Author's notes:
Hello everyone! This story is something I've completely forgotten about - it's on Y Gallery but I never posted it here, heh-heh. So while I'm working on "The Substitute Teacher", I hope I'll keep you entertained with this little story - it has several sequels and I'm still thinking if I should continue or not. Maybe after I'm done with "The Substitute Teacher" - that one has sooo much stuff that still must happen, it's not even funny :) I might end up writing and posting it for ANOTHER year XD And yep, it HAS been a year since I've started writing it so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Ichi the student and Abarai-sensei 3
And I want to thank each and every one of you, my readers and subscribers - this is all on-going just because of you! Your reviews can make my day and even though I don't reply to all of them, I treasure them and even re-read them when I'm feeling down and when I feel I can't write. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Disclaimer: I write this solely for entertainment and I do not make any money out of it (sadly).
xXx
A Shinigami Vacation
Chapter 1
xXx
Finally, it was summer. After all the hard work, the Shinigami captains decided it would be nice if everyone went on a three-week vacation in the Living World. The organization team – Ukitake and Unohana – had booked the vacation at a sea-side resort. It had a large vacant area for vacationers with tents, but when going a bit further into the pine forest down the coast, there were several streets with bungalows.
The entertainment was also promising, since the resort had a number of beach bars, a fitness center and a promenade which went down the center of the whole resort, with various restaurants, souvenir stands and a night club.
xXx
Ichigo squinted as he got out of the bus, followed by Chad, Inoue and Ishida. Their Shinigami friends were already at the resort since that morning and, of course, Rukia and Renji were waiting for them on the spot, smiling as they met up.
"Hey there," Renji greeted and grabbed a duffel bag off of Ichigo's shoulder. "Lemme get that for ya."
"Thanks... So, are the apartments okay?"
"They're nice. No snakes or insects," Renji grinned at the way both Orihime and Rukia made disgusted faces at the mere mention of the little animals. "Anyway, you're stayin' with me, kiddo. They needed to make a list of who's stayin' where so I put you an' me together. Apartment number fifty-three."
"Cool," Ichigo smirked, "Lead the way."
xXx
The apartment number fifty-three was on the third street to the right, vertical to the main promenade, making all the entertainment and activities accessible in a matter of minutes. Renji opened the door to their shared place and let Ichigo inside to look around.
"I'll just put your stuff in the bedroom, okay," the redhead informed.
"Yeah," Ichigo sighed and lowered a rucksack from his back.
The place was nice and cool from the air-conditioning and the window shutters were closed so it was pleasantly dark. Ichigo could feel his eyes relaxing after squinting so much in the sun. He could hear the sound of crickets coming from the outside, making him really feel like on a vacation. Looking around, he realized that he was standing in a small living area with a couch and a TV. Going through a short hallway on the right of the room, he found a small kitchen with a table for three. Ichigo hummed silently, noticing that Renji had already filled the fridge with beverages and fruit.
He went back to the hallway and picked the door on his left, where Renji had gone. It was a bedroom with two beds, a nightstand between them. Ichigo liked it so far. He smiled at Renji and then passed through the only door that had left – the bathroom door. The bathroom was okay too, and it smelled nice and clean.
"So, you like it?" Renji asked, peering over Ichigo's shoulder inside the bathroom.
"Yeah, I like it. It's gonna be fun these three weeks, huh?"
"Yep," Renji grinned. "Now, what do you wanna do?"
"What's your plan?" Ichigo asked, thinking of taking a shower. He hated the feeling on his skin after riding in a bus, like he was sticky all over.
"No plan, that's the fun part. We can do whatever and whenever we want. Wanna go to the beach?"
"Okay, sure... Just let me change..." Ichigo went back to the bedroom and started opening his duffel bag. "Which bed is mine?"
"Take a pick," Renji shrugged.
"Left one?"
"All yours buddy," Renji smirked and went to his own stuff, searching for his beach shorts.
xXx
The beach was absolutely beautiful. The main street of their resort ended expanding into a park of some sorts, with lots of shade from the pine trees that seemed to grow everywhere. Few steps further the beach began, stretching for at least half a mile in both directions. The sea was crystal clear and the sand was of the gray sort so the water remained clear even when there were high waves.
"What can we play?" Rukia asked enthusiastically as they've settled.
