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The Ties That Bind Us	By : KaiBlueOtaku Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male > Renji/Shuuhei Views: 3623 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters are owned by the talented Tite Kubo. I own only my story, and am merely borrowing them to tell it. I receive no payment for my writing.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
DISCLAIMER: Bleach and all its characters are owned by the talented Tite Kubo. I own only my story, and am merely borrowing them to tell it. I receive no payment for my writing.
                Warnings: MPreg, M/M sex, anal, dubcon (possible to perceive it that way, anyway…)
A/N: The boys hash out their differences finally… Sorry for how long this has taken me to update. My muses have been desperately absent for the longest time, I’ve had a lot of other stuff going on lately, and I just don’t have it in me anymore it seems. This chapter has sat half-finished for… I don’t even know, probably months. I had planned for the pregnancy to last a lot longer than this, but I just couldn’t manage to drag it out more. Anyway, here it is- I hope everyone who’s followed me is pleased to see an update finally.

WWWWWWWWWW

                “Yeah, Tia can’t stay upset at me for very long either,” Grimmjow chuckled. “I guess that’s part of my ‘Omega charm,’ I’m kind of inclined to be a goofball.”

                “I’m sorry I got so angry,” Renji said suddenly, followed by painful silence as Grimmjow let him fumble for whatever it was he felt he needed to get off his chest. “I just… I love him, you know?”

                “You think I don’t?”

                Grimmjow appeared hurt when Renji looked up at him. “Dammit Grimm, I didn’t mean it like that…”

                “I love both of you guys,” Grimm declared in irritation. “We went over his already I thought, the other day. And honestly, I kind of hope it is yours, because I would make a shit-ass dad.”

                They were quiet for a minute or two, sipping pensively, and then Renji began to snicker. “What the hell does ‘shit-ass’ mean?” he asked.

                Grimmjow smiked. “I don’t know. You get the idea. I don’t think real clear when I get mad.”

                Renji stared into the final dregs of his can, swirling the amber liquid. “You really do care about him, though?”

                “Che… ‘Course I do, baka… Just like I care about you. So what crawled up your ass and died about all this? It’s not like I knocked him up on purpose… If it even was me; remember, the voo-doo doctor said there was a fifty-fifty chance on it. You could be all bent out of shape for nothing. Then you’d feel like a real asshole, I bet…” Grimmjow swigged the last of his beer, and tossed it toward a bagged trash can in the corner, landing it with a hollow metallic rattle amongst its empty brethren.

                “Yeah, I would.” Renji downed the remainder of his, and tried the shot, but bounced it off the rim, landing the can on the ground, rolling a few feet before it came to a rocking halt.

                “Gotta pick it up,” Grimmjow announced. “Tia’s rule. Otherwise the place would look like a trash dump.”

                Renji rolled his eyes and hoisted himself up, retrieving the can and placing it in the originally intended location. When he turned back, Grimmjow smirked. “What?” Renji asked, looking at his shirt to see if he’d spilled something on himself.

                “You’re half mast, dude,” Grimm taunted, and Renji glanced down to see that, indeed, he was still.

                “Piss off,” Renji grumbled and stormed back to the futon, grabbing two more beers and passing one to Grimmjow. “Shuu was macking on me before he sent me here to make nice with you. I haven’t been properly laid since all this shit came up, so between that and the general stress, I’m a little pent up is all.”

                Grimmjow scoffed and leaned back, sipping his beer. “There’s a thing called ‘jacking off’ dumb ass, you should try it.”

                Renji gave him a sidelong glare. “I came here to apologize, you douche bag. Don’t make me regret it.” Grimmjow shrugged, but grinned lasciviously, eyeing Renji as he sucked on his beer until it started to make Renji squirm. “What?” he finally demanded, wheeling on him. “Why do you keep staring at me like that?” Grimmjow set his can down and went behind the futon, kneading his hands into Renji’s shoulders. “What… The… Hell…” Renji said awkwardly, stiffening up bodily at the contact.

                “It’s a massage. Sit back and enjoy it. You’re too damn tense, Renji. Relax a little. Fuck. We’re drinking and hanging out, not starting the next World War.”

