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 all,
I am SO thankful to all of you for your comments and support. Hope this lives up to it all!
As always, apologies for any major technical errors. I look forward to your comments! ~z.
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Chapter 18
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Renji looked at himself in the mirror to make sure his outfit was on properly. The black leather pants fit like a glove – they sat low under his hipbones showing off the tantalizing expanse of flesh men and women love to see exposed from the lower abs to just above the crotch. His rear end was encased in the tight black skin showing off each curvy muscular cheek with the hint of his crack visible at the top of the non-waist line. The arm-length leather gloves began at the wrist and ran past his elbows with a gap at the upper arm sections to showcase his tattoos, held together by the crisscrossing black ties – like an exposed corset for his muscular biceps. Renji had to admit these were definitely tailor made for him and his tattoos.
He adjusted the sleeves to make sure they were on straight, and while he thought it looked good, all he could think was that he was hungry. He didn't want to fill up on food before a fitting, and he was now missing dinner with the Kurosakis. As he checked the time, he realized at this rate, he'd be missing dessert too. It was past nine o'clock but the show was far from starting yet. From what he could tell, guests were still arriving which usually meant there was no way the show would be starting soon.
Renji looked around at his colleagues, the other models for the night, who were all dressed in different styled outfits of leather pants and shorts and accessories of different lengths and styles. They were all stuck in the room until they were set to walk the makeshift runway that had been set up in the backyard.
From what was viewable of the backyard from inside the mansion, Renji could see the party had been set up under a large tent. He thought Rukia had designed an impressive layout. He thought her biggest gaff by far was getting the show started on time. But he cut the negative thoughts short; Renji knew these events never started on time and that it wasn't her fault. He was annoyed at the situation and worried about how late he would be in getting to the Kurosaki Clinic.
He was about to call for Rikichi to see if the young man could get an ETA on show time when he noticed his friends walking towards him.
Yumichika approached first, welcoming him with a hug and a kiss. "Renji! I thought you were on vacation?"
He gave an annoyed look while answering back, "So did I. I'm here just for the show and then I'm out the door."
"Oh? Abarai Renji skipping out on a party intentionally? Must be some vacation!" Shuuhei waggled his eyebrows teasingly.
The redhead smiled slyly but gave away nothing. He really couldn't care less about the party or what anyone thought of him "missing the action." He wanted to be back at Ichigo's side as soon as possible. Renji knew that had it not been Ichigo's urging him to come, he might have left right there and then. "Do you guys know when this thing is starting? It's almost half an hour late!"
Just then, the lights outside in the tents started to dim as the music volume increased dramatically. It was nearly time for Renji and the other of Byakuya's boys to walk the runway.
As he and the others walked the secluded pathway to the backstage area in the giant tented party area outside, Renji decided that now that he was here, he would give it his all. When he did anything, his impeccable work ethics always shined through. Renji's hair had been left loose and long but been ironed to a glossy slickness that made it look wet and it stayed in place as he strutted down the narrow catwalk, matching his footfalls to the appropriate beats of the music.
Renji had done this often enough and had even been approached to model, but he could never afford the public exposure of modeling with his life working at the Sakura Club. Through it all, he'd mastered his "model face." It made him want to crack up every time he'd look in the mirror when he'd done on the mask, but for once, it wasn't amusing; he wanted to do the job and get out immediately.
The show was scheduled to be as short as promised. Because there were enough bodies to model, there were no costume changes and the show's length was the equivalent of a dance remix of one song.
He reached the end of the runway and paused for the photo ops, making sure to strike a pose from corner to corner, allowing them the necessary angle shots. Before turning to walk away, he parted his lips and seductively wetted his lips, giving his best come-fuck-me look which made the flashbulbs fire off even more furiously. He returned down the catwalk to disappear into the wings to wait backstage. Once there, he stood off to the side so he could watch the other Club boys walking through as well. Each man wore not only a different style but a different length in the leather gear, another reason he could appreciate the necessity of his participation.
Renji shook his head in appreciation as he watched Yumichika work it in the black mini-skirted kilt that was paired with a crisp white button-down silk shirt that was tied at the waist, showing off his toned midriff. It was paired with thigh-high black leather boots and Renji imagined that Ikkaku was lurking around the perimeter not wanting to miss this sight.
