Chapter XXI: I Need Honesty
Ichigo watched with his sisters as their father's car pulled into one of the parking spaces designated for their apartment. He was returning from the airport where he'd picked up their godmother and half-brother. He watched from the window as Isshin got out of the car followed by Retsu. Isshin grabbed some suitcases from the trunk, while Retsu opened the back passenger door and pulled out a car seat. Ichigo decided to stop watching then, and he told his sisters to wait while he made his way through the apartment and out the door. Once he made it outside, he greeted his father and godmother.
"Hey, guys. Glad you made it safe, Aunt Retsu." He reached out and wrapped an arm around her. She kissed his cheek and smiled up at him.
"It's so good to see you. You've grown into quite the dashing young man. Where are the twins?"
"They're inside. I came out to help you guys bring your stuff in."
"Alright. There's more of the baby's things in the backseat, if you don't mind grabbing them."
"Not at all."
He went around to the backseat and grabbed all the things there, two diaper bags, a box of Huggies, and another bag full of baby care items. He went to the trunk and grabbed the last duffle bag, and waited for his father to push down the trunk before they all headed back up to their floor. Ichigo called out for the girls to opened the door, and Yuzu complied, allowing the older people into the apartment. Ichigo dropped everything he was carrying in the living room. Yuzu had nearly attacked Retsu, trying to get a peek at her little brother, whose car seat was covered with a blanket to protect him from the Atlanta heat.
"Yuzu, let Aunt Retsu sit down first," Ichigo said, and Yuzu pouted, but allowed her godmother to sit down nonetheless. Once she did, she peeled the blanket back, revealing the sweet, sleeping face of their nine-month-old baby brother.
"Awww, he's the cutest thing ever!" Yuzu proclaimed, dropping to her knees beside the car seat. Ichigo had to agree.
The baby boy's head was full of curly pitch black hair, his plump cheeks painted with a light pink tint. His hands were balled into tight fists until Yuzu prodded at one of the little hands and he wrapped his fingers around her pinky. He stirred a little more in his sleep before his eyes opened and Ichigo smiled.
"I told you, Ichigo," Isshin said, softly. "He's got your eyes."
Ichigo couldn't help but to feel a swell of happiness in his heart. It'd been a while since he'd had the opportunity to hold a baby; he hadn't done so since his little sisters were small, and he himself was only five years old at the time. He was so excited he thought his heart might burst.
"Is it alright if I hold him?" he asked Retsu. She nodded, smiling sweetly.
"Of course."
Ichigo sat down cross-legged on the floor while Retsu removed the baby from his car seat. She gingerly placed him in Ichigo's arms, and the oranget took care to hold the baby as gently as possible, cradling his head and smiling. Karin and Yuzu came to sit on either side of him, holding the baby's hands and stroking his hair.
"You never told us his name, Auntie," Karin said, and Retsu shared a look with Isshin, who gave her a nod.
"Your father and I decided to name him Masaki, in honor of your mother. We haven't formally filled out his birth certificate though. We were waiting to tell you, in case you all didn't approve."
Ichigo bit his lip as he looked down at his baby brother's toothless grin. He knew that some people would be mad in this situation, but he could only bring himself to feel extreme happiness. He was happy that Retsu was able to make his father smile again, and he was happy to have a new member of their family. As for naming the baby after his mother, he didn't mind that either. The name suited him.
"I don't mind. How about you two?" he asked his sisters. The two girls shook their heads, and Ichigo gave his attention back to his little brother. "That settles it then. Welcome home, Masaki."
Later that evening, the family shared a meal prepared by Yuzu and the younger girls were sent off to their room to allow the adults the chance to have a proper discussion about their living arrangements. Ichigo also felt it was time he came clean about the fact that he had a boyfriend. He and Grimmjow had made things official not too long after their trip to France, and he still hadn't told his father for obvious reasons. He wasn't sure how the man would react first to him dating another man and second to said man being twelve years older than him. Grimmjow had celebrated his thirtieth birthday on their last day in France. Ichigo was hoping his father wouldn't have an adverse reaction to his relationship, so he decided to withhold some information; he wouldn't be outright lying, he just wouldn't be telling the whole truth either.
He held his baby brother in his lap as he looked at the two older adults across from him.
"So exactly how long were you guys planning to keep this a secret?" he asked, and Isshin gave Retsu a look, causing the woman to sigh.
"I'm sorry, Ichi, but that was my fault. Your father wanted to tell you from the beginning, but I just. . .I just didn't want you all to dislike me."
