YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS

THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?

Chapter Six: The Morning After

Warning

Lemons up ahead...

It was before dawn when Tatsumi stirred in his bed and fluttered his eyes open. The first thing that he noticed was his nakedness followed by this sated feeling accompanied by dull aches throughout his body that could be easily remedied once he had stretched and gone about his daily activities.

Tatsumi stayed lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time after he glanced sideways to confirm that he was not dreaming again just as he normally did every evening before last night.

There was Watari, naked as well. Still covered by the thin blanket that the two of them shared since last night and his hair free from the ribbon that he normally used to secure his long blonde hair, he looked innocent as he slept.

When Tatsumi wanted to have a closer look, he sat up on the bed taking every precaution not to wake up the other. Once he was comfortable and was reassured that Watari was undisturbed, he took time to note every detail as his eyes roamed on the other. The moonlight was his only source of illumination, and it provided such a sensuously comforting veil to the apple of his eye.

Watari slept on his back, the thin blanket covering him still giving away the well-toned shape of his limber body. One would never know that he had some well-defined muscles because he normally wore a loose lab coat or a regular coat over two additional layers of clothing – mostly a comfortable denim, corduroy, or cotton long-sleeved shirt over a turtleneck.

As to Watari's lower body, the thin blanket gave away the contours of his long legs and a hint of his manhood.

Tatsumi smiled softly, remembering that all the illusions that he had about Watari's body had been completely shattered last night. He was tempted to sweep away the unruly blonde locks that partially covered the other's face, but he held back since he did not wish to disturb the other's sleep. His azure gaze on the other betrayed his thoughts…thoughts veiled with affection, passion, and desire.

Tatsumi's mind panned out everything that had happened last night – the home movies, the exchange of gazes between Watari and him, the comfortable positions that the two were in, the brush of each other's touches stirring the lust although each incident was accidental.

The secretary took in a subtle breath, a warmer smile escaping from his lips as he remembered how at ease the two of them were with each other as one laughed, cried, and sighed contentedly from the movies that they watched.

Then of course, there were the touches and caresses between them which started on the couch as they lounged on it and watched movies…with Watari's warm yet still-clothed body draped on Tatsumi.

That was nothing compared to the bedroom…

Tatsumi closed his eyes, his mind's eye replaying those memorable scenes…stirring his senses. He could smell Watari's hair as he reminisced how he playfully kissed the other's neck and behind the ears. He could taste and feel the other's supple lips as the two exchanged kisses. The smell and feel of the other's smooth skin stirred emotions that were indescribable to him…emotions ranging from the affectionate to the euphoric.

Considering that this was the first time that the two of them relaxed their defenses and inhibitions, Tatsumi took in another deep breath as his gaze continued to rest on the sleeping Watari…his memory still vivid as to how the hungry kisses and the intimate caresses led to something more carnal and primal.

The euphoria from last night rekindled within Tatsumi, the amorous heat emanating from the core of his being and spread throughout his body slowly but surely. Everything was fresh in his mind – the teasing caresses, the kisses which ranged from the affectionate to the hungry, the preparation which one showed consideration towards the other, the thrusts which started deep then the subsequent thrusts becoming harder, faster, and deeper to bring both of them closer to the edge, the climax wherein one filled the other.

Then there was the afterglow…the moments of near non-movements wherein the two allowed those remaining sensations to ripple throughout their bodies. During those moments, one could feel affectionate kisses and touches being planted on his body from the other as if his body was being given adoration. Once the sated feelings sit and place them in peace, the two enjoy the intimate rest where their naked bodies were dangerously close to each other…the exchange of heat, affection, and ministrations rekindling years' worth of pent-up emotions for the other.

The kisses resumed once more…starting so affectionately innocent and escalating into the lustful and needy…the two starting the cycle once more and completing it.

Last night's lovemaking was reminiscent of how Watari and he were with each other for many years. They were in constant battle of wits and dominance, one knowing what to anticipate from the other, one opening up and revealing things that were new to the other, one responding in kind with the other's boldness.

