YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?
Chapter Eleven: Closer
"What have you been doing for two days? For Enma's sakes, you look like…."
"Like Hell… Like death warmed over? I was fine all this time until I got up at dawn. I took a bath this morning and I just started feeling under the weather," said Tatsumi to Watari, his nose definitely stuffed up and a sneeze following immediately after his words. His eyes were red and watery. His body felt heavy and sluggish. His throbbing head shook since he still could not fathom how he got sick being as careful and as meticulous as he had always been.
Watari smiled at his lover in an empathetic yet inwardly-amused manner as he took off his coat and his shoes. He certainly knew from first glance that Tatsumi was sick judging from the dark circles under Tatsumi's reddish and watery eyes, the paler skin, the reddened nose, and Tatsumi's usually rich tone changing a bit due to the congestion in his lungs.
By this time, Watari generally knew what was going on inside Tatsumi's head from the way that the secretary had been acting. He would not be surprised if Tatsumi wanted to kick himself for allowing his body to get sick. He approached Tatsumi and then touched his lover's cheek. He blinked, getting caught off-guard as Tatsumi looked away and avoided the kiss.
"I don't want you to get sick. Bad enough that I'm not feeling well…"
As his smile turned into a pursed-lipped frown and a sigh following afterwards, Watari said, "We shinigami still get sick, so all you need to do is rest. By the looks of it, I'd say that you've had this lingering on and you ignored it."
Tatsumi's eyes narrowed a bit, his temper definitely thinner since his head and chest were congested. "We have a case to solve! I can't afford to be sick!"
And Watari's eyes narrowed as well, with him doing so in a much-more dangerous way than Tatsumi's annoyed glare. "And I'm telling you that the case doesn't start until four days from now, so you have time to rest and recuperate. Now just lie down."
"But I still have to read –"
Glaring death at the secretary, Watari deadpanned, "For the next four days, you're not reading any case files. You're not leaving this bed unless you're getting some fresh air. And I will definitely be as close to you as I wish to be. That's what you need to do so that you're well enough to handle this case with me when the time comes. You're resting and your stubborn ways won't bully me out of taking care of you. That's final, Tatsumi Seiichiro…."
Tatsumi and Watari exchanged death glares, the two at this point definitely having lost their better judgment and cooler tempers. The stare-down took a long while with no one daring to blink.
Finally, Tatsumi relaxed as he took his turn in being caught off-guard as Watari touched his feverish cheek and kissed him. He did not want the blonde scientist to get sick, but his sense of reason left from him as his hazy and fever-addled mind allowed him to drown into that kiss that he now shared with Watari.
As Tatsumi had been reminded of how much he missed Watari over the past two days, he reciprocated Watari's kisses with equal fervor. His hands felt as if it touched gold for the first time once they rested on Watari's body. The kisses between Watari and him continued, that kiss taking a more explorative and intimate turn.
Watari then gently drew away from the kiss and told Tatsumi as he took the opportunity to catch his breath, "You need to rest…."
"I'm not that sick…" Tatsumi whispered back, his half-lidded and watery eyes now further glazed from that kiss he shared with Watari as well as the promises of things that could happen after that kiss.
"Let us rest first. Take a nap, perhaps?" suggested Watari with a smile escaping from his lips, his temper reverting to its usual chipper state. He led Tatsumi to the bed, with him taking the lead in slipping them under the covers.
Tatsumi mumbled, feeling drowsy again as he lay in bed, "If you ever feel like returning to the next room…the adjoining suite… Feel free to do so. There's a door connecting our suites, so you could always come and go as you please…"
Slipping his arm between Tatsumi's arm and waist from behind and drawing the other close to him for a cuddle, Watari told Tatsumi, "Thank you for thinking about me, but I'm staying right here. Now stop thinking and let your body rest."
By this time, Tatsumi had lost the energy to argue. He allowed sleep to take him over as his feverish body's demands were far greater than his mind's willingness to stay awake and deny the fact that he was sick.
Although Watari was worried about Tatsumi, at least he felt a little better being together again with Tatsumi. He just had to focus on taking care of Tatsumi and keeping a watchful eye on Tatsumi so that the latter could recover as soon as possible.
So how hard would it be to take care of a loved one who was ill?
"Piece of cake… I'll make him feel better in no time," thought Watari as he snuggled from behind Tatsumi, closing his eyes as he made Tatsumi's health and recovery his priority for the next four days.
