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tampered2007-02-17 02:38 pm
6thsword.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-02-17 02:38 pm
Log: Complete
When; February 17, noon
Rating; PG for Grimmjow's foul language
Characters; Grimmjow Jaggerjack [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
6thsword] & Alfons Heiderich [opfern]
Summary; While having lunch together, Alfons offers to teach Grimmjow some manners as well as how to win over Hinamori's heart.
Log;
He really did hope that he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but this seemed like a situation that wasn't going to be solving itself anytime soon. Alfons could tell Mister Grimmjow cared very much for Miss Hinamori, but it seemed like he had too much trouble expressing it properly.
At least he had gotten away from Miss Valentine's unscathed, and Miss Kirika had kept him company for a short while after that. It seemed like this specific day would leave him with little to no time to himself.
And even if he claimed otherwise, he was grateful for that.
"Mister Grimmjow?" he murmured as he stopped outside room six and rapped his knuckles against the door before shifting the full grocery bag from one hand to the other.
Grimmjow had been brooding at the window, trying to ignore that incessant ticking that, though it had stopped giving him headaches a while back, still pissed him off to no end.
The knock on his door jolted him out of his thoughts, and he rolled his eyes at the affixation of "mister" before his name. Hadn't he told that kid not to call him that anymore? Seriously. The last thing he wanted was someone overhearing.
The arrancar made his way to the door and pulled it open. "Don't," he said emphatically, "call me mister."
Grimmjow's response only made him smile as he stepped inside. "If you insist." After absently glancing around just to double check if Nell or anyone else was over for a visit, he moved past Grimmjow and into the kitchen, where he set the bag on the counter.
Removing his jacket, Alfons draped it over one arm before looking over his shoulder. "Have you had lunch yet?"
So that's what the bag was for? Lunch? ...Well, Grimmjow guessed it wouldn't hurt. He didn't need to eat all the time considering he wasn't human, and food that people normally eat only sustained his energy, not his power. But Alfons was a decent cook - better than Grimmjow himself, at any rate.
"Nah. Make what you want." He took a seat at the table, curious, head quirked slightly.
Alfons nodded and properly folded his jacket so that it wouldn't wrinkle when he draped it over the back of the chair he tended to occupy when visiting for meals. Then, he unbuttoned his cuffs and began to roll his sleeves up to his elbows. "First order of business. Please sit up straight, and don't rest your elbows on the table. It's hard to disrespect someone with proper posture."
Turning, the young man headed back over to the counter to begin pulling things out. First was the apron, of course, which he slipped over his head and tied back. Next was a water bottle that hadn't been filled yet, and then came the simple ingredients for garden salad and turkey sandwich. The turkey had already been pre-cooked, fortunately. He'd had to get all of this today considering his fridge had been cleared out by the thieves the day before.
Grimmjow was thoroughly taken aback by the boy's instructions, to the point where he really did sit up straighter in his chair, a genuine look of surprise cast over his face. He was getting lessons now? Was that it?
He watched Alfons unpack his bag, not a little curious now but very much so. The arrancar spied green among the lunch ingredients and nearly blanched. The human was going to feed him vegetables? What the hell. "What're you makin', anyway?" He had to ask. Had to make sure.
"Salad and a sandwich. Sandwiches are something new to me, but they're quick and efficient. I want to see how you eat while using your hands and while using your utensils." No need keeping that a secret. He had a feeling Grimmjow would catch on when Alfons just sat there and watched him.
Creepy or not, it was part of the lesson. "Also, considering how much syrup you had with those pancakes the other morning, I feel the need to balance it out with some vegetables."
He really was going to try and teach him manners! When Grimmjow had asked for Alfons' opinion, he wasn't expecting the boy to answer readily. He also wasn't expecting tutelage on how to become a "gentleman" or whatever. That just wasn't right.
The chair screeched against the floor then fell backwards as Grimmjow stood abruptly, jaw agape. "The fuck? I'll eat any way I want to!" His face was almost a snarl now. "Fine, I'll eat a sandwich. But I'm not touchin' that salad."
The outburst did make Alfons flinch a bit. He would be lying if he said Grimmjow didn't have moments where he appeared intimidating. But, more often than not, it seemed like he was just acting that way out of self defense. And there was no reason for him to be defensive over something like this.
So, he turned away from the cucumber he was chopping to take the water bottle and unscrew it, quiet while he turned on the water to fill it halfway. Then, he screwed it back together, took a dish towel in his other hand, and walked over to where Grimmjow was standing. Staring him right in the face, and looking quite stern about it too, he lifted up the water bottle and gave a good squirt.
"What did I say about your language?"
Grimmjow blinked. He really hadn't known what to expect, and it certainly hadn't been a squirt of water in the face from a boy - a human boy, who was shorter than he was! - deadset on teaching him manners. It was almost comical, and if he wasn't the victim in this situation, he would probably be rolling on the floor laughing until he passed out.
"You're really something, kid," he said slowly - and dare he say it? - impressed by Alfons' fearlessness. The look of shock on Grimmjow's face morphed into an easy smirk. "All right, I'll play along. Salad and sandwiches it is."
