Now, all he cared about was getting to sleep. It was torture, seeing all that happiness and knowing that nothing could penetrate the routine depression that gripped him this time every year. It was the first Christmas he'd had after working for Yuuko, but even as unpredictable she was, he couldn't imagine that this year would be any different than that of the last.
He had gotten the last two weeks off from the evil woman's shop because she had apparently someone she went and visited every year, as unlikely as it seemed. He would have thought that she would have stayed just to torment him, since it was, naturally, her most favorite pastime.
Watanuki had already turned from the window and was heading over to his bookshelf to find a book to read for the next two hours until it was time that he could actually go to bed. He couldn't go to bed too early, or he'd get up too early and be left with nothing that he could do.
But before he was able to sit down, the ringing of his doorbell stopped him. Eyebrows knit in curiosity, he set down the book and went to answer it. His neighbors had long since stopped inviting him to Christmas parties when he had never shown up and had shown no interest in leaving his apartment during the holidays.
Surprised would be a mild term, he thought, when he opened the door to see none other than his rival standing there outside. He was brushing snow off his wide shoulders, that seemed just made for a woman to cling onto during intimate actions, and Watanuki took a moment to study the boy as he wore jeans and a thick, heavy suede leather jacket.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, so nonplussed that his tone lacked any hostility. "Shouldn't you be celebrating with your family?"
"My father hinted that he wanted this Christmas to be alone with my mother. I need a place to stay."
The whole explanation was so surreal, especially with the light bag that Doumeki was carrying, that he only shook his head in a broken sort of way. No, this couldn't be happening. Christmas was bad enough!
"And?"
"And what?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I need a place to stay."
"And?"
"I want to stay here."
The bespectacled boy couldn't help bursting out in genuine laughter. Man, this was so weird it was hilariously funny. Doumeki only watched him with that stoic look, but Watanuki couldn't help almost slumping to the ground. "And you think I'm going to let you stay here? Are you nuts?"
But when Watanuki finally looked up when Doumeki still didn't say anything, his laughter faded away and the same holiday depression seeped in. His charitable heart had just enough feeling left in it for his stupid rival and he backed up a bit. "Fine, come in." No one deserved to be left out at Christmas. Not even Doumeki.
"You don't celebrate Christmas, do you?" the archer commented when he saw that there was not one Christmas decoration to be found anywhere in the apartment.
"Haven't since my parents died."
"Why?"
"Haven't felt like it."
Watanuki had already dropped onto his sofa, grabbing his book, when Doumeki began rummaging in his bag. "Oh, this is to you."
His eyebrows drew down in curiosity and took the letter. It was no doubt from Yuuko, seeing that too-flowery handwriting and with foreboding, he pulled out the short note.
Dear Watanuki-chan, Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoy my present! --Yuuko & Mokona
"What present?" he muttered, noticing the little hearts and flowery wreaths drawn around Yuuko and Mokona's name. Curiously, not noticing that Doumeki had taken to wandering around his apartment, he flipped the note over, as if hoping it would give him some indication what sort of present it would be. Unless, of course, he meant his vacation.
Sure enough, he found it and he nearly had an epilepsy.
P.S. My present is Doumeki for a whole Christmas Eve and the next day. Since I'm so generous, I won't charge you. This time.
At the incoherent yell of disbelief, Doumeki came back to the living room. Watanuki couldn't move, too frozen in shock to even think. The archer plucked the note from the still fingers and read it over, front and back. In the end, his response was the same as normal:
"Hn."
"I can't believe she'd do this to me!" he ranted, pacing in the living room a full hour later. "Scratch that, it's not surprising. This is Yuuko-san we're talking about here! She just had to make my Christmas worse than usual!"
Doumeki was ignoring him and that only made the bespectacled boy even more agitated and irritated. He was about to turn on his rival, still unable to kick him out thanks to his Good Samaritan genes, when something brightly colored was shoved right in his face. So he didn't see it crosswise, Watanuki had no choice but to take it.
"What is this?" he asked suspiciously.
"A present."
"For who?"
"For you."
"From who?"
"From me."
"Like I'd want one from you!" he screeched, but inside he was stunned. No one had given him anything in years. Slowly he sat down and let the box sit on his knees. He couldn't help staring at it, as if either waiting for something to pop out and eat him or it to disappear entirely.
Doumeki just watched him silently.
Slowly, he touched the slick wrapping paper and trailed his fingers almost reverently to the bow that topped it. It was bright blue, edged with gold, like his mismatched eyes. The paper itself had designs of many colored and sized orb ornaments one hung on trees. Hanging from a label was…
No, it wasn't possible.
To: Kimihiro
From: Shizuka
Doumeki knew his name. He'd called him by 'oi' for so long, the boy had had serious doubts whether the other one even knew his name. His eyes studied every inch of the present and its nondescript size and shape, before slowly untying the bow with care. Unlike many who just tore the wrapping off to see what was in it, Watanuki had learned to savor every second of something that was so precious and unlikely to happen again.
The ribbon fell across his knees as he worked on the sides of the wrapping paper that seemed to be taped as if it was about to cross through enemy territory. Even as his fingers began to edge under the transparent stuff, he commented, "You have a tape fetish."
"Inherited from my grandmother."
For some reason, the prompt rebound to his words caused him to smile. It was probably only because the idea of getting a present from anyone was so new. That's all it had to be.
Finally he had gotten the tape loose without ripping the paper and then set it gently on the floor to look at the white box that was now sitting in his lap. Almost afraid now, he hesitated to open it. Once you opened the present, it was over. That was the whole point of Christmas right? Once he opened the present, this strangely shocked joy he was experiencing would be gone and he would be left with the apathy and depression of every other year.
Doumeki sat down on the sofa next to him and prompted, "Do you want me to open it?"
"Of course not!" he snapped, hugging the box to him as if someone might take it away from him. "It's my present! I get to open it! Me! Me!"
Impromptu possessive streak over, he set it down back on his lap and opened the top. Inside was bubble wrap that he had used to love to pop as a child, which meant whatever it was, it was breakable. Or so he assumed.
Instead, when he pulled the actual present free, he was stunned. It was a picture. He had very few pictures, but this one made him want to cry. It was a recent one, one taken in the last few months, and he…he was smiling. It almost seemed that he was smiling for the sheer joy of smiling. The wind was coming from behind him as he was caught in mid turn, causing his hair to be flying all which-a-way.
For the life of him, he couldn't remember when this was taken or when it had happened. You would think he would remember it, since there was so little in his life that was something to smile about.
"…When was this?"
"I took it when you came to the shrine a few months ago."
"What was I smiling at…?"
"I don't know, but I wish you would smile like that more often."
He finally tore his eyes away from the frame in his hand and to the boy sitting next to him. "Huh?"
Then those hands were gently cupping his face and lips were on his. It was a mere, soft kiss that lasted for only a few seconds, but Watanuki knew he hadn't imagined it. The picture had stunned him, but Doumeki's action had floored him so much that he could find nothing to say. He wasn't sure what shocked him more: Doumeki's words or the kiss itself.
"Merry Christmas."
"M-M-M-M-M-Merry C-C-C-C-C-C-Christmas…"
End