                Relaxing was incredibly difficult for Renji with Grimmjow’s fingers on him, but he tried. Surprisingly, once he set his mind to it, he felt the tension begin to seep out of him beneath the strong hands and they probed deeply and skillfully into the tight muscles. “Wow, you’re good, Grimm,” Renji sighed, leaning his head back, making little moans and hissing noises as the blue haired man worked particularly enjoyable or sore points.

                “Don’t I know it,” he retorted in a teasing tone.

                Renji was shocked to feel hot breath prickling the hairs on the back of his neck, and he gasped. “Grimm, what the…” His back suddenly was unsupported; the futon dropped flat into a bed as Grimmjow kicked the upright brace out, and quickly fell on top of him, pinning him to the mattress. “Grimmjow, what are you…” His tone was defiant, but slightly worried by this unexpected turn of events.

                Grimmjow nipped and licked at his neck, unbothered by his struggling. “Oh, come on, Ren,” he taunted. “Let’s help each other. You haven’t gotten any in a few days. Me either. I’ve kind of been on Tia’s shit list, ‘for being stupid,’ she said.” He continued to lap and suck, despite Renji’s protests.

                “There’s a thing called ‘jacking off’ dumb ass, you should try it,” Renji said, turning Grimmjow’s own words from earlier back on him.

                “Mmm… I do. Several times a day, and even more now since Hallibel’s been withholding… But it’s not the same as burying my cock in a hot, tight ass, Renji,” the blue haired man whispered, tongue exploring the convoluted folds of the ear he was breathing into.

                Renji couldn’t help but moan at that; he adored it when Shuhei talked dirty to him, but his lover wasn’t always so into it. Grimmjow, clearly, was, and ground himself against the already straining arousal in Renji’s jeans to add a little emphasis.

                “You let Shuu top you sometimes, right?” Grimm asked.

                “Yeah, we switch it up once in a while,” Renji admitted, still pinned to the futon.

                Hot breath on Renji’s ear. “Let me fuck you, Renji.” The red head moaned. “I’ll make it worth your while. Make you moan more like that. Louder. Harder. You know you want it. I can smell your pheromones in the air. You’re hot for sex. Practically desperate.” Grimmjow pressed his mouth to Renji’s and their tongues slid along one another, hot and slick, and Renji’s nose was filled with that wild and musky scent that he’d smelled on Shuhei not so many nights before as they lay sleeping on this very futon, after the three of them had made their peace in much the same way that it seemed Grimmjow intended to now. He rolled off Renji and reached into the drawer of the small table at the opposite end of the couch from the mini-fridge, retrieving a bottle of lube.

                Suddenly, Renji began to doubt all this. “Grimm, I should probably just go, I don’t… Mmph…” He was silenced by a tongue pressing into his mouth, and even though he tried to sit up, Grimm dropped the bottle on the futon and managed to get on top of him again, holding him down.

                “Renji, don’t be stupid,” Grimmjow chastised him when he finally broke the passionate kiss. “I can see how much you want it. There’s no reason not to.” He strained against his captor, though his attempts became more and more half-hearted as Grimmjow licked and sucked and kissed him, until finally he just stopped fighting altogether. “Better,” Grimmjow chuckled. “Do you like it rough too?”

                “No,” Renji said. “Well, a little, but not like Shuu does. But…” Renji hesitated.

                “But what?” Grimmjow waited, but Renji shook his head, embarrassed. Grimmjow leaned in and whispered, “Renji, I’m about to bury my cock in your ass… Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

                Renji moaned and writhed, arching his back to grind into Grimmjow. “Yeah. The dirty talk.”

                Grimmjow looked delighted. “Oh, really? That does it for you, huh? Gets you all hot and hard?”

                Renji nodded breathlessly. “Yeah. Shuu doesn’t care for it much.”

                “Hmmm…” Grimmjow undid Renji’s jeans and stripped them off him. “That’s funny, because the other night, he begged me to fuck him.”

                Renji shuddered at the thought. “I doubt that. Not Shuu.”

                “Oh, he did, trust me. He was lust-crazed; worse than I am right now. He begged me to fuck him, told me he felt like he was going to die,” Grimmjow taunted, retrieving the temporarily discarded bottle of lube from the futon and pouring a little on his fingers.

                “What, do you and Tia keep lube in every room?” Renji joked.

                Grimmjow cracked up laughing. “He asked me the same thing when I pulled the bottle out of the coffee table.”