Honestly, he had almost expected to be punched or something. He hadn't been looking forward to it, but he'd prepared himself for such a reaction. So both of them were a little surprised.
Alfons quickly got over it, though, and offered out the dish towel for Grimmjow to dry his face off with. "Good." And back into the kitchen he went, setting the bottle down and humming softly while he finished preparing the meal.
"What kind of dressing do you want? I bought two kinds... This one says it's...ah...ranch? And this one is a raspberry vinaigrette."
"Uhh..." He had no idea. What the hell was a vinaigrette, anyway? But it sounded good. "Raspberry."
He wiped the water off his face with the proffered towel before tossing it casually onto the tabletop. Then, as Alfons finished what he was doing, Grimmjow remembered the fallen chair and righted it, taking his seat at the table once more with the boy's instructions in mind. Back straight, no elbows. He was suddenly very grateful that no one else was in the apartment.
Vinaigrette it was.
When he was through tossing the salad and making the sandwiches, he cut them diagonally so that the food at the very least was all ready. But for the moment, it was staying on the counter.
After drying his hands off, he buttoned his sleeves back up and pulled the apron off to fold it. "All right. Now wash your hands and set the table. If a woman is cooking for you, it's always good to show your appreciation by setting the table for her so that she doesn't have to. Candles also help set the mood if it's dinner, for future reference."
Cautiously, still unsure if doing any of this would really help considering how odd it was, Grimmjow stood up and ambled over to the cabinet where he kept the dishes and utensils. He pulled two sets out for himself and Alfons and placed them accordingly on the table.
Eyeing the water bottle, he turned back to his... tutor of sorts. "Now what?"
As Grimmjow set the table, Alfons filled two glasses with water so that they could go with the meal. He was just about to respond when he suddenly turned away to cover his mouth, shoulders shuddering as a few coughs wracked his frame.
Shaking his head, he turned back and cleared his throat, moving the bowl of salad and plate of sandwiches over to the center of table, then moved to stand beside his chair, looking expectant. He was really hoping Grimmjow at least knew to pull out the chair for a lady. "You tell me. If I was Miss Hinamori, what would you do now?"
This was irritating.
Folding his arms over his chest, Grimmjow gave Alfons a glare fit to shake mortals in their own shoes. "Like hell I would know," he replied. The boy was trying to be a teacher, wasn't he? Teachers don't leave students guessing what they won't be able to figure out. "And you're not Momo."
Alfons sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "No, I'm not. But if I was, it would be awfully thoughtful of you to pull my chair out for me."
Raising an eyebrow, he began to tap his foot.
Oh. Well, in that case... "Fine."
Grimmjow walked over and pulled said chair out from underneath the table, throwing Alfons another irritated glare before nearly stomping over to his side of the table to sit and eat.
"Don't tell me I gotta wait or do some other shit before I can eat," the arrancar growled, slouching for a brief moment before remembering to straighten his posture. He reluctantly sat up and removed his elbows from the table.
"Next time," he added sternly as he sunk down to sit in the chair. "Wait for me to sit before you go back to your chair. Pushing the chair back in would also have earned you a higher grade. Not to mention... Stomping? Childish and not at all attractive."
Resting his hands in his lap, Alfons scanned the table for any mistakes. Ah. "Where are the napkins?" Just as he was asking that, he picked up the squirt bottle and leaned over to rather calmly squirt Grimmjow in the face once again. "Language."
Grimmjow bit back another curse and a snarl as he received a faceful of water again. Fine. Wait for Alfons - no, the girl - to sit and push in her chair. And he couldn't help stomping. He was growing more and more irritated as the minutes ticked by.
"It's like a reflex," he muttered as an excuse for his language, getting up again to grab the napkins in their holder from where they sat next to the toaster. He returned, placed them in the center of the table, and sat. He really hoped he wouldn't have to get up again.
Alfons pulled a napkin over to set it in his lap before another small coughing fit took over for a minute. Lowering his hand from his mouth, he murmured, "I understand that. That's what the water bottle is for. Now, for a lady, you would probably want to wait for her to take the first bite if this was at a restaurant..."
Picking up the fork, he stabbed a slice of cucumber. "But if she made this meal for you, she will probably want to know how you feel about it immediately, so you'll take the first bite. Be sure to let her know that you enjoy it. Praise is the perfect way to put a smile on anyone's face."
"I would already do that," the arrancar replied, fork in hand and poking at the salad with incredible concentration. He avoided vegetables, convinced that they could do nothing good for him, and had never had salad before. Finally, after steeling himself for whatever odd taste he would experience, he lifted the fork to his lips and took a bite of green. He chewed and swallowed.
There was a considerable pause as Grimmjow fought to keep his face straight. "It's not bad."
Alfons took a bite of the salad while Grimmjow mentioned he would already do all that. How was he supposed to know what manners Grimmjow had and what he didn't? He was going to go over everything he could think of. Assuming Grimmjow knew something could be a mistake later on.
