Chapter: Don’t Speak
Rating: PG-13 | T
Pairing/Character/s: Byakuya + Renji, Inoue
Word Count: 12,805
Warning/s: Spoilers. Angst. Language.
Summary: Tensions rise silently, despite efforts on both sides; perhaps a mediator is needed.
A/N: This chapter is both cute as well as profoundly annoying. Much like a certain shinigami captain.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -
and you are the easiest person to fool.”
- Richard Feynman
The glaring sun that finally woke the noble was certainly not a part of his normal morning routine. Muttering several curses that were quite a bit more colorful than his normal vocabulary, Byakuya rolled over, prepared to toss an arm around Renji's waist and demand a shoulder to hide his face from the sun. When his arm simply fell down onto the bed, however, the captain opened an eye, then another, and blinked. He sat up quickly, and then immediately regretted the action as temporary dizziness shook him, along with recollection of the previous day's events. He groaned to himself and raked a hand back through his hair. Fantastic; another day of torture.
Hearing activity downstairs with Renji's voice among it, Byakuya reluctantly decided that he needed to go at least make sure the other man was faring well if not also eat something. He needed to for the sake of his reiatsu's recovery, if nothing else. Sighing, he slid out of bed, testing his balance before taking a step and retrieving the shirt he had discarded the night before. After dressing and smoothing himself out to be at least remotely presentable (never before had he wished for traditional silk so, so badly), Byakuya slipped from the room and made his way downstairs quietly.
The clinking of dishes and cookware added to a general white noise atmosphere that clung to the entire downstairs floor. A gentle warmth and the fragrant smells of familiar cooking wafted about the area, the bustle of life permeating throughout. Eventually the voices flavoring the air became clear enough to be heard.
“- fall over if you keep that up!" Inoue's admonishing tone was broken by the laughter also present.
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for palatable food!" Renji announced, obviously grinning by the sound of his voice. The shifting of cookware and hiss of food against a hot surface followed. "Come on,’s not like you hate my cooking-"
"That's not the point-" she cut herself off with a sigh and then quipped, "At least you look good in that apron-" There was a squawk and the sound of liquid landing on the floor, both voices becoming indiscernible once more as laughter drifted out of the kitchen area.
As hungry as he was, Byakuya very nearly turned around and went back up to the bedroom to lock himself away for another few hours. The noise and bustle unsettled his nerves almost immediately and he hesitated, briefly shut his eyes, and reminded himself that Renji was, at least, in the room. He briefly scolded himself for being so wary of situations like this and exhaled slowly before stepping into the kitchen doorway. "Good morning," the noble managed softly, honestly doubting he was heard very well over all the laughter.
Spotting him as an immediate failsafe, Inoue immediately crowed a bright, "Ohayou~ Byakuya-san!" from beneath raised hands, trying to fend of Renji and his threatening water bottle.
The redhead blinked and then looked over his shoulder, not having heard Byakuya's entrance into the room nor felt the man's usually prominent reiatsu. He smiled somewhat embarrassedly and pulled back, subtly sliding the bottle back to the kitchen counter. "Ah... good morning, Taichou. Did you sleep well?" With a quick glance back at Orihime, he self-consciously dusted the deep green apron covering borrowed jeans and a bright purple t-shirt before returning to his spot at the stove.
Byakuya bit back a wince, though he wasn't sure if it was because of Orihime's... perkiness or, well, Renji's appearance. He kept biting back his comments for the moment with a slight incline of his head. "Yes... Thank you." The response was, in fact, quite a stretch of the truth; sleep had completely evaded him for hours until he had managed to settle his nerves. New places never did sit very well with him. Stepping further into the room, the noble sent a glance across the other two in the room. "Do you need any help, Renji? Aside from with your wardrobe, that is," he added dryly, unable to keep back the jab any longer.
"No offense, Taichou, but I'd be rather scared to see ya' cook," the redhead countered, and then furrowed his brow and glanced over to the other shinigami, "an' what's so bad about my clothes?"
Biting her lip, Orihime tried not to snicker and instead went in search of some plates and bowls, since Renji seemed to be making a rather large breakfast and would likely need them soon.
Decidedly ignoring the first comment, Byakuya instead managed to give Renji a solid, disbelieving stare. "...Do you honestly have no idea?" he finally asked, trying not to be amused but failing miserably. "Renji -" the noble began again, then shook his head and gave up, fearing that enlightening Renji on how certain clashes of color caused pain would be over the younger man's head.
"What?" The redhead frowned in confusion, wondering what on earth Byakuya was referring to. He looked down at his outfit. Pants. Shirt. Apron. "I'm not missin' anything..." he mumbled distractedly, and then looked back at the noble with a somewhat blank stare that said quite plainly that he had no idea what the man was so amused about.
"Purple and green don't exactly go together, Renji," the noble explained, but kept his tease relatively gentle to make sure Renji knew he meant no harm. After weeks of nothing but arguing, he didn't want the lapse into peaceful coexistence to fade. "Let alone with your hair." If Orihime hadn't been in the nearby vicinity, those words probably would have been accentuated with a tug of said vibrantly red mane.
Auburn eyes blinked a bit. "...Yer kidding' me, right? There's actually rules for dressing?" Renji ventured in disbelief, glancing at Orihime for confirmation that his captain wasn't just being anal about yet another random rule set.
Trying hard to stifle laughter from the entire scene, Inoue coughed into a fisted hand. "It's not rules, Renji-kun... well, sometimes there are - if you going to a formal dinner, you don't want to wear anything that shows too much skin, but if you go to a club, that sort of thing is okay-"
"What?" the redhead interrupted before she could get very far along and confuse him further. He'd learned fairly early on to stop her when she started to go off topic.
"... Certain color combinations hurt the eyes," she consolidated, smiling somewhat embarrassedly. "Ah-the soup's boiling," she pointed out quickly. Renji spun around, cursing under his breath as he turned the stove off, and began stirring again.
"Don't bother trying to explain rules to him anyway, Inoue-san," Byakuya advised, giving Renji a sideways glance. "If he knew them well, he would just go further out of his way to break them." Keeping out of the way, the captain stepped back and took the nearest seat at the kitchen table, resting still-weary legs and trying to shake off a bit of drowsiness that still lingered.
Renji barked a laugh at the remark. "You know me too well," he answered without turning from the stove. Reaching over, he grabbed the pile of nearby bowls and began to ladle the soup into them.
Inoue stood by, taking the bowls as he filled them and then placing them at the table, laying one in front of Byakuya first. "If you want, I could get him something to change into," she offered the noble rather than the redhead in question. "I'm sure you'll want a change of clothes anyway, so I can check my brother's closet for an extra pair of slacks and a different shirt..."
"Unfortunately," the noble responded sarcastically to Renji's comment, and then focused on Inoue with a nod of thanks. "...Thank you. Please don't worry about him, he can do as he likes... But yes, I would appreciate a change of clothes..." Absently, Byakuya realized it was much easier to get along with this girl when he didn't have a pounding headache and overall exhaustion sending him to the floor.
"Che, stop conspirin' against me over there," Renji warned, placing the food from other parts of the counter and stove on to separate platters. Soon, there were nearly five trays worth of different dishes lining the counter space next to the stove. Wiping his hands off on the apron, Renji brought them one by one over to the center of the table, followed shortly by a kettle of tea. "There. Real food."
Orihime pouted slightly, from her chair to Byakuya's right. "Of course it's real-"
"Ain't no 'a course to it, Inoue. Sorry, but you only get ta' experiment with squad members - Taichou's palate is a bit too 'delicate' for stuff like that. Ya' might just poison him," Renji interrupted, halfway through removing the apron and taking a seat himself.
