The cabin that Saix assigned to them wasn't exactly lavish, but it wasn't exactly shabby either-something right in the middle of the road, still a stark contrast to the extravagant town hall. Last Clementine knew, this cabin had been Saix's old house before he moved into town hall permanently. It was situated a bit farther from town than most, surrounded by the outskirts of the ranches from the closest neighbors. Scattered Miltank and Tauros were out grazing on what was left of some grass near their barns, the occasional moo or snort coming from them in greeting to the group of strangers as they walked to the cabin.
The unassuming cabin had a small porch with two rocking chairs set up to the right, four steps leading up to the main entrance, a screened door protecting the plain wooden entrance door.
"Get to bed soon. It's late. We're going to do some looking around early tomorrow." Kenpachi was short, unlocking the door and pushing it open with a soft creak, turning and heading back the way they came, leaving the keys dangling in the door.
Brushing past Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Clementine, no one made any comments in an attempt to get him to follow his own advice. While she had wanted to reach out, extend a helping hand or words of comfort to him, a gentle touch to her elbow from Ikkaku told her it wasn't much use.
The interior was cozy, wood paneled walls that gave off an orange aura and wrapped the rest of the room with its warmth. A modest stone fireplace sat in the living room with a geometric carpet, a slate loveseat, and a matching recliner. The kitchen was close quarters and bare essentials. A small breakfast bar on the living room side to create a faux open concept, a more connected high-traffic area to make up for the lack of a dining room. A dark hallway past the kitchen led to an eerie set of stairs and a bathroom shortly before it.
While Saix and herself had been talking when he had moved into the cabin, Clementine had never been inside, her fingers running over the plush loveseat before gingerly sitting on the arm of it-she was almost afraid it would burst from the overstuffing. Her eyes followed the panels on the walls carefully, running along the grooves as Ikkaku and Yumichika began to wander the cabin and do their usual routine when they stayed in a hotel or other accommodations. She was surprised to note that their bags had already arrived and were set nicely off to the side of the hallway, waiting for their owners to place them in their respective rooms.
They would always start with a quick map of the place-finding entrances, exits and windows, making mental notes of any vulnerabilities to check on first if anything went bump in the night.
She wondered about the sleeping arrangements, catching Ikkaku's gaze as he returned from surveying the dark hallway. A quick glance at Yumichika exiting the house to peruse the perimeter, Clementine decided to voice her curiosity to the bald man.
"How many bedrooms are there?"
Ikkaku almost sputtered at the question, caught off guard by the boldness. Turning on his heel and moving into the kitchen, Ikkaku proceeded to check the locks on the window overlooking the sink-anything to keep his eyes off of her. "There's three bedrooms, two downstairs and the master upstairs. But one of us will be in the loft or the living room while the others sleep. You know this."
Clementine nodded slowly at the information, mulling it over as she dropped further onto the couch, laying on her side and propping her head up on her fist and crossing an ankle over the other. "Who gets first watch?" The redhead asked the question innocently, as if she had no other intention behind the question.
Ikkaku and Clementine were… complicated. The taboo of an employer and employee relationship was already daunting enough, but when the former thought about what Kenpachi would do if he found out about the two of them, his stomach turned to knots.
Shaking his head from the thought, Ikkaku came back to the living room, shedding his coat and taking a seat in the recliner next to the loveseat. He cleared his throat, bringing his eyes to meet hers finally. "Dealer's choice, I suppose. Yumichika or me, then Kenpachi whenever he gets back will probably pick up the rest of it."
"I need my beauty sleep, so you're up first."
The black-haired beauty came back into the living room with a flourish of his hand. "I'm going to take my shower and make food and retire until it's my turn. Don't bother me until then, either of you two." Yumichika was curt, but it was always in a teasing way, never truly feeling as if he was actually harping on them. He moved lithely to collect his duffel bag from the pile of others and take it down the narrow hallway, locking himself into the bathroom.
"So he's going to be occupied for the next three hours, it sounds like." Clementine spoke her thoughts aloud, swinging her legs off the arm of the couch and standing, moving to the bags and collecting her own. Holding it by the strap in front of her, the bottom dragging on the floorboards, she looked over at Ikkaku with a small smile. "Do you think you could help me with my stuff?"
The bald man picked himself up, moving to aid his boss without question. Taking her duffel from her and retrieving his own, Ikkaku followed her down the hallway and past the bathroom billowing steam from underneath it already. "Leave some for me, will ya?" He gave a bang against the door with his own bag as he passed, earning a giggle from Clementine as she began up the stairs, touching the railing for support as she did.
With her right in front of him, it was hard to ignore following the length of her legs up to her ass as she walked up the stairs, but Ikkaku tried his best with only a quick glance before returning his eyes to the steps in front of him. Why had she asked about the first watch? She couldn't possibly be alluding to-
"Ikkaku?"
Clementine's voice pulled him from his inner monologue again, the woman standing in front of the bedroom door with her hand on the knob, pushing her weight into the door. She waited for him patiently, watching his movements carefully as he dropped his own bag at the top of the stairs before following her lead.
