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"I'm home" shouted Renji inside the walls of their hallway as he struggled out of his outwear sandals and walked up to the zanpakuto stand to place Zabimaru there before making his way further into their house.
"Ru, you there?" quizzed the redhead shinigami into the dark of the room expecting an answer from his wife as she was supposed to be home sooner than him for today.
"I'm in the kitchen" yelled out his partner to indicate her location. "There you are, babe" said the tattooed man as he walked up to her to give her a kiss on the cheek as a greeting.
"Hello to you too" mirthfully replied the smaller shinigami under the endearments of her doting husband.
"Brother sent food for us, do you want to eat?" suggested Rukia from the kitchen counter as she pointed to the nicely wrapped package the 6th division captain's servants prepared for them.
He sometimes did such pleasant acts not because he thought Renji and Rukia were incapable of providing meals for themselves (the lack of servants around their house was baffling him no doubt) but because he genuinely wanted to care for his sister and yes, even his lieutenant (even though he might never acknowledge it out loud).
"Yeah, could go for a bite", responded the man, confirmed by the grumbling of his stomach much to the amusement of his wife.
She grabbed them a few plates and with Renji's help of untying the wrap up, they set the table and started eating, the pair of spouses content to relish the taste of the Kuchiki manor chef's cooking, being at ease while enjoying their late dinner together.
After quickly finishing their supper, the towering man went around the table until he reached his wife, picking up her smaller figure. The tall shinigami pulled her into his lap, cuddling his lover sweetly after not seeing her for the whole day, needing his source of security close to him. He felt her petite hands coming to circle around him too as he basked in her specific reiatsu.
"How was your day?" inquired the 6th division lieutenant as he gently stroked his fingers through her raven locks.
"Eh, same stuff really, filed reports, kicked hollows down and dealt with old bastards who want to make my life difficult." summarized Rukia with a hint of disdain towards the last part. "Yours?" questioned back his spouse, as she slowly rubbed the hard muscles of his shoulder, making it hard for him to provide an answer as he felt the day's tension slipping away from him with her skilfully fingers.
"Well, your brother made me work my ass off today too, thanks for asking", answered the redhead, "joking, joking" he added at the hard look from his wife for that witfull comment, getting her to enjoy his hold back again. They lay together in silence for a while simply content to reminisce about their day in the comfort of each other.
"Oh yeah, I talked with Captain Commander Kyōraku yesterday about the 13th division captain issue", said the ravenhead woman after a while, breaking the silence of the night. "Delayed my captain exam for a bit" she informed him while avoiding her husband's gaze.
"Why'd you do that?" asked the man in surprise as he stopped petting her head due to the shock of the news.
"I thought it would be better to not take it now with all that's going on so I proposed to remain lieutenant or an acting captain for a couple of years until things settle down and we all rebuild Soul Society." divulged the still fretful shinigami to him. "And he agreed", she added after a few moments of thought.
Feeling that was not all to it, he decided to push the subject, thinking her old anxiety and worries would stop her from pursuing the leader role for the 13th division, who currently was left empty after the death of Captain Ukitake.
"Why wouldn't you take the captaincy?" asked the distressed man, fearing she felt unworthy of becoming a captain of the Gotei 13 even after all they have been through. He wished she understood how much she proved herself worthy, yes she might still have things to learn, a bankai to hone and leader abilities to quell, but with time and practice he could definitely see her fit for the position over the years. Her previous captain definitely thought the same if leaving her a white captain haori on her size in the event of his death was any indication. The others too, their friends and her division added his mind, they all believed she would be suitable for the job.
While he fretted over those details, the smaller woman had an issue of her own, racking her brains to find out a way of telling her husband the two of them would become parents in the near future. She didn't know how he would take it as it came as a shock to her as well, especially that she found out at a control checkup at the 4th division the previous days. She thought her ears had problems when the 3rd seat Yamada Hanatarō turned to her and gleefully congratulated on her pregnancy after the examination. To say she was left there surprised for full minutes was an understatement. She could not believe it for the entire afternoon, catching herself throughout the day thinking how her partner and brother would react to the news.
She knew that despite being adopted into the Kuchiki family she didn't share the same noble blood as her brother so she assumed the chance of her becoming pregnant was slim. "Who could have thought two Inuzuri brats like us would be able to conceive a child", mused the ravenhead.
