Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM!
Warnings: Humour. Angst. Eleventh division crack. Poetic insanity. LAST CHAPTER and it's sorta short. I didn't feel like being wordy.
Notes: SORRY! Goodness, I didn't realize I was so far behind on my updates. I've been moving and dealing with some personal issues and they've drained me of nearly all my spunk. I haven't even finished changing the address on my driver's license and health card and every other major, important piece of ID I carry. This story will now be coming to a close. Please be mindful of my descriptions to do with time. It moves quickly in this one.
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More time passed than anyone had a mind to record and minus one additional incident between his lover and Kira's, Renji felt secure again in his position alongside the regal sixth captain. The uneasiness he felt around Gin and Kira faded as time passed but there was always that lingering want for the blond, something he had begun to ignore on purpose while filling his mind with images and thoughts of his beloved captain. There had not been any more arguments over his almost forgotten little tryst with the blond fukutaichou and after a few drinks with his friends, nothing about the past years seemed to matter to the redhead any longer, his day of work already forgotten even, his mind ready to drink away the night and start a new day the next morning. Bottle after bottle, his speech slowly worsened and his thug attitude made an appearance.
"So I was walkin' home and Ikkaku came up and grabbed my ass. Scared the shit outta me."
The two men sitting with him at the grungy table laughed.
"How come it scared ya? I thought ya liked havin' hands on your ass."
The vice captain scowled at his bald friend before tossing back what was left of his sake and slamming the bottle down, indicating to the bartender that he needed more.
"Not that kind, ya bastard. I dunno where yours've been."
The eleventh squad's third seat growled a little bit before being comforted by his comrade, the feather toting fifth seat cooing as if Madarame was a child in need of calming down.
"Now, now. No need to get each other into trouble. We're just here to have a good time, ne?"
The other two nodded and snatched the fresh bottles of booze from the woman who brought them, Renji playfully smacking her ass, as if trying to impress the others. She yelped slightly and blushed, having had her eye on the shinigami for a long time, ever since the three swordsmen had been coming to her establishment. By Yumichika's count, it had been almost forty living world years and still, Renji had not given in to her charms. It was 'romantic', how the pony tailed fighter loved his captain enough to ignore her advances.
He knew it was undoubtedly taboo, but the feminine shinigami cleared his throat and spoke anyway, garnering a stare from Renji and a glare from Ikkaku.
"Naa, Renji-kun? How come Kuchiki-taichou used to worry about you being alone with Kira-kun but he never worried about you when you were out with us?"
The young vice captain blinked, uncertain of how to answer him.
"Um...I dunno. He just said I couldn't go out with Kira. I guess he thinks you guys're safe."
"Safe. Ha. Safe as a fuckin' woman in the eighth squad. Kyouraku-taichou's prolly got a better reputation than we do."
The young Ayasegawa snorted. "Speak for yourself. I'm a proper gentleman."
Ikkaku nearly fell out of his chair laughing, Hozukimaru toppling to the floor from its place propped against the table.
"'Proper gentleman'? You like cock more than Renji does! How can ya be a gentleman to another guy?"
It was Renji's turn to laugh, enjoying the friendly banter. It was true that Yumichika loved men as much as he and his lover did, but not even Madarame was immune to the pull, having goosed the redhead earlier of his own volition.
The bartender came over with more drinks when the dark haired fifth seat lifted his hand and upon hearing the hardly hushed conversation, she set the bottles down angrily, scooting away before either of them could touch her, now thoroughly disgusted. It made sense to her suddenly hurt mind though.
Why else would Abarai-fukutaichou spend so much time in the company of other guys? And that one with the feathers...he had to be his lover...so fruity and...friendly with him.
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Waking earlier than he normally did, Kira slid away from his lover and got out of the large bed, stretching enough so that his back popped, a pleasing feeling one could only achieve after lying down for a long time. He looked back to the sleeping captain and smiled, scooping up his dirty clothes from the day before and placing them in the hamper by the bathroom door, leaving them to be washed when the laundry servant came later that day.
