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Urahara notices it one typical Friday afternoon.
Grimmjow is back in town and, following their "nice little agreement" they made during the last war, has reluctantly agreed to participate in some experiments.
It's actually harmless this time.
For the most part.
Urahara is designing gigai for arrancar-level of spiritual beings, and so far they never held up. Torn apart by the whirlwind that is a hollow's reiatsu.
This right now is the 6th gigai he put Grimmjow in. So far it's been six hours and the gigai didn't explode.
(The irony of the number 6 occurring so frequently isn't lost on Urahara.)
He's thrilled to see how well the body holds up, even supporting Grimmjow’s naturally fluid and graceful movements. Cat-like and more predatory than any ordinary human.
It's just a bit off-putting to see that familiar scowling face without the mask hiding half of it, but Urahara is getting used to the sight. (He put an extra helping of eyeliner though, and of course the iconic teal estigma. He would've put the latter either way but Grimmjow’s threat to string him up by his own dick had sounded genuine.)
There's only one downside to the whole get-up so far. Grimmjow cannot deal with how vulnerable it makes him.
The gigai suppresses and masks his reiatsu. Even for a shinigami passing by, he appears to be a gifted human at best, not a literal wolf in sheep's clothing. It makes him barely stronger than a typical grown adult in his twenties, which is a fact that Grimmjow hates with a passion.
Urahara already had to dodge three spoons flung at him, embedding themselves in the wall behind him when he'd approached Grimmjow from behind while the arrancar had been busy with something.
Again the threats he makes, should Urahara walk up behind him unannounced again, are as vivid as they are terrifying.
So, naturally, it is absolutely fascinating to watch Kurosaki Ichigo marching into the room, unaware of the current state of their resident arrancar.
Urahara is prepared for the worst. The healing kidou is basically already done, merely needing a whisper to be complete as he follows Kurosaki with his eyes.
Grimmjow, completely unaware, is bent over the table, engrossed in a book (is that the Kama sutra-), his unprotected back to Kurosaki, who approaches him as usual.
Kurosaki doesn't even greet him.
He bends over Grimmjow's right shoulder, his chin almost resting there like it belongs and the arrancar doesn't even so much as flinch.
"Stuff your nose into business that's yours", Urahara hears Grimmjow say but he just sounds annoyed. His eyes widen.
"You're reading a sex book, I think that is my business!!", comes Kurosaki's easy reply, completely unbothered. "Who even gave that to you?"
"Yoruichi. Now fuck off!"
Urahara wonders if Kurotsuchi finally managed to sneak into his home after all to poison him. He might be hallucinating. But then he smiles to himself, face hidden behind his fan. No, this isn't a hallucination.
This is Grimmjow trusting someone.
Even while being in a gigai. Even with his fangs and claws metaphorically filed down to the bluntness of very human teeth and fingers, Grimmjow trusts Kurosaki to have his back. Trusts him enough not to suspect any bad blood coming from the redhead.
Urahara bites his lip. Then he slips out of the room, silently like a snowflake falling to the ground.
He has money to collect from the betting pool.