Work Text:
‘So~ Kurosaki-san. When were you gonna tell us you had kids?’
‘Uhm…I—’
‘Yeah, man. I totally didn’t get those “dad” vibes from you.’
‘That’s because—’
‘I thought you hated children.’
‘What? No—’
‘Clearly not if he has two.’
‘Who’s the unlucky lady, Kurosaki-san?’
‘Oh Kami, you’re right!’
‘What else have you been hiding from us?!’
‘Well, it was good talking to you all,’ Ichigo said loudly, moving his mouse into position. ‘I really think we made good progress with that scene. We should be able to catch up with the schedule next week.’
‘Hey!’
‘Don’t ignore us!’
‘I wish you all a good weekend. If all goes well, I will be back in the office on Monday.’
‘Don’t think we will let this go, Kurosaki!’
‘Bye.’
‘You can’t escape us forever—’
Ichigo quickly exited the call, escaping the barrage of questions from his coworkers. The short little “hang-up” sound cue had not even finished playing when he clicked confirm to shut down the computer. While the monitor showed the various applications and programs closing, one by one, Ichigo heaved the heaviest sigh of his entire life, his head sinking into his awaiting hands, fingers delving into his hair. His headphones were already set aside on the desk.
Ichigo was beyond grateful that he had chosen to work from home today. If he had been at the office, he wouldn’t have been able to get out of the building before his coworkers got satisfying answers from him. He honestly wouldn’t put it past them to have kept him hostage for the whole weekend if that was what it took for him to spill the beans.
Now, he had two whole days to come up with a believable reason as to why there had been a child in his home calling him “tou-san”.
Ichigo only had himself to blame for this mess. If he had paid better attention to his phone, if he had actually looked where he’d clicked, if he had bothered to check on which setting his webcam had been on, then Getsu wouldn’t have had to improvise.
In the grand scheme of things, notwithstanding the amount of trouble this all would cause him on Monday, Ichigo was beyond thankful that Getsu had even noticed the microphone hadn’t been properly muted. Somehow, Ichigo suspects that having his coworkers overhear a child speak to him the way Getsu did would have been worse (not even thinking about their reactions to a child calling him “King” or “Aibō”).
But solving this issue could wait another day. Not only was Ichigo too mentally drained from work, but he also had more important things to do.
Like caring for two, forcibly materialised and regressed, Zanpakutō Spirits.
So far, the regression only seemed to apply to their physical appearance. Getsu had become the splitting image of Ichigo himself when he had been around three years old, and he guessed Tensa (yes, they weren’t in Bankai, but the name fit the appearance better) to be around the size of a five-year-old.
Something Getsu had thrown a minor fit over.
Which Tensa had found quite amusing.
And Getsu had taken offence to that and started a brawl that Ichigo had to rapidly de-escalate before his neighbours came knocking on his door.
Letting his fingers finish their route through his hair, Ichigo turned to look at the door of his office. Aside from their little fight, the two of them had behaved as well as he could have hoped. He never had any doubts that Tensa would be able to stay out of trouble. His Quincy-Zanpakutō had always been more aloof, preferring to spend his time in peace and solitude. He was more than content to spend the day reading or solving puzzles.
Getsu needed quite a bit more attention and entertainment to keep occupied. His Hollow-Zanpakutō was quite a bit more active than his other half and needed something to put his energy in, which was quite a challenge when he couldn’t go outside. Getsu did his best to be as less of a distraction as he could be while Ichigo worked, occupying himself with anything he could get his hands on—board games, Lego, puzzle books, television, bothering Tensa, and even running down the hall.
(Ichigo could hear him sometimes, when he ran past the door or bothered Tensa enough to warrant a shout. It made the apartment feel less empty. Less lonely.)
Checking on his phone, Ichigo noted two things. One, he needed to charge it soon. Two, it was almost time for his Zanpakutō to take their reishi “booster shots”, as Kisuke had called them.
*Gurgle.*
Make that three things. The third being that he needed food before his stomach started to contemplate auto-cannibalism.
I will check up on them first and then make some dinner, Ichigo decided.
Standing up and pocketing his phone, Ichigo opened up the door and stepped into the hallway—
It’s quiet.