Shuuhei wore nothing but nicely tailored blue-black leather trousers and his usual choker and armband; the look suited him well. Grimm wore the trendy man-skirt kilt and his trademark wide-toothed maniacal grin – all of which worked due to his testosterone heavy personality. And Izuru wore tight cut-off leather shorts that showed all lot of butt-cheek and it was paired with a leather half-tank that showed off his slim toned torso.
Renji watched the last few guys take their turns which meant the final walk with the designer and then he would be done.
Once Izuru came backstage, the group of guys reassembled before take the runway for a final walk. Renji waited to bring up the rear with Halibel. He walked the catwalk at her side, clapping along with the audience and the models on the runway flanking them.
When she took her final bow, Renji and the others followed her retreating back all the way off and back into the comforts of being backstage. Once they were settled and congratulating one another for a job well done, Halibel turned to give Renji a hug and a kiss. She kissed him on each cheek and said, "Thank you! It wouldn't have been the same without you!"
Renji gave her a sincere smile before replying, "You're welcome. Glad I could do it." And he realized that he meant it.
Just then a tiny brunette cut through the crowd of bodies to grasp the tall redhead by the waist. "Renji! Thank you for doing this!"
He reached down to hug Rukia and he wanted to tease her by ruffling her hair, but she instantly reacted by dodging the hand and giving a glare. "Don't you dare! It took over an hour to get this done!"
Halibel hugged the petite brunette as well. "Thank you, Rukia. You did a wonderful job! The showing was great and you got Renji here after all. Oh, excuse me while I talk business with some of the guests. Thanks again Renji." She blew them a kiss before walking away to mingle.
Rukia looked up at the taller man before asking, "I don't know how to thank you for changing your mind on doing this!"
Renji looked at her before stating quietly, "I'm not the one you should be thanking."
"Oh? What's going on, Renji? Part of our whole desperate need to catch up?"
Renji nodded emphatically. He was tempted to give her a quick rundown but knew it wasn't the place and definitely not the time so he instead leaned down to give her a peck to say goodbye. "I have to go, but I will explain everything to you soon."
"I can't believe you're going to miss the party, too! But, OK. Let's get together sooner than later, alright?"
"Definitely." As Renji started to straighten himself up after kissing Rukia on the cheek, he heard a click and felt a tug at the leather collar he was still wearing.
"Caught 'cha!"
Renji spun around to see the silver haired fox eyed face he was rarely fond of ever seeing. However, Ichimaru now had in his hands a silver chain that the redhead realized extended to the leather collar on his neck.
Before he could react at all to Ichimaru's presence and what he had done, Gin merely looked past Renji and held out the chain saying, "I got yer stray for ya, Sou-kun."
Renji turned to glance over his shoulder, eyes wide in shock. Sure enough, there stood his patron, Aizen Sousuke. "Thank you, Gin. My, my, that is a good look on you, Abarai-kun. I am glad Tia was able to fashion this silver chain for me to match that collar. The accessories suit you very nicely."
Rukia greeted the men politely. "Good evening, Aizen-san, Ichimaru-san." Out of respect for her brother and knowing these men were VIPs to the Club, she turned to Renji and excused herself. She knew that the redhead would have to deal with his number one client.
Renji would have preferred that Rukia stay on, to act as a legitimate source of interference for him, but he knew that would be against the Club's etiquette. Instead, he nodded and watched her leave before refocusing his attention.
"Aizen-san, I thought you were in Germany? I wasn't aware you were in town." Renji tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible. He didn't want to show the shock and sense of dread he was feeling. His question should be posed as one of pleasant surprise and not the unpleasant fear that was tying his stomach into knots.
Aizen merely smiled at the redhead before taking the chain firmly in his hand away from Gin. "This was an unplanned excursion. Tia had the opportunity to be here and I thought this would be an ideal showcase for her latest collection. They are exquisite, are they not?" Aizen kept one hand wrapped around the silver chain but moved his other to palm Renji's firm rear end. He squeezed a butt cheek and then patted it softly, for show.
Renji gulped and tried not to look too nervous before speaking again. "So, her collection is an investment of yours, Aizen-san?"
