Title: Took Him Too Long
Rating: Romance?
Word Length: 1,549
Characters: a bald guy, a pretty boy with weird eyelashes, a well-endowed blond, a tattooed red-head and a dark-haired girl with purple eyes
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I wish I owned Renji though...
Summary: How Renji finally managed to ask her out...


Took Him Too Long

Renji blew out an impatient breath as he leaned his elbows on the backrest of the park bench. The lookout point at the top a curbing cliff by the side of the road was one of the highest points of the town and he could see the mountains ahead and the trees below him.

Several of the benches a few meters away were occupied by lovers or friends hanging out, enjoying the afternoon. He on the other hand was on patrol, in t-shirt and jeans, his bandana in place so as not to attract unnecessary attention to his tattooed forehead.

It was a slow day. The kind where everything was peaceful and everyone was happy. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing gently against his skin, disturbing his bright red ponytail as he looked out for hollows that were oddly missing.

He hated days like these. Days when there was no action when all he wanted as a good fight. Days when all he could do was think. Of her.

A shiny bald head suddenly appeared in front of his face. “Jeez. I can’t believe you’re sulking again.”

“I’m not sulking.” He muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.

Yumichika appeared on the other side of the park bench, his long and weird looking eyelashes fluttering. “It’s a beautiful day, Abarai-kun! Stop frowning. It’s not pretty.”

He glared at the Narcissistic shinigami. “Don’t you guys have anything to do?!”

“Pfft.” Ikkaku dropped next to him on the bench. “Nuthin’ to do today. Damn hollows seem to be in a freakin’ holiday!” Ikkaku complained and looked around. “Why are you alone here anyway? Where’s Rukia?”

“With Ichigo and Orihime. The girl asked Rukia for help on a project.” His mouth flattened in a grim line before he continued gloomily. “It’s been slow, so I told her to take off. ‘Sides, she’s got that phone. She’ll know when she’s needed.”

“Ah.” Ikkaku said in an all-knowing tone that grated on his nerves. “So that’s why you’re sulking.”

“I’m not sulking!” He was totally irritated now.

“Sulking is not beautiful, Abarai-kun.” Yumichika added, ignoring his steaming nostrils and glaring eyes. “If you want more of her time, why don’t you just ask her out?”

It was no use pretending that he didn’t know who ‘her’ was so he just pretended he didn’t hear that. Where the hell are all those damn hollows today?!

“Oh! I knew I’d find you men here!” Exclaimed a female voice from behind and Renji had to keep himself from groaning.

“Rangiku-san!” Yumichika exclaimed. “We were just telling Renji to ask Rukia out--”

Renji’s head almost flew off as he jumped up and yelled. “Shut up!”

But Yumichika kept going. “He misses her company and she’s always busy---”

“You should!” Matsumoto exclaimed and clasped her hands together in front of her overly endowed chest. “Ask her out, Renji! You know on a real date with flowers and wine and--”

Renji’s eyes widened and looked to Ikkaku for help. The guy just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “They’re right. You should just ask her out and get it over with.”   

“I don’t believe this!” The red-head exclaimed, staring at the trio. “Why do I have to ask her out? I don’t need to do that? I’m perfectly happy--”

“Who are you asking out, Renji?” Asked an all too familiar voice from behind him.

Renji froze as the three Shinigami smirked knowingly at him.

“Oh, just some girl he’s been crazy about for a reaaally long time---”

Renji shot Yumichika a murderous look that miraculously stopped the other man from spilling his deepest darkest secret. Instead Yumichika smiled and blinked his eyes innocently, making Renji want to strangle him.

“Really?” The woman who owned the familiar voice now stood in front of him dressed in a light weight summer dress and sandals. She turned to the Three Stooges. “How come I didn’t know about this? What’s her name?”

“Oh, look at the time!” Matsumoto suddenly exclaimed glancing at her watch. “Taichou told me to be back before five. I gotta go. Bye Renji! Bye Rukia!”

“We’ll go with you, Matsumoto!” Yumichika called and grabbed Ikkaku.

