Frustration (byaren boyxboy)

Frustration part 2

A week and Byakuya had yet to even look at his lieutenant. He couldn't possibly bear to think about what happened, let alone face the one who had put him through such shame and pleasure. Only in his dreams did he visit the memory, though he'd never admit that.
Still, the incident had done its purpose. Byakuya was much less stressed now that work was his break. He had gone to head captain Yamamoto to request lightening his work load just so Renji wouldn't take action himself. The old man had agreed readily. Byakuya's worn, tired face was more than enough to convince him.
While his captain's stress went down, Renji's went up. He wished he'd never done what he did, knowing how badly the noble was affected. However the noises his Taicho had made that day were always there in his brain, haunting him. He was never one to bury himself in work, instead opting to train. Pushing himself to his very limits and sometimes passed it. Whenever he had a problem, his friends could always tell by how exhausted his body was.
Now, Renji was sweating profusely, his head swimming as he panted. The top part of his uniform was off, leaving him in only his hakama. His body was swaying and tipping dangerously, but he didn't care.
Stop, you fool! Are you trying to kill yourself!? You cannot go on like this, you will collapse! Zabimaru hissed in his mind.
"Shut up." He huffed, barely above a whisper. Gather the little strength he had left, he lifted his zanpakto high and swung. Due to his vision spotting and swimming, he missed his target and fell over.
Idiot... Zabimaru said. It was the last thing he heard before falling unconscious.

"Captain Kuchiki, sir?"
"Yes, Rikichi, what is it?" 
"Er... I found Lieutenant Abarai lying in the training yard unconscious, sir... What should I do?" Byakuya sighed, standing up.
"I'll take care of it, Rikichi, you may return to your duties. Thank you for informing me." Rikichi bowed deeply.
"Yes, sir." The noble made his way to the training yard and sure enough found his fukutaicho on the ground, snoring loudly. He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with a fed up sigh, walking over to kick the read head in the ribs.
"Hmph..." Renji grunted, curling into a ball without waking. Byakuya kicked harder, enough to leave a sizable bruise.
"Mmm... Ouch..." The tattooed man grumbled again, rubbing at the spot on his ribs slowly.
"Get up, Abarai fukutaicho, you're a disgrace to the Sareitei and the sixth division!" Byakuya spat kicking him again.
"Oooowwwwuh! Caaaapt'nnnn..." Renji grumbled.
"Did you not hear me!? I said get up, you stupid excuse of a Shinigami!" Byakuya hissed, kicking his lieutenant over and over again. Still, Renji refused to wake any more than half way, grumbling and curling into the fetal position.
"Mmh! Please sir, I was jus' hungry... I needed it to survive... I gotta... Gotta feed my siblings... Please don't hurt me, it was jus'....jus' a loaf of bread...Zzzzz..." Renji whined, dozing off again. Byakuya stopped kicking him, feeling guilty. He sighed, walking over to grab the red heads zanpakto and other half of his uniform. The corner of his mouth twitched up as he watched the sleeping form of the tattooed man. He was kind of... Cute...
His small, fond smile quickly turned to a scowl. Never again would he admit his lieutenant was cute. Ever. Still, now that he looked a bit harder, it was obvious the red head was exhausted. He must have trained himself to exhaustion, and the noble knew why. Good, he thought. He'd better feel guilty.
In the end, Byakuya decided to call two strong squad members to drag Renji to his quarters. There was no way he could have done it himself. The lieutenant was very large and very heavy.
When Renji woke, he was surprised to find himself in his bed sporting a large bruise on his ribs.
"What the hell did I do to get that," he grumbled. When he attempted to sit up, pain shot through his limbs and he flopped back down, accepting the fact that he wouldn't be getting out of bed today. Tonight? What time was it? The red head looked over at the clock on his nightstand. Four pm. That couldn't be possible... He'd started training at three. There's no way he could have passed out after only an hour. Unless... He'd slept through the day!?
"Oh no." Renji groaned. Captain Kuchiki would not be happy. Being late for work was one thing, skipping it entirely was another. Just then, a soft knock sounded at his door.
"Lieutenant Abarai...? Are you awake...?" A soft, cautious voice said.
