Disclaimer: much to my dismay, I do not own Yami no Matsuei or any of the bishies contained within. At this point, I don't even own this fic. It is writing itself. I am just typing. This was going to be a Tsuzuki-centric fic when I started. It looks like the guys might actually be getting somewhere in this chapter! I am dreading what Watari has planned though....he can be so....enthusiastic...

As always, please review! It makes me feel all warm and snuggly inside, with the added effect that it makes me sit down and write.

Enjoy!

-Fireun

Evening. Finally. He could leave the office and get safely into the house without having to have another run in with Tsuzuki. Hisoka neatly stacked his remaining paperwork, arranging it carefully on the desk in order of importance, by topic, anything to reestablish a nice familiar order to things. An order that was still mocked by his most un-orderly appearance and definitely un-orderly cognitive state. 'Home. Dinner. Bed. Fast as possible. Get it over with. Everything will be back to normal tomorrow.' It was a satisfying thought, comforting in the same way the neat stacks of paperwork were. A part of him was, apparently, not satisfied with comfort, as he found his eyes settling on Tsuzuki's desk, and the abandoned, now slightly stale, cinnamon buns sitting where Tatsumi had quietly deposited them this morning. Something in his head twitched at the image, a still life of unhappiness. 'Tsuzuki must be really upset...' No. He most definitely did not want to linger on that thought. The urge to go hug the older man was embarrassingly at the top of his priority list, if he bothered to think about it. Tsuzuki's eyes had been so wide and hurt when he had snapped at him this morning...Almost debilitating levels of crushed confusion had radiated off of him as he fled. An unwelcome twinge of guilt insinuated itself into Hisoka's mind, completely ruining the contentment an organized desk had produced. 'Ah, dammit...' Hisoka dragged his hands down his face one, half in exhaustion, half in frustration, then decided it was time to go home and hope the shit settled before he had to go anywhere near it.

It almost worked.

He got out of the building, which was step one. He never made it to dinner, which was step two. His attention was snagged by the sound of a deep rumbling....purr? And something large and feline laying amidst the sakura trees...Unable to quiet his curiosity in favor of sanity, Hisoka wandered closer, careful not to look like he was sneaking up on what could only be Byakko. 'And where Byakko is, you can be damn sure Tsuzuki is, you idiot. Weren't you trying to avoid this?!'

Byakko watched Hisoka's careful approach and grinned. This saved him having to go look for the boy himself later! How perfect! Hisoka seemed a bit put off by his toothy grin, so he made an effort to reduce it to more of a...smirk, which was the best he could manage in light of the current situation. The smile made a triumphant return a moment later when Hisoka got close enough for Byakko to notice the boys slow movements were due to the fact he was attempting to carefully pick his way barefoot across the ground, wary of anything that might cut him as he walked.

"Is there a reason for your lack of shoes, boy?"

The god's amusement danced along Hisoka's spine, making him flinch in embarrassment. "Well...Tsuzuki was sleeping on my socks so I wasn't wearing any...the thought of shoes must have completely slipped my mind..."

"Oh?" Byakko tilted his head to the side, his voice more of a deep, rumbling purr of amusement than anything else. "Had other things on your mind then?"

That made Hisoka stare, startled at the god. "Of course I had other things on my mind! That baka was sleeping on my clothes!" Indignant, Hisoka all but stomped. All day, people pestering him, playing on some innuendo...It was like constantly being outside of some huge joke, catching only the chuckles and meaningful glances. "First Watari, and now you! What is up with everyone today?!"

This made Byakko laugh. He tossed his head back and his entire body shook with mirth. If Hisoka hadn't been so determined to be irate, the god's mirth would have been infectious. "Well, I am glad I am not irritated with you anymore. It appears you are driving yourself nuts, so I need not get involved in that way."

Tsuzuki chose that minute to mutter something in his sleep and clutch at Byakko as he shifted positions. Hisoka blinked, stabbed with a wave of longing/wanting/hurting as he regarded his sleeping partner.

"Ah, that is what I wanted to talk to you about." Byakko attempted to bring the boys attention back to himself, chuckling again when Hisoka's attention remained fixated on his partner.

'Tsuzuki...You look so small laying there. So vulnerable. I hate thinking of you as vulnerable. You feel so upset...I don't know what to do for you, what to say. I need you to be the strong one Tsuzuki. You are almost always the strong one, and when you fall apart, Tatsumi is always there. The one time you fall apart around me... I...I felt the fires. Don't ever scare me like that again. Don't you DARE...

I royally screwed up earlier, didn't I? Really managed to hurt you. Again. Shows how good I am with people. What the hell use is empathy if I can't even figure out how to have a decent conversation?'

Byakko watched, enthralled, as the boy tentatively walked over to where Tsuzuki slept. Hisoka stood there for a long moment, doing nothing but stare at his partner.

'What am I going to do with you, Tsuzuki? What do you want from me? Hell, what am I going to do with myself? I want to...I...'

A strange look crossed his face, as if he was carefully considering something, then he knelt, touched his lips to Tsuzuki's forehead in a quick, chaste kiss, then fled. Two thoughts crossed Byakko's mind as he watched Hisoka's retreating form; that the boys skin was as red as the flames of Suzaku, and that he was pleased the boy had managed to get his head together enough to show some sort of affection.

Tail twitching in a feline contemplation, scattering sakura blossoms with each swipe, Byakko continued his vigil over the sleeping Tsuzuki, who muttered a muffled "'Soka..." into the god's flank before settling back into a deeper sleep.

'I was angry with you boy, for hurting my Tsuzuki. I would apologize to you for that some day. For now though...Let us see if we can't get you to figure out the value of what you have sitting in front of you...'