In the bottom drawer of the taichou's dresser were two clean uniforms for the little shinigami, each one used on a morning like this due to his lover's fondness for his company and the man's constant sexual attention that required him to stay the night. He blushed at the thought of what they had gotten up to the night before and he was happy with himself for bathing before bed so that he wouldn't wake up in a sticky, dried-on mess.
The lightly snoring form shifted over to lie on its back and Kira got a good look at Gin's body as he dressed, noticing the hollows where he was so unbelievably thin, as well as the muscular thighs and belly he so loved to feel against himself. Deciding that the elder man would want a bit of privacy if someone came in to clean, the blond tugged the covers up and over the other, tucking them in a bit so his restless sleep wouldn't slide them off again.
His sandals now on, he picked up Wabisuke where it sat in a stand on the low bedroom table, a spot reserved for Shinsou but luckily having a second space for a larger sword, the perfect spot for the two zanpakutou to converse while their masters engaged in other pleasures.
He exited the third captain's home and wandered out into the soupy morning light, blinking at the glint of sunlight that reflected off the pond in the Court's center garden. It was always brighter when he left an hour later but due to his eagerness to get his paperwork done and go on a little trip to the living world, he didn't want to dally any longer than need be.
As the dew had collected on the grass and hadn't yet been burned off by the sun, he avoided walking through the garden to get to the Gotei 13 offices and choose to walk the long way around, taking the slightly dusty path around the center courtyard and approaching the building from the front, his head cocking to his right as he heard someone calling his name, his curious, somewhat worried face brightening as he saw another of his dear friends running towards him.
"Kira-kun!" Hinamori called out. "How come you're here so early?"
She stopped beside him and smiled broadly, her little body huffing from the exertion she had caused by running so quickly, not bothering to use her skills to do it.
"I need to get my paperwork finished before Ichimaru-taichou comes in. I've got the afternoon off and I wanted to go to the living world to look around. It's been a long time since I went last."
The adorable fukutaichou nodded and started to walk inside, keeping her pace to match Izuru's, not wanting to seem too eager to get to work herself, secretly hoping to spend the first hour or so making tea and a light breakfast for her beloved captain.
"I guess I could ask you the same thing right? I've never seen you here this early."
She laughed, a cheerful little sound that reminded Kira of their academy days when neither vice captain had such heavy responsibilities on their shoulders.
"You're never here early enough to see me. I'm about an hour earlier than yourself and Abarai-kun. Sometimes two hours if he's busy with Kuchiki-taichou."
Her blush was unmistakable and Kira gave a little one of his own, knowing that neither Renji's love life, nor his own, were any secret in Seireitei anymore. She abruptly dropped the subject once spying Aizen in the corridor to their office, her face falling slightly as she realized he had come early as well and wouldn't be surprised by a lovingly prepared breakfast.
"I've got to go, Kira-kun. Aizen-taichou's already here." And she was gone, her hakama swishing before she disappeared after the hulking captain, his smile haunting Kira unnecessarily as Gin's often did. Too sweet and unjustified.
He sighed softly and padded to the third division's office, immediately lighting two candles to give the room a bit of light in the darker corners while he tidied up. His captain, while cheerful and outwardly wonderful, was a messy person to live with.
He left empty sake bottles around when he stayed late to drink with Ukitake and there were countless dishes from the treats he so enjoyed while engaging in the ill taichou's company. The blond's thumb stuck to one china plate as he went to set it in the office's kitchen sink, making a disgusted little sound as he peeled it from his skin. Honey, no doubt. From a sweet bun the thirteenth squad's third seats would have made for him.
Satisfied with the dish situation, Kira moved over the wood furniture with a damp cloth, cleaning up any drips or spills and generally dusting the dark surfaces, a ritual he had started doing the day after he had become his lover's vice captain. He was setting water on to boil for Gin's tea after preparing his breakfast and setting it aside to cool, when the yawning but still happy looking captain wandered in, flopping himself onto the divan and curling back up, his head nestled in the thick pile of pillows.
"Izuru?"
The boy appeared, a blanket in hand, should the silver haired shinigami need it.
"Hai, Ichimaru-taichou?"
"When are you leaving?"
He scooted over and settled the cozy item over the elder man's shoulders, tucking it under his hip when he moved for just that reason.