"Come in!"
"Lieutenant Abarai, I'm glad to see you've awoken!" Rikichi said, carrying a tray of food into the room. Renji's stomach growled at the sight, and the black haired Shinigami laughed.
"I guess you're pretty hungry, huh? I found you passed out in the training yard yesterday. Captain Kuchiki tried to wake you up, but you were out cold. Personally I think kicking you repeatedly in the chest was kinda harsh, but, that's Captain Kuchiki for you I guess!" He said, setting down the tray for his lieutenant.
"So that's where I got these bruises from..." The red head said, eyeing the plate stacked full of food. There was some kind of cooked stew with vegetables piled high on top of rice. It looked delicious, making his mouth water.
"Yeah, it was kinda funny, actually. The captain was yelling all sorts of mean stuff at you, and you just kept dozing like nothing was wrong!" Rikichi laughed. He stood up and did an impression of their captain, scowling and kicking at the air.
"Abarai, you useless excuse of a Shinigami, get your ass up right now! You've got work to do, you stupid monkey! Blah, blah, blah, blah!" He said sternly. Renji laughed.
"That was perfect! Did he really say that!?" He said, reaching for the tray with a shaky hand.
"Well, something along those lines. Of course, he didn't swear, noble pride, and all that. Oh, sorry, let me help." Rikichi said as Renji dropped the spoon.
"Ah. Thanks, I guess I really overdid it..." The tattooed man said, cheeks turning slightly pink at having to be fed.
"Yeah, no kidding. Open up!" With that, Renji opened his mouth as Rikichi fed him gently.
"Mmh, that's delicious... I'm famished! Say, Rikichi, you used to be in the fourth division, right?"
"Yeah, I did! Captain Unohana transferred me here though, said she could tell I was unhappy."
"Well, glad we gotcha. Those skills you learned from the fourth sure come in handy."
"Yeah, I guess! The worst part was caring for those fools in the eleventh. Always fighting, getting themselves hurt. So rude..."
"Yeah, that's probably why I got transferred outta there. Capt'n Zaraki said, I just didn't love fightin' enough. You know, If I'd been as into fightin' as those guys, I'da been third seat for sure." Renji said in between bites of food.
"Yeah, but now you're a lieutenant. Even better! Don't get me wrong, Ikkaku's totally strong enough to be a lieutenant, I just don't think he'd enjoy all the responsibility. Plus, he just loves the eleventh too much." Rikichi said.
"Oh, whoops. Sorry I got a little on your chin. Here, let me..." The black haired Shinigami took a napkin, dabbing his lieutenants chin.
"Thanks, it's fine." Renji said. "You're wrong about Ilkaku, though. He practically is lieutenant. You think Yuchiru's gonna sit down and do paperwork? Please."
"Yeah, you got a point there, I didn't even think of that. I bet Ikkaku does all the lieutenant work."
"Seriously. There's gotta be more restrictions on who's a captain and lieutenant, more than just strength. Otherwise we get kids like her and irresponsible people who can't do their job, like... Like me." Rikichi gasped dramatically.
"You!? Irresponsible!?" He said.
"Aw, shut it, Rikichi!" Renji said, while the Shinigami laughed.
"Kami knows why Captain Kuchiki hasn't transferred me yet. I don't know how he puts up with me. I've been tryin', really, I have! I was doin' pretty good, too, for awhile there... Now I completely missed a day of work, and the captain's gonna kick my lily ass for sure." The red head said.
"Yeah, captain's pretty pissed, but he'll cool down once he know's your awake. Speaking of, I should probably let him know. You sure polished off your food pretty good. You still hungry?" Rikichi said, referring to the now empty plate.
"Naw, I'm good. Thanks, Rikichi. See ya around."
"Alright. See ya, lieutenant." With that, the black haired Shinigami picked up the tray and left.
Fifteen minutes later, there was another knock at his door.
"Enter." Renji said. Byakuya walked into the room, balancing a large stack of paper, making the red head groan.
"You we're the one who decided to push yourself until you collapsed, Abarai, so I suggest you be quiet!" The noble snapped.
