Beneath The Skin

Authors notes: Written for Stark (stark_black).

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last fic I posted... and to those who took the time to read it.

Yakumo: Thank you so much for the review. Kira is such a sweetheart and definitely very huggable.

Nariel: Thank you! I do like angst xD

Anise: Yes, I love those three together too! I don’t like Kira when is portrayed as too weak either. He has flaws, but it's those flaws that, for me, make him interesting. (Ukitake/Byakuya >.< I’m really not sure I can write Bya, but I’ll give it a go! If I fail, I’ll write you a Shuu/Ren XD RL has been kicking my ass so it might take me a week or two, but I will get there.)

Comments and/or constructive criticism very much appreciated.

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Shuuhei let his hands rest on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Glancing up, he smirked at Renji through the sweat that trickled down his face. “You’re getting slow. That last hit wouldn’t have scratched a raw recruit.”

Renji laughed across the meadow, Zabimaru slung across his back, grin cocky as ever. “Do yanno how much of a pain in the ass it would be to lug your dead weight back to the fourth?”

Reaching up, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, unsurprised when his hand came away tinge with red from the cut above his right eye. Wandering over to his discarded gi, he watched Renji out of the corner of his eye, as he picked up the thick material and wiped it across his face and down his chest.

“About as much as it takes to make sure you get your drunken ass home after we’ve been drinking with Ikkaku and Matsumoto?” he threw back, rubbing the gi across the back of his neck.

The banter had always been easy between them, the time they had spent sparring together over the last couple of months had done nothing to diminish that. It was true that he hadn’t seen much of the redhead in the years after they left Academy, but something had changed when Ichigo had invaded Seireitei. They had all become a lot closer. Renji hadn’t blinked twice when Shuuhei had asked him to help him train. No more than he had when Kira had needed someone to talk to, or Yumichika when Matsumoto had said she didn’t want to drink alone. He didn’t let himself dwell on the other events that had forced them together, even though it was probably the main reason they were out there, training in the baking hot, late summer sun.

“Ya wanna take a break?” Renji asked, as Shuuhei dropped his gi back to the ground next to the redhead’s.

He considered it for a moment. He wasn’t the only one who was looking worse for wear. The Renji was leaning on Zabimaru now, tattooed skin marred by smears of blood from a dozen or more cuts, strands of his over-vibrant hair escaping its tail to cling to his sweat slick skin. The indecision only lasted a moment. He needed bankai. The thought dragged all the responsibilities, which had been driven from his mind while they fought, crashing down. There was a pile of paperwork a foot high sitting on his desk; he needed to sign off the reports his third seat had taken on too. He needed to appoint a new fifth seat, which meant trying to get in to see Yamamoto so he could approve his decision in place of the captain. He spent half his time chasing around after someone else’s signature and his squad were suffering because of it…

“Shuu?”

He blinked and looked up, his eyes darker than they had been only a moment earlier. “I’m good to go again.”

He picked up his zanpakutou and spun the naginata* over his head, using the move to stretch out the muscles across his back, before grounding the weighted end in front of him. He felt a fresh trickle of blood slip down his side, his movements reopening the gash Zabimaru had sliced just below his ribs on Renji’s last pass.

The redhead shrugged and shifted his stance. “Maybe I’ll go easy on ya, I don’t want to be explainin’ to the Captain General why you’re out of action for a week.”

Shuuhei bit off a laugh, but didn't reply. They both knew Renji was just taunting; there was no point to any of this unless they both went all out. Flipping the naginata into his hands, he flash stepped to Renji’s side, bringing the spear around as the redhead brought his zanpakutou up to defend his exposed side. The muscles in his arms jarred, as Zabimaru’s jagged teeth caught the pole arm’s shaft. Renji didn’t give him time to recover, flicking his wrist to try to wrench Shuuhei’s weapon from his grasp.

He smirked and released one hand, spinning as he did to flip the blade up at Renji’s head. The redhead ducked, and Shuuhei swore, as he was only just fast enough to dodge Renji’s extended sword. Metal crashed against metal, the sound ringing out across the open grassland.

The two shinigami sprang apart, chests heaving. Shuuhei watched the slight ripple of muscles across Renji’s tattooed stomach, a telltale sign that the redhead was about to strike. He dropped low as Zabimaru flew at him, his naginata coming up to find the flat side of the segmented blade, sliding along it as he ran forward.

