Tsuzuki bounced down the hall excitedly. He barely had to look at the apartment numbers; he could find the right one in his sleep if he wanted. After all, he came here nearly every morning to pick up his partner. It wasn't so much that Hisoka need picking up. The boy was perfectly capable of walking to work by himself. But his apartment was on the way to the office from Tsuzuki's, and said man seemed to snatch at any chance to see Hisoka he could get.
Tsuzuki found the correct door, and knocked sharply.
"Hiiiisoookaaaa!" Tsuzuki trilled. He heard a muffled greeting through the door, so he opened it.
"Good morning Hisoka!" Tsuzuki greeted the boy enthusiastically. Hisoka stuck his head out of the kitchen.
"I'll be done in a sec." he mumbled, still half asleep. Tsuzuki shifted awkwardly in his spot in the doorway. He wasn't sure if Hisoka had invited him in, and he didn't want to push his luck with the boy so early in the morning. Hisoka was NOT a morning person.
Hisoka noticed Tsuzuki fidgeting.
"Idiot, come in and shut the door." He said firmly. "I'm making some coffee."
"They have coffee at the office." Tsuzuki said, slightly confused.
"Sure, but it's not safe for human consumption." Hisoka reminded him wryly.
Tsuzuki wandered into the living room, and sat down on the small, neat couch. His eyes wandered around the room, resting first on the large bookshelf, then on the overstuffed armchair. He noticed a small table with a few photographs of himself, and the other shinigami. Tsuzuki smiled seeing the photos; Hisoka as a rule was not generally sentimental.
Suddenly, Tsuzuki was drawn back into reality as something warm and furry leapt into his lap, and began to purr.
Tsuzuki blinked.
It was small calico cat, with pale green eyes. It was sitting in his lap, and it placed its front paws on his chest. It stretched, purring loudly and kneading at Tsuzuki's front. Instinctively, Tsuzuki let the cat sniff his hand, then he stroked it down its back. The feline rubbed its head against his hand.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked warily. Hisoka walked out of the kitchen, holding two cups of coffee.
"What?" Hisoka asked, setting a cup down in front of Tsuzuki. He settled himself in the armchair.
"Do you have a cat?" Tsuzuki questioned, pointing at said animal. Hisoka raised an eyebrow.
"No. It's all in your mind." He answered sarcastically. Tsuzuki grinned sheepishly, and snuggled the cat closer. It rubbed its head against him again, and stretched as if to say, 'See? Aren't I beautiful?'
"What's its name?" He asked. Tsuzuki was very fond of animals. Hisoka sipped his coffee casually.
"Her name is Ryoshi." He said. "Watch out, she'll drink your coffee." He warned, as Ryoshi headed for the cup on the coffee table. Tsuzuki snatched it up.
"I didn't know you had a cat. You've never mentioned her." Tsuzuki asked. Secretly, he was amused. Hisoka had named the cat Ryoshi, which meant huntress. He was obviously very fond of the feline, to give her such a dignified name.
"You never asked." Hisoka shrugged. Tsuzuki remembered when the boy had answered the same way when Tsuzuki discovered his noble family lineage. Honestly, though, he found the cat a bit more interesting.
"Where'd you get her?" he asked. Ryoshi hopped off the coffee table, and headed for Hisoka. She leapt onto the arm of the chair, and sat down expectantly.
"Wakaba gave her to me. She didn't think it was right for me to live alone, when I was nearly the same age as her. She has two dogs, you know. She got the first one, and then felt bad that it had to be alone while she worked, so she got a second one. And she said I seemed like more of a cat person, so she got me Ryoshi." As Hisoka explained, he absently dipped his pinky finger into his coffee. He then held the finger out to the waiting cat, and she licked the drink off.
Tsuzuki smiled at this gentle interaction with the cat. Personally, he'd always thought Hisoka was oddly feline. The boy was aloof and cool, but was really quite nice to have around once you got close to him. And sometimes, Tsuzuki half expected the boy to purr.
"She's really beautiful." Tsuzuki said, admiring the cat's tri-colored coat. Hisoka nodded once in agreement.
"She's a calico. True calicos are always female, apparently." He answered, his eyes following the animal. Tsuzuki noticed the steady stare, almost predatory. It was yet another quality the boy shared with the cat; both of them could stare anyone down with their large, green eyes.
Hisoka took one last sip of his coffee, and stood.
"We should get going, or we'll be late." He told Tsuzuki. The man nodded, and picked up his cup. As he stood, Ryoshi mewed in a disgruntled tone. Tsuzuki stroked her on the head. Hisoka rolled his eyes at the cat.
"I already fed you, and you can't have coffee." He told the cat. She turned her eyes on him, and meowed pitifully. Hisoka eyed her momentarily. Green glare met green glare as they stared at each other, willing their opposite to bend.
Ryoshi cocked her head and meowed again.
Hisoka lost.
"Oh FINE." He said, pretending to be annoyed. To Tsuzuki, it was fairly obvious that the boy was amused at the cat's behavior. The boy went to the kitchen and took a saucer from one of the cupboards. He poured a few drops of cold coffee into it, then set it on the counter. Ryoshi leapt up and pounced on the dish.
"If you spend the rest of the day bouncing off the walls, it's not my fault." He informed her. He then turned to Tsuzuki.
"Let's go."
Tsuzuki nodded, and followed Hisoka to the door. Before he closed it behind him though, he took one last peek in the direction of the cat.
Ryoshi waltzed out of the kitchen, and looked Tsuzuki straight in the eye, and winked one large, emerald eye. Then she purred, her tail twitching.
"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka called. "Let's go."
Tsuzuki yelped, and shut the door, scampering after his partner.
