Summary: Sometimes, it was the simple things that meant the most.

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Characters: Tsuzuki Asato, Kurosaki Hisoka

Words: 2,253

Author's Note: This was written for EggDropSoup, who requested a romance. I tried to express the relationship between the two as if they had admitted their feelings for each other and been going out for a bit, hence Hisoka being more open. Writing this, I realized how I am not used to writing romance without some sort of angst. I hope it is still enjoyable!

Hisoka Kurosaki was never one for romance. Love was a foreign emotion for him. He'd never experienced it, nor had he ever felt it in another. Brief moments of its warmth was all his empathy ever picked up on from other people on the rare occasions he was allowed out. It was only through his ability to sense the emotions of others that he was able to feel it at all. It wasn't until he died that he'd truly begun to understand it.

His partner as a shinigami, the outgoing, compassionate Asato Tsuzuki, had more love for people than Hisoka ever believed one person could hold. He not only cared about everyone, but seemed to fall in love rather easily. It had happened on one of their missions- he had gotten emotionally closer to a young woman than a shinigami ever should to a living human. Hisoka had sensed it and warned Tsuzuki early on, but the older man had denied it. It aggravated the empath that his partner would lie about it to him when he could sense it. It also aggravated him how very easily the man could fall for another person. How could he be so trusting, how could he go against the laws of being a shinigami without even thinking about it? After that, Hisoka began to learn that's just how his partner was.

His elder partner's love for just about anybody, be it a simple friendship or something more, became something he expected from the man. After all, Tsuzuki was quite a romantic. It was something that annoyed Hisoka at first, but something that, as they grew closer, he began to appreciate. His anger towards Tsuzuki's flirtatious teases dissipated when he'd finally admitted that he himself had fallen in love with the man and had finally accepted Tsuzuki's desire to be with him. Neither of them ever thought they would be together in such a way, and yet, it had happened, and neither of them took advantage of it.

It was often small things that they did for each other. Tsuzuki loved showing his affection for his partner at any and every opportunity, but it was often in small, simple ways that Hisoka appreciated. He could find romance in just about any situation, no matter how mundane or simple. Hisoka wasn't quite as used to showing affection, especially around others, but also enjoyed doing small things for Tsuzuki that showed he cared. He enjoyed surprising Tsuzuki, doing things for him when he least expected it. While Tsuzuki seemed to be doing something for Hisoka constantly, however, the empath was often still surprised by how loving his partner could be.

They were currently sitting in their office on a perfectly normal, quiet day. There was nothing special about it, nothing that should make it anything particularly meaningful. It was the same, daily routine they always followed. And yet, despite this, there was one thing that stood out, one small thing that was trying to make the day anything but the same, ordinary routine- Tsuzuki wouldn't stop staring at Hisoka.

It was fairly normal for Hisoka to catch Tsuzuki occasionally putting off his work to devote his silent attention to him, even though Hisoka himself was busy working. Today, however, it seemed Tsuzuki wouldn't give his attention to anything else for longer than a few minutes at a time. The empath kept feeling his partner's eyes on him, sensing the man's emotions. Tsuzuki wasn't even trying to hide it- in fact, he was practically broadcasting the warm emotions he felt toward his partner, his desire just to be near him. This wouldn't have bothered Hisoka if not for the fact it was beginning to distract him from his work.

"Do you mind toning it down a little bit? We're at work, so turn around and get yours done." It amazed the empath at how something so small, such as Tsuzuki watching him, could be so very distracting. It had a more powerful impact on him than he would have liked.

"But you're so much more interesting than paperwork."

Hisoka felt his cheeks turn red- something that, despite being more open about his relationship to Tsuzuki, still happened on a regular basis, much to his dismay. "Interesting or not, you still have to get it done."

"Wanna go out after work?" It was clear that Tsuzuki wanted nothing more than to get out of the office and spend time alone with his boyfriend.

"You aren't even doing your work and you're worried about what we're going to do after? You won't even be leaving here if you don't finish."

"That didn't answer my question."

The younger man sighed. "If you get your work done before it's time to leave, then we can go out. How does that sound?"

Tsuzuki gave a smile that made Hisoka hope he really did get all his work done on time. "You got it!" With Tsuzuki finally giving his attention to his job, Hisoka returned to doing his as well.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Hisoka still caught Tsuzuki glancing at him every once in a while, but, as he was actually getting his work done, Hisoka wasn't going to complain. Once the clock hit 5, Tsuzuki rushed to finish the rest of the paperwork he was doing. While getting ready to leave, Hisoka watched him scribble the last bit down, shaking his head. When that was done, he somewhat organized his stuff before getting up and turning to his partner.

"Ready to go?"

"Did you get all your work done?"

"Yep! So, can we go?"

Hisoka couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Let's go then."

"So, I was thinking," Tsuzuki began, taking Hisoka's hand in his as they walked out the door, "we could get some sushi for dinner and eat in the park."

"You want to eat at the park?"

"Yeah. It's much nicer and cheaper than eating in a restaurant, and it's nice being outside at sunset. Oh, we should get a dessert too!"

"Sure, we can do that." While it sounded simple, that was sometimes the best way to go. Hisoka never was big on extravagance, and he appreciated the simple dates Tsuzuki would take him on. He enjoyed places that weren't crowded and noisy- the less people around, the better. Cheap dates were good as well- they didn't land Tsuzuki or himself in debt.

After getting some sushi and, of course, an apple pie, the two shinigami made their way to the park. Tsuzuki found a spot under a cherry tree, sat down, and patted the ground next to him. "Right here is good!"

