Byakuya hadn't slept in over 48 hours. Even though he was too stubborn to admit it, his lack of sleep was affecting him greatly. His normally perfect handwriting was still legible - very much so - but the standards had slipped. He hardly ate or drank, so his Lieutenant and lover, Renji Abarai, took it on himself to force the squad 6 captain to rest. The red head knew, however, that it would take more than a kiss on the cheek.
"Captain?" Renji called out tentatively to the office door.
"I'm busy. Come back later," Byakuya snapped, making the ears dropping squad members turn to watch their Lieutenant's response.
"No," Renji replied, not raising his voice.
"You're distracting me. Please leave." The squad members turned their attention back to Renji, like it was some sort of odd tennis match.
"No," Renji repeated, his hand resting on the door handle, debating whether or not to go in.
"Leave," Byakuya ordered, putting venom into his voice. It used to work on the red head, but now he ignored it and opened the door, winking at the startled squad members as he shut it behind him.
"Bya?" Renji murmured quietly. "Please listen to me."
"Lieutenant Abarai, leave. I still have piles of paperwork waiting for the mark of the sixth division and they won't get it by themselves. I have a pounding head ache and, like I said before, you're distracting me. Leave." His last 'leave' was dripping in enough hate to kill an Arrancar on its own.
"Let me help then," the red head pleaded. "There's a reason that I'm your Lieutenant. I'm not here just to provide a pretty face." The slight smile that Byakuya accidentally let slip, encouraged Renji to continue his efforts.
"My pretty face," Byakuya muttered under his breath as Renji stood behind him, rubbing his larger hands over the noble's slimmer shoulders.
"Not at the moment," Renji teased. "My face will only be yours again after you have something to eat and at least 12 hours sleep."
"Renji," Byakuya warned quietly. The red head sighed as he began to massage the captain's back, relieving him of his knotted muscles and some of his stress.
"Please, Bya," he whined. "The whole squad's worried about you, not to mention how your snappish attitude is scaring them shitless," he added with a chuckled. The ravenette turned around to look Renji in the eye.
"Really?" He blinked.
"Yes, baka," Renji laughed, feeling happier than he had in the past week.
"I'm still not stopping until all the work's done." That didn't wipe the grin off the red head's face; instead it only seemed to grow.
"Looks like I'll have to use force," the Lieutenant hummed happily, easily picking the smaller captain up bridal style, carrying him over to the sofa and dumping him unceremoniously on it.
"Hey!" Byakuya tried to sound indignant, but instead his voice came out a small squeak.
"Just relax," Renji soothed, sitting down next to the noble and pulling him onto his lap so the raven's stomach was on the red head's thighs.
"What if someone walks in?" Even though Byakuya tried to hide it, Renji could detect the exhaustion in his captain's voice.
"They won't," he promised. "Everyone's been using me to hand stuff to you. If I'm in here, they'll wait to see if I can escape the lion's den alive."
"The lion's den?" Byakuya repeated, raising his left eyebrow.
"You've been really snappy," Renji shrugged, continuing his massage from where he stopped earlier.
"Sorry," Byakuya mumbled, stiffing a yawn. Renji noticed and smiled happily.
"It's 'kay," the red head assured the raven. "They understand that you're doing it for the division."
"I have a captain's meeting now," the noble remembered suddenly, attempting to sit up.
"Stop moving," Renji said sternly. "You're not going."
"Ren-"
"Listen to me please?"
"Re-"
"Byakuya Kuchiki, shut up," Renji hissed in his lover's ear, before silencing him with a passionate kiss.
"Fine," the captain groaned after breaking away. "I'll stay here."
"And sleep?"
"And try to sleep," he promised.
"Captain Kuchiki?" Jushiro called out after pushing open the office door.
"He's sleeping," Renji grinned, hoping that the head captain wasn't angry with the noble for missing the meeting.
"About time," Jushiro smiled, walking over to the pair and gently brushing a strand of the sleeping captain's hair out of his face.
