Disclaimer: I don't own Yami no Matsuei, its characters nor make any money from this story
Tatsumi slowly opened his eyes as he awaked from a deep drugging sleep. He shut his eyes quickly because the bright sunlight that flooded the room made his eyes hurt. He rolled over onto his stomach and stuck his head under the pillow. His head was pounding and he felt sick to his stomach. Then he realized he wasn't in his own bed. He shot straight up, blankets and pillows flew off the bed, and looked around. He was in an elaborately decorated room and most of the furniture in it looked to be late 15th century French and early 19th century Victorian in design. The walls were painted a deep blood red and had a golden shimmer. The bed he was in was an elaborately carved canopy bed, stained in a dark cherry finish, and draped in black velvet and burgundy satin. The room was stunning from what he could see. He got out of the bed and saw that he was as naked as the day he was born. He tried to walk but he fell because he got dizzy and couldn't keep his balance. He saw an open door off to his left and crawled across the floor to it.
He looked through the door and saw that he was staring into a bathroom that was decorated in a similar fashion as the bedroom. He knew someone was in there because he could hear the shower running. He wondered who it was and worried if it was friend or foe. He heard the shower turn off and saw the curtain pull back. He saw long blonde hair that effectively hid the identity of the person whose bed he woke up in. He watched the person dry themselves with a thick fluffy towel. The person's long blonde hair hid most of their body. He watched them run the towel along long shapely legs and arms. Then the person turned and Tatsumi's eyes widened when he realized the unknown person was a man. Tatsumi scooted back away from the door quickly and wondered what the fuck had happened. He couldn't remember anything other than going out to meet Tsuzuki and Hisoka for dinner. Hell, he didn't even know what day it was. He heard the guy's footsteps coming closer and saw the bathroom door open wider. The guy walked past Tatsumi, not seeing him crouched by the door, and Tatsumi jumped up and tackled him down onto the floor.
"Oomph . . ." the guy said as he hit the floor. Tatsumi grabbed him and pinned his arms behind his back.
"Who are you?! Why am I here?!" Tatsumi yelled at him and used his body weight to hold him down.
"Tatsumi?" the guy said in a muffled voice. The voice was muffled because the guy's face was pressed into a plush Persian carpet. Tatsumi swore knew that voice from somewhere so he flipped the guy over and saw that it was Yutaka Watari.
"Watari?! Where am I? How did I get here?"
"You're at my house, Tatsumi . . . Wait, you don't remember?"
"No, I don't remember what happened. All I remember is going to go meet Tsuzuki and Kurosaki for dinner. How did I end up here?"
"Tatsumi, that was two days ago. I saw you that night and you didn't look so good. You fainted in front of me and when I got to you, you were burning up with a fever. I called Tsuzuki and told him you weren't going to make it. One of the doctors from medical has already been here to see you. You have a strain of the flu that's been going around. They told me they wanted you to rest."
"I've been here for two days?? How did you get me here? How -" Tatsumi's voice trailed off in mid sentence as he fainted dead away and fell to the floor. The scent of jasmine and vanilla flowed over him as he felt strong arms catch him.
***
When Tatsumi woke up again he noticed that he was back in bed . . . Watari's bed. He could see the sun setting through the window that was across the room. Tatsumi shivered and pulled the blankets closer. He noticed a blazing fire in the fireplace that was in the room but he still felt as cold as ice. He closed his eyes and tried to curl up so he could get warm. Every joint and muscle of his body ached and throbbed with pain. He was so cold that his teeth had begun to chatter and his body began to shiver uncontrollably.
"Tatsumi?" He heard a voice whisper. He opened his eyes, looked up and saw Watari standing over him. Watari reached out a hand and touched his forehead. Tatsumi sighed as he felt the warmth of Watari's hand.
"You're as cold as ice, Tatsumi, and you're shivering. I need to warm you up." he said. Tatsumi's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched Watari pull off his shirt. He scooted away from the side of the bed Watari was standing by.