Ichigo took the ball they've brought and bounced it between his hands a few times. "Well, we could-"
He got interrupted when Renji and Shuuhei started a mad dash right towards him. Eyes round with surprise, Ichigo could only stare as they approached. Seconds later, Renji tackled him, making him lose his footing, while Shuuhei caught the ball in mid-air and started running towards the sea.
"Ack! Renji!"
The redhead just grinned and followed Shuuhei, now having Ikkaku and Yumichika on his tail. Ichigo's gaze went from the girls to the guys and back. He couldn't help it, couldn't fight against his competitive spirit and before he knew it, he was already running towards the water, leaving Rukia looking annoyed and Inoue with a confused little smile on her face.
"I'll get you for this!" He yelled, lunging after the redhead and sending them both flying into the shallows with a loud splash. Despite having water in his eyes and his nose, he reached blindly for Renji and continued to wrestle with him. But, every time he caught his arm or leg, Renji would somehow twist in the water, leaving Ichigo on the bottom, fighting for air.
And Renji was in response laughing like crazy, deflecting every attack the teen threw at him, pushing him back into the water every time.
"Stop moving!" Ichigo sputtered, as he once again fell on his butt in the shallow water, trying to blink the salty droplets from his eyes.
The tall redhead laughed loudly and waited for the teen a few feet away in a ready stance, every muscle in his body prepared to act. When Ichigo lifted his gaze, Renji grinned.
"Come on then, show me what you've got."
"Uh..." The boy stared at the redhead. Dripping wet, his long burgundy hair hanging in wet tresses, framing that angular face... Renji looked... 'Different' was the only word that Ichigo allowed himself to describe his friend with while staring at him like that. Yes, that was it, he looked different. Different, half naked like that, with droplets of water running down his chest and abs and those black tattoos, with strong defined muscles flexing under the tanned skin... Definitely different from the usual Renji in a mismatched 70's outfit...
Pushing the thoughts aside, Ichigo answered with a grin of his own and rushed through the water to get to Renji, continuing their wrestling match.
Renji resumed to tease him, pushing him under water every chance he got until Ichigo had enough and wrapped the long hair around his fist and yanked.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"You surrender?"
"Yeah," Renji winced at another tug on his hair. "I surrender." He let Ichigo from his grip and sighed, grinning. He went deeper into the water and turned to float on his back, groaning contently.
Ichigo watched him again, noticing how his hair floated along, making him look like a merman of some sort.
'Merman?! What the hell's wrong with me?'
The teen sighed and got out of the water, going towards his beach towel to catch some sunlight. After having more fun on the beach, they stayed there goofing off and talking until the sun began to set. Then, few of the guys went to the food stands and brought various things to eat as a light supper. All in all, day one was fulfilled and fun, putting smiles on everybody's faces.
Further into the evening, the group began to fall apart until they've all retreated to their respective apartments.
xXx
Ichigo yawned loudly, stretching like a cat in his bed. He was very tired, but it felt great since he was already lying down, tangled in a thin sheet, his head resting on the soft pillow. Renji was still up and about, brushing his teeth or whatever he did in the bathroom and Ichigo was actually waiting for him to turn the lights off so he could go to sleep.
"Great first day, huh," Renji asked as he entered the room. He was still in his gigai – all Shinigami were, since they weren't alone at the resort – and was wearing nothing but a pair of loose, low-riding cotton shorts of a light shade of gray.
"Yeah," Ichigo again scanned his friend, appreciating the view. There was nothing wrong in approving someone's built, right? Renji was a big guy, but his muscles were defined perfectly, the ridges and grooves even more pronounced with the tattoos that ran down his stomach. The bottom twin lines disappeared under the waistband of his shorts and Ichigo wondered just how far they went.
Then he caught himself staring again and panicked a bit until he realized Renji wasn't even looking at him. The redhead had put some of his clothes in the closet and now was concentrating on braiding his hair. As Ichigo kept looking at him, their eyes finally met.
"What?" Renji blinked at him, "Oh... Sorry. You're waiting to turn off the lights... Right," he quickly attached a tie to the end of his braid and tugged on it to test the tightness. "Lights out," he grinned and reached for the switch.
Ichigo smiled into the darkness and shook his head. Renji was his good friend and here he was worrying about getting caught staring. Renji was always getting into his face and breathing all over him on a daily basis, so he figured it was alright. He sighed and relaxed into the comfortable bed.
"Night," he murmured.
"Goodnight," Renji answered, his bed creaking lightly as he settled down.
"I hope you don't snore," the teen teased, closing his eyes. He was so ready to fall asleep.