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"You're so stubborn, do you know that? You can't even lift your arms and you need to eat!" said Watari as he glared at Tatsumi. The two of them have been debating back and forth an hour after they have woken up from their nap. Watari held a spoon filled with chicken soup, his efforts in feeding Tatsumi comparable to pounding his head hard against the wall.
"I can't be lying down all this time," said Tatsumi, his fever now becoming full-blown and his cold getting worse so he was definitely in no shape to be doing anything but rest. His flu killed his appetite completely although he had not eaten anything since morning.
"You're staying in bed until you recover, or I'll do something that we'll both regret."
Tatsumi blinked for a couple of minutes, his hazy mind not registering what Watari was insinuating. When he met the other's gaze and gauged as to what the other could have been thinking, his eyes eventually went wide. "You're using that to blackmail me into staying in bed?"
From the way that Watari's honey-colored eyes glinted as he stared back at Tatsumi, he flatly stated, "You're not born yesterday. Why can't you even spell it out? Yes, I'm not sleeping with you even if you get well. I don't know for how long, but I'll do it for as long as it takes. You need to get through your thick head why you shouldn't be this bull-headed about these things."
"I'm not that sick!" said Tatsumi, the volume of his voice raising and eventually making him cough.
Watari's anger dissipated as he saw how weak Tatsumi looked, especially when he saw Tatsumi look away from him.
A long pause for silence stood between the two lovers with Tatsumi looking down and staring at his hands while Watari's gaze never left Tatsumi.
When Watari decided to break the silence between them, his tone softened. His sadness and plea laced in his words as he told the secretary, "When will you let those who love you take care of you for a change? You've watched and protected all of us from a distant. Why won't you let us watch and protect you for a change, especially when you need it most? Why are you being so selfish that way?"
Then a rueful smile broke out from Watari's lips as his eyes glistened with tears. "You do trust me, don't you?"
Tatsumi closed his eyes for a couple of minutes before he met Watari's gaze once more. "I trust you. I trust you with everything that I have and am. You should know that by now."
"Then if that's the case, let me take care of you. Let me do this for you. That's what a person would do for a loved one. You most especially should know that. Don't rob that right and privilege away from me."
Tears welled in Tatsumi's eyes. There was something in the way that Watari said his words that touched his heart. He was speechless, especially when Watari interlaced fingers with his hand and grasped his weak hand with such affection.
"You're sick, Seii. Being sick doesn't mean anything more than the fact that you're just sick. Don't make it more than what it is," were Watari's warm and gentle words, his gaze still focused on Tatsumi.
Watari relaxed when he saw Tatsumi nod as a reply, and felt relieved when Tatsumi accepted the spoonful of soup and finished the rest of the bowl of soup with his help and without protest. He was inwardly thankful for he knew that Tatsumi did not have much of an appetite due to the flu but the latter finally listened to good reason and did what was told.
Pleased that his patient was being obedient, Watari softly smiled and then marched to the bathroom. He could see how a quiet Tatsumi's eyes went wide as he returned with a basin of hot water and a face-towel inside the water.
After Watari checked the drawers, pulled out a clean pair of pajamas and a pair of boxers for Tatsumi, and placed it within reach, he then began giving his lover a sponge bath starting with the face, ears, and neck.
As Watari helped Tatsumi remove the latter's pajamas, he heard Tatsumi mumble, "This is embarrassing."
Tatsumi's comment simply elicited an inward chuckle from Watari. The blonde scientist merely knew that Tatsumi was being just crabby about the entire prospect of being taken care of, but this time he knew that the secretary accepted that help and just needed to adjust.
Once the pajama top was off, Watari then continued giving the secretary a sponge bath and said, "I've seen you naked before. What's the big deal?"
"My mother used to do this for me," were Tatsumi's words which followed after he let out a sigh. He knew what followed next – the smell of rubbing alcohol and feel of warm water against his skin giving him momentary relief.
While Watari helped Tatsumi slip into a clean pajama top and buttoned it for his patient, he told the other in a teasing yet endearing fashion, "Well, you've just this short from being a protective father for us so just enjoy it. If it makes you feel better, then you're more than allowed to do the same for me when I get sick…not that I plan on being sick anytime soon."
Tatsumi felt more embarrassed as Watari stripped the lower part of his body and began bathing him, with him doing his best to move or open up his body so that it would be easier for Watari to cleanse and clothe him.
