Chapter 2

Papers towered on Byakuya's desk. With the warm weather, lots of people were making renovations or getting new things added to their buildings. Byakuya had his hands full dotting i's and crossing t's - a job he had always found menial and boring. He was nose deep in his work when he heard the familiar voice over the intercom.

"Mr. Kuchiki, there is a man here to see you. He says it's important," Yuroichi seemed oddly professional over the phone. Clearly someone important or unfamiliar was around for her to be so formal. He wondered what it would take to keep her acting that way.

Byakuya rarely had visitors. He hoped it was Renji. A smile creeped up his lips.

"May I have a name?" He asked. There was silence for a second. "Morice...Abarai," she said hesitantly. Byakuya paused, unable to process this information.

"O-okay, let him in," he stammered. He nervously tapped his pen to his lip. What was happening? This person...couldn't possibly be related to Renji. Abarai wasn't exactly a common last name. The curiosity was killing him.

When the two double doors to his office creaked open, Byakuya attempted to seem busy. He didn't want this person to know how interested he was in seeing him. He waited a few seconds after the doors shut behind the man before he glanced up. Standing before him, real as life, was an older Renji. But this man was seriously different all the same. His hair, though fiery red like his lover's, was cut short and a bit disheveled with an obvious balding spot at the crown. A rather crude later of dirt and grime settled in his clothes, particularly his armpits. Renji may not have been neat, but his personal hygiene was up to par with his own. The man, Morice, was thinner, obviously older, and shorter than Renji. Something about him was creepily familiar to his lover, yet worlds different.

His stance was slouched and fidgety. The days old stubble was patchy and greying. But the one thing Byakuya couldn't look away from were his fearful, desperate eyes. They were nothing like the confident, predatory eyes of his lover. Byakuya cleared his throat.

"How can I help you, mister Abarai?" He asked with as much of an official and buisness like tone as he could manage. The man, looking to be in his fifties, cleared his throat and rubbed his large hands together.

"My name is Morice, sir, I'm very sorry to bother you, you seem like a busy man. But I've been looking for my son for years now. I made a huge mistake when he was a child by allowing him to be separated from me. I wish to close the gap and make amends," he smiled. It was different from Renji's smile. Byakuya couldn't be sure why.

He stood from his desk and walked over to his window on the far end of his office. as he glanced down, a building came to view that had been built a year ago following the Serete merge. It was a cluster of new employees, storage, and blueprints. Renji worked in that building. At least while he wasn't out doing construction.

"He's down in that building. But it might be hard to find him, it's a big building and you don't have clearance."

Morice scratched his head. "I see...well could I get his number, maybe?" He asked. Even as his father, Byakuya didn't think this man should have Renji's personal number unless Renji, himself, gave it to him. Byakuya picked up the phone and pressed the intercom.

"Yuroichi, could you get Renji up to my office, please?" There was a slight pause on the other end.

"Whatever you say, boss!" was her reply. It sounded strange, but Byakuya was too overwhelmed with curiosity at this situation to care. While Renji made his way up, they had a few minutes to speak. Byakuya realized that Renji did not get his charisma from his father.

"So...what happened to make you change your mind?" Byakuya asked. Morice shifted.

"Well, when his mother died, I felt I needed to see him. He is the only family I have left. I also feel I may owe him an apology. It may take some time, but I feel things will work out. I hear he lives in a big house now and drives fancy cars. I wonder how such a skinny little thing managed to be so successful," he joked. Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

"Little?" He asked curiously. Morice nodded.

"Yes, I'm not sure how well you know him, but he's just a thin and small little thing. I wonder if he has a girl with all his...success. I'm excited to meet her." Byakuya wasn't sure what to say.

"Umm...Renji lives in an apartment," he said slowly.

Morice had a genuine look of confusion before the double doors to his office swung open. Renji never announced himself anymore. He completely passed his actual father in favor of seeing Byakuya.

"Yes, Boss, how can I hel-" he caught a glimpse of Morice, standing next to him in awe. Clearly he did not expect to see such a large version of his son. Renji was silent for only a moment before snapping his attention back to Byakuya.

"What's up?" He said more quietly. Byakuya cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Umm...Renji...this man says he knows you." Renji's eyes were dark. It was almost like he was refusing to even look at Morice. The old man clapped his hands together and rubbed them nervously.

