This is a collaborative effort between Spunky0ne and SesshomaruFreak
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Little Shop of Pleasures
(A devastated and very drunk Renji makes a confession to Kisuke that sets the shopkeeper and the Rukongai mongrel on an unexpected course…yaoi, mpreg…Kisuke/Renji, Byakuya/Tetsuya)
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Chapter 1. Something to Loosen the Lips
Renji flopped down on the futon in his guest room at Urahara's Candy Shop, exhausted after another day of endless chores (Seriously, did the floor need swept three times a day?)
And another tomorrow.
And the next day...
Sighing, he rolled over onto his back, gazing blankly up at the ceiling, his lips in a petulant scowl. His red hair was loose, wild and as restless as Renji felt.
I wish something would happen…anything to get out of these gods-forsaken chores! An enemy attack or a summons from the Soul Society, anything really. Just as long as I don't have to wipe down the goddamned walls again tomorrow.
He heard a light footstep out in the hall.
Oh man, that had better not be…
Kisuke stepped into the room and Renji groaned inwardly.
Just what I freaking don't need right now.
"What's it now?" he sighed, rolling his eyes, "I thought I was done for the day. I'm beat. Can it wait till tomorrow?"
"Nope, you need to warm Jinta up," he said, nudging Renji with his sword cane.
"You know, I've had about fucking enough of being your slave!" Renji snapped.
He saw those grey eyes narrow, and his restraint gave way. He slapped the cane aside and shot to his feet, a few inches taller than the elder blonde. Kisuke gave him a questioning look, but let him speak first.
"This is some bullshit! Yeah, I get that I'm a guest and I should pitch in, but you know damned well that your demands are ridiculous! You know what? I think I'd rather sleep on the streets than have to take another minute of this crap from all of you!"
He started to shove past the amused looking shopkeeper, headed for the door.
Urahara forced a laugh.
"Aw you'll be back when you get hungry."
"Like fuck I will!" Renji snarled, and he stalked towards the door.
Genuinely surprised at Renji's odd behavior, Kisuke had to restrain himself from chasing after the tall redhead. Apparently, he'd finally been pushed too far. Now, Renji was leaving, and he had no idea how to stop the younger man.
"Hey'ya Renji, hold on a sec! I was just..."
He moved in front of Renji, and the irked redhead started to push past him, but he laid a hand on Renji's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and making him glare aggressively.
"Hey!"
The bigger Soul Reaper let out an aggravated breath.
"The fuck you want now?"
"Look, I was just joking around. You usually don't get so hot and bothered about it. Is something up? Byakuya giving you a headache? Is Rukia being a pain? I mean, it seems like more than just the usual stupid stuff."
Renji frowned at him.
"Like you would really give a damn. You're probably just asking so you can make a joke outta whatever I say, aren't you?"
"Now, why would I do that?" Kisuke chuckled, trying to cheer him up.
"Oh, I don't know," Renji snapped sarcastically, "Maybe because you're a goddamned sadist and you like watching me squirm?"
"That's not very nice," Kisuke chided him.
"Well, I guess you get what you dish out, then, right?"
"C'mon, I'm being serious now. What's on your mind? Did you and your taicho have a fight or something?"
Kisuke felt a twinge of sincere concern as the redhead deflated visibly.
"No, Taicho ain't even contacted me since I came here. He don' give a shit that I'm gone. Probably wouldn't fucking notice if I didn't come back."
"Now, I don't think that's true at all," the shopkeeper insisted, "From what I hear, Byakuya's pretty impressed with you."
"Where'd you hear that?" Renji huffed, looking away, "Whoever said it's full of shit. I'm invisible to that man. Always have been. Always will be."
Kisuke felt his eyes widen.
Is that part of the problem? Renji wants his captain to contact him? Oh...things are starting to make some sense now.
"Look, I'll tell you what," Kisuke said in a gentler tone, "I know you're kinda pissed at me right now, and I really didn't mean to get you all riled like that. Why don't we have a bite to eat and I'll pour us a glass of wine? I promise," he said, giving the redhead a little wink, "I'll give you some of the really good stuff. Whaddya say, Renj?"
Renji was surprised by the offer...and the wink. He hesitated for a moment, looking suspiciously at the shopkeeper for signs of it being a joke, then he sighed, his anger draining away.
