by ysth83
Part 3
Tsuzuki's first instinct should have been to push Tatsumi away, but he was too shocked to react. It was Tatsumi who initiated and it was Tatsumi who pulled away. Tsuzuki's mind was in a swirl. What just happened? Why did he... what am I missing here? He was utterly confused. Argh! I can't think of any reason why he would do what he did. There's no better way than to ask him. Tsuzuki looked up at Tatsumi whose eyes were fixed on the doorway with horror and fear. Tsuzuki directed his gaze towards the door. Hisoka?! What is he doing here? OH MY GOD! DID HE SEE?
Hisoka shifted his eyes from Tatsumi to Tsuzuki. Their eyes met. What Hisoka saw in them were regret, guilt and shame and he didn't need to use his empathy to know it. Somehow Hisoka didn't feel enraged and hurt like he should have been, but instead he smiled at Tsuzuki. A simple smile of comfort saying that it was okay, it was going to be okay.
In shame, Tsuzuki shifted his gaze from Hisoka to his lap and that hurt Hisoka more than Tsuzuki and Tatsumi kissing. Averting his eyes back to Tatsumi, Hisoka noticed the intense look in the secretary's eyes, which was directed towards Watari. And the deafening silenced ensued.
It was Watari who broke the silence. "un...", with his usual smile back on his face, "We caught you at a wrong moment. Sorry. Come on Bon! We'll just drop by later when you're no longer busy. Ja! You can now go back where we interrupt you." He said in one breath. Watari quickly shut the door when he noticed Tatsumi was about to speak.
After shutting the door, Watari fled to his office leaving Hisoka behind. Hisoka was stunned. He had no clue as to why Watari would run off like that. The scene in which they found Tatsumi and Tsuzuki in was not that disturbing. Unless, Watari-san is homophobic. Impossible. He is the most open-minded person I know.
Hisoka tried to figure out the emotion that he caught from Watari before he was left. It wasn't disgust. I'm sure it was hurt, but with a mixture of betrayal and... He quickened his pace. Could it be? Watari-san was... He opened the door of Watari's laboratory.
He is jealous. Hisoka heard a whimper coming from Watari, whose shoulders were involuntarily shaking.
Tsuzuki was torn between:
a) Running after Hisoka and explaining.Making up his mind, he decided to go with his third option: Interrogate Tatsumi.
Tatsumi's eyes were closed and he was rubbing his temple. Tsuzuki thought that it was not a good time to interrupt. Tsuzuki remembered that every time Tatsumi was like that, he was too quick to anger and vented it by decreasing their allowances.
Lucky for Tsuzuki it was Tatsumi who spoke first.
"Tsuzuki-san, I owe you an explanation."
Of course you do! Tsuzuki screamed in his head as his eyes followed Tatsumi's movement.
Tatsumi sat down on his chair. He removed his glasses and closed his eyes before addressing Tsuzuki.
"I don't know where to begin." He paused and let out a long sigh.
Tsuzuki just stared at him, patiently waiting for Tatsumi to continue. Veins started popping on his forehead when Tatsumi didn't.
"You could start by telling why you kissed me."
"Okay." He put his eyeglasses on and continued. "I just wanted to be sure of something."
"eh? Which is?"
"If I'm completely over you."
Tatsumi glared at a gaping Tsuzuki.
"What do you mean?" Tsuzuki stuttered.
OH GREAT! Tatsumi glared again at Tsuzuki who squirmed under his glare.
"I'm interested in someone. No, I'm in love with someone. And I don't think I'll be able to make a commitment with that person if I'm not sure what I feel. You know I love you, don't you?"
Tsuzuki nodded. So he's not as dense as I thought he is.
"Wait. You mean you're in love with me like I am with Hisoka?" Tsuzuki almost shouted when he realized what Tatsumi meant.
I take it back. HE IS THAT DENSE.
"YES!" Tatsumi bellowed. "I still love you but only as a friend."
"OOH~ I GET IT! So you kissed to find out if you still love me in a romantic way. And now you know that you're not!" Tsuzuki continued cheerfully for him. "We are still friends na Tatsumi? Tatsumi's in love! Tatsumi's in love! Tatsumi's in love~ Neh? Neh? Who's the lucky person? Dare da? Dare da?"
Finally loosing his composure. "WATARI!" He shouted back at Tsuzuki. Tatsumi blushed from the roots of his hair when he realized whose name it was he just shouted.
That surely stopped Tsuzuki from his chatter. Tsuzuki looked at a blushing Tatsumi. He changed from a cheerful inu to a serious Tsuzuki.
"Watari knows neh? I think he returns your feelings. You should explain everything to him right away." Tsuzuki stood from the chair and walked towards the door. "And I mean today. Watari has the tendency to assume too much."
"Tsuzuki-san I didn't mean to..." Tatsumi spoke as Tsuzuki opened the door.
"I know." Tsuzuki cut him off and left.
Assume too much, eh? Then I should talk to him before the day ends.
"I should have known. I shouldn't have believed him. Kirai da! Kirai da!"
That was all Hisoka heard since they got back in Watari's lab. Hisoka imagined himself crying last night. I must have looked as pathetic as Watari does and felt as miserable as well.
"Watari-san?" Hisoka called, shaking Watari out of his misery.
Watari jerked his head up and wiped his tears. "Bon! How long have you been there?"
"Long." Hisoka replied flatly.
"Sorry. I didn't notice you." Watari said as he tried to sound cheerful for Hisoka but failed considerably.
