Bleach Pornography Story: Drown Into Me

Chapter 6

There was a time, Grimmjow knew, to recognise that you were going to be in way over your head and that it was time to extricate yourself. Contrary to popular belief and his own efforts to portray himself as less than brilliant, he was a fairly smart guy when he had to be and could usually recognise that particular point. Unfortunately, it had become increasingly apparent that that time had come and gone as far as he and his captain went.

Now, he was a guy who appreciated women – that he knew. He was used to, uh, ‘appreciating’ them on a regular basis and, not that he was boasting, he was fairly accustomed to the reactions they inspired in him. He was not, however, used to feeling like every one of his nerve endings was on fire just from holding one.

Scowling to himself, he shook his head. Teasing the little bee was fun, and that had been all the motivation he required. Her reactions had been different from everyone else’s when he flirted; instead of coy smiles or icy glares, he got simmering, barely controlled rage. Maybe he had a little bit of an inner masochist, but he liked provoking her and getting her to fight him. Sure, he got beaten into the ground fairly regularly, but it was a good fight and he’d been making it harder for her to win lately. All in all, it was a fairly decent arrangement, except for the part where, at some point, he noticed that Soi Fon wasn’t just his attractive and easily annoyed captain. She was his complex, surprisingly fascinating, incredibly attractive and (these days) less easily annoyed captain, a woman who could beat the crap out of almost anyone she ran across and look sexy in heels.

He was in trouble.

As much as he wanted to tell himself that he’d shaped up to make things easier in the office, he knew that was a load of shit. He’d done it in an attempt to get closer to her, dismissing it at the time as a bit of fun. His little bee was interesting and that made her worth hanging around. It didn’t hurt that she was attractive too, though he had to admit that she wasn’t his usual type.

Either way, the dance they’d shared at Death and the Strawberry had made it pretty fucken obvious that this woman was more than a bit of fun and that he clearly had been mad to think his type was anything but petite, prickly and as badass as he was. The way she had felt in his arms, all warm soft skin and flashing black eyes… Hell, a conga-line of nude supermodels could have been waving to him over her shoulder and he would’ve missed it because he’d suddenly developed an inability to take his eyes off her. She just seemed to fit with him, her hand in his, his hands on the indentation of her waist, her mouth on his…

Ok, that last one was speculation, but for a moment there during that dance it had seemed like a possibility. His bee (when had he started thinking of her as his?) had actually stayed pressed up against him, her arms around his neck and her lips parted and waiting, rather than just bolting like he’d assumed she would. Of course, she’d bolted seconds later, but the damage had already been done and he’d carried the image of a willing Soi Fon in his head ever since. Unfortunately, that was the most current image he had of her, since she was making a very conscientious effort to avoid him at the division offices. Worse – he missed her.

He had broken a fundamental rule he had worked by when he interacted with women – don’t get attached. Part of him wanted to get the hell out now, but the majority of him knew it was too late for that. Hell, it had been too late the moment she had stayed in his arms and made it look as though she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. His bee wasn’t just a bit of fun for the night – he was playing for keeps this time.

Which meant that he needed backup, since this was completely foreign territory for him. He’d considered his drinking buddies, but had dismissed them almost instantly; there was no way he was talking feelings with either the strawberry or the pineapple. He’d never live it down. Then he’d actually swallowed his pride and approached Ulquiorra and Nel about it, figuring that they at least knew what a relationship was and could give him some tips. Nel had simply given him a smile that said ‘I told you so’ without actually vocalising it, and Ulquiorra…

The pale arrancar, while still very much the stoic, now occasionally let facial expressions and emotions slip through his mask. Usually it was Nel who got a reaction from him, but when Grimmjow explained the Soi Fon situation to Ulquiorra, he had been greeted with a lot of chuckling and two sentiments. Firstly, that this was sweet karmic payback for the six months Grimmjow had spent teasing Ulquiorra about his feelings for Neliel and, secondly, that Ulquiorra was going to enjoy replaying this scene with his eye for a long time.