"Inoue-san cooked for me last night and it was just fine, Renji," Byakuya pointed out, deciding a bit of effort to compliment Orihime was in order considering all that she had done. 'Besides, you of all people should know I am far from delicate' was what the noble wanted to add, but bit back and turned to his food instead.
Renji blinked in shock, turning to Inoue who beamed enthusiastically. "It wasn't that instant stuff? You actually made it?"
"Yep!" she answered triumphantly, "Mandarin hot soup flavored with shichimi, shiitake, and roasted sesame seeds."
"Ugh, that's not fair, Taichou likes spicy things," Renji grumbled, adding some fish to his plate. "And he was really outta' it last night anyway," he added, glancing sideways at the noble.
"No more than you were," the captain parried as he filled his own plate, "but that had nothing to do with the quality of Inoue's cooking."
"Thank you, Byakuya-san," Inoue piped happily, glad to have finally found someone who enjoyed the same taste in food.
"Fine" Renji muttered, eating some of his own food, "if ya' like so much I'll stay outta th' kitchen."
With a roll of his eyes, Byakuya started in on his own meal, pausing long enough to respond, "Did I ever say I did not prefer yours?" The older man spared a glance to Orihime. "No offense intended, Inoue-san."
"Why would I be offended?" She questioned blankly.
Renji hid a smile with his cup, swallowing completely before setting it down again. "No you didn't," he answered warmly.
Orihime, if nothing else, Byakuya decided, would keep him from acting like an infatuated fool in public. Her question interrupted him from visibly relaxing and very nearly smiling in turn to Renji. Instead he slid his usual stoic gaze back to her. "I was merely attempting to make sure neither of you felt less adequate than the other, Inoue," the noble explained disinterestedly, and then focused back on his meal.
Renji sighed at the obvious lack of affection in Byakuya's response. Really, he couldn't even relax around a human woman he'd see all of a few times in the next 80 years? Returning to his food, he glanced idly at Inoue, catching her gaze for a second to emit a silent apology for the noble's frosty exterior. She gave him a bright smile in return.
"Are you planning on going out today? I was going to take Chie-chan to see a movie... I could give you some money if you wanted to find something to do," she offered.
Renji instinctively made to reply, but then closed his mouth at the subtle way she glanced at Byakuya and then quickly returned to his own gaze. He grinned slowly, "Yeah, we'd like that'," he replied for them both. Byakuya blinked as he took a sip of tea, arching an elegant eyebrow over his cup at the other man, all but asking 'We would?' but otherwise remaining silent. He decided that he might as well not protest, at least for a little while, to let the redhead have a bit of fun. As long as Renji was around, he supposed he could cope with the living world in general.
Hearing no voice of protest, Inoue clapped her hands together decisively. "Wonderful! Of course, I'll have to get you another outfit," she pointed out. "You'd stand out too much if the two of you weren't wearing the same style."
Renji rolled his eyes, realizing he wasn't going to win in the fashion category and relenting easily. "All right, all right..." Secretly, he thought the excuse was rather weak considering the wide variety of styles he'd witnessed, but decided it wasn't worth arguing over.
"Good," Inoue announced, standing from her chair and picking up her already completely empty dishes. "I'll get both outfits then- oh, unless you wanted to pick something out, Byakuya-san...?"
"I'll trust your judgment, Inoue-san," Byakuya replied, sparing her a softer, less chilly glance than before. He took a last sip of his tea before sitting his cup down and giving Renji a vaguely curious glance, wondering what in the world he possibly had planned that required leaving this house.
Renji smirked, waiting until Inoue had gone upstairs before saying quite plainly, "'m not telling you where we're goin' yet, Taichou, so you'll just have to come along and find out."
"How encouraging," the noble sighed, unable to resist stretching his left foot over and lightly kicking Renji in the shin beneath the table. "I suppose I'll have to trust your judgment as well."
"I s'pose ya will," the redhead answered, meaning it lightly, although the statement came out a bit softer than intended. He pulled over a tray filled with a lighter, fruit based dish, added some to his plate. As he did, his eyes trailed to Byakuya's plate. "You should really eat more," he suggested, frowning a bit at how little it seemed the noble had eaten.
"I should," the older man responded quietly, agreeing for Renji's sake and piling a bit more onto his plate. Despite the fact his reiatsu was still rather weak, his appetite had decided to wane once his thoughts focused elsewhere.
Not quite certain what had brought on this mood, Renji sighed lightly. Normally he wouldn't give a damn what the noble did or did not eat, but the fact of the matter was that both of their reiatsu was still abysmally low and it worried him that despite this Byakuya seemed to have no discernable appetite. "I can make something else..." he offered, hoping it was merely a matter of taste.
Shaking his head, Byakuya gave Renji what he hoped was a remotely reassuring glance. "It's not that," he said softly, "I'm just still getting used to everything here, that's all..." Before turning back to his plate and giving his breakfast a sincere attempt, the noble leaned over and dared a brush of his lips against the redhead's cheek.
Renji couldn't help the small smile the crept across his lips from the display of affection. "You just need ta' relax a bit, Taichou. You'll like it more if you do," he advised before returning to his own meal.
"Easier said that done..." The captain bit back another sigh and went back to eating. Eating was, he decided, the best idea here; the quicker his reiatsu recovered, the quicker he could go home, after all.
Inoue fluttered back into the room in a whirl of energy, halfway lost in a moderately sized purse. "I left the clothes on the bed," she announced, her voice slightly muffled by the bag until she found what she was looking for and straightened. She stepped around the table, opening her wallet and pulling out a few slips of paper, which she folded in half and slipped between the wires of one of her hair pins which she'd taken out for that purpose. The combined package was laid firmly in Renji's hand before the redhead could so much as blink. "I'm covered for the month, so use as much of that as you want," she instructed, flashing him a brilliant smile. "It's a little chilly today, so feel free to grab one of the coats in the front closet," she added and then paused finally, trying to think of anything she missed. "... Do you need any directions?"
Renji chuckled and shook his head, instantly affected by the young woman's energetic mood. "Nah, I remember everythin' fine. And thank you, Inoue," he answered sincerely.
She brightened even more at the expression of gratitude and nodded. "You're always welcome. Oh! How late will you be out? Should I make dinner for four?"
Shaking his head lightly, Renji held up the money, the bright blue flower on the clip quite prominent as he did. "I think we've got more than enough here for dinner, thanks."
"All right then, I'll leave the door unlocked for you-" She blinked and then turned to Byakuya suddenly as if just remembering that she should probably check with him too. "Do you need anything else before I leave, Byakuya-san?"
Byakuya blinked for a moment, taken off guard by the sudden presence of Inoue's vibrant energy and cheerful demeanor. "Ah - no, Inoue-san. I think you have done more than enough, thank you," he responded, tone guarded but still sincerely grateful.
"All right then, I'm off!" She replied instantly and then added, "Enjoy yourselves!" while waving as she quickly left the kitchen. A moment later the door opened and closed, leaving the two shinigami in stark silence.
Renji snickered a bit at the look on Byakuya's face from the whirlwind run-through. "She's probably late," he explained, setting the money down again, "'s pretty normal." He finished the rest of his tea and collected his dishes, rising to rinse them in the sink.
Shaking off the remnants of his reaction, Byakuya finished what was left on his plate before standing and bringing them to the sink. "Are you still not going to tell me where we're going?" he queried, eyeing the redhead.
"You'll like it," the redhead answered instead, taking Byakuya's plates and rinsing them off as well. He moved to the side, opening a cupboard and pulling out a few clear plastic containers by feel, obviously having done so many times previously. His motions seemed automatic as he set the containers down on the table and carefully began filling them with the leftovers. "You know, some of this stuff would be really useful in Seireitei," he sighed ponderously. "It's a little strange that we never really upgrade, ya' know?"
