Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach and everything related to it. He can own this too, as long as these two become canon.

Epilogue

Warmth

"I can't believe you won't let me go just because of this stupid trip that you take each year anyway!" Shuuhei raises his voice but as soon as he sees Ichigo's eyebrow raise, he stops, still stricken with anger. "Dad, it's a very important party. Almost everyone will go." His kid tries to reason and it would work, it really would, if Ichigo didn't know that they would all go unsupervised and they are still only seventeen.

"You're not going and that is final." Ichigo doesn't raise his voice often, but when it does, it still makes his son cower in respect. Apparently not this time. His son straightens his lanky figure, looking like an angry cat and Ichigo would very much amused, if he wasn't upset as well.

"You just want to ruin my social life completely. I will be a damn loser for not going." Shuu can be very dramatic when he really wants but that doesn't impress Ichigo very much. Actually, at all.

"You knew about the trip a long time ago, you knew very well that we will be gone by the time this party will be. And besides, I might be old but I am not stupid and I won't let you go to a cottage with other kids, in the goddamn middle of nowhere where you're not even supervised. This is not going to happen, so end of discussion."

"You only want things to be your way." Shuuhei hisses. "I am seventeen now. One more year and you won't be the boss of me."

"It is true." Both are startled when they see Byakuya leaning on the doorway, his eyes slightly narrowed. He looks tired, his tie loosened and his hair in disarray as if he passed his fingers through it one too many times. "But until then he is still your father and you will treat him with respect.

"Pops..."

"I am disappointed in you, Shuuhei." He continues as he enters the kitchen, Shuuhei visibly upset at the new turn of things. Ichigo might tell him all that but it would never affect him as much as when his other father says it. "You know very well that we have been more than accepting of Ryuu and your escapades, and we always treated you with respect and accepted everything in good faith because we trust you to take the correct decision."

"But, pops, I promise you that we won't do anything wrong over there."

"Can you really promise me that? Can you really look in your dad's eyes and promise that?" Byakuya is using now his very serious tone, which he rarely uses outside the court, but apparently Shuuhei is aware that he crossed the line because he balls his hands into fists and just storms out of the room.

"You're ruining my social life!" He yells before he slams the door of his room. Ichigo pinches his nose and takes a deep breath before he opens his eyes and smiles wearily at his husband.

"He used to be such a sweet kid. Now your son is driving me crazy."

"I love the fact that he is my son only when he does something wrong. When he does something good, he is yours, like the time when he won the writing contest last year." Byakuya takes him gently by the nape and guides him into a hungry kiss. For some reason today he really missed his husband and he couldn't wait to get back home.

"Well, hello to you too." Ichigo smiles in this happy little way, that it's only directed at Byakuya and Shuuhei. It is one of the few million things Byakuya still loves about him. His warm brown eyes crinkle around the edges, giving away his age, but making him even more attractive. Ten years later and Ichigo is still the most stunning person he has ever had the privilege of meeting. He kisses the top of his head before letting him go.

"So I am guessing tonight's dinner is going to be a twosome affair." He sighs.

"I will call him later on, but I don't think he will stop sulking any time soon."

"Well, his loss. It smells delicious."

"Go and have a shower and then meet you back here. You can help me set the table."

Byakuya just nods and with one last quick inhale of the delicious smell, he goes upstairs to take a shower and change into some more comfortable clothes. For a moment there is a complete silence in the kitchen except for the bubbles made by the sauce, while Ichigo grabs the edge of the sink and takes a deep breath. He knew that the teenage years were going to be tough on his son, he just really didn't think that it was going to be that bad.

It is true that Shuuhei is still a good boy that listen to his parents and all. However, he and Ryuu seem to get in trouble so easily lately. In a year they will leave for college, most likely to Tokyo, and Ichigo wonders not for the first time if he can trust his son with taking good decisions, doing the right thing.

They still have an incredible bond and they still share things and after doing stupid things, his son is man enough to admit being guilty and try and make up for it. But that doesn't mean it is always going be the case. Is he so out of touch with what is important for his son? Is he truly a bad dad just for not letting him go to that party? After hearing him beg for so many days, Ichigo was inclined to say yes, but he is afraid of what might happen there. He needs to let his son fly and make his own mistakes, but sometimes he thinks that everything comes too early.

