In hindsight, Hisoka wondered what had made him believe that Watari and Konoe would keep what they'd seen to themselves. Now that he and Tsuzuki were back at the EnMaCho office, he had naively assumed that his coworkers would let him work in peace.
They did nothing of the sort.
Konoe at least had the decency to keep it to himself. Of course, anytime the subject was brought up, he would cough, and say something along the lines of 'it's about time', and then change the subject.
Watari was an entirely different story.
It seemed that all the scientist wanted to talk about was Hisoka and Tsuzuki's budding relationship. Anyone who asked was given a detailed report on scene he had witnessed, and anyone who didn't ask was told the story too. Watari had become the office gossip and/or hero in one short afternoon. Hisoka and Tsuzuki had become celebrities, and/or the laughing stock of the afterlife.
Tsuzuki didn't seem to mind the stares, the giggles, or the not-very subtle hints. He just beamed at the person, and told them that Hisoka was his favorite partner ever.
Hisoka wasn't as lucky.
The boy didn't show it, but the comments and rumors where starting to get to him. All the suggestions that he and Tsuzuki had picked up where they left off after Watari and Konoe left. It didn't matter that Hisoka vehemently denied as such thing. It didn't matter that Tsuzuki denied them too. It didn't matter that both of them were telling the complete truth.
Rumors continued to fly.
Now, Hisoka considered himself a reasonable person. He understood that people found this subject fascinating, and in the beginning, it hadn't bothered him. But after two and a half days off non-stop gossip, he had had enough.
Wakaba-chan skipped in, interrupting Hisoka's minor angst session.
"Hiya, Hisoka-kun! Where's Tsuzuki-san?" she said, looking around. Hisoka glared at her.
"I have no idea." He said coolly, slightly irked that she expected him to know.
"I wanted to tell him that Hajime-chan is having a bad day, and that Kuro-chan already came out 3 times today. Tsuzuki-san should stay away for a while." She informed Hisoka, completely unfazed by his icy look. Of course, spending as much time with Terazuma as she had often makes a person impervious to glares.
"I'll make sure he gets the message if I see him." Hisoka told the girl waspishly. She beamed at him in a very Tsuzuki way.
"Thank you! Oh, and Hisoka-kun, I wanted to ask you something..." she started. The boy winced, preparing for the embarrassing question that was sure to come.
"I accidentally bought the wrong kind of shampoo, and since you seem more likely to be into hair care than anybody else around here, I thought you might like it." She said, reaching out to fluff his hair. "What conditioner do you use?! It's so soft!" She squealed. Hisoka blinked.
Suddenly, there was a huge crash, and the sound of people screaming.
"WAKABA! TERAZUMA'S TRANSFORMED, AND HE'S CHEWING ON THE CELILING!" Watari shrieked, poking his head into the room. Wakaba gasped, and turned back to Hisoka.
"Here! Gotta go! Bye!" she said hurriedly, putting the shampoo bottle on the desk, and then flying out of the room. "BAD KURO-CHAN! CELILINGS ARE NOT FOOD!"
Hisoka looked the bottle she'd handed him.
'Apple, cinnamon, vanilla. Might as well use it, I guess.' He thought, not particularly caring what the scent was.
Tsuzuki staggered into the room, one sleeve of his white oxford was gone, looking as though it had been torn off.
"Terazuma's in a REALLY bad mood today." The tall shinigami informed his partner, grinning sheepishly. Hisoka looked at him pointedly.
"Why do you insist on provoking him?" the boy sighed. Tsuzuki put a hand behind his head.
"If he would just show me the proper respect as his senior, I'd leave him alone." Tsuzuki said. Hisoka rolled his eyes.
"Sure. And Wakaba will angst." He said sarcastically. Tsuzuki frowned.
"Why will Wakaba-chan angst? She's always so happy, and bouncy." The violet-eyed man said, confused.
"Never mind."
Hisoka turned on the shower. After a full day filling out paperwork at the office he was ready to relax with a nice, hot shower.
'I didn't expect being a shinigami to involve so much paper pushing.' He thought, removing his robe. The shower, now scalding hot, was causing steam to cloud the bathroom mirror. Hisoka stepped in, and hissed as the water hit his skin. Ok, so maybe it was a LITTLE too hot. He turned it down, and then proceeded to scrub away the days' stresses.
Reaching for the shampoo, he realized it was empty. Silently wondering how Wakaba had managed to get him some just when he ran out, he snatched the new bottle up.
"Hisoka! Look! I brought food!" Tsuzuki beamed, holding out a steaming dish. Hisoka blinked. He had just gotten out of the shower, and was in his pajama's, with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, a towel draped across his shoulders. Tsuzuki had just shown up at his door, with no warning, apparently bearing gifts.
