Not an Art Guy, a RenIchi fic

Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.

Words: 2900-ish

Warnings: yaoi, mature, sex scenes

AN: Just a short, fluffy-ish piece between Renji and Ichigo. This takes place in the Living World, naturally. While Renji and Ichigo are in a relationship, it's relatively new. Somewhat before the Hueco Mundo Arc, but after Rescue Rukia / Soul Society.

Renji's a lot of things, but he can't quite work up the nerve to actually call himself an art guy. It all looks the same to him -- bunch of lines, drips, drops, and drabs on paper -- and maybe canvas, if you want to get fancy. Between his duties as the vice-captain of the 6th and the little time he gets to be in the real world to see Ichigo, he just doesn't have time for art.

Maybe art doesn't have time for me, either.

As he begins the traditional walk from Urahara's shop to Ichigo's house, he thinks about this strange relationship he's built with the orange haired teenager. He isn't quite sure how they went from trying to kill each other to trying to kill each other in bed, but he's certain that he prefers the latter to the former.

Yep, definitely the latter.

It isn't the delicious friction between the sheets that makes Renji think about Ichigo, but everything else. Growing up in Rukongai makes him both adore and despise sentiment simultaneously; on one hand, sentiment is welcomed because you never know what life will bring or take away. Yet he knows all too well that sentiment can be a hollow place that hides other issues without anyone realizing it until it's too late. When it comes to Ichigo, this unexpected fiery lover of his, he decides to see sentiment as a good thing.

He wants to say that he loves him, but they haven't been together very long. According to Rukia, humans do have a sort of picky nature when it comes to this love thing. He sort of wants to call her out on some the information she gives him, but considering that she was the one that encouraged him to approach Ichigo as more than just a fellow sword-swinger, he can't really be too upset.

The main quality that Ichigo radiates is his immense skill with connecting people together. The more Renji stops to think about how connected their strange group is, the more he realizes that it's all revolving around Ichigo himself.

He brings that out of people. He brings that out of me.

Along with not being an art guy, Renji has never quite been sure what to do with connections. The betrayals and trickery of the past haven't stripped his joy for life out of him, but sometimes he wishes he didn't always rush into everything, that he could stop and look at things more.

Like Uryuu, that nerdy kid that's always trying to purposefully pick a fight with Ichigo.
Man, does he ever stop talking about the Quincy?

The more time that Renji spends in the Living World, the more he realizes that Ichigo is really the only reason he bothers to pass through the gate in the first place. After all, how can anyone like a place where you can't even bankai properly? He tries to avoid complaining about his gigai to Ichigo, but he just can't stand how itchy the whole thing is. It's a poor substitute for a body -- not that he really remembers being alive the way Ichigo is alive.

Isn't being alive...just a feeling? The way he looks at me, the way he kisses me like he's burning...makes me feel alive.

He can see the bright shiny sign marking the clinic run by Ichigo's father. He hasn't worked up the nerve to actually meet the man, but he thinks that demonstrating his fine shinigami reflexes and trainings would go a long way in making a good impression. In either case, it would mean missing a flying foot to the face, which is always a good thing.

He wants to run, mainly because the walk has taken forever to get to this single point, this mission to see Ichigo with what little time he has before he has to dive back in headfirst into being bound by that tiny brown badge on his arm. It's not that the badge is small, but everything seems tiny when compared to Renji himself.

Not one for doors, Renji moves to the side of the house above Ichigo's window and manages to get started climbing the wall. The only reason he can scale it so fast is because it's something that he's done dozens of times in the past -- it's the only way to see Ichigo at night without alerting his family. So he takes what he can get, however he can get it.

He manages to slide the window up without breaking it. The last time he wasn't careful with the window, he had to convince Urahara-san to give him a job that paid human money so he could replace it for Ichigo. He was never going to let that green hat wearing freak dress him up in a monkey costume ever again.

"Marketing, Renji, marketing! A shopkeeper of my level must continue to serve my customers, you know!"

More like an opportunity to make a damn idiot out of me that you couldn't pass up, geta-boushi.

It doesn't matter now -- he's managed to get the window open and slip inside without drawing too much attention to himself. That's not what he cares about, now that he's inside Ichigo's room.

The bed is modest, but in the center of it on top of all the blankets and pillows is his new lover -- scowling as always. He can ignore the scowl, considering it seems to be a permanent part of Ichigo's face. It's an endearing quality that Renji has grown to adore about the orange-haired teen.

It's the way Ichigo is placed that gets Renji's attention -- the scowl that seems permanently stamped on his beautiful face is the only thing he's wearing.

"Everybody's gone out to see some new fireworks display. I didn't feel like going...but I wanted to surprise you."

Renji has to smile. Ichigo is running off of nervous energy, and Renji knows all too well how much courage Ichigo most likely had to summon just to do this for him.

For me. He's stripped down bare to give me something interesting to look at.
Ichigo, you're always interesting to me.

Somewhere, Renji is starting to realize that everything Ichigo has told him about art is really beginning to dawn on him.