                “I’ll take that as a yes, then,” Renji snickered, then moaned as he felt a slick finger slip inside him, slowly pressing and withdrawing, brushing at its depth against his prostate, causing him to buck against the hand as Grimmjow murmured all manner of filthy things into his ear, telling him what he and Shuu did, and what he wanted to do to Renji, in graphic detail, making Renji pant and squirm as the number of fingers were increased until they were finally withdrawn completely.

                “Do you want it now, Renji?” Grimmjow teased, delighted at this completely other side of Renji; breathless, flushed, delirious, moaning, nodding, pleading. He nipped and sucked on the red head’s ear as he whispered into it. “Want me to press my dick into you, all tight around me, and pound you like I did Shuhei? Fuck you til the neighbors know my name and you can’t walk? Til you come all over my chest and I make you lick it clean? Is that what you want me to do, Renji?”

                He was beyond words though, just nodding and moaning, hips thrusting in futility, reaching for fulfillment. Grimmjow finally relented, hoisting one of the red head’s legs over his shoulder and pressing against his entrance, feeling him give way with a desperate cry of need as Grimmjow sheathed himself in Renji, sinking up to the hilt. Renji bit the back of his hand, panting. “That good, eh?” Grimmjow taunted as he slow-thrusted, drawing mewling sounds from his partner. “I can tell you top mostly… You’re so tight,” he hissed, and Renji moaned, head lolling to the sides. Grimm leaned down and kissed him deeply, burying his tongue in the other’s mouth every bit as deep as he was buried inside of him. Grimmjow pulled back, a little breathless himself after that last kiss, and leaned down to suck on Renji’s ear again. He found Renji’s wrist and lifted his hand as he leaned back up, placing it exactly where he wanted it. “Stroke your cock, Renji,” Grimmjow ordered him. Shuddering, Renji obeyed, glaring with a deliciously feral gaze up at the ice blue eyes above him. “Jerk it like you want me to fuck you,” Grimmjow purred, and Renji bucked his hips at the suggestion, whining piteously as he did as he was commanded.

                He started slowly, and true to his word, Grimmjow watched the motion of his hand and matched his speed perfectly. As Renji increased his intensity, Grimmjow accelerated his thrusting, matching the tempo still, even as it became a frantic pace.

                Suddenly, Grimmjow grabbed Renji’s wrist, and pulled his hand away. He mourned the loss of stimulation vocally, but Grimmjow was insistent, pinning his wrist again to the futon to prevent him from getting back to touching himself. He leaned toward Renji and caught his eye, grinning wickedly. “You ever come before from just being fucked, Renji?” he asked.

                “No,” Renji admitted breathlessly.

                Grimmjow pulled out and gave a long, slow thrust, with a jerking press at the end, grinding his hips deeply into Renji, pulling his other leg up over his shoulder. “You’re going to tonight,” Grimmjow hissed, driving into him relentlessly.

                “Oh Grimm, fuck,” Renji roared in a raw voice, clawing at the futon mattress, unable to gain purchase on the taut surface, finally gripping the edge of the mattress over his head in a desperate attempt to ground himself.

                Every time Renji thought he was maybe getting close, Grimmjow would slow down to a painstakingly torturous speed, building again to fast and heavy, only to break again to a crawling pace. Renji could see finally why they heard Grimmjow and Hallibel going so hard and long that night; the man was, as Hallibel had warned, utterly insatiable. His stamina was surreal.

                Renji could feel himself building though; each cycle when he dropped back down, it was to a higher and higher point. Finally, he didn’t think he could take any more.

                Maybe it was something he did, or a difference in the incoherent sounds he was making, or maybe Grimmjow just sensed his reiatsu; whatever the trigger, he seemed to know, and didn’t slow his pace this time.

                Renji wailed, fingers digging into the cotton cover of the mattress as he swam in blinding light and ecstasy, awash in an intensity of sensation he had never known before, that went on and on and on in a timeless moment before it finally began to fade. He felt a gentle slap on his cheek and was suddenly roused with a gasp, looking up to see Grimmjow, smiling down at him, his face and blue spiky hair covered in a ridiculous amount of cum. “A little help, here?” he pled with a playful laugh.

                “Oh damn, did you pull out and…”

                He cut Renji off. “Nah man, that’s all you.” He smirked. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were pent up.”

