tampered | Log; Complete

Current Location: Club Automatica

Log; Complete

When; Dec 27, night
Rating; PG-13, at least
Characters; Grimmjow Jaggerjack [

6thsword] & Hinamori Momo [

hajikemomo] (open to the shinigami going clubbing too, but it's kind of... a personal moment...)
Summary; Hinamori reluctantly follows Isane, Soifon, Yoruichi, Greed, and Nell to Club Automatica but runs into a certain arrancar there who'd been doing his best to avoid her all day.
Log;

The monsters near the surface were too weak to be even called cannon fodder, but Grimmjow had lurked in the area all day. Though he'd wanted to go deeper into the Underground, people's constant insistances that it wasn't a challenge at all made him hesitate. Why waste the effort if there wasn't anything down there that would do much damage? But at the same time, the arrancar wanted to get as far away from the City, Aizen and the others, those shinigami, and her as possible. He needed to deal with any internal conflicts his own way -- through unrelenting bloodshed.

It irked him that the most killing he'd done was through a subway explosion. As fun as that had been, his zanpakutou was hungry. It'd have to satisfy itself on bestial blood.

It was late into the night, and Grimmjow still hadn't descended into the next level of the Underground. Instead, he was standing outside the doors to Club Automatica, glowering furiously at the gaudy neon lights. He hadn't had a drink from the place in a while. With a shrug, the arrancar pushed his way inside and lost himself in the crowd.

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This was stupid, and she knew it was. Coming because Nell wanted her too? Hinamori was tired, the strain from dealing with a wounded zanpakuto amongst other things - her nightmare, of course, always included within the 'things' part - all of it catching up to her. So even though she managed to force a smile at the little arrancar currently clinging to her lap while she was sitting, sneering at the other occupants of the club in a most childish manner, the dark haired shinigami really wasn't paying much attention to anything.

At least, not until she was able to feel a familiar reiatsu. Plucking Nell off of her and giving her a gentle push towards the gathered vice captains and captains, she smiled reassuringly with a small, whispered, "I'll be back in a minute. Stay with Soifon-taichou for now," before making her way through the crowd herself in search of him. It was still stupid, but for whatever reason she gave herself, it was something she wanted to do. She didn't have any answers for him, but... She was sure it was better that way. For now, at least.

Even as he snatched a drink from some witless customer's hands, Grimmjow wondered what he was doing there when so many different reiatsu told him he was severely outnumbered. He knew he couldn't hide from them, but he kept as far away as possible. He knew it would be stupid to start a conflict in such a crowded place, but he wasn't sure if he could keep his sword sheathed if he so much as saw a shinigami.

Grimmjow took a seat at the bar, shooting glares at anyone who happened to catch his eye. When he caught her's, flickers of her reiatsu pushing at him through the crowd, the arrancar lowered his gaze to his drink.

Well, fuck.

She tried not to laugh, but somehow it seemed odd that he'd be ignoring her instead of the other way around. So Hinamori couldn't help it, a small smile appearing as she slipped over, pausing behind him.

"Hiding?" she muttered, glancing - up - at him quizzically.

"No," he replied fiercely, not turning around to look at her. Great, he thought, just what I needed. He downed his drink in one go and tossed the glass at the bartender.

"Why are you down here, of all places?"

The smile faded into a frown as she moved to his side, choosing to stare at the counter in front of her instead. Saying he was unhappy would probably be an understatement, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was making it worse.

"Soifon-taichou and some others wanted to come... Nell dragged me along with them." Hinamori shrugged slightly with a little sigh, shaking her head ruefully. Idiot. "I'm sorry for bothering you..." she trailed off, hands fiddling with the sash of the dress they'd forced her into - fortunately not quite as cold as the last one Nell had chosen. "I'll leave you alone?"

He stole another glass, suppressing a sigh of exasperation at Hinamori's words. As much as he'd wanted to be left alone, he figured this was a sign that she at least enjoyed his company. He remembered what he'd told Nell, too, that if Hinamori wanted to see him then he'd reciprocate. And here she was, coincidence or no.

"Stay," he ordered, reaching out with his free hand to take one of hers. He allowed himself to look at her at last, but his expression remained set in a scowl. "I'm just... a little pissed off right now."

