Mom, I Want You To Meet…

By: Hitokiri Musei

Rated: K+

Summary: Side-story to Behind Those Teal Eyes. Important notice about sequel inside! Ichigo takes Toshiro to meet his Mom, as well as during the pregnancy and after the twins are born.

Warnings: This is in the arc of my story, Behind Those Teal Eyes, so it does require having read that. Other than that, yaoi, and mpreg.

I don't own Bleach. Yoru and Sora, however, are mine.

Toshiro felt a little out of place, but he followed his lover nonetheless as he headed through the graveyard. The tendo walked a little faster, his hand brushing against Ichigo's as he did. Ichigo caught his hand for an instant and squeezed slightly, but then the touch was gone, Ichigo knowing full well that Toshiro didn't much care for hand-holding.

"I'm glad you decided to come with me, Toshiro, it really makes me happy that you would do that for me." Ichigo's voice was soft and loving in the cool morning air. Toshiro looked up as Ichigo turned in his direction, meeting soft brown eyes that were loving and caring.

Toshiro felt a slight annoyance at the use of his given name, but he told himself to ignore it. After two years of being with Ichigo, he was starting to get used to the substitute shinigami calling him by his real name, although it sometimes bothered him. He, however, was still having trouble referring to Ichigo by his given name. While he cared for Ichigo, the entire relationship was still very new to him, and slightly scary.

The two were currently heading towards the graveyard in Karakura Town, going to visit Ichigo's mother. Ichigo had expressed an interest in bringing Toshiro to meet his mom before, but had never approached it until the anniversary of her death, when he, along with the entire Kurosaki family, was going to go to the grave.

While Toshiro didn't mind going, he wanted to go with just Ichigo, being with the orange-head's family was still very strange and awkward for him. Ichigo had been just fine with that, and so the two were going early in the morning, before the Kurosaki family would come so that Toshiro could go back to the Soul Society before they arrived.

Toshiro was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly ran into Ichigo's back as the substitute shinigami came to a stop. The taichou collected himself, shaking his head slightly before turning to look up at Ichigo's face. He blinked as he saw the look on his tall lover's face, his heart wrenching slightly.

Ichigo's face was unusually soft and gentle, his chocolate eyes full of love and longing. Toshiro had seen Ichigo's face look gentle, but this was a new look, one that he had never seen before. The love in his eyes was radiating, and Toshiro could also sense the pain, guilt, and want in his stance and reiatsu. Ichigo lowered himself to his knees in front of the stone, the soft look still on his face.

"Hey Mom. Sorry I couldn't bring him sooner, but I wanted to bring him now, since we've gotten this far with each other."

With that the orange-head reached up to take a hold of Toshiro's hand, pulling him forward a few steps so that he was beside him. "Mom, I want you to meet Hitsugaya Toshiro. I'm sure that you've been watching us, but I wanted to introduce him to you properly."

Toshiro didn't say anything, but he swallowed faintly and then sank to his knees beside his lover. Ichigo started to pull away from him, but as he did he was stopped by Toshiro gently weaving their fingers together. Ichigo's chocolate eyes were shocked as he looked into teal orbs, but the tiny shinigami simply smiled, squeezing his lover's hand.

"You need me."

Ichigo felt a new wave of love at that statement, and he squeezed Toshiro's hand back, grateful. Toshiro rarely showed such bits of affection, and those simple words made him realize that this tiny man next to him was a gift from God, a blessing in his life.

He was silent for a few moments, and then with a deep breath he spoke once more. "He's… well, he's Toshiro. There's not really much else to it. He's rather cold hearted, he's obsessive about everything, he's a workaholic, grouchy, short, self-absorbed prick…"

Had Ichigo been looking at Toshiro at this point he probably would have burst into flames. The little captain was glaring at him with all his might, his teal eyes icy and full of anger. He was just getting ready to wrench his hand out of Ichigo's, but then the orange-head turned to look at him, his chocolate eyes soft and loving, amusement in them.

"And I know he's getting ready to kill me for saying those things. Don't glare at me like that, love, you know you are. He might be all these things, but even so…" Ichigo reached out, his hand stroking along the curve of the baby soft cheek. "That's just who he is. He's a workaholic, but he's determined and serious, and that just means he's committed to his job, and I admire that. He's cold hearted, but when I can get under that icy shell, he's warm and loving, the most wonderful person in the world. He's grouchy, but I love his face when he's upset. It's just so cute, I want to molest him right there."

Toshiro was staring at the taller now, his eyes a little wide, his lips open a little. He had no voice, he couldn't say anything to what was coming out of Ichigo's mouth.

"He's short too, but that makes him the perfect height to fit under my chin, the perfect size to cuddle and hold close at night. He's a little cold too, but I always liked cold while I slept." Ichigo smiled. "Even so, he's beautiful. His eyes are amazing; I've never seen such a beautiful color."

As he said this he let his thumb run over the corner of his lover's eye. "He's got soft, beautiful skin, and I love to touch him. He's got soft hair, and I love the color. He's small and rather petite, but it's perfect. He's perfect."

