clockmaster | [RL With Zechs- Noah'splot]

"No, I don't." Hakuba agreed, talking in a calm voice. So that's what he meant when he called him a kid . He looked at the war mug on his hands for a moment.

"I'm sorry if I misunderstood you. But Zechs, how much of you you really know of me? People are mysteries. You can spend your life with someone and never really know anything about him, and you can share a moment with an stranger, and feel the connection."

Edited 2008-11-30 04:47 (UTC)

Zechs' expression was soft, wounded, exhausted. Once again, mere moments before sleep, his calm mask had vanished. All of this was what lay beneath, what few people ever saw of him. What Hakuba might only see this once, and never again. But who knew what the future would hold?

"You will never decide it is worth the death of millions, perhaps billions, for a single ideal," Zechs murmured, hanging on to the last few fragments of his consciousness. His voice was tired, but not from the potion. "You will not sacrifice your humanity, as I had."

"And ... Ty- ... Tyki," he said in a whisper, "we shared a moment of kinship. A connection ... "

If Hakuba replied to his cryptic statements, Zechs wouldn't had heard him. He was finally asleep, having succumbed to the potion at last.

After a few minutes, when Zechs's breathing started to grow deeper, Hakuba moved and took him out of the chair. He wanted to leave him on his bedroom, but dismissed the idea quickly. Maybe Zechs would be more comfortable on a bed, but it probably remembers him that Tyki wasn't there once he wakes up. He wasn’t sure about was room was the bedroom, and didn’t feel like violate Zechs’s intimacy even more, so he carefully left the taller man on the couch. He took off his shoes and unbuttoned the first buttons of his shirt. Hakuba smiled sympathetically and brushed his hair away from his forehead. The boy knew that he couldn't listen, but he replied Zechs's words about having to sacrifice his humanity.

"I hope I don't have too, Zechs. And as long as we are alive, there's always hope.”

Hakuba looked around until he found a blanket to cover Zechs, and then went into the kitchen for some more coffee. Sitting back in front of the computer, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. He wished that tomorrow morning Zechs will be a bit more relaxed. He sat in silence, save the noise from the computers.

"Doyle?"
"Yes, Saguru-niichan?"
"Am I doing the right thing?" He asked. It was a question he'd asked himself before and was asking himself again. The computer whirred some more.
"I think you are." Doyle finally commented. "But then, I wouldn't be here if you weren't doing what you're doing." True, true, Hakuba thought.
“Let’s go, there’s still a lot of thinks to hack.”
“Yes, Saguru-niichan.”

The early morning sunlight gently creeped up out of the disappearing gray clouds and swept into the small room. It spread slowly, filling every bit of space with a bright glow. Someone was already up, mostly because he didn’t sleep on the whole night. Hakuba studied the fridge with a sad expression, there wasn’t much to work with...He wondered when was the last time Zechs ate.

Hakuba shook his head, and using the ingredients that he could find started to cook some waffles fro breakfast. It wasn't like he could do anything else now, and he need to keep himself busy to avoid falling sleep. On the living room, Doyle was still working on the ZERO system and Zechs was comfortably sleeping on the couch.

It was an uncanny habit. Baring extreme circumstances, Zechs awoke every morning shortly after sunrise. Though the man had slept very little, ate less, and drank quite a bit last night, he still managed to stir at the usual hour. His sleep, thanks to the potion, had been dreamless, and for a moment, he had forgotten what had happened the day before. He turned into the side of the couch, reaching for a man who wasn't there.

Startled, he woke fully, sitting bolt upright. His back and legs throbbed in protest - Zechs was too tall to sleep comfortably on a couch. His head was also a mass of pain. A hangover. Lovely. Zechs steadily began to swear under his breath in French, German, and Russian.

Getting to his feet - did he smell food? - Zechs noticed Doyle still running on his computer. Right. The Detective must still be here, he thought. Schooling his expression once again into a calm mask, he made his way to the bedroom so he could retrieve pain medication. He really hated hangovers. But if he broke open another bottle of bourbon, Hakuba would be convinced he was an alcoholic or something foolish like that. Zechs didn't want to give the boy the wrong impression.

A colored mix of swears coming from the living room informed Hakuba that Zechs was awoke. Even if he didn't catch the russian ones, the french and german one were enough to make a sailor blush. he looked at his clock, Zechs didn't sleep as much as he expected, he would have know that the potions mixed with coffee instead of tea would be less effective. He went to find the older man.

Zechs was in the master bathroom, which unfortunately for his privacy, was connected to the bedroom. He had forgotten himself and left the bedroom door open as he retrieved painkillers. Currently Zechs was laying them out - two aspirin, vitamin B, and a tiny caffeine pill - a small hangover cure kit. Systematically, he swallowed them with a tiny glass of water, then ran a comb through his hair, hoping to restore his immaculate appearance.

