A.N.: Written for shynishyshallow in exchange for art (of course of Byakuya and Renji. Will post the link to the art as soon as I get it). Have took the 4th request:
Pairing: RenBya, that order
Rating: any
Genre: AU. humour or romance, your pick
About: Byakuya's an actor. Renji's a journalist and a satirist. Their ways of doing things clash. Terribly.
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine.
On page three
"Abarai Renji." The tall redhead gave his name, together with a flash of his press card, to the security guard. He shuffled his feet as he waited for the security guy to drawl his name over his walkie-talkie for approval to let him into the studio. And the way the guy was eying his red and black plaid pants -- with patches of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Tweety Bird on his right knee and the side of his leg -- told him that if the guy had anything to do with it, he would happily deny him the access. It was a good thing that the tight, frilly, pinkish shirt Renji wore was half hidden under the old-fashioned beige cardigan. So yeah, he was dressed funny and his long, crimson hair that was usually straight and tied in a high ponytail was now in curls framing his face. So what? He was still Renji Abarai, the journalist, the man who was going to interview the most sought-after actor of the year.
The guard frowned at the answers from his walkie-talkie and with a disapproving expression he moved away from the door and opened it for Renji.
Smirking at the guard, Renji stepped through the door into the cool atmosphere of the large hall. He sidestepped thick cables that were lying on the floor and went toward the people gathered around the buffet at the center of the left side of the hall like they were just taking a break. He hoped to find somebody who would direct him toward the Byakuya Kuchiki.
And he did. A man with headphones and microphone hanging around his neck pointed at the door at the other end of the large hall that led outside where Kuchiki's trailer was. He also gave him a quick look over, smirking, saying: "But I wouldn't disturb him if I were you."
Renji rolled his eyes, thanked him and went in the pointed direction. He opened the door and went through it. It was a big courtyard, surrounded the walls of other studios, and with trailers scattered on the grassy surface. It didn't take him long to find the one with Byakuya Kuchiki's name on its door. He knocked and got a grumpy reply which could have meant anything from "come in" to "fuck off", but since Renji doubted that Byakuya Kuchiki, well known for his polite and reserved conduct, would say the latter, he put a pleasant smile on his face and opened the door.
"Kuchiki-san?" Renji climbed up two stairs and stepped into the trailer. It was semi-dark, strips of light coming through the narrow slits of roller blinds above padded seats. His gaze traveled over the polished mahogany surface toward a slightly ajar sliding door at the end of the trailer. "Kuchiki-san?"
"Who is it?"
"Abarai Renji from Projector." Renji stepped closer to the door. "I have an interview scheduled with you." Actually his co-worker, Kira Izuru, had, but since the poor man got sick (or probably, as had been the case before, his boyfriend tired him out so much that he had trouble walking), his editor Kenpachi Zaraki had sent him.
"I don't know anything about a meeting." A body blocked the hushed light that was coming through the door, and the door slid open, revealing a tall man, with long black hair falling over his left shoulder.
He was beautiful. Renji blinked. He thought that all pictures of actors were always retouched, but since the man looked better than any of his pictures, it seemed that that didn't apply to Byakuya Kuchiki. No, that certainly didn't apply to Byakuya's cold beauty. Renji got an urge to reach out and caress those pale cheeks, to see if the skin was really as soft as it looked. He shook his head, the curls swaying with his movement. What stupid thoughts. "Are you sure?" He opened his messenger bag and pulled out the folder his boss had thrown on his desk. He took the small slip of paper that was clipped to the folder. It said, Byakuya Kuchiki, Studio 5 at eleven o'clock. And it was now three minutes past eleven. He slipped the paper back under the paper clip and slid the folder into his bag. "I'm sure there has been some sort of misunderstanding. If you would call your assistant or somebody -"
"I don't think so." Byakuya's cold eyes ran up and down him, and a curve of his lips turned into a barely visible smirk.
Renji frowned as he realized that the man was looking down on him. "Look, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding."
"Leave, please." Byakuya turned his back to Renji and went toward the sliding door.
The bastard was dismissing him? "Just wait one minute!" Renji's hands curled into fists, he stepped forward. "I'm here for the interview. My boss made the arrangements. If you don't know about it, then your manager or assistant must know."
