A/N:: Part of the "50 Reasons to have Sex" meme. As you can already probably tell, there will be sex. If reading Byakuya and Renji in those sorts of situations makes you uncomfortable, I urge you to hit the back button.

Disclaimer~ I neither own, nor claim to own the characters, settings, or franchises depicted herein; they belong to their respective copyright holder(s).

Chapter One: Can't Sleep

Sleep was important. Sleep was essential.

Sleep was the one thing Renji Abarai could not come upon. It was as if it were trying to escape him, evading him at all costs. Every time he felt as if he was close - so close to the sweet bliss of a peaceful night's rest, he'd find himself staring at the blank white-washed walls.

Maybe it was a curse. He had spilled salt, stepped on various concrete cracks, and even - accidentally of course - broken Rukia's compact mirror while out in the World of the Living a few days ago. Maybe all that superstitious bad luck was coming to collect in full in the form of sleep deprivation. Because he never had trouble sleeping. He was usually out like a used lightbulb, and hard to wake up to boot.

Renji shifted on the bed again, flipping his pillow over. Maybe he was hot? Maybe that was why he could not sleep.

He got up and turned on the fan before slipping back into bed.

About an hour later he was cold, so Renji got up and turned off the fan, returning to the bed afterwards. His bed's companion did not seem too happy. "Stop moving and go to bed, I have matters to attend to tomorrow!" Byakuya yelled, voice muffled by his pillow.

"S-sorry," Renji apologized. Byakuya was a fairly light sleeper and had thus been shooting him dirty looks every time he tossed or turned, or got up. But he couldn't help it. He felt jittery. He couldn't relax. His muscles were tense. He was tired but he couldn't sleep.

Byakuya usually embraced him at night, holding him close, but because of his constant moving his lover had retreated to the other side of the bed, as far as the mattress would allow him. Renji's stomach then took the opportunity to growl and he waited a few long moments before quietly, and carefully, extracting his feet from the covers. He slid them out one at a time and paused. There was no movement. Then he carefully pushed himself from the bed.

It was just his luck then that springs in the mattress would choose to creak under him and that he landed exactly on the air pocket underneath the carpeted floor that would, as a matter of course, groan loudly.

There was a loud drawn out sigh from Byakuya who slowly sat up. Renji gave a half grin, half grimace. But Byakuya wasn't affected by his apologetic expression and lifted up two pillows and pulled a sheet from the bed before casting them on the floor with a serious frown. "Main room. Now." his tone held no room for discussion and Renji pouted before accepting his fate. He gathered the sheet into one arm and his pillows into the other and paused to wait for Byakuya to get the door for him. He did, and gave Renji a pointed look that said 'Don't you dare return' and closed the door rather forcefully behind him.

Renji stared at the closed door for a few moments afterwards. He felt like a dog that had just been evicted from its owner's bed.

Dragging his feet dramatically, he put his bed materials near the cushions surrounding the unused kotatsu and made his way to the kitchen. He was still hungry after all and Rukia had long since retired to bed. He simply didn't have the heart to wake her up just to ask of her to make himself something to eat. Mostly because he knew how bad her temper was when her sleep was interrupted unnecessarily. In this she was just like her brother.

So instead he clattered about the kitchen, looking through shelves that were ultimately filled with an array of spices and inspecting jars that were, unlike his time in the World of the Living, decidedly not filled with cookies or other types of sweets.

"Is all food evading me?" Renji asked himself aloud - too loud - for he heard Byakuya muttering something angry behind the closed door. Renji grimaced and stood still, waiting for the sounds to cease. When they did he continued. There were no cold food holders in Seireitei - refrigerators, he recalled Ichigo calling them. Those made identifying food easy.

Eventually he gave up and laid on the floor. It was uncomfortable in comparison to Byakuya's grand bed. The lack of comfort made sleep seem even further away, if that was at all possible, and the walk to his own living quarters was a ridiculous distance to travel just to seek a tatami mat and perhaps another pillow or two. Still, he couldn't make his mind stop. It was going through every detail of his person, of his surroundings.

Renji thought about taking a walk in the garden and then made that thought a reality; it wasn't as if he had anything else better to do. The walk was, quite plainly, boring though.

Sure, the koi fish looked exquisite in their delicate ponds and the flowers bloomed beautifully, the breeze was just right, the sakuras were still blooming, and the trees' branches were trimmed nicely, providing ample oasis from the sun had it been out. But the only part of walking in the gardens that Renji had ever really enjoyed had been the part where he was standing next to Byakuya while he appreciated the intricate simplicities of nature. While he didn't completely lack that sort of appreciation, he didn't partake of it as much as his partner, his captain, did.

When Renji returned he found Byakuya standing in a black loose fitted yukata, arms crossed. "Nothing doing it." It wasn't a question.

"I'm sorry..." Renji trailed off. "Just can't sleep."

"There is no need for an apology. Come back to bed."

The red haired of the two pouted. He wouldn't concede so easily. "I didn't kick myself out of the bed. You did."