"You took the right decision." Byakuya mumbles and Ichigo is surprised again. He didn't realize he stood there so much contemplating the fate of his son. "Sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay, I didn't realize I wasted so much time." He moves efficiently around the kitchen, finishing dinner. "I just don't know if I am trying to cuddle him or kill his social life."

"Or maybe doing both." Byakuya smirks when he sees his partner rolling his eyes. He takes the plates and arranges the table. "Seriously though, you took the right decision and I support it. He will realize that with time."

"Yeah, but by then he will kill us by moping around and just scowling at us like we are the meanest parents in the world."

"The scowling is all you, you can't blame me for that."

"I really don't know what you are talking about." Ichigo snaps back although he is scowling exactly as Byakuya predicted. His husband just shakes his head and smiles softly, but doesn't say anything else. As Ichigo adds the final touches to the food, Byakuya goes back upstairs and knocks at his son's room.

His son. He slowly touches the wood. He can't believe that Shuuhei is his son. When he adopted him about seven years ago, after their marriage, he considered it such an honour. He wept that night in Ichigo's arms although Shuuhei had been calling him Pops for some time. It was as if he was finally allowed to have a true family. He had felt honoured and still is.

"Shuuhei, dinner is ready." He says in a gentle voice.

"I don't want anything."

"Starving yourself to death won't help matters much and you know how much more annoyed your dad is going to be."

"I hope he will feel guilty too for my early demise."

"Oh, big words now. I see we are going for the drama."

The door opens quickly and Shuuhei's angry face comes into view.

"Pops, you know how much I wanted to go to this party." He is still seething.

"I know but disrespecting your father for a decision that he has taken in your best interest isn't the best way to go. And besides, I think you knew from the very beginning what the answer was, but you chose to pursue this any way. You know how much your father waits for our trips together each year and you of all people should appreciate more than anyone. At the end of it all, you know time is always limited and he will suffer greatly when you leave for college. Can't you give him that?"

"Now who is being dramatic?" Shuuhei rolls his eyes and passes by. "But I am still going to sulk, just so you know." Byakuya ruffles his orange spikes and at his outraged hey, he can only smile more.

"Watch the hair!"

Shuuhei stomps down the stairs and Byakuya follows him smiling kindly. He knows that Shuuhei understands what he was talking about. Even as he glares at Ichigo, even as he doesn't answer his questions or scowls or generally be a pain, Shuuhei would just about do anything for Ichigo. About a year ago, Ichigo had a really serious accident at work. He feel through two stories and he stayed a month in the hospital. Shuuhei had been a wreck and Byakuya hadn't been better. Three days in a coma just about killed the both of them, and there had been times when Byakuya thought almost that Ichigo wasn't going to make it. But when the worse passed, and the stubborn man returned with them back home, he found his son many times watching his dad like he would disappear and only a screaming match with his dad showed how much he had been shaken by the whole experience.

Since then, for his courage and valour, Ichigo was promoted to captain and nowadays his job was mostly behind the desk, for which Byakuya had been secretly grateful. However, that experience was a real wake up call especially for Shuuhei who had lost a parent in his early years. And Ichigo started to finally pay more attention to his own person not just to everybody else around as he did before.

He looks fondly at both orange haired men and once again his heart is flooded with gratefulness for having them in his life. They are his family now. After his grandfather died, about five years ago, he cut all ties with the Kuchiki family just as Rukia had done a long time ago. In all these years, he's seen his father just two more times, once at the funeral and another time on the corridors of the courtroom where both had a case at the time. In both cases, they barely exchanged a greeting and although he felt a pang a regret, he knew that he had taken the right decision. In all his life, Byakuya had never been happier than when he was with Ichigo and Shuuhei.

"If looks could kill..." Ichigo mumbles sleepily that night when he cuddles next to Byakuya and his husband hums thoughtfully.

"You would have been dead a couple of times."

