A Little Surprise
By Spunky0ne
(A Fluffy Renji/Byakuya oneshot for Sesh!)
Byakuya Kuchiki had never failed to rise before dawn. In fact, for as long as he could remember, he had awakened without the aid of his longtime attendant and was dressed and at the table with his younger cousin while most of the Seireitei still slept. And he did enjoy the crispness of the early morning air, the scent of the wet grass and the quiet of morning. Still, it was his sense of duty that required it, and he was known for putting duty before most other things. So, for the sun to be peeking into his bedroom and for Byakuya to just be waking was an anomaly. And the little, throb of nausea in his belly was definitely an annoyance. He didn't have time for such things when waking up next to the first lover he had been with since losing his wife.
He counted himself fortunate that Renji Abarai was as much an owl as Byakuya was a lark.
Byakuya lifted his head slightly from where it rested on a warm, naked and delightfully muscular shoulder. Immediately, the movement caused a little warmth to escape from under the covers, sending a breath of their mingled scents across the noble's piqued senses. He found that while Renji's masculine scent was worlds apart from Hisana's sweeter scent, Renji's scent was crushingly intoxicating, and just having a breath of it like that made Byakuya's recently sated loins awaken and flush in anticipation.
And if Renji's delicious scent wasn't enough, then the very sight of his handsomely golden tanned and tattooed body left Byakuya nearly breathless and his heart thumping hard at just the thought of that exotically marked and wonderfully powerful creature being erotically entwined with him. One of the redhead's arms curled around him, holding him to Renji's shoulder and inhibiting any thought of escape…or so it seemed. Except that Byakuya knew very well that waking Renji in the morning was like trying to wake the dead.
Yet, there was one part of him already awake.
Byakuya peeked under the covers, gazing quietly at what he was sure was the most entrancing male apparatus in existence. It had proved quite capable as well in keeping the Kuchiki leader in the throes of ecstasy for much of the night, and seemed, even as Renji slept, to hum with the promise of more delights to come. Byakuya briefly considered taking the obvious invitation to begin their next coupling, but another twinge in his belly quickly removed the idea from his mind and he wriggled his way out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom, where he emptied his stomach, then knelt on the cool floor, washing his face with a dampened washcloth.
I wonder if I ate something that did this.
But he wasn't a person who had many sensitivities to food. Byakuya thought briefly of his male cousin, who was also one of the rare breeder males, capable of bearing young.
In just a few more days, Tetsuya should be delivering the twins heirs of the Shiba clan he is carrying.
Byakuya sighed as he leaned over and heaved again rather gracelessly.
I miss having Tetsuya living here at Kuchiki Manor. I know he is happily wed to Ichigo now, but I can't help missing his presence here. He was constantly at my side through our teen years. But even though he has gone, I am not alone.
He thought back to the night before, his lips smiling as his fingers absently moved to caress the small silver pregnancy charm that hung on a chain around his throat.
Renji was a little stunned when I explained why I have to wear it while with a male partner, but he didn't seem turned off by the fact that my body is capable of holding life inside and growing it. Instead, it only seemed to encourage him to explore me more thoroughly last night. I think he touched me everywhere, as though he couldn't quite believe we were in bed together.
A soft chuckle escaped him.
But…touch me, he did.
He touched me first with those blazing cinnamon eyes that have watched me for so very long. Then, his fingers joined in, rough from the hard life he led in the low Rukongai before being accepted into the shinigami academy. He seemed a little embarrassed about them being like that, but I assured him that the roughness of them felt so good on my softer flesh, and I didn't want him to miss touching me everywhere. Then, his mouth followed his hands, his lips ravishing and his hot red tongue making trails all over me. As promised, Renji left no part of me unexplored. Before our bodies were even joined, he inflicted such bliss upon me as I never felt with anyone. I surrendered my seed quite willingly to him and watched as he devoured it like he'd never tasted anything so richly satisfying. Then, he turned those feral eyes on me and climbed up my sweating body to sate his own raging lust.
