Growing Need

Anger, lust, guilt, fear, and shame.

Emotions that, despite Tsuzuki's most valiant efforts, crashed through his partner's mind, wave after wave rattling his brain. Hisoka was certain that if this continued for much longer, his head would explode.

Tsuzuki... he still refused to look him in the eye, despite the overwhelming urge to comfort his guilt-ridden partner. He'd known for quite some time that the man loved him, but until just a few moments ago, he'd thought the sentiments were brotherly in nature. The love he'd witnessed in Tsuzuki's dream, however, was far from fraternal; such was obvious even without his empathy. Upon re-entering the office, he'd at first supposed the brunette's shortness of breath to be the result of fear, possibly from a nightmare. His empathic senses, and some closer inspection, soon told him otherwise. Slamming the boxes of Chinese food onto his desk, he rushed towards the man to wake him, but came to a dead halt about half a foot's distance from him as a scalding desire swept into every fiber of his being. Images of himself undoing Tsuzuki's pants with his teeth flooded his mind, a very real groan from the sleeping form in front of him snapping him back into reality, and a glance just below the violet-eyed shinigami's waistline showed just how this fantasy was affecting him.

Hisoka's blood had turned to lava, and Tsuzuki's arousal mixing with his own only made trying to deny his aching body that much more difficult. This had to stop now. He'd thrown the first thing he could find into the baka's skull, waking him and ending the torment. He knew he was blushing - furiously - and avoided the puppy-eyes being sent his way not only from embarrassment, but also because he feared Tsuzuki would see the lust in his emerald pools.

So, what now?

Hisoka had secretly been relieved to know that his partner returned his sentiments, but what to do with that knowledge?

His chain of thought was broken when he felt a rush of excessive cheer coming their way as the door swung open, a jubilant, "Ohayou!" wreaking hell on his eardrums. "Ohayou, Watari-san," Hisoka grumbled, murmuring under his breath, "Speaking of my head exploding..." Turning his head towards the sunny voice, Tsuzuki plastered that fake, expected smile onto his face and exclaimed, "Ohayou, Watari! What brings you here?" Grinning from ear to ear, Watari replied, "Well, you guys looked like you could use a lift, so I brought some green tea and cookies!"

Hisoka shot a suspicious glare at the scientist, cautiously asking, "What's it laced with? I don't want my skin glowing some weird color."

The golden-haired shinigami looked positively crestfallen. "Bon," he frowned, "I'm hurt that you would think me capable of such a thing! Besides, I've already gotten my share of scolding from Tatsumi-san..." Smiling innocently, he chirped, "All it's loaded with is caffeine!"

At the utterance of the word "caffeine," Hisoka came to the speedy conclusion that this was a risk he couldn't afford not to take. "Fine," he snarled, "but if I start growing extra limbs..."

"Oh, just calm down and have some tea!" Watari poured the steaming green liquid into the boy's cup and gently placed it into his hands.

Still a bit wary, Hisoka barely sipped at the tea, taken back by surprise as he noted, 'It tastes... normal! He might not have spiked it after all...'

Tsuzuki poured his own cup, heaping a gracious amount of sugar into his drink and helping himself to at least ten cookies. "So, what kind of projects have you been working on lately?" the sugar-addict amiably inquired.

"The usual," his amber-eyed friend responded off-handedly, taking sips from the cup he'd prepared for himself, "my sex change potion, remedies to supposedly 'unbreakable' spells, a shampoo/conditioner that renders one's hair invulnerable to damage and split ends..."

Staring into his empty cup, Hisoka noticed that he did feel a bit different... as if his entire body had suddenly been set on fire. 'It's probably just the caffeine kicking in,' he mentally reassured himself, fetching another serving. The more he drank, however, the more this heat intensified, the flame pooling into his groin whenever he so much as glanced at his partner. His eyes were starting to glaze over, fixed on the "v" of enticing skin that showed through the top of Tsuzuki's shirt, his heart racing and breath quickening ever so slightly as the conversation around him was reduced to a drone of unintelligible sound.

"You okay, Bon?"

Startled, his gaze darted to meet those of concerned honey-hued orbs. "You look a little flushed," Watari stated, his voice tinted with a hint of worry.

"I'm fine," Hisoka answered curtly.

The resident scientist was opening his mouth to say more when an enraged shriek shook the building, "WATARI, WHERE'S THAT ANTIDOTE??! FOR EVERY MOMENT I HAVE TO WAIT, I'M SEVERELY DOCKING YOUR PAY!!!" A giant sweat drop formed on the back of his head as Watari nervously fumbled, "I'd better get going; need to finish that antidote for the stuff I put in the coffee pot this morning. Rose pink really becomes Kannuki-chan, though..."

Darting towards the door, he turned to the pair with a final, "Ja na," and made his exit.

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As soon as he was out of the dynamic duo's office, Watari grinned wickedly to himself. 'Bon was ready to jump his bones... all is going according to plan! We'll see just how dynamic that duo can be...'

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Tsuzuki, having finally mustered the courage to speak to his partner, announced, "You really do look a little flushed... I can tell Konoe-kachou if you need to go home--"

Violet eyes widened in shock when Hisoka straddled his waist, fingers entangled in his dark locks as his lips were locked in a feverish kiss, an emboldened tongue demanding entrance to his mouth that he was more than willing to give. Tongues sparred for a moment far too brief before Hisoka pulled away, purring into his ear with a nip at the lobe, "Only if you go with me."


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AN: Sorry this chapter took as long as it did, but I'm already working on 5 and will have it done very soon!

OrenjiCloud, laustic, and Dark_Lady_69; you guys are wonderful. I appreciate your feedback more than I can express :3