Disclaimer- While it would make me oh so happy to be able to claim the boys, they are in no way my property. they are the wonderful creations of Yoko Matsushita.

Well then. another update. again, sorry this is so slow in the writing. i kinda over estimated how much time i would have this semester. thank you all so much for the comments!!!!
-Fireun

'Well, it has been awhile since that has happened.' Hisoka glumly regarded his, now soiled, beloved sneakers, regretting the fact that he had let Tsuzuki treat him to a sinfully sugary breakfast a short two hours previous. His stomach a roiling cauldron of displeasure he pressed his head against his knees, trying to ignore the bitter tang of bile mixed with an unfortunate bit of stray sucrose that was teasing the taste buds at the back of his tongue.

It wasn't that the body of the newest victim was laid out in a particularly grotesque way- in fact she looked rather pleasantly peaceful. It was more the anguish and loathing that had seeped into the pavement and the very water droplets hovering in the humid morning air. It had been wholly unexpected, and had sent Hisoka's digestive system into an intricate series of acrobatic flips, leading to a surprise evacuation of breakfast.

Tsuzuki for his part was alternating between smothering his partner in a sort of dismayed concern and poking around the visually innocuous crime scene with the dedication of a bloodhound seeking a scent.

'I must be more disturbed than I thought...'Hisoka was oddly aware of the fact that he found the intense expression on Tsuzuki's usually grinning face to be rather....appealing. It definitely brought out some of the more aristocratic lines of his bone structure, which were rather attractive...

Feeling eyes on him, Tsuzuki turned, his expression shifting to one of pure concern. "You feeling any better 'Soka?"

Gah! Caught staring! Act cool, pretend like nothing was happening..."I'm fine, Tsuzuki. Find anything intere..." His sentence ended in a sort of undignified 'oomph' as Tsuzuki wrapped him in strong arms and cradled him close. Warm affection, concern, and a sharp tang of a sort of protectiveness twitched through Hisoka's still shaky shielding, accompanied by a minute tightening of the arms holding him. "Ummm....Tsuzuki?"

"You look terrible, kid." Tsuzuki's voice was muffled as he pressed his face against Hisoka's downy hair, breathing in the smell of his shampoo. "I am going to take you over to Watari."

"Like hell you are! We are in the middle of a case!" Damn, but it was hard to be effectively indignant while being cradled like a baby. Hisoka managed to get some fire in his voice, but that didn't change the fact that he was still all but engulfed in Tsuzuki's open trench, enfolded in possessive arms, and really not capable of much movement as a result. "Tsuzuki!"

"I am sure Tatsumi would be willing to lend a hand while you rest. Time is money, ya know." Hisoka managed a strangled sort of snarl in reply, which prompted an angelic sort of innocence to beam across Tsuzuki's face. "You know I would rather work with you, 'Soka-chan, no need to be jealous."

"Put me down, you fucking idiot!"

"Nope." There was a definite smile in Tsuzuki's voice, but his face was dead serious. "The reason being that while I really don't want to, I am also quite sure that the further you are from whatever psychic residue is plastered all over this place, the better you will feel." Hisoka tried to flail about in an infuriated fashion, and Tsuzuki only clutched him tighter. "With all due respect, kid, I am right and you know it." 'Anyway, I don't like how hard that hit you. It doesn't seem...right. There shouldn't be that much emotional trash sitting around here when the victim looks like she was...well...bored to death. Need to get you someplace while I try and figure out what the hell happened here.' Ignoring his protesting partner, Tsuzuki proceeded back to the office.

"26."

Hisoka stopped and glared at Watari. The scientist was perched on the edge of a table, legs swinging, 003 settled comfortably under his left ear. "What the hell are you counting?"

"Times you have paced across my lab since Tsuzuki deposited you here." He sighed, the movement jostling his long hair perilously close to a lit Bunsen burner for one instant before it settled into its usual waves along his back. "Tsuzuki did ask me to make sure you got some rest. I don't think plowing a trench in my floor with your feel alone counts as rest." He narrowed his bright eyes and gazed intently at Hisoka for a long minute. "You do look a bit pale ya know."

"Well, I did spend a good minute or three throwing up everything that idiot of a partner forced me to eat this morning. That will do wonders for your complexion."

"Ooooh! Sarcasm! You cant be that ill after all!" Watari kicked off the desk to land with a practiced grace amidst the clutter of beakers and odd colored liquids and powders. "You been getting enough sleep?"

"You know I have been sleeping better. You ask me every damn day."

"Care to tell the doctor what has changed in your lifestyle that might account for such a wonderful end to your insomnia?"

"Right now all I really care to do is punch the doctor in the face." 'Ah, violence. The best reaction ever to cover embarrassment. Time honored tradition amongst males everywhere.' Hisoka started on trip 27 across the lab, determined to drive Watari crazy enough that the man would send him out.

"I am glad you are feeling better. You were an amazing shade of red when Tsuzuki dragged you in here. And that was a rather spectacular hit you landed on his face when he set you down." Watari grinned impishly.

"Yeah, well, he deserved that one. Dragging me in here....that and he kicked me in his sleep last night..." The last was muttered, Hisoka's attention turned now to escape plans. He had to get out of the lab, and soon. Couldn't leave Tsuzuki on the case alone. He was sure to screw it up...

He must have spoken that last bit out loud, that or Watari had an amazing telepathic ability, for the blonde answered with what was supposed to be a comforting statement. "He has Tatsumi with him, and Tatsumi wont let the case get screwed up. It would cost him too much money. He also wont let anything happen to Tsuzuki. You know that."

"Yeah, that's all well and good. But I should be there with him. He is my partner, not Tatsumi's."

There was a slightly plaintive tone in Hisoka's voice, one Watari was sure the young man didn't notice. The scientist was almost pleased at that hint of possessive anxiety. Hisoka was genuinely unhappy about not being there with Tsuzuki. Maybe this relationship could be made to work sometime in the next century after all...