"I hope he will still be happy for us", thought fearfully the 13th division lieutenant, hoping her spouse would still be pleased with the unplanned baby despite not expecting either of them to become parents.
So therefore she didn't have the bravery of outright saying it word for word to him 'I am pregnant' she opted for the method of not spelling it to him exactly but letting him catch the meaning nonetheless.
"I figured it might have been a bit too hard for me to keep up with the assignments and missions in the near future" she said as she patted her tummy, trying to get him to understand the message without exactly telling him what it was.
Searching his brain for any reason she could have to avoid taking the lead of the division in the imminent future Renji found none.
"Umm, what?" obtusely asked the other shinigami next to him.
"I mean my condition would not allow me any room for on field missions" grinned the shorter soul reaper to her partner obviously thinking he would catch on to what she meant.
"Are you sick?" worried the redhead believing the worst that could happen to them due to the unmistakable bad luck they had so far.
"No, you moron, why wou-",stopping shortly after that, she got out of his lap and took his hand placing it on her abdomen trying for a new approach "We will not be alone in the house for the next months" said the beaming future mother as she thought of her pregnancy and the cute baby that would follow it, "and we might want to clear out a room in the house near our bedroom" added the short woman looking expectantly at her husband to see his reaction to the news.
As he watched his life partner he couldn't for the life of him decipher why the look of happiness on her face. He never felt so confused in his entire life and the phrase was puzzling him further "Who would they welcome into their home?"
Was his captain moving in with them for the time being? "Maybe he misses Rukia after she moved out of the manor so he decided to pop out by our house for a while", deliberated the redhead. "He wouldn't last a week without his servants" provided his mind as second thought.
"Is someone coming over to our place to live here?" questioned the man. If her brother really wanted to move to their house for the time being he wouldn't be opposed to it, not wanting to get between the siblings who undeniably missed each other. However, he still wished she wouldn't drop the news on him like this and discuss things beforehand.
The other shinigami frowned deeply, her nose creasing in the most adorable way, making the redhead wish to run his thumb over the crinkles. "No, are you planning on bringing someone?" countered the petite figure. He confusedly shook his head, 'no' to her and then waited for her next answer.
When they just stared at each other for a couple of seconds neither of them knowing how to take the next move, Renji, decided to ask her again "Why would you not push to take the captain exam? And why would we not be alone in the house?".
"Are you seriously not getting it?" questioned back the exasperated woman being completely done with her partner. She indisputably gave him the answer served on a plate and the man proceeded to pass it right back to her without even looking.
"Get what?" unintelligently inquired the tattooed man, a little peeved at the unnecessary misunderstandings between them.
"That I can't take it obviously" she replied to him, the lack of understanding on his part making her hackles rise to the sensible topic of her pregnancy. "Maybe he doesn't wish for a child" the thought briefly crossed her mind, worrying her to the extreme and worsening her mood.
"But for what reason?" argued back the tattooed man clearly at the end of his patience too as he noticed the bad mood his wife was in.
"I am pregnant, you idiot" screamed the short woman as she took one of her house slippers off and kicked him with it. The sentence she screeched so loud made his entire body freeze within seconds and put his brain on hold, barely registering the hit of her shoe on his shoulder.
He continued to stare into space not paying attention to his wife who was currently checking his facial expression with intensity. Meanwhile Rukia was cursing him continuously because his reaction evidently meant the pregnancy would be a bother to him. But if he would have broken out of his stupor he could have seen her fretting and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth from time to time at the blank look he was giving her.
"Are you serious right now?" asked the 6th division lieutenant in astonishment after getting his bearings back, needing the confirmation.
"I would not joke about something like this." said the upset woman with a tone clearly proving the seriousness of the situation and her disappointment at his reaction to the news.
He remained still for a few moments processing the information as she came near him again, picked up the thrown object near his feet, slipped the shoe back on her foot, went back to the edge of the table and glared at him from a distance.
"You are carrying a baby, our baby?" dumbly repeated the man, more of a statement than question as he approached her with cautious steps.
"Yes, yes I am" repeated his exasperated wife who was in the middle of trying to calm her nerves down and not murder her own spouse. It was her own fault after all for picking such an idiot of a man who could not comprehend even basic speech.
