Tumblr request by Anon

.

Put it all on me

.

I'm pregnant.

Ichigo. Did not see this coming.

He should've.

Conception isn't so much an accident as it as a lucky draw, and considering the number of bets they've placed, and well...

Honestly, he just - kind of assumed it wasn't a thing.

Which he had no right to think, all things considered, he and his sisters are proof enough of the possibility, but he can be shocked. He's allowed to be. And if he's pissed off, it's only because (A) his dad won't stop talking shit and telling everyone he runs into that he's having a grandchild and (B) Rukia told him via text. Text. Like she's afraid of telling him to his face which is bullshit because Rukia isn't scared of anything except this, obviously.

And to make matters worse, Rukia isn't answering her phone and come morning, Byakuya is at his door.

Byakuya.

Fuck.

It's a stiff conversation that manages to offend them both equally from what the kid's last name will be:

"Shiba is recognized in Soul Society, though just like Kuchiki it will put them in the line of hierarchical succession and -"

"Stop, you're saying more words than I'm comfortable with hearing, and I don't like any of them."

The living situation:

"I will not allow my sister and her child to live in squalor."

"Why you–!"

To what Ichigo's intentions are:

"We've been involved since I turned eighteen," he reminds, and it pains him to put a number to it because it's no one's business, for one, for another it feels cheapened almost - like anything they've ever become to one another can be so easily and neatly spliced into a Before and After segment - like Ichigo can recall the exact moment his own feelings started to turn from one of platonic friendship and gratitude, like he hasn't been driven slowly insane by how much he could care for someone else the way he does Rukia.

"Time is inconsequential, we're death gods, Kurosaki. There is forever or there is nothing, which will it be?"

Ichigo suppresses the urge to get into a fight, his eye twitching, because Rukia loves this asshole, goddamn it, and says through grit teeth, "Do you really have to ask, after everything we've been through, after everything that's happened?"

"One could allow that it was a product of circumstance, of consequence. I wouldn't begrudge Rukia of that."

"Okay, that's it -"

Byakuya leaves, satisfied - or as satisfied as he can be - and Ichigo tries not to get his panic everywhere when Rukia still doesn't come home.

Fortunately for everyone, the general populace of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, and god knows where else Ichigo decides she may be, Rukia appears through his window in the middle of the night - and Ichigo thinks the vague sense of déjà vu is earned given how his life had changed so completely the first time she'd done it - and she's…nervous, and it actually kills him how the first words out of her mouth are, "I'm sorry."

Like she has anything to apologize for - like somehow she'd made a baby on her own - like he'd want her less because -

"You're fucking impossible, you know that?" he huffs, and it pulls at some ugly part of him when she flinches because it's making him pissed off all over again. First, she'd avoided him, and now she's acting like he'll hate her when all he's been doing is worrying about where the hell she is and what if it's her that doesn't want anything we are, before he's off on a tirade about, "You always give me shit for not talking to you, why did you just disappear on me? Do you want me to tear apart Soul Society again to bring you home, because you know I will."

And again, Rukia is apologizing, and avoiding his eyes and saying things like, "I know this isn't what you want."

Hold up.

"What I want," he begins after a stabilizing breath, "is for you not to run off and think you're alone. You always give me shit about doing that crap, you can't pull it on me too. Only one of us gets to be the brash idiot in this relationship and we agreed that it would be me."

At that, she gives an unwilling snort, a slight smile curling at her mouth.

His next exhale is relieved, a rush of endorphins on its own - it's not me, it's not me, we can fix this, we can which is the thought that ends with her crying, and it feels like his stomach drops. "Rukia, Rukia, no, why are you...Rukia," he's saying her name like it'll make the tears stop, and he's holding her so tightly like he could keep her together by sheer force of will, and she's trembling and shaking, and oh god, please don't -

"We didn't plan for this - we're not - we're not ready for this," is her almost angry declaration, muffled by his shirt and the fact that she doesn't want to look at him.

"I know it's not - it isn't ideal." He just started his residency at the hospital, she's just become one of the higher-ranked officers in her squad; they live between two worlds, for god's sake it isn't - it isn't going to be easy, but it isn't beyond them. They've handled bigger and badder, and worst, but only because they needed to - and having a baby, raising a child together, that's not - it's not a need, it's not an obstacle, Ichigo would tear through the world if it meant Rukia was happy, and if a baby wouldn't make her happy then -

"Ichigo, I'm scared," she admits in a harsh whisper, and his breath this time is measured, and loud in his own ears, and shaky despite himself.

"I know," he murmurs in her hear. "Me too."

She's sniffling, her eyes are red when she finally pulls away. Even though she leans into his touch, closes her eyes as he sweeps his thumb over the apple of her cheek, and kisses back when he presses his lips against hers, still her voice is quiet, hesitant, as she asks, "What do you...want?"

Ichigo rests his forehead against hers, feels the watery flick of her lashes against his skin as she blinks but keeps her eyes lowered. She's not just scared of having a child, she's scared he'll - what? Leave her? He breathes out, quiet and mournful, wondering how badly he'd fucked up for her to even think it's a possibility, and he tightens his arms around her as if somehow the way he clings back will be enough of an answer. "What I want is you, no matter what."

"But a baby -"

"If you don't...if you don't want children, that's not - it's not a dealbreaker. You're who I want, and if it just means you and I annoy each other until the end of everything, so be it." Again, there's that huff of a laugh, the phantom of a smile at the corner of her mouth, and he presses into it with his thumb, tilts her head so she meets his eyes, and says, "But if this is something you want - something I can give you - something we can have together, then - time is something we have, and it doesn't have to be right now."

Her eyes look glassy again. "What if I want it now?"

He huffs out a laugh of his own. "Like you'd ever give me the chance to say no."

At that, she chuckles, going up on her toes to kiss him again, tacking on, idiot, what were we thinking and of course, this is what we get for playing hooky instead of going to meetings and you probably failed your lab so we could conceive, I don't how you're going to live with that.

Ichigo snickers, sweeping her off her feet easily before coming to sit on the couch, Rukia in his lap and pointedly ignoring her protests as he presses his cheek against her chest, hand pressed to her still-flat stomach as he informs solemnly to the actual human being incubating in there, "Your dad's going to be a bum if biology is any indication, but your mom's got it covered."

Rukia's laugh is watery and quiet, but her smile is luminous and her eyes are bright, and it's ridiculous how much he loves her.

"Is this you saying yes?"

"This is me saying: Always - to the baby, to you, to any other surprises you want to take on, to us. You're stuck with me."

Equally solemn, Rukia's hand presses against his on her belly and says, "That's my bad, baby."

"Oi!"

A/n: Title taken from Ed Sheeran's Put it all on me. Head over on my tumblr at everything-withered to submit headcanon requests.