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Title: Bad Romance
Author:zealot1138
Pairing: Renji x Ichigo
Rating: M (for language, situations, yaoi – angst, romance, sex, fluff)
Summary: AU. Ichigo is so NOT gay, so when he goes to the exclusive bordello Club Sakura, will a certain redhead named Renji make him think twice?
Disclaimer for the entire story: I do NOT own any of these characters from BLEACH which belongs to Tite Kubo et al. Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from.
Hi again! Happy New Year to everyone – and thanks to everyone again for reviewing, commenting, faving and alerting this fic. I really really appreciate it!!! (^_^)
I hope you'll find this enjoyable – next chapter ties in to this one so I'm already working on it so I hope to update soon.
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Chapter 9
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By the time consciousness entered Ichigo's mind, the first things to register were warmth and brightness. As Ichigo stirred further awake, he could recognize the warmth & brightness of sunlight across his body. He started to rise off the bed to get his bearings straight when the thud of what had to be a giant mallet fell hard on his head, making him fall backwards on his mattress.
Only the soft landing brought to his attention that he was home in his bed. The massive headache that crippled his first attempt at rising was wearing off into an even throbbing, so he attempted to open his eyes to check the clock.
"Two thirty!"
That realization gave him the necessary jolt of adrenaline to jump out of bed, but he regretted it 5 seconds after rising to his feet. However, he gathered his bearings and stayed upright.
"Water. Aspirin."
As he started to cross the room to head for the kitchen, he noticed two glasses of water and a bottle of Excedrin sitting on his dresser. This pleasant surprise was the impetus to help him piece back the events of the night before.
"I got home…" Just as he was about to check for his keys in his pants pockets, since he'd crashed in his full attire from the night before, he noticed also on the drawer were his keys, wallet, and cell phone. He immediately grabbed two pills and swallowed one glass in two gulps.
He held on to the second glass to sip it as he reached for his cell to see if there were any messages. He found himself feeling disappointed to see there were no new messages. As he scrolled through to land on the last text he'd received from Renji, he knew he had been hoping to have found one from the redhead. A thought started to itch in his mind… Couldn't he have sent me a text last night so I'd know he got home and all that?
Ichigo left his room to head for the kitchen to get more water and to put on a fresh pot of coffee. His head was still throbbing but he wanted to continue piecing the events of last night. Once he'd started the coffee and grabbed the gallon jug of water, he sat at the dining table to think.
He remembered eating yakitori and watching Renji devour his taiyaki. Then the thought of all the beers at dinner made Ichigo's stomach churn so he gulped more water to ease that pain. I haven't gotten this wasted in forever…
Ichigo then recalled why he kept downing the shots and mixed drinks at the warehouse. He had not liked seeing Renji talking to the thin blond – Shi-Shin- something.
He did remember finally dancing with the redhead and then the pieces of what he did came back. "Shit, did I really do that?" Ichigo put his head in his hands, elbow on the table, as he thought about what he'd done. "I fucking kissed – him, Renji, a guy! What the fuck?!"
But as Ichigo concentrated on his memory versus the words he was saying, he realized he felt his stomach tighten, but it was in a way that had nothing to do with his hangover. He remembered leaning into the redhead and he remembered kissing Renji, tasting his tongue and he especially remembered how Renji smelled. Sitting at his dining table, Ichigo could feel himself getting flushed and the tightness in his crotch area.
Whether or not he wanted to admit it, he was extremely turned on by the redhead. He thought remembering the kissing that he was sure he hadn't wanted would sicken him further. Instead, he started to feel a different kind of unease in his body – like butterflies in his stomach. "Shit, so what now?"
Since the redhead hadn't texted him, he wasn't sure if Renji would want him to reach out. Ichigo figured he was out of his league with the redhead, so why bother?
As the tightness in his pants started to press and irritate, he tried to remember how he had ended the night. He then recalled the oddly familiar ringtone in the night air, Renji holding him up, and then the redhead's words… "you can tell me in the morning if I'm one you're still going to want at all…"
Ichigo's eyes went wide at the memory and he grabbed his cell once more to find Renji's last text. He hit Reply and started to compose his message:
Thx 4 the h2o & aspirin.
Ichigo paused then, not sure what to write next. Do I want to see him? But is it too soon? Does that make me look desperate? "Ah, fuck it!"
When can I c u again?
He hit Send and set the phone back on the table. Ichigo helped himself to the now ready coffee as he waited by "not waiting at all" for a text to arrive. But by his third cup of coffee, he decided to grab for the cell to make sure it was on when it started to vibrate before the simple ringtone came on. The I.D. said Unknown Caller but he hoped it'd be Renji so he answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Ichigo, how do you feel?"
