A/N: This will be a big posting week for me. I'll be finishing this fic plus Dead in Love, and I'll be posting the penultimate chapter of Sex and Football. Since I'm finishing up all my ongoing multi-parts soon, I'll be able to start writing other stories. Which leads me to a problem: I have too many ideas in my head and not enough time to write them all! So I set up a poll for my readers to help me decide. It's here: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/24481-polls-by-crunchysalad/.
And now, thank you to my reviewers:
satterb: Yeah, I wonder what Ichigo's motives really were ^ _ ^ I think it's nice to leave little things like that up for interpretation, but I also tend to think that he was just adding fuel to the fire. I'm glad you've continued to enjoy this story. It's always nice to read your reviews (on any of my fics)!
Saka_Sandora: I'm happy to hear you still liked it. I guess it's true that you're your own harshest critic, you know? I think I have issues with the pacing in these last two chapters; they were difficult to write, and not what I was really going for, but oh well. At least people still enjoy it!
qwerty: I know, right? I can't help but imagine that he would be in a relationship, but maybe that's just me ^_^
YamanashiOchinashiIminashi: LOL. Thanks for your comments. And, yeah, they got really far really fast (which I think is my problem with that chapter, but oh well). I'm glad that you guys are still enjoying the ride.
Chapter Eight
Byakuya had sucked him off. Byakuya had taken his cock inside his mouth, and had sucked on it until he came. And, in turn, he had gotten to do the same thing to Byakuya. Renji still couldn't believe it, no matter how many times he broke it down for himself. It seemed like such a strange concept. There was no way Byakuya would ever go so far with him. And yet. . . it had happened.
And how screwed up was that? Renji wasn't exactly what anyone would call old-fashioned, but he was sure that a confession was supposed to be followed by dating, which was then followed by sex. It didn't go confession, rejection, sex, avoidance. At least not in a healthy relationship.
Renji sighed. He guessed they had never had a healthy relationship, though.
And it's not as though they were actively avoiding each other, per se. But after they had found out that Aizen was after the oken, they had gotten even busier. Byakuya had his duties in Soul Society and Renji had his mission in the human world. They were too busy to contact each other, and didn't have the means to do it even if they had the time. The only communication with Seireitei was through the big screen device Renji was standing in front of right now.
Besides, even if Renji did have a chance to talk to Byakuya, he had no idea what to say. Even if they had actually connected physically, they had missed each other mentally and emotionally. As soon as they had had sex Renji had regretted it, because it had been too soon. Their relationship (or lack thereof) hadn't been ready to handle it. There was no meaning to it yet.
"I've got him," came Hitsugaya's voice, as the young captain jumped in through the window.
Renji turned, as did Rukia, who was standing beside him.
"Ichigo," she said, not even hiding the concern in her eyes. Yamamoto had never asked for an emergency meeting like this, after all, and certainly had never invited the substitute shinigami.
"Rukia," Ichigo answered. The question 'what's wrong' was in his eyes, but it was clear he would find out soon enough.
At any rate, Hitsugaya was telling Rangiku to connect them, and soon Ukitake's face was appearing over the screen. There was momentary surprise at not seeing Yamamoto's face, and then shock when Ukitake told them why he was there instead. As he told them that Inoue had been intercepted by arrancar, Renji looked over at Rukia. It had been because of Rukia that Inoue was in Soul Society in the first place, after all. Sure enough, the guilt was clear on his friend's face.
"Inoue Orihime," Ukitake was saying, "has gone to the arrancar side. Either abducted or. . . it is thought that she is already dead."
"Ukitake-taichou!" Rukia cried out, obviously startled. "To say something like that-"
"I know," Ukitake interrupted. "I don't want to say such things either. I'm just discussing possibilities here-"
"Goddammit," Ichigo yelled, apparently feeling that it was his turn to interrupt. "You don't even have any proof and you're saying she's dead. That's bullshit. My wrist was wounded yesterday, a wound no one could heal. And when I woke up today it was gone, like it had never existed! And Inoue reiatsu was there! So how the hell can you say she's dead?"
"I see," Ukitake said, before being interrupted by someone offscreen.
"That is a pity."
Everyone in the room squared their shoulders at the sound of Yamamoto's voice. Ukitake moved out of the way as Yamamoto appeared, facing Renji and the others.