"Nell said your ban was over..." Hinamori glanced down, leaving her hand but not at all glad with seeing him scowl. Sure, it wasn't like he didn't scowl normally, but-

No, she shoved those thoughts aside with another small, meek smile. "Isn't that a good thing for you?"

More good signs, and yet he couldn't bring himself out of this stupid emotional slump. He at least softened his sharp grimace at her smile. There was no use getting angry at her when she was trying so hard to make him feel better.

"Sure," the arrancar replied. "But I'm not angry over that."

"Oh... sorry." She didn't know why she was apologising, or even if she should, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Even if he'd just yell at her for it.

Giving his hand a reassuring tug the small shinigami moved a little closer - mostly to move away from the other people crowding the bar - and pushed the drink away from him with her free hand. "You shouldn't drink, though. It'll only make you feel worse. Abarai-kun-" Hinamori stopped herself, biting her lower lip as she did so. She'd noticed before he didn't like it when she mentioned her friends, even if they weren't in the City. It was better to drop the subject so she did, along with her gaze.

"Don't apologize." He wasn't in the mood to hear her take the blame for every little annoyance he expressed. Instead, he might as well enjoy the fact that she was so close to him, and by her own will, too.

Grimmjow picked up the drink before it could escape his reach and took another swig. "This is a bar. The point is to drink," he said, half-grinning now. "I've got a pretty high tolerance anyway." He chose to ignore her mention of those other shinigami. Ruining the mood was pointless. "You want something? A martini, or maybe a tequila? You don't look the type for anything hard."

She shook her head, mumbling an "I'm fine," in response. Honestly? She hadn't really wanted to come at all. The drinking part was beyond her.

"It doesn't help the way you feel," was all Hinamori offered, keeping her gaze down still. "Then again... I guess it doesn't matter for you, right?" The whole, not meant to have emotions thing. Not that she believed it in the slightest. Not after meeting Nell and... other things.

Grimmjow lowered his glass to the countertop, his grin having faded back into general apathy. But he was still holding onto her hand, and there was something reassuring about that permission.

He couldn't deny it now, could he? Not after what's happened.

"It doesn't matter how much I drink," he said before downing the rest of the liquor. "It won't make me feel better." He changed his grip on her hand and twined their fingers together. As much as he'd denied it on the day they were stuck, he didn't mind the touch at all.

"What will?" She glanced up at him after looking at their hands, surprised to say the least.

"What will make you feel better?" Hinamori repeated, trying - probably in vain - to understand. She didn't know why she was trying, simply that she wanted to. Maybe Nell's inquisitive nature had rubbed off on her, but whatever it was, the dark haired shinigami wanted to help Grimmjow if she could.

They were rather close now, seated at the bar like that. If he'd been in a playing mood, Grimmjow would've had the biggest grin on his face... but instead he was deathly serious. He didn't know why, but this was more important than anything previous.

"You." Grimmjow leaned in until his forehead rested against hers. "I love you."

Even then the words were foreign, but he brushed the thoughts aside as he claimed her lips in a kiss.

She pulled back, glancing over at where she knew everyone else was. Stupid. Really, really stupid. "I can't do anything for you."

Freeing her hand too, she lowered her gaze yet again, finding some small amount of comfort in the ground by her feet. "You can't just- I don't- What do-" Hinamori didn't even know what she was trying to say, let alone what she was really thinking. All she knew was she really didn't want to be there.

He sighed and turned away, hailing the bartender for another drink. He'd expected this was going to happen, yet he'd pursued it anyway. He was such an idiot.

"I know." He downed that third glass. "That's why I'm drinking."

He should never have stopped by Automatica. He should've just continued into the Underground, or gone to the forest -- just anywhere but near civilization. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this overload of emotion that he didn't even know he had.

"Stop it." She tugged on his arm, forcing him to turn back to her even as she refused to meet his gaze. "There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

He was always teasing her, wasn't he? That was missing this time. And... they were out. In public. Where other shinigami were. Her superiors, her friends. Nell, even. She didn't want to know what he'd been thinking.

