Seiichi was never sure what, exactly, alerted him to Mad Hatter’s presence.
Se moved like a shadow. He always knew when se arrived, though, as though
the air pressure had suddenly dropped and painted the breeze with a hint
of coming clouds.

"Experimental surgery, hm?" he asked without turning away from the
window.

"One could just snap one’s fingers." Hatter’s breath was warm against
the back of his neck. "One gets the impression from your other visitors
that a miraculous recovery would be only what’s expected from you."

"Miraculous?" Seiichi repeated in dry question.

"That was one’s business, as a Virtue. His Majesty would probably forgive
one moonlighting, just this once." Seiichi could hear Hatter’s smile,
and the darkness in it, delicate and raw. Dangerous. Which was fine as long
as it didn’t go beyond the two of them.

"And have you had much to say to my other visitors?" Seiichi inquired,
turning slowly around and trying not to grit his teeth too visibly over the
clumsy way his feet answered him.

Belial gave him a bright and charming curve of lips that didn’t match hir
eyes. "They are delightful boys, aren’t they? But one finds you by far
the most interesting." Mad Hatter ran a fingertip down Seiichi’s cheek
to trace his lower lip before falling away.

Seiichi sharpened his gaze to the edge that would hold Hatter. "Good."

End