"What the hell do you mean?" Ichigo asked, eyes narrowed.
Renji didn't blame him. He was confused too, and obviously Ichigo was used to getting dicked around by Soul Society, so he couldn't have been feeling too good about things.
"Certainly," Yamamoto explained, "if your story is true, than Inoue Orihime is still alive. However, at the same time, it means that we have been betrayed. If Inoue had been abducted, she never would have had the chance to see you before she left. In other words, if she disappeared after healing your wounds, Inoue Orihime has, by her very own will, joined the arrancars."
Renji could see the anger building up in Ichigo's eyes more and more as Yamamoto continued speaking. Sure enough, the first thing out of the boy's mouth when he was done was an expletive.
"Bullshit!" Ichigo yelled.
Fuck. Stupid hotheaded shithead was just going to screw things up even more. Renji quickly raised his arm and grabbed Ichigo's shoulder, squeezing hard and yanking back just a little bit, enough to bring shocked brown eyes glaring back at him.
"Stop," Renji said. "You're just making things worse. Yamamoto-soutaichou, we understand your story. Now, as part of the Hitsugaya primary expedition, I, Abarai Renji, sixth squad vice-captain, will head to Hueco Mundo to bring the traitor Orihime Inoue back to her senses."
Relief flooded Ichigo's eyes as Renji spoke, and Renji was thankful that the kid was smart enough to let an experienced shinigami handle this political crap. But both their hopes were dashed with what Yamamoto said next.
"I refuse."
Renji could feel the shock run through him as easily as he could see it in Ichigo's face.
"All members of the Hitsugaya primary expedition are to come back to prepare for guarding Soul Society. We must abandon Inoue. . . there is no need to place a single life and the whole of the world on a scale."
There was silence through the room, and Rukia was the one to interrupt it. Her voice was meek, but insistent at the same time, and Renji had never been more proud of her.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but we are unable to follow those orders."
"As I expected," Yamamoto said. "I'm glad that I planned ahead."
And then, as if on cue, a senkaimon opened up, and who should appear but two of the Gotei 13's more intimidating captains.
"Taichou," Renji said. His breath caught in his throat as Byakuya appeared before him for the first time in months, but not for any good reasons.
"That's the story," Kenpachi said, though he didn't look any happier to be escorting them back than they were to be leaving. "Now get going."
"Don't refuse," Byakuya said, as calm as ever. "We have been directed to use force if needed."
No one there wanted to fight Byakuya and Kenpachi, but no one moved either. Even Ikkaku and Yumichika, who probably had the least out of all of them to do with Inoue, looked loath to move from their spots.
"Fine," Ichigo finally said, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over them. "Soul Society doesn't want to help, I get that. But at least tell me how to get to Hueco Mundo on my own. I'll go save her myself."
"Unacceptable," Yamamoto said. "Your powers are necessary for this battle. Stand by until you are given an order."
Renji could see Ichigo's shoulders slump and his hands ball into fists. He could feel the anger and frustration coming off in waves from the other man. And he could feel it inside himself, as well, but there was nothing they could do about it now. Rukia was reaching forward for Ichigo, but Renji wrapped an arm around her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her forward, into the senkaimon. She stared back at Ichigo even as it closed behind them, but he kept pulling her away.
"Come on," he whispered, "he still has Urahara-san. What we need to do now is find a way to get back there so we can go too."
Rukia's eyes lit up as she turned to face front, keeping up with Renji's pace. "You're right. Urahara-san surely knows how to get to Hueco Mundo."
Getting back to Ichigo and Urahara, however, would be another thing entirely. Renji was sure that Yamamoto would have them under watch, or at least have all the senkaimon guarded more carefully. Renji sighed as he thought about it, but then he found his eyes landing on Byakuya, his thoughts turning slightly towards him instead. The man was walking at the front of the group, head held high as usual, walking pace sure and quick. Renji briefly wondered if Byakuya had thought of him at all over the past few months. If he felt as strangely apprehensive as Renji did, and not just over the coming war.
Once they got back to Seireitei, they naturally divided. Hitsugaya and Rangiku went off together, as did Renji's former comrades in the twelfth division. Renji, Byakuya, and Rukia would naturally have parted here as well, only Byakuya's command kept them from doing so.
