#portions for foxes was written pretty exclusively between the hours of 11pm and 3am. i never do this. this is the time that i sleep.

[recurring-polynya]

For the garage sale 1500 follower fest: Portions for Foxes! :D Congrats on the milestone!

I posted the heartfelt and earnest scene from Portions for Foxes earlier, which got cut just because I went in a different direction. This one, on the other hand, got cut for being too bonkers, but I feel that you, especially, will appreciate it.

This takes place towards the end of fanfic when everyone is doing a little better and there are a bunch of sort of vignettes, like when they go to the art gallery to see the horrible painting of Byakuya. Maybe it's a spoiler for the fanfic, but it's also in the tags, so I don't feel too bad about it: Rukia is very pregnant at this point.

Anyway, this is why they should have had a big No Sex in the Champagne Room Royal Realm sign and also made everyone sign a waiver and also probably not let Renji and especially not Rukia up there in the first place.

👹 ❄️ 💥

And then there's the day The Experiment breaks out of Squad 12. It is very large and very disgusting and also has just far too many eyes and teeth and teeth-eyes.

Captain Kurotsuchi is the one who really should have taken care of it, but he happens to be taking some personal time in his sensory deprivation tank.

Captain Zaraki and his top seats are out on a mission. They will all be very salty about this when they return.

It also happens to be one of the days when Renji is over at the Sixth and Rukia is at the Thirteenth.

So, The Experiment breaks out of Squad 12, turns right, and and heads over to Squad 11. It's wrecked their mess hall and twenty meatheads are trying to fight it at once, when Rukia meanders over, dances out a Tsukishirou, and kills it dead in two seconds. And then leaves again.

Renji finds her down at the kidou butts later, cratering practice dummies with souren sokatsui, which he knows is her favorite.

"You here to yell at me?" she asks crossly.

"I made a joke the other day about you fighting Zaraki," he says slowly. "And I'm just now realizing that you weren't just being a worrywart. That it's been really fucking unfair of me to go around havin' a good time when you can't."

A pained look crosses Rukia's face. "I'm doing something important."

"That's right, you are," he announces. "You been doing every single thing that needs to be done since the minute we woke up in Kirinji's hot springs. You've been crushin' it." He takes a long pause. "And I think its been killing you."

"Can't you just yell at me?" she grumbles. "Aren't you mad I put our baby in danger?"

"Did you? he asks. "Baby's gone to bankai with you. Guess I kinda trust you to know what's okay and what's not."

Instead of answering, she annihilates another practice dummy, this time with a plain ol' shakkahou. She's become someone like Byakuya, who can channel a tremendous amount of destruction, even through the lower level spells.

And then Renji realizes what she's doing, that she did just answer him.

"Are you buddying off the baby's reiatsu?" he asks, incredulous.

"He doesn't mind," Rukia dismisses.

"That's not the point, the point is--"  He comes up short. "Are you just guessin' at that 'he' thing, or do you know something?"

Rukia shrugs. "Sode no Shirayuki says we are having a son. You know how full of shit she is, though."

"That's amazing," Renji breathes. "I mean, not that it's a boy, it had to be something, but that your zanpaktou…and you can share reiatsu…" He sits down, right on the ground. "You can't ever do anything normal, can you, Rukia?"

"I don't know how to make a dumb baby," Rukia scowls, crossing her arms. "I was blaming you."