It had to be because of something he was doing in the shop, he concluded, since he basically knew everything there was for Watanuki to do otherwise: go to school, go home, do housework and schoolwork, go to bed. That seemed to be his entire routine in life, so the only wild cards were Yuuko's shop. It was too bad he couldn't see or enter it. He would like to know what Watanuki saw on a daily basis.
"Oi."
Watanuki's head jerked up and Doumeki saw a flash of something go by on his face. The archer blinked in surprise. He had never seen Watanuki look so…lost before. Carefully, he knelt in front of the bespectacled boy and reached out to hesitantly touch his hand. They were alone, so he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would open up to him a little.
However it appeared as if that was the wrong move because Watanuki's cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red and he jerked away as if he'd been stung. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The action was so unexpected, the words so harsh, that inwardly he flinched. When had he ever given Watanuki the impression that he'd hurt him? All he'd ever done was try to help him, and he'd never raised his hand in anger anywhere near him. "What's the matter with you, acting like that? It's not like I'm going to hit you or anything."
"I know that!" Watanuki shouted, backing away to put some space between them. "You're just being weird."
Doumeki raised an eyebrow at that; he was being weird? Well maybe just a little, but it was nothing compared to how off Watanuki had been. It was a plus that the bespectacled boy was talking to him again, and lunches had all but returned too normal. Yet, it seemed he was the only one who noticed the odd change in behavior from Watanuki. Himawari didn't seem to notice the almost complete lack of fawning or that Watanuki's enthusiasm was more than just a little forced.
"I'm trying to live a normal life here and you have to come along and do something weird! Ruin everything, why don't you?" Watanuki waved his hands around angrily.
"Trying to live a normal life? What happened all of a sudden to make it not normal?" Watanuki flinched and looked away, mumbling something. "What?"
"I SAID IT'S NOTHING, YOU BIG JERK!" Watanuki jumped to his feet, fist clenched at his sides, looking ready to have an aneurism with the shade of red his face had turned. "STOP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS!"
"Hi Doumeki kun! Watanuki kun!" A too cheerful voice came from Doumeki, effectively cutting off anything else Watanuki might have been about to say. "I knew I'd find you two together, you being best friends and all." She came even with him, smiling like the world was perfect and only going to get better.
Watanuki's half panicked glare disappeared in less than a heartbeat, replaced by a forced enthusiastic smile, visibly slipping when she mentioned them being friends. "No, Himawari-chan, it's not like that." He waved his hands around, in an over expressive dismissive way.
"I have to leave school early today, so can I borrow your notes tomorrow?" Each of them had a different afternoon class with her, so she would have to get information from split sources.
"Of course you can borrow my notes! Though I'm sure you won't have any trouble with the material anyway." Watanuki practically cooed. If it weren't for the fact that it was completely fake, Doumeki thought he might be sick. Still he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Even in the short talk with Himawari, Doumeki caught several glances directed his way from the bespectacled boy and every time their eyes met, the other would glare and glance away. The glaring was normal and something he was used to, but Watanuki had this complex about seeming inferior to him, so the glancing away part was completely unfathomable.
He frowned a little to himself and made a note to talk to Yuuko. Watanuki's bizarre behavior was seriously concerning him and he needed to know what it was, especially if it was something he could help with.
I created this story with a friend of mine, Orochimaruhan on the xxxholic and the doumekiwatanuki livejournal communities