Chapter 03 - Daijoubu yo
Watari walked slowly onwards with his eyes fixed on the ground. All kinds of thoughts ran around in his mind, the most consuming ones being thoughts of shock and uncertainty for the future, and the fear that all the feelings the secretary of Enmacho had for him had disappeared. Watari did love Tatsumi immensely and was afraid he wouldn't bear it if the man left him now. He wouldn't cope alone. "And now a child..." he quietly whispered to himself, and the tears began to fall down his face again.
He suddenly realized that he had walked much further than he had intentioned. He was standing by a large, green field that was surrounded by a low, brown wooden fence. Watari had never been there before and decided to take a look at the place. With ease he climbed over the fence and headed for the small bundle of trees in the middle of the field.
It was only midday and the sun was shining bright and warm above the trees. After circling around for a while Watari grew a bit tired and he sat down by one of them. The trees gave some shelter from the sun and a gentle spring breeze kept brushing Watari's golden hair softly as he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
"What am I supposed to do now..." he whispered to himself half-opening his eyes and resting against the tree trunk. Then suddenly he heard a quiet noise. Something was definitely coming towards him.
Watari turned to face the field and noticed a small, snow-white and a rather chubby pony calmly making its way to him. The blond-haired man laughed softly and followed the pony's trotting amused. Judging from the animal's extremely round appearance he gathered it was with child.
Suddenly Watari heard a noise above him and saw a small, red-and-blue bird flying among the trees and clearly keeping an eye on him. He did have noticed a bird's nest in one of the trees, and in that nest there was small gathering of round, really teeny tiny eggs.
Then the white pony came to him and leaned closer so it could sniff the scientist's long, fair hair with its muzzle. The bird stopped, too, to rest on a lower branch of a nearby tree. Watari smiled and let the mare smell his hand for a moment before he spoke:
"I guess you're expecting a little foal, are you not, little mare?" The pony grunted softly as its long muzzle hair tickled Watari's hand. "And it seems that you're going to have chicks soon, too, birdie", Watari continued glancing at the bird who chirped still staring at man with its dark eyes. Watari smiled. "I'm really glad for you."
Then his expression darkened. "You know, I'm having a little one myself..." he said while scratching the white pony behind the ears. "And I don't know at all what I should do now. I've never been pregnant, you see." Watari let out a small laugh. "It must sound pretty odd. I guess this is not the first time for either of you."
A warm wind blew again, making Watari's golden hair flow along with it. The man sighed with a small smile on his face and leaned his head against the tree trunk. "I actually feel like sleeping... like I could doze off for a while", he said, scratched the pony behind its ears again and then relaxed against the tree, falling into peaceful sleep after a few minutes, his eyes closed and resting.
The pony and the bird watched Watari and listened to his calm breathing for a while longer. After a few moments the pony started to roam around some feet away from the tree as the bird flew back to its nest to tend to the eggs.
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The sky had already turned red when Watari had woken up. The white pony had disappeared having apparently trotted to its owner, but he had still heard the bird chirping somewhere in the higher branches of the tree.
The blond man had gotten onto his feet, stretched, and remembered that he would now have to back again. The restful feeling brought by sleep had disappeared and his earlier anguish had taken over Watari again despite the warm breeze surrounding him. He would have to face everyone again. Tsuzuki... Bon... and Tatsumi.
Well... I guess nothing can be done about it anymore, Watari had thought, his light-brown eyes usually so luminous with warmth now crestfallen. Still, nothing had stopped him from stalling on the way back for so long that now when he finally arrived at the great stairs of JuOhCho the sun had almost set already and the building was really dark. Watari had calculated with his 'tardiness' that by the time he got there all the other shinigamis would have already gone home. Moreover, even if Tatsumi had stayed to do some overtime as usual - though after the shock earlier that day the possibility wasn't that likely - the man would hardly want to see him at the moment...
Despite his slow steps Watari arrived at the door of his lab and paused to stand there. He look at his unusually tidy office that was now bathing in dark shadows, and noticed the package he had left on the table that morning. Watari gave a deep sigh and turned on the lights. He might as well tidy the scarce disorder away... He pondered whether it was possible for him to quit his job - and was abruptly interrupted by a familiar voice coming from behind.
"Watari...?"
Watari froze to where he stood. Then, painfully slowly, he turned around to the direction of the sound and saw Tatsumi, sitting rather uncharacteristically on Watari's examination table. The brown-haired man look like he had already been waiting for a long while; his hair was exceptionally messed up, as if he had been tugging it while thinking about something really hard.
