Pairing : DouWata
Disclaimer : ...mine? I wish...
Author's Notes : xxxHOLiC episodes are such great fic spawners. I got the idea for this right after watching episode 15. A word of warning, this only happened in my fangirl mind. But it should have been in the anime::shakes fist: As always, comments and constructive criticism much welcomed!
Tiny shrieks from around the cinema added to the chilling music from the movie, creating a symphony of terror that made you want to grip something, anything, real. Watanuki shifted uncomfortably in his plush seat. He wasn't afraid, oh no. He's seen things much worse than what was on the screen. But the building suspense on the screen was creating an environment of fear in the movie-goers, feeding the hungry spirits around them, making them hungry for more.
"Kyaa!" This time the sound was closer, somewhere to the left of Watanuki. From the corner of his eye, Watanuki saw the younger twin tighten her grip on Doumeki's arm. The idiot just sat there, neither encouraging nor discouraging.
Watanuki huffed. With the amount of attention the younger twin was paying to Doumeki, even a blind person could see that she had an interest in him. The least the idiot could do was to either return the interest, or if he wasn't interested, say so. It would save the girl heartbreak in the long run.
Watanuki looked to his right. The older twin was quiet, hands folded tightly in her lap. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," the older twin answered, words seemingly forced through almost closed lips. Watanuki frowned, he would offer a hand or an arm if it would help, but he was afraid of offending her. Perhaps he should have sat on her other side, so that she was on Doumeki's right. For some really odd reason, he seemed to represent haven to love-struck girls.
Except being that far away from Doumeki could prove detrimental to his health. The spirits were edging closer and closer, the climax of the movie probably coming up soon, judging by the music that was gradually growing to ear-deafening levels. Watanuki gripped his armrests harder, willing himself to focus on the movie, not on the wisps of black smog that he can see on the edge of his vision.
He glanced to his left again, the younger twin now huddling close to Doumeki, face half turned into the protective shelter of his arm. Focus on the movie, focus, Watanuki chanted to himself. Why did he agree to a movie again? They could have gone to an amusement park or the zoo even!
Watanuki peeked at the couple next to him again, the younger twin looking very comfortable where she was. He looked down at his own hands, knuckles turning white from gripping the armrest too hard. Watanuki sighed.
I wish…I could do that too.
But the problem with being a guy is that you are supposed to be the strong one, the one whom people can depend on whenever something goes wrong. Besides, Watanuki didn't want to trouble those who looked out for him, so he never complained about anything. He learned to cook, clean and fix everything himself.
Warmth covered his left hand. Looking down, Watanuki found another hand over his, which was attached to Doumeki. Almost instantly, the spirits that had been hovering around the edges of his vision were immediately pushed back, providing Watanuki with an immense sense of having a heavy weight lifted. Watanuki looked up, meeting Doumeki's gaze. Doumeki's sharp amber eyes looked straight into his, as if daring him to withdraw his hand.
Watanuki looked down again, at their joined hands, his own pale skin peeking from beneath Doumeki's tanned one. Watanuki let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, tense muscles instantly relaxing. He left his hand where it was. If that idiot ever asked him about it, he would totally deny ever allowing something like this to happen, claiming sudden insanity or ghostly possession or something.
The hand above his gently squeezed his own, the owner re-directing his gaze towards the movie screen. Watanuki smiled, the first time he felt relief in a cinema in a long time.
-owari-