"What . . . What are you do-doing, Wa-Watari?" he said in a frantic whisper, his teeth still clicking together. He swallowed hard as he watched Watari shed each item of clothing. Every movement he made was sensual and Watari was oblivious to the fact that he was making Tatsumi extremely uncomfortable.
"I've got to bring up your temperature and the best way to do that is if we're skin to skin. Quit looking at me like that, this is for purely scientific reasons." he said as he crawled onto the bed and slid under the covers.
Watari reached out and pulled Tatsumi to him. Tatsumi stiffened up once he was pressed up against Watari's naked body, he was extremely aware of all that smooth ivory skin. Watari began to rub his hands all over Tatsumi, soothingly, trying to get his blood to circulate. Watari was secretly ecstatic to be able to touch him so freely. An hour later, the rhythm of Watari's hands and the warmth of his skin had lulled Tatsumi to relax and become drowsy. Watari heard Tatsumi's breathing get deeper and deeper as he fell asleep. He also noticed that Tatsumi was no longer shivering either. He pulled Tatsumi closer and Watari smiled when he looked down at his sleeping face, his mouth was open and his breathing was slightly labored. Watari tucked his head under his chin and Tatsumi snuggled into him. He felt Tatsumi's arm go around his waist, Watari sighed as he tightened his arms around Tatsumi.
He didn't know how long he laid there, stroking his hands over Tatsumi, but he knew that he would never be the same after this. Watari remembered the first night that Tatsumi was there. Hours after the doctor from the Ministry had come and gone, Watari had been tired and didn't want to sleep on his sofa. Since Tatsumi was in his bed, he decided that he was going to sleep on top of the covers. When Watari woke up the next morning, he discovered that sometime during the night Tatsumi had snuggled up against him. Tatsumi had placed his face in the crook of his neck and had an arm around his waist. That morning Watari had almost cried because his secret love was finally in his arms. He smiled as he remembering that morning and drifted off to sleep.
***
Tatsumi woke up this time to a semi-darkened room. He looked around and could see firelight flickering on the walls. He looked over and saw that Watari was still lying next to him, but he was passed out asleep. He was turned onto his side, facing Tatsumi, with his hands tucked underneath his cheek. The firelight made his hair gleam like old gold and highlighted all the contours of his face. His high cheekbones, the length of his jaw, and the shape of his lips . . . Watari's lips. Tatsumi stared at those lips and wondered what they would feel like against his own. Would they be soft? Hard? Smooth? Rough? Tatsumi reached out a hand and traced those lips with a fingertip, they were soft and smooth. Tatsumi felt a tingle travel up his arm from his finger. Watari shifted in his sleep and Tatsumi snatched his hand away quickly. He watched as Watari scooted closer and snuggle up against him, his hand sliding across his chest.
"Tatsumi . . ." he heard Watari utter in a sleepy sigh. He listened as Watari's breath become even slower as he slid deeper into slumber.
Tatsumi slowly turned onto his side, slid his hand around Watari and pulled him against him. Tatsumi was laying there content and happy until he began to cough. He coughed so hard that his body curled into itself and in the process, he woke Watari up from his deep slumber. Watari sat up, pulled Tatsumi against him and didn't say a word as he sleepily rubbed his back. Watari laid his head on top of Tatsumi's and held him until his coughing had subsided. Tatsumi realized that he was covered in Watari's jasmine and vanilla scented golden tresses. He shuddered as he took a ragged breath and breathed in Watari's scent. He felt like total shit and yet something about Watari's scent soothed him. It also set him on fire. He could feel one of Watari's hands slowly stroking his back and it felt like heaven. Watari merely sat there, comforting him, gliding his hand slowly along his flesh.
"Are you okay, Tatsumi?" Watari whispered in a deep sleepy voice.
