Aimlessly

Disclaimer: I do not own xxxHOLiC neither the shampoo Watanuki uses to create the silky smooth appearance, shimmery glow, or luscious locks, but if you ever find it, please let me know.

Intro: -T.M. Revolution, 'Heart of the Sword'- This turned out to be a MUCH longer story. Tell me if it seems choppy or otherwise too… Iono. Oh yeah, maybe just a little OOC and, wow…Domeki works fast… (blinks)

Rating: T – Language, Suggestive/Sexual Themes, Shounen-Ai

Pairing: Dômeki x Watanuki - xxxHOLiC

A/N: This is my first fic in this fandom and I'm eager to see how it goes. Please be gentle with me. I'm fourteen with the mentality of twenty-one and the personality of a five-year-old. (kiss) Thank you for reading!
It was the perfect divination: Yûko said, 'if you confess your feelings, a special someone will return the favor.' Of course, Watanuki immediately assumed that Himawari was this certain, 'special someone.' No matter how many times Yûko repeated, 'Himawari-Chan will not be your goddess of luck,' the boy never seemed to listen. That fact was probably due to whatever Yuko said made Watanuki's life a total wreck.

Yes, Watanuki had been breaking his back for Yûko and her shop for almost four-and-a-half years now. The end of his high school session would be up in a matter of weeks and where life took him from there was anyone's guess. Watanuki had a plan – stay in school for as long as you can, keep out of trouble, and survive. Being Yûko's, 'slave,' surviving was a very difficult task to execute. Still, he never actually considered in depth what life would hold after high school.

Would he still work for Yûko? (He hoped not.) Would he see Himawari-Chan's smiling face every morning? Would he be able to look cool and score goals to impress her? Would he ever make another damn bento box for that damn archer? Hell, even if Dômeki asked for an order, it wasn't as if Watanuki actually listened to him. It was merely coincidental that what Dômeki wanted was what Watanuki felt like making when he got back from school.

About which time, Yûko's trade-mark, 'there is no coincidence in the world. What is there is hitsuzen,' came to mind. Yes, Yûko was ruining his life indirectly. It was something he got used to. He got used to making two bentos, he got used to going to work, he got used to pouring saké for every meal of the day… He couldn't imagine life without it anymore.

Never-ending cerulean skies stretched out before him boundlessly. Smog floated about this dreary city Watanuki had learned to call his hometown. Strangers bustled in every which way with their own motives and lives to be lived. No one seemed to care about the miniscule, mundane problems anymore. To hear the phrase, 'penny for your thoughts?' from a stranger was like hitting a jackpot in a casino. This dirty, polluted, uncaring world he lived in was duller than ever, yet as Watanuki's eyes drifted to the sky, he couldn't help but feel his heart skip with hope.

After five minutes of Watanuki's wonderfully fluffy thoughts of him and Himawari and houses on lake-front property and puffy white gowns and baby carriages and five nursery rooms and two mini-vans, he was abruptly interrupted. The boy was walking around like part of the living dead so it was no wonder he crashed into someone else.

Watanuki held his head, caressing his scalp where he hit the wall. The spectacles fell down the ridge of his nose and his eyebrow bent in pain. Finally, a nerve pulsated and the boy pepped himself to deliver a Hell of a speech to the intruder who would dare interrupt his thoughts of Himawari, himself, and such.

A shadow overcastted the fallen boy as a familiar structure stood before him. An emotionless face stood before him with bland eyes. The regular, non-frown-non-smile expression was pasted upon the boy's face. A strong hand was extended to Watanuki. "Oi."

Watanuki swallowed his anger back. Of course he was mad at Dômeki, but he knew there would be no point in getting angry – it never led to any change. Pure blue eyes glared at the opposite pair with a scowling face. Raven eyebrows bent into a scowl. Watanuki took Dômeki's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Dômeki asked. He pulled the other boy teen up with his counterweight. Watanuki stood up before tottering a tidbit. Eventually, the frail boy swaggered to a side. The archer grabbed the boy and pulled him into his embrace. Dômeki noticed aloud, "You don't look too good."