I don't remember so much after that. It's all a thrilling, melting haze of biting kisses, savage caresses and so many joinings that I lost count. But what I do remember is the pure joy in Renji's loving eyes as we finally acknowledged what has been building between us for so long.
Byakuya gave a long, indulgent sigh, his fingers still stroking the pendant at his throat. But something odd registered and he took a deeper breath and looked down at the charm. Then, he found himself suddenly breathless.
It…broke?
Byakuya's dark grey eyes widened, blinked and looked again.
It broke.
"It cannot be," he whispered.
It was, of course, a powerful charm, reputed to be able to stand up to captain level reiatsu.
Of course, no method is one hundred percent reliable, but…
Byakuya stood and gazed intently at the reflection of his naked body, focusing on his slim, muscular abdomen, his heart pounding as he imagined how it would look in the all too near future.
Breeder males do not get as big as females, because the reiatsu clusters are smaller than the baby's final form after birth. But if there is a multiple birth, as in Tetsuya's case with the Shiba heirs, one can still get…
"Lord Byakuya?" his attendant's voice called softly from outside the bathroom door, "Are you all right, sir?"
"F-fine," Byakuya managed, still staring at his reflection.
What will I do?
The council of elders may not kill me, because Renji is captain level and a war hero, but…he is also not someone who rushes into commitment, and I do not want to rush him. I suppose I could delay telling him, but that would give him less time before the birth to make peace with it. Also, withholding something like that is like lying. It's not right to keep it from him. Ready or not, we are going to be parents, whether or not Renji wants to be married to me right now.
How do I tell him this?
He slipped out of the bathroom and stood silently as his attendant greeted him and dressed him for the day.
"Good morning, sir," he said pleasantly, "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well, thank you," Byakuya replied, stealing a glance at the still deeply sleeping redhead in his bed, "Thank you for your assistance with the privacy shielding last night. Renji has very powerful reiatsu, and so do I."
He noticed that his attendant's green eyes had found the broken charm, and he gave the young man a meaningful look.
"Torio, I will need to ask for your discretion while I…manage this."
"Oh! Of course," Torio said reassuringly, "You know I would never…"
"I know," Byakuya said, giving him an affectionate look, "This is just…very unexpected."
Torio glanced at the sleeping sixth division lieutenant.
"Does he know?"
"No, and I do not know how to tell him. We only just began seeing each other."
"Ah," Torio said, giving him a sympathetic look, "Lieutenant Abarai is a free spirit, a rebellious soul, ne?"
"Yes, he is."
A moment of silence passed between the two, then Torio smiled encouragingly as he finished dressing Byakuya and stepped back.
"I know it will be all right," he said, trying to sound positive, but falling slightly short, "Renji is a good man."
"He is."
Byakuya sighed softly.
"I am going to see her."
"Of course, sir," Torio answered.
Byakuya slipped past the bed and out into the fragrant gardens.
I can't believe this is happening.
But even with his worries burgeoning inside and the remaining feeling of slight sickness, he couldn't help noticing the lovely flowers coming into bloom. And the most beautiful to him, a new lotus, recently risen up in his koi pond.
New life is everywhere.
It's been a long time since I really enjoyed that.
He crossed the gardens and headed out the back gate, taking the shaded trail that led to the family cemetery. He entered and walked past his parents' graves, bowing his head and whispering a gentle greeting to each, then he moved on to Hisana's grave and knelt beside it, breathing slowly and letting a hand drop down to rub his aching belly.
"Hisana," he said softly, "I hope you are well. I would have been here sooner, but…something unprecedented has happened."
His hands shook very slightly as he removed the broken charm and laid it on her grave.