Unable to speak due to the toothbrush, he gestured Tsuzuki inside, and closed the door. Tsuzuki found his way to the kitchen, while Hisoka went to spit and rinse. He lifted the towel on his shoulders, and rubbed his hair, which was still soaked. Heading back to the kitchen, he found his partner rummaging through the cupboards.
"Can I help you find something?" Hisoka said, in a tone that suggested maybe Tsuzuki should have asked before he began his search. Tsuzuki looked up.
"We're gonna need bowls, and spoons. I brought stew!"
Hisoka rolled his eyes, and opened the cupboard closest to him, pulling out two bowls. He then crossed the room, and pulled open a drawer, removing two spoons. The boy headed to a small table just outside the kitchen, and set the dishes down. Tsuzuki grinned, and skipped after him, setting the pot he was carrying down.
"It's beef stew, your favorite!" he chirped. Hisoka raised an eyebrow.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked suspiciously. Tsuzuki shrugged.
"Interent."
"What?"
"Just a lucky guess!" he said brightly. Hisoka sighed.
"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, sitting down. Tsuzuki plopped down across from him.
"You seemed kinda down today, so I thought I'd come and cheer you up with my beautiful face and loveable charm!" he winked. Hisoka felt his cheeks get warm, and silently he cursed his overactive blush reflex.
"Idiot. I'm fine." He snapped. Tsuzuki ignored him, and removed the lid of the dish. He scooped some stew into Hisoka's bowl, and then gave himself a generous helping.
"Itadakimasu!" he said happily, lifting his spoon. Hisoka to brought his spoon to his mouth, but then a though suddenly occurred to him.
"Tsuzuki, did you make this?" he asked warily, lowering the spoon.
"I was going to, but it takes to long to cook. So I bought it." He said sadly, shaking his head. Hisoka sighed in relief, and brought his spoon to his mouth again.
It was delicious. Without realizing, Hisoka smiled. The stew was hot, not too salty, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection. The meat was tender, and melted on his tongue.
Tsuzuki watched the boy amusedly. Hisoka had a contented smile on his face, and he was eating more rapidly than Tsuzuki had ever seen him do before. The boy even had seconds. Tsuzuki, for the first time since knowing the stoic boy, found himself competing for food!
When both shinigami had eaten their full, they migrated to the living room. Hisoka had grabbed his hairbrush from his bathroom, and was now tugging at his honey-brown locks. Tsuzuki was browsing the bookshelves against one wall. Hisoka's collection was impressive; it would have made the GuShoShin proud.
"Is this English?" he asked, holding up a brown leather bound book. Hisoka nodded.
"Yeah."
"I didn't know you could speak English." Tsuzuki commented, impressed. Hisoka blushed slightly.
"Not very much. I read it better than I speak it." He said hurriedly. Tsuzuki nodded, and brought the book over to the boy.
"What is it? What's it about? Will you read it to me?!" he said excitedly, puppy tail wagging. Hisoka glared.
"It's old children's storybook. The stories are actually pretty creepy, for fairy tales. And no, I will not read it to you." He said, pulling the book out of Tsuzuki's hands.
"Pleeeeeeease?" Said man begged. Hisoka glared at him.
"No. Knowing you, they'll give you nightmares." Hisoka said sternly.
"At least tell me what they're about." Tsuzuki pouted.
"Fine, fine." Hisoka gave in. They sat on the couch, and Hisoka flipped open the book.
"Let's see... Snow White? No, the dwarves are weird. Cinderella? No. That one's just stupid. Oh, what the hell, I'll just tell you the Little Mermaid." He grumbled. Tsuzuki sat at attention.
"Ok, so, there's this mermaid, and one day a prince gets thrown overboard into the sea when his ship sinks. The mermaid saves him, and falls in love with him, but she's a mermaid, and can't leave the ocean. So she goes to a witch, and the witch gives her legs. But the legs will only last a month. At the end of the month, she'll die. Well, she gets the legs, and goes live with the prince for the month, and by the end they both love each other. But the month is up, and she's gonna die. Then her sisters show up, and give her this knife. They tell her that if she kills the prince with the knife, she'll turn back into a mermaid, but she loves him, so instead she kills herself with the knife. The end." He finished lamely.
Tsuzuki blinked.
"She... died? No happily ever after?" he whimpered.
"I told you these were weird fairy tales."
"Hisoka, why would you read such a sad book?!" Tsuzuki cried, aghast. Hisoka shrugged.
"Fairy tales are written so that kids can read them. It's easier to read them if your English isn't so good. Idiot." He snorted, and set the book down on the coffee table in front of them. Tsuzuki resisted the urge to throw the book out the window.