"Just... I don't know. I told you I needed time. It's not- I can't just say something that easily. I can't. It's not..." It wasn't what? Right, normal, natural, allowed? Any number of words could finish her sentence and Hinamori chose to trail off instead, leaving it unfinished. She probably wouldn't be able to even if she tried, there were too many options, and none of them seemed to complete it the way she wanted.

He didn't turn around. He wouldn't.

"It's not what?" His words echoed their thoughts. "It's not... what you want? It's not comforting? Familiar? Safe?" He could hear the sneer in his tone. He knew his words would sting somehow, would cause her to either get angry or fall into the same infuriating slump he was currently experiencing.

With elbows on the table, Grimmjow held his head in his hands and stared furiously at the wood grain. "This is so fucked up it's not even funny."

She fell silent, unable to respond. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do. Nothing. Hinamori hated it, hated everything about this moment, hated the world, the City, herself. She was hurting him without doing a thing.

Even if he was an Espada, even if he would kill her... it wasn't fair to him.

"I'm sorry." The same, meek, small apology she always found herself muttering. "I'm sorry. I don't know." Was it any of those things? She had no answers, and despite the obvious fun Yachiru and Nell were having, running from one end of the table to the other with the gathered shinigami, Hinamori couldn't bring herself to smile. It was useless trying. "...I'll leave you alone." It was stupid, it had always been stupid, and it probably always would be. SHe knew better than to turn her back to someone who could - and would - kill her, but she did it anyway, intent on forcing her way through the crowd and out of that place.

She was walking away, and he couldn't do anything about it.

With a flare of reiatsu, Grimmjow slammed his fist into the bartop. "FUCK!" he snarled, not at all caring if anyone saw or heard -- or felt -- his rage. He didn't care that he'd now cracked the wood and that the bartender was shooting him the most insidious of glares, or that the people around him were edging away ever so slowly.

He had no claim to Hinamori, and it hurt like hell. He was such a fool.

It wasn't that hard to miss Grimmjow's small explosion, but Nell certainly noticed and with a quick tug on Yachiru's arm she bounded across the room, launching herself into the other arrancar's side. She attached herself quickly and tightly and showed no signs of letting go at all.

"What'th wrong, Grimmy-Ethpada?" the small girl murmured, nuzzling against him in a hug. "You thouldn't be thad. They thaid clubbing wath thuppothed to be fun!"

Grimmjow turned his grimace to Nell's display of affection. He did not need comfort from her right then. He didn't even understand why she was in a club in the first place.

"It's none of your fucking business, brat," he snapped, pulling at one of the child's arms in a vain attempt at removing her from his side.

"But Nell wantth to know! Nell can't find Momo right now, tho Nell ith going to thtay with you inthtead!" His attempts to pry her off only made Nell cling tighter in protest.

"Nell thought you wanted to be alone before, but if you're here, then you don't really want to be!"

"I didn't think you -- any of you -- would be here right now." The Espada stopped trying to pry Nell off only because he'd lose his ability to breathe properly if he continued. Instead, he hailed for another drink, and when that was denied to him he snatched one from a patron's hands.

"I'm not in the best mood right now, okay?" Grimmjow relented, allowing Nell that bit of information.

"But thith placthe would have people in it anyway, thtupid." She relented ever so slightly, just long enough to steal the drink from him and throw it on the floor. He was in a bad mood?

She'd lost Momo again! And the small shinigami was absolutely rubbish with directions! And no one had worn shoes with laces! Nell was far from happy herself, but at least now she was with someone she didn't mind quite that much.

"Nell'th here now, too, tho Nell ith going to thtay with Grimmy-Ethpada until Momo cometh back for Nell," she concluded, reasserting her grip on Grimmjow's side.

Sometimes Grimmjow wondered if Nell was smarter than she let on. Stay with him until Hinamori returned? That would only result in another confrontation with the shinigami, and the Espada wasn't sure if either of them could really handle it right then. Intentional or not, Nell seemed adamant about having Grimmjow and Hinamori see each other. That was her plan earlier too, wasn't it?

Grimmjow didn't bother to yell at Nell for throwing his drink onto the floor. It seemed like too much trouble right then.

"After she comes back for you," the Espada said gravely, "I'm going into the underground like I said I was. I need time by myself, so don't follow me."