"You two are to come with me to the estate," Byakuya said, without even turning to face them. "I wish to speak to you there."
Renji and Rukia shared a disappointed look. So Soul Society was planning to keep a vigilant watch over them after all. Once they got back to the estate, though, Byakuya surprised them. As they entered the main residence Byakuya stopped to signal for some waiting servants, and two appeared before Renji and Rukia, each holding a neatly folded pile of thick cloth. Renji and Rukia blinked at them, neither one sure of what they were.
"Is this some kind of noble tradition?" Renji mumbled, but Rukia's perplexed stare told him that no, it probably was not.
"They are cloaks," Byakuya explained. "To protect from sandy winds in Hueco Mundo."
Renji swore that his lower jaw dropped two inches.
"I was only ordered to bring you back here," Byakuya continued, even as he started to walk away from them. "What you do now is none of my concern."
"Nii-sama?" Rukia questioned.
Byakuya stopped for a second, though he still didn't turn around. "Hueco Mundo is no place for that filthy ryoka to be playing around."
Renji stared at Byakuya's retreating back, speechless as he rounded the corner and disappeared. Then he turned to face Rukia, who was also staring after Byakuya in awe, a slight blush on her face.
Renji's mouth shut as he frowned. "Brother complex, much?"
Rukia's eyes widened, than narrowed as she glared at Renji. "It's not like that! You're so gross, Renji!"
"Putting that aside," Renji continued. "What do we do now? Every senkaimon out of here is going to be guarded."
"The Kuchiki estate has a private one," Rukia said. "But I don't know how to use it, it's different from the ones that Soul Society uses. And while nii-sama's okay with turning a blind eye to what we do, I don't think he can actively help us either, so I can't really ask him to set it up for us. I can talk to the servants, see if they know how to use it or anyone who does."
"Yeah. I'll also do a check of the other senkaimon, see if there are any we can maybe sneak through."
"Sounds like a plan," Rukia said. "We'll leave as soon as we can."
Renji nodded. Cloaks in hand, he and Rukia started to leave the premises, but Renji found himself turning back to stare at the space Byakuya had been. He wondered if Byakuya was still on the estate. He knew that his captain must have a lot of work to do, but that didn't mean he had immediately returned to his office or anywhere else.
"Renji?"
Renji looked forward to see Rukia a few steps ahead of him. Apparently he had stopped walking without realizing it.
"You go on ahead," he said. "I have to talk to Taichou about some things."
"Okay," Rukia replied. "I'll talk to you later."
Renji turned and made his way deeper into the Kuchiki estate, looking for Byakuya. He found him in a small courtyard, sitting among polished stone and perfectly raked sand. He was sitting with his zapakuto, obviously about to communicate with it, and Renji almost felt bad for interrupting him. But he cleared his throat regardless.
At the noise, Byakuya looked up, quickly, only to look down again.
"Renji," he said. "Is there something I can do for you?"
And only Renji, with the years he had spent watching the man, could pick up on the slight hesitation that colored his words. To anyone else he must have looked as collected as ever. So Renji hadn't been the only one preoccupied with what had happened to them.
"May I come in, Taichou?" Renji asked.
"Yes. You may."
Renji walked into the room and took a seat on a large stone near Byakuya. He was careful not to disturb the intricate ridges on the sand, keeping any damage done minimal. But now that he was near Byakuya, he wasn't sure what to say. He clasped, then unclasped, his hands in front of him, completely aware of the fact that Byakuya was waiting for him to say something.
"Umm. . . could you tell me what has been going on in Soul Society? We were never debriefed on the matter."
Byakuya seemed relieved, or at least more comfortable, now that the conversation had turned to business. "Yes. As you know, Aizen is planning on laying seige to Karakura Town in order to create the oken. Here in Soul Society, we have created a Fake Karakura Town, if you will, that we can swap with the real one. It is there where we will make our stand against Aizen and his army."
"Yeah. Okay. Umm. . . here's the thing. I'm going off to Hueco Mundo soon, and we don't know when Aizen's going to invade, but it's probably soon too." Renji took a deep breath. "Which means there's a good chance that I won't see you until all of this is over. And the fact is, we don't know how everything's going to end."
"What are you saying, Renji?" Byakuya asked, finally turning to face his vice-captain.
