"What do you go home to?"

Chapter 3: Elegance and Roughness

His footsteps were barely audible in the silence of the night under the rustling of the cherry-blossom trees and the screeches of bats soaring in the night sky under the dim silvery moonlight. His black uniform, absent of the white haori of a captain blended effectively between the shadows of the buildings and the trees, while his reiatsu was perfectly suppressed turning him invisible.

Byakuya was running with flash steps towards the barracks of 6th Division hoping it wasn't too late for what he was about to do.

After spending almost an hour in front of Hisana's portrait, brightened with the pink cherry blossoms his lieutenant had brought, he felt that he had to make it up to him. Earlier that day he had threatened to fire him from the lieutenant's seat, and now he felt ashamed for thinking this way.

Just because he had appeared late- which was not a first one- and acted in such a carefree way could not be enough to earn him the disrespect he had showed him.

His words had been cruel and harsh towards that sensitive man, and ever since that moment the desire that had been burning inside of him was the one of disrespect towards his subordinate, and not the opposite. For the first time he wanted to be the one to apologize, even if it was to an underling like Abarai, a former-beggar of the poorest neighbourhoods of Rukongai.

Not all souls were able to suppress and sometimes drown such flooding feelings like he was, and so had to be prepared to face the consequences of hurting another one with his cold distant and filled with superiority behavior.

Byakuya had visited Abarai's private rooms only twice in the past, during moments the latter had been seriously injured. But, even if he had no idea of where they were, he'd easily find them following that distinguishing warmth of his reiatsu.

To his surprise he found the door slid open and had to blink a couple of times to make out the silhouette of his lieutenant leaning against the wall inside the dark room.

Byakuya approached the open door feeling his face grow warm.

"Abarai?" he whispered, but the figure of the man didn't respond. His spiritual flow was steady and welcoming.

Byakuya took the liberty to enter the room and took off his sandals.

Kneeling beside his lieutenant he noticed that he was sleeping, his eyelids flickering in some, hopefully, happy dream.

Byakuya furrowed his brows at loss of what to do.

He scanned a round finding the reports the lieutenant had taken with him piled and, as he found out after shuffling through them, all filled up. A smile formed on his lips.

"Ta-taicho!" Abarai's hoarse voice echoed in a low tone.

Byakuya met the crimson-haired man's eyes letting him see the smile on his face. Abarai blinked and rubbed his eyes sitting up with a groan of discomfort.

"Don't you have a futon?" Byakuya asked and took the filled reports in his hands standing up.

"I… I fell asleep! I mean- yeah, I have one!" Renji was at loss of words since he had just woken up from the most beautiful dream with his captain starring when he was pulled back into the real world by the very man's reiatsu and, on top of that, found him in his private rooms. Smiling.

Renji stood up as well straightening his uniform over his thighs.

"The reports are all filled. But the older ones, there might be mistakes. But I tried to-!"

"No worries. I trust you did a great job. I'll take a look tomorrow at the ones you're not sure of."

Renji raised an eyebrow since he was expecting perhaps a scold or even nothing but cold silence. But his captain's friendly support was the last thing he expected.

"Ehm-" he began and instantly blushed a deep red, wishing it was not that visible under the dim moonlight that managed to make its way into the room.

"Thank you, Abarai!" Byakuya said looking up into the taller man's eyes.

Renji blushed more and averted his gaze.

"For what? I was nothing but a pain in the ass today, so…!" Renji chuckled nervously blushing even more, if that was possible, when he noticed his captain's both corners of his lips curve.

"If you mean a bother, then, yes you've been. As you've been since your very first day in the 6th Division!" Byakuya said, his voice steady and deep. "But you realized your mistake and fixed it. And I am truly grateful to you, Abarai!"

Byakuya nodded and was about to walk away when Renji spoke.

"Taicho!" Byakuya looked at him over his shoulder. Renji sighed, his shoulders rising and sinking as he rubbed his chin nervously. "Thank you! It means a lot!"

Byakuya kept his eyes a little longer on him observing the lines on his strong neck and the little visible part of his collarbone from the v-shaped collar of his uniform covered by the dim moonlight. When his chocolate brown eyes found his, he missed a heartbeat. And, as if this was not enough, Renji gave him that smile as if he smiled all of himself which made Byakuya melt at the very spot.

The pile of reports was on the verge of falling from his numb arms as he did the mistake to concentrate into those gentle chocolate brown eyes.

Renji's brows lowered as if realizing the tension in the air between them and made a step closer.

