Transitions: Chapter 4
Title:Transitions
Author: Serenetwinkle
Chapter: 4 of (quick, stall!)
Rating: PG- cause I like it that way
Word count: 7,041 (you guys like em long anyway XD)
Pairing: Doumeki/Watanuki
Status: Incomplete
Summary: A switching of the strangest kind gives Watanuki and Doumeki a glimpse of something more.
Disclaimer- CLAMP owns all characters portrayed within. See how fancy I sound? ^_^
AN- Sorry it took so long. :-)
Ofuda - talisman
While he may not have been the culinary genius Watanuki was, Doumeki could at least say he knew how to make tea correctly.
Why was it then, he wondered, staring accusingly down at his third pot of ruined tea, that he couldn’t seem to get it right to save his life?
The first mishap was an honest mistake. He had simply let the leaves steep too long, resulting in a murky brownish substance (normally not a problematic color, except that he was working with green tea), something he was sure any sane person would have turned their nose up at.
The second attempt would have been fine except for the fact he had somehow managed to add about three times the normal amount of leaves and upon tasting it before serving (thank God he had decided to taste it beforehand), he very nearly choked on the bitterness of the liquid.
It was with a sigh of mild annoyance, and a heightened sense of caution he normally did not apply to the kitchen, that he made the third pot.
As with the second pot, the end result looked correct and, with only a small amount of hesitation, after tasting it he decided it would be passably drinkable. He had even managed to set up the tray without any problems.
Until he knocked the pot over.
If Doumeki had been a swearing man, he probably would have let a few colorful expletives fly at this point.
But he was generally a calm person (one had to be when dealing with temperamental creatures such as Watanuki), and with one last glare at the spilled tea and an air of defeat he went to get a towel. After all, who was he to fight the inevitable? At least when it concerned hot beverages.
Well, orange juice was good for you anyway.
A quick glance at the clock revealed he had been klutzing around the kitchen for the better part of an hour.
Hmm, that would explain that first pot.
He hoped that this Watanuki was more patient than his own. Though considering he hadn’t already burst into the kitchen demanding to know what the hell was taking so long, where was the tea anyway, and never mind, just go sit over there and be quiet and try not to mess anything else up...
Well anyway, it meant that this new Watanuki had at least a bit more tolerance when waiting for him.
Doumeki padded slowly down the hall to the guest room where the other boy awaited his return, two cans of orange juice clutched in his hands. Stopping outside the door, the archer took a deep, steadying breath, exhaling gradually until he felt confident he wouldn’t start stuttering the second he saw a pair of sapphire eyes staring up at him.
He began to speak before he even had the door open more than three inches.
“The tea didn’t work. I brought juice inste...” Doumeki trailed off as he realized he was speaking to an empty room.
Guess this one lacked patience too.
He stared blankly around the room for a moment, head shifting from side to side as if he might find a stray Watanuki lying around if he searched long enough. But no, the only sign of the other boy was a neatly folded blanket on top of the futon with his old kimono robe in an equally tidy pile on top of that.
How... thoughtful. And very Watanuki-like.
Doumeki leaned against the door jam for a minute, going over the facts in his head for probably he twentieth time in the last hour.
Fact one: Watanuki was not here.
Fact two: Someone who looked and sounded like Watanuki was here.
Fact three: Watanuki look-a-like obviously knew him in some way.
Fact three and a half: Watanuki look-a-like seemed to think he knew him very well.
Fact four: Watanuki look-a-like was... very affectionate.
Fact five: He was apparently very neat also.
Conclusion: He had still had no idea what the hell was going on.
Method with which to proceed: Find Watanuki look-a-like and, without physical contact of any kind, try to figure out where he came from.
Step one: Stop standing in the doorway like an idiot, staring at an empty room, making stupid lists in your head, and go after the boy.
With a quick shake of his head, Doumeki pushed away from the frame and went to put the juice back. On the off chance that the other boy had merely gotten lost trying to find him, Doumeki did a brief tour through his home, poking his head into several rooms and hallways before satisfying himself that Watanuki was no longer in the building.
He spied him mother in one room pouring over some papers, a calculator in front of her, a pencil in one hand, and a frown on her face. He knew she was most likely going over their finances for the month and so only dropped a quick kiss on top of her head with a soft, “I’ll be out for a while,” before leaving her once more to the budget.
Without looking up from the desk, she raised a hand in farewell and distractedly told him not to forget to take an umbrella.
“I won’t.” He quietly shut the door behind him and went off to follow her advice.
It was not until he slid the outside door shut behind him, opened his umbrella, and took his first step down the stairs leading to the walkway that he realized he didn’t even know where he was going.
He paused for a second, his foot halfway down the next step, and ran over his options. The way he figured, there were only three places Watanuki would be likely to go. And since this person seemed to be eerily similar to Watanuki, it may have been safe to say that he would go to the same places.
Theoretically.
Yuuko’s shop was the most obvious choice, but since he had no way of getting to the other boy if he did happen to be inside, and he didn’t particularly feel like waiting outside in the rain until the stranger decided to come out, Doumeki thought he might just check his other options first.
Being thorough never hurt, and hey, it was better than sitting at home trying to wrap his brain around what had happened in that room.
So.
His first stop was the park. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was that drew the bespectacled teen there, but he was nonetheless. Doumeki had a theory that maybe the smaller boy had often gone to the park with his parents when he was younger. He had never actually asked, but sometimes when he was on his was home from a late practice he would see Watanuki sitting on a bench looking up at the sky, or on the swings, occasionally pushing off with his feet as he stared at the ground. Once he had even spied him on the very top of the jungle gym, perched precariously across two bars with his long legs drawn up so his knees were touching his chin. He had been staring off into the distance, and when Doumeki followed his gaze he saw a family playing together with a little boy of about five years.
Doumeki clearly remembered that day. It was the first time he had ever felt the urge to hug another guy.
Since it had been raining all day, it was no surprise when he found the park completely deserted. There was no sign of Watanuki, but the park was large and had several jogging trails that lead off in to the woods. Doumeki chose one at random and began to wander down the narrow dirt path, letting his thoughts drift along the same pace as his feet.
He often times found himself wondering, mostly as of late, what it was about the other young man that fascinated him so much.
At first, before he had ever gotten to know him, Watanuki had just been a quiet, studious boy he occasionally saw around school. The only class they had shared was gym, and even though they were sometimes on the same team, they had never really talked to each other.
Then the day of The Fight came.
Doumeki now separated his life into two distinct parts. There was his life before The Fight, and there was life after The Fight. Because that one little fight had brought something into his life that he hadn’t known was lacking. Or rather, someone.
That particular day had started out just like every other one and had ended just like every other one, with only one small incident between beginning and ending to distinguish it as different from the rest.
It had been soccer that day. It had also been very hot that day. School had only just started a few weeks prior, placing the day at about end of April . Doumeki supposed that he probably should have known the exact date, should have it circled on his calendar in fact, but he had never really felt the need to pinpoint the exact day.
A hot day at the end of April was close enough for him, and he pretty sure no one else gave a damn.
The first jogging path turned back on itself and popped Doumeki back out to the main part of the park. There were two trails left; he chose the one on the right.
Of all things, it was a compliment that set the whole thing into motion. From Watanuki no less. It was the first and last genuine praise he received from the bespectacled boy. Doumeki briefly spared a thought wondering if he had known then that he would never be granted such a courtesy again, if he would have acted the same.
The answer, of course, was yes.
He got too many compliments already, but the snark...
That he would never get enough of.
Now what exactly was it he said? Oh yeah...
“That was a great save Doumeki-san! I’m glad you’re on my team.”
The smaller teen had then flashed him the sweetest smile he had ever seen on a boy. With his cheeks pink from running, blue eyes wide, and his hair sweaty and ruffled, Doumeki was sure he was looking at some sort of earthbound angel.
Since when had he thought of a guy looking angelic?
The thought had confused him and he had turned away abruptly, giving the other boy his back.
“Hey!”
Against his better judgment, he had turned back around. The smile was gone, replaced by a disapproving frown.
He said nothing, but that only seemed to irritate Watanuki even more. One skinny arm propped itself against an equally skinny hip.
