Chapter 6: Preparations
(Hi guys! Sorry for the few days silence, but I was getting to my favorite vacation spot and had to do a lot to get ready and get here. I'm off for some fun in the sun. I will catch up on shout outs next chapter! Oh yes, and I have begun to post a steamier version of this storyon AO3. More chapters will be added soon! Love you, Spunky)
Ichigo felt a soft hand caressing his belly beneath his yukata and sighed in relief at having awakened without any noticeable discomfort. Byakuya laid, pressed up against his side with his lovely face tucked under the Shiba heir's chin and his reiatsu glowing gently around the two of them. For a moment, Ichigo didn't move except to breathe slowly, in and out, worried inwardly that the usual morning nausea would force him out of the wickedly comfortable bed and warm embrace he was in, but to his surprise, he remained at perfect ease and feeling oddly normal, considering his gravid state.
"That feels good," he mumbled sleepily, earning a muffled sound of approval from his half-dozing mate, "Thanks."
"I am able to anticipate your needs better as the connection between us has grown stronger," Byakuya replied, "It is really more instinctive than anything I control, but you are welcome, just the same."
The power flow around Byakuya's soothing hand lessened and gradually faded, and his hand slid down further to lazily explore the ginger-haired man's nether region. Having become more accustomed to being touched in that way by Byakuya, Ichigo sighed and spread his thighs, welcoming the more intimate contact. Byakuya yielded a pleased smile and let his soft lips and tongue meander over the blushing flesh, while his fingers provided a deeper stimulation.
Ichigo lost his breath and his thoughts scattered for a moment as the erotic sensations of being pleasured on both the inside and outside began to collide dangerously. He closed his eyes and panted in reaction, feeling a growing longing to join with the man pleasuring him. He knew Byakuya wouldn't ask, and the very fact of knowing he could stop at any time gave him the deeply compelling desire to move forward.
We've been together for a few weeks now, and not once except for that first night, has he ever pressured me to give in to him if I didn't feel comfortable with it. He must get really frustrated, but he's so calm about it all.
I want to see him lose it.
I want to see Byakuya moan and gasp and pant so that he completely forgets about what it looks like and just doesn't give a damn about me seeing him let loose like that. I want to hold him against me and feel that moment when he surrenders to the pleasure I'm giving him...when we're connected and moving together and it all just happens like it did that first night. I didn't appreciate it then, even though it felt good. I guess I just needed time. He gave me what I needed, and now I want to give him something amazing.
Ichigo turned suddenly and rolled the clan leader onto his back, stealing the upper position, then launching a passionate assault on his husband's alert nether region. Byakuya spread his thighs easily, his dark eyes going hazy as the enthralling sensations began. Ichigo kept his own eyes focused intently on Byakuya's face, smiling as his ministrations made his husband break out in a sweat, then he breathed more deeply and moved restlessly under the Shiba heir's caressing hands and teasing mouth, his reiatsu flickering brightly around them and leaving a soft burning on their skin.
But nothing could have been more beautiful than his husband's look of surprise and uncertainty as Ichigo pulled him onto his knees, then slid onto his lap, positioning himself, then slowly taking the clan leader's longing member into his body. But Byakuya's initial uncertainty faded swiftly and was replaced with the lusty, amorous look that had once felt intimidating, but now just made Ichigo feel more aroused. He paused for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being so very full, then he smiled more widely as Byakuya's hands curved around his bottom, moving with him as he began to grind against the mesmerized clan leader. The raven-haired man's dark eyes glazed over and his hot breath teased Ichigo's throat and shoulder. The Shiba heir forced his own eyes to stay open, and to watch closely as the intensifying pleasure began to have its way with the normally stoic clan leader.
Only one other person has seen Byakuya look this way, Ichigo mused, attacking his husband's parted lips and plunging his tongue into the Kuchiki leader's equally wanton mouth, but he admitted once that he could never relax completely with her because he had to hold his reiatsu in check so he wouldn't hurt her. But even though I don't have my powers while I'm like this, he knows he doesn't have to worry he's going to hurt me. That means I get to see a side of him that no one else has.