"He really can scowl."

"He learned from the best." Byakuya mocks him, but Ichigo doesn't answer as he's already asleep. He kisses him tenderly and follows quickly afterwards.

The next few days pass in a blur of activity and before they know it, they are on the road to a small fishermen's village a hundred miles away from Karakura, where they bought a couple of years ago a small cottage. They had been staying there for the last five years and when the owner decided to sell, Byakuya was more than happy to buy it as a present for Ichigo. He had forgotten all about the Kuchikis but their money was still in his possession and he had been more than happy to spend it for the man he loved. It was their tradition: always during summer break, they would come here and spend two weeks, just taking a break from their otherwise still hectic life. And with all the grumbling and complaining, Shuuhei loves it there as well for it gives him a peace that he never has at home especially for his writing. It was a short story written here that helped him win the last year writing competition and brought the attention of several good colleges to him.

Byakuya was proud. He adjusts his glasses again as they had become a necessity when driving and glances at his husband. Ichigo looks outside the window with a small content smile on his face, while Shuuhei reads a book in the back. They both have the same faraway look of concentration and Byakuya's so full of love for them he thinks he might burst.

"Renji and Rukia said they might stop by and bring the kids with them as well." He says conversationally and that gets Ichigo's attention.

"That would be great." His sister had twins six years ago, Aya and Hatori, and Shuuhei loves them dearly.

"Hey, that's great! Dad, you know what we should do? We should buy some watermelons before they come? You know how much they love them."

"Good idea. Maybe we can make some fried fish on sticks as well."

"And pops, you should make that salad that they enjoyed the last time."

"So from what I see you two chuckle-heads plan to let me do all the work while you enjoy the sun and the beach."

"Well, pops, you might be old but you're still sharp."

"Watch it, boy, or I might leave you here and let you walk the rest of the way."

"Please, as if you would."

"Hey, stop bantering. I don't want to hear you two exchange jabs for the rest of the trip." Ichigo intervenes but his son just rolls his eyes at him. Sometimes Ichigo wonders how come they don't get stuck like that with how much they roll lately.

"Please, you love it."

They do continue to banter until Byakuya stops the car just a couple of miles down the coast where they can see the immense blue of the sea sparkling under the caresses of the sun.

"I understand that the view is beautiful, but please don't kill me yet." Shuuhei grumbles as they get out of the car. "I'm still young. I need to live."

"Just admire the beauty and shut up."

"Oh, dad, you're so full of poetry."

"I thought you are the poet in the family."

The three of them stand right there admiring the view in the scorching heat of the afternoon sun. Ichigo puts his arms around his shoulders although they are both sticky with sweat and when Byakuya looks at him, he is grinning happily. Shuuhei is standing next to them with his arms stretched twoards the sky.

"Sorry you came, kid?" Ichigo asks playfully as if he already knows what his son will answer though he is surprised when the teenager looks back fondly at the both of them.

"Never."

They stay just like that in that peaceful silence stirred up only by crickets and the peaceful sounds of the sea.

Content.

Happy.

The end

A/N: I know what you are all going to say. It is crappy and the story doesn't deserve this ending, it should have had a better ending or continued or something. And I will reply to you all: yes, you are right, but I have struggled with this story so much that it was either this or a permanent hiatus and I really didn't want that. Maybe one day when I will be better inspired and my real life won't torture me painfully and slowly, I will re-write the ending or the last chapters or whatever comes to my mind. That day will come probably in a very distant future.

So this last note to this story is more of an apology to you all. You all loved this story so much and you supported me with your reviews and your likes and by simply reading it and I have failed to give you what you deserve. And I am truly sorry for that. I am grateful to Mimi and RiinaVenecara for guilt-tripping me and thus giving me the impulse to think about it and try to finish it. I am grateful to each and everyone of you who reviewed. Your words have always been an inspiration and they helped me so much, making me strive to at least finish this story. Thank you for those of you who alerted and liked this story and for those of you out there always reading it and waiting patiently for my lack of inspiration and my bad writing to pass. I didn't deserve any of it, but I am grateful nonetheless.

Thank you.