"You don't look like a journalist to me." Byakuya looked at him over his shoulder, his brow lifted. "For all I know you might be one of those crazy stalkers. Leave now, or I will call security."
What a jerk! Renji narrowed his eyes at the man's retreating back. He could stay and argue, but he didn't think it would help. He turned on his heel and went out of the trailer, slamming the door behind him. But he still needed to bring a story back to the office or Zaraki would have one of his fits. Watching those eyes drilling holes in him during a lecture, emphasizing every word with a slap of a steel flyswatter against the table was nerve-racking, especially when he always looked to be on the brink of using that flyswatter on him. Zaraki was so passionate about the articles and the whole magazine that it was almost scary.
He sighed. If Byakuya Kuchiki, the bastard, didn't want to talk about himself and the movie, Renji would just have to find some people who were willing to do it instead. Yeah, he would just have to do that. And he did. In one hour he had enough material from extras, cameramen and the guys who took care of the sound and light, to write five stories about Byakuya Kuchiki and the movie, not just one. Zaraki was going to be pleased.
***
"What happened to your curls from yesterday?" A dark-haired man with a thick gray line across his nose and left cheek and the number 69 beneath it leaned on the edge of Renji's desk. "You looked so…. Cute."
Renji looked away from the screen at his friend and co-worker Hisagi Shuuhei. "You liked them? I'll ask the girls if they can curl that nest you have on top of your empty head."
"You wish."
Renji rolled his eyes. Two days ago he had crashed drunk at his friend Yumichika's place, who for reasons unknown had been hosting a pajama party. With girls. That was a lesson: Never sleep unguarded in a flat full of women and one girly boy, because they might use you for their experiments. And since he hadn't had time to change or to at least fix his hair, everybody at work had seen him and he was going to be the butt of their jokes for weeks. "Not if even if Yumichika does it?"
"Yumichika did it?" Hisagi leaned closer.
"Yeah, Yumichika." Renji grinned at how obvious Hisagi was.
"How is he? Is he still always hanging with that bald-head?"
"They are friends." Renji said. "Man. You should just tell Yumichika how you feel." He scratched the back of his head. " And Ikkaku is your friend too, you should start to call him by his name already."
"Excuse me."
They both looked up and Renji's eyes widened at the sight of a long-haired man clad in a light, white and blue tunic and tight washed out jeans, looking very appetizing.
What was Kuchiki doing here?
"Yes?" Hisagi straightened.
"I'm looking for Renji Abarai."
Renji leaned his elbow on the desk, his eyes on the man. This was going to be interesting. "I'm Renji Abarai." With a tilt of his head he signaled to Hisagi to go away.
Byakuya's eyes traveled over Renji's straight hair, tied in a high ponytail, over the tattooed lines that covered Renji's forehead and neck, then down over the tight, red and gray layered shirt. "You look different."
"Yeah."
"I see." Byakuya said. "You intentionally dressed like that."
That wasn't true, but Renji didn't have any intentions of explaining himself to this man.
They looked each other for a moment and when Byakuya saw that Renji was going to stay silent, he continued, "I came to apologize. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."
Renji noticed the stiffness in Byakuya's limbs and jaw that told him this wasn't something that Byakuya was used to doing, probably his manager had forced him, and that warmed Renji's heart. "Apology accepted." He turned toward his laptop screen.
"Excuse me!"
"Yes?" Renji faced Byakuya, delighting in the expression of confusion and annoyance that flashed on Byakuya's face.
"Don't you want to interview me?"
Renji grinned and he leaned back in the chair. "The article is already written. But thank you for offering."
Byakuya drew his brows together, his lips narrowing. "Can I see it?"
"I'm sorry, but that's not possible, since you weren't its source." Renji said. He knew what Byakuya was thinking, and no, he hadn't taken his revenge on Byakuya through his article, he wasn't that kind of journalist. But that didn't mean that seeing Byakuya squirming, thinking the worst, didn't give him deep satisfaction. "Is there anything else that you wanted?"
Byakuya's left eye started to twitch.
Renji noticed and his grin became wider. How awesome.
"Then I want to talk to the chief editor."
Had he thought that that would scare him? Stupid bastard. "Sure." Renji turned toward the glass wall on his left and pointed at the middle door. "You can find him there."