Composition - the way he's placed in the middle of the bed with the pillows just so.

He steps forward and notices Ichigo's eyes change into something that looks a bit lustful and a bit hesitant at the same time. "What are you thinking about, Renji?"

"How hot you look. Damn, Ichigo."

Renji shifts himself into autopilot mode with ease, drinking in the details of Ichigo's nude body against the bedding. He notices that he isn't the only person in the room excited and aroused -- the lack of clothes do nothing to hide Ichigo's growing erection.

Ichigo bites his lip and looks away slightly, blushing. "Damn, you're making me feel like this was a stupid idea."

"Shut up, Ichigo. It's nice."

"Ugh, don't say it like that. I'm not a girl, damnit."

"Right, right."

He finds himself moving his hands to his shirt, lifting it off and away slowly -- there's no sense in making Ichigo more nervous than he already is.

"Renji..."

Renji can't help but turn his head to look at Ichigo upon hearing how his name sounds like a caress. The gentleness doesn't surprise him as much as excites him.

Ichigo is never this uninhibited. Why the break in character?
"Yes?"

"Join me."

"Damn, and here I thought you had taken off your bossiness with your clothes."

Ichigo lets the scowl go for a moment, almost forming a laugh before the scowl reclaims its proper position.

"Just do it, damnit..."

I love when he gets so fucking impatient -- the look on his face makes me think he wants me to just lose myself right here, right now. In him.

Renji makes sure to remove the rest of his clothes before joining Ichigo on the small bed. Given his size, it's not the most room he's ever had, but having Ichigo so close to him is worth any discomfort in the moment.

Shapes - the shape of his nose, the twin shapes that make up his pouting lips, the gorgeous shapes that form his eyes...

"What are you waiting for?"

He doesn't have time to think about the art lesson recall in his head anymore -- Ichigo won't let him get that far. Before he can even get comfortable on a bed that's already not made for two people, Ichigo is pulling him down into the hungriest kiss he's ever experienced. It shocks Renji the way Ichigo is practically devouring him, drawing him into a world he already knows he doesn't ever want to leave behind.

That's not the only motion that has Renji's attention fully on Ichigo. His lover is grinding his hips hard enough to drill away any remaining doubt that Renji has about just giving into the moment.

So he gives in -- surrender has never felt better than this. To have Ichigo squirming underneath him, hot and needy, is something that still takes his breath away. He wants to say something -- like he does all the other times they're in bed together -- but he can't find the words to express what he is feeling, has felt since the moment he saw Ichigo lying in bed naked and waiting for him, and will surely feel from each moment forward.

While Renji can't say that he's the ultimate authority on reason, he realizes that enjoying Ichigo today would be a lot easier with the help of some lube.

Damn, it doesn't seem very sexy to just ask...
I should have brought my own...

Ichigo saves him any embarrassment by reaching behind the pillows for the little bottle. He notices there's a little green fan on the side and he rolls his eyes.

"It was the best I could do, damnit..."

Renji smiles and kisses the top of Ichigo's forehead, then his lips. The husky tones of Ichigo's voice during this little moment of theirs is enough to make him not care so much about where the bottle of lube came from, simply that it's there for their share benefit.

Emphasis - the way his hips remind me to stay in the moment, and the way his eyes punish me if I even think to step away for an instant...

Ichigo squirms slightly as Renji moves back to put the lube where it belongs, stopping for a moment to savor the slight chill of the lube before sliding a hesitant finger inside his lover.

One thing that Renji notices is that Ichigo is uncharacteristically quiet. The silence would normally bother him, but he finds it exciting. Instead of talking, Ichigo is observing. Monitoring, even. Renji likes the thrill of feeling like he's being watched without having another person in the room. So he continues to get Ichigo prepared, liberally moving his fingers back and forth.

The movements are slowly beginning to break some of the silence for the better. Ichigo allows -- Renji can't help but feel that the silence is quite deliberate on his lover's part -- a soft moan to escape his lips, those large brown eyes locked onto Renji completely and exclusively.

"Don't...don't take forever..."

The passion-tinged voice of his lover is exciting because it almost feels like a treat, a great present...all for me.

He's enjoying the view, not just because he can see such a delicious side of Ichigo, but because he enjoys being on top of him. Being on top is too nice to give up, and Ichigo doesn't seem to mind at all.

I guess I shouldn't hold back, should I?

No matter how many times he gets to be this way with Ichigo, the first stroke -- and all the anticipation and subsequent that comes with it -- still takes his breath away.

Color -- he looks so alive, with his cheeks slowly beginning to look flushed...

"Renji..."

The passion in Ichigo's voice is more obvious now than ever, and that's enough to fully convince Renji to push forward. "Yeah...like this?"

"More."

How can one word eat away all my uncertainty?

He continues slowly sliding inside Ichigo, wincing slightly at the tightness. "Damn, you're tight, Ichigo."

"Is that supposed to be pillow talk, Renji?"

