Title: Bleach Party
Author: Akuni
Rating: M / NC-17 (smut!)
Pairing/characters used: Renji/Rukia; Chad, Ichigo, Orihime, Ishida friendship stuff
Notes: Written for the Summer Fun contest on renjirukia LJ comm.
Warning(s): Spoilers through SS arc.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, I'm just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: Also posted to my LJ. Please ask if you want to share it :)

The heat reached a record-breaking high before noon. News broadcasters urged people to stay indoors and keep cool, and hospitals and clinics prepared for the inevitable rush of heat stroke victims.

Training was impossible. After less than an hour of stubbornly leaping around, two exhausted shinigami gave up and collapsed against the wall of the training ground. Rukia fought to keep the smile off her face as they slid down the wall to lay spread-eagled on the floor, struggling to catch their breaths.

"Impossible!" Ichigo wheezed.

"Hopeless!" Renji coughed. They lay panting for a moment. "Ten minute break?"

"Sure."

"Idiots!" Rukia exclaimed. "Are you trying to kill yourselves? Would it be so terrible to just take a day off and relax?"

Renji struggled to push himself up and lean against the wall. "Relax?" he frowned. "She wants us t' relax, Ichigo." His tone was slightly aggrieved.

Ichigo grunted. Renji took that as a sign that Ichigo agreed.

"We ain't got time t' relax, Rukia," he continued. "We got t' be ready – got t' get stronger." Ichigo slapped a hand on the floor and managed a "Yeah!" as he forced himself to sit up against the wall next to Renji.

Rukia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Look, there's no point in continuing this until after dark when it cools down. You're not going to gain anything by working yourselves to the point of passing out." The two worn-out shinigami exchanged slightly guilty looks.

"Aizen's not going to attack today. You can spend the next few hours relaxing and enjoying yourselves, or you can spend them unconscious on the floor. Your choice." The way she said it left no doubt in their minds as to which option they should choose.

Rukia had insisted that they get cleaned up before meeting her outside. Renji wondered if it was growing up on the street or living as a Kuchiki that made her so concerned with appearance in public. Either way, Rukia always went out of her way to make sure he was 'presentable' when they went anywhere. He didn't mind – it was a small price to pay for love.

When they got outside, Rukia wasn't alone.

"Good afternoon, Abarai-kun, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime chirped happily. Chad lifted a hand and waved casually. Ishida looked uncomfortable, but offered a polite "Hello" anyway. It had taken several near-misses, but after saving each others' lives so many times this oddly matched group of people had finally become a solid team. There were still the occasional personality clashes, but as they learned to fight together they also learned to respect each other off the battlefield as well.

"What're you guys doing here?" Ichigo looked surprised to see his classmates.

"Kuchiki-san called us." Orihime smiled brightly. "She thought we could all use some time off in this heat. Isn't that a good idea?"

Rukia elbowed Renji in the ribs. "Ow! Ya, s'great." he tried not to rub the spot where she'd poked him. He shrugged and gave up – she was going to get her way. "OK, where we goin'?"

It was just as hot at the nearly deserted beach, but the breeze coming off the water made it bearable. Orihime and Rukia were content to splash and dive, but Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and even Ishida got caught up in a swimming competition. Unsurprisingly, Chad's natural stamina gave him a large advantage, and eventually the others had to concede defeat.

The swimming was followed by an impromptu game of "Bury Ichigo in the Sand", which Ishida turned out to be surprisingly good at. Ichigo took it all in good humour, until Rukia dumped a bucket of water over him and turned his sandy prison into a mud hole. That turned out to be a mistake – Ichigo erupted out of the muddy mess, chased down the fleeing Rukia in less than a dozen strides, and tossed her shrieking into the waves. Renji couldn't help laughing, and told her she was lucky that was all she got.

This earned him a stuck out tongue, and led to another 'splash and gab' session between Rukia and Orihime, while Chad 'helped' Ichigo rinse the mud off by dunking him under the waves. Ishida sat on the beach with the waves lapping at his toes, smiling unguardedly for once at the carefree antics of his companions.

It was, Renji had to admit, a damned sight better than sweating the afternoon away in Urahara's bizarre basement. He found a shady, secluded spot and made himself comfortable in the sand. He watched with some amusement as Orihime tugged Ishida out into the water where she'd been splashing with Rukia.