If he had learned one thing from his sisters, it was that when they were quiet, it usually meant something was wrong. That they had done something they weren't supposed to and tried to. Even when they turned out to be napping, it signalled to them getting sick.
Whatever the reason was for the silence to reign so strongly within the walls of his apartment, Ichigo had a sinking feeling it would spell out extra work for him.
Closing the door behind him, Ichigo went to his bedroom. Tensa had taken to hiding away in there for some peace, and he wanted to check up on him first.
Giving the door a gentle knock in warning, Ichigo opened it and peered inside. He fully expected Tensa to be in bed, either reading or taking a nap. What Ichigo found instead was his bed stripped of its blankets and pillows—and no spirit.
Frowning, Ichigo opened the door further to take a proper look around the room. 'Tensa?' He looked behind the door and under the desk, Ichigo even checked the closet and under the bed.
But his Quincy-Zanpakutō wasn't in the room.
'Huh...' Ichigo had really expected Tensa to be here. Maybe they're together then, he mused. If that's the case, then maybe he shouldn't be worried. If Getsu tried to cause trouble, Tensa would keep him in line.
(Hopefully.)
Fortunately, his apartment wasn't the largest, so the number of places his spirits could be was limited.
On to the living room.
Shutting the door behind him once more, Ichigo took the seven steps down the tiny hall towards the living room.
And it was a mess.
There were blankets and pillows scattered on the floor, furniture had been moved, and the blinds were hanging askew behind half-closed curtains.
Ichigo actually had to take a physical step back, completely blindsided by the state of the room. Had he misjudged the severity of the situation? Had the regression gone deeper than simply their appearance? Had he, unknowingly, left a toddler and child unsupervised for six hours?
Shit.
‘Zangetsu?’ Ichigo looked around the room in search of the two spirits. His eyes flicked over the couches, searching for the mess of white and brown. He caught a glimpse of the dining area, noticed something odd, and turned his head that way.
Why were there bedsheets on his dining table?
Confused, Ichigo rounded the sofa against which the table was pushed up to, getting a better look at how the sheets were draped and why.
It took him a moment to realise what he was seeing, but once he did, he recognised the structure immediately.
A pillow fort.
His Zanpakutō has built a pillow fort.
That explained where the pillows and blankets went.
'Zangetsu?'
He hadn't heard a sound from either spirit in a while, and neither of them spoke up at hearing their shared name--which could only mean one thing (in Getsu's case at least).
Easing himself to his knees, Ichigo carefully pulled the sheet acting as a door aside and peered inside.
The pillow fort was beyond spacious for two spirits the size of a three and five-year-old child. They had used the dining table as the main structure, having moved it back against the couch so its back would become a sturdy wall. The dining chairs had been strategically arranged around the table to extend the space even further.
The flooring was made out of a mattress Ichigo was unsure where they had gotten it from, with a few layers of towels and sheets to make it even softer. Every pillow he owned had been smuggled in as well, each meticulously placed to build this bowl of softness that the owners of the fort could settle in comfortably.
And having settled in, they had.
Tensa sat on the left, eyes closed and breathing even. There was a book in his right hand, while his left was wrapped loosely around his other half.
Getsu had snuggled as close as he could get, curled up slightly to fit under the black coat he had clutched into his small hands. His head rested against Tensa's chest, listening to the steady beat of the other's heart.
Without much conscious thought, Ichigo reached into his back pocket and brought out his phone. He snapped a photo, looking at his screen in disbelief, he'd just taken a photo like this of his spirits. His thumb moved on its own, setting the photo as his background, knowing it would remain there until the day he died.
'Hng~'
A soft groan pulled Ichigo's gaze away from his phone, looking at the spirit who made the noise.
Large, bright, sapphire eyes stared blearily in Ichigo's direction through partially parted lashes, a slight frown marring his previously peaceful face.
'M...Meister?'
Tensa's voice was soft and a bit croaky from his short nap, yet Ichigo still grimaced at the address.
'Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.’
'It's....fine,’ Tensa slurred with a slight shake of his head. He let go of his tome, using his hand to rub his eyes free from sand one by one. 'Are you done with work?'