The noble let out a snort at that. "I prefer Seireitei the way it is now. I am glad the living world has had little influence upon it." Resisting the urge to lean close to the redhead and get in the way of whatever he was doing, Byakuya stepped away and sighed to himself. Perhaps the worst thing about being in the living world was the lack of use he seemed to be.
Renji rolled his eyes slightly, attaching the appropriate lids to each container. "On second thought, it's not really strange at all." He glanced over at Byakuya, noticing the somewhat dejected air about the noble. Empathizing somewhat with what the man was likely feeling at the moment, the redhead nodded lightly towards the empty platters as he returned to his task. "If you want somethin' ta do, you could put the empty dishes in the sink," he offered. "... I just assumed you wouldn't want ta deal with stuff like that."
Taking Renji up on his offer, Byakuya turned to the dishes and began the task of moving them. "I'd rather do at least something like this than nothing at all," he murmured. "...Especially since Inoue has gone out of her way to help, and /you/ actually got out of bed before me for once."
Chuckling softly at the rib, Renji replied, "I do wake up before you... just not when you've given me significant reason not to." Picking up two of the newly filled containers, he walked over to the fridge, and holding the door ajar with his leg as he resorted some of the shelves to fit the leftovers before putting them inside and then grabbing the last Tupperware from the table and adding that. "We owe Inoue a lot more than just cleaning up," he continued conversationally, "The only reason we could campaign like we have the last two years is because we could set up here and didn' have ta wait on Fourth Division."
"You mean to tell me I am more likely to keep you in bed than severe injury?" the noble barely could bite back a smirk that quickly faded when the war returned to the conversation. "...Then we should see to it that she is gratefully rewarded for her services. But, later..." Byakuya slid past Renji, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. "...Hopefully, there will not be many more arrancar to deal with in the near future and we can truly proclaim this conflict over."
Renji caught Byakuya's wrist before he could go far and leaned over, planting a kiss firmly on his lips. "We'll never run outta arrancar, but hopefully we've cleaned up most a Aizen's by now," he answered lowly, before pulling away again to lean against the doorframe as Byakuya finished his task. "I almost want to stick around a bit longer though... every time we get one group it seems like another shows up."
Distracted by the kiss, Byakuya almost forgot to finish putting the last few dishes away as the temptation of Renji's warmth and embrace was all too inviting. He forced himself to pull away after a moment, finishing up and rather quickly returning to the younger man's side, burying himself against it and leaning his head against his shoulder. The thought of Renji staying longer made him wince visibly. "...I'll try to arrange that another Division is given some work here. You've been here long enough as is."
As if expecting the reaction, Renji gently wrapped his arms around the noble, laying a hand on the back of Byakuya's head. "If you think that's best," he murmured softly, gently running his fingers through the black mane, eyes watching the far wall through a half lidded gaze. With a nod as a response and a slow sigh, grey eyes slid shut and tension flooded from the noble's body. He sunk into the other man's arms, nuzzling deeper into his embrace and not caring that his arms slid around Renji's waist and tightened to an almost-cling.
The redhead dipped his head slightly, pressing his lips to Byakuya's neck affectionately. "Come on, let's get dressed. I promise you'll prefer our first stop to staying cooped up here," he whispered soothingly.
Renji's words calmed the older man and he nodded, trusting the promise possibly more than he should have but letting it slide for now. Reluctantly, he withdrew from Renji's arms, his hand instead sliding to Renji's and holding tightly there. Squeezing back firmly, the redhead led him back upstairs to the room they'd borrowed. True to her word, Inoue had laid two sets of clothes on the bed. Renji looked them over, noting the two different colored slacks and grabbing the tan ones. The shifting cloth revealed a white kerchief, mostly dark orange t-shirt with some western writing on it, and a white dress shirt. He grinned; glad she'd taken a moment to find him the headpiece. He glanced at the other set of clothing and then back at Byakuya, "Good?" he queried.
The other set consisted of a pair of black slacks and a plain white t-shirt along with a dressier one of light blue. The noble murmured a quiet 'yes' before pulling away and tugging the shirt he currently was wearing off. Shaking his mussed hair from his face, Byakuya irritably raked a hand back through it and for the first time in a while, wished for a hair tie. He wasn't used to his hair being down this often and absently thought it was getting too long to be manageable. How Renji put up with his own hair was beyond him.
Having already stripped down, Renji was part way through buttoning his pants by the time he noticed Byakuya's war of malcontent. A smirk threatened to slip into laughter, but he managed to hold it at bay long enough to ask, "Missin' yer kenseikan?" with only a light tease. He grabbed the orange t-shirt and slipped it on.
"Only since an arrancar snapped two to pieces, and who knows what happened to the other three," Byakuya all but grumbled, trying to ignore his hair for the moment to finish changing. He blew a strand of ebony from his face after he was done with his pants and the white shirt, and then gave up entirely as he pulled the second shirt over that. "Please tell me you have an extra hair tie," he finally said, exasperated. Maybe he was overreacting, but he did not appreciate yet another variation in his routine.
"Even if I did, it wouldn' help ya in a gigai," Renji couldn't help pointing out, grinning at Byakuya's obvious discomfort. "However, there is a bag of 'em in the bathroom," he followed up quickly, "and a comb, which, as much I love your hair when its messed up, you could use." He slipped on the white over shirt not bothering to tuck it in or even button it up and then grabbed the kerchief as he made to lead on to the bathroom.
Shooting Renji a dark but rather sulky look, Byakuya slipped past him into the bathroom. "I'm glad you find this so amusing," he mumbled, dangerously close to pouting as he tried to do what he could for his rather rebellious hair. At least Renji's hair could be effectively tamed in some manner - when his own was down, it refused to cooperate at all times.
"Here," the redhead sighed, grabbing the comb from Byakuya and moving behind him, "Just hold still," he instructed, carefully running the comb through the black hair. He leaned around the noble, turning on the sink quickly to wet the comb and then returning to his task. "What do you want? Tied at the nape?" He glanced over the other man's shoulder, catching blue eyes in the mirror.
Absently, Byakuya decided that having Renji fix his hair should become part of his routine, because really, he couldn't go wrong by having the redhead near him with his hands in his hair at the same time. "Yes," he sighed before shutting his eyes half-way and relaxing again, his irritation having disappeared the second Renji touched him.
Renji nodded and carefully gathered Byakuya's hair back, leaving a section on the left side loose for the sake of imitating the noble's usual hairstyle and hopefully offer some sense of familiarity. Leaning forward again, he grabbed a hair tie and then pulled back, tying it securely in place. "How's that?"
Opening his eyes completely, Byakuya nodded slightly. "Much better," the noble murmured, turning his head to nuzzle beneath Renji's chin. "Thank you."
The redhead laughed softly and patted Byakuya's back lightly. "It's too bad you don't like it here, ‘cuz it seems to make ya really affectionate," he joked gently, showing with his expression that he appreciated the closeness.
Letting out a soft snort, the older man simply proved Renji's point and nestled closer as he turned in the redhead's arms and slid one arm around his waist. "Being near you makes me forget I'm here," he murmured quietly.
Renji held him close, laying his head against the noble's shoulder and rubbing his back gently. Auburn eyes drifted shut for a moment as the younger shinigami relaxed into the embrace, holding and being held equally. "It's not so bad here... you'll see."
"I'll take your word for it." Nuzzling the other man absently, Byakuya allowed himself to trust what Renji was saying. If nothing else, he could thrash Renji in a spar later for being wrong. Though, given Renji's improvements, it might not be as easy as it used to be. The noble looked slightly amused at the thought before he lifted his head and pressed his lips to the redhead's jaw. "...Should we get going?"
