Notes: standard heirverse gunshots fired. Cwst&Say It callforwards. More suspicions. Perceived betrayals. Bya/Gin conversations, Ai/Ren girltalk. GinChe spytime. Foxes Fix Everything. Sass, sass and more sass

We don't own Bleach or its characters. TDW owns Cherry, flower dictionary, and Heirverse. Sess owns the Wolf Den bar

Chapter 3: Suspicions

Gin arrived at his destination and eyed the bar's exterior. "Th' Wolf Den? Ain't this where Ran goes out drinkin' with 'the guys' every Friday? Wha's Sousuke doin' 'ere?"

He frowned up at the entrance to the bar and took in a deep breath. If Sousuke was here, and Cherry sitting at the door was saying he was, what in the three worlds was he doing here?

Again doubts clawed at him, angry insects with sharp pincers in the place of the moths in his belly. What would he do if Sousuke were here with someone else? Or trying to pull? Or- or-

He dragged air into his lungs. 'No. Calm down. Ya ain't got no proof yet.' he told himself. 'It might be nothin'. It's prob'ly nothin'.'

But what if it wasn't?

He shook his head to free it of the thoughts. Trying to push past the suspicions swirling around inside his insides. He needed to focus. He had things to find out. Cherry whined and scratched at the door of the bar.

"Nuh-uh, Cherry-chan, we can't go in tha' way. This's a stealth mission, remember?"

Cherry lay down in a huff. No doubt annoyed that she'd come all this way and couldn't even get any snuggles from their target. Gin smiled at her and shook his head. She was so much like Ran that way.

Gin looked up and walked around the building. Maybe there was a back door they could sneak in through. Or an open window. He walked around the back into the alleyway and spied a side entrance used for deliveries.

Ah, perfect. He quickly scanned the area for anyone that might be watching and, when the coast was clear, reached for his lockpick – a still useful relic from his Rukongai days. Within no time at all, the door was open, and Gin whistled for Cherry. She came scurrying over and the two of them snuck into the bar.

They came out in some kind of storage room, piled high with boxes. Fruit and things.

Must be a cocktail bar a some sort, Gin mused, as he made his way across the room. Walking on silent feet. He pushed the other door into the bar itself open just a crack, so he could peer out and scope the scene. Cherry leant against his legs and ankles, peering out too. Their sharp clever eyes assessing the situation.

He couldn't see Sousuke from his vantage point – which was good, because it meant he wouldn't be spotted. But he could hear the man talking with someone else. A voice he wasn't familiar with. Gin frowned.

"This why he ain't come home? Who th' hell does he think he is? Pickin up some floozy at a bar." Gin hissed his whispered outrage to Cherry. Who just pressed herself reassuringly against her master's ankles. Hating to see him upset. Gin sucked in a quiet breath and refocused. Now was not the time for indignant outrage. Now was time to focus and find out more before he flew off the handle. Because really, there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this.

There was only one bartender working, due to the quiet daytime lull in customers, and the rest of the bar was empty. Gin saw his chance when the young man, blonde and solemn, tending the bar turned away to put a clean glass away and crept out, quick and stealthy, Cherry at his heels. He slid into a chair at a table close enough to his prey to hear the two, yet still far away enough to not be spotted. And thanks to his reaitsu masking cloak, if he didn't go stupidly making any noise, he'd be undetectable. He smiled and patted his knee as the signal for Cherry to leap onto his lap and get comfortable, and listened in. Though he did regret that he couldn't go get himself a stiff drink.

Okay, Sousuke, lessee wha' game yer playin' now... he thought, just as Cherry lifted her front paws onto the table and started listening intently, too. Ears twitching and bright eyes alert.

. . .

Byakuya frowned as he crept down the alley to the side entrance, still wondering what in the hell his boyfriend was doing skulking around in secrecy. He got through the storage room and peeked out into the bar. He could hear Renji's deep, Rukon-accented voice. He determined which way the voice was coming from, and sought the closest table where he wouldn't be seen.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be occupied, but he recognized the silvery hair just as he heard Aizen's voice. But there was no other table and perhaps Gin would know why Renji was here.

Gin looked up as he came to stand by the table. "Th'fuck ya doin' here?"

Byakuya frowned and slid into the seat opposite the sly man, seeing a white fox face peeking over the table. It was rather adorable, but he refocused on Gin. "What are you doing here, Ichimaru?"

A close-eyed smirk was directed at him. "Dun think i's any a ya bus'ness, Kuchiki."

Byakuya narrowed his own eyes. "Then it is none of your concern why I am here."

Gin only smirked some more. "But it's awfully int'restin' that a noble is lowerin' himself to come to th' Wolf Den. This ain't no fancy place."

Byakuya lifted his chin haughtily. "I happen to come here often."

At that moment, they both heard Sousuke's voice. Byakuya frowned. Aizen? Why on earth would Renji be talking to Aizen?