He saw the brief moment of surprise flick behind auburn eyes, before he pulled the weighted end of his weapon up to thump Renji heavily in the stomach. The redhead grunted as he started to go down. Shuuhei began to draw in a relived, somewhat smug breath, before he felt Renji’s foot catch behind his calf, the redhead twisting his leg to pull Shuuhei down with him.

The air flew from his lungs as he hit the ground with a grunt. He tried to twist onto his side, and swore as he felt his ribs creak. “Fuck.” Closing his eyes, he laid back down, tipping his head back as he tried to regain his breath.

Renji laughed from his own prone position not far to his side, the sound coming out more like a wheeze. The redhead managed to roll over, looking across at him with a smirk. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shuuhei beat him to it. “Don’t start, not yet.”

The redhead grinned and shut his mouth, for once seeming to know when Shuuhei had had enough. They were both pretty much at their limit. As he much as he hated to admit it, if they pushed much harder neither of them would be good for anything for the rest of the week.

After a moment Renji dragged himself up enough to prop his head on his hand. Shuuhei watched out the corner of his eye, as Renji ran his gaze over his exposed skin, sliding down across his chest to the deep slits in the sides of his hakama. He could have been checking him for injuries, but even though the redhead had become somewhat better at keeping his emotions off his face since he had joined the sixth, there was nothing the tattooed redhead could do to keep the heat out of those auburn eyes.

Rolling his head to the side he smirked, biting off a laugh as Renji’s cheeks seemed to gain an extra hit of colour when he realised he had been caught. It wasn’t as if it was the first time he had noticed the way Renji’s glances lingered sometimes. It wasn’t like it bothered him either; he had a sixty-nine on his face, he was use to people looking. Besides, they had messed around a few times, back when they were both in the Academy, the sort of drunken moments that most students had at one time or another. Frantic, lust filled outlets for frustration, full of mouths, tongues and hands. It was hard not to think back to those occasions sometimes, especially when you were still buzzing on the tail end on an adrenalin high.

Shuuhei knew, if he was honest with himself, that he wouldn’t have said no to something like that again, if the redhead had just been some other sparing buddy, but like everything since Aizen left, things were different now.

Renji had been there for him through thick and thin since the betrayal—goading, prodding, never letting him back down. The best friend he’d had. He didn’t begrudge Kira and Momo the sympathy and support their friends had tried to give them, but the redhead had known that sort of thing wouldn’t work for him. They had both grown up fighting to survive, and Renji understood that if he was going to get through this he needed something to fight for. He wasn’t going to fuck that up for quick roll in the grass.

Still bristling from the blush, Renji sat up and turned his head away, giving Shuuhei a chance to run his eyes over the distinctive black tattoos on the Renji’s tanned back. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun winding the redhead up anyway.

Finally finding the strength, he pushed himself from the ground, before turning his attention to the obi at his waist. His hakama already hung low on his narrow hips, without the gi tucked in, and it didn’t take much loosen them enough to drop to the ground.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Renji growled, the flash of anger in his voice matching the colour in his face.

Shuuhei smirked; he had picked this spot to spar for a reason. Stepping out of the last of his uniform, he kicked off his sandals and headed over to the riverbank. “Going for a swim,” he offered, turning to glance over his shoulder at Renji with a grin. “You coming?”

The water was fast flowing, clear… and fucking freezing. Well maybe it wasn’t ice cold, but after the sweaty heat of the late afternoon sun it might as well have been. It felt good.

He could feel Renji’s eyes on his back, almost hear his mind working as he decided whether to join him. He sunk himself down to his chest, letting the free-flowing water wash away the blood and grime from their fight. Renji jumped from the bank, landing not much more than an arms length from his head.

He blinked away the water that had splashed his face and watched as the redhead dunked his head under, soaking the rest of his hair, before running his hands over his head to smooth the cascade of water down his back.

Renji grinned over at him. “Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.”

Despite his best efforts, Shuuhei felt a familiar stir of heat in the pit of his stomach—who wouldn’t? Despite his complaints up on the bank Renji was completely unashamed in his skin. Toned muscles rippled across the redhead’s back, as he scrubbed the sweat at dirt from his skin to reveal the thick, black lines of his distinctive tattoos. It might have been funny, if it wasn’t for how little the redhead actually had to do to get him thinking. It wasn’t even as if he was trying.