The secretary felt a greater flush course through his body as he heard a smirking Watari tell him while putting away the basin and face-towel, "You're right, Seii. You're not that sick."
And Watari's words were followed by a playful wink that made an embarrassed Tatsumi chuckle with amusement and say as Watari now proceeded to comb his hair, "I told you that I'm not that sick, didn't I?"
The smile from Watari became warmer still as he finished his task by placing the comb in the nightstand drawer, taking and cleaning Tatsumi's glasses, and then helping Tatsumi with wearing the glasses.
With basin in hand and ready to march back to the bathroom and clean up what was used, Watari told Tatsumi as he stood up, "I'll take that tempting discovery into consideration. But you need to rest. The television remote control is at the nightstand table. I'll just clean this up. Your job is to rest and get well."
"Thank you, Yutaka. I'm so glad that you're here." After those words, Tatsumi closed his eyes as Watari bent down and kissed him on the forehead. He then did not remove his gaze from Watari as the latter went to the bathroom. He turned on the television as he heard Watari go about cleaning up everything that was used to bathe him.
Once Watari was done with his task, he told Tatsumi, "I'll go take a stroll around the ship and do some legwork. I'll compare what I see with the ship's blueprint specifications given to us by the Gushoshin. I'll come back in an hour with ointment, fruit, and foods that will help you get well sooner."
Watari kissed Tatsumi on the lips, the kiss lingering as it took a more intimate turn. But the two eventually drew away from each other, with Watari whispering to Tatsumi, "I'll be back soon, Seii. Just rest so that we could enjoy the remainder of our stay here as soon as you get well, all right?"
"Yes, I will," said Tatsumi as he planted a short kiss on Watari's lips. "Be careful out there."
The lovers parted with exchanging smiles and glances shortly before Watari closed the door behind him.
Tatsumi then let out a sigh, glad that he was now reunited with Watari but nonetheless so annoyed over the fact that he was sick. Watari's birthday was five days away, so he aimed to get well before then.
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It had been almost an hour since Watari left the suite. He now held paper bags which contained three jars of camphor and eucalyptus ointment, oranges, apples, and bananas.
The blonde scientist walked around the ship, marveling how posh the ship looked as well as the cordial crew that seemed to embody the sophisticated and friendly ambiance that the ship wished for its patrons to enjoy during their trip.
There were areas of the ship which were off-limits for Watari's view such as the VIP area where Kowabara's company party would take place which was not out-of-the-ordinary.
However, Watari saw someone crouched on the floor.
Watari walked briskly and quickly placed down his bags, helping the other gather up a couple of books as well as medication such as an inhaler and a couple of pill bottles. He noticed the cause of the accident – a paper bag which now had a huge hole for its bottom.
Being a Good Samaritan, Watari removed the items from one of his three paper bags and evenly distributed the items' weight into the two remaining bags. He and then the stranger placed the items which scattered on the floor into the new bag.
Once the task was done, Watari and the stranger he helped straightened up. He hid his surprise when the stranger spoke and said, "Thank you very much for helping me. Everyone else just passed by and didn't care."
Quickly recovering and successfully able to hide his surprise, Watari replied, "Glad to help… So are you here on business or for pleasure?"
"I guess both," said the stranger with a smile. Before giving Watari a cordial bow, he said, "My name's Miyazawa Ran, and thank you for helping me."
Watari returned the respectful and kind gesture and then said, "My name's Watari… Watari Yutaka. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm also here on the ship for both business and pleasure."
"I'd like to thank you properly for your help. Please let me buy you a cup of coffee or tea so that we could sit down for a couple of minutes and talk," proposed Ran and smiled as Watari nodded his acceptance.
As the two walked to the café within sight inside the ship, Watari thought as he remembered in his mind's eyes as to how the younger man's dark brown eyes expressed such gratitude and revealed such a beautiful nature inside as well as outside, "He's much more handsome in person even with the glasses. For someone in his profession and with his brain, he's down-to-earth and very cheerful. I wonder why Kowabara or anyone would want to kill him."
The two started talking once they settled in and spent time drinking tea while sharing stories about their profession, with Watari doing so while remembering his cover for this case.
To Watari, there was something so engaging about Ran.
At the same time, Ran was just engrossed in talking to Watari. To him, Watari had this quality that made people comfortable.
And so the two talked…the minutes flying by as quickly as they did so over tea….
End of Chapter Eleven
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.