. It was a sight to behold on most days. Even now as it was neatly braided, almost mirroring the first half of Ichigo's spine. He had a lot to accomplish in a single evening. Retaining his cool facade, convincing Ichigo that he could be a good friend at times, and most of all, he really wanted a chance to play with that hair of his.

               All of these things of course, were much easier said than done. Ichigo took the seat across from him, though he instead opted to lean his elbows against the wooden surface, keeping his gaze fixated upon his classmate. Grimmjow felt his lower lip twitch a little at the prolonged eye contact, trying to will himself from looking away.

               "What? S' there somethin' on my face?" He snorted, hoping that his scowl would ward away any blows to his confidence.

               "I mean, yeah. I asked for something new and I got a lot more than I bargained for." He smiled again, gesturing briefly at the man across from him.

               "I never took you for a mascara guy."

               "Well excuse me, it won't fuckin happen again." Grimmjow immediately sat up, a frown etching into his face as he sat up, pressing the heel of his palm against his eye, preparing to smudge all of Nelliel's hard work.