Hello! Good afternoon (depending on your longitude) and Happy Inauguration Day to all my friends in the US!

Thank you all so much to everyone who has already read and reviewed even on the super short first chapter! All the e-mails have been making my day, I love you all!

I don't really have much else to say since it's barely been 24 hours, if that, so enjoy Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to xxxHolic nor am I making any money from this.

Thursday morning, Watanuki and Doumeki sat across from each other in a first class train car speeding south towards the little coastal town that was their destination. Doumeki was staring complacently out of the window while Watanuki was glaring at the ceiling. Obviously, they weren't speaking to each other.

Yesterday Watanuki had told Himawari regretfully that he