Log; Backdated; complete

[monsterepellant.livejournal.com]

When; November 7th, Evening
Rating; G~
Characters; Watanuki Kimihiro first_of_april and Doumeki Shizuka monsterepellant
Summary; Doumeki owes Watanuki a "date" leftover from the Halloween curse, and picks what he thinks is the perfect spot
Log;

It had officially been one week since that Wednesday. October 31^st, the day of the curse. Doumeki had promised Watanuki another date. Granted, it had been when cursed, but the archer chose to ignore that bit. Not that he expected Watanuki to be expecting to go anywhere, but with a little prodding, Doumeki was sure he could at least get the other boy the place he had chosen.

He walked down the hall, hands stuck in his pocket, one finger hooked in the keys hidden in his pocket, turning into the kitchen, starting with the most likely place he expected to find Watanuki.

Watanuki was putting groceries in the refrigerator, having just come back from a shopping trip not too long ago. He'd been using the kitchen for a while now and felt bad about not restocking the food supply when he did so. So he'd gone out and bought enough and then some to replace what he'd used, besides, with so many people here it seemed food just disappeared. Though if he had to take a wild guess he could probably pinpoint to where exactly it was going.

He stood up from where he'd been crouching, putting vegetables in the crisper drawer, and nearly jumped out of his skin to see Doumeki standing in the doorway. "What the hell are you doing standing there like that?" His voice rose in pitch, but he wasn't yelling, just chastising. "Don't you know it's not polite to sneak up on people? You should at least say something."

Say something? That he could do, at least this time. “You’re not ready to go yet?” he asked, and raised an eyebrow, as if Watanuki should know exactly what he was talking about.

Watanuki could only give Doumeki one of those 'what are you, stupid?' looks. "Ready to go, I just got back, why would I want to le-" He cut off mid sentence, jaw hanging open for a moment as the curse he'd tried so hard to put out of mind came back, along with the "date" they'd agreed on. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no." He shook his head. "Do you think this is some kind of joke? I, we, are not going on a..." he waved his hand expansively, unable to bring himself to use that word, "you know. Well, we're just not."

There wasn’t much Doumeki could say to that, except: “You have five minutes. Hurry up.” And he turned, heading towards the door to the hot springs to wait for Watanuki. Doumeki had offered, and now it was up to Watanuki to choose whether to comply or not.

"Hey, HEY, wait!" He called after Doumeki, but to no avail. That inconsiderate jerk, how could he just walk off without waiting for him to say something, how could he just expect him to come along like it was perfectly natural? They were both guys, it was just... well, no this obviously wasn't a date, it was just them hanging out or something stupid like that. They were sort of, kind of, friends so it was okay for them to hang out. Yeah, that's all this was, not a date.

Watanuki sighed, shutting the refrigerator door that had been left gaping open, and exited the kitchen, making a brief stop at his room to change out of what he was wearing, since it was dirty of course, and went in search of Doumeki. Who he was not going on a date with.

Doumeki couldn’t even put into words how relieved he was when Watanuki showed up walking down the hall, changed and looking ready to go. But then, even if he had the words, he wouldn’t have used them, so it was kind of a mute point. He waited, hands in his pockets, for Watanuki to reach him, face stoic and blank, not portraying not so much a lick of the mild nervousness he was dealing with right now.

He was a little annoyed at how blank faced Doumeki was, because Watanuki knew Doumeki was probably laughing inside that thick skill of his, he knew better than to trust that emotionless face. "Don't think I changed for you, there was a spot on my shirt, it needs to be washed." He didn't need to change, because, again, this was not a date. "Now are we going or are you just standing there like a statue?"

Instead of replying, the archery merely pushed open the door and stepped out into the early evening air, tugging his coat a little closer around himself, while in the back of his mind, he almost hoped Watanuki would forget his coat so Doumeki could give him his. But even that was a little silly. It was getting colder as the months went on, and it was almost hard to believe he had been here for nearly nine months. But that, right now, was a mute point, and he slowed his pace down just almost imperceptively, but just enough so he and Watanuki would be walking side-by-side.

Watanuki cursed to himself about going out in the evening. The temperature during the day was still tolerable, but near sunset it was cold. He hated the cold. Doumeki had to rub it in by grabbing his winter coat, probably knowing he didn't have one, but he wasn't going to say anything. He'd get himself a coat tomorrow, while it was still warm enough to go without one, and since he was at it he could get some yarn and start early on Christmas presents. Tonight he'd just suffer through it, wouldn't say a word.

