Summary: Dinner at Hisoka's house takes a slight turn when a blackout plunges the house in darkness, but the lack of light may not be so bad after all...

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Humor

Characters: Kurosaki Hisoka, Tsuzuki Asato

Words: 2,793

Author's Note: This was a request from one of my reviewers, general zargon. Thank you so much! It made me happy to know somebody likes my writing enough to actually request something! ^^ This one is a little more heavy on romance than I've done previously, something I've actually wanted to try with this couple. I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you, along with the rest of my readers, enjoy it as well. Thanks as always to my readers and reviewers. 3

"Please?"

"No. We don't have the money to eat out right now."

"Pretty please?"

"I said no."

"Hiisookaaaaa..."

"For the last time, no! Now stop whining!"

"Then can I at least go to your house?"

There was an annoyed sigh from Hisoka as he looked at Tsuzuki's pleading expression. Did he always have to pout like that? "Fine. But you are to stay out of my kitchen. The last time you promised to cook dinner, you forgot it was in the oven and burnt it to a crisp. Not to mention we had to air out the house from all the smoke."

"That's just because I forgot to set the alarm!"

"Either way, you still caused it and you are not cooking."

"Alright, alright. I guess it's not a big deal though, I like it when you cook."

Hisoka rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. You don't have to do anything but sit around being lazy until it's ready."

"That's not true! I just like the taste of your food! Hey, can we make dessert too?"

"There will be no 'we', but I might make something if you stop whining."

Tsuzuki's pout immediately changed to an expression of joy. "Yay! Alright, let's get going!"

Without wasting another moment, Tsuzuki got on his coat and bounded for the door, Hisoka trailing behind him, shaking his head. The elder Shinigami had spontaneously decided that the pair should go out for dinner a half hour prior to getting out of work. Unfortunately for him, he was broke as usual, and Hisoka wasn't willing to spend even more money eating out before they got their next paychecks. They had already eaten out at fairly expensive restaurants twice that week- a record for Hisoka- and with how much Tsuzuki ate, it had drained away a good portion of his previous paycheck. While Tsuzuki had offered to pay for it, Hisoka knew he hadn't had the cash, thus putting him in more debt. He had to wonder if Tsuzuki even had any food in his house currently, and if that was the reason he was so adamant upon either going out or eating at Hisoka's.

"You're lucky I love you." Hisoka mumbled as the pair left the building and headed for his house.

"I know!" Tsuzuki smiled, stopping behind Hisoka to give him a hug. "I consider myself very lucky."

"Alright, alright, let go." The younger Shinigami blushed and brushed Tsuzuki's arms away. It had only been very recent that they had 'officially' become a couple, and Hisoka still felt awkward about expressing it. He was less shy around Tsuzuki, though he was adamant upon keeping their relationship private. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't anybody else's business. He was always a very private person, and it wasn't about to change. Tsuzuki had accepted this, and, for the most part, managed to keep from doing or saying anything that he didn't normally do. He was a naturally affectionate person, so random hugs were to be expected. Despite their efforts though, most everyone else seemed to somehow know anyway. They weren't quite sure how or why, but, if the others did know, they kept it to themselves. Most of the time, anyway.

Of course, once they were out of work, Tsuzuki liked to spend as much time with Hisoka as possible. They'd often go home with one another and eat dinner together. Since Tsuzuki was a danger in the kitchen, however, Hisoka was the one who did the cooking if they weren't ordering out or eating at a restaurant.

"So, what are we going to have?" The older man asked, taking his partner's hand in his as they walked.

"You'll see when I make it."

"Can't I at least get a hint?"

"Nope. You can wait."

"Fiiiiine." Tsuzuki huffed.

When they arrived at Hisoka's house, they hung up their coats. Hisoka sent Tsuzuki away to occupy himself with something else while he worked on dinner. His partner begged to help, but he wasn't ready to risk having him in the kitchen. Not until he proved he could help with something simple without making it a disaster.

This particular dinner wasn't exactly complicated, but he was sure Tsuzuki would sneak in an ingredient or two that would totally ruin it. He had planned on making a nice stew, and had actually cooked it most of the day the previous day since a proper stew needed enough time. All he had to do was heat it up again. After pulling the container from his fridge, he put the stew into a big pot on the stove, turned the fire on and covered it. Now, to just let it heat up.

Just as he turned to leave the kitchen for the living room where he had left his partner to watch T.V., the lights suddenly went out, plunging the house into darkness. The sounds of the television also stopped, leaving Hisoka to believe they were suffering a blackout.

"Aah! What happened?" Tsuzuki yelled from the other room.

