I did it! I finally finished this story /pant pant/ It took over a month - partly because work was kicking my ass, but mostly because it just demanded so much more detail and depth than I'd originally planned. Who am I to argue with the muse?

Title: Nexus
Author: Akuni
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: M for 'Much Smut'
Pairing: Renji/Ichigo
Spoilers: read through Soul Society & Arrancar Arcs
Word Count(total): 20,500 (omfg!)
Word Count(chapter): 2000

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I'm just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: Also posted to my LJ & comms. Please ask if you want to share it :)

Dedication: To all fellow Renji/Ichigo fangirls/guys out there. We know it's impossible, we know it's silly, and we know it's damned hot!

A/N: My Bleach OTP is RenRuki, but I'm hooked on fandom Renji/Ichigo (ya ya I say this for each story, so what! ) After much blushing and chickening out (and wine), I managed to write the smut. Go me! Why is it so much harder to write than to read? Although come to think of it, the first time I read RenjixIchigo smut I did so peering between my fingers as I covered my eyes, and I'm pretty sure all the blood in my body was in my face - that might explain the swooning.

Chapter 6 - Concurrence

The next time Renji woke, he was immediately aware of two things. One, even without opening his eyes he could tell the room was bright with sunlight, meaning he'd slept very, very late. And two… he was not alone on his futon.

His arm was wrapped under and around a trim waist, and there were legs tangled up with his. He felt a muscular arm thrown over his chest, curled around him possessively. What's more, he realized that his reiatsu was extended and firmly meshed with… with Ichigo's. He was currently wrapped around Ichigo. Physically and spiritually.

And oh, but it felt good. It felt right. Not even in his dreams had he realized how much he craved the feeling of completeness he now felt.

How did this happen? What exactly happ— As quickly as that, the entire night replayed itself in Renji's mind. I… we… hell, what do we do now? He felt incredibly comfortable and content, lying there intertwined with Ichigo.

He kissed me – or I kissed him, or maybe both. We kissed. An' he said he felt somethin' for me. I felt… I still feel… it's amazin' how we fit together. But I dunno how he's gonna take this – what if it's too soon? What if it was just the booze encouragin' him before he was really ready? I don't wanna wreck whatever we got together. I… I want this, more'n anythin' else right now, but I can wait if it means savin' the friendship and havin' a chance at this again later.

Renji kept his eyes shut and made sure to breathe deeply and evenly. There was no way he could move without waking Ichigo, so he feigned sleep. He couldn't make this decision for both of them on his own. When Ichigo woke, he'd be able to slip out of Renji's grasp and out of the situation if that was what he wanted – but Renji was going to enjoy this stolen moment for as long as it lasted.

Ichigo woke slowly, unwilling to give up the warmth and contentment of the best sleep he'd had in all the years since the war. No nightmares, no dreams that made him ache for hours for something he couldn't have. Just peace, and a sense of comfort and completeness that made him feel almost balanced again. The only other time he'd felt that whole was last night when…

The memory of the kiss woke his mind completely, and shocked his other senses into action. An arm curved loosely around his waist, and his legs were pinned between another's. Ichigo's own arm rested on a firm chest, hand wound up around a smooth neck and buried in what he knew without looking was a tangled red mane. Not only that, but… the warmth he felt was not just the heat of two bodies curled together, it was the result of his extended reiatsu fused tightly with Renji's.

This is what I've been craving. I don't wanna move. Please just let me stay here like this a little while longer…

But Ichigo wasn't sure how they'd wound up in that position. Renji passed out on the bed, how did we end up like this? He must've gotten up in the night. Did he do this on purpose – no, he was probably just half asleep, dead drunk, and moving on instinct back to his usual bed.

But he admitted he has feelings for me. That incredible kiss… that has to have meant somethin'. I know what I felt – I can still feel it in his energy. We both feel the same way, and now we both know it. So where do we go from here?

Ichigo listened to Renji's quiet, even breathing as he weighed his decision. I want this, I want this so badly. Ichigo's heart sped up as he made the silent declaration, and he was surprised to feel Renji's heartbeat quicken in response.

He's awake… he's awake and he's not movin'. Ichigo concentrated on the steady flow of their combined energies, knowing it would reveal his own alertness, and it was there he found his answer. He's givin' me the chance to respond. He's put himself in the position to be rejected if I choose to walk away from this or pretend it never happened.

I want to have this. It's worth fighting for. A wave of calm swept over Ichigo as his energy and emotions finally found balance.

Ichigo slid his hand down and closed it decisively around Renji's shoulder. The arm around Ichigo's waist tightened, pulling him closer in response. Their hearts beat wildly as their bodies pressed together.

Their combined energies pulsed once, then settled, shot through with one overwhelming focus – desire.

They drew apart slowly, and opened their eyes.

"Are ya sure about this?" Renji murmured, his voice low and heavy. His hand traced a path down the side of Ichigo's jaw.

Ichigo looked calmly into the dark eyes that held his. "Are you?" His own hands slid down to rest on the shinigami's hips.

"I know what I want. This is worth takin' a chance on." The aura of desire grew even stronger. "But if it's too soon, I can… I'll wait. We're friends first an' forever, ya know that, so I'll wait for as long as ya need. But ya gotta tell me now, 'cause—" Renji's hand trembled under Ichigo's chin.

"I want you."

The energy in the room spiked just like before when they brought their lips together. They let their hands and lips explore each other slowly. Renji's calloused hands left feather-soft touches on Ichigo's face, sending delightful shivers down his spine. Ichigo made a small noise in the back of his throat, and pulled himself closer with a hand on the back of Renji's neck.