The bedroom was still a mess, of course. Smashed glasses, other bits of broken furniture and equipment were scattered about in his rage the night before. As this was a pre-furnished apartment supplied by Rufus, Zechs made a note to himself to repay the man personally for anything he had destroyed. It was only the proper thing to do.

Today, Zechs was feeling considerably calmer, if only because he had slept dreamlessly. He also had a plan of action. Tyki was alive. Once he had built the ZERO system, he could figure out what he could do from there. He wasn't helpless any longer.

... Where was the boy, anyway?

Hakuba come to the living room to find it empty. He deduced that Zechs would be on the bathroom or his room, and he wasn't interested in following him there. It was enough that he was still, and was going to be at least for some day, on Zechs apartment, no need to annoy him more than the necessary.

So he waited for the other man to show up, a glass him a glass with a red dense liquid on his hands.

Before too long, Zechs emerged. There were still shadows under his eyes, and he hadn't yet changed into fresh clothes. He didn't wish to keep his guest waiting. But he had cleaned his teeth and his hair was extremely neat, now. He also didn't wish to seem unkempt before a houseguest.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, his eyes momentarily softened in unspoken gratitude. Hakuba had not invaded his privacy. Then, his expression hardened into a professional mask again.

"How goes the security system?" He first asked, and then Zechs' eyes narrowed. "Have you slept, Detective?"

Like he was one to talk.

"When I curse, who's not very often, I use Italian. " Hakuba informed Zechs and gave him a soft smile as a good morning salute."It's more melodic, and you can gesture."

"The hacking it's doing well, the hardest part is done. Doyle is working on the rest now. I been staring at the computer screen for more than 5 hours on a row, my eyes needed some rest before I go blind." The boys shrugged. "Kid-san heist are usually at night. And when the theft ends he go away, but the police forces and I need to deal with the aftermath. I'm used to sleepless nights."

He offered Zechs the glass.

"It's a Bloody Mary. While your blood is dealing with the new alcohol it is ignoring the old and in the mean time tomato juice and celery are full of vitamins. The side effects of aspirin, Tylenol and ibuprofen can be magnified when alcohol is in your system, so it is best -even though it may be the first thing you reach for- to avoid them to kill the hangover pain. Aspirin is a blood thinner, just like alcohol, and can intensify its effects and Tylenol can cause more damage to your liver. So, please, drink it."

Zechs returned the smile; polite, politic, and mostly artificial. A sign he was in better sorts, if he could act so well. Such was his usual demeanor. Few who dealt with him upon his own world saw past his arrogant mask. Almost amused, he offered, "French curses are of my father's aristocrats, German curses are from my grandmother's genuine tempers, and Russian curses are merely cathartic to say."

He took the glass, and eyed Hakuba carefully, with a military commander's eyes. Perhaps the boy was used to such things, but that did not mean he should remain awake for much longer. Yet he inclined his head respectfully. "As am I, yet I had fallen asleep far easier than I am used to." Zechs blamed this upon his own failings, however, so quickly changed the subject.

"Do Bloody Marys not usually have vodka in them?"

He eyed the glass suspiciously, then drank a little from it. He only asked because he was curious. Of course, he had already taken the aspirin. Zechs cared little about his liver, truth be told.

"I need to learn Russian then. But I like the Spanish ones the most, they have more than 10.000 ways to curse in Spain."

He catch Zechs's eyes, reminding Hakuba of a hound on the trail of a fox. He did not necessarily have a death wish, so he was nto going to tell Zechs about the potion. At least not now. ...and probably never."You was..stressed, and you drank, it's normal to fall sleep." Hakuba looked apologetic to him, gave a soft exhalation of breath, making an obvious conscious effort to relax. "I will took a nap later if I feel really tired."

"Yes, but it's a different kind of alcohol than Bourbon, so your body will be busy dealing with it, and the effect on the old one will be less noticeable. There's a huge glass of orange juice for you on the kitchen , because you need vitamin C and to avoid caffeine. A weak cup of coffee may be okay but a lot of caffeine will continue to dehydrate you, the opposite of what you want right now."

At Zechs questioning expression, he explained. "I got really drunk once when I was 17 because I was trying to forget someone, and I didn't liked the experience. That's why I don't drink, but Nakamori-keibu, the inspector who also try to catch the kids, likes to drink a lot."

"I only know as much Italian and Spanish to converse with soldiers," Zechs said, his expression wry, "so I likely know at least half of those ten thousand curses. Yet they are not languages I would claim fluency in."

Zechs caught the slight nervousness in Hakuba's words, and wondered at it, his eyes narrowing slightly. Yet the man had been drugged a few times before, and knew what that felt like. He did not suspect such a thing of the boy. Of course, he didn't consider magic as a possibility.