"Where are we going?" He asked again, walking side by side, arms folded over his chest. "Or do you even know that much?" It would be just his luck that they were going to wander around looking for something to do because Doumeki got some stupid idea in his head. He'd freeze to death if that happened. "You'd better have a plan, I'm not walking around all night for no reason."

“I know where we’re going.” Doumeki stated blankly, walking down the path away from the hot springs, his pace increasing slightly. He wanted to get there before it got too dark.

Watanuki rolled his eyes but didn't comment at the increase in speed, at least they were getting there faster. "You'd better." This was why he never went anywhere with Doumeki, it was impossible to get anything useful out of him without a crowbar to assist. Luckily he didn't need a crowbar, because he knew there was nothing to extract.

The archery only made a non-commental noise in the back of his throat as the path lead out of the woods and into the square, and he moved around the fountain toward one of the darkened shops. “Over here.” he stated, hand closing around the ring of keys in his pocket.

"What? There's no one here, it's closed." Really how dense did Doumeki have to be? "That means we can't go in." Watanuki knew this was a bad plan. Obviously it couldn't have been a good one, so why did he even come along in the first place? Maybe everything was finally getting to him and he really was going crazy.

“We can go in.” Doumeki countered, lifting the keys out of his pocket and slipping them into the lock on the door and pushing it open, stepping inside, before holding it open for Watanuki to follow. “C’mon.”

Watanuki gaped for half a second before shutting his mouth with an audible clicking of teeth, he hadn't been expecting that. He stepped inside of the darkened shop, not really sure where this was going, but the panicky voice that lurked in the back of his head was going on about things that he was doing his best to ignore. This was Doumeki, and this was not a date, so there was nothing to worry about.

“It’ll be bright for a second.” The archer warned, just before he reached over and flicked on the lights, flooding the shop with bright light, illuminating the flora housed within—roses, hydrangea, sunflowers, carnations, calla lilies and tulips, as well as several other different kinds of flowers, decorated the shop. It looked pretty well-cared for...Doumeki had been keeping an eye on it, but he hadn’t really been ready to open it back up for a while. But...if Watanuki was willing to work with him, the archer didn’t doubt they could get it up and running again. Besides, Kunogi would probably be angry with him if he let it go in her absence.

Mismatched eyes blinked and squinted against the sudden brightness where it had been impossibly dark before. Now his vision was filled with bright colors and flowers of all types. Watanuki blinked a few more times, even after his eyes had adjusted, just to make sure he was really seeing this. "This is..." It must be the shop Kurogane had told him about, but he couldn't remember the name.

“Ajisai.” Doumeki filled in the name for Watanuki, the Japanese word for the hydrangea plant. It was the name Doumeki had chosen, and he could still recall Kunogi teasing him about it, just a little, and easily guessing the reason behind the chosen name. “It’s the flower shop Kunogi and I had when she was here.” he explained, voice still a monotone, as if explaining paintings in a museum.

Watanuki had been walking over to look at the hydrangeas when Doumeki spoke. "It's a good name." He could remember the little girl who had been buried under the plant, and he could remember Doumeki standing out in the rain for ten hours waiting for him, digging to try and find him, not giving up until he'd come back. It seemed so long ago, and he didn't want it to be a dream. He had a small smile on his face as he looked at the colorful flowers, none of them red. "Everything is so well taken care of, but I thought the shop was closed."

It took all his will not to smile like an absolute idiot when Watanuki voiced his approval of the name, but fortunately, all that came was a slight softening of his face and a small curl at the corners of his mouth. “It was closed.” Doumeki agreed. “But Kunogi would be angry if I left it closed any longer.”

"So, you're going to reopen it?" Watanuki turned back around, eyes sweeping over the shop before settling on Doumeki. "I think that would be a really good idea." If Himawari was like him, and came back to the City, she probably wouldn't remember any of this. It still seemed like a good thing to do, not just for her, but it was just right.

The archer moved forward, holding out his hand to Watanuki, face up, in the center a gold-colored key that gleamed in the light from the shop. “Tomorrow morning, nine am.” Doumeki stated, the offering of the key a non-verbal request for help. He couldn’t run this place alone.

He blinked at the key shoved into his face, nearly going cross eyed to focus on it that close. Without really thinking, Watanuki reached up and took it. "Okay." And he realized he'd just agreed to help the big idiot run this shop, not knowing the first thing about running a place only keeping it clean and cooking for his employer. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard, maybe he'd actually enjoy it, besides all that he still needed a job anyway. He turned the gold key over in his hand, smiling at it.

