Borrowed Empathy : Chapter 6.
Author's Notes :
Waaaa! Writing fluff is so hard! I can't do it! **cries** Seriously, why is it so hard?! ;(
This chapter was sooooooo hard to write! I kind of sort of have the last two chapters planned in my head, but I was really stuck on this, because hehe just like Hisoka's plan, this story kind of snowballed!
Please please review! Let me know if this is okay or terrible or really OOC or maybe semi-good…? ^^ Yay thanks!
Tatsumi awoke to a splitting headache. It literally felt like a sword had been planted through the top of his skull.
NOISE.
There was so much noise.
It was deafening and overwhelming and impossible for him to separate the emotions that pounded him from every direction.
Groggy from the medication, he slowly regained consciousness, and as he did so, the noise only became louder and louder and louder until the pain was unbearable.
His entire body felt bruised all over, as if he was getting a beating… both physically and mentally… and he couldn't make it stop.
Tatsumi tried to raise his psychic shields, but they weren't strong enough to block the emotions of every living… well, dead… soul in the building. His shields crumbled, and he tried to raise them again.
Tatsumi groaned without opening his eyes.
WORRY.
In response, there was an instant flood of concern washing over him from three directions.
Unable to block out the flood of unrecognizable thoughts and emotions in the background, Tatsumi focused on the strongest emotions in the room.
Concern. Regret. Respect. Nervousness. Tension. Apprehension.
That was Kurosaki.
I am so sorry. This was all my idea… I never should have interfered.
Tatsumi-san's love life is no concern of mine… I just wanted him to know how Tsuzuki feels… What have I done?
This was all my idea… This was all my fault…
He is going to hate me when he wakes up… I am such an idiot… What was I thinking?! I should have known it would overload him…
I never should have put this on him…
Tatsumi moved slightly, realizing he was on something soft… a bed?
He shifted his attention to the next person he could sense.
Curiosity. Concern. Guilt. Humor. Attention.
That was Watari.
Is he okay? Did it work?
I never should have given him that much… Then again, what choice did I have? He is such a stubborn workaholic, and I never would have had another chance… I had to take a risk and just give him all of it.
He really needs to loosen up… especially if we're ever gonna get him together with Tsuzuki… No… That doesn't matter… I ended up hurting him… I didn't want to hurt him…
His shadows are scary… He is never going to forgive me for this…
I'll take care of him, now… I'll make sure he's okay… It's good that he's still sleeping…
Ah-ha. So, that was their plan… those idiots.
Tatsumi was almost completely awake, now, but he kept his eyes closed. His head was pounding, and even with his shields raised, he could not block out the noise coming from the rest of the building.
Instead, he focused on the strongest emotion of all… the one coming from directly beside him.
WARMTH. FRIENDSHIP. PROTECTION. GENTLENESS.
LOVE.
That was Tsuzuki.
What were they thinking? Watari is always trying ridiculous potions on us, but this was dangerous. Why would Soka even suggest it?
Poor Seiichirou… He must have been in a lot of pain to call upon his shadows like that…
It doesn't matter, now. I'm here… I'll always be here for him…
Because he's always been here for me…
"Thank you, Tsuzuki," he whispered.
Slowly, Tatsumi opened his eyes. Brilliant purple eyes were the first thing he saw, and then a flash of golden hair and a white labcoat as Watari came rushing over.
"Tatsumi! You're awake! How are you feeling?!" Watari immediately asked.
Tatsumi was already sitting up in the infirmary bed. His shoes and jacket had been removed, and he quickly retrieved his glasses from the table nearby. Replacing his glasses on his nose, he narrowed his eyes.
"My head is killing me," he responded bluntly.
"You're already dead!" Watari joked, only to receive an icy blue glare. He chuckled nervously. "Right… kidding… sorry…" he muttered. "Um… Let me just check you real quick, okay?"
Tatsumi endured the brief checkup.
Tsuzuki sat beside him with a radiant smile, and for once, his emotions were neither guilt-ridden or depressed nor childishly immature. Instead, he was calm and warm and comfortingly assured… It was as if he was exactly where he wanted to be with no regrets at all.
