'If I wish?' Renji's brow furrows slightly, hearing it. He thought Byakuya might be a bit more pleased that he had grown into the idea of marriage, when before he'd been unsure..
He does not comment on the choice of words, though. Byakuya has already continued the conversation to said planning. Renji is surprised to hear that his partner might want to plan their wedding on a traditional Kuchiki date.. He is certainly not opposed to that, but.. Given the nature of their union, he suspects the rest of the Kuchiki family might not be too pleased about such a decision.
He snorts lightly at Byakuya's assertion that he does not believe in luck. That suits him perfectly, doesn't it..? Hard work is the only thing that counts, and if you come across misfortune, you simply didn't work hard enough to achieve your goals. That sounds like a Kuchiki belief. More or less having been raised by Madarame Ikkaku.. Renji obviously feels differently. Luck does matter to him. At least a little. And besides.. There is so much proof of it, too. Otherwise, it would suggest that everyone gets what they deserve or work for, no matter what, and that everything is predestined, somehow. And then he cannot really believe in free will, either. No, he'd rather stick to luck being real.
"Well, if it is all the same to you, lets pick a lucky date anyway." If Byakuya doesn't care about luck, then to him, any day should be fine, right? Then they might as well pick a lucky one. He hesitates a moment before continuing
"That is.. You still want us to get married, right?" At the moment it does feel a bit like they're making plans to have dinner together, rather than to tie their souls to one another for the rest of their lives..
A LUCKY DATE, hm? Well, if that was what Renji wanted, then he would not object. He simply would not see the date as lucky, since he didn't believe in such a thing. To him, the concept of a "lucky date" had been proven wrong. He assumed it gave the other some comfort to believe in luck - because it freed you from responsibility. Byakuya would NEVER shy away from making his own fate. To say something was out of your control was to admit defeat. There was no reason to argue with Renji about whether or not luck even existed. The other was entitled to his believes, misguided though they were.
AND - as anticipated, Renji's insecurities were brought to the fore-front once again. Byakuya had expected it.
That is.. You still want us to get married, right?
Of course. OF COURSE Renji would start having doubts about Byakuya's intentions. Even though Byakuya was the most steadfast person, who never went back on his word, and who was NOT in the habit of changing his mind. Renji always - ALWAYS ended up doubting him. Doubting his love for him. It was quite tiring, having to prove himself over and over again.
Why couldn't Renji just trust him?
He wanted to ask him; Have I expressed anything else? But --- He stopped himself. He realized that it was his lack of enthusiasm that Renji was interpreting. That --- Would be a difficult thing to fix, because Byakuya never expressed enthusiasm about anything. Yet, that was what Renji wanted from him, right?
❝ Yes, I do. ❞ He said. It made him feel a strange sense of defeat, because no matter what he did or said, Renji never trusted him. It bothered him more than it should. If Renji didn't trust him, that was his fault for not being trustworthy. He had to work harder. Do better.
It wasn't like he could apologize for not being more enthusiastic. It would be apologizing for being himself. Apologies were no small matter, he would not deliver one so easily. So - what else could he say then?
Why do you think I would ever break my word to you?
Is our engagement that trivial to you, that you think it can be broken off as simply as that?
Don't, he told himself. Renji would be upset. They would argue.
❝ Let us choose a lucky date. ❞