Masquerade (YnM, Tatsumi x Watari, #5)

Title: Masquerade
Author: kitsune_tsuki
Pairing: Tatsumi x Watari
Fandom: Yami no Matsuei
Theme: #5 - "ano sa" ("hey, you know...")
Disclaimer: I don't own YnM, I just like to borrow it for a bit.
Summary: In which Watari schemes and Tatsumi must make a sacrifice. (Really.)





The moment Tatsumi walked into the kitchen he knew he'd made a mistake. He was in the process of figuring out just what the mistake was when Watari...twirled, the hem of his skirts sweeping across the floor as he did.

"Do you like it?" Watari asked, forehead furrowed in a worried frown as he glanced down at himself. "It took forever to make and I still don't think I got the seams right."

Tatsumi stared, not sure what the appropriate response would be in that particular situation.

"I would have just rented something, but after that...speech...Chief Konoe gave us about team spirit I decided to put a little more effort into our costumes for the contest."

Tatsumi stepped fully into the kitchen and made his way to the table, eyes on Watari as he reached for the back of a chair. "It's...very nice, Watari."

Watari beamed and smoothed a hand over the bodice. "Really? You don't think it's too much?"

Sinking into the chair, Tatsumi blinked and shook his head. "It's fine."

Watari twirled once more, smiling to himself as the fabric settled around his legs and glanced over at Tatsumi. "I finished your costume too, by the way."

"You did?" Tatsumi wasn't sure if he should be horrified or -

"Yours was a little easier to make, since there wasn't any lace in it." Watari said by explanation as he busied himself cleaning up the sewing material strewn over nearly every available flat surface. "It's in the bedroom if you want to try it on."

"I - "

"I always have trouble with lace - Wakaba showed me some tricks to working with it, but I always manage to make a mess of it." Watari continued, plucking a small pillow stuffed with colored pins off the kitchen table as he swept past. "You know, I'm actually looking forward to the Earl's party after all - I mean, inter-office politics aside, it seems like it's going to be fun."

"I didn't know you could sew," Tatsumi managed, watching Watari as he put his sewing away, well aware that he was...not stating the obvious so much as trying to regain his mental footing.

Watari turned to look at him, arms full of fabric, eyebrow raised. "I did tell you I had my secrets, if you remember. Sewing is just one of them."

"I can see that," Tatsumi said with a small smile as he took a better look at Watari's dress now that his initial...shock had worn off somewhat. "It is a lovely dress."

"Thank you," Watari said, "but you should wait until you see your costume."

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed as Watari turned back to look at him once more, a far too familiar expression on his face. One that had in the past lead to minor disasters that Watari seemed to excel at with little effort on his part.

"Hey you know...I could probably manage to come up with something for 003 that would be perfect for your costume..."

"003?"

Watari frowned at Tatsumi. "She sulked after the Earl's last party because I didn't bring her."

"Ah."

"Besides, what sort of pirate doesn't have a parrot?" Watari asked, looking as though -

Feeling the beginnings of headache coming on, Tatsumi got to his feet and crossed the space between them. "I don't think 003 would like it if you dyed her feathers."

Watari looked surprised at the suggestion. "What? Oh, no, I was thinking more along the lines of some sort of - mmph! "

To be honest, Tatsumi had only intended to distract Watari from his train of thought long to enough to ensure that whatever plan he was concocting failed to see the light of day. It was merely a coincidence that there was really only one way guaranteed to do so.

Smiling into the kiss, Tatsumi decided that he could afford to make mistakes once in a while, so long as they ended like this one.

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At the very least I've managed to amuse myself. -_-