"More than an investment; I am adding her designer label to one of the fashion divisions under Muguet. Her talents will suit a smaller clientele, but considering they are of the incredibly wealthy and powerful, I think it'll be a profitable division. Plus, it will provide me with some personal pleasures so I see only the benefit in this new endeavor." Aizen pulled Renji in with a soft yank of the chain and he breathed in the redhead's hair. Renji froze as he allowed Aizen to do as he pleases, hoping that no resistance will be the easiest way for him to get the older man to leave.
Renji didn't want to ask, afraid of the answer, but he knew he had to know sooner than later, "Will you be staying for the evening, Aizen-san?"
Aizen rested his chin on top of Renji's shoulder to speak softly into his ear, "No. I merely stopped by to pick up Tia so we can return to Munich together. In fact, our plane is waiting for us. Isn't that right, Gin?"
"Yah. Though, I'm still thinkin' that I should bring along my pet, neh, Izuru?" Gin had his hand on Kira's chin, face pulled in close for a kiss. The blonde had his usual stoic expression; one that gave away neither happiness nor any kind of readable expression.
Aizen then said, "Perhaps another time, Gin. This was not to be a social call anyway. Renji, will you walk with me to our car?"
Renji always found the politesse somewhat more insulting than a direct order would have been. The false courtesy felt insincere and he disliked that feeling it evoked, but of course he said only, "My pleasure, Aizen-san."
However, if Aizen really was leaving right then, Renji couldn't have asked for anything better. He would do what he could to escort the man out of the Club, which would mean his being out of the country, as soon as possible. The redhead was losing precious minutes as it was.
Renji tried to estimate how much time had passed since he stepped out on the runway until the minute Gin had attached that damned chain to his neck collar. He figured at its best, it hadn't quite hit half past ten o'clock, but it was hard to gauge. Renji didn't have his cell phone on him yet since it was still in the makeshift dressing room along with his change of clothes, and the party tent had no clocks. He considered trying to glance at Aizen's wrist to check the time on his timepiece, but the dim lighting made it impossible to read the time without drawing attention to himself. All Renji could think was, Ichigo must be furious.
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Ichigo drove home from his family clinic slowly fuming. He knew there was no way Renji would have shown up on time, but he hadn't doubted that Renji would appear. But by the time it rolled around to eleven o'clock, Ichigo had gotten tired of making up excuses to his family as to why his new friend was late.
He had known he wanted them to meet Renji. He wasn't sure he was ready to admit that he was in a relationship with another man, let alone to a man who made a living of sleeping with other men. But Ichigo knew the first step of import was for his family to meet Renji.
Ichigo and Renji had even chosen a generic enough job description for Renji's lifestyle: consultant. Apparently, it was the label of choice for the B&B when escorting their high-profile clientele to any public functions in case they were asked what line of work they were in. The redhead claimed to have used the labels of image consultant down to herbal tea specialist which he thought would make people laugh as much as he did, but everyone took him seriously and treated him with respect. Apparently, that was the level of clientele Renji spent his time with.
Ichigo drove down his street and as he approached the apartment building, a small part of him wished that Renji's car would be sitting out front. However, as he neared, he saw it was empty out front. Ichigo parked and retrieved the box of leftover cake from the passenger seat before locking the doors.
He quickly entered the apartment, flipping on lights and then heading to the kitchen to put the cake away. Without thinking about it, Ichigo looked at the clock and saw it was approaching eleven o'clock. His birthday had come and was about to be gone and it was not how he had envisioned his day ending, especially after the welcoming surprise he'd received from Renji that very morning.
Ichigo didn't hesitate once he decided he knew what he would do. He rushed into the bedroom and looked through the duffel bag Renji had brought with him. He grabbed one of the car vouchers he had used to visit the redhead and he pulled out his cell phone to call the number.
"Yeah, I need a car to the Sakura Club right away? Last name is Kurosaki. First name- Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it really is Ichigo. Look, could you tell me how soon the car will be here? OK, great. Thanks."
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At that hour, with no traffic, the town car arrived sooner than expected and Ichigo sat nervously as he was driven to the Club. His leg twitched nervously as he tried to take calming deep breaths.