‘It’s polite to say thank you when someone gives you a compliment, you know.”
He knew.
“So?” Narrowed blue eyes looked at him expectantly.
To this day he wasn’t really sure what possessed him to say what he said next.
“So what?” And then he did what Watanuki apparently considered a grand faux pas.
He smiled.
And he knew, even without the pissed off look on the shorter boy’s face, that it was condescending.
“You- you-” for the moment, words seem to have escaped the other boy. Doumeki could see him almost physically restraining himself from trying to blurt out something he might have regretted saying. Watanuki was, after all, a rather polite boy.
But for some reason, he had the most curious urge to know what his teammate was really thinking at that moment.
Watanuki finally spun around in a huff, sitting back down on the bench by the sideline. His expression was still somewhat put out as he picked up a bottle of water from beneath the seat.
The last bottle of water, Doumeki noted.
Unexpectedly Watanuki turned back to him and addressed him in rather cold tone.
“You know, you’re not anything like people say.” His eyes narrowed again and he stood abruptly, jabbing the water bottle in his direction for emphasis. “You’re not cool at all! In fact, you-”
The smaller boy broke off in mid-exclamation, mouth gaping, as Doumeki snatched the bottle of water out of his hand and proceeded to down it in four gulps.
The silence was palpable. Watanuki stood for a moment, mouth hanging open slightly and eyes wide, as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.
Just to remind him, Doumeki deliberately screwed the top back on and handed back the now empty bottle.
It didn’t take long.
“Wha- what the hell was that? That was my water, you jerk!”
“Those who have to work twice as hard to make up for their lacking teammates should get first dibs.” He made sure to give a pointed look at the ‘lacking teammates’ part.
“Why, you...” The water bottle crunched loudly in Watanuki’s fist and Doumeki was pretty sure there was now a twitch in the boy’s left eye.
Something about the shorter boy’s genuine irritation intrigued him in a way he was pretty sure wasn’t entirely healthy.
But it was kind of fun.
The thought caused another tugging at his lips (unintentional this time) and the next thing he knew, a cursing Watanuki was shaking him by the front of the shirt shouting at him to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. After several more name callings, including one with reference to his dubious parentage, a teacher finally noticed the disturbance and decided to break them apart. Not wanting to cause an incident, Doumeki explained he wasn’t being viscously attacked, really, the fool was just messing around. The matter was dropped with a short warning to not play so rough.
Said fool didn’t even thank him for keeping him out of trouble, just stomped away in a huff as soon as the teacher left.
But it still brought a smile to his face whenever he recalled the livid expression and fiery blue eyes directing rays of intense dislike at him.
Yeah. That definitely wasn’t healthy.
Only one more trail left to take. He didn’t hold out much hope that he would find the boy down it, but his own persistent nature wouldn’t allow him to leave the area unsearched. Thunder rumbled ominously in the sky as he started down the final path.
He had decided long ago that it was Watanuki’s honesty he was drawn to. His bluntness and complete inability to keep his feelings to himself. There was something so ... refreshing about the way Watanuki always spoke his mind. Even when it included him being cursed six ways to Sunday.
Actually that was kind of refreshing too.
Before he met the other boy, he couldn’t recall ever being yelled at like that. Not even by his parents. Guess he had always been a bit a goody two-shoes. He did well in school and got along with all of his classmates, did his chores, and listened to his elders. Never getting into trouble or staying out late.
Enter hurricane Watanuki.
Now he found himself breaking rules left and right, staying out way past curfew, getting into fights (granted they were with spirits or people who were possessed by said spirits, but still, fighting was fighting), and involving himself in numerous practices that were overall just dubious and suspicious in nature.
And he wouldn’t go back to his old life for anything in the world.
The trail ended and he was once again in the main area of the park. With nothing left to keep him there, Doumeki made his way towards the nearest exit.
Well, actually, there was one thing that would push him back to a life without Watanuki in it. Doumeki paused in his walk and stared for a moment at the bench in front of him.
It had been a real and plausible thing. And though it hadn’t been much of a choice to begin with, either let Watanuki die and live the rest of his life without him or keep the boy alive and be forced from his life by the inevitable hatred he would receive, he knew that no matter what happened, things would change between them.
It honestly hadn’t occurred to him that the changes might be for the better.
He had been certain, as he carried the unconscious body of his friend to the empty lot where Watanuki disappeared every afternoon, that it would be the last time he ever came to that place again. That he would never again be able to stand next to the smaller teen and listen to him complain about this, that, or the other thing. Never be called any multitude of insults that would be thought up on the spot. Never receive a grudging thank you in the form of a carefully made bento. Never look into clear blue eyes again and see something beside betrayal, mistrust, and hurt.
He didn’t want to see that, but he knew that he would have deserved it. He knew all this, but still, when he passed Watanuki in the hall that important day, carefully keeping his eyes straight in front of him, not daring to look in the other boy’s and especially his eyes, he couldn’t keep the tiniest of hope from glowing in his heart that maybe, just maybe, he could be forgiven one day. So when that one word, ‘wait’, was spoken softly, he heard it. Halfway down a crowd filled hallway with nose buzzing all around him, he heard that one quietly uttered word. Because in is heart, he had wanted to hear it, longed to hear it. Needed to hear it.
Doumeki shook his head to clear away his musings and turned away from the bench. The time for reminiscing was over. Obviously the boy was not here. He started off to the exit once more, not looking back.
He had to find Watanuki.
~*~
It occurred to him, with some amusement, that the few times he had stopped by Watanuki’s apartment he had never actually come to the front door. How ironic that the first time he came to visit properly, it wasn’t actually Watanuki he was coming to see.
He shook his umbrella out and left it by the entry into the buiding, trusting that no one would steal it before he came back.
The inside of the building was quiet, the stairs and hallways devoid of people, though he could occasionally hear noises from behind closed doors. It was dark by now, the sun having set as he walked to the building, not that it was much of a change since he hadn’t seen the sun all day anyway. But it was decidedly darker and he was glad for the small lights burning brightly at intervals along the walls.
The door was open.
He saw it as soon as he came to the last few step leading to the landing of Watanuki’s floor. He couldn’t know for sure it was the other boy’s door until he saw the number, but a tightening in his stomach told him it was Watanuki’s.
It was only open about and inch or so, not much really, but the fact that it even was open gave him a bad feeling. He found himself jogging the last few feet.
He heard him before he even had his hand on the door to open it wider. It made him take special care to be as quiet as possible. Doumeki wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want to announce his presence until he was inside the room, with the door closed behind him. Perhaps he didn’t want the neighbors to hear. Or maybe he just didn’t feel like hunting down the other boy anymore, should he feel the need to run away again.
Doumeki blinked in surprise when he entered the apartment and almost opened the door again to make sure he really did have the right number. After a closer inspection, he recognized all the furnishings as Watanuki’s.
He did not, however, recognize the utter chaos and disarray that had found its way into the small apartment. This part, he knew did not belong to Watanuki.
All around the room various items were strewn. Articles of clothing, books, several videos, a couple of photos, a brush. Every kind of storage unit in the room had it’s doors opened wide and it’s contents lying abandoned within a foot or two of it. The desk to his left, usually very organized, was now a jumbled mess of papers, pens, and pencils tossed carelessly on the top, the drawers hanging half out, completely empty. Watanuki’s futon lay against the far wall, partially unrolled and looking as if it had been thrown.
Careful not to step on anything, Doumeki turned and started off toward the sounds coming from the kitchen. He stopped briefly to pick up the photos and set them carefully back in a desk drawer so they wouldn’t accidentally get trampled on later. The rest could wait though.
The kitchen had fared little better than the rest of the apartment, but he noted with some relief that at least nothing was broken. Just... incredibly untidy.
And there to his right, looking incredibly untidy himself, was Watanuki. The new one.
The smaller boy was sitting on the floor against the wall between the doorway and the refrigerator, knees tucked up to his chest with thin arms wrapped around them. His head was down, but from the shaking of his shoulders and the gasping hiccups, Doumeki knew he was crying. Probably had been for a while by the sound of it.