The master suite was massive, spanning the entire top half of the house with a master bathroom at the far end open to be seen without a door, just an archway revealing the tiled room. Plush carpet spanned the room and led to a large king-sized bed draped in navy bedding, looking as if it hadn't been touched in months, if not years.
It felt like Saix. The red-head faltered for a moment when she looked at the bedroom. It was so… very Saix. As if he could feel the sudden intrusion of those thoughts, Ikkaku placed her bag inside the room and closed the door behind them, his hands moving gently to Clementine's shoulders.
Running his hands up her neck and into her hair, he pulled it gently to the side, leaning in and pressing his lips softly to the smooth skin. Her own hands moved to the side of his neck, pulling him closer to her as she tried to bring herself out of that strange purgatory of emotions that this god forsaken bed set was giving her. Ikkaku could feel a restraint in her actions, his eyebrows coming together in an unspoken question, Clementine turned to look up at him and smiled with an unspoken answer for him.
To drive her point home, she made sure to lift herself up on her tiptoes and press her lips against his softly, telling him what she needed without having to voice it aloud and ruin the secret. The bodyguard pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her and gently guiding her backwards to the bed, moving on top of her as he laid her down. He was warm, her fingers moving to the buttons on his shirt, unceremoniously fumbling with them in a needy fashion that was more common between the couple than either of them would like to admit. She was small underneath him, fragile, something that could be broken if he wasn't careful with her, rough hands moving with a slow, cautiousness that was uncharacteristic. They were quiet, only soft sighs of pleasure coming from Clementine as Ikkaku let his hands wander her skin agonizingly slowly or a low groan from Ikkaku as Clementine attempted to make quick work of his clothes.
"I missed you," Clementine whispered the words against his neck as he positioned himself over top of her, the two now in the middle of the bed, the covers in a puddle on the floor. The sentiment caught him off guard, pulling back so he could look at her face, his hand wandering to her cheek and caressing it, moving the hair out of her face. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, her lips swollen with want for his touch. He smiled down at her with an adoration that she craved more than she ever realized, moving in and giving her what she wanted, their moans muffled against each other's lips as he entered her.
They hadn't been alone together in some time, Clementine only recently concluding a circuit of public appearances in the region-Sable Valley being their last stop. While they were constantly together, trying to get Ikkaku by himself was torture, Yumichika and Kenpachi always right on their heels. It had to have been a month or two by now, and the fact they were together now was only a fluke as her circuit was actually supposed to be extended. It only got called off prematurely with the violence and threats against her becoming too much to ignore, at least Clementine's manager had finally declared.
He thrust inside of her, over and over, the bed creaking with their weight being pushed back and forth, their pants and moans contained within the bedroom. Clementine writhed underneath Ikkaku, her legs wrapped around his waist in an attempt to keep him as close as possible, her hands alternating from the side of his face to his neck to his back, her nails digging in roughly. While he knew she wasn't as fragile as she seemed, he always had to remind himself of this fact, his thrusts getting harder as she got rougher with him.
Their actions started to get more desperate, the sweat sheening on their bodies. "Turn over," Ikkaku's voice was husky, an order for her to follow which she did without question, hardly catching her breath as she quickly turned onto her hands and knees, presenting herself to her employee submissively. The redhead looked over her shoulder at him, Ikkaku catching her eyes and biting his lip as he pushed his length back inside of her before gripping a fistful of her hair and pulling her back onto him.
Sounds of their skin slapping against each other echoed in the room, Clementine blushing as her moans got louder, hoping Yumichika was still in the shower. Ikkaku leaned in, kissing from her back to her shoulders to her neck and ear, whispering dirty sentiments as he fucked her.
They indulged in their more primal urges for what felt like forever, time meaning nothing to either as they gave their feelings an outlet in their actions. Laying on the sheets, they caught their breath, Clementine lying on his arm and a hand on his chest, her leg wrapped over his, the skin to skin contact making her heart warm. They stayed like that until their breathing returned to normal, Ikkaku kissing the top of her head and inhaling her scent.
"I love you."
He wished she wouldn't do that. Of course she loved him and of course he loved her, but the way she would say it to him was different. An empty gesture that promised nothing, something nice to be heard and give him hope for something more than she was willing to give. And yet, here he was at her beck and call, more than his employment would ever ask of him.
"I love you too."
Ikkaku stayed there until she fell asleep, at which point he got up and made his exit, making sure to put the blanket back on her bare skin, not wanting her to be left exposed. He moved about the room slowly to reduce his footfalls, collecting his clothes and taking a second look at the master bath. Would it be better to just take a shower now? Rummaging through the folds of fabric, he found his watch, and mulled over his choices. Yumichika was probably done in the shower by now and making dinner… Maybe he could mooch off of him until he went to bed. A shrug was enough to make up his mind as he got dressed before leaving Clementine, a quick once over of the bedroom and the redhead herself. Her words echoed in the back of his brain as he traced the outline of her body under the covers.
