New Life

Byakuya stopped dead in his tracks when he entered his quarters, blinking a few times as he looked around the normally sparse and minimalistic space. It didn’t look like that now though… it was decked out from top to bottom with… greenery. “Ichigo… what did you do to our quarters?” He asked, looking around one more times before he walked towards the teen, looking down at where he was seated on the floor in front of a decorated… tree. “Why is there a tree inside, don’t trees belong outside?”

“It’s Christmas!” Ichigo said, giggling a bit as he attached the ribbon to the bottom of the tree. He was almost done with it; he just had to plug it in to see if all the lights worked before he put the candy canes on. It had been rather hard to find all the Christmas decorations in the Sereitei but he had done it. He even had presents under the tree but that was a surprise for another day. There was still around a week left until Christmas and Ichigo wanted to make sure everything was perfect. “Don’t tell me you’ve never decorated before.”

“Christmas… isn’t that a western tradition?” Byakuya asked, cocking his head a bit as he settled down beside Ichigo, pulling the substitute shinigami into his arms. His hands slid softly through the others man’s hair before he pulled him into a kiss, ignoring the strange decorations for a few moments. He had more important things to focus on, after all. He hadn’t see Ichigo this… excited for a while so he would certainly indulge him and ask about it later but for right now, he just wanted to kiss him. He kissed him as long as Ichigo would allow before pulling away, chuckling softly when the other man went right back to finishing the tree. He didn’t move from his lap though and that made Byakuya feel good, like he was really wanted.

“I guess you can say that.” Ichigo murmured, licking his lips softly as he put the last trimmings on the tree, leaning back against Byakuya to admire his work. He really liked how the other man tasted so, kissing him was never an imposition. He just wanted to finish this before they got thoroughly distracted and ended up spending the rest of the day in the bedroom. “It started out as a… pagan tradition, I believe.” He said, leaning forward to turn on the lights. He made a soft noise of happiness when they all blinked on correctly, bouncing a bit on Byakuya’s lap. “Thank god it works, I hate having to try and fix the lights. Finding the one that is off… it’s just so annoying.”

Byakuya nodded softly at that, shifting Ichigo a bit so he wouldn’t accidentally bounce on a certain part of his anatomy. “So… if this was derived from a pagan tradition… everything means something, right?” He asked, turning Ichigo a bit in his lap so that it was easier to kiss and touch him. “If that’s the case, what does this symbolize? It has to be important… it’s the biggest thing you did.”

“Well, it’s the Christmas tree!” Ichigo waved his hands, like it was obvious that it was just supposed to be there. He swallowed a bit after that, leaning back against Byakuya as he thought. “Hmmm, I don’t really know how it got to where it is now… it’s just a tradition. At Christmas time, we put up the tree and decorate it and then we put the presents under it. It’s just always been that way.” He shrugged a bit, reaching up to cover his face a bit. “I remember though… in school they told us in the pagan tradition…” He coughed a bit, fighting not to blush. “Well, apparently it’s a symbol of fertility, a bringer of good fortune and… ummm… new life in the New Year.” He had lost the fight to the blush and was just covering it now, hoping Byakuya didn’t see.

“Fertility, hmm?” Byakuya murmured, chuckling softly at the bright blush he had only made brighter with the statement. He smiled when he laid Ichigo down on the ground, leaning down to kiss his neck softly. “New life?” He kissed up his neck, nipping softly at the sensitive skin before he kissed across his jaw and up to his mouth. “Are you hinting at something, Ichi?” He asked softly, grinning a bit as he slid his hand up under the others shirt, rubbing at the bare skin of his stomach. “Are you wanting a… new life?” He just started kissing him again after that, trying to stop himself from chuckling at the almost full body blush Ichigo had now. The boy was really too easy to embarrass.