Watanuki blinked through a furious blush. Never once did he notice how warm Dômeki was or how he noticed that he noticed how warm he noticed Dômeki was. With a penetrating screech Watanuki pulled off. He brushed his arm off before yelling as many obscenities as he could recall. The blush prevailed but his conversation ran in every direction.

Dômeki sighed, moving in stride with Watanuki. After Watanuki seemed to have calmed down a bit, he repeated, "What are you doing here? You don't look too good."

Watanuki blinked dumbly. That may have been one of the longest segments of speech Dômeki had ever spoken. Slender shoulders shrugged. "I just got off work," he explained, "but it's really late so I figured I'd order take-out. Of course, it's really expensive, unhealthy and utterly detesting in flavor but-"

"You don't look too good," Dômeki stated, cutting the rambling boy off. His glance switched over to the smaller of the two. "You're coming down with a cold."

Watanuki stopped in his tracks, pointing to a crowd of people. He had learned to ignore Dômeki most always lest he corner himself in his own doing. Dômeki stared at the crowd before glancing back at Watanuki.

"I take the train," Watanuki growled.

Dômeki nodded. "I'll go with you."

Watanuki's frown furthered. He groaned, "I'm not paying for your ticket."

"That's fine," Dômeki retorted. Watanuki made a, 'hmph,' before complying.

The two boys bought their tickets. Dômeki followed Watanuki intently seeing as how the boy knew his way around. The crowds were packed and collided with one another.

"We should hold hands," Dômeki suggested.

Watanuki twirled around with flaring eyes. His spectacles dropped as his black strands of hair brushed over his eyes. "What the Hell?"

"We're going to get lost if we're not connected in some way," Dômeki justified.

Watanuki made another, 'hmph,' before grabbing the archer's hand. He gave it a squeeze but received no reaction in return. Red burned atop his cheeks.

The pair stopped in front of their port. The next train was scheduled to arrive within minutes. They weren't moving and thus had no chance of getting separated yet their hands were still connected. Dômeki leaned over to Watanuki's ear. "Besides, I thought you may have seen the other couples and wanted to hold my hand," a hoarse voice whispered huskily.

Watanuki's hand snapped away with that comment. He blushed with a wandering glare. There were a lot of couples now that Dômeki brought it up… Watanuki's head shook from side-to-side. Yes, he did want to hold someone's hand. His heart throbbed. '-and wanted to hold my hand,' Domeki had stressed, 'my,' a little too much for his liking. Even Dômeki stressing out any word in particular was suspicious.

The train pulled up and doors flung open on both sides. Passengers filed out on one end as new ones entered from the other. This was rush-hour traffic so it was no wonder the car was packed. The pair strolled over to a pole and grabbed it for balance.

Silence lingered between them for awhile. If there was something Watanuki hated as much as Dômeki, it was the silence. He spoke: "They're throwing that big, end-of-the-year, final dance for the seniors. It's supposed to be really fancy. Good for us, huh?"

Dômeki nodded. With a growl, Watanuki continued, "They have this rose system. The school gives everyone participating a single red rose. You give it to whomever you want to go the dance with. If you want to go with a person who gave you that rose, you give that person your rose; but if you don't, the school's going to allow you to throw water at each other for the day."

Dômeki nodded again. "I know," he stated.

Watanuki grimaced. "I bet you're already planning to ask a pretty girl, huh? They always swoon over you. It's not fair!"

"No," Dômeki growled a little harshly.

Watanuki blinked by this reaction. "Well that's not nice! You're calling her ugly! I mean at least be-"

"No," Dômeki repeated in the same tone.

Pale blue eyes glanced up. "Wha-?"

"Himawari-" Dômeki started. He was abruptly interrupted by Watanuki's sparkles and swooning. "Yes! Himawari-Chan! She's going to get my red rose!"

"No," Dômeki stated slightly irritated, "I don't want you to ask her."

Watanuki wrinkled his nose in anger. "So that's it, huh? You want to ask her before me because you think she likes you more than me, is that it? Well you can't have her! I'm going to-"

At which point the train stopped abruptly. Its doors flung open in a similar fashion to last time, but it skid to a rest with a halt. Watanuki lost his balance, but arms wrapped around his waist. He was pulled upright again into Dômeki's grasp. He could feel the archer's hot breath trailing up his nape. His hair rose anxiously.