He took it. Watanuki took the key. Doumeki almost sighed in relief. Or, well, he would’ve, but instead he sucked in a breath as the other boy then smiled at it, and the archer watched in fascination as the corners of Watanuki’s mouth curled upwards and his eyes softened in a way that turned Doumeki’s insides into absolute mush. That smile-- The archer was pretty sure he was staring, but for some reason, couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away.

Watanuki looked back up at Doumeki, only to find him staring. It was impossible to read that blank face, like always, and right now it made him a little nervous. He wasn't in danger, and pretty sure he hadn't said anything, he didn't have any food to give the archer either... "What?" Did Doumeki have something else to add, or say? Maybe he'd misinterpreted.

“Ah—“ Doumeki shook his head, once, mentally smacking himself. “Nothing.”

Watanuki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Okay then." What had he really been expecting when Doumeki was so simple minded? He had to admit though, if only ever to himself, that the two times he'd been out with Doumeki, despite that horrible curse, hadn't been so bad thus far. The archer still had a chance to mess up though, and he was expecting it, he couldn't possibly actually enjoy spending time with the big jerk. Right? "So, anything else, or was this it?" He gestured to the shop, with the hand that still held the key.

‘Or was this it’? Doumeki managed to not let his eyebrow twitch. The shop was one of his most prized possessions in this City, and talking about it like that—But then, what could you expect from Watanuki? He could be as dense as a brick some times... “I’ll show you around.” He stated, turning towards the back room to start with that, weaving his way among the various flowers.

Watanuki followed Doumeki through the shop, still taking it all in, the bright colors and myriad of smells. It was like something from a dream, only he didn't like that expression, because it very well could be. It was strange how much he'd changed since he first was thrown in with Doumeki, how he wouldn't have agreed to go anywhere with him under anything but the most extreme circumstances, and now he completely trusted him. Not that he'd ever, ever, admit to that. "I'm glad I came." The words slipped out of his mouth so quietly he wasn't sure he'd said them, and his ears turned red with embarrassment as he hoped he hadn't.

Doumeki almost froze at that—did he really just hear---? He paused, turning towards Watanuki a bit, not quite sure he had heard the other boy correctly. “What did you say?” he asked.

"N-nothing." He'd really said it, oh god, he couldn't believe he'd made a slip like that. Watanuki could feel his whole face flushing a bright red. "I just..." How was supposed to cover for that, because he wasn't supposed to like spending time with the big, insensitive, stone faced jerk. He wasn't supposed to see him as a friend and trust him with his life no matter what, he wasn't supposed to worry over him and... damn it.... so much was different now.

Folding his arms over his chest stubbornly, he raised his chin and swallowed his pride. "I'm glad I came."

Now he was certain he was staring. And not just the blank-faced look any more—he was sure he looked mildly surprised, which, for Doumeki, meant he was shocked. He had never really expected something like that to come out of Watanuki’s mouth, but...he was glad he had come. Watanuki was glad that he had come with Doumeki to Ajisai, and not only that, he was admitting it. The archer felt more amazing than he had in months---maybe even a little light headed, and his stomach twisted a little bit, but not in an unpleasant manner. There was no way for him to stop the softening of his own features, and the small, almost imperceptible smile that curled the corner of his mouth. For anyone, it would be nothing, but for Doumeki, it was the equivalent of a full, fledged smile. It hung there, at the corners of his mouth for a full thirty seconds, at least, before he turned, schooling his face blank again. “...C’mon. I’ll show you where the tools are kept.”

Watanuki wasn't sure how to react to what he'd just seen, that was more emotion out of Doumeki in less than a minute than he usually got... well.... ever. Doumeki didn't say anything though, so he must have been hallucinating it--that was the only logical explanation for what had just happened. Doumeki Shizuka didn't get surprised, and sure as hell didn't smile. Well if you could call that pathetic excuse for anything a smile, he only smirked at things. Hallucination was the only reasonable explanation, because Watanuki didn't like the way his insides twisted at the thought of it being real. "Okay, I'll need to know that, where the tools are."

Doumeki stuck his hands in his pockets as he moved towards the back room. As much as Watanuki would’ve wished that it was an illusion, it wasn’t. Eight months in the City and contact with more than enough people, from Vash the Stampede, to Autor, to Ishida, to Rosette, and everyone in between...he wasn’t quite the Doumeki he had been when he first arrived. He was still himself, yes, but he was different. The same way Watanuki was different than when Doumeki had last seen him. The archer couldn’t put his finger on, but something continued to niggle in the back of his mind...something was different about Watanuki. The Watanuki he remembered would never have admitted to being glad he had come, but this one...he must be missing things at home. That, or something was going on behind the scene’s at Yuuko’s that he didn’t know about. And as for that, only time would tell...

