• 1-Without a Shadow of Doubt

Without a Shadow of Doubt

"Kurosaki-kun, please report to my office," the loudspeakers blared out. Even through the static interference, Hisoka could still recognise the voice as Tatsumi's and notice the rather tense and clipped quality of it. Sighing, he stood up from his desk and glanced at the clock.

Nice, only five minutes left of official work time. If this was something important, it would mean bye-bye free time, welcome overtime. That was not his preferred way of spending an evening, not with Tsuzuki waiting for him at home. He was sure to get hungry if left alone for too long, in more ways than one.

As if he wasn't enough trouble to satisfy after a normal working day…

Turning the last corner, he spotted Tsuzuki, stepping out and closing the door to Tatsumi's office. Hisoka didn't think too much of it; jealousy wasn't his thing. It would've been pretty pointless anyway, after what happened some weeks ago. Hisoka's cheeks burned with the memory, and he was getting more and more uncomfortable about this meeting.

Tsuzuki took his time resting his back against the door with his eyes closed, a small smile playing on his lips. Hisoka sneaked closer, very quietly, until he was only some inches away from the peaceful face. Then he leaned right next to the ear and said, much louder than necessary: "Got another pay cut?"

"Ahh! Where what-" Tsuzuki flattened against the door, his eyes so wide he was making a good impression of a deer in headlights.

"Stupid, I asked you a question!" Hisoka huffed, taking a step back.

Tsuzuki whipped out a disarming smile. "Nothing's wrong, really! Reports late, budgets overdrawn, you know, the usual. Oh look at the time; I have to go help Watari with something. Don't wait up for me! Bye!"

Hisoka was left blinking at the door. What the hell was that, he wondered for a moment, then shook his head and knocked on the door.

Receiving no answer, he opened it and called out into the room: "You wanted to see me Tatsumi-san?"

A rustle of paper, a subtle cough and an acknowledging nod later he was answered: "Yes. Just come on in, close the door and sit down."

Hisoka managed to close the door behind him. He still had no idea why he was called here, and the little incident outside with Tsuzuki did nothing to calm him. So he stood, motionless, like a statue of a man waiting on heavenly judgement, hardly daring to breathe.

"Did you see Tsuzuki on your way here?" The calm voice of the secretary shook him out of his stupor.

"Yes, just outside."

"Good. So you know he'll be busy this evening?" More arranging of papers. A click of a pen capped.

"Yes. How long is this going to take then?"

Tatsumi finally lifted his eyes to regard the wary figure on his doorstep. "That depends, actually. Say, if I asked you to come with me somewhere, would you?" Tatsumi tilted his head expectantly and stood up to his full height.

"Is there a reason not to come?" Hisoka threw back, fighting to keep his voice from squeaking childishly like it was so wont to den hen he was tense.

"No, if you're asking me. Ready, then?" Tatsumi was already throwing his coat on and closing down the lights.

"I guess so…"

"Good, let's go." Without waiting for any protests, he leisurely walked up to Hisoka, laid his hand on one shoulder and teleported them off.

"Cold!" Hisoka yelled out the moment they materialized. It was not simply cold; it was positively freezing. And wet, must not forget the wet.

"It usually is in these heights. See, there's a cabin up there. That's where we're heading. It should be warmer there." He took a few steps, then stopped as if he had been struck by an idea. "Pardon me, where did my manners go? Here, take this," he smiled as he shook the coat off and wrapped it around Hisoka's shivering shoulders.

Hisoka scrunched up his eyebrows. Sulking a little he finally began to toddle up the path, kicking the sleety snow from his shoes. Under his breath, he muttered something to the effect of "I can take care of myself I don't need his damn coat," but nevertheless, he hugged the thick fabric closer.

Now if Tatsumi heard that or not, he kept the knowledge to himself, continuing to smile that slow, content little smile that was about as rare as a Tsuzuki filling out expense reports. It happened, but rarely did anyone see it. It could've been just the mountain air, the fresh and crisp quality of it that was so rare everywhere else, the crowded and polluted cities and the eternal spring of Meifu.

The walk was short, and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Hisoka flopped down on an easy chair. A deep breath, and he was ready to face whatever reason they had for being there.