Dômeki pulled him tighter, almost pressing his hips against Watanuki's end. Watanuki gulped. He swallowed back an unsure whimper and tore off with a heated face. Dômeki sighed, allowing the boy to break off as he wished. His eyes closed and they didn't say another word to each other until they reached Watanuki's stop.

In fact, they didn't speak even after they reached Watanuki's stop. They strolled out of the train station and stared at each other in the silence.

"You can go back," Watanuki scowled, grabbing a scarf and tying it around him.

Dômeki shook his head. "I'll walk you home."

"You don't-" Watanuki started, but was cut off by Dômeki.

The taller male grabbed Watanuki's hand and walked briskly in stride with his companion. After a few moments, the archer sighed in irritation. "They're more abounding at night, right?"

Watanuki's mouth moved on its own, but no words were spoken. He clenched his eyes shut in hopes when he opened them Dômeki would be gone. He opened them and sure enough that stoic expression was still there. A muffled grunt left his breath. He couldn't deny most of the things Dômeki said and that point was a core point of his hatred. If Dômeki were to hear that, he would probably say something even more annoying.

Finally the pair stopped. They were in front of an old apartment building. Silence was lingering which was strange considering Watanuki's habits. His heart pounded, but Watanuki didn't move. He stayed like an everlasting live-person chess piece – always waiting for their turn to come.

Dômeki shook his head. "Let me walk you up."

Watanuki's face flustered up with a swaying head. "NO! I mean, I'm not your personal girlfriend! Don't play with me!"

Dômeki nodded stoically. "I'd like some teriyaki tomorrow."

"I don't take orders," Watanuki snarled.

Dômeki nodded. "Eat something before you go to bed."

Watanuki blushed. He yelled angrily at his companion. "Whatever!"

Dômeki nodded again. He stared at Watanuki with a simple glance before turning around and walking back to the train station. Watanuki scowled with a growl as he watched Domeki leave slowly. He jumped a few steps up his stairs before turning back. Dômeki was near out of sight when Watanuki realized he would have to go to the store early tomorrow morning to make Dômeki's teriyaki bento. Watanuki swallowed a blush back as he shook his mind clear. He thought of the train and bit at his bottom lips as he cheeks flushed up.

-O-

"Oi. Is it teriyaki?"

"Yes, you idiot! What else did you expect?" Watanuki shouted at near the top of his lungs. Compared to the average day, Watanuki was quite silent and anxious. He sat back down after five minutes of full-throttle ranting to eat his own bento. "Where's Himawari-Chan?"

Dômeki shrugged, taking another bite of his bento. His eyes glanced up to stare at Watanuki. Eventually he looked back to the bento and inhaled the scent in the air. It was brisk and chilly yet the perfect time to be under the trees of the Sakura blossoms. There was a certain hint of romance but that could be due to all the boys and girls running around with roses in their hands.

Watanuki looked up with a bent brow. "…What are you staring at me for?"

"Will you make me bento-lunches after we graduate?"

-O-

The next day was two days before, 'the dance,' (as everyone had dubbed it.) There was still a flurry of rose-exchanging and water fights, but nothing above the mundane. Classes were still just as boring and Physical Education still involved Watanuki and Dômeki's constant score-save-score-save routine. It would be safe to say that the two males had grown an optimal comfort to that familiar discomfort and the thought of loosing it was uncomfortable.

Watanuki was frolicking over young Miss Himawari as every other day – especially at lunch. Tomorrow would be the last day for the group of friends to enjoy each other's presence at lunch-time. Due to such, Himawari found this prime time to pop the big question: "What are you planning to do after school?"

Dômeki shrugged. "I'll still work at the temple."