Moving herself onto his lap - never once loosening her grip, of course - she nodded in assent before responding. "Nell doethn't know if the ith coming back though. The thaid to thtay with the thaptain-lady until the did, but Nell doethn't want to!"

Tugging on Grimmjows arm this time - it was annoying having everyone be taller than her, she was quickly finding - she attempted to pull him closer so she could mutter "Nell doethn't want to be with the thinigami right now, unleth it'th Momo. Nell'th thinkth they're kind of thtupid." Either she was ignoring his comment about wanting to be alone, or she was ignoring it. It was hard to tell.

She was definitely plotting something.

"What the hell do you want me to do, then?" Grimmjow was growing tired of this. If Nell wanted something from him -- and he was not going to give her his company -- then she should say it outright. "You want me to drop you off at Momo's, or something? 'Cause I don't want you hanging around me right now."

"Nell'th not hanging around you, thilly, Nell'th hanging onto you! Nell jutht wantth to be with thomeone that'th not one of them!" She sneered in the general direction of the gathered shinigami.

Their idea of having fun differed wildly from her own, unfortunately, and she'd been feeling fidgety the entire time. Unluckily for Grimmjow, the fidgeting continued while she clung to him, pausing only to poke him and mutter a rather irritated, "They're thtupid. Nell wantth Momo to come back tho Nell doethn't have to thtay any longer."

"You said yourself that she might not come back. Why don't you just go and find the fucking strawberry if you're so eager to get outta here?" Nell's pokes into his ribcage were annoying at most, but he didn't feel like putting effort into pushing her away. He hated to admit it, but ever since that curse that gave them hearts, Nell's company wasn't that bothersome. It was even kind of... comforting.

"What the fuck are you doing in a club anyway?" he asked, reaching out for another hapless person's glass and taking a swig before the other arrancar could swipe it away. "This ain't a place for kids."

"Nell doethn't know where Ithigo ith. Nell only knowth that Momo wath going to come back for Nell, but Nell ithn't thure the really will." She stared up at him, mischievously - or near tears, the difference was rather slight - tugging on his arm once more.

"The thtupid thinigami thaid Nell could come, tho Nell did. Nell didn't know Nell couldn't." That said, she knocked the glass from his hand again, finding some small delight in the new game.

The glass shattered on the floor, the last straw for the bartender. Grimmjow stood with Nell in his arms and flared his reiatsu one more time, quieting the human's exclamations before they even escaped his lips. That done, the Espada shouldered his way through the crowd and out the door.

"Good job, brat," he sneered at the top of Nell's head. "I doubt the fuckers would let me back after your damn stunts." He proceeded to pull the child off him, but her grip was like a vice. "For fuck's sake, let go of me already!"

All those things he'd thought about Nell not being bothersome? He was ready take them back at any minute.

"Nell doethn't want to!" Her voice hit a wail and she clung even tighter, already sniffling.

"Nell wantth to thtay with Grimmy-Ethpada until Momo cometh!" Was it really that hard? She didn't understand why he didn't understand it, she'd said it enough times already. But now they were outside, and that was slightly better than being inside. But only slightly. "Take Nell to Momo!"

"Tch. You troublesome brat." But nevertheless, he kicked off into the sky. He'd be able to find that shinigami faster if he searched from above, and from the flickers of her reiatsu... She wasn't too far away.

"I'm only doing this 'cause I don't want you staying with me, all right?!" he said, if only to convince himself of it. The faster I find her, he added mentally, the faster I get rid of Nell. "Hold on, 'cause if you fall off, I ain't stopping for you. And keep your eyes open too!"

And he was off.

"Nell'th not a brat!" She shot back in annoyance, poking him one more time for good measure before returning to her vice-like grip.

It was so easy to get him to go, and she chuckled slightly as she held on, staring down at the ground merrily until-

"There! Nell wantth to go there!" she cried, pointing down at nowhere in particular and not giving any reason why. But she felt it was the right place, and she hoped the Espada would follow her request.

There? What was so special about down there?

Grimmjow descended lightly upon the ground, glancing around for any sign of Hinamori, all the while wondering why he was following a little girl's orders. "There's nothing special here," the Espada pointed out, suppressing a sign of exasperation. "Unless you want me to drop you off here for some fucking monsters to find and eat you."

