Ichigo paused and looked down at Toushiro as he hung on to his arm, and for a second Toushiro thought that he saw his eyes flicker. His heart stopped and he dared to hope for a moment. Ichigo's mouth twisted and he let go of Rukia, turning his full attention to Toushiro. Toushiro swallowed thickly, loosening his grip on Ichigo's arm. It was possible that he was coming back to them; Toushiro knew he wouldn't let the ghost get the best of him. Ichigo's arm flopped against his side as he turned slightly to face Toushiro. Rukia took the chance and scrambled away from him. Toushiro watched her from the corner of his eyes as she got to her knees gasping for breath and coughing. He couldn't call out to her when Ichigo crowded him against the wall, looming over him with rattling breaths. Toushiro swallowed thickly and looked up at his husband.

"We're not letting it end like this," he whispered, letting go of Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment longer then leaned forward. Toushiro couldn't move; his body wouldn't let him. He saw Ichigo raise his hand then the next thing he knew his cheek was smarting, his nose was throbbing with renewed vigour, and he was on the floor. Ichigo hadn't held back with that blow either, his head was spinning, blood was rushing in his ears, and when he opened his mouth to breathe his felt his jaw move in a way it shouldn't have. He heard Rukia coughing out his name in the background. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his swimming vision and struggled to push his body back upright. Ichigo was crouching before him, staring with a slight frown on his face. His eyes were still milky and Toushiro didn't know what else he could do. Even Renji couldn't hold him down. It was hopeless. He rested the back of his head against the wall and let his eyes fall shut. The ghost had won. This was it. He took a shuddering breath through his mouth. If only he didn't have so many regrets. He felt tears drip down his cheeks. Maybe this was fitting; it was what he deserved. This past year had been too much; he couldn't handle it. He'd stressed out Ichigo and their marriage was falling apart. Even moving hadn't helped. His throat closed up. This would be easier; he couldn't fight any more.

He felt Ichigo draw closer and he wanted to shy away, pressing more firmly against the wall until he felt a hand on his cheek, smoothing away the tears.

"Don't cry," Ichigo said softly.

Toushiro's eyes flew open, his stomach jumping to his mouth.

"It's going to be alright; I'm going to save us."

His eyes were still clouded and Toushiro knew that the ghost was speaking, stuck in whatever distorted realm it was. His chest tightened and he felt sick. This wasn't Ichigo. Ichigo was gone. He hiccupped, feeling sobs and tremors wracking his body. The ghost tried to soothe him, gently caressing his cheek and mumbling quietly, but it only made Toushiro cry harder. He blubbered nosily, coughing and choking because his nose was too swollen to be of any use. The ghost pulled him into its chest and stroked his hair. It was still mumbling softly but Toushiro could not make out the words. He didn't want to.

He had felt hopeless before; even worse when Ken had died. But now, knowing that this was the end, that he wasn't going to come back from this, he felt cold, and empty. He was supposed to have gotten better, to have restarted his life, finally gotten well enough to stop taking medication, and fixed things with Ichigo. Maybe they should have had the talk before going after the ghost. He should have cleared the air, and now they were both going to die, not knowing if their marriage was going to make it or not. His throat was closing up with tears and the ghost was still muttering. He should have been stronger. He could have prevented this if they had just gotten to the bedroom faster. He swallowed, feeling Ichigo's hand comb through his hair. No, not Ichigo's. No matter how much it felt like him, it wasn't him. He was gone. He'd lost him, just like Ken.

He let the ghost manoeuvre them, turn him over so that it was under him. He wanted to vomit at the way Ichigo's stomach was swollen and how his chest rose and fell in uneven hitches. He tried to pull away, but Ichigo wound his arm around him. Rukia had run, he hoped to the bedroom to call for help. He and Ichigo might not make it, but there was no reason for them to die too. If Renji wasn't already dead. The ghost was nuzzling the side of his neck, still mumbling incoherently. Toushiro waited for it to bite into his skin, to strangle him, or stab him with the knife. He looked down to his legs, feeling cold inch its way through his body, from the centre of his chest to his fingertips and toes. He didn't move when the ghost grabbed his left hand, raising it to eye-level, and gently running his nail along the thin cut along the base of his ring finger. Toushiro blinked slowly; it probably wanted to finish the job. He felt his bottom lip tremble and more tears leaked from his eyes. He shouldn't care; he was going to die anyway.

The ghost shifted under him, then brought its other hand to Toushiro's. He let his head loll to the side and his eyes fall shut. It made no sense to struggle, he couldn't fight it. He had no hope of winning. Then something smooth and warm was slipped onto his finger, settling right above the knife wound. His eyes flew open to see his weeding band, sitting innocently on his finger and gleaming despite of the shadows. He dared to hope again.

"Ichi-"

A strong hand forced his face to the side but gentle lips covered his. He drew in a sharp breath and let himself fall into Ichigo. His nose flared every time it was bumped, brushed, or jostled, and his jaw was painful, but there was something about the kiss that told him that Ichigo was back.