"So I want to resolve this thing between us before I go," Renji said. "Because we might not ever get the chance again. If something happens to either one of us. . . or to both of us. . ."
"Don't speak as though we have already been defeated," Byakuya reprimanded.
"Yeah, sorry," Renji said. Byakuya seemed a little bit nervous now, but this was something Renji wanted to do. The fact was they were involved in a war. He might not survive whatever was waiting for him in Hueco Mundo. Byakuya might not survive the invasion of Fake Karakura Town. So what was the point of holding anything in at this point? "I just want to say it again, and maybe this time, you could say it back."
It was a gamble, assuming that Byakuya's feelings mirrored his. It was something Renji wouldn't have normally allowed himself to believe, except for what had happened at Urahara Shouten.
"Kuchiki-taichou," Renji said, "I love you."
Renji could see Byakuya's fingers on his zanpakuto, moving awkwardly over the surface. He thought perhaps Byakuya wouldn't answer, but then he spoke.
"Renji. . . I care for you, as well."
Renji couldn't help the relief that flooded through him and the grin that exploded onto his face. Disbelief was still there, of course, but that he could push away for now.
"So where do we stand?" Renji asked. "Where do we go from here?"
"You ask me as if I would know the answers to those questions," Byakuya said. "But this is all new to me. Hisana was the last, and only, person I have ever courted, and that was a much different experience that this one."
"Sorry," Renji said, frowning. The last thing he wanted was to remind Byakuya of his dead wife. He reached out, his hand coming to rest on Byakuya's shoulder. "I should go. Is it okay if I come back later?"
Surprisingly, Byakuya didn't take long to nod his assent.
As Renji left, he wondered if this latest tactic of his was a little too heavy-handed. Forcing his way into Byakuya's life didn't seem like the healthiest way to start a relationship. But he felt like they would never get anywhere if he didn't, and anyway, Byakuya didn't seem to mind. Because if Byakuya was really against it, Renji wouldn't be able to get away with it.
Soon Renji found himself transporting through Sereitei, checking on the statuses of all the senkaimon. Just as he and Rukia thought, they were all being guarded. By lower-ranked unseated officers, which meant that Renji could no doubt take them easily, but the last thing he wanted was to make a scene. The best thing would be to sneak off without anyone noticing. At least that would ensure them some time before someone came after them, if anyone came after them at all. And considering the fact that it was highly likely that Rukia would be able to garner the help of a servant, their best bet would just be to use the Kuchiki senkaimon. He sent a hell butterfly to Rukia saying as much.
Once Renji was done, it was already dark. He figured that Byakuya would be done with his training and decided to go back to the Kuchiki estate. He was still unsure of what he was going to do. He just knew that he wanted to spend as much time with Byakuya as he could before he left.
He found Byakuya by the river outside his bedroom. The man was already dressed in a casual yukata of a geometric blue print, and his his was damp and slick down his back. He held a tea cup in his hand, steam wafting from it, and sipped from it as he watched the surface of the meandering river. Renji came to sit next to him. It was almost a relief to Renji, this more casual setting.
"I won't ask you what you were doing," Byakuya said. "And I advise that you don't tell me."
"Okay," Renji said, watching as Byakuya took another sip. There was enough light from the nearby bedroom that he could see Byakuya clearly, from the soft gray of his eyes to the sharp slant of his nose. Byakuya really was a handsome man. It wasn't a mystery why the Shinigami Woman's Association was trying to publish a photobook of him.
"I must apologize," Byakuya said, before placing his tea cup on the ground.
Renji blinked. "About. . . what?"
"About what I said when you initially confessed," Byakuya replied. "It wasn't actually something I believed. It was just something I said to prevent you from pushing a point. Because I did not think it wise for us to have a relationship."
Renji could feel his heart in his throat. "You still feel like that, Taichou?"
"Somewhat," Byakuya admitted. "But after what happened between us, I realize that it is foolish to go back to just the working relationship we had before. We might as well, I suppose, let this relationship run its course."
"Oh. Okay." Renji didn't exactly get it, but he understood enough to feel relieved.
A hell butterfly fluttered between them then, and Renji cursed the damned things for always getting in the way. He held out his hand and it landed in his palm, and he held it to his ear to hear the message. A kind of morse code, carried in the soft flutterings of its wings. Rukis]a had found someone. They were to leave via the Kuchiki senkeiman two hours after dawn. Renji told the butterfly to send his confirmation, and it quickly flew away, always happy to do its job.
