tampered | Log; Ongoing

Log; Ongoing

When; The night of November 6th
Rating; PG-13, but will more than likely go up
Characters;

violet_overture and Fiore
Summary; Joshua invites Tsuzuki over for the evening, Fiore makes cake. Innocent? Hardly.
Log;

Fiore was silent, trembling ever so slightly on still unsteady legs, though the pain had since subsided to a dull throb. Though she said nothing of it, it still felt strange to be in the mansion once more. Master Joshua seemed not to remember much about why she had left to begin with, and thankfully, Master Aion had not asked. In the days since she'd returned however, she'd been made painfully aware of the distrust she faced.

After all, though Master Joshua and Master Aion had permitted her to return, she was not foolish enough to mistake such an act for forgiveness. That, was something to be earned. Which left her standing in the kitchen, taking special care to spread the smooth vanilla frosting across the cake she'd come so close to finishing. It was the details that mattered, and after adding the last decorative touches of frosting, she set about topping it off with fresh strawberries.

It had been quite some time since Master Joshua had taken in a visitor, aside from finding his sister. Though it was obvious that this man he'd asked over was not quite a friend, she did not need to ask to know. Besides, it was not her place to begin with- so long as Master Joshua was happy.

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It was true that everything was often a blur for Joshua. Reality was something that was always warped by the mind of his that had been effectively twisted by Aion and the horns he had bestowed upon him those years ago.

Why had Fiore left? He couldn't remember. He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to be mad about it anymore. But he did know that he was upset that his sister had left. Not only left the mansion, but left The City. He couldn't feel her anywhere.

All he had left was the dress she had worn during that masquerade, hanging in his closet unwashed. It made the best pillow for him when he felt lonely.

And for some reason, he always felt lonely now. Even if he couldn't remember why, he knew he was vaguely upset with Fiore. He wasn't as nice to her as he used to be. He was more prone to his fits now. Aion was hardly a comfort, with how little he was around.

It was a good thing he had this naive Death God to entertain himself with, though that little 'spat' with his friend earlier hadn't been pleasant. It was old news, now.

He'd been enjoying Fiore's tea with Tsuzuki for about a half hour now, and he had gotten impatient. Fiore was usually faster with these things, wasn't she? Or was she paying attention to detail again.

Smiling at Tsuzuki, he stood and excused himself, leaving the dining room to find the kitchen and glance in. There, he leaned against the door frame and watched her work.

"...I'm hungry."

She had just placed the last strawberry when she heard his voice, lifting the plate and turning to face him. "I apologize for making you wait Master Joshua. I am finished."

Fiore stepped delicately, wordlessly making her way into the dining room to place the cake out. That done, she headed back into the kitchen to gather two pieces of their fine china, a set of forks and a knife- completing her task without once raising her eyes to meet the other's. Dishes and silverware in hand, she hesitated in the doorway, pausing before him with a voice little more than a whisper when she spoke.

"Would you like more tea as well, Master Joshua?"

He stayed where she was when she first went past, watching her walk into the dining room. He could sort of see Tsuzuki from here, though a vase was sort of in the way. Then he watched her walk back in to gather up the silverware, only to chuckle when she inquired about more tea.

Slipping an arm around her waist, he tugged her back into the kitchen, though he was still leaning against the door frame with his half his back revealed to the dining room should anyway look hard enough. Tugging her close, he eyed the fine china and silverware she grasped in her hands before knocking it all clean out with a sweep of his hand.

But they didn't break. There was no shatter. They didn't even hit the floor. There they remained in mid air, in a state where there was no time, as he rested his foot back against the baseboard of the wall and guided her to press flush up against him, forcing her to straddle his thigh as he murmured in her ear, "That cake looks delicious."

While having the dishes flung out of her hands had been...relatively normal where Master Joshua was concerned, Fiore had been expecting the shatter that would accompany it. However, in the split seconds of silence, she knew something was not quite right, a feeling that was confirmed mere moments later. She half expected to be pushed away, or perhaps even struck, so when she found herself pressed firmly against her master's body, her eyes widened.

As caught off guard as she was, Fiore's body remained as pliant as ever, with no sudden stiffening to betray her surprise- after all, such reactions were hardly necessary. She belonged to him.

And yet...something she hadn't quite felt before argued otherwise. A feeling of hesitancy. Fiore leaned into his embrace regardless, still unable to meet his gaze. "I hope it is to your liking, though I do not wish to detain you from your guest Master Joshua. I am sure he is awaiting your return."

Somewhere, he wondered if the clock ticking was part of his imagination, something faint to accompany the beat of his heart in his throat. But being Tsuzuki, and not wanting to ruin whatever it was he’d been invited to, he brushed it off, absently staring at his surrounding with faint curiosity the moment Joshua excused himself. The place was huge, almost pretty, but there was also an underlying sense of cold he couldn’t shake.