He'd just finished taking a sip of water when Grimmjow took a bit of the salad, and Alfons couldn't help but watch intently. But then, the expression the arrancar got on his face while swallow, and the forced way he spoke made Alfons clutch at his chest and burst into laughter.
A snarl ripped from Grimmjow's throat at Alfons' laughter. "What?!" he snapped, very pissed that someone other than himself was exacting amusement out of this ridiculous situation. This was exactly why he wasn't keen on learning manners. It was simply too absurd.
"It just-- Ah, your face..." Alfons gasped out as he tried to calm the laughter down. He finally had no choice in the matter, as it dissolved into a fit of coughs that was enough to wipe the smile off his face completely. And when it was through, he found it was a good thing he'd brought his napkin up to cover his mouth.
Pausing a moment to fold the napkin and lower it back down to clutch in his lap, he glanced up with a cheeky grin once more. "Grimmjow... You really hate salad that much? If so, I'm proud of you for overcoming that fear and forcing yourself to eat it for Miss Hinamori's sake. Now, I'll pause the lesson so that we can eat."
Not that he couldn't be watching Grimmjow, of course. He had never really paid attention to his eating habits before, perhaps because there were usually other people present to distract him.
"I don't like eating vegetables," he corrected, but he stabbed his salad regardless, intent on eating it considering Alfons had made it for him. Sure, he could be a jerk, but when people bothered to be nice to him, he figured he should reciprocate the gesture. And anyway, Grimmjow didn't mind the salad, really. It wasn't disgusting or anything, just not his usual fare.
As he ate, he slowly forgot his posture again and rested his arm on the table edge. It was definitely more comfortable that way. The arrancar couldn't understand why anyone would make the conscious effort to sit in awkwardly with their backs so straight. And even if he wasn't sitting properly, he was at least using a fork. He'd had enough human meals - let alone Aizen's damn tea - to know how to feed himself.
Alfons let Grimmjow get away with slacking for a little bit, at least, mainly because his lungs were burning and he didn't feel so good. After he'd finished half of his sandwich and most of his salad, though, he decided that enough was enough, and he slid forward so that he could give a sharp little kick to Grimmjow's shin.
"Practice makes perfect. If you force yourself to do it constantly, then soon it will become second nature to you, just like how your swearing is now."
The kick jolted Grimmjow from his slouch; his back straightened and he dropped his arm from the table. "Geez! What happened to the fucking water bottle?!" Not that a weak kick from a human would leave any bruises, but don't teachers know not to irritate their students?
Grumbling obscenities under his breath, he pushed the mostly-eaten salad aside and began on his sandwich. At least these had no vegetables... he hoped.
With a soft scowl, Alfons waited until Grimmjow had taken his bite of the sandwich and set it down before he picked up the water bottle to lean over and squirt him in the face again.
"If I used the water bottle for every time you made a mistake, Grimmjow, then I would run out of water in an hour! Now stop swearing before I get angry, finish your sandwich, and we can get back to the lesson!"
Grimmjow wiped at his face with the towel, but that just removed the water and not the indignation. He bit viciously into his sandwich, trying very hard to calm himself so he wouldn't have to blast a hole in the wall because of some stupid human trying to teach him useless manners.
And once that sandwich was devoured and the water was drunk, Grimmjow sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "That ain't bad, kid," he complimented grudgingly. "You done?"
He certainly had dinner enough times to know what to do next.
Alfons felt a little bit better by the time he had finished his salad, but he offered Grimmjow a look for calling him a kid again. "Yes, Mister Grimmjow. I am."
Standing up, he tossed the napkin into the trash before moving around to gather up the dishes, setting them in the sink and rolling up his sleeves again before turning on the water.
As much as he marveled at the modern dish washer (and completely taken his apart), he still didn't trust that they could get dishes completely clean.
"If you were to ask Miss Hinamori out on a third date, then how would you do it? Granted, she said she wanted to be friends, but suppose she offered you an opening. How would you ask?"
There he went with the "mister" again. Damn it.
Well, at least Alfons took it upon himself to gather and wash the dishes. Grimmjow had been ready to do it considering that's what Hinamori had done when they last had dinner together, and he was fully expecting the boy to instruct him to do so as well. But hey, if the arrancar was allowed to sit back and relax, that was fine too.
Grimmjow shrugged. "It depends on what's goin' on," he replied. "The weather's gettin' warmer, and a while ago, before... everything happened, I told her we should go on a picnic some time when it ain't so cold anymore. I guess I'd bring that up again."
"A picnic! That's good." Alfons looked over his shoulder with an encouraging smile before looking back to the dishes as he washed, rinsed, and set aside.
"Do me a favor and dry these? You know, if you invite her out to a picnic, you should make the meal. I bet she would like that. Nell said she likes pancakes, but what other food does she like?"
He moved to the counter, picked up a towel, and started to dry the dishes. He didn't mind doing that, really, though he was used to letting the dishwasher do the job.
"No idea," Grimmjow admitted. "I guess she likes a lot of things, but I dunno any dish in particular." He finished drying the dishes and put them away in the cabinet. "I'll ask Nell. It seems like she knows everything about Momo."