Byakuya's lips parted seeking for fresh air to clear his mind, but instead was swept away by his lieutenant's warmth. When Renji made another step closer, Byakuya managed to draw his eyes away from his. But he had made the mistake to keep too long eye contact with him, revealing his weakness to him…

Renji advanced closer to his captain and raised his hand to touch those silky black hair with the silver glimmer of the moon upon them, but he stopped midway, his fingertips shaking only inches from those beautiful strands with Byakuya's back turned towards him.

He was breathing heavily sensing the flickering in Byakuya's reiatsu. For some reason it excited him.

"Taicho…" Renji whispered in a husky voice making Byakuya's shoulders stiffen and his fingers grasp the sides of the pile of reports.

"Good night Abarai!" Byakuya whispered wanting to leave, but being unable to. As if some kidou had restraint him at the very spot.

He felt Renji approaching him until his body warmth soothed his back side while the night breeze cooled him from the front. Byakuya couldn't help but shut his eyes for a long moment in order to recollect himself.

"Please… stay!"

The words echoed like a spell that boosted up all the confidence he possessed, making Byakuya turn around and come face to face with a deeply blushed Renji. Their noses almost touched and Byakuya had to look up to meet those melting eyes. Both of their lips parted as they lost each other into each other's orbs; the elegant grey once, like the blade of a beautiful katana, and the luring brown ones, like deep dark amber.

"If I can make you smile, Kuchiki-taicho, please let me do so! And then you can dedicate it to this day which belongs to Kuchiki Hisana!" Renji whispered, his eyes looking once into his eyes and then down to his parted lips while his heart was drumming hard inside his head.

Byakuya tried to inhale but it felt difficult to when all he could smell was this man's scent.

"You can make me smile, Abarai… but, I could not dedicate it to her. I wouldn't!" he said and turned around in order not to face his lieutenant as he continued.

"Because it'd have nothing to do with her. You would be the one to make me smile. And I would only dedicate it… to you!" he said in an undertone. Silence drowned all and Byakuya turned around with furrowed brows wondering what was wrong. But the last thing he had expected was the reaction that followed.

Everything around him disappeared in an instant when two warm palms cupped his already burning cheeks and a pair of beautifully proportioned lips met his parted ones taking him into a world were nothing else existed but Renji and himself.

Byakuya tried to inhale being overflowed instantly with Renji's scent and at the same moment sucked in Renji's smooth and rough kiss inviting the crimson-haired one to proceed with the kiss. Renji's thumbs pressed against his cheekbones pulling closer to him while Byakuya struggled to take a breath and his fingers grabbed the pile of reports tight. For a split second Renji's lips left his, leaving him floating on air.

Byakuya met Renji's eyes that were sparkling with such intensity as if begging for more. This time Byakuya made the first move without a second thought, placing the reports clumsily on the tatami floor and, impatiently, meeting a surprised Renji and letting himself drift along with the torrent of all those arousing emotions until everything was drowned by lust.

This time their lips moved in concord seeking more and more from each other as though this was the only way for them to express those rushing waves of emotions taking over them; lips with lips, hands on skin, lips on skin…

Renji's hands trailed lower along the jaws and down his neck causing Byakuya the goose bumps while at the same time Byakuya felt the kiss deepen taking him higher up into another level.

His own hands found his long and soft hair and couldn't restrain a smile between the kiss as he brushed his slender fingers through the fiery strands. Renji smiled in response bringing his hands up into his silky black hair as well.

Byakuya closed his eyelids when he felt Renji's fingertips rubbing his skull and pulling his silky hair gingerly backwards. Byakuya let his head lean backwards as well, providing Renji the full view of his slender and pale neck. His fiery lips met Byakuya's skin causing him to let a low moan.

Renji inhaled deeply desiring nothing more than to stay here all night with his senses filled with his captain's scent and his ears listening to the noble's deep lustful voice. His lips, never leaving the cooler than his lips skin, whispered kisses one after the other on Byakuya's neck trailing further down until his met the fabric of his uniform. But even then, he didn't stop. Using the tip of his nose he dug under the collar to reach further down, there where if felt hotter.

Byakuya realized what his lieutenant was doing and cupped those bright red hair letting him pull his kosode down to kiss more of him. Byakuya had no strength to protest. Besides he didn't really want this to stop.

If time could freeze forever, he wanted to stay here. In this time and place… with Abarai Renji touching him, breathing him in, wanting him… offering him the time of his life…

Byakuya touched Renji's chin when the crimson-haired man's lips had reached his chest. Renji's hazy eyes looked up at him as he straightened his back to meet Byakuya's furrowed gaze.

