Strength Comes from the Small Things

Chapter 9

When Grimmjow woke up the next morning, Nel was the only one in bed with him, sprawled beside him, snoring her little heart out.

Grimmjow pushed himself up from where he lay on his stomach, frowning when he didn't see Ichigo and didn't hear the shower running. It made his stomach clench when he thought of the red-head leaving without saying anything, but Grimmjow's nerves calmed when he saw Ichigo's clothes still strewn on the floor.

Grimmjow pulled himself up, and grabbed a hold of his gel liner, pulling it on slowly. He slipped on a sock as well before finally clicking his leg into place, his 'robot curve' as Nel called it.
He stood and kissed her head before lumbering into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

A few minutes later, Grimmjow was bumbling down the stairs, having heard a ruckus in the kitchen.
"Ichigo?"
Said red-head turned and smiled at him from where he was making food at the stove.

"Morning! I hope pancakes are okay." Ichigo said, flipping them all over on the griddle. He then turned to Grimmjow, wiping his hands on the apron he'd found hanging in the pantry.

Grimmjow bit his lip at the domestic setting the other man had created, trying to keep all of his feelings at bay.
"You look good in an apron." the blue-haired man blurted instead, causing Ichigo to laugh.

"Why, thank you! And you look good in just your underwear."
Grimmjow looked down at himself as Ichigo turned back around.
He grumbled and shuffled into the laundry room to pull on a shirt. When he got back, Ichigo smiled and handed him the spatula.

"You can make, pancakes, right? I'll go get Nel up."

"No, I'll do it. I don't want you to have to deal with her-"

"Really, Grimmjow." Ichigo mumbled, setting his hands on the taller's cheeks. He sighed and took the spatula back, flipping the pancakes onto a plate before he turned the griddle off and sat Grimmjow down at the table.
"Listen. I know what this is about. I'm new and Nel is your world, what you live for. You can't trust anyone with her, right?"
Grimmjow tried to find something to say, but Ichigo gave him a knowing look and continued.
"I don't really know much about you, and visa versa, but I do know that I love kids and you, as an amputee, are amazing with them. Plus, getting to know each other is part of dating, right? So, maybe we're going a little fast - I mean, I've met your kid and slept in your bed and we've done much, much worse things - but that's okay. Nel is an angel, so sweet and beautiful, and you - God, you're you."
Grimmjow grunted in indignation and Ichigo chuckled a bit.
"I mean that in a good way, Grimmjow. Anyways, look...I get not wanting to trust me with her, but you can't trust someone if you don't try. If something ever happened to Nel because of me, I would never forgive myself."
The red head paused for a minute and slowly slid Grimmjow's hands into his.
"I actually really want this to work because you don't seem like an abusive boyfriend and this is probably my last time I'm going to try, so...please let me...handle Nel?" Ichigo descended into a whisper and Grimmjow was suddenly taken with anger.

This person, who was basically begging Grimmjow to allow him to be his boyfriend, this person who had taken Nel's attitude and energy and nightmares in stride, this person who had taken Grimmjow's amputated leg in like a normalcy and had even massaged it...this person was telling Grimmjow that he had not only had abusive boyfriends, but had also decided to give up on dating.

"Yeah. I'll set the table, you go get Nel." Grimmjow answered quietly, and Ichigo looked at him like he was godsend before standing up and quickly walking to the stairs.

Oh, yes. Grimmjow was very screwed.
And he thought he was a sucker for Nel.