Renji might have been the most excited person in his class when he had graduated. It wasn't even just because he was to be a Shinigami (if that were the case, though, he probably still was the most excited) but because he was done with school – forever. With a secured job that included housing and food, what else would he need to do with himself? Life had been made and he was quite happy for it.
But now? Why now? Of the entirety of over fifty years he had been a Shinigami, why did they have to "brush up" now? And why, most importantly, only lieutenants and below? The "brushing up" was a class back at the academy that he had to take to refresh his memory and because changes had been made recently. Actually, it was probably Ichigo's fault they had to do this. He would get that strawberry bastard. He would.
After he complained to… well, everyone.
"Taichou, excuse me, but why the hell do the captains not get to do this?" he had whined as soon as he read the message. It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair. If this was because of the ryoka attack, well, the captains had messed up a lot more than the vice-captains in his opinion!
"It is how it has always been," his captain informed him with his normal, grave voice. "Despite the timing, it would have happened despite the ryoka attack and the treachery. Do take good notes, though, and inform me of what they have to say on preventing another betrayal like that. That is an order."
Great. Wonderful. All he had gotten out of that was that he was required to take notes for his job, too. So he had left the office and stormed down to the fifth division quarters. He knew that Hinamori was still recovering, but it was now a lot better and he was sure that she would also be taking the class. In fact, as he arrived, she was reading over the paper with only a slight frown on her face, also confused.
However, when Renji had begun his rant, she only gave him a tiny, reserved laugh, like she was amused by him. "Abarai-kun, really, I don't think it will be that awful. I mean… think of it as a really important fukutaichou meeting," she suggested in a weak voice, knowing what Renji was about to say before he even opened his mouth.
"I sleep through those if they're especially boring."
And thus, he had sighed and gone off again, still in the mood to complain, down to the third division quarters. Kira would be upset. He had graduated with top marks of their class; no doubt he would hate to go back to reprove that he was the smartest kid in class.
…Except that he had forgotten how little of that person his friend was nowadays.
"I'll let you copy my notes," the blond had said nervously. "I mean, you should take your own, I guess, but if you learn from mine, it's still like the same thing."
"You're not upset you have to go back and reprove yourself?" Renji moaned, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. "You graduated top of the class! You should be pissed they're making you do more work!"
"I'm sorry," the other man apologized. The message was clear: I'm not that person anymore.
And off he went, all the way to the eleventh division. His old trainer would agree with him and have wise words on the topic.
"Ikkaku-san!" he yelled, pounding on the door. "Did you see what they're making us do?"
But the man didn't answer, and judging by the way he was screeching and the high-pitched giggles he could hear, he was obviously quite… occupied by his fukutaichou. There had to be somebody who would agree with him, so at least they could complain together. Renji did like to complain. And then it hit him – Shuuhei! Despite the fact that the older Shinigami was extremely responsible, he did have a bit of a wild streak and it had widened after he was out of the academy. Shuuhei would definitely agree with him.
Or so he had been sure as he stood in front of the desk, Shuuhei behind it and working his way through a thick stack of papers methodically. "…What?"
Dark eyes glanced up, not really annoyed at him, but with the whole situation. "I told you, I don't have to go."
"Well, why?" There was a way to get out of this? He was taking it immediately. He refused to go back to school. There was a way out! Shuuhei really was his savior!
"Because even though I don't have the coat or the authority to make decisions, I'm acting captain."
That… was a shitty, shitty reason. And it really only served to piss him off. "Well, how come the fuck you get to be an acting captain instead of just a regular old lieutenant like Kira and Hinamori?" he hissed. "That's not even fair! You need to go, too, you're still a fukutaichou, and man…" he huffed. "I'm fucking jealous. Wish I could be acting captain of my division."
He knew he had said the wrong thing when the pen Shuuhei had been holding slammed onto the desk and the other man stood up, glaring at him with tired eyes. "Well, I'm sorry, Renji. Perhaps one day your captain will unexpectedly betray Soul Society and instead of turning to messes because you were so dependant on him like your friends, you'll take matters into your own hands and lead your division! It could be possible, you know! If Tou - Aizen could do it, I'm sure Kuchiki can do it, right?"
The redhead had not failed to catch the slip up his friend had almost made. He had omitted his captain for a reason. And really, Renji didn't know what to say to that. Guilt seeped into his system and pooled as he averted his gaze to the neatly-swept floor. Shuuhei sat back down and went back to work with a long sigh. No apology came from either side for almost five minutes, and it was the redhead who opened his mouth first.
"I'm sorry," he said. The words tasted funny on his tongue – he wasn't used to apologizing aloud. "I… should've considered that. You know, you are doing really well. No one would've guessed you'd been hurting, too."
"And I don't want them to guess it." The dark-haired acting-captain didn't deny it was true – he couldn't to Renji. "They have their hands full between Hinamori's physical injuries and the fact that Kira's mind was almost completely overwritten. They don't need to worry about old, responsible Shuuhei."
And somehow, it seemed like the part where, if they were drunk, Renji would wrap his arms around his friend. And somehow, even though they weren't drunk, it seemed like the thing to do. So he did, and he felt the muscles stiffen.
"You need it, too," he said. "I've hugged the other ones already. I didn't forget about you." When he pulled back, Shuuhei was only looking at him calmly, analytically almost. Then he cracked a smile and went back to the paperwork. They made small-talk for a while before Renji said he needed to get back to quarters for his evening rounds.
He was opening the paper door when he heard Shuuhei's voice seep through the noise of the wood on the track, but he knew that it had meant to be like that and he wasn't supposed to answer, so he didn't. Instead, he smiled at the wall in front of him and turned down it.
"Thank you."