Ichigo watched in wonder as that wilder, more uncontrolled side emerged and Byakuya surged forward and brought him down on his back. His husband's dark, smoky eyes went suddenly feral and his powerful hips moved forcefully. Soft, gasping moans mingled erotically with Ichigo's and his hands trembled where they clenched at the sweat dampened bedding. Ichigo watched, spellbound, as their hard, quaking undulations escalated, and the lovely man on top of him came undone. And seeing Byakuya surrounded in the flickering white of his flaring reiatsu, naked, sweating and surrendering to a shockingly powerful climax forced his own shaking body into the heady pulses of release. Heat blazed inside him, threatening to incinerate him from within and he couldn't stop the shuddering howl that escaped his throat. He felt Byakuya collapse heavily onto his chest and he couldn't stop the grin that plastered itself on his face as he panted as hard as the raven-haired man while they both worked at catching their breath.
"Suki nanda?" (Do you know how much I love you?)
The whispered, unbidden words escaped Byakuya's trembling lips and he wanted to take them back almost immediately, thinking how they could be too much for Ichigo to hear.
What if he isn't ready for that to happen?
But the instant reaction in Ichigo's golden brown eyes reassured him quickly, and he buried his face in the Shiba heir's shoulder with a little, shaky sigh of relief.
"I love you too," Ichigo whispered back, brushing back a fall of raven strands to lay a grateful kiss on the pale skin of Byakuya's throat, "Maybe when we were forced to get married, I wasn't sure I would, but I do now...and that's all that matters, right?"
Byakuya made a sound of assent and nuzzled deeper under his chin, his fingers playing in the fluid that had splashed onto the white flesh of Ichigo's soft belly.
"I'm glad," Byakuya confessed, keeping his lovely face hidden beneath Ichigo's chin, "I was worried that, even though you understood I was doing this with the best of intentions, that you just couldn't see me as a true lover."
"Well," Ichigo chuckled, "that's not how it is. I'm still not okay with that group of old men forcing me to do something like this, but the fact it's with you makes me think this is going to work out."
Ichigo's heart fluttered in his chest as he felt Byakuya's smile, even though it was concealed from him.
"If that's the case," Byakuya said, emerging from under Ichigo's chin and looking into his eyes, "then I think it's time we talk again about our honeymoon."
"That's right," Ichigo laughed, "with all of the getting used to things and the morning sickness..."
"And my work schedule," Byakuya added.
"We never did get around to that," Ichigo finished, "But, where do you want to go?"
"I have an estate on the edges of Karakura Town that I use sometimes when I am on assignment there. That is also where I had your wedding gift sent when it was finished."
"That's right, you never told me what that was."
"And now, you will get to see it."
Ichigo grinned.
"So, when do you want to go?" he asked.
Byakuya's head tilted slightly.
"Would you like to go now?" he asked.
Ichigo glanced down at their naked, seed splashed bodies and his grin widened.
"Maybe we should clean up first," he suggested.
"Hmmm."
Ichigo's stomach rumbled loudly as the two began to disengage themselves.
"Perhaps we should add breakfast to our plans," the clan leader commented.
"Eh, I'll eat when I get back. I need to clean up first."
The two wrangled their yukatas back into order and left the bedroom, walking down the wooden walkway and into the bathing chamber, where their attendants were already waiting for them. Torio and Toshi removed the couple's clothing, and Ichigo and Byakuya waded out into the hip deep water, taking their places beneath the warm waterfalls.
"Hey, uh, Byakuya," Ichigo said as they reached the falls and the two attendants approached them, "Would it be all right with you if we...bathed each other?"
Byakuya turned a curious eye on him for a moment, then nodded in acquiescence and motioned for the attendants to return to the edge of the pool.
Ichigo smiled and found the soap, then created a lather on his hands that he spread, first, onto his spouse's strong shoulders and proud chest, then onto his soft, white belly, and down each slender arm. Byakuya's dark eyes watched him closely as he worked, peeking over a shoulder to observe as Ichigo moved on to rub more lather onto his neck, down the length of his back and onto his pretty, round bottom. He moved around to the front, facing Byakuya again and started to speak, but the Kuchiki heir's wet fingers touched his lips, stopping the words.
"Don't request permission," Byakuya chided him, "You are not an attendant. You are my husband."
"Isn't that your clan wife?" Ichigo teased, earning a reproving look.