Smirking a little darkly, Zechs drank more of the Bloody Mary. He didn't particularly like vodka at all, nor did he enjoy much the spicy taste of the drink. But he could see the wisdom in Hakuba's words.

Ruefully, he said, "It is not my habit to drink heavily." This was almost true. He did not count the recent two years, because he had hardly noticed he had begun to drink when extremely angry. In the past, anyhow, such things weren't his habit. Which meant his next words were completely true. "Even as a soldier, I was rarely intoxicated, and rarely hung over."

"Aspirin and multivitamins seemed to have done well enough for my person in the past." Zechs shrugged, and went to the kitchen to get the orange juice anyhow.

He stood there, quite surprised. Waffles? Hakuba was making waffles?

"I learned different languages because of my love for books. And I travel a lot, so comes in useful." The boy told him and then nodded at Zechs explanation about his drink habits.

"Dad drinks a bit too, If you can control yourself it doesn't have to be a problem, and sometimes..." He paused for a moment, thinking about Tyki. "It help you to forget things for some time."

As they entered to the kitchen, Hakuba noticed that he didn't cleaned it. He cooked the waffes, prepared the orange juice, and put them on the table for Zechs to ate it, but he didn't had the time to clean the waffle iron.

"Sorry, I thought that you would be hungry once you woke up. I will take care of the mess, I promise." Awkwardness floating close to the surface of the level voice.

Zechs' smile now was more genuine, a soft sort of expression. "Initially I learned other languages ... to read and write in them, certainly. I also have a great love for books."

He didn't remark on the idea of drinking to forget. He was trying hard not to think about his lover right now - how worried he was about him. He had to be cold right now. Calm. Resolute.

Slowly, Zechs shook his head. With that bit of surprise in his voice, he said in a quiet tone, "You are my guest here, Saguru, and yet you have cooked for my person. You need not apologize."

Zechs wasn't used to people caring for him like this. Noin had done so perhaps on two occasions, back in the academy. And Tyki had done so, obviously.

But Hakuba ... they were hardly more than strangers. Zechs didn't know what to say.

"I didn't cook anything special at all, you're grateful because you don't ate it yet." Hakuba motioned to the table where the breakfast was waiting and walked towards the kitchen's sink.

"Doyle and I are not done with the ZERO system, it will take us some more hours." His back is still turned away from the older man, focusing on making some more orange juice for Zechs and a cup of coffee for himself.

"Are you going to work today? Because if you don't want to go, I will show you a little trick that Doyle can do."Pausing for a moment, he looked over hsi shoulder and grinned at Zechs. "I will show it to you anyway, because I trust you."

Feeling a bit chagrined, Zechs paused, standing in the kitchen. Even when he was in the best of moods, his appetite was best described as minimal. Now, to be frank, he wasn't hungry for food in the slightest. The hangover didn't help that, of course. Either way, he was trying to think of a polite way to turn down breakfast after all of Hakuba's hard work.

For a moment, he instead welcomed the change in subject. "I will have to leave for work. In the afternoon I must finish ... a task for my employer, shall we say. Regardless, daily I am without fail on time for my job. Yet we should have time for a short demonstration, if you would wish to do so."

He bowed his head a little. "You honor me with your trust, Hakuba." Then he narrowed his eyes at the boy. "While I am at work, perhaps you should sleep a little yourself?"

He turned back around and grabbed the glass of juice and the mug of coffee. Setting them down in front of zechs, Hakuba looked at the untouched food.

“If you don't feel like eating it's ok, but please, drink at least the juice.” He carefully pulls out one chair and made a face as it squeaked against the floor. “Sorry.”

Such a bad furniture, Hakuba thought. The last night he managed to find a notepad on the living room, and wrote all the things that Zechs and Tyki will need if they wanted to turn the apartment in a real home. He was going to add 'new kitchen's chairs' to the list.

"Sound like a plan. I will try to do it." Even if I don't think I could. He drank enough coffee to keep him awake the whole night and the morning, He knew that it was goign to be impossible. But he was a man of word, so he will try at least.

The apartment wasn't their home. Their home was in Switzerland on Dark's world, in the house Tyki had bought for them. Filled with pieces of furniture they enjoyed. Little bits and pieces of decorations they had been finding here and there. Zechs' wide and immense collection of books. The apartment on Gaia was merely somewhere to live while Rufus needed his skills. Switzerland had their home.

Zechs had no desire to go there, with Tyki gone.

Apologetically, he nodded his head towards Hakuba. "I do not wish to insult you by ignoring the food you have gone to such lengths to repair. I am thankful. Yet I do not have a great appetite."

He did drink the juice. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What did you wish to show me with Doyle?"

Hakuba shake his head. "I'm not insulted, I just thought that maybe you was hungry. I will eat it, don't worry."