Byakuya nodded, gave Renji a last cold gaze before he turned and went in the pointed direction.
Renji watched the actor's swaying hips and admired that round, tight ass, imagining how it would feel under his hand, then he shook his head and stood up. Since he knew pretty well that Zaraki hated to waste his time on "sensitive" actors, he had no intention of lingering around to listen to Zaraki yell at him for directing Byakuya into his office. He waved to Hisagi. "Hey, let's go to lunch."
***
Renji leaned back on the white wall and lifted a glass of whiskey up to his lips, his gaze traveling over the stylish crowd chatting in the white-furnished room. Private Hollywood parties. As fun as they might seem to outsiders, they were really laborious business events. Everybody attending had to show themselves in the best light and always be alert, because they never know what kind of business deal they could make. But, thank god, that didn't apply to insignificant little Renji. He took a sip of the brown liquid, his eyes searching for the small figure of his long-time-no-see friend, Rukia.
His eyes noticed a now familiar sight. A little more than a month had passed since Byakuya had stopped at Projector's offices and since then their paths had crossed quite often, but all those encounters were in passing and from a distance. With neutral expressions on their faces they nodded to each other and that was all. Renji looked at his glass, he swirled the liquid around and the ice cubes clattered. But as hard as it was to admit to himself, seeing Byakuya and being acknowledged by him made him feel... good. Like he was important. And the last time they had seen each other across the tables in the restaurant where Renji was waiting for his orange-haired friend, it had almost seemed to Renji like Byakuya wanted to leave his table and join him. But then Ichigo had appeared and Byakuya, who had stood up, sat back down at his table. But would Byakuya really have gone to join him? Or was that just his wishful thinking?
He smiled to himself. Probably just his wishful thinking. He looked in Byakuya's direction again. What it was about this man that made such an impact on him? That made him so desirable? And after such bad first encounters? From the corner of his eye he detected somebody coming toward him, waving. He turned his head and saw a short girl, her big violet eyes shining and smiling at him.
"Renji!" Her hand touched him.
"Rukia." Renji grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "It's so good to see you again."
"You too." She embraced Renji back. "It's been too long."
"And whose fault is that?" Renji pushed her away so that he could see her face.
"I know. I'm sorry."
Renji released her and his grin grew, he touched her hair. "You haven't changed. You still look like you are carrying a black octopus on your head."
"Hey." She swatted his hand away, then smiled back. "You changed. You have grown and filled out. A real stud muffin. And look at your hair." She eyed Renji's braid that fell down over his right shoulder. "It's so long now."
Renji chuckled and pressed her close again. He missed her, the girl he had always regarded as his little sister. Since she had moved they had kept in touch through mail, email and phone calls, but somehow it was always just a few lines and in a hurry. "How have you been? How was Europe?"
"Fine."
He leaned his chin on the top of her head. "When did you arrive? And how long are you staying?" He felt somebody staring at him. He raised his eyes and there was Byakuya across the room glaring daggers at him. What is that all about? Renji frowned and averted his gaze. Who cares?.
"Yesterday evening, and this time I'm staying for some time." She pushed herself out of the circle of Renji's arms.
"That's great."
"My parents let me stay with Hisana's second husband. They trust him and adore him even more than their own daughter. Do you remember, I told you about him -- my parents disowned Hisana for divorcing him. "
"Yeah," Renji did vaguely remember something about it.
"I want you to meet him." She took his hand and turned. She looked around, then zoomed her eyes onto somebody and took a step in that direction, pulling Renji behind her.
A few steps and they reached their destination. Renji looked up. His brownish eyes met with gray-blue ones and his heart stopped for a second, before it started to flutter in his chest like a caught bird.
"Ni-sama. I want you to meet my oldest friend, Renji." She smiled over her shoulder at Renji. "Renji, meet Ni-sama, Byakuya Kuchiki."
"We've already met," Byakuya's voice was warm, but the eyes that were looking at Renji had a frosted glaze.
"Yeah, we've already met." Renji flashed a grin, this time a fake one.
"You have?" Rukia's gaze shifted between them. "How-"
"I brought Ichigo with me." Renji put his hand on Rukia's shoulder. "Knowing him, he is probably bored to death and at the booze stand. Would you keep an eye on him for me?"
