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Renji opened his eyes slowly, growing accustomed to the new day. He reached his hand out and found nothing. Sitting up, he looked around. Ichigo wasn't there, but he could still sense him close. Something wasn't right. Ichigo's energy was…
"Ichigo!" Renji shouted as he jumped out of the bed and slid on his pants, not bothering with the button. He ran from the room and down the hall. When he saw Ichigo in the living room, he stopped.
Ichigo had propped himself up against the wall, his knees tucked in under his arms. His head was down, and his body was still. Renji stepped closer slowly. He could feel an intense pain in the energy around them, but Ichigo didn't appear to be hurt.
"Oy. Ichigo. What's goin on?" he asked, looking down at him.
"You need to leave," Ichigo said without raising his head, his voice weak and troubled.
"The hell you talkin' about?" Renji asked, his face turning to a scowl. "I ain't goin nowhere."
"You need to go back to Soul Society. I will handle this," Ichigo finally lifted his head to reveal his face flushed and his eyes glazed.
"Ichigo, who the hell you think you're talkin' to?" Renji demanded, staring down into the conflicted eyes below him.
"If my soul dies – so will yours."
Renji's eyes widened.
"Shirosaki showed me."
"The hollow?" Renji asked, surprised. He knelt down beside Ichigo. "You can talk to your hollow?"
Ichigo nodded slowly. As Renji listened to him explain the encounter with Shirosaki, the questions shot around in his mind quicker than he could process them. Finally, the thought circling the loudest made its way to Renji's lips. "You wanted me to leave so that I couldn't get hurt?"
Ichigo nodded. "I don't know how, but we're connected, and that connection is getting stronger. If something happens to me…" his words trailed off.
Renji felt his fist clench involuntarily. "Ichigo, I already told you I would die for you. You telling me to run along like I'm some dog isn't gonna do the trick. You can't just tell me to take off whenever my being here isn't convenient for you."
"I didn't mean-"
"Shut up," Renji continued, putting a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "You have always fought to save others. When you think you might hurt them, or can't protect them, you push them away. It's really freakin' irritating. I'm here, and I ain't goin' nowhere until I know you're safe, no matter what you or that damn hollow says."
Ichigo leaned into Renji, sinking his face into the safety of his chest. "Thank you."
Ichigo finished his email to his editor letting her know he'd be leaving town for a while because of "family problems". He sighed, thinking that he might not have a job when he got back from Soul Society, but quickly shrugged it off.
He stood and made his way to the bedroom, stopping to stare at the sight before him. Renji's hair was in a braid; a white sash pulled tightly over his forehead and tied on the side. His chest was bare, the tattoos running down until they were met by the white pants he'd gotten from Urahara on their last visit. He rested one foot on the window sill, the other on the bed as he braced his back against the wall, magazine pages flipping lazily between his fingers.
Renji felt the eyes on him and turned, "What's up?" He put the magazine down beside him.
"Nothing," Ichigo shrugged. He made his way over to the bed and sat beside him. "Just got a lot on my mind."
"Surprised you ain't gotten sick of having me around all the time," Renji said teasingly. He was met with a scoff and an elbow to the side. "You got everything ready?"
"Yea." Ichigo had called and arranged for Yuzu to stay at his place while he was gone. She was thankful for the vacation from Isshin, though she'd never admit it. He'd pulled money out of his savings for her to pay for rent and expenses. And he'd been put on extended leave, so there was no real issue there.
Renji rubbed the back of his neck, pulling tightly on the braid to straighten it. "I think we both need a drink."
Ichigo smiled. "I think that's the best idea you've ever come up with."
"What are you talking about? Drinking is always the best idea."
"Eh, um, waiter-guy, can I have another?" Renji said with a stupid grin, holding his glass up and waving it around in the air.
Ichigo shook his head as Orihime quipped beside him. "Just bring three more, k?" She turned and looked at Ichigo, then at Renji. "So, I know why you're going back to Soul Society, but why do I feel like there's something you're not telling me?"
Ichigo choked on his drink and laughed. Orihime's "special" drinks had already removed all the tension from his body, and almost all from his mind. "I- Um- Well - I'm really not-"
The table shook as Renji plopped his elbows down and lowered his head between his arms, staring at Orihime. "Ichigo's got a secret," he said, a wicked grin on his face.
Ichigo kicked him under the table. "So do you, asshole! Shut up!"
"I do not! I don't have any secrets!" Renji protested as he sat up.
"Oh, I see. So I can just walk up and tell Byakuya everything, right?"
Renji sputtered. "Not before you tell Rukia! She's already going to kill me for not telling her first."
"Ahem," Orihime cleared her throat and the two men's gazes whipped to her.
"Oh, um –" Ichigo fondled the drink in his hands. How do I say this?
"Ichigo." Renji grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him over the table, spilling their drinks. His lips crushed into Ichigo's as he slid his warm tongue through his teeth. Ichigo let out an involuntary moan as their tongues met and teased each other. Renji pulled away and pushed Ichigo back into his chair.
Orihime's face was blank, her eyes wide. "Wow," she said quietly. "So… you two…"
"Yea," Ichigo said, wiping up the liquid on the table with some napkins.
Orihime continued to stare into the space where the two men's mouths had connected. "That was –"
Renji laughed and waved a hand in front of her face. "You ok?"
Snapped from her daze, Orihime smiled. "Yea, I'm ok. That was just such a shock."
"Yea, I can imagine it would be," Renji said, recalling the feelings Orihime had harbored for Ichigo when they were in high school.