"Byakuya," Renji said, turning his attention back to where he really wanted it. "Is it okay if I stay the night? Just to sleep. We're both probably tired after today."
Byakuya only took a moment to make his decision. And then he nodded, though he still seemed wary about it. "I'll have the servants prepare a bath."
Just twenty minutes later, Renji was soaking in a small stone bath in one of the Kuchiki's estates many rooms. The water he was currently immersed in was hot enough that it was steaming, giving an opaque quality to the air in the small space. Renji wriggled his toes at the other end of the tub, but could barely see them through the fog. The steam smelled vaguely of seasonal florals, though Renji was unable to identify the various scents. It was soothing, though.
He sunk more into the water, so that it covered his mouth and came almost all the way up to his nose. His hair floated around him, like the crimson branches of some strange plants. This was, he thought, a good opportunity to relax a little bit. Things were going well with Byakuya, Renji thought. Perhaps a little too well. He had expected to encounter more resistance than this. But then again, that was a good thing, wasn't it? He was getting what he wanted. And yet it felt like they still had such a long way to go.
Once he got out of the bath, Renji found a yukata and some toiletries waiting for him in the adjoining chamber. He dried himself off and dressed, then brushed his hair out. He didn't bother putting it up, though, figuring he was going to go to bed soon.
When he got back to the room, Byakuya was already in bed, and laying on his side facing away from Renji. From his breathing he was still awake, and Renji wondered if he had been waiting for him. Renji crept into the bed, the soft mattress giving way to his body weight as he climbed on.
He made his way towards Byakuya and laid down behind him. Then he reached out, wrapping his arms around Byakuya's chest as he pressed his own chest flush to Byakuya's back. Byakuya tensed in his embrace, but he didn't protest. On the contrary, a hand came up to rest on his arm, holding it there.
"It's been a long time since I've cuddled like this with someone," Renji said. His voice was barely more than a whisper, though he briefly wondered why he was bothering to lower it. Surely the Kuchiki estate was big enough that his normal speaking voice wouldn't bother anyone. "Rukia used to make fun of me for trying to cuddle with everyone in our gang, so I stopped doing it. But it was cold, you know? I was just trying to stay warm."
"I've never even slept in the same bed as another," Byakuya confessed. "Even with Hisana, we kept our own quarters."
"Yeah?" Renji couldn't keep the shock from coloring his voice. "Even when you guys. . . umm. . . consummated your marriage?"
"Even then," Byakuya confirmed. "I would return to my own bedroom, and she would stay in hers. Hisana only married me to escape her life of poverty. She held no higher emotions for me than respect and gratitude."
Renji's arms tightened around Byakuya, which made Byakuya tense just that little bit more.
"Sorry," Renji said, about both things.
"It's fine," Byakuya said. "I accepted it before we were even wed. And it makes me appreciate it all the more when I
am the recipient of such emotions. Renji. . . I apologize for not being more open, or more communicative with my emotions. I understand that those things are difficult to deal with, and I can only imagine why someone like you are would bother with someone like me."
For a moment Renji thought that he had heard wrong. Though Byakuya's tone of voice was as stoic as ever, his words were. . . well, unexpected, to say the least. Renji had never even entertained the notion that Byakuya had qualities to himself that he was uncertain of.
"Don't you have that backwards?" Renji asked. "Shouldn't I be asking what someone like
you is doing with someone like
me?"
"And would that be a rhetorical question?" Byakuya asked. "Because it is one that I can surely answer. What I am doing with you? Out of anyone I know, you have the most drive and the most passion. You live your life with such conviction, letting your heart guide your actions and words, even when you have everything to lose by doing so. I only wish that I were brave enough to live my life the same way. I admire it, Renji. I admire you."
Renji smiled into Byakuya's hair. It was more of a confession from Byakuya than when Byakuya had parroted Renji's feelings earlier. He wasn't sure what had prompted Byakuya to share. Maybe it was the fact that it was dark, and they weren't facing each other. Maybe he felt it was necessary, before they were separated by the war. But Renji could feel Byakuya relaxing in his arms, and for the first time he felt a little bit secure in their relationship.
