I do not own Bleach.

Here is chapter 4! I hope you all like it!

Special thanks to:

stephfarrow94, book reader-lover of 3000, susysucredorge, Saya and Hagi together 4 ever, Capt. Jack Harkness, Ukitake x Shu, and Misc. Ink for favoriting and/or reviewing.

Also thanks to everyone else who read it!

Jushiro takes in deep breath as he attempts to work up his courage and tell his best friend that they were going to be parents together, but the way Shunsui kept staring at him, he just couldn't take it and covers his face with his hands. He promised himself he wouldn't cry. He promised himself that he would tell Shunsui as if it were no big deal, but it was a big deal and crying came so easily to him nowadays. Even with his eyes covered by his hands, the warm tears seep out from underneath them and stain his cheeks.

The eighth captain didn't know what do or what to say. He was worried beyond belief and if Jushiro was crying things must be life threatening. He finally places a hand on the heaving shoulders of the thirteenth captain and speaks to him in a soft tone, "Please, tell me what happened? Do you have a tumor or a disease?" He swallows hard not wanting to ask the next question, but he does, "Are you going to…die?"

The crying shinigami shakes his head at all of Shunsui's guesses, "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what did Retsu find?" He gently pulls his lover's pale hands away from his wet face, "I can't help if I don't know what's wrong."

Jushiro finally wipes his eyes and works up his courage as he takes in another deep breath and slowly lets it back out, "The reason why I've been throwing up is very common in this type of situation. The only problem is, it's never happened to a man before."

The brunet's eyebrows come together in bewilderment, "I don't understand."

The white haired captain swallows the lump forming in his throat before speaking again, "I'm…I'm…pregnant."

Shunsui stares at him in silence and Jushiro waits with baited breath for his friend's response to the news. The eighth captain blinks in shock a few times before letting a smile slip onto his face. This smile confused Jushiro considering he didn't think this was the appropriate situation for smiling. Finally, Shunsui speaks, "Pregnant? Good one, Ju." He chuckles a bit at the sound of it on his tongue, "You really had me going for a minute there. Now, what's the real reason? Stop joking around."

A very hurt expression appears on Jushiro's face as more tears begin to stream down his face, "Are you calling me a liar?!" He stands up abruptly making Shunsui's hand fall from his shoulder, "I hate you so much right now!"

The brunet's eyes widen at his friend's sudden angry and hurt reaction, "But…"

Before he can finish his sentence the thirteenth captain throws a huge stack of papers down on the floor in front of him, "Since you don't believe me then maybe you'll believe Captain Unohana!" He then runs to the restroom and slams the door hard. The next thing Shunsui hears is the lock clicking.

He picks up the papers and sees the neat, lady-like handwriting of the fourth captain. He reads the first few sentences and feels like the biggest asshole in the whole universe. Jushiro was telling the truth, but now the eighth captain is more confused than before. He makes his way to the restroom door and talks to his lover through the door, "I'm sorry, Jushiro. How was I supposed to know this kind of thing was even possible? Please, come out so we can talk about this."

The thirteenth captain doesn't unlock the door, but his trembling voice can be heard through the door, "Are you disgusted by me? I wouldn't blame you if you were."

"I'm not disgusted. I'm just confused." He lets out a frustrated sigh, "I love you no matter what happens and we'll get through this together, but I still don't see how this could happen."

"Just read the sixth page and you'll know everything." The white haired shinigami splashes water onto his red face and he hears the rustle of pages turning.

"I can't believe that bastard would do this to you! This is unforgivable!" He throws the papers down and jiggles the knob on the restroom door, "Please, come out, Ju. We need to talk about this face-to-face." The pink-clad captain finally hears a sniffle and some shuffling before he hears the lock click again and his puffy eyed lover is standing before him. He quickly grips Jushiro into a tight embrace, "I am so sorry for not believing you. I should have been with you when you found out. I can't believe you had to deal with this all alone. Please, forgive me, please."

