don't try to fix me, i'm not broken || +the-sacrifice-i-make
Tsuzuki had long grown used to Hisoka's temperamental attitude. It was part of what partners did, after all, put up with one another's flaws and insecurities, of which they had a plethora. But Hisoka had been acting... off, lately, even for him. Twitchier than usual about certain subjects, not as willing to go out, rejecting Tsuzuki's attempts to comfort and talk to him. Normally, he would have passed it off as teenage angst that all kids went through, and poor Hisoka stuck eternally in that pubescent stage, but...
But something was off, and Tsuzuki had a very good instinct for things going wrong.
The day Hisoka stormed out of the office insisting he was just "taking time off," Tsuzuki's instincts flared up like a siren. He wanted to follow him out that day, but refrained, wanting to give the boy the space he so obviously needed. But after a few days with no word from the younger shinigami, Tsuzuki decided to take it upon himself to see what was wrong.
He made what could only be described as a less-toxic-than-usual soup, put it in a thermos, and started toward Hisoka's home. There was nothing wrong with simply checking up on a friend, right? Though something in his gut worried that Hisoka would only push him away again, like so many other times before, throw up that cold exterior and block out the world. Tsuzuki had been there, far too often had he been there, but he was trying -- failing -- to be better at opening up. Hisoka should at least do him the same courtesy.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki knocked on the front door, tempted to put his ear to the wood to listen for any sounds inside. "It's me. I brought food! Er, if you wanted." He bit his lip, still speaking through the closed door for fear of what he'd find if he opened it. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I'd like to talk about it... if that's all right. Let me in?"
Let me in. That's what it always came down to, in more ways than one.