"We could never dislike you, Auntie. Don't be ridiculous. We all still miss Mom very much, but it's been nearly ten years. It's good to see Dad happy and with someone familiar. And we can't forget how happy we are about this little guy," Ichigo said, smiling down at his brother, who took his finger and gnawed on it.
"Well, I'm glad I can make your father happy too, and I hope to do the same for you and your sisters. I know I can't ever replace Masaki, and I don't want to; I just want you all to know that I love you all very much, and I want us to be a family," Retsu said, taking Isshin's hand. He smiled at her and brushed his lips across her knuckles.
"I'm glad to hear that," Ichigo said. "Now I have something I need to tell both of you."
"What's that, son?" Isshin asked. Ichigo bit his lip and held on to his little brother's hand.
"Well, I might as well come out and say it. Dad and Auntie, I have a boyfriend." There was a moment of silence before his father chuckled. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as he observed his father.
"You thought I didn't know?" Isshin asked.
"Well, I never told you, so I assumed. . ."
"Just because you hadn't said anything didn't mean I couldn't figure things out for myself. Honestly for awhile I thought you might be asexual; I mean you're always surrounded by beautiful people but you'd never showed any interest in either gender."
"Dad, c'mon. You couldn't have actually expected me to see my friends that way," Ichigo said, with a roll of his eyes. Isshin just laughed him off.
"Your mother and I were good friends before we decided to become romantically involved."
"Yeah, well, I'm not you. Anyway, my boyfriend's name is Grimmjow and I'm going to visit him for a while tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Sure. I mean, you're eighteen now, but still remember to respect the house rules. If you're gonna stay over, call, and if you're coming home, make it at a respectful hour," his dad responded. Ichigo nodded and handed his brother off to his mother. "Oh, and Ichigo?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to meet this boyfriend of yours at your earliest convenience." Ichigo nodded once more before he headed to his room to get ready for bed.
Grimmjow opened the door, revealing the smiling face of his shorter boyfriend. He returned the smile and leaned down, pressing his lips against the other's in a gentle kiss. Once they pulled away from each other, Ichigo made his way into the penthouse, nodding slightly at Tier, who returned the gesture with a slight inclination of her own head.
"I'm gonna grab some stuff and then we'll go to the estate, alright?" Grimmjow asked, and Ichigo nodded. Grimmjow kissed his cheek before he left for his bedroom.
Ichigo sat down on the couch adjacent to the armchair where Tier sat. The tension in the room was thick for obvious reasons. Ichigo still wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with Tier living in Grimmjow's house, but with her steadily progressing pregnancy and her questionable health, he couldn't bring himself to complain about it. It would only make him seem like a petty, jealous boyfriend, and he honestly didn't want to be that person.
"You can relax, you know," Tier said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He glanced over at her. She hadn't looked up from her phone, but she continued speaking. "You don't have to be on your guard all the time. I'm not gonna try to assassinate you or something."
"Uh, I'm sorry, I just. . .don't really know what to say." Tier looked up then, somewhat smirking at the oranget, and he was shocked, seeing as it was the first sign of something other than stoicism that he'd seen on her face. Her green-blue eyes sparkled, and he knew if she ever smiled she'd be even more beautiful than she already was.
"How about 'hello, Tier, how are you?' And then I'll say, 'I am well, Ichigo, thank you for asking', and then we proceed to have a conversation like two adults?" Ichigo laughed at her way too formal tone, but he'd admit that it made him a lot more comfortable.
"So, how are you, Tier?" he asked, and she sighed, placing a hand on her belly.
"Well, my ankles are swollen to the size of pomegranates and all the cocoa butter in the world isn't helping with these stretch marks, and I already had hella titties before this, but my god, look at these monstrosities!" she lamented, grabbing her breasts which seemed quite larger than they had been. Ichigo frowned.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Kill me," she said, rubbing her temple. Ichigo laughed at that and she smiled, and he was right; she was stunning when she did so. After the quiet returned, Ichigo decided to ask her a question that'd been weighing heavily on his mind.
"Tier?" She looked at him to indicate that she was listening for his inquiry. "I don't want to seem like I'm jealous or anything, because I'm not, but. . .are you still in love with Grimmjow?" Tier frowned, biting her lip.
"You know, if you want honesty, which I'm guessing you do, I was never really in love with Grimmjow. I had very strong affection for him, probably the strongest I've ever had for anyone, but. . .it just didn't have that fire, you know? I haven't felt that with anyone, so no. You don't have anything to worry about."
Ichigo released a breath he didn't know he was holding, and Tier chuckled slightly, standing up from her seat and walking into the kitchen. Grimmjow returned from his bedroom a few minutes later, gesturing for Ichigo to follow him.
