Do You Remember Me?

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:
Grimmjow huffed and sat up, turning on the light and looked across his room with a frown, he couldn't sleep and he didn't know why. His gaze landed on the box sat in the corner and groaned, of course, it was Ichigo, why else would he be this restless? Sighing in defeat, Grimmjow untangled himself from the covers and picked up the box, carrying it back to the bed.
Sitting down next to it, he hesitated before opening it slowly and stuck a hand in to rummage amongst the items. Finding something soft, he frowned and pulled it out to see it was a lion plushie. He looked at it intently, holding it closer and inspecting the toy.
"...Kon?" Grimmjow asked the name aloud before snorting, he was talking to a teddy, it wasn't like it could respond. Was its name Kon? If it was, how did he know that? He pulled the lion closer so his nose almost brushed the motionless face of the teddy he now knew as Kon. "Why can't I remember anything?"
When he yet again received no answer, Grimmjow scoffed and set the plushie down, returning to stick his hand in the box. Finding something heavy, Grimmjow pulled it out to find it was a box and rose an eyebrow before slowly opening it. Seeing they were photos, Grimmjow moved to take one before his out eyes widened and he snapped it shut again, rubbing at his eyes to rid himself of the image. Why the hell would Ichigo put that in there?
Grimmjow could feel himself blushing and cursed, it had to be a natural reaction, anyone would blush if they saw those kind of photos, he would never be able to look at the orange head again without thinking about it.
"What the hell did he think he was doing? Did he really think I'd want to look at that?" Grimmjow pushed the small box away and wrinkled his nose. Eyeing the box again, he tried his luck again, praying there weren't any other shocks inside. Yet another small box was pulled back and Grimmjow eyed it warily for a moment before opening it, sighing in relief when he found they were normal photos.
Pulling them out, Grimmjow frowned at them, in each one, he looked happy. He knew he wasn't one for smiling, so why in every damn photo was his grinning? Flicking through them, he paused at one with him and Ichigo. The orange head was laughing, his cheeks flushed and Grimmjow could see why, in the photo he was kissing the man's cheek. So they really were happy together? Why would he want to forget Ichigo if he was as happy as he seemed.
Putting the photos away, Grimmjow put everything back in the box and set it on the floor lying down and frowned at ceiling. They were happy together obviously, but why couldn't he remember anything? Scrubbing at his face, Grimmjow groaned before rolling over to grab his phone and looked at the time, half one in the morning, perfect.
He went to put it down, but hesitated. If there was one thing he knew, he had to speak to Ichigo. Unlocking the phone, Grimmjow sent the man a text before he could regret it and resumed staring at the ceiling.
' Ichigo I need to talk to you, can we meet? '
Grimmjow jumped when his phone beeped and was surprised to see it was a reply, he wasn't expecting Ichigo to still be awake.
' Sure, meet me tomorrow at Yumi's around ten. '
He frowned, what the hell was 'Yumi's'? Another text came through, so he opened it, raising an eyebrow when he saw it was an address.
' Just in case you don't remember where it is. It's café, see you then. '
' See you then. '
Grimmjow sent his reply and set the phone on the side, turning off the light as well. He needed to sleep, he had a lot of questions which needed answers, to which only Ichigo had the answers.
...
The next day Grimmjow woke up early, too nervous to go to sleep again. With a heavy sigh he got up to get ready for the day. When he went downstairs, Nel looked at him in surprise. "Since when are you such an early riser?"
Grimmjow shrugged, sitting down next to her with a groan. "I'm going to meet Ichigo, guess I couldn't sleep." Her eyebrows rose even further at the comment and she looked at him speechlessly. "What?" Grimmjow frowned at her, Nel was never at a loss for words.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought, after yesterday, you would keep your distance."
He shrugged and frowned and the floor. "Well I have questions, only he can answer them. How long can I avoid him?" His thoughts strayed to those photos and felt his cheeks flush again. "Hey Nel?"
She looked at him, giggling when she saw he was blushing. "Yes?"
"I Ichigo the type to... y'know..." He waved his hand and trailed off, unable to voice his question.
"To what?" Nel smirked when Grimmjow gave her an exasperated look.
"Be kinda... kinky?" He jumped when she burst out laughing, glaring at her. "What?!"