"Shut up."

Even though the look on Ichigo's face signals to Renji that his lover is completely in the moment, he doesn't want to get too deep in the moment without making sure that Ichigo really is okay. For all that posturing, Renji hasn't forgotten that he is the first man that Ichigo has gotten so intimate with -- and he'll never forget what that means.

Trying to compromise, he picks up the pace a little bit, giving a deep sigh of pleasure as he finds himself all the way inside Ichigo. It's a strange feeling, being inside someone, but Renji likes it even more because it's Ichigo.

His Ichigo. He's normally not so possessive, but the characteristics of the man writhing underneath him make him that way. He doesn't want to own anybody -- that's not really what he wants. He wants to cherish Ichigo the only ways he knows how.

Sex is just one of those ways.

So he fulfills Ichigo's request, rolling his hips and slowly working up to the long, hard sex that he knows excites his lover. Given their past intimate sessions, he's learned that Ichigo likes it hard and rough, with the sound of skin hitting skin better background music than anything in Ichigo's playlist.

Ichigo is moaning, arching his back, that small pink tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth. His hands are threading and curling and clutching at the sheets as if he's drowning, desperately hunting for anything to hold to so he doesn't get swept out in to the sea.

Yet Renji wants him to get lost in the sea, into the swirling waves never to be found again.

I can always find him …but could anyone blame me for wanting him to just let go and get lost in all of this, when he looks the way he does?

Things are continuing to rise to a boiling point, with Ichigo's moans rising and falling, stretching out until they barely resemble words -- pure sound at its finest. He moves to touch Renji's chest, smiling all the while.

It's not just sex for him -- he's completely focused on me. Damn, I need that.

Low self-esteem isn't something that Renji would say he has, but he doesn't always get all the fuss over his looks or his body. He feels awkward most of the time, overgrown and clumsy. An overripe fruit that no one is quite sure whether or not they should eat him.

When he looks at me like that...I think I'm the one getting eaten.

Lucky, lucky, me.

"Renji...whatever you're doing...keep going...right there...."

Movement -- the way I move into him, the way he moves into me, the way we move together to create something...electric...

The pace picks up until Ichigo is curling his legs around Renji tighter, moving with him.

"Renji...Renji...nngh...close..."

"Ichigo...don't wait...go for it..."

He makes sure to give Ichigo exactly what he wants -- a wild and crazy race to the finish, with his strong hands keeping Ichigo in place as best he can. The way Ichigo is tightening and gripping him on each and every stroke virtually guarantees that it wont' be long, but Renji doesn't want to let go first.

It's the look in Ichigo's eyes that always does Renji in, which is why he likes to let his orange-haired lover go first.
He becomes something that's completely undefinable -- absolutely beautiful. It turns me on to see him just lose it like that.

There's a sharp groan from Ichigo, as he finally hits that log sought-after peak, body arching upward abruptly. From Renji's perspective, he can see Ichigo's mouth widen into a round O, along with the sweat of his slightly flushed skin. That sneaky tongue that was once content to hide in the corner of Ichigo's mouth has burst fully free, refusing to hide.

The way he looks…I can't hold it on anymore...I just can't....

Renji can't help but moan as he finally feels his release coming, draining out of him as if he's been holding back far too long. Ichigo moans softly as he watches Renji, looking up at him with eyes that Renji already knows are filled with a strange passion and hunger.

"Stay for a moment...just like that, Renji."

He wants to look...at me...

Unity -- the way everything about us fits together so right, even when the individual components might not be perfect.

The lines, planes, curves, and form of Ichigo captures Renji's attention, and the look in Ichigo's eyes makes it clear that his lover feels the same way.

After a few moments, Ichigo begins to speak quietly. "I...I wanted to do something nice for you...to say thank you for making time for me, Renji."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Uh...I've been told that when you really care for someone, you do little things to show them more than a bunch of sappy statements, you know?"

He cares...about me?

Likewise, Ichigo. I care about you too.

As Renji quietly moves off of Ichigo and curls up next to him, he realizes that maybe he's an art guy after all.

AN: Finished. I had fun writing this, because I sort of stepped out of my normal writing style. I don't know what to call this -- it's not quite first person but it's not my usual third person God-view narration style either -- we don't get to see what Ichigo is thinking -- something I did on purpose to highlight Renji. I hope you like it.

This is in the early stage of their relationship -- not so early where sex is obviously odd and awkward, but they aren't at a step where I would feel the ILU's coming out. I hope that shows up a bit more.

And yes, I will be updating Lavender Scented Memories of Crimson as well as Sittin' Sideways (the other 2 RenIchi storyverses) soon. I'm still saturated with work and other issues, but I'm trying to come back to fandom. Expect some oneshots until I'm officially off hiatus, but I'll try to update whenever I can. Given some of the events of recent note, I'm not fully feeling fanfiction and fandom in general right now. I just can't concentrate, and I'm leery about updating just to look like a fast updater. You all deserve better than that.

That's all I got. :)