Epilogue

Love's Embrace

Two Years Later

Panting for breath, neither of them seemed to be able to catch it.

"You're sure?" Shūhei whispered in the darkness of their house as he pinned Ichigo to the wall just inside the door.

Both were a mess. They'd just had their bonding ceremony, and everyone had come to watch it. For one short moment, threats and the world around them didn't matter, and all that seemed to make a difference was the two of them making their lives together, for however long they wanted. The ceremony had been extra taxing on both of them since there had been a wedding in the World of the Living followed by the bonding ceremony in Soul Society. Neither of them wanted to leave their friends and families out of things.

It had taken some getting used to for many of the people in Ichigo's life. At first, his human friends were suspicious of the sudden appearance of the dark haired, tattooed, delinquent looking man that Ichigo pronounced his engagement to. Keigo had refused to like him, and Mizuiro had simply told Ichigo he needed to ditch him since he looked like a wannabe Yakuza enforcer. Ichigo had laughed them off and promised that Shūhei was nothing like that. Of course, his friends that knew Shūhei encouraged others to get along with him. Shūhei had been amazed at all the things the World of the Living had to offer and had been happy to be there with Ichigo.

Shūhei had to frequently go back and forth between the two places, and Ichigo would often go with him. The extended absences were always questioned but Isshin played things off as just them gallivanting around for Shūhei's job. This made his human friends think Shūhei was a Yakuza even more than before.

As for Soul Society, Ichigo slowly integrated himself into their world, and soon didn't know what things would be life without his strange double life of living between the two worlds.

Now, as Shūhei pinned him to the wall and kissed his neck, he knew why he wanted to complete their union.

In two years, the two had yet to go "all the way". Mostly, it was Shūhei's insistence that they wait until Ichigo was ready, but Ichigo tried, desperately, to push the issue. So, they came to a compromise. They would wait until after the wedding was done, then see how things went. Well, Ichigo was done waiting. They had played around, but nothing more than some frotting here and there, and he was about done hiding in the bathroom fingering himself when he was wanting Shūhei to do something more. No, today was the end of Ichigo's patience with his overly patient and worried partner. Two years was long enough.

"I'm fucking sure, Shu. Two years. Two fucking years you've put me off, now. Today is my wedding day and you are damn well going to fuck me," he gasped as he felt Shūhei glide his hands down his back to rest on the swell of his ass.

"Fine, but if you regret it, I'll never forgive myself," Shūhei breathed into his neck as he nibbled the chords of muscle on his shoulders.

"Just get on with it," Ichigo growled, reaching down and pulling Shūhei's hips toward his crotch and his hardness.

Shūhei smiled against him and lifted him up with ease.

"You asked for it," he breathed and before Ichigo knew it they were in the bedroom and half stripped of their formal robes. He arched as Shūhei took his time, tracing fingers over every inch of exposed flesh as he undressed him.

"Come on…" Ichigo grumbled as he was suddenly flipped to his belly with an oof.

Shūhei's fingers slipped down and pressed against him and he whimpered in anticipation. He just wanted him to hurry. After everything that had happened two years ago, he just wanted to feel good with him. He knew that it wouldn't be like the abuse he suffered, and he knew that in the future there would be not good days when he wouldn't be able to do this, but today he could. Today his head was where it needed to be and it felt like he was…

"Oi! What are you doing that's dirty, don't put your tongue…there…" he couldn't hold out though as Shūhei's wicked tongue slid around his entrance and then probed it gently. Dirty or not, that felt like the most fantastic thing in the world.

He felt him lean up and then the cool slip of the gel on his fingers as he slid one into him. "Are you okay with it?" he asked, and Ichigo resisted the urge to scream. He knew it would be this way, but he was ready, dammit.

"Fine, more," he panted instead, fisting the sheets and curling his toes as Shūhei slid a second finger into him and crooked them just right to strike his prostate. He let out an inhuman sounding sound and buried his face in the sheets. It was so much better than just jerking each other off, and he had known it would be.

Shūhei slipped a third finger into him and he winced into the sheets at the tugging sensation and slight burn. It wasn't bad, though. He liked it quite a bit, and he had a feeling that eventually, he would want Shūhei to be rougher with him, but for now…this was fine. He suddenly was flipped to his back and looking up into Shūhei's searching eyes.

"Ah, what are you doing?" he asked, tears already in his eyes.

"You're crying, should I stop?" he asked.

"N-no!" Ichigo gasped, shaking his head. "Just intense, keep going, please!"

"Alright, but if you're in pain, tell me, okay?" Shūhei told him and Ichigo just reached up and caressed his face, smiling.

"I know, I know, just go, I want you to fuck me into this bed tonight, and I want to feel it in the morning," he whispered and licked his lips.

He saw the reaction instantly. Shūhei's eyes blew out the rest of the way in lust and Ichigo felt him line himself up against him. A second later and Ichigo screamed as he slipped all the way into him with ease. Shūhei paused, buried to the hilt in him and panted, clinging to restraint.

"You…came from that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo was slightly embarrassed but he smirked at him. "Felt good, and waited two years, so get on with it, I'm already getting hard again…"

They found out soon that both had stamina to spare, and by morning, neither could peel their eyes open when the sun rose. Ichigo woke for a while, arms and legs entangled in Shūhei's, and he smiled. No, every day wouldn't be easy, but from now on they'd be together as long as they wanted. And Shūhei had the patience to go through all the bumps and jumps along the way with him. Ichigo leaned over, kissing the tattooed 69 on Shūhei's face, and realized that this was what love was. And it was okay as long as they had each other.