He stood, feeling awkward and out of place in the middle of the kitchen. Watanuki gave no indication that he knew there was an uncomfortable archer standing in front of him, and Doumeki wasn’t sure how to get his attention without mortifying the boy.
He had come in with the intention of offering some sort of explanation, or at least a bit of comfort, but seeing the state Watanuki was in made him pause and reconsider his method with which to proceed. He knew he shouldn’t really leave the other teen in such a condition, but... he was at a loss at what to do.
Doumeki hesitated for a bit longer, hoping divine inspiration would strike and gift him with a glorious introduction that would simulations make the smaller teen stop crying and not embarrass him for being seen in such a weakened moment.
Nothing of particular brilliance came to mind.
Being much better at working with his hands rather than with his words, the taller boy moved back to the main room and began cleaning instead. Eventually, Watanuki would notice his presence and would be able to suitably pull himself together before confronting him. Better to let him come around on his own, than to be surprised by an intrusion.
He was only half way done with the reorganizing of Watanuki’s belongings when he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He stopped his shuffling of the paper’s on the desk and turned to face his observer.
His eyes briefly locked with those of the other boy before the blue gaze quickly dropped to the ground. The skinny boy was leaning against the frame of the kitchen doorway with his left shoulder pressed against the wood. The arm against the frame hung limply at his side, while the right crossed protectively across his stomach to tightly grip the elbow of his other.
The skin around Watanuki’s eyes was red and puffy behind his glasses and though his cheeks were dry, they too were red, as if having been recently scrubbed. His face gave nothing away as to what he was thinking.
Doumeki waited patiently for the other boy to say something.
It took almost a full minute until a hoarse voice spoke up. It was oddly unemotional for someone who had just spent the last hour or more crying in a little ball on the kitchen floor.
“You didn’t forget anything, don’t worry.”
Forget anything?
“Ah no, I-”
“Trust me, you got everything, okay?” A trace of bitterness crept into the statement and Doumeki saw him hunch a little more into himself, as if trying to keep something from escaping. “There’s not one thing left here to keep you from leaving. Right?”
Watanuki looked up at him again and his eyes pierced straight though Doumeki’s heart with their emptiness. Not even anger flashed in their blue depths.
Aw crap, this was bad.
Doumeki took a step towards the other boy and tried to hurry an explanation before he got the wrong idea again.
“Look, I’m not really who you think.”
For a second Watanuki’s mouth tightened and he glanced away for a second before looking back at him once more. “That much I already figured out.”
The archer blew out a breath and tried again. “No, you don’t really understand though. This,” he waved his hand around at the room they were standing in, “isn’t where you belong. It belongs to someone else.”
Watanuki had his head down, looking at the floor, a small frown curving his mouth. A minute stretched out between them in silence and Doumeki wondered if he hadn’t really gotten through to the other boy. He was about to try again, when a quiet voice spoke first.
“There’s someone else?”
Oh good, he understood after all. This might be easier than he thought.
With a nod he answered, “That’s right. I’m not sure how it happened, but there’s another boy, he looks exactly like you. Somehow you took his place here.”
He saw the smaller boy flinch slightly.
“I... replaced him?”
“Yes, exactly. I don’t know why you are here really. It would probably be best to get things sorted out as soon as possible and get you back to your home.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Watanuki jerked his head up and looked at him with such horror that Doumeki immediately went on guard for spirits.
“What? Is there something-”
“You can’t!” He was furiously shaking his head back and forth with a wild, desperate look on his face. He began backing into the kitchen, both of his arms now wrapped tightly around his chest.
“But-”
“I wont go back! I won’t! Leave or kick me out, whichever, but you can’t make me go back to those people! You promised... You... “ he trailed off in a strangled voice and continued to retreat into the kitchen until his back smacked against the sink.
By now, Doumeki was more than a little confused. The boy didn’t want to go home? He seemed terrified at the prospect even. Why? And what promise? Had he promised something to him? He thought for a moment as he watched Watanuki attempting to control his harsh breathing. He had barely spoken to the guy since he first woke up, so there wasn’t any way he could have made a promise. Unless... Watanuki still though he was someone else.
And here he thought they had actually gotten somewhere.
How silly of him.
Doumeki couldn’t keep the groan of frustration from escaping as he dragged a hand down his face. This was becoming incredibly troublesome. But then, shouldn’t he be used to this type of thing when Watanuki was involved?
Okay. One more time. And if he didn’t get through to him his time, he was going to say screw it and go home to take a nice hot bath.
Probably.
Doumeki pointed to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “Sit down for a minute.”
“Why the hell should I?” Ah. There was that feisty Watanuki attitude. Much preferable to the other, more unhappy one.
“Well mostly because I’m tired and want to sit down too.” To get his point across he flopped into the nearest chair with a sigh and gave Watanuki a look to say ‘are you just going to stand there?’.
Watanuki pursed his lips in a decidedly pouty expression and finally sat down after a moment. He purposely looked anywhere but at the taller boy’s face and still had his arms crossed over his chest, as if in protest to the whole sitting down thing.
Clearing his throat, Doumeki tried one last time to explain their situation. Hopefully this time without too many misunderstandings. He didn’t think he could take another tear filled look from the smaller boy. His Watanuki or not, he couldn’t bear to see that face when it was looking so scared and betrayed.
Start with the basics.
“Okay, first, my name is Doumeki Shizuka.”
That earned him a strange look.
“Alright, now what is your name.”
An even stranger look.
Hey, he had to start somewhere. Doumeki figured if he started out introducing himself as a new person might, the other boy might get the hint that they didn’t know each other.
Or something like that.
“What are you playing at, Shizuka?” The frown was back and annoyance now laced his words.
Doumeki just looked the boy straight in the face and repeated his name again. “I’m Doumeki Shizuka. I don’t believe we have met before. What is your name?” There, very polite if he might say so.
Watanuki blinked and stared at him for a moment, maybe trying to decide if this was all some kind of joke being played on him. Finally he answered in an unsure stutter. “I-I’m, um, Watanuki K-Kimihiro.” His eyes shifted from Doumeki’s eyes to around the room and back again.
“It’s nice to meet you Watanuki-san. I would introduce you to my friend whose apartment we are in, but he isn’t here right now.” He waited for the other boy to respond, letting his words sink in.
The gaze flickered back and forth across the room again, slower this time, taking in all of the items around the kitchen.
“It’s... nice to meet you too. Doumeki-san.” The words were quite, but his eyes remained locked with the archers as he said them, looking for any type of indication he was being tricked most likely.
Doumeki made sure his gaze remained steady and calm, reassuring the boy as best he could with his composure.
He could see things beginning to fall into place for the other teen. Watanuki kept moving his eyes over the room, setting finally on the doorway. Abruptly he stood and slowly walked out into the main room. When he followed a minute later, Doumeki found him kneeling, picking up several book off the floor and putting them back on their respective shelves. He then gathered the clothing still on the floor and began to fold them carefully. Doumeki moved back to the desk he had vacated earlier and resumed organizing it once more. Neither of them spoke as they fixed the room. When it was as tidy as it was getting they both moved to back to the kitchen and straightened up the mess in there also.
With the apartment finally back to it’s original state (more or less), Doumeki stood back in the kitchen doorway and watched the person in front of him.
Watanuki gave one last cursory inspection of the kitchen before settling his gaze on a framed picture sitting atop a glass shelf near the table.
“Oh!” The shorter boy stepped nearer and tilted his head up to get a better view. “Those are...”
“That’s my friend and his parents. I think he was about 5.” Doumeki stared up at the picture also, smiling slightly at the happy little boy in the picture.
Watanuki stared at the picture a minute more before turning back to the archer. “His parents, are they...”
“They died a long time ago.”
A curiously disappointed look passed across the other boy’s eyes. “Oh, I see.”
“Your friend. What’s his name?” He asked it politely enough, but his expression said he already knew.
“It’s Watanuki. Watanuki Kimihiro.”
Watanuki sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. A second later a short laugh tumbled from the bespectacled teen.
“I guess I owe you an apology, Doumeki-san. I’m sorry to have intruded upon you. Ha. You must think I’m crazy, huh?” Watanuki gave an embarrassed giggle and scratched his head self-consciously.