"It's not going to end like this," Ichigo mumbled when they broke apart.

Toushiro slumped in relief. His eyes were clear, slowly fluttering shut, but clear. He let himself fall back, off of Ichigo and smiled. Even if the ghost was nowhere to be seen, even if it was going to attack them again, at least he had Ichigo. His vision was going dark at the edges and the floor swayed underneath him. The adrenaline that had been rushing through his body earlier had come to a halt and he felt every ache, twisted muscle, and broken bone. The hallways tilted sideways and he heard, rather than felt his head hit the carpet. There was a thudding off boots along the hallway and he saw bright beams of light shinning towards them. Help? Had Rukia made it? His thoughts grew sluggish and he barely registered as he was jostled into someone's arms and a light was shone into his face, passing out before they began asking questions.

...

Ichigo had two broken ribs, a punctured lung, a dislocated shoulder, and severe internal bleeding. Toushiro was amazed that he was alive, more so that he had managed to make it from the attic to the hallway with that. They had rushed him into surgery upon arrival at the hospital. When Toushiro woke up he had a splint in his nose and one on his ankle, and a stiff jaw – it had been dislocated, but was already fixed. He couldn't feel anything, and judging from the IV needle in his hand he was on heavy-duty pain medication. The doctor hadn't been expecting him to wake up so soon. He startled the nurse who had been injecting something into his IV. The first thing he did was ask for Ichigo. His entire body felt numb and his mouth had a bitter taste, but that was the only question on his mind and he refused to go back to sleep until it was answered.

He woke up again when they brought Ichigo back from surgery. There was an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and he looked a bit pale, but Toushiro sighed in relief and watched through heavy eyelids as they set his husband up in the bed next to his.

Ichigo was awake when next he woke up. He was lying on his side, watching him, and smiled when he saw him wake up.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Ichigo slurred.

Toushiro scoffed, looking around. "It's only you who's been here twice." He pushed himself into a seated position, and rubbed his eyes, they were dry and itchy and he really shouldn't be wearing his contacts for so long. He felt more cognisant than the last two times he had gotten up and he noticed that the IV had been removed from his arm.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked.

"I should ask you that." Toushiro sighed and gave a surreptitious glance around. "What happened-"

Ichigo grunted and shook his head. "Not here. I asked that they move us to a private room. Renji and Rukia are gonna come check on us later."

Toushiro nodded. "How long have you been awake?"

"A couple hours; I made a few calls."

Toushiro clicked his tongue. "You could have woken me up."

Ichigo smiled. "It wasn't necessary. Besides I haven't seen you sleep that soundly in ages."

Toushiro felt himself blush slightly.

"Shiro?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad that you're okay."

"... I'm glad that you're okay too."

"I would come over there to kiss you, but..."

Toushiro rolled his eyes and threw off the blankets. He hobbled over to Ichigo's bed, being careful not to place much weight on his injured ankle and sat on the edge of the bed when Ichigo shuffled over to make room. He didn't miss the way Ichigo grimaced at the moment.

He sighed and leaned over, cupping Ichigo's check with one hand. "You say the dumbest things, do you know that?"

Ichigo grinned and Toushiro gently pressed their lips together in a warm kiss. He didn't intend for it to get much deeper than that, but Ichigo drew him in, prodding his lower lip with his tongue. Toushiro smoothed his thumb across Ichigo's cheek. Feeling him, his warmth, the small bite of stubble that coasted his jaw, and he felt his eyes begin to prickle. It was too much, everything that had happened last night, almost losing him. He felt utter relief that they were both alive and he once again let his tears fall. He pulled back, with a soft hiccup, still not being able to breathe through his nose.

"Shiro?"Ichigo asked, craning his neck to see him.

Toushiro shook his head slowly and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands. "I'm fine," he mumbled, his voice cracking. "We're both fine."

"Come here, baby." Ichigo raised his hand to let Toushiro fall to his side on the bed then wrapped it around his shoulders. He rested his chin on top of Toushiro's head and breathed in deeply, only to grunt in pain and tense.

"Ichigo!"

"I'm fine... forgot I can't do that for a while."

Toushiro sighed. This was the idiot who had saved him, who had risked his life for him, who he loved beyond reason. "I love you."

He felt Ichigo smile into his hair. "I love you too, babe."

Ichigo was moved into a private room a few hours later; Toushiro was going to be discharged that evening, once the doctor checked him over again. Renji and Rukia had come to visit. Both were still shaken up, but apart from a few bruises they were fine. Rukia wore a think woollen scarf around her neck; Renji insisted that he was fine, even though Rukia insisted that he have someone check to see if he was concussed. Ichigo had managed to knock him out, but didn't do any further harm. Toushiro had scoffed when Renji said that he didn't bruise that easily, and that he couldn't even tell that Ichigo had punched him.

"Lucky," he mumbled, "poke me too hard and I get a bruise."

Renji cocked his head and grinned. "That's 'cause you're pale as fuck."

"It's called albinism."