"Are you going to childishly squabble over such a moot detail?" Byakuya asked, shifting his weight onto his opposite leg.

"Hell yeah I am." Renji crossed his arms defiantly and Byakuya chuckled. "Perhaps if you were to toss and turn less that would not have happened."

"Ah, the pot calling the kettle black? Who's arguing back over a so-called 'moot' point?"

"Regardless. Come to bed lieutenant." Renji frowned. So now they were using titles. He decided not to push the man further. He did not wish to push him over the line of playful retorts into actual unabashed anger. He had seen Byakuya angry - and it didn't end so well for him when he was on the receiving end of said emotion.

Renji followed Byakuya into their shared room and was surprised when Byakuya's hand stayed his movements. He watched as the man picked up a brush and gently ran it through his hair. He could not contain the small moan that escaped his lips at the gentle tugging of his hair through the brush. It was so relaxing.

After Byakuya was satisfied with the job he had done he tied Renji's hair into a loose fitted bun and they both got into bed. This time Byakuya didn't retreat to the other side, he was close and ran hands that were deceitfully strong over his shoulders in a tranquil massage. Renji was starting to feel the intended effect of all Byakuya's attentions, but he still felt undeniably restless.

Byakuya leaned in to kiss Renji, lightly, but the other had different plans. Renji pulled him in for a much fuller kiss and Byakuya responded just as passionately without missing a beat. Renji wasn't in the mood for foreplay. He wanted it. And he wanted it now.

Byakuya understand the heavy gaze without words and reached under a pillow to pull out a bottle of oil. Had Renji been less under the influence of lust, he would have made a comment somewhere along the lines of 'So that's where you put it. Kinky.' But he was, so he didn't. Nor did he have patience for their usual routine, opting instead to yank the bottle from his captain's hands and coat the other's member thoroughly, pumping it a few times within the grip of his closed fist for good measure.

Byakuya blinked. "A-already?" they hadn't had sex in awhile. Byakuya had been buried under a metaphorical mountain of paperwork and duties, obligations and promises while Renji had been busy himself with training unseated sixth division members and combating the recent unexplained influx of hollows in the World of the Living. And now Renji was denying being given any semblance of preparation.

"I just want-" he started.

"And I don't want to hurt you," Byakuya cut in.

"You won't...just - please." Renji begged.

It would be an outright lie to say Byakuya wasn't aroused. He was, and the heavy cloud of arousal that he felt at Renji's hand on him put him in a more primal state. Renji spread his thighs invitingly and Byakuya drove in, fast and hard. He focused his eyes on every aspect of his lieutenant's body, biting down onto the junction between the red haired's neck and shoulder

Renji let out a cry - something suspended between panting, a moan of pleasure, and a distinct sound of pain. The erotic mix was enough to make him reel, his eyes rolling back with every particularly penetrating thrust.

Byakuya hooked Renji's legs over his shoulder and bended forward, putting even less space between their joined bodies.

"Ah, uh, ahhnn," Renji moaned. Had he been speaking, not that he could currently formulate words, much less a coherent thought, he was sure he'd be talking in tongues. Byakuya licked a path down to Renji's navel, tracing his tattoos in a familiar way. Despite having not been touched, Renji was hard, his member swelled to red-purple. Byakuya took his arousal into his hand and began pumping in time with their slick bodies. Up for every thrust in, down for every partial pull out.

Byakuya's free hand encircled Renji's nipple, pinching it lightly before rubbing soothing circles around it and he moved his mouth to capture Renji's own in hot kiss, tongues battling because it was in both their natures. Byakuya groaned with the pleasure of Renji's tightness around him and Renji's own sounds were half muffled in the kiss.

Renji knew he wouldn't last much longer. He was going to come but he both did and did not want to. Sweet release was the only thing on his mind but he wanted these sensations to last longer; much longer. But from the way Byakuya's movements had lost all semblance of articulation, he knew the man with ink locks was on the edge as well.

Renji came first, the combination of being touched and filled was just too great and just a few moments later Byakuya joined him, spurred into release by the euphoric contracting of Renji's inner musculature. They were suspended like that in the same position, both breathing harshly.

Byakuya recovered first, grabbing his abandoned yukata from the floor where it had been tossed and crudely cleaning the two of them. The layout of the house was quite unfortunate. There was only one bathroom and it was next to Rukia's room. The other one was near the servants quarters. So it would have to do until morning.

"I should have trouble sleeping more often," Renji said with a grin.

Byakuya's expression slowly shifted into a frown, and from there, an irritated glare. But there was no actual anger behind it. "I have-"

"I know, I know," Renji interrupted knowingly. "You have matters to attend to tomorrow, you told me. I'm going to bed." his tone was that of a petulant child. True to his word he was asleep not even five minutes later, snoring lightly at first and then loudly, not unlike a hibernating bear, moments later.

Byakuya stared at the walls for a few moments. Great, now he couldn't sleep...