"Nuh-uh, they won't eat Nell! If they try, thomeone will thtop them!" The little arrancar stuck her tongue out at Grimmjow before grabbing for his hand and starting to drag him along behind her.

"Thee? Nell knowth!" she added happily, giving him an added tug to speed the process along. "If the'th going back there, then the'll come patht here!"

Grimmjow could feel a muscle in his temple twitch. "Why couldn't you come here by yourself?" he asked, though he knew arguing with Nell was pointless. The child would just fight back with something simple and stupid and leave the Espada without a comeback.

But sure enough, though it was still too far away to identify, a figure was slowly approaching them. Grimmjow wasn't sure if he should really believe it was her; after all, there were many other people in the Underground. The possibility that the person ahead of them was Hinamori was low.

"The told Nell to wait with thomeone! Tho at leatht thith way, Nell ith with thomeone!" She grinned up at him and gave yet another tug at his hand before abandoning all hope of dragging him quickly enough and racing off ahead.

She dashed right past the person he'd spotted and launched herself at a person a little ways behind, clinging with a happy giggle. "Nell knew!" she shouted back, "Nell told you Momo would come!"

A little breathless, she glanced down at the arrancar clinging to her, then up at the one ahead. Oh... Hinamori lowered her gaze back to the smaller of the two, offering a sad smile.

"Nell, I thought I told you to wait? You didn't need to drag him too. I would have come back, silly." She hugged her back before lowering her to the ground. More trouble than she was worth, really. "I'm sorry, Grimmjow..."

Wordlessly, he watched the exchange. Nell was an arrancar capable of affection. She displayed it daily, with Hinamori and Ichigo and even recently with Grimmjow. At first, the Espada had believed it was because Nell was a defect, but ever since their conversation with Ulquiorra...

It bothered Grimmjow that an annoying kid such Nell could get what she wanted and he could not.

"The brat should be apologizing, not you," he found himself saying. "Though it was pretty stupid, leaving her in a bar when you know she doesn't like anyone but you and that damn strawberry."

"She seemed fine waiting before..." Giving the little one a small pat on the head quickly, Hinamori nervously moved over to the Espada.

"I- Can I ask you something?" She hadn't sorted anything out at all, her mind still quite unable to figure out what she could and could not accept, what she wanted.

But she wasn't stupid, and she'd felt the first reiatsu explosion from him. It seemed better to approach the subject now, rather than simply leave it.

What did she want now? It would be so much easier on him if she'd just leave him alone with his thoughts, and he supposed it was fairly ironic that it just wasn't possible. He'd never left her alone when she wanted to be, so it was only fair.

"What is it?"

She glanced down, hands fiddling again. "I wanted to know... If it would make you happy. Because I- You'd-" She was trying so hard, forcing herself to stand there and speak, calmly, normally.

"...It's not so much that I don't, or can't. I just, I'm hesitant because," because she still loved Aizen, because she knew Hitsugaya would yell at her for being stupid, because Nell was watching, because, because, because in the end she was still a shinigami bound by duty and because he would probably eventually have to face her and kill her, "because somehow, I know it wouldn't work."

Of course it wouldn't work. They were enemies. The only reason it was possible now was because of that truce, and even then, there was no telling how long that would last. But he was a possessive bastard, and he'd get what he wanted no matter the cost.

"Until the day we stand like this with murderous intent," he answered, slowly and gravely, "then yeah. It would."

She'd never wanted to kill anyone before. Even the hollows she'd defeated, she'd only done so because of duty. Oh, she hated that word. What was duty, anyway, in the end? It was something that lead you to your own death, and she'd seen enough of that.

No, the question that came next was would she. It was obvious the Espada's mind was made up, in any event. She reached out, finding his hand. Oddly comforting.

"Come see me in a few days. If you can say it all again... I'll give you a proper answer."

Postponed, again? Grimmjow fought the urge to sneer with impatience.

"Fine. A few days, then," he conceded, pulling his hand away reluctantly. "I gotta go now, so you take care of the brat. Don't get yourself into any trouble, either." He turned on his heel and started off, glancing back at her just once before disappearing with a sonido.

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