This was turning out a lot stranger than Watanuki thought it would, then again he really didn't know what to expect on a da- not date with Doumeki. Mostly the purpose was for him to be helping with the flower shop, one that was started by Himawari, and if it were for her he wanted to help any way he could. That seemed secondary, and he'd never admit it, but he wanted to help, wanted to be here for Doumeki . Maybe it was the dream, the fact that he could end up losing everything, his friendship, the people he'd met, and all the memories would be nothing more than that. All those important experiences could end up meaning nothing, like the Hydrangea, what would that be after this?

Doumeki didn’t quite understand yet what was wrong or what was missing, but he was going to do everything in his power, even if that wasn’t much, to prevent anything from happening to Watanuki, and he constantly steeled himself with that determination. But for now, as they were, they could work in this shop together, and Doumeki could keep a close eye on him that way. And for now, the archer was content with that.

Watanuki took quick stock of the back room, it was well organized and he knew enough about taking care of plants from working in Yuuko's shop and taking care of her weird things that he'd be able to understand. "So, this is everything, I think I can handle it. As long as none of the plants try to eat me." Stranger things had been possessed and come after him, but he said it jokingly. This was Doumeki's and Himawari's shop, if it wasn't safe nothing was.

The archer’s eyebrow raised at that, but he didn’t make a crack, though the corner of his mouth curled just slightly. “You’ll be safe here.” It was a promise, and one that Doumeki intended to keep.

"I never expected anything to happen." That was a lie, as far as he could really ever know something was happening. Watanuki still couldn't tell, didn't want to be able to tell, if this was another dream. He didn't want to leave just yet if it was, because for all the crazy stuff that seemed to happen here, many of the people he cared about, worried about, were here. If it wasn't and really just was another world from his own, he still wasn't ready to choose just yet. "Not even you're dumb enough to let trouble in the front door."

He supposed he should take that as a compliment. “Mn.” he agreed, after a moment. “The plants get watered once every five hours, and there’s a price list behind the counter.”

"Every five hours, behind the counter, is there anything else I'll need to know?" Somehow Watanuki doubted that this would be the most difficult task he'd undertake. "I don't mean to rush, but I still have dinner to make." It was getting late, and he hadn't planned on going anywhere tonight.

Doumeki shook his head, no. “Nothing else.” He began to move towards the front of the shop, moving to turn off the light in the back room.

"Okay." Watanuki stared at Doumeki for a second, a strange thought passing through his mind, gone before he could identify it. Things were different now, more different than they'd ever been. "I'll wait out front while you get the lights and lock back up." He did just that, stepping out into the night air, and just now remembering how cold it was.

The archer nodded in agreement, quickly locking back up the store and stepping outside, hearing the door’s lock click soundly. He blinked as he glanced over at the other boy, frowning slightly. Why had Watanuki not grabbed a coat. He shrugged out of his own rather easily, ignoring the goosebumps that broke out over his skin. “Here. Idiot.” The words didn’t hold much heat, however, as he dropped the coat over the other boy’s shoulders.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The comfortable weight of the very warm jacket settled around his shoulders, blocking out the cold. "You're going to catch a cold and I'm not going to feel sorry for you." He was grateful though, because it was very cold.

“Only idiots catch colds during the winter.” Doumeki countered. “You’re at a higher risk than I am.”

"I AM NOT AN IDIO-ACHOO" The force of the sneeze brought tears to Watanuki's eyes, and he sniffled just a little. "That was not because I'm getting a cold, there's no way I'm getting a cold, nope, not happening."

The archer rolled his eyes. “Button up the coat already.” he suggested, in one of those “duh, shouldn’t you have thought of that?” tones.

Muttering under his breath, Watanuki shoved his arms through the sleeves of the coat and buttoned it up. "Don't expect me to thank you for this." He'd have to think of something good for dinner. "Because I won't, you know."

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” Doumeki muttered to himself, far to quiet for anyone to really make out the words.

"What was that? No, wait, I don't want to know." Watanuki rolled his eyes, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "Now let's get going so I can start cooking. Wouldn't want you starving to death."

Doumeki had to fight to keep the small smile off his face. Now this—this was nice. This he had missed. “Right, right.” he acquiesced, walking more comfortably next to Watanuki. It would work out. There was no way that it couldn’t.