'No wonder he's always so down. The books he reads are awful!' Tsuzuki thought.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he sniffed. He leaned in close to Hisoka, and sniffed again. Hisoka leaned back, blushing, and very startled.
"Tsu-Tsuzuki?!" he yelped, as Tsuzuki got closer. The violet-eyed man wasn't listening, however. He was hot on the trail of what smelled distinctly like apple pie. And it was coming from Hisoka. Sticking his nose in the boy's hair, he snuffled.
Hisoka froze.
'What the hell is he doing?!' he thought, slightly panicked. But then his partner leaned back, a surprised look on his face.
"Hisoka!" he said. Hisoka eyed him warily.
"What?"
"You smell like apple pie!"
Hisoka blinked.
"I what?"
Tsuzuki grinned, and fluffed the boy's hair.
"Your hair smells like apple pie!" Tsuzuki repeated smiling madly.
"It does?" Hisoka asked, bewildered.
"Yep! Like apple, cinnamon, and vanilla." Tsuzuki unknowingly listed the scents of... WAKABA'S SHAMPOO. Hisoka suddenly made the connection.
"Wakaba gave me this shampoo today, I think that's what it's supposed to smell like." He said quickly, half fearing, half hoping that Tsuzuki would fluff his hair again.
"I like it! Apple pie is my favorite dessert." Tsuzuki sighed wistfully. Hisoka made a mental note to use this shampoo for the rest of his life. Well, afterlife.
"Can I smell it again?" Tsuzuki asked softly. Hisoka slowly nodded. Tsuzuki leaned forward again, and buried his nose in the boy's hair. Hisoka sighed, leaning into his partner. Strangely, this was relaxing him far more than the hot shower had. He felt the tension of the day melt away as Tsuzuki's heartbeat thumped near his ear. Tsuzuki brought his arms up, and held Hisoka closer still, rubbing his partner's arm with one hand, his nose still snuffling in the honey-brown locks. He dared not stop, in case the boy pulled away. Tsuzuki found himself wishing to stay like this forever, and Hisoka had similar sentiments.
But of course, the moment had to end. As the clock on the wall chimed eleven, Tsuzuki murmured into Hisoka's ear.
"I'd better go, it's pretty late."
Hisoka felt a cool shiver run down his spine, as Tsuzuki's breath puffed on his ear. Half of him promptly began listing reasons why Tsuzuki should stay right where he was, thank you very much. The other, more sensible half, agreed that if Tsuzuki was ever going to get home, he'd better leave now.
"Okay." Hisoka answered, failing to conceal his disappointment. He pulled out of the taller man's arms, and Tsuzuki smiled at the boy obvious reluctance.
Hisoka walked Tsuzuki to the door, and just before the taller man stepped out, he leaned down and whispered in his ear again.
"We should do this again." And then he kissed him.
Needless to say, Hisoka was rather miffed when Tsuzuki went home.
"Oooo." Watari said, eyes widening. He was completely engrossed in he manga in his hands. 003 flitted over, and landed on his shoulder.
"Yaoi? Nice." She hooted smugly. Watari grinned at her.
"Exactly. Check out this guys rear." He tapped the book. 003 hooted appreciatively.
Terazuma entered Watari's lab, looking nervous. His eyes were shifting back and forth, as though expected to be attacked at any moment. Of course, this being WATARI'S lab, that was entirely possible. Wakaba skipped in after him, humming to herself. She bounced over to Watari, and peered over his shoulder.
"Ooo, I've read that one." She said. Watari looked back at her.
"Oh, Wakaba-chan. Anything I can help you with?" Watari jumped, finally noticing his guests. 003 hooted indignantly, and fluttered to the top of a bookshelf. Terazuma snorted, reaching out to touch a shiny knob. Watari spotted him and yelped.
"No! Don't touch-"
The button exploded, filling the room with a violet smoke cloud.
"-That." Watari sighed. Terazuma coughed. Wakaba bounced over and began berating the charred shinigami.
"Hajime-chan! You should know better than to touch stuff in Watari-san's lab! You KNOW things blow up half the time!"
Terazuma glared at her.
"Look, it's not MY fault the man stuffs everything with explosives." He grumbled. Wakaba grabbed a magazine off Watari's cluttered desk, and whapped her partner on the head with it.
"Shush, you!"
Terazuma wisely obeyed.
Watari cleared his throat, drawing the girl's attention back to himself.
"Oh! That's right. Watari-san, we came to ask you to do something." She informed him, her face growing unusually serious. Watari blinked.
"What?"
