HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA (SHIBA)!

Today my darling boy gets more love and affection to celebrate his special day! Alas, he also gets a little emotional.

Also featuring Hyorinmaru, thanks to a request from the lovely Aureia on Ao3!

Request:
Toshiro and Hyorinmaru interaction/close bond

Solstice

Toshiro's birthday was a day that caused him intense inner conflict.

It was just date that marked him a year older and a year rarely taller, but it had been a date associated with terrible memories. Toshiro refused to think of them during the day time, since they often plagued him at night, but his birthday still left a sour taste in his mouth and a sense of fear in his heart.

It was the day he died as a human, after all.

On the other hand, since joining the Tenth, Rangiku and Isshin had always strived to make his birthday a day worth celebrating, and that made Toshiro feel loved and cared for. It was hard to hate a day when his afterfamily spoiled him with love strong enough to make him forget the bad memories for a while.

It was the day he had passed over to their world, after all.

These days, even the Tenth Division squad members knew his birthday and wished him a wonderful day. It was nice to know he had finally settled in with the team that they cared about him enough to do that, but it made the day all the more overwhelming for him.

"Happy birthday, Third Seat Hitsugaya!"

"Yeah, happy birthday!"

"Uh, th-thank you," Toshiro bowed awkwardly to the passing unseated officers that had called out to him.

They glanced at each other in confusion, since it was uncommon for a Soul Reaper of his rank to bow to the unseated ranks. They bowed back, lower, as Toshiro hurried off, cheeks flushing with heat.

He blamed Rangiku for the fact the squad all knew his birthday, even though she had been coming from a place of love when she threw him his first whole-squad birthday party after his first five years in the division. That had been before the squad had liked him, so it wasn't much of a turn out. Rangiku had been genuinely upset, but Toshiro hadn't been surprised.

Nowadays he was hard pressed to get the squad to ignore him on his 'special' day. The tide had turned on their feelings toward him after he had been injured by that Adjuchas in the Rukongai and now they leapt over one another to give him gifts and wish him the best. Their enthusiasm to celebrate his birthday was now as strong as it was when it was their captain's birthday. Isshin's birthday was ten days before Toshiro's but instead of combining into one event where Toshiro could share the attention, everyone insisted they celebrate separately.

Today, being that it was once again the third seat's birthday, Toshiro was trying to slip through the barrack halls unnoticed in order to avoid the attention. He had reeled in his Spiritual Pressure, and crept quietly around the division. It was to no avail, the halls busy that day. In the lead up to Christmas, the squad members were extra lively, heading into party mode.

Isshin had given him the day off (which Toshiro hadn't wanted) so he could go celebrate his birthday 'like a kid'. Well, Toshiro wasn't much of a kid, despite what everyone thought. Still, he had managed to entertain himself reading in his bunk for the morning – until Kubo and Takeo cornered him with 'breakfast cupcakes' and a new set of antique Spinning Tops. Mei had been in on the gift too, which meant Toshiro had to go find and thank her in the busy training grounds. It led to another fifty odd 'happy birthday's from the training soldiers and then a twenty player Spinning Tops competition. Toshiro won, of course, and it had been fun, but the overwhelming attention had made him nervous.

Thankfully Rangiku had broken up the game, dragging Toshiro off for a 'brother-sister birthday lunch'. It was nice to just be the two of them at first, but Rangiku was big on birthdays – she always made sure people celebrated their dates to the fullest, which Toshiro was sure would have been great for people who actually liked their birthdays. They had gone to one of the restaurant bars near the West Gate, but it had been busy that lunchtime, causing her to let every passing Soul Reaper in the vicinity know it was his birthday.

"Hey Shuuhei, it's Toshiro's birthday!"

"Who?"

"My little third seat!"

"Lieutenant-"

"Oh the Hitsugaya kid. Happy birthday!"

"… Th-thank y-you."

"Yeah, Toshiro was the one that scared you off on our date that time, Shuuhei!"

"Lieutenant!"

Rangiku giggled, Toshiro flushed and Shuuhei walked off mildly confused. After that, Toshiro did his best to keep Rangiku focused on anything but the Souls around them, so she wouldn't call anyone's attention again. She meant well, but Toshiro felt uneasy with the attention.