Watanuki made a blue face before answering. He had always wanted to go to college, explore the world, and make a comfortable living after meeting a special girl, but that dream would probably be deemed impossible. He was low on funds and even though his scholastics proved worthy of college, between the spirits and Yuko he would not be able to manage. "I doubt Yuko will let me go. I wanna go to college but she'd say, 'who's going to take care of me during my hang-over or prepare my bath or bring my alcohol or make my dinner? Only you will do!''" Watanuki pointed his index finger up as he made the best parody of Yuko.

Himawari laughed cheerfully. "That was amazing, Watanuki-Kun! You're wonderful!"

"Ah! Not nearly as wonderful as you! I'm sure you'd do a much better job than me!" Watanuki protested, flattering the young girl. She giggled and made her impression in which Watanuki laughed hardily at afterwards.

Dômeki kept staring at his bento, clearly uninterested but then he thought of how Watanuki would never laugh at anything he said like that – unless Dômeki were to mention something that Himawari said. He closed his eyes and removed his thoughts. Replacing them with serene mantras, Dômeki cleared his throat a little loud to both of their surprise. "What are you making tomorrow?"

Watanuki blinked. "I don't know."

"Well you don't take my orders anyways, so I was just wondering what you were going to make," Dômeki replied. He brushed his arm of falling Sakura petals. Standing up he stared at Watanuki and glanced at Himawari. The girl smiled as he left the two alone. If Watanuki asked her now, it would leave his solitary agonizing thoughts for later.

-O-

That night, Watanuki had trouble deciding what to make for lunch. Maybe it was because there wasn't anything to make due with. He always went to the market to buy whatever Dômeki requested anyways…

-O-

"I'm asking Himawari," Watanuki stated.

Dômeki didn't react for a moment. His eyes closed before he averted his gaze. He gulped. "Good luck."

Watanuki nodded with somewhat confused eyes. "…Thanks?"

Silence lingered between the two before Watanuki turned into a pile of mush. He went, 'guu,' and, 'squish,' and all giddy with excitement and uncertainty. The boy went berserk in a riot, yelling and screaming and dancing all over the place with his rose in hand. Dômeki almost figured that if Watanuki didn't watch out, the petals would all be gone within a matter of seconds.

Dômeki stared with confusion at Watanuki. "If she says, 'no,' what will you-?"

Watanuki cut Dômeki off, not hearing most of the sentence. His rampage was halted and so he asked, "If what?"

Dômeki blinked. He averted his gaze again. "…If she says, 'yes,' what will you do?"

"Take her to the dance! What else?" Watanuki replied dumbly. Dômeki nodded. Watanuki clasped his chin with a hand and thought closely. "I guess dinner would be nice and well, holding hands and kissing and…" Watanuki went a deep shade of red, silencing himself.

Dômeki nodded. He glimpsed at Watanuki's eyes before crushing all his dull hopes. "Don't take her to dinner. No one can prepare a better meal than you."

-O-

Finally the day of the dance arrived. For both Watanuki and Dômeki, this day couldn't come any sooner – actually, for Dômeki it could be the other way. Both the day and the day before yesterday Dômeki realized that Watanuki didn't work up the courage to ask Himawari. This was all changed when the two met. Watanuki blushed but faltered, handing Dômeki a box. "This is your last bento."

"…I know," Domeki replied. "What is it?"

"Your favorite," Watanuki retorted, blushing a fury before he left, walking right past Dômeki straight to Himawari.

Dômeki growled a bit. The thought of this being the last Watanuki-bento he'd ever had twisted his stomach. The butterflies flipped and settled and then repeated their aimless waltz. He glimpsed over his shoulder, watching Watanuki hold out his rose to Himawari. The girl took the rose and stared at him blankly. Dômeki couldn't stand watching it. It made him sick – angry, even. He was just angry that he couldn't do this simple action Watanuki was doing now.

-O-

Rejection is a heavy and hard subject. It is like a never-ending free-fall of bliss until the butterflies in your stomach catch up and then the ground surfaces as you pummel in head-first. It hurts more than any physical pain and for first love, it's the most agonizing thing.

For both Watanuki and Dômeki, they experienced their own sort of rejection on that day. Dômeki had just sat around the food stand eating food that tasted like plastic garbage compared to Watanuki's cooking as the said boy locked himself up in a toilet stall. And all they could wonder to themselves was, 'what would happen if I had done things differently…?'

