Disclaimer: Nope, Yami no Matsuei still not mine (TT), therefore my pathetic existence on this site…;;

Notes: Thank you for all the lovely reviews. Tatari really does need more love, ne? Well, I'll stop rambling now and let you get on with your day. Enjoy Part 2! Fluffy angsty drama and sappy naughtiness galore! Mwahahaha…

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Tatsumi always woke, for some reason or another, before his alarm clock did, figuratively, of course. But to hear another's even breathing besides his own told him that this was different from the other days, where he woke to the dismal ticking of the clock and the ever growing mountain of paperwork that needed attention. For one thing, he did not always wake with Watari curled up snugly against him, finger tracing lazily up and down his back, sending shivers of pleasure up his spine. "Good morning, Tatsumi. Are you feeling better?"

But it wasn't a bad way to wake. Tatsumi supposed he could get used to it, eventually. He raised a bemused eyebrow, "Good morning." He returned calmly, "…What do you mean?"

"…Nothing really…" Watari eased up on one elbow and fixed him with a penetrating stare, "It's just that…last night, you fell asleep before I did, and I was watching you." He paused, "Well, never mind. It's really nothing. Just me and my idiotic self." He laughed, a superficial laugh that would have fooled no one. "Forget it, forget that I ever said anything."

Tatsumi reached up and caught the other swiftlyby the wrist, "No, tell me." If he had some embarrassing habits such as sleeptalking or snoring, he wanted to know.

"…Promise you won't get mad?" Watari's voice was suddenly childlike.

The last time Watari made this request, he'd blown up his laboratory and was in need of new facilities and funding…Tatsumi had a bad feeling about this. Though he knew his lover well enough to know that Watari would not divulge any more information if he did not agree. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, "Yes, Watari, I promise." He prepared for the worst.

"…It's just…you looked so sad, that's all." Watari finished uneasily, watching him with the eyes of a hawk, "…You weren't crying or sleeptalking or anything…you just…looked sad."

Tatsumi was silent. The amethyst orbs came back to him in a sudden, guilty pang. At last he released Watari's wrist, took his hand, and raised it to his lips. "…Maybe you were dreaming too." He replied firmly, lips still against velvet skin. "You fell asleep, and you just didn't know it."

Watari did not argue. On the contrary, he was quite eager to agree. He nodded almost fiercely, "Yeah, I do that sometimes. No, actually, I do that a lot." He lay back down, and arranged himself expertly in the cradle of Tatsumi's open arms.

Silence reigned between them after that, the only sound being the pitter-patter of raindrops drumming on the windowpane. A few moments later, his alarm went off, ultimately shattering the peace.

"You are really a workaholic." Watari said, half chiding after properly punishing the poor clock by plummeting it on the floor. "It's barely—what—six? We're not due at the office until eight-thirty."

"…You owe me a new clock." Tatsumi said, now ever so slightly peeved as he unwound Watari's arms from his waist.

But Watari extricated himself before his efforts could bear fruits. Kissing Tatsumi lightly on the lips, he got out of bed, still wearing absolutely nothing. "Stay for me, I'll get breakfast."

"Put something on. You'll catch a cold." Though Tatsumi stayed where he was. The bed seemed too big, all of the sudden, when he was in it alone.

"Nah, I'll be just a minute."

Tatsumi closed his eyes, he thought he heard the refrigerator door open, then close. Watari was probably just going to microwave something.

"…I'm back."

Tatsumi's eyes trailed to Watari's hands, they were holding a carton, and a single spoon, "…Correct me if I'm wrong…but…" his vision was severely impaired without the aid of his glasses, "---Is that ice cream you're holding? For breakfast, Watari?"

"Yep." Watari got in beside him again, "Maybe I should have put something.on It's freezing."

"Of course it's freezing." Tatsumi gathered the blonde Shinigami in his arms; the pale skin prickly with cold. "…Are you out of your mind?" he demanded, though not harshly. He slid his lips roughly over the other's, "You have hyperthermia, and yet you bring ice cream for breakfast?"

"Don't be angry. Besides, you can't get hypothermia this easily." Watari set the carton and spoon between them, "If you're holding me like this, it's not so bad. I'm not that cold anymore."

Watari was right, it wasn't so bad, but quite the contrary to what his aspiring lover had just said, the other's body was still cold, not unlike an ice statue. Tatsumi sighed. "If you keep this up, you will get a cold, and it'd be your own fault."

Watari chuckled and opened the carton, despite his warnings, useless now. "…Quit being such a doomsayer." He chided gently. "It's a nice day out."

He watched as Watari took in a spoonful of what looked to be vanilla ice cream. "I can't help it." He also couldn't help smiling at the self-indulgent antics that the other displayed, they were becoming…almost too becoming. "…It's in my nature."