Ichigo smiled to listen to the voice he wanted to hear. "Honestly, pretty shitty but I'm up. Thanks, by the way, for getting me home-"
"Ah, no need to thank me. Glad to do it. So, what's up?"
Ichigo was glad Renji had called back, but now he wasn't sure what he wanted to say to the redhead since he wasn't sure what he wanted from him, either. Ichigo was still uncomfortable about the idea of being with a man, but when he pieced together his memories of Renji's touches and kisses, Ichigo felt him wanting to be with the redhead. So, he decided to plow ahead with that thought, come hell or high water.
"Um, I wanted to see… if, uh… ah, did I catch you at a bad time?"
"Nah, just finished at the gym so I'm heading back to the House."
"So, uh, can I… I mean, when can I, um, see you? I mean, would you want to, you know, get dinner or see a movie sometime?" Like tonight, Ichigo thought, but didn't utter the words.
There was what felt like too long a pause before he heard Renji reply, "I'd like to, Ichigo, but I don't have another night off for a while… In fact, my usual schedule has been sort of put on hold so I'm sort of on stand-by since last night. It's… complicated to explain."
Ichigo felt his stomach drop. He hadn't quite expected such a flat refusal after what had transpired just the night before. And then to be rejected by a guy.
"So, I tell you I'm not gay, and you fuck with my head with all that shit you pulled last night – was it fun for you – to fuck with the newbie!?" Ichigo hadn't meant to come across so angrily and defensively, but even more than his pride or embarrassment, he felt a tightness in his chest as he egged Renji on to tell him a truth he may not, no - will not, want to hear.
"Ichigo, it's not like that! I want to see you, but you've no idea what my life is like."
"You're right, I don't know what your life is like. So why don't you explain it to me? How am I supposed to know if you keep it all undercover and don't let me in."
"God, you're such a kid." The sound was off, as if this was mumbled under Renji's breath.
"Yeah, so why not spell it out for this kid or is this your excuse to say you've had your fun messing with me?"
"Shut up, Ichigo." Pause. "Fine, I've an idea. You at home? I'm coming to get you." Click.
Without even giving Ichigo a chance to respond, the phone had gone dead as Ichigo's face had lost its edge and was replaced with a look of shock. He's coming here – now?
Ichigo wasn't sure what to believe but he decided to take the redhead at his words so he chose to take a lightning fast shower and change his clothes to wait for Renji's arrival.
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"Get in there."
"I'm not going in there."
"Look, it's the only way we can do this. Unless you don't want to do it, and I'd understand. But, I'd like you to give me a chance, Ichigo."
Ichigo turned his face back to look at the tall redhead. Renji's skin was glistening with the sheen of sweat that covered his body and soaked through the white tank top and loose fitting pants. His red hair was up in a ponytail that made the ends stick up in a spiky tail. His hands were wrapped in tape as if he'd been doing some sort of boxing exercises. Ichigo's gaze finally rested on the one bandaged hand which was still holding open the trunk of his car.
"Do I really have to ride in the trunk? Can't I scoot down in the backseat or something?"
"Look, I know it sucks but I go through a guard station. It's the only way to be safe. And at least it'll be a short ride at this hour, though if you keep fighting me on it, it will get towards rush hour."
"Fine." With a big sigh, Ichigo nodded his head and started to climb into the trunk of the A5.
Since Renji couldn't leave the Club, he suggested sneaking Ichigo back into his living quarters. Renji will have to be on-call for the evening but there was always the chance he wouldn't be busy all night. And if that was the case, he'd sneak Ichigo back out with a car service to take him home. All this further fueled Ichigo's desire to know about Renji's life, so he'd agreed to being talked into riding to the House in the trunk of the car.
Once Ichigo was in and curled up in a fetal position to fit in the confined space, Renji looked down at him. "I promise I'll drive as smoothly as possible." Unexpectedly, Renji reached his hand down towards the top of Ichigo's head to softly run his fingers through the orange hair. He then gave the surprised chocolate orbs a wide wolfish grin before slamming the trunk shut. Within the tight dark space, Ichigo then thought, "What the fuck have I gotten myself into?"
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As promised, the ride was smooth and without sudden stops or unnecessary bumps. Once in the garage, Renji let Ichigo out of the trunk and then handed him a brown sweatshirt to wear with the hood up. They quickly crossed through the private garden towards Renji's room, the scent of camellias strong in Ichigo's nose. Yeah, this is a part of Renji's smell... Wait, am I really thinking about how Renji smells? Ichigo shook his head as he removed the sweatshirt once they were safely inside Renji's room.
"Hey, Ichigo. I'm going to take a quick shower, so you ok with chilling out for a few minutes?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Help yourself to anything. Just remember, you're not here. So don't answer the door or anything like that."