"Yeah," Renji confirmed, smiling again. "We should." He pulled back then, catching Byakuya's lips briefly before leaving the bathroom, guiding the noble along by the cuff of his sleeve. "When was the last time you were here? Before I became your fukutaichou, I mean," the redhead asked as he led them through the kitchen to pick up the clip of money and then back towards the front door, stopping by the closet to grab some coats.
Following closely at Renji's side, the noble thought for a moment before taking the offered coat. "...About 55 years ago," he said finally, rolling his eyes slightly before continuing with an explanation with surprising ease. "I remember hating it especially because Hisana and I had only just gotten married and I had been sent off on duty here... In the middle of summer, of all times."
Renji winced slightly in sympathy, grabbing a coat for himself and slipping it on. "No wonder you hate it so much... Well, fall's pretty nice 'round here, so you don't have to worry about that." With a casual smile at the noble, Renji slipped on the nearest pair of appropriately sized shoes from the pile beside the door, finding strange amusement in the sheer volume of shoes that were obviously not worn by any normal member of the house. He stepped aside for Byakuya and strayed to the door.
"That's a relief..." After finding a pair of shoes for himself, the noble turned toward the door and slipped close to Renji's side again. Compulsively, his fingers reached up and curled around the other man's elbow, staying there. It was much easier to show affection toward the other man when he wasn't so worried about a member of his household showing up around the corner, or some other Division member stepping into the office.
As far as Renji was concerned, the living world was greatly preferred to Seireitei when it came to the relationship between them. No one seemed to really give a damn, and if they did, more often than not, it wasn't someone they knew personally or who could cause trouble for them. He opened the door, holding it ajar for Byakuya to pass through and then followed behind quickly, closing the door as they headed down the stairs. Making sure to stay close so as to not dislodge Byakuya's tentative hold, Renji took a look around and then nodded towards the left and began walking. "It's this way... heh," he laughed quietly, glancing around, "this place looks pretty different from even thirty years ago... can't imagine what it was like 50 years ago."
The noble's hold tightened as they walked, not wanting his hand to be accidentally dislodged. "It is quite different," he agreed softly as he followed closely, his head tilting slightly so that his cheek rested against Renji's shoulder. "But at least the weather is nicer," Byakuya added lowly, eyes lifting up to the autumn sky that was more grey than blue. He inhaled slowly, deciding that Renji was right in that he preferred fresh air, despite the slight chill, to being cooped up in that house all day.
More than pleased with Byakuya's sudden ability to display affection in a public area, the redhead bent his arm a bit, catching the hand holding to him and holding it gently. "Told ya," he murmured, looking around and noting the general lack of people in the area. Well, that helped to explain the noble's sudden ease, he supposed, idly wondering how long it would last but also unwilling to guess, as Byakuya's good moods were things easily jinxed. As such, he continued guiding the older man along in comfortable silence.
Twining his fingers a bit more securely with Renji's, Byakuya's thumb absently rubbed across the back of Renji's hand as he relaxed a bit further. He was a bit surprised at the quiet atmosphere but certainly was appreciative. Quiet, fresh air, Renji - that was enough to settle his nerves quite substantially, and he gave the redhead's shoulder an absent nuzzle of gratitude with his cheek.
They continued on in silence until coming to a steep hill at which Renji gently nudged Byakuya into straightening a bit. "Where's just about there," he explained, nodding up towards the top of the hill. "There's a graveyard near by so we might have some company, but the last time I was here it was pretty empty."
Lifting his head from Renji's shoulder, the noble gave a small nod, compulsively reaching up with his free hand to brush his hair from his eyes. "All right," he murmured, unable to keep from being curious about their destination in spite of himself.
Walking a bit quicker now that they were close to their destination, Renji pulled the other man along by the hand, guiding him up the hill and then taking a left straight into a forest that seemed to appear out of nowhere. At second glance, the area was obviously quite manicured and well cared for, offering a tranquil setting in the otherwise industrial, busy city. Sunlight filtered in through the tall trees, tinted green and only lightly dusting the floor of grass. Renji slowed once they found a path and glanced back at Byakuya to gauge his response
Surprise reflected clearly on Byakuya's face as he found himself suddenly in an entirely new environment. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, and he almost visibly relaxed once in the forest, eyes scanning the area and finding nothing but woods for some fair distance around. Peace and quiet at last. He took in a slow, appreciative breath of the air around him before exhaling softly and glancing up at Renji.
"You've outdone yourself," the noble concluded before leaning up and kissing him gently.
Renji smiled into the kiss, returning it gently and eventually breaking it to step back and lean against a nearby tree, watching the noble with a light expression. "I thought you'd enjoy it... We can stay for a couple hours easy... however long you want. It gets pretty deep... so we can keep going or... whatever you want." Auburn eyes glanced over, gently catching blue ones but demanding no return for their attention.
Byakuya kept a loose hold on Renji's hand, his fingertips grazing over the top of the other man's hand as he gazed briefly up through the canopy of trees. "You know me well, then," the noble remarked distractedly. For it to be so late in autumn, he was surprised to see so many trees with their leaves. Dropping his eyes again, he briefly caught Renji's gaze. "Let's keep going," he suggested quietly, stepping back and drawing Renji with him.
The redhead nodded and silently moved to follow the noble, keeping close as they continued on.
~
He could have taken two hours of silence easily, three or four less so, but still succeeded. Of course, this was provided he had something to occupy himself with. That something, unfortunately, was sitting perfectly still beneath the same tree he'd been leaning against for the past four hours, enjoying his peace and quiet and cold and death... Renji shivered and curled up slightly, rubbing his hands together. It was warmer earlier but he'd failed to consider their late start, resulting in what would soon be twilight overtaking them. He glanced sideways at the noble who seemed completely undisturbed by the change in temperature and unwilling to move still. He'd come out here for Byakuya's sanity, but was quickly finding his own drawing to an edge...
With little thought to the motion, the redhead let his body slip from the support of the tree to fall somewhat limply against the older shinigami's, releasing a soft whine with the movement.
The sudden weight made Byakuya blink, then sigh softly as he heard Renji's whine and more or less took the hint. A pale hand rose and absently brushed over the other man's red hair as he looked at Renji apologetically. "It's getting late," he murmured, feeling guilty for making the younger man stay this long with him. "I'm sorry I kept you out so long... Let's head back."
Renji shook his head lightly and curled closer. "Jus' cold," he muttered and then sighed, "We don't have to head back... but I wanted to take you some where else. Didn't think you'd actually sit out here that long... how can you stand it?"
Slipping his arms around the redhead, Byakuya drew him closer, offering him some of his warmth. "Then take me somewhere else. It is getting cold." The noble gave a small, self-conscious shrug to Renji's query. "And it's just relaxing... I am sorry I made you sit out so long, though."
"'s alright," the redhead sighed, curling into Byakuya's embrace. He took a moment to enjoy the new warmth before deciding that as much as he enjoyed it, he needed to move before he went stir crazy. Shifting slightly to indicate his decision, Renji eventually pulled away and moved to stand. "I take it you enjoyed yourself, though?" he questioned with a sideways glance at his companion.
"Yes, I did..." Following Renji, the older man stood carefully and stretched. Grey-blue eyes shifted over to catch the other man's auburn gaze. "It is very kind of you to put up with things like this even when you do not appreciate them," the noble quietly, but sincerely commented. "Thank you."
A faint blush brushed the younger man's cheeks, making him glance to the side and shove his hands in the pockets of his slacks self-consciously. "... We should get going..." he mumbled, hazarding a glance back before starting their walk out of the forest.