He wanted to ask Zechs if he likes his job in Gaia, but he didn't had the heart to do it. the boy was afraid that it will just make the other man remember because of Who he had to left his other job.

Hakuba smiled at Zechs question. "It's nothing really special, but it can be fun, and useful. Give me a second. "

The detective left the kitchen just to return in a few second with the laptop on his hands. He carefully left it on the table. Doyle was still working on ZERO, but Hakuba minimized the windows, happy that the A.I, was able to multi task without problem.

"Doyle, run the StarSystem program, please." Two new windows pop up, one with a list of names, another was a blank window.

Hakuba grinned at Zechs like a shark for a moment,choose a name from the list and then his fingers run over the keyboard.

"You two usually share that brother-like moments often or it's an special occasion? Zechs you're late for the job, I give you 3 minutes to come here or I'm sending the turks to find you personally. Sometimes I amaze myself at my generosity. "A dry voice informed them, coming from the computer. Rufus's voice.

Zechs' eyes widened, and he laughed, unable to help himself. Some cynical part of him was glad Hakuba was his friend, rather than an enemy or rival. He was impressed. While he didn't necessarily have an ear for it, to him, the computer sounded exactly like Rufus.

"Fascinating," he said, once he stopped laughing. "How does it work? Whom are you able to mimic? Do you require a sample of the voice in order to imitate the individual?"

Unlike some individuals he could think of, Zechs was only asking out of curiosity. At the moment, it didn't occur to him the sort of damage a person could do with a computer program like that.

"It's easy, just like a recorder. Doyle watch over the community too, he used the voice post and videopost of the members to recorder their voices and synthesize them. I added my father, Nakamoi-keibu, Kaito's mother too, that was thank to the fact that they called me and Doyle use my phone to recorder their voices. Not everyone on the comm is here, because some people never did voice post but, the list is large."

Hakuba showed the screen to Zechs, the list was in Alphabetical order, but the names of Kuroba Kaito and kaito KID were on the same line. Aoko, Akako, Azula, Karen, Bass, Apollo, Zechs himself...all of them were there. Tyki too.

Hakuba's smiled grow wider. "You know, the musical virus was like Christmas coming early. I have the Dalec Sec's song there too, but it can't be too much for you sensibility Zechs. Wanna play?"

Hakuba just wanted to distract him a bit. The SrtartSystem was fun to play with, but it could do some damage too. You could reemplace someone identity with it too if you wanted. Rufus for example, it was really easy to Hack Gaia's loudspeakers and proclaim with Rufu's voice that another war had started. or choose the voice of your beloved one to hear it again, in that case.

Eyes widening again, Zechs skimmed through the list, subconsciously committing a portion of it to memory. He noted Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou Kid shared the same entry, but did not comment upon it - merely memorized the fact. Amused, he said, "One would have a significant means to commit damage with this program. I am thankful you consider my person your friend, Detective."

His face tensed a little when Hakuba mentioned the musical, but then his expression was calm again. The virus where he became a bird was not one he enjoyed in the least. Perhaps from Hakuba's perspective, it was amusing, but not his own. Zechs reminded himself that the boy seemed sympathetic to his plight before, and likely did not laugh at him.

With the work he wished to get done - both his job as a Turk and his work on the ZERO system - Zechs had little time to play. He finished his juice and stood, bowing slightly.

"I thank you for your kind offer to engage in such mischief, Detective, yet I feel obligated to prepare now to leave for work."

The boy just laughed softly. "I mean no harm with it."

He watched as Zechs drank the juice but didn't touched the food. He would need to be sure that the other man ate something the present day.

"But of course, Rufus will not be happy if you're late." Hakuba ran a hand through his hair as an habit. "I don't really know your work schedules, you will come home for dinner?"

The question was strange, even for Hakuba's standards, and he blinked at his own comment about home . He didn't do it on purpose, though.

Zechs blinked, and then attempted a slight smile. Softly, he replied, "I will attempt to be at the apartment for supper, this is true." It was notable he did not call this place home. Home was the house Tyki bought for him. But Hakuba had no way of knowing that.

"My schedule as dictated by Rufus is 'whenever I say I need you.' Yet, generally, I attempt to be available from eight o'clock until the late evening," Zechs answered. "I have taken to returning to the apartment for supper, then remaining 'on call' for Rufus should he require my services. Frequently he calls at odd hours for my person."

Before he left to shower and dress for work, however, he gave Hakuba a suspicious glance. "Just how long are you intending on staying, Detective?"

XDD "Day 153: You don't really want to know what he and Tyki did over washer machine" Hakuba: T_T No

*is laughing* So true, so true. XD

1/2 Poor Hakuba, you two will corrupt his innocent mind...well Akako already did that.

2/2 The morning after~

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is laughing So true, so true. XD