It had not been helpful, to say the least. Finally, Grimmjow had realised that the obvious answer lay with the two women he considered occasional partners in crime, one the foremost relationship expert in the Seireitei and the other, a woman who knew how to seduce other women. He figured between the two of them (he wasn’t counting himself) they’d be able to come up with some ideas.

This, of course, was why he was now sitting in a dingy bar in the Rukongai as far away from Death and the Strawberry as he could get (the one tip Nel had given him was to allow Soi Fon some space), being laughed at by Maiko and Rangiku Matsumoto while trying to drink as much beer as he could in order to make the conversation bearable.

Somehow, the two women cackling at his misfortune weren’t exactly helping his mood. Glaring at both of them, he muttered, “Jus’ once I’d like to have a fucken conversation ’bout somethin’ serious that doesn’t involve me getting laughed at.”

Rangiku grinned. “Sorry Grimm, but Maiko and I have been waiting for you to grow up and stop chasing skirts for… How long, Maiko?”

Maiko shrugged in response. “Since he first got here. ‘Bout seven or eight months ago, I think.”

Nodding, Ran continued. “I’ve gotta say, hanging out with you in ‘Don Juan’ mode has been kinda painful to watch.”

With a snort, Maiko added, “I’ll say. Your pick up lines are awful. And those women… I didn’t think the Seireitei had that many female occupants with no self respect, but every time we went out somewhere together, you’d prove us wrong by scoring with another idiot.”

“Seriously depressing”, Ran concurred.

“Ok, I fucken get it already”, Grimmjow growled. “I don’ suppose we could wrap up the ‘let’s mock Grimmjow’ hour and get on to the point?”

Both women raised eyebrows, before turning to one another.

Maiko shook her head. “Honestly Ran, it’s like he doesn’t know us at all.”

“I’ll say. Worse, he actually thinks we’re going to be able to give him advice.”

“I know.” Turning back to Grimmjow, Maiko frowned. “Didn’t you ask Nel and Ulquiorra? They’d be better help than us.”

“You think I don’ know that? I did, but…”

With identical grins, the two women waited for him to continue.

“Shit, you’re scary when you hang out together.”

“But, what? C’mon Grimm-Kitty – spill!”

“Fuck off, Ran. The name is Grimmjow, got it? And I did ask ’em but Ulquiorra… He laughed at me.”

There was utter silence at the table as they took this image in, before the two women burst into gales of laughter once more. Grimmjow groaned, and finished his beer, motioning to the bartender for another. This was almost definitely shaping up to be the most humiliating day of his life.

“You two done yet?”

Trying to regain control, Maiko nodded, before nudging Rangiku, who was still gasping for air. “Sorry, it’s just quite a thought, Ulquiorra and actual laughter.”

“Yeah, I get the point”, Grimmjow muttered, before considering something else they’d said. “Anyway, why can’t you give me advice?”

Both women sobered up quickly, Maiko going first. “On seduction? Sure. On actually starting a relationship? Hun, when was the last time you saw me in anything that vaguely resembled one? A good three quarters of the women who I hit on turn out to be straight, and the other quarter only go along with it because they want to make out with me in front of their boyfriends.”

Ran patted her on the shoulder. “Wow.”

She sighed. “Yep. Pity party, table of one, right here. So, I can’t help you, Grimm.”

Nodding, Rangiku sighed. “And I’m not much better.”

“What? Why?” Grimmjow was starting to worry as his last source of advice slipped away.

“Because I’ve fallen in love with the guy who killed the only other man I’ve ever loved. And he’s my captain. The office is a little awkward.”

Grimmjow blinked, staring at the forlorn women in front of him. He’d broken the golden rule of social interactions in a post-war Seireitei – never force Rangiku Matsumoto into a conversation that involved Gin Ichmaru, no matter how tangentially. This apparently now also extended to Toushiro Hitsugaya. “Well, shit.”

Maiko smiled sadly as she slung an arm around Rangiku’s shoulders. “Indeed. Make that a table for two.”