He tore his eyes away and pushed himself over to the bank, finding a curve where current wasn’t so strong. Washing the last of the dried blood from his skin, he carefully started checking his cuts and scrapes, prodding gently around the wound on his side, wincing slightly as he hit a bruised rib.

“Anything broken?” asked Renji, making his way over so that he could push Shuuhei’s arm out of the way and get a better look at what was bothering him.

He shook his head, gritting his teeth as Renji surprisingly gentle fingers followed the line of bruising around his back.

“It’s going to hurt like bitch though. Maybe we should give it a break tomorrow?”

He closed his eyes, pushing down the frustration, before he looked over at the redhead. “I’m so close, I can feel it. Another month and I’ll beat that bastard into giving me bankai.”

Renji’s brows knitted together as he frowned. “Shuu, you’re pushing ya’self too hard.” Something flickered behind the redhead’s eyes, but before he could pick up what was Renji pushed himself back to glide over the water with a grin. “But if ya want go to ya first captains meeting bruised and battered who am I to argue?”

Shuuhei bit off a laugh.

“Stop worryin’, Hisagi. It’s a sure thing.”

Renji’s faith in the fact that he was going to get the ninth squad captaincy was unwavering, and pretty much founded the sort of enthusiasm that only the redhead seemed to be able to find. The reality was, even with bankai, he still had to get over the distrust some of Seireitei was still clinging too, and pass the somewhat secretive captaincy test in front of Yamamoto.

He ducked his head to wash the water through his short, rough-cut hair, one last time, before turning to pull himself from the river. “A sure thing, yeah?”

He tugged on his hakama, as Renji climbed out behind him.

“What’s with your attitude? You’re the best guy for the job. If the Captain General can’t see that then I’m really gona start worrying for the old man’s sanity.”

Shuuhei looked over at the redhead, as he picked up his gi and slung it over his shoulder, a grin tugging at his lips. “You done with the pep talk yet Abarai-kohai?”

Renji rolled his eyes and threw him his zanpakutou, straightening his hakama before he reached Shuuhei’s side. “You’ve spent way too much time around Kira, I swear. What’s with the sarcasm?”

Shuuhei laughed, as they set off back towards Seireitei, walking off the last off their dampness in the late summer sun.

It was close to dusk by the time the walls came in sight. Renji slipped his arms into his gi, turning to Shuuhei with a grin. “So you comin’ out tonight?”

Shuuhei had known this was coming since they had set out, he was just surprised Renji had managed to get this far without brining it up. “I’ve got paperwork I need to do, if I’m going to have time to train tomorrow.”

“But ya not gona do it tonight right?”

Shuuhei looked at Renji out the corner of his eye. “No, but if I go out with you and the guys I’m not going to wake up in any state to do paperwork before midday.”

Renji tucked his hands behind his head and looked over at him. “Just come out for a few, we can grab something to eat on the way. The guys will miss ya if ya don’t make it.”

Shuuhei shook his head, watching Renji out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re gona make Matsumoto sad... and Kira will worry ‘bout ya.”

Shuuhei bit of a laugh at Renji’s attempted blackmail. “Kira will be plastered by the time you get there if Matsumoto’s with him.”

Renji sighed in mock frustration, as he dragged his now dry hair back into its customary tail. “How ‘bout I stop by on my way and you can see if you’ve changed ya mind?”

Shuuhei shoved him towards the wall, making Renji drop his half tied hair, but he didn’t bother to reply. It wasn’t like anything he said would stop the redhead anyway.

They hit the gate and Renji turned towards the sixth squad compound. “I’ll see ya later.”

*****

Renji tucked one of the bags he was carrying further up under his arm and tried to knock on the heavy door that led to Shuuhei’s rooms. He had stopped at his own place long enough to change his uniform and drag a brush through his sun-dried hair, before making his way though the warren of streets that was Seireitei. Despite that, it had already been dark by the time he reached the ninth squad’s compound and it had taken him ten minutes to talk his way past the idiot on the gate. He knew Shuuhei had his name on the list of shinigami be let in anytime. How many redheaded fukutaichous did the idiot think there were in the Gotei 13?

Giving up his struggle with the bag, he put it down and opened the door, stepping inside. He headed down the narrow hallway to the living area, but the room was unlit and empty. “Hey, Hisagi, where are ya?”

He had become use to the starkness of Shuuhei’s rooms. The well-worn floorboards were familiar under his tabi, the low table in one corner a familiar shadow in the moonlit darkness. He knew he had a tendency to horde things, he guessed it still came from growing up with nothing; you either went one way or the other.

