A/n: Okay this is all still in the setting up of the eventual plot, and even though it doesn't seem like anything important is happening, key character introduced. The next chapter will be somewhat like this, but oh you'll see…hehehe (perverted grin).

I don't think I've ever brought anyone over to have dinner before. Its always just been my grandfather and me. This temple is large enough where we barely run into each other during the makings of a day, and with me preoccupied with school and him busy around the community—a retired priest still has a lot of advice to offer—we only see each other during dinner.

"Stop fidgeting." I tell Watanuki because the boy's self-conscious twitching is distracting me from my thoughts as we walk up the path to my house.

"Don't tell me to stop fidgeting." He shouts at me and disturbs some birds hopping about in a puddle. He then says in a tiny voice, "I'm nervous. What if he turns out to be an asshole like you? It must be in the genes. How else can you explain your manners?" He says snootily.

"My grandfather's nice." I say just to make him feel better, and then I realize how that makes me sound. "I'm nice to you."

I get an amused snort in response and annoyingly enough more fidgeting.

"He's going to hate me."

"Why?" I question noticing how sensitive he's been acting ever since yesterday, when I had cornered him and asked him if he could come over today.

"Why! I…I'm contaminating an only son." He says it like the world's going to end as soon as he's finished with this ridiculous statement.

I feel like teasing him all of a sudden, "How do you know I'm an only son?"

I watch with great pleasure as he takes the bait, his body halting on the path and his head turning slowly to give me a horrified stare. "You mean there's more of you! Why would god do that to this Earth! To the human race!" He looks like he's about to run for the gates, but before he can make for an exit I grab him by the forearm and drag him towards the house.

"I don't have any siblings." I tell him and he's still watching me with that same terrified, aghast look that says he's not convinced. I explain to him, "I was joking."

He narrows his eyes and says quite plainly, "That's not funny asshole."

"I thought it was."

"What was that?"

We continue towards my house, until we're on the steps and suddenly he's grabbing my hand to stop me from sliding open the 1.fusuma.

"No, no, not yet. I have to mentally prepare myself." Watanuki checks around him like there's someone listening in on our conversation and then he takes a deep breath.

I assume his preparations are complete and I again try to slide the fusuma open, except Watanuki has a pale-fingered death grip on my forearm.

"I'm not done!" He pats himself down like he's on fire; I assume he is in that little, nonsensical brain of his. "I think you should just go on ahead. I'll come in"-

I slide the fusuma open interrupting his sad excuse to sneak away when I'm not looking.

2."Tadaima." I call out and Watanuki goes into fits.

"Shhhh!" He has his finger up to his mouth and his shushing is even louder than my greeting and I think about how illogical Watanuki as a person is.

"Grandfather." I call out as I slip off my shoes and wait for Watanuki to do the same. He complies only when he sees that I'm getting ready to go find my grandfather.

"Wait!" He yips behind me, as he hops out of his shoes and places them very neatly in the 3.genkan.

At least, this way he can't run away without his shoes.

Although this is Watanuki we're talking about. I wouldn't hold it against the skinny bastard to try something so…idiotic.

"Maybe you're Grandfather's not home." He says a little too elated for my liking.

"You wish." I slide open another partition and he scurries meekly behind me.

"Can't we talk about this? He says panicked. "Maybe I should have brought something."

"Like a cake." I add and he reacts exactly the way I want him to.

"No, you dirty, dirty pervert!"

"Excuse me?" I hear my grandfather step forward, and Watanuki in that moment seems to be stricken by some form of rigor mortis--despite him still breathing-- that has its own creaking and cracking sound effects and can render the person afflicted with it completely still, like a block of concrete.

It's pretty funny that Watanuki's first words to my grandfather are those.

He doesn't see the humor though. "Uh…I…" he blinks, does this funny motion with his hands and then sputters out, "I was…"

"Shizuka?" My grandfather looks confused which is only normal, since Watanuki does confuse normal people.

"This is Kimihiro Watanuki." I introduce him and my grandfather's eyes go wide.

My grandfather quickly smiles to cover his shock, "It's nice to meet you."

Watanuki suddenly remembers his manners and bows low. "Oh! Nice to meet you too!" He exclaims and I want to tell him that my Grandfather doesn't have a hearing problem.

"I heard a lot about you from Shizuka." My grandfather adds and I wonder if there's some kind of contract between family that makes it okay to say embarrassing stuff about you.

Watanuki who still hasn't recuperated from his scarring first impression, is now staring at my grandfather, his mouth a little agape and I can't say I'd expected for Watanuki to freeze up like this.

My grandfather smiles again to lighten the mood and Watanuki, looking the older man in the eyes blushes and looks away. He looks at the floor and smiles a little too himself, the blush still smeared over the bridge of his nose.

I look at my grandfather and then I look back at Watanuki who's still sporting a blush.

"Watanuki came over to make dinner for us." Watanuki who usually puts up a fight whenever I speak for him, smiles at my grandfather, bows politely and says, "Would it be alright with you sir if I used your kitchen?"

