Author's note: Hey ya'll. Last chapter was full of the angst of their reunion, but this time I will gift you all a bit of fluff! I really hope you all enjoy these two reconnecting again and getting to know each other as adults. Please remember to comment, subscribe for updates, etc. Let me know how you liked this chapter, thanks!

Chapter 8 content warnings: none

Thanks to my hardworking beta for their help on this chapter!

Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters are the intellectual property of Kubo Tite. I do not own Bleach or its characters.


Another month flew by as the tail ends of summer turned into the crisp winds of fall. Renji hadn't heard a word from the college student he had once mentored, and his self-deprecating ways wouldn't allow him to be the one to reach out first.

At the end of every workday, Renji returned to his desk, where he helped redraw the sketches of Hisana that had been destroyed by the very woman who created them. Renji traced the source material into the wee hours of the night, trying not to make his own adjustments to the design. He could only hope that this would serve as a good enough apology for all the damage he had inflicted. Tonight, he had finally finished the drawings to his liking. He carefully packed them into a large folder before closing his shop for the night. He had a delivery to make in the morning.

Byakuya was in the garden enjoying a cup of morning tea. He often spent his mornings alone, facing the empty chair where Hisana had once sat next to him. He sighed to himself, closing his eyes as her face filled his mind.

He had stayed away from Rukia for the past month, which he knew his wife would've been deeply saddened by. Her dying wish was only for them to have each other. Even that, the Kuchiki felt, he had not been able to do properly.

"I've failed you," he whispered into the wind. He wondered if she could hear him from the clouds above. Then, suddenly, he was brought out from his contemplative repose by the call of one of his housekeepers.

"Kuchiki-sama, you have a guest."

"I have no appointments lined up today." He closed his eyes again, choosing to ignore the disturbance.

"I-I'm sorry, Kuchiki-sama, but he is very persistent in meeting with you."

"He?" The peace he had felt quickly fled his body as he sat upright.

"Yes, a man with red hair and tattoos. We tried to send him away. I can call the police if necessary." His housekeeper apologetically bowed.

Byakuya briefly considered the option that involved the authorities before he sighed inwardly, adjusting the folds of his midnight blue yukata as he rose from his seat.

"I will handle this. Please give me some space." Byakuya passed the housekeeper, still in a deep bow with his face down.

When Byakuya opened the manor's door, he was faced with the sight of the striking man that filled his doorway. Renji was a tanned blur of blood-red hair and tattoos, his black steel-toed boot kicked back, letting him rest on the side of the doorframe. Byakuya felt dizzy just trying to take in the sight of his childhood friend. He was even more overwhelming and intricate to observe during the daytime.

"What on earth are you doing here, Abarai?" Byakuya held the folds of his yukata indignantly. "Last I recall, you told me to stay away from you and Rukia."

Renji seemed distracted as he looked the noble over from head to toe, lost in his thoughts as if he were examining a work of art. Byakuya looked so lovely in that shade of deep blue.

"Oh, well," he finally managed with a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "I just came to give you something, don't worry."

Renji held out Rukia's sketchbook as a peace offering. "These are Rukia's. She wanted to give them to you but didn't get the chance to due to our…encounter."

"You are impossible to decipher." Byakuya stared down at the sketchbook before him, then back up to the other man's face. "Do you want me to stay away from her or not? Stand by your words."

"I–I fucked up," Renji admitted. "I got between you two, and it wasn't my place to do that. Just please, talk to her again. She needs you."

"Was that an apology?" Byakuya's eyebrow raised in controlled surprise. "Are you really Abarai Renji?"

Renji slightly smiled at that and he finally relaxed a bit. "People are capable of change, no? And besides, you hardly remind me of the firecracker I once knew."

"I was a boy," Byakuya corrected. He finally took the sketchbook into his arms, holding it carefully to his chest. "Children must be tamed."

"But you weren't really tamed, were you?" Renji's grin taunted the other man. "You're still breaking the rules, I see. Adopting a Rukongai nobody into the family? Oof, the elders are definitely gonna break your knees or somethin'."

"As you can see, Abarai, my knees are still intact, and I did marry outside of royalty."

"Do you still have all your fingers, then?" Renji couldn't help himself from falling back into that amusing old habit of teasing Byakuya.

"I can show you one of my fingers if you'd like." Byakuya let the insult slip before internally chastising himself for letting Renji get the best of him.

Renji's signature lopsided grin spread across his entire face before he chuckled and subsequently thawed out the cold-hearted noble that stood before him.

"Listen, we don't have to be friends or even acquaintances anymore; just take the notebook." Renji nodded once in the other man's direction as he stepped off the doorstep, motorcycle helmet in hand. "See ya."