"Tai…-cho!" he sighed.

Byakuya sighed as well listening to the other man's heavy breathing. He stroked his tanned face, his jaw, his chin, his cheeks, the tribal tattoos above his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry!"

Byakuya furrowed his brows.

"You have been apologizing to me since this morning!"Byakuya began observing with a soft smile the details on the man's face. Having him so close felt suddenly so right. "Why?"

Renji's eyes left his for a split second.

"For a million reasons…"

"And why did you apologize now?" Byakuya asked with a serious expression.

Renji blushed avoiding eye contact.

"Why are you asking?" Renji sounded nervous.

"Tell me, Renji!"

Renji met Byakuya's eyes with a sparkle of surprise on his face hearing the noble call him for the first time by his first name.

"Why? I… you know perfectly well why I apologized!" Reji frowned with irritation and greater embarrassment.

Byakuya's serious expression didn't alter as his thumb rubbed the back of Renji's ear. Renji's lips parted after some moments.

"That means that you regret it?" Byakuya asked.

Renji flinched turning redder and hotter under Byakuya's touch. The one moment it felt as if he had absolute control over the noble and the next he felt as small and as weak as an ant.

"Stop with those embarrassing questions!" Renji was about to make a step back to give himself some fresh air to recompose himself, but Byakuya insisted.

The hand that had been rubbing the back of his ear pushed his face in order to make Renji look at him.

Renji's eyes widened with the sudden gesture, and widened more when he found such a luring depth in the noble's metal grey eyes that he couldn't look away knowing that the usually stoic man was about to share his deepest thoughts with him.

"You didn't just make me smile just now… Renji! You gave me reasons to smile for a long time from now! You gave me a reason to let my weaknesses show in plain view. You gave me a reason to let go of this tiring mask and a reason to… to talk openly!" Byakuya's eyes lowered.

"Taicho… you don't have to speak this way! It's ok-!"

Byakuya looked back up at him.

"No! Let me for once speak out loud!"

Renji flinched, but at once calmed down when Byakuya kissed him softly out of the blue. It was such a brief kiss and so sudden that held so many secrets in it which made Renji feel so responsible of the man who was his captain.

"I…" Byakuya began, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. He gritted his teeth, his lips burning from that fast kiss he had given him. "Abarai…"

Renji's hands touched Byakuya's shoulder blades.

"If I'm letting you speak this way then leave the formalities behind! It's Renji!" he said warmly.

Byakuya tightened his grip around Renji's sleeves.

"Renji…" Byakuya muttered with a deep tone. "I want you to… I-!"

"I will!" Renji spoke with a serious expression.

Byakuya looked up at him with widened eyes burning with up-coming tears. A frown formed on his pale forehead under silky strands.

Renji gave him a genuine smile and gently kissed him. But his kiss was not swift, nor filled with the passion that was still flaming him from the inside. Instead it was filled with all the respect, the compassion and love he nourished for that man.

Byakuya stood silent still tasting Renji's lips on his even when the latter had drawn away.

When he opened his eyes, Renji smiled a wide smile.

"Do you know… what I-?" Byakuya stuttered.

Although it looked cute the way Byakuya acted so vulnerable in his arms, Renji wanted the confident and powerful Byakuya back. So, reading through the noble's anxiety all he wanted was to make it easier to him. He wouldn't want this thing to fall into pieces.

Finally he felt proud of his actions.

Renji nodded at Byakuya's question.

"Stay with me! And I'll prove it to you!" Renji whispered to him.

Byakuya's lips curved slowly.

Renji kissed him again, inhaling deeply the noble's intense scent. Byakuya wrapped his arms around him making the distance between them disappear into thin air. When their bodies touched, Renji and Byakuya paused in synchrony to take a breath and get a hold of this sudden feeling of uncontrollable flames inside of them.

Smiles formed on their lips and at once their kiss turned passionate as hands ran all over one another impatiently, fiercely. Renji's lips pressed firmly against Byakuya's, and Byakuya caressed the taller man's body, seeking hidden ways underneath his tightly wrapped hakama and kosode while their breaths became more unsteady, heavier and their moans deeper and more frequent.

The chilly breeze had turned into steams of a hot spring and the shadows of two silhouettes blended effectively in the night.

The silence of the night was unable to drown the voices, but none of it mattered.

For once, things felt right and everything seemed to be in place because although they had been together for such a long time, Byakuya and Renji had finally discovered that what they wanted to go home to was Renji and Byakuya…


Thank you very much for reading :) Take care!