The touches grew more passionate and less deliberate. The light blanket was thrown off the side of the futon in their eagerness to remove the final barriers between them. Ichigo relinquished Renji's lips reluctantly – passion rose in his belly when he saw the naked hunger on Renji's face as he pulled away. The blanket was soon joined by the clothing they tore off each other in their haste.

Ichigo ran his hands down the muscular torso, tracing the dark tattooed lines with his fingertips. His mouth followed the lines on the smooth neck, nipping gently, relishing Renji's pleased growls. Ichigo didn't hesitate when the inky path led his hands farther down. It was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but Ichigo didn't have time to reflect on this marvel as he was suddenly grasped in the same manner.

Willingness to experiment and learn was a good substitute for experience. It wasn't difficult for them to figure out what the other enjoyed when their energies were still so tightly meshed… or when your partner was so vocal. Each tingle was echoed by a gasp or a moan that let them know they'd done something very right.

Curiosity drove Ichigo's mouth down to where his hands were busily educating themselves. He tasted passion and desire in the salty sweetness, and he wanted more. He grew bolder, taking the heated flesh into his mouth and exploring the contours with his lips and tongue before gently scraping with his teeth. A strangled groan, and suddenly Renji's hands were gripping his hair.

"Stop… Ichigo, I… wait." Renji's breathing was ragged and his body quivered in a way that sent a jolt of pleasure straight to Ichigo's brain.

Ichigo let himself be drawn back up. His lips were captured briefly before Renji pulled away and ran his eyes down Ichigo's flushed body.

"My turn," he whispered.

When the heat of Renji's mouth enveloped him, Ichigo immediately understood the need for the sudden stop. Every nerve tingled as smooth wetness swirled around him. A flick of the tongue right there had Ichigo clutching Renji's shoulders, hips twitching uncontrollably. He welcomed the slick fingers exploring lower, something inside him aching for the touch. Ichigo felt the pressure building and he needed…

"I need… ahh, Renji…"

Renji rolled on top of him and slid his knees between Ichigo's legs. His tongue dove back into Ichigo's willing mouth, and he groaned when Ichigo wrapped his legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He entered carefully, slowly, trying not to trigger the waves that already approached them both.

They rested like that for a long moment, lips and tongues dancing together slowly, hearts pounding furiously as their joined bodies thrummed with the energy swirling around them.

"Now you're mine." Renji's voice was husky with barely-controlled passion as he whispered the words against Ichigo's lips, dark eyes locked onto brown.

Then he began to move. The shock that slammed through Ichigo's body drove the breath from his lungs in a gasp of pleasure. His arms went around his lover, his hands finding their places on Renji's back and hip. When the flash of ecstasy hit him again, Ichigo found himself biting into the tattooed shoulder to keep the scream locked in his throat.

Renji leaned his forehead against Ichigo's even as he shivered in response. "Want to hear you." he murmured. Ichigo's reply was a moan as Renji shifted, sending that blinding sensation through him once more.

Ichigo lifted his hips in time with Renji's movements, clinging desperately, helplessly, as the heat sizzled between them. Their breath came faster and heavier, the thrusts pushing harder and quicker as they became accustomed to each other's pace.

Renji kissed him again before burying his face in Ichigo's neck, nipping at the skin. He slid his hand between them and began stroking Ichigo firmly.

"Need you… so good… mmh…" Renji's whispers were soft even right next to Ichigo's ear, but the intensity of emotion washed over Ichigo and sent him spiralling over the edge. Their cries were indistinguishable as Renji drove into him urgently, sending the waves crashing over Ichigo again and again before he clutched Ichigo tightly and shuddered with his own release.

Ichigo's arms and legs tightened instinctively when Renji's full weight settled on him, even as they shook from the incredible sensations still shooting through his mind and body. Chests heaving together, they lay entwined as the last tremors spread through them, passing between body and spirit.

Soft lips brushed over the marks on Ichigo's neck and shoulder, bringing him back to himself. He felt the tendrils of hair tickling his chest, the delicious ache in his muscles, the tingling of his nerves.

There was no trace of regret, not even a hint of worry in their combined reiatsu.

"Don't go; you're warm." Ichigo caught at Renji's arm as the shinigami shifted to sit up.

Renji's laugh was low and sleepy. "Don't worry… you're stuck with me." The kiss he pressed to Ichigo's lips was soft. He rolled over only long enough to retrieve the blanket they'd kicked to the floor before settling back against Ichigo. They wrapped their arms around each other again, fitting themselves together. Long minutes passed in comfortable silence, and Ichigo felt himself growing drowsy.

"We should probably get up… we're a mess." Ichigo said through a yawn.

"Don't care."

"Yeah, me either."

"You bit me." Renji examined the teeth marks on his shoulder.

"You liked it." Ichigo defended his actions with a grin.

"I ain't complainin', just statin' a fact."

"You bit me back." Ichigo felt obliged to point this out.

"Well yeah. Fair's fair. You…" A yawn. "…marked me, so I can't have ya…" Another yawn. "…walkin' 'round unclaimed now, can I? Gotta mark my territory, too." Renji reached out and curled his fingers around Ichigo's.

As Ichigo drifted off, he caught the end of Renji's mumbled reply.

"We ain't the love 'em an' leave 'em type."

Omake
Ch 6 omake

Akuni: There! Whaddaya think of that?

…

…

Akuni: Guys?

Akuni: Oh… right. They're busy. /sweatdrop/

…

Akuni: Guess this means we're not going out to karaoke tonight. /pout/