GUYS IT'S UP. This is the second and final chapter of Don't You Worry, I'll Wake Up.
It was supposed to be a one-shot, but I had a bit of convincing done by kurie-tibiti and here we are.
Love you guys!
Bleach isn't mine, read and review please, and enjoy!
"Daddy?" a tiny voice squeaked from beside his bed, slightly jolting Ichigo out of his sleep. Grimmjow was still sleeping soundly next to him and didn't look like he'd be waking soon. Ichigo looked around in question, noticing only a nurse, an older, official- looking woman, and his doctor.
"What?" Ichigo asked, whispering, as not to wake his fiancé.
"He said 'Daddy', Mr. Kurosaki." His doctor told him. He raised his eyebrows, looking around for another male in the room, but only found himself and Grimmjow.
"What do you-ah!" Ichigo squeaked in surprise when a tiny, chubby hand patted the bed. Another one joined it soon after, gripping the bed sheets. A small, mussed bush of brown, naturally highlighted hair appeared over the side of the bed.
"Hello, Mr. Kurosaki. I am Yoruichi Urahara. I-" introduced the older woman in the room.
"Wait, Urahara? Like, Kisuke Urahara?" Ichigo asked, cutting the beautiful tanned woman off.
"You know my husband?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah! I haven't seen him in forever! He's one of my dad's good friends." Ichigo exclaimed. "It's so nice to meet the woman he married!" He held out his hand, sitting up with the help of his doctor as the nurse resituated Grimmjow.
Yoruichi shook his hand with a smile. "I knew I had recognized your name from somewhere – you're his godson! It's nice to finally meet you, but, another time. Right now, we have business to attend to." She took a clipboard from her bag that had a large stack of papers on them. The nurse came to Ichigo's side of the bed and hoisted a small child up to sit near Ichigo. The child's bright green eyes glowed in excitement as he seemed to look around at Ichigo, the wall behind him, Grimmjow, and the bed. Finally, the child patted the bed and found Ichigo's blanket-covered leg.
"Daddy! You woke up!" He squealed, clumsily patting his way over to Ichigo. He plopped down right on his lap, laying his tiny hands on Grimmjow's arm that was wrapped around Ichigo's waist.
"M-me?" Ichigo whispered to the child. "I-I'm not-" He cut himself off as he really stared at the child's eyes. Yes, they were joyful and bright, green with flecks of gold and brown in them…but they also looked fogged. Ichigo opened his mouth to ask, but Yoruichi answered his question for him.
"He is blind." She told him quietly. "Born that way. He grew up with good parents, he was always happy. Can't understand what we mean by blind, but he's a good kid."
"Y-you sound like you're trying to bribe me or something…oh. OH. Ooooh…He-oh." Ichigo trailed off, looking at the child. "What's your name little guy?"
"Shuu!" Shuu grinned a childish smile that could light up the darkest place on Earth. "My name is Shuu, Daddy!" The young child giggled, hugging Ichigo's neck.
"A-and how old are you, Shuu?" Ichigo stuttered, hugging the child back. He nudged Grimmjow with his foot under the blankets, trying to wake him up.
"I'm five!" Shuu squealed happily, holding up all of his fingers. He fell backwards and landed on his back, staying still for a moment before he started giggling again, waving his limbs around. Grimmjow groggily sat up, kissing Ichigo on the temple before he spotted the child.
"Shuu!" Grimmjow exclaimed, sweeping the kid into his arms. "How's mah boy?" Grimmjow lifted himself off the bed to playfully swing the boy around.
"Papa!" the boy shrieked giddily. Ichigo watched stunned as his big, bad fiancé, who supposedly hated children, interacted with one like it was his own.
"I need to walk." Ichigo stated simply, making everyone in the room freeze as he swung his legs off the bed, touching his toes to the cold floor. Ichigo jerked them back for a moment before laying his feet flat on the floor. Grabbing the monitors on his chest, making sure they were only the monitors, he pulled them off and grabbed his IV cart, bringing it towards him.