"Please stop telling everyone about Tsuzuki-san and Hisoka-kun kissing." She said bluntly. Terazuma coughed behind her. Wakaba ignored him. "It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs. Besides, it's making Hisoka-kun nervous."
"Oh. Whoops." Watari said sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head. Terazuma rolled his eyes.
"Kannuki's right. The last thing that kid needs is to be more jumpy." He said gruffly, attempting to look indifferent.
"See? Even Hajime-chan's worried."
"KANNUKI!"
Watari grinned.
"Of course I'll stop. I don't want to make Bon uncomfortable. I just thought it was cute." He said. Wakaba giggled.
"They are SUCH a cute couple." She sighed happily.
"Morning, Hisoka!" chirped Tsuzuki happily. Hisoka glanced up from his desk.
"You seem cheerful." He said irritably. Tsuzuki nodded.
"I got DOUGHNUTS for breakfast!" he said, puppy tail wagging. Hisoka rolled his eyes, and turned back to his paperwork. He didn't notice Tsuzuki come up behind him, and lean over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" the taller man said. Hisoka jumped.
"Ack! Tsuzuki, don't DO that!" he snapped. His heart was pounding, and he was feeling his temper rise. He leapt out of his chair and turned his back to Tsuzuki, prepared to stalk away, but his partner reached out and grabbed Hisoka by the waist. Tsuzuki pulled Hisoka against him, wrapping his arms around the boy. He stuck his nose in Hisoka's hair, and murmured into his head.
"Sorry, 'Soka."
Against his better judgment, Hisoka felt his anger fade away. Until he remembered that they were in the office, and someone could see them at any moment. He pulled away from Tsuzuki.
"Idiot. What if someone saw that?!" he scolded. Tsuzuki's smile faded.
"So?" he asked. Did Hisoka not want to be seen with him? Was he ashamed? Tsuzuki had no idea. Hisoka clutched his forearm with one hand, and looked away.
"People will start talking again." He said softly.
"No we won't."
Hisoka jumped for the second time and whirled around. Standing in the doorway were Watari, Wakaba, and Terazuma. The former two were grinning like Cheshire cats; the latter was blushing, and staring at the carpeting. Hisoka felt his cheeks flame up. Tsuzuki didn't seem all that surprised to see his co-workers.
"Hi, Bon, Tsuzuki." Watari said cheerily, waving. Wakaba was starry eyed, and sighing 'so cuuuute!' over and over. Terazuma was still engrossed in the floor.
Hisoka glared as fiercely as he could.
"What-what do you three want?" he snapped, flustered. Wakaba pouted.
"Hisoka-kun, how rude." She scolded, wagging a finger. "We just came to tell you that Watari won't be telling people about catching you two anymore."
Watari nodded.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Didn't realize it was bothering you Bon." The blonde said sheepishly.
Tsuzuki spoke up.
"It was bothering you?" he questioned. Hisoka turned his glare on his partner.
"SOME of us would like to keep at least a shred of our dignity, thank you." He growled.
"Yeah, well, now you can." Terazuma said suddenly. "So it's done, okay?" He again tried to seem indifferent. Wakaba only barely resisted the urge to glomp her partner. Instead, she decided now was a good time for Tsuzuki and Hisoka to 'kiss and make up', so she shuffled Terazuma and Watari out the door, and calling over her shoulder.
"Have fun you two!"
Hisoka was glaring furiously at Wakaba's retreating back, and Tsuzuki found himself expecting her to burst into flame.
And then they were alone.
Hisoka dared at look at Tsuzuki. His partner had a very odd look on his face. Happy, and yet, utterly confused. Hisoka blushed, remembering the thought he'd accidentally picked up from Wakaba.
'Kiss and make up?! Is she crazy?!' he thought, panicked. And yet... it didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you tell me that everybody talking about us bothered you?" Tsuzuki questioned. Hisoka caught the small twinge of hurt in his voice.
"Because... well, it didn't bother you." He answered half-heartedly.
"I don't understand."
"Well..." Hisoka tried again to explain. "If you didn't mind, then, why should I?" he said. Tsuzuki moved towards the boy.
"Hisoka, I-" he started, but he was cut off.
"Just, never mind." Hisoka snapped. But Tsuzuki wouldn't be stopped. Hisoka had to understand!
"No, listen. I'm used to people saying stuff about me. It's always been like that. But please don't think You have to be okay because I am. Don't ever think that, Hisoka." Tsuzuki demanded, moving closer to his partner with every word. When he finished, he was standing nearly chest to chest with Hisoka.
Hisoka looked up at Tsuzuki.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Tsuzuki smiled, and then leaned in. He brushed his lips against the boy's. Hisoka snaked his arms around Tsuzuki's neck, and pulled him closer.
They didn't even notice Tatsumi walk in, blink, and back out quickly.