-O-

"Hitsuzen gave you a good man, eh, Watanuki?" Yûko cheered in her drunken state. She nudged him in the ribcage before continuing. "Didja kissh during your final farewells or what?"

Watanuki looked up in a confused state. He had only graduated yesterday but there was a sense of maturity in his eyes now. "No. Himawari-Chan rejected me…"

Raven eyelashes flickered up as golden eyes widened in shock. "What the-! How many times did I tell you that she wasn't your goddess of luck, huh? So-So-So-?"

Watanuki blinked in confusion as he heard a whistling noise from the kitchen. "The tea's done…"

-O-

Dômeki spent his spare time studying for college exams. He wasn't crazy about the idea, but he figured it would be a nice change. He couldn't get Watanuki out of his head. One way or another that inky glare would slip into his mind in the form of pale skin and raven locks. He couldn't hide from those crystal-blue eyes and yet he couldn't confront them, either. He just hated the whole idea.

It wasn't as if he couldn't ever see Watanuki again – he knew where he lived, he knew where he worked, he knew the train station Watanuki always used and yet he couldn't bring himself to any of those places (mainly Watanuki's house in fear of being called a stalker and Yûko's house for obvious reasons.) It was like he was the main character in a love-struck-teenaged-drama. In fear of loosing the one he loved most, he cherished their memoirs rather than confront them and loosing every happy account.

He tapped the eraser-end of his pencil on the paper as he attempted to concentrate on a certain math equation. It wasn't as if the problem was difficult – it was just that Watanuki was so much better at math than him. He especially loved it when Watanuki would flaunt his knowledge by explaining the problem step-by-step. And then he sighed, realizing he had let Watanuki slip into his mind again.

-O-

Watanuki huffed in silence. He was leaned over Yûko's porch with his knees tucked in and his breath forming clouds. Inches away from him water dripped from the roof ledge and sky. The raindrops drizzled onto greenery and the soil absorbed the liquid. Watanuki had convinced Yûko to allow him space in her yard for an herb garden. Of course, that came at a price but after explaining that the herbs would be used for cooking, Yûko lowered her price graciously.

Since school had ended, he had seen neither Himawari nor Dômeki. It was such a strange thing. They always did things together. Being alone was so unnerving and lonely. For the first time in a long while, Watanuki took some time to reflect. Himawari was a simple crush and yet he still couldn't get her off his mind. Where was she right now? What was she doing? Did she go to college? Did she have a job?

It was all very confusing. And then there was Dômeki. Dômeki only confused him more. He never made much sense and after their sophomore year, Dômeki never ceased to surprise him. And then it was almost like jealousy and rejection had gotten the better of the always-cool archer. Oh, archery – would Dômeki still practice? Probably not, but he really should. Dômeki was always stressing over tournaments but the one Watanuki attended, it looked like cake. Heh. Stupid Dômeki. Always trying to look cool. Damn that Dômeki.

-O-

A total month passed. It was by chance Watanuki had to find some strange shop to pick up an item for Yûko. He glanced over and saw the Shizuka temple. It was ironic how memories flooded in just by the sight of the place. Where he had spent so much time at now felt like a distant eternity. That saddened him as he turned to continue his merry way. Unfortunately, for him, a voice caught his attention.

"Oi. What are you doing here?"

Watanuki glanced behind him before continuing on his way. At which point, he took another glance, looked in front of him, looked again and cleared his glasses to make sure he was seeing properly. "Dômeki? Is that you? Oh my-!"

Dômeki's brow furrowed as he crossed his arms. His bangs had grown to an amount that they covered his eyes. His facial expression and features hadn't changed a day but he had grown taller and his structure was more muscular.

Watanuki in contrast, had seemed to also get taller, but still not to the extent of Dômeki. He was still frail-looking with clothes two-sizes too big and glasses slipping down his nose. His eyes were as blue as ever and yet the extended bangs made them look darker.

"What are you doing here?" Dômeki repeated.

