L was never one for pet names. Even a year into your relationship. And this night, per usual, he's propped up at his desk working on some case while you scroll on your phone next to him. You yawn and check the time. 10:32.
"L, baby, you've been at this for hours. You promised you'd go to sleep with me tonight," You say softly.
"Just let me finish this," He mutters, not even sparing you a glance.
"But-" you try to speak but he cuts you off, already knowing what you're going to say.
"Not now," he says sharply, and glares at you before his dark eyes return back to the computer screen. You sigh and leave the room. You trudge to your bed, alone for another night. You exhale through your nose and lay down on your side. You close your eyes and try to fall asleep but you can't help but think of your boyfriend in the other room, breaking his promise again, even if it was a simple one. A tear rolls down and drops to bedsheet. And another one, two, follow before you can stop it. You sniffle lightly.
As you continue to cry, you don't even notice L coming in through the slightly cracked open door. He watches you for a moment before coming up to lay behind you. You feel the dip in the bed but don't turn around, instead just trying to silence your sorrow. His chin comes to rest on top of your head with his arm reaching around you. He presses a gentle kiss into your hair.
"I'm sorry sweet girl." He says softly, brushing a tear away.
My final new print (as of now) that I will be taking with me to sell at a con, thanks to all my friends who helped me finish this out proper. WIPs under the cut.
A/N: This one is a little shorter becauseeee I wanted to leave a cliffhanger and I wrote both of these in about 24 hours. Part three will resolve because I'm soft and I can't leave a story without a happy ending in one way or another.
Summary: Your husband is a workaholic and is possibly still stuck on his dead ex-wife. You say fuck that. Can he mend the relationship?
W: More angst, Still mentioned as a wife, Obv Cliffhanger
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Part I, Part III
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Renji sighs deeply, holding your ring in his hand as he makes his way to Byakuya's office. Slowly, he walks up to the outer walls. Before he can even knock, Byakuya is already giving approval.
"Come in, Lieutenant," He says gruffly. Renji sighs even more, because of course his spiritual pressure would be sensed, and of course he has to be the one dragged into this mess. He steps inside, clenching the ring so he can hide it from sight. He kneels down in front of his Captain.
"Captain, I wanted to give you an update on the new training regime." Renji stares at the floor, already feeling the beads of swear collect along his hairline.
"Go on," he says. "And quickly," Byakuya adds which only furthers Renji's despair, knowing he's probably about to face the Captain's wrath. It's the kind that's twisted and reserved and that's almost too subtle to notice until it's happening to you.
"The newer members are finding it easier than past work while the older ones are experiencing difficulty adjusting. I suspect this may be because of their comfortability with the old method, though."
"Monitor progress, leave out nothing. Dismissed," Byakuya says sharply, turning his attention back to the large stack of paperwork in front of him.
"Actually, I...had something else for you, Captain Kuchiki," Renji says hesitantly. Byakuya says nothing but his eyes draw back to the man kneeling at his desk. So, Renji takes the silence as a signal to continue.
"It's from your wife."
"Get on your feet and present it to me, Lieutenant Abarai."
Renji's eyes close for a second, reveling in his last moments of peace and remembering all the times when his Captain wasn't mad before he stands and walks up to the desk.
He meets Byakuya's stern gaze. His fist unclenches and he holds the ring out to his Captain. Byakuya stares at it for a moment before his hands clench so hard that his knuckles crack and his spiritual pressure increases in intensity.
"She gave this to you?" Byakuya cuts him off sharply.
"Only in passing. She told me she couldn't face you any longer, Captain."
"Give me the ring, Lieutenant Abarai."
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Your tears rolled down your cheeks one after another, chasing each other as if in a race. Through your blurry vision you manage to flash step back to the estate before you run into anyone else can see you in such a pathetic manner. The breeze hits the unfamiliarity of your ring finger, reminding you of its newfound emptiness.
Once you're inside, your knees collapse under you, hitting the wooden floorboards as you're sure so many wives of the Kuchiki have before, if this is how they all behave, anyway. The diamond earrings he got you as an anniversary gift, or more so to make up for the lack of attendance at the anniversary dinner are second to go, clattering to the floor faintly. Third are the cherry blossom pins in your hair that represent him more than anything, and your connection to him, one that feels more like a ruse at this point.