He knew this was totally against everything that was appropriate for Renji and that this breach in protocol could affect his livelihood, but Ichigo didn't care at this point. He had given up time on his birthday thinking it would allow Renji to be able to juggle the time he had to give to his job along with the time he'd spend with Ichigo. But if the redhead couldn't get out of something even on Ichigo's birthday, he knew the two halves couldn't coexist after all.
There had to be a decision made and that night was as good as any. And if Ichigo's appearance at the Club would cause the kind of ruckus he could only imagine, it may force Renji to decide on what he wants. Ichigo knew which choice he hoped the redhead would make but he wasn't confident if that is what he would choose. However, it had to be done, one way or the other. And the sooner Ichigo knew, the better, he thought.
Ichigo waited until the car checked in with security and pulled past the security shack. He was afraid he would get caught not being on any kind of Guest List, but whatever he had from Renji's stash of guest vouchers seemed to get him in without questions. Once the car started to slow down as it approached the main entrance, Ichigo told the driver to stop anywhere so he could hop out.
Ichigo was surprised by the number of luxury cars crowding the expansive driveway. Clearly, the event was still going strong, and he wasn't sure if he'd get in and find Renji in the massive estate, but he figured he'd follow his instincts and let it lead him.
As he was closing the distance towards the front door, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Oi! Ichigo? Is that you?" Ikkaku hurried over and confronted the young man. He lowered his voice before saying, "Renji didn't tell me you were comin'. Are ya supposed ta be here? This is serious VIPs only tonight." He gave him a quizzical eye waiting for a response.
Ichigo looked past Ikkaku, trying to keep his eye on the front door. "Where is he?"
Ikkaku shook his head. "I expected as much. Yer not even supposed ta be here, are ya?" He put a friendly hand on the lad's shoulder to say, "Come on, let's get ya outta here b'fore ya get him and me in trouble."
Ichigo lowered his gaze but didn't budge an inch. "I'm not leaving here without Renji. Where is he?"
Ikkaku's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He didn't expect to find the youth to put up any kind of resistance. His mood immediately became serious as he realized he may have to enforce himself in this situation. "Ichigo. Ya need to leave now. I'll tell him you came by, but ya can't be here. Ya know that."
Ichigo kept his head lowered, eyes shielded by his bangs. "So, there's no way you'll let me past, Ikkaku?"
"Kid, this is my job. There's no way in Hel-" Ikkaku's sentence was cut short as he took a fist to his jaw.
Ichigo had pulled a fast punch on the unsuspecting security guard and he bolted for the front door as soon as he got his opening. He knew he'd only have a moment before the bald-headed guard would be right on top of him so he sprinted without looking behind.
Ikkaku stood still for a moment, hand on jaw, stunned more by shock than any real damage. If anything, his ego was definitely bruised. He wouldn't be able to live it down knowing a kid took him by surprise. He quickly regained his focus and took off after Ichigo.
Ichigo knew he was being followed but he was close to the front door. He was hoping luck would be on his side and that it was unlocked when the door started to open as people were exiting. He was starting to congratulate himself on his lucky moment when he recognized the tall redhead walking out, bare-chested and held by a chain that connected to a black choker. Is that a leash?
Ichigo stopped short as he neared the group that had now fully exited the front door. Renji was smiling at the man holding the length of chain but as he turned to continue walking away from the mansion, he too stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him. "Ichigo!?"
At that moment, Ikkaku had caught up with him and immediately tackled him down. He handcuffed Ichigo and then pulled him up roughly to his feet as the group with Renji approached.
Ichigo hardly felt the tackle or getting manhandled by Ikkaku as he kept his focus on his lover. His eyes softened as he locked his gaze with burgundy ones, but they hardened immediately when he saw the tall brunette yank on the chain.
The pull sent Renji flying backward into the brunette's chest. He then placed his arm around Renji's chest while cupping his face with a hand. He put his lips close to the redhead's ear before speaking at a normal volume, "So, this is your distraction, neh Abarai-kun?"
Renji tried to turn his head away but he felt the grip on his chin tighten so he stopped. He normally would have answered Aizen but he chose not to assert or deny the question.
