Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Little Things ❯ Smile IV ( Chapter 15 )

Little Things

Chapter 15: Smile IV

By: eternalsailorsolarwind

 

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei and all characters are owned by Matsushita Yoko, her Japanese publishers, and Viz in the United States. I only play with her characters for fun.

 

A/N: Watari introspective on Tatsumi and his smiles. Rather on the fluffy side.

 

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Taking a sip of coffee, Watari watched Tatsumi over the rim of the cup. The secretary was yet again chastising Tsuzuki for coming in late - nearly an hour, this time. Tsuzuki pouted and whined at Tatsumi, trying to come up with a legitimate excuse for being late that didn't involve some sort of sweets. Watari chuckled as he failed miserably; Tsuzuki finally falling back on his puppyish face. As usual, that worked. Tatsumi sighed, gave Tsuzuki the sad version of the smile reserved just for him, and patted him on the head.

 

“All right, Tsuzuki-san, but I will dock your pay for being late again. Go to your office and get to work,” Tatsumi said, his voice stern but warm. After thanking Tatsumi profusely, Tsuzuki gamboled off to the office he shared with Bon. Tatsumi watched him go, shaking his head with a fond smile, before returning to his own office.

 

Sipping at his coffee, Watari pondered on Tatsumi and his smiles. The older man was sparing with his smiles in the office; turning the rare ones he did offer into a form of praise that everyone wanted to receive. Even Saya and Yuma wriggled like puppies when he gave them the indulgent, fatherly smile that he saved for them (almost always accompanied by a pat on the head).

 

It was as if Tatsumi had a smile reserved for everyone. Even the Count got that creepy, evil-looking smile that frightened just about everyone whenever they saw it appear. Watari shivered, thinking of the one time that Tatsumi had smiled at him that way after destroying half the floor in a lab explosion. He'd rather go up against Muraki again that face that smile, meant for him, on his lover's face.

 

Everyone recognized the smile saved just for Tsuzuki, and Bon's smile was still “under construction.” Watari had the sneaking suspicion that some of Tsuzuki's smile would leak into the one that would one day be Hisoka's. Then there was his smile. Or smiles, he should say.

 

Watari grinned at that thought. Of all of them, only he had a second smile, different from the one used at work, reserved for him alone. The one for work was often rather exasperated, with somewhat incredulous amusement mixed in - as if Tatsumi couldn't believe that he actually found whatever it was that made him smile the slightest bit funny, but couldn't really help himself.

 

But it was the after-hours smile that Watari really appreciated. Slow like an American southern drawl, it would become as hot as Touda's flames. He shivered slightly, remembering the last time Tatsumi had smiled at him that way. His body had ached - pleasurably - for days afterward. It was something he'd like to repeat, and soon. Very soon, if he had his way.

 

“Watari-san!”

 

Watari jumped as an irritated voice shouted practically in his ear. “Seiichiro, don't do that! You'll give me a heart attack.”

 

His lover made an annoyed sound. “Even if you have a heart attack, which I sincerely doubt you would, it wouldn't hurt you in the least. And you know better…”

 

“…Than to call you by your given name at the office,” finished Watari. “I know, I know. So, what can I do for you, Tatsumi?”

 

“You've been sitting in the break room for nearly half an hour staring off into space with a silly grin on your face. What you can `do for me' is go back to work!” Tatsumi said, looking fiercely at him. “Or should I dock your pay for taking an extra long break?”

 

Watari chuckled. “That silly grin I had on my face? It was because I was thinking about you, Sei-Tatsumi.”

 

Watari was amused that some of the ire drained from the kagetsukai at his admission that he was thinking of the other man. Tatsumi looked away, coughing to cover his momentary lapse in his work persona. “Nevertheless, Watari, I will dock your pay for the extra break time.”

 

“But Tatsumi,” whined Watari, “surely there's a way to make it up to you….”

 

Tatsumi's eyebrow lifted in an amused, silent question.

 

“I know,” replied Watari, as if a sudden brainstorm hit him. He leaned over to whisper just what he planned to do to make up for the over-long break in the kagetsukai's ear. “Would that do?”

 

Watari wondered, as an interesting mix of the two smiles that Tatsumi kept just for him crossed his lover's face, if it was possible to have three smiles reserved for him.