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There was so much warmth in December.
Blood could rise to people’s cheeks and they had reasons to hug each other that didn’t need to be explained, and Ken loved it all dearly. The cold air always got things going. Even the barren trees and grayed skies were charming if given a chance, and they were still something like a genesis-- they were waiting to bloom again. They would bloom again.
December was more than nature's slumber, though; life still persisted in winter, even for people. Perhaps for ghouls most of all, who knew well the feeling of living through the cold, the waiting of winter was something like incubation. Time had started over and they had another chance.
Kaneki Ken had lived in winter for long enough. He had been born in December, and though he lived through many new lives, his life now was the ultimate chance. Nearly everything before had been getting hurt and then hurting and now was a new winter--
His new family.
Ken named her Ichika. His and Touka's first bloom. Shuu and Hinami especially seemed to recognize the sentiment best, with their own love of flowers. Ichika was not named for any one plant or blossom; she was everything the new parents had lived for and persisted to finally meet. A new bloom for a new year.
"I don't think it's fair that she's this cute," Hide chuckled when he looked down at the little bundle in Ken's arms. He stood next to his best friend and glanced up at Touka who was still in bed, grinning with his eyes at the little family. As godfather, Hide was excited to hold the baby, but her father was quite smitten already and still hadn't let go.
"She is quite perfect, isn't she?" he smiled, crinkling his eyes at Ichika. His grip on her was gentle, as expected, though it was also very firm-- no one could seem to pry him away from his daughter yet. Touka noticed.
She grumbled tiredly at him, "You know you have to share, right? Just because she was inside me for all those months doesn't mean I don't want to hold my daughter in my arms, Ken." Ken made something like a pout with his mouth, scrunching his nose in vague guilt and stubbornness, and then sighed. "Hug her close, okay?" he said.
Hide laughed at Touka's incredulous face. She was tired, but awake enough to glare at her husband before letting her eyes fall to her daughter as Ken cautiously lowered her into Touka's waiting arms. Almost instantly the mother's face relaxed into the purest look of love Ken had ever seen, and he could feel the tears welling up again, even as Hide nudged him with a sly expression.
"I think she's my favorite. Better than you, Kaneki," he teased, but Ken laughed without offense. "She's my favorite, too," he said quietly. "I hope she doesn't mind that her birthday is so close to mine. It's almost Christmas, too. She'll have so many presents," he added, sounding somewhat worried.
Touka grinned up at the two men. She looked back down to little Ichika and hummed softly as she swayed slightly from side to side. The baby was still sleeping, tired from her big day, and Touka was excited for her to open her eyes again even if it meant she had to wake up. She was delighted when she had seen them for the first time-- they were just like her father's. A beautiful gray, not unlike storm clouds but still warm with rich color.
It was just Hide with them now, but all of Ichika's other aunts and uncles--everyone who had met her so far had come to the same conclusion that she was rather amazing--had come by earlier and gushed for as long as they could stay before leaving. Ayato had perhaps been the funniest; after Hinami teased him about how much he already loved his niece, Hide had latched on and asked brightly "When can she meet her baby cousin?", to which the ghoul had sputtered quite oddly, as though his mouth wasn't designed for such noises. Hinami took it in stride, as expected, and nudged Ayato with an easygoing look that might have maybe suggested anytime he wants. Ayato was not terribly fond of Hide yet.
The parents were tired like their baby, so when Hide left them to bond, Ken laid down next to Touka and Ichika. The bed was comfortable, but most of his comfort was from the two people beside him. How odd that he could feel like this. So long he had been without something as standard as family. It had been too many years since he understood being a child himself and now he was laying next to his own. His first bloom. Ichika-chan. Getting hurt and hurting others didn't have to be in the rules anymore.
He had so much love to give now, and somehow, after everything, he was being given love.
Ichika darted to her father, gripping her hands tightly in excitement and just barely containing her little giggles. He smiled warmly as she climbed into his lap, hugging her close and laughing quietly when she nuzzled her nose onto his own like an energetic cat. Her little brother was in her mother's arms, rocking away slowly as the family sat at the edge of the park's meadow.
"Papa! I got you a present!" she grinned widely. Unable to contain her anticipation, she opened her palms and showed him a handful of irises that she must have plucked from a flower patch. Without waiting for his reply, she reached up to his hair and began to weave the flowers through as precisely as she could, around his left ear and next to his eye. Her father was still as she did this, like he always was.
When Ichika was content with her work, she sat back in his lap and looked up with wonder. She loved putting flowers in his hair. Her mother often told her that she was their first bloom and the little girl took it to heart.
Her father giggled, seeming touched by her gesture like he always did. Ichika gave him another hug and hopped down, calling out, "Now I need one for Mama!"
She went back to the meadow in a hurry, leaving her mother to glance at her father with a smirk. "It's a good thing she's around to keep you pretty. It suits your scars," she teased. Ken sighed, still smiling, and reached down to brush his son's hair from his forehead as he napped away. "Your sister is good at making things pretty, huh, son? I think Mama needs to learn from her."
He yelped as Touka nudged him roughly and she hugged her son closer. Ken glared at her for all of a second before softening his gaze and smiling again. He grabbed her hand that wasn't supporting the baby and entwined their fingers, leaning over to peck at her pout.
The little family huddled close as Ichika went back and forth with the flowers she found and graciously let her adorn them. Ichika-chan was serious, too, when it came to being her family's bloom.