Opening his eyes, he found Tatsumi walking slowly around the cabin, appraising the interior and arranging various items around. Before Hisoka had the time to voice his questions, Tatsumi disappeared inside a door that looked definitely too small to be anything other than a closet. Then again, they were in a secluded cabin, so who knew?

"I heard you've progressed well with the fuda," Tatsumi came back to view with his hands full of… candles?

"Well, yes. Tsuzuki has been teaching me some new spells. The thing is, they're all just stupid party tricks. I'd go back to Chief's tutoring, but he said he's taught me everything he knows already. So I guess I'm stuck with the tricks," he explained, absently tugging on the coat he was still wrapped in.

"Oh, but some of those tr can can even be useful, sometimes," Tatsumi noted as he set the candles in a variety of different holders and surfaces, spreading them evenly around the room. "How about the paper fire trick? You know that?" he asked, stuffing wood into the fireplace, then setting himself down on the floor.

Hisoka shrugged. "Sure. Want me to light that?"

"That would be good. I'm afraid these matches are not up to par," he grinned, holding up a matchbox that was unquestionably soaked.

Grunting at the pitiful sight, Hisoka dug out a slip of paper and a pen from his jacket, scribbled a character, folded the paper and muttered one word. Instantly the paper dissolved into a flickering flame that attached to his fingertips. "Well, I always thought it was a bit too fancy to light the stove with these, but…" Hisoka stood up and walked to the fireplace, eyes glued to the little flares. Fancy, but still somehow fascinating.

Not that he'd ever admit that to Tsuzuki, though.

He kneeled down and poked his fingers into the hearth, careful not to get splinters. "So would you mind telling me what this is about?" he asked, sitting down on the soft rug near the fire.

"Do I look like a man with ulterior motives?" Tatsumi straightened his glasses, effectively covering the twitch in the corners of his mouth.

That earned him a sigh, an eye roll and a soft glare. "Have you been taking stupid lessons from Tsuzuki?"

"Might as well have," Tatsumi sighed, and then in one smooth twist of his wrist, seemed to collect his thoughts. "I thought that a serene, peaceful setting would make this a little easier, however…" Drawing in a deep breath, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

The tension was starting to get to Hisoka's nerves. It likelike a slow gnawing on the edge of his mind, ready to make him tremble and break cold sweat to his forehead…

Sometimes, he positively hated his empathy.

"I guess you want to talk?" he offered, thinking that was the most rational explanation for all this.

"Ah, yes. That too." Tatsumi stared at the crackling fire, then at his own hands. "You might want to put out the fire on your fingers."

Hisoka glanced at his hand, only to blush at the fact that he did indeed forget to put out the fire from his fingers. As the spell was used up, the tingling of magic was slowly but surely turning into the blistering of burn. For some reason, he really didn't look forward to that, regenerative abilities be damned. Healing was itchy business.

"Here, let me. I can put out each one in a different way," Tatsumi gestured, eyes gleaming like a man that had a Skill. Hisoka raised one eyebrow, curious. Seeing that, Tatsumi countered: "What? That's my little trick, you can keep the paper fire spell."

"Whatever." Translation: the standard Hisoka concession that meant little more than 'I don't care enough to start fighting about it'.

Tatsumi took hold of the hand and raised it higher, considering his options. Five fingers, five little flames to put out. The hand was smaller than Tsuzuki's, but he figured he'd make do.

"See, there's the standard way of blowing," Tatsumi began, holding the pinkie and exhaling a gust of air over it, the flame dying out, "but that's hardly entertaining or imaginative. Then there's the pinching," he continued, while wrapping two fingers around one small fire and snuffing it out, "but the problem is…" He stopped to blow cooler air on his own fingers, "it burns." Tatsumi smiled as he examined the rest of the fingers, taking his time.

And it was making Hisoka squirm. "Could you just hurry up? Today?"

"Yes yes. This is getting tricky now, be patient. I won't let you get blisters, promise," he mumbled as he cocked his head and twisted the hand. "So what else can I use but my fingers? Well, many things obviously, but this could very well be the most unusual."

That's when, seemingly out of nowhere, a small black thread appeared. It hung in the air and slowly descended, coiling itself over Hisoka's middle finger. Staring at it for a while, he finally figured that it was, in fact, the shadow of his own finger.

"Well…" he gaped at the shadow that was uncurling and settling back to its original place, "that was, eh, novel?"