Ichigo blushed crimson at the question, sputtering out nonsense until Byakuya kissed him again. Yeah, he had originally come to the man so that his stomach could be healed so he could have a child but… they had hardly ever talked about it. They hadn’t even been together when it had all started. “You… I…” He shuddered a bit, arching his back when the other mans fingers slipped past the waist band of his pants, touching areas he hadn’t dared too before without the darkness of night covering them. “Nnngg… we can’t just…” He took a deep breath, pushing Byakuya away before the man could press his hand against something that was much too eager for his touch. “Do… don’t you want to know what the other… stuff is for?” He asked, trying to change the subject before he gave into the very arousing temptation of letting Byakuya screw him in the floor in front of the Christmas tree in the middle of the day.

Byakuya pulled back reluctantly, slipping his hands from the, apparently, inappropriate places that they had strayed too. He had never screwed Ichigo in the day time before; they had both been embarrassed and still nervous about their relationship so they had only been together in the bedroom in the dead of night. He was ready to change that though… it only seemed that Ichigo wasn’t. “Sure… tell me what it’s for.” He murmured, leaning down to just nuzzle, keeping his hands innocent places so Ichigo didn’t try to push him away again. He wouldn’t ever push Ichigo to do anything and the other man knew it.

Ichigo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he spoke again. He licked his lips a few times, pointing as he spoke. “The garland and… stuff, it’s to symbolize life and stuff like that too…I think. It’s just used for decoration now.” He murmured, having trouble thinking about anything as Byakuya kissed up and down the side of his neck. He was playing with his stomach again too, but, this time it was on top of his shirt. Gods, Byakuya knew how much he wanted to have a child and now he was actually acting like he wanted it… he had never done that before. He shook his head, trying to get it back on the right track as he pointed at the mistletoe. “That’s mistletoe…” He trailed off, letting out a soft groan when Byakuya bit his neck, clearly after leaving a hickey on him. “I… gods, I have no idea what its symbolism is but I know people kiss under it… that’s what it’s for.”

Byakuya pulled back at that, grinning softly at the way his ministrations had seemed to throw Ichigo off. The other man didn’t like to admit it but he liked being touched just as much as much as anyone else did. “You kiss under it?” He asked, looking over at the seemingly innocent plant hanging there before he looked back at Ichigo. “Mmm, maybe we should go do that…” He leaned down, nuzzling against Ichigo’s neck. “What do you…” It was only then that he noticed the slightly strange… smell. Being this close to Ichigo, normally all he could smell was him but now there was another scent. “What is that smell, Ichigo?”

Ichigo looked confused for a few moments before he suddenly pushed Byakuya back, wiggling up and off the floor. “I forgot it! The pies!” He quickly made his way to the kitchen, making it there right before the timer went off. He carefully pulled the pies out of the oven, humming softly as he sat them on a rack to cool. He had made small, individual ones like the ones that Yuzu made them every year and, if he did say so himself, he had done a good job at it. He smiled softly, looking up at Byakuya with a smile. “They’re Mince Pies, another holiday tradition.”

Byakuya nodded softly at that, humming a bit as he sat down, pulling Ichigo down into his lap for another soft kiss. Apparently they would have to indulge in that kiss under the mistletoe some time later. “So, does this one have a reason or is it just another one of those traditions that have been there forever?”

Ichigo nodded softly, looking up at the pies. “Well, they are a long lived tradition but they do have a meaning, apparently.” He murmured, shifting a bit in the other mans arms. He was a bit confused at how clingy he was being but… he really liked it. Byakuya so rarely held him like this all the time. He was normally a lot more nervous and uptight about it. “A long time ago, Mince Pies were thought to be the favorite pie of Father Christmas or… Santa Clause so kids would put a couple of them by the chimney for him as a thank you for their presents and filling their stockings.”

“I at least know that Santa Clause isn’t real.” Byakuya murmured, looking over at Ichigo slightly confused. His eyes widened at Ichigo’s shocked face, it looked like the boy actually believed in Santa Clause. So, he set about comforting the boy, murmuring soft words until he felt Ichigo start to laugh, looking at him like he was the most gullible person in the world.

