That face

by: samthegreat

disclaimer: characters aren't mine of course.

He asked the strangest thing yesterday.

"So, that Zashiki Warashi. How is she?"

I blinked at the question. He had asked it so casually that it sounded as if she lived in the same apartment building as I did. As if we regularly caught each other while exiting and entering the building. I thought back to the last time I had seen the spirit.

"It's been awhile since I've seen her last." He seemed satisfied by my answer and continued to eat the bento I had made. "The last time we saw each other was when I gave her that present for Valentine's Day." He stopped eating.

"You gave her a Valentine's day gift?" he asked. I felt kind of nervous that he hadn't just dropped the topic. "Yeah, I couldn't decide what to get her though. I couldn't count on food because I was unsure as to when I'd see her and jewelry is too personal and stuffed animals are cute but aren't very practical. So, I bought her these little hair pins. She really seemed to like it." I was rambling and I knew it.

"Oh," he said quietly, "Well, she probably thought you put a lot of thought into the gift." I felt like he was dismissing the present I had honestly tried hard on. "Oh, but I did put a lot of thought into it. I mean, I really don't know her that well and I wanted to find something appropriate that she would really like."

He was staring at me and I was trying hard to suppress the blush in my cheeks while internally chiding myself for babbling again. He turned away and began eating again. I let out a silent sign of relief that the discussion was over.

"You know," he began again and I froze, "I think that you choose a good present for her. If I remember right, that Zashiki Warashi had a cute hair cut, right? Hair pins are a good gift." I started to blush.

I imagined the pretty face of the spirit, smiling and blushing as she cooed over the hair pins I had given her. Strong hands removed the clips from her own and placed them gently in her hair as the two commented on the beauty of her hair, the pins, and the combination of the both. Strangely, the owner of the hands was Doumeki.

I shook my head furiously to shake the image of the intimate couple. He was starring at me intensely once again. "What," I choked out. I felt as if he had seen into my mind and witnessed the little day dream I had. "I was just thinking that considering how you had given me a White Day present, I should give you one for Valentine's Day." I sputtered.

"What? I never gave you a White Day present!" "Yes, you did. You gave me that Fondant au Chocolat." I raged. "You stole that! I never gave it to you. It was meant for Himawari-chan! You, you…!"

But I have a feeling my ranting fell upon deaf ears because he just went on eating my bento and listing off possible Valentine's Day presents.

Watanuki checked his watch for what seemed like the fiftieth time in the last half hour as he placed his journal into his school bag. He was waiting for that person and of course that person was late. He sighed heavily. Watanuki hated waiting.

If it was up to him, he would already be at Yuuko-san's shop, performing all the annoying little tasks his mistress demanded. But Doumeki had made a request. He had asked the bespectacled boy to come to his archery practice that day, citing that he had something for him. Suspiciously, Watanuki had refused. Yuuko-san, however, commanded him to give into the other's request. In an act of rebellion, Watanuki complied but only on the grounds that they would meet after his practice in the park where they had rescued the doomed girl from her flowery death.

However, it was getting late, well after the practice should have ended, and the blue eyed boy was getting very irritated with the other. He looked around the park and spotted two timid lovers standing underneath a large oak. His heart pulsed with a quick beat of pain as he watched the two try to be nonchalant, coyly touching hands and giving each other come hither stares. He too longed for that kind of intimacy, especially lately. He shrugged off the feeling and began walking towards the front of the park, intent to leave without rendezvousing with the taller boy.

As he neared the front gate, however he saw the other running towards him. When Doumeki reached the shorter boy, he doubled over in attempts to catch his breath. "You're late. I was about to leave." The archer stood to his full height, "Practice went long. We have a competition coming up soon." "Well, that's nice for you, but I have to get to Yuuko-san's and make her dinner before she docks my pay again."

"Wait," he said as he began fishing through his pocket. Doumeki pulled out a small box about the size of a ring box. It was wrapped in a metallic red paper and topped with silver ribbon. The taller boy placed it in the others hand. "What's this?" Watanuki asked with a perplexed look on his face. "For Valentine's Day."

Watanuki gulped and fought the blush creeping into his cheeks. "Doumeki, you really didn't have to," he began as he undid the ribbon. He lifted the lid of the box and inside was…

two black hair pins with silver stars at the ends.

"What the hell is this?" the shorter one sputtered, "Hair clips! I'm not a girl!" He clutched the box in his hand and glared daggers at the taller boy. Doumeki smiled and threw the bespectacled boy off guard. "No," he removed the box from the shorter boy's hands and took the hair pins out, "You certainly are not a girl. But, like that Zashiki Warashi…" Doumeki placed the pins into the other boy's hair.

"…I think you have a cute haircut too."

Watanuki's face flushed as Doumeki's hands seemed to linger in his hair. "Doumeki." He seemed to be leaning down into the shorter boy. Booming thunder stopped the two as a torrent seemed to appear from nowhere. "Damn it," Doumeki cursed as he and the other continued to get soaked.

It was then that Watanuki realized just how late it was. "When did it get so dark? Yuuko-san's going to kill me for having to wait so late for her dinner!" "I'll go and help you, since it's my fault you're out so late." A streak of lighting ended the discussion as Watanuki grabbed Doumeki's hand and hurried towards the wish granting shop.

Once at the shop, Watanuki grumbled and groaned in the kitchen as Doumeki served Yuuko-san and the strange black creature liquor. Yuuko-san's wasn't too mad about him being so late…the real problem was that the pins were still in Watanuki's hair upon his arrival at the shop.

"He's so much fun," Yuuko-san giggled as she and Mokona continued to drink and tease the boy.