Aizen watched as the orange-haired young man gave him a very cold glare. He looked him over before smiling as he whispered to Renji, "You have acquired a good eye at picking out your entertainment. He is a nice choice, Abarai-kun."
Ichigo felt the anger building up within him, but he was held firmly in check by Ikkaku's rough hands. He instead tried to focus on Renji, trying to plead with the redhead with his eyes.
Renji was torn by what was happening; it was easily the worst scenario he could have imagined at this point in his life. He didn't want Aizen to know anything more about Ichigo than he already did. And now everyone would know that he was involved with someone who was not a client and that it was a serious relationship.
While Renji's mind was reeling with different thoughts, one voice cut through sharply.
"Quit, Renji."
The redhead looked at Ichigo who had uttered the words so simply, it made his heart ache. He had never felt the weight of a decision feel as heavy as it did, even when compared to the first time he chose to enter this lifestyle. Hearing Ichigo ask it of him gave it more weight than he could have imagined.
Ichimaru merely chuckled at the sight before him while Izuru looked quieter than usual. His sad eyes looked from the orange-haired young man to his friend but he kept silent.
Suddenly, their group was joined by Byakuya and Kenpachi. The head of the Club looked at the group with his eyes landing lastly on the unwelcomed figure. "What is the situation here?"
Ikkaku spoke up but directed himself more towards his supervisor than the club owner. "I caught him trespassing. But he didn't get past the driveway."
Byakuya kept a cool eye as he glanced from orange head to red before stating, "And how did he manage to get past the security check point?"
Surprising everyone, Kenpachi stepped up to ask, "This doesn't seem like something that you're going to press charges on, are you Kucihiki?"
Byakuya looked at the giant security guard for a moment but answered, "No, but the sooner this is resolved, the better."
Kenpachi moved towards Ichigo as he said, "Since this is a security breach, allow me to handle this." He grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder before turning around to address the group, "Unless you have a problem with that?"
Byakuya merely waved his hand before turning around to head back into the House. "Very well. I leave this matter to you, Zaraki. Good evening, gentlemen." Before walking away yet without turning around, he stated, "Renji, please see me before night's end." And with that, he walked back inside.
Renji watched as Kenpachi and Ikkaku led Ichigo away. The brown eyes had held firm onto his own but fell downward once Kenpachi moved towards the smaller man and the trio walked away.
The redhead wanted to follow but he stayed glued to the spot as Aizen eventually loosened his grip. He had no idea what his patron was planning to do now that he knew fully about Ichigo.
"This is far enough, Abarai-kun. Gin and I can find our car from here." Aizen unclipped the silver chain from the collar and he stepped away from Renji.
Renji blinked in surprise. He didn't expect Aizen to carry on as if nothing had happened. "You- you're returning to Germany as planned, Taichou?"
"Oh? Did you think this would change my plans?" Aizen smiled as he leaned in towards the redhead to say, "I have a master plan. I do not change my course because of minor distractions, Abarai-kun. Come, kiss me goodbye, till I see you next."
Renji moved in to offer a polite goodbye kiss. He wasn't sure what kind he'd get in return, but Aizen kept it simple with a little bit of tongue, but nothing obscene or possessive. They pulled apart just as Gin pulled away from having deep-throated Izuru without a hint of embarrassment on the part of the former; the latter blushed but said only, "Farewell, Ichimaru-san."
Aizen turned to his associate saying, "Let us take our leave, Gin. Tia should be at the airport by now."
"Sure, sure. Be a good boy nah, Izuru!" Gin smiled and then turned his gaze at Renji. "Not sure ya'll listen to that advice, neh, Abarai?" He gave his silly wave and walked away with Aizen.
Renji felt rooted to the spot. He felt sick to his stomach and was frozen with uncertainty. He had no idea what would happen to Ichigo and yet he still had to deal with Byakuya. He couldn't decide which part of his life to handle first.
"Renji?" Izuru spoke and the put his arm around the redhead's shoulders. "Let's get you changed out of these and get you to Byakuya's office. I think you have some important things to discuss with him, yes?"
These words broke the spell that had made Renji indecisive. He squeezed the blonde's hand gratefully. "Thanks, Izuru. You're right. I do have some decisions to make." The two men walked back into the mansion together.
