WARNING: This contains yaoi! Meaning boy on boy action. If you don't like it, then don't read it.

A/N: Yay, one of the best yaoi couples ever! I hope you guys like it. I enjoyed writing it ;)

Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach characters. Unfortunately. Le sigh.

In His Arms

Renji, for the first time in a long time, couldn't get to sleep. He had crawled into Ichigo's bed, wrapping a tattooed arm around the smaller male—who had already been asleep—before closing his eyes and trying to relax. But he had been in a high-strung mood lately, much to his irritation, so he couldn't find that long-sought-after peace that nighttime was supposed to bestow to him.

Sighing in annoyance, he remembered with a pang the small fight he had had with Ichigo the other day. It had been a ridiculous reason, really; just a disagreement about when exactly Renji had to go back to Soul Society. Byakuya had given him leave for about a week, which was a pleasant surprise for the Vice-Captain of the 6th Squad, but that week was drawing to a close. Ichigo had wanted Renji to stay longer, asking him to get a position in the real world to look after Hollows, but Renji had lost his patience and told him that he was being selfish. He couldn't stay in the real world forever and neglect his Vice-Captain duties. Ichigo had become sulky and defensive for the rest of the day, and today Renji had noticed a slight distance between them, even though they both acted like nothing had happened. At least Ichigo had returned the small kiss the shinigami had given him this morning—a petty attempt to make up for his brash manner. The hard truth was that Renji wanted to ask for that position too, but knew he couldn't.

He opened his eyes with a scowl. Honestly, he didn't deserve Ichigo. The poor boy had to deal with so much all the time, what with everyone out to get him or hinder him somehow, and here he was, making his life even more complicated. They should have never even been together.

No, I take that back, he thought quickly. This has got to be the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Orange hair filled half his vision. Tufts were sticking out in every direction, and it worked surprisingly well on the boy. It was soft and inviting; Renji reached a hand up to pet it for a bit, loving the way the strands ran through his battle-scarred hands. A soft noise emitted from the boy's mouth, and Renji smiled. He had never really seen how Ichigo slept, but now he took the time to observe the younger man, drinking in every little detail and committing it to his memory.

Ichigo slept on his side, one arm tucked beneath him, the other raised so that his right hand rested in front of his face, curled slightly into a fist. His nightshirt had slipped a little on his right shoulder, exposing the pale skin there, so smooth and delicate. This was, after all, the body of a young boy. It hadn't had time to harden and callus as much as Renji's had.

Something that struck Renji about his sleeping style was that his legs were brought in a bit towards his chest, almost as if he wanted to curl into a fetal position and ward against anything out to get him. The older man frowned, feeling helpless. He wanted to help Ichigo get rid of his fears, his sadness. There was so much on his shoulders and it weighed on him heavily. A few nights ago, Ichigo had sat bolt upright in the middle of the night, yelling about something. When Renji had calmed him down, he had confessed that he had been plagued by nightmares of the Arrancar, among other things. Renji had a suspicion that the hollow manifestation within Ichigo had something to do with it, but he had kept his lips shut about that topic.

Renji's eyes travelled back up to the boy's face, his own softening at the expression there. Ichigo really was adorable when he slept; his eyes were still very slightly furrowed—they always were—but more in a concentrating way than his usual peeved appearance. Like he had to actually think about sleeping to perform the task. His mouth was open a little, a trail of saliva going down his chin. Renji found that just about the cutest damn thing he had ever seen. He wondered what the smaller shinigami had to be dreaming about to be drooling.

He would never admit it out loud, and of course never to said boy, but Ichigo looked beautiful. Perfect. The moonlight made his skin glow and his hair seem like halo of something ethereal. His body seemed to have been proportioned with great care. Even the curled hand beside his head was elegant in its resting position.

For a long time Renji could do nothing but stare at that face, so unbelievably open at night—the exact opposite of what his daytime façade was. He wanted to know everything about this boy, all that he felt, all that he aspired for and wished in this world.

His musings were interrupted when Ichigo stirred a bit, clenching and unclenching his hand, his brow twitching. A soft groan sounded in his throat. Renji knew these signs; he was deep in a dream, but whether it was good or bad he had yet to figure out. Ichigo's breathing started to become rougher, the sounds he was projecting becoming more profound. He cried out to no one, his knees jerking up towards him.

Now Renji was convinced that this was another nightmare. He did the only thing that seemed natural; he leaned down and put his lips against the soft skin of the boy's cheek, tightening the arm that was draped across his waist. Ichigo turned his head slightly, unconsciously leaning into Renji's innocent kiss. Renji reached up again to run a large hand through Ichigo's hair, drawing out a long sigh from the other shinigami. After a moment, Ichigo's eyes fluttered open, seeking out the red-haired man above him. Renji was captivated for a moment by those deep, brown eyes; they harbored so many emotions within them when Ichigo felt his most vulnerable.