"I have a special present for you," Rangiku told him after they had eaten and she was onto her second bottle of sake. "I wanted to give it to you now, before dinner at the Shibas tonight. They've all really nice gifts for you too."

Toshiro shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Why did they all insist on giving him gifts? Couldn't they just give him a hug and send him on his way?

Rangiku handed him a flat-ish parcel that was wrapped in blue and white snowflake-patterned paper. It was light and soft, so Toshiro already knew it was clothes. He didn't mind getting clothes as a gift to be fair, since he rarely cared to do his own shopping, but he felt bad knowing he would see it on the Squad Ten credit card bill at the end of the month. Still, he had seen Rangiku tear down men over their fashion choices in the past so it was better that he took the clothes with no complaint.

Slowly unwrapping it and ignoring Rangiku's calls for him to 'just rip the paper', Toshiro carefully pulled out the soft material inside. It was a scarf, muted green in colour, a shade between the lighter teal of his irises and the deep emerald of the Tenth's colour symbol. In fact, it was very similar to the one he used to hold his Zanpakuto to his back.

"I know you don't feel the cold as much as the rest of us," Rangiku murmured, "but you could still use a scarf, and it should match your sash. You could even use it as a new sash if you wanted."

The sash he had been using had been nothing but a piece of material lying around the male dorm room at the academy. Toshiro had found it the same evening he had heard Hyorinmaru's voice clearly and received his katana. He realised quickly the sword was too tall to sit at his hip like other Soul Reapers carried theirs. He remembered Kusaka's snide comment that night, and the fact the first stain on the sash had been his own blood from where Kusaka had nicked him in their 'fight to the death'. That sash meant nothing to Toshiro, and over the years it had become faded, frayed and further stained with blood and ink.

"Thank you," Toshiro whispered back to Rangiku, trying to quell the Kusaka memories (he did not need them today on top of everything else). "I think I will use it as a new sash for Hyorinmaru."

It was Hyorinmaru's birthday too, and hopefully the dragon would appreciate the shared gift.

Toshiro glanced up from the scarf to see his lieutenant beaming at him, her blue eyes a little unfocused but filled with pride and hope. The boy held the scarf bundle to his chest for a moment; regardless of what he thought about his birthday, Rangiku loved it and that was enough for Toshiro to not really hate the date like he wanted to.

"You're going to look sharp and handsome," Rangiku giggled, picking up her sake cup again. "A little birthday ice prince."

Toshiro rolled his eyes but it did nothing to hide the pink in his cheeks.

They returned to the division and Toshiro swapped his sashes over, and he got to see Isshin briefly as he returned from a meeting the Head Captain. He received one of Isshin's famous bear hugs and the promise of getting all the paperwork done early so they could get to Shiba Manor sooner.

"Go enjoy your day," Isshin sent Toshiro off when he tried to follow the captain back to the office, hoping to get some peace from all the well-wishers. The third seat pouted as the office door was closed on him. Head hung and shoulders sagging, Toshiro walked down the hallway, preparing to endure more squad attention.

He received many more birthday wishes and even more gifts. He felt guilty about not wanting the attention, while so many Souls out there didn't even have birthday dates and while his colleagues put effort into making him feel special. Still it made him uncomfortable, because he remembered a time before the Soul Society when he-

Toshiro's body jerked with a violent flinch. No one saw, so he swallowed and continued on walking, shaking the flashback off.

It wasn't important what happened before, but it did make him hesitate before wanting to celebrate the date ever again.

So when Toshiro was cornered by the three ninth seat offices with a bouquet of balloons and party streamers that popped loudly out of canisters like strange fireworks, and when new recruits all came together to sing him the happy birthday song, Toshiro's overwhelming feelings flooded back.

He felt happy to have made friends that cared about his birthday, but more than that he felt anxiety, unease, anger and sadness. It was an odd cocktail of emotion, but it was strong. It was a confusing time for him.

He hurried towards the barrack gates, feeling the need for fresh air despite being out in it already.

"Hey!"