Ichigo turned to look at the gravestone in front of him, the small smile still on his face as he let his hand fall from Toshiro's face. "I have never met a more beautiful person, inside and out. All these things are what make him Toshiro, and I love him, faults and all."

He was silent for a few moments, and then he chuckled slightly. "I guess all I can do is hope that you're happy with my decision, because I love him, and I don't ever plan to leave him." He punctuated this by squeezing Toshiro's hand gently.

Silence. Ichigo was suddenly shocked as the man next to him shifted slightly. He jumped as Toshiro suddenly fit himself against Ichigo's body, tucking his head beneath the taller's chin and letting go of his hand to wrap his arms around Ichigo's broad chest.

"T-Toshiro?"

"I love you."

Ichigo blinked, his mouth open slightly. "W-what did you say?"

Teal eyes met his, a look of exasperation on his lover's face. "I'm not going to say it again, Kurosaki, you heard me."

A wide smile spread across Ichigo's face, and then he wrapped his arms around Toshiro, holding him close and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you, Toshiro."

There was another moment of silence, and then Toshiro's soft voice came. "Your mother is no doubt very proud of you, Ichigo. You have done a lot of wonderful things for Soul Society, and I know that she is proud of you."

"Thanks Toshiro."

"You doing okay, love?"

"Yea, I'm okay. Just a little achy, but that's normal. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." Toshiro smiled, looking up at his lover with a small smile.

Ichigo nodded, squeezing Toshiro's hand gently and moving forward once more, heading for the gravestone that was on the other side of the graveyard.

They were here at Ichigo's request; Toshiro knew that the orange-head wanted to tell his mother about his pregnancy, and to let her know that he had become a full-fledged shinigami. While they had looked for Ichigo's mother in Soul Society, there had never been any trace of her, so they had come back to her gravestone instead.

Toshiro's brows twitched together slightly as the twins shifted inside him, his hand coming up to rub at his belly. They were definitely getting more active, and they were certainly Ichigo's babies; they were always moving and complaining about whatever Toshiro was doing. The little captain smiled at that thought, his fingers splaying over the bulge of his stomach.

Ichigo got down on his knees once they reached the grave, but Toshiro stood for a moment, a little hesitant to get down on his knees. Ichigo didn't say anything; he didn't want to stress his small lover or their children. After a moment Toshiro sighed, and then held out a hand to Ichigo. The taller didn't question, he merely moved a little closer so Toshiro could rest a hand on his shoulder, using the stability to slowly lower himself to the ground, settling in a cross-legged position.

Toshiro grinned as Ichigo gave him a questioning look. "Might as well get comfy; I have a feeling we're going to be here for a bit, and these two are getting too rowdy to stay standing for that long."

A smile spread across Ichigo's face at that, and he leaned over to kiss Toshiro gently and briefly touch his protruding stomach. He then faced the stone once more, the smile still lingering on his lips.

"Hey Mom, we're back. It's been a while, once again, but there's a lot more news this time. I became a full shinigami now, not just a substitute. Unfortunately that does mean I'm dead, but I can do a lot more for everyone now as a full shinigami. I think it's better this way, at least a little." The orange-head chuckled. "Sure, being a doctor is great, but now I can help out the spirits that I've always been able to see. Besides, Dad is still here to take care of the living, so I'll help out how I can with the dead."

Toshiro smiled at that. Ichigo had been a little worried about that at first, but in time he had come to believe that he could help just as much from the Soul Society as he could have as a doctor. He might be working in with the dead now, but he still had a lot to offer.

"We looked for you…" Ichigo mumbled, his voice much softer now. "I wanted to see you again, but we never did find you. I wish that I could see you, at least once more… I would have wanted to tell you this in person."

Ichigo shifted, moving closer to Toshiro and slipping his long body behind the smaller man, his arms slipping under Toshiro's arms to gently cradle the smaller's stomach. "You're going to be a grandma. I can't wait to tell Dad, we're going to go see him as soon as we're done here. I wish you could be there to see his face; it's going to be hilarious."

Toshiro shifted, moving so he could see the soft look on Ichigo's face. This was one of those things that he didn't get to see very often; it was very different from the loving that he got. This was a look that he only saw on Ichigo's face when he thought of his mother.

A soft smile spread across Ichigo's face, and he turned his eyes to meet Toshiro's. "Two little ones, we're going to have. I wonder sometimes if I'm really as ready for this as I make myself out to be. I… I kind of wish you were here, so you could help me out with any questions I might have. You would have known the answer to anything, I just know it. You were the best mom around."

Toshiro smiled at that, leaning back against Ichigo's chest, putting cool pressure there to let the orange-head know that he was there to support him. Ichigo squeezed his shoulders gently, and then pushed himself to his feet. "We'll bring them back to meet you, Mom, I promise. But right now we need to go tell Dad, Karin, and Yuzu. They haven't seen us for a while, I'm sure they're starting to wonder what's happened to us."