"Yes, Taicho. Thank you for bringing me my paper work, Taicho." Renji said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"I also suggest you watch your tone when speaking to your superior, Abarai. I ought to punish you for such blatant disrespect shown by your behavior." That got the lieutenants attention.
"I apologize, Kuchiki Taicho, it won't happen again." He said sincerely.
"I should hope not. I'll dismiss it just this once, chalking it up to fatigue, but next time you won't be so lucky. I expect this done no later than Thursday. If you fail to complete it in time, there will be dire consequences."
"But Captain, that's impossible!"
"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you exhausted yourself!" Byakuya snapped.
"No, Captain, I mean that's literally impossible! My hands are too shaky, I can't even hold a spoon without dropping it, let alone steady my hand enough to use a brush..." Renji said. His superior blinked at him.
"...If you cannot hold silverware properly, then how did you eat...?" He said.
"Well... You see..." Renji said, looking away with a light blush. "Er... Rikichi fed me, sir..." Byakuya felt something ugly boiling up inside him. Something about Renji's blush and Rikichi's smile when he informed him of his lieutenants consciousness spurred it on.
"...I see..." He said softly, starring off into space.
"'M'sorry, Taicho! I'll take responsibility for the papers and get them done by Thursday somehow. I'm sure I'll be able to write by then, so I'll just... Cram, I guess..." The red head said, looking uncomfortable.
"...very well." With that, the noble put the papers on the small desk in the room before turning to the door.
"I expect better control from you, Abarai Fukutaicho. You know better than to let your Reiatsu get so low that you faint from fatigue. Do not let it happen again."
"Hai, Taicho." Renji said. With that, Byakuya left.

The day after, Renji's hands had stopped shaking and he was able to get three days worth of paperwork done in two. He was also up and walking around again, good as new. Byakuya hardly said anything to him anymore, somehow withdrawing even more than before. He gave Renji more work than necessary, but that wasn't what had the red head confused. His captain was always punishing him for stuff. What confused him was why Byakuya was also piling on more work for Rikichi. It seemed like every time the tattooed man was able to talk to his squad mate, the captain was there to order them off separate ways. Rikichi was miserable, and Renji decided it was time to confront the noble. They couldn't go on like this.
"Enter." Byakuya's smooth voice said from the other side of the door. Renji walked in, closing the door and locking it. And the sound of the latch, the noble looked up and went a bit pale.
"Yes, Abarai?" He said.
"Why are you punishing Rikichi?" Renji said bluntly. Byakuya huffed, turning away with his nose in the air.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said.
"Like hell you do! Why are you punishing him? What did he do?" Renj snapped. His captain glared.
"What did I tell you about watching your tongue, Abarai!?"
"I have a duty to my squad members when I believe they are being treated unfairly, Captain!" Byakuya gasped.
"How dare you!"
"No, how dare you! Punishing Rikichi for something he didn't do! Why would you do that!?"
"I am not punishing him!"
"Then why are you piling up his work so much!?"
"There's much to be done, Abarai! Why aren't you complaining about the other squad members, hm!? That's what you do, isn't it!? Protect the division from their cruel captain!? Deal with me so they don't have too!? Keep me calm for the good of the squad!?" Byakuya yelled. Now it was Renji's turn to gasp.
"I don't do that!" He yelled in defense.
"THEN WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM!?" Byakuya screamed, slamming his hands on the table and springing up. His face was red in rage. Immediately after he exploded he sat down in his chair and spun around so his back was to his lieutenant. He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths. Renji was speechless as his captain cooled himself down.
"...I deeply apologize for my outburst, Abarai fukutaicho. I will be sure to lessen Rikichi's workload at your request. You may go." The noble said in a soft, calm voice.
"Captain Kuchiki..."
"I said you may go, Abarai."
"Wait, Captain-"
"Get out, Renji!" Byakuya said firmly, refusing to spin around and face him.
"I..." Renji hesitated. He almost reached out to his captain, wanting to say something, anything, but he'd never been good with words. Instead he dropped his hand and stood, bowing deeply even though he knew the noble couldn't see him.
"Yes, Kuchiki Taicho." He said softly before leaving the room.
If Byakuya was maybe tearing up just a bit, he'd never admit it to anyone ever.