Tatsumi smiled back. "And Tsuzuki says I have no sense of humour!" He let out a hearty little laugh. It seemed that at least one of them was having fun.

Hisoka wrinkled his nose. "Sure, I bow to your superior intellect and mad skills of entertainment. Now hurry the fuck up before my fingers burn down!" His voice rose from cold sarcasm to near hysteric tantrum, only to simmer down in utter embarrassment.

Tatsumi clicked his tongue in disdain. "Now now, I was going to find some water for the next one but since you're in such a hurry, I think I'll have to improvise." He turned the hand palm up, bending the thumb a little upward. "Hold still." Scanning their immediate surroundings, he grabbed one slender candle from the nearby table and lit it in the fireplace. "This might… Ah, I'm sure you're a big boy," he smirked in a way that looked to Hisoka as absolutely ominous.

He didn't get much time to po on on that. A hot, stinging sensation nipped at his thumb, causing him to nearly jump to the ceiling. "Shit! Shitshitshit…" He instinctively pulled his hand closer and blew on the aching thumb. "You… you…"

"I put out the fire by dropping some wax on it. Why, would you have preferred water? I have none right here, but I could arrange something similar."

Hisoka looked, and yes, there was a light, thin film of dried stearine coating his thumb. Wonder of wonders, it didn't actually hurt anymore. To be completely truthful, it felt much cooler now. And it tingled in a way he was loath to call nice, but found no better description.

"One more," Tatsumi motioned calmly to the last flame. With a little reluctance, Hisoka extended his hand, looking warily at Tatsumi as he took the palm in his own hands. "I promise this won't hurt," he reassured.

He drew the hand closer, so close Hisoka was forced to lean forward. Bringing the flame near his face, Tatsumi opened his mouth, the tip of his tongue peeking out just enough to show. He tilted the hand and slowly, carefully brought his tongue right under the flame and closed his lips over the fingertip.

Too shocked to do much more than stare, Hisoka felt the fire slowly extinguish in the absence of air. The heat of it was replaced by gentle caress of tongue looping around him, licking out the last smoking embers of the spell.

Two blinks was enough to come up with a reply, not the wittiest one but Hisoka was not exactly in a position to bargain with his malfunctioning brain. "Ok, who are you and what did you do to Tatsumi?" he squeaked, biting his tongue the moment the words got out. Now that was the smartest thing ever to say, he chided himself.

It was Tatsumi's turn to blink. Unhurried, he moved the hand down, the finger sliding out with a little plopping souThenThen he took a serious look, enveloped Hisoka's hand between his, and leaned a bit lower. "And what exactly is so odd about me now? Am I not allowed to be playful at all? Do you all really think I'm not capable of a little digression from my bureaucratic ways and secretarial routines?"

Shaking his head, Hisoka stuttered out: "No, no, I mean…" A deep sigh, turning his head away from the apprehensive look on Tatsumi's face, and he continued: "I'd understand if, if it was someone else, let's not name any names here but you know anyway, so I just can't…" Slowly his eyes widened as he remembered the odd meeting in the hallway before. "He put you up to something, didn't he? Didn't he?" Hisoka almost yelled the last words, a sudden gust of anger and mortification rushing through his veins.

All he received was a sombre smile and a resigned shake of head. Then Tatsumi began to speak. "If you're talking of Tsuzuki, the fact is that while he seems oddly eager to play matchmaker, he hardly has that kind of power over my actions. I can assure you right now, that there is no conspiracy or secret plans as far as I am concerned. However," he paused only long enough to draw breath, "I have always regarded you as a friend, and never once even dreamed of coming between you two. Have I? Be honest now."

Looking at everything else but Tatsumi, Hisoka nodded and stayed still.

"So, we agree on that. Well, that's something at least," Tatsumi shrugged, idly petting the hand still resting in his palms. "I believe you know how I feel about Tsuzuki, but if you had any issues about that… Ah, so, I guess you wouldn't have let that happen in the first place."

Gulping, Hisoka tried to clear his dry throat. His ears were burning, the reference to that incident making him all the more aware of every hair on his body, every little neural pathway in his skin, all screaming something in his ears as his brain stubbornly refused to listen.