Tatsumi nodded, not wanting to move from his position. It didn't seem like Watari wanted to move either. He felt Watari wrap his other arm around him and hold him close in the darkness . . . like a lover. This moment awoke a long forgotten dream inside Tatsumi. A dream of family. Of love. Of having someone he could love, who would love him, too. Watari shifted and lay back down on the pillows, pulling Tatsumi down onto them with him. He pulled up the blankets and covered them both up.
"Watari?" Tatsumi whispered as he stared at him, the glow of the fire had turned his skin from a pale ivory to a golden expanse. Those golden tresses of Watari's were spread across all the pillows and the silken strands slid against him every time he moved.
"Hnnnn?" he said sleepily as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Tatsumi, his golden eyes caught the gleam of the flames. The firelight made them look like brilliant jewels in a golden setting.
"Thanks." Tatsumi's gaze dropped to Watari's lips that teased him with an invitation he was finding hard to ignore. "For everything."
"Its okay, Tatsumi, you're my friend. Besides, you needed someone to be there for you. I'm glad I could help." Watari said softly as he licked his lips, moistening them with his tongue… it was Tatsumi's undoing.
Unable to stand it, he lowered his head, half-expecting Watari to pull back or push him away but he didn't. Instead, he moved forward into Tatsumi's arms to take his kiss. The instant their lips touched, Tatsumi closed his eyes, letting the warmth of Watari wash over him. Watari wrapped his arms around him, causing Tatsumi to tremble at the tenderness he offered. His heart racing, he deepened the kiss, exploring Watari's mouth. The taste of him invaded every part of Tatsumi's body.
Too bad his emotions weren't more rational because right now all they wanted was to keep Tatsumi in his arms and to explore every inch of that wicked body with his tongue. Nevertheless, he couldn't, not with Tatsumi being so sick. Tatsumi fisted his hand in Watari's silken hair as images of his naked body writhing underneath him tormented him with desire. He nipped Watari's lips as he felt his heart racing along with his. Tatsumi pulled himself away and groaned. He lay back down on the pillows, breathing heavy. He felt Watari lay his hand against the side of his face.
"You need to rest." he whispered as he stroked Tatsumi's cheek. Tatsumi closed his eyes as a foreign emotion went through him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had offered him comfort. "Just go back to sleep, Tatsumi. I'll be here when you wake up."
Watari laid on his back and pulled Tatsumi as close as he could get. He heard Tatsumi let an out a breathy sigh when Watari settled him against his side. Tatsumi snuggled into the space between Watari's neck and shoulder as his arm went around his waist. His breathing evened out and got deeper as he fell asleep once more. Watari slid his fingers into Tatsumi's hair and massaged his scalp. He grumbled in his sleep and tightened the arm around Watari's waist. Tatsumi had pulled him close enough that Watari could feel his hardness pressed up against his hip. He smiled and kissed Tatsumi on the forehead. He stroked Tatsumi's hair until he too fell asleep.
***
Tatsumi slowly came awake to a weight lying across his hips. He opened his eyes and saw the top of Watari's golden head. Watari had snuggled up against him during the night and thrown his leg over his hips. He felt Watari's hand slowly glide along his side and heard his breathy sigh. He knew right then that Watari was probably awake. Watari shifted onto his back and stretched, the blankets sliding down his naked body as his back arched up off the bed. As Tatsumi watched him, he imagined what it would be like to have Watari arching like that under him in the throes of passion. Watari sat up, looked over at Tatsumi and saw that he was watching him.
"Good morning, Tatsumi." Watari said as he blushed a bright crimson and smiled at him.
"Hnnn . . . Morning . . . Ari." he grumbled in a deep sleepy voice. Watari could see that he was a bit flushed. He reached out, placed a hand onto Tatsumi's forehead and could feel the dry heat of a fever
"Would you like something to eat and a hot shower this morning?" he asked Tatsumi as he flicked his hair over his shoulder. Tatsumi nodded and stared at Watari intently, desperately wanting to pull him down and kiss him senseless.