“I kill them.” Renji muttered under his breath as he watched them run away as fast as humanly possible.

Rukia looked directly at him with her hands on her waist. “So? Who’s the girl?”

“I—uh…” Renji could feel heat rise up his neck. “Why are you back so early?”

“We were done. Orihime volunteered to cook dinner for us. I told them I had to get back to work.” She smiled slyly.

Knowing about Orihime’s cooking, he grinned. “Smart move.”

“Thought so too.” She agreed and sat on the bench in front of him. After a while, she looked up at him with those big violet eyes that seem to see through his soul. “So who’s the girl, Renji?”

Renji’s breath backed up his lungs as she kept staring at him. I could really use one of those big and ugly Arrancars now!
  
“Renji!” She yelled. “Stop spacing out on me! The hell is wrong with you?!”

He looked at the annoyance on her face and had to smile. “Heh. I was just bored being by myself all day.”

“You’re the one who told me to go, you idiot.”

He snorted and sat next to her. “Heh. Stupid me.”

They sat in silence for a while as the sky turned from blue to orange to a deeper shade red as the sun set on the horizon somewhere.

They had a spot like this in Soul Society. A place where they would meet at the end of the day to talk or just sit together and watch the light fade and turn into night.

For the first time today, he didn’t mind the lack of action, the quiet and the peacefulness. Because she was right there with him.

When the sky had turned violet and a single star appeared in the sky, Rukia turned to him again. “I miss this.”

He looked at her in the slowly fading light, knowing she was remembering those times. Long before they parted ways. Before she became a Kuchiki. Before he had felt too low and insignificant for her.

He’d worked hard to get where he was now. Just so he could someday be good enough to be with her again. He met her eyes and nodded. “Me too.”

She was quiet again for a while as the violet sky turned a deeper, darker shade.

He could feel his throat tightening and a hand clamping in his chest. He dared not look at her for fear of blurting out something totally stupid.

“Renji,”

When he heard her say his name, his head whipped towards her so fast his neck muscles cracked. “Yeah?” His voice sounded gruffer that usual.

She looked at him, a small frown creasing her brows. “About that girl…”

“Dammit.” Renji muttered. He’ll kill that Narcissistic pretty boy the moment he—

“What’s her name? Do I know her?” Rukia asked, her eyes wide in curiousity. “You know… I really didn’t know you cared about somebody---”

“Will you quit it about the girl already!?” Renji growled and lost his patience. “Geez! It’s you, okay?! There’s no one else I care about in this fuckin’ world but you! Always been. Always will be. Got it?” He glared at her in frustration. “So there!”

Seeing her big purple eyes staring back at him in shock made him grumpier. He’d just blurted out everything and made an ass of himself. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the horizon. She was too quiet and he was losing his mind. He stood up. Damn if he was gonna stay there and—

“Renji.”

He stopped and turned to look at her, frown plastered on his face. “Yeah?”

Rukia stood and looked up at him, her purple eyes reflecting what was left of the daylight. She took a step forward until they were about a foot apart.  

Renji wanted to drag her to him and hold on tight so she’d never leave him again but he forced himself to stay still. He wasn’t going to make an ass of himself twice in a day.

Then she smiled. “Aren’t you going to ask me out now?”

His jaw dropped and his mouth moved but he only managed something that sounded like, “Kaark--”. He had to swallow several times to clear his throat. When she laughed he glared at her. “Dammit, Rukia! Stop laughing or I won’t take you out for dinner!”

She grinned. “Took you long enough to get that out.”

When he flushed and scratched the back of his neck she took his hand and looked up at him smiling.

“Of course I’ll go out with you, you idiot.” She said and squeezed his big hand in both of her smaller ones as she met his eyes. “I’ve waited too long for you to ask me that to say ‘no’.”

Renji felt the breath rush out of his lungs as he looked down at her smiling face. “Ya did, huh?” He said dumbly. When the realization took hold, a grin spread across his face. “So, uh, what do you want to eat?”