Alfons nodded, handing off each dish once he finished cleaning it. "I suppose that's how girls are... It's as if they have a network just amongst themselves, don't you think?"
Turning off the faucet, he shook out his hands a little before drying them on a towel and buttoning his sleeves back up. "But I'm sure Nell will have some good suggestions for you. I'd be happy to help you make anything, too, if you want. Where would you take her? That large garden?"
Again, Grimmjow shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. But it's probably because Nell hangs around her all the time, like a fucking - like a puppy."
He leaned backwards against the counter, tilting his face up to watch a spider crawl across the ceiling. "I don't know any other place to have picnics. Maybe the beach, too, but this city doesn't really have much in the way of wide open space."
Grimmjow swearing made Alfons nearly reach for the sink's detachable sprayer, but he pulled his hand back once the arrancar tried to correct himself. "Mm... I believe Nell just wants someone to love her...just for herself. Miss Hinamori is a kind person, so I can see why she would turn to her for that. And her friend Mister Ichigo, but I have yet to meet him."
Stepping back, he cocked his head to the side to peer at Grimmjow. "The garden or the beach seems fine. Sand will get in your food at the beach, though... Also, I wonder, have you ever worn a suit?" Not for a picnic, obviously, but if he were to take Miss Hinamori out to a nice restaurant, he couldn't go dressed like that.
The arrancar pulled at the shirt he was wearing. He'd shed the white uniform Aizen had gave him at creation and opted instead for civilian clothes: a red long-sleeved shirt with some unknown (to him, anyway) musical group's label branded on the front, jeans with holes at the knees, and scuffed up sneakers.
"I have, actually." Grimmjow smirked. "We had a winter ball, and I managed to find a suit to wear. No tie, though, 'cause that just feels like I'm choking. And uh, I think Momo still has the jacket."
Well, at least that meant he had worn a suit before. "To be honest, I don't really like ties either... I know how to tie them, but they're a tad too constricting for me as well. But in my line of work, I didn't really have to dress especially formal, so it never became an issue."
Grimmjow's last comment made him raise an eyebrow before chuckling. "Did you give it to her to protect her from the cold? What a gentlemanly thing to do."
A hand shot out and roughly pushed Alfons' shoulder, though it wasn't out of contempt or anger, and the grin on Grimmjow's face was even wider. "Hey, I ain't a total bastard," he said. "I have my moments."
He had to admit, he liked the kid. Maybe he would invite Alfons into his small circle of friends, eventually.
He stumbled a bit, but not enough to actually lose his balance, and he gave a short laugh again. "Ah, I know you do! Would I really come cook for you if you didn't?"
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Alfons shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone has their moments. It's just nice to see you caring so much about a girl. Edward never really took an interest in such things... He never let anyone in close. Grimmjow... You do the same thing as him... You remind me a lot of him."
His features had softened a bit, and so had his voice, as he glanced back over. "It might be hard for you to do, but the best way to know if you two can truly be something is to let her into your heart. Don't hide things from her, no matter how important."
Grimmjow gave a short laugh. "If you tried cooking for me three months ago, I'd call you suicidal."
But his laugh died when Alfons mentioned having a heart. Here was the issue. Grimmjow knew he was heartless, knew it really wasn't possible for him to feel so many things, and yet as someone who cared for another person, he was a walking anomaly. Arrancar didn't have hearts, and yet here he was. "I'll try," he said finally. "I'm not quite sure how, but I'll think of some way." He frowned. "I just don't wanna hurt her or anything."
With a sad little smile, Alfons shut his eyes. "Locking someone out of your heart hurts them more than you can know." He wished very much that he wasn't speaking from experience.
Turning, he opened his eyes and picked up the apron, the water bottle, and what food was left to begin putting everything back in the bag. "How to let her in... I can't teach you that. I can only..." He coughed. "...wish you the best."
There was a short silence as Grimmjow thought on Alfons' words. It probably was worse, he mentally agreed, to lock someone out. But out of what, when there was no heart to let them into?
"Thanks, Alfons." The arrancar didn't say that often, still rather uncomfortable thanking and saying please and all the nice words he'd previously thought useless. "And find somethin' for that cough of yours."
Alfons blinked at that, then smiled and nodded. "Oh... Yes. I'll see what I can do."
Picking his jacket up off the back of the chair, he slipped it back on before grabbing the shopping bag up once again and turning to hold out his hand. "Lesson over..." The teenager grinned. "For now."
Grimmjow shot back his own grin and grasped Alfon's hand. "I'll be waitin'." He walked over to the main door and opened it for his new friend. "I'll talk to you on the network sometime."
Well now, that wasn't so bad.
With a chuckle, Alfons gave him a friendly wink as he headed the door. "I'm going to be keeping an eye on your language, Grimmjow. Good luck with Miss Hinamori."
Offering one last wave, he headed off, pulling up his sleeve to check his watch. Fortunately, he had quite a bit of time before he had to meet Alphonse and Edward at the butcher shop. Visiting the library until then seemed like the best idea.