"You were having another nightmare." The words spoken by Renji were not phrased as a question. Ichigo blinked slowly before giving a slight nod. Renji sighed. "It'll be okay. No one's here but me."

Ichigo managed to give him a small smile. Renji leaned down and very delicately kissed the skin on Ichigo's neck. It was so soft and supple, he felt almost ashamed at having touched it, like it was still virgin territory. The boy made an agreeing noise, however, so Renji continued to kiss along his jawline, entwining his fingers in Ichigo's orange locks. The smaller man returned the favor by running a hand through Renji's loose red hair, twirling a strand around his fingers.

"I don't want you to leave," Ichigo said suddenly, his voice cracking a bit from not putting it to use for several hours. Renji pulled back and looked him in the eyes again, finding despair there.

"I don't want to either. But we both know I have to."

"I can't stand being alone anymore," the boy replied in a low voice. "I thought I was fine with it, but…" He looked away, unable to have eye contact with Renji while speaking these words of weakness. "I'm really not, you know. I hate being alone now."

Renji ran a hand across his cheek, causing Ichigo to close his eyes. "I'll be close by, I promise. I bet I could even get Kuchiki-Taichou to let me off more often, maybe get me a temporary job in the real world." Now his thoughts were becoming desperate; he was trying to think of anything to put the younger man at ease again.

Ichigo smiled bitterly. "Yeah right. Not that bastard." He caught Renji's eyes again, his expression heart-breaking to the other shinigami. "Just make me forget about this for now, 'kay? I want to have you all to myself while I can."

The red-head smiled down at him. "As you wish." His lips attached themselves to the ones below him, and Ichigo let out a moan at the contact. They began lazily, but their ardor rose with every clash of lips, every click of teeth, every swipe of tongue. Renji licked the boy's lips, and Ichigo opened his mouth in compliance, letting him pillage the other's mouth with his tongue. He never wanted to forget how he tasted.

Renji quickly did away with the smaller man's clothes followed by his own, the both of them still under the sheet that covered Ichigo's bed. He spread the boy's legs apart so that he had room to lean down and attack his neck. Ichigo panted as Renji kissed and licked at the sensitive area of his neck, moving towards his ear. He planted a soft kiss on it, licking just behind the lobe and biting down. Ichigo arched his back and moaned, driving Renji crazy. Seeing the boy writhe beneath him would never get old. He wondered how he got so lucky as to be the one who got to do this to him; to throw him so over the edge and bring him back from the abyss of passion.

Ichigo's hands clutched at the larger man's inked back as Renji started to prepare him, a deep blush settling on his face, his eyes screwed shut. He had never seen the younger shinigami look so helpless, so vulnerable. It took all his strength to control his pace, wanting the boy so much that it shook him to his core. Ichigo whispered his name, nearly making him whimper in suppressed need. How could he ever return to Soul Society? This was all he ever wanted, all he could ever need in life.

When he finally entered Ichigo, the smaller male was already lost to the time and place around them. All that existed in the world was them, two separate entities unifying as one and moving as one, bodies and hearts merging for a better understanding of the other. Ichigo was saying something, and Renji had to come back down a bit from his mounting high to hear the words.

"I love you…" Ichigo moaned, his back arching again with a stifled cry. "Renji…"

Renji nearly lost all control. His movements became more desperate, his mouth busy kissing at Ichigo's narrow chest, drawing out a whimper from him. His fingers pressed into the skin and bone of Ichigo's hips, pulling the boy up to him, trying to feel as much of him as possible.

They both climaxed at almost the exact moment, cries escaping from both of them as their sweat-slicked bodies shuddered against one another, gasps of air causing their chests to expand. Renji, still inside of Ichigo, leaned down and captured him in a fierce kiss, their bodies quivering from their strenuous play.

When Renji pulled out and lay down beside Ichigo, the smaller male turned on his side and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling his face into Renji's tattooed neck. Renji couldn't help but smile, pulling him even closer with a strong protective arm around his thin waist, wanting this feeling to last forever.

"Hey, Ichigo," he murmured, his lips moving against the sweat-dampened orange hair that he loved so much.

"Nn?" Ichigo was close to falling asleep again, his breathing already picking up a rhythm.

"I love you too." Renji placed a kiss on the boy's forehead, feeling elated when he glimpsed a smile on his now calm face.