Seiichirou Tatsumi quirked a dark eyebrow upwards as he watched his opponent lean across the board and move a knight forward into stalking range of Tatsumi's own king.

Sitting back, Watari cursed softly as his hair knocked over a pawn and sent it tumbling off the board to the floor by his chair. Scooting the heavy leather armchair that matched Tatsumi's high backed recliner, to the side; Watari wriggled himself about and began to search the carpet for the pawn.

Watching, with well-concealed amusement as his partner somehow managed to situate himself upside down in the chair, Tatsumi lowered his hands from where they had been steepled in front of his mouth.

"I believe I suggested that you tie your hair back when we started this game, 'Taka. I think you've spent more time chasing your pieces across the floor than you have concentrating. As evidenced by the fact that I have just now taken your queen."

Reaching a long arm towards the board, Tatsumi suited action to word. He then quickly grabbed the edges of the board as Watari, predictable, lunged upwards forgetting where his head was in relation to the table and, with a resounding thunk, smacked the back of his head against the underside.

"OW!"

Only Tatsumi's hold on the board kept the neatly laid out game from becoming a scrambled mess as the table shuddered.

"And that's no less than the third time you've done that. What is it, 'Taka? Do you forget the table is up here?" Tatsumi asked the question in an exasperated tone.

Straightening a little more carefully this time, Watari rubbed at the back of his head with one hand and glared at Tatsumi over the rim of his glasses. His long, unconfined hair tumbled across his face giving the scientist a boyish appearance, which made him look achingly young.

"No, I do not forget it's up there. I just loose track of its position in relation to my own head."

"And you've got a doctorate in what field again?"

There was a pause then Watari cleared his throat and peered down at the board.

"What did you take my queen with, Seii?"

Recognizing their universal acknowledgment of defeat, in verbal battle, Tatsumi smothered a grin and sat back. For a moment his attention was caught by Watari as the younger man set about trying to get his hair into order. The long, honey gold mass seemed to have taken on a life of its own. It was caught in Watari's glasses and a few strands had even looped themselves playfully around the buttons of the other man's dark green oxford shirt. The scientist was muttering softly as he carefully extracted the strands, grabbed the whole mass and with a neat twist, wrapped it together and stuffed it down the back of his shirt.

Damn. Tatsumi found himself feeling a slight twinge of disappointment as Watari confined his hair. Pushing the thought firmly aside he indicated the square where Watari's black queen had sat. It now contained Tatsumi's white rook.

"With my rook."

"Castle." Watari muttered absently as he frowned at the board, studying his options.

"Rook." Tatsumi corrected firmly.

"Castle."

"Rock."

"Did."

"Not."

There was a pause when Watari's head snapped up and his eyes flew to Tatsumi's face in surprise.

Tatsumi lifted both eyebrows at Watari trying out a wounded look. Did the younger man truly believe that he had no sense of humor?

Uncertain which amused him more, Tatsumi's attempt to look wounded or the fact that the older man had actually gone with him on the joke, Watari found himself laughing roundly.

Watching his partner sprawl back in the chair, laughing, Tatsumi felt his lips twitch in response. Soon his own low chuckles were echoing around in the apartment along with Watari's rich mirth.

Getting control of himself Watari suddenly lunged to his feet.

"I know how we can settle this!" He declared in a triumphant tone as he darted across the room to a shelf where Tatsumi kept his phone and a notepad for taking notes. Grabbing up the pad and the pencil that went with it, Watari scooted back to his chair and threw himself into its leather embrace.

Tatsumi watched this with an air of wary curiosity, wondering just when it had become natural to observe Watari moving around the apartment as if he belonged there.

Watari didn't waste time on his drawing. Setting the pencil on the table he stuck his fingers through the paper and fished about for a minute before crowing gleefully. Pulling his hand back, he tugged a rectangular object out of the paper and held it aloft triumphantly.

"Got it!"

Looking at the object waving around in the air it took Tatsumi a second to identify it as a book.

"A book?"

"Seiichirou, your powers of observation never cease to amaze and astound me."

"Budget cut."

"Ah… right. Yes, it's a book. "The Story of Chess" by Horacio Cardo." Watari spun the book around and held it in both hands so Tatsumi could read the cover for himself.

It was obviously a book meant for children, but the nearly grotesque looking figures on the cover made Tatsumi's eyebrows head for his hairline once again.