Toshiro whipped around and almost tripped on his own feet, hearing Rukia's familiar voice. She was approaching the gates, a suspiciously gift box held in both hands and a happy grin on her face.

"H-hey," Toshiro stammered before clearing his throat. He could feel the eyes of the guards on duty watching them. "What are you doing here?"

He knew, but he hoped to be wrong.

"I know you mentioned you don't like your birthday," Rukia started, smile turning sheepish, "but my brother said it is rude to miss important people's birthdays."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think Captain Kuchiki would consider me important."

Rukia's lip twitched and she shrugged casually. "But I do."

Naturally, Toshiro went bright red. Rukia smirked at him for a moment before she managed to suppress it, and she handed over the gift box. Her violet eyes were bright and her smile dazzling, so Toshiro took the present without complaint.

Lifting the lid off, Toshiro frowned and reached in to pull out the item inside. It was an ice sculpture, no doubt made from Sode No Shirayuki, carved into the shape of a rather badly designed rabbit.

"It's snow Chappy," Rukia explained as Toshiro stared at it, speechless. "Hopefully it won't melt. I haven't perfected your sculpting technique yet."

When Toshiro glanced up, Rukia was looking down at her feet, suddenly shy. He glanced back down at the sculpture and then back at her.

"I like it," he told her, voice barely a whisper. She glanced up at him and Toshiro noticed her cheeks were as red as his felt. They both looked away quickly as intense awkwardness passed over them.

After a while, Rukia stammered out an excuse to leave and Toshiro was grateful for it. She was so cool, but she made him so nervous and clumsy. He didn't want to drop his new present.

"See you later," she said quickly, backing away. "Happy birthday."

"You too!" Toshiro called after her, before realising his mistake and flushing a hundred times brighter. It wasn't Rukia's birthday!

Toshiro's heart pounded in his chest as she laughed awkwardly before she turned and ran away, and now he really did need fresh air. He needed fresh air from outside the Seireitei.

Quickly informing the guards (who wished him a happy birthday before he even got his greeting out) that he was heading to Shiba Manor early, he asked them to pass the message onto Isshin so he wouldn't worry if he couldn't find Toshiro later.

The third seat hurried towards Jidanbo's gate as fast as possible.

"Well hello, young Toshiro," the giant guard's voice boomed loud enough for the neighbouring divisions to hear. "Happy birthday!"

Not him too!

Toshiro flushed and stammered another pathetic thank you before slipping passed him and headed quickly for Granny's home on quick legs, a deformed 'snow Chappy' sculpture in one hand and the gift box it came in in the other.

The third seat found himself truly overwhelmed now, after hours' worth of birthday attention he didn't know how to handle.

Toshiro reached Shiba Manor and didn't think twice before slipping around the side gate and across the manor's back gardens. He knew it was rude not to go see Granny first, and Kukaku and Ganju too of course, but he needed a break from the birthday wishes for a while. He needed a moment to collect himself and find a minute of peace. He needed to reset before he let his emotions overwhelm him beyond what he could control.

Ducking under the outside of the manor's windows so no one could see him passing, Toshiro flash stepped quickly to the pond at the back of the garden. Now that was visible from the kitchen windows but if Toshiro sat quickly, he might just manage the privacy.

Doing just that, Toshiro sat quickly on folded legs. The once lush grass was covered entirely by snow and it was cold and wet on Toshiro's pants as he sat but the boy wasn't bothered. He grabbed the sword off his back and placed it purposefully across his lap. His hands settled on the sheath, evenly spaced and ready to communicate with the other half of his soul.

The dragon purred in his mind, preparing for the visit, and Toshiro took a deep breath of the winter air. Finally it felt fresh.

His gaze rested upon the frozen pond in front of him, his thoughts clearing for a moment before he closed his eyes. Icy wind blew around him, circling him, but Toshiro couldn't feel the chill.

"Young One."

Hyorinmaru's voice was an ancient rumble, commanding even while gentle. Toshiro opened his eyes and found himself sitting in fresher snow. An ice blue dragon loomed over him, wings outstretched and red eyes piercing as a ferocious blizzard blew around them.