Byakuya's voice spilled out of him before he even had a chance to stop himself. "Wait."

Renji turned back, arching a tattooed brow. "Yeah?"

"You might as well.." Byakuya trailed off, fighting an invisible battle with himself. "You might as well stay for a cup of tea. I was just having one in the garden."

"In the manor? Not sure if you remember how poorly that turned out last time. I still have a scar from that dog bite, ya know." Renji shook his head as the sour memories flooded his brain.

Byakuya stood aside as he gestured for Renji to come inside. "Well, I am the head of this house now. I say you are welcome inside."

Renji hesitated in the doorway before giving in. He slipped off his heavy boots in the entryway, leaving them beside what he could only assume were Byakuya's ornate leather loafers.

"Follow me." Byakuya practically glided through the house, the silky fabric of his yukata trailing in his wake.

To Renji's dismay, his heart fluttered in his chest as he watched his childhood friend walk with the grace he could only ever dream of possessing. The living room was decorated in a simple yet classic Japanese style, complete with an ornate kamidana in the center of the space, a place of prayer and remembrance for the deceased members of the Kuchiki clan. The redhead snapped out of it when Byakuya clearly noticed him staring.

"Uh," Renji offered with uncertainty, "mind if I pay my respects?"

If Byakuya was taken aback by this offer, he didn't show it. Instead, the noble nodded once as he strode over to the shrine, lighting a fresh stick of incense before setting it down carefully in front of photos of his parents and wife. The childhood friends then bowed twice in unison, followed by two claps. Next, they prayed quietly to the deceased with their eyes closed. During his prayer, Renji wished that Byakuya's father could lend him a hand in repairing their friendship. Then they opened their eyes, bowing in unison to finish the ritual.

"Oh, I have something to offer your family, if you don't mind." Renji reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a tiny bird made of metal scraps. "It ain't much, but–"

"Abarai." Byakuya reached over to the shrine, pulling out the old and rusted monkey sculpture he had been gifted years ago. "I already gave this to my wife."

Renji gazed at the monkey, then at the photo of the meek woman on the altar. "She liked that kinda stuff?"

"Like Rukia, Hisana had an artist's intuition. She always liked this sculpture."

Renji smiled softly as he spoke. "You kept that this whole time?"

Byakuya put the precious keepsake back in its rightful spot on the altar. "Why would I not?"

"I dunno." The redhead faltered. "I thought you hated me now or something."

"Renji." Byakuya finally spoke the other's first name. It sounded like a warm summer's breeze as the word wrapped around Renji's ears. "Join me in the garden now, would you?"

The Japanese maple trees in the garden were just turning to their peak color. The leaves shimmered and danced in the early afternoon sun, shining a glorious crimson color akin to Renji's hair.

"Nice trees," Renji complimented as he took a seat in the garden. He briefly remembered the night he had been caught here and what he and Byakuya had also shared that night they were torn apart.

"Thank you." Byakuya poured Renji his own cup of tea with agile hands before taking a seat across from the other man. "Hisana insisted we plant those. This place is overwhelmed with flowers in the summer and spring. Though I must admit, the crimson color of the maples are stunning."

Renji swore that Byakuya's eyes had flickered towards him just a moment after he said that, but he couldn't be sure of it.

"Hisana sounds amazing. Rukia wouldn't stop talking about her after you two met." Renji cupped the hot tea in his hands. Some stray strands of red hair had escaped his long braid and begun swirling with the wind. "I'm happy you found someone, Byakuya. I'm so sorry for you and Rukia that she's gone."

Byakuya chose not to acknowledge the topic of his late wife. "And you? Did you ever marry?"

Renji squinted as the sun came through the clouds and began to burn his eyes. He chuckled. "Nah. Not to overshare or anything, but I'm gay as the day is long. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't marry someone in Japan."

"I see. That must be very difficult for you."

"Meh." Renji shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it's just another minority group I get to count myself into."

"And your work?" Byakuya sipped his tea. "Your studio was quite nice."

"Thanks." Renji's smile had quickly returned to his face, making the corner of his eyes crinkle up a bit in endearment. "I busted my ass for that. Well, and suffered a lot for all these badges of honor." He gestured to his inked arms. "I am, like, permanently banned from all public pools and onsen in Japan, though."

Byakuya admired how the other man's inked skin shone like perfect calligraphy strokes in the sunlight as he spoke. "People fear what they do not understand."

"You think those are a lot? Check these out." Renji reached up for the bandana he had wrapped around his forehead, peeling it back to reveal the tribal markings that adorned his forehead, starting from his brow and creeping up and disappearing into his hairline.