"Ichigo!" Ms. Unohana yelped, not sure how to convince Ichigo back into bed.
"Ichi, you can't-"
"I'M WALKIN' RIGHT NOW IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO NOW MOVE." He told them in a raised voice. They moved back and he leaned heavily on the IV stand as he gripped it with both hands, standing on shaky legs. Ichigo breathed heavily as he made the effort to stand in place. He didn't care that he was already out of breath, he needed to walk because he knew what was silently being asked of him – take the child in.
-Ichigo didn't know if he could do that. The boy seemed sweet, obviously, but a child? Let alone a blind child. -
The orange-headed male stood for a few seconds before taking his first step forward in almost a year. One after another, some minutes apart, others seconds, he made it to the door. "Walk and talk, Ms. Yoruichi?" he asked quietly. "And will you grab that big bottle of water please?" The woman quickly consented.
-Grimmjow obviously loved the child already, and his Godfather's wife definitely wanted him to take the boy in, but what was he supposed to do with a child? A bloody child! Now that he thought of it, both he and Grimmjow had had to help with their younger sisters when they were little…he had the best doctor in the entire country as a father…and he and Grimmjow definitely had room for a third person in their flat…-
"Mr. Kurosaki? Are you sure you're okay?" Yoruichi snapped him out of his thoughts with a concerned expression.
"Uh, yes. And…" Ichigo stopped to take a deep breath. "Please, call me Ichigo."
"Alright, Ichigo. I have a few questions for you. First, do you have any for me?"
"Yes…um, why are Grimmjow and I 'Papa' and 'Daddy?' And who is that kid?" he muttered, not able to speak plainly for his lack of breath and lack of speaking. He realized he was only about seven steps away from his room's door.
"Well…he's the child you saved from the car last June. He had apparently wandered away from the orphanage women who had been taking care of him."
"Hold on…how long have I been out? I…I-I didn't miss our…wedding…did I?" Ichigo's voice trembled in sadness. "Oh, god I did!" He leaned heavily on his IV stand again when he caught the date on the calendar. May, 2015. The last thing he remembered, it had been July 31st, 2014. Their wedding had been set for December 24th, 2014. Ichigo felt terrible.
"Anyway, Ichigo…the child needs a home. He bonded with Grimmjow while waiting in the hospital…I came to take him away to a foster home, but he bawled and wouldn't let go of Grimmjow. I sat and listened to Grimmjow tell Shuu stories about you. At one point, Grimmjow pulled me aside and asked about adoption…I've made all the proper preparations, they just need your consent. I know it's a lot to ask-" Ichigo interrupted her angrily.
"A LOT TO ASK?! YEAH IT'S A LOT TO ASK! I-"
"Mr. Kurosaki. This is a hospital." A nurse said as she walked by and Ichigo glowered at Yoruichi.
"A lot to ask, you say? I've just woken up from a yearlong coma, my body feels like I'll collapse any moment, I haven't had more than five minutes privacy with my own fiancé, and I've a kid calling me dad – a kid I don't know! And you expect me to just take him in?" he whisper-yelled at the mocha-skinned woman.
"He needs a place to go…" she whispered back.
"I need to go back to my room and talk – privately – with Grimmjow." Ichigo told her sternly, turning back and shuffling back to his room. As his father, who had been alerted of the situation, and Grimmjow helped him back into bed, Yoruichi picked the child up and took him from the room, Isshin leaving as well, leaving Grimmjow and Ichigo finally alone.
"Ichi, I-"
"While I was in a yearlong coma, you bonded with a blind, homeless orphan that I saved from death-by-car, therefore nearly taking the child's place, and you – and apparently everyone else in the universe – want me to agree to take the child home. Did I miss anything?" Ichigo interrupted, no emotion showing on his face. Grimmjow slowly shook his head.
