A (very late) birthday gift for the wonderful Porticulis~! Enjoy it you awesome person you!

Also, a small note to anyone who reads this that's been following my fic "Beautiful Dreamer". I think I may return to working on it this coming week sometime if my schedule allows me to. Thankyou for waiting so patiently.

The ground was hard and cold but Doumeki was insistent that they stop to rest in the shelter of the trees. His breath was coming out in short, rasping gasps and clouding in plumes in the cold night air. Now that he was stationary he could feel how cold he was and how much his chest was killing him. But they couldn't stop long. Not now.

He hissed and swatted the other's hand away as it moved to the fabric covering his chest, trying to move it open. "What d-do you th-think your doing?" Watanuki demanded, his voice breaking from the lack of oxygen getting to his lungs and the pain.

"You've got a rib sticking out of your chest." Doumeki replied, persisting in his attempts to get a better look. "We're not going any further until we take care of it."

"I'm fine!" Watanuki snapped, irritibly. "We don't have t-time for this!"

"If you keep going like this..." Doumeki started, seizing the wrist of the offending hand to keep it out of the way.

Watanuki didn't let him finish, growling and trying weakly to pull his arm free. "We have a job to do!"

"The job can wait." Doumeki answered, managing to get the upper part of Watanuki's uniform open. Just as he'd suspected, one rib was protruding awkwardly, tearing the skin there. "Still think your fine?" Doumeki questioned, running a finger along the side of the injury.

The only response was a hiss of pain as Watanuki wriggled to avoid the contact. "Don't touch me you jerk! I'll be okay until we're finished with that thing. So just move out of my way!"

If there was one thing you could say about Watanuki, he was stubborn. Nothing could convince him to stop going. Not even obvious gaping wounds or protruding and broken rib bones. But the good thing about Doumeki was that he matched that stubbornness, and in some cases he even surpassed it. This was one of those cases.

"Your no use to me dead." Doumeki stated bluntly, bringing his finger to his mouth and biting down. With blood welling from the small wound, he brought the tip of his finger to the other's chest, scrawling the necessary symbols there for a healing spell. His skills in this area were lacking, but better than nothing.

Watanuki squirmed, still hissing like an angry cat as he tried to escape the contact. "Cut it out! I'm just fine you moron!"

"Hold still. I can't do this properly with you moving all around."

"Then stop trying!" Watanuki snarled. "I said I'm fine and I---aghhh! What are you doing?!"

"Holding you still." Doumeki replied, now sitting on Watanuki's legs as he ran his finger along the smaller man's chest. He was startled to find that Watanuki had stopped wriggling as his chest heaved slightly. And then---"Ohhhh...."

Doumeki froze in mid-stroke, looking up. Watanuki had turned his head away and shut his eyes. He would have thought the young Onmyouji had passed out from the pain of his injury if he hadn't spoken, softly. "J-Just hurry it up w-will you?"

Lowering his eyes to the wounded chest, he continued slowly. Watanuki's breath hitched and another soft moan passed his lips. A quick glance back up earned Doumeki a glimpse of a soft blush making it's way across Watanuki's cheeks as his breath continued to come out in soft gasps.

If it weren't for the situation at hand, his friend seriously injured and in need of a healing spell, Doumeki would have taken his sweet time with the symbols. As it was he hurried up his pace, finishing the markings. Then turning his hands he faced his palms towards Watanuki's chest, concentrating and muttering the spell under his breath. A light emanated from the wound as it began to heal itself. That was the thing about healing spells that made Doumeki a little queasy. Something about the way it looked when bones and skin and the likes went back together was somehow more disturbing than watching someone get hurt in the first place.

As the injury finished sealing itself and light from the spell faded, the two stayed where they were for a few moments. Then Doumeki pulled the fabric back into place, shielding Watanuki's chest from his gaze. As he moved to stand, Watanuki reached up and caught the sleeve of Doumeki's uniform, keeping him from moving any further. When Doumeki turned his eyes back to him, Watanuki was leaning up to capture his lips. It was unexpected, but not unwanted.

But before Doumeki could react, Watanuki was pulling away again, his head lowered so that his eyes were concealed beneath his bangs.

"I don't let just anyone put their hands on my body, got that?" He asked, his voice steady. "When this is over you owe me dinner."

Doumeki mulled it over and a smirk pulled at his lips. "A treat for a treat then?"