Quickly stepping after him, Byakuya slid up to the redhead's side. Giving Renji an amused glance, he reached up a pale hand and pulled a leaf - or two - from the vibrantly red hair. "You seem to have a knack for getting messy, even if you do try to remain still for longer than five minutes," he teased.
Renji gave a soft snort at the comment, loosening up a bit from the gentle tease. "What's so great about stayin' clean?" he countered, tossing a smirk at the other man.
"Well, what's so great about getting dirty?" the noble shot back, giving a slightly playful smirk in return.
A grin worked its way back to the younger man's face, auburn eyes sparkling in amusement. "'s not getting dirty, Taichou, it's what ya' did ta end up that way," he answered easily. "If yer clean you haven't done anythin' worth doin'."
"And what if one is capable of staying clean while doing things that are worthwhile?" An elegant eyebrow arched in Renji's direction. "Sometimes - actually, all the time, I think you make a conscious effort to end up as filthy as possible."
Just shaking his head lightly, Renji looked forward again, unwilling to explain himself further. "I guess you'll just have ta put up with it, then."
Stretching up, the noble brushed his lips lightly across Renji's neck. "I never said I didn't like it."
Shivering at the light touch, the redhead glanced over at his companion, giving him a somewhat wistful smile. "I know." You never say anything, he wanted to add, but didn't have the compunction to break his captain's good mood just then. It was rare - extremely rare - to see the man smile, let alone give any displays of affection. The sheer amount of both was making him hedge at any sort of confrontation if merely to continue the atmosphere even just a few minutes longer.
Despite the redhead's attempts, his discontent did not go unnoticed and Byakuya withdrew slightly, sensing something was amiss but not knowing what. The noble fell silent, summoning the courage to breach the topic. "...Is there anything wrong, Renji?" he asked carefully after a few more minutes, lifting his eyes towards Renji's once more. You just seem... off.
"It's nothing, Taichou," the redhead responded, his smile never faltering. He reached over, lightly catching the sleeve of the noble's coat, wanting to keep him closer.
Byakuya opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again and simply followed the younger man's tug with a sigh. He nestled up against his side and leaned his head back against his shoulder. Maybe it was nothing, and he was over thinking things again.
Renji wasn't sure if he was happy the noble had bought the way he wrote of what was really on his mind or not, but decided to continue on with his plans for the night nonetheless. Besides, it was hard to bring up anything potentially detrimental when Byakuya was leaning against him like this. Winding his arm around the noble, Renji placed a quick kiss against the side of the other man's head and continued guiding them along the path until they reached the entrance to the grove. Instead of heading back the way they came, he turned left, heading down a more residential road.
An absent, almost purring sigh escaped from the noble as he relaxed further against Renji's side, his worries distracted temporarily. His eyes scanned the area calmly, instinctively taking a thorough note of his changing surroundings but not reacting negatively to them.
"So... ever been on a train?" Renji asked upon spotting the station a way off. As much as he enjoyed Byakuya's sudden closeness, it didn't feel right not to allow the man the choice, at least, of not being that way around strangers.
"...No," Byakuya admitted quietly. He shifted against Renji's side but didn't pull away, despite the gradual increase of activity in the area around them. Using Renji as a shield from the other people in the area seemed to be the wisest decision at the moment.
"It's a short ride from here," Renji explained, nothing if not pleased with the noble's decision. "It starts out next ta the road and then goes underground to get into th' city."
"Just lead the way," the captain murmured, not sure if the city would be the best of places but figuring he might as well go along. Renji had, after all, tolerated hours of quiet for him; he could return the favor, at the very least, in the city.
Smiling lightly, Renji took them into the station, drawing his hand away with a slight apologetic glance at the noble so he could pull out the clip of money Orihime had provided and flipped through it for the closest bill. Finally pulling one from the group, he refolded and clipped the colorful currency and slipped it back into the front pocket of his slacks. The ticket machine took a bit longer - even after two years, he still wasn't quite used to the idea - but eventually produced to more, much smaller slips of paper and a dish worth of coins which the redhead quickly swiped into his coat pocket. He passed one of the tickets over to Byakuya, and then nodded towards the turnstiles next to them.
"Slide the ticket in here," he instructed quietly, dropping his own through a small slot near his right hand, walking through and picking it up from another slot on the other side. He paused then, leaning against the metal as he waited for Byakuya to follow suit.
Mimicking Renji, Byakuya soon joined him on the other side and retrieved his ticket. Really - humans came up with the most ridiculously pointless things. He all but refastened himself to Renji's side, eyes scanning the area with feigned disinterest. It was a bit unnerving how much the living world had changed in only 50 years; not that he had seen much outside of the city streets in years past, but the difference was still extremely notable and made him a little anxious in spite of himself.
Renji slipped his hand into Byakuya's once more, offering him a somewhat bemused smirk as he led the way to the platform. "Relax, Taichou... I didn't just spend four hours zoning out so you'd just tense up again," he chided softly as they waited.
Glowering slightly, the noble nevertheless curled his fingers securely into Renji's hand and leaned back into his side. "I'm not tense," he murmured uselessly as he tipped his head against Renji's shoulder and sighed. "And Renji - it's 'Byakuya.' We've had this conversation before," he chided as well, glancing at the redhead with a raised eyebrow. "I doubt there is anyone around here that will bat an eyelash if you do call me by name."
Renji regarded the noble for a moment before glancing away with a sigh. "We haven't had this conversation - you only said I could when we were alone and behind closed doors."
Frowning, Byakuya reached up and pressed a hand to the other man's cheek, turning his eyes back. "I'm changing my mind for now, then, if that's how you'd like to look at it."
Rather dejected, but trying not to show it, Renji tilted his head against the noble's hand, closing his eyes for a moment. "If you want me to use it now, I will," he answered neutrally, "and if you don't want me to when return I won't." But that doesn't have anything to do with what I want, he added mentally, opening his eyes and turning away when he heard the screech of a train pulling into the station.
The noble's frown deepened, but he dropped his hand from Renji's face... and the subject with it. Renji was upset, that he could plainly see; the redhead could never hide it. He still couldn't comprehend why, however. It was a simple matter of propriety, and that was all - at least, he thought so. Byakuya sighed softly and slid back against Renji's side, dropping his eyes.
The doors of the train opened revealing a rather sparse group of passengers. Renji silently thanked his luck that he'd decided to travel before anyone got out of work. He remembered being caught in that particular situation a few times and knew Byakuya would more than likely have severe issues with being squeezed by five people into a cramped, moving train. Pulling said noble by the hand, Renji stepped on to the train and brought them over to one end to sit on the barely padded plastic seats.
He glanced over, noting Byakuya's rather dour demeanor and immediately regretted not simply keeping the man's mind at ease by just agreeing. He sighed and leaned closer. " 'm sorry, 'Kuya... I was just tryin ta be careful..."
"I know." With his thoughts occupied elsewhere, Byakuya thought little of the new environment he was dragged into - at least for the time being - and simply settled closer to Renji. He buried his face into his shoulder with a sigh, his words muffled when he spoke. "You shouldn't have to be."
With an exasperated sigh, the redhead leaned back and stared at the ceiling, willing himself not to say anything that would spark another fight, especially one he knew he'd never win. Instead, he squeezed Byakuya's hand lightly and listened for the voice that would proclaim their stop. Shutting his eyes, the noble allowed himself to lean against the younger man and attempt to calm his nerves. It seemed that the trend of only arguing was still between them and he honestly didn't know what to do to solve it other than stay silent. A pity something like that would be awkward for the rest of the night. Byakuya tried not to sigh again and instead focus his attention on something else.
Renji was quickly getting the impression he should have stopped while he was ahead. He brushed his hand gently against Byakuya's thigh to get the man's attention. "You hungry?" he asked softly. That, at least, was something he could take care of immediately, and as he was rather famished himself, actually wanted to do.