Watari paused, "It's in your nature." He repeated, "And not because you care about me?"

"Well, yes, that too." Tatsumi quickly made amends.

"Then this is in my nature. Never mind I'm centuries old, I'm still very young at heart, you know." Watari told him petulantly and continued to shovel ice cream in his mouth as if he hadn't any other care in this world. "Loosen up once in a while. It'd be good for you, Tatsumi. According to studies, people who work overtime on a regular basis are more likely to die of stress-related causes earlier than other people. "

Tatsumi smiled wryly, "A man can't die twice."

"…True, but still, it doesn't hurt."

His lover asked so many impossible things, to smile, to love, to enjoy life. But who was he to complain? Unknown to the ever unsuspecting Watari, Tatsumi asked him the most impossible task of all.

"Can I have some?"

Watari paused, spoon halfway into his mouth, he grinned triumphantly, "And I was wondering when you'd ask. Here, open wide."

"…I can feed myself ice cream." Tatsumi had a very bad feeling about this.

"I know, but since we're lovers, it'd be more romantic if I'd feed you ice cream."

"You're going to get it all over the bed."

Watari practically opened his mouth for him and delivered the spoon inside, "Stop ruining the atmosphere."

The flavor vanilla tasted so strange on his tongue.

--

To keep from feeling even more guilty, Tatsumi allowed his lover to kiss him full on the mouth, in front of everybody in the office, before shooing Watari off into the lab. Some of his bolder subordinates actually went as far as to whistle and snicker, while some of the shyer ones just stared with open mouths.

"People are staring at us."

"I know."

"The chief is probably going to hear about this."

"I know." Tatsumi sighed, "Let me take care of it. Go now." He didn't want to think about what Watari would tell chief Kondou, if anything, his job was definitely at stake, "Don't worry about it." I worry enough for both of us…after all.

---

Despite what he told Watari about being able to work better alone and without interruption, Tatsumi usually left his office door open while he worked, despite the raging chaos in the general lobby. He did this, because Tsuzuki Asato's desk was right outside. But no one knew this, except him, and Tsuzuki, at least Tatsumi liked to think that Tsuzuki knew. It told him, at least, that he alone was not a sinner.

Sometimes, the amethyst-eyed Shinigami, whose eyes were uncannily like the ones Tatsumi saw in his nighttime reveries, would look in and give him a somewhat guilty, somewhat wistful smile. That was how Tatsumi knew that the other still hadn't forgotten, either.

I'll watch you from a distance.

It's better for both of us.

"Tatsumi?" a voice sounded somewhere near, questioningly. "Hello?"

Tatsumi blinked, an unexpected, informal gesture that was so much unlike him, as the simple surroundings of his office sank back in. "…Tsuzuki…san." Touching a hand to his lenses, he put down his pen, "Could I help you?"

"Would you like some cake?" Tsuzuki blurted out, then looked very sheepish, "I mean…"

"…Would I like some cake?" Tatsumi repeated, raising a vaguely amused eyebrow. "Eating in this office while working is strictly forbidden, Tsuzuki, as I have told you ten million times."

Tsuzuki stared at the plate of cake in his hand, and back at Tatsumi again, "…But I'm hungry." He said, as if that explained everything. "I'll die if I don't eat."

"Where is Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi abruptly shifted the subject, "Isn't he usually…your partner in crime?" among other things, he was sure. "And you're already dead, just in case you forgot." What was it with this sudden rush of sarcasm?

"Um, actually…" Tsuzuki stared at the cake with renewed interest as he spoke, "…Hisoka is um, kind of mad at me, right now, it'll most likely blow over when we get home."

"And you're hoping I'll eat the cake with you why, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi fixed him with a mock stern stare, "…So I won't tell on you to Chief Kondou, maybe?"

"Something like that." Tsuzuki laughed nervously and stared down at the plate. "Please, Tatsumi? You used to say yes when we were partners."

Tatsumi could have, should have reminded Tsuzuki that they weren't partners anymore and they were never going to be again, but for some reason or another, he didn't. "Just this once, Tsuzuki-san." He consented, carefully after a long pause. "Close the door, if you please."

Tsuzuki brightened, "Really?"

"Really. Close the door."

"Thanks, Tatsumi, I owe you one." Tsuzuki was already shoving cake into his mouth.

Tatsumi smiled indulgently. "Just don't make a mess in here, or you'll be the one cleaning up." I owe you many. One does not matter.

…And every once in a while, I like you close by.

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Gah, crappy ending, whatever.

Part 2/4 finished (yes, I have made it into a four-part fic now)