“Not crazy, no. I’m... sort of used to these kinds of things.” A smirk tugged at his lips, thinking of what an understatement that was.
“Used to this?” Watanuki raised his eyebrows in shock. “Who could get used to something like this?”
Doumeki tilted his head back in thought. “Well, it is different from the usual ghosts, spirits and monsters, but still in the weird category.” He shrugged, ending his statement with a nonchalant air.
The other boy’s eyes grew wide behind his glasses. “Ghosts? Spirits? M-monsters?! What the hell are you talking about?”
Huh?
“You... don’t see the spirits of the dead, Watanuki-san?” His eyes narrowed as he considered the teen in front of him.
Looking positively freaked out at the notion, Watanuki shook his head emphatically. “No way! Are you kidding?! That’s... so creepy.” His eyes widened again suddenly and he clamped a hand over his mouth . “Oh, excuse me. I mean, er, do you, uh...”
“No, not me.”
A short pause while the shorter boy processed the information. Eyes lightened with realization. “Oh, so then he...” Watanuki looked out of the kitchen and through the doorway into the main room. He walked past Doumeki and across the room, reaching a hand up to touch the small paper ofuda attached to the frame above the balcony door.
“I saw this earlier, but...”
He turned around and looked to the front door, seeing another attached there as well.
“Ah...”
“There is one in the kitchen as well.”
“Why so many, wouldn’t one be enough to keep them away?” He was back to inspecting the ofuda above the balcony door again.
Doumeki looked up at the paper also. It was almost time to replace them again. He would have Watanuki come over on New Year again to properly receive them. Maybe this time he would let him put them up for him.
“Well, one would be enough for anyone else, but... Watanuki is special, so he needs a little more protection.”
“Special?”
“Hn, the spirits are very attached to him.” Almost literally, he thought, remembering the pipe fox’s love of wrapping itself around the skinny teen.
“Really. That sounds... Scary.” A small shudder shook the boy and he turned away from the balcony and looked at Doumeki once more.
“Yeah.”
There was a moment where it looked as though Watanuki wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself. He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. “Er, Doumeki-san.”
“Hn?”
“Ah, I don’t know how to ask really, but, um.” He shifted his weight and looked at the floor.
“I, don’t really know where I am and, um.” Shift.
“You’ve been so patient with me, and I’m very grateful! But, I...” Shift, shift.
It was somewhat amusing to see Watanuki all nervous and awkward like this, but Doumeki firmly reminded himself that this was not his Watanuki and he really shouldn’t be enjoying the other boy’s discomfort.
One more minute and he’d take pity on him. Two at most.
“That is, I know this isn’t really something I should ask, since we aren’t very well acquainted at all...”
Squirm, shift.
“I... don’t really have anyone around here I know though. And, I wondered...”
Okay, okay. He’d suffered enough.
“You can stay here.”
Relief flooded the boys face when he looked up again. “Really? Your friend don’t mind?”
“Somehow, I think he might understand.” Maybe. This was Watanuki after all, so he might just get yelled at for offering up his apartment so freely, but...
Oh well.
“Ah, thank you very much.” And the boy actually bowed to him!
So this was what a courteous Watanuki looked like. It was...
Odd.
“Then, if you’re okay here-”
“Ah! Are you leaving already?” Wide blue eyes looked at him with a hint of panic.
Doumeki paused. He had planned on going home as soon as the other boy was caught up and settled in, but it seemed like there was something else bothering him.
“Will you be alright by yourself?”
“Oh.” His eyes shifted to the right. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Of course.” He looked back and smiled. “I promise not to mess the place up again.”
There was something about the way he glanced away when he spoke that made Doumeki think of a little kid who couldn’t look their parents in the eye when they lied.
He made a quick decision and walked over to Watanuki’s dresser, pulling open the drawer and grabbling some clothing and his spare uniform. Then he searched around until he spotted Watanuki’s umbrella.
“What are-”
Doumeki stood abruptly and faced the shorter boy, shoving the umbrella in his arms.
“Come on.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll stay at my house.”
“Ah! Wha-”
“I’m leaving now, you coming?” He headed towards the door and opened it without looking back.
“W-wait a minute.”
He was out the door and halfway down the stairs before he heard the jingle of keys and the turning of a lock.
“Hey, wait for me!”
He waited.
When the footsteps caught up to him, he resumed his pace. Together they walked out of the building and out into the chilly night air and slow drizzle.
Oh good, his umbrella was still there.
“Are you sure this is okay, Doumeki-san.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But your parents...”
“They won’t mind either.”
“Oh.” He did a little bit of fidgeting as they walked.
“I’m not really sure how long, um-”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll pay for my room when I get another job.”
Doumeki gave him a look before returning his gaze to the sidewalk in front of him. “You don’t have to pay. I live in a temple. We’re used to having people stay with us.”
“Oh, you too.”
“Hmm?”
Watanuki laughed a little. “Oh, I just know someone else who lives in a temple, well used to live in a temple anyway.”
“The one who looks like me?” He turned his head slightly to look at the other teen.
“Yeah.” He gave a small smile, that Doumeki knew was directed at someone else.
“You can help out with the chores as payment.”
“Ah, okay.” A real smile this time. “Say, I can cook pretty well. I could cook for you and your family if you like. I’m used to making food for crowds.”
Doumeki considered the boy beside him for a minute before answering. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he wouldn’t be any good, but...
“No, that’s alright. Just sweeping and keeping the grounds should be enough.”
Watanuki nodded. “Well, if you change your mind.”
“Hn.”
The rest of the way to the temple was walked in silence, though it was comfortable enough, even with the odd circumstances.
When Doumeki entered his house he first sought out his parent and explained to him how his friend needed a place to stay since he had been kicked out of his apartment temporarily due to maitenance. As he knew they would, they agreed to let him stay in the guest bedroom.
They ate dinner a little while later, his parents adoring Watanuki’s politeness and manners. So much so, Doumeki wondered why he had never thought to invite his Watanuki over for dinner before.
Oh yeah. Because he was always the one to make dinner. Hmm, maybe he would invite him over once he came back. It was worth mentioning anyway. The worst that could happen would be a refusal and perhaps a few loud remarks.
He got Watanuki comfortably set up in the guestroom and gave him a spare toothbrush. He told the smaller boy he was free to wander as he pleased but to stay inside since it was easy to get lost outside. He got a small grin at his last warning, but otherwise the boy agreed to his condition.
Doumeki went to his own room to try and catch up with his schoolwork, wondering if he had missed anything important that day. After a while he looked at the clock and figured it was time for bed. He left his room to go see if Watanuki was going to be joining him at school the next day and was surprised to run into him as soon as he turned the corner.
“Ah, Doumeki-san! Excuse me.” The shorter boy gave an embarrassed smile. “I was just coming to ask you for an alarm clock.”
“You’ll be going to school then?”
A crease formed between blue eyes for a moment. “Do you think that’s okay? I looked through your friend’s schoolbag and we seem to have the same classes, so I thought...”
“That should be fine. He won’t get marked absent this way either. I’ll get you a clock.” Doumeki turned back to his room and rooted around in his desk until he found his old alarm clock in the back of one drawer.
He handed the clock to Watanuki, but the boy didn’t turn to go back to his room immediately. He shifted on his feet and Doumeki figured he had something to ask again.
“What else?”
“Huh?” The boy looked up from the floor in surprise, then grinned sheepishly. “Oh, well... It’s just that this is really odd isn’t it? I can’t help but hope that I’ll wake up tomorrow and be home in my own bed.”
Doumeki had a feeling it wasn’t going to be so easy, but kept quiet. “Maybe,” he said instead.
“Yeah... maybe.” And the smile turned a little wistful. Maybe he had that feeling too.
“Well then, good night Doumeki-san. And thank you again for letting me stay in your home.”
“Yes, good night. Watanuki-san.”
With a final wave the smaller teen left, closing the door softly behind him.
As Doumeki settled down to sleep, he couldn’t help but wonder if his own Watanuki was safe and well off wherever he was. It was with thoughts of his fiery, blue-eyed loudmouth that he fell asleep.
~*~
Thus ends chapter 4. Thanks for reading!