Ryoshi watched the door shut. She cocked her head, and her mouth curved into a feline smile. Then she walked off to hunt dust bunnies and pull all the toilet paper off the roll. Coffee always put her in such a good mood…
Tsuzuki found the correct door, and knocked sharply.
"Hiiiisoookaaaa!" Tsuzuki trilled. He heard a muffled greeting through the door, so he opened it.
"Good morning Hisoka!" Tsuzuki greeted the boy enthusiastically. Hisoka stuck his head out of the kitchen.
"I'll be done in a sec." he mumbled, still half asleep. Tsuzuki shifted awkwardly in his spot in the doorway. He wasn't sure if Hisoka had invited him in, and he didn't want to push his luck with the boy so early in the morning. Hisoka was NOT a morning person.
Hisoka noticed Tsuzuki fidgeting.
"Idiot, come in and shut the door." He said firmly. "I'm making some coffee."
"They have coffee at the office." Tsuzuki said, slightly confused.
"Sure, but it's not safe for human consumption." Hisoka reminded him wryly.
Tsuzuki wandered into the living room, and sat down on the small, neat couch. His eyes wandered around the room, resting first on the large bookshelf, then on the overstuffed armchair. He noticed a small table with a few photographs of himself, and the other shinigami. Tsuzuki smiled seeing the photos; Hisoka as a rule was not generally sentimental.
Suddenly, Tsuzuki was drawn back into reality as something warm and furry leapt into his lap, and began to purr.
Tsuzuki blinked.
It was small calico cat, with pale green eyes. It was sitting in his lap, and it placed its front paws on his chest. It stretched, purring loudly and kneading at Tsuzuki's front. Instinctively, Tsuzuki let the cat sniff his hand, then he stroked it down its back. The feline rubbed its head against his hand.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked warily. Hisoka walked out of the kitchen, holding two cups of coffee.
"What?" Hisoka asked, setting a cup down in front of Tsuzuki. He settled himself in the armchair.
"Do you have a cat?" Tsuzuki questioned, pointing at said animal. Hisoka raised an eyebrow.
"No. It's all in your mind." He answered sarcastically. Tsuzuki grinned sheepishly, and snuggled the cat closer. It rubbed its head against him again, and stretched as if to say, 'See? Aren't I beautiful?'
"What's its name?" He asked. Tsuzuki was very fond of animals. Hisoka sipped his coffee casually.
"Her name is Ryoshi." He said. "Watch out, she'll drink your coffee." He warned, as Ryoshi headed for the cup on the coffee table. Tsuzuki snatched it up.
"I didn't know you had a cat. You've never mentioned her." Tsuzuki asked. Secretly, he was amused. Hisoka had named the cat Ryoshi, which meant huntress. He was obviously very fond of the feline, to give her such a dignified name.
"You never asked." Hisoka shrugged. Tsuzuki remembered when the boy had answered the same way when Tsuzuki discovered his noble family lineage. Honestly, though, he found the cat a bit more interesting.
"Where'd you get her?" he asked. Ryoshi hopped off the coffee table, and headed for Hisoka. She leapt onto the arm of the chair, and sat down expectantly.
"Wakaba gave her to me. She didn't think it was right for me to live alone, when I was nearly the same age as her. She has two dogs, you know. She got the first one, and then felt bad that it had to be alone while she worked, so she got a second one. And she said I seemed like more of a cat person, so she got me Ryoshi." As Hisoka explained, he absently dipped his pinky finger into his coffee. He then held the finger out to the waiting cat, and she licked the drink off.
Tsuzuki smiled at this gentle interaction with the cat. Personally, he'd always thought Hisoka was oddly feline. The boy was aloof and cool, but was really quite nice to have around once you got close to him. And sometimes, Tsuzuki half expected the boy to purr.
"She's really beautiful." Tsuzuki said, admiring the cat's tri-colored coat. Hisoka nodded once in agreement.
"She's a calico. True calicos are always female, apparently." He answered, his eyes following the animal. Tsuzuki noticed the steady stare, almost predatory. It was yet another quality the boy shared with the cat; both of them could stare anyone down with their large, green eyes.
Hisoka took one last sip of his coffee, and stood.
"We should get going, or we'll be late." He told Tsuzuki. The man nodded, and picked up his cup. As he stood, Ryoshi mewed in a disgruntled tone. Tsuzuki stroked her on the head. Hisoka rolled his eyes at the cat.
"I already fed you, and you can't have coffee." He told the cat. She turned her eyes on him, and meowed pitifully. Hisoka eyed her momentarily. Green glare met green glare as they stared at each other, willing their opposite to bend.
Ryoshi cocked her head and meowed again.
Hisoka lost.
"Oh FINE." He said, pretending to be annoyed. To Tsuzuki, it was fairly obvious that the boy was amused at the cat's behavior. The boy went to the kitchen and took a saucer from one of the cupboards. He poured a few drops of cold coffee into it, then set it on the counter. Ryoshi leapt up and pounced on the dish.
"If you spend the rest of the day bouncing off the walls, it's not my fault." He informed her. He then turned to Tsuzuki.
"Let's go."
Tsuzuki nodded, and followed Hisoka to the door. Before he closed it behind him though, he took one last peek in the direction of the cat.
Ryoshi waltzed out of the kitchen, and looked Tsuzuki straight in the eye, and winked one large, emerald eye. Then she purred, her tail twitching.
"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka called. "Let's go."
Tsuzuki yelped, and shut the door, scampering after his partner.
Ryoshi watched the door shut. She cocked her head, and her mouth curved into a feline smile. Then she walked off to hunt dust bunnies and pull all the toilet paper off the roll. Coffee always put her in such a good mood…