                Renji sighed and rubbed his face. “Fuck me, that was intense.”

                Grimm gave a little roll of his hips, and Renji whined, clutching at the other man’s shoulder. “I just did, that’s why I’m covered in your jizz. I wasn’t kidding though when I told you before I was going to make you lick me clean, Renji. You pretty well missed my chest, though,” he laughed, and Renji reached up, grabbing a fistful of cerulean hair and pulling his face down, lapping up the salty tang of his own fluid. He paused periodically to kiss Grimmjow deeply, sharing the taste with him, without the slightest hint of protest.

                When he had finished cleaning up, he pulled Grimmjow down against him, resting his head against Renji’s chest. “Thanks, Grimm,” he murmured.

                “Hey, anytime,” Grimmjow snickered. “We good now?”

                Renji laughed. “I’d say more than good, but yeah, we’re good. Sorry I got crazy. Tia was right; it doesn’t matter which of us is the dad biologically. It all comes out the same in the end; we’ll raise it together.”

                “She does usually know what she’s talking about,” Grimmjow admitted, sighing. “Do you have to leave right away?”

                “No, I think Shuu’s good for a little while. Why? You weren’t thinking about a round two, were you? You’ll break me, I can’t,” Renji said with an amused snort.

                Grimmjow shook his head, moving up to lay against Renji’s shoulder. “Nah. Just… Just let me stay here for a little bit, k? It’s nice.”

                Renji smiled warmly and closed his eyes, draping his arms over Grimmjow’s bare back and holding the man against him. “Yeah. I can stay a while.”

                On the other side, Hallibel pulled her ear away from the interior garage door and stood, smiling and satisfied.

WWWWWWWWWW

                It was hours later when Renji slunk into Shuhei’s room, trying to make as little noise as possible, cringing with each creaking floorboard. It was well after dark; Shuu was already asleep, and Renji crawled into bed alongside him, scarcely daring to breathe.

                “How was he?” Shuhei asked, and Renji winced, maintaining silence. His lover rolled over to stare at him in the darkness of the room, which provided little protection from the sensation of his piercing, steely eyes. “I can smell him on you, Renji,” Shuhei admonished. “And ‘kiss and tell’ was your rule in the first place. So talk.”

                “We made up, like you wanted,” Renji offered, hoping it would satisfy him.

                It didn’t. “More like ‘made out,’ I’d say.” There were a few moments of silence, then a timid and tremulous voice asked, “Was he better than me?”

                Renji lowered his face shamefully. “Are you mad at me, Shuu?”

                A hand stroked his cheek in the darkness, and warm lips pressed to his forehead, arms pulling him into a comforting embrace. “He’s intense, isn’t he?” The red head bit his lip, and nodded confirmation against his lover’s shoulder, eliciting a little laugh from him. “And no, I’m not mad. I’m actually kind of happy, because now things are a little more balanced there.”

                Renji nestled into the hollow of Shuhei’s shoulder and breathed his familiar scent, warm and sweet and metallic. “He likes to talk dirty,” he confessed with a pleasured shudder.

                Shuhei gave a soft laugh. “I bet that about did you in.”

                Renji nodded again, and swallowed hard. “I shot all over his face and up in his hair.”

                The slender man was taken aback, and sat up on his elbow. “You let him top you?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Lucky bastard,” Shuhei muttered with a chuckle. His fingers found Renji’s hair tie and undid it, carding through the ruby cascade that flowed across the pillows in the dark.

                Renji swallowed hard again. “He… He told me you begged him to fuck you.”

                The hand stopped. “I might have,” Shuhei admitted. “I was pretty well ‘not with the program’ at that point; it’s hard telling what I said or did that day.” The hand resumed combing through the slightly tangled locks. “Does that bother you?”

                Renji shrugged. “A little.”

                “In what way?”

                Renji gave a wry laugh. “It’s stupid. You promise not to laugh?”

                “No. But say it anyway.”

                Renji drew a steadying breath. “Just that you’d talk like that for him, and not for me.”

                Lips pressed against his. “Why would I laugh at that, Ren?” Shuhei asked sadly. “I don’t think you ever told me what a big deal it was to you… I feel kind of awkward doing it, but I guess if it really means that much to you, I can learn to be more comfortable with it.”

                Renji stroked his cheek lovingly. “I’d like that,” he admitted.