Taking into the account the expressions on the faces of his friends as well as his own mood, Grimmjow could come to only one conclusion.

“We’re gonna need a lotta booze.”

xXx

Three hours later, they were all in a much better frame of mind. Of course, they were all plastered but, as Rangiku had pointed out before she had fallen off her chair the third time, it still counted.

“Feelings suck”, Maiko announced in a gleeful tone quite at odds with the sentiment. Picking herself up off the floor once more, Rangiku added, “I’ll drink to that!”

“Che, you’ll drink to anythin'”, Grimmjow muttered. “And I don’ have feelings like that. I’m not a fucken woman.” He considered this. “Or Yumichika.”

“Bullllllshit!” Rangiku had made it back up to the table.

Maiko looked Grimmjow over. “Nah, he’s right, Ran. He’s definitely not Yumichika. Yumi’s better dressed.”

Ran shook her head. “No, but he likes Soi Fon.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right! See, you do have feelings, Grimmy!”

“It’s Grimmjow. An’ look, I dunno what it is with Bee, ok? She just… There’s all this shit I don’ know ’bout her, and I want to. I wanna know. I never really gave a crap before, but it’s differen’ here. I don’t jus’ wanna fuck her, I wanna talk to her too. Hell, not even necessarily in tha’ order.” He considered this, staring at the bottles that littered the table. “It’s freaken the shit outta me.”

He looked up to see Rangiku smiling at him. “Congrats, Grimm. You finally grew up an’ fell in love.”

He snorted. “In ya dreams.” He turned to the third member of their party, only to find Maiko glaring fiercely at several Eleventh Division officers gathered at the table next to theirs, talking crudely about some woman. Ran shook her head. “Pigs.”

“Worse”, Maiko muttered. “They’re talking about Nel.”

Grimmjow growled as he got up from the table, only to be stopped as Maiko grabbed his arm. He frowned at her. “Look, no fucker talks about one o’ my friends like that.”

“I know, hun”, Maiko pointed out, “but I got a better plan. It involves getting their names off the bartender and givin’ them to Ulquiorra. Those men will mysteriously disappear over the next few weeks and their tortured, mangled corpses may never be found.”

“Oh. Well, in tha’ case, carry on.” Grimmjow sat back down. “Man, he’s protective when it comes t’ her.”

Maiko nodded. “I know. I jokingly asked him if he’d be willing to share one time, and I had to spend th’ next ten minutes flash stepping for my life as I tried to explain the ‘jokingly’ part. Oi, Ran, you still with us?”

“They ain’t talkin’ about Nel anymore”, the red head pointed out nervously. Grimmjow frowned as he listened out, until the phrase ‘Shihoun family bitch’ reached his ears. Maiko’s eyes widened, and she turned to Grimmjow, taking in his white face and furiously clenched fists. “Uh, Grimm? Grimmjow?”

He stood up, his gaze murderous and fixed on the unseated officers at the table. Maiko made a strangled noise, getting up to stand between him and his prey. “Ok, bad idea. That’s a lot of Eleventh Division guys and I know you could take ’em sober, right now I ain’t even sure how you’ve managed to stand up. Look, let’s just – ” She was cut off by a squeak and a muffled thump as Rangiku fell off her chair once again. “Oh shit.”

With Maiko now hurrying off to help Ran, Grimmjow seized the opportunity to stride over to the table in a line that, while not entirely straight, still made it to the destination, just in time for him to overhear one of them snigger and say something about cold little ninja bitches just needing warming up the right way (if you got what he meant). Grimmjow’s eyes narrowed as he acquired a target.

Fucker’s going down. No one talks about Shaolin like tha’. Well, ‘cept me. But that’s different… Right?

Che, whatever. Point is – fucker’s goin’ down.

Grabbing the last speaker by the shoulder, Grimmjow spun him around on his chair, blind to the other men at the table who stood up and readied themselves as he spoke. “Listen, ya little prick. Ya don’t talk about captains like tha’, an’ you especially don’ talk about mine. Got it?”