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Kenpachi kept his hand on Ichigo's shoulder as Ikkaku brought up the rear. The tall man didn't even look over when he asked his subordinate, "You gonna need ice for that jaw, Ikkaku?"
The bald-headed man blushed furiously but replied as calmly as possible, "I'm fine, sir. Dunno what yer referrin' to."
The giant man barked out a laugh before it dissolved into a chuckle. "Ichigo, I don't know what you were thinking coming here, but ya got guts. Maybe not smarts, but you've got heart."
He motioned to Ikkaku for the keys to the handcuffs and he freed the shorter man from the metal bindings.
Once his wrists were un-cuffed, Ichigo started to rub at them before he finally looked up to eye the men he was with. He said nothing as he waited to see what they were planning for him. He'd never been handcuffed before, and he had never been arrested. He wasn't sure what it meant to trespass on private property and he wasn't sure what would happen if Byakuya were to press charges.
"Ikkaku, drive him home."
Ikkaku's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Zaraki-san! Really?" He then mumbled, "Also, chauffeuring isn't in my job description."
The giant man gave his subordinate a wild-eyed gaze which immediately shut him up. He straightened up and merely nodded his acquiescence. Kenpachi then turned to Ichigo. "Hang in there, kid. Won't seem so bad when the night is over."
Ichigo was annoyed by the optimistic sentiment that he felt was baseless in light of the current situation. However, he was grateful for the reprieve and nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Kenpachi."
Kenpachi gave the short orange haired man a solid whack on the back before reaching into his suit pocket for a set of car keys. He tossed it to Ikkaku without a word but he caught it with ease.
When the baldheaded man looked at the keys his jaw dropped. "Zaraki-san! You want me to take your car?"
"What's wrong with my car?"
"It's a Ferrari F50! It costs more than my yearly salary. What if I get into an accident with it or something?"
Kenpachi eyed his subordinate before shrugging. "So, don't get into one. Now go."
"Yes, sir." Ikkaku looked at Ichigo before asking, "Ya gonna be good, or do I need ta restrain ya again?"
Ichigo shook his head. "Nah, I'll follow you." He paused. "And I'm sorry I hit you. I didn't mean to…"
Ikkaku harrumphed in annoyance. "Tch. I'm more annoyed at myself fer lettin' ya get me at all. Just proves I've gotten too soft since I knew ya."
They finally reached the cherry red sports car. Ikkaku gulped before getting in. He waited until Ichigo was in and buckled up before he did the same for himself. He started the car and tried to breathe in the engine's sounds and throttle. Ikkaku then put the car into gear as he started to drive it away out of the compound.
"Yer gonna have to give me the play-by-play on how to get to yer place."
Ichigo nodded. "Sure. But why are you driving so slowly? You're not even at speed limit?"
"Shaddup!" Ikkaku's voice squeaked as he continued, "I can't afford to bring this car back with even a scratch! So I'mma drive it the way I need ta get ya home and then this back to Zaraki without a single mark on it."
Ichigo couldn't help but crack a smile at the man's fear and awe of the giant Zaraki. However, on the slow drive home, his thoughts floated back to seeing Renji clad in that exotic leather getup. But the image that was most disturbing and hurtful was seeing the man who held his arm possessively around the redhead. No names were said, but he had no doubt the man was the mysterious "Taichou" that was Renji's number one patron.
Not only was the man wealthy and powerful, he was young and handsome; attributes Ichigo hadn't thought would be so abundant in one man, let alone the man who had been Renji's first everything of importance.
He grimaced at the thought of seeing Renji in that man's embrace as he tried to keep his mind from wandering into other images he didn't want to envision. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply as he tried to clear his head.
As they turned down Ichigo's street, he sat up to instruct Ikkaku where to stop. "It's just a few places down. You can stop behind that car." Ichigo had to look closer as he eyed the car that was parked in front of his building.
The Ferrari stopped several feet away behind a dark grey Audi. Ichigo hurried out of the red sports car to see if it was what he hoped.