It was a night full of expectations fulfilled and unexpected surprises. They took turns, one giving himself fully to the other in so many ways although the other could tell that there was still a tinge of endearing reservation reminiscent to a bride being deflowered by his groom for the first time on their honeymoon night.

Tatsumi's mind was lost to his daydreaming although his gaze was still on the one he shared himself with last night, a smile escaping from his lips as the word "honeymoon" came to his mind. Last night was indeed a honeymoon for him, and he wondered if the other felt the same way.

Then Tatsumi's smile became warmer as he recalled their respective moans, Watari's nails digging on his skin and planting scratches and marks on his skin, the escalating ministrations between them, everything so indicative that last night was indeed a honeymoon between them that was long overdue.

"We might never get out of bed if you keep teasing me like that...although if you keep it up, I won't complain…."

Tatsumi snapped out of his reverie and his sight focused on a now-awake and warmly-smiling Watari.

The blonde scientist was now laying on his side, his gaze transfixed on Tatsumi. He was dreaming another variation of last night's lovemaking. He slowly but surely stirred from wakefulness as he felt Tatsumi's fingertips absentmindedly yet sensuously caressing his thigh, his sleepiness not the only thing that the secretary had managed to stir.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," stammered Tatsumi as he withdrew his hand, not realizing that he was acting out the emotions evoked through his mind's eye.

"Don't be. I'm glad," said Watari with a smile as he touched the other's hand, Tatsumi's hand resting in-between Watari's thumb and index finger…his thumb caressing the back of Tatsumi's hand.

As their gazes met, Tatsumi had a tinge of shyness reflected in those expressive blue eyes of his. To have what he had dreamed of for the longest time happen tonight, he was still in euphoria. He watched the other from a distance for many years now, the idea of spending time with Watari more than enough to make his heart race and for him to crawl back in his emotional shell.

And to go beyond that dream…to actually make it real…to make love with the center of his secret affections…Tatsumi was speechless, his happiness reflected in his eyes and the way that he gazed at Watari.

"Come back to bed, Seii. It's Sunday…so we have more time for ourselves to relax…to sleep in," was Watari's whispered invitation to Tatsumi, a warm smile escaping from those supple lips that the latter kissed with such wild and hungry abandon making the invitation much harder to resist.

And the cycle that they repeated throughout the night resumed…this time the two much more unafraid in trying something new.

The head maître d' at Château Badeau escorted Watari, 003, and Tatsumi to a table, another waiter relieving the new arrivals of their umbrella and trench coats as the rain continued to beat outside.

Tatsumi wore his usual suit and shirt combo minus the tie and the vest. One button of his shirt was purposefully left unbuttoned, his jacket open, the looser shirt's collar resting above his jacket's lapel. He was not used to wearing his suit this way, but he tried it as an experiment and as a form of appeasement for Watari. After all, he was technically still in payback phase for the ruined first date. Secondly, he liked what he saw once he inspected his attire before the mirror so it was worth the try.

Watari, on the other hand, wore a black turtleneck sweater, a brown hounds-tooth blazer, and black pants…a black muffler loosely wrapped around his neck.

Watari was inwardly happy that the man accommodated his request to provide them a more private booth. He could also see that Tatsumi appreciated the space given to them.

003 was also in better spirits this time around, the first notable reason being that the waiter was nicer towards her. Second was the fact that her master was happy – not the giddy happiness brought by good food, delectable sweets, or fine sake…but real, long-lasting happiness that only a relationship and contentment could bring.

Once their orders have been placed, Tatsumi leaned on the table and said, "That last movie we watched was nice."

"Tuesdays with Morrie?" beamed Watari as he passed the small breadbasket to Tatsumi. "I love that movie. I couldn't stop crying when I first saw it. I still cry to this very day."

Tatsumi gave his date a pursed-lipped smile. "Me too… Who wouldn't? Sometimes, life's lessons can be learned from the oddest of places in the oddest of times. What he learned from Morrie and how he learned it from him…it just reminded me of how we stumble through life's lessons. We pretty much learn from our retrievals…the dying teaching us life's valuable lessons."