"Renji...do you remember me?" There was a flash of something behind Renji's eyes that Byakuya had never seen from his lover. He had stared down the barrel of a gun and gotten shot in the chest. Yet this look was more intense. Byakuya felt a pit in his stomach.

"Sorry, Mister, you must have me mistaken," he said quickly before turning to leave. Morice went after him, putting a hand on his arm to stop him from leaving. Renji's flinch made Byakuya's heart throb. He'd made a mistake.

"Renji, it's me, your father!" He tried again. When Renji looked at Morice, Byakuya could have felt the heat smoldering from his eyes. He was glimpsing the other side of the passionate Renji that Byakuya had thought he'd seen glimpses of. He realized at that moment that he had never actually seen Renji angry. Mildly upset, a bit moody, maybe. But you couldn't have paid him to get any closer to Renji at that moment.

"Never had one."

It was chilling. The entire room felt colder.

Morice was seemingly blindsided by Renji's hostility. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"You're still touching me."

It was a threatening snarl. Byakuya hoped more than anything the redhead wouldn't turn this anger on him. But then, deep down he knew he wouldn't. This wasn't simple anger. This was hatred.

Morice ripped his hand off Renji like it had been burned. Byakuya tried (very hard) not to be excited by the deep baritone of his words. It was clearly the incorrect response to this entire scenario. But it was hard not to. Renji was his sweet gentle giant. He didn't have a mean bone in his body. He supposed it shouldn't have come as such a shock. He was put up for adoption after all. And by the sound of things, never was adopted out at all.

Renji was about to walk out when he turned, not looking at either of them.

"Leave and don't come back. If I find out you've spoken to anyone I care about again, you'll regret it." He opened the door and waited for the man to simply walk out.

"Renji. Please. I'm your flesh and blood, I'm here to apologise for the way things were left between us, I just want a relationship with my only son."

"Already fully committed to someone, so thanks, but no room. You can go now," he growled, pointing out the door. Yuroichi was now able to see the exchange and was leaning half her body over her desk to spy on the happenings, her breasts practically spilling out of her blouse, much to the excitement of anyone who happened to enter the office.

"Renji...please forgive my past mistakes. Let's just put it all bahind us and work through our differences. I'm a changed man!"

Renji sighed and looked down. He closed the door and approached his father.

"So am I," he said slowly, while moving towards him, "and believe me when I tell you that if you hadn't come to my place of work to bother me and I had seen you on the street, this would be an entirely different confrontation." He got close. Very close. Byakuya wondered if he should step in. This could get out of hand.

"Renji..." Byakuya spoke up, though he almost wished Renji hadn't heard him. All the fury, the rage and malice pointed at Morice was, quite suddenly, shot right at him with one look. It took only a moment for Renji to see Byakuya's panicked look for him to soften his eyes. He closed them and took a deep breath.

He stepped over to his desk and grabbed a pen. He ripped off a post-it note and scribbled some numbers down.

"Here's my number. Take it and go."

Morice took the paper and examined it for a moment. Smiling, he left without saying another word.

Byakuya cleared his throat nervously and stood awkwardly at his desk. He wasn't sure where to go from there. Renji looked out the window.

"Sorry about that, babe. He won't bother you anymore." Byakuya shuttered at the pet name. Renji had so very many. He felt they sucked the life from any masculinity he might have left. But he couldn't being himself to stop him.

"What did he do to you to bring out so much...anger?"

Suddenly, Renji's demeanor changed completely.

"Anger? What anger? Don't even worry about him. He's just some crazy old man." Renji walked over to Byakuya and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, kissing him deeply.

"He's nobody." He whispered. As far as Byakuya was concerned, while Renji was holding him like this, that was true. But he'd learned something vital that day. If Renji had been a bad person...if he wasn't the sweet, easygoing, lovable ape he'd played every day they'd known one another, their story together would have been very different.

His strong hands caressing his hair and gripping his hip made him feel slightly different. He knew what those hands were capable of and he'd never once considered Renji would use his strength against him. But at the moment, the knowledge that his lover 'could' do damage and yet never did was by far the sexiest thing he'd ever discovered.