"The blossoms from the tree are going to get in the food."

"So we can just pick them off if they do."

Deciding not to argue, Hisoka sat down and laid the sushi out between them. It was mostly silent as they ate- something that, though rare for Tsuzuki, Hisoka had found sometimes even he found it peaceful enough to not have to talk. After having a few bites of his own, Tsuzuki held out a piece of sushi to Hisoka. The younger blushed as he took a bite. Smiling, Tsuzuki fed him another piece before turning his attention back to his own food.

"Mm, that was good. Time for dessert!" The sweet-toothed Shinigami announced once he had finished eating his sushi, wasting no time in reaching for the apple pie.

"Hold on." Hisoka grabbed a napkin, leaned over and wiped a grain of rice from the corner of Tsuzuki's mouth. "How do you always manage to make some sort of a mess eating?"

Tsuzuki simply shrugged and proceeded to cut pieces of the pie. After cutting one piece and handing it to Hisoka, he cut a larger piece for himself, put the rest of the pie and plastic knife aside, and began enjoying his dessert.

"Asato, you have almost a third of that pie in front of you."

"But it's a small pie, so it's not really that big of a piece!"

"That's still enough for two people."

"Nah. It's just right for me!"

Despite his larger piece, Tsuzuki still managed to finish eating first. He put his plate and fork to the side and laid on his back, resting his head in Hisoka's lap.

"I'm still eating."

"I don't mind. I'll catch any crumbs that fall."

Hisoka shook his head. "You're so weird."

"But you love me."

"Somehow." The younger man teased. He took a piece of his pie and held his fork out to Tsuzuki, who happily accepted the bite of pie. Once the dessert was finished, Hisoka put their empty plates and utensils into a bag and turned his attention back to the one laying in his lap.

"So, is this really all you wanted to do today?" Hisoka asked, stroking Tsuzuki's hair.

"Mhmm. I just wanted to spend some time with you, and I thought since it was such a nice day, we could have a picnic."

"It was a good choice."

Tsuzuki looked up at his partner and smiled. It wasn't often that he got to see his partner so relaxed, though, lately, it was becoming more common. Hisoka wasn't quite so tense during the day, and the time he spent outside of work with Tsuzuki generally left him feeling very calm and relaxed. It was something Tsuzuki was very happy to see. Reaching up, he brushed his fingers across his partner's cheek. Hisoka gave a soft smile that made Tsuzuki's stomach flutter. He sat up and pressed his lips to that of his younger partner's. Hisoka didn't hesitate to return the kiss. Wrapping his arms around Tsuzuki's neck, he let their emotions wash over him. There were no walls between them- both shinigami no longer had anything to hide from the other. The empath no longer tried to keep them separate either, letting their emotions mingle together until he couldn't tell the difference between himself and Tsuzuki.

As their kiss deepened, Hisoka let himself fall back onto the grass, Tsuzuki falling with him. His older partner's weight was warm and comfortable, making him feel safe and protected, as being near Tsuzuki always did. Even after they pulled apart, Hisoka kept his arms around Tsuzuki, holding him there.

Tsuzuki smiled, his face hovering inches away from Hisoka's. "You know, for being so shy normally, you have your moments."

Placing his hands on Tsuzuki's shoulders, Hisoka pushed his partner off of him, rolling with him until he had the older man pinned beneath him. "I'm not shy."

"Yes you are. You blush all the time."

"Do not." The younger protesting, cheeks turning pink in contradiction to his argument.

"You are right now. It's okay, I think it's cute."

The fact he was indeed blushing coupled with the compliment only made Hisoka blush more. "Shut up."

"See? Adorable!"

Deciding to make Tsuzuki stop talking before he turned as red as a cherry, Hisoka leaned down, kissing him and effectively cutting off any further conversation. Wrapping his arms around Hisoka, Tsuzuki held the smaller man against him.

While Hisoka wasn't normally one for any sort of physical contact- much less something intimate- he'd begun to accept it more after he started dating his partner. Despite thinking he didn't need it, the complete lack of it for his whole life- and afterlife- until that point had led to him seeking it through their relationship. Though he usually wouldn't openly admit he wanted the physical contact, Tsuzuki knew, and was more than happy to provide it. They had to take it slow, but, gradually, Hisoka was getting over his fears and was coming to realize he wanted the various affections Tsuzuki loved to give. Occasionally, Hisoka would even be the one to provide them, being the one to initiate a kiss, or reach out and take Tsuzuki's hand as they walked together. Each time made Tsuzuki happy, turning it into another moment, however brief, that the two shared.

Slowly, Hisoka pulled away, repositioning himself so that he was laying against his partner, head resting on his shoulder with an arm draped around him. He closed his eyes with a gentle sigh as Tsuzuki held him.

"I love you, Hisoka."

"I love you too, Asato."

They laid there in silence, happy just being in each other's arms. Had they not been outside, they likely would have fallen asleep like that- both of them feeling safe and somewhere they belonged. It wasn't until the sun had set that Hisoka decided it was time to go.

"I think it's time we get going." The younger man said as he sat up, much to his partner's dismay.

"Do we have to?"

"Unless you want to sit out in the cold all night long. I, for one, prefer my warm bed."

With a sigh, Tsuzuki got up, grabbing the bag with the leftover pie as Hisoka went to throw away their trash in the nearest trashcan. "I'll walk you home."

Together, they left the park hand-in-hand. It was a simple gesture, yet one that meant more to them than words could express, for it was the simple, every-day things they did for each other that showed how much they really cared.