"You're just feeling sorry for me now," the redhead complained.
"So? What if I am? Nothing wrong with a little sympathy, so, you up for some food and a drink?"
Renji gave him a distrusting look, but he couldn't seem to think of any more objections.
"Yeah, I guess that'd be alright."
"C'mon," Kisuke said, giving him an encouraging smile.
He followed the older man down the hallway towards the kitchen, curious to see what Kisuke would make to eat. Usually it was Tessai or Renji, himself, that cooked. A little of the frustration left him as he noted, in amusement, that the shopkeeper handled cooking, much the way he did his experiments. The kitchen started out looking tidy, but swiftly became cluttered with food and spices all over the place.
He'd better not expect me to clean that mess up, the redhead mused inwardly.
It wasn't long before there was a pot on the stove, radiating a heavenly, meaty scent, and fresh bread warming in the oven. Renji's stomach rumbled hungrily. He was still half-expecting either that Kisuke would shed his kindness like a mask and start picking on him again, or that Tessai and the kids would show up to ruin everything. But the kitchen remained empty, except for the two of them.
"Hey, where is everyone?" Renji asked, frowning.
"Eh, they're around here somewhere," Kisuke answered flippantly, "I think Tessai's checking the reiatsu barriers around the property and the kids are in their rooms, watching TV or something."
He turned back to the pot, and Renji plopped down at the table and rested his face on one hand. He couldn't help but smile a little at the way the shopkeeper hummed to himself as he worked. Kisuke walked to the fridge and opened it, then he stood, still humming and examining the contents. He removed a few herbs and cut them up, then added them to the meaty concoction.
As they waited for the food to cook, Renji slipped into a little daze, his mind going back to just before he'd left Soul Society.
He sat at his desk in the sixth division headquarters, his uniform clean and freshly pressed and his tall, lanky body freshly washed and lightly scented with a cologne that Byakuya had once said he liked, when Renji had worn it before. He had come to work early and finished all of the reports, so that when Byakuya arrived, he would surprise his taicho with that.
Then…
He was expecting Byakuya would arrive at his usual time, but oddly, the noble didn't appear until nearly an hour later. Yet, when he entered the room, Renji was sure he didn't look like anything was wrong. If anything, Byakuya looked even more beautiful and more relaxed and content than usual. He didn't go to his desk right away, but surprised Renji by going to the redhead's desk and sitting down.
"Taicho, good morning," Renji said, smiling widely, "What's going on?"
"Good morning, Abarai," his taicho said smoothly, "I was wondering if I might have a word with you."
Renji almost jumped out of his chair at the kitchen table as Kisuke set a plate of little appetizers in front of him.
"Here, try some of these. They're pretty tasty," the shopkeeper said, seeming not to notice that Renji had been about a million miles away.
The redhead's stomach rumbled again, and he pushed aside the flicker of memory and bit into one of the savory morsels on the plate.
"Damn, that's really good!" he said, taking a closer look before he finished the rest on the next bite, "I didn't even know you knew how to cook. Usually, Tessai and I do the cooking."
"Well, cooking is kinda like science," Kisuke said, smirking, "There's stuff that people have done before, then you just go and add your own little touches to it. I promise you, sometimes I fail badly…but sometimes, I get it just right. This stew I'm making is a living world twist on what guys like you and me, who were Rukongai born, pretty much used as a staple."
Renji stood and moved to join Kisuke at the stove. He looked down into the pot and sniffed the contents.
"That's Rukongai stew?" he asked, "That looks like it would put our fucking stew to shame, to be honest."
"Well, I did put in some high falutin' ingredients like really tasty wine and fresh herbs that don't grow in the low Rukon. That's my living world twist."
"Huh, well, it looks amazing."
Renji moved back to the table and sat down again to finish the appetizers.
"You know, I didn't know you were Rukon," he commented, "I heard that you grew up with Yoruichi's family at their estate."
"Well, I may have been dragged there after Yoruichi-san found me and noticed my ability, but I was actually born in the lower mid-Rukon. Never knew my parents. I heard from the people at the orphanage I was in that they died in a hollow attack.
"Sorry," Renji said, staring at the shopkeeper as though seeing him again for the first time.
Kisuke turned and caught him staring.
"What? Something wrong?"