A/N: Next chapter is the lemon! Please review! Thanks!
They did nothing of the sort.
Konoe at least had the decency to keep it to himself. Of course, anytime the subject was brought up, he would cough, and say something along the lines of 'it's about time', and then change the subject.
Watari was an entirely different story.
It seemed that all the scientist wanted to talk about was Hisoka and Tsuzuki's budding relationship. Anyone who asked was given a detailed report on scene he had witnessed, and anyone who didn't ask was told the story too. Watari had become the office gossip and/or hero in one short afternoon. Hisoka and Tsuzuki had become celebrities, and/or the laughing stock of the afterlife.
Tsuzuki didn't seem to mind the stares, the giggles, or the not-very subtle hints. He just beamed at the person, and told them that Hisoka was his favorite partner ever.
Hisoka wasn't as lucky.
The boy didn't show it, but the comments and rumors where starting to get to him. All the suggestions that he and Tsuzuki had picked up where they left off after Watari and Konoe left. It didn't matter that Hisoka vehemently denied as such thing. It didn't matter that Tsuzuki denied them too. It didn't matter that both of them were telling the complete truth.
Rumors continued to fly.
Now, Hisoka considered himself a reasonable person. He understood that people found this subject fascinating, and in the beginning, it hadn't bothered him. But after two and a half days off non-stop gossip, he had had enough.
Wakaba-chan skipped in, interrupting Hisoka's minor angst session.
"Hiya, Hisoka-kun! Where's Tsuzuki-san?" she said, looking around. Hisoka glared at her.
"I have no idea." He said coolly, slightly irked that she expected him to know.
"I wanted to tell him that Hajime-chan is having a bad day, and that Kuro-chan already came out 3 times today. Tsuzuki-san should stay away for a while." She informed Hisoka, completely unfazed by his icy look. Of course, spending as much time with Terazuma as she had often makes a person impervious to glares.
"I'll make sure he gets the message if I see him." Hisoka told the girl waspishly. She beamed at him in a very Tsuzuki way.
"Thank you! Oh, and Hisoka-kun, I wanted to ask you something..." she started. The boy winced, preparing for the embarrassing question that was sure to come.
"I accidentally bought the wrong kind of shampoo, and since you seem more likely to be into hair care than anybody else around here, I thought you might like it." She said, reaching out to fluff his hair. "What conditioner do you use?! It's so soft!" She squealed. Hisoka blinked.
Suddenly, there was a huge crash, and the sound of people screaming.
"WAKABA! TERAZUMA'S TRANSFORMED, AND HE'S CHEWING ON THE CELILING!" Watari shrieked, poking his head into the room. Wakaba gasped, and turned back to Hisoka.
"Here! Gotta go! Bye!" she said hurriedly, putting the shampoo bottle on the desk, and then flying out of the room. "BAD KURO-CHAN! CELILINGS ARE NOT FOOD!"
Hisoka looked the bottle she'd handed him.
'Apple, cinnamon, vanilla. Might as well use it, I guess.' He thought, not particularly caring what the scent was.
Tsuzuki staggered into the room, one sleeve of his white oxford was gone, looking as though it had been torn off.
"Terazuma's in a REALLY bad mood today." The tall shinigami informed his partner, grinning sheepishly. Hisoka looked at him pointedly.
"Why do you insist on provoking him?" the boy sighed. Tsuzuki put a hand behind his head.
"If he would just show me the proper respect as his senior, I'd leave him alone." Tsuzuki said. Hisoka rolled his eyes.
"Sure. And Wakaba will angst." He said sarcastically. Tsuzuki frowned.
"Why will Wakaba-chan angst? She's always so happy, and bouncy." The violet-eyed man said, confused.
"Never mind."
Hisoka turned on the shower. After a full day filling out paperwork at the office he was ready to relax with a nice, hot shower.
'I didn't expect being a shinigami to involve so much paper pushing.' He thought, removing his robe. The shower, now scalding hot, was causing steam to cloud the bathroom mirror. Hisoka stepped in, and hissed as the water hit his skin. Ok, so maybe it was a LITTLE too hot. He turned it down, and then proceeded to scrub away the days' stresses.
Reaching for the shampoo, he realized it was empty. Silently wondering how Wakaba had managed to get him some just when he ran out, he snatched the new bottle up.
"Hisoka! Look! I brought food!" Tsuzuki beamed, holding out a steaming dish. Hisoka blinked. He had just gotten out of the shower, and was in his pajama's, with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, a towel draped across his shoulders. Tsuzuki had just shown up at his door, with no warning, apparently bearing gifts.