"Don't even try Watari-san" Hisoka walked over to Watari. "Would you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about, is there? Talk about how Tatsumi hurt me? How much he hurt me by telling me that he thinks he also likes me. And that was what? Three days ago. Then I see him kissing Tsuzuki. IN HIS OWN OFFICE TO BOOT. I know he loves Tsuzuki but I thought he was over him. Now I know. Tatsumi didn't have to show me that he loves Tsuzuki more, he should have just told me. I would have taken it better. And have I said that I hate him? I shouldn't have expected that he might also love me. I know that it's also my fault that I hurt this much... but... but... hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~ I hate you Tatsumi Seiichirou!"
Hisoka's face faulted. And he said there's nothing to talk about.
"Watari-san, maybe you should talk with Tatsumi-san. Clear things up?"
"No! I'm not going to talk to him again. I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" Watari chanted.
There's no use talking to Watari now. Tatsumi is in a deep shit. Hisoka decided to leave when he sensed Tatsumi nearing Watari's office.
"I better go."
"Bon? Ah! Aren't you supposed to talk to Tsuzuki?"
"There's always tomorrow." Hisoka looked back at Watari and smiled. "Now I know I'm not the only one with an issue."
"eh?" Watari dumbfoundedly looked at Hisoka.
Hisoka passed Tatsumi in the hallway. It was the first time that he felt Tatsumi's emotions. Tatsumi is going to experience the full blow of Watari's fury. Hisoka smirked as he proceeded on his way home. But I'm sure they'll be able to settle their relationship.
His mind strayed to an amethyst-eyed inu.
Tomorrow, my problem will be over. Hisoka thought crossing his fingers in the process.
Tsuzuki had been pacing inside their office. He had already decided not to run after Hisoka especially when he didn't know what to say.
"Kuso!" He sat on his chair then stood again and started pacing. "Tomorrow! I'll talk to him tomorrow! Argh! Dammit!" He pulled his hair. "I'M SO NERVOUS! Breathe Asato! Breathe! You still have the night to think!"
Waiting inside the office wasn't good for his heart. Tsuzuki decided to go to the break room and, hopefully, be able to grab ALOT of sweets.
Sweets. Sweets will be good. It might be able to calm me.
He was walking along the hallway when he heard a terrifying noise. Shamefully Tsuzuki shrieked. What the hell was that?
He heard some serious swearing and sounds of glass breaking coming from the direction of Watari's lab.
OOH~ They are progressing. Tsuzuki chuckled then ran to the break room in search for sweets.
Tatsumi was not prepared for this. The worst he was expecting was for Watari to curse him to hell and shove him outside the lab.
"Will you stop that!?"
"NO! NO! NO!" Watari retorted back with glasswares thrown in Tatsumi's direction.
Watari was randomly throwing beakers, test tubes, graduated cylinders, stirring rods, erlenmeyer flasks, and crucibles at Tatsumi. But Watari refrained from throwing certain expensive glasswares, he was already on a tight budget and wouldn't want to spend unnecessarily. Not like he wasn't already, those beakers would certainly cost him.
Tatsumi was on the verge of loosing his patience. They'd been at it for a good fifteen minutes, Watari attacked and Tatsumi would evade. He was getting exhausted.
Tiredly, he slumped on the floor. His action stopped Watari from further throwing at him.
"Would you let me speak?"
"NO!"
"Would you please listen?"
"NO! GET OUT!"
Tatsumi let out a very long sigh. "Do you really want me to leave?", he asked in defeat.
Watari answered him with silence.
After a while, Watari spoke softly. "I hate you, you know."
Tatsumi was relieved. He waited on for Watari to continue.
"You should have just told me earlier that you've finally made up your mind and you chose Tsuzuki, if you did, I wouldn't have been so shocked and so hurt when I... we saw you two. But I'm also to blame, for hoping. I always knew that you still love Tsuzuki." Watari almost choked as he finished the sentence.
"Finished?" Watari reflexively looked up at him. Tatsumi felt like he could melt in Watari's gaze.
"un." He replied as he turned his eyes away from Tatsumi when he felt they were starting to water again.
Tatsumi spoke, still looking intently at Watari.
"Yes, I still love Tsuzuki . . . " (You are that obvious Tatsumi.)
"but . . ." (eh!? There's a but!?)
"not in the way you thought I used to." (Way to go Yutaka! Your imagination is going haywire.)
Tatsumi stood from the floor. Taking opportunity of Watari's confusion, he cautiously walked towards Watari.
"Watari?"
Watari jumped when he heard Tatsumi's voice so close to his ear. Tatsumi was 4-inches away from him, their heads almost collided when he turned around. Realizing how near Tatsumi was, made him a tomato (with yellow leaves). Watari was going to back away, but Tatsumi's firm hold on his shoulder prevented him.
Placing his forehead against Watari's, he closed his eyes thinking of the right words to say. I don't want to ruin this.
"Watari Yutaka . . . "
He hadn't reverted back to his natural color and hearing his full name from Tatsumi's lips made his color even deeper. He was sure that all his blood was now circulating only in his face. Hyperventilation and tachycardia wasn't good for his health. Watari felt like he was going to faint any time soon.
"I like you. No, it's more proper to say that 'I love you'"
He lost consciousness right after he heard Tatsumi's declaration. Watari didn't faint because of what Tatsumi said but because his brain decided to shut down on him, it could no longer take the over supply of oxygen.
TBC