Part 4
Beta'd by AxaroffleKay ^^
Location: Karakura High, Rooftop
"Stop staring…" Ichigo whispered sharply as he lifted his head to throw Ishida Uryuu an accusing look. He saw the young Quincy's cheeks flush as he pulled his face to his chest to avoid Ichigo's gaze, but it didn't change the fact that he had been staring.
After Renji had informed him that Ishida had walked in on them during one of their informal practice sessions, Ichigo had just about died of humiliation. The shinigami lieutenant had laughed and called Uryuu a voyeur. It wasn't exactly the way Ichigo planned on telling his friend about his new relationship. Perhaps a simple, "Hey, we're kinda dating right now…" would have sufficed. Whatever Ishida had seen was overkill in Ichigo's opinion.
"Dammit, Uryuu!" Ichigo hissed at his friend. "If you don't stop fucking staring, I'm going to stab you in the eye with this little fork!" Ichigo jabbed his small salad fork in the boy's direction as they sat across from each other in their small group of friends atop the roof. A few of them scooted slightly away from him as he threatened Ishida with his with small utensil, but their conversation continued unimpeded.
"I'm surprised that you even noticed, Kurosaki. You've never been a particularly keen observer." Ichigo looked up to see the man push those infuriating glasses back up his nose with a well-placed finger before returning his hands to his lunch.
"I don't know what you mean," Ichigo scoffed. He stubbornly assumed that Ishida was unaware that Ichigo knew he had seen Renji and Ichigo together and he'd be damned if he brought up the subject of his love life in front of the Quincy.
Ichigo's ears prickled as he felt the other man's stare slide over him again and Ichigo gave a harsh huff before looking up again.
Ishida's eyes were not fixed on him. A lone figure was strutting across the top of the roof, stepping almost gracefully over the networks of pipes located on the far side of the structure.
Renji…
Ichigo would never admit it to Renji, but the man looked ridiculously sexy in school uniform. The man wore no undershirt and Ichigo could almost make out the lines of his tattoos beneath his shirt. Ichigo blushed when he realized he knew the exact patter of the man's tattoos.
Ichigo tried not to look at him as the man swaggered closer, but his eyes kept flickering back up to meet the shinigami lieutenant's eyes. Renji grinned as he finally approached the group, greeting them all with a short wave as he dropped easily to the ground beside Ichigo.
"How's it goin' Strawberry?"
Ichigo refused to look at Renji, not with Ishida sitting right across from them – knowing they were together. But then Ishida broke the ice – rather harshly – for them.
"So how long have you been together, Abarai-san?" Ishida gloated.
Ichigo froze, his salad fork poised inches from his open mouth. The rooftop became oddly quiet as everyone processed Ishida's question.
Ichigo slowly turned to look at Renji, hoping that the man would give him some clue, some kind of help. Renji's eyes were expectant and Ichigo suddenly didn't want to disappoint the man – not over something as trivial as being embarrassed in front of his friends. As he looked over at the smug Quincy, Ichigo absolutely refused to the give him any sort of satisfaction about their discomfort.
Ichigo casually finished his forkful before answering with a confident smirk, "We've been together three weeks. I'm surprised you didn't notice earlier, Ishida."
Beside him, Renji practically radiated approval and he felt the man's fingers curl supportively around his wrist that was situated between them. It made Ichigo strangely happy to know he pleased Renji.
Ichigo also noticed that his answer pleased the girls in his lunch group as well. Orihime had blushed and stuttered as she told Renji and himself how happy she was for them while Rukia simply smacked Renji in the face for not telling her sooner. She hugged the lieutenant affectionately before threatening his life if he disappointed Ichigo.
Ichigo received the same speech and an equally hard thump to this skull.
As the commotion continued around the couple, Ishida slipped quietly to the other side of the roof.
"I would have never guessed! You're so manly I've always thought you were straight. Just when I thought I had us guys figured out – now I have no hope for figuring a girl out. WHAAAA! I'm DOOMED!" Keigo sobbed into Ichigo's shoulder before he was rudely shoved away.
"Dammit, Keigo! This was clean…" Ichigo cringed; looking at the small tearstain on his uniform. Eww.
He felt Renji's fingers tighten around his wrist, "You should go talk to him, you know," Renji hinted.
Ichigo blushed lightly before his eyes found Ishida across the roof. He looked lonely, as usual. "I'd kinda prefer that we didn't speak. He outted us if you remember correctly."
Renji shrugged, "It wasn' like it was secret or anything, was it?"
"No," Ichigo said briefly before leaning in to kiss Renji lightly on the lips, "I'm happy about this…about…us."
Renji continued to talk quietly to Ichigo while ignoring the collective fuss their friends were making over their kiss. "I know he was tryin' to be mean, but I get the feelin' like he was expectin' you to deny it. Do you know what that's about?"
"Who knows? This is Ishida we're talking about. He could have done it for a handful of reasons."
"All the more reason you should go talk to him," Renji explained as he hauled Ichigo up and shoved him towards the Quincy. Ichigo turned to complain, but the look on Renji's face made him rethink his retort.