"That might be how that group of old men casts you, trying to make you feel inferior," Byakuya said with an edge of vehemence, "but it is not how I look at you."
"Hey, I know that. I was joking," Ichigo objected.
"Not one of them could have saved Soul Society," Byakuya went on, as though he hadn't heard, "not once, but many times, as you have."
"Heh, you're right about that," Ichigo laughed, "Where were those old farts while you and I were out shedding blood for the protection of Soul Society?"
Byakuya sighed and shook his head in disgust.
"They were in a heavily sealed bunker with their immediate families, well provisioned and safe from everything..."
"While you and I risked our lives and lost friends right and left."
"Yes, it was not a proud moment for the councilors of Central 46, but...they were preserved to re-establish control after the war ended. That is, if there was anyone left to govern."
"Assholes..." Ichigo huffed.
"But we've become distracted," Byakuya said, looking down where Ichigo's hands had dipped into the water, "Weren't you bathing me?"
"Oh yeah, sorry," he apologized, "Where was I?"
"I think you were right about here," Byakuya said, guiding his soapy hand down, just beneath the water as his lips collided with the Shiba heir's, nipping at them hungrily.
Ichigo smirked and turned his head away to escape his husband's amorous mouth.
"Hey, I thought you didn't do that with your bathers!" he objected.
Byakuya let out a soft, heated breath.
"When my attendant bathes me, it is as a privilege because of my status," he reminded the younger man, "but when my spouse offers me such, we are free to behave as spouses will."
He started to kiss Ichigo again, but the Shiba heir tapped him lightly on the shoulder and nodded in the direction of the attendants, who appeared not to notice their more erotic behavior.
"Torio, Toshi, will you excuse us?" Byakuya said quietly.
The attendants bowed briefly and left the chamber.
"Is that better?" the clan leader asked.
Ichigo smiled.
"Yeah, I don't like fooling around in front of other people. Y-you're not like, into that, are you?"
"No," Byakuya answered honestly, "I just forget they are there because I have had attendants for so long. They would have known to leave, even if I hadn't excused them. Every attendant who serves in my family is from certain privileged subfamilies who train their sons and daughters, hoping that they will come to serve in the main family dwelling. Thus, my attendant, Torio, and his brother, Akio, serve me, while another of their brothers, Koji, serves Tetsuya."
"I didn't know your attendants were family members," Ichigo mused.
"They are highly trained family members, who both serve and protect their masters. Each has a zanpakutou that he will manifest if their master's life or theirs is threatened. They are taught to keep a low profile, so they often pick up bits of useful information because they are considered beneath notice. But a house attendant is a crucial part of the home's daily functioning and safety."
"That's pretty amazing," Ichigo observed, nuzzling into Byakuya's dampened hair and intensifying the motion of his hand beneath the water until Byakuya's breath shortened and he went quiet.
His hips moved in time with Ichigo's stroking hand, intensifying the contact. He shifted restlessly, and Ichigo's slick hand slipped, bringing his fingers into contact with a much more intimate place and causing Byakuya to flinch anxiously. Inexplicably, Ichigo was jolted with comprehension of that very telling moment.
Kami, I don't know why I've never thought about the fact he's an anal virgin.
I wonder if he'd ever want to let me...
Ichigo's loins throbbed and his already aroused member twitched in reaction.
But he's the clan leader, and I'm...
"Ichigo?"
Ichigo startled and blinked, shaking his head to clear it.
"S-sorry, what?"
"You stopped touching me."
Ichigo gazed into Byakuya's uncertain expression and the very slight hint of vulnerability he found in them went straight to his groin. He ached to close the distance, to push Byakuya gently back against the slick, wet rocky wall and...
His mind froze at the thought, and he could feel Byakuya's eyes watching him closely.
Is that even allowed? I mean, Central 46 made it clear who is the head of this household. I may be a leader someday, but Byakuya is one right now.
Damn...I don't know if it's okay or not!
"Is something wrong?" Byakuya asked calmly, "You look like something is bothering you."
"W-well," Ichigo managed, his heart pounding, "I...I was wondering if..."
His head spun harder and he was sure he couldn't have heard the answer that issued from between Byakuya's soft, parted lips.
"We are married, Ichigo, but we are both still men. If you want to enter me, then all you have to do is ask."
