Assumptions

Chapter 5

By: eternalsailorsolarwind AKA youkai_girl

Disclaimer: Bleach and all of its characters are owned by Tite Kubo, his Japanese publishers, and Viz. I only play with them for grins and giggles.

A/N: And finally, we come to the end. Will they or won't they? Alternating viewpoints. Byakuya/Ichigo.

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"So talk then."

Kuchiki Byakuya barely managed to hold onto his serene façade. The other man stood before him, nonchalantly placing his zanpaktou on his back. As if Ichigo had not just been sparring with its manifested form right before his arrival in this cavern. For a distraction.

If it hadn't been for the shadow lurking behind the other captain's brown eyes, Byakuya would have simply left at the belligerent tone. But he had seen something very different in those same eyes only hours earlier; the same thing that brought him here now. So he disregarded the tone, and followed the suggestion instead.

"What happened in my office this morning – and the other night – must be dealt with, Kurosaki Ichigo. You know this." The noble watched the former ryoka carefully. Ichigo was still full of surprises, even after all these years. It never hurt to be prepared for anything.

"Yes," agreed the other man, nodding his head. He crossed his arms, drawing Byakuya's attention to the sections of well-muscled chest that the tears and rents in the shihakusho and haori highlighted. "We do."

After a moment, the raven-haired noble glanced away. For all his status, Kuchiki Byakuya was still a man. He could hold out against temptation for only so long.

"So tell me, Byakuya," said Ichigo calmly, "what are we going to do about it. From where I stand, we have two choices."

Byakuya focused on the younger man's face. "Go on."

Watching the ever-scowling visage of the Vaizard was easier - and safer - than letting his stormy eyes slip south towards other body parts that he could only imagine. Finally acknowledging his attraction to Ichigo had stripped him of many safeguards.

"One, we go with what's happening between us. See where it takes us – dates, sex, whatever."

Byakuya fought not to cringe at the dry, clinical tone of Ichigo's voice. It clashed with the hot, smoldering gaze that the other man pinned him with. The look that made his throat go dry with needs and desires he had long tried to bury. "And…the other?"

"Pretend it never happened. Never talk about it again. Just close and lock that door, and walk away," rasped the former ryoka, his voice suddenly hoarse. "I know which one I want. What about you?"

Ichigo stared at the noble, waiting for his decision. He hated waiting; patience was just another word in the dictionary for him. Even worse, he was deliberately giving Byakuya the power to make this decision for him. Letting someone else – no matter how important a person in his life – decide the rest of his life for him.

The last time he'd done that, his mother was still alive.

But even then, his friends and family could still influence his decisions. No man was ever really an island, and Ichigo had never wanted to be one. Even Shirosaki and Zangetsu had some input, when things were all said and done (however little he listened to the Hollow).

All decisions were his own, though. No one else's.

The captain wondered if Byakuya would understand what he'd said; the implicit offer on the table. This was hardly their first – even their hundredth – meeting. Over the years, he and the noble had bumped up against each other often. Butting heads most of the time until Ichigo accepted the offered captain's post after the war. For some reason, that had eased a lot of the other captain's animosity towards him.

But whatever the reason, Ichigo had just told the raven-haired man what their options were as he saw them – as well as his preference. Now it was up to the noble, who was doing an unconvincing job of trying not to appear like a deer caught in the headlights. The Vaizard had learned – somewhat – how to read the stoic captain's moods. It was all in the eyes.

Which were currently wide and dialated. Ichigo did not think Byakuya would bolt under the pressure of this decision, but every person had a breaking point. Even Kuchiki Byakuya. Whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Ichigo hoped that throwing the decision on to the other man's shoulders wouldn't backfire on him. He was sure that the noble expected him to bull his way through the situation until he got the outcome he wanted, since that was his usual method. Come to think of it, it usually worked.

Not this time, however. Byakuya had to decide. Relationship or not? Lovers, or just co-workers? The former ryoka knew that he couldn't push past the noble on this; give him some options, sure. But the final choice was the other captain's.

Fighting not to tap the toe of his sandals impatiently, the newest captain ran a hand though his spiky orange hair. "Well?"

The impatient question snapped Byakuya out of his momentary stupor. Irritated that the other man expected him to make a snap decision on such an important thing, the noble nearly lost his composure. After a brief struggle, long practice won out, and he was able to respond. "Do you know what you are asking of me, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Surprisingly, his former enemy nodded once, his petulance receding. "Maybe the better question is, do you understand what I'm asking of you, Byakuya?"

Confused, the noble arched an eyebrow. It was the same question.

A faint smile appeared on Ichigo's face. Seeing any smile on the former ryoka's face was rare, and did strange and unusual things to Byakuya when he saw one. It took every ounce of his self-control to pay attention.