Tilting his head a little, he stared down at the table even when he heard footsteps and acknowledged the woman -her name was Fiore, wasn’t it?- with a slight smile.

“I wonder,” he murmured rather nonchalantly to himself the moment she’d disappeared back towards the way she came, staring at the cake, feeling the appetite in his stomach drop to almost nothing. It was an odd predicament but certainly not an entirely uncommon one, though it left him sighing and resting his arms on the table, head propped against them. Tatsumi really hadn’t made the situation better, giving warnings and making threats. Tsuzuki could certainly take care of himself, but…it had been a bit extreme.

Joshua had welcomed him here with a smile, though one that seemed a little detached, and the things buried in Tsuzuki’s mind, his heart, had reacted to that, wanting to…save it. A possibility he didn't know he could commit to, but there was just something familiar about the other, his eyes or his face. Tsuzuki wondered if such a feat could be accomplished like this, the nerves he'd felt previously working back into his system.

And with another sigh, he lifted his head to see if he could catch a glimpse of his host, curious as to his somewhat lengthy disappearance.

Ignorning her for the moment, Joshua simply cupped Fiore's cheek, letting it slide down so that his fingertips couldtrace her delicate jawline. Even though she looked this fragile, he knew she was strong. He had heard that she had somehow broken her arm a long time ago, and it looked perfectly fine now.

But of course she wasn't stronger than him. Only Aion was. Only Aion was allowed to be.

"...Mn. Fine." He pushed her back, letting time flow again in the spot next to him, and the china and silverware fell with a crash and a clatter. His smile was deceptively sweet as he eyed the damage before turning and walking into the dining room to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Fiore dropped the dishes. She'll bring more, so we can enjoy the cake."

The gentleness of his touch was unexpected. Master Joshua rarely, if ever, displayed this sort of tenderness and even then, she hadn't seen much of it since Rosette had....left. Fiore could only wonder at what caused the sudden shift in mood, at what her master could possibly be thinking about- but as soon as the idea had entered her head she'd been pushed away.

She couldn't recall ever having such a sense of failure. Since her- fall, when she'd been forced to leave, nothing had been the same. Perhaps she truly was no longer useful to him. Fiore turned to the cupboards once more, gathering fresh plates and silverware. The best course of action would be to ask him herself- when he had a moment to himself, and if he felt inclined to answer. From there...

Fiore stepped out of the room, demure as she set about laying the table for the two before withdrawing to the kitchen once more. Each thing in its own time. Master Joshua would enjoy his evening, she would stay within earshot in case she was needed, and perhaps later she would speak to him; but right now, she had a mess to tend to.

“Ah…”

He certainly hadn’t been excepting something like that, the sharp sound carrying in from the kitchen and causing him to straighten rather quickly. Amethyst eyes blinked almost curiously at Joshua for a moment when he noticed him, his brain working through all his previous thoughts to focus on what was being said. Tsuzuki liked the way the other spoke, not so condescending as some but still… He forced himself away from such thinking and offered a rather shy smile.

“Okay,” he answered, voice soft as he glanced between Joshua, the cake, and the area towards the kitchen Fiore had once again retreated to after placing the aforementioned necessities on the table. “But she…doesn’t need any help?”

Tsuzuki wouldn’t have minded assisting Fiore with whatever she needed, even if he was a guest, but being in such a place also made him a little uncomfortable, though he had been there before. Besides, he wasn’t going to give his host the specifics and explain he really wasn’t in the mood for the pretty dessert on the table. Perhaps he would be allowed to save some of it for a later time…?

His unsteady grin widened a little, still somewhat shaky.

Joshua sat quietly for a bit, watching Tsuzuki while Fiore went about setting up their dishes and making sure they had enough tea. When she disappeared back into the kitchen, he smiled a little. She had even cut the cake perfectly and put a slice on their plates for them.

"You aren't hungry? I pictured you for the type to like sweets, Tsuzuki... And Fiore's baking is the best..." He cut into the fluffy slice and took a bite, quite content with this dessert. The blackberry tea complimented it perfectly.

Eyes unable to focus on much of anything slid to the plate before him at Joshua‘s question, the fork resting lightly there. It smelled good, faintly sweet and like the strawberries decorating it, but his stomach clenched even as he thought he wanted to taste the dessert. A gnawing feeling, something he couldn’t quite grasp. Instead, he offered another of those slightly wavering smiles and bobbed his head, a mixed physical gesture of what he felt.

“I do,” he blurted out rather quickly, wondering what it was about the other that made him want to close up and express everything all at once. It made little sense and gave a clear explanation in unrealistic reasoning.

And somehow, Tsuzuki found himself staring at Joshua with an unblinking gaze.

“I’m just not hungry right now.” A short laugh, fingers running through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Could I…have some later?”

Joshua hummed a bit and took another bite. It really was such a waste... Home made cake was always best fresh. Refridgerated and served later, it wouldn't be as good...