"Holy shit" he whispered astonished at her, finally grasping the situation and realizing his careless mistake, knowing immediately he had to make it right so as to not leave her with the wrong impression. He continued to walk towards her until reaching the dark haired woman and lightly grasped her hand, telling her "That's amazing, Rukia" before looking into her violet eyes, reassuring her with his gaze that he was entirely with her in this.
As he saw her finally understand the emotion on his face, the tattooed man quickly bent his head and embraced his annoyed wife, kissing her feverlesly, with all the passion and love he carried for her, trying to rope her into forgiving him for his previous idiocy. He worried about her lack of response for a few seconds before he felt her grabbing onto his cheeks and pulling him harder to her, softly brushing her lips over his in one of their most syropy kiss they ever shared. The redhead finally relaxed after feeling her fingers slip from the sides of his face into his hair and tugging on the ties of his ponytail.
"Don't try to get out of this by kissing me ", said the ravenhead shinigami after they parted, although she didn't seem bothered about continuing to share short kisses with him in between words.
"Seemed like a good way to cool your nerves at first" whispered against her lips the tall soul reaper, trying to bring her back into trading fond pecks with him.
"It may or may not have worked" responded the now composed woman as she brushed his disheveled hair, trying to arrange it back into its proper state (surely her fault as she could not withhold herself when it came to his ponytail).
He grinned back at her, knowing he was already half forgiven for his stupid mistake and reaction to the life changing announcement.
They stayed in each other's arms for a while, content to simply enjoy the others' hold, soothing their nervous tensions away and taking the time to genuinely let the news of the pregnancy sink in. The future mother finally quieted down her anxious thoughts after seeing the cheerful face of her husband to the marvelous announcement. The positive reaction after the initial shock being more than enough to reassure her he was excited about the baby too. As for the redhead man he couldn't contain his broad smile thinking about his endearing wife and the future precious child that would resemble her.
"Oi, Renji… you think we'd be good parents?" timidly asked the normally brave ravenhead woman after cuddling for a few minutes. Sensing the hesitation in her tone he decided this was no joking matter and his approach would be truly significant to his wife.
"Yea, I know we will ", answered earnestly the redhead shinigami.
"How can you be so sure? After all, we were orphans for all of our childhood" remarked the clearly worried shinigami about the raising of their only son or daughter.
"It's us we're talking about Ru, we'd give the kid the best parenting ever" reassured the other while petting her raven strands to subdue her fears and doubt.
He thought back to their life in 78th district, struggling to find basic necessities like water and food for each day, worried everyday that another larger gang would come and take their place and supplies. He was instantly glad their child would have the privilege of being born in the Seireitei as opposed to the South Rukongai, which was without doubt one of the worst places for a child to grow.
He could not wait to hold their child in his arms for the first time, despite learning about their existence tonight. "We'll probably spoil her rotten" thought the soon to be father, he was excited to pamper his future daughter or son and he was sure his wife felt the same way.
"Thank you Rukia. Truly, thank you." he said to her, his voice stumbling with emotion over the words as he hugged her to his chest, squeezing her tightly, wanting to keep her safely in his arms for as much as possible (an eternity if he could).
After holding her for a bit, he let her go for a second, only to hunch down and place his hands on her tummy needing to feel the life within her (knowing it was still far too early for him to pick up a sign of her pregnancy yet) but still wishing for the closeness between him and his future child.
"Hey kid, I'm your father and I can't wait to meet you" he said in a low tone as to not disturb the peace of the unborn baby, much to the delight of his wife as she gazed down herself to her now smooth middle who carried their future child inside.
He sat there kneeling before his wife as he patted her stomach murmuring sweet phrases to the baby in her womb, getting them acquainted with his voice, until his legs started to cramp and he had to raise back again. As Renji got up he pondered about the future Abarai in the house, joyfully smiling to himself at the thought.
Even through Rukia married him, she was still being referred to as Kuchiki (not that he had any real problem with it, but it was especially funny to him how much she'd blush when called Abarai) and having a newborn baby to carry out his name infinitely filled him with immeasurable joy he could not contain in him. He felt the need to shout it out at the top of the world for all to hear as his heart gleefully pounded. He was going to be a father, his mind supplied dutifully as his soul brimmed with happiness.