"Okay, I know you probably need to go to the bathroom, Tatsumi, so let me help you out of bed. Once we're in the bathroom, I'll turn on the shower for you. Then I'll go get you a towel and something to wear. I don't want you getting any sicker by laying around here naked, Tatsumi." Watari threw back the covers, slid out of the bed and slid on his glasses that were sitting on the table next to the bed.
Tatsumi watched as he walked around the bed, noting the graceful and sensual way Watari walked. He also noticed every naked inch of that smooth ivory skin. Watari slid back the covers and helped him to stand. They slowly made their way to the bathroom. Watari sat him down on a bench and Tatsumi watched as he turned on the shower. He turned, helped Tatsumi to stand and then left the bathroom. Tatsumi used the facilities and then climbed into the shower. He groaned when he felt the hot water touch his skin.
"Tatsumi?" he heard Watari call out.
"Yeah?" he said as he soaped himself up.
"Here's a towel for you." Watari said. Tatsumi watched as he reached his hand into the shower and draped the towel on the rack behind him. "I've brought you a pair of my pajamas too. I'm placing them on the bench. Call me if you need me, okay?"
"Okay."
The room became very quiet and then Tatsumi heard melodic humming. He peeped through an opening in the shower curtain and saw Watari, who was still naked, sitting on the bench. He was brushing out that gorgeous golden blonde hair of his. He watched Watari stand up and place the brush on the counter, Tatsumi's eyes widened. He had never realized how long Watari's hair was before. He knew it was long but he didn't know that it dragged along the floor. He looked his fill at Watari, his long sensuous limbs, the curve of his hips and Tatsumi realized that Watari's body was shaped more like a girl's than a guy's. He made himself pull away from the opening in the curtain and go back to washing himself.
Watari wandered into his bedroom and went over to his dresser. He pulled out some jeans and a knit top in his favorite color. He heard the shower turn off and the curtain pull back. He could just imagine what Tatsumi looked like with drops of water streaming down his hard muscled body. He shuddered and had to keep himself in control because he really wanted to go in there and molest Tatsumi. He walked back to the bathroom once he was completely dressed. He smiled when he saw that Tatsumi was sitting on the bench, asleep, with the towel barely covering him.
"Tatsumi?" Watari whispered with a smile on his lips.
"Hmmm?' Tatsumi mumbled with his eyes shut.
"Do you need help?" Watari asked with a stifled giggle.
"Yea . . . I'm sorry I just can't seem to stay awake." he said in a deep raspy voice with his eyes still closed. Watari walked over to him and was glad that Tatsumi had had enough energy to dry himself off before he feel asleep. If Watari had of done it Tatsumi probably would've ended up needing another shower in the end. He grabbed the black silk pajama bottoms, bent down and pulled them up Tatsumi's long legs.
"Lift your hips, Tatsumi." he said as he placed Tatsumi's hands onto his shoulders for leverage. Tatsumi lifted himself up and Watari slid the pajama bottoms all the way up. Watari pulled the towel from Tatsumi's lap and tossed it into the hamper. Tatsumi's hands slid from his shoulders and Watari smiled. He picked up the top and eased Tatsumi into it.
"Tatsumi?"
"Hnnnn?"
"Hey, wake up, sleepy head." Watari said with a giggle as he poked Tatsumi in the shoulder.
"Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up." Tatsumi said opening his eyes and Watari helped him to stand. Once Tatsumi was standing up, he laid his head down on Watari's shoulder and sighed. Tatsumi felt Watari's hands rubbing up and down his back and for a second there, he swore he felt Watari kiss his neck.
"Come let's get you back into bed, Tatsumi. I'll get you something to eat when you wake up again." Watari told Tatsumi as he helped him walk back to the bed. Watari whipped back the blankets and Tatsumi crawled in. He was asleep before his head touched the pillows. Once Watari had the blankets all nice and settled around him, he leaned over and kissed Tatsumi on the forehead, Tatsumi sighed and a smiled graced his sleeping lips.