Author: Serenetwinkle
Chapter: 4 of (quick, stall!)
Rating: PG- cause I like it that way
Word count: 7,041 (you guys like em long anyway XD)
Pairing: Doumeki/Watanuki
Status: Incomplete
Summary: A switching of the strangest kind gives Watanuki and Doumeki a glimpse of something more.
Disclaimer- CLAMP owns all characters portrayed within. See how fancy I sound? ^_^
AN- Sorry it took so long. :-)
Ofuda - talisman
While he may not have been the culinary genius Watanuki was, Doumeki could at least say he knew how to make tea correctly.
Why was it then, he wondered, staring accusingly down at his third pot of ruined tea, that he couldn’t seem to get it right to save his life?
The first mishap was an honest mistake. He had simply let the leaves steep too long, resulting in a murky brownish substance (normally not a problematic color, except that he was working with green tea), something he was sure any sane person would have turned their nose up at.
The second attempt would have been fine except for the fact he had somehow managed to add about three times the normal amount of leaves and upon tasting it before serving (thank God he had decided to taste it beforehand), he very nearly choked on the bitterness of the liquid.
It was with a sigh of mild annoyance, and a heightened sense of caution he normally did not apply to the kitchen, that he made the third pot.
As with the second pot, the end result looked correct and, with only a small amount of hesitation, after tasting it he decided it would be passably drinkable. He had even managed to set up the tray without any problems.
Until he knocked the pot over.
If Doumeki had been a swearing man, he probably would have let a few colorful expletives fly at this point.
But he was generally a calm person (one had to be when dealing with temperamental creatures such as Watanuki), and with one last glare at the spilled tea and an air of defeat he went to get a towel. After all, who was he to fight the inevitable? At least when it concerned hot beverages.
Well, orange juice was good for you anyway.
A quick glance at the clock revealed he had been klutzing around the kitchen for the better part of an hour.
Hmm, that would explain that first pot.
He hoped that this Watanuki was more patient than his own. Though considering he hadn’t already burst into the kitchen demanding to know what the hell was taking so long, where was the tea anyway, and never mind, just go sit over there and be quiet and try not to mess anything else up...
Well anyway, it meant that this new Watanuki had at least a bit more tolerance when waiting for him.
Doumeki padded slowly down the hall to the guest room where the other boy awaited his return, two cans of orange juice clutched in his hands. Stopping outside the door, the archer took a deep, steadying breath, exhaling gradually until he felt confident he wouldn’t start stuttering the second he saw a pair of sapphire eyes staring up at him.
He began to speak before he even had the door open more than three inches.
“The tea didn’t work. I brought juice inste...” Doumeki trailed off as he realized he was speaking to an empty room.
Guess this one lacked patience too.
He stared blankly around the room for a moment, head shifting from side to side as if he might find a stray Watanuki lying around if he searched long enough. But no, the only sign of the other boy was a neatly folded blanket on top of the futon with his old kimono robe in an equally tidy pile on top of that.
How... thoughtful. And very Watanuki-like.
Doumeki leaned against the door jam for a minute, going over the facts in his head for probably he twentieth time in the last hour.
Fact one: Watanuki was not here.
Fact two: Someone who looked and sounded like Watanuki was here.
Fact three: Watanuki look-a-like obviously knew him in some way.
Fact three and a half: Watanuki look-a-like seemed to think he knew him very well.
Fact four: Watanuki look-a-like was... very affectionate.
Fact five: He was apparently very neat also.
Conclusion: He had still had no idea what the hell was going on.
Method with which to proceed: Find Watanuki look-a-like and, without physical contact of any kind, try to figure out where he came from.
Step one: Stop standing in the doorway like an idiot, staring at an empty room, making stupid lists in your head, and go after the boy.
With a quick shake of his head, Doumeki pushed away from the frame and went to put the juice back. On the off chance that the other boy had merely gotten lost trying to find him, Doumeki did a brief tour through his home, poking his head into several rooms and hallways before satisfying himself that Watanuki was no longer in the building.
He spied him mother in one room pouring over some papers, a calculator in front of her, a pencil in one hand, and a frown on her face. He knew she was most likely going over their finances for the month and so only dropped a quick kiss on top of her head with a soft, “I’ll be out for a while,” before leaving her once more to the budget.
Without looking up from the desk, she raised a hand in farewell and distractedly told him not to forget to take an umbrella.
“I won’t.” He quietly shut the door behind him and went off to follow her advice.
It was not until he slid the outside door shut behind him, opened his umbrella, and took his first step down the stairs leading to the walkway that he realized he didn’t even know where he was going.
He paused for a second, his foot halfway down the next step, and ran over his options. The way he figured, there were only three places Watanuki would be likely to go. And since this person seemed to be eerily similar to Watanuki, it may have been safe to say that he would go to the same places.
Theoretically.
Yuuko’s shop was the most obvious choice, but since he had no way of getting to the other boy if he did happen to be inside, and he didn’t particularly feel like waiting outside in the rain until the stranger decided to come out, Doumeki thought he might just check his other options first.
Being thorough never hurt, and hey, it was better than sitting at home trying to wrap his brain around what had happened in that room.
So.
His first stop was the park. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was that drew the bespectacled teen there, but he was nonetheless. Doumeki had a theory that maybe the smaller boy had often gone to the park with his parents when he was younger. He had never actually asked, but sometimes when he was on his was home from a late practice he would see Watanuki sitting on a bench looking up at the sky, or on the swings, occasionally pushing off with his feet as he stared at the ground. Once he had even spied him on the very top of the jungle gym, perched precariously across two bars with his long legs drawn up so his knees were touching his chin. He had been staring off into the distance, and when Doumeki followed his gaze he saw a family playing together with a little boy of about five years.
Doumeki clearly remembered that day. It was the first time he had ever felt the urge to hug another guy.
Since it had been raining all day, it was no surprise when he found the park completely deserted. There was no sign of Watanuki, but the park was large and had several jogging trails that lead off in to the woods. Doumeki chose one at random and began to wander down the narrow dirt path, letting his thoughts drift along the same pace as his feet.
He often times found himself wondering, mostly as of late, what it was about the other young man that fascinated him so much.
At first, before he had ever gotten to know him, Watanuki had just been a quiet, studious boy he occasionally saw around school. The only class they had shared was gym, and even though they were sometimes on the same team, they had never really talked to each other.
Then the day of The Fight came.
Doumeki now separated his life into two distinct parts. There was his life before The Fight, and there was life after The Fight. Because that one little fight had brought something into his life that he hadn’t known was lacking. Or rather, someone.
That particular day had started out just like every other one and had ended just like every other one, with only one small incident between beginning and ending to distinguish it as different from the rest.
It had been soccer that day. It had also been very hot that day. School had only just started a few weeks prior, placing the day at about end of April . Doumeki supposed that he probably should have known the exact date, should have it circled on his calendar in fact, but he had never really felt the need to pinpoint the exact day.
A hot day at the end of April was close enough for him, and he pretty sure no one else gave a damn.
The first jogging path turned back on itself and popped Doumeki back out to the main part of the park. There were two trails left; he chose the one on the right.
Of all things, it was a compliment that set the whole thing into motion. From Watanuki no less. It was the first and last genuine praise he received from the bespectacled boy. Doumeki briefly spared a thought wondering if he had known then that he would never be granted such a courtesy again, if he would have acted the same.
The answer, of course, was yes.
He got too many compliments already, but the snark...
That he would never get enough of.
Now what exactly was it he said? Oh yeah...
“That was a great save Doumeki-san! I’m glad you’re on my team.”
The smaller teen had then flashed him the sweetest smile he had ever seen on a boy. With his cheeks pink from running, blue eyes wide, and his hair sweaty and ruffled, Doumeki was sure he was looking at some sort of earthbound angel.
Since when had he thought of a guy looking angelic?
The thought had confused him and he had turned away abruptly, giving the other boy his back.
“Hey!”
Against his better judgment, he had turned back around. The smile was gone, replaced by a disapproving frown.
He said nothing, but that only seemed to irritate Watanuki even more. One skinny arm propped itself against an equally skinny hip.