He dumped his stuff on the counter in the kitchen, and noticed that the door out to the courtyard was open. Grabbing one of the bags, he headed out. Shuuhei was sitting on the deck, his back leant against the wall behind him.

“Did ya think ya could hide from me out here?” he grinned.

Shuuhei look up him, the moonlight catching on the parallel scars that ran down his cheek. “I didn’t hear you knock, but I knew that wasn’t likely to stop you.”

The brunet’s words held more humour than sting and Renji settled down against the wall. The formally laid out garden was small, but still a welcome break from the miles of white stone that made up the majority of Seireitei. There were doors at the far end that led into the captain’s rooms, but those rooms had been empty since Tousen had left.

It seemed odd to say that name, even in his head. No one spoke the names of the three former captains that had turned traitor, unless they had to, and never in front of Kira or Momo. Shuuhei never showed any sign of it bothering him, he never showed any sign of anything to do with his former captain bothering him, but Renji wasn’t so sure. It was like everything was a test to the scarred fukutaichou, even this garden. Shuuhei had confessed one time that Tousen had designed the place, the trickling fountain on the far wall installed because his former Taichou liked to hear the sound of moving water. Renji knew that his friend made himself come out here anyway, forced himself to meditate in the cool shadows, like he had done for as long as these had been his rooms.

Digging into the bag he dragged out a bottle of sake and handed it over Shuuhei. “There’s food inside, but it’s noting that's gona hurt if it gets cold.”

Shuuhei looked over at him, probably wondering what he was up too, before the tattooed brunet took the bottle. “Thanks.”

He grinned and pulled his own bottle out. Maybe he did have a slightly ulterior motive for bringing the sake and food, but it wasn’t like it was anything bad. He knew that if he had just turned up and tried to drag Shuuhei out the door he wouldn’t have got anywhere. This way he might have a chance, and if not, well it was probably nicer out here than most of the overcrowded bars were going to be in this heat anyway.

Taking a mouthful of the sake, he put the bottle down and tucked his hands behind his head. “How’s the ribs?”

Shuuhei grunted, glancing over to look at him, a smirk tugging at his lips. “How’s the shoulder?”

Renji turned back to look at the moonlit sky and grinned. “Bruised to fuck. If I can move it when I wake up I’m probably gona wish I couldn’t.”

He could tell from the way Shuuhei shifted that a part of him still wanted to apologise, but after months of sparing, at the level they had been, a few bumps and bruises were nothing. Besides, it all evened out in the end. He was getting stronger too, faster. It wasn’t like Shuuhei was the only one getting something out of their training.

The heat of the day barely seemed to have faded by the time they got around to picking at food. He wasn’t really hungry and he found himself sprawled across the weather-worn decking, while Shuuhei picked through the last of the sticky rice in his bowl. His own dish was shoved to the far side of the deck, along with one of the empty sake bottles. His eyes followed, as the brunet brought the chopsticks up to his lips and dropped the food in his mouth. He knew he was staring again, but the sake was making it harder than usual to stop. The brunet really didn’t have any idea how good he looked.

He didn’t know what it was lately. Maybe is was just because they were spending so much time together; training anytime they could get away from their squads for more than an hour, hanging out with Ikkaku, Yumichika and the others most nights. Whatever is was, he was finding it harder and harder not to act on the attraction he felt for his one time sempai.

Dropping his head back against the wall, he swore under his breath.

Shuuhei put the bowl down, running his tongue across his lips to catch a piece of rice that had escaped, before looking over at him. “What is it?”

Renji groan silently and tipped his head back to look at the stars. “Nothin’. Any more sake in that bottle?”

Shuuhei picked the bottle up and tipped it to the side, before shaking his head. “There’s a bottle in the cupboard.”

He watched, as the usually precise brunet swayed to his feet, and realised that he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of the sake. It was probably the sun, dehydration after fighting out in the midday heat. Pushing himself up from the deck, he grabbed his bowl and made his way to the door. They should probably stop about now, or Shuuhei was gona be pissed about being out of commission for work in the morning.

Stepping into the kitchen, he watched as Shuuhei bent down to try and find the sake that had been pushed somewhere to the back of the cupboard. His bit the inside of his lip and tried not to think about the ideas that were suddenly filling his head. Yeah, stopping drinking about now would be a really good idea.