The thirteenth captain returns the embrace and buries his face in the pink folds of Shunsui's kimono, "It's not your fault. I overreacted and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

The two men stand on the threshold of the restroom in silence as they continue to embrace each other. Shunsui eventually breaks the embrace and wipes the tears from his lover's face with his fingers, "Let me make you something to eat."

Jushiro shakes his head, "I'm not hungry."

"Then let's go lay down and we can talk about this." The thirteenth captain nods and Shunsui grabs his shaking hand in his as he leads his friend to the bedroom.

They lay down on the futon and Shunsui brings Jushiro into his arms pressing his trembling body to his. After several long minutes, the white haired captain speaks, "The Head Captain knows and he's making it our choice if we want to terminate or keep it. Kurotsuchi is the only one who knows how to terminate it, but as I said, the Head Captain is leaving it up to us."

"Terminate? You mean killing it?" Jushiro nods and Shunsui frowns, "We can't do that. Sure, this is sudden, but it's not this little soul's fault."

The thirteenth captain lets a smile form on his face for the first time since Shunsui walked in, "I'm glad to hear you say that." He turns his body to be facing Shunsui as he reveals the smile on his face, "I know this sounds weird and I don't even understand it myself, but even though I'm upset and nervous and terminating would solve everything, I just can't do it. I love this baby more than anything even though I just found out about it today. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I allowed termination to happen."

Shunsui returns his smile, "I feel the same way, but I don't have any idea what I'm supposed to do."

A small chuckle escapes the thirteenth captain's lips, "Me either. I've never been more confused in my entire existence."

"We'll get through this together just like everything else we've been through." He leans in and kisses Jushiro on the lips softly and pulls back with a smile, "I'm gonna be a daddy."

"Yes, you are." He grabs Shunsui's hand in his, "Here, you need to feel something." He takes Shunsui's hand and places it on his stomach, "Connect your reiatsu with mine and go deep."

The brunet closes his grey eyes and sends his reiatsu out making it brush tenderly against his lover's reiatsu. He lets it linger there for a moment, enjoying the warm, fuzzy feeling of touching his lover so personally, but eventually he pushes deeper until he feels a jittering, unstable, little ball of barely there reiatsu. He allows his reiatsu to caress the new soul's reiatsu for a moment before pulling back. He opens his eyes as silent tears leak from the corners and trail down his face, "That's the most amazing thing I've ever felt."

Jushiro can't stop the enormous smile that forms on his beaming face, "I thought so too." He throws his arms around Shunsui's neck and nuzzles his face in the crook, "I knew you would make this dim situation seem so much brighter. I love you so much!"

His large hands rub circles on his white haired lover's back and he can't help but let his reiatsu dip back in and encircle his best friend's reiatsu and their baby's reiatsu at the same time. It felt like the first family hug to him and he can feel fresh tears spilling onto the skin of his neck, but he knows the tears belonging to his lover are tears of happiness. Shunsui then feels Jushiro's reiatsu wrap around his and their baby's too and it's the most wonderful feeling he's ever felt.

The thirteenth captain is the first to speak after the family hug ends, "The Head Captain doesn't want us to tell anyone until we just have to. The pregnancy can still miscarry at this early stage. He wants us to wait until we're sure it will be carried to term."

Shunsui nods, "That makes sense."

"Will you come with me tomorrow to Squad Four?" He gives his best friend a hopeful look.

"Sure, but why are you going back so soon?"

"Unohana wants to give me some books and we have to tell her that we decided to keep it." He grabs Shunsui's hand in his and caresses his cheek against the hairy skin of his hand, "Also, Unohana is borrowing a machine from the Living World to look inside me to make sure the baby is developing correctly."

"I most definitely will not miss this visit." They kiss again before Jushiro stands up from the futon.

The thirteenth captain gives Shunsui a pleading look before speaking, "How about you make me that food you were talking about earlier?

"Coming right up, mom." He chuckles at the pink blush on Jushiro's face as he leaves the bedroom and heads to the kitchen.

TBC…

Thanks again for reading and stay on the look out for chapter 5!