                They lay quietly in the dark for a while, and Renji had just started to drift off when Shuhei spoke, jarring him awake again. “Renji, were you embarrassed about having screwed Grimm?”

                “Kinda, yeah,” he mumbled sleepily.

                “Why?”

                Renji yawned. “I dunno, Shuu. Sex shouldn’t be the answer to everything. Seems like with him, though, it is.”

                He felt Shuhei shrug. “It works. Why fix it if it’s not broken?”

                “It just doesn’t seem like it should be the answer to every fight, is all.”

                Shuhei rolled him onto his back and straddled his hips. “It’s called ‘make-up sex,’ Ren. It helps people re-establish those ties that are weakened during disagreements, and realize the petty stuff, and put it behind them.”

                Renji pressed his hips upward. “I’d like to put something behind you…”

                Shuhei laughed. “Not tonight.”

                “But Captain Unohana said that it was safe for you to bottom,” Renji said in a pouting tone.

                “I know,” Shuhei agreed, untying the sash of Renji’s shihakusho and pulling it out. “But I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of Grimm getting to top you tonight.”

                “Oh!” Renji cried in surprise when he felt the silk of the sash winding around his wrists. “That’s how it is then, huh?” he asked slyly.

                “Yeah, it is,” Shuu replied, pressing him into a hungry kiss.

                “You don’t mind sloppy seconds?” the red head asked hesitantly, and felt Shuhei shaking in silent laughter.

                “Mind?” Shuu retorted, and Renji gasped as his wrists were drawn up against the headboard and secured to a hidden hook on the back side of it. “Why would I mind, Renji? You’re already all wet and ready for me.”

                Renji shuddered. “I am so glad I mentioned that dirty talking thing to you.”

                “It is pretty hot,” the slender man admitted, “even though I’m not very good at it. But you know what that means…”

                “What?” Renji was perplexed.

                Lips brushed his ear and teeth nibbled there gently. “That just means I’ll need lots and lots of practice…”

WWWWWWWWWW

                Shuhei’s nausea let up, and he went back to work. They didn’t tell anybody right away. It was too strange. But as they themselves grew accustomed to the idea, they asked Unohana to pull aside the other Captains, Lieutenants, and seated officers from their own divisions, and explain it to them. It was like one big, weird, sex-ed class, complete with a poorly animated and thoroughly antiquated public service announcement film, courtesy of Urahara, of course. There was a lot of nervous fidgeting and glancing around, and nobody had any questions when time was offered afterward to ask, so they were dismissed. Shuhei and Renji sat to the side of the stage, and a few people came up and offered awkward congratulations, which they accepted graciously.

                Kira and Matsumoto hung around after the auditorium had cleared, and approached the two of them privately.

                “I’m so excited! You’re going to be dads!” Rangiku squealed, yanking Shuhei into an enthusiastic and busty embrace.

                Kira rubbed at the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed, averting his eyes. “Yeah, that’s… Um… News,” he offered lamely.

                Renji set his hand on Kira’s shoulder. “It’s weird, we know. It’s ok.”

                Kira blew out a heavy sigh, eyes wide, nodding in horror. “Yeah. Thanks.” They glanced over at Shuhei, who had been released from Matsumoto’s hug. She was now kneeling in front of him, ear pressed to his still-flat stomach, listening, and talking in a cooing baby voice, grabbing Shuu’s hips like they were the cheeks of a baby, and babbling inanely at his midsection. “Not as weird as that, though,” Kira admitted, pointing and cringing. He and Renji burst into laughter.

                “Let’s go get drinks, to celebrate!” Matsumoto cried as she sprang to her feet, and everybody went silent. Shuhei pointed with both hands at his stomach, and she stared dumbly for a second before smacking herself in the forehead. “Oh geez… Um, ice cream then?”

WWWWWWWWWW

                They had to hunt a while for an ice cream shop in Seireitei. It would have been easier to just go to one in Karakura Town, but because of Shuhei’s ‘condition,’ he was unable to travel to the World of the Living.

                “We can just get noodles or something, Rangiku,” Shuhei conceded as they wandered past just such a shop, but she seemed to be on a mission, and everyone else was just following the hellbent, buxom blonde.