"It's never too late to learn – no mistake too great to fix."

"I'm suppose you're right," was Tatsumi's reply as he poured tea for Watari and then for him. He then broke the bread roll in half and then separated that half into tiny pieces for 003 to enjoy.

The evening was romantic, the intimacy only known between Watari and Tatsumi. Although it was raining, they took a stroll towards Lover's Bridge – an effort for both of them to retrace their steps and make new, happier memories.

Since they were the only ones there, Tatsumi indulged in a public display of affection. He drew Watari close to him, kissing the other so passionately…the kiss reminiscent of the first of many that they shared in his bedroom.

Time slipped by so quickly and became inconsequential….

Tatsumi snuggled with Watari for warmth and affection, the two naked under the covers in his bed. He was more than happy to reciprocate the passionate peck that Watari had planted on his lips with a lingering kiss of his own…the kiss progressing into a series of explorative ones.

After a long while of kissing and embracing, Watari drew away from the kiss and rested his head on Tatsumi's chest – letting the other envelop him in an affectionate and protective embrace, his leg resting on Tatsumi's leg.

Remembering how adorable the other looked this morning while locked in a reverie, Watari innocently asked the other, "What were you thinking about this morning? You were so deep in thought."

Tatsumi smiled, holding back a chuckle and blushing because he realized that he was caught in the act. "You…us...last night… Everything…."

"And…?"

The smile from Tatsumi's lips became more generous. He kissed Watari's forehead and whispered, "I wanted to kick myself. I couldn't understand why I waited too long for this to happen."

This time, Watari did them a favor by chuckling while snuggling closer to Tatsumi. His leg took comfort resting in-between Tatsumi's legs as he closed the gap between his body and Tatsumi's body. "That's all in the past, now. It's a beginning for us, remember? Isn't that what you said?"

"Yes…"

"I just wonder about Monday….tomorrow…."

Tatsumi blinked, looking at Watari. "Monday...?"

"Work, remember? Would you have any reservations in letting everyone know that we're dating?"

"No, I don't. However, I want to remain discreet as much as I could. I want our business to remain our business. No admissions and no denials. I'll let things fall the way they wish to fall in their own due time. I'm more concerned about what's important for us. We can still be the professionals that we are…or try to be…."

Watari nodded in approval and then shifted, once again laying on his side to face Tatsumi…his head supported by his hand. He looked at Tatsumi and told the other in a gentle, sensuous voice, "You look handsome without glasses, Seii. I didn't realize how blue your eyes were until these last few days."

Blushing a bit from the compliment, Tatsumi smiled, "Same goes with you…warm honey-colored brown…so expressive…at the same time found out what you've been hiding under that bundle of clothing you wear everyday."

"You wear a suit…leaves much for the imagination to play with…."

After drawing Watari close to him and stealing a kiss, Tatsumi whispered back, "What makes you think that there's not much for the imagination to play with while naked? What do you think I was doing when you woke up?"

"True, true…" was Watari's chuckled response. He then kissed Tatsumi, this time wanting something beyond the kisses and the caresses. He pressed his body against the other in need, encouraged more as the other did the same.

Tatsumi let his entire being soak in his baser needs and deep-rooted affection for Watari, letting go of his reservations as he let his hands, lips, and his entire body do all the thinking for him. No more rationalization. No more hesitation. No more questions raised by his self-consciousness or sense of prim and proper. No more hiding behind a façade of not needing to intimately connect with anyone.

Each kiss, caress, ministration that the two shared made them respectively melt into the moment…letting things go and letting things be…

As to Tatsumi, his heart raced and ached as Watari kissed and touched him in the right places. He was caught in a quandary wherein he was so afraid to make the mistakes of the past while at the same time so fearful that he was missing the small slice of heaven in his sad existence if he did not let Watari in.