"Ta... Tatsumi?!" Watari felt his face going pale at the same as his heart began to beat unbearably fast from sheer panic. "Eeeh... eto, what are you doing here?" He tried to read the expression on the secretary's face while wondering whether he would survive the fall from a few storeys' height if he jumped out of the window. To his surprise he noticed that at least for now the man didn't look at all angry, more like worried.
"Waiting for you. Watari... everyone got really worried when you didn't come back. Tsuzuki-san was already afraid that you had gone and done something stupid and was bouncing on the walls all day. Kurosaki-kun had to hit him with a paperweight to calm him down. And..." Tatsumi stood up and took a few steps closer. "I too..."
Watari's heart skipped a beat on the last bit. Tatsumi...? No, he mentally shook his head. Tatsumi's just being nice to me, that's all. It would be foolish to even think that...
With unfathomable strength he forced his usual smile on his face. "Naw, daijoubu yo. I... I just needed to clear my head with some fresh air. I'm alright now so you don't have to worry about me, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi stared at Watari, frozen. "Watari..." he began with a strange voice but was interrupted when the golden-haired scientist continued with his genki smile still glued to his face:
"Hontou ni, daijoubu! I was still a bit upset earlier but now I'm really okay. And... and I'm completely prepared to take care of this situation all by myself, so..." As he spoke Watari strode to his desk and turned to it so that Tatsumi wouldn't be able to see his face anymore. He was afraid that he would start crying again and tried to keep his voice steady. Please just let me be alone just now, I can't take it much longer if...
"But-"
"Just let it be!" Watari snapped. He was frantically trying to keep his hand from shaking as he organized the non-existant disorder on his desk. Tears were beginning to blur his vision. "I... I told you before that I don't hold you responsible for any of this. It was my potion, I should have known better than to try it out in that situation, especially with you. Now it's my responsibility and... and..." I can do this, I WON'T fall apart... He stopped to take a deep breath before trying to go on.
"You're completely without fault in this. And I don't expect anything from you from now on, so-"
Suddenly Watari felt strong arms grabbing his shoulders and he was turned around to meet the gaze of Tatsumi's blue eyes for a moment. Before he could react to this in any a way he had already been taken into a tight embrace and pulled against the secretary's chest. The blond shinigami froze, tears falling down on his cheeks.
"Tat... Tatsumi?"
"... don't say that", Tatsumi said in a hoarse voice into Watari's ear. The man buried his face into the blond hair and was completely silent for a while. Then he continued.
"You... you come and seduce me, then tell me that you're having a baby, OUR child, and you expect me to just stay quiet and do nothing about it all?" Tatsumi let out a small and tearful laugh in Watari's hair. "Baka."
Something turned over inside of Watari. "What...?"
"I... I admit that I was rather shocked when all of this came out, and I guess I wasn't acting quite appropriately when I couldn't get a word out of my mouth. I would have thought that the whole thing was a joke if it weren't for your reaction. But..." Tatsumi's voice softened in Watari's ears. The blond shinigami could only listen dumbfounded in the other man's arms.
"Did you really think that I wouldn't care for you? That I wouldn't do anything for your sake and the sake of our child? That I wouldn't CARE?" Tatsumi loosened his grip only so that he could lean his forehead against Watari's and whispered in a tearful and amused voice the most wonderful words the scientist had ever heard.
"Watari, you idiot... I love you."
There was a moment of complete silence. Behind the window the leaves of the eternally blossoming cherry trees rustled in the wind.
With a voice filled with happiness Watari only whimpered: "... Tatsumi..." before Tatsumi pressed his lips against Watari's own, sweet and salty ones. The scientist wrapped his arms carefully around the secretary and gradually the two of them drifted to a world of their own.
And that which eventually followed can be easily guessed.
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The next day he had yet to face Tsuzuki and Hisoka again, but even though Watari was still a bit nervous about their reaction to the sudden addition to their family, he felt much braver knowing that Tatsumi would stay beside him for both better or for worse. The blond shinigami was at the height of his happiness as he walked onwards, glued to Tatsumi's side - from where he hadn't removed himself even for a second since last night - and stepped into the office of the pair in charge of the Kyushu district.
Hisoka, who had just begun to go through their daily paperwork, noticed them first. "Tatsumi-san... and Watari-san..." There was both surprise and uncharacteristic concern in the young shinigami's voice.
Watari answered him with a radiant genki smile. "Ohayo, Bon-"
The greeting was cut short, though, as he got torn away from the presence of his koibito by a darkish hurricane that howled: "WATARIIIIIIIII!!"
"Eh... Tsuzuki... onegai... you're strangling me..."