"Ichigo is here too?"
"Yeah."
"I'll go look for him then." She gave Renji a smile. "And you stay where you are, Renji. We have a lot to talk about."
"Sure thing." Renji nodded and watched her scurry away. He turned to Byakuya. "You don't have to give me that look, you know. And you don't have to worry, I love her like a sister."
"Good." Byakuya said; he turned so that he stood by Renji's side, looking at the crowd before them. "Are you gay?"
"What?" Renji looked sideways at Byakuya, glad that they were standing away from the others people so they couldn't be overheard. And wasn't Byakuya standing a little too close? "Just because I'm not interested in Rukia that way doesn't mean that I'm gay."
"Of course not. But I have been seeing you with that orange guy a lot and you two seem close. Is he your boyfriend?"
Renji blinked and was about to answer, but caught himself in time. It wasn't any of Byakuya's business. "Maybe."
"So you are gay?"
"I'm bi." Renji lifted up his glass and took a sip. This conversation was getting weird.
"I see. That's nice." Byakuya gave Renji the ghost of a smile.
Renji blinked. What?
"I've been meaning to tell you that I liked the article you wrote about me." Byakuya, to Renji's great relief, changed the subject. "It was focused on the movie and on who I am as an artist, not on my personal life. I like that. Usually people just want to dig around in my personal life, looking for dirty details."
"Like you being married and divorced."
"Something like that." Byakuya and put his hands into the pockets of his white suit pants.
"I won't use that."
"I know you won't. You are not that kind of person."
"How would you know?"
"I asked around."
"Should I feel flattered?" Renji took another sip and frowned at the fact that the glass was almost empty.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, you should." Byakuya said. He moved, his upper arm touched Renji's. "And I've also been meaning to ask you, what was with that outfit. Did you dress like that to see how I would react?"
"No, it was just one of those days." Renji took another sip of the whiskey.
"I see." Byakuya nodded like he understood, which he probably didn't.
"Yeah," whatever. Renji eyed his empty glass, but his focus was on the arm that was touching him, sending small shivers through his body. He glimpsed at Byakuya. If Byakuya hadn't looked so serious, Renji would have though this touching was intentional, or maybe that Byakuya was, in his weird, stoic way, flirting with him. Yeah, right. "I'm going to get a refill." And then like a coward, which he wasn't, he ran away from Byakuya. Not that it helped him, since before he could take a step into the room with the bar, Byakuya's hand clapped onto his back and pushed him forward. Before he could even ask what the hell was going on, Renji found himself in a semi-dark room. "What are you doing?"
"They hide the best alcohol here." Byakuya turned on the switch by the door and the light revealed dark wooden cabinets,a large table, black leather chairs and sofa. He went toward a cabinet with an empty shelf in the middle, beside the sofa on the left wall.
Renji thought about just leaving him there, but on second thought, he had never been one to turn down good booze. He followed Byakuya.
"This is a friend's place." Byakuya opened the upper cabinet and pulled out a bottle of forty-year-old Scottish brandy. "And she won't mind us going through her private stock."
Renji put his empty glass on the polished surface of the mahogany.
Byakuya took a step sideways, forcing Renji to move back. He poured golden liquid into the glass, then put the peach shaped bottle back in the cabinet and closed it.
Renji reached over Byakuya's shoulder for his glass.
Byakuya turned, tripped against Renji's foot and swayed.
Renji reached out, steadying him with his hands on Byakuya's arms. He swallowed, his Adam apple jumped. They were so close that he could see violet diamonds sparkling in Byakuya's irises and smell the jasmine and cherries.
"Sorry." Byakuya put his hand on Renji's hips as if for support.
"It's okay." Renji released Byakuya and was about to step backwards, when Byakuya's face swam out of focus and he could feel something soft against his lips.
Byakuya was kissing him?
No, this couldn't be happening.
He was imagining that warm mouth on his and he was imagining the pressure of moist muscle demanding the entry that was quickly given.
Renji's eyelids fluttered closed and his arms wrapped around the warm body and pressed it closer. And he was dreaming of gentle exploration and the taste of a sweet wine he hadn't drunk, and the taste of the man whose arms wrapped around his waist.
