Gladiator

Chapter 7

Grimmjow's day started off relatively normal.

Spar with Nnoitra, take a bath with Nnoitra and Ichigo, wander down to the food hall for breakfast, end up in the sparring arena again at some point, wash his crotch and armpits again, and nap in Szayel's room afterwards with Nnoitra as Ichigo taught Szayel.

Except, when the two older slaves pushed into the room that afternoon, they found their companions asleep. Szayel lay atop Ichigo, mouth barely parted and drooling on the red-head's collarbone. One of his long legs stretched out past Ichigo's own toes as the other was bent up against Ichigo's hip and his hands lazily grasped the sides of Ichigo's robe. As Grimmjow and Nnoitra crept closer, Ichigo turned sleepy eyes to them and raised the arm not around Szayel's back to indicate silence with a finger to his lips. He then used that hand to thread through Szayel's hair before he rolled them over and tucked Szayel safely between himself and the wall.
Grimmjow and Nnoitra glanced at each other and silently nodded.

It was now a competition to get to the bed fastest and quietest because Ichigo and Szayel were the best nap buddies.

In the end, after childish scuffling and hushed curses, Grimmjow won the bed and happily wrapped an arm around both Ichigo and Szayel from behind the newest slave. Mercifully, Ichigo threw down his pillow for Nnoitra and squished forward to share Szayel's.
It was a tight fit, three adult bodies on one small bed, but neither of the younger slaves seemed to mind.

They lay for hours, napping in the sunlight that streamed in through the window. At some point, Nnoitra ended up in the bed anyway, curled at the end and using Szayel's hip as a pillow.

The blue-haired slave had rolled Ichigo onto his back in his sleep, so the younger slave tucked his arm under Grimmjow's head and stroked from his forehead to his nape again and again. Ichigo liked to run his fingers through their hair, but only actually did so with Grimmjow. He wouldn't pet Szayel or Nnoitra more than once or twice because they were light sleepers, but Grimmjow seemed to fall into a deeper slumber when Ichigo threaded his fingers through his hair. Ichigo wondered if any of the three of them had napped together like this before he'd come along.

Quick breathing brought him out of his musings and honeyed eyes turned fully to Grimmjow.
His breathing was rapidly speeding up, as though he were running, and his face was twisted in a mixture of pain and - dare he say it - fear.

"Grimmjow?" he mumbled, tugging on his hair lightly.
"Hey, wake up."

When he got no answer and the hand gripping his hip began to hurt, Ichigo tugged harder at the hair his fingers were tangled in.
"Hey." he whispered, shaking Grimmjow's head a bit with the hold he had on his hair.
"C'mon, come back to me."

Blue eyes snapped open, the hand on his hip tightened even further, and Grimmjow seemed panicked. Ichigo kept a hold on his hair and gently took his arm from Szayel to roll and properly face Grimmjow.
"Breathe, Sexta. Breathe with me. It's gonna be alright."
Grimmjow's wide eyes stared unseeing into Ichigo's, but the red-head only pressed their foreheads together. He soothed his free hand over Grimmjow's chest until he could fit it just under the other's chin and gently press to feel his pulse.
"Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. Hold it. Breathe in."
Ichigo continued his quiet prompting until Grimmjow's pulse slowed down to a normal beat.

"Nasty nightmare, huh?"
Grimmjow nodded sluggishly and sunk into Ichigo's hold.
"Wanna talk about it?"
This time, he shook his head. Ichigo assured him that was alright and allowed the other to press as close as he liked. Ichigo felt himself begin to doze again, so he smiled and buried his nose in the hair he still had his fingers tangled in.

After a while, Szayel sat up from behind Ichigo and gently shifted Nnoitra's head into his lap.
"Grimmjow? Ichigo?"

He received two low sounds of acknowledgement and sleep-glazed blue eyes emerged from under Ichigo's chin.
Szayel grinned, a teasing gleam in his eyes.
"Lookin' cozy there, Sexta. You don't even like it when I sleep front-to-front with you."