Shuuhei stood and turned, his eyes seeming to follow where Renji had been looking. “Freaking perve.” His eyes glinted, but Renji couldn’t tell if it was from humour, or the alcohol.

He felt his face burn. Anger boiled up though him, hot enough to blaze through embarrassment. “What the fuck Shuu?” he growled, throwing the empty bowl down on the countertop.

Shuuhei started to laugh, and Renji could feel himself loosing it. He knew it was the sake, maybe mixed with the fact that, despite all the joking around, he really did want something more from the brunet. He couldn’t deal with Shuuhei constantly taunting him anymore. His reiatsu spiked as he clenched his fist.

Shuuhei looked confused for a moment, before realisation dawn on his face. “Whoa, calm down Renji. I was just kidding, it’s not a big deal.”

Renji turned to go, before he did or said something he would regret. He never had been any good at dealing with stuff like this calmly.

Shuuhei reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey, Renji? What’s going on?”

He tried to shake his head clear, but Shuuhei was still holding his arm. A sudden flash of irrational anger surged through him. He shoved the brunet back. Shuuhei hit the countertop with a thud, but he didn’t let go, pulling Renji with him.

Renji pressed his hand to Shuuhei’s chest, to shove him away, and felt the brunet’s heart racing under his palm. His breath caught in his own chest, his head spinning. He knew he should go, just leave and forget about everything until he had sobered up. Shuuhei was watching him, something dark in his eyes. Looking down, he ran his eyes over the brunet’s lips. Everything was fucked anyway…

He brought his mouth down against the Shuuhei’s, crushing his lips against the brunet’s in a way that was more of a challenge than a kiss. A moment later he felt hands tangling in the back of his hair, gripping at the base of his neck and forcing his head back. It took him a moment to realise Shuuhei was kissing him back, if that was what you could call the battle of tongues and teeth that was happening between them.

His own hands came up into grip in Shuuhei’s rough-cut hair, fingers tightening in an attempt to better control the crush of lips. He bit down hard on Shuuhei’s lip, and almost groaned as the brunet let out a gasp.

Shuuhei pulled his head back again, breaking the kiss for a moment. “Renji—

He tried to drop his head back to Shuuhei’s lips, his mind lost to everything but finding that taste he had been craving for what seemed like forever.

“Renji,” Shuuhei growled, pulling him back again. The brunet’s voice was breathless, but deadly serious. He finally came back to himself enough to let his hands drop, stepping back just far enough to see confusion flickering behind Shuuhei’s dark eyes. “We can’t do this. It’s just the sake, we should sleep it off, just forget about it.”

Maybe his head was still fogged by the alcohol, but it was clearing fast. He still didn’t understand what Shuuhei was trying to say.

There was a flash of anger in the brunet’s eyes. “You really want to throw everything away for the sake of a fuck?”

Renji stood back, confusion clouding his eyes. “Is that what you think I want? Just to get off?” Suddenly things started to make sense. He tried to fight down the hurt before it showed in his eyes. “Is that what you wanted?” He was such a fucking idiot.

Shuuhei’s face dropped, and Renji realised that he hadn’t been able to keep the sudden ache from showing. He turned to try and leave.

Shuuhei reached out to grab his arm. “Wait, Renji what do you mean? You, Rukia… after everything, I thought…”

Renji paused, shaking his head, suddenly losing the strength, or maybe just the will to fight. He watched, as things seemed to start to drop into place in Shuuhei’s head.

“I though you two were going to get it together, now that she is back…”

He turned his head away, refusing to meet Shuuhei’s eyes. Somehow it almost hurt more that someone who he had thought was he best friend didn’t even understand about Rukia and him. “Look, I should get out of here.”

Shuuhei shook his head, refusing to let go, pulling Renji into a hug instead. It was awkward to start, but it wasn’t really anything new. They had hugged before, in drunken camaraderie, in congratulation, in grief. Slowly he felt the tension in his muscles being to drain away.

Shuuhei brought his hand up to tug on the end of his hair, the touch teasing and familiar, bringing his head up to meet the brunet’s dark eyes. “Can we just start this again?” Renji’s eyes flicked away and Shuuhei tugged on his hair again. “Fuck Renji, are you really gona make me say this stuff?”

Renji looked up at him, and had to bite his tongue to still his laugh. “Yeah?”