She shook her head and it took her several minutes to calm down. Wiping her face free of tears, she sighed deeply and looked at Grimmjow again, suppressing a giggle. "Kinky huh? I suppose so, I mean, only when you were around. I thought when I first met him you two would never work, he seemed to shy, to innocent. But damn was I wrong, do you know how many times I've walked in on you two going at it? Don't even get me started on where either."
Grimmjow choked slightly and looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Yup, you couldn't keep your hands to yourself." She paused and lent towards him, frowning slightly. "C'mon, you've gotta be attracted to him right? Even a teeny weeny bit."
"No!" Nel smirked, settling back but chose not to voice what she knew, Grimmjow was a bad liar, even when lying to himself. Grimmjow scowled at her before sighing and glanced at his watch and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw it was half nine. "Shit I've gotta go, where's Yumi's?"
Nel rolled her eyes and stood up. "C'mon, I'll drive."
...
Grimmjow's eyes kept darting to the clock every few moments, the minutes slowly ticking by and now, it was ten to ten. "Damn it Nel, how long?"
She shrugged and glanced at the clock. "I dunno, ten minutes I suppose, we're cutting it fine but don't worry, Ichigo will wait."
"How do you know?"
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Because it's Ichigo, and you're always late for dates. Nothing's changed and I bet he knows that."
"It's not a date." Grimmjow huffed, ignoring Nel's sigh and glanced out the window. "Are we there yet?"
She slapped his arm. "Don't get childish, see, it's there." She pointed at a building across the street and pulled up, Grimmjow's eyebrow rising when he took the front of the store in. there was no way in hell anyone could miss it. Bright neon lights proclaimed the place was called Yumi's and Grimmjow frowned.
"No way, I am not going in there."
Nel rolled her eyes and shoved him to get out. "Idiot, you always go there. Your exact words are 'best damn pancakes ever' so get moving, Ichigo's waiting."
Grimmjow looked at the café again to see what Nel said was indeed true, he could see Ichigo sat in one of the stalls, poking at something in front of him. "Fine, I'm going." Grimmjow muttered the words and got out.
"Good luck!" Nel called before driving off and Grimmjow sighed heavily before crossing the street and approaching the café. Going inside, the first thing to greet him was a slap around the face. He flinched and glared at the assaulter, a blonde haired man who glared back.
"Well?" He asked, hand on hip, tapping his foot impatiently. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Uh, do I know you?"
Ichigo's head snapped up when he spoke, his eyes widening when he saw Shinji stood in front of him and got up quickly. He grabbed the blonde haired man's arm before he could strike Grimmjow again. "Do you know me? Are you fucking serious?!"
"Shinji!" He huffed, turning to look at Ichigo and his expression softened. "He doesn't remember ok, leave him alone."
"Fine, but I swear to god..." He turned back to Grimmjow who was looking at them both in confusion and pointed a threatening finger in his face. "Get some sense into that brain of yours." Sighing heavily, Shinji's scowl was suddenly replaced with a bright grin. "I'll bring over your usual, it'll be a few moments!" With that, he turned and went behind the staff doors, leaving the two alone.
Ichigo scoffed before looking at Grimmjow, offering him a small smile. "Sorry about that, Shinji can be a bit exaggerative sometimes." He laughed nervously, his cheeks turning pink and Grimmjow was surprised to find it suited the man. "I, uh... c'mon, the tables over here."
Ichigo turned and walked away, Grimmjow following him to the table and sat down across from him. He could now see Ichigo had been poking at what remained of his food.
Ichigo saw he was looking and blushed harder. "Sorry, I eat when I'm nervous."
Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at that, leaning back in his seat to observe the orange head fully. "Why are you nervous?"
He thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. "I have no idea actually, but I am." He looked down, slowly wrapping his hands around his drink and Grimmjow caught sight of his rings, frowning slightly. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ichigo asked softly, bringing Grimmjow's attention back to the present.
Grimmjow cleared his throat and lent on the table and frowned at Ichigo slightly. "Who's Kon?"
Ichigo jerked in surprise, his brown eyes widening in shock. "K-kon?" When Grimmjow nodded, he smiled softly and looked down. "You won him at a fair, on our first date." He looked up again and frowned at Grimmjow. "How did you know his name?"
Grimmjow shrugged. "I don't know, I just did. When I was looking at him, it slipped out."