‘It’s polite to say thank you when someone gives you a compliment, you know.”
He knew.
“So?” Narrowed blue eyes looked at him expectantly.
To this day he wasn’t really sure what possessed him to say what he said next.
“So what?” And then he did what Watanuki apparently considered a grand faux pas.
He smiled.
And he knew, even without the pissed off look on the shorter boy’s face, that it was condescending.
“You- you-” for the moment, words seem to have escaped the other boy. Doumeki could see him almost physically restraining himself from trying to blurt out something he might have regretted saying. Watanuki was, after all, a rather polite boy.
But for some reason, he had the most curious urge to know what his teammate was really thinking at that moment.
Watanuki finally spun around in a huff, sitting back down on the bench by the sideline. His expression was still somewhat put out as he picked up a bottle of water from beneath the seat.
The last bottle of water, Doumeki noted.
Unexpectedly Watanuki turned back to him and addressed him in rather cold tone.
“You know, you’re not anything like people say.” His eyes narrowed again and he stood abruptly, jabbing the water bottle in his direction for emphasis. “You’re not cool at all! In fact, you-”
The smaller boy broke off in mid-exclamation, mouth gaping, as Doumeki snatched the bottle of water out of his hand and proceeded to down it in four gulps.
The silence was palpable. Watanuki stood for a moment, mouth hanging open slightly and eyes wide, as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.
Just to remind him, Doumeki deliberately screwed the top back on and handed back the now empty bottle.
It didn’t take long.
“Wha- what the hell was that? That was my water, you jerk!”
“Those who have to work twice as hard to make up for their lacking teammates should get first dibs.” He made sure to give a pointed look at the ‘lacking teammates’ part.
“Why, you...” The water bottle crunched loudly in Watanuki’s fist and Doumeki was pretty sure there was now a twitch in the boy’s left eye.
Something about the shorter boy’s genuine irritation intrigued him in a way he was pretty sure wasn’t entirely healthy.
But it was kind of fun.
The thought caused another tugging at his lips (unintentional this time) and the next thing he knew, a cursing Watanuki was shaking him by the front of the shirt shouting at him to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. After several more name callings, including one with reference to his dubious parentage, a teacher finally noticed the disturbance and decided to break them apart. Not wanting to cause an incident, Doumeki explained he wasn’t being viscously attacked, really, the fool was just messing around. The matter was dropped with a short warning to not play so rough.
Said fool didn’t even thank him for keeping him out of trouble, just stomped away in a huff as soon as the teacher left.
But it still brought a smile to his face whenever he recalled the livid expression and fiery blue eyes directing rays of intense dislike at him.
Yeah. That definitely wasn’t healthy.
Only one more trail left to take. He didn’t hold out much hope that he would find the boy down it, but his own persistent nature wouldn’t allow him to leave the area unsearched. Thunder rumbled ominously in the sky as he started down the final path.
He had decided long ago that it was Watanuki’s honesty he was drawn to. His bluntness and complete inability to keep his feelings to himself. There was something so ... refreshing about the way Watanuki always spoke his mind. Even when it included him being cursed six ways to Sunday.
Actually that was kind of refreshing too.
Before he met the other boy, he couldn’t recall ever being yelled at like that. Not even by his parents. Guess he had always been a bit a goody two-shoes. He did well in school and got along with all of his classmates, did his chores, and listened to his elders. Never getting into trouble or staying out late.
Enter hurricane Watanuki.
Now he found himself breaking rules left and right, staying out way past curfew, getting into fights (granted they were with spirits or people who were possessed by said spirits, but still, fighting was fighting), and involving himself in numerous practices that were overall just dubious and suspicious in nature.
And he wouldn’t go back to his old life for anything in the world.
The trail ended and he was once again in the main area of the park. With nothing left to keep him there, Doumeki made his way towards the nearest exit.
Well, actually, there was one thing that would push him back to a life without Watanuki in it. Doumeki paused in his walk and stared for a moment at the bench in front of him.
It had been a real and plausible thing. And though it hadn’t been much of a choice to begin with, either let Watanuki die and live the rest of his life without him or keep the boy alive and be forced from his life by the inevitable hatred he would receive, he knew that no matter what happened, things would change between them.
It honestly hadn’t occurred to him that the changes might be for the better.
He had been certain, as he carried the unconscious body of his friend to the empty lot where Watanuki disappeared every afternoon, that it would be the last time he ever came to that place again. That he would never again be able to stand next to the smaller teen and listen to him complain about this, that, or the other thing. Never be called any multitude of insults that would be thought up on the spot. Never receive a grudging thank you in the form of a carefully made bento. Never look into clear blue eyes again and see something beside betrayal, mistrust, and hurt.
He didn’t want to see that, but he knew that he would have deserved it. He knew all this, but still, when he passed Watanuki in the hall that important day, carefully keeping his eyes straight in front of him, not daring to look in the other boy’s and especially his eyes, he couldn’t keep the tiniest of hope from glowing in his heart that maybe, just maybe, he could be forgiven one day. So when that one word, ‘wait’, was spoken softly, he heard it. Halfway down a crowd filled hallway with nose buzzing all around him, he heard that one quietly uttered word. Because in is heart, he had wanted to hear it, longed to hear it. Needed to hear it.
Doumeki shook his head to clear away his musings and turned away from the bench. The time for reminiscing was over. Obviously the boy was not here. He started off to the exit once more, not looking back.
He had to find Watanuki.
~*~
It occurred to him, with some amusement, that the few times he had stopped by Watanuki’s apartment he had never actually come to the front door. How ironic that the first time he came to visit properly, it wasn’t actually Watanuki he was coming to see.
He shook his umbrella out and left it by the entry into the buiding, trusting that no one would steal it before he came back.
The inside of the building was quiet, the stairs and hallways devoid of people, though he could occasionally hear noises from behind closed doors. It was dark by now, the sun having set as he walked to the building, not that it was much of a change since he hadn’t seen the sun all day anyway. But it was decidedly darker and he was glad for the small lights burning brightly at intervals along the walls.
The door was open.
He saw it as soon as he came to the last few step leading to the landing of Watanuki’s floor. He couldn’t know for sure it was the other boy’s door until he saw the number, but a tightening in his stomach told him it was Watanuki’s.
It was only open about and inch or so, not much really, but the fact that it even was open gave him a bad feeling. He found himself jogging the last few feet.
He heard him before he even had his hand on the door to open it wider. It made him take special care to be as quiet as possible. Doumeki wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want to announce his presence until he was inside the room, with the door closed behind him. Perhaps he didn’t want the neighbors to hear. Or maybe he just didn’t feel like hunting down the other boy anymore, should he feel the need to run away again.
Doumeki blinked in surprise when he entered the apartment and almost opened the door again to make sure he really did have the right number. After a closer inspection, he recognized all the furnishings as Watanuki’s.
He did not, however, recognize the utter chaos and disarray that had found its way into the small apartment. This part, he knew did not belong to Watanuki.
All around the room various items were strewn. Articles of clothing, books, several videos, a couple of photos, a brush. Every kind of storage unit in the room had it’s doors opened wide and it’s contents lying abandoned within a foot or two of it. The desk to his left, usually very organized, was now a jumbled mess of papers, pens, and pencils tossed carelessly on the top, the drawers hanging half out, completely empty. Watanuki’s futon lay against the far wall, partially unrolled and looking as if it had been thrown.
Careful not to step on anything, Doumeki turned and started off toward the sounds coming from the kitchen. He stopped briefly to pick up the photos and set them carefully back in a desk drawer so they wouldn’t accidentally get trampled on later. The rest could wait though.
The kitchen had fared little better than the rest of the apartment, but he noted with some relief that at least nothing was broken. Just... incredibly untidy.
And there to his right, looking incredibly untidy himself, was Watanuki. The new one.
The smaller boy was sitting on the floor against the wall between the doorway and the refrigerator, knees tucked up to his chest with thin arms wrapped around them. His head was down, but from the shaking of his shoulders and the gasping hiccups, Doumeki knew he was crying. Probably had been for a while by the sound of it.
