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*Some weeks after discovering the manga*
" I'm sorry Rangiku-san but I'm just not interested." Rukia states for what seems like the one hundredth time that afternoon.
Both the women were currently sharing tea at the Kuchki mansion, and Rangiku had brought one of her newest volumes for Rukia to read. Now, it wasn't that Rukia didn't want to read another one of Rangiku's latest works of fiction, nor was it that she didn't like this new concept of "boy love". Rangiku was surprisingly talented, and something about seeing good looking men in vulnerable situations together really intrigued Rukia. It was just this one in particular that she was conflicted about reading. Why? Because this included her husband, Renji Abarai.
"Oh come on, Rukia! Renji is a bottom here! Don't you want to see your hubby being all submissive and cute??" Rangiku pressed on, purposely using one of Rukia's favorite words. Rukia shuffles around in her seat a little because that was, in fact, something she wanted to see. Still though, she sighs and shakes her head.
"Still, Renji would hate it. He's already been complaining about all the volumes I already bring home. Now one with him in it?" Rukia says with another sigh, resting her chin on the back of her hands. Despite what you'd think, judging based off Rukia and Renji's teasing, best friends to lovers relationship, they don't like to go out of they're way to upset one another or make the other uneasy. And although Renji is only mildly annoyed by the new manga trend that's so popular with the female soul reapers right now, one with him as a main character would probably be a different story. Rangiku just laughs light-heartedly.
"Yeah he probably would." She says with a knowing smile before shrugging.
" But he doesn't have to see it, you know." She continues nonchalantly and Rukia frowns a little, confused. What did she mean by that? Rangiku explains further while stirring her tea that one of the maids had just refilled.
"Just don't let him see it. Us ladies can have things that we indulge in privately for our own pleasure and enjoyment. It won't hurt him if he doesn't know it exist, especially something as harmless as a book." Rangiku drawls in that lazy voice of hers, with a careless wave of her hand.
"Besides I'm sure there's things that Renji likes that you don't agree with." She prods again, and Rukia thinks back to the time where figurines of characters in the world of the living, had been introduced to the soul society. Renji had been against it at first, thinking it was silly and immature, but had taken a liking to a certain character before long, and now has a few figurines of her in his office. Rukia hadn't liked it because the character was rather busty in comparison to herself, but nonetheless let Renji keep them because he genuinely liked them. Similar to how he complains but lets Rukia keep her manga because she's so interested in them.
Rukia thought it over. Keeping a secret stash of boy love manga that her spouse didn't know about? It's true that it's harmless if Renji doesn't catch her reading this particular one.
"Alright. Let me see it." She finally says with a sigh, holding her hand out across the table. Rangiku excitedly hands Rukia the volume, proud of her latest work of art. Rukia takes it and opens it up to see who her husband was paired with, and her eyes widen to the size of tea plates.
" He's paired with Ichigo!!?" Rukia almost shouts, but silences herself, not wanting to disturb her brother in case he was home. Rangiku just sips her tea, calmly.
"Yup I figured after you finish you can lend it to Orihime-chan!" She says with a smile, and Rukia just sighs, not at all surprised by Rangiku's antics.
* A week or so later*
Renji whistles a light tune as he walks back to his home that he shares with his beloved wife, Rukia. He'd just finished sparring with Ikaku and Shuhei a little sooner than he'd expected and decided to come home early. He's still whistling when he crosses their garden, opens their door, and sees Rukia sitting on a pillow in the middle of they're living room, reading one of her books. Renji thought he'd open the door rather calmly, but Rukia jumps at the sound of the screen door like he just kicked it open.
“Maybe she had been so absorbed in Rangiku's latest volume that she hadn't sensed my approaching spiritual pressure.” Renji correctly guessed and shakes his head with a teasing smile. Rukia immediately hides the book behind her back when renji starts to approach her, and he laughs at her reaction.
" You don't have to be so embarrassed, Rukia. I've seen how invested you get in your perverted little books before." He jokes easily while walking further into the room. He expects her to counter with a”you're one to talk!” Like she usually does because of his figurines, but instead of of going along with their joke, Rukia just fumbles around. Rukia is busy panicking in the middle of their spacious living room because there are no places to hide the manga. Renji finds her behavior weird but he just shrugs it off and keeps on towards her.
"Is that a new one? Who's it about this time? Hanataro again? Or that one newbie you girls have been fawning over lately?" Renji inquires sweetly before crouching down to kiss her. Instead of meeting him halfway, Rukia leans back, not wanting him to accidentally see the cover, now that he was much closer. Renji pauses and his eyebrows draw together in confusion.