"Well, we're about to find out," Renji chuckled.
"No one ever told you? I mean, when you... you know... had someone over..."
"No one was there to hear whether I snore or not for a long time, kiddo..." The redhead sighed, the tone of his voice kind of down.
"Oh. Um, I guess you'll find out in the morning when I strangle you for not letting me sleep," Ichigo tried to make the conversation lighter, wanting Renji to cheer up.
The other man laughed and there was the rustling of the sheets again. "Shut up and go to sleep," he muttered amiably.
Ichigo smirked and turned away, towards the wall. He was asleep almost instantly.
xXx
The next morning, Ichigo was awoken by a loud, too cheerful shinigami. Renji walked into their bedroom and opened the window and the shutters with a bang, letting the morning sunlight and the already warm air inside.
"Rise and shine cupcake! It's nine o'clock, time for breakfast!"
"Hnnng..." The teen turned away, twisting like a caterpillar and hid his face into his pillow.
"Aw, come on! No sleeping! Ya can sleep when ya get home! Get up!" Renji pressed his hands into the mattress and shook the whole bed with his weight, and kept shaking while Ichigo began to grumble again. It made his voice quiver which finally made him laugh and swat at the redhead.
"Stop it," he sniggered, still trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. "Breakfast," he murmured, "Want me to...?"
"No, I wouldn't wake you just so you'd make me breakfast! We've got every meal covered while we're here," Renji grinned, thinking how he'd finally eat properly while in the Living World.
"Then what's with the," Ichigo yawned, "the kitchen?"
"Nothing. We've got a fridge and that's all I care about. Cold drinks an' ice-cream, and I'm in heaven."
"You kinda live in heaven, but okay," the teen threw off the sheet and sat up, still hunched over sleepily. "So where do we eat?"
"At a restaurant nearby. You do your mornin' stuff and I'll be waiting in the living room. An' hurry up, I'm hungry."
Ichigo smirked and went to the bathroom for his morning ritual. He had to admit he liked being roommates with Renji – so far he'd learned that the man was pretty neat and thoughtful towards others and their habits. Of course, that was the impression he got just from the first day and it could change, but Ichigo doubted it would.
As he answered all the nature calls and took a shower, he rushed out of the bathroom with just a towel around his hips in search of something to wear.
"Are ya done?" Renji yelled from the living area. "I'm starting to digest myself!"
"You can't start digesting yourself after ten hours of not eating!"
"Maybe that works for you humans, but I'm about ta faint..."
"Shut up," Ichigo started laughing, making it harder to put his clothes on any faster. He opted for a short sleeved button-down shirt which had the colors yellow and green intertwining in an almost psychedelic way, with black print here and there; classic black surfer shorts and black flip flops.
"Food..." Renji whined from the living room.
"Alright, alright..." Ichigo hurried out of the room and towards the front door. "Coming?" He gave Renji a look, turning the knob.
"Yep!" The redhead grinned and followed.
After the breakfast, they met up with others at the beach and spent another day of fun and frolic, playing all sorts of ball games on the sand and in the water. This time the girls were included, so the competitive atmosphere had to be tempered down a bit for the sake of the gentler sex. Not that Rukia, Yoruichi or Rangiku wouldn't throw the ball right back in someone's face and knock them out, but Orihime was after all gentler than them, never wanting to hurt anybody, especially Kurosaki-kun.
The entire day on the beach, however, didn't have all that comfortable consequences.
xXx
"That looks painful," Renji hissed the moment Ichigo crossed the tiny hallway from the bathroom into the bedroom.
"Huh? Oh, that," the teen made a circle in place, trying to catch a glimpse of his back. He could feel the burn. Hearing Renji chuckle, he turned in his direction. "What's so funny?"
"Nothin', just you turnin' 'round like that..."
"Well, excuse me," Ichigo huffed, hating when others – especially Renji – laughed at him. He went to his stuff and rummaged through his wash bag until he found the sunburn lotion that he conveniently remembered to pack.
He stared at it, trying to figure out how he would apply it to his back.
"You look like ya might need a hand or two," Renji drawled, observing the boy in amusement. Ichigo could be that stubborn to actually rub the lotion on his own back one way or the other. Figuring his brain would only hurt if he tried to picture it, Renji sighed and not waiting for an answer, he got to the teen and snatched the bottle from his hands.
"You don't have to..."