"What are you grinning so much about?" demanded his short wife as she noticed his joyous behavior.
"Nothing" replied the grinning man, however, at the suspicious stare of his wife, he added "I'll finally have a family member, someone who carries the Abarai name, and shares the same blood as mine. That is something I would have never expected to happen, not in a million years. So for that I don't think I will ever be able to make up to you", tearfully said the future parent.
"Fool, you have nothing to make up for. You are the best husband I could have asked for in my life." her misty eyes betraying her emotions with every word she uttered to him.
He gave her a watery smile as he tried to overcome the feeling of his heart joyously squeezing in his chest.
He picked up her right hand and placed sweet affectionately kisses on the back of it while he tenderly clasped her waist with his other arm to bring her closer into his hold. "I don't know what I did in my previous life to deserve you" whispered Renji softly in her ear as he smoothly rubbed her back.
"Don't care I just want you in this one forever" entrancingly uttered back his dazzling wife as she smoothed the hairs on his side. She was surprising him tonight in more ways, the words truly lightening his very core, as he deeply appreciated the confesion, because he knew she was ordinarily choosing to show her feelings of adoration towards him with actions over sweet words.
He angled down his form over her, overwhelming her with his unlimited affection, planting kisses over her closed eyelids, down to the tip of her cute nose, moving to her rosy cheeks and finally reaching the corner of her mouth, staying there for a couple of seconds, teasing her with his next move, until she couldn't take it anymore and grabbed hold of his jaw to drag his lips across hers.
He released a yelp of surprise at the brusque way of handling him, but he quickly regained his composition and kissed her with more ardor, parting her lips to get more of her taste at the same time as she raised herself on her tiptoes to lick into his mouth better and try to ease up the burden of his back bending so far to reach her.
The redhead man dragged his hands across her body, squeezing it attentively as he paid attention to every part at least twice before dropping his hands to her behind. He squeezed her rounded bottom with enthusiasm, delighted in the loud cry that followed it and the scratch of her short clipped nails on his tattooed arms.
Having indecent thoughts regarding the smaller woman, he tried to dissuade their kissing, thinking he should not exhaust her weary body any further. They did not separate from the hug but their hard, lustful kisses turned into sweet, butterfly pecks after a while, the couple breathing into each other's mouths, too tired to continue with their lip-lock but still wishing to embrace one another.
As they finally detached themselves, he hunched lower to grasp behind her thighs and pick her up, Rukia getting the signal of what he was about to do, raised her legs to circle his waist and hold herself against him. She tightened her hold against his waist as he straightened himself up to his full height and said "C'mon let's hit the sheets, it's been a long day already, babe." commented the redhead as he made his way to their bedroom before getting into the chamber and reaching their futon. He lightly placed his precious wife on the bed before moving to the other side to get under the sheets himself and snuggle up to her as quickly as possible.
Despite claiming to get some sleep they stayed awake long after, the news of the pregnancy making itself known as sleep could not find them, excitedly trading old stories as they cuddled each other tightly in the privacy of their bedroom with him mildly stroking her head and back while Rukia, laying on his chest, traced the lines of his chest tattoos and occasionally squeezed one of his pecs in her tiny hands.
"Might leave my hair to grow if you like it so much" observed Rukia as they snuggled together on the futon. "Hmphm.. love you either way tho, short haired or not." drowsy replied the taller shinigami, sleep finally catching up to at least one of them in the end.
"Heh…figured" snickered the ravenhead under the covers, separating from her husband to turn herself on one side for more comfort before falling asleep. Not long after, she felt large calloused hands reaching for her and curving around her torso, as she sensed the hard form of him pressing against her back, warming her up with his furnace of a body.
"Shut up" whispered her husband as he placed a kiss in the back of her ears, making shivers run up her skin because of the sensitive area. He placed his hands under her parted sleep haori, taking the chill off her body with his warm palms.
"Love you too, Renji" said Rukia in a hushed tone, acting like it was a great secret, concealed in the night, only for them to hear.
"Sleep tight, shortie" taunted the other in response, falling asleep before he could hear the irked grumbles of his wife, who no doubt was in a similarly languid state as him.
"Heh, life sure is good" thought Renji, clearly unsuspecting of the commotions his future little redhead bundle of joy would bring to his life.