"The dream that you and I once shared has finally come to pass, albeit in a different way than we imagined. We thought that you would be here and that we would share this miracle, however, things have worked out a bit differently. I do so wish that I had been able to give you the gift of carrying life inside you. Unfortunately, we had no way to make that happen. Still, I have gone on, as you asked me to, and after a long time, I have found love."
He paused, thinking about the new lotus flower in the koi pond.
"It is not the love that we had, but it has its own radiant beauty. Renji is a powerful man and he is impulsive and sometimes unpredictable…which is probably why I did not see this coming. It was…rather like that time that you and I were gathering roses and we found a flower of a different kind sprouting unexpectedly close to the rose bush. Yes, we found joy in the beauty of that unexpected blossoming, just as I am joyful to carry this blossom that was given to me by that radiant beauty of the low Rukongai."
He paused, reaching out to trace his late wife's name on the elegant stone marker.
"I suppose we never know what is meant to happen, but…I am glad for the time we had, and I will honor you by enjoying this gift I have been given. No matter how Renji reacts or if he leaves me, I will have no regrets…not about you and me, and not about loving him so recklessly last night. I will accept what happens with dignity, and I will embrace the sweetness of what we could not have together. I hope that you can experience this with me from wherever you have gone. I know you will be watching over us."
Byakuya rose and walked out of the gardens, leaving the broken charm on his late wife's grave. He walked slowly back to the main house, then he stopped at the back gate as he spotted Renji standing at the garden doors outside the master suite, talking urgently to Torio.
"Well, do you know where he went?" the redhead asked, looking around, "I mean, he didn't look mad or…or anything, did he?"
"No, of course not, Renji," Torio said reassuringly, "Lord Byakuya seemed just…"
"Cause, I need to know if I did something wrong. I don't think I did something wrong," the redhead rambled anxiously, "Oh man, I did do something wrong, didn't I?"
"No."
"That's why he ran off, right?" Renji worried aloud, "Shit! I shoulda…"
"Abarai," Byakuya said, entering the gardens and approaching the two, "good morning."
Renji froze, staring at him with bewildered eyes that looked far from the more aggressive ones he had shown the night before.
"Ah…good morning, C-captain."
"You may call me Byakuya in front of Torio and the house staff," Byakuya corrected him.
"Oh, okay," Renji said unsteadily.
"Will you take a walk with me in the gardens?" the Kuchiki leader asked quietly, "We should talk."
Renji swallowed hard and nodded.
"Right. Okay, yeah."
"Torio, will you please serve our breakfast in the gardens?" Byakuya requested.
"Of course, sir," Torio answered, bowing, "Enjoy your walk, sirs."
"Thank you," Byakuya answered.
"Thanks," Renji added.
He turned with Byakuya, his mind still agonizing over waking up alone in Byakuya's bed.
He wants to talk, huh? Is that good or is it bad? I mean, I guess it's good if he's got them making breakfast for us, but if he was cool with what happened after we got silly and tipsy last night after having dinner together, then why did he slip away?
"Did you sleep well, Renji?" Byakuya asked conversationally, "You looked comfortable when I woke this morning."
"Did I?" the redhead mused, "You should've woke me up too."
"It's not a workday, and I know you like to sleep in," Byakuya said simply.
So, he is okay with it?
"Yeah, you got me there," Renji chuckled, relaxing slightly, "I just…would've liked to wake up next to you, you know? After what happened…"
"About that," Byakuya said, pausing under a pretty sakura tree and turning to face him.
Oh crap. Here's where I get my hat handed to me.
"Look, I'm sorry," he apologized, "I guess it was wrong to…you know, to…"
Damn it, Abarai, get it together! He's waiting! It was wrong to what? Fuck your captain? Fuck the leader of the Kuchiki family? I'm so dead…
"What makes you think it was wrong?" Byakuya asked.
"What?" Renji asked, jumping as he was startled out of his thoughts, "Oh, well I just meant that we got to drinking all of that sake and talking and then I heard you laugh and…"
"Renji?"
