Title: It All Comes Back Around

Characters: Byakuya, Renji, Byakuya x Renji-ish

Word Count: 759

Rating: G

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Summary: Because of a certain loud mouth, Byakuya experiences an unwanted hike in popularity that he doesn't plan on just sitting back and taking.

Byakuya didn't regret telling Rukia the truth about Hisana. In the end it opened up the way for them to become siblings in more than just word. Something he was coming to appreciate more and more as time went by. But if there was anything he could change about his confession, he would have waited until they were alone and well away from a certain person with a big mouth that didn't seem to shut itself when well liquored. Because of the certain individual, within the time it took for him to recover in the Fourth Division the story had spread all across Seireitei and as a side effect he had gained more sympathy than he had ever wanted.

A single day didn't go by without one of the female, and every once in a while male, shinigami telling him what a 'brave soul' he was and that he shouldn't hide all his pain behind his icy exterior but feel free to let all his troubles and worries out so he could properly grieve for his loss and move on with his life. After failing to scare them away with his cold glares, he had tried to tell them that he had already put it all behind him but none of the fools would believe him so he just went back to glaring menacingly at them.

Another practice that had been picked up by the female shinigami was to shower him with flowers and gifts at home and at work. While the nobleman could care less about them, the vast majority of the male shinigami population seemed to greatly resent the amount of attention he was getting from the women. Such things did however effect Renji, especially since the vice captain's friends weren't letting him play mahjong with him anymore as he was the one Byakuya unloaded all the unwanted gifts on so he was considered to be just as guilty by proxy.

Getting sick and tired of Renji's sulking and the redhead's decision that if he couldn't hang out with his friends in the evening then he would hang out with his captain to help improve their relationship, Byakuya decided it was well past time to end this for all. Or at least put it in more favorable terms for himself. So when lunch time came around he made his way to the cafeteria to find Renji. The vice captain and his friends looked completely dumbstruck to see him there, as well as most of the other shinigami there. Which was all fine and good for Byakuya since it gave him the necessary enterance he wanted. "I have been thinking about what you said last night, Renji, and I think I would like to take you up on your offer to be more accessible to you," he told a still stunned Renji, "So if you would like we could take the afternoon to, 'bond', as you wish."

Luckily the redhead was able to recover before his friend's as he knew what his captain was talking about. He had suggested that they should go out and do something together that didn't involve another night at the Kuchiki manor, though he didn't think Byakuya would actually take him up on his offer. But not one to look a gift horse in the mouth Renji answered, "Ah, ok. You wanna leave right now? I still haven't finished lunch."

"You can pick something up to eat at the mansion," Byakuya said as he noted that their conversation had the undivided attention of everyone in the cafeteria. "I wouldn't want to leave you unsatisfied this afternoon after all."

With a quick affirmation from the redhead, Byakuya turned to leave as Renji gave hasty good byes to his friends before hurrying after his captain. The nobleman let a tiny smirk cross his lips after leaving the cafeteria, knowing that the Seireitei rumor mill will not fail him and that their little conversation aided by the fact he will be taking Renji to a private bath house for the rest of the afternoon will end up with proclaiming that he was having a torrid affair with his vice captain. It was a rumor that wouldn't bother him as according to the gossip mongers there wasn't a single captain and vice captain that weren't involved in some kind of romantic relationship, no matter how twisted it may be. Renji may have different ideas about the situation but Byakuya had no qualms with making the younger man suffer after everything his big mouth got the nobleman into.