"Wow," Orihime said again. The waiter walked over with their drinks and some more napkins. "Um, Kazuki? Keep 'em comin, k?"
The young man bowed slightly as Ichigo and Renji burst out laughing. "Is it really that big of a deal, Orihime?" Renji teased.
"Oh, no. It's not that. It's just-"
Ichigo reached his arm around and squeezed her shoulder. "You'll always be my number one girl, Orihime," he winked. Orihime playfully shoved at him and laughed.
"Well, ok then. I think I can handle that." She looked up at him with big eyes. "You're happy, right?"
Ichigo looked over at Renji across the table and squeezed Orihime's shoulder once more. "Yeah, I am."
"Whoo – I am definitely calling Orihime the next time I wanna get drunk in the real world," Renji said, stumbling as he tried to free himself from his pants. "When did she become such a seasoned drinker?"
Ichigo was already in the bed, his naked body curled up to the cool sheets. He shrugged slightly as he watched Renji undress, the moonlight from the window lighting up his muscled body in a soft spotlight.
Renji shouted something as he tugged the tight shirt over his head, pulling loose the white band that held his shorter hairs in place. He pulled the band off and undid the braid, shaking his head to loosen it. The crimson waves flew and settled on his shoulders. He noticed the small smile on Ichigo's face and grinned. "What's that for?"
Ichigo spoke quietly, "I don't know. In a weird way, I'm grateful this all happened. No matter what happens, we have this - now. Ya know?"
Renji nodded, making his way to the bed, "Yea." He settled in next to Ichigo and pulled him close.
As they lay there, watching the moon through the window, Ichigo took Renji's hand and held it tight.
"I love you, Renji."
The words resonated in Renji's ears, his heart seeming to skip in his chest. He gently grabbed Ichigo's shoulders and rolled him over to face him. He studied his eyes, and felt a surge of heat deep within his chest as he saw the look he'd searched for in those eyes so long ago. His heart pounded as he pulled Ichigo to his lips.
The kiss was gentle, their bodies melting against each other as their tongues touched, reveling in the taste of each other. Renji pulled away slightly and whispered against his lover's lips.
"Me, too."
He kissed Ichigo's lips again, pulling him tighter, his heart still racing as felt the softness of Ichigo's tongue rolling with his. They lingered together, the kiss leaving them breathless when Ichigo finally pulled away and shifted, grabbing a tube from the nightstand. He shifted back, sitting on Renji's thighs, wrapping his legs loosely around the tattooed hips.
Renji felt himself tighten as their erections touched, but remained still as Ichigo moved in closer, straddling him. Ichigo wrapped his fingers around Renji's hardness and spread the cool lubricant over his length, stroking him before raising his body to line up over the slick thickness.
Renji's jaw locked closed as he felt the tightness envelop him slowly, the touch seizing his senses. His hands flew to Ichigo's hips, holding him steady as he continued to fill himself with Renji's arousal. A slight whimper escaped Ichigo's mouth as he bit down on his lip, sliding down the rest of the way and settling on Renji's thighs, his legs bent on either side of the vice captain's body.
"I can't be without you," Renji said without thought, unable to look away from the intense eyes burning into his.
"I know," Ichigo said, moving to kiss his neck. Renji groaned at the sensation, pushing Ichigo's hips down and filling him even more.
Ichigo's fingers dug into Renji's arms as he buried his face in his shoulder. He circled his hips as Renji braced himself, arching his own hips downward, pulling away slightly before throttling back inside.
"Oh, God!" Ichigo cried as he felt Renji pull away again. He clung to his shoulder, his body trembling slightly as Renji hit the spot again.
"Ichigo…" Renji's free hand ran through the orange hair roughly before pulling Ichigo to his lips.
Their lips crashed into each other as Renji hit him again. "MMM." His groan swallowed by his lover's mouth, Ichigo pushed himself downward to further the touch.
Renji pulled Ichigo's head to the side, his kisses trailing to his neck, his shoulders. Ichigo's hips continued to push and pull over him as Renji moved his mouth to an ear.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice shaking. He'd never said those words… He felt the shiver run through Ichigo's body. "I love you," he repeated, letting his breath breeze the wet skin of Ichigo's neck.
"Renji…." Ichigo gasped as Renji thrust inside him again with force. "Say it again…"
Renji grinned against the hot skin and shifted, moving Ichigo to the bed. He struggled to keep their connection as he braced the quivering knees beside him. He watched Ichigo's eyes staring at him from below as he thrust into him hard, both of them crying out.
"Fuck!" Ichigo squirmed as his eyes rolled in their sockets, his toes curling from the pleasure.
Renji absorbed the emotions flashing over Ichigo's face as he plowed into him again, his arm pulling a leg up to get in deeper. His pace steady and hard, Renji lowered himself to Ichigo's mouth and moaned as the hips below him bucked upward.
"Say it again," Ichigo pled as dug his fingertips into Renji's shoulders. "Renji…"
"I love you, Ichigo." He thrust hard once more, his mouth inches from Ichigo's face.
"Oh, god… Renji…" Ichigo's hands flew to the sheets, gripping them tightly as his hips bucked up uncontrollably. "Renji…"
Renji felt a groan explode from his chest as Ichigo clamped around him, pulling him into his orgasm.
They came together, their cries filling the room as they held onto each other's bodies desperately, their hearts beating quick and thick in their chests to the same unbridled rhythm.
Neither of them noticed the purple colored wave flowing from them, circling joyously beyond the constraints of the building and high into the night sky.