Ichigo sighed. "Again with the paranoia. Renji, I rode here in your trunk. I get the fact I have to be secretive. I'm not a five year old."
Renji looked at him before giving him a wide smile and saying, "Oh right, you just look like a punk kid, is all."
Ichigo threw the sweatshirt at Renji's head, but the redhead easily caught it before walking off to the bathroom.
Having the freedom now and more familiarity than his last visit, Ichigo decided to look around the large room. The layout was essentially that of a large one-bedroom suite in a fancy hotel resort. It was spacious and yet it felt confining because it was part of a larger establishment; it didn't have the cozy feel of being a home.
He headed to the kitchen area to find some water for himself. He looked inside the fridge and retrieved a large bottle of water. His eyes took in the All-Clad pans on the stove and the extensive cookbooks decorating the breakfast bar.
Ichigo moved back into the living room to check the shelves. There was an extensive collection of books – fiction, non-fiction, philosophy, history, and several language learning books including Russian, Italian, German to name a few. Wonder if it's all for show? Ichigo's hand reached up for the German language book and when he started to flip through the pages, he saw extensive hand written notes all along the margins. Guess not. Does that mean he knows all this stuff?
Ichigo started to put the German book back on the shelf when Renji walked back in wearing the same faded jeans Ichigo had seen him in the other morning, bare-chested, with one hand running a towel through the dark red hair. It was hard not to stare as strong tattooed arms worked the towel through wet locks of crimson; pectorals and biceps flexing continuously. "So, you, uh, know all these language?"
Renji shrugged. "Mostly. German was the first. The rest came from necessity and then curiosity."
Renji hadn't missed the look on Ichigo's face and it was for that reason he had decided he would come clean to the orange-haired lad about his lifestyle before getting involved with him seriously. Renji knew his lifestyle wasn't going to change any time soon, and learning anything about his life at the Sakura Club may have Ichigo running for the hills. And if that was the case, better it all happen sooner than later.
"Come on and sit with me." Renji and Ichigo moved over to the large sofa and sat down next to one another. Renji shifted himself to sit at an angle so he could look at Ichigo while speaking. He waited until Ichigo's eyes rested on his own before starting his tale.
"I want to tell you about my life because, I'll be honest Ichigo; I want you. And I don't mean in just that way… I really like spending time with you. But, I figure once you hear about what I do, you may not even want to be friends. And, I want to say this – no hard feelings if you never want to talk to me again." Renji got quiet for a minute as he pondered the possibility that Ichigo really might reject his friendship.
"Would you stop making decisions for me and just talk to me?"
Renji looked up into the brown eyes, the expression which belied the harshness of the words just uttered.
Renji chuckled before continuing. "Alright."
Renji went on to explain how a friend introduced him to Byakuya who had offered him a working position. As it turned out, Renji's offer had been rushed a bit in order to satisfy one very important client who had a particular request – one exquisite but fresh "cherry." The extra pressure to decide quickly was later confessed to Renji and apologies also made but it didn't matter. Renji shared that his life had completely changed for the better. Apparently, Byakuya took generous care of the escorts in his employ. Those at the Sakura were all groomed to entertain the best, brightest and most powerful figures in the country; this was no cheap sex house. Those chosen to be a part of the Club were not only the best looking, but they had to be intelligent, educated and well-versed in the arts and social graces – in short, they were quality in mind and body. Byakuya invested their money for them in diversified portfolios so they would have a future after the inevitable need to "retire."
"So, we get a certain amount of day-to-day spending money, but we don't get the rest till after we stop. And even then, we have to wait one year for it to fully vest before we can access our retirement money. I know it sounds messed up, but at least in my case, he's not doing anything I wouldn't have done for myself. I know I won't make this kind of money forever, so I'll do this for a little while longer, retire, and my life will be my own. If I didn't have this, well… let's say I'd have barely gotten a high school degree out of the life I was living. Now, I can say I have a better than Ivy League college education."
Ichigo looked at Renji and before he could open his mouth, Renji continued.
"Yeah, I know. It's still getting paid for sex. 's funny though… some of the guys spend more time talking than anything else, and that's why we have to go through classes and such."
Ichigo nodded as his eyes dropped back down towards his lap where it'd been for the majority of Renji's story.
Renji eyed the orange mop of hair before saying, "So, that's it Ichigo. That's my story."
He waited quietly wanting Ichigo to be the first to speak after his admission. He really couldn't tell what the younger man was thinking.
The silence stretched on a bit too long for Renji's liking but before he could ask Ichigo another question, he heard the soft doorbell ring of his outer client's room. Renji looked at the clock and realized it's the cocktail hour already. "Shit. Hey, Ichigo, I'll be right back."
