(Been enjoying writing this so far. Dunno how far it'll go...but I'm just going with the flow.)

He blinked as he woke up in a soft bed, surrounded by warmth. The last thing he could remember was falling asleep under a tree in the garden. There had been a cool breeze to counteract the hot sun and it had lulled him into a daze. It was still bright out, he noted, the windows open and the drapes fluttering in the breeze.

Something shifted behind him and with narrowed eyes, Watanuki looked over his shoulder. Doumeki was almost nose to nose with him, arms lightly wrapping around his waist as he slept. They were still dressed, so he knew that nothing untoward had happened, and there was a brief moment when he wondered if he was disappointed or relieved. Since his declaration two months ago, the man was moving slowly but surely on him. Their feelings weren't in doubt despite the fact that Watanuki had never confirmed it. Doumeki never spoke of any results he might have with his searching. Instead, he would come over daily, often stay the night, and…well, there was no other term that could come to mind but 'woo' him.

Doumeki hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep, so Watanuki could only assume that he'd come in sometime during his nap and had chosen to move him to his bedroom. He sat up slowly and watched as the young man shifted, resting his head in his lap instinctively. "…Jerk," he muttered under his breath. "Why don't you touch me?" They hadn't really done anything remotely sexual and he couldn't tell if he was frustrated or not over that. Hands never went close to sliding under his clothes at his waist and those lips never moved higher than his knees or lower than just above his nipples.

The door slid open and three pairs of eyes peeked in. He smiled at Maru, Moro, and Larg. "Some lunch, you three." There was a chorus of quiet agreements and he could hear their footsteps pitter patter down the hall.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep, you know."

Golden eyes slid open and stared at the open window, light streaming into the room. "Seemed like you wanted to think."

"Did you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Then are you going to answer my question?" he replied, letting his slim fingers ease into the black hair in his lap. At the silence still ensuing, Watanuki added slightly in hurt irritation, "Or am I unattractive to you?"

"…Idiot." He looked down, glaring at the man, but there was a smile on his lips that made it hard to hate him. "You have no idea how hard it is to keep myself in check."

"I'm not asking you to treat me like a flower or glass that will break if you touch it too hard."

"And I'm not treating you that way. I want you badly…but I want to do this my way. I like to take my time." Finally Doumeki looked up at him. "I have patience."

"Are you insinuating that I don't?"

"Not as much as you like to think."

Watanuki frowned a little in annoyance, but despite entertaining the thought of pushing that head off his lap, or said archer right off the bed, he didn't do it. Even as a hand slowly slid up his calf, massaging it, he just leaned back against the headboard and let it happen. The silence was comfortable between them and his eyes had begun to half close in the pleasant sensations when he realized something was different. Those fingers…had gone past his knees. He looked down as a light touch to the underside of his thigh caught his attention, as if Doumeki had run a feather over it. "What about that patience you were just touting?"

"I'm not planning on just spreading your legs right now if that's what you think." A kiss was placed on his stomach through his kimono and a shiver went down his spine.

"Then what are you—"

"Can you stop talking for awhile?" came the amused reply and Watanuki almost crossed his arms with a glare. Doumeki's other hand rubbed up and down his back, focusing on the base of his spine. He allowed himself to get lost in the sensations, ignoring the fact that such gentle touching was actually making him quite hard. He watched through half-lidded eyes as the taller man shifted, to his knees, kissing his neck lovingly. Even with just a glance he could see that Doumeki's reaction mirrored his own and really, why didn't they just take that step?

"Patience…Kimihiro," Doumeki whispered in his ear, as if he could sense his thoughts. "Soon."

All he could think was 'you bastard' as the featherlight touches continued and he completely forgot about lunch.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It was the first time he'd stepped out of the shop in a hundred years. He had expected more radical changes, but honestly, everything looked mostly the same. Technology had progressed, naturally, but part of Watanuki was relieved that it wasn't in the realm of science fiction just yet. He really had nowhere to be, he just wanted to see. His feet took him down the well-worn paths of his youth, pausing as he looked up the stairs to Doumeki's shrine that looked the same as it had before. There was another floor added to the school building, and the park was unchanged.

"Very nostalgic," he murmured and Mokona shifted on his shoulder.

"It's been a long time since you've left the shop."

"Yes, but at least I'm not seeing space ships," he said with a chuckle. "I didn't miss everything. The truth is, though…there isn't much to get me out of the shop." He could feel the eyes looking at him from his companion and he continued, "All the friends I knew when I was young are gone except for Doumeki and the spirits that are friends can come to see me any time. Yuuko would scold me, though, I'm sure for staying in all the time. If I don't, I won't make any new friends."

"I'm fine with that."

"Of course you are," he replied, not turning around as Doumeki approached from behind. "How did you know I was here?"

"They told me you were out. I figured the park would be the last place you'd see." Arms slid around his waist from behind. "I'd prefer it if I could keep you to myself."

"There are not that many men like us, you know. What makes you think that if I met someone they'd be interested in me the way you are?"

"Have you looked at yourself, Kimihiro?"

"I try not to."

"Then you should."

"How is that answering my question?" There was no reply, but he didn't really expect one. Sometimes even now, Doumeki could be annoying in his own way. "I wonder if this means you'll no longer see my shop."

"Why would you think that?"

"You could see it before because I needed you to. You were my only contact with the outside world. Isn't that why you married Kohane-chan? Now that I can leave on my own, given what you're like…you shouldn't be able to enter after that."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

His eyes narrowed. "And what are you implying?"

"I think I'll be able to come in as I please since you'll need me for an entirely different reason." Doumeki let him go and stepped up next to him. "Besides, you've just invalidated one of your arguments against our relationship."

"What argument?" he asked in surprise, blinking.

"You can leave the shop now, so it isn't imperative now that I have children to take care of you like in the past."

Watanuki hadn't honestly given it much thought over the past two months. Doumeki was stubborn and he hadn't been able to give up, and the truth was, he didn't really want to make him either. "That isn't the only argument I had."

"The only one worth mentioning is my lifespan and I'm working on that."

"What are you going to do?" This he had to know. He didn't want Doumeki to do anything terrible, didn't want to risk losing him. He knew that if he wished, it could be done, despite the price. There were also a lot of unsavory methods out there, much worse than any price, and he was afraid for the man he loved. What if he ended hurt because he didn't see a pitfall?

"I haven't decided yet." Those golden eyes turned to him. "But you can stop worrying."

"Who says I'm worrying about something?"

"I've known you for a long time. I can tell." A soft smile touched those handsome features, the action still so rare even now that it caught Watanuki by surprise. "I'm not going to be rash like you when you were young. Trust me. When I make my decision…it will be the right one."

"How will you know if it's the right one?"

"Because I trust myself…and you."

A faint flush came to his cheeks and he pouted a little as his worry and annoyance faded a little against his will at the words. He didn't want to let himself be mollified by that! "You're annoying."

"I love you too."