My grandfather smiles back warmly at him and I can completely understand his reaction to Watanuki, because there's no way he could get any cuter.

He scratches behind his neck and blushes even more.

Okay I take that back. Now there's absolutely no way he could get any cuter.

"I don't think I feel too decent with welcoming an honored guest into my home to cook." My grandfather says with that smile that has Watanuki ten shades redder than I've ever seen him, even when we're having sex.

How does my grandfather do it?

I suppose I should ask him later.

"Oh no, I don't mind. It's no problem. I like cooking." Watanuki explains hurriedly.

"Well, I can't say that I mind. I've sampled one of the lunches you've prepared for Shizuka. He certainly is lucky to have such a skilled friend."

"Oh well…" Watanuki is so red that he could probably compete with a tomato. He laughs a little and then he's bowing again to my grandfather. "It won't take long. I promise not to break anything and I'll clean up afterwards." He bows again.

I kind of feel left out with my grandfather getting all the attention.

"I'm hungry." And for all my efforts I get the nastiest glare in his arsenal. He shifts his body so my grandfather is spared any accidental "glarage" that could have bounced off of me and landed on him.

He then beams at my grandfather, kind of sparkly and angelic and I want to point out the heinous double standard happening here. Watanuki doesn't give me the chance though because he suddenly has his hands on my back and is pushing me forward. "Can you take me to the kitchen, Doumeki?" He says sweetly in the presence of my grandfather.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"He's so…different than what I expected." Watanuki coos from his place in front of the sink as he washes his hands thoroughly.

"Huh?" I ask and he continues on in a wistful manner that has nothing to do with me, or even my response.

"He's so handsome." Watanuki suddenly points out and then blushes because he hadn't meant to say it. "I mean," he covers, "…how old is he?"

"He's in his seventies."

"Really?" Watanuki says, looking like he wants to faint like a girl.

"Yeah." I add a little annoyed.

"He's so distinguished looking like a…a movie star. He's so tall."

"Yeah." I say again and watch Watanuki as he swoons over to the counter to get his utensils ready.

"If he dyed his hair black…I bet you couldn't even tell that he was in his seventies." Watanuki carries on, "Although the gray hair does make him look so mature…and dashing."

I turn to Watanuki with a tick in my eye, "Do you want me to arrange the wedding now or would you rather be a spring bride?"

"Huh?" He comes out of his daydreaming long enough to tilt his head at me and blink curiously.

"Forget it." I say as I mope toward a stool. He really knows how to make a guy feel special.

"What are you going on about?" Watanuki snaps, as he rolls up his sleeves and puts on his apron.

"He looked a lot like me when he was younger." I don't know what was going through my head when I said this, but it was obviously very petty and small.

"Hmm." Watanuki looks like he's thinking that statement over and I wish I could take that sentence back. "I guess I see the family resemblance." He smiles a little like I'm not even in the room. "Oh, but he's so good-looking and has the nicest manners."

I'm better-look--

I immediately stop myself from thinking out that whole thought.

And then I proceed to make a complete ass out of myself. "I'll most likely look like him when I get older." I throw out there and watch him curiously as he processes this information in the tower of nonsensical blabber that is Watanuki's brain.

"Hmm." His eyes aren't looking at me, as they are now looking up at the ceiling in deep thought. He furrows his brow, his eyes narrow and then widen like he's having an internal dispute with him, for all I know he probably is. "You think?" He asks me hopefully and even though he's cooking us dinner and being cute, I feel an insistent urge to kick or trip him.

"I'll probably be better looking." There is something definitely wrong with me today.

"How do you figure?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

If there is a god in heaven right now, let him strike me down so I cannot continue to make an ass out of myself. "Every generation gets better looking. It's just…how things work."

No they don't. Why am I lying?

"Well you are very good-looking."

Oh, this is why.

"Although," Watanuki props his head up in his hands and I don't like how he's sighing like a lovelorn princess, "He's so nice and his smile is so familiar."

Familiar? Did Watanuki remember my grandfather? It didn't seem like it, but maybe he was having a bit of déjà vu. He'd met grandfather when he was younger and I was told only once, as all the rest of the times he had been sick or grieving his lost parents. Under those conditions I don't see how my grandfather could even be recognizable to Watanuki, much less existent, but my grandfather did have a certain way of leaving an impression on people…maybe…

"I guess that's weird." Watanuki said as he smiled softly and went back to his tasks.

I stay quiet because I don't know the reason why my grandfather hadn't told Watanuki upon meeting his connection to his parents. It could be that my grandfather didn't want to stir up bad memories for Watanuki. It made sense. My grandfather was a very wise and considerate man.

A/n: Feedback very much appreciated.

1.Fusuma- opaque sliding vertical partitions, sliding doors.

2.Taidama-"I'm home!"

3. genkan- low place at the entrance of the house to keep shoes.