Character(s): Watanuki, mentions of others
Summary: He never runs out of complaints, but underneath the harsh words, he is always thankful. A little Watanuki-centric drabble.
Watanuki complains.
He complains about his work, the seemingly meaningless and numerous jobs that Yuuko sends him out to do, he complains about her whims, the endless calls for alcohol and food and snacks, and of course, he complains about Doumeki.
There are a thousand and one things that make Watanuki flustered enough to vocalize his annoyance, loudly and surely. But through all the noise, as he protests every job and every errand (especially those involving Doumeki) that sends him on wild adventures to meet things he never knew existed and never wanted to meet, there are moments where he pauses and remembers the boy he used to be.
The boy who lived in an empty house with empty rooms, who kept everything nice and neat, and behaved perfectly well, waiting for someone to come home, but no one ever would. The boy who lived each day without meaning and cooked bland meals for one. The boy being chased endlessly by spirits, who could never reach out to anyone and simply ask for help.
There are moments when he remembers the past- but Doumeki cuts into his quiet with a succinct request for more salted fish in his next lunchbox and Watanuki has to respond with a scathing remark. He automatically makes a mental note to buy more salted fish at the market later, despite his loud protests and flailing gestures at the other.
Although it's tiring to be sent out on one mysterious errand after another, and his mind is stuffed with the knowledge of the spirits he has met and the things he has seen, despite all the struggles and pain, he has friends beside him and a scary mentor, as well as assorted… pets.
Even though he complains, Watanuki is content.