Whoo, chapter 9 already! I guess it kinda wrote itself… Anyway, loads of half-mushy angst here. It was really fun to write it, although I hope Watari-kun's little 'fit' isn't too OOC or out of context. .;; I hope it blends in and seems appropriate, ya know? Well, here ya go. This ain't nearly over yet, my friends. Gods, so many reviews! And such colorful ones, at that! I feel so loved. This note and the reviews took up a whole page by themselves!

Kara Angitia - LOL. Yes, he does have a butt. It'd be kinda weird if Watari didn't, ya know? *ponders this for a moment* I'm so glad you like the story! I still get nervous every time I post a new chapter, because I'm afraid people will hate it. ^_^;; Paranoid much?

Konnie-chan - It must be. I think that should be a national holiday, in fact. *Waves a banner supporting the "lets write Watari being cutely confused" week. Holiday! Everyone off school! No work! Close the post offices! Whew. Yeah, I think Watari and Tsuzuki have a really close friendship going on *mind wanders to that one scene in the Devil's Trill arc…* and I'm sure they'll make up soon. ^_~

nobody's home - If I tell ya what happens next, I hafta kill ya. *winks* Or you could just read this chapter and find out! The nicest, really? Wow. Thank you so much! If that's true, then damn…I've read some really good ones out there.

Ikki - Hee hee. *blushes from all the compliments* Sankyuu, Ikki!

LinaLau - I don't know why it wouldn't let you log in…but I'm glad you can now! And even more glad it allowed you to update! ^.^ Oh, it's only starting to get interesting? *pokes* Kidding! You know I luv ya.

pratz - What more can I say to that except thank you and I'm glad? *feels like a broken record* ^__^

Kata - I'm glad you like it so much. Yes, I think it's important to show that Tsuzuki's as multi-faceted as the rest of us nutcases. Plus, I've noticed that he doesn't screw around when it comes to his friends. Even when one friend's hurting another, he's there to set things right. ^_^ No wonder everyone wants to bone him!

Gohma - Holy crap, thank you! *mega huggles* Such a compliment! So you're a fellow angst-lover, huh? Don'tcha worry then, there will be plenty. I make it my life goal to make characters suffer…*sweatdrop* Err, yeah. LOL. I love humorous reviews like this one. Thanks again, Gohma!

Lothlorien1 - Well, they haven't fallen out yet, but you never know what the future holds! I'd hate for you to have to keep biting your nails - I hope this chapter helps with that. ^_~

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Operation: Tatsumi, day 7 - This is it. No more of this. I'm officially ending this experiment for personal reasons. In fact, I may just burn this notebook and any evidence that I even tried this! It's too much. Tsuzuki's right, I'm just fucking with Tatsumi's heart. I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry I ever began this thing - it was a horrible idea from the start! Signing off,

The Ever-Deceitful Watari Yutaka, lousy scientist and worse friend

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Tatsumi walked briskly down the hall, anxious to reach the lab. Hisoka's words worried him more than anything, and he found that his concern for Watari outweighed his concern for Tsuzuki. 'Maybe he's upset because I made an excuse to leave right after he kissed me… I certainly don't know what else it could be. Or maybe it…no, Kurosaki-kun said that it concerns me, not Tsuzuki.' The Kagetsukai could feel his heart speed up as he approached the simple lab door, noting that it was closed (a rarity). His apprehension began to catch up with him, however. Tatsumi stood in front of the door for a minute, staring at it intensely. Finally, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Yutaka…?"

He glanced around the room, his eyes fixing on a sight that made his breath catch in his throat. Watari sat curled up on his make-shift bed, knees held against his chest. The scientist's blonde hair fanned around him, but his quiet sobs could be heard audibly.

Tatsumi approached him slowly, unsure of how to proceed.

"…Yutaka, what's wrong?"

The blonde man jumped slightly, whirling around to face his co-worker. His usually bright amber eyes were bloodshot, casting a frightened look to the Kagetsukai.

"Seii…" He wiped his hand across his eyes clumsily. "Please go away…"

Tatsumi shook his head sternly.

"Never. Tell me what's wrong, 'Taka," he said gently, lowering himself next to his friend. He bit his lip. "Kurosaki-kun said that it's something about me…?"

Watari looked up meekly, fresh tears falling from his pained eyes. He wanted so badly to throw himself into the taller man's arms, to accept the comfort he knew would be offered. He wanted to admit his mistakes, to bare his soul to his partner. But he couldn't. There was too much at stake.

"Please…Seii…I-I can't. I can't say what's hurting me. I'm sorry." He fought to steady his breathing and calm himself.