Byakuya opened his eyes half-way at that and managed a small nod. "A little..." This was an understatement, of course. His spirit energy was abysmally low, which probably was not helping his mood that had slipped in the past few minutes. If his reiatsu could rebel, it would have already, especially in complaint that he hadn't eaten enough that morning for breakfast.
A thought suddenly occurred to the redhead that made him smirk slightly in spite of their somber mood. "Ever had western food?" He tilted his head forward again, looking over at the man leaning against him.
Grey-blue eyes immediately blinked at the question. "No." Though, the noble thought wryly, judging by the smirk on Renji's face, he would probably partake in such a meal fairly soon.
"We're gettin' off at th' next stop then," the redhead announced, grin broadening. "And yer actually eating it," he added, affectionately poking fun at how little the other man seemed to eat.
Growling underneath his breath, Byakuya resisted the urge to bite Renji's shoulder in retaliation to the tease. "I'll eat," the noble muttered, "I would have more this morning, but I hadn't slept well and didn't feel up to it."
Eyebrows rose slightly, "Is that so? I'm pretty sure you said ya slept well when I asked." Auburn eyes strayed along the bit of Byakuya's face the noble hadn't all but concealed by now.
"I lied." A soft shrug accompanied the words. "I didn't want to say I hadn't slept well in front of Inoue-san. She was worrying enough already."
"... I thought you slept well next to me," Renji half asked, concern quite evident in the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes.
The noble hesitated, and then sighed softly, reaching a hand up to brush his hair out of his face out of nervous habit. "I usually do," he admitted quietly, "but usually I fall asleep before you... and I'm just..." His eyes flickered up to meet Renji's, a bit of embarrassment visible despite how he struggled to keep it back. "- used to you helping me relax, but last night, obviously, you were exhausted... and I don't sleep well in new places, so..."
Unable to withhold the reaction, Renji leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Byakuya's forehead, before pulling the man close again. "I'll stay up tonight, then."
Shutting his eyes beneath the kiss, the dark-haired man let out a small, pleased sigh and leaned close to Renji again. He rested his cheek against his shoulder before lifting his eyes again briefly. "Thank you, Renji."
“‘A course..." Giving the noble a soft smile, the younger man glanced over to the electric display showing their route and then back to his companion. "Don't get too comfortable, our stop's comin' up."
The noble almost grumbled, but sat up a bit anyway, not wanting to get comfortable enough to doze off onto the redhead's shoulder. "This dinner better be good," he teasingly threatened.
"Well, you'll get ta choose so it'll be yer own fault if it's not," Renji parried, stretching out of his seat and easily maintaining balance as the train came to a stop. An electric voice informed them of their arrival as the doors slid open. "Come on, they don't stop fer very long," he suggested, nodding to the doors.
Climbing out of his own seat, he stretched slightly before finding his spot at Renji's side again. He rolled his eyes slightly, not bothering to argue with the redhead's comeback, and instead slid his hand down to curl it back around Renji's.
Taking the lead once more, Renji pulled the noble along, bringing them through the significantly larger station than they'd started at, and up a few flights of steps to the bustling city streets. He grinned, welcoming the energy of the surrounding area as lights began lining the streets and the day's patrons began thinning into a nighttime crowd. He glanced back at the man following him, judging his reaction.
Secretly, Byakuya was quite glad to have Renji around to drag him wherever it was they were going. No doubt he'd be lost very quickly in all of this activity. His eyes darted about the streets and compulsively, he tightened his grip on Renji's hand before he visibly calmed himself. "It's a lot bigger than I remember," he murmured, but didn't seem too distressed about the presence of so many people.
"That's a big understatement, 'Kuya," the redhead laughed and then turned, pulling the noble along once more. "The nicer places’re this way," he explained, half over his shoulder, "We don' have enough for anythin' really fancy, but we can get in somewhere pretty nice."
Quickening his steps slightly to keep up with Renji's change of direction, the noble decided it was easier not to look at everything in the area. If he lingered too much on his surroundings, he felt even more overwhelmed. "Pretty nice is good enough."
"Glad you approve," Renji answered only half sarcastically, scanning the streets for the proper place to eat. "Tell me if ya' see some place you like th' look off," he added distractedly.
"You're the one who would know better," Byakuya pointed out, but absently scanned the bustling streets anyway. This was certainly not as bad as he thought it would be; the only annoying thing, really, was the presence of so many people so near him.
"Jus' let me - ah, here we go." The redhead pulled up short, allowing Byakuya to draw closer as he stopped outside a large building with tastefully lit glass doors. It wasn't ritzy, but still a good few steps above the places Inoue usually dragged Renji... and whoever else was still at her house. He turned back to the noble, once more checking for approval.
Byakuya nodded, sparing Renji a faint smile. "This looks fine," he reassured, but took the opportunity to slide a fraction closer to Renji's side regardless of his calm demeanor.
Returning the faint smile, Renji walked in, drawing the noble along at a closer distance than before. Once inside, he quickly found the man in charge of seating and pulled away for a second to speak quickly with him. A moment later he returned to Byakuya's side and nodded towards a waiter, indicating they were following him. "I got us somethin' in the back room - not as many people," he explained quietly as they walked behind the other man.
"You know me too well," the older man practically sighed in relief, looking forward to at least a temporary break from the activity and general thrum of noise around the restaurant. The back room was, in fact, far less crowded and only an occasional, dim bit of chatter broke the fairly comfortable silence.
"For some reason, I doubt that," he chuckled softly.
The waiter indicated a comfortably sized booth to them and stepped to the side. Flashing a quick smile, Renji slid into the far side, taking the menus with a nod and asking for a few minutes before deciding on drinks. Waiting until the man had gone; he placed a menu in front of Byakuya and then, thinking twice about his methods, changed sides so he sat beside the noble and, with a grin, opened the tall, folded paper, laying it out on the table in front of them.
Using the menu as an excuse to lean into Renji once again, the noble's eyes scanned the paper before he gave up with a rather good-natured snort. "Because you know much more about western food, will you order for me."
An amused sparkle lit Renji's eyes as he regarded first the menu and then his companion. "I can't do all th' work now... Here, let's start with somethin' ta drink..." He slid the menu over a bit, indicating the third section's list of beverages. "Alcohol or not?"
"It's quite enjoyable when you do all the work, though," Byakuya commented with mild amusement, but humored Renji with an answer, anyway. "Not - I daresay my alcohol tolerance would be rather low right now."
"That's a bad thing?" Renji retorted, rather taken by his lover's unrestricted self. He made a mental note to make sure Byakuya got away from his family more often. "Unless you're feeling adventurous, then, we can have some tea or water... although Inoue did mention that she'd seen foreigners order cow's milk often with western food."
"It is a bad thing, unless you feel like dragging me back to Inoue's and explaining why I am completely incoherent," the noble said dryly, wrinkling his nose a bit at the thought of cow's milk. "I would just prefer tea."
"Green tea might be a bit bitter for western food; have you tried orange?" Renji inquired, smirking lightly at Byakuya's previous comment, but deciding it was safer not to answer it.
"I haven't... but I'll give it a try," Byakuya relented, catching the smirk and raising an eyebrow toward him, a bit surprised at the lack of a comeback.
Leaning closer, Renji whispered with more than a hint of ill intentions, "You have no idea the amount of fun I'd have with ya' bein' 'completely incoherent'." He pulled back with a grin and returned to the dinner portion of the menu.
Unable to bite back the reaction, a faint blush spread across the noble's cheekbones, heat immediately spreading through him. He shifted, flustered, but knowing he completely asked for it so he couldn't protest - and honestly did not want to. "I'll keep that in mind," Byakuya mumbled a few seconds later.