Rating; PG for Grimmjow's foul language
Characters; Grimmjow Jaggerjack [
6thsword] & Alfons Heiderich [opfern]Summary; While having lunch together, Alfons offers to teach Grimmjow some manners as well as how to win over Hinamori's heart.
Log;
He really did hope that he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but this seemed like a situation that wasn't going to be solving itself anytime soon. Alfons could tell Mister Grimmjow cared very much for Miss Hinamori, but it seemed like he had too much trouble expressing it properly.
At least he had gotten away from Miss Valentine's unscathed, and Miss Kirika had kept him company for a short while after that. It seemed like this specific day would leave him with little to no time to himself.
And even if he claimed otherwise, he was grateful for that.
"Mister Grimmjow?" he murmured as he stopped outside room six and rapped his knuckles against the door before shifting the full grocery bag from one hand to the other.
Grimmjow had been brooding at the window, trying to ignore that incessant ticking that, though it had stopped giving him headaches a while back, still pissed him off to no end.
The knock on his door jolted him out of his thoughts, and he rolled his eyes at the affixation of "mister" before his name. Hadn't he told that kid not to call him that anymore? Seriously. The last thing he wanted was someone overhearing.
The arrancar made his way to the door and pulled it open. "Don't," he said emphatically, "call me mister."
Grimmjow's response only made him smile as he stepped inside. "If you insist." After absently glancing around just to double check if Nell or anyone else was over for a visit, he moved past Grimmjow and into the kitchen, where he set the bag on the counter.
Removing his jacket, Alfons draped it over one arm before looking over his shoulder. "Have you had lunch yet?"
So that's what the bag was for? Lunch? ...Well, Grimmjow guessed it wouldn't hurt. He didn't need to eat all the time considering he wasn't human, and food that people normally eat only sustained his energy, not his power. But Alfons was a decent cook - better than Grimmjow himself, at any rate.
"Nah. Make what you want." He took a seat at the table, curious, head quirked slightly.
Alfons nodded and properly folded his jacket so that it wouldn't wrinkle when he draped it over the back of the chair he tended to occupy when visiting for meals. Then, he unbuttoned his cuffs and began to roll his sleeves up to his elbows. "First order of business. Please sit up straight, and don't rest your elbows on the table. It's hard to disrespect someone with proper posture."
Turning, the young man headed back over to the counter to begin pulling things out. First was the apron, of course, which he slipped over his head and tied back. Next was a water bottle that hadn't been filled yet, and then came the simple ingredients for garden salad and turkey sandwich. The turkey had already been pre-cooked, fortunately. He'd had to get all of this today considering his fridge had been cleared out by the thieves the day before.
Grimmjow was thoroughly taken aback by the boy's instructions, to the point where he really did sit up straighter in his chair, a genuine look of surprise cast over his face. He was getting lessons now? Was that it?
He watched Alfons unpack his bag, not a little curious now but very much so. The arrancar spied green among the lunch ingredients and nearly blanched. The human was going to feed him vegetables? What the hell. "What're you makin', anyway?" He had to ask. Had to make sure.
"Salad and a sandwich. Sandwiches are something new to me, but they're quick and efficient. I want to see how you eat while using your hands and while using your utensils." No need keeping that a secret. He had a feeling Grimmjow would catch on when Alfons just sat there and watched him.
Creepy or not, it was part of the lesson. "Also, considering how much syrup you had with those pancakes the other morning, I feel the need to balance it out with some vegetables."
He really was going to try and teach him manners! When Grimmjow had asked for Alfons' opinion, he wasn't expecting the boy to answer readily. He also wasn't expecting tutelage on how to become a "gentleman" or whatever. That just wasn't right.
The chair screeched against the floor then fell backwards as Grimmjow stood abruptly, jaw agape. "The fuck? I'll eat any way I want to!" His face was almost a snarl now. "Fine, I'll eat a sandwich. But I'm not touchin' that salad."
The outburst did make Alfons flinch a bit. He would be lying if he said Grimmjow didn't have moments where he appeared intimidating. But, more often than not, it seemed like he was just acting that way out of self defense. And there was no reason for him to be defensive over something like this.
So, he turned away from the cucumber he was chopping to take the water bottle and unscrew it, quiet while he turned on the water to fill it halfway. Then, he screwed it back together, took a dish towel in his other hand, and walked over to where Grimmjow was standing. Staring him right in the face, and looking quite stern about it too, he lifted up the water bottle and gave a good squirt.
"What did I say about your language?"
Grimmjow blinked. He really hadn't known what to expect, and it certainly hadn't been a squirt of water in the face from a boy - a human boy, who was shorter than he was! - deadset on teaching him manners. It was almost comical, and if he wasn't the victim in this situation, he would probably be rolling on the floor laughing until he passed out.
"You're really something, kid," he said slowly - and dare he say it? - impressed by Alfons' fearlessness. The look of shock on Grimmjow's face morphed into an easy smirk. "All right, I'll play along. Salad and sandwiches it is."
Honestly, he had almost expected to be punched or something. He hadn't been looking forward to it, but he'd prepared himself for such a reaction. So both of them were a little surprised.