"I brought you here only because I… I think it's important that there are no misunderstandings between us. I do value the friendship we've had, regardless of our respective feelings toward Tsuzuki. Although I guess, in a way, it's still because of him that we… that I have begun to think…"

"S-stop," Hisoka interrupted, the word coming out hissed between his teeth. "Don't."

Leaving Tatsumi slightly puzzled, Hisoka took a fewmingming breaths before grinding out his next words. "I'm not… an extension of Tsuzuki. You don't need to ask my permission or… take pity or…"

"That's not what I'm doing."

"I'm not holding him hostage or anything, I'm not his keeper and if he wants to… wait. What?"

"Just that. I'm not asking your permission, or throwing a pity party for your crush on me. Yes, he told me about that," Tatsumi repeated and made another lopsided smile. "Truly, itperfperfectly all right. Although a little confusing, but who am I to say anything."

Eventually, Hisoka gained the courage to face Tatsumi again. "But…" This was a baffling turn. He had been fairly sure Tatsumi wanted to get together with Tsuzuki, and that made him pretty much nothing but some excess baggage in the equation. Well, Tsuzuki might not think so, but Hisoka highly doubted his own ability to compete.

"You still seem sceptical. Is it that hard to believe? Tsuzuki still hasn't managed to assure you that you just might be accepted as yourself, not as his 'extension'?" Tatsumi made a short sniggering sound. "Honestly, does he need me to hold his hand in everything?"

The sheer absurdity of the mental image; Tatsumi, of all people, leading Tsuzuki by the hand and teaching him how to be supportive; made Hisoka smile, only a little upward slope on the corners of his mouth. If someone needed lessons in how to nurture and spread warm fuzzies, it was not Tsuzuki. In all honesty, he wasn't sure Tatsumi was the best person to provide such lessons anyway.

"Got you to smile though, didn't I?" Tatsumi commented, a self-satisfied look catching onto his face.

"Oh shut up, you're both just as bad, only in different ways." Hisoka punctuated his words by swatting Tatsumi softly, which lead him to lose his balance and topple over.

Suddenly, Tatsumi was much, much closer than before. So clos cou could smelllighlightly minty breath (minty? Why…) and feel it caress his face, warm arms enveloping him and lifting his jaw with a simple gesture…

The moment seemed to stretch endlessly, their faces so close together, lips nearly touching. Like he was slowly drawn, until he could feel the tension, the sparkle of it fluttering in the air. He had to close his eyes to escape at least one aspect of this unfolding scene; he couldn't keep his eyes focused ay… ay…

Warm and soft, but confident and unyielding; that's how he would have described the kiss, if he weren't busy participating. Tatsumi wasn't shy in his moves, more like respectfully slow, waiting the right response to move forward. Gradually Hisoka found himself relaxing in his lap, parting his lips eagerly, running his hands up the arms and winding them around the neck.

Getting lost in the kiss, Hisoka noticed a familiar tug in his mental defences. Or to be more precise, what was left of those mental defences. It was nothing unusual for Hisoka to lose his shielding and synchronising with Tsuzuki, but with Tsuzuki, he could always read the surface of his emotions with no trouble. Not with Tatsumi, who was more controlled, harder to read even if he tried. Then again, he rarely tried, out of respect.

Hisoka felt like he was melting, his body pumping hot blood through him and his mind unravelling at the seams. Wisps of thoughts, dreams, and cravings passed his consciousness, leaving a tangled mess of sensual images whispering in his ears. Candles. Angry red welts and tender touches. Black rope slithering…

"You want to do what?" Hisoka suddenly pulled away, cheeks flushed and eyes widened.

Remaining outwardly calm, Tatsumi fixed his glasses. "Did my… preferences scare you?" He kept his other arm firmly around Hisoka's waist, not letting him further back. "I'm not asking for any of that."

"I… let me just… think," Hisoka sighed, burying his head in Tatsumi's chest. It felt good and effortless, like it was the most natural place to be. When he felt lips grazing his hair, trailing down the side to nibble at his ear, the realization started to dawn on him. Despite all the unpredictability, the surprises following one another, the odd sense of anxiety he felt when Tatsumi did all those things…

This was still a man he could trust.