Renji frowned. "Really? You're albino?"

Toushiro narrowed his eyes and Rukia shook her head. "You couldn't tell?"

Renji shrugged. "Didn't think about it."

Toushiro watched as Ichigo attempt to smile at the exchange, but he could tell what he was thinking from the way he ground his teeth and stared at his hands. He reached out to take one of them in his. "That wasn't you, love," he said firmly. "You were possessed."

Ichigo offered him a weak smile and gently squeezed his hand.

"So what's the cover story?" Renji asked from his spot leaning against the wall. "I'm assuming that you don't want to tell the police that it was a ghost that beat you two senseless."

Ichigo chewed the inside of his cheek. "Did you say anything?"

"I mean... the police asked Rukia for a statement; they didn't see me."

"I said I came to check up you guys, since you've been having trouble with your power recently." Rukia said uneasily. "I couldn't think of anything else."

"No," Ichigo hummed, "That's good. You guys don't need to be more involved than you already are. Okay, so you came to check up on us... you called before, but we didn't answer so you came over and you found us already unconscious." He was silent for a while. Toushiro could see the gears turning in his head, the same way they did when he was thinking about one of his novels. "It was a home invasion... mostly rich people live on Morrison drive anyway, it would make sense, and since we're new they targeted us. We were already in bed when the power went out, then I went to go see. When I didn't come back you came to check on me, Shiro, and they got you too. We couldn't see much because it was dark."

Rukia hummed in agreement and Renji nodded.

"They won't find anyone though," Toushiro said, shaking his head, "No prints, no DNA..."

Ichigo chewed his lip. "Nothing was stolen, we're both alive... it'd be a hassle to press charges, don't you think?"

"The medical bills are going to be a nightmare, though."

"Insurance will cover it. We can afford it."

"We can?"

"Yeah... Oh right, I meant to tell you. Another one of my books got picked up by Hollywood. I have to head down there to talk figures and rights, but we should be good for a while."

Toushiro smiled, a bit shocked. "That's... That's really good, Ichigo."

Renji scoffed. "Oh come on, the man tells you one of his books is gonna be a movie and all you say is 'good'? At least give him a kiss."

"Shut up, Renji," Rukia growled, elbowing him.

Toushiro chuckled softly. Ichigo already knew how he felt.

They hammered out a few details until Renji and Rukia said that they should be heading home. They would come back later for Toushiro and to bring Ichigo some things from home. Toushiro knew that they were going to be all over the news. The school board was going to be on his tail for at least a month. He rubbed his temples, they were already talking about his relationship with Ichigo and he knew for a fact that more than a couple parents and one particular board member were trying to get him fired because of it. It would look fishy when they decided not to press charges, but maybe he could pull the stress card or plead emotional trauma to not want anything more to do with the attack. He huffed softly.

"What are you thinking about?" Ichigo asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

Ichigo clicked his tongue. "Shiro..."

He sighed. "Just the headache I'm going to have at work once everyone finds out about this."

Ichigo winced. "It's not going to be that bad..."

Toushiro scoffed. "You've never met the people who are on the board."

"True... But I would hope that they would be more concerned than angry." Ichgio squirmed a bit, wiggling further into the pillows he had propped behind his back. The bed had been adjusted so that he was sitting upright.

"Most of them will. There are just one or two parents who hate me."

Ichigo nodded then took a careful shallow breath and Toushiro knew what was coming. "So... um... we should talk... about... us." He was staring at him lap, then almost shyly looked up to meet Toushiro's gaze.

Toushiro sighed deeply and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes, we should." His stomach began to twist.

They were both silent for a long while. Toushiro didn't know where to start. Almost a year's worth of tension had built up and he didn't want to even begin to chip away at the dam he had built. He balled the bed sheet in his fist and stared at his lap.

"I'll start," Ichigo said. "I don't want to get a divorce. I know what I said when we fought was shitty and out of line. I didn't mean any of it. I was angry and frustrated and-"

Toushiro shook his head. "No... you... you had every right to be. I was behaving foolish."

Ichigo swallowed. "What I said about your father-"

"You were right." He licked his lips and focused on the sheet. He and Ichigo needed to have this talk. There was no going forward if they didn't. He had to tell him what he was thinking, how he felt. He was his husband, damnit, he deserved to know. And he needed to know, if they wanted to get better. "You know what my father is like. He did mess me up and, yes, sometimes I still feel like my emotions aren't valid and I can't trust anyone because of him. I was hopeful when we got married, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to shake it."

"I'm not asking you to... I was out of line when I said that. I know how much he hurt you and I shouldn't have brought him up."

Toushiro's skin was itching and he wanted to get up and leave. He didn't want to talk about this. He got up and hobbled halfway to the door before sharply turning around and beginning to pace. He folded his arms around his stomach and took several calming breaths. He hadn't taken his medication last night, but he had to have this conversation. He had to force himself through it. Ichigo had wanted nothing more than to talk. It wasn't going to kill him. He forced himself to take a few deep, even breaths through his mouth, despite the taste of bile at the back of his throat.