"Look, Byakuya, I get it. In case you forgot, I was there on Sokyoku Hill when you told Rukia why you adopted her."

There was no pity in those brown eyes, the noble realized. Knowledge, of course. But all the captain could see in Ichigo's eyes was…Ichigo. Just Ichigo.

Ichigo held the smile while Byakuya stared at him. The noble could be predictable sometimes. It was rare to see the other man this vulnerable, but he had to get the other man to understand. While the raven-haired captain knew Ichigo cared little about power and prestige for their own sake, he didn't understand what that meant to him personally.

"You idiot," breathed the Vaizard. "I never cared that you were Kuchiki Byakuya – captain-of-the-Sixth-Division-head-of-the-noble-house-of-Kuchiki, et cetera. All of your titles mean nothing to me. Never have. Never will."

Byakuya stared at Ichigo. Had the other man actually said what he thought he'd heard? All of the trappings of rank…meant nothing to the former ryoka. It shocked him. Who cared nothing –.

The memories of the immediate aftermath of their battle on Sokyoku Hill came back to the noble, and Byakuya realized that the other captain was right – he was indeed an idiot.

"Then what…what does matter to you?"

Needing this answer too badly, the noble did not even wince at the slight hesitation in his question; the hope in his voice. He needed to hear Ichigo actually say it.

As Ichigo watched, the noble's eyes deepened to a shade of gray so dark it was nearly black. The captain had seen storms form many times in those eyes; the only place Byakuya's emotions ever showed. The time, however, were no storms. The emotions churning behind that cracking mask were hotter; roiling volcano about to blow.

Ichigo wanted that explosion; wanted to feel the heat that Byakuya kept banked spill onto him. So he answered the question. "You matter. Kuchiki Byakuya, the man who loves his sister. Kuchiki Byakuya, the man who shows his kindness to Yachiru by allowing her to eat his candy and play with his hair. Kuchiki Byakuya the man behind the noble mask.

"That's who I care for."

For the first time since cultivating the stoic façade he showed to the world – built right after Yoruichi and Urahara fled Soul Society – Byakuya released it; letting it fall away to reveal what he felt. It was freeing, it felt marvelous; his cheeks ached.

For the first time in over one hundred years, Kuchiki Byakuya smiled.

From the moment they'd met, Ichigo knew Byakuya was handsome. It had taken years for the former ryoka to realize his attraction to the other man (nearly being killed by him might have had something to do with that). But even before he'd admitted to himself his desire for the noble, Ichigo had always wondered what it would be like to see Byakuya smile. He wanted to see if it was possible to make the captain even more handsome.

It did.

Ichigo just stood and stared for a minute, partly in shock, and partly just to commit it to memory. "Wow."

"Wow," asked Byakuya curiously, his eyebrow arched.

"Yeah, seriously, Byakuya…wow." Ichigo could be honest, even if he was tongue-tied by the sight before him. "I've never seen you smile before, and it's just…you look…wow."

All the captain could do was gape as the small smile widened a fraction at his words. He was disappointed when the smile disappeared and the noble reached up to rub at his cheeks, dove grey eyes full of amusement.

"You will have to excuse me, but it has been…awhile since I've had reason to smile," said Byakuya. "Decades, actually."

The admission saddened Ichigo, but based on earlier comments and conversations with others, he wasn't surprised. He wanted to see the other man smile more, and told him so.

"I want to be the one to give you a reason to smile. I want to make you happy."

It was Byakuya's turn to stare at the other man. No one had ever wanted him to smile before; wanted to make him happy. Those desires were incompatible with his role in life: head of the noble house of Kuchiki and a captain in Gotei 13. Or at least, they were supposed to be. Now, he wasn't so sure. "You want me to be happy."

"Of course I do!"

Kurosaki Ichigo closed the short distance between them. His deep brown eyes blazed with passion, staring directly into Byakuya's grey ones. "Even a noble can be happy. It's not your birthright to be miserable.

"Stop pushing me away, and allow someone – me – to love you."

The noble wondered if it was really that simple. Byakuya's mind cast itself back to every couple he'd ever met and realized that the former ryoka was right. The only way was to let someone – Ichigo – in.

Hesitant, he asked, "Do you…."

"Yes."

The answer to the unfinished question was gentle, yet firm. As was the kiss. Warm and deep as the finest hot cocoa on a winter's night, this time, Byakuya was ready. Meeting Ichigo halfway, the captain responded eagerly and in kind. A low, contented purr slid through him as the noble let go of his oldest assumption: that no one could ever want him – love him – as just Byakuya. Now that he knew that Ichigo could, he was free to reciprocate fully.

Finally, thought Ichigo, as Byakuya returned the kiss willingly and eagerly. Now we can both be happy – together.