When Renji woke up the next morning a wide smile appeared on his lips at the thought that he now no longer would be known as Abarai Renji but as Kuchiki Renji. He could barely keep in the soft chuckle that threatened to escape his lips and possibly wake his husband at how weird that sounded. It was obviously going to take some getting used to.

He sat up slowly, suddenly feeling a burning pain in his lower back and further down below. Memories of last night started flooding his mind, making him blush as bright as the tangled mess he called his hair.

"You alright?" came a silent whisper from next to him in the bed. "Does it hurt?"

"No. no. I'm fine." The redhead mumbled, still blushing brightly making the noble nod and hug him tightly while kissing him gently.

"Then lay back down. Today is one of those rare days where they'll let us sleep in."

This made Renji's eyes widen comically. "Are those days really that rare?" he whimpered highly. He liked to sleep in goddamnit!

Byakuya chuckled at the high pitched sound. "I'm sure they'll let you sleep in more than they'll let me. Seeing as how you are probably pregnant.

The lieutenant smiled and laid back down in the other's arms. "Why can't they let you sleep in as well?"

"I fear that I'll be quite busy." The noble mumbled into the other's hair which was actually tickling his nose. "I won't only have to attend to my captain's duties and the clanhead's duties. But I'll have your duties to take care of as well once the pregnancy is comfirmed."

"My duties? But I can do those myself can't I? I mean. At least the paperwork? And supervising the training sessions? I don't really have to actively participate in those."

Byakuya smiled at that. Renji willing to do his own paperwork, now there was a big change in personality.

"I know you can. But with shinigami male pregnancies only lasting about 20 weeks instead of the 40 women go through our bodies get exhausted easier. Men aren't made to get pregnant, we noble houses only have this technique to ensure heirs. But because men aren't made for pregnancy our bodies can't handle it longer than 20 weeks, thus making the child grow faster and exhausting you to great levels."

"How do you know all this?"

"I was told all of this last night."

"Well.. Can't I at least try to do my own duties as much as possible? I'll tell you when I can no longer handle it. And it isn't like it could possibly hide what I'd be thinking from you."

"sure. Now sleep. We are both very tired after last night's activities." A smirk touched Byakuya's soft pink lips, making a new blush appeared on Renji's cheeks as he closed his eyes again and fell asleep soon after, being followed by his ravenhaired noble after said man had gazed at his sleeping face for a few minutes.

XXXX

But even with those extra hours of sleep he got in the next few days, it still wasn't enough. He was dead tired by the time he went to bed each night because,not only was he still helping along at the division, but he also had to go with Byakuya and the council to the other noble houses to greet and thank them for their presence ant presents, as well as going to the gotei 13 offices.

And –on top of that- he couldn't seem to be finding any free time or rest even when he was at home with all the servants always asking him if he needed anything. He just couldn't find any of the alone time he so desperately craved.

A deep sigh escaped his pouting lips as another servant walked up to him.

"Renji-sama. Byakuya-sama and the council head elder are asking to meet you at the clan-healer."

The redhead smirked tiredly at that. "Just Renji will be fine, please." He grumbled softly. The 'sama'-title made him uncomfortable. "And uhm. Would you please show me where I need to go? I have absolutely no idea where the clan-healer is."

The servant nodded and turned around without another word, walking into the direction of a smaller separate building.

"Here we are Renji-san." Well. At least it changed from –sama to –san.

The redhead sighed and nodded saying a quick 'thank you' before making his way inside only to see that Byakuya and the head elder already present and waiting for him.

"Sorry I'm late." He mumbled shyly. The one thing that made him even more uncomfortable than the 'sama'-title was the council and it's members. And he wasn't even sure why the head-elder was here to begin with.

Byakuya smiled softy at his lover. So typically Renji to be late. It kind of amused him to know that Renji wasn't planning to change who he was.

"It's fine Renji. I'm taking it you already know our head-elder Kuchiki Yuu?"

Renji nodded and then greeted the man in the way he was quickly thought to do so. With a soft bow.