Renji chuckled softly and spared the noble any further embarrassment by returning the conversation their dinner. "How hungry’re ya? Most western dishes seem ta' have a lot of meat in them, so it's pretty filling.”
"Hungry enough," Byakuya responded immediately, regaining some of his composure as his body decided that food was priority over being flustered.
"Ya' should be," the redhead pointed out mildly, and returned to the menu. "What kinda soup do ya like?" he asked, scanning the meals.
"Well, I am," he muttered, leaning his head against Renji's shoulder again and scanning the menu as well. "Something lighter - preferably no meat."
"In general or just in the soup?"
"In the soup." He snorted softly. "If I eat too lightly right now, I think you, as well as others, would start force-feeding me."
An eyebrow rose at that. "There's someone else who'd try to force feed you?" Renji questioned with an air of disbelief.
"Senbonzakura," the noble drawled. "He's been giving me grief since last night."
"Good," the redhead answered firmly, "but I doubt it'd be good for him ta manifest right now, so he'll just have ta leave the force-feeding to me," he added with a smirk. "Anyway... how does a minestrone sound?" he suggested, pointing to the part of the menu which listed the ingredients. "It's not as light as miso, but it's mostly vegetables, no meat and if you go much lighter ya' really won't be getting much."
"I've told him that, don't worry." Byakuya glanced to the menu, reading over it briefly, and nodded slightly. "That sounds fine."
With a nod, Renji moved on to the next part of the meal: the main course. "Any idea what kinda meat ya like? I noticed you don't really eat much of it."
"I don't really have a preference." The noble shrugged a little. "I've just never been one for it very often... but considering the state I'm in, it won't hurt for once."
"In that case, yer getting steak, 'cuz that's really the only thing I know anything about," Renji answered decisively and closed the menu.
"Fair enough." With their decisions made, Byakuya slipped underneath Renji's arm and against his side, leaning his cheek against his shoulder.
Seeing the menus closed, the waiter returned a moment later, taking the menus from the table and listening carefully to what Renji ordered for them both. Signaling a nearby cart to bring over the tea, he left soon after. The tea arrived shortly afterwards, delivered by a young woman in an outfit vaguely similar to livery. After setting the table with both cups and the kettle itself, she poured them both some of the steaming beverage and wished them both a good evening before departing.
Once free of other distractions, Renji turned his attention back to Byakuya, rubbing the other man's arm in an affectionate manner. "You okay?" he questioned with some genuine worry. "Tired?"
Grateful that Renji had taken care of everything, the noble settled a bit closer. His eyes slid half-way shut as he relaxed with a slow, easy sigh. "I'm all right. Just a little tired," he admitted, blaming his fatigue on the weakness of his spirit energy. Eating, at least, should solve some of that.
"A little?" The note of disbelief was covered with a light, teasing tone. "Either you’re downplaying how tired you are, or I'm a damn good pillow; you've been doing this all day," Renji pointed out, smiling a bit.
"You're a damn good pillow," Byakuya mumbled, nuzzling at his shoulder. "And I'm downplaying how tired I am."
Auburn eyes widened in utter shock as Renji all but jerked back to stare at the noble. "... You just ... swore." Whether shock, amusement, or outright concern was the most prominent emotion on Renji's face was anyone's guess.
An irritated sound reminiscent of a growl escaped the noble's lips as Renji pulled away and he lost said pillow. Byakuya stared blankly up at him before frowning slightly. "And you don't at least 300 times a day?"
"Yeah, but... you... don't," the redhead articulately countered.
"Once every 15 years, then, is appropriate for me," the noble said dryly, somewhat amused that Renji's reaction was so extreme.
"I... every 15 years?" Blinking, Renji found himself wondering just what was so important about 15 years.
"It's called sarcasm, Renji." Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'm not the only one tired here. I must say the expression your face was quite amusing, however."
"... Ah." After a moment, a smirk crossed the redhead's lips, broadening until he grinned and laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "Yeah, well... it wasn't exactly a normal thing for you," he eventually defended, and settled back down the way he'd been previously.
"I know," the noble agreed with a soft smirk of his own, settling back against Renji's side and getting comfortable once again. "But you do make a good pillow," he murmured, shutting his eyes briefly in response to a small wave of fatigue.
A soft laugh accompanied the elder's statement as the redhead made himself comfortable. "In that case... feel free to use me as a pillow whenever you want," he half offered amusement and affection obvious in his voice.
"I'll keep that mind..." Byakuya didn't bother to keep his eyes open as he sighed out that reply and relaxed into the redhead's warmth. The sooner dinner came, the better, as he wasn't sure he could stay awake much longer without it.
"Ya' know, you really should've told me you were this tired," Renji pointed out quietly and then nudged Byakuya gently, looking up. "Soup's here." True to his word, a waiter arrived soon after, placing two bowls of soup on the table and wishing them a good meal before leaving.
"I wasn't earlier," the noble murmured as he sat up and brushed his hair from his face. "I'll be fine once I eat something," Byakuya added, trying to reassure him.
Renji nodded and pulled his own bowl closer, trying the chowder in it. Surprized at how much he enjoyed the taste, and fueled by his own hunger, he promptly dug in. He resolved to, at some point, learn how to cook some of this kind of food, since he enjoyed it so much and the ingredients stayed longer than the stuff he typically made. After trying his own soup, Byakuya decided it wasn't bad at all and gave into his own hunger. At least food in the living world, even western meals, was decent. That gave him reason enough to tolerate this place, at least for the other few nights they had to stay.
Glancing over about half way through his chowder, Renji raised an eyebrow at the amount of food his captain had already consumed. He wasn't used to the man keeping pace with him. "You must be pretty hungry... or ya' really like that soup," he teased.
"Maybe a little of both," he sent back easily, feeling better already now that he had gotten something in his stomach. He honestly wasn't used to being this drained, and it was a relief to have something soothe that feeling.
Returning to his own bowl rather bemusedly, Renji asked, "When was the last time you were in a position like this?"
Swallowing another sip of soup, the noble moved to take a sip of his tea. "Confined to the living world, you mean?" Byakuya snorted softly. "It's never happened before to me."
Renji chuckled softly, having expected a similar answer, but then shook his head. "I mean weak," he clarified, looking over at the noble, "Ya' obviously hate it... 'm wond'rin' if there's a reason, or if ya' just find it annoying."
Byakuya shrugged slightly, and absently stirred his tea. "Both; it is annoying. And I suppose another reason would be that I prefer to be capable at all times... It is extremely inconvenient to be this weak, and not be able to deal with possible incidents if they occur."
"You're too fuckin' logical, ya' know that?" The redhead sighed for effect, returning to his chowder.
"You'd regret it if I were not sometimes," the noble pointed out before turning his attention back to his own soup, regardless of the fact he was almost done - and before Renji, at that.
"Regret it?" The redhead echoed, glancing over but never really halting his eating. "Why would I regret it?"
"You would not exist by now if not for my logical intervention at times," Byakuya said bluntly, knowing that was the best way to get across to the younger man.
Biting back his instinctive response, Renji merely frowned and retorted, “I wouldn't be around if your logic did intervene, either."
An elegant eyebrow arched but Byakuya said nothing as he finished his soup and turned to his tea. After taking a sip, he replied with a neutral tone, "Then I suppose we are even. I am just glad you are around."
We're never even, the redhead wanted to reply but did not vocalize his thoughts. "S'pose so," he agreed, slowly coming to the end of his chowder.
The noble frowned slightly, catching the hint of bitterness that Renji allowed through. "If you disagree, speak on it," the older man said quietly, "nothing's stopped you before."
Finishing his chowder, the redhead sat back and shook his head lightly. "I'd rather enjoy dinner."