Shuuhei let his head fall back for a moment, before he looked back up at Renji, grin playing around his lips. “No, I didn’t just want a fuck.” The grin finally slid back into place. “Even if watching your sweaty, half naked body has been driving me crazy. Why did you think I was trying to get you to back off?”

Renji shook his head and reached past Shuuhei to grab the bottle of sake the tattooed brunet had found, pushing back enough to down a couple of gulps, letting the sting clear his head. Shuuhei took to bottle from his hand and put it on the side, before picking it back up and taking a mouthful.

Discarding the bottle, Shuuhei pushed him back toward the far countertop. Renji felt something shiver through him, coiling down beneath his skin, as the dark glint came back into the brunet’s eyes.

The kiss was slower this time, if not much softer. He curled his tongue past Shuuhei’s lips, licking the cool sake from the brunet’s mouth, even as Shuuhei’s tongue battled against his own. He felt a jerk on his hair tie, long fingers tangling at the base of his neck as vibrant strands fell around his face. A groan slipped free from his throat, as the delicious tug was used to pull his head back, Shuuhei’s lips slipping from his mouth to work their way across his jaw towards his throat.

The edge of teeth against his neck jolted him back to himself, even as Shuuhei’s breath against his ear sent shivers down his spine. “Fuck.”

Shuuhei grinned against his neck, and he raked blunt nails down the back of brunet’s arms, smirking as Shuuhei muffled his own curses against his neck.

Tipping his head back, he slid his hands down to grip Shuuhei’s hips, dragging him closer. Fingers tugged impatiently at the neck of his gi, pulling it wider so that Shuuhei could lick-bite a trail across his collarbone.

He felt his cock twitch against Shuuhei’s thigh, and let out a groan as the brunet rolled his leg against the growing hardness. Pulling Shuuhei’s head back, he attacked his already swollen lips, before trailing towards his ear. “Bed, now.”

Shuuhei nodded wordlessly, reaching to grab something out of a basket on the side, before walking backwards into the hallway and pulling Renji with him.

The redhead grinned, reaching forward to run his thumb along the prominent hardness showing through Shuuhei’s hakama. The brunet stumbled, grabbing a hold of his gi and pulling Renji with him as his back hit the wall.

Leaning into Shuuhei, he took advantage of the position to turn the tables on the brunet. Dragging the sleeveless gi from Shuuhei’s shoulders, he dipped his head to leave a trail of needy kisses across the brunet’s chest, his tongue flicking out to taste the salty heat of the other’s skin.

Shuuhei pushed away from the wall, pressing one hand against his chest and shoving him backwards towards the bedroom. Renji kept his eyes fixed on the brunet, trailing his hands along the walls of the narrow hall. Feeling the wall come to an end, he moved to grip the gi that now hung from Shuuhei’s hips and stepped into the brunet’s bedroom. Tugging the excess material free from Shuuhei’s hakama, he dropped it to the floor. Shuuhei pulled at his uniform, but Renji pushed him away, frustrated that the thick material wasn’t disappearing fast enough.

Finally freed of his gi, he pulled Shuuhei back to him, his fingers gripping in the brunet’s hair as their mouths met again. Shuuhei’s hands slid down his body to slip inside the slits at the sides of his hakama. Renji let out a groan, as blunt nails raked over his hips, so close, but no quite touching the hardness trapped between their bodies.

The hands slipped free and started to pull at the ties for his hakama, all the while teeth and lips sucking and teasing his skin. He managed to pull himself together enough to fumble Shuuhei’s ties undone, the heavy material falling away just after his own.

Stepping back, Shuuhei gripped Renji’s hip and pulled him down to the futon. Their legs tangled, their bodies slipping one against the other as they tried to find some friction between them.

Shuuhei pushed him down onto his back, hands straying across his chest, tongue stopping to flick across a nipple. Renji tired to push himself up, already missing the heat of Shuuhei’s skin under his mouth, just as the brunet’s fingers finally made their way to wrap his already aching cock. His head fell back, a stringing of half stifled curses dragged from his lips.

He let out a groan, as Shuuhei ran a thumb over the tip of his cock, smoothing the precum across the head, and felt Shuuhei’s cock pulse where it was pressed up against his hip. Twisting his shoulders up off the bed, he gripped Shuuhei’s jaw and pulled him up into a kiss. The brunet seemed to drink in the barely stifled noises he was dragging from Renji, before slipping his mouth down towards Renji’s ear.