"He was going to come up anyway," Toushiro muttered shaking his head. He had cut him off years ago, but he was still in his head. Every decision he made he could hear his jeering voice criticising him for not doing something or messing something up. "It's pathetic, right? I'm an adult. I'm married, we have a house... you think he wouldn't have this effect on me anymore."

"Shiro..."

He dug his fingernails into his sides and shook his head. "Anyway, he's not the problem now. You don't want a divorce." He paused, did a few more rounds around the room, and swallowed past the block in his throat. "I... I don't either, if I'm completely honest. I did some thinking while I was alone. I was only angry because you were moving on. You were moving on, making friends, making a new life, and I felt like I was still drowning."

"Baby, I'm not leaving you-"

He knew that, but for a long while he didn't feel it. "We process things differently – I don't know why I was getting so worked up about it." He did, actually. His stomach churned and he felt slightly nauseated. "I think... no... that was unfair of me no matter the reason. I shouldn't have faulted you for me not being able to keep up. I'm trying. I'm trying to move on. I went out with Rachel; I'm trying to make friends. I'm going to beat this depression." He took another deep breath and balled his palms into fists.

"I believe in you, baby. I know you can. It's been a hard year, and you're already getting better."

"We... we also need to talk about that." he hobbled over to stare out the window. Might as well get this over with too. He clenched his jaw despite the stiffness and focused on a tiny, red car that was looking for a parking space.

"Shiro?"

"Ken... I..." his throat closed on him.

"Shiro, we don't have to do this now."

He shook his head. He'd been pushing it off long enough. He'd been a coward long enough. If they wanted to, if he wanted to get better he needed to talk about him. Tears were already falling down his cheeks. "It was my fault," he choked out, "I killed him."

"No," Ichigo murmured softly, "baby, it wasn't. Believe me, it wasn't. It was that shitty driver and the rain."

"I should have made him go home with you."

"You couldn't have known. He wanted to spend time with you; he'd been with me all day."

Toushiro hiccupped and made the mistake of trying to breathe through his nose and ended up coughing.

"Baby, come here," Ichigo said.

Toushiro slowly turned around. Ichigo was clenching his jaw, but his eyes were glassy. Toushiro hobbled back to the bed and Ichigo took his hand in his. "It wasn't your fault. I don't want you to think that. What can I do to make you stop thinking that? God, that night was terrible enough," he paused to clear his throat. "I was waiting for you, and then when the hospital called... We lost Ken, but I could have lost you too." he paused again, shaking his head. "You don't need to take the blame for any of it." He swallowed and pulled Toushiro into his chest.

Toushiro shut his eyes and pressed his forehead to Ichigo's shoulder. When he had gotten the news that Ken was dead his whole world had shattered. He was ashamed to admit now how Ichigo had felt at the time had been the furthest thing from his mind. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm sorry; I caused you so much trouble. I don't deserve you."

"Baby, don't... you deserve me, you deserve so much more than me." He heard Ichigo's voice hitch as he smoothed his hands up and down Toushiro's back.

"I kept on pushing you away."

"You were depressed."

"I should have realised-"

"No, I wasn't in the best frame of mind either. I needed to have offered you better support; I should have spoken to you-"

"You tried to, I didn't listen. I was too much in my own head to see how badly you were hurting as well."

Ichigo shook his head slowly. "We fucked up."

Toushiro clenched his jaw. Ichigo could not be joking about anything right now. He frowned and was about to pull away when Ichigo spoke again.

"But we're going to fix it. You're not going to push me away and I'm not going to give up on you. Look, we nearly died trying to protect each other last night. I have hope that we can get better."

Toushiro swallowed and nodded, wrapping his arms around Ichigo's neck. Ichigo urged him onto the bed and he lay on his side, resting his forehead against Ichigo's collarbone. They fell into silence once more, but Toushiro's skin was no longer itching. His stomach still twisted when he thought about what was going to happen next, they still had a lot more to talk about. This was the first of a series of long and hard conversations, but at least he had gotten through it. He could get through the next one as well.

"About last night," he began softly, "the ghost... how did you get it to leave you alone?"

"I'm not too sure, it just disappeared."

Toushiro's stomach froze. "So it's still in the house?"

"I don't think so... towards the end I felt kind of light... it's hard to explain... like it felt almost happy."

Toushiro frowned.

"I think it passed on... I don't know. Having it posses me was... strange, like I kinda knew what was happening, but everything was jumbled. I couldn't control my body and I kept on seeing flashes of its memory. I... I just wanted to hurt something. But then you... when you spoke to me something cleared up and I think some of the ghost's memories got mixed with mine, because suddenly it didn't want to hurt you and I swear... you looked like that woman in the old picture I found... the ghost's wife... fiancée what have you."

Toushiro tilted his head. "So when it gave me back my wedding ring..."