"Oh." Ichigo sighed, resting his head on his hand and lent across the table. "So, what else? I'm sure you have a ton of questions. I'll do my best to answer them."
His thoughts returned to those photos and Grimmjow lent closer to make sure they weren't overheard, specifically by the nosy blonde who was watching them closely. Ichigo blushed when Grimmjow motioned for him to move closer, but did as asked.
"I found some photos."
Ichigo frowned at that. "Well yeah, I put photos in there."
"No, I mean photos."
Ichigo blushed violently and jerked back as Grimmjow said the word meaningfully and he looked at him with that look. He knew it very well, Grimmjow was thinking about sex. "Shit! I'm sorry!"
Grimmjow looked at him in surprise, sitting up as Shinji came over and dropped the plate in front of him, leaving before he could thank him. "Why are you apologising?"
"I didn't mean to put them in, I didn't know they were in that box." Ichigo's blush heightened and he scowled at Grimmjow when his expression didn't change. "Stop it, I know what you're thinking about."
"Oh yeah, what am I thinking about then?"
"Me, presumably naked by the look of your face." Grimmjow jerked back in surprise, damn he was good. Ichigo chuckled at his surprised expression. "I know you Grimmjow and I know that look. Damn it..." He sighed softly and slouched down. "That look tells me one thing, you're thinking about sex."
"I am not!" Grimmjow replied hotly, feeling his own cheeks flush. "This is so unfair!"
Ichigo shrugged, looking out the window unseeingly. "Tell me about it." He muttered, seemingly to himself. Sighing, Ichigo returned to looking at Grimmjow and smiled softly. "Try the pancakes, they're-"
"The best damn pancakes ever, I know." He chuckled when Ichigo jerked in surprise. "Nel told me earlier."
"Oh." They lapsed into silence and Grimmjow took the opportunity to actually try the food. Ichigo watched in amusement as Grimmjow's eyes closed in bliss and he finished the pancakes off in record time. "Good?"
Grimmjow nodded and lent back with a groan, smiling softly. "Definitely good." He opened his eyes to find Ichigo looking at him strangely and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Ichigo shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips as he twirled his straw around his drink. "Nothing, just nice to see you smiling a guess. After all, the last few times we've been together haven't exactly been good, have they?"
"No, not really." Grimmjow looked at the table, observing Ichigo's hand which was lying innocently on the top. Reaching out, he covered it with his own and looked at Ichigo who jerked in surprise, his eyes lifting to meet his. "Ichigo..."
"Yeah?" He asked quietly, leaning forward and Grimmjow copied the action.
"Idiot!" They sprang apart when someone yelled, looking up to see Shinji come running out from behind the staff doors, another man hot on his tail. "Don't slack off, we have customers waiting!"
"I'm sorry Yumi!"
Grimmjow observed the man with feathers in his hair and eyelashes, this must be the famous Yumi. He raised an eyebrow when the man turned his attention to them, his violet eyes narrowing. Walking over to them, he sat on the table with a huff and Grimmjow pulled his hand back. "So, what's wrong with you two? Usually you're the life of the party." He turned an eyed Grimmjow suspiciously. "I heard you don't remember us, is that correct?"
"Uh, yeah." He ducked as the man threw a punch at him. "Hey!"
"Yumi!" Ichigo grabbed his arm and glared at his friend. "Lay off ok, Shinji's already slapped him."
He huffed and stood up. "Good, he deserved it." Sending Grimmjow a glare, he stalked off again behind the scenes.
Ichigo sighed and looked at Grimmjow apologetically. "Sorry, it doesn't seem that anyone's happy with you right now."
"Yeah, I seem to have that effect at the moment." Ichigo laughed lightly and Grimmjow smiled, it was a nice laugh. "Hey, wanna get out of here?"
He nodded eagerly and stood to follow Grimmjow, winking at Shinji as he passed. "So, where we going?" Ichigo asked, catching up to Grimmjow's side and they continued down the street.
"I dunno..." Grimmjow looked around, grinning when he spotted a fair and grinned, grabbing Ichigo's arm to tow him over. "Let's go!"
Ichigo laughed, letting Grimmjow take him over, walking down one of the makeshift lanes, Ichigo grabbed his arm and pointed at a rollercoaster. "Want to try it?"
"Sure, why not?" They joined the que and as they sat down, Ichigo shifted closer to him and their arms brushed, making Grimmjow look at him in question. "You ok?"