Toshiro wasn't afraid, and in fact he felt himself relax. He held out his hand to the dragon and waited patiently. The dragon's wings lowered and so did his body, until Hyorinmaru's snout pressed gently to the palm of Toshiro's hand. Toshiro's lips twitched with a smile.

Another sweep of blizzard cut between them, blocking Toshiro's view of the dragon and a moment later it cleared, revealing a tall man with teal hair and silver eyes in place of the dragon. He sat opposite Toshiro, calm despite the blizzard around them. Toshiro knew the blizzard was a testament to the stress in his mind but he hoped to calm it. He wanted to see the distant snowy mountains in his inner world.

"Dare I utter the forbidden words?" Hyorinmaru's manifested, slightly more human-looking, spirit asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Only if I can say them first," Toshiro felt his own lips twitch in return.

Hyorinmaru nodded his head.

"Happy birthday, Hyorinmaru."

"Happy birthday, Young One."

The two shared a small smiled.

The twentieth of December was not only Toshiro's birthday but Hyorinmaru's as well. Well technically, the dragon considered his birthday to be the Winter Solstice, which wasn't until the twenty-third this year, but for Toshiro's peace of mind, the dragon humoured him. He must have been the only Zanpakuto to humour their host Soul's inner birthday turmoil, but he did. It was a part of what made their relationship so special.

See, the twentieth of December was the most significant date in Toshiro's history; he had been born on it, then killed and reborn on it exactly eight years later. He had connected, albeit unknowingly, with Hyorinmaru that fateful night. That was another point for the birthday positives list in Toshiro's opinion, despite the morbid circumstances in which he got there.

"How many years has it been now, Young One?" Hyorinmaru asked. "I find it difficult to keep track of all my years in existence."

"I'm losing track too," Toshiro murmured, frowning a little. "Must be at least fifteen?"

The years had started blend a long time ago in truth. When one's aging is slowed, so too is their perspective of time.

"I remember connecting with you," Hyorinmaru reminisced. "You were even smaller then, an ice cold but beautifully bright light after years of darkness. I knew instantly you were the one to bring me back."

The night Toshiro had passed over to the Soul Society had been the twentieth of December, and that year it had also been the Winter Solstice. Hyorinmaru, who had been dormant for so many years due to weak hosts, had been at his strongest that night. It had been fate that their spirits had crossed at the right time, and they had become one.

Unlike his birthday, the Winter Solstice Toshiro had no problem believing was an exciting day each year. It was when he felt strongest, when his connection with Zanpakuto was most clear. It was the shortest day of the year, but it was Toshiro's favourite.

"I am so lucky," Toshiro smiled, more to himself than anything, as he thought about it.

His birthday as an anniversary of his human birth meant nothing to him, but his birthday as the anniversary of his being reborn and connecting with the ice dragon was incredibly special. If he hadn't been through that, he would never have become a Soul Reaper. He probably would never have met Rangiku and the Shibas, and a world without them wasn't a world he wanted to live in, even as an afterlife.

It was nice to be reminded of that. The twentieth of December was a special day. It was full of sad memories and memories that made him want to scream in agony, but it was the day that got him where he was now, so surrounded by love and affection. It was the day that reminded him that he had a family – the Shibas, Squad Ten, and of course, the dragon that shared his soul.

"No, Young One," Hyorinmaru's deep voice called him back. "It is I who is the lucky one. Seldom does a Zanpakuto connect with such a pure force of strength and good."

The overwhelming emotions came back but they were positive now, and Toshiro felt calmer, feeling warmth spread from his heart to the tips of his fingers and toes. The boy glanced back up at Hyorinmaru and those silver eyes sparkled back at him, playful but powerful.

Filling a grin stretch out on his own face, Toshiro opened his arms, hoping for a hug. With only the smallest hints of an eye roll, Hyorinmaru obliged. He morphed back into a dragon in an instant and slithered around Toshiro quickly, wrapping around him in almost python fashion. Toshiro leaned back into the icy body and relaxed in Hyorinmaru's coil hold. The dragon's wings folded over them and his head eventually came to rest on Toshiro's shoulder as the boy's arms wrapped loosely around the creature's neck.

It was funny how warm he felt hugging a creature of ice.