"And you can't, so I will," Renji unscrewed the cap and pushed Ichigo down to sit on the bed. He settled behind him and squeezed a generous amount of the lotion in his left palm.
Ichigo's breath caught when he felt the chilling effect as Renji started to apply the substance onto his back. It felt really nice and he was left surprised with the careful, gentle way Renji did it. He was certain the redhead didn't have it in him, but this proved he was very wrong.
The warmth of Renji's hands and the coolness of the lotion were mixing on Ichigo's skin and he realized he could only close his eyes and enjoy that rare sensation.
The redhead's hands were gently gliding up and down his back, in slow circles around his shoulder blades, slightly tickling when touching his sides and ribcage. Ichigo didn't even realize he was smiling, his head hung low, just relaxed and not thinking about anything but Renji.
After a short pause and some rustling, Renji's hands were back on him, this time on his neck and working steadily down to his shoulders and arms.
"Good?" Renji asked quietly.
"Yeah..." Ichigo nodded, jumping slightly as Renji blew a puff of air towards his lotion-damp skin. He couldn't keep a grunt from escaping his throat as it felt perfect against the discomfort of the sunburns.
"Hm," Renji paused again, pressing his hand against the skin, noticing how his pale handprint stood out from the redness of Ichigo's back. "Don't even think about scratchin' your back if it starts itchin'."
"That bad?"
"You'll be fine in a couple of days... Until then – shirt and shade, or I'll personally tie ya to a tree..." Renji took hold of Ichigo's shoulders and tugged him to turn around.
"Let me see your front..."
Ichigo's gaze fell down upon his chest and he frowned, noticing that he was slightly burnt there too. Before he had the chance to say anything, Renji was already continuing with the treatment with an obviously annoyed look on his face.
"Damn brat, can't take care of himself," he muttered and Ichigo had to smile at his grumbling.
That is, until Renji had accidentally brushed a nipple with his fingertips and his breath hitched. The sensation that suddenly zipped through his body lingered and the cooling effect of the lotion on such sensitive flesh wasn't helping either. He stared at Renji in absolute horror, realizing that it didn't pass unnoticed.
Renji concentrated hard to act like nothing much had happened, but he kept glancing at Ichigo's chest and the now tightened nubs... They were tiny, slightly tanner than the surrounding skin and Renji had to bite his tongue in order to prevent himself from saying something stupid.
Something like 'does it feel good' or 'should I just leave you alone'... Or maybe 'do you want me to do it again'...
By the expression on Ichigo's face, the redhead could clearly see that he was surprised, if not even freaked out by his body's reaction. Renji noticed that his abs were tighter and that he somewhat hunched over, blushing all the while.
Renji slowly removed his hands and scooted away. "I think you're good now. Does it hurt anywhere?"
"N-no... Uh... Thanks, Renji..."
"Anytime, kid," the redhead murmured and stood up, going to his own bed. "Lights out?"
"Yeah... Lights out," Ichigo said quietly, lying down on his side. He hoped he wouldn't turn on his back during the night and wake up howling from the burn. It was more uncomfortable than he'd let on.
Renji turned the bedside lamp off and sighed into the darkness. "Wanna talk?"
"Why?"
"I know you're uncomfortable and that it burns. Can't imagine you'd fall asleep right away."
"Alright. So, talk."
"You don't have to feel embarrassed. That was just a reaction."
"Easy for you to say. I bet you'd be embarrassed too," Ichigo sighed, surprised how he just went along with the conversation. It was unexpectedly easy to talk openly in the darkness.
"Maybe," Renji agreed. "Sorry, my bad. I shouldn't have..."
"Whatever," the teen muttered. It was weird. He was feeling weird. His nipple, the one that Renji accidentally touched was still tingling. His erection that he hoped did pass unnoticed wasn't going away... Renji said that it was just a reaction, nothing important. Right. So why was he feeling so disappointed?
"Ichigo..."
"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."
Figuring there was no way they'd talk it out that evening, Renji shrugged and with a silent 'goodnight' of his own, he turned away in his bed. As he was falling asleep, he didn't notice the slight spike in Ichigo's reiatsu.
The teen turned away as well, staring at the wall and at the stripes of street light coming through the shutters. A hot, angry tear fell onto his pillow as he made a fist, squeezing hard until his knuckles hurt.
'This isn't happening,' he thought. He couldn't. He couldn't like guys. He couldn't be attracted to his best friend. Could he?
xXx
To be continued...