Byakuya seemed speechless as he took the whole sight in. It may have been ghastly on any ordinary person, but Renji was anything but. "It suits you," he complimented.

"I hope that's a good thing." Renji chuckled before covering his forehead once more. "I usually keep this on. I don't wanna make kids on the street cry or nothin'."

They then both drank their tea in momentary silence. Byakuya tried to stop himself from wondering how extensive Renji's tattoos were.

"Hey," Renji turned back towards his friend. "You don't still have that tattoo I gave you, do you? Did it get burned off by your grandpa? Or you probably got laser tattoo removal, huh?"

Byakuya chose not to answer, but his suggestion of a smirk gave him away. He tried to hide it by taking another sip of tea.

Renji's wolfish grin appeared once more. "You have it! Ha, you oughta let me touch it up for you."

"As if," Byakuya scoffed, closing his eyes so he wouldn't give anything else away.

Renji gave it up, reclining in his chair instead. He never imagined he would be back, let alone relax here. He finally mustered up enough courage to apologize. "I'm really sorry for what I told you at the shop."

Byakuya's eyes remained closed. He didn't reply.

"You high-tailed out of there so fast, it pissed me off. I just wanted to talk to you, honestly," Renji continued in vain. He still received no response from the stoic Kuchiki.

"I'd just like to think you haven't become a cog in the system, Byakuya. I know how much they hurt you. I always hoped you'd be okay." Renji paused carefully, waiting for any sign that the other man had absorbed what he'd said. Byakuya shifted slightly in his seat but still didn't speak.

"Where the hell did you go? I was still in the Rukongai district for a year or so after you left. Eventually, I gave up and moved on once I got my diploma as promised."

The noble's grey eyes finally slid open, meeting the other's gaze. "You graduated?"

Renji smirked. "Hell yeah, I did. Got top marks, too."

Byakuya's eyes softened. Renji got lost in those galaxy grey eyes for the first time in over a decade.

"Congratulations."

"You're avoiding my question," Renji countered. He placed his cup down as he leaned across the table, pushing himself into the noble's personal space.

"You know where I went." The dark-haired man didn't attempt to move away, but he didn't seem pleased by the interrogation, either. "Boarding school."

"And after that?" Renji's brow arched.

Byakuya sighed through his nose, placing his cup down. "I have been living in this manor since I was born. You could have come here at any time to find me."

"Oh, and get the dogs sicced on me again? Or the cops called?" Renji resisted the urge to laugh in the other's face. "I'd rather not. Besides, you were the one who told me you would find me again."

"I hardly remember what I said." Byakuya's eyebrows twitched with irritation. "We were kids, Renji."

Renji's usually cheery demeanor quickly faded as a dark look clouded his amber eyes. "Then you don't remember what else happened between us, either?"

Renji had successfully stunned Byakuya who stammered his words. "Renji, that– that was just–"

"Just what? What friends do?" Renji pointed an accusatory finger toward the other man. "You were scared of how I made you feel, so you fucking ran for it."

Byakuya bit down on the inside of his cheek. He was fighting back the fire his grandfather had beaten out of him throughout the years. "I remember being dragged away, not running. Don't twist reality into something that suits your narrative."

"Fair enough." Renji withdrew his accusatory finger. His hand moved forward across the table, inching towards the other's. "But you still never looked for me. So stop avoidin' the damn question already."

"I was!" Byakuya lost his grip on his carefully trained emotions, pushing the other's hand away from his own. "I was looking for you, you incredulous imbecile. How do you think I met my wife? I was there looking for you. You were already gone." The noble released a long sigh when he finished his brief rant, bringing a hand to his forehead as he hid there for a moment. "You push me to my limits, Renji."

"Hey, Byakuya." Though he had just been pushed away moments earlier, Renji reached out again despite himself, gently prying Byakuya's hand away from his face. "I missed you like hell."

Byakuya didn't bother to pull his hand away this time. Instead, he let it rest in Renji's, marveling at how warm and safe he felt. He recalled how comforting it had felt to be held by Renji after his father's passing. Renji had anchored him to the ground when the tidal waves of grief had consumed him.

Renji gauged the other's reaction, bringing the fine-boned hand to his cheek. He held it there, inhaling the sweet scent at the base of Byakuya's wrist. He exhaled softly, closing his eyes. "You missed me too, right?"

Byakuya's rational and composed brain floated away, leaving him feeling raw and bare like a child again. When he closed his eyes, he saw the images of them playing as children dancing across the back of his eyelids. He remembered crying in his friend's arms, scraped knees, secret hideouts, and laughter. So much unadulterated joy painted each and every moment together. His fingers cupped Renji's cheek in return.

"Of course I missed you, Renji."