His hips bucked up into Shuuhei’s hand, as the brunet sucked hard on the soft skin over his pulse. “What do you want?”

Renji groaned. “Anything, anything you want.”

Shuuhei lent down further, ghosting his lips across Renji’s ear. “I want you to fuck me.”

Renji’s cock throbbed, as Shuuhei’s words slipped across his skin and slid heat down his spine. He licked his lips, leaning up to search eyes that were suddenly so dark they were almost black. “Yeah?” He could feel his heart racing, he was pretty sure Shuuhei could feel it too.

Shuuhei’s hand pumped slowly along his length, the most seductive smirk Renji had seen creeping onto the corners of his lips “Yeah.”

His thoughts were still reeling. Shuuhei had always been the one to lead, he had always assumed the scarred brunet would want to top.

Shuuhei tugged at his hair, sending delicious tingles down his spine and jolting him back to himself. A thumb smoothed across his jaw, before tracing his tattoo down his neck. “You don’t have to…”

Renji knew the grin that found his way onto his lips was probably lopsided, but right then he didn’t really care. He rolled them over so that he was pinning the brunet to the bed. Shuuhei smirked and bucked his hips up, pressing his own hard flesh into Renji’s. Blunt nails raked down his back, and he buried his gaps against Shuuhei’s neck, biting down on the sensitive skin and drawing a similar sound from the brunet’s mouth.

He kissed his way down Shuuhei’s chest, making his way across the brunets toned stomach, his thumbs rubbing across the ridge of his hipbones. Shuuhei arched up under him, as his tongue trailed down the line between hip and leg. Looking up he swore, realising that he didn’t have anything to use as lube.

Shuuhei grinned, pushing him back and leaning across the floor to reach for his uniform. Renji slid up the bed, watching as Shuuhei pulled out a jar of the salve the forth squad handed out for minor cuts and scrapes. The brunet pushed him onto his back and he looked up, confused for a moment, before Shuuhei straddled his thighs and wrapped a slick hand around his cock.

His head fell back, as Shuuhei’s fingers threatened to send him into oblivion. “Damn, Shuu…” pulling his head up he grinned. “If ya wanted me to be good for anything ya need to slow it down.”

Shuuhei eased up, running a hand over his cock one last time before releasing it. His thoughts were racing. He was barely able to think straight, let alone deal with fact that he was about the fuck the focus of pretty much every one of his fantasies since before he even became a fully fledged shinigami.

Shuuhei slid up his body, letting Renji’s cock slide against his own, before it slipped over his balls. Realising what Shuuhei was going to do Renji tried to sit up. “Hey, I’m not gona fuck you without anything first. I’m not exactly small in case ya didn’t notice.”

Shuuhei shoved him back down to the bed, the brunet’s reiatsu flaring as he held him in place.

Glancing up he ran his tongue over his lips. “Shuu…”

The brunet smirked, leaning down to whisper against his ear. “Over the last six months you’re ripped my body to shreds with Zabimaru. You think you can trust me to know what I can deal with?”

Renji nodded, and watched as one hand reached back to hold his cock in place, the other resting on his chest. Shuuhei pressed down onto him, the pressure making his breath catch, before he slowly slid down over the head. His eyes flicked between the look on Shuuhei’s face—head tipped back, eyes closed in concentration—and watching himself disappear inside that incredible, tight heat.

It took everything Renji had not to thrust up into that hot grip. One hand fisted in the sheets by his side, the other gripped Shuuhei’s thigh tight enough to bruise. Pinpricks of sweat broke out across his skin, Shuuhei’s hand on his chest burning against his skin. He glanced up to see the brunet watching him, an almost feral smirk on his lips. Slowly Shuuhei started to move.

He hooked one knee up, shifting his hips and as Shuuhei slid down against him. The brunet reached back, using his thigh to steady himself, as Renji finally gave into pressure building inside of him and thrust up into Shuuhei’s willing body. He watched as the brunet’s head dropped back, his hips rolling to push Renji deeper. Fingers trailed down the heat slick skin of his stomach, tracing the lines of his tattoos seemingly without thought.

Pushing his upper body from the futon, he dragged Shuuhei down so that their mouths met. One hand came up to trace the scars on the brunet’s cheek, as he breathed in the heat of Shuuhei’s skin. His hair clung damply to his back, pulling pinpricks across his scalp as he tilled his head to rest against the brunet’s chest. Shuuhei’s sunk his hips down in one swift move and Renji felt himself groan, heat pulling through his body, coiling spring tight. “Shuu, too good, can’t…”

Shuuhei dropped his head, his teeth finding Renji’s ear and biting down. “What’s the matter,” he breathed into Renji ear. “You want me to stop?”

