Burn (YnM, Hisoka/Tatsumi)
Title: Burn
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: R
Summary/Prompt: "We don't like to to make our passions other people's concern/And we walk in the world of safe people/And at night we walk into our houses and burn."
Hisoka sometimes wondered if he was the only person in the Ministry who had vacation time left to use-- aside from Tatsumi, who probably wouldn't take it if Meifu burned down. It was nice to have time off, at any rate, and this time he had gone out to the country and read for three days straight.
It had been nice to not think about the others for a while.
The second he walked back into the office was a return to the usual chaos. Watari was in front of his desk, almost nose to nose with Tatsumi. "Of course I thought about the consequences. Why do you think I waited until--"
Tatsumi's eyes flashed in Hisoka's direction, and Watari shut his mouth so quickly Hisoka thought he could hear his teeth snap together. "Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi said smoothly. "Welcome back." When Tatsumi was upset, it was like being outside just before a thunderstorm; there was no lightning, but a darkness, and the thick, stifling feeling of the air turning thick and oppressive. Watari was simpler, quick flashes of anger and guilt.
Hisoka looked at them both. "Just tell me," he said finally.
"Nothing--"
"It's over--"
"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki came bounding up to him. "Did you have fun?"
Hisoka nodded. "What happened here?"
"Um," Tsuzuki said. "Watari did an experiment and--"
"Just be glad you weren't here," Watari said breezily. "Welcome back."
Later he took Tsuzuki to lunch. He had missed his partner, and despite the lingering apprehension he still felt from Tsuzuki, it was almost...nice being in his presence again.
"Do you want to tell me what actually happened?"
"Oh," Tsuzuki said, and blushed to his ears. "Watari. It wasn't his fault, really. And he waited until you were out of the office, and Terazuma and Wakaba were on assignment-- he was being responsible. It just...."
"Got out of hand?"
Tsuzuki nodded and took another huge bite of his sandwich. "Side effects. You'd have to ask Watari about the science, it works on some part of the brain or something." His speech was muffled with crumbs, but Hisoka got the idea.
"And then--?"
"It got out of hand," Tsuzuki repeated into his pickle.
"I was working on reducing stress levels," Watari said, with affronted dignity. "The hypothalamus affects--"
Several pieces fell into place at once. "You made an aphrodisiac?"
"Not intentionally!" Watari's eyes widened. "It was an unintended side effect. Well," he said, looking despondently over his shoulder at his notes, "it was the only effect. But it wasn't intended." His voice dropped to a mutter. "And Tatsumi's banned me from ever trying it again. It could've been so useful, too...."
"So you and Tsuzuki--"
"Were in the lab together," Watari said ruefully. "Konoe was out to lunch, fortunately, and I managed to text him in time. Tatsumi locked himself in his office. Some poor bastard from Accounting came in for an audit and got arrested later for assault, but aside from that we managed to contain the damage. No small feat when we were...distracted."
"Distracted," Hisoka repeated wryly.
"I'm sorry," Watari said. Hisoka knew he meant it; he was reckless at best and insane at worst, but Watari worried about Hisoka, and about Tsuzuki more. "I think he's okay. At least it only lasted a few hours...."
Hisoka nodded, hoping madly Watari wouldn't want to go into any more detail.
Tatsumi had locked himself in his office. Alone, certainly.
Hisoka waited until Tatsumi was fiddling with the photocopier to drop off the first stack of overdue paperwork.
Tatsumi's desk was as clean and tidy as it always was, and Hisoka's empathy could pick up nothing from the office's atmosphere. He smiled in relief and put the stack down on Tatsumi's blotter.
Touching the desk was a mistake.
When he came to his senses, he was kneeling in front of the desk, and there was someone behind him-- he spun, trying to stand--
"Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi was cool blue eyes and concern.
"I'm fine," he said, and swallowed. "Fine."
Hisoka watched Tatsumi's neck as the Secretary swallowed. "Are you certain?"
Hisoka nodded.
"Perhaps you should take an early day," Tatsumi said, rubbing the side of his jaw. "You could--"
"I'm fine," Hisoka repeated, and rose to his feet.
"All right," Tatsumi said. Hisoka could feel something, the edges of another thunderstorm nagging at his perception. He wasn't sure he wanted to try to interpret it.
Tatsumi had done nothing in his office, while the aphrodisiac burned. Nothing.
Hisoka took a deep breath and left the room. He would finish Tsuzuki's paperwork by the end of the day.