                Her satisfaction at finally locating the ice cream shop was worth the hassle. They were dished up their flavors, and looked around selecting their toppings from the buffet-style offerings of everything from chopped fruit to flavored syrups to brightly colored candies. Shuhei mulled over the choices, and muttered, “I wish they had pickles…”

                The horrified glances of his friends to either elbow broke his poker-face, and he burst into uncontrolled laughter, wiping a tear from his eye finally. “Oh, geez, you guys, I was joking,” he chuckled. There were a few nervous laughs, but Renji wondered quite seriously if Shuu had been kidding or not.

                They paid for their treats and settled into chairs around a table, chatting amiably, Matsumoto being her usually, boldly curious self, and Shuhei doing his best to satisfy her with information gleaned from Urahara’s books.

                Kira had noticed that Renji was looking more and more uncomfortable and distracted as time went on, until he was nearly squirming out of his chair, and tried to engage him in the conversation. “So, Renji… Are you hoping for a boy, or a girl?”

                Shuhei elbowed him lightly when he didn’t respond, and he jerked his head up. “Huh? Oh, yeah, sure,” he fumbled, then sighed in exasperation. “You guys, there’s something you should know…” He looked worryingly at his lover, who offered him a sympathetic smile and gripped one of his sweaty hands supportively. “There’s a fifty-fifty chance that it’s… Grimmjow’s.”

                Kira began choking on a gummy bear, and Matsumoto’s jaw dropped in shock. “As in Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez? The Espada?” she demanded, punctuated by a lime green, partly melted hunk of gelatin candy flying from Kira’s mouth.

                The boys nodded, and their friends stared, uncomprehending.

                “Shuu, have you been…” Matsumoto began in a scolding tone, but Renji cut her off abrubtly.

                “No, it’s not like that. He’s not running around on me. It’s kind of…” Renji paused, rubbing the back of his neck, struggling to find the right words.

                “Complicated,” Shuhei offered, and Renji nodded as he took over. “We kind of opened things up a little. Desgarron helped us all grow closer, and we kind of invited Grimm into the circle. Or he and Tia invited us into their. Something.” Shuhei shrugged, poking absently at his ice cream.

                “Wait, isn’t Grimmjow with Hallibel?” Kira asked, his voice a little hoarse.

                “Yeah,” Renji affirmed, nodding. “And I’m With Shuu. But Grimm is kind of with us, too.”

                “Complicated for sure,” Matsumoto purred lasciviously, licking her spoon, giving Shuhei a sly look. “I thought you said you weren’t into that kind of stuff, kink and couple swapping and whatnot?”

                Shuhei blushed. “We’re not really swapping… It’s more like… I don’t know, sharing, I guess?”

                “Uuhhh-huuuhhh…” Kira nodded slowly. “And how does Hallibel fit into all this?”

                “She’s the pack leader,” Renji said, as if that explained everything.

                “Whoah, whoah, time out,” Rangiku said, waving her arms in front of her. “Pack leader? What in the hell is all this, you guys?”

                “They, uh…” Shuhei looked nervous now. “They kind of invited us into their pack. Like I said, it’s complicated.”

                Renji drew a deep breath. “Tia is with Grimm. And Grimm is with us, sometimes. All that doesn’t matter, though. It’s just… The kid might be Grimm’s. I thought you guys should know.”

                Matsumoto leveled a serious look at Renji. “And you’re okay with this?”

                The redhead shrugged helplessly. “I was mad at first, but uh…”

                “They came to an understanding,” Shuhei finished, smirking at his boyfriend. Renji blushed, not sure if it was just him being paranoid, or if Shuu really had put a little extra emphasis in that sentence on the word ‘came.’ Nobody else seemed to be phased by it though, so he tried to play it cool.

                “It doesn’t really matter whose the kid is, in the end. It’ll be raised by the pack, together, as a family,” he explained. “There’s a lot of love between us all. It’s kind of weird, but it works.”

                A slow smile broke over Matsumoto’s face. “Yeah, actually, I bet it does,” she smirked, sitting back. “Damn, the thought of three of you together…” Her eyes glazed over and became distant, and she chewed absently on a finger for a few moments, humming in a pleased manner, before snapping back to reality, and fanning herself with a stack of napkins. “Oh, damn,” she lilted, flushing slightly.

                “So, Renji, you never answered my question,” Kira said. “Do you want a boy, or a girl?”