Toshiro hummed, comfortable and Hyorinmaru too started to purr in content.

This was a peaceful as Toshiro's mind got, the blizzard around them fading away. Toshiro could just see the mountains in the distance through a gap in Hyorinmaru's wings. He smiled at that before leaning back further and closing his eyes.

Finally, some fresh air.

"Do you like your new sash?" Toshiro asked in a tired mumble. "Matsumoto bought it for us."

"I do indeed."

The two of them must have been laying there for some time, and Toshiro wasn't totally convinced he hadn't drifted off (could he even sleep in his inner world?), but eventually Hyorinmaru shifted.

"Your captain awaits your return," the dragon informed him. "He is patient, but unfortunately Engetsu is not. Gods forbid Haineko gets involved soon."

Toshiro smirked, chucking a little. Apparently their Zanpakutos could feel each other on some level, and Hyorinmaru often had complaints about the two Toshiro was so frequently in contact with. He supposed he knew the difficulties of being an ice wielder between two fire types.

"Thank you," Toshiro murmured. He was grateful for his visit to the dragon that afternoon – he felt much calmer, his perspective on his birthday realigned. He hoped it was enough to get him through his birthday dinner at Shiba Manor.

"Go on, Young One," Hyorinmaru rumbled, unwrapping himself from Toshiro and rising back up. "You should spend tonight with your family. I will see you for the Solstice soon."

Toshiro nodded and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again.

He was back in the Shiba Manor gardens but it was now dark. Being so close to the Winter Solstice, it could be this dark and still only afternoon, but Toshiro got the sense it had been dark for some time now. His skin was cold and fresh snow covered his hands and legs. Toshiro's eyes widened and he lifted the sheathed sword up off his lap and shook the flecks of snow of it.

"You're back!"

Toshiro's eyes widened as he heard Isshin's voice and a second later those familiar arms came around him.

"Captain!" Toshiro gasped, realising Isshin was sitting next to him in the snow and was shivering almost violently. "What are you doing out here? You'll freeze."

"So could you," Isshin reminded him sternly, his teeth chattering as he talked. "You're not completely immune to the cold, Toshiro."

The worry was evident in his voice, and in the tightness of his hug. Toshiro swallowed and hugged back.

"I know," he murmured softly into Isshin's chest as he found his head settling there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be gone so long. I just wanted to wish Hyorinmaru a happy birthday."

Isshin sighed above him before he stood and pulled Toshiro up with him. The third seat grasped his sword and snow Chappy before he could drop them. The captain didn't put him down, carrying Toshiro back to the manor under one arm and collecting his own Zanpakuto that was stabbed into the ground with the other.

"Let's get you inside and warmed up before your grandmother has a heart attack."

Toshiro pouted. He really hadn't meant to cause anyone any stress.

It was warm inside Shiba Manor, more so after the seemingly endless amount of food Granny had put on Toshiro's plate that night. He had worried her, as he found out when he returned to the house with Isshin. She accosted him instantly, pulling him from Isshin's hold into a tight hug before she led him towards the bathroom quickly, telling him to have a hot bath while she found him a warm yukata.

Apparently they had been worried when Isshin had arrived at the house expecting to find him there after receiving the message from the guards. Eventually they found him meditating by the pond, and despite the freezing cold, they had to let him finish his visit to his inner world.

Isshin knew, as did Toshiro, that a meditating Soul Reaper should never be forcefully brought back, in much the same way that a sleepwalker shouldn't be woken if avoidable. A Soul Reaper's powers and instinct made it dangerous, as waking them from mediation would cause them unnecessary shock and lead them to lash out instinctively. Toshiro had felt guilty, finding out that Isshin had sat out there with him for two hours in the cold, keeping an eye on him.

Aside from that, Toshiro's talk with Hyorinmaru had been worth the visit. He was calmer now, less overwhelmed even as all the Shiba's wished him a happy birthday and gave him gifts.

Granny's gift had been a blanket, one she had been knitting for weeks. It was completely white, like the snow in Toshiro's inner world. He loved it, but he worried about keeping it clean.