Watanuki pursed his lips angrily. "What? Did you think I was gone? Did you think I moved away – out of your life – forever? Did it make you happy? I bet it did, huh? Maybe I should just leave and-"

"No. It's relieving," Dômeki stated, staring Watanuki in the eye.

Watanuki's glare faltered to a side. "Don't say things like that. It's confusing."

Dômeki nodded. "Should I walk you to wherever you're going?"

Watanuki stumbled behind in shock with wide eyes. As he fell his glasses slid down the ridge of his nose. He forced them back up as a hand was extended to him. Watanuki, growled a bit before taking the hand.

"Just like old times…?" Watanuki teased with a smirk, slightly blushing at the fact he was acting like a man during a mid-life crisis.

"No," Dômeki stated, gripping Watanuki's hand tightly.

-O-

"So you met Dômeki again?" Yûko questioned.

"Uh…yeah. How'd you know?" Watanuki aksed.

Yûko nodded in her all-knowing way. "I just had a feeling."

Watanuki made a, 'hmph,' noise before Yûko stared at his back with half-lidded eyes. "Watanuki, hitsuzen gave you a good man."

-O-

Dômeki and Watanuki had been catching up with each other for basic activities young adults their age participated in – drinking, telling dirty jokes, flirting (this was just Watanuki,) going to the beach, and running errands for Yûko together. It was just so sudden Watanuki didn't see it coming.

Yûko had requested that the two plot a formal event for a party of Gods. Gods were, well, Gods, so Watanuki insisted they do something out of the ordinary. Of course, Gods can have whatever they want so what would be out-of-the-ordinary for a God? Watanuki thought that if they did the most ordinary thing, it would be a) really gaudy and their heads would roll; or b) well-taken and accepted for creativity and innovation. Dômeki thought it was a rather absurd idea but went along with it.

That search brought them to a flower shop. As Watanuki was flittering about the place like a high-school fan-girl, Dômeki stared at a particular flower. Watanuki popped out of the blue and examined Dômeki's flowers.

"Roses? Yeah, roses are good! It kind of reminds you of the senior party, huh? Yep. Roses are good," Watanuki cheered, trailing off at the distant memory.

Dômeki glanced over. "No."

The taller of the two strolled over to the cash register and bought a bouquet. Watanuki poked an eyebrow up. Dômeki, upon completion of the transaction, shoved the bouquet into Watanuki's arms. "Remember our dance? They're yours."

"Wh-What the-! Why me? I'm a GUY! I mean-!"

Dômeki pressed his lips over Watanuki's, shutting the one up. "I love you."

And then Dômeki strolled out of the store, out of Watanuki's life.

-O-

"So you do love Dômeki-Kun! Awww…! How adorable!"

"No!" Watanuki protested in anger. His eyes flared with anger. Yuko might have charged him extra as an anger-fee, but he didn't care. He was just confused – confused and angry. When one is confused, anger is the emotion to fear. As any angry-confused individual his age, he began on a ranting spree and how he was straight and Dômeki was an idiot and things like that.

Yûko nodded as he finished his spree, blinked his emotionless eyes every few seconds. "He's done a lot for you. If Himawari was in your position back then and you in his, would you have done the same…?"

Watanuki's mouth gaped open and shut a moment or two. He clenched his eyes shut and just tried to imagine Himawari-Chan cursed with his blood and he was her, 'savior.' (Not that Watanuki ever considered Dômeki his savior.) He pondered this a moment or two before blinking upon his conclusion. It was just as – if not more – confusing than this whole situation:

"…No."

Yûko nodded. "And if it were Dômeki in your place and you in his, would you have done the same?"

Watanuki's brow furrowed before his closed his eyes in anger. "That's a trick question, isn't it!"

"It is not," Yûko replied. Watanuki bent his eyes and stormed out of the room in a fury. Yûko nodded as her raven eyelashes cover her golden orbs. "Even if you do not admit it, Watanuki…it's plain for everyone to see…"

-O-

Watanuki was blushing. His palms were sweaty and his heart was pounding. Never once had he been told, 'I love you.' For the first time hearing it, the requited being a man didn't help. And, of course, Watanuki had no idea how to react to this.