He was a professional, after all.
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: R
Summary/Prompt: "We don't like to to make our passions other people's concern/And we walk in the world of safe people/And at night we walk into our houses and burn."
Hisoka sometimes wondered if he was the only person in the Ministry who had vacation time left to use-- aside from Tatsumi, who probably wouldn't take it if Meifu burned down. It was nice to have time off, at any rate, and this time he had gone out to the country and read for three days straight.
It had been nice to not think about the others for a while.
The second he walked back into the office was a return to the usual chaos. Watari was in front of his desk, almost nose to nose with Tatsumi. "Of course I thought about the consequences. Why do you think I waited until--"
Tatsumi's eyes flashed in Hisoka's direction, and Watari shut his mouth so quickly Hisoka thought he could hear his teeth snap together. "Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi said smoothly. "Welcome back." When Tatsumi was upset, it was like being outside just before a thunderstorm; there was no lightning, but a darkness, and the thick, stifling feeling of the air turning thick and oppressive. Watari was simpler, quick flashes of anger and guilt.
Hisoka looked at them both. "Just tell me," he said finally.
"Nothing--"
"It's over--"
"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki came bounding up to him. "Did you have fun?"
Hisoka nodded. "What happened here?"
"Um," Tsuzuki said. "Watari did an experiment and--"
"Just be glad you weren't here," Watari said breezily. "Welcome back."
Later he took Tsuzuki to lunch. He had missed his partner, and despite the lingering apprehension he still felt from Tsuzuki, it was almost...nice being in his presence again.
"Do you want to tell me what actually happened?"
"Oh," Tsuzuki said, and blushed to his ears. "Watari. It wasn't his fault, really. And he waited until you were out of the office, and Terazuma and Wakaba were on assignment-- he was being responsible. It just...."
"Got out of hand?"
Tsuzuki nodded and took another huge bite of his sandwich. "Side effects. You'd have to ask Watari about the science, it works on some part of the brain or something." His speech was muffled with crumbs, but Hisoka got the idea.
"And then--?"
"It got out of hand," Tsuzuki repeated into his pickle.
"I was working on reducing stress levels," Watari said, with affronted dignity. "The hypothalamus affects--"
Several pieces fell into place at once. "You made an aphrodisiac?"
"Not intentionally!" Watari's eyes widened. "It was an unintended side effect. Well," he said, looking despondently over his shoulder at his notes, "it was the only effect. But it wasn't intended." His voice dropped to a mutter. "And Tatsumi's banned me from ever trying it again. It could've been so useful, too...."
"So you and Tsuzuki--"
"Were in the lab together," Watari said ruefully. "Konoe was out to lunch, fortunately, and I managed to text him in time. Tatsumi locked himself in his office. Some poor bastard from Accounting came in for an audit and got arrested later for assault, but aside from that we managed to contain the damage. No small feat when we were...distracted."
"Distracted," Hisoka repeated wryly.
"I'm sorry," Watari said. Hisoka knew he meant it; he was reckless at best and insane at worst, but Watari worried about Hisoka, and about Tsuzuki more. "I think he's okay. At least it only lasted a few hours...."
Hisoka nodded, hoping madly Watari wouldn't want to go into any more detail.
Tatsumi had locked himself in his office. Alone, certainly.
Hisoka waited until Tatsumi was fiddling with the photocopier to drop off the first stack of overdue paperwork.
Tatsumi's desk was as clean and tidy as it always was, and Hisoka's empathy could pick up nothing from the office's atmosphere. He smiled in relief and put the stack down on Tatsumi's blotter.
Touching the desk was a mistake.
When he came to his senses, he was kneeling in front of the desk, and there was someone behind him-- he spun, trying to stand--
"Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi was cool blue eyes and concern.
"I'm fine," he said, and swallowed. "Fine."
Hisoka watched Tatsumi's neck as the Secretary swallowed. "Are you certain?"
Hisoka nodded.
"Perhaps you should take an early day," Tatsumi said, rubbing the side of his jaw. "You could--"
"I'm fine," Hisoka repeated, and rose to his feet.
"All right," Tatsumi said. Hisoka could feel something, the edges of another thunderstorm nagging at his perception. He wasn't sure he wanted to try to interpret it.
Tatsumi had done nothing in his office, while the aphrodisiac burned. Nothing.
Hisoka took a deep breath and left the room. He would finish Tsuzuki's paperwork by the end of the day.
He was a professional, after all.