"Maybe that's all it needed to find piece. How symbolic." Toushiro scoffed and went to punch Ichigo's shoulder but then stopped himself when he remembered that he was injured. "It was just coincidence that our memories got jumbled up like that, but I think that all he wanted was to be with his wife."

Toushiro's stomach began bubbling again. It was like a terrible lesson on how he shouldn't take Ichigo for granted. If the universe had wanted to give him a wakeup call, it could have chosen a much less extravagant and less dangerous way. "So no more ghost? That's it? It's gone."

"I think so." Ichigo smiled. He reached up and tangled his fingers in Toushiro's hair.

Toushiro shuffled closer and pressed his lips to his husband's. They were going to be fine.

...

Toushiro took a deep breath when he pushed open the front door and limped into the foyer. The kitchen was to his left and the living room to his right. The stairs leading upstairs lay before him. The last remnants of sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. And, the ghost was gone. He pulled the jacket Rukia had lent him tight around his body. Inside wasn't as chilly as he remembered it, but he still shivered as he carefully stepped over the line of salt and into the kitchen.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked the Abarais. "We have tea and coffee" he opened the fridge, "Uh, orange juice... sorry, I don't keep any alcohol in the house since I can't..."

"It's okay, Toushiro," Rukia said brightly, "Tea sounds lovely."

Renji nodded in agreement.

Toushiro went to fill the kettle. Renji and Rukia were both silent as he let the kettle fill. Then there was a sudden crash that sounded like glass breaking, or something heavy and metallic falling against the kitchen tiles. He jumped, dropping the kettle into the sink with a crash. Water splashed everywhere and the water from the faucet rebounded and drenched his shirt before he could think to shut it off.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Toushiro," Renji apologised. "Dropped my keys, didn't realise..."

Toushiro slowly turned around, his heart still racing. "It's fine." He swallowed, willing himself to calm down. He took a few shaky breaths as Rukia came over and placed her hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing her thumb across his shoulder blade.

"You know what," Renji said, "I know that technically this house is safe now, but why don't you come stay with us for a while? At least until Ichigo is discharged and you don't have to be here all by yourself."

"Yeah," Rukia echoed, "If it'll make you feel better."

Toushiro hesitated. He couldn't impose on them, but he knew that it was going to take a while before every single noise didn't send him into a panic attack. He didn't want to impose though, and they had already done so much for him. He chewed the inside of his cheek. "I..."

Rukia wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Honestly if it were me, I wouldn't want to stay here either."

He nodded. They were friends – and not just Ichigo's as they had proved last night. He needed to open up to get better. "Thank you, that's very kind."

"Do you need help getting your stuff?" Renji asked.

Toushiro shook his head. "No, I think I'll be fine with that."

Rukia still followed him upstairs and he was silently thankful for her presence. She made light conversation as he filled a bag with clothes and toiletries, and didn't make any comments when he swallowed a few pills and shoved the bottled into his bag.

He found that he still couldn't sleep at the Abarais'. He wasn't jumping at every noise, but he lay in bed, tossing from side to side, unable to find rest. He was thinking about Ichigo, about Ken, about the ghost. Even after he convinced himself that Ichigo was fine and that he didn't need to worry, he couldn't sleep. It must have been past midnight when his phone rang. He didn't know whether to be relieved for the distraction or annoyed that Isshin would call so late.

He picked it up, turning on the bedside lamp and sitting up in the bed. "Hello?"

Isshin let out a gasp like he had been holding his breath. "Toushiro! Thank god! Ichigo told me what happened, are you okay?"

Toushiro blinked, slightly stunned. "Yes, I'm fine, Isshin."

"Ichigo said-"

"I'm okay," Toushiro insisted. "It's only a broken nose and ankle."

"Your face! Did they set it right? Is your nose crooked?"

Toushiro chuckled softly; a bit surprised that he was even able to. "I don't know; it's too swollen to tell."

Isshin gasped. "My poor son. I'm catching the next flight to you guys. Yuzu's coming as well."

"You don't have to, Isshin."

"I'm coming anyway; you think I'm going to stay here while my boys are all alone and in pain?"

Toushiro sighed. "Send me your itinerary."

There was a pause then he heard Isshin's muffled voice, "Yuzu, how do I send Toushiro our itinerary?"

He shook his head and smiled. If anything his father-in-law would be a good distraction when he arrived.

...

Toushiro hadn't been expecting it, but they ended up having a New Years Eve party. Well, it wasn't so much of a party, since he still couldn't walk around too much and Ichigo was confined to either the bed or the couch. Isshin and Yuzu were there to help, as well as Rukia, Renji, and their girls. Rukia and Yuzu turned his kitchen into a war-zone and chased him from the room every time he tried to help. Renji and Isshin had been put on cleaning duty, tidying up all the dust that had accumulated in the bedrooms, hallway and living room. Ichigo suggested that they invite Rachel and then it somehow turned into a small get-together. Rukia's sister and brother-in-law showed up, and Renji's parents came along as well. Karin and Jinta came for two days, turning up on their doorstep unannounced with a six pack of beer, a get-well card and their suitcases. The biggest surprise, however, came right after the party had started.