"Have a good sleep, Tatsumi." he whispered as he walked out of the room.
***
Tatsumi awoke from a dead sleep to hearing hushed voices in the room.
"Watari, why don't you tell him how you feel?"
"No, I can't do that, Suzu."
Tatsumi laid there, pretending to be asleep, so he could hear what was going on. He figured out that Suzu had to be Tsuzuki, it sounded like him. He must have come to Watari's house to check on him.
"But, why? You love him and I think you should tell him."
"I can't do it, Suzu, I can't. Don't you remember what happened the last time I told someone how I felt? I won't go through that ever again."
"He's asleep so you could tell him right now and it's not like he'll ever know."
Tatsumi held his breath and his heart began to pound. They were talking about him, they had to be.
"You don't understand, Suzu. I will not have my heart broken again. It would kill me if I said something to him and in the end, he rejects me. I refuse to put myself in that position ever again."
"But, Tatsumi loves you. I know for a fact that he does. Do you think he would have really stayed here if he didn't? Remember I've known him longer than you have and I know him better than anyone else does."
When Tatsumi heard what Tsuzuki said, he sucked in a quick breath. He must have sucked it in too quickly because he began to cough. He curled up into a ball because he was coughing so hard that it hurt. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. Tatsumi felt the bed dip and strong arms wrapped around him, holding him against a warm soft body. Cool hands were softly stroking his hair and back as a soft voice murmured in his ear. When he finally stopped coughing, he groaned in pain. He opened his eyes and saw that Watari was the one holding him. He relaxed into Watari, he made him feel better for some reason.
"Are you okay, Tatsumi?" Watari asked softly, gently holding him in his arms. He shivered when Tatsumi's warm breath drifted over the sensitive skin of his neck.
"Yea but now my whole body hurts and my throat is raw." he croaked. He winced because it hurt to speak.
"I'll go get you a glass of water and one of the pain pills the doctor left for you." Watari said. He slid his arms from around Tatsumi, crawled off the bed and went to go get the glass of water and pill.
Tsuzuki sat on the end of the bed and smiled at Tatsumi. "You look like the king of the castle in this bed, Tatsumi. How does it feel to be so pampered?"
"Ha ha, Tsuzuki, you're so funny that you should be a comedian." Tatsumi whispered as he pulled the blankets up higher, the bed felt so empty without Watari in it.
"Look, I know you were awake when you started coughing, so quit trying to play it off. How much did you hear of our conversation?" Tsuzuki said.
Tatsumi narrowed his eyes before he answered. "Enough to know that I can't tell you a secret ever again. Why would you tell him how I felt?"
"Don't worry about it, Tatsumi, he didn't believe me anyways. You two need to come to terms with how you feel about each other. I'm sick of being in meetings and watching the two of you moon over each other when the other isn't looking." Tsuzuki said with a wistful sigh. The bedroom door opened and Watari came back into the room with a tray, it had more than a glass of water and a pill on it.
"I remembered I promised you something to eat when you woke up, so I brought you some broth. Suzu, don't sit there like a lump on a log, help Tatsumi sit up."
Tsuzuki walked to the side of the bed and helped Tatsumi to sit up by placing a bunch of pillows behind him. Watari came and sat the tray over his lap. The broth smelt so good that Tatsumi's mouth instantly began to water. He picked up the bowl and took a sip. It was the best broth he had ever tasted. He lifted the bowl again and drank down all the broth. He grabbed the pill and the glass of water. He closed his eyes when he swallowed the pill and quickly drank the water. He hated pills because they tasted so nasty.
"Thank you, Watari, that broth was very good."
"I'm glad you liked it. I made a huge pot of it yesterday just for you."
"I'm glad you liked it. I made a huge pot of it just for you." Tsuzuki copied him in a saccharine sweet voice and then laughed. Watari narrowed his eyes and gave Tsuzuki an evil glare. Tsuzuki laughed when he saw how Watari was staring at him
"Oh my god, you two need to talk, seriously. I just came by to check on you, Tatsumi, and to see if you needed anything but I see that you're in good hands. I'll call Watari later on and see how you're doing. Bye, Tatsumi, and get better soon because the office is boring without you. Come and walk me out, Watari." Tsuzuki waved at him and followed Watari as he walked out of the room.