Tsuzuki was the first one who Tatsumi had been intimate with. He loved Tsuzuki, their whirlwind romance and their professional partnership ending after three years of intimate contact. The days of intimacy with Tsuzuki Asato might have been long over, but he wondered as to whether it was truly over for him or Tsuzuki. He ended all romantic and intimate matters between him and Tsuzuki very abruptly, if he would call his half-hearted effort of telling Tsuzuki that things were over between them professionally and personally. On that fateful moment, he referred to their relationship as a partnership, called their intimate activities as work, and himself as partner rather than lover.

If someone objective would analyze Tatsumi's words that day, one could say that Tatsumi was loud and clear about ending his professional partnership with Tsuzuki. However, one could successfully argue that the same clarity could not be applied in ending his intimate relationship with Tsuzuki yet he figured that the same conversation applied to both matters. In fact, he believed that what he said and the way that he said his statement was more than enough to send the message across especially since Tsuzuki did as Tatsumi would have wanted him to do - stayed away from him and not expect anything from him anymore.

To this very day, Tatsumi was ashamed to admit that he could not handle Tsuzuki as well as understand the true reason why he severed the relationship and turned his back from the other. Sure, he had explained to Hisoka that Tsuzuki brought back memories of his melancholic and suicidal mother. He did tell the younger shinigami the truth, but part of him felt that there was something more than just that explanation.

The years after that break-up helped Tatsumi lessen the guilt that he carried regarding whether he was cruel in severing nearly all of his relationships with Tsuzuki...or whether or not he did end nearly of his relationships with Tsuzuki that day. If things were really over between them, then why was it so easy to utter that lie to Watari that there were only four people who called him Seii? The truth was that there were five people in his life and afterlife who called him Seii - his father, his mother, his sister, his mentor, and Tsuzuki during their intimate days. If matters were truly over between him and Tsuzuki, then why could he not disclose such a simple fact of the past to Watari? Was he afraid that Watari would get hurt just as Tsuzuki would?

Tatsumi remembered that Watari was not Tsuzuki…that Watari had a feisty streak in him that would not hesitate to put him in his place. The blonde scientist was the one who was bold enough to see through his mask and rip it off from him, leaving him so vulnerable yet free.

As that truth sank in for Tatsumi, his mind began to stop thinking and allowed his body to take over the thinking…to concentrate on his body's needs as well as his lover's desires. His body arched as a spike of lust coursed throughout his body from Watari kissing his firm stomach and suckling the flesh, the latter purposefully planting a trail of marks on his skin. He clenched the sheets as the other prepared him, time being taken to explore him and tease him further.

When his body totally betrayed him since he could no longer bite back the moan escaping from his lips, Tatsumi closed his eyes and let the fires of lust nearly consume him as Watari took him.

The two indulged with one making the other feel as much as he could, the touches between them making the experience more passionate…their needs brought to faster immediacy. They built a momentum leading towards what they both wanted – no words spoken or prodding done to be in sync…to be touched at the right places at the right time.

The pace then quickened as the thrusts became harder and deeper as well. Such need and want communicated through how they exchanged half-lidded glances, how their bodies moved to keep up with the other, and how the complex chemistry between them equated so magically in the bedroom.

The movements became more urgent, erratic…with Tatsumi meeting Watari's thrusts and Watari angling to delve deeper into the other…with Watari making sure that Tatsumi had been satisfied before he allowed his needs to be sated shortly thereafter.

As the two barely moved, letting those lustful sensations continue coursing through their veins and mixing with their adrenaline, Watari planted random affectionate kisses on Tatsumi's chest as he remained inside…all while the other enveloped him in an embrace. They were sated…at peace in so many aspects.

In a small part of a large realm such as Meifu – the land filled with hapless souls harboring their respective woes and laments – Tatsumi and Watari found each other. In each other's company, they uncovered something new and complex, and shared a slice of happiness when they have surrendered having such priceless treasures when they became shinigami.

For Tatsumi and Watari, the world only included each other and the bed that they now shared.

End of Chapter Six

Normal Disclaimer

I do not own Yami no Matsuei and its lovable characters. However, I do own this fic and Chief Satori and other original characters.

I also do not own Tuesdays with Morrie. It belongs to the authors/creators/writers/ individuals who hold rights to these awesome works.