Ichigo nodded, smiling nervously. "I guess, I'm not that fond of rollercoasters."
"So why'd you suggest it?"
"Because you like them." As the carts started moving, Ichigo gripped his arm and he sighed, moving to grasp Ichigo's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Idiot, you'll be fine."
He looked at him in surprise before smiling, curling his fingers around Grimmjow's. "I know, I've got you here so I'll be fine."
As they reached the top, Ichigo shifted closer and Grimmjow couldn't help but grin, he really was cute. He stiffened at the thought, cute? Before he could question it, they were speeding down and Ichigo was clinging to him, his head pressed against his chest. Grimmjow, reacting on instinct, wrapped an arm around the man and drew him closer. Ichigo peered up at him questioningly, but Grimmjow refused to meet the gaze.
When they got off, he stepped away from Ichigo as they started walking around the stalls. "Grimmjow?"
"Yeah?" He heard Ichigo hesitate, but his eyes landed on a stall showcasing more lion plushies and grinned, towing Ichigo over. "Wait here." Ichigo frowned, but nodded as Grimmjow went over and started the game. His eyes widened in surprise when Grimmjow won and he was handed a teddy, which he brought back to him and held out. "Here."
Ichigo hesitated before slowly taking it and looked up at Grimmjow in confusion. "Why did you do that?" He stiffened when Grimmjow's hand left the teddy and moved to cup the side of his face.
"An apology. I'm sorry about the way I've been acting around you. I know you're hurting and I'm sorry I can't make it better." Grimmjow frowned, running his thumb over Ichigo's lip. "I really am sorry I don't remember."
Ichigo smiled softly, moving to hold his hand against his cheek. "It's ok, I'm not giving up on you yet. There's still hope, right?"
"I don't know..."
He flinched and stepped back, pushing Grimmjow's hand away. Ichigo sighed and gripped the plushie before looking at Grimmjow again. "I think I'm going to go home." He turned and left, surprised when Grimmjow followed. "What is it?"
Grimmjow sighed, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "I don't know. Can I walk you back?"
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise, but he conceded and nodded. "Sure, the house isn't that far away."
They walked in silence, unsure as to what to say to each other. Ichigo was confused, it was fun, being out with Grimmjow, but confusing, he said he didn't want him, but acted as though he did. What did he want from him? Grimmjow, not knowing the answer himself, was also confused. He didn't know what he wanted from Ichigo, but he just couldn't let him go.
When they reached the house, Ichigo turned and looked at Grimmjow as they reached the door, smiling softly. "Thanks for today, I really needed it. If you need me for anything else, just let me know and I'll be there." Grimmjow nodded, but didn't respond and Ichigo sighed. "Well, goodbye then."
He turned to open the door, fumbling with the keys for a moment before unlocking the door. As he went to go inside, Ichigo jumped when Grimmjow grabbed his arm and spun him around again. Coming face to face with Grimmjow, he froze up, his heart beating wildly and he couldn't form a word, instead opting for staring at Grimmjow dumfoundedly.
Grimmjow frowned at him in confusion before cupping his face and lent closer, Ichigo's eyes fluttering shut automatically. Their lips brushed together and Ichigo shivered, tilting his head up and when Grimmjow's lips met his firmly, he felt his legs give way, Grimmjow's arm going around his waist to keep him upright.
The kiss was hesitant, unsure and Ichigo knew Grimmjow didn't know what he was doing so tangled his fingers in blue hair, pulling him down to guide him. Ichigo soon found himself pressed against the wall and moaned, tugging on Grimmjow's hair. He pulled back suddenly, making Ichigo frown at the sudden withdrawal and looked up in confusion.
"Grimmjow?"
His eyes darted to Ichigo momentarily before looking away again and he stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "I- I need to go." Ichigo watched in surprise as he practically ran away and let out a shaky breath, leaning against the wall to keep himself standing.
Ichigo made his way inside slowly, shutting the door before looking down at the plushie in his hands. He smiled and set it on the table, humming to himself. Grimmjow may be hesitant, unsure and hell, maybe even afraid, but there was a part of him that still wanted him and that alone, made Ichigo happy. He was determined to make Grimmjow remember, or at the very least love him again and the kiss proved it, Grimmjow wasn't ready to let go just yet.