Toushiro was sitting on the couch next to Ichigo listening as Jinta, Renji, and Karin fought over who had the best taste in the local micro-brewed beers. Rachel had gravitated to Yuzu and the two had ended up in the kitchen trading recipes for brownies and chocolate-chip cookies. The others were in various positions around the living room or wondering around the food set up on the dining table. He didn't hear the doorbell ring over all the voices and music, but then Rukia called him over. He froze in the doorway, thankful that he hadn't been carrying anything as he was bundled in a tight, warm hug. He hadn't seen Rangiku in years, not since she moved to Chicago for work. They had promised to meet up when she left, but the promise had withered away. Seeing her after so long, unchanged, still boisterous, and bubbly – a landmark from a much better time, he was almost bowled over and his throat felt like it was going to close up.

"Rangiku?" he stuttered in disbelief. He couldn't quite believe it. He cleared his throat and retuned the hug.

She pulled back after giving him a peck on the cheek. "I've been a terrible best friend, haven't I? Ohhh look at your face," she pouted. "Your poor nose... don't worry, you'll still be adorable. I bet you won't even be able to tell it was broken when it heals."

Toushiro blinked. "How... why... what are you doing here?"

She smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You threw a party, and I should take personal offence that you didn't invite me."

Toushiro was still stunned. "How-"

"Ichigo told me, darling. After you were being so elusive over my texts, I had to call the big guns." Her smile vanished in a flash and she pulled Toushiro back into her chest. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine."

She let go of him and raised a perfectly shaped eye-brow. "We'll talk later; I'm not letting you beat yourself up over anything this time, okay?"

He shook his head, but felt his mouth stretch into a smile.

"Let's go inside, I'm freezing my ass off out here. Why the hell did you choose Wyoming of all places? And this little, hick town? There's nothing to do here?"

"Ranigku!" Ichigo exclaimed from the couch, "You made it!"

She let go of Toushiro to hug him carefully. "Wouldn't miss my favourite couple's party for anything. Momo sends her love; she wanted to come, but the baby... Don't look at me like that Toushiro, she told you about it. She sent out a whole email chain – please tell me you read it."

He chewed the inside of his cheek. He hadn't checked his personal email in months. He hadn't the heart to.

"Speaking of babies, where's Yuzu?"

Silence fell over the room. Ichigo snapped his head to stare at Rangiku and Isshin nearly dropped his drink. Karin paused mid sentence, her mouth still open. And Jinta looked like he had just been struck by lightning and was about to faint.

"What?" the three Kurosakis hissed in unison.

Rangiku looked sheepish for a second. "Oh, was that still a secret? Fuck."

Isshin scrambled to the kitchen and minutes later Yuzu came out with a strained smile on her face, Isshin was practically floating behind her. "I was going to make an announcement once we got back to San Francisco," she said, starting to blush. "I'm due in August."

The entire house erupted and Toushiro let himself get swept up in the euphoria.

...

"Why didn't you tell me you called Rangiku, you ass?" Toushiro grumbled.

Ichigo grinned sheepishly. "She called me, you were ignoring her texts, what was I supposed to do? Not tell her anything?"

"You could have warned me?"

"And miss the look on you face when she got here?"

Toushiro rolled his eyes. She had left a few minutes ago in a taxi, refusing to let either of them drive her to the airport while they were still injured. Renji had offered to drive the rest of the Kurosaki's earlier that day, and it was now just the two of them in the house. They weren't scared, but it felt strange with just the two of them after almost three entire days of it being full. Something felt like it was missing.

"Alright, I'm gonna take a shower," Ichigo announced, slowly rising from the couch. Toushiro took up his place at his side, bracing him as he stood.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

Ichigo hummed softly. "I think I can manage."

He helped him up the stairs, a long and awkward journey since he couldn't walk that well either. "I think you should stay upstairs until you're better."

Ichigo clicked his tongue. "That's so boring, though."

"Yeah, but I can't carry you, you big oaf."

Ichigo stuck out his tongue. "It's muscle, not fat."

A soft chuckle rose up unexpectedly from Toushiro's stomach. "Oh, I know that."

He pushed open the bedroom door, ashamed to be out of breath from walking up the stairs.

"Shiro?" Ichigo asked as they entered the room, "What's this?"

"What?" Toushiro and peered around the door frame. He stopped in the doorway when he saw rose petals strewn all over the bed and floor. Candles had been placed around the room, and a bowl of incense was smoking from their dresser. He looked to Ichigo to the bed then back again. His husband looked as confused as he felt, but then he sighed when he realised what was going on. "Rangiku," he mumbled.

"Ohhh," Ichigo drawled. "She wanted us to..."

"She always wants us to. I guess she found out that we hadn't been... living together for a while." He felt himself blushing and he raked his fingers through his hair as he spotted a basket of dark chocolates, honey, and bananas, figs, and strawberries on the nightstand. "Oh god..."