Alfons quickly got over it, though, and offered out the dish towel for Grimmjow to dry his face off with. "Good." And back into the kitchen he went, setting the bottle down and humming softly while he finished preparing the meal.
"What kind of dressing do you want? I bought two kinds... This one says it's...ah...ranch? And this one is a raspberry vinaigrette."
"Uhh..." He had no idea. What the hell was a vinaigrette, anyway? But it sounded good. "Raspberry."
He wiped the water off his face with the proffered towel before tossing it casually onto the tabletop. Then, as Alfons finished what he was doing, Grimmjow remembered the fallen chair and righted it, taking his seat at the table once more with the boy's instructions in mind. Back straight, no elbows. He was suddenly very grateful that no one else was in the apartment.
Vinaigrette it was.
When he was through tossing the salad and making the sandwiches, he cut them diagonally so that the food at the very least was all ready. But for the moment, it was staying on the counter.
After drying his hands off, he buttoned his sleeves back up and pulled the apron off to fold it. "All right. Now wash your hands and set the table. If a woman is cooking for you, it's always good to show your appreciation by setting the table for her so that she doesn't have to. Candles also help set the mood if it's dinner, for future reference."
Cautiously, still unsure if doing any of this would really help considering how odd it was, Grimmjow stood up and ambled over to the cabinet where he kept the dishes and utensils. He pulled two sets out for himself and Alfons and placed them accordingly on the table.
Eyeing the water bottle, he turned back to his... tutor of sorts. "Now what?"
As Grimmjow set the table, Alfons filled two glasses with water so that they could go with the meal. He was just about to respond when he suddenly turned away to cover his mouth, shoulders shuddering as a few coughs wracked his frame.
Shaking his head, he turned back and cleared his throat, moving the bowl of salad and plate of sandwiches over to the center of table, then moved to stand beside his chair, looking expectant. He was really hoping Grimmjow at least knew to pull out the chair for a lady. "You tell me. If I was Miss Hinamori, what would you do now?"
This was irritating.
Folding his arms over his chest, Grimmjow gave Alfons a glare fit to shake mortals in their own shoes. "Like hell I would know," he replied. The boy was trying to be a teacher, wasn't he? Teachers don't leave students guessing what they won't be able to figure out. "And you're not Momo."
Alfons sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "No, I'm not. But if I was, it would be awfully thoughtful of you to pull my chair out for me."
Raising an eyebrow, he began to tap his foot.
Oh. Well, in that case... "Fine."
Grimmjow walked over and pulled said chair out from underneath the table, throwing Alfons another irritated glare before nearly stomping over to his side of the table to sit and eat.
"Don't tell me I gotta wait or do some other shit before I can eat," the arrancar growled, slouching for a brief moment before remembering to straighten his posture. He reluctantly sat up and removed his elbows from the table.
"Next time," he added sternly as he sunk down to sit in the chair. "Wait for me to sit before you go back to your chair. Pushing the chair back in would also have earned you a higher grade. Not to mention... Stomping? Childish and not at all attractive."
Resting his hands in his lap, Alfons scanned the table for any mistakes. Ah. "Where are the napkins?" Just as he was asking that, he picked up the squirt bottle and leaned over to rather calmly squirt Grimmjow in the face once again. "Language."
Grimmjow bit back another curse and a snarl as he received a faceful of water again. Fine. Wait for Alfons - no, the girl - to sit and push in her chair. And he couldn't help stomping. He was growing more and more irritated as the minutes ticked by.
"It's like a reflex," he muttered as an excuse for his language, getting up again to grab the napkins in their holder from where they sat next to the toaster. He returned, placed them in the center of the table, and sat. He really hoped he wouldn't have to get up again.
Alfons pulled a napkin over to set it in his lap before another small coughing fit took over for a minute. Lowering his hand from his mouth, he murmured, "I understand that. That's what the water bottle is for. Now, for a lady, you would probably want to wait for her to take the first bite if this was at a restaurant..."
Picking up the fork, he stabbed a slice of cucumber. "But if she made this meal for you, she will probably want to know how you feel about it immediately, so you'll take the first bite. Be sure to let her know that you enjoy it. Praise is the perfect way to put a smile on anyone's face."
"I would already do that," the arrancar replied, fork in hand and poking at the salad with incredible concentration. He avoided vegetables, convinced that they could do nothing good for him, and had never had salad before. Finally, after steeling himself for whatever odd taste he would experience, he lifted the fork to his lips and took a bite of green. He chewed and swallowed.
There was a considerable pause as Grimmjow fought to keep his face straight. "It's not bad."
Alfons took a bite of the salad while Grimmjow mentioned he would already do all that. How was he supposed to know what manners Grimmjow had and what he didn't? He was going to go over everything he could think of. Assuming Grimmjow knew something could be a mistake later on.
He'd just finished taking a sip of water when Grimmjow took a bit of the salad, and Alfons couldn't help but watch intently. But then, the expression the arrancar got on his face while swallow, and the forced way he spoke made Alfons clutch at his chest and burst into laughter.