Except Rukia had disappeared, along with Chad and Ichigo. Renji looked up and down the beach – no sign of them. Alarmed, he sat up and prepared to focus in on their reiatsu. He lost his focus, however, when a large amount of cold water splashed down over his head.

"Arghhh!" He could hear Rukia giggling as he spluttered. "What the hell was that for!" he demanded. He wasn't really angry – it was a very hot day, after all – but he couldn't let her get the idea that it was OK to pull a stunt like that. He turned to see her doubled over with laughter, standing next to a very obviously smirking Ichigo. Chad smiled briefly and muttered something about giving Orihime her treat before heading to the water's edge.

Renji removed his sodden headband, revealing the intricate network of tattoos running across his forehead and down the sides of his neck. He pulled his dripping hair out of its usual spiky tail and twisted it into a long red braid, trying and failing to hold a scowl as Rukia continued laughing.

"Oh lighten up!" Rukia grinned at him, dropping her bucket. "I got you something!" She thrust something cold and sticky into his hands. It was then he noticed that in addition to the ice cream cone that Rukia quickly reclaimed once her hands were free, Ichigo was also carrying a handful of empty popsicle sticks, having already finished his treat on the walk back from the canteen that was just barely visible beyond the rise of the sand.

"Oh… thanks." He realized she'd given him his favourite flavour and forgave the bucket of water. He made quick work of the rapidly-melting concoction as the three of them sat together in the warm sand. There were definitely some benefits to taking a day off at the beach.

"So what do ya…" Renji stopped mid-word as he noticed Rukia was still enjoying her ice cream. And enjoying seemed too weak a word to describe the way she was savouring the sweet treat.

Rukia ran her tongue along the edge of the cone, trying to capture the drops that threatened to spill down. She missed the very last, and a small river of vanilla ice cream trickled down over her fingers. She made a soft noise of displeasure as she slowly sucked her fingers clean before returning her attention to the melting cone.

Renji swallowed hard, and tried to shift his weight subtly – she'd tease him all day if she knew the reaction she was causing... wait a minute. His eyes narrowed as he made the logical leap. She loved knowing she had the power to arouse him without lifting a finger. Not that he ever complained. He was still amazed that he'd ever found the courage to reach out for her, and even more amazed that she'd eagerly reached back…

A barely audible cough pulled his eyes off of his lover and reminded him that they weren't alone. Ichigo's attention was also riveted on Rukia, and by the flush on his cheeks Renji knew the younger man had also figured out Rukia's little game. Renji reached out and tapped the other shinigami on the shoulder, and Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I think you should go rescue Chad and Ishida from Orihime – looks like they could use some help, dontcha think?" It wasn't a request – Ichigo got the point immediately and beat a hasty retreat, grateful for the excuse.

Seemingly unaware, Rukia continued eating her ice cream. Her pink tongue poked out from between lips that were bright from the cold and swirled around the inside of the cone before pulling the creamy treat into her mouth. She looked at Renji then, mischief dancing in her blue eyes. "See something you like?"

He swallowed again. "Maybe." Damn she was good.

Rukia just smiled and bent her attention to the remains of her ice cream. She licked the drops off the edge of the cone once more before opening her mouth to swallow up the peak at the top. Renji bit back a groan. He was losing this battle; he knew it and he didn't care.

"I really like ice cream." Rukia murmured through a mouthful. She licked a smear off her lips. "Do you like it, Renji?" She looked at him over the top of her cone. This wasn't about ice cream, oh no.

"Yeah," his voice was rougher than usual. "I like it a lot." He was trembling now, and making no effort to hide his arousal.

"Mmm." Rukia polished off the last of her treat, and began licking her sticky fingers, one by one. He couldn't take it anymore.

Renji grabbed her hand and brought the last sticky finger into his own mouth. Rukia laughed, a low, sensual laugh, when he tickled her finger with his tongue. She slowly pulled her hand away, and drew herself up close. She could feel his trembling, and hear the hitch in his breath. It was all she could do to control her own shivers.

Rukia leaned forward and briefly pressed her cool lips to his. She sat back on her heels before he could take her into his arms and shatter her resolve to see the game through to the end.

His dark eyes stared into hers. "What is it, Renji?" she whispered.

"I…" he cleared his throat, but he couldn't disguise the desire in his voice. "I want…"

"Tell me," she urged. "Please, tell me what you want." There, she'd given him the hint.

A flush crept down his neck as he leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. "Please, I want you to taste me like that." His voice was so soft it barely reached her ears. But it was enough.