Renji swallowed the groan that rose in his throat at the challenge, slamming his hips up and taking back control of their movements. Shuuhei’s head fell back as he arched into Renji’s body, the sounds the slipped from the brunet’s lips pulling a grin to Renji’s mouth, even as they drove him close to the edge.

Shuuhei’s hand slipped between them, and Renji watched, almost blindly, as the brunet’s hand grasped his own cock, pumping his fist in time with slide of their bodies.

He raked blunt nails down Shuuhei’s back, his thrusts becoming erratic. The brunet ground his hips down and Renji gave up any pretence of being in control. “Shuu… please”

He felt a hand tangle in his hair, pulling his head back as Shuuhei lent down so that he could whisper against his ear. “Come for me Renji.”

The words were enough to push him over the edge. His hips snapped up, as he buried himself as deeply inside Shuuhei as he could, tension snapping through his body, dragging heat down onto the pit of his stomach before his orgasm rushed through him. He was vaguely aware of Shuuhei’s body tightening around him, hot liquid hitting his stomach as the brunet found his own release.

His heart thumped in his chest, as he slowly seemed to sink back down into his body. He collapsed back onto the futon, pulling Shuuhei with him. “Damn.” He pried open his eyes to find Shuuhei looking down at him. He grinned, meeting the satisfied look on the brunet’s face, before repeating himself. “Damn.”

Shuuhei slid off his body and collapsed by his side.

He was hot, sticky… and had probably just had the best fuck of his life, but something was trying to twist through the post orgasm haze.

Shuuhei pushed himself up from the futon and Renji watched as he walked from the room. His eyes trailed down the long lines of the brunet’s body, even as he felt something awkward pressing inside his chest.

He lay back on the futon and tried not to think, letting the trailing edge of the heat still curling through his body distract him from the thoughts that wanted to form in his mind.

Shuuhei returned with two glasses of water, passing one to Renji as he sunk back to the futon. The brunet’s eyes trailed across his face. “You okay?”

He nodded, holding the water to his forehead and trying to hide his thoughts behind the glass. Shuuhei slid down by his side, confusion clear in his eyes as his fingers came up to play with the ends of Renji’s hair.

He emptied the glass and sunk back down, his eyes deliberately tracing the lines that ran across the ceiling. “Shuu, I don’t think I can...” He ran his tongue across his lower lip, feeling the coolness from the water on his skin. “I know you’re not into long term stuff… but I’ve gotta know, just so...” He was surprised how much it hurt when he said it.

He watched as Shuuhei leant up on his elbow and let his head rest in his hand. “You look so serious.”

Anger almost managed to smother frustration that stung him. “Shuu—”

The brunet tugged sharply at the end of his hair, stopping him short. He wanted to resist as Shuuhei pulled him closer, until their foreheads met. Soft breaths fell across his skin, slowly countering the hammering of his heart.

“I guess I was waiting for something,” Shuuhei breathed, his eyes falling closed for a moment, before he looked up, a grin just curling onto the corners of his lips. “I guess maybe I found it.”

Renji pulled Shuuhei’s head onto his chest, his arms wrapping around the brunet and crushing them together. He felts Shuuhei’s lips curl against his skin and let his own head fall back with a grin, something finally settling in his chest. “Yeah, me too.”

He let go enough to grab the sheet, pulling it up over their skin, sake and sex catching up with him and making him yawn.

Shuuhei pushed himself up to look at him.

“What?” He groaned.

“No chance.”

He felt the scowled pulling his brows together. “What the fuck now?”

Shuuhei grinned. “You’re not sleeping in my bed like that. Bath.”

Renji opened his mouth to complain, then caught the look on the brunet’s face. Climbing to his feet, he reached his hand down to Shuuhei. “You coming?”

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*The idea for the released form of Shuuhei’s zanpakutou being a naginata comes from Starks fic, I Come To You In Pieces, but I think it fits him so well that I’ve used it here. (You can read her fic here: http://stark-black.livejournal.com/35489.html ) (you can see an example pic of a naginata here: www.dragonheart.nl/japans/images/Naginata%20SH1020.jpg )