The walk across the rooftop seemed to take a lifetime, but heading toward an awkward situation can warp time like that. It didn't help that Ichigo could feel Renji's eyes on him with every step he took; it was like war on two fronts.
Ishida was looking out over the playground when Ichigo reached him, his fingers coiled around the chain link fence that encased the roof, a moody expression on his face.
"What was all that about?!" Ichigo snarled at the man. "You had no right to out us like that. You're lucky that Renji doesn't mind or we'd both kick your skinny ass!"
The Quincy was infuriatingly silent and Ichigo's fist twitched.
"Say something dammit!" The shinigami roared, slamming his palm into the fence.
"I didn't think–" The Quincy began but cut himself off, twisting his fist into the barrier with what seemed like frustration.
"I don't care what you thought! We could have handled this privately instead of you running your mouth." Ichigo bit the inside of his cheek before continuing, "I'm not sure what you saw the other day, but it was private. You've done enough, so please don't say anything else."
The dark haired man had let his head drop between his shoulders. He looked pained and defeated. Ichigo wasn't sure what to make of him.
"I thought by telling everyone…" Ishida whispered, "That you would deny it and piss Renji off. I know I'd be pissed if my lover denied me."
"Why would you do a thing like that? I'm not ashamed of Renji," He responded with a low growl.
"I had hoped you would break up."
"Break up?"
"So I'd have my chance."
A confused scowl covered Ichigo face, "A chance to do what?"
"This." Ishida turned and brought their lips together. Ichigo was too stunned to avoid the kiss so he just stood there in shock. Ishida pulled away after he lightly kissed the unresponsive redhead and removed his hand from where he'd fisted Ichigo's sleeve.
The shinigami stumbled back from the Quincy as his heart pounded unsteadily against his ribs. He felt…sorry for his friend. He realized his racing heart had nothing to do with the other man and more to do with the fact that he was worried that Renji had seen the kiss. The sound of footsteps alerted him to the fact that Renji had seen it.
"Ishida…I'm sorry…I…" Ichigo murmured. "I'm very much in love with Renji."
"Yes. I understand that now," the Quincy replied dejectedly before turning to face the approaching shinigami. Ichigo turned to face him as well and was surprised to find that other man did not look angry at all. In fact, upon closer inspection, he looked rather calm.
Renji went to Ichigo and wrapped an arm possessively around his waist. Ichigo felt lighter with Renji around. He also felt the need to defend Ishida.
"It was nothing Renji, I swear," he tried to clarify.
Renji simply pulled Ichigo closer to him and nuzzled his neck, "I know."
The previously stoic Quincy now looked incredulous at Renji's comment. "What do you mean?!"
Renji removed his lips from Ichigo's neck, "I saw the look on your face...when Ichigo told everyone we were together. I know what that look means, I've seen it plenty of times."
Ishida scoffed at the man, "So you're not worried at all that we kissed."
Renji's usual grin made its appearance, "No – I think you kissed him. I already know how Ichigo feels and I can already tell you, there is no competition."
Ishida seemed to lose some confidence at Renji's words. He looked hopefully up at Ichigo, "Kurosaki-san?"
Ichigo wrapped his arm around Renji's waist as he answered, "Like I said before, I'm in love with him."
The bell signaling the end of lunch rang loudly through the building and Ishida gave a long sigh as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Their conversation was over, it seemed.
"Alright," Ishida said quietly as he began to walk away, his eyes lingering momentarily on Ichigo's arm wrapped securely around the other man's waist. His walk back was just as long as Ichigo's had been, but a broken heart and ego can warp time like that.
The two shinigami remained on the rooftop, embracing each other after Ichigo's final words. "So you love me, eh?" Renji inquired warmly as he ran his fingers through the younger man's hair, his lips running across his sharp jaw line.
"I said it twice. I guess that means I do," Ichigo teased, refusing to be embarrassed about his feelings. After all that had happened in such a short amount of time, it seemed stupid to deny anything else concerning Renji.
The older man turned and finally kissed Ichigo properly for the first time that day and it was exactly what Ichigo had needed. Renji's lips, fingers and tongue said, I want you, thank you, I need you, you're beautiful, you're mine, I'm yours…I love you. Ichigo could feel all his awkwardness around the man vanish. How could be possibly deny the man anything now?
Renji's hands massaged his jaw as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue across the roof of his mouth. Ichigo brought their hips together by slipping his fingers into Renji's pants and tugging him closer.
As they broke for air Ichigo voiced his earlier thought, "Did you know that you look insanely hot in school uniform?"
"Do I?" Renji panted against his shoulder. "I think the same thing about you."
Ichigo felt Renji rock his hips against his own, "Not here Renji."
That seemed to snap Renji out of his lustful thoughts, "Then come with me. Now."
"But my class – "Ichigo halfheartedly complained.
"I know a few things I still haven' taught you yet." Renji purred as he began pulling Ichigo after him. "You interested in learnin'?"
Ichigo raced Renji home.
TBC
Reviews are love! ^^