"Uh, Rukia? Is it that bad? You know I don't actually hate them or anything right? I mean it is a little weird to me but if you like it, it's fine. It's not as if it's about me or something." Renji tries to reassure her, while simultaneously not understanding why she's trying to hide it so hard when he's seen a lot of her manga before. She literally runs to him over every detail that makes her swoon. Rukia jumps a little in her spot at the mention of the manga being about him. She'd usually have more composure right now, but she had no experience in hiding things from Renji. Renji observes her for a moment before repeating himself, feeling suspicious now.
"It's not about me right?" He asks again, now skeptical because of her lack of response, and they both stare at one another. Rukia is in deep trouble.
***
A few days later,after a lot of yelling and bickering, Rukia finds herself at a small bakery in the world of the living. A bakery where a young, human friend of hers is employed. She's now sitting at one of the tables by the window, waiting for said young woman to go on her lunch break. Rukia only sits with her book, a nonfiction book about sewing plushies this time around, for a moment when she hears her name called by a sweet voice.
"Rukia!" A voice from behind her calls out energetically. Rukia turns with a smile and waves before greeting her close friend.
"Orihime!" She calls back happily, and the two women huh before settling into their seats and ordering their meals. After catching up for a little while and enjoying a few snacks, Rukia finally tells orihime about what's been popular in the soul society lately and the mishap with her husband.
“Oooh so that's what happened! I wondered why Renji didn't visit with you.” Orihime ponders softly while swinging around her spoon. Rukia just huffs and crunches a cookie with the end of her own spoon.
" I mean I understand it's a little embarrassing, but did he have to get so angry about it!? Even went as far as to make me get rid of it!" Rukia shouts with a deep blush dyeing her cheeks, before slamming down her teacup as if it were a sake glass. Orihime, slightly concerned about her friend's reaction to the tea, gently pulls the cup away from Rukia as she continues to rant. Orihime interjects calmly during a pause in Rukia’s and taps her lips thoughtfully, humming while thinking.
"Well you said Renji has been pretty accepting about this hobby even though it makes him kind of uncomfortable right? Because the guys in the books are his friends and all that right?" Orihime asks with a lip poked out in thought. Rukia pauses, before nodding sheepishly, already having an idea of what Orihime was about to tell her.
"Uh-huh! Then maybe just this time you can compromise and take his feelings into consideration? I mean if he feels so strongly about it! And if he usually compromises and lets you do what you want, what's the harm in letting him have his way this time?" Orihime continues with her finger on her lip, obviously thinking hard about a solution that's fair to both her friends, before continuing to ramble.
" I mean that's what me and Ichigo do anyway! He pretty much lets me cook what I want, so the times where he doesn't want to eat some of my recipes(even though I don't know why!) I compromise and make something he wants to eat! And it's not just that! We compromise with other things too like-" Orihime pauses her ramble when Rukia softly rests a hand on her own.
" I think I understand what you're saying Orihime." Rukia says with a soft smile, one that Orihime returns happily. Rukia didn't have to be told that Renji compromises a lot for her. In truth, although he'd probably deny it, Renji spoils Rukia, because he loves it when she's happy. Just like the time the soul society pop-up shop had released a variety of Chappy merchandise, and Rukia had wanted pretty much every item that came out. Of course Renji complained about how the house was filled with things they didn't need and how much money she was spending on it all, but everyone saw how he looked at her when she was joyfully caring her bags home. He was even happy to carry most of them himself, as long she was smiling. And Rukia knew that. That's why she decided to get rid of the book, because despite how her giant husband reacted, he probably would've let her keep it if he had expressed that she wanted it badly enough. Rukia hadn't realized she was zoning out until Orihime calls her name.
“Rukia? Oh Rukiaaaa?” She calls quietly while waving two hands in front of her face. Rukia just blinks before quickly gathering herself.
"Oh it's nothing! You're right!" Rukia replies quickly, not wanting to admit that she was basically gushing about how thoughtful her husband is. The blush shading her cheeks though, told orihime differently. Rukia suddenly gets a soft look in her eyes, glancing down at the small bit of tea left in her cup.
"Besides, I don't want to hide things from Renji anyway." She says lovingly, while stirring the remains of her tea gently. Orihime just smiles warmly, glad that she was able to help lay her friend's worry to rest, before continuing her previous conversation.
"Well it's not all bad to hide things in marriage! I mean we're not married or anything, but Ichigo doesn't know about my secret stash of mint-pepper jelly! Or there was a time in highschool when I kept a hoodie that he loaned me (although it was an accident) and there was another time when-!" Orihime chatters on and Rukia just listens to her young friend with a fond smile on her face. After a while if chatting and paying their bill, Orihime thinks of something as she walks out of the cage arm in arm with Rukia.
" So what kind of book was it that got Renji so flustered in the first place, Rukia?" Orihime asks curiously and turns to look at her. Rukia jumps and blushes, before pausing and looking around cautiously, making Orihime do the same. In a quiet voice, Rukia stands on her tiptoes and whispers into Orihime’s ear.
"Do you know boy love?"