o19. [Written]

[aphephobic]

[Ten days after waking in the middle of the night with the feeling that the world was wrong somehow, Hisoka started awake with a sudden and profound awareness that whatever had gone wrong before had gone wrong all over again -- only in reverse. That, for the duration of a Malnosso experiment, he'd had a family, had love and warmth and people who

Comments

LATER, AT THE HOSPITAL damn this is late

[purpledemoneyes]

[Unaware that Joshua had been told to follow him, Tsuzuki made his way to the clinic. It didn't take long to reach the doors, since he had spent a week working there. That was a good thing, because he wasn't sure how comfortable he was with leaving Hisoka alone for longer periods of time, when such a threat had come to Luceti.]

[His heart felt like it had been permanently stuck in his throat, but he still went towards the office he remembered had been Muraki's. If he was lucky, it would be empty.]

/Puts on hipster shades. You mean fashionably late 8 |

[letsplaysurgeon]

[And for once Tsuzuki was lucky--Muraki wasn't in his office. He left it twenty minutes ago to get a breath of fresh air and then taint it by smoking a cigarette (that his nerves told him he needed more than the prior after the day he had). After stubbing the filter out beneath his shoe, he returns to do more paperwork. His gaze is lax as he starts to turn the corner, so he sees the familiar black coat before he sees the body attached to it.

He fights the urge to check his watch to see how much time had passed between now and the time they thought they were friends.

As he flattens his back against the wall and watches Tsuzuki to make sure he hadn't noticed him, he realizes one thing: that it wouldn't be interesting to reveal himself now. So he settles on trailing after him.]

....I want a hipster shades icon.

[purpledemoneyes]

[It would be extraordinarily foolish to barge in when he can't call on his shikigami to protect him. He knocks on the door two times, counting to ten. When he gets no response, Tsuzuki breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe he is wrong, maybe Muraki's already changed offices.]

[He quickly opens the door and slips in, before people begins to wonder why a man in a black trenchcoat is wandering the halls. Muraki's patient records were in the cabinet if he remembers correctly, but it's locked. Tsuzuki curses softly under his breath, looking for the key. It's then a bizarre thought enters his head, refusing to be silenced by common sense: What if he's left a box of chocolates in his desk? What if he knew I'd come?]

[It's both terrifying and tempting to check the drawer. He refrains.]

Tsuzuki has sunglasses, but I don't think they're hipster

[letsplaysurgeon]

[It was somewhat endearing to watch Tsuzuki knock on the door before entering--seemingly concerned about being polite despite the fact that they were sworn enemies again. Muraki was touched.

He waits for him to open the door and duck inside before he abandons his hiding place and applies the same care to his stride as a predator stalking a gazelle. Though there was more concern about the linoleum hallway echoing than the turf of the Serengeti. But he makes a clean path to the edge of his office door.

There was an opening to make his presence known. When he hears the metallic jerk of his file cabinet, he imagines his introductory line: "Curiosity killed the cat, Tsuzuki...but I suppose death is no longer your concern, is it?" But he doesn't take it. He has to consider what would happen if an altercation broke out and another doctor or patient walked by and saw him with Tsuzuki, or overheard their conversation. Many unpleasant, compromising situations could arise from that--especially if Law was working today. He had to be careful

He probably got them on sale after they stopped being cool.

[purpledemoneyes]

[It's frustrating that he can't open the cabinet because of the missing key. At least he's certain that it's Muraki's office: his name is several places, and in the air there's a faint trace of the aftershave he associates with him.]

[The nurse station might have a set of extra keys. It's a gamble, but it's better than searching more of the office, since Muraki can come back any moment. He carefully sets everything right on the desk, before hurrying out the door.]

It's okay, Tsuzuki. They still look bitchin on you. XD /Also lack of appropriate icon

[letsplaysurgeon]

[Despite his best efforts to give Tsuzuki a hint, it seems he didn't take it. He watches him scurry out of his office without focusing on the source of his footsteps, and he almost ran past him. Someone else might've been discouraged, but what was Muraki if not resourceful?

It was a good thing that the hallway was empty, because if anyone else was in the area, they might've questioned why a man in a black trench coat was rushing around. And they might've questioned why a pair of arms was shooting out of the closet to grab him suddenly. With one hand on his shoulder and the other clamped over his mouth, he starts to drag him inside like a giant squid that just suctioned itself to the hull of a ship.]

OH WAIT I might actually have an appropriate icon for this. That's a first. :D

[purpledemoneyes]

[His nerves were already frayed from the search in Muraki's office, so when the hand shoots out to latch onto him, Tsuzuki fears he might actually jump out of his skin. It's a good thing Muraki remembered to keep a hand over his mouth, because he cries out, grabbing the wrist to pull it away.]

[Overbalancing, Tsuzuki's wings spread out in alarm, trying to straighten him up. It doesn't work. He twists in his grip, though he ends up having to back up into the closet with him.]