"That's a children's book?" Sapphire eyes sought amber with the question.

Watari nodded vigorously, the action causing his hair to begin its escape of his collar. Lowering the book the younger Guardian flipped through it. Standing, with his eyes still cast down towards the pictures, he crossed to Tatsumi's side of the table.

"Yes, yes it is. I came across it a few years ago when I had to retrieve that boy who was born with AIDs. He asked me to read it to him before we left."

Tatsumi looked up sharply at Watari. The younger man's voice never changed pitch or tone as he spoke, but Tatsumi knew it was rare very rare indeed for Watari to indulge in such acts when on the job. Usually the scientist kindly but firmly made the retrieval and that was that. For Watari to have paused and read a story…

What else happened on that case, 'Taka? Tatsumi desperately wanted to ask but there was something about the way Watari was refusing to look up from the book that told Tatsumi to let it go for the moment.

When Tatsumi did not pursue the questions that Watari knew were on the tip of his tongue, the scientist released a small breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Looking up, finally, he beamed at Tatsumi and settled his hip on the arm of Tatsumi's chair. Laying his forearm across the back of the headrest, Watari leaned his weight on the side of the chair and held the book out to the Secretary.

Taking the book, along with a deep breath of the subtle scent of cedarwood and sage, it never even crossed Tatsumi's mind to ask Watari to move. Settling back in the chair, Tatsumi crossed his legs and set the book on his knee. Opening the cover he began to slowly flip through the pages.

It was obviously a children's book with one large page covered with a colorful picture, the other page holding the words of the story in large block lettering that would be easy for inexperienced eyes to read. The book was laid out in a straightforward manner introducing the different elements of the game of chess, from the board, to the pieces to some of the basic moves, such as castling. What struck Tatsumi the most about the book was the almost horrific nature of the pictures.

"I would be afraid this would give a child nightmares."

As Tatsumi had studied the pictures, Watari had wriggled his way a little further up on the arm of the chair getting into a comfortable lean. His weight was now completely braced on the arm he had on the back of the chair, his hip close enough to Tatsumi's ribcage that he could feel the heat of the other man through the light wool of his dark trousers. The subtle scent of Tatsumi's after shave tickled Watari's nostrils and he grinned as he identified the brand.

Reeling himself back to reality with a firm hand, Watari pulled his attention off Tatsumi and focused instead on the book the older man held.

"Well, children can be strangely fascinated by the macabre. Take the young man I read this book to. He knew what I was, but he was more curious about me than afraid."

For a brief second time stopped. Tatsumi sat there and quickly processed those three simple sentences.

Again, Tatsumi felt an urge to talk to Watari about the incident but he knew if he brought it up directly the younger Guardian would dance around the issue and slip away from the subject without saying anything of importance. Sucking on a tooth, Tatsumi weighed his options covering his indecision with an apparent study of the book in his lap.

An idea began to unfold in his mind. It caused something in his stomach to clench, nervously. Most people would call it a case of butterflies but Seiichirou Tatsumi refused to acknowledge the idea of having butterflies in his stomach. Anymore than he would acknowledge that he was feeling like a raw schoolboy about to ask out his first date.

Reaching up he pulled his glasses off his face and rubbed at his eyes.

"Damn."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was studying expense reports all day and I do not understand why none of you can write legibly, I ought to insist that expense reports be typed. Anyway my eyes are starting to cross and…" the words trickled to a stop as Tatsumi's nerve began to give out and he made an absent gesture with his hand towards the book.

Watari blinked at Tatsumi with genuine bafflement for a full beat. Then, like a neatly laid out jigsaw puzzle, the pieces quickly fit together.

Subtlety of a Sherman tank. Watari thought fondly, looking down at the ruffled chestnut hair of his partner. Still, thank you, Seii.

Clearing his throat, Watari reached down towards the older man's lap and flipped the pages back to the start.

"Here, I'll read it. It really is a fascinating story." Watari's tone was bright and chipper and he scooted a little closer.

Tatsumi shifted a bit to make room.

"Do you just want to join me in this chair?" The Secretary tried to sound peevish but it still came out like an invitation.

"Don't be silly, Seii."

" 'Seii, you need to be silly more often. Seii, don't be silly' I wish you would make up your bloody mind."

"Oh just close your eyes and stop grumping will you. Now, here we go. 'This is the story of the game of chess, or at least the story as it was told to me when I was a child.' "