Ichigo's ears rang loudly and his legs weakened. He splashed down loudly into the water, earning a disapproving frown from the Kuchiki heir as he fished the ginger-haired man out of the water and carried him to the edge of the pool. He laid Ichigo in the soft, cool grass and patted his face gently, calling his husband's name.
"Ichigo, for kami's sake! Would you just...? Wake up, Ichigo!"
He examined the younger man more closely.
"You fool, you've let your reiatsu drop too low while you were trifling with me! That was careless. But it hardly does to scold you about it when you cannot even hear."
Shaking his head and giving his spouse a look of reproach that didn't quite hide his amusement. He laid his palms on Ichigo's abdomen, infusing him with stabilizing reiatsu for several long minutes before the Shiba heir groaned and opened his eyes.
"What was that? What happened?" he mumbled in confusion, "Byakuya?"
"You let your reiatsu get too low, baka," Byakuya reprimanded him, "No wonder you passed out. You need to eat right away."
Ichigo grinned sheepishly.
"Can I put some clothes on first?" he chuckled.
"Do you find this amusing?" the clan leader asked more sharply, his reiatsu flickering, "Maintaining the balance between your reiatsu and the baby's is...!"
"Yeah, I know," Ichigo assured him, frowning at the sudden intensity in his mate's dark eyes, "I'm sorry. I'll eat. I was just...really shocked that you would..."
"What?" Byakuya hissed impatiently, "That I would treat you like an equal? Ichigo, my clan may have a higher status than yours, but when we married, I didn't think of that at all."
"Then, you don't think like most other nobles, because that's what all of those guys in Central 46 thought when they married us. You know that!"
"I do. And I don't care what they think. When we are here, we are just two married men, interacting as we choose, expressing our love in our own way, without the interference of anything else. Isn't that what marriage is suppose to be like?"
Ichigo gave him an amused look.
"You're asking a guy who's barely an adult and who's never been married about that?" he asked, smirking.
Byakuya loosed a long sigh.
"I suppose you are right. I should be more patient with you when it comes to that. But where I will not be patient is when it comes to your health. You need to eat more regularly."
"I will."
"You should tell me immediately if you feel weak or dizzy. I know the nausea isn't a problem much anymore, but..."
"Byakuya, it's okay."
"And I am going to have Michio see you as soon as you have had something to eat."
Ichigo's hot temper began to slip and he started to give an angry response, but read where the concern was coming from and hastily stopped himself. Instead, he stopped his husband's words with a penetrating kiss, then slipped back into his clothes.
"Let's go and have something to eat while you finish nagging me, okay?" Ichigo chuckled, "I thought it was the wife who was supposed to do the nagging."
"You're impossible!" Byakuya snapped, starting to turn away, only to be captured around the waist and dragged into a long, passionate kiss that left him silent and looking deeply into Ichigo's golden-brown orbs.
"It's going to be fine," Ichigo promised, "Byakuya, I promise you, the baby and I will be fine. It won't be like before."
"You cannot make that promise," Byakuya said, forcing calm into his voice that he didn't feel, "No one can."
Ichigo nuzzled his cheek affectionately.
"I beat Aizen. I beat Juha Bach. I can have a baby. Remember who you're dealing with here."
"Fool!" Byakuya sighed resignedly, herding him out into the garden, where their meal was waiting, "No one is invincible."
"I didn't say I was," Ichigo corrected him, "I just said the baby won't be the end of me."
"That is all good and well, but if you do not sit down, be quiet and eat, I may be the end of you!"
"Yeah, all you have to do is offer me what you did before and I'll die a happy man," Ichigo joked.
"Ichigo!"
"Sorry, just kidding," he laughed, sitting down at the table and digging in to the savory food, "So, are we ever going to get around to that honeymoon and my wedding gift?"
Byakuya gave him a reproving look.
"Eat first and see the healer, and if he agrees you are in good condition, we will leave."
"Good, I can't wait."
Byakuya watched Ichigo eating for several minutes before relaxing slightly and addressing his own. Even then, he watched out of the corner of one dark grey eye.
I shouldn't be so worried. Ichigo is not like Hisana. He is a powerful shinigami and he is going to be fine.
He and the baby will both be fine.
I have to believe that.