"Yuu-sama." He said softly. He was so not used to speaking this way and it was probably going to take him ages to get used to it.

"Now. I'm pretty sure that you are wondering why we are here? Thought I think that if you think for a minute you'll know as well."

Renji stared at his lover. He had actually absolutely no idea why they were here, and judging by the smirk on Byakuya's lips the man knew that he had no clue.

"Well. Since today it has been a week ago that we had our wedding night, we are there to check if the reiatsu chamber sealed itself correctly."

"…So basically we'll know if I'm really pregnant?" He asked after a moment of thought with a big smile playing on his lips, making Byakuya nod his head.

"Cool. Can't wait!"

"Then please do come inside instead of standing there." Came a sudden voice from behind the redhead, scaring the living daylight out of him and making him turn around quickly only to face a petite woman with long black hair tied into a dot standing in the doorway.

The redhead's face turned bright red again, something he'd been doing quite a lot lately and it annoyed him that he was so easily flustered. This wasn't like himself. He waited until the clan-healer went inside before following her inside together with his husband, the head-elder waiting outside.

"Please lay down onto the examination table Renji-san."

Thank god, somebody else who didn't call him 'sama'.

He did as he was told and laid down, doing his best not to fall asleep as soon as he laid down because he was so tired right now and his body was begging for him to close his eyes and just sleep.

"Now Byakuya-sama. You are going to have to do this because if the chamber hasn't completely closed yet it could pull in my reiatsu and mix it with yours already in it."

The noble looked at her and nodded, waiting for her to start her instructions so he could do as she stated.

First he had to lay his hands on Renji's abdomen. He could feel the man shiver softly under his gentle touch, making him smile softly as he remembered the fact that they had the day off tomorrow to get some rest after all the greetings.

He listened to the clan-healer again as she started explaining what he had to do step by step. He was going to have to be really gently and careful with this or he could shatter the chamber if it hasn't been closed already.

So he softly –and carefully- pushed his reiatsu inside his lover and wrapped it around the chamber. Then he waited for a few seconds before he started searching the chamber for little leaks or spots where his reiatsu was being pulled inside or other things that could indicate that the chamber hadn't closed yet.

Thankfully there were none so he could pull back his reiatsu soon enough.

"and?"

"I didn't feel anything like you described. Everything seems to be perfectly fine."

"Well. That's wonderful news." She said with a smile, gazing at Renji to tell him that he was indeed pregnant, but finding the man already asleep. It made her chuckle lightheartedly as she turned back to the clanleader.

"Congratulations Byakuya-sama." She said to the noble, seeing that even the stoic man couldn't hide the smile that he was trying to keep hidden away.

"Well. I think you should probably carry your obviously tired husband to bed and take the night off while you're at it. I'll tell Yuu-chan the results and you can tell Renji-san. He'll want to know when he wakes up."

Byakuya flinched at the nickname she gave to the head-elder. Thank god that the young man was outside and did not hear his older sister calling him that.

He gazed at her and knew that she could easily see that he wanted to protest about taking the night off. So she softly glared at him, telling him it was a 'doctor's avice', knowing damn well that he would not ignore that.

With a soft sigh the clanleader turned around after picking up his husband. Renji may be larger and more muscular than him but one shouldn't underestimate the noble's strength. The new clan-healer surely knew how to get things done from him, knowing that he would never ignore her orders, even those ridiculous as the one she had given him right now.

XXXX

He smiled when he lowered the pregnant man onto the bed only to have him clutch the front of his shihakusho.

A soft groaning sound escaped Renji's lips when he felt Byakuya kiss his forehead. He cracked open an eye and gazed at his lover, no change that; his husband.

"Don't leave?" he whispered tiredly, still half asleep. "It's been since our wedding night since we came to the bed at the same time." 'And I miss you.' He added the last part in his thoughts, knowing damn well that Byakuya could hear the words.

"I wasn't planning on leaving." The noble stated with a soft kiss to the redhead's lips. "We've got tonight of as well and I'm planning to take advantage of that."