It had been two weeks since, 'that,' incident. Yuko said Watanuki was doing a horrible job and kicked him out for two weeks. In addition, Watanuki had not a single clue as to what to do in response. The boy figured the subject to concentrate on now would be straightening things out with Domeki.

That led to now. His heart was racing five-times faster than it was a minute ago because now would be the time he told Dômeki exactly what was on his mind in the most outlandish, obscenity-filled, anger-toned speech – that this is all absurd, that this mess is a mistake, that Dômeki is coming down with a rare disease that involves tropical fever.

"It's been awhile," Dômeki stated. He was at the gate of his temple as if he had been waiting for Watanuki the whole time.

"You're crazy for what you said," Watanuki growled.

Dômeki nodded. "I know, but I mean it."

"Look," Watanuki explained, "You're coming down with a rare disease that involves tropical fever causing you to hallucinate and if not treated, requires major medical attention. The first step is making sure you haven't lost your mind so-"

"You're loud," Dômeki stated bluntly, covering his ears with his palms. He glanced about, seeming as to be waiting for something in particular. "But I still love you."

Watanuki's eyes opened in shock . "NO! You ARE going insane! This is bad, we need to-"

"What's that?" Dômeki asked, pointing to a bag Watanuki held.

Watanuki looked down before pushing back blushing bangs. "Oh. That's…your bento."

-O-

"I thought you didn't love Dômeki like tha-"

"Shut up!" Watanuki snarled, refilling another glass of liquor for Yûko. This would be her fourth cup. God only knows how she drank so much so often. "I didn't know what to do! I freaked out! It's not like a bento means anything! I mean-! Well, what should I have done differently?"

"Nothing," Yûko stated with a slightly amused tone. She flipped her head back to look at the evening sky and then she giggled with a smirk. "But it's going to cost you big time for time off."

"Time off? Why would I need that?" Watanuki asked with a questionable eyebrow.

Yûko sighed. Watanuki, for liking Himawari as much as he did, was dense. "Did you two schedule your first date?"

Watanuki blushed up a flurry with just the tiniest nod of his head. Yûko smiled with satisfaction. "Time off, you see."

-O-

"Oi. You're coming down with a cold," Dômeki stated, glancing at Watanuki's exposed collarbone.

Watanuki glared angrily at Dômeki. "You don't know that."

Dômeki shook his head. "Look at what you're wearing."

Watanuki blushed, looking down. He was wearing a black, v-neck jersey layered over white long-sleeves and a navy overcoat that reached the ground. A matching scarf was wrapped around his neck, but his collarbone was still bare. "I thought it looked okay…"

"You're going to catch a cold," Dômeki repeated.

Watanuki wrinkled his nose. "But that-! I mean-! Whatever! Even if I did wear something…something… I don't have any fashion sense, okay? Shoot me! It's not my fault! I just-"

"Then we should go shopping," Dômeki concluded after staring at the boy a moment. He grabbed Watanuki's wrist and led it down the street to the mall. Watanuki looked up with flushed cheeks. Dômeki caught a glimpse of the shorter boy and sighed in irritation. Watanuki was grasped into Dômeki's embrace and forced into the other boy's coat.

By this point, inexperienced Watanuki's head was whirling. He had never had a girlfriend let alone a boyfriend. The sudden contacts and touches filled with care in each movement were awkward and unknown. He couldn't say he hated it because it was something he was enjoying quite a bit.

Watanuki's blue eyes looked up in hope. "…Wh-What d-do you want in your b-bento tomorrow…?"

Dômeki glanced down in confusion, stopping the stride they had. His head bent down to Watanuki's level as he kissed his boyfriend's neck, working up to Watanuki's lips. "Just you."

"D-Don't say that! I mean-!"

Dômeki finally pressed his lips against Watanuki's. As they parted, Dômeki ran his fingers through Watanuki's raven strands. "We need to get you a haircut at the mall, too."

Watanuki blushed furiously. "If…If I asked you to…uh, well, c-come over to my…apartment…later tonight w-would you…?"