Hisoka bent his neck, urging more attention to it, and with a trembling voice he whispered: "I trust you… we can try…"

His words got caught in his throat as Tatsumi's teeth clamped down on the juncture of neck and shoulder. At the same time, the hold tightened, squeezing and forcing the air from his lungs, or so it felt, with the teeth playing on that one special spot he had that made him absolutely weak at the knees…

A strange sense of déjà vu, Hisoka pondered as he was literally pushed down to the floor, pressed flat while that relentless mouth kept working on his skin. He was bitten, suckled, then licked as in apology, and bitten again. But it didn't bother him; instead it roused a powerful torrent of defiance mixed with pure lust. He could take this; he wasn't fragile, and he was definitely bigugh ugh to handle a little rough play.

Then it hit him; this was exactly like Tsuzuki had been when he pretended to be Tatsumi.

Well, that answers things, he thought, amused despite himself.

Tatsumi started tugging Hisoka's shirt, easing up the pressure as he moved his hands up, nails scraping the skin. Complying, Hisoka raised his arms. But Tatsumi didn't take the shirt off as he expected; he pushed the shirt up over Hisoka's head, then tied it into a firm knot around the wrists, leaving the arms up.

"Right where I want you," Tatsumi whispered in his ear. The husky voice drew shivers to Hisoka's spine, and this time, he was allowed to let the tremble pass through, his back arching up against Tatsumi's retreating chest.

Whimpering at the loss, Hisoka laid a questioning frown on Tatsumi's back. After a moment of glaring, he was about to say something suitably scathing, when Tmi tmi turned around, holding a long candle, coloured red and burning bright.

Hisoka swallowed his words. He knew what was going to happen, he saw it clearly enough in his peek into Tatsumi's head. That didn't make him less anxious though.

"No need to be alarmed…" Tatsumi trailed off. He set the candle next to Hisoka's head and began to undress himself. "If for any reason you want to be freed, you'll know what to do, right?"

Hisoka stared, green eyes misting with hunger and anticipation as he watched the man of his wet dreams peel off the layers of cloth. Revealing his chest first, then the arms, folding the brown shirt neatly, and Hisoka could only watch the show.

The master of shadows looked like a master of the office dojo as well. Not overtly muscular, but more like well defined and fit, the kind of man Hisoka could never become.

Somewhere along the way, that thought had ceased to bother him.

Sitting down, Tatsumi took the candle, holding the fire precariously close to Hisoka's hair. "You do know what to do?" he inquired again, tipping the candle just so that a drop of wax fell between the head and the pinned wrists.

A gasp, neither of relief nor disappointment, and suddenly, Hisoka remembered he never answered that question. "I know. I'm ready." He was not as certain as he appeared, but he was fairly sure the answer was right there, lingering on the tip of his tongue.

But he had trust. That was all that mattered.

Taking the confirmation, Tatsumi smiled in a way Hisoka was sure he'd never seen before. It was close to some of the more frightening smirks he'd witnessed, but not quite. And it didn't intimidate him, not now.

Not even when the smile turned wider and the candle tipped again, shedding drops of blistering hot fluid onto his exposed arms. His breath caught, the irritation turning quickly into the same tingle he felt before on his thumb. Only this time, he was savouring every sensation. The wax cooled off so soon, leaving his skin taut and prickling under the dried substance.

He opened his eyes (when did he close them?), seeing the look of need and delight in Tatsumi's eyes. He's really enjoying this, Hisoka thought, slightly bewildered.

Next drops landed on his biceps, the same feelings of soreness and relief flowing faster. By the time Tatsumi moved to his upper chest, his breathing was heavy and the respite of every cooling puddle of stearine rapidly morphing into pure reaction, the edges tinged with pleasure.

Moving lower, Tatsumi dribbled a long line across the heaving stomach, then set the candle back to its hold on the floor. "These," he traced the line of Hisoka's jeans, "are in my way."

"They… need to go," Hisoka muttered in short gasps.

"Be still,tsumtsumi ordered. Making short work of the trousers, he trailed his mouth on the bared ankles, tickling the back of Hisoka's knee. "Good, maybe I don't need to have you so severely restrained."

Tugging his wrists, Hisoka realised for the first time that the shirt wasn't the only thing holding his hands up. Something held them to the floor as well.

"Curious, are you?" Tatsumi asked, still nibbling his way up one leg. "It's a little trick of light," he whispered against the thigh.

Bending his head back, Hisoka could barely see the thick tendrils of black substance wrapped around the cloth. Shadows, he recognized. As he watched them in awe, they started moving, covering his arms, peeling the dried wax from his skin.