A snarl ripped from Grimmjow's throat at Alfons' laughter. "What?!" he snapped, very pissed that someone other than himself was exacting amusement out of this ridiculous situation. This was exactly why he wasn't keen on learning manners. It was simply too absurd.
"It just-- Ah, your face..." Alfons gasped out as he tried to calm the laughter down. He finally had no choice in the matter, as it dissolved into a fit of coughs that was enough to wipe the smile off his face completely. And when it was through, he found it was a good thing he'd brought his napkin up to cover his mouth.
Pausing a moment to fold the napkin and lower it back down to clutch in his lap, he glanced up with a cheeky grin once more. "Grimmjow... You really hate salad that much? If so, I'm proud of you for overcoming that fear and forcing yourself to eat it for Miss Hinamori's sake. Now, I'll pause the lesson so that we can eat."
Not that he couldn't be watching Grimmjow, of course. He had never really paid attention to his eating habits before, perhaps because there were usually other people present to distract him.
"I don't like eating vegetables," he corrected, but he stabbed his salad regardless, intent on eating it considering Alfons had made it for him. Sure, he could be a jerk, but when people bothered to be nice to him, he figured he should reciprocate the gesture. And anyway, Grimmjow didn't mind the salad, really. It wasn't disgusting or anything, just not his usual fare.
As he ate, he slowly forgot his posture again and rested his arm on the table edge. It was definitely more comfortable that way. The arrancar couldn't understand why anyone would make the conscious effort to sit in awkwardly with their backs so straight. And even if he wasn't sitting properly, he was at least using a fork. He'd had enough human meals - let alone Aizen's damn tea - to know how to feed himself.
Alfons let Grimmjow get away with slacking for a little bit, at least, mainly because his lungs were burning and he didn't feel so good. After he'd finished half of his sandwich and most of his salad, though, he decided that enough was enough, and he slid forward so that he could give a sharp little kick to Grimmjow's shin.
"Practice makes perfect. If you force yourself to do it constantly, then soon it will become second nature to you, just like how your swearing is now."
The kick jolted Grimmjow from his slouch; his back straightened and he dropped his arm from the table. "Geez! What happened to the fucking water bottle?!" Not that a weak kick from a human would leave any bruises, but don't teachers know not to irritate their students?
Grumbling obscenities under his breath, he pushed the mostly-eaten salad aside and began on his sandwich. At least these had no vegetables... he hoped.
With a soft scowl, Alfons waited until Grimmjow had taken his bite of the sandwich and set it down before he picked up the water bottle to lean over and squirt him in the face again.
"If I used the water bottle for every time you made a mistake, Grimmjow, then I would run out of water in an hour! Now stop swearing before I get angry, finish your sandwich, and we can get back to the lesson!"
Grimmjow wiped at his face with the towel, but that just removed the water and not the indignation. He bit viciously into his sandwich, trying very hard to calm himself so he wouldn't have to blast a hole in the wall because of some stupid human trying to teach him useless manners.
And once that sandwich was devoured and the water was drunk, Grimmjow sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "That ain't bad, kid," he complimented grudgingly. "You done?"
He certainly had dinner enough times to know what to do next.
Alfons felt a little bit better by the time he had finished his salad, but he offered Grimmjow a look for calling him a kid again. "Yes, Mister Grimmjow. I am."
Standing up, he tossed the napkin into the trash before moving around to gather up the dishes, setting them in the sink and rolling up his sleeves again before turning on the water.
As much as he marveled at the modern dish washer (and completely taken his apart), he still didn't trust that they could get dishes completely clean.
"If you were to ask Miss Hinamori out on a third date, then how would you do it? Granted, she said she wanted to be friends, but suppose she offered you an opening. How would you ask?"
There he went with the "mister" again. Damn it.
Well, at least Alfons took it upon himself to gather and wash the dishes. Grimmjow had been ready to do it considering that's what Hinamori had done when they last had dinner together, and he was fully expecting the boy to instruct him to do so as well. But hey, if the arrancar was allowed to sit back and relax, that was fine too.
Grimmjow shrugged. "It depends on what's goin' on," he replied. "The weather's gettin' warmer, and a while ago, before... everything happened, I told her we should go on a picnic some time when it ain't so cold anymore. I guess I'd bring that up again."
"A picnic! That's good." Alfons looked over his shoulder with an encouraging smile before looking back to the dishes as he washed, rinsed, and set aside.
"Do me a favor and dry these? You know, if you invite her out to a picnic, you should make the meal. I bet she would like that. Nell said she likes pancakes, but what other food does she like?"
He moved to the counter, picked up a towel, and started to dry the dishes. He didn't mind doing that, really, though he was used to letting the dishwasher do the job.
"No idea," Grimmjow admitted. "I guess she likes a lot of things, but I dunno any dish in particular." He finished drying the dishes and put them away in the cabinet. "I'll ask Nell. It seems like she knows everything about Momo."
Alfons nodded, handing off each dish once he finished cleaning it. "I suppose that's how girls are... It's as if they have a network just amongst themselves, don't you think?"
