AN - Wheeeee!!! No more plot hitches for me!! XDXD!!! I'm on the ball now. Lesse, more daily life, a cute Wat/Tsu fluff scene, an odd mission and even more odd
coincidance line this chapter. Enjoy

This chapter may help explain my side series, "It's The Little Things That Kill You", as the cookie-stealing incident is mentioned here.

Pockets Full of Ashes Chapter Three

"Waaaaataaaaariiiiiiii!!!!"

Watari halted, startled by the sudden yell and the small black object that hurtled towards him. He froze instinctively, and it landed on him, latching to his chest
and knocking him off his feet. He landed on the floor, sprawled and dazed, as the object-no, person-sat up. He blinked, and found chibi-Tsuzuki, complete with ears
and tail, sitting on his chest with teary eyes.

"Tsuzuki...?"

The chibi-fied Shinigami latched onto Watari, crying. "He's being mean to me again, Watari!!! He took away my cookies!!"

"He...?"

"Hisoka!!" Big purple eyes filled with tears stared at him, hoping for him to make it better. Watari could never resist those eyes.

"Maaa, Tsuzuki, daijoubu! Hisoka is like that, he didn't mean anything! Now, let's go get you some more cookies, ne?"

Tsuzuki was instantly cheerful again, a huge grin lighting up his chibi face. "Watari!!! Arigatou!!!" he glomped the scientist, estactic. watari choked and blushed.

He hauled himself to his feet, holding the chibi-Tsuzuki. *I will not think hentai thoughts about Tsuzuki!!!* He chided himself. He may be attracted to the older
Shinigami, but he doubted that Tsuzuki returned those feelings. he was just a good friend to the childish man, and so a good friend he would be. And that plan involved
buying some cookies.

"Now, let's go get those cookies!" Tsuzuki jumped out of Watari's arms, dechibifying as he did so. He grinned at Watari, and he blushed again.

*Must not think bad thoughts! Must not think bad thoughts!!!* That became Watari's mantra, and he continued to chant it as Tsuzuki grabbed his hand and dragged him
outside the office building to the sakura trees where they usually flew to Chijou. He had to stop, though, because flying required intense concentration, and he didn't
want to end up in several pieces.

He made that special adjustment, and he felt himself shifting, the world distorting and sliding. It stretched undeterminedly, until it shattered and he was in Chijou.

Tsuzuki turned to him, ever-present smile wide and undomitable. "Where do you want to go to get the cookies?"

Watari thought about it, unconciously nibbling on a finger as he deliberated. "Umm.....I'm not sure...maybe that little coffee and pastry shop in Shinjiku...?"

Tsuzuki thought too, though his thoughts were straying more towards Watari and how cute he looked biting his finger like that. Not that Watari knew that.

"Yeah, I love their caramel cookies."

Watari beamed. "Then it's decided, Tsuzuki-kun! Iku yo!" Grabbing Tsuzuki's hand (and ignoring the little thrill that resulted) they headed for the shop.

~At the shop~

"Yokatta!!!"

Watari sweatdropped as Tsuzuki began to dig in to the rather...big piles of cookies and whatnot at their table. The other patrons of the cafe were staring at them
strangely, and he felt uncomfortable. Tsuzuki wasn't bothered (he was used to being stared at) and Watari couldn't bear to break the man's happiness by suggesting they
head back. But how were they going to carry all this anyway...? Some mysteries were better left unanswered. Though, he had never seen Tsuzuki eat this much sweets
before.

*He must /really/ be having a pity fest about his cookies...*

Although he didn't know it, Tsuzuki's attention was actually focused on him, as the purple-eyed Shinigami studied him.

*He's awfully quiet for Watari....but he's got his "This is a problem I must figure out" look. Maybe he's trying to figure out how I'm going to eat all this. I'm not
sure, either...maybe he should eat some! Yeah! Can't let sweets go to waste!*

"Watari? Why don't you eat some?"

Tsuzuki's voice nearly gave the man in question a heart attack. He had been so focused on the pile of sweets and his thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention to
Tsuzuki.

"Eat...some...?"

The man nodded excitedly, childish manner evident in his actions. "Yeah! here, try this, it's my favorite!"

He held out an innocent-looking pastry. Watari accepted it readily enough, although something disturbed him about it. There was something about it, that made Watari
uneasy.

"watari?"

Tsuzuki's voice barely made an imprint in his thoughts. The man's voice was almost drowned out by a child's voice, a young girl, running a commentary that seemed painfully
familiar...

"...and then these are my favorite! They're really good! Why don't you try one Watari?"

"...you alright, Watari?"

"...you alright, Watari?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the voices.

"Watari!!" The louder voice, along with gratuitous shaking of his shoulders, snapped Watari out of his head. He blinked, suddenly very tired, and looked up at the one who
had rescued him.

"Tsu..zu..ki..?"

His eyes were full of worry and concern, comforting purple. *Not brown...that's good* Watari didn't know where that thought came from, but he was too tired to care.

"I...think I'll go hom now...Tsuzuki..."

He nodded. "Okay. Let me get a bag."

This snapped Watari out of his confusion. "What?"

"I'm coming home with you!"

"You really shouldn't do that...I'm all right..."

Tsuzuki sook his hard empathically. "No way. You looked like you were in pain back there. I'm going to make sure you're okay."

Watari summoned up an once of his genkiness, mangaing a smile. "Thanks, Tsuzuki."

The man beamed. "No problem! Now, let's get you home, ne?"

Helping him stagger to his feet and load the sweets into a bag, the pair of Shinigami made their way back to Meifu.

Tsuzuki had to help Watari during the flight, as the scientist's concentration was slipping. They headed for watari's apartment.

~At the apartment~

"You really shouldn't do this, Tsuzuki.'

The man pouted. "but I'm worried about you! And I wanna play a game with you!"

Watari felt his will collapse right then and there. "Okay. You can stay the night, Tsuzuki."

"Yokatta!!!!" He bounced around the small living room for a while, then landed atthe table, ears and tail present.

'What game should we play first???"

"Well, how about..."

And so it continued late into the night.

The pair of Shinigami were on the couch. After a movie-fest, Watari's strength had finally failed him and he had fallen asleep on Tsuzuki's shoulder. He smiled down down
at the sleeping man.

*Maaa....Watari's really pretty! I wish we could just stay like this forever.*

Tsuzuki continued to study his sleeping friend, until sleep claimed him as well.

Both men slept on peacefully until dawn, for once not plagued by nightmares.

~TBC~
AN: Well, that chapter was pure, unaldulterated Wat/Tsu fluuf and sap. I honestly meant to put plot development into this, but the interaction just proved to be too much.
^^;;;;

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