Sure enough, once he had stepped out, the driver's side door of the A5 opened up. Renji stepped out wearing a black sweater over black jeans. Ichigo approached him somewhat cautiously, not sure if Renji was there out of joy or out of anger at him for having intruded upon his life.
"Ichi… are you ok? I heard they didn't press charges, but no one knew where you went. I was hoping you would be sent home."
Ichigo moved up closer to the redhead. "I'm fine. Kenpachi was… he's a good guy."
Renji nodded. "Yeah, he is. I'm glad you're OK, Ichi. I can't believe you did that! What were you thinking?!"
"I guess I wasn't thinking. When you didn't show up, I just… why didn't you make it back in time for dessert?"
Renji grew silent before he replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Ichi. The show started late and then…"
"It's him, isn't it? He's your 'Taichou'?"
Renji nodded slowly. "He showed up unexpectedly. The good part was he only came in for the show. He'd going back to Germany tonight, so I was walking him out, but he would get caught up saying goodbye to someone every few feet. We were walking to their cars when we saw you."
"Ah," acknowledged Ichigo. He stayed quiet a moment before he recalled, "Did Byakuya give you hell about me showing up?"
Renji gave him a small smile and said, "Nope."
Ichigo blinked in shock. "Really? I thought he might say something about how he regretted letting Rukia talk him into doing me a favor for Keigo and all that. At least that's the impression I got of him from all of Rukia's 'Nii-sama' stories."
Renji answered back, "No, you're right. He probably would have said that, but I'm not sure I'll be hearing it for a while."
Ichigo cocked an eyebrow in confusion at the tall redhead. "What do you mean? Did you see him? I heard him say he wanted to talk to you. I felt bad that you'd get busted because of me."
"I left him a letter. I'm guessing he'll call me in a day or so to discuss my terms." Renji walked up to stand closer to Ichigo. He reached out to place his hands on either side of his face. Ichigo settled himself in contentedly as he waited for the redhead to continue. Burgundy eyes looked down into waiting brown orbs before he spoke, "I quit, Ichi."
Eyes went wide, full of surprise, as the enormity of those two words hit Ichigo. "Seriously? You quit? Just like that?"
"Yeah. I'll be honest; I'm not sure how I feel about it. It was a really tough thing to decide. But watching you taken away and me feeling helpless to do the right thing… I couldn't take it anymore. If that is going to keep me away from you, I don't want it anymore." He pulled Ichigo's face closer. "I don't need it so long as you're with me."
At this, Ichigo threw himself at Renji and reached up to kiss him. Their mouths crashed into one another as lips pressed together with tongues pushing in for access to taste the other. For once, Ichigo's desire for dominance was given and Renji let himself be swept up by his younger lover's passion.
The kiss was long and deep and passionate, the only thing pulling the two apart was the loud cough directed at them. They turned to remember that they were not alone.
"Ikkaku! Sorry about that." Renji looked slightly sheepish having forgotten that they were being rather sentimental out in the open in front of someone.
"Gah, 's 'bout time you two figured out what yer gonna do. I guess I'll have to tell Yumi the bad news you won't be around anymore, eh?"
Renji's gut tightened for a moment. He had forgotten that he would probably never see his friends the way he used to, but he knew the ones he was closest to would make time for him and would also welcome his relationship with Ichigo. "Yeah, tell him to make time to visit on his day off."
Ikkaku gave the pair a mock salute before getting back into the Ferrari. "Later you two… and good luck, eh?"
Ichigo waved with one hand, the other resting comfortably on the redhead's waist. "Thanks, Ikkaku. And thank Kenpachi again."
Renji elbowed Ichigo in the ribs lightly, jokingly saying, "Don't be so quick to thank that man just yet, Ichi. Knowing him, he'll still call me to spar and he probably will want you to join next time."
Ichigo looked up at Renji with smiling eyes. "As long as it's us versus him, I've no problem with that."
As Ikkaku drove away, he couldn't help but look in the rear view mirror to watch the pair lean towards each other for another kiss.
He shook his head in amusement and honestly wishing them well, thought to himself, I hope those two make it.
TBC
All I can say is that it was really hard finishing up this chapter, even though I knew what was supposed to happen!
I hope you liked it. And yes, there is a bit more to come, but we are close to the end.
Thanks!!! ~z.