"A blackout...something must have happened outside." He frowned, unused to being in such deep darkness. There was always a light of some sort on in his house, as he hated the dark. Luckily, he always had a working flashlight stored in the front of one of his cupboards, just in case something like this ever happened.

Tsuzuki got up from the couch, hoping to find his way to Hisoka without being able to see. No sooner had he gotten up than he banged his leg on the coffee table.

"What did you do?" Hisoka called out after hearing Tsuzuki's yelp.

"Banged my leg...ow..."

The younger Shinigami sighed. "Of course. Hold on, I should have a flashlight and some candles somewhere. I just gotta find them..." He slowly began making his way towards his cupboards, hoping to find his flashlight so he could then locate some candles.

"Where do you keep them?"

"In the cupboards in the kitchen. I'm looking for the flashlight now."

Tsuzuki had soon managed to find the kitchen without further injuring himself. "I'll help."

"Just be careful, I don't need you knocking everything down."

"I'll be careful, don't worry!" He walked across the kitchen to where he had heard Hisoka's voice, feeling around the darkness to avoid bumping into anything. One of his hands landed on something soft right in front of him. "What's this?" He asked, wondering what in the kitchen could be soft.

"Ts-Tsuzuki!" Hisoka suddenly yelled before slapping his hand away. "Watch where you put your hands!"

"Oh, was that you?"

"Yes, that was me!"

"Oops. Did I grab your butt?" When Hisoka didn't respond, Tsuzuki asked again, "Well?"

"Yes..." Came the mumbled reply. He was glad that it was too dark for Tsuzuki to tell his face had turned red as a cherry.

"Sorry." Though he was apologizing, the empath could both sense and hear the amused tone in his voice.

If it was possible for his face to get any more red than it already had been, Hisoka was sure it had happened. "Don't sound so happy about it, you perv!"

"Not my fault it was in front of me. Stop trying to sound so upset about it. You know it wasn't that bad." Tsuzuki teased.

"Idiot!"

Even in the dark, Hisoka seemed to be able to find Tsuzuki's head to deliver a whack, which was quickly followed up by a second one when he heard the thought, 'it was worth it'. "I can hear you, you know!"

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for a flashlight?"

"I could if you would stop putting your hands where they don't belong."

"Hey, it was an accident, and I only did it once."

Hisoka turned back around and tried finding the right cupboard. Since he knew the layout of his house well enough and knew what cupboard it was located in, he found the handle quick enough. With some groping around, his hand finally landed on the flashlight. "There." He said, pulling it out and turning it on. Shining the light into the cupboard, he found his candles and matches. "Can you help me light these?"

While Hisoka held the flashlight, Tsuzuki pulled out the candles and matches, lit one, then used the lit candle to light the other ones. "How's that?"

"Good." He glanced over at the stove. Since it ran on gas, he could still cook dinner. Good thing he decided to make stew tonight. "Well, now we just have to wait for dinner. That will still cook, at least."

"Oh, good. I'd hate to miss dinner!"

Hisoka shook his head. Count on Tsuzuki to worry about food.

"You know..." Tsuzuki said as he placed two of the lit candles onto the table, "The power going out might not be so bad. Dinners by candlelight can be quite romantic."

The younger man felt his cheeks turn pink again. "What do you want to do while we wait? The food still has to heat up."

"Why don't we go back to the parlor for now? I don't mind just sitting on the couch while we wait."

Hisoka gave a nod, though he wasn't sure if Tsuzuki could see it or not, grabbed the two other candles, and walked to the parlor, the other following. He sat down and placed the candles on the coffee table. Once they were both settled, Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around his partner, pulling him close. Hisoka rested his head against his shoulder, relaxing.

"Comfortable?"

"Mm." Hisoka had become more accustomed to cuddling. It was something that was almost unavoidable with Tsuzuki, as the older man loved it, and it was becoming something Hisoka loved as well. While physical affections, or any physical contact in general had long been awkward for him, he had gradually gotten used to them from Tsuzuki, and had come to find it was rather enjoyable. Tsuzuki was always so comfortable, and the physical contact allowed him to better feel the loving emotions his partner felt for him.

"I really am lucky."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm lucky to have you."

Hisoka reached up to lightly hit Tsuzuki's head before resuming his former position. "Idiot. It's not luck. I love you because of you, not because of luck. Besides, It's what you wanted, isn't it? You deserve to be happy... I'm just glad that I'm the one who can do that for you..."

"Hisoka..." Tsuzuki smiled and hugged his partner tighter. "You really do make me happy. Happier than I've ever been. But...what about you?"

"Stop being stupid. Of course I am. You're...the first person who ever cared so much for me. You taught me how to be compassionate, how to trust people again..." He buried his face in Tsuzuki's shoulder, clinging to him tightly. "You've done so much for me..."