It was hard to be intimidating when you swayed as you threatened. The officer just stared up at Grimmjow as he shrugged off his hand, and stood up. “Yeah? Well, what the fuck you gonna do about it?”

The maniacal grin that spread across Grimmjow’s features really should have warned him, as a fist shot out and connected with his jaw, easily breaking it and throwing the shinigami back into his seat. There was an awkward pause as he tried to keep his eyes open and fixed on the arrancar in front of him, before he let unconsciousness claim him. The silence continued for all of one more second before, with a howl of rage, the remaining fifteen members of the group from the table descended upon Grimmjow.

Precisely one table away, Maiko Yukaya smacked the palm of her hand onto her forehead. “Baka. Now we’re in for it.” Assessing the situation, she turned to Ran, poking her awake. Rangiku looked up blearily. “Wassatime?”

Maiko rolled her eyes. “Time to go save Grimm’s ass. Can you send a hell butterfly to Soi Fon and get her in here? The way I figure it, nothing’s gonna calm these guys down like seeing the woman they’re getting punched up for insulting. Oh, and pick a good fight song on the jukebox.”

Ran grinned, suddenly more awake. “Oh, fun!” She headed off to find musical accompaniment as Maiko stayed behind, walking toward the bar. Tapping on the counter to get the cowering barkeeper’s attention, she yelled, “Oi! Gimme a bottle of your cheapest, nastiest shit that isn’t paint stripper!”

Staring at her, the man could only nod, as he slid a dusty half-empty bottle toward her, which she opened and took a swig from, grimacing as she set it down. “Fuck, you’re not kidding.” Shrugging, she threw her head back and drained the rest, gasping before smashing the empty bottle on the side of the counter and grabbing one of the light bar stools in her left hand. Grinning, she nodded to the bartender, before yelling, “Hey, Grimm!”

Having just thrown a man through the wall and out into the street, Grimmjow dodged a punch and looked up to see the tall brunette waving her broken bottle and chair-shield and heading toward the fray with a grin on her face that could only be described as psychotic. His own smirk widened. It was good to have back up.

With a gleeful yell of, “Let’s rumble!” Maiko hurled herself into battle.

xXx

Ideally, Soi Fon liked to wake up when she damn well felt like it. This was normally fairly early, giving her the chance to work out her aggression on her lovely bright blue punching bag rather than taking it into the office and working it out on her lieutenant. Of course, thanks to Yoruichi and her insinuations, the thought of working anything out on her lieutenant now took on a whole new meaning, one that was actually starting to sound almost… attractive.

Not that she was considering it.

Much.

This particular train of thought was beside the point, however, which was that Soi Fon did not enjoy being woken up by a hell butterfly message sent by an intoxicated Rangiku Matsumoto containing the words ‘Grimmjow’, ‘bar fight’, ‘help’, ‘now’ and ‘bitchin’ tequila’. Especially at two o’clock in the morning. Unfortunately, ignoring Grimmjow was not an option, which was why she was now flash-stepping her way through the districts of the Rukongai until she reached a certain bar in the 57th. Her destination was easy to find, if the noise hadn’t alerted her to the fact that she was close, the unconscious bodies of the Eleventh Division officers sprawled outside was a fairly good indicator.

Charming. That bastard better have a good reason for depriving me of sleep…

Kami, now I know I’m exhausted. I just started thinking about other ways he could keep me awake. This is all Yoruichi’s fault for putting the idea in my head, and Grim – Jeagerjacques’ fault for being Jeagerjacques.

His name is Jeagerjacques. Damn it.

Shaking her head, she stepped down off the roof and crossed the street, stepping over the sprawling officers as she pushed open the door to the bar.

Inside was pandemonium.