Unable to speak due to the toothbrush, he gestured Tsuzuki inside, and closed the door. Tsuzuki found his way to the kitchen, while Hisoka went to spit and rinse. He lifted the towel on his shoulders, and rubbed his hair, which was still soaked. Heading back to the kitchen, he found his partner rummaging through the cupboards.
"Can I help you find something?" Hisoka said, in a tone that suggested maybe Tsuzuki should have asked before he began his search. Tsuzuki looked up.
"We're gonna need bowls, and spoons. I brought stew!"
Hisoka rolled his eyes, and opened the cupboard closest to him, pulling out two bowls. He then crossed the room, and pulled open a drawer, removing two spoons. The boy headed to a small table just outside the kitchen, and set the dishes down. Tsuzuki grinned, and skipped after him, setting the pot he was carrying down.
"It's beef stew, your favorite!" he chirped. Hisoka raised an eyebrow.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked suspiciously. Tsuzuki shrugged.
"Interent."
"What?"
"Just a lucky guess!" he said brightly. Hisoka sighed.
"What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, sitting down. Tsuzuki plopped down across from him.
"You seemed kinda down today, so I thought I'd come and cheer you up with my beautiful face and loveable charm!" he winked. Hisoka felt his cheeks get warm, and silently he cursed his overactive blush reflex.
"Idiot. I'm fine." He snapped. Tsuzuki ignored him, and removed the lid of the dish. He scooped some stew into Hisoka's bowl, and then gave himself a generous helping.
"Itadakimasu!" he said happily, lifting his spoon. Hisoka to brought his spoon to his mouth, but then a though suddenly occurred to him.
"Tsuzuki, did you make this?" he asked warily, lowering the spoon.
"I was going to, but it takes to long to cook. So I bought it." He said sadly, shaking his head. Hisoka sighed in relief, and brought his spoon to his mouth again.
It was delicious. Without realizing, Hisoka smiled. The stew was hot, not too salty, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection. The meat was tender, and melted on his tongue.
Tsuzuki watched the boy amusedly. Hisoka had a contented smile on his face, and he was eating more rapidly than Tsuzuki had ever seen him do before. The boy even had seconds. Tsuzuki, for the first time since knowing the stoic boy, found himself competing for food!
When both shinigami had eaten their full, they migrated to the living room. Hisoka had grabbed his hairbrush from his bathroom, and was now tugging at his honey-brown locks. Tsuzuki was browsing the bookshelves against one wall. Hisoka's collection was impressive; it would have made the GuShoShin proud.
"Is this English?" he asked, holding up a brown leather bound book. Hisoka nodded.
"Yeah."
"I didn't know you could speak English." Tsuzuki commented, impressed. Hisoka blushed slightly.
"Not very much. I read it better than I speak it." He said hurriedly. Tsuzuki nodded, and brought the book over to the boy.
"What is it? What's it about? Will you read it to me?!" he said excitedly, puppy tail wagging. Hisoka glared.
"It's old children's storybook. The stories are actually pretty creepy, for fairy tales. And no, I will not read it to you." He said, pulling the book out of Tsuzuki's hands.
"Pleeeeeeease?" Said man begged. Hisoka glared at him.
"No. Knowing you, they'll give you nightmares." Hisoka said sternly.
"At least tell me what they're about." Tsuzuki pouted.
"Fine, fine." Hisoka gave in. They sat on the couch, and Hisoka flipped open the book.
"Let's see... Snow White? No, the dwarves are weird. Cinderella? No. That one's just stupid. Oh, what the hell, I'll just tell you the Little Mermaid." He grumbled. Tsuzuki sat at attention.
"Ok, so, there's this mermaid, and one day a prince gets thrown overboard into the sea when his ship sinks. The mermaid saves him, and falls in love with him, but she's a mermaid, and can't leave the ocean. So she goes to a witch, and the witch gives her legs. But the legs will only last a month. At the end of the month, she'll die. Well, she gets the legs, and goes live with the prince for the month, and by the end they both love each other. But the month is up, and she's gonna die. Then her sisters show up, and give her this knife. They tell her that if she kills the prince with the knife, she'll turn back into a mermaid, but she loves him, so instead she kills herself with the knife. The end." He finished lamely.
Tsuzuki blinked.
"She... died? No happily ever after?" he whimpered.
"I told you these were weird fairy tales."
"Hisoka, why would you read such a sad book?!" Tsuzuki cried, aghast. Hisoka shrugged.
"Fairy tales are written so that kids can read them. It's easier to read them if your English isn't so good. Idiot." He snorted, and set the book down on the coffee table in front of them. Tsuzuki resisted the urge to throw the book out the window.