Ichigo chuckled, straining to keep his breathing even, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "At least it wasn't a bottle of Viagra."

"Ichigo!"

He continued to grin as he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the side. Toushiro's exasperation was short lived when his stomach turned the moment he saw the mottled bruising on Ichigo's torso and the stitches along his stomach. "It would be a shame to just let this go to waste."

Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "You're still injured."

Ichigo shrugged. "Not the parts the count."

Toushiro glared at him. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't."

Toushiro grit his teeth, but Ichigo was giving him a very convincing set of puppy-dog eyes. It was as if he was made to do the expression. He sighed softly and shook his head. Ichigo shuffled backwards on the bed, and patted the spot beside him. Toushiro stared at him, chewing his bottom lip, and wondering how they were supposed to do this without aggravating Ichigo's injuries. He folded his arms across his chest and sat down next to Ichigo. Ichigo turned his head to look at him and gave him a small smile. He raised his hand to cup Toushiro's cheek then leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips. That was all that was needed for Toushiro to give in. He gently wound his arms around Ichigo's neck and kissed back. He felt Ichigo's lips stretch into a smile and his other arm came up to hook around his waist.

"Fine," Toushiro whispered, slowly pulling away. "But we do this on my terms." He didn't even know how his own body would react. He'd been feeling better since he came home from the hospital, but there had been a few times where he'd still felt like complete shit. He was still trembling as well and his appetite hadn't returned. But, he was determined not to let the side effects get to him.

Ichigo chuckled softly. "That's fine by me. It's hot when you take charge."

Toushiro rolled his eyes then eyed the pillows behind them and chewed the inside of his cheek. He could prop Ichigo up to keep him from straining his stomach, but knowing the man he'd manage to strain himself regardless. He gave Ichigo a quick peck on the cheek, before shuffling around to arrange the pillows and blankets.

"Shiro?"

"Take off your pants."

"Ah, that's what I like to hear."

Toushiro scoffed as he hopped off the bed and went to draw the curtains, and picked up a box of matches from his night stand and set about lighting all the candles. They were scented, he realised, jasmine and something else. He rolled his eyes, wondering when exactly Rangiku had gotten all of this. She hadn't even been there that long. Ichigo cleared his throat as Toushiro blew out the match. He was back on the bed, sitting amongst the pillows and grinning widely. Toushiro felt himself blush as he made his way back to the bed. He stopped at the night stand and peered into the basket, before tilting his head and picking up a box of chocolates. He smiled when he noticed that it was one of Ichigo's favourite brands. He crawled onto the bed and settled himself on Ichigo's thighs. Ichigo was watching him with rapt attention with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"So we're actually doing this?" he asked.

Toushiro opened the chocolates and selected one before placing the box to the side. "Yes." he leaned forward, gently bracing one arm on Ichigo's shoulder and pressed their lips together. Ichigo's mouth parted almost as soon as their lips met. Toushiro gently prodded his bottom lip with his tongue. It was going to be a struggle to keep things slow, he thought with a wry grin. Ichigo wound both arms around his waist, and began toying with the waistband of his sweat pants. He broke the kiss moments later. Ichigo tried to follow, but he stopped him, by pressing gently on his shoulder. Ichigo's pupils were blown as he stared hungrily at him. Toushiro smirked as he settled back on his thighs and took a small bite of the piece of chocolate. Ichigo licked his lips as he watched.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to tease me tonight?" he asked.

Toushiro tilted his head. "You did say it would be a shame to let all this go to waste."

Ichigo groaned. "And you wanted me naked for this why?"

Toushiro shrugged and pressed the rest of the chocolate to Ichigo's mouth. Ichigo opened a bit wider than necessary, making sure to lick Toushiro's fingertips. Toushiro followed with another soft kiss once he swallowed.

"Do you think any of this stuff actually works?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. It's what they say anyway."

"That's nice chocolate, but I don't think it'll make me feel any hornier."

Toushiro rolled his eyes, and pressed another piece to his mouth. He wasn't a fan of dark chocolate, or chocolate in general, but it had seemed like the easiest thing to eat from the basket. He picked up one of the figs next. He rolled it between his fingers before taking a bite, then passing it off to Ichigo. He wasn't a fan of figs either. The fruit was small enough for Ichigo to fit the whole thing in his mouth and he maintained eye contact with Toushiro as he chewed and swallowed.

"So, you're just gonna feed me until all this is done?"

"The honey might make a mess."

Ichigo chuckled softly. "You're the one who needs feeding."

Toushiro paused, instinctually looking down at himself, and starting to feel uneasy. He had been trying to eat lately, but he hadn't been that good at it. He glared at the way his knees stood out as they bent on either side of Ichigo's hips. When was the last time he had even eaten anything? He should have been keeping better track. He was never going to get better at this rate.

Distantly, he heard Ichigo click his tongue and then a hand was gently forcing him to look up.

"Hey, babe, stay with me. I didn't mean it like that. You're beautiful, and I love you."