Mesmerized by the shadows, the next drops on his calf took him by surprise, and he inadvertently jerked his leg up. The retaliation was swift: he was hauled around, placed over Tatsumi's lap wits les legs bent and soon tied down with another set of shadows. They were surprisingly cool against his skin. Idly he wondered if that was an inherent quality in them.

"I guess I spoke too soon," Tatsumi said, his voice low and soft.

His hand, however, wasn't soft when it smacked on Hisoka's thighs.

It didn't get any softer with the next slap, or the next, or the one that landed on his ass.

But the emotions, they were like the shadows that slithered up towards his knees: cool, persistent, and somehow, very soothing. Like… water.

felt more than heard the moan that tore through his throat. The reddened skin of his backside glowed, quickly healing back to a mere memory of the throbbing ache. No logic in this earth or the next could explain to him why he wanted it back, why he stretched out, tugging on his binds to reach for more. Another slap, harder, but he savoured the tinge and the newfound tenderness of his skin when the touch turned abruptly to a gentle caress.

Tatsumi offered him what he longed for: more sensation, more of that strange mixture of gentle and rough. The peculiarity of it all was that even bound, restricted and spanked, he felt completely free. He could stop this anytime he wanted. He could push back for more severe hold, he could whimper to get that soothing caress, he could…

He could wriggle just lthatthat to get a different kind of attention.

Hisoka had to bite back the giggle trying to escape him. Either Tatsumi was reading him like an open book, or this was a prewritten game he had just found the manual for. Tossed down on the rug, rolled over, and the hands were back on him, this time stroking his chest and sides in long, languid but firm moves. Then it was only one hand, fingers pressing harder down, pinching and twisting the skin.

Throwing his head back, arching up into the touch, Hisoka was making noises he barely could recognise as his. Almost like with Tsuzuki, only more of something inexplicable, and pushed that little bit further. That bit Tsuzuki wasn't willing to go with him.

"That's a good boy… moan for me," Tatsumi murmured to his ear, laying beside him… no, on top of him, but not quite, still managing to pinch more bits of skin, making more red marks to go with the purpling bruise he created on the neck side…

Tatsumi was rubbing his body against him, so hard and heavy and bare, Hisoka was gasping for breath. Wait, he's naked? The heat between them was almost an entity of its own, similar to the breezy touch of shadow on his arms, moving like it had a mind of its own.

Rocking, back and forward, pinch, a tugging of his binds, his legs being pulled apart… it was all wrapped in a tight blur of feeling, complex but making perfect sense. In fact it was making sense in a way unparalleled to anything else he'd experienced; his body seemed to know this game, and longed for it.

Tatsumi reached between their bodies, running the back of his hand over Hisoka's erection. Smiling, he enfolded it in his palm, slowly feeling up and down. "You're a very quick learner." One stroke, two, pushing down, full contact. "I like that." A suckle, roll of hips, bringing the sweetest little gasp when their aroused lengths touched.

"Ta…tsumi--!" Hisoka breathed out, raising his hips up for more. That's when he suddenly discovered that his legs were free again. Now he just needed to decide where to put them.

Another swaying motion, Tatsumi was going faster and pressing down harder. "You wrap them around me if you're good. If not…" he let the unsaid threat hang for a moment before going back to sucking little blue spots on the neck, turning them into royal purple shade.

"Can't I be both?" Hisoka managed to hiss between his teeth.

Tatsumi's laugh was muffled against one shoulder as he took hold of Hisoka's left thigh. "I like the idea. But let's not be too greedy now." Sliding his hand down to the ankle, he sat up and grabbed the other foot too, crossing them and tying them together with some kind of strap, the origin of it failing to register in Hisoka's head. A shove and a push later he was bent and squashed under the larger man, knees propped up over Tatsumi's shoulders. "I'll make you dance," Tatsumi murmured as he gripped a handful of hair and yanked it. "Dance for me, Hisoka."

"D-dance…?" was all Hisoka could stutter out before his lips were otherwise occupied; for a moment his mind, body and empathy were wholly claimed and dominated by Tatsumi's insistent mouth moving against his, the tongue plunging in.