Epilogue
The faded razes of sunlight hit the interior of the bedroom through the high windows, the Abarai household enjoying the few moments of quiet in the dawn as the pair of shinigami slept peacefully through the tranquil morning, free of any loud noise, that is with the exception of something large clashing the floor of the kitchen and echoing loudly through the house.
"Your daughter is awake, I suggest you get up" murmured the 13th division assistant captain with her dark ruffled hair cascading over her lavender eyes to her partner.
"It's your turn with her today" grumbled the said man, trying to trick his wife into giving him more sleep and delaying the inevitable.
"No it's not but good try" hummed back the short woman as she turned her body on the other side, clearly proving to him she had no intention of getting up from their shared bed.
The man opened his eyes as he stared at the ceiling of their bedroom, considering waiting for the motion in the kitchen to go down. As he contemplated if it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave his 5 years old child alone for a couple of minutes as he got a much needed rest, he heard the sound of a large object clatter across the floor of his kitchen, the action evidently making the decision for him.
"What in the Soul King's name is she doing?" whispered to himself the redhead man as he stumbled to the kitchen, hearing even more crashing noises. He entered the room, surprised to find things partially set in their usual place with the exception of some.
"Ichika" called the 6th division lieutenant to his daughter, as he watched her spill half of the bottle of milk down their kitchen table under his very own eyes.
The toddler in question raised her innocent gaze to her father, failing to see the reason her dad was giving her a disapproving frown.
"I told you before, when you want something, call momma or me to get it for you." said to her the redhead man as he went to pick up a rag and wipe the spilt milk from the table, while he also picked the child to place her onto his hip. She grabbed him with her tiny hands, securing herself against her father's side, muttering a "Sorry" against his middle.
He went to put the cloth aside after he was done with it until he stepped on a crunchy object under his foot. Lifting it he observed the squished cereal attached to the sole of his foot, before looking expectantly at the redhead miniature copy of himself waiting for an answer. She sustained her father's glance for a few seconds before guiltily hiding her face in his night haori. As he dropped his gaze to the floor he noticed the other round pieces of cereal scattered across it. He inhaled deeply for a couple of seconds before placing his daughter on the kitchen counter "Wait for me to clean this up then we'll do it together this time okay?" he said to her as he went to pick up the pots over the tiles and took the broom to sweep the messy floor.
"Can we make cereal now?" asked his daughter after he finished with the cleaning. He nodded to her, picking a different bowl this time and letting her drizzle the cereal without any unwanted incidents under his watch. He warmed up the milk, afterwards pouring it over the cereals that she managed to put in the bowl without scattering them over the floor a second time while Ichika grabbed a spoon to eat with and hopped back into his lap.
As he stood in the kitchen with his little gremlin in his arms, watching her eat her prized bowl of cereal at 6 in the morning on a workday he realized he truly was on cloud nine. He had surpassed every expectation he had for himself, a family and a high ranked position in the Gotei 13 was not something he had in mind when Rukia and him decided to become shinigami and pass the entrance exams.
As the toddler finished her bowl she placed it into the sink using a stool nearby before coming back into her fathers hold. The redhead grabbed her into his arms and moved her to bed, deciding to pass her Chappy themed room (he couldn't convince his wife to change the decor as much as he tried) and move her to their room for today, placing the sleepy child between him and Rukia, as he got under the covers and tried to get some sleep before starting a new chaotic day. As the ravenhead mother turned around to snoogle her, she heard her mutter happily "I made cereal today, momma".
"Good job, baby" whispered sluggishly the dark haired woman to her child as she squeezed the toddler to her chest.
"Dad helped" added the youngster after a thought much to the amusement of her father who grinned on the other side of the futon as he turned to gather his daughter into his arms.
He was infinitely overjoyed, despite the blunt awakening, his entire being was completely absorbed with the tiny shinigami who layed into his hands, with her everyday antics making him go through emotions he never knew he could feel before. As he stared at her sleeping soundly between two of the most fearsome warriors of the Gotei 13 who would never fail to protect her, he felt Rukia clutch his hand into hers and mutter to him "thank you" over the top of their daughter's head. He looked into her lovely gaze, and squeezed back her petite hand, his wide smile being enough of an answer to her.