Then Renji's voice sounded, and Gin sighed. "I don' know tha' voice. But they're talking to Sousuke."

Byakuya arched an eyebrow. "You're here to spy on your partner?"

Gin shrugged. "What's it to ya?"

Byakuya inclined his head towards the booth. "Because that other voice is Renji's."

"Renji!" Gin hissed quietly. Bristling with rage. "Wha's Sousuke doin' wi' Renji? Th' fuck is this?!"

Byakuya kept his head held high and his gaze haughty. "Unless you wish for us to be spotted, I suggest you keep your voice down."

. . .

Gin let his smirk drop completely and scowled at the noble, giving Byakuya a glimpse of the threat in his red eyes for just a moment. "You shu' th'fuck up, 'm allowed t'be ragin' a this. If ya 'ad any sense, you'd be too. Or are feelin's too 'below' ya noble ass? No wonder they all call ya Ice Princess." he smirked, "I'd jus' call ya a dick an' spare th' politeness."

He saw the noble mouth twitch, and he knew the words had hit their mark. Good. Maybe now the Kuchiki heir would take the stick out of his ass.

"Hardly." Byakuya sniffed. "If anything you letting your emotions rule you is undignified."

Gin's eye twitched. "Undignifi-" he began, but caught himself. He had to remember his objective. He'd never find out what Sousuke was up to if he flew into a rage and got into a bar brawl with the Ice Princess. As much as he wanted to. He took a deep breath and blew it out to calm himself. "Look, I'm 'ere fer th' same reasons as you. I'mma find out what my Sousuke's doin' in this kinda place comin' ta pick up floozies."

"Agreed. If we are here for the same reasons, we might as we work together." Byakuya nodded, "Truce?"

Gin nodded at Byakuya. "Truce."

So Byakuya got comfy in his side of the booth. "And for the record, my boyfriend is NOT a floozy. If anyone here is a whore it is Captain Aizen."

"Must ya piss me off?" Gin threatened quietly, as Cherry watched the insults fly between them like she was watching a game of tennis. Quietly observing as her beloved master and this stranger traded sass, sass and more sass. "Do ya gotta deathwish, Princess?"

Byakuya raised a small smirk of his own. "I don't hear you denying it."

"Piss off." Gin snarled, "I dun gotta defend 'im ta th'likes a you. But Sousuke ain't no whore."

"Oh, have I hit a nerve, Ichimaru?" the Kuchiki sat back, shooting him a smug, shit eating grin.

"Will you just shut up?" Gin hissed, "They're talkin 'gen an I can' 'ear 'em fer yer blabbin'."

Byakuya heard Renji's voice again, biting his lip when he heard something about flowers.

"Th' fuck you worried 'bout?" Gin muttered. "Renji ain't like my idiot with his chessgames." Byakuya wasn't sure what that meant but it didn't matter. What mattered was whether or not Renji was here for nefarious reasons. Surely he wouldn't cheat...then again, Byakuya was still sometimes shy when it came to sex, so would his lover seek another? Someone more comfortable when it came to intimacy?

He felt a shaft of uncertainty and pain slide into his heart. He looked over to Gin to see that he didn't look any more certain than he felt.

They sat in silence, listening to the voices.

. . .

Gin kept his fingers in Cherry's soft fur, as she snuggled up into his arms, trying to pretend he hadn't heard flowers mentioned. Surely Aizen wasn't sharing their private language with someone else! Especially not that redheaded mutt. He was Rukon, too. Did Sousuke have a fetish for the strays that fought their way up to the Seiretei?

Then he heard Renji's voice again. "If you don't have trust, you don't have nothin'."

He felt like he'd been shot, barely managing to whisper, "Do we... have nothing?" A glance across the small table showed a Byakuya that looked serene as usual, but his eyes looked devastated.

He held Cherry close, heart pounding. "Why? Why would he do thi-" He was cut off by Byakuya waving his hand and whispering, "Shhh. We have time to freak out later. Our mission now is to listen."

. . .

Unaware they were being spied on, Renji and Aizen were still talking. Renji smiled at the thoughts in his head. "I ain't said it aloud yet, but in my mind, I call him my moon."

Aizen nodded. "Same here. Gin's been the moon of my life for decades, and like you, I've never told him."

Renji tilted his head thoughtfully. "Y'know, maybe we should."

Aizen smiled. "You're right; we should tell them."

Then Renji thought of another bit of advice he knew. "Hey how 'bout this? Sometimes, let him top in the bedroom. Not like once a year, either. I let my baby top me whenever he wants."

. . .

Byakuya was frozen at the words he and Gin were catching. He couldn't believe his ears, and across the table, Gin looked distraught. The words reaching them seemed incriminating.

"...ain't said it aloud...like you...never told him...top in the bedroom...baby..."