"You only had to ask." She reached out and tugged his braid before cupping his cheek with one tiny hand, while the other slid down and adjusted his clothing. "You only ever have to ask," she smiled as his eyes widened in understanding – and then shock.

"I—Wait, Rukia, I didn't mean here—" he hissed.

"Why not? No one is going to come over here, and no one can see me behind you." She cut off any further protests by capturing his lips with her own and occupying his tongue with more interesting things than arguing with her. All the while her slender fingers continued their dance below his waist.

Rukia pulled back. "You'll just have to be quiet," she gave him a mischievous smile. "You can do that, right?" Renji nodded for her sake – for himself he was past caring. Besides, the way she'd been stirring him up, neither one of them expected this would take very long.

She leaned down and for a moment his vision blurred as the heat of her mouth enveloped him. He stifled the growl that threatened to become a moan as her tongue swirled around a certain spot in a way that she knew drove him wild. Her clever fingers massaged and stroked him until his whole body grew tense and shook uncontrollably.

Renji ran his unsteady fingers through Rukia's dark hair and rubbed her back, making her hum with pleasure. He couldn't quite hold back the sound that escaped his throat. She hummed again, recognizing the reason for the strangled groan. That was enough. The tension in his body peaked; his hands clutched her shoulders in an effort to stay sitting upright and he bit his lip to keep from crying out, allowing only a muffled grunt and a heavy, drawn out sigh of pleasure.

Rukia adjusted Renji's clothing once more as he caught his breath and regained control of himself. She looked up at him and licked her lips, mischief still blending with the passion in her eyes. Renji reached out and simply scooped Rukia's small body straight into his lap, and hugged her tightly to him. Uncomplaining, she pressed herself against his chest and listened as his heartbeat slowed to a more normal pace.

"That was fun," she giggled. He kissed the top of her head and gave in to the laughter.

"You're amazin', yanno that?" Renji left a trail of kisses down the side of her face as he bent lower to whisper in her ear. "I can't believe ya got me ta… and then ya just…" Rukia leaned back in order to share a smile, and was caught off guard as his lips descended onto hers. His hands were back in her hair, and she melted into the moment.

He only stopped kissing her long enough to flash her his best grin, and then his mouth was doing astonishing things to her neck. She tried to control her reactions, but when he caressed her breast she caught her breath and couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through her. She felt rather than heard his chuckle against the soft skin of her neck. He was taking great pleasure at having turned the tables on her.

Rukia squeaked in surprise as his hand slid up her thigh. "Wait, Renji—"

"No one's going to come over here." he repeated her earlier assurance. "You'll just have to be quiet, right?" he raised one tattooed eyebrow at her, and smirked a little as she nodded breathlessly. There was no way she was getting out of this, and quite honestly she didn't really want to.

Rukia couldn't help but lean into the hand fondling her breast. Renji's hands were magic; he knew just how to make her squirm. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and didn't resist when the hand on her thigh reached higher. His long fingers were a mix of smooth skin and hard calluses, and she felt every nuance that swept over her sensitive flesh.

Rukia buried her face in Renji's shoulder to muffle her gasp of pleasure when his deft fingers slid home. His thumb traced patterns on her as his fingers curled deeply in her warmth. Her body arched in response to his familiar, knowing touch, and she felt the pressure building.

It happened all at once as he hit a new combination of sensitive spots, surprising them both. Rukia gave a loud gasp and her fingers dug into Renji's shoulders as waves of ecstasy crashed over her. She shuddered against him for a long time, barely recognizing the panting breaths that were her own. He stroked her hair and held her close until the quivering tension left her tiny frame.

"Ohhh…" she breathed heavily, finally loosening her grip on him.

Renji laughed softly. "That felt like fun," he teased her gently and kissed her when she blushed. As often as they loved each other, they still sometimes surprised themselves into blushing. He hoped that never changed.

Renji shifted Rukia in his lap so he could kiss her more comfortably. They sat there, arms wrapped around each other, talking easily and sharing tender kisses until they were lured from their tryst by the cheerful laughter echoing down the beach. Fingers loosely linked, they walked down to the water's edge to rejoin their nearly forgotten companions, somehow managing to step in stride. They were greeted enthusiastically by their friends, who dragged them bodily into the waves.

Long before the sun went down, Renji agreed that Rukia had had the right idea to stop and enjoy the calm before the storm.

END