Hisoka, by contrast, was standing quietly nearby the whole time, waves of guilt and regret emanating from his small frame. Watari was as cheerful as ever on the outside, but really, he was feeling as guilty as Hisoka.
"Ugh! Would you two please stop apologizing?!" Tatsumi grunted, annoyed.
Green and gold eyes shot surprised glances at him, then at each other.
"I heard everything. Your emotions are so strong, I could feel you when I was still half-asleep!" the brunette mumbled.
"Still that bad, huh…?" Watari asked.
Hisoka nodded and answered him. "It's a little less, but his empathy is still pretty strong. He's still in danger of overloading."
They continued consulting in a whisper.
Meanwhile, the secretary was already getting out of bed.
He had his feet on the ground and Tsuzuki was helping him to stand before Watari noticed.
"Where exactly do you think you are going?!" the scientist demanded.
Tatsumi was undisturbed. "Back to work," he replied simply.
Watari shook his head, long blonde hair falling over his shoulders. He was already looking through the cabinets and drawers.
"We think the best thing for you is to keep you sedated for the rest of the day…" he explained.
"What?!" Tatsumi started to protest, but Watari held up a hand.
"Just until everyone else has gone home. It will be much quieter, then, and you should be able to handle it. You can stay here overnight. The potion should wear off by tomorrow morning, and you'll be fine."
"No sedatives," Tatsumi refused flatly. "Just give me some aspirin and I'll be fine."
"Honestly, Tatsumi, you are the worst patient."
"I am not a patient. I am however, a stubborn workaholic."
His normally level tone had a slightly sarcastic bite to it, and Watari winced.
Hisoka finally spoke up. The normally tough teenager was extremely shy, now… still as logical as ever, but now his tone was even more respectful than usual. In fact, he sounded so guilty that he was afraid to even make a suggestion.
"Tatsumi-san. It took me a lifetime… actually more than a lifetime… to learn how to control my empathy. You cannot possibly control it right away," he began very gently and calmly. "It was too much to put on you at one time. It was our mistake, but now you are in real danger… Do you understand that? You already overloaded once, and it will happen again."
The youngest shinigami's level of guilt at this moment was almost as much as Tsuzuki's on his mildest day! Tatsumi almost smiled to himself. He honestly didn't blame the child for trying to help… He tried to emote some amount of understanding in hopes that Hisoka would pick up on it.
Watari was still trying to convince him.
"Tatsumi, be logical. Whenever Bon overloads, he has to sleep for hours, sometimes the whole day, to recover! Let me put you to sleep. One little pin-prick, that's all."
"Absolutely out of the question," Tatsumi replied firmly. "I've already lost half a day, and my paperwork will not complete itself."
He was on his way out the door, when a warm wave of gentle kindness from the purple-eyed shinigami made him pause and turn around.
"I think you should rest, Seiichirou," Tsuzuki said quietly.
Purple eyes turned pleading and the secretary finally sighed.
He could never refuse those exquisite eyes… especially when there was such genuine affection in the man's emotions.
"Very well. I will rest," he relented and allowed Tsuzuki to guide him back to the bed.
As he sat down on the edge of the bed, Tatsumi suddenly leaned closer to his former partner. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous… clearly insecure about something.
In a lowered tone, he asked, "Tsuzuki… did I… did I lose control? Before? With my shadows, I mean. Did I lose control?"
Tatsumi was rarely insecure about anything, and Tsuzuki had to try not to laugh outright at the man's admission of his greatest fear… losing control.
Tsuzuki chuckled softly. "No… Not at all. I think you had every shadow in Meifu at your command! But, no. They obeyed you perfectly. I don't even want to think about what you'd be like if you ever lost control!"
Tatsumi seemed relieved… for a split-second, until he noticed Watari who had come over to stand beside his bed.
He nodded to the syringe in Watari's hand.
"No. No sedatives. I agreed to rest. That will force me to sleep whether I want to or not, and I most definitely do not…"
But Watari wordlessly grabbed his wrist and delivered the shot.
"It's for your own good."
Blue eyes glared then turned to Tsuzuki.
"Will you be here when I wake up?"
"Yes, Seiichirou. I promise."
And Tsuzuki smiled, bent down, and placed a soft kiss upon his forehead.