Ichigo hadn’t even stopped laughing when he tried to speak again, small snickers coming from his throat as he reached out to pick up one of the pies, grabbing the fork on the table. “God, that was precious, it looked like you actually believed that you shocked me by telling me he wasn’t real.” He giggled a bit more at that, forking up a bit of the pie and blowing on it before holding it up for Byakuya to try. “Just try it, it’s something my whole family likes.”

Byakuya still looked a bit wary but nodded; wrinkling his nose a bit as he leaned forward, taking the bite that Ichigo offered him. He chewed on the piece of pie for a few moments before Ichigo held up a napkin. Apparently the boy had noticed the slightly disgusted look on his face. He made a soft noise before he took the napkin, spitting out the bite and just making Ichigo laugh harder and almost fall off his lap.

Byakuya did not like Mince Pie.

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“This is another tradition?” Byakuya asked, looking down at the present he had in his lap. It was Christmas morning and this was the first thing that Ichigo had pulled him to do. “Why do you exchange presents?” He asked, cocking his head a bit.

Ichigo groaned a bit and shook his head, leaning against Byakuya’s side. “It’s just something we do, Bya, stop trying to think of deeper meanings for things.” He murmured, leaning up to kiss the other man with a soft smile. “Just open your present and be happy, that’s what the whole day is for.”

Byakuya nodded and pulled at the wrapping on the present, leaning over to kiss Ichigo before he looked at it. He looked a bit confused, cocking his head as he looked up at Ichigo. “This… can’t be for me.”

Ichigo just laughed softly, smiling innocently as he lifted his hand to play with the small piece of lace in Byakuya’s hand. “Well, in a way.” He murmured, looking slightly embarrassed. “I… I couldn’t really think of what to give to you… the man who has like everything.” He twirled his finger a bit, catching the lace on it. “So… I thought I’d give you… me in a skimpy piece of lace.”

Byakuya was lucky he didn’t get a nose bleed as soon as he imagined Ichigo in the lingerie, a soft noise coming from his throat before he was tumbling Ichigo back on the floor, the lace falling to the side. “Ohhh, that has to be the best present I’ve ever been offered.” He murmured, leaning down to kiss Ichigo softly. One kiss turned into another and another until their clothes were mysteriously come and their bodies pressing together. They got lost in the feeling of touching each other, of loving each other then. The lace was totally forgotten but, the thought behind it wasn’t. Byakuya got his moment then, the moment that he got to take Ichigo in the day, the moment he got to see all his lovers’ reactions to his touches in the blinding light.

They both loved it.

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The New Year came and gone, the decorations long taken down but there was still a joviality in the atmosphere, a happiness that no one knew how to explain but everyone enjoyed. Ichigo was the first one to find out where that happiness had came from, well, the second really. Unohana-Taicho was the first. He gave her a hug, calling out a thank you before he walked back to his and Byakuya’s quarters as fast as he could, so giddy he was just about bouncing. He didn’t hesitate before he sat on his lovers lap, smiling softly as he kissed him. “I have some good news for you, Byakuya, some really good news.”

Byakuya looked up at him, cocking his head a bit before he responded. “Really and what is that?” He asked, humming softly.

“Well, it worked.” Ichigo murmured, smiling as he wiggled on the other mans lap, expecting that he would understand just from that.

Unfortunately, Byakuya didn’t understand and after waiting for a few moments to see if Ichigo would explain further, he spoke again. “What worked, Ichigo?”

Ichigo giggled a bit before leaning in to whisper in the other mans ear, carefully pulling his hand to his stomach. “The tree… it worked.”

“The tree?” Byakuya asked, looking even more thoroughly confused. When it all finally clicked for him, his jaw dropped, a noise of surprise escaping him. “Do you mean… are you…”

Ichigo just nodded, smiling widely as he kissed Byakuya again, nuzzling against him softly. “Yes, I am.” He murmured, looking rather happy with himself as he rubbed their joined hands over his stomach. “We did it, Byakuya. We made a baby.”

A new life.