                “Oh! Uh, I don’t know. Just healthy would be nice. It’s kind of an unusual pregnancy, you know, and we don’t have all the conveniences of modern medicine and technology like we would have access to if Shuu could go to the World of the Living. I mean, for all we know, he could be pregnant with some crazy Shinigami Arrancar hybrid.”

                “You can name him Ichigo,” Matsumoto laughed, and everyone joined her except for Shuhei.

                He was looking down at his stomach, hand resting lightly there. “It’s a girl,” he said in a soft voice, and a hush fell over them all then.

                “How do you know?” Kira queried.

                “I just feel it,” the dark haired man answered simply, a tender smile gracing his lips.

WWWWWWWWWW

                The pregnancy progressed according to the schedule Urahara had laid out for them. Renji, Grimm and Hallibel all got to feel the kicking as Shuhei’s stomach grew. Grimmjow and Renji seemed to bond over it all, in time, much to Hallibel’s satisfaction.

                Shuhei was put on bed rest for the last few weeks under the recommendation of Urahara, due to the high risk involved in such an unusual case. The expectant father was plenty satisfied with the arrangement, even in spite of getting a little stir crazy with the confinement. He was getting quite the belly on him, and it was not only becoming physically uncomfortable to get around, but the stares from his officers were getting a bit much to handle, even though they’d been informed months before of the circumstances. Explaining to his Third Seat that he was going on maternity leave was plenty awkward for everyone.

                Renji brought paperwork home for Shuhei to work on, whatever the Third Seat couldn’t handle, but Shuhei was thankful for the distraction. While it was amazing to feel the tiny life rolling around inside of him, and even catch the occasional miniature hand or foot pressed against his distended stomach, he was bored stupid. He’d long since devoured all of the reading material Urahara had provided to him.

                Grimmjow showed up one afternoon with a small tv set, a backpack, and a shit-eating grin. “What are you up to?” Shuhei demanded with a curious smirk when Grimm dragged a small table to the end of the bed and set the television on it.

                “You any good at driving?” he asked, pulling some controllers out of the backpack and dropping them on the bed.

                Renji came home that night to find Shuhei in bed with Grimmjow, doing something he’d never expected them to be doing in bed together; playing some kind of racecar game on a video game console. They were laughing, and there was popcorn everywhere in the sheets, but Renji couldn’t be mad, because seeing Shuhei smiling warmed his heart. His lover had been miserable most of the duration of his ‘imprisonment’ as he only half-joking called it, and so to see him enjoying himself again was a welcome relief. If popcorn in the sheets was the cost, it was a meager one, and Renji was willing to pay it.

                Shuhei’s smile widened until it was about to split his face in half when he spotted Renji in the doorway. “Ren! Come join us! I’m kicking Grimm’s butt!” He scooted over to make room.

                “You’re gonna shove me outta the bed, Shu, watch out!” Grimmjow protested laughingly as Renji joined them, and he passed his controller over to the redhead. “Here, you play a while. I was gonna argue the point, but it’s true. He’s spanking me pretty bad for somebody who’s never actually driven a car before.”

                “There’s no driving involved,” Shuhei countered, “You just press the buttons and push the little joystick around. You could train a monkey to do this.”

                “Well hopefully I can figure it out,” Renji lamented as his car crashed through a guard rail and sailed off a cliff, exploding in a ball of fire on the seashore below. They all burst into laughter.

                They played well into the night, and finally Shuhei started to run down. The other two were fueled on energy drinks that Grimmjow had brought along, but Shuu was forbidden from caffeine because of the pregnancy, and the excitement of the night was taking its toll. Renji glanced over to see him curled up between them, nose buried in Grimmjow’s hip and a hand grazing Renji’s thigh as he snored softly. Renji paused the game and made a quiet hissing sound, getting Grimm’s attention. The blue-haired man turned and smiled softly down at the sleeping form at his side.

                “You wanna stay over?” Renji offered, leaning forward and setting the controller on the corner of the table and taking Grimmjow’s to do the same, switching the TV and the game system off.

                Grimmjow stretched and yawned. “Yeah, I think I might. I’ll give old Hat-and-Clogs a heart attack if I show up this time of night to pick up my Gigai. Tia won’t mind.” He hitched down in the bed, peeling off his t-shirt and tugging the blankets up over them. Shuhei sighed and nestled into him, throwing his arm over Grimm’s bare chest, and Renji grinned, switching off the light and spooning behind Shuhei, reaching across him and resting his hand over Grimmjow’s, which was settled on Shuhei’s belly.