The exploration became bolder, the hands slipped under Renji's black jacket and red cotton shirt.
"Kuchiki-san?" Renji's eyes widened at the touch of cold fingers on his stomach. He ended the kiss, but he couldn't end the embrace they shared.
"Abarai." Byakuya gave Renji a small smile, the first real one that Renji had seen.
It took Renji's breath away. He had never seen something as beautiful and fragile as that smile, and he wanted to see more of them, and he wanted for all of them to be directed at him. It was a little overwhelming. He slowly pushed Byakuya away.
The smile disappeared from Byakuya's lips and a cold mask descended onto his face, wiping out te vulnerability that had been in his features not a moment ago. He turned on his heel.
"Kuchiki," Renji grabbed Byakuya's arm. "Wait!"
"For what?" Byakuya refused to turn.
Renji tugged him closer. He took a big breath, knowing if he didn't do something, Byakuya wouldn't give him another chance. He turned Byakuya around, forcing him to face him. "I'm not rejecting you. I'm just surprised, that's all."
"Really?" Byakuya's face was still blank, expressionless.
"Yeah, really." Renji sighed, he cupped Byakuya's face with his palms and drew it closer, then pressed a small kiss on Byakuya's lips. When Byakuya wrapped his arms around his shoulders, he pressed another one, this one not as chaste as the one before, and then another one.
Byakuya melted into the kiss; his hands started to caress Renji's shoulder and then moved on Renji's neck.
A small smile tugged at Renji's lips and he pressed his tongue into Byakuya's mouth. This time the kiss was anything but chaste, it was a greedy exploration, a battle for dominance. All his blood rushed south, leaving him lightheaded and breathless. His hands were now under Byakuya's white jacket, caressing Byakuya's purple silk-clad sides. He could take Byakuya right here and right now and with the way Byakuya was pressing himself closer, grinding against his body, Byakuya wouldn't mind. But Renji ended the kiss, his cheek leaning against Byakuya's, his mouth gulping for air. This wasn't the right place or the right time. "We have to stop."
"Hmmm." Byakuya slid his fingers up and down the nape of Renji's neck, his breath rushed against Renji's ear, caressing it.
They stayed like that for a couple of moments and then Byakuya disengaged himself from Renji, that fragile smile again on his face. He went toward the desk, leaned his hips on it and took a paper and pen. He started to write.
Renji took a glass and took a sip, feeling awkward and tense in the silence. What should a person say after such a heated make-out? And that with Byakuya Kuchiki. He coughed.
Byakuya looked up, his eyebrows lifted.
"Should I go now or something?"
"Don't be stupid." Byakuya stood up. "I didn't plan this so just to let you go so quickly."
"What?" Renji frowned. What had Byakuya just said? He put a finger in his ear and jiggled it. There had to be something wrong with his ears.
"You heard me. When Rukia mentioned how she wanted to see her old friend, Renji, who was a journalist, I knew she was talking about you. It had to be you. So I arranged for the additional invitation to the party, so you could attend it too." Byakuya closed the distance between them and wrapped his fingers around Renji's wrists. He pulled Renji's hand away from his ear. "Since the first time I met you, in that funny outfit, you've been constantly on my mind. And the more I thought about you, the more I liked you." He played with Renji's fingers. "I wanted to talk to you, to get to know you, but somehow all the times we've met there hasn't been an opportunity. And I'm sorry for the way I acted when you came to interview me; I was in a bad mood and you just took the heat for it."
"It's fine. You apologized."
"Yes, my manager forced me." Byakuya's smiled. "But I think that I would apologize even if he hadn't." He released Renji's hand.
"But just then, if you arranged everything, why were you about to walk away?"
"Wouldn't you, if you thought that your advances had been refused?"
Renji nodded.
"I thought so." Byakuya, who still held Renji's hand, put a slip of paper in it and released it.
Renji looked at the paper. An address was written on it. "What's this?"
Byakuya was already moving toward the door. "My address. I expect you to pick me up tomorrow at eight." He opened the door, stopped and looked at Renji over his shoulder., "And Renji. Don't be late." Then he was through the door and gone.
Renji looked at the paper again, then carefully folded it and put it in his pocket. A wide grin split his lips. Late. Not a chance.
The end