Your icons have more facial range. Mine are mostly smirky and evil. XDD

[letsplaysurgeon]

[He twists out from behind Tsuzuki in order to shove him against the free-standing wire shelves, shaking catheter packages and a box of latex gloves onto the floor. A part of him realizes his blood picked up a slight charge from the struggle, but there's no time to reflect on that. Muraki flexes his fingers against his palm and turns to shut the closet door. Exercising care in contrast to the brute force he used to drag Tsuzuki back.]

...How lovely to spend time with you again, Tsuzuki. [He says with his back facing him, tone as smooth as red wine.] I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.

Most of Tsuzuki's icons are clown-faces. XD I like the smirky ones!

[purpledemoneyes]

[The shove happens fast enough that Tsuzuki focuses only on protecting himself from the impact. The last thing he wants to do is fall on his face. Gripping the wire shelf, he pulls himself up and turns around in one smooth motion.]

[It had been a mistake not to bring a partner. A complete rookie mistake. He tenses visibly as Muraki closes the door. They're not friends anymore. That had been a construct that the Malnosso had planted. It doesn't change the fact that Tsuzuki now knows more about the doctor's past than he did before.]

Muraki.

[At least he didn't say "Why are we in a closet?" though he's thinking it.]

How long have you been here?

There are some situations where he shouldn't be smirky. XDD

[letsplaysurgeon]

[Of course Muraki was appreciative that Tsuzuki hadn't brought the boy with him. He already had his word with him earlier that evening, and there was nothing he wanted from him, nor was there anything that the boy could possibly contribute to the situation. Just a broken doll that Tsuzuki was better off without.

He adjusts his glasses and turns to look at him.] If you're here for answers, don't bore me with inane questions. You can come up with something more intriguing than that.

"I'm sorry your dog died." >:D

[purpledemoneyes]

[Tsuzuki directs the frown towards the pack of medical gloves on the floor. He can't stand hospitals, from the smell to the claustrophobic sense of confinement. In a way it's amazing he managed to work there for a whole week without remembering it. He glances up, wary of how close he's letting the doctor.]

[The truth is that he could ask some pressing questions, but he's reluctant. The conversation would eventually go to Last Week, and that would be so awkward. It doesn't occur to him that Muraki is telling him to drop the questions altogether, not just the inane ones.]

[At least not at first.]

What do you mean?

"Your wife just had a baby--it's a girl." >:D

[letsplaysurgeon]

[At the moment, Muraki has no intention of closing the gap between them. He doesn't need to physically pin him to the shelves because there's nowhere for Tsuzuki to go, anyway. If he wanted to get past him, he'd have to touch him.

The thought makes him smirk, and lean his weight onto his other leg, creating an arrogant angle with his body as he bounces off Tsuzuki's question with a more obnoxious one.]

What do you think I mean?

"Do you have a donor card?" >:D

[purpledemoneyes]

[His stomach drops as he understands the same. To be fair, Muraki doesn't actually have to physically pin him to make Tsuzuki feel trapped. It's enough to look at him, especially when they both know he can't get out or back any further away.]

[The tension makes him want to squirm, but that would be such a sign of weakness. He takes a deep breath, trying to show an anger he can't really feel. Deep down, he's glad he's the one that Muraki came across. It could have been Hisoka, or someone else who didn't have blood on their hands. This is better.]

I'm not going to answer that. How did you survive?

"Are you allergic to any medications?" >:D

[letsplaysurgeon]

[That was a little more interesting: at the very least it earned a light chuckle. He almost forgot that the last time Tsuzuki saw him, he was "dead" on a bed of roses.]

Did you really think something like that could kill me, Tsuzuki? In the depths of your heart didn't you realize it wasn't true?

"This might hurt a little." >:D

[purpledemoneyes]

[Tsuzuki and Muraki refers to different near-death experiences, although they're not aware of it. Muraki's answer suits both scenarios perfectly, however.]

[A small part of him can't deny that he's relieved, because it means that he won't have another life on his conscience. Tsuzuki licks his lips, clutching the wire shelf. If Hisoka had been there, what would he have wanted him to do? Most likely he would have wanted him to push past Muraki instead of chatting with him, but Tsuzuki's very unsure if he wants to get closer. He shifts the weight from one foot to the other.]

Not many can survive that, that's all. Touda's not known for being sparing.

"Fill out these forms while you wait." >:D

[letsplaysurgeon]

[As far as Muraki was concerned, they were on the same page, talking about the same near-death experience. When he thinks Tsuzuki is telling him that many couldn't survive poisoning, he finds it adorable. He still underestimated his abilities beyond the average mortal.

But the next thing Tsuzuki says freezes his expression. It takes him a second to place the name Touda...the winged serpent; one of the twelve high-ranked shikigami that Tsuzuki had control over. What does he have to do with anything? What happened when he was gone?

He turns his head to stare Tsuzuki down with his visible eye. The tiny space surrounding them conducts his tension; the unnerving silence before he responds.]

What did you do to my body?