Tatsumi lowered his eyes, swallowing heavily with a feeling of growing dread.

"Did I do something to upset you…? If I did, I-"

Watari made a small noise, shaking his head.

"No, Seii…no. You didn't do anything wrong! I just…" He stopped, grasping onto Tatsumi's suit jacket. He almost felt like he could talk without breaking down.

"Seii…get me drunk." He ignored the man's incredulous look. "If…if you take me out and get me drunk, I might actually be brave enough to tell you. Please, Seii!"

Tatsumi shifted, very unhappy with this turn of events.

"Yutaka…it would be too dangerous for you. I won't risk you getting hurt somehow…"

The scientist tightened his grip to the point that the secretary actually winced.

"Fine. You wanna know what's wrong with me? I want you! I want you so much that I can't fucking think! It's like I'm not in control of myself anymore, Tatsumi! It scares the hell out of me! I don't want this. I just want to run away from it, from you! But I can't…I care too much for you. I wasn't…wasn't supposed to feel like this! You weren't supposed to like me so much! Gods, Seii…I just don't know. I don't know what to do… Help me, please just help me…"

Watari broke down, leaning into Tatsumi's chest, sobbing more than before. The Kagetsukai's arms closed around his slender frame securely, his hands stroking the blonde's back soothingly. In all truth, Tatsumi was lost as to why his partner felt this way, and somewhere in the back of his mind it registered that he should be concerned and/or suspicious over it. However, the only thing he currently cared about was the distraught man in his arms.

"Shhh… It's all right, 'Taka. It's all right…I promise. Shhh…"

The scientist turned his head slightly so he could speak.

"Y-you're n-not…m-mad a-at me…?"

Tatsumi shook his head, pressing his lips to that soft blonde hair.

"Of course not, 'Taka. Of course not…"

Still doubtful, Watari forced himself to disengage from the comforting embrace.

"R-r-really?"

The secretary gave a small, reassuring smile.

"Really. It's okay, 'Taka. I…I can empathize with your feelings…I'm scared, too," he admitted softly.

Watari stared at Tatsumi for a brief moment, his amber eyes desperately searching the other man's blue ones to ascertain the truth of his statement. Apparently satisfied, he wrapped his arms around Tatsumi's middle, burrowing his head into the strong, warm chest. The Kagetsukai held him for several minutes, then nudged him gently.

"Come on, Yutaka…let's go outside, hm? You need to get out of this stuffy lab."

He carefully pulled the younger man to his feet, guiding him out of the building to one of the benches outside. They sat in companionable silence for a bit, until Watari spoke.

"Seii…I want to apologize for, um…"

Tatsumi shook his head.

"There's no need for that, Yutaka. Like I said, I'm scared, too. It's…difficult to open up to somebody in such an intimate way, even after knowing them for so long."

Watari smiled in complete agreement, resting his head tentatively on the Kagetsukai's shoulder, closing his eyes in contentment as a strong arm was wrapped around him.

Tatsumi stared at the slender man he held, weighing his own feelings with the consequences he knew would arise. 'He's my subordinate, he blows that damn lab up at least once a week, and he wastes money on ridiculous experiments that usually fail. On the other hand, he knows just how to make me smile, he's honest…and blunt, he accepts my feelings for Tsuzuki-san, he's stunningly beautiful and intelligent, he's mentally competent (if not stable), he sees past my frugalness, and he's willing to weather my emotional handicaps. Yutaka is…is someone I could definitely see myself spending eternity with in Meifu. Hell, I put up with him every day as it is. Just when you think you know him, he surprises you with the unexpected. I think that maybe it's time to accept that.' Nodding to himself, the secretary shifted his body, causing the blonde to lift his head.

"Yutaka…there's something I would like to ask you. I think that today, we've grown even closer through this turmoil, and…well…"

He forced himself to gaze into his partner's curious amber eyes.

"Perhaps it's time that we considered…dating. I mean, as…"

Watari blinked slowly.

"Boyfriends?" he offered.

Tatsumi nodded gratefully.

"You know, Seii, I think I would like that very much."

The Kagetsukai stared at him.

"Then you'll…"

"Be your boyfriend? Of course."

Watari smirked, amused by the man's amazed expression. 'Oh Seii…is your confidence really that low, even now? Did you really doubt that I'd say yes?' He placed two fingers on Tatsumi's chin, guiding the man's head downward. The blonde pressed his lips tenderly against his partner's, reveling in the minute sound the other man made. 'Gods…but what am I doing? This is SO not how I planned things…'