The brown eyes finally looked up to watch the tattooed bare back striding out of the room through the door at the far end. Ichigo took a deep breath, not quite sure how he felt about Renji's situation. He knew the truth and he knew he wanted to hear it, but hearing from Renji directly made it a bit more painful than he'd anticipated. He especially didn't like hearing about Renji's "first time" even if there were no descriptions. He wasn't sure how he felt about what to do next. He decided to wait for Renji to return, since he had no other thought to follow at the moment.
In a couple of minutes, Renji returned with a slightly grim expression on his face. "Hey, Ichigo, I have to be gone for a while. And I don't know if I'll be able to come back after dinner or if I'll, um, working for the night. So, why don't I send you home now, eh?" Renji tried to smile but it pained him much to be pleasant when he felt his chest tighten knowing this was probably goodbye.
"What do you mean you don't know if you- you're working tonight or not? Why wouldn't you know that now?"
"So, this is how a usual night works if we don't have an appointment with a client lined up... The Club hosts a dinner for a lot of the regular clients to come – they drink and dine and have a night cap. Some just want a place to be so they aren't alone – some want to leave after having sex. I don't have an appointment tonight, but I am expected to go to dinner like everyone else. If no one picks me, I get to come back here. If… if a client wants me… well, yeah – I work."
Ichigo looked Renji in the eyes to ask the next question. "But this room is off limits, right? So, if I stay here, it won't be a problem?"
Renji's eyes widened in surprise – he hadn't expected Ichigo to give him any more time especially after explaining what would be detaining him from the lad that very evening. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, no one can come in here, like I told you."
"Fine. I'll stay here and we can talk some more after."
Renji paused to think before saying, "Well, you can definitely stay until dinner is over. Even if I get a client tonight or not, I'll be able to come back in here so, if I do, I'll send you home then. Let's hope no one'll want me tonight, eh?"
"Doesn't that mean you don't get paid?"
"I don't care. I'd rather be here talking to you than anything else."
Ichigo's eyes softened but before he could form a sentence in response, Renji turned to head into his closet. He walked out shortly after, hair hanging loose and dressed in a very sharp and elegantly trim grey suit, crisp white shirt and a softly colored orange silk tie. Ichigo was about to comment that orange normally didn't suit a redhead very well, but then shut his mouth when he thought about what might have made the redhead choose that tie right then.
Renji purposely fingered his tie before giving Ichigo a smile. "There's food in the kitchen and I'll be back as soon as possible. Hopefully with this outfit, I'm sure all the clients will steer clear of me."
I doubt that. You'd look good in a sack, Ichigo thought, but instead replied, "Yeah, thanks. I'll be fine."
And with a short wave, Renji turned to walk out of the room through the door Ichigo was learning to hate.
TBC
So, I was trying to express that Renji and those of The Sakura Club is akin to courtesans in Italy during the Renaissance who were renowned for their overall skills and that it was more than just sex.
Perhaps some of you have seen that 1998 movie Dangerous Beauty which was the basis on which I came up with the Sakura. It gave a good idea of the differences between them and your average hooker.
Or Wikipedia's definition of a courtesan that I want to evoke but for the B&B (_):
Today, the term courtesan has become a euphemism to designate an escort or a high-class prostitute. A courtesan offers her charms and sexual pleasures, generally to people of substantial wealth, in return for money and/or other expensive gifts, most commonly jewellery and fashionable clothing, sometimes also property. She differentiates herself from other common street prostitutes by tending to service a few long-term clients, depending on her ability to seduce on a number of levels. She would also use sex more artistically rather than for a quick means of making a little money, being more entertaining and classy in her seduction.
Essentially, there were two types of courtesan. In one category was a type of courtesan known (in Italy) as the cortigiana onesta, or the honest courtesan, who was cast as an intellectual. In the other was the cortigiana di lume, a lower class of courtesan. Although the latter was still considered better than an average prostitute, the former was the sort most often romanticized and treated more-or-less equal to women of the nobility. It is with this type of courtesan that the art of "courtisanerie" is best associated.
The cortigiane oneste were usually well-educated and worldly (sometimes even more so than the average upper-class woman), and often held simultaneous careers as performers or artists. They were typically chosen on the basis of their "breeding"—social and conversational skills, intelligence, common-sense, and companionship—as well as their physical attributes. It was usually their wit and personality that set them apart from regular women. They were prostitutes in the sense that sex was one of their obligations, but unlike the average prostitute, sex constituted only a facet of the courtesan's array of services. For example, they were expected to be well-dressed and ready to engage in a variety of topics ranging from art to music to politics
Anyway, I have the next portion "on my mind grapes," but I just have to type it out so I hope to provide an update soon. Thanks again for giving it a read. XD