WWWWWWWWWW

                They were woken in the morning by a loud cry of pain. Shuhei sat up suddenly, clutching his stomach, wincing. Renji bolted upright next to him. “Are you okay?”

                Shuhei smiled. “Yeah, I think s… AAAH!” he cried out again, breathing rapidly, one hand clutching at Grimmjow’s chest as bright blue eyes searched his face. “I… I think you should get Captain Unohana,” Shuhei gasped, then looked to Grimmjow.

                “Tia?” he asked, and Shuhei nodded as a shock of blue hair shoved through the neck hole of a t-shirt and he pulled his sneakers on hastily, just tucking the laces in as he bolted out the door.

                “You okay for a few minutes?” Renji asked, and Shuhei panted out a rhythmic breathing pattern, nodding as Renji rushed for the Fourth Division.

                Isane brought a wheelchair, and they took Shuhei over to the medical Division, where Renji was sent to fetch Urahara. “I want to stay with Shuu, though!” he protested.

                Captain Unohana smiled that slightly unsettling smile of hers. “Lieutenant Abarai, your partner is in good hands right now, but Kisuke should be at the ready in case something goes wrong. You wouldn’t be allowed in the operating room anyway. It’s probably better for you to be busy right now, and I promise you, when he and the baby are in recovery, we’ll send someone out for you.”

                Grumbling and cursing the whole way, Renji hurried to the Shoten and collected Urahara just in time for Grimmjow to make it back with Hallibel, and they all went together back to the Fourth Division… To hurry up and wait.

                “Grimmjow, sit down, you’re going to wear a groove in the floorboards,” Tia scolded him as he paced anxiously back and forth.

                “Oh, leave him be, Hallibel-san,” Kisuke lilted from behind his fan. “Can’t you see the boy is nervous? He’s not causing any harm.”

                Renji’s head was bowed, hands clasped as though in prayer, and one of his knees bounced incessantly, so obviously he had some nervous energy to dispel as well.

                The time passed painstakingly, but finally someone came out to escort them back to recovery. Renji took a deep breath and gripped Grimmjow’s hand tightly, and the two made their way back, followed by Hallibel and Urahara.

                One of the nurses fussed over Shuhei, who held a tiny, pink-swaddled bundle. He looked up with a smile when everyone entered, and he tipped the sleeping babe toward them to reveal a shock of blue hair atop a peacefully slumbering face.

                Grimmjow swallowed hard, and Renji squeezed shoulder. “Congrats, man,” Renji said, and it was completely sincere, not a hint of bitterness.

                Hallibel burst into laughter, and the two looked back at her. She pointed between them, and when they turned to look, they saw Lieutenant Kotetsu coming through a doorway opposite, holding another pink bundle, and the wild red hair sticking out of this one was unmistakable. Renji choked and bit the back of his hand, tears welling up in his eyes as Hallibel slapped him on the back. “Guess that settles that then, eh?” she chuckled, and stepped forward to receive the infant from Isane.

                Urahara smirked, and looked at Shuhei. “Did you know?”

                Shuu smiled back, the only reply he offered to that question.

                “We never picked out names,” Renji sniffled as Hallibel handed the red-haired girl to him.

                “I did.” All eyes fell to Shuhei as he stroked the cheek of the slumbering daughter in his arms. “This one is Samuayame, and the other is Hanabi.” He reached out to pass Grimmjow’s daughter to him. Grimm balked, dumbstruck, and Hallibel gave him a gentle shove to move him closer, and he reluctantly took the baby in his arms.

                “Fire and ice, how fitting,” Tia chuckled, watching the babies sleep in their father’s arms.
THE END

WWWWWWWWWW
A/N: I might eventually continue this one as a separate fic, probably when the girls are older, more as an OC story. Hanabi means “Fire Flower” (also used to describe fireworks), and Samuayame means “Cold Iris,” a reference to the blue hair.

                I hope everyone enjoyed this! It’s been too long in coming, I’m sorry. If you could leave me a review for my efforts, I’d be greatly appreciative.
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The Ties That Bind Us