One of the many servants, which you've had to learn to be accustomed to, walks up to you.
"Mrs. Kuchiki, is everything alright?" The sweet woman questions, kneeling down next to you.
"I'm fine," You say, but of course the wet trail on your cheeks and the shakiness of your voice show your true state. "Forgive me, for I am not in the right headspace for visitation at this moment."
"I understand," she glances down at the finger which you now hold bare, "Miss," she settles on. You wave your hand in dismissal and she stands up from her knees, and exits the room. You watch as she easily brings herself up, while you're left in a seemingly endless stream of tears.
After adequately wallowing for about an hour, you gather yourself, wiping the last of your tears from your cheeks. You push yourself to your feet and to look in the mirror, looking at the pathetic version of you in your reflection. But you're stronger, better than this, and you know that.
You go and take a long bath and fix yourself up for the second time today, and push away that deep aching feeling, if only to present yourself as composed.
As you sit, you think through all of this, if this is what you want to do. The feint mark of your ring remains as you stare at it.
You exit the bath, toweling off and putting on a robe.
When you walk into the room, you feel Byakuya's strong spiritual pressure getting increasingly closer. Goosebumps wash over you as you feel the danger and the urgency approach.
You don't get a second to prepare before he flash steps in front of you, so close you're enveloped in him, in his essence. You slowly look up to meet his eyes, and just as you guessed, he's angry, furious even. You take a step back with your right foot but he grabs your wrist before you can take another. His grip is tight enough that you know this is no joking matter, but not enough to hurt you.
"Care to explain this?" He questions as he holds up your ring between his pointer and thumb, dwarfing it in his grip.
A/N: I think I've been in a writer's block for like two years, maybe more. But I finally got enough motivation to rewrite this, which was long overdo. And I'll actually write a part II, I promise. It's actually already in the making ;).
S: Byakuya Kuchiki, who once had strong ambition and dedication and a true competitive spirit, has become a shielded and cold man after his first wife died. He eventually remarried, but is that enough to revive his spirit?
W:Angst, Unresolved, Singular use of Y/N, Reader is called wife, Byakuya is a meanie, not proof read so please correct me if needed
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Part II
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Byakuya was a cruel, cruel man when he wanted to be. He prides himself on family, but not in the typical way. Not in the sense that he would make time for his sister and his wife. Not in the sense that he'd actually show he cares for them in any way but the extreme bare minimum, so minimal that most wouldn't believe it at all. He's family oriented in the sense that tradition, class, and the elder's wishes hold first priority. He will always have some sort of symbol of status on him, something that shows his upbringing and the way he holds himself.
But you know him. You know him beyond this meticulously created facade that he wears for the world. Or at least you thought you did.
He's been your husband for a long time. But it doesn't always feel that way. Before he forced you to retire as a soul reaper for the 'sake of family', as he put it, he'd walk past you in the halls, undermine the amount of work you did as a soul reaper, and most affection was out of the question. You've heard tales of the past, how he used to treat Hisana, what he meant to her, and how he hasn't been the same since her death. But you didn't know that man, and you never will. And as a result of this, you've had your doubts on what his true feelings are with you. What if you simply served as a way for him to make a next generation? What if the sliver of humanity he showed you was nothing but false, just to draw you in?
You've been spending the last few months of your life holed up at the Kuchiki Estate, being a traditional wife in a sense. But you can't help but miss the thrill of being a Soul Reaper and the sense of responsibility, the sense of meaning. And so, you decided to go off to his office to visit him for the first time, to see if you could try and bring some excitement into this relationship.
But he was less than thrilled.
"What are you doing here?" He snarls, not looking up from paperwork.
"I just wanted to come check on you. It's boring at home, you know."
"And you thought it was appropriate to come bother me, knowing I'm busy, for what? Entertainment?"
"Byakuya, you can't seriously expect me to be okay with being a housewife when I used to be in battle all the time. It's not a fulfilling life style," You huff, placing your hands on your hips.
"You knew what you were getting into. Don't be ridiculous." He finally sets his papers down and looks up at you, with that sharp unwavering gaze. You swallow and hold his eye contact, knowing if you back down it'll only make this worse.