Tatsumi thought about the conversation he had heard between Tsuzuki and Watari. From what he gathered, Watari loved him and Tsuzuki was trying to get him to admit it. Tatsumi's heart swelled and began to race. He heard a door close and then footsteps coming down the hall. Watari walked back into the room and Tatsumi smiled at him. Watari stopped in the middle of his bedroom. Why is Tatsumi smiling at me? Watari walked cautiously over to the bed and made to grab the tray but Tatsumi had other things on his mind.
Once Watari was leaning over him, Tatsumi laid a hand on his arm. Watari turned and looked at him. Tatsumi raised both hands, slid them into Watari's hair, and pulled him into a deep passionate kiss. At first, Watari was stunned and just stood there, and then he began to kiss Tatsumi back. Their tongues slid across each other's wildly, Tatsumi groaned when Watari sucked his tongue deep into his mouth. Then the kiss became softer, the meaning becoming something deeper. It was no longer about passion and desire, they were still there but there was so much more in that kiss. Tatsumi slowly pulled his mouth free of Watari's and rested his forehead against his.
"What was that for, Tatsumi?" Watari whispered. Tatsumi shivered as he felt Watari's warm breath slide across his lips. He opened his eyes and stared into golden amber eyes.
"I have a confession to make, Watari, I heard you and Tsuzuki talking about me." He whispered. He watched as Watari's eyes grew wide and pulled back. Tatsumi watched as a deep crimson blush came across his cheeks.
"You did?"
"Yes, I did and you know what?" Before Tatsumi could say anything else, he noticed a tear running down Watari's cheek. "Why are you crying, Watari?"
Watari didn't say anything as he backed up. He bumped into one of the chairs in the room and sat down abruptly. Tatsumi watched as Watari's head slowly bend down and then heard a little sob. Watari's face dropped into his hands as he began to cry earnestly. Tatsumi moved the tray, got out of the bed and slowly made his way to where Watari was sitting. He eased himself down on the floor in front of Watari.
"Yutaka, what's wrong?" he whispered as he leaned up onto his knees. He reached up and stroked his hair. Watari looked up at him, Tatsumi sighed when he saw those beautiful eyes surrounded by wet lashes and tears. He gently wiped the tears from Watari's cheeks.
"You're going to reject me aren't you, Tatsumi? I knew it! I told Tsuzuki this would happen. I'm so stupid to think that anyone could ever return my feelings. I'm so-" Watari was cut off when Tatsumi placed a hand against his mouth. He moved his hand away and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Watari's lips.
"Stop it, Yutaka, and I'm not rejecting you. I would never reject you and I was trying to tell you that Tsuzuki was telling you the truth when he said I loved you." Watari's mouth dropped open in shock when he heard the last part.
"You . . . You love me?"
"Yes, I love you. Remember when we went to Tsuzuki's birthday party last year? That's was when I started to notice my feelings for you. It was the first time I had ever saw you outside of work. You were wearing some jeans and this teal pullover that made your hair and eyes stand out. I think I fell in love when I saw how your eyes lit up and sparkled whenever you smiled."
"But . . . But . . ."
"Yutaka, when it comes to my feelings I'm a very private person and I don't share anything with anyone. Everyone calls me the 'King of Ice' for a reason, you know. Only Tsuzuki could figure out how I felt because we've been friends for a very long time. He has been badgering me to tell you for several months now. I love you, Yutaka Watari, and I have for a very long time."
"Oh, Seichiro!" Watari squealed happily, as he threw his arms around Tatsumi's neck. Tatsumi smiled as he wrapped his arms around Watari. At that moment, he was glad he had gotten sick because he finally got what he wanted . . .