Toushiro blinked and swallowed thickly. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Ichigo moved his hand to cup the back of his head and guided their lips together. Toushiro forced himself to relax; allowing that comment to get to him would undermine everything he was trying to do. So he concentrated on Ichigo's lips, the way they moved against his, their softness, and the sweetness left over from the chocolate. He did have to work hard to concentrate and not to let his thoughts spiral, but when Ichigo threaded his fingers in his hair and his other hand lightly traced his spine it became much easier.

Ichigo must have felt the tension leave his body, because he broke the kiss and traced Tosuhiro's bottom lip with his thumb. "There we go." He smiled widely. "Now, come; we have this entire basket of food to get through."

Toushiro pressed his forehead to his collarbone. He took a few deep breaths to chase away the last of his anxiety. "No," he mumbled as he straightened and pulled off his shirt. "We can save those for another time."

Ichigo almost started drooling, or at least it looked like he was about to. He helped Toushiro out of his sweater and before it was over his head, he was running his hands up and down Toushiro's ribs and chest. Toushiro carelessly threw the shirt behind him and tried not to shift around too much as Ichigo's fingers tickled. He leaned forward again and gently pressed his lips to Ichigo's. Ichigo hummed softly as Toushiro threaded his fingers into his hair. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, just letting the kiss carry him away. He loved Ichigo, that was one thing he couldn't deny and something he didn't want to deny. He loved him so much. Ichigo nibbled his bottom lip and he drew back slightly to catch his breath before joining once more and deepening the kiss. Ichigo's fingers pressed into his sides, thumbs circling his hipbone and dipping under his waistband. He couldn't fault Ichigo for being a bit impatient. The last time they had sex was... weeks or had it been a month already. He was actually surprised that he hadn't brought it up before. Or maybe he had been in too much pain.

Ichigp pulled back slightly. "You think too much," he mumbled between placing a series of soft pecks to Toushiro's lips. "What is it this time?"

Toushiro massaged the back of Ichigo's head with his fingertips. "Are you sure we can do this?"

Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "Ummm... I..." he broke off with a sigh. "You're not feeling up to it?"

"No, that's not it... I mean you broke a rib... can you?"

Ichigo chuckled softly. "I'll be fine."

Toushiro wasn't convinced.

"We'll take it slow and," his mouth stretched in to a wicked grin. "You can ride me."

Toushiro felt his cheeks heat instantly. He didn't know why Ichigo's words made him so embarrassed; they were married and he'd ridden Ichigo many times before. He blushed harder. Ichigo was still grinning up at him and he smoothed his thumb across his cheek.

"What do you say?"

Toushiro breathed out through his nose and placed his hand over Ichigo's, nuzzling into his palm. Rangiku's set up had been flawless, he had to admit, and he'd kind of be an asshole if he told Ichigo no, especially since he'd been playing along up until then. He'd most definitely be an asshole.

"Okay." He kissed Ichigo's palm.

"Then these need off." Ichigo hooked his thumb around his waistband and tugged. "Now."

Rolling his eyes, Toushiro slid off of Ichigo and the bed and slowly pulled his sweats down his legs. Ichigo had turned his head to watch, staring unabashed as Toushiro bared himself. They locked eyes when he was done and Toushiro felt his breath catch in his chest. Ichigo's eyes, those beautiful, brown doe-eyes, somehow managed to banish all his insecurities. Too skinny, too short, too pale, too sick. Up to this day he still did not know what Ichigo saw in him, but with that expression on his face, Toushiro found himself not caring.

"Come here, beautiful," Ichigo mumbled, holding out his arm to guide Toushiro back to the bed.

Toushiro scoffed. "I don't know why you call me that. You're the pretty one."

Ichigo shook his head. "You're gorgeous." He placed a hand behind Toushiro's head and stretched forward, inviting him for a kiss. Toushiro settled back on top of Ichigo's hips. His knees dug into the mattress on either side of Ichigo's waist as he pressed his lips to Ichigo's. His medication didn't make him numb, per say, but it had been a while since he had felt something this intense. He wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck, tangling his finger in his hair as Ichigo raked his nails up and down his sides. They broke apart panting.

"Did Rangiku put any lube in that basket?" Ichigo's voice was husky.

Toushiro leaned over to the nightstand. Sure enough there was a bottle innocently sitting amongst the fruit and chocolate. He didn't know whether to feel annoyed at her forwardness or to thank her for it. He picked up the bottle and handed it to Ichigo. "Of course she did."

Ichigo captured his lips again. "I need to send her a gift card later."

Toushiro kissed along his jaw. "I will have no part in that."

...

They lay there curled around each other, not caring about clean up, until they were at the edge of sleep. Toushiro was almost euphoric as he stared at his husband. Ichigo had probably already fallen asleep, but his arms were still tight around Toushiro. And he felt safe.

It's Done!

Well that's all folks, hope the end was worth the build up :)

Now on to the next project so look out for that in the next couple of weeks. It's gonna have dragons.

As usual the link to the full version of this chapter will be in my profile

-Mymomomo