"Nah," Renji chuckled, turning his attention to the appetizers to hide the little flush on his face, "You just…don't seem like the people I know from the Rukon, that's all."
"People can surprise you."
Renji suffered a sudden flash of returning memory.
"Renji, there is something I need to confide in you…something that will come as a surprise to you," Byakuya said, his dark eyes softening beautifully.
"Yes, Taicho?" he answered hopefully.
Could Byakuya have sensed his desires? The noble was known for being very perceptive, and Renji wasn't a very subtle person.
The noble leaned towards him, taking his hands.
"Renji…"
"Renji?" Kisuke inquired suddenly, "You okay? You went away there, for a second. Geez, and we haven't even started drinking yet."
"Oh right, sorry," Renji laughed, "You were saying people can surprise you."
Kisuke set a bowl of the fresh, hot stew and bread in front of Renji and sat down, facing him.
"You look like you might have gotten a surprise, huh?" he commented, "And it wasn't a good one?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
Kisuke gave him a bracing smile and poured him a glass of wine. Renji picked up the oversized glass and swirled the wine, then took a swallow. As it slid down his throat, he felt a throb of genuine warmth inside.
"This is the really good stuff," he commented.
"What? Did you think I was pulling your leg?" Kisuke chuckled.
"That's pretty much what I'm used to," Renji confessed, "Pretty much everywhere. You're looking at everybody's fool, here. I guess it's just too easy to get one by me."
"Naw, that's not true," Kisuke chided him, "Try the stew."
Renji took a mouthful of the stew and his already watering mouth nearly melted. He broke off some of the bread and dipped it as he saw the shopkeeper doing, and it tasted even better.
"Oh my god!" the redhead sighed, "Why the hell do you not cook more often? This beats the hell outta any stew I ever tasted."
"Well, thanks," Kisuke said, feeling a little blush growing on his own face at the redhead's enthusiasm, "I guess if I wasn't so busy saving worlds all of the time, I'd be able to cook more often."
Renji took another large swallow of wine and dug into the stew wholeheartedly. Kisuke's smile warmed and he filled the redhead's wine glass again. The two devoured the stew quickly, then worked together on the wine until the last drop was gone, and both men were feeling the effects.
"Thas damn good stuff, there," Renji said, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, "Can' believe you wasted that on someone you ain't sleepin' with."
Kisuke snickered.
"Who says I ain't sleepin' with you?" he laughed, "I don't think either one of us is walkin' to our rooms, so we may be sleepin' together righ' here."
"Did we eat all of the stew?" Renji asked.
"Fuck, you got a bottomlesh spit?" Kisuke drawled.
"I'm about ta pop," the redhead confessed, "It's jus' tha'good."
Kisuke laughed, then got up and retrieved another bottle of wine. Renji's eyes widened.
"Ain't ya had enough?"
The shopkeeper tilted his hat and grinned.
"Maybe I'm tryna get ya drunk. Now, I c'n tell somethin' is botherin' ya, so..."
Renji frowned as the older man poured him another glass of wine.
"I ain't tellin'. 's private."
He downed the glass, then held it out for more. Kisuke smiled to himself as he continued to fill the redhead's glass.
Renji was being swallowed up by thoughts of his last day in the Seireitei.
The noble held his hands and was looking at him so earnestly, Renji felt his breath catch. Byakuya spoke softly, eyes glowing with happiness.
"Renji, you may not know this, but you're very important to me. I value your opinion and I trust you more than just about anyone else."
Renji beamed, so happy to hear this. It was what he'd always wanted to hear.
"Thank you, Taicho."
Then the older man continued.
"Renji, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
Caught up in the memory, Renji didn't notice his glass being refilled again, Kisuke watching him with thoughtful concern.
A beautiful man walked in, almost as pretty as Byakuya. Bright sapphire eyes met his shyly.
"Hello."
Confused, Renji tried to keep the smile on his face.
"Uhh...hi. Taicho, who is this?"
Byakuya smiled at him, then at the blue-eyed stranger.
"This is Tetsuya, my cousin. He is the bodyguard and personal healer that you always sense but never see."
Renji nodded, more confused than before.
"Ok. Nice to meet you, Tetsuya."
Then his superior took a deep breath, still smiling.
"Something exciting has happened. I wanted to tell my best friend first. Tetsuya and I...are engaged."