Gentle fingers brushed through Hisoka's hair. "I'm glad."

There was a moment of silence before Hisoka sat up. "I'd better go check on the stew."

Reluctantly, Tsuzuki let him go, but followed him to the kitchen.

After finding the ladle, Hisoka dipped it into the pot, scooping up a small amount of stew. Once it had stopped dripping, he turned around, holding it out to Tsuzuki. "Tell me how it is. It should be done. Be careful, because it's hot."

Tsuzuki happily obliged, somewhat cautiously sipping the stew from the ladle. "Mm, that's delicious! I'd say it's ready to eat!"

"Alright, get two bowls and I'll serve it."

Once the table was set and the food was served, the pair began eating their dinner. The electricity still hadn't come back on, but there was enough light from the candles for them to enjoy their meal. Hisoka was happy with how the stew came out, and Tsuzuki was devouring it.

"Why don't you take a moment to actually taste it before you swallow it?"

"Don't worry, I can taste it, and it's wonderful! You make the best stews!"

Hisoka smiled and shook his head as his partner inhaled another spoonful of stew. It didn't take long before the older man's bowl was empty and licked clean. Since Hisoka was still eating, he simply continued to sit and wait.

He watched as the light from the flames danced across Hisoka's features. Even in such dim light, it was easy to see how attractive the younger man was. It was something Tsuzuki hadn't considered quite to this degree before. While it wasn't strange for him to have considered Hisoka good-looking, he hadn't actually been physically attracted to him at first. After all, Hisoka was still a child when they first met, whether he liked being considered so or not. Though his body couldn't age, he had matured in other ways since then, and Tsuzuki had come to see him differently as a result. Hisoka wasn't a child anymore. He was an amazing young man who Tsuzuki was growing to love more every day.

"What are you doing?" Hisoka asked, catching Tsuzuki staring at him.

Tsuzuki smiled. "Admiring you." This time, Hisoka's blush was seen. Tsuzuki laughed. "You're so cute."

Hisoka chose not to respond, instead finishing up his food. Once he was done, he gathered his and Tsuzuki's dishes, rinsed them out, then left them in the sink.

"Sorry, Tsuzuki, but I won't be able to make dessert with the power out."

"That's okay." Tsuzuki said, coming up from behind Hisoka and wrapping his arms around the younger's waist. "I can go without dessert. I have you."

As the empath turned his head to look at his partner, Tsuzuki brought their lips together. The sudden kiss surprised him, leaving him to stand there for a moment as if unsure how to act. There had only been one other time when Tsuzuki had kissed him on the lips- he didn't want to overdo it and wanted to make sure he eased Hisoka into the relationship. The first one had been with permission and had been a quick, chaste kiss. This time, it had been completely unexpected, and Tsuzuki was lingering longer.

He was interrupted, however, when the power suddenly came back on, filling the room with light. Tsuzuki pulled back with a frown. "I was enjoying the candlelight."

Hisoka moved away from Tsuzuki, and, for a moment, the older man thought he had upset him. The thought was dashed as Hisoka flicked off the light and walked back into Tsuzuki's arms. "Better?"

"Yes." Tsuzuki smiled and brought their lips back together, arms wrapped tightly around Hisoka's waist. The empath closed his eyes, allowing himself to be lost in the moment. Bringing his arms up to wrap around Tsuzuki's neck, he returned the kiss. He could feel Tsuzuki's love for him enveloping him like a thick, warm blanket, the strong arms around him keeping him safe and secure. It was such an intense feeling that he'd never experienced before, a level of happiness from both sides that neither had come to think was even possible. There was a blissful sigh from Tsuzuki as he held Hisoka closer to him.

After a few more seconds, Tsuzuki broke the kiss, not wanting to overwhelm his empathetic partner. He didn't pull away, however, keeping his arms firmly around him and resting his forehead against Hisoka's. There was a smile stretched across Tsuzuki's face that Hisoka couldn't help but mirror. A thumb softly stroked the younger man's cheek.

"You mean everything to me, Hisoka. I love you so much..."

"Tsuzuki..."

"You don't have to keep using my last name, you know. At least when we're alone...it's too impersonal."

"Then...Asato, I love you too..."

Tsuzuki gently lifted Hisoka's chin to give him another quick kiss before finally pulling away.

"It's starting to get late...I'm sure you want some time to yourself before you go to bed. Should I get going?"

Hisoka shook his head and wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's waist. He had finally discovered what it was like to be loved, and to love in return. He didn't want to end this moment, not so soon. "Stay with me. Please...I don't want you to go."

Tsuzuki smiled. There was nothing more he wanted than to be asked to stay. "Then I'm all yours."