The contact with Tatsumi's mind was a soft sweep, like gliding feet on the surface of a lake while sitting on the pier. Hisoka had long ago stopped trying to read it, but now, now… it was different. He was lured into dipping his toes in, and the warm, murky waters lapped at his mind.

He was moving be hee he noticed it himself. The warmth was everywhere: on his swollen lips, up his arms and fingertips, tingling down his sides and pulsing between his legs.

A sharp bite on his lower lip shook him out of the daze. "Yes, surrender… like that."

And he did, obeying every wordless command and submitting to the invisible guidance. He whimpered with every tug of his hair, panted as their sweat slicked bodies slid against each other, moaned with every touch of their aching hard cocks…

Rubbing his body against Tatsumi, hips rocking in the same rhythm as his, legs gripping tight around the well toned back, Hisoka was quickly losing every semblance of coherence. The friction between them was almost pure electric, sparking and sending shocks right down to his toes, making them curl.

When Tatsumi reached down again, he was already so very close, ready to erupt any moment. The touch of his hand as it firmly curled around them both, it was almost enough. One languid stroke, two, and he had to thrust up, had to arch his back, throw his head in complete rapture. Dance.

"ah… annh…harder… harder!" Hisoka wailed out, the whirlwind growing stronger and his arousal almost painful, desperate and needing and somehow knowing that this was the right thing to ask for, this was what they both wanted.

Placing all his weight over Hisoka, Tatsumi yanked his hair, hard, twisting the neck back and biting into the arch of milky skin. Not much, only the swaying of hips and the motion of his hand, sinking into the darkness.

He couldn't scream as the waves crashed on him, submerged and holding his breath, yielding to the power of the ocean covering him. It sprayed him with sea mist, rushing over all his senses and wrapped him in silence.

Still. Tranquil. Static.

Shuddering breath in, another one out. Another.

Slowly Hisoka swam back to the surface. Two blinks, and his vision adjusted to the relative darkness of the room. A glance to the right confirmed that the fire had died down. Even the daylight had passed, the sun no longer shedding any light through the dusty windows.

Tatsumi manoeuvred them so that Hisoka's feet could fall down and rest over his own. The shadows dissolved like steam, and Hisoka's hands rose up, over his head and halting to lie on Tatsumi's shoulders.

"Are you all right… Hisoka?" The words rolled over his lips, stopping as if wary to let them all out. The bite marks were barely noticeable, but he still felt the need to caress them with his lips in apology.

"Fine. Never been better." Despite the clipped words, the tone was soft, only enough that Tatsumi dared to guess they carried a hint of affection.

In that instant, he understood.

"We need to restart the fire," Tatsumi broke the silence. "Maybe untie you as well." A gentle kiss on his jaw followed the teasing remark.

"Hmm… lemme think. No. They're quite comfy," Hisoka said, then yawned and nuzzled closer.

Tatsumi smiled. "Tsch. I could place a bet that says you're merely trying to avoid the work," he scolded gently.

"Well, bad habits and such," Hisoka answered, making a point to yawn so hard his jaws snapped. "Speaking of which, is he…"

"He's coming here when he's ready," Tatsumi assured. He got up to his feet unhurried, and began undoing the knots around Hisoka's ankles. "But that won't be until…" a quick glance at the clock on the wall, "an hour or two."

"Then we have to get busy and make some food. There's no way I'm letting him bring any home cooking in!" Hisoka wriggled his wrists, loosening the knot. In ten seconds his hands were free, and he shook them, stretching a little.

"Don't worry, I have a decent supply of dried goods in the kitchen cabinet. I'm a semi-regular visitor here." Tatsumi was already pulling on his crumpled shirt, and he had found his glasses in record time too.

Watching him, Hisoka was slightly amused. The only thing separating this Tatsumi from the official, no-nonsense Shokan secretary was the fact that this one had no pants on, and maybe a case of somewhat dishevelled hair.

And that now Hisoka finally had the key to figure him out.

It would be an interesting journey from now on.

"Are you going to help me or stare at nothing there for the whole day?"

Hisoka let the smile building in his guts to show on his face as well. "I can help, but I'm still going to stare." As long as you're dressed like that, he sent out the addendum in a small beam of projection.

Tatsumi's back stiffened for a second. "I see. Well, I'll allow that if it doesn't interfere with your performance," he said, relaxing his posture as he turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Hisoka could've sworn he saw a tiny smile there.