The bartender appeared to have abandoned shop, leaving the people who weren’t in the fight the perfect opportunity to steal what was behind the bar. This contingent appeared to be being lead by Lieutenant Matsumoto, who was currently in what looked like a slap fight with a burly looking fellow over a bottle of pina colada mix. On the other side of the room a tall, dark-haired woman that Soi Fon recognised as a seated officer of the Seventh was swinging a broken bottle and a chair around haphazardly, giggling as one or the other smacked into her opponents. As far as Soi Fon could see, the fact that she could hit anything at all was testament to the luck of the drunk rather than any sort of skill, but it seemed to be working for her. In the centre of the room, though, was her lieutenant, his trademark grin on his face, a bruise blooming on his unmasked cheekbone and two pairs of rather damaged knuckles to his name. He was currently in the process of holding one of the smaller knocked-out officers aloft and was using him as a weapon and shield against the others, who were a mixture of shinigami and bystanders who had jumped in on a promising fight. The soundtrack to all this was some living-world sounding song that featured a woman singing about heartaches in a surprisingly jaunty tone set to some very upbeat music.

Blinking, Soi Fon stepped back out and closed the door, attempting to process what she’d seen. Two minutes later, having given up, she opened the door again and sighed.

Nope, still there. Kami, why me?

Steeling herself, she walked in, drawing her sword. The spiritual pressure unleashed was like a sudden heatwave, stopping everyone in their tracks as they turned to stare at her in silent alarm.

Well, almost everyone.

Grinning from ear to bone fragment, Jeagerjacques put down his shinigami weapon, who was starting to wake up. “Hey Cap’n Bee! You here for the fun?”

I will not strangle him. There are witnesses. Besides, if I strangled him, I’d have nothing to look at during the workday.

Tell me I did not just think that.

Icily, she replied, “No, I can’t say I am.” Addressing the crowd at large, she continued, “The rest of you, put down your weapons and leave before I make you.” There was a pause, in which her eyes narrowed. “Now.”

The crowd snapped as one, scurrying toward the exit, with the exception of Rangiku who was now triumphantly clutching her pina colada mix at the bar, Maiko, who was putting her bar stool back where it belonged, and Grimmjow, who gave his victim a final punch before throwing him out one of the many holes in the wall. Closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, Soi Fon tried not to start screaming. Slowly and calmly, she turned to the woman from the Seventh (she appeared to be the most sober, not that that was saying much) and asked, “Who are you and what the hell happened here?”

“Maiko Yukaya, third seat o’ the Seventh, Captain”, she replied with a grin, “And you’d be better off asking Grimm since he threw the first punch.”

Snorting, he stumbled over and leaned back against the bar. “Jus’ drop me in it, why dontcha?”

Maiko rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s true.”

“Uh uh.” Rangiku shook her head vigorously. “Those bastards shouldn’t a said tha’ crap, so they started it.”

“Well, that’s fucken true too”, Maiko conceded with a nod.

Soi Fon raised an eyebrow. Clearly some words had been exchanged and that was the crux of the matter, but what could possibly offend Jeagerjacques? Turning to him, she queried, “Just what was said that justified this?”

Grimmjow growled, his eyes dangerous. “I ain’t repeatin’ it. Let’s jus’ say I was defendin’ your honour and leave it at that.”

Soi Fon blinked in confusion for the second time that night, before turning to the two women lounging at the bar. Rangiku was too far gone to notice, but Maiko nodded in confirmation, adding, “They said stuff about Nel, too. I figure I’ll just tell Ulquiorra that and he’ll pay for the damage. Wouldya believe he actually has a part of the budget set aside for this sorta thing?”

Not even registering what was being said, Soi Fon’s mind was reeling.

Of all the things I would have thought had started this, that one I didn’t expect. Getting into a fight because I was insulted? I mean, I hardly need anyone to fight on my behalf, but it’s still almost… well, sweet. For Grim – Jeagerjacques, that is. Damn it.

“Very well, I won’t take disciplinary action.”

He pouted. “Awww, no kinky fun?” Attempting to stand without the aid of the bar, he swore before sinking down to sit on the ground, his legs outstretched. “Fuck. Guess the adrenaline was keepin’ the booze at bay.”