A chibified inu-Tsuzuki jumped down on to the floor terrified and gave the other man some space to cough in peace. "Gomen nasai!" the dark-haired shinigami began, his dog ears laid back from shame. "I didn't mean to, I was just so relieved that you're alright, Watari!"
"Baka", came from the direction of Hisoka. The older shinigami ignored the comment and continued:
"You really scared us all! I thought you'd already-"
"Daijoubu yo, Tsuzuki", Watari calmed down his co-worker, now smiling relieved. "I... I just needed to go and think things over in peace, but I'm now completely fine, already." He glanced affectionately at Tatsumi, making the man blush. "We already talked things through with Tatsumi and..."
Tsuzuki stared at the bashful Watari, then at Tatsumi who was glowing red, and formed the rest of equation inside his head. His amethyst eyes started to shine from joy, his tail already wagging happily as he exclaimed cheerfully:
"You've tied the knot?! FINALLY!" As Tatsumi's face gained even more colour and Watari giggled happily Tsuzuki kept bouncing around the office from joy. Finally he grabbed the hands of his two friends and with tearful eyes spluttered out: "Tatsumi... Watari... I am so happy for you! I've always thought that you were made for each other and now that you understand it for yourselves..." Despite Tatsumi's apparent embarrassment Tsuzuki just went on:" Tatsumi, I hope you realize how good a man you have been blessed to have as a wife! If I were you I'd make sure tha- UWAIH!!... I... Itai..."
His speech had been interrupted by an airborne paperweight. As Tsuzuki lay on the floor, holding his head, Hisoka picked up the Rubic's cube he had thrown and gave his own and slightly calmer congratulations to the young couple.
"Even though this is rather surprising I can only say that I'm happy for you both." Hisoka bowed as he spoke. "Especially knowing of Watari-san's feelings beforehand I'm glad that things have turned out this way. I wish happiness for the both of you."
As Tatsumi accepted the young shinigami's words in his usual composed manner Watari conjured up a knowing smile and messed up his kouhai's hair. When Hisoka only stared back at the scientist politely puzzled the man winked at him before speaking up.
"Bon, I truly appreciate your words. They make me very happy." A mischievous glint appeared in Watari's brown eyes. "But I would be even happier to see you happy as well, Kurosaki-kun."
"...?" was Hisoka's answer. He didn't have a clue about what Watari was talking about until the man called out to Tsuzuki who was finally getting up from the floor, whining about his head. "Oe, Tsuzuki!"
"Hai~i?"
"If you ever happen to need any advice on things concerning pregnancies, don't hesitate to use my expertise to your advantage."
"Watari-san!" Tatsumi exclaimed, shocked, realizing instantly what his blond koibito was driving at.
"Nani, A-NA-TA?" the man answered sweetly, with a completely innocent smile on his face.
By then Tsuzuki's brain had finally taken in all the possibilities that Watari's offer held to him. Slowly the gaze of the dark-haired shinigami turned towards Hisoka. Hope was shining from his entire being, and suddenly Hisoka was more than a bit awkward. "What?" he snapped at him when the man just continued to stare.
"Hisoka..."
"Well WHAT?"
"... LET'S HAVE A BABY, TOO!!"
Hisoka just stared at his partner flabbergasted. Then, deciding that he had heard him wrong, asked: "Excuse me WHAT?!"
"Seriously, you'd make a wonderful mother-"
"WHAT?!"
"Watari..." Tatsumi had covered his eyes and was desperately trying not to hear the conversation being held at about one hundred decibels and which most likely was the most banal argument in the history of Man, "did you REALLY have to?"
"No." Watari leaned against the man of his life again and wrapped his both arms around the secretary's. "But I think those two should finally realize what's going on between them. Don't you agree, Seii-chan?"
And while looking at the face radiating in front of his own, Tatsumi had trouble believing that the same face had only yesterday been miserable and soaked by tears. Watari seemed to have gotten back all his strength and a little more to add to it, and seemed like he was enjoying all of it with his excessive teasing.
Much better this way, he thought when chief Konoe stepped into the office in the middle of Tsuzuki and Hisoka's yelling contest. It didn't last much longer after a sharp and bark-like:
"URUSAI!!"
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Muahha! After this the plot thickens, so to speak. ^^ But to comment on a few things: THANK YOU for the reviews, it's been most welcome! Our plan to conquer the world seems to be running along smoothly. X3 Thank you.
Oh, and to the question how is Watari going to have that baby the answer is: The usual way. Are the any other options? ^^ But keep reading and you'll see it for yourselves!