Toshiro laughed softly, and then held up his hands. "Come on, Ichigo, help me up. Your little monsters have killed my abilities."

Ichigo snorted, but easily pulled Toshiro to his feet, smiling at his lover. "Well, you ready for this?"

The captain nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be. Come on, we don't want to be late."

"Daddy! Come on, Daddy, carry me!"

Ichigo chuckled faintly, but carefully grabbed onto his son's hand, swinging the boy up and onto his broad shoulders. The boy giggled happily the entire way, burying his hands in his father's brilliant orange hair as he came to rest atop the strong shoulders. Ichigo wrapped his hands around the boy's ankles, holding tightly to him.

Toshiro watched with shimmering teal eyes from beside him, his own hand wrapped in his other son's tiny fingers. He looked down into teal eyes, so much like his own, to see want sparkling in them. Since Toshiro was smaller, neither of the twins tended to look on him as the carrier and the player; that was Ichigo. Toshiro was the "mom."

Ichigo looked down at his family, his chocolate eyes amused. "Come on, now Sora, your Papa can carry you if you want."

Sora stubbornly shook his head, squeezing Toshiro's hand a little tighter. "I'm fine."

Yoru stuck out his tongue from his post atop his father's shoulders. "You're just afraid Papa's gonna drop you."

Toshiro raised a white eyebrow at that, but said nothing. After 4 years of dealing with this sort of jibes from his sons, he was used to it. Both boys knew that he could throw them around just as well as Ichigo could, but they liked to try and get a rise out of him. They thought it was particularly funny when he got mad.

Yoru pouted slightly when his jibe didn't get a reaction from his Papa, but squealed as Ichigo pushed him backwards, still holding onto his ankles to pull him back up onto his shoulders. Yoru grinned, a wide smile on his face. "Again, Daddy, again!"

Toshiro watched them play, his eyes turning to Sora a moment later. The younger twin was watching his father with admiration glimmering in his eyes, his hand tightening a little where it held Toshiro's. The small captain sighed, and then lifted Sora, settling the boy on his shoulders. Sora didn't say anything, only buried his hands in his Papa's white hair, a smile on his face.

This was usually how things went between Sora and Toshiro; both understood without needing to speak to each other. It was one of their special bonds that they had. Yoru was closer to their father, but Sora was definitely much more attached to Toshiro. He'd always been the more emotional of the pair anyway; as such he tended to latch onto people easily. Yoru was always taking on the role of the big brother, even though he was only a few minutes older.

"So Papa… where are we going anyway? You didn't tell us." Sora said, tilting his head so he could see down into Toshiro's face.

Toshiro looked to Ichigo, waiting for him to explain. He knew where they were going and why, but he thought that it would be better for his lover to explain.

Ichigo's eyes were downturned, his pace slowing a little as the question was asked. He sighed, and then turned his face up, looking to the sunlit sky. "We're going to meet my Mom, boys. I want you to be respectful, okay? This is very important to me."

Sora blinked, watching his father's face intently as his hands clenched slightly in Toshiro's white hair. He then nodded, sensing something bigger at work. "Alright Daddy. I'll be good."

Yoru was silent, looking down at Ichigo as they walked. He too knew that something important was going on, but he wanted to know why they were going to a cemetery to meet their grandma. Why wouldn't she live with grandpa?

They came to the gravestone of Ichigo's mother, and both men lowered the boys to the ground, holding to their hands as they did. Sora's face was solemn as he looked at the stone in front of them, Yoru's dark teal eyes a little wide as he looked at the words before them.

"Hey Mom." Ichigo said softly as he knelt down in front of the stone, his eyes soft. "I want you to meet my sons, Yoru and Sora. We waited so long so that way when we brought them to meet you they would remember you."

Toshiro smiled slightly, reaching out to touch Ichigo's hand gently. The orange-head smiled in his lover's direction, thanking him for the reassurance. Sora crept forward his fingers searching as he reached towards the stone. Toshiro pulled on his hand, shaking his head slightly. "No touching, Sora. It's not polite."

Ichigo chuckled softly. "I really wish you could have been here, Mom. They would have loved you, just as much as I did."

"We can still love her, Daddy!" Yoru suddenly chimed in. "She's our grandma, right? So we love her anyway!"
Ichigo blinked, and then a warm smile spread over his face, and he looped an arm around Yoru's shoulders, tugging the boy to his side lovingly. "Thanks Yoru, that really means a lot to me."

Toshiro smiled, his own arm going around the younger twin at his side. Sora leaned against his Papa with a smile, his dark teal eyes sparkling as he looked at the headstone in front of them.

"Can we come visit Grandma again soon, Daddy?"

"Yea. I think she would like that."

Alright, here we go ya'll, info about the sequel! IT IS IN PROGRESS! I have written the first chapter, and part of the second, so it's going. I promise its coming! I'm trying as well as I can, but I'm still having some trouble with it. Look around for it, I promise it won't take forever.