"Good night, Taichou."
"Good night, Renji."
When Renji awoke the next morning, there was a moment of confusion at the wrongness around him. The mattress was too soft. The space was too light. There was a body in his arms. And then he remembered.
From Byakuya's breathing, he was awake, and Renji quickly let go of him.
"Sorry, Taichou," Renji said. "Have you been awake long?"
"No," Byakuya replied. "Not much longer than you."
Byakuya turned so that they were both on their sides and facing each other. The planes of his face seemed softer, somehow, in dim light of the dawn. Though it wasn't the first time that Renji had made that observation. Renji shifted, then, at the same time that Byakuya did, so that Byakuya's leg brushed against Renji's morning erection.
"Sorry," Renji murmured, still half asleep. "I'll go take care of that."
"Why?" Byakuya asked. "One of the benefits of being in a relationship is that you have someone to take care of those things for you."
Renji blinked. He would never have guessed, in a million years, that Byakuya's rational side might actually benefit his sex life. But he wasn't going to complain. So instead he reached forward and pulled Byakuya toward him, so that they could kiss each other good morning properly.
As they kissed, Renji felt a hand slide itself into his yukata, then wrap itself around the length of his cock. He moaned into Byakuya's kiss even as his body arched forward. It might have been a long time since Byakuya had been intimate with anyone, but he was certainly skilled with his fingers. Said fingers started to squeeze and pump Renji's cock, as the thumb swirled over the head of it. It was almost unbearable, having Byakuya touch him this way. Just the thought that it was Byakuya's hand on him made Renji want to come.
Renji realized, though, that he really should reciprocate. He reached a hand between them, intent on lavishing the same kind of attention on Byakuya. But his hand never reached its destination, because Byakuya pushed him onto his back and broke their kiss. Renji looked up, surprised to see Byakuya looking down on him with eyes that seemed a little bit darker than usual. He watched as Byakuya crept down his body, as his head dipped lower. He watched as Byakuya pressed his parted lips against the very tip of his penis, tongue coming out to swipe playfully against the surface.
The sight of it was almost more provocative than the actual sensation. Renji watched as those lips parted and lowered, as the head of his cock disappeared into Byakuya's mouth. One of Byakuya's hands found their way to Renji's balls, cupping and massaging them lightly. The other wrapped around the shaft of Renji's cock, gripping the flesh as Byakuya's tongue and throat worked over the head of it.
Once Renji was able to form a cohesive thought, he wondered if he was going to be able to have a chance to reciprocate. But then the hand around his balls was leaving, and he felt a finger prodding at his hole. He spread his legs almost instinctually, and felt his hole twitch when just the tip of Byakuya's finger pushed in. Renji's eyes drifted shut as he was assault on both sides. . . by Byakuya's mouth in the front, and his finger in the back. And that impossibly long finger kept sliding deeper and deeper into him, until he finally felt the knuckles of Byakuya's hand against his ass. Byakuya started to finger fuck him then, at which point it became exponentially more difficult for Renji to keep from moaning.
Still, fingers were different from cocks, and while one dry finger up there felt pretty damned good, they were going to need something if Byakuya wanted to shove something else in.
"Byakuya," Renji said, "if you want to do this, we'll need something slick."
His words caused Byakuya's mouth to, quite tragically, remove itself from his cock. Though, thankfully, that finger remained where it was.
"My servants keep massage oil in the armoire," Byakuya replied. "I'll go retrieve some."
And now that finger was leaving him. Byakuya stood, mattress shifting to accommodate his absence, and made his way to his armoire. In the meantime Renji reached down to pull his yukata, already half open, all the way to the sides. Then he reached a hand down to wrap around himself, playing with himself in languid strokes as he waited for Byauya to return. He was achingly hard, his large cock flushed a deep red color and liberally dripping pre-cum with each stroke. He knew that it wanted a chance to get inside of Byakuya, but he didn't want to scare the other man off. Other lovers had been intimidated by its size, after all. He could work up to that.
Byakuya came back, the bottle of massage oil in his hands. Renji watched as he untied the obi of his yukata and let the robes slip from his shoulders, revealing a hard, lithely sculpted body. Byakuya was hard already, slender cock curving out from thick black curls. Byakuya tipped the bottle over it, and Renji watched as a viscous stream of oil dripped out to coat its length. Byakuya put the bottle down as he rubbed the oil over himself, then he came to sit between Renji's legs again.
