Parings: TsuSoka ( TsuzukixHisoka).

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yami no Matsuei.

Title: Vivid

Author: EggDropSoup

Chapter: 2

Hisoka climbed up the stepstool to place another flask into the lab cabinet’s shelves. After looking at the cabinet’s contents so far, he’d decided that it looked better. Definitely more efficient and organized than it was before. How Watari managed to find anything in this lab was beyond him.

“Kurosaki, Is there anything I can help with?” Wakaba called from below.

“Sure. Could you hand me that jar over there?”

“Watari sure has a lot of stuff,” her different colored eyes observed as she hoisted the object up to him. “It’s no surprise, that the lab got so cluttered so quickly.”

Hisoka selected another flask. “I’ve got the rest of this stuff. Do you think you can get a towel or a rag? I wanna go over these shelves again.”

“Gotcha! I’ll be back with it in a jiffy!” Wakaba hurried from the room, her long hair trailing behind her.

Already Hisoka was subtracting the contents in his mind, calculating each spot the equipment should be in. But cringed at the thought of knowing that the next day, it’d be a disaster again, all his sprucing up in vain.

“Shouldn’t you be doing paperwork?”

Hisoka nearly tumbled off the stool; he might have, if a hand hadn’t slapped onto his butt to keep him upright. He scowled, wondering why he hadn’t sensed the man when he had first walked in the room.

“It’s not all I do. And shouldn’t I be asking you that? I'm not gonna be the one responsible if Tatsumi doesn't get those files on time.” He started to get down, but realized being on the stool kept him at eye level with Tsuzuki. “You can move your hand now, Tsuzuki.”

“It doesn’t mind being there.” But Tsuzuki let it fall, slipped it into his pocket. “What are you doing anyway?”

“I’m helping Watari put up these valves. He’s been overworked lately so I thought I’d help him out.”

Even as Hisoka lifted an instrument to the shelf, Tsuzuki was lifting another, and by merely raising his arm, set it in place. “Show off.”

“Shorty.” Tsuzuki was rewarded with a glare that unfortunately didn’t seem to faze him.

Wakaba came in through the doorway, turned briskly on her heel and headed out.

“Kannuki!”

“Sorry, I forgot something!” she called out and kept going.

‘It’s like everyone’s against me…’ Hisoka blew out a breath and would’ve asked for Tsuzuki to hand him another object, but the man had already picked up another one and hung it up. “If you need me to explain something about the paperwork-”

“No, I’m not here to talk to you about that.” He scuffed his shoes against the marble floor. “I wanted us to go out again. Like yesterday, but without it being work related.”

"What?"

"I want to see you again."

“Well, you already are.”

Tsuzuki's eyes met Hisoka's. “You’re not dim.”

“No, I’m not. That's your department, but I’m not sure-”

“Neither am I.” he interrupted. “But that doesn’t make me stop wanting to spend time with you. It's irritating, thinking about you all the time.”

“Thanks. But if you want anything from me, I suggest you learn some tact. What do you take me for? Some silly love-sick fool, that’ll just sigh and fall into your arms?”

“I don’t want you to fall into them. If I did, I’d just kick your feet out from under you.”

Hisoka glared, his cheeks already flaming. “I swear, all that food you keep eating is rotting your brain. Especially if it has you saying things like that.”

“You really are cute, ‘Soka.” Tsuzuki grinned at him, purple eyes shinning brightly. “Pick you up at seven?”

“What? Tonight?” Reluctant amusement turned to outright panic. Tsuzuki couldn’t be serious. “I can’t possibly just go out, spur of the moment.”

“Any reason why you can’t spend a few hours out with me, tonight?”

Hisoka shoved the hair out of his eyes. “What if I already have plans for tonight?”

“Do you?”

Hisoka angled his head, looked down his nose. “I always have plans. I agreed to help Watari with a research project tonight.”

“I bet. So, tell him something came up.” Tsuzuki glanced up as he heard the laboratory doors open.

As if on cue, the blonde scientist waltzed toward them dressed in a large white lab coat, positively beaming. “Thanks so much for your hard work, Bon! You’ve really helped me a lot with sorting those and putting them away.” He glanced at the other man “Oh, Tsuzuki. Sorry, Am I interrupting?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Tsuzuki corrected, leaving Hisoka to turn and stare at him, positively mortified. “But it’s okay. Is it alright if Hisoka helps you with your project some other time?”

“Sure, that’s fine. Are you two going out?”

“A little dinner. I’ll leave the paperwork I did manage to finish on your desk,” he said to Hisoka. “I’ll be gone the rest of the day on an errand with Tatsumi. I’ll stop by your place at seven to pick you up.”

Tired of standing, Hisoka sat on the stool and scowled at Watari when Tsuzuki sauntered out. “You didn’t help.”

“I think I did.” Reaching up, Watari inspected one of the objects in the cabinet, checking to make sure it was completely sealed. “You’ll go out, have a good time. Don’t worry, Bon.” He caught the boy’s skeptical look. “You’ll be fine. If you didn’t want to go out with Tsuzuki, you wouldn’t go. You know how to say no loud enough.”

“That may be true, but I might’ve liked a little more notice. A little more …something.”

“He is what he is.” Watari lightly patted Hisoka’s shoulder. “And the good thing about that is you don’t have to wonder what he’s hiding, or what kind of show he’s putting on. He’s…I can’t say he’s terribly romantic or poetic, because he can be incredibly difficult and ill mannered at times. But he’s an honest one. Take it from me, there’s a lot to be said for that.”

To be continued…

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AN: Was a short chapter, but I like how it’s going. What will our poor little Hisoka do, huh? See you guys next time.