"I was going to move him to his place; do you think it's a good idea?" Renji asked quietly, trying to make sure he didn't wake Byakuya up. It had taken over an hour for his lover to fall asleep and he didn't want to undo their work.
"That would be wise," the other man nodded, smiling at the ravenette. "Would you like any help?"
"No, but thanks," Renji grinned, standing up with Byakuya cradled against his chest.
"How are you going to get there?" Jushiro asked, his smile never leaving his face
"Um... I don't know. I didn't even think I'd manage to get him to relax, so I didn't bother thinking this far ahead," Renji confessed.
"Would you prefer him to wake up in the flash step, which he probably will, or embarrass him by carrying him?"
"Captain Ukitake?" Byakuya mumbled as his eyes opened half way.
"Yes?"
"Why...?"
"Why am I here?" Jushiro prompted, looking worried as his smile dropped. Byakuya just nodded and shut his eyes again, but didn't go back to sleep.
"I came to see you. I was slightly worried after you didn't attend the captain's meeting and gave no reason why either."
"Sorry," he muttered, snuggling into Renji's chest.
"Crap, Byakuya," Renji cursed quietly as his hand felt the noble's forehead. "You're burning up."
"I'm fine..."
"Captain Kuchiki, we can't help you if you don't tell us how you're feeling."
"Fine, I'm feeling fine," he snapped weakly, his eyelids fluttering again.
"If you don't tell us the truth, I'll take you straight to Captain Unohana," Renji threatened, though all three people in the room knew that the action would probably take place anyway.
"I'm cold," Byakuya admitted after a short coughing fit. "And I've still got the head ache from earlier."
"How long ago did this start?" Jushiro asked softly, resting his cool hand against Byakuya's burning forehead, causing a soft sigh of appreciation.
"I don't know..."
"Lieutenant Abarai, would you please escort Captain Kuchiki to Captain Unohana's office. It would seem
like he's got the chills at the very least."
"Hai," Renji nodded, holding his lover closer. "Should I use flash step?"
"Yes," Jushiro nodded over the sound of Byakuya's harsh, dry cough.
"He's got a nasty case of the flu," Unohana informed Renji and Jushiro after coming out of the room the Lieutenant had put the ill captain in.
"It's probably my fault," Renji admitted, having the decency to look ashamed as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"How so?" Jushiro asked, raising an eyebrow at the red head. Unohana tilted her head, just as interested as her fellow captain.
"I dragged him outside to 'train' in the storm the other night. The weather was kinda so bad that we ended up staying overnight in one of the empty patrol cabins." Jushiro broke the silence with his laughter, which didn't seem to bring on another of his coughing fits.
"I told him that over training was bad for him," he said between his chuckles. Soon his contagious laughter had spread to Renji, making Unohana smile.
"So," Renji started after calming down. "How long until he's better?"
"I'm confining him to the Fourth for three to four days, and then I expect him to rest at home for a further three days."
"Does that mean no sex for a week?" Renji whined like an injured puppy at the thought. Said thought sent Jushiro into one of his coughing fits, causing Unohana to pump healing reiatsu into the Captain until his coughing subsided. Luckily there was no blood this time, but the silver haired man still looked pained as he stood up straight again.
"I don't know," Unohana answered. "But you can start again once Kuchiki-San feels recovered enough for it. He'll probably be fine once I release him from here."
"Please..." Jushiro whined. "Don't talk about things like that."
"We all know about you and Captain Kyōraku," Renji chuckled, his laugh increasing at the sight of Jushiro's beetroot face.
Review? Please? I'd love you forever~ Flames, as they will always be, are welcome.
I'm thinking of writing more, but if it's better as a oneshot please tell me :3
As it will probably always be, my work is unedited and I don't have a beta at the moment. Please point out any mistakes that you see, because it will only help me. This is why flames are accepted ^^
Just a bit of shameless advertising of my other work on here. I'll be starting a multi-chapter RenBya/ByaRen. It WILL be finished once started - I promise to never leave a story for too long.