'No wonder he's always so down. The books he reads are awful!' Tsuzuki thought.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he sniffed. He leaned in close to Hisoka, and sniffed again. Hisoka leaned back, blushing, and very startled.
"Tsu-Tsuzuki?!" he yelped, as Tsuzuki got closer. The violet-eyed man wasn't listening, however. He was hot on the trail of what smelled distinctly like apple pie. And it was coming from Hisoka. Sticking his nose in the boy's hair, he snuffled.
Hisoka froze.
'What the hell is he doing?!' he thought, slightly panicked. But then his partner leaned back, a surprised look on his face.
"Hisoka!" he said. Hisoka eyed him warily.
"What?"
"You smell like apple pie!"
Hisoka blinked.
"I what?"
Tsuzuki grinned, and fluffed the boy's hair.
"Your hair smells like apple pie!" Tsuzuki repeated smiling madly.
"It does?" Hisoka asked, bewildered.
"Yep! Like apple, cinnamon, and vanilla." Tsuzuki unknowingly listed the scents of... WAKABA'S SHAMPOO. Hisoka suddenly made the connection.
"Wakaba gave me this shampoo today, I think that's what it's supposed to smell like." He said quickly, half fearing, half hoping that Tsuzuki would fluff his hair again.
"I like it! Apple pie is my favorite dessert." Tsuzuki sighed wistfully. Hisoka made a mental note to use this shampoo for the rest of his life. Well, afterlife.
"Can I smell it again?" Tsuzuki asked softly. Hisoka slowly nodded. Tsuzuki leaned forward again, and buried his nose in the boy's hair. Hisoka sighed, leaning into his partner. Strangely, this was relaxing him far more than the hot shower had. He felt the tension of the day melt away as Tsuzuki's heartbeat thumped near his ear. Tsuzuki brought his arms up, and held Hisoka closer still, rubbing his partner's arm with one hand, his nose still snuffling in the honey-brown locks. He dared not stop, in case the boy pulled away. Tsuzuki found himself wishing to stay like this forever, and Hisoka had similar sentiments.
But of course, the moment had to end. As the clock on the wall chimed eleven, Tsuzuki murmured into Hisoka's ear.
"I'd better go, it's pretty late."
Hisoka felt a cool shiver run down his spine, as Tsuzuki's breath puffed on his ear. Half of him promptly began listing reasons why Tsuzuki should stay right where he was, thank you very much. The other, more sensible half, agreed that if Tsuzuki was ever going to get home, he'd better leave now.
"Okay." Hisoka answered, failing to conceal his disappointment. He pulled out of the taller man's arms, and Tsuzuki smiled at the boy obvious reluctance.
Hisoka walked Tsuzuki to the door, and just before the taller man stepped out, he leaned down and whispered in his ear again.
"We should do this again." And then he kissed him.
Needless to say, Hisoka was rather miffed when Tsuzuki went home.
"Oooo." Watari said, eyes widening. He was completely engrossed in he manga in his hands. 003 flitted over, and landed on his shoulder.
"Yaoi? Nice." She hooted smugly. Watari grinned at her.
"Exactly. Check out this guys rear." He tapped the book. 003 hooted appreciatively.
Terazuma entered Watari's lab, looking nervous. His eyes were shifting back and forth, as though expected to be attacked at any moment. Of course, this being WATARI'S lab, that was entirely possible. Wakaba skipped in after him, humming to herself. She bounced over to Watari, and peered over his shoulder.
"Ooo, I've read that one." She said. Watari looked back at her.
"Oh, Wakaba-chan. Anything I can help you with?" Watari jumped, finally noticing his guests. 003 hooted indignantly, and fluttered to the top of a bookshelf. Terazuma snorted, reaching out to touch a shiny knob. Watari spotted him and yelped.
"No! Don't touch-"
The button exploded, filling the room with a violet smoke cloud.
"-That." Watari sighed. Terazuma coughed. Wakaba bounced over and began berating the charred shinigami.
"Hajime-chan! You should know better than to touch stuff in Watari-san's lab! You KNOW things blow up half the time!"
Terazuma glared at her.
"Look, it's not MY fault the man stuffs everything with explosives." He grumbled. Wakaba grabbed a magazine off Watari's cluttered desk, and whapped her partner on the head with it.
"Shush, you!"
Terazuma wisely obeyed.
Watari cleared his throat, drawing the girl's attention back to himself.
"Oh! That's right. Watari-san, we came to ask you to do something." She informed him, her face growing unusually serious. Watari blinked.
"What?"
"Please stop telling everyone about Tsuzuki-san and Hisoka-kun kissing." She said bluntly. Terazuma coughed behind her. Wakaba ignored him. "It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs. Besides, it's making Hisoka-kun nervous."