Kaien and Miyako had given him books, knowing he was an avid reader, while Kukaku and Ganju gave him a soccer ball when Isshin was looking and a handful of fireworks when he wasn't. They had also made his lizard, Tobio, some cool new features for his ever growing enclosure.

"I suppose that just leaves my gift now," Isshin murmured, leaning away from his finished plate of cake.

"You don't have to give me anything, Captain," Toshiro offered, causing the captain to laugh as though it hadn't been a genuine request.

"Come on, Kid," Isshin stood from his chair and gestured Toshiro to follow. "This one I have to keep upstairs."

Curious, Toshiro followed with a slight frown. He saw Rangiku's knowing smirk as she too followed, and then so did the rest of the Shiba family.

Toshiro felt some of his unease return. For the whole family to follow them up surely meant this was going to be one big present?

His earlier emotions began to bubble up but he forced them down.

Swallowing and wringing his hands together nervously, Toshiro followed Isshin up the stairs. The captain led them to the door of his father's old study where Toshiro often slept on a futon when he stayed at the manor overnight. Isshin stopped, turning back to face Toshiro.

"Why do you look so nervous?" he asked, surprise on his features.

Toshiro shrugged. "I'm n-not."

He was, but that was beside the point.

Toshiro flinched, feeling hands on his shoulders unexpectedly, but he calmed when he realised they were Granny's.

Isshin grimaced and placed his hand gently on Toshiro's head, patting his hair gently.

"I know you don't like to make a big deal of your birthday," the captain murmured. "Don't think of this as a gift, but as a well overdue rite of passage."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at him and the man smirked. His hand came to rest on the door handle for a moment, before he quickly opened it and swung the door open. The light was switched on as Toshiro was pushed gently inside, Granny's hand's slipping away from his shoulders.

The third seat froze.

This room used to be a study. It used to have a big desk and a heavy chair behind it, it used to have a long couch opposite the full bookcases and very few wall hangings. That was not the room Toshiro was looking at now.

This room still had the bookcases, but it had no desk or couch. It had a single bed, with a blue duvet and pillows. It had a reading chair by the window and the walls had photo frames hung upon them, the pictures inside containing images of the Shiba family, including Toshiro.

The boy stopped breathing for a moment.

"Welcome to your new Shiba Manor bedroom, Toshiro," Isshin clapped him on the back as he stepped in beside him. "I'm sorry it's taken us so long to arrange this."

Toshiro stared, already feeling his eyes fill with tears. His emotions were flooding back now.

"A bedroom?" he squeaked. "For me?"

Isshin glanced down at him, likely hearing the change in the register of his voice, and nodded encouragingly. His hand landed on Toshiro's shoulder as the boy did his best to quell his emotions.

"Yeah well, you needed one," Isshin explained gently. "You're my kid and I love you, you should have a room in my h-"

Toshiro didn't hear the rest over his own sob as he threw himself into Isshin's chest.

That was the first time Isshin had said that to him.

It was like all the emotions Toshiro had been bottling all day came to the surface and erupted more than they bubbled over. He cried and cried, as Isshin knelt beside him and pulled him in for a tight hug, and the bad memories washed away. Toshiro had love in his life. He had family, a huge family of nobles and soldiers, all of who wanted to celebrate something as seemingly irrelevant as his birthday.

Isshin was patting his back, trying to speak words of comfort, but Toshiro couldn't reel in his emotions.

"I love you too," he sobbed, repeating it over and over.

It must have dawned on Isshin then the significance of his words because Toshiro felt him squeeze gently and press a kiss to his hair.

"I should have said it earlier," he admitted softly. "I've felt it for a long time."

Toshiro nodded, stumbled over a 'me too' and a hiccup, before turning his face into Isshin's shoulder and crying some more.

He calmed eventually when Isshin untangled himself and dragged the boy over to the bookcase to see where Kaien had placed his new books, and then over to the bed where Granny had thrown the white blanket on top of the duvet. He showed him where Rukia's snow Chappy was placed on the dresser, where Rangiku and Granny had filled the new closet with clothes, and to where Kukaku and Ganju had placed the soccer ball in a large blue storage box full of toys.