"I'm going to finish the division's paperwork and then I'll go. It'll most likely be around lunchtime. Is…Is that all right?"
He was suddenly worried that he wouldn't be allowed to, that the usually smiling captain had made other plans for him. Gin nodded and curled up a little bit more, trying to keep warm in the cold room, the morning chill still holding on because the sun hadn't finished rising yet.
"It's fine. Just do me a favour-" He asked through a loud yawn as he rolled onto his other side, tucking himself up against the back of his favourite couch. "-and bring back some of those little biscuit sticks for me."
"The strawberry kind or the pine cream?" Kira asked, while walking towards his desk.
"Almond."
"Aa. Of course, Ichimaru-taichou."
"That's a good boy…"
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Hungover, Renji had woken much later than he had intended on and with a sharp swear and a thump of warm feet on a cold wooden floor, he was off to do his habitual things before work, arriving just on time. Byakuya, rested but looking slightly less statuesque than normal, sat at his desk with a stack of finished papers to his right and a half dozen unfinished ones on his left. The left ones, were Renji's.
"You're late, Renji."
The redhead snorted and poured a little bit of water onto his writing tablet, crushing the ink slab into it and rubbing furiously, needing to make himself some thick stuff if he was going to write with it.
"I'm not late. I got here on time. Don't give me that shit."
The familiarity with which the fukutaichou spoke to his captain attested to their ongoing, still strong relationship, the blink and subsequent curl of Byakuya's lip notwithstanding.
"Get your work done, Renji."
The redhead made a choked sound and held up the prepared ink and his brush.
"Tch. What did you think I was going to do all morning?"
"Nothing, actually. Like every morning."
"Nothing?! I end up with all the fuckin' paperwork on Thursdays! I hate expense accounts!"
"Hai, hai. Just do them."
Fighting the urge to stick his tongue out, the young Abarai dipped his head down and started in on the squad's accounts, hating math as much as writing in general, but at least with expense papers, he didn't have to write anything to Genryuusai-dono personally.
"Naa, Byakuya?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you really want to go to the living world to get Rukia?"
The elegant Kuchiki stared for a second before lowering his head and shaking it almost unnoticeably, flourishing with his brush to sign his name on the bottom of the last formal document.
"We'll go because it's our duty to. I won't ignore the Shobantai-taichou's orders simply for the sake of family."
It angered Renji to see his captain so loyal to his cause but not to his own sister and he was more saddened than anything, not wanting to apprehend the little shinigami but knowing that with her brother being so respected in Seireitei, she would undoubtedly get out of any sort of punishment with a clean slate. Regardless of the threat looming over her, suggesting that she was to be executed after being brought back and jailed.
With only the day to prepare for the encounter, the former Rukongai resident said his prayers for the dark haired girl to himself while he worked, determined to do his job as neatly as possible, both paperwork wise, and suspect fetching wise.
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Renji felt his heart break from the moment he stepped into the living world and apprehended Rukia, viciously threatening her with his lover watching, intent on doing his duty but secretly loathing it and fearing for her safety.
"…leaving the execution to us instead of the Corrections Corps must've been the Brass' version of kindness, ne?" He sneered.
He felt dirty saying it, but after the battle had been fought, after he had met the bespectacled Quincy for the first time and the orange haired human who would forever change his life in the future, he felt better with Rukia safely back in Soul Society and Byakuya again by his side.
It didn't matter that he only had twenty-five days left to worry over Rukia's execution order, nor did it matter that Byakuya had become so cold towards her, after his last meeting with the Gotei 13 captains and Central 46. It soured him on the brilliant Kuchiki for a time, causing a rift between them that would inevitably lead them both to a conclusion neither could have ever dreamt of.
In the depths of the Kuchiki estate, wrapped in his taichou's blankets with the dark haired shinigami lightly snoring beside him, Renji brooded. The threat of a storm rode on the blackened horizon, one undoubtedly linked to Rukia's imminent death, one that neither the redhead nor the rest of Seireitei would be prepared for.
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As the sun rose on a clear morning later that week, an orange haired ryoka and his friends appeared in the heavenly place, wide eyes and full of wonder, ready to struggle for a prize that warranted the destruction of an entire civilization's lifestyle…