'Yeah, I just finished up.’ Ichigo pointed up and made a show of looking around the inside of the fort. 'I wondered why it's been so quiet. Guess the two of you enjoyed yourselves, huh?'
Tensa followed Ichigo's gaze, blinking slowly at the nest of pillows around him. Pink coloured his cheeks, 'We'll...we'll clean it up,' he promised.
Something in his chest ached at that response. 'I never doubted you would', Ichigo assured with a small smile he hoped didn't look too forced. 'But, uh...question: is this a "all is welcome" fort, or a "Zanpakutō only" fort?'
Tensa frowned, almost like he didn't quite understand the question. His eyes, still a bit unfocused, drifted around the fort as if the answer was hidden somewhere between the pillows.
'…Oh!' Tensa looked back at him, tired but smiling. He extended his free hand, gesturing for Ichigo to enter. 'You can—you can come in', he said with a hint of excitement in his voice. 'We made it...made it extra big.’
Ichigo's poor heart melted.
Carefully not to destroy the fort by accident, Ichigo crawled inside. He put the book near the entrance and made himself comfortable on Tensa's other side. The Quincy-Zanpakutō immediately leaned into him with a soft sigh, and Ichigo bit back a chuckle, wrapping an arm around the spirit's small frame.
'All that building must have really tired the two of you out.'
'Took more effort than we thought,’ he admitted. They had both severely miscalculated how cumbersome the pillows and blankets were with their short stature and limited strength. 'It was fun, though.’
'I take it was his idea?'
Tensa nodded against his side, 'Came in stealing all the blankets and pillows. Found him as he fell from a chair.’
'He fell?'
'On pillows, he's fine,’ Tensa dismissed with a yawn. 'Offered to help'.
The pride Ichigo felt at hearing that. He gently ruffled Tensa's hair, bending till he could plant a kiss on the spirit's crown. 'I'm glad you two had fun together.'
Happy-Iloveyoutwosomuch-pride.
Tensa relaxed against him with a soft sigh, eyes fluttering dangerously close to falling shut.
A soft groan, closer to a chirp in pitch, had Ichigo look over the spirit nestled against his side. Golden irises peered back at him with nigh a thought behind them, a strong blush on their freckled cheeks.
His Hollow-Zanpakutō, feared by so many in the Gotei Thirteen, looked like the most precious sleepy toddler Ichigo had ever seen. And he had seen his sisters (mainly, Yuzu) at that age.
'Hey there, Sleepy Head,’ Ichigo greeted, his own voice as soft as it was fond. ‘You wanna change pillow?'
Getsu uncurled from the small ball he’d made of himself and wiggled out from under Tensa's arm. This caused Tensa to rouse, looking up (with a small amount of panic) to see what his other half was up to. Only when he saw the other stumble his way to their shared master, dragging his loaned coat along, did Tensa relax again.
With his shorter legs and lingering drowsiness, the soft flooring was difficult to traverse. Getsu swayed with each step, arms flying up whenever his balance tipped too much to one side. But, through sheer stubbornness, Getsu traversed the treacherous terrain. Once in reach, Ichigo helped them settle against his other side.
This, however, was not satisfactory.
Getsu immediately clambered onto his wielder, taking place on Ichigo’s lap and lying against his chest—much to Ichigo’s amusement.
‘Hm.’ Getsu looked at their other half and reached out with their hand, waving it at Tensa with increasingly insistent hums. ‘Hn. Hn!’
Tensa did not even look up at the noise, blindly reaching up a hand to take the one extended to him. Getsu ceased fussing.
Ichigo smiled, a genuine one this time. He pressed a kiss to Getsu's crown as well, feeling them start to purr softly. With his other hand, he patted the wavy mess of dark tresses back in order. Tensa hummed, sleep swiftly reclaiming him as well.
He was still hungry. He still needed to make sure his spirits had their booster shots, check if their regressed state was getting worse, and craft a believable lie before Monday.
But his stomach could wait. The lie could wait, and his phone would go off in thirty minutes to remind him of the shots.
So for now, for these next thirty minutes, Ichigo was more than content to ruin his back if it meant he could spend this moment like this.
#
The End