WiP- IchiHitsu Secret Santa, Part 1

"Kurosaki, you should be spending this time with your family." Hitsugaya's breath frosted on the cool night air as he protested yet again. He tilted his head back and looked out at the falling snow and the white moon in a Chesire cat's smile.
Not with me. Ichigo stared at the small shinigami's back, immediately catching Toshirou's implication. He frowned, upset at his boyfriend of several years distancing himself from Ichigo's family- and from Ichigo himself.  He had called him Kurosaki, not Ichigo.  It had taken a very persistant, determined Ichigo over a year of hard work to get Toshiruo to call him Ichigo, instead of Kurosaki.  It had taken slightly longer than that for Ichigo to earn the privilege of calling the petite ice wielder Toshirou without getting his head bit off. Now, he was- and had been for the last three months- campaigning to call his lover by a nickname and endearment, instead of always calling him Toshirou.
Silence hung between them, Hitsugaya pushing for an emotional distance that came out of the blue, on New Year's Eve of all nights. It was emotional ground that Ichigo refused to give, eventhough he was confused by his love's actions.  Their relationship had bee progressing well- they had been together for over two years and had grown so close that Ichigo had a ring in his pocket and a very important question for Toshirou.
Ichigo's family had welcomed Toshirou with open arms, and Toshirou, though a bit prickly at first, had eventually found his place amongst them. It was usually sitting next to Karin, sharing  snarky remarks mostly at Ichigo's, and sometimes his father's, expense.  Hitsugaya had come to the Kurosaki family New Year's Eve dinner- he was now part of the Kurosaki household, so of course he would come. He came for birthday dinners and other holidays as well. But tonight...
The shinigami couple had spent every New Year's since they were together with Ichigo's father and his two little sisters. Hitsugaya was always a little odd on those nights- a little more reserved, pushing Ichigo to focus his attention on his blood relatives. It was a subtle thing, and Ichigo never really gave it much thought. Hitsugaya had behaved the same way with his family tonight.  
Until Ichigo had taken his hand, and pulled him away from the family.  They had put their coats on and went for a walk in a fairly deserted part of Karakura town. Hitsugaya had prostested rather sharply and had practically snarled at Ichigo until the taller man had pulled him close and whispered softly in his ear about needing to tell him something. In private. However, Hitsugaya's unexplained anger put a bitter wall of frost between them. Before Ichigo could open his heart to Hitsugaya, he needed to hammer through the ice surrounding Hitsugaya's heart.
"Don't you know by now? You are part of my family. Shiro-chan." Ichigo's voice was soft.
Hitsugaya flinched, his slim shoulders slumping in before straightening. "That's....not what I meant." He made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "We were together on Christmas. This- this is New Year's. You should be with them."  Christmas in Japan was very different from in the West; it was more of a lover's holiday, almost like a western Valentine's Day. There was no Christmas vacation or holiday; but there was time off for the New Year's holiday, a time for family and renewal.
They spent every New Year's with the Kurosakis.  Ichigo had only asked once about Hitsugaya's family.  A dark storm brewed in those large turquoise eyes before Hitsugaya had looked away, brushed the issue aside with a sweep of his hand, and said it didn't matter- he usually just worked, anyway. Then he had let his sweater slip off one shoulder, revealing his soft white skin and turned back to Ichigo with his pink lips in a sultry smirk, his eyes hidden by his lowered lashes. Ichigo knew that smirk- knew what it meant, and had happily tackled Hitsugaya on the bed, shedding clothes as they went and tasted every delectable inch of the petite taichou.
Any further attempts Ichigo ever made about Hitsugaya's family were just brushed aside with a callous wave of one dainty hand. Ichigo knew about Hitsugaya's mentally-deranged sister Hinamori, and that Hitsugaya was secretly a total grandma's boy- though that information came from a drunken Matsumoto. Sometimes, Ichigo wondered why Hitsugaya never talked about them much, and why he never spent holidays with them. He knew, for whatever reason, it was a deeply painful subject- as close as he and Hitsugaya were, it was one of the few things clam-like Hitsugaya kept firmly quiet on.
Ichigo couldn't help but feel that Hitsugaya getting pissed at Ichigo for leaving his family, and Hitsugaya's own family, were somehow related.
Ichigo walked several steps forward, closing the physical distance Hitsugaya had put between them, and leaned down to wrap his arms around Hitsugaya's smaller frame, pulling him back into his chest.  Ichigo kissed his cheek and felt Hitsugaya stiffen. "I'm not ignoring them. They know- I talked to them earlier. Its alright."
Hitsugaya struggled to get away, but Ichigo only held on tighter. Hitsugaya was a formible fighter, but Ichigo was bigger, and had superior body strength. Hitsugaya was trapped in Ichigo's arms.  His soft lips twisted in a silent snarl.  "Let me go, Kurosaki."
"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"I told you what's wrong!" Hitsugaya elbowed Ichigo hard in the ribs; Ichigo only grunted at the pain and refused to release him.  Before the shorter male could kick, Ichigo lifted Hitsugaya off the ground so that his feet lashed out at the air.
"KUROSAKI!!!" Hitsugaya roared and struggled, trying to thrash against the vice-like hold around him.
Ichigo grit his teeth and refused to relent, eventhough he'd be covered in bruises tomorrow morning.
" What the fuck is wrong with you, Toshirou?!"
"Piss off!"  Hitsugaya managed to twist around and lashed out with one small foot in a vicious hook kick. Ichigo twisted with it, moving with Hitsugaya's momentum and his foot just sailed through empty air. Feeling Ichigo off-balance, Hitsugaya thrashed to the other side.  The arms around him tightened even more, and it became hard to breathe. Ichigo moved with him again, bending and flowing around Hitsugaya's struggles but never yielding, keeping him captive and suspended in his arms.
Ichigo's foot slipped on the edge of the curb. He caught himself, but the couple toppled sideways into the metal pole of the streetlight. Ichigo's arm and Hitsugaya's head hit off it.  Ichigo winced and grunted in pain. Hitsugaya made no noise and went slack in Ichigo's arms.