"You don't laugh that often," Renji rambled on, "I wasn't used to hearing it and it's just such a beautiful sound, y'know."
"Abarai?"
I don't know what came over me…us! What came over us! It's cool if you don't…"
"Renji, we should really talk about this. There is something I must…"
"No, wait!" Renji exclaimed, touching his rough fingers to Byakuya's frowning lips and earning a surprised look in return.
He realized what he had done and started to pull his fingers away, only to have his hand gripped in a soft, but surprisingly strong one. Then, petal soft lips touched his fingertips and Renji's voice refused to sound after that.
"Do I have your attention now?" Byakuya asked, his dark, beautiful eyes gazing up into the startled redhead's.
Renji tried to answer, but his voice still refused to sound, so he nodded shakily.
Byakuya took a steadying breath.
"Renji, I know that what happened while we were drinking after dinner last night was…unexpected, but I hope you know that I very much enjoyed it."
"You did?" Renji squawked, suddenly finding his voce again, "You did, really?"
"Yes," Byakuya affirmed, giving him an amused look, "I only think we need to talk because this joining, our lovemaking has had certain consequences."
"What? Are the elders mad?" Renji asked, "You aren't going to be in trouble with them for us sleeping together. I mean, we don't have to tell them. If you want, it doesn't have to ever happen again. I won't tell anyone."
"Are you ashamed of us being together, Renji?" Byakuya asked, his frown deepening.
"Huh? No! Hell no!" Renji snapped, recovering himself hastily, "It's not that. I just. I thought that it would cause a scandal with you and me, me being a mutt and you a prize poodle, you know?"
Byakuya arched a fine eyebrow.
"Hey, you were the one who told me the hell they gave you and Hisana."
"And I was pleased that Hisana was able to ignore their interference and focus on us. But, it was her choice to do that. You do not have to endure their bad behavior. If you want, then you can walk away, Renji."
Renji paused, gazing back at Byakuya wordlessly for a long moment.
"Do you want me to?"
"Do you want to?"
"Why are you putting this all on me?" Renji complained, "What do you want? Do you want me?"
Byakuya's reiatsu flared and Renji flinched, but continued to look into his eyes.
"What if I do?" Byakuya asked, "Would you stay with me?"
"Well, yeah!" Renji chided him, looking miffed he would even ask, "I didn't make myself clear last night? I thought I made it pretty damned clear. I love you. Of course I wanna stay with you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me!"
"I see," Byakuya said, swallowing hard, "and…what if the best thing that ever happened to you is now the best things that will happen to both of us?"
"Huh?" Renji mused, giving him a befuddled look, "What does that mean? What're talking about, Byakuya?"
Byakuya took a steadying breath.
"The pregnancy charm broke," he said solemnly, "I am having your child."
Everything in the gardens seemed to freeze and go silent as Renji's dark cinnamon eyes looked into Byakuya's and the words registered.
"Oh…" the redhead breathed, his mind firing back through a life with no blood relations, with friends, but no family, "Oh, wow…"
Byakuya's face fell.
"You are…unhappy with this?" he asked.
"No," Renji managed, "Sorry, I was just…really surprised. I mean, you told me that you are a breeder male. I just assumed that the charm wouldn't break."
"Well, we do wield considerable reiatsu, and we were extremely active last night."
"You can say that again," Renji giggled, recalling their repeated acts of coitus.
Byakuya shot him a disapproving look and Renji cleared his throat and bit back a grin.
"You are not unhappy?" the noble asked, his eyes betraying a hint of hopefulness.
"I'm really, really happy," Renji said, surprising Byakuya as a dampness rose in his eyes, "You know, when you took Rukia away that day, and I had to watch you leave, I swore to myself that I was gonna get stronger and I was gonna make you give my family back to me. I had no idea that you'd take that and then give me this!"
Renji took his captain's hands in his and kissed the soft fingertips.
"Thank you, Byakuya. Thank you for everything!"