"Oh. Whoops." Watari said sheepishly, putting a hand behind his head. Terazuma rolled his eyes.
"Kannuki's right. The last thing that kid needs is to be more jumpy." He said gruffly, attempting to look indifferent.
"See? Even Hajime-chan's worried."
"KANNUKI!"
Watari grinned.
"Of course I'll stop. I don't want to make Bon uncomfortable. I just thought it was cute." He said. Wakaba giggled.
"They are SUCH a cute couple." She sighed happily.
"Morning, Hisoka!" chirped Tsuzuki happily. Hisoka glanced up from his desk.
"You seem cheerful." He said irritably. Tsuzuki nodded.
"I got DOUGHNUTS for breakfast!" he said, puppy tail wagging. Hisoka rolled his eyes, and turned back to his paperwork. He didn't notice Tsuzuki come up behind him, and lean over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" the taller man said. Hisoka jumped.
"Ack! Tsuzuki, don't DO that!" he snapped. His heart was pounding, and he was feeling his temper rise. He leapt out of his chair and turned his back to Tsuzuki, prepared to stalk away, but his partner reached out and grabbed Hisoka by the waist. Tsuzuki pulled Hisoka against him, wrapping his arms around the boy. He stuck his nose in Hisoka's hair, and murmured into his head.
"Sorry, 'Soka."
Against his better judgment, Hisoka felt his anger fade away. Until he remembered that they were in the office, and someone could see them at any moment. He pulled away from Tsuzuki.
"Idiot. What if someone saw that?!" he scolded. Tsuzuki's smile faded.
"So?" he asked. Did Hisoka not want to be seen with him? Was he ashamed? Tsuzuki had no idea. Hisoka clutched his forearm with one hand, and looked away.
"People will start talking again." He said softly.
"No we won't."
Hisoka jumped for the second time and whirled around. Standing in the doorway were Watari, Wakaba, and Terazuma. The former two were grinning like Cheshire cats; the latter was blushing, and staring at the carpeting. Hisoka felt his cheeks flame up. Tsuzuki didn't seem all that surprised to see his co-workers.
"Hi, Bon, Tsuzuki." Watari said cheerily, waving. Wakaba was starry eyed, and sighing 'so cuuuute!' over and over. Terazuma was still engrossed in the floor.
Hisoka glared as fiercely as he could.
"What-what do you three want?" he snapped, flustered. Wakaba pouted.
"Hisoka-kun, how rude." She scolded, wagging a finger. "We just came to tell you that Watari won't be telling people about catching you two anymore."
Watari nodded.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Didn't realize it was bothering you Bon." The blonde said sheepishly.
Tsuzuki spoke up.
"It was bothering you?" he questioned. Hisoka turned his glare on his partner.
"SOME of us would like to keep at least a shred of our dignity, thank you." He growled.
"Yeah, well, now you can." Terazuma said suddenly. "So it's done, okay?" He again tried to seem indifferent. Wakaba only barely resisted the urge to glomp her partner. Instead, she decided now was a good time for Tsuzuki and Hisoka to 'kiss and make up', so she shuffled Terazuma and Watari out the door, and calling over her shoulder.
"Have fun you two!"
Hisoka was glaring furiously at Wakaba's retreating back, and Tsuzuki found himself expecting her to burst into flame.
And then they were alone.
Hisoka dared at look at Tsuzuki. His partner had a very odd look on his face. Happy, and yet, utterly confused. Hisoka blushed, remembering the thought he'd accidentally picked up from Wakaba.
'Kiss and make up?! Is she crazy?!' he thought, panicked. And yet... it didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you tell me that everybody talking about us bothered you?" Tsuzuki questioned. Hisoka caught the small twinge of hurt in his voice.
"Because... well, it didn't bother you." He answered half-heartedly.
"I don't understand."
"Well..." Hisoka tried again to explain. "If you didn't mind, then, why should I?" he said. Tsuzuki moved towards the boy.
"Hisoka, I-" he started, but he was cut off.
"Just, never mind." Hisoka snapped. But Tsuzuki wouldn't be stopped. Hisoka had to understand!
"No, listen. I'm used to people saying stuff about me. It's always been like that. But please don't think You have to be okay because I am. Don't ever think that, Hisoka." Tsuzuki demanded, moving closer to his partner with every word. When he finished, he was standing nearly chest to chest with Hisoka.
Hisoka looked up at Tsuzuki.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Tsuzuki smiled, and then leaned in. He brushed his lips against the boy's. Hisoka snaked his arms around Tsuzuki's neck, and pulled him closer.
They didn't even notice Tatsumi walk in, blink, and back out quickly.
A/N: Next chapter is the lemon! Please review! Thanks!