Had Renji just called Aizen baby?! That was his pet name! And he was sure Aizen had said he liked Renji. Byakuya's hands were starting to shake, and Gin didn't look any better. In fact Gin appeared ill. What little colour there was in him had drained from his body and his arms were shaking. A part of him was worried he might drop the cute little fox in his arms, he was shaking so much. He reacted without thinking.

"Be careful," he said quietly, reaching out to the little fox held loosely in Gin's arms as if to support her rump to keep her from falling. Grateful for some distraction, any distraction from the devastating words they were hearing, even for just a moment. "You might drop him..."

Gin blinked at the sudden movement, jolted back out of his thoughts and looked over at Byakuya. "Huh? Oh. Thanks." he said. And Byakuya noted the genuine gratitude there.

"What's his name?" Byakuya asked.

"Cherry." Gin then added softly. "Her name's Cherry."

Byakuya risked reaching a hand up to pet the fox's head, but paused, realising Gin might not want him to. "May I?"

When Gin nodded, Byakuya let his fingers softly stroke the fur on Cherry's head. So soft! He had to give a small smile. It was all he could manage right now, hearing what he was hearing from his partner.

"Hello, Cherry." he whispered, and the fox turned to him, bright blue eyes alert, and leant into his touch. Eyes squinting at the contact just like Gin's.

"Think she likes ya." Gin whispered. Managing a small smile of his own. Byakuya realised he'd needed a distraction too.

"I like her, too."

Gin's small, pathetic smile widened just a touch. And Byakuya could tell he cared for the creature a lot. "Everyone does."

Byakuya nodded. "It isn't hard to see why. Thankyou... for letting me touch her."

Gin just gave a small shrug. "Foxes fix everythin'." he said. "'sides, ya look like ya needed a distraction."

Byakuya nodded. Not as much as you do, though, he thought. But he knew better than to say so.

He watched Gin swallow to find a clearer voice. "I can't..." he began, stopping to collect himself again. "I carn watch this. We've heard enough. We should go. I'll... I'll let you go first, be less conspicuous that way."

Byakuya nodded again, incapable of much else, and snuck quickly and quietly back the way he'd come through the storeroom and back out into the world. Head still reeling from what he'd just heard.

. . .

Gin waited a few more moments, trying to remember how to breathe again and not listen to the laughter coming from his partner. When he decided it was safe and Kuchiki would be safely far away enough by now, he stood quietly and, with Cherry in his arms, he too crept back out through the storeroom and out into the evening. Still feeling as if he'd been shot in the chest.

. . .

Oblivious to the catastrophe their partners were experiencing, Sousuke and Renji were setting up the double date. Renji's apartment tomorrow night. "Sounds perfect." Aizen said as they finalized a time. Renji nodded; Aizen and Gin would show up at 6, giving Byakuya and Ichimaru a chance to cook their stew.

Plans solidified, they stood up to leave.

"You know," Sousuke said, smiling. "I'm actually looking forward to this."

Renji returned is smile with a smirk of his own. "Ya know, me too."

. . .

At the manor, Byakuya retreated to the gardens, avoiding his staff. Needing some space and time to himself to think. To process this new revelation. Alone with his thoughts, he found himself in front of a patch of dogbane, clusters of little white flowers signifying deceit or falsehood in the language of flowers. And again he felt the dagger of ice pierce his heart as he remembered what he'd overheard is beloved Renji saying.

He dropped to his knees, thinking about how Renji had said he'd be faithful. How Renji had promised love and fidelity to him always. The ice spread through his body as he realised his sweet Renji'd lied to him.

"Why, Renji?" he whispered painfully. "Why would you lie to me?"

He sucked in a deep, painful breath and tried to steady his breathing.

"Don't you love me anymore?"

. . .

Gin returned to the house he shared with Sousuke, head still reeling. He wandered through the house, still in shock, until he found himself in the garden where he set Cherry down and sat staring into the sky, wanting to scream out into it. Trying to blink tears from his eyes. He closed his eyes and sucked in a painful breath. Some of his rage giving way to hurt. Though there was still plenty of anger inside him still. Anger with nowhere to go... for the moment.

"Why, Sousuke? Why would you do this?" he whispered harshly, eyes focusing on the flowers in front of him now. Their language. Their language for decades, now. Being shared with someone else.

Sousuke's body, being shared with someone else.

Gin wanted to bark out a laugh, if opening his mouth wouldn't mean bursting into bitter tears. Because wasn't he enough for Sousuke? Didn't Sousuke love him anymore?

For crying out loud, Sousuke was his fucking sun. Didn't the man return the sentiment?

Gin could feel his lips tremble and his hands shake at the revelation that no, he did not.

He decided it would be less painful being actually shot in the chest by a physical revolver with live bullets.

When he refocused, his eyes landed on a branch of the Judas Tree growing over the fence bordering their neighbours back garden. Long, thin branches with delicate pink flowers blooming along them. Judas tree. In their language, it stood for betrayal.

It was painfully appropriate.

"How could you do this to me?" he whispered bitterly. "To us?"

Don' ya love me no more?