“Charming”, Maiko cut in as she hoisted Rangiku up and slung the woman’s arm around her shoulder before turning to stare pleadingly at Soi Fon. “Look, I realise we’ve been enough of a pain already, but I can only carry one – “

Resigning herself, Soi Fon replied, “I’ll take my lieutenant.”

With a grateful smile, Maiko and a mostly unconscious Rangiku flashed out. Turning to the arrancar on the floor, Soi Fon sighed. “If I flash you out, how likely is it that you’ll vomit?”

“Extremely.”

“Walking it is, then.”

xXx

Twenty reasonably uneventful minutes later (there had been a moment when she’d almost dropped him after he started nuzzling her neck), Soi Fon had successfully dragged Grimmjow back to his quarters and was now waiting for him to find his keys. Having eventually located the correct pocket, he fished them out and stared at them for a beat, before his intoxicated mind made the connection and fitted them in the lock. It was then when she decided to ask the question that had been bothering her since they’d left the club.

“Why’d you do it?”

Blearily, he turned to stare at her. “Huh?”

She gave up and rolled her eyes. “Articulate to a fault, aren’t you?”

“Give a guy a break. I am kinda shit-faced. Why’d I do what?”

She gave him a look. “What do you think? Why did you fight them?”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You fucken kidding? They shouldn’t be talkin’ about ya like that!”

She shrugged. “I’m a woman in power. The Seireitei is not the most progressive organisation, so I’ve heard a lot of crap over the years. It doesn’t bother me what a few ignorant assholes think. But you talk like that about me all the time, so what’s the big deal?”

He looked offended. “I don’ talk about you, I talk to ya. Big difference. ‘Sides, Bee, you know I’m only kidding.” He frowned. “A’ least, I hope ya know I’m only kiddin’. Well, mostly.” He cocked his head, considering. “I mean, I wasn’ that keen on ya when I started, but I wasn’t keen on anythin’ much then. An’, I dunno, you’ve grown on me. O’ course, I ain’t kidding ’bout thinkin’ you’re hot. Jus’ so we’re clear. Anyway, they shouldn’t talk crap ’bout ya. You don’ deserve that.”

It was definitely time to get out, Soi Fon decided. This was now the second time in the space of an hour that she’d actually thought the words ‘sweet’ and ‘Grimmjow’ at the same time.

He’s actually not entirely a pain, once you get to know him. There’s more to him than I thought… I wonder what else I’ve missed, just dismissing him as an arrogant playboy. Not that I’m about to start going out of my way to get to know him, but all the same he… interests me.

Which is terrible. It’s bad enough I actually find him attractive, I don’t need a distraction like that in my life.

Once more the rebellious part of her mind piped up. A distraction like a good-looking, interesting guy who’s attracted to me? Hell, that’s exactly the kind of distraction I’ve been lacking for far too long…

But it’s Grim – damn it, Jeagerjacques.

Oh yeah, it’s time to go.

Still, there was a part of her that didn’t want to leave, a part that wanted to learn a little more about her oddly chivalrous lieutenant. It was that same part that kept her there, despite her misgivings, and had her give the arrancar leaning against the door frame a small smile as she softly replied, “Thank you.”

He stared at her, apparently surprised, before shrugging. “Anytime, Bee.”

She gave him a stern look. “Stop calling me that.”

He grinned in response. “Never.” His gaze softened as he stared at her, and one of his hands reached out to brush her bangs. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move.

Damn it, why must my brain fail me at moments like this!

Almost as if he sensed her discomfort, he pulled his hand back and shook his head, opening his door. “Ya know, most people look better when I’m drunk, but I think I like you better not blurry. You’re prettier that way.”

“Charming”, she muttered dryly, hoping that he couldn’t see how deeply she was blushing.

This is insane. He regales me with crude comments daily, and I’m fine, but one drunken complement and I suddenly feel like I’m melting. This is not good.

“Night, Bee.” Flashing her a quick grin, he stepped inside and closed the door, leaving her to walk home, wondering when the hell she’d decided that she actually didn’t mind her lieutenant.