But he could always just ask Fiore to make it again. He doubted she would mind. What else was there to do besides clean?

After setting the fork down and wiping his mouth, he picked up his tea cup to take a sip. "Hmmm... And here I thought the cake was what tempted you over. You should have said something before. What is it you want, then, Tsuzuki?"

What did he want?

Tsuzuki almost gagged at the question, not particularly sure how to answer such a thing, and upon noticing Joshua’s hands reach for the cup before him, mouthing at the brim for a drink, the shinigami did the same. Or tried to. His fingers were slightly unsteady as he attempted to hold it, mind quickly searching for a proper answer to the other’s inquiry.

“Well, I…” Eyes stared into the swirling, unsteady mess within the china, debating and wanting to laugh at himself for falling into such a predicament. Again. It was rather stupid of him to think he could solve these problems on his own, without at partner or the aid of any of his abilities other than his own intellect. “I…”

An intellect slowly evaporating into nothing.

“I just thought you…needed company!” Defining in his words, Tsuzuki nodded, quickly placing the cup back on the table, afraid he was going to drop it.

"Company?"

Joshua chuckled a bit and set the cup down on it's saucer before he stood up and walked around to behind Tsuzuki. There, he let his arms drape around his neck from behind, leaning over to let his lips trail along the rim of his ear.

"What sort of company?"

The feel of the other’s mouth instantly made him shiver.

And Tsuzuki silently prayed to whatever it was he believed in now that Joshua couldn’t feel it, eyes widening at the prospect of such a quiet suggestion even as he tried narrowing them in serious thought. He wasn’t so naïve as to believe there to be only one type of company, such variety common in the world, but with this slighter, shorter, finer man behind him, arm against him in a manner he could feel just how warm he was…

It was an easy assumption to make.

“The kind where you’re not lonely, I guess,” he managed through a slight stutter, tongue laden with an immobility so thick he was impressed he’d even made a sound. Somewhere, that quiet ticking he’d first heard seemed to echo in his brain. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe, forcing himself still at the proximity, and strangely nervous.

Oh he could feel it. It was rather impossible not to at such a close proximity. It caused him to tighten his grip a little, arms firm against Tsuzuki's chest. Despite how slender he seemed beneath his black suit, his strength was painfully obvious at times. If this were a normal human, he probably could have popped him like a grape if he wanted to.

But he was dealing with a Death God, after all. A being brimming with power that was going unused... But there was a taint, buried deep within, that Joshua could sense. He knew he could be a wonderful weapon.

And Aion would be so proud of him if he succeeded. No... Aion would commend him. For Joshua would have done better than he ever could have.

His fingertips trailed along Tsuzuki's chest as he pulled back. "You mean the kind...where you're not lonely," he murmured before walking around beside him, taking his hand without hesitation to pull him from his chair and guide him away from the table.

As he walked out of the dining room and past the door of the large kitchen in the direction of the staircase, he called out, "Fiore, the cake will have to wait. Don't disturb us."

Maybe it was happening too fast, everything coming at him from an angle that didn’t make much sense to him. But when he heard those words whispered to him, Joshua insisting that he be followed from the table and up the steps, Tsuzuki didn’t resist. He knew he could have, he hadn’t been given such a useless unofficial title as the supposedly most powerful shinigami in Meifu for nothing, probably could have leveled the mansion if he’d tried. Yet, the slight hesitation he’d felt sitting in that chair, before fingertips had skimmed his chest and promised company, was gone.

Even the conscious thought shining in his eyes was slowly fading as he was pulled along.

“But…” The word was whispered, not even loud enough to be heard, and then there was nothing else stopping Joshua from doing as he wished with him. Perhaps he was lonely, an existence Tsuzuki was not unfamiliar with in the slightest. And perhaps he thought he really could fill whatever gap it was floating somewhere within the other. No matter what life one was living, Tsuzuki had learned there was always something missing. Acceptance, love, mutual feelings of one’s family…

Everything he certainly didn’t have, thought not to possess.

Tsuzuki sighed softly, closing his mind to the world around him, purposefully numbing himself. Joshua could have torn him apart if he so desired, if it would bring but a moment’s peace. And with one last glance, thinking someone, anyone -Tatsumi, Hisoka, even Fiore- to save him, knowing his rescue hopeless, he surrendered.

Fiore said nothing, watching the entire procession with a passive expression- though her eyes were different now. She felt it.

She stood mutely in the doorway, watching the two leave to head towards the staircase with more sympathy and pain than anything else. Her master was changing, and into what she could not discern; while this man he'd taken in, for some reason or another, refused to fight on his own behalf.

Downstairs would be quiet, and Fiore turned to look at the empty table, the nearly untouched meal she'd prepared and the sliverware glittering against empty china.

She would get no sleep tonight.

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Log; Ongoing

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