"Tier, Szayel will be here soon to take you to your appointment," Grimmjow said, as they headed for the door. Tier stepped from the kitchen then, sipping from a glass of water.
"Oh? I thought you'd want to come to this one."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm going to find out the sex today."
Grimmjow seemed surprised before he looked at Ichigo. The oranget wondered why exactly the other man was looking at him as if asking for permission.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do you mind if I go?" Grimmjow asked, and Ichigo gave him a confused look.
"Why are you asking for permission? It's your baby, Grimm."
"I know, but we had plans. . ."
"Babe, your house will more than likely still be there when you're done. It's not a big deal. I'll be here when you get back."
"Or you can come with us," Tier piped up. Ichigo looked at her skeptically. She rolled her eyes and turned to Grimmjow. "He's coming. Now, both of you hurry up, before you make me late."
Ichigo was surprised, but he didn't say anything as he followed Grimmjow and Tier out of the apartment. They headed for the parking garage and piled into Grimmjow's Phantom. Tier was about to climb in the back, but Ichigo insisted she sit in the front. She protested for a while but eventually gave in, and they drove to Tier's doctor. Ichigo sat next to Grimmjow in the waiting area while Tier went to check-in. The blue-haired male seemed extremely nervous, and Ichigo reached out and grasped his hand. Grimmjow relaxed visibly before he turned and faced Ichigo.
"Thanks, Ichi."
"Don't worry so much, Grimm. Everything is going to be just fine." Grimmjow nodded, and Ichigo decided to continue talking to him to help ease his anxiety. "Have you thought about names yet?"
"Yeah, actually. If it's a boy, I want to name him after my father, Gerard, and if it's a girl, I'd like to name her after my grandmother who died when I was nineteen, Felicity. She was very important to Nel and me."
Ichigo smiled. "I like both of those names. I'm sure whatever the baby is, they'll be healthy and happy. You're gonna be a great dad."
Grimmjow squeezed Ichigo's hand slightly before he leaned over to place a soft kiss on the younger male's lips. "Thanks, baby. I don't know if I've said this before, but I'm so glad to have you."
"I'm glad to have you too, Grimm."
"Aww, you two are so sweet, please stop. My gag reflex is highly active as of late," Tier said as she sat down on Grimmjow's other side. The two males laughed at her feigned discomfort before they fell into a comfortable conversation.
Ichigo had to admit that he was surprised at Tier's amiable attitude, since she'd been rather unfriendly when they first met. As of late, he'd actually found her company somewhat tolerable, if not enjoyable. She didn't seem like such a terrible person, even though some of the things she'd done weren't exactly rooted in benevolence. Now that they'd gotten past whatever it was that was making her act so rudely towards him, he could say that he'd maybe consider her a friend. That'd be for her to decide though.
About twenty minutes later, a nurse stepped from the back and called Tier's name. She and Grimmjow stood and Ichigo stayed seated, deciding he wouldn't intrude on something that was really Grimmjow's personal business. Tier had said it was alright for him to come, but he still didn't feel like it was right, so he stayed. Grimmjow kissed him before he followed the nurse and Tier to the back.
Being alone gave Ichigo the time to think. Although he didn't really have much reason to, he still worried about how his relationship with Grimmjow would fair. He'd been told by many that he was mature for his age, but the fact still remained that Ichigo was a lot younger than Grimmjow. While it wasn't currently an issue, that didn't guarantee that it wouldn't become one in the future. They had to think about how their families would react, and while that shouldn't be a deciding factor, Ichigo could tell that Grimmjow's parents were important to him. He also still wasn't exactly sure how his own father and soon-to-be stepmother would react to him dating a man so much older than him. Ultimately, he was going to have to be honest with them, especially since his father had already requested a meeting with Grimmjow. There was also the lingering worry that Grimmjow would get tired of him. The blue-haired male had told his younger lover on numerous occasions that that wouldn't ever happen, but Ichigo couldn't get the thought out of his mind. He wondered if Grimmjow would be ashamed of their relationship, or if his parents would disapprove and try to force Grimmjow to break up with him. Granted, Grimmjow was a grown ass man, but parental approval played a part in all relationships whether the couple accepted it or not.
All of this thinking was making Ichigo feel nauseated. He decided the only proper thing to do was talk to Grimmjow about his thoughts. Honesty is always the best policy.
Hello! This chapter is just like set-up for future plot points, and I swear that's why it took so long this time. Also I'm in school, but it was mostly because I have trouble with transitioning. I basically have the rest of this fic planned out, but getting there is kind of difficult, so bear with me please. Thank you so much for reading :)
Until next time,
Patd06