"I put your new Spinning Tops set in here," Isshin was talking him through it all to distract him, "I even got you this dragon plushie."

"A what?" Toshiro chuckled wetly as the soft toy was handed to him. It was indeed a blue dragon plushie.

"A little dragon for our little dragon," Isshin smirked, like he found that entirely entertaining. Toshiro scowled at it. He wasn't little and he wasn't a kid that played with toys (unless they were Spinning Tops because Spinning Tops were cool).

Even as Toshiro was shown every item in the room, he still struggled to believe it was his bedroom. He never had much of a bedroom before, certainly not since coming to the Soul Society and sleeping mostly in shared dorm rooms. Looking around this room, and though Toshiro hadn't yet spent a night in it, it felt like he had always lived there. It was designed to be a young boy's room, it was designed to be his room.

Rangiku and the rest of the Shibas had filtered out of the room, leaving Toshiro with Isshin as the two of them sat on the ground, a fresh game of Chess between them. When they played, Toshiro was always white and Isshin was always black, to match their hair colours – another thing Isshin found entertaining.

"I struggle with my seeing my birthday as a good day sometimes," Toshiro admitted quietly as they played. It wasn't prompted, but he wanted to share a bit of the truth with Isshin – not all of it, but a start. "Sometimes it's hard to accept all the love and attention."

Isshin frowned, possibly because Toshiro had just taken out one of his knights with his bishop.

"You deserve it, you know?" Isshin murmured. "You're a good kid."

Toshiro nodded. It wasn't that he thought he wasn't good, it was just that he remembered a time when no one loved him. He was almost scared to accept the love now, in case he lost it again. He was certain that would hurt more than never having been loved.

"I just don't want to lose it," he whispered.

He spotted Isshin's hand hesitating over his queen, either because of what Toshiro had said or because he was had noticed that if he took out Toshiro's bishop with his queen, Toshiro could take the queen with his rook.

"You won't, Kiddo," Isshin sighed, reaching for a pawn instead and moving it one space forward. "You'll always have me, and if something happened to me, you would still have Rangiku and Squad Ten. You'll always have the Shibas, and now you've got the bedroom to prove it."

Toshiro hummed, acknowledging that. He too moved a pawn one useless spot forward, and in fact right into the line of fire of Isshin's other knight.

"I'll have Hyorinmaru too," Toshiro offered, feeling a bit more confident with that. "He couldn't leave me if he tried."

In the back of his mind, Hyorinmaru rumbled, disgruntled.

"Of course," Isshin chuckled, grinning now. "No matter what, you'll always have love in your life now, and we have you which is its own reward."

Well Toshiro wasn't sure about that but the fact was that all day the Souls in his life had been showering him with well wishes, affection and gifts. They had all wanted to, because they wanted to celebrate him.

It was a tough pill to swallow but Toshiro was trying.

Isshin moved his knight to take out Toshiro's pawn and he did so with a smirk. Toshiro returned the smirk and slid his queen into the knight's previous position.

"Check mate."

Isshin frowned down, eyes wide with disbelief.

"You distracted me," he accused dramatically, causing Toshiro to laugh. "You got me all sentimental and emotional, all the while plotting to kill my king."

"Distract you with my sob stories?" Toshiro gasped. "I would never."

Isshin's side eye said he didn't believe him and he pounced over the board to Toshiro who yelped and rolled out of the way. He leapt up and dived onto his new bed.

"I'm coming for you," Isshin grunted, his joints cracking as he stood up off the floor. Old Man.

Toshiro laughed and ducked under the duvet and a moment later he felt Isshin crash on top of him, fingers splayed to tickle Toshiro through the duvet as punishment for his recent crimes.

For one birthday at least, Toshiro got to be a kid – even though he wasn't a kid and everyone should stop saying that he was one. He got toys from his fun family members, books from the smart ones, a knitted blanket from his Granny, clothes from his fashion-conscious sister. Best of all, he got a bedroom and an 'I love you' from his new father and that was the best feeling Toshiro had ever felt in both his lives combined.

Perhaps his birthday was something he could look forward to next year, especially if it was on the Winter Solstice again.

In his mind, Hyorinmaru purred happily, the blizzard gone again.