He stood, feeling awkward and out of place in the middle of the kitchen. Watanuki gave no indication that he knew there was an uncomfortable archer standing in front of him, and Doumeki wasn’t sure how to get his attention without mortifying the boy.
He had come in with the intention of offering some sort of explanation, or at least a bit of comfort, but seeing the state Watanuki was in made him pause and reconsider his method with which to proceed. He knew he shouldn’t really leave the other teen in such a condition, but... he was at a loss at what to do.
Doumeki hesitated for a bit longer, hoping divine inspiration would strike and gift him with a glorious introduction that would simulations make the smaller teen stop crying and not embarrass him for being seen in such a weakened moment.
Nothing of particular brilliance came to mind.
Being much better at working with his hands rather than with his words, the taller boy moved back to the main room and began cleaning instead. Eventually, Watanuki would notice his presence and would be able to suitably pull himself together before confronting him. Better to let him come around on his own, than to be surprised by an intrusion.
He was only half way done with the reorganizing of Watanuki’s belongings when he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He stopped his shuffling of the paper’s on the desk and turned to face his observer.
His eyes briefly locked with those of the other boy before the blue gaze quickly dropped to the ground. The skinny boy was leaning against the frame of the kitchen doorway with his left shoulder pressed against the wood. The arm against the frame hung limply at his side, while the right crossed protectively across his stomach to tightly grip the elbow of his other.
The skin around Watanuki’s eyes was red and puffy behind his glasses and though his cheeks were dry, they too were red, as if having been recently scrubbed. His face gave nothing away as to what he was thinking.
Doumeki waited patiently for the other boy to say something.
It took almost a full minute until a hoarse voice spoke up. It was oddly unemotional for someone who had just spent the last hour or more crying in a little ball on the kitchen floor.
“You didn’t forget anything, don’t worry.”
Forget anything?
“Ah no, I-”
“Trust me, you got everything, okay?” A trace of bitterness crept into the statement and Doumeki saw him hunch a little more into himself, as if trying to keep something from escaping. “There’s not one thing left here to keep you from leaving. Right?”
Watanuki looked up at him again and his eyes pierced straight though Doumeki’s heart with their emptiness. Not even anger flashed in their blue depths.
Aw crap, this was bad.
Doumeki took a step towards the other boy and tried to hurry an explanation before he got the wrong idea again.
“Look, I’m not really who you think.”
For a second Watanuki’s mouth tightened and he glanced away for a second before looking back at him once more. “That much I already figured out.”
The archer blew out a breath and tried again. “No, you don’t really understand though. This,” he waved his hand around at the room they were standing in, “isn’t where you belong. It belongs to someone else.”
Watanuki had his head down, looking at the floor, a small frown curving his mouth. A minute stretched out between them in silence and Doumeki wondered if he hadn’t really gotten through to the other boy. He was about to try again, when a quiet voice spoke first.
“There’s someone else?”
Oh good, he understood after all. This might be easier than he thought.
With a nod he answered, “That’s right. I’m not sure how it happened, but there’s another boy, he looks exactly like you. Somehow you took his place here.”
He saw the smaller boy flinch slightly.
“I... replaced him?”
“Yes, exactly. I don’t know why you are here really. It would probably be best to get things sorted out as soon as possible and get you back to your home.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Watanuki jerked his head up and looked at him with such horror that Doumeki immediately went on guard for spirits.
“What? Is there something-”
“You can’t!” He was furiously shaking his head back and forth with a wild, desperate look on his face. He began backing into the kitchen, both of his arms now wrapped tightly around his chest.
“But-”
“I wont go back! I won’t! Leave or kick me out, whichever, but you can’t make me go back to those people! You promised... You... “ he trailed off in a strangled voice and continued to retreat into the kitchen until his back smacked against the sink.
By now, Doumeki was more than a little confused. The boy didn’t want to go home? He seemed terrified at the prospect even. Why? And what promise? Had he promised something to him? He thought for a moment as he watched Watanuki attempting to control his harsh breathing. He had barely spoken to the guy since he first woke up, so there wasn’t any way he could have made a promise. Unless... Watanuki still though he was someone else.
And here he thought they had actually gotten somewhere.
How silly of him.
Doumeki couldn’t keep the groan of frustration from escaping as he dragged a hand down his face. This was becoming incredibly troublesome. But then, shouldn’t he be used to this type of thing when Watanuki was involved?
Okay. One more time. And if he didn’t get through to him his time, he was going to say screw it and go home to take a nice hot bath.
Probably.
Doumeki pointed to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “Sit down for a minute.”
“Why the hell should I?” Ah. There was that feisty Watanuki attitude. Much preferable to the other, more unhappy one.
“Well mostly because I’m tired and want to sit down too.” To get his point across he flopped into the nearest chair with a sigh and gave Watanuki a look to say ‘are you just going to stand there?’.
Watanuki pursed his lips in a decidedly pouty expression and finally sat down after a moment. He purposely looked anywhere but at the taller boy’s face and still had his arms crossed over his chest, as if in protest to the whole sitting down thing.
Clearing his throat, Doumeki tried one last time to explain their situation. Hopefully this time without too many misunderstandings. He didn’t think he could take another tear filled look from the smaller boy. His Watanuki or not, he couldn’t bear to see that face when it was looking so scared and betrayed.
Start with the basics.
“Okay, first, my name is Doumeki Shizuka.”
That earned him a strange look.
“Alright, now what is your name.”
An even stranger look.
Hey, he had to start somewhere. Doumeki figured if he started out introducing himself as a new person might, the other boy might get the hint that they didn’t know each other.
Or something like that.
“What are you playing at, Shizuka?” The frown was back and annoyance now laced his words.
Doumeki just looked the boy straight in the face and repeated his name again. “I’m Doumeki Shizuka. I don’t believe we have met before. What is your name?” There, very polite if he might say so.
Watanuki blinked and stared at him for a moment, maybe trying to decide if this was all some kind of joke being played on him. Finally he answered in an unsure stutter. “I-I’m, um, Watanuki K-Kimihiro.” His eyes shifted from Doumeki’s eyes to around the room and back again.
“It’s nice to meet you Watanuki-san. I would introduce you to my friend whose apartment we are in, but he isn’t here right now.” He waited for the other boy to respond, letting his words sink in.
The gaze flickered back and forth across the room again, slower this time, taking in all of the items around the kitchen.
“It’s... nice to meet you too. Doumeki-san.” The words were quite, but his eyes remained locked with the archers as he said them, looking for any type of indication he was being tricked most likely.
Doumeki made sure his gaze remained steady and calm, reassuring the boy as best he could with his composure.
He could see things beginning to fall into place for the other teen. Watanuki kept moving his eyes over the room, setting finally on the doorway. Abruptly he stood and slowly walked out into the main room. When he followed a minute later, Doumeki found him kneeling, picking up several book off the floor and putting them back on their respective shelves. He then gathered the clothing still on the floor and began to fold them carefully. Doumeki moved back to the desk he had vacated earlier and resumed organizing it once more. Neither of them spoke as they fixed the room. When it was as tidy as it was getting they both moved to back to the kitchen and straightened up the mess in there also.
With the apartment finally back to it’s original state (more or less), Doumeki stood back in the kitchen doorway and watched the person in front of him.
Watanuki gave one last cursory inspection of the kitchen before settling his gaze on a framed picture sitting atop a glass shelf near the table.
“Oh!” The shorter boy stepped nearer and tilted his head up to get a better view. “Those are...”
“That’s my friend and his parents. I think he was about 5.” Doumeki stared up at the picture also, smiling slightly at the happy little boy in the picture.
Watanuki stared at the picture a minute more before turning back to the archer. “His parents, are they...”
“They died a long time ago.”
A curiously disappointed look passed across the other boy’s eyes. “Oh, I see.”
“Your friend. What’s his name?” He asked it politely enough, but his expression said he already knew.
“It’s Watanuki. Watanuki Kimihiro.”
Watanuki sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. A second later a short laugh tumbled from the bespectacled teen.
“I guess I owe you an apology, Doumeki-san. I’m sorry to have intruded upon you. Ha. You must think I’m crazy, huh?” Watanuki gave an embarrassed giggle and scratched his head self-consciously.
