Watanuki had to admit, maybe Yuuko was right about that. His attempts to make Doumeki jealous by teasing Himawari had come to a brick wall, even after so many months of trying. And besides, he liked Himawari. He didn't really want her to get her heart broken over him, especially since he really wasn't interested.
He tapped a finger on his chin as he listened to the teacher drone on. There was too much to occupy his thoughts and thank god that he didn't have a class with Doumeki. He needed all the time to himself that he could get to work out the way to approach the problem.
The problem was entirely Doumeki Shizuka.
The bespectacled boy really tried not to go green with envy and red with hate as he watched the girls twitter as they went by and stared at the archer. He couldn't admit either that he did go to all of his crush's competitions, but stayed far enough away that Doumeki wasn't able to see him. It was all so very frustrating.
Eventually the fangirls went away, and Doumeki fell in step with him, walking him to work without actually "walking him to work". The fact that Doumeki cared enough to do such a small thing was heartening, but hardly a sign of anything other than friendship. He gave his usual twitch of irritation, but didn't yell as Himawari bounced up to them.
He steeled himself, ready to break what had become habit. "Hello Himawari chan." He greeted her calmly, nothing more than a polite smile you would give any friend gracing his lips.
"Hello Watanuki-kun, Doumeki-kun. How are you today?" She beamed, usually he would be fawning over her and saying something about how kind she was, but he didn't.
"Good, and you?" Just polite formalities, that was it. Damn, this was harder than he had thought. So many months of acting like a fool over the girl and suddenly stopping at Yuuko's suggestion.
"I'm wonderful! What about you Doumeki-kun, how was practice?" Himawari didn't even notice the change in behavior. Well, as nice as she was, he had never thought her the brightest.
Doumeki shrugged in response. He didn't even blink at the change; maybe he was too dense to pick up on it either. Just his luck, falling in love with the most unobservant guy in Japan.
"You two are on your way home?" Watanuki nodded at the question. "Well how about I walk with you?"
"That's nice of you Himawari chan, but we can't ask you to go out of your way just for that." It felt so strange to decline. Just yesterday he would have been bouncing all around and about ready to throw a parade; now he was calm and doing what he would have liked to do before. Say no so he could walk alone with Doumeki, even if he would end up griping at the archer.
"Oh," Himawari blinked, momentarily put off, and looking slightly hurt, but she recovered almost instantly. "Alright then, well I'll see you later then." She waved cheerfully and bounced off.
It was only a few seconds after she'd gone that Doumeki surprised him. "What the hell was that all about?"
Watanuki blinked and looked at Doumeki, then shrugged after a moment. He shoved his free hand in his pocket so that the archer wouldn't know that he was clenching his fist tightly in complete nervousness. His palms were suddenly sweaty and he would have sworn that his heart would beat right out of his chest at any moment. He swallowed quietly in a throat that was suddenly dry and he hoped he didn't radiate his anxiety.
"What do you mean?"
Doumeki gestured with his hand toward the direction Himawari had disappeared to as they continued walking. "That. Usually you act like a brainless idiot when she's around and just yesterday, you would have jumped for joy over it."
The bespectacled boy tried not to lick his lips in thought, though all he really wanted right then was for dense Doumeki to put his arm around his shoulders. Stupid archer! And people called Watanuki obtuse! Nobody was more unobservant than the usually aware Doumeki.
"I just didn't want to walk with her today, okay! Do you have a problem with that?"
He could feel Doumeki's golden eyes on him and he wanted to shiver, though not with fear. How many times had he dreamt of those eyes? How many times had he imagined that they were undressing him with just his gaze? It was all completely irrelevant, since Doumeki didn't seem the least interested, but at least it pacified his frustration some.
"Watanuki's sexually frustrated!" he could imagine Yuuko teasing endlessly and then the girls would chime in like a chorus, not to mention Mokona.
"So you wanted to walk with me alone?" the archer asked and he could have sworn he heard skepticism in that stoic voice.
Yesssss, pick up on it you handsome, but dense, idiot! You're getting there, just a little step more…
"Does Yuuko have a job for us?"
CRASH! That was the sound of Watanuki's train of hopes hitting a mountain. God, why do you hate me! This so could not be happening! How could the observant Doumeki not have picked up on it!
He glared, not being able to help it. Doumeki had led him on and then cut him down. He had every right to be vexed! "No, there's no job. I just didn't feel like walking with Himawari, it's not like it's a big deal."
Doumeki raised an eyebrow, but didn't press further, instead starting on the walk to Yuuko's shop.
If there had been a wall nearby Watanuki would have been beating his head against it until the world liked him, as long as that might take.