Renji bent and spread his legs as two of Byakuya's fingers returned to his ass. Now slick, they sank in almost easily, and then he was being stretched and scissored to accommodate a larger girth.
"I'm ready," Renji said, after awhile. "Go ahead and put it in."
Byakuya seemed unsure, but he removed his fingers nonetheless. He brought a hand down to grip the base of his cock, then positioned himself more neatly between Renji's legs. Renji held his breath as he felt the blunt tip of Byakuya's cock press against him. Then Byakuya pushed, and Renji felt himself being spread open.
Renji's fingers tangled in the sheets as Byakuya sank into him. He could hear Byakuya's breathing, heavy and uneven, and somehow it felt good that he was the one doing that to the man. It wasn't long before Byakuya was completely buried inside of him, hips pressed against Renji's legs. Byakuya was bent over him, forearms on either side of Renji's head, just a few inches above him. His face was screwed up, if only minutely, in concentration.
"Are you okay?" Renji asked. He reached up, rubbing his hands along Byakuya's shoulder blades.
"Yes," Byakuya said, though his voice was strained. Poor thing. He really had been celibate since his wife had died.
"It's fine," Renji said. "Just take it slow."
Byakuya nodded. He started to roll his hips, slowly, back and forth. The small movement sent little thrums of pleasure through Renji's body. Part of him still couldn't believe this was happening, but it's not as though he could deny the proof all around him. Renji lifted his head up, kissing Byakuya as the other man fucked him.
Renji snaked his arm down the backside of Byakuya's body, slid his fingers between the crevice of his ass. Soon his index finger found what he was looking for. . . a small puckered hole. He pressed against it, then pushed. As his finger sunk inside that tight heat Byakuya gasped into his mouth. Renji moved his finger back and forth, slowly, even as Byakuya started to fuck him at a faster pace.
"Renji," Byakuya breathed, and from his tone of voice he seemed as though he were close.
"It's fine," Renji said, "go ahead and let go."
Byakuya clenched his eyes shut and nodded. Somehow he reached an arm down between their bodies, hand wrapping around Renji's cock as he pulled. Renji bit his lip at the contact. It felt amazing, Byakuya's hand on his cock and Byakuya's cock up his ass, and his finger feeling out the promise of future encounters. Renji was close, too, and in Byakuya's expert hand he was quickly pulled to orgasm. He groaned as his cock twitched and shot, coating the space between them. Soon after that Byakuya gave a small moan and spilled himself into Renji's body, before all but collapsing on top of it.
They lay there for awhile, still intertwined, before Byakuya moved to get off of him. They both had duties to attend to, after all. Renji with Rukia and the others, and Byakuya with the Gotei 13. They got cleaned up in comfortable silence, then started their walk to the Kuchiki senkaimon.
Rukia was already there when they arrived, and she lifted an eyebrow to see the two of them walking together.
"Onii-sama?" she asked, a little wary.
"Rukia. Do not worry, I just came to say goodbye. Stay safe."
Rukia nodded. "Thank you, onii-sama."
The servant was opening up the senkaimon now, back to Karakura Town. Hopefully once they were there they could get Ichigo and then convince Urahara to get them into Hueco Mundo. Renji turned toward Byakuya.
"I'll see you when this is all over."
Byakuya nodded. "I expect nothing less."
Renji smiled. Then, because he couldn't help it, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Byakuya's lips. Byakuya's eyes widened in surprise at the public display of affection. As did his servant's and Rukia's. Before Byakuya could scold (or hurt) him for being so bold in public, Renji picked up a shell-shocked Rukia and stepped into the senkaimon. He looked back to see it closing up behind them. Byakuya's shock was fading, taken over by an expression that seemed to say Renji would be duly punished upon their next meaning.
Renji was looking forward to it.
"Renji," Rukia's said, sounding mixed parts shocked, confused, and angry. "Would you care to tell me what is going on between you and my brother?"
Renji grinned. "Yeah. I'll tell you on the way to Karakura Town. You see, it all started when he came to the academy to adopt you. . ."
I'm thinking of doing a multi-part AU. Vote in my poll to help me decide which one: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/24481-polls-by-crunchysalad/