“Not crazy, no. I’m... sort of used to these kinds of things.” A smirk tugged at his lips, thinking of what an understatement that was.
“Used to this?” Watanuki raised his eyebrows in shock. “Who could get used to something like this?”
Doumeki tilted his head back in thought. “Well, it is different from the usual ghosts, spirits and monsters, but still in the weird category.” He shrugged, ending his statement with a nonchalant air.
The other boy’s eyes grew wide behind his glasses. “Ghosts? Spirits? M-monsters?! What the hell are you talking about?”
Huh?
“You... don’t see the spirits of the dead, Watanuki-san?” His eyes narrowed as he considered the teen in front of him.
Looking positively freaked out at the notion, Watanuki shook his head emphatically. “No way! Are you kidding?! That’s... so creepy.” His eyes widened again suddenly and he clamped a hand over his mouth . “Oh, excuse me. I mean, er, do you, uh...”
“No, not me.”
A short pause while the shorter boy processed the information. Eyes lightened with realization. “Oh, so then he...” Watanuki looked out of the kitchen and through the doorway into the main room. He walked past Doumeki and across the room, reaching a hand up to touch the small paper ofuda attached to the frame above the balcony door.
“I saw this earlier, but...”
He turned around and looked to the front door, seeing another attached there as well.
“Ah...”
“There is one in the kitchen as well.”
“Why so many, wouldn’t one be enough to keep them away?” He was back to inspecting the ofuda above the balcony door again.
Doumeki looked up at the paper also. It was almost time to replace them again. He would have Watanuki come over on New Year again to properly receive them. Maybe this time he would let him put them up for him.
“Well, one would be enough for anyone else, but... Watanuki is special, so he needs a little more protection.”
“Special?”
“Hn, the spirits are very attached to him.” Almost literally, he thought, remembering the pipe fox’s love of wrapping itself around the skinny teen.
“Really. That sounds... Scary.” A small shudder shook the boy and he turned away from the balcony and looked at Doumeki once more.
“Yeah.”
There was a moment where it looked as though Watanuki wanted to say something else, but he stopped himself. He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. “Er, Doumeki-san.”
“Hn?”
“Ah, I don’t know how to ask really, but, um.” He shifted his weight and looked at the floor.
“I, don’t really know where I am and, um.” Shift.
“You’ve been so patient with me, and I’m very grateful! But, I...” Shift, shift.
It was somewhat amusing to see Watanuki all nervous and awkward like this, but Doumeki firmly reminded himself that this was not his Watanuki and he really shouldn’t be enjoying the other boy’s discomfort.
One more minute and he’d take pity on him. Two at most.
“That is, I know this isn’t really something I should ask, since we aren’t very well acquainted at all...”
Squirm, shift.
“I... don’t really have anyone around here I know though. And, I wondered...”
Okay, okay. He’d suffered enough.
“You can stay here.”
Relief flooded the boys face when he looked up again. “Really? Your friend don’t mind?”
“Somehow, I think he might understand.” Maybe. This was Watanuki after all, so he might just get yelled at for offering up his apartment so freely, but...
Oh well.
“Ah, thank you very much.” And the boy actually bowed to him!
So this was what a courteous Watanuki looked like. It was...
Odd.
“Then, if you’re okay here-”
“Ah! Are you leaving already?” Wide blue eyes looked at him with a hint of panic.
Doumeki paused. He had planned on going home as soon as the other boy was caught up and settled in, but it seemed like there was something else bothering him.
“Will you be alright by yourself?”
“Oh.” His eyes shifted to the right. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Of course.” He looked back and smiled. “I promise not to mess the place up again.”
There was something about the way he glanced away when he spoke that made Doumeki think of a little kid who couldn’t look their parents in the eye when they lied.
He made a quick decision and walked over to Watanuki’s dresser, pulling open the drawer and grabbling some clothing and his spare uniform. Then he searched around until he spotted Watanuki’s umbrella.
“What are-”
Doumeki stood abruptly and faced the shorter boy, shoving the umbrella in his arms.
“Come on.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll stay at my house.”
“Ah! Wha-”
“I’m leaving now, you coming?” He headed towards the door and opened it without looking back.
“W-wait a minute.”
He was out the door and halfway down the stairs before he heard the jingle of keys and the turning of a lock.
“Hey, wait for me!”
He waited.
When the footsteps caught up to him, he resumed his pace. Together they walked out of the building and out into the chilly night air and slow drizzle.
Oh good, his umbrella was still there.
“Are you sure this is okay, Doumeki-san.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But your parents...”
“They won’t mind either.”
“Oh.” He did a little bit of fidgeting as they walked.
“I’m not really sure how long, um-”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll pay for my room when I get another job.”
Doumeki gave him a look before returning his gaze to the sidewalk in front of him. “You don’t have to pay. I live in a temple. We’re used to having people stay with us.”
“Oh, you too.”
“Hmm?”
Watanuki laughed a little. “Oh, I just know someone else who lives in a temple, well used to live in a temple anyway.”
“The one who looks like me?” He turned his head slightly to look at the other teen.
“Yeah.” He gave a small smile, that Doumeki knew was directed at someone else.
“You can help out with the chores as payment.”
“Ah, okay.” A real smile this time. “Say, I can cook pretty well. I could cook for you and your family if you like. I’m used to making food for crowds.”
Doumeki considered the boy beside him for a minute before answering. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he wouldn’t be any good, but...
“No, that’s alright. Just sweeping and keeping the grounds should be enough.”
Watanuki nodded. “Well, if you change your mind.”
“Hn.”
The rest of the way to the temple was walked in silence, though it was comfortable enough, even with the odd circumstances.
When Doumeki entered his house he first sought out his parent and explained to him how his friend needed a place to stay since he had been kicked out of his apartment temporarily due to maitenance. As he knew they would, they agreed to let him stay in the guest bedroom.
They ate dinner a little while later, his parents adoring Watanuki’s politeness and manners. So much so, Doumeki wondered why he had never thought to invite his Watanuki over for dinner before.
Oh yeah. Because he was always the one to make dinner. Hmm, maybe he would invite him over once he came back. It was worth mentioning anyway. The worst that could happen would be a refusal and perhaps a few loud remarks.
He got Watanuki comfortably set up in the guestroom and gave him a spare toothbrush. He told the smaller boy he was free to wander as he pleased but to stay inside since it was easy to get lost outside. He got a small grin at his last warning, but otherwise the boy agreed to his condition.
Doumeki went to his own room to try and catch up with his schoolwork, wondering if he had missed anything important that day. After a while he looked at the clock and figured it was time for bed. He left his room to go see if Watanuki was going to be joining him at school the next day and was surprised to run into him as soon as he turned the corner.
“Ah, Doumeki-san! Excuse me.” The shorter boy gave an embarrassed smile. “I was just coming to ask you for an alarm clock.”
“You’ll be going to school then?”
A crease formed between blue eyes for a moment. “Do you think that’s okay? I looked through your friend’s schoolbag and we seem to have the same classes, so I thought...”
“That should be fine. He won’t get marked absent this way either. I’ll get you a clock.” Doumeki turned back to his room and rooted around in his desk until he found his old alarm clock in the back of one drawer.
He handed the clock to Watanuki, but the boy didn’t turn to go back to his room immediately. He shifted on his feet and Doumeki figured he had something to ask again.
“What else?”
“Huh?” The boy looked up from the floor in surprise, then grinned sheepishly. “Oh, well... It’s just that this is really odd isn’t it? I can’t help but hope that I’ll wake up tomorrow and be home in my own bed.”
Doumeki had a feeling it wasn’t going to be so easy, but kept quiet. “Maybe,” he said instead.
“Yeah... maybe.” And the smile turned a little wistful. Maybe he had that feeling too.
“Well then, good night Doumeki-san. And thank you again for letting me stay in your home.”
“Yes, good night. Watanuki-san.”
With a final wave the smaller teen left, closing the door softly behind him.
As Doumeki settled down to sleep, he couldn’t help but wonder if his own Watanuki was safe and well off wherever he was. It was with thoughts of his fiery, blue-eyed loudmouth that he fell asleep.
~*~
Thus ends chapter 4. Thanks for reading!