Dômkeki pressed his lips against Watanuki's cheek. The smaller whimpered from the emotional overload, glaring to the side with a blushing frown – as if he was attempting to deny his feelings but it was completely obvious. "I thought you'd never ask."

-O-

"Watanuki. College."

"What about it?" the boy asked, bent under a desk to rearrange some cords. What this had to do with locking water faucets was beyond him.

Yûko nodded from her stand-point. "You mentioned college before. You should consider your future carefully. Between work, Dômeki, work, work, work, homework, work, school, work, Dômeki, work, Dômeki, work, work, work, Dômeki, and Dômeki how will you manage?"

Watanuki popped out from his hidden stance with a flushed face. "Wh-Why so much Dômeki? I-I mean-! D-Do you have to see the person you're in…in…in…in a-a relationship with so often…?"

"Of course!" Yûko snapped as if Watanuki was an idiot. "But between work, Dômeki, work, work, work-"

"I get the point!" Watanuki roared. He collapsed onto the ground with a smug frown. "I don't know… I think Dômeki's going to college, but…"

"Do you want my experienced advise?" Yûko asked, as if she was going to tell him either way.

Watanuki shrugged. "Whatever."

"Online courses," Yûko stated with her index finger in a point, "You fill 'em out as you go!" Watanuki eyes Yuko skeptically with a slight nod and a shifty expression. Yûko nodded with a grin.

"That'll be three months of service, Watanuki!"

-O-

For the next week, Dômeki had been escorting Watanuki to places of interest. Currently the couple was at Watanuki's choice train station, moving his belongings out of his current establishment. He didn't have an apartment yet, but Watanuki knew he wanted to move. Dômeki offered to take his stuff and store it until Watanuki found a place. This was the last week before college began for Dômeki. "I thought you wanted to go to college."

"Yûko's making me take courses via online because she says I can't take care of myself! Ha! I take better care of myself than she does! She just can't take care of herself!" Watanuki shouted, yelling obscenities mixed in with the words. He glanced at Dômeki. "You're going to college?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," Watanuki said with a nodding head. "So then…you're leaving me…?"

"I'll be back for breaks and every weekend. I'm sure you can last without me that long, right?" Dômeki asked.

Watanuki blushed. It was so weird hearing Dômeki says such long segments. "…I guess."

Dômeki stared at Watanuki. "Well I can't," he said bluntly.

Watanuki blushed lightly with wide eyes before he faltered in annoyance. He bit his bottom lip with fumbling hands. "S-So you're not going to college…?"

"No. Your boss said that as long as I bring you back for dinner and the weekends, she doesn't mind what you do in your spare time," Dômeki bluntly stated.

Watanuki nodded in curiosity. "Wait! You're dragging me with you!"

"If you don't want to live with me-"

Watanuki's eyes widened. "Y-You want me to live with you? But-"

"Are you still shy?" Dômeki asked, glancing over stoically.

Watanuki growled. "B-But…we'd share the same bed every night."

"I've been sleeping with you for the past two weeks," Dômeki stated.

Watanuki cringed while looking up at Dômeki. "We'd be coming back to feed Yuko and then returning every night…?"

"It's a lot of train rides," Dômeki pondered aloud, "We could stay at my place."

"What about my paperwork-"

"Your boss sent it in. You've been accepted. We have the same scheduled," Dômeki explained, slightly irritated at all the useless speech and justification, "You still have time to think it over."

"Alright this is…well…I don't know…!" Watanuki mused, with a flittering heart. He nodded with gleaming eyes. Glancing about, he noticed there were a lot of couples holding hands. "There are a lot of couples, huh?"

His gaze was fixated on Dômeki's bicep before switching to the archer's hand. Dômeki glanced over at the shorter boy. Watanuki faltered and bit his bottom lip. For the first time, Shizuka Dômeki showed emotion: He smirked with satisfaction. "We should hold hands."

Afterthoughts: And I apologize for the length. (bows) Watanuki never picks up Yuko's notes, eh? (laughs) Well there it is! Did you enjoy it? If you did, a friendly review would be much appreciated! Thank you for reading, and if I get inspired, you just might see something else by me in this fandom! (bows)