"No…and I know-"
"That it's a lot to ask for and a lot to take in? A lot to think about? Especially for someone who just woke up from a long, painful, unmoving sleep? What, did you all just think I was going to be fine and dandy with taking a blind child home with me, you know, right after I opened my eyes and smiled as I got up and strutted around the room, perfectly fine from not moving for a year?" Ichigo growled, getting irritated at the world in general. Grimmjow hung his head.
"Look, I just-"
"You've bonded with the child and won't be able to bear see go anywhere but home with the two of us." Ichigo interrupted once again.
"You know-"
"What? That this conversation's feeling a little one sided?" Ichigo asked, sarcastically smiling before his expression dropped and he looked at Grimmjow with a deadpan expression. "It. Should." Ichigo looked away and glowered at the wall before setting his gaze back on Grimmjow. "I know you better than anyone else, Grimmjow. I know what you're gonna say and do when you're gonna say and do it. I haven't lost my touch in the last year." Ichigo grabbed the bottle of water and sucked down half of it before continuing. "Now, I'm going to lay down and think about this while I try and sleep because I just know I have to do tests and therapy tomorrow." With that, Ichigo lay down and rolled over, closing his eyes to go back to sleep. He heard Grimmjow sigh and move closer to his bed before the bigger man lay a kiss on his forehead, nose, and lips.
"Then goodnight, Ichigo.."
"Actually…lay with me…please…"
Ichigo could practically hear the grin on Grimmjow's face as Ichigo felt him crawl in behind him and wrap his strong arms around Ichigo, tucking the smaller male into his chest.
"I love you Ichigo." Grimmjow whispered, settling his face in between Ichigo's shoulder blades.
"I love you too, Grimmjow. So, so much.."
With that, the room settled for comfortable silence as the two of them drifted off into sleep…even though it was only about five in the afternoon…
Three and a half months later, time found Ichigo in the physical therapy ward of the hospital, pissed off at his father and fiancé.
"It's for your own good, Ichi." Grimmjow stated, his arms crossed.
"Yes, dear son! We just want to make extra sure you're okay-" Isshin started, holding a now barely-six-year-old Shuu in his arms.
"IM FINE! LOOK! IM RUNNING! IM JUMPING! NOW LOOK AT ME! IM PRETENDING TO SWIM! I could have been released two weeks ago! Just let me ooooooouuuut!" Ichigo interrupted, whining out the last sentence.
Isshin sighed, glancing at Grimmjow before nodding. "Fine. You stay one more night here, and you can go home, tomorrow morning. After the hospital opens." Ichigo's father set the child down and walked from the room, leaving just the therapist, Grimmjow, Shuu, and Ichigo.
"Well, Mr. Kurosaki, I think you're doing great. I'd still like you to practice a bit every day, but you're fine." Hanataro smiled at his newly-found orange-haired friend, also leaving the room.
The three of them were silent for a moment before Ichigo bent down in front of Shuu.
"Hi sweety. Why don't I give you to Ms. Unohana for a while so Papa and I can talk, hmm?" Ichigo said sweetly, to which Shuu nodded excitedly, letting Ichigo heft him up.
After Ichigo caught Unohana in the hall and passed the child over to her, as she was happy to take him on her rounds for a bit, he led Grimmjow down to the Cafeteria with their fingers interlaced. They bought some sandwiches and drinks and sat at a two-seater table near the windows.
"Grimm…I've been thinking…maybe it wouldn't be so bad, having a kid in the house…" Ichigo started, putting his sandwich back on its tray.
"Ichi…are you…are you agreeing to take Shuu in..?" Grimmjow's voice dwindled into a disbelieving whisper as he stared wide-eyed at the love of his life.
"Yeah, Grimm. I am. I know that I can always resume my high-paying job here at the hospital, the job that actually has reasonable hours, you can continue to run your tat shop, that also pays good money, we can always buy a house…and a kid might be fun." Ichigo grinned at Grimmjow after his tiny speech, and Grimmjow grinned back eagerly.
"God I love you." Grimmjow said, hugging Ichigo before sitting back in his own seat.
"I love you, too, Grimm. Forever and always."