"Later, then." Despite the sense of worry that settled over the noble, he slid back against Renji's side to lean his head upon a familiar shoulder.
The rest of the dinner had passed in a rather less than comfortable silence; the food had actually been good, but Byakuya was too distracted to really enjoy it. It had only gotten worse once they had left the restaurant, as one mention of the previous conversation had sparked an argument that lasted the entire train ride and walk home. Finally exasperated, Byakuya gave up biting his tongue once they made it to the doorstep of Inoue's home.
"I do not," the noble ground out lowly, "understand why this is such a subject of debate. Your 'logic' is as useful as mine at times and everything evens out in the end. Thus the phrase, 'we are even.' I assure you, I do not hold my opinion in higher regard than yours, and if I ever do, it is not intentional."
"That's bullshit! Even right now, yer talkin' down ta me!" Renji snapped, stepping up next to the other man, purposely invading his personal space. "You understand fine what I'm saying; you jus' don't believe it! You never see me as an equal! It AMAZES me that you can even THINK we're equal when all I do is cater to you!"
"I am sorry that you see it as 'catering' when you do it on your own free will!" Byakuya hissed back, sidestepping away from him. "Unless you assume that I control that aspect of our relationship as well. I am not talking down to you, and I am attempting to see you as an equal but you are making it extremely difficult right now by arguing like this!" Reaching for the door, he turned the knob and stepped inside, grateful that Inoue had left it unlocked. "I'm going to bed," he threw over his shoulder, not bothering to keep the frost out of his tone as he stormed away from the redhead, up the stairs, and into the bedroom where the door closed audibly.
"How's it feel ta be so pissed ya' can't even talk anymore, eh?!" Renji shouted after him as he slammed the front door shut. Growling audibly, he kicked off his shoes and threw his coat rather violently into the nearby closet. Resolving to spend the remainder of the night away from the prickly noble, he stormed into the living room and threw himself on to the couch.
After the bedroom door slammed shut, Byakuya's hand hovered near it, hesitating before locking it with an irritated sigh. He whirled away from the door, tugging off his coat as he fell back onto the edge of the bed, raking a hand back through his hair and shutting his eyes.
Having heard the entire scene from the living room, Orihime warily shifted back into the easy chair she had curled up into. Drawing her blanket around herself a little further, she waited until Renji had gotten comfortable to quietly break through the simmering anger that had settled around the redhead and throughout the rest of the room. "...Is there...anything I can do to help...?" she tried quietly, not wanting to intrude too far into Renji's affairs and make him more upset.
"Not unless you know some way of making people suddenly understand your point of view," Renji answered with a frustrated sigh, glancing over at her. "I just fuckin' give up... I don't think he'll ever listen."
"I think he's listening, Renji-kun, or at least, trying to..." Scooting out of her chair, the girl padded over to the couch, still wrapped up in her blanket as she flopped down at the other end and peered at Renji. "I just think... he's afraid that you're right," Inoue concluded, turning her eyes from Renji and looking upward slightly as she mused out loud. "He always looks so sad - like last night, while you were still unconscious, all he could do was frown and I knew how worried he was..." Switching thoughts abruptly, her attention turned quickly back to the redhead. "...do you ever just want to take him out in the sunlight, Renji-kun, and make him smile?"
Despite his mood, Renji couldn't help the soft laugh Inoue's rambles inevitably brought out of him. "Yeah, that was half th' reason I was attracted ta him, ya know? Wanted ta see that he could do something other than scowl," he admitted quietly. "An' even if he cares its just... I've been bitin' my tongue for six years... and I just couldn't be quiet any more when he was stupid enough ta take on three of those arrancar - fuckin' three Inoue! An' ever since then all we've done is snipe at each other... I just... wanted him ta relax a bit. ... He doesn't really like it here, so I was tryin' I just..." He sighed and put his head in his hands. "I'm so fucked."
Frowning slightly, Inoue pulled her knees up to her chest and dropped her chin on top of them as she thought for a moment. "Renji-kun - you know he cares. Byakuya-san doesn't seem the type to get upset over something if he didn't care, and he's really upset about you, you can tell... but he's not very good at showing that he cares in the way he should, so..." The girl tipped her head to look back at Renji curiously. "Do you think... he'd let someone else talk to him and help things? Outside of you? Because as much as he likes you, I think he knows how to block the things you say too easily," she explained, and then added with a small, almost apologetic smile. "We have to shake him up if you want anything fixed."
"That's half th' issue," Renji answered with a snort, "If you go up there and try ta talk to him about me, he'll have a heart attack jus' findin' out that you know."
"Maybe he needs that," Orihime quipped, then settled back to think on something more realistic. "Well, if not walking in on him... how about this. Take one of the spare rooms down here tonight, just let him have his space. He'll come down tomorrow morning for breakfast, for the sake of his reiatsu, anyway... so you just stay away until later, if you can. I'll get him alone - oh! And the Shun Shun Rikka can help -”
It was a really tempting offer... Byakuya getting some sense smacked into him and a shock from Orihime at the same time. ... And Senbonzakura would probably object to hurting Inoue if she was just trying to help. Of course, given his state, the girl could probably hold her own anyway if Byakuya snapped. Renji mulled over the possibilities, a small, vengeful part of him agreeing immediately with the proposal.
He sighed and looked up from his hands. Really, what did he have to lose? "I like that idea," he began, a small smile on his lips as he looked back at Inoue. "Just be careful, okay? He's not exactly stable right now."
A smile broke on the girl's face and she nodded, happy to be given the chance to help. "I'll be careful, Renji-kun," she assured him, still smiling. "As long as I get to help you, everything will be fine. Now -" Inoue slid from the couch, still clutching at her blanket. "- there's another spare room down here, which you should really take. You need some sleep!"
"Yeah," Renji sighed, nodding as he stood, "yer right, I should." He glanced over to her, seeing her brighten at the prospect of helping and just had to step over and give her a hug. "Thank you... for everything, Inoue."
Her smile softened and Orihime abandoned her blanket in lieu of wrapping her arms around Renji and returning the hug. "It's no trouble, Renji-kun. On top of everything else that's going on... You and Byakuya-san deserve to be happy... and happy together at that," she added gently before untangling herself from him. "Now off to bed with you! It's just down that hallway - " the girl made a gesture to the right, " - and it's the second door on the left."
"Che... I'm goin'," Renji answered with a quick smile, turning to follow Inoue's directions.
OMAKE!
---
thanks to http://www.prillalar.com/drabbles/:
On a black and frilly morning, Renji sat in a tree. It was Valentine's Day and he was all alone. His back ached in sorrow for the secret love that he could never share. How could he expect Byakuya to love someone with a prissy shoulder?
Amusedly, he began to recite a poem he had composed. "Ah, my love is like a flowy fluffy sword, all on a summer's day. I wish my Byakuya would rub me, in his own beautiful way..."
"Do you?" Byakuya sat down beside Renji and put his hand on Renji's face. "I think that could be arranged."
Renji gasped beautifully. "But what about my prissy shoulder?"
"I like it," Byakuya said lovingly. "I think it's squishy."
They came together and their kiss was as if he were a beautiful butterfly fluttering in the sky.
"I love you," Renji said luckily.
"I love you too," Byakuya replied and rubbed him.
They bought a cat, moved in together, and lived happily ever after.
Gali: 00:48:51
(XD;;; you know there's a female zanpakutou association that voted senbonzakura #1 /zanpakutou/ needed to release a photobook)
Kira: 00:49:15
(ROFL... no way Sen-chan would get in front of a camera. He's way too shy)
Gali: 00:49:43
(omg so adorable XD he's waaay too cute for his own good *squishes him*)