"Ridiculous? You're saying I'm the ridiculous one when you've turned my whole life upside down, and I rarely even see you. What do I look like? I had a life before you, and now I feel like we're 'Mr. And Mrs. Byakuya Kuchiki'. I barely exist outside of you," You retort, taking a few more steps forward to be standing right up on the other side of his desk.
"Lower your voice. You're getting worked up, it's not a good look for you,"
"You're so worried about how we're perceived. You care more about the looks than us as a bonded couple. I gave up my life for you. You wanted me to stay home and be safe, right? So is it so wrong for me to just want you to be home just a little, or for me to have some sort of fulfillment?" You yell as you circle around his desk to him.
He sighs deeply and finally stands in front of you, towering over you as if he has to assert himself to you of all people.
"Hi- um, y/n. You have to understand that I have duties, I have responsibilities. I can't drop everything for you. I can't afford to miss important work for minuscule matters," He replies sharply. But even in his quick correction, you caught his slip up. You caught the way he almost called you, Hisana. After all this time, you're still just a replacement to him. It only serves to push you to your breaking point. Your hand slams on the desk beside you. He glances at it and back up at you. The perfect picture of composure, he is, as always.
"Why can't you see that she's gone, Byakuya? I'm the one that's here. And if you consider me, my feelings, my life, to be a 'minuscule matter'. Am I only a replacement to you?" You snap. You look at his face, searching for anything in his face that would give you an answer, and all you saw was a hint of guilt. You scoff, smoothing down your hairs and anything else that may be out of place.
"Don't answer that, I've found my answer," You say, turning away from him and exiting his office. As you're walking you see Renji.
"Oh hey! Been a while since I've seen you, how have you been?" He grins, walking right up to you.
"Are you going to Byakuya?"
"Yeah? What's up? Is he in a bad mood?" He sighs, already dreading the meet with his notoriously grumpy captain. Instead, you slide off your wedding ring and hand it to him.
"Give this to him, I can't even face him right now," You mutter and continue on your path.
"Hey- Wait-!" He calls out behind you, but you don't stop, not now that your tears are threatening to fall and the weight of the situation is starting to settle in.
W: Cheating (sorry Nancy I love you I swear), Slight smut kind of? lets say it alludes to it,
E: This is based on the linked song at the bottom so hopefully that will make more sense!
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You sit in the passenger seat, waiting for him to get back in the car. Your nails tap the glass of the window to the rhythm of the light music that plays in the background. You see his figure step outside of the house, saying his last goodbyes before your eyes trace him as he walks to the door. The door clicks open and he steps in and closes it gently. Steve's hands claw his jeans slightly. You look at each other in a silence only broken by whatever plays softly.
The night before had been the opposite. The two of you in the back seat as the windows fogged up and that's all he can think about as he looks into those eyes of yours. Your hand prints on the window, asking, no begging for more. The moment keeps running through his head before he realizes how long he's been staring at you.
He tugs off his shoes when he gets home after dropping you off at your own house. He goes to his room, sighing deeply as he falls back on the bed, staring up at the darkness of his ceiling. His mind drifts to you...then Nancy then back to you. He tosses and turns and time ticks by and sleep hasn't even bit a thought in his head. The clock strikes midnight and you're still consuming his mind. He goes over to the phone and dials your number, you lucky enough to have a phone in your room. You pick up the phone
.
"Hey," He says softly, simply.
"Steve?" You say softly, trying not to be too loud for others in your house.
"Yeah...I wanna see you, now."
"Now? It's midnight an' I have things to do tomorrow-"
"Now," he doubles down. He heard your soft sigh and a slight suck of the teeth as you consider it.
"Fine, but you're coming here and you're gonna have to climb through the window because the floorboards by the front are too loud and someone always wakes up."
You wait in your room for him. Fixing up your bed hair some and making sure your pajamas are cute enough. And soon enough the familiar headlights pull up and you're helping him through the window, quietly as possible (and failing).
His feet hit the floor and his eyes meet yours. He licks his lips and leans in to you. Before you let him kiss you, you mutter something. Something important he almost forgot.
"What about Nancy?" You whisper and he sighs.
"I don't wanna talk or think about Nancy right now," He says gruffly.
And somehow you let that be enough for him to kiss you and for last night to repeat.