Turning off the faucet, he shook out his hands a little before drying them on a towel and buttoning his sleeves back up. "But I'm sure Nell will have some good suggestions for you. I'd be happy to help you make anything, too, if you want. Where would you take her? That large garden?"
Again, Grimmjow shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. But it's probably because Nell hangs around her all the time, like a fucking - like a puppy."
He leaned backwards against the counter, tilting his face up to watch a spider crawl across the ceiling. "I don't know any other place to have picnics. Maybe the beach, too, but this city doesn't really have much in the way of wide open space."
Grimmjow swearing made Alfons nearly reach for the sink's detachable sprayer, but he pulled his hand back once the arrancar tried to correct himself. "Mm... I believe Nell just wants someone to love her...just for herself. Miss Hinamori is a kind person, so I can see why she would turn to her for that. And her friend Mister Ichigo, but I have yet to meet him."
Stepping back, he cocked his head to the side to peer at Grimmjow. "The garden or the beach seems fine. Sand will get in your food at the beach, though... Also, I wonder, have you ever worn a suit?" Not for a picnic, obviously, but if he were to take Miss Hinamori out to a nice restaurant, he couldn't go dressed like that.
The arrancar pulled at the shirt he was wearing. He'd shed the white uniform Aizen had gave him at creation and opted instead for civilian clothes: a red long-sleeved shirt with some unknown (to him, anyway) musical group's label branded on the front, jeans with holes at the knees, and scuffed up sneakers.
"I have, actually." Grimmjow smirked. "We had a winter ball, and I managed to find a suit to wear. No tie, though, 'cause that just feels like I'm choking. And uh, I think Momo still has the jacket."
Well, at least that meant he had worn a suit before. "To be honest, I don't really like ties either... I know how to tie them, but they're a tad too constricting for me as well. But in my line of work, I didn't really have to dress especially formal, so it never became an issue."
Grimmjow's last comment made him raise an eyebrow before chuckling. "Did you give it to her to protect her from the cold? What a gentlemanly thing to do."
A hand shot out and roughly pushed Alfons' shoulder, though it wasn't out of contempt or anger, and the grin on Grimmjow's face was even wider. "Hey, I ain't a total bastard," he said. "I have my moments."
He had to admit, he liked the kid. Maybe he would invite Alfons into his small circle of friends, eventually.
He stumbled a bit, but not enough to actually lose his balance, and he gave a short laugh again. "Ah, I know you do! Would I really come cook for you if you didn't?"
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Alfons shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone has their moments. It's just nice to see you caring so much about a girl. Edward never really took an interest in such things... He never let anyone in close. Grimmjow... You do the same thing as him... You remind me a lot of him."
His features had softened a bit, and so had his voice, as he glanced back over. "It might be hard for you to do, but the best way to know if you two can truly be something is to let her into your heart. Don't hide things from her, no matter how important."
Grimmjow gave a short laugh. "If you tried cooking for me three months ago, I'd call you suicidal."
But his laugh died when Alfons mentioned having a heart. Here was the issue. Grimmjow knew he was heartless, knew it really wasn't possible for him to feel so many things, and yet as someone who cared for another person, he was a walking anomaly. Arrancar didn't have hearts, and yet here he was. "I'll try," he said finally. "I'm not quite sure how, but I'll think of some way." He frowned. "I just don't wanna hurt her or anything."
With a sad little smile, Alfons shut his eyes. "Locking someone out of your heart hurts them more than you can know." He wished very much that he wasn't speaking from experience.
Turning, he opened his eyes and picked up the apron, the water bottle, and what food was left to begin putting everything back in the bag. "How to let her in... I can't teach you that. I can only..." He coughed. "...wish you the best."
There was a short silence as Grimmjow thought on Alfons' words. It probably was worse, he mentally agreed, to lock someone out. But out of what, when there was no heart to let them into?
"Thanks, Alfons." The arrancar didn't say that often, still rather uncomfortable thanking and saying please and all the nice words he'd previously thought useless. "And find somethin' for that cough of yours."
Alfons blinked at that, then smiled and nodded. "Oh... Yes. I'll see what I can do."
Picking his jacket up off the back of the chair, he slipped it back on before grabbing the shopping bag up once again and turning to hold out his hand. "Lesson over..." The teenager grinned. "For now."
Grimmjow shot back his own grin and grasped Alfon's hand. "I'll be waitin'." He walked over to the main door and opened it for his new friend. "I'll talk to you on the network sometime."
Well now, that wasn't so bad.
With a chuckle, Alfons gave him a friendly wink as he headed the door. "I'm going to be keeping an eye on your language, Grimmjow. Good luck with Miss Hinamori."
Offering one last wave, he headed off, pulling up his sleeve to check his watch. Fortunately, he had quite a bit of time before he had to meet Alphonse and Edward at the butcher shop. Visiting the library until then seemed like the best idea.
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He might even get a kiss if he does a good job~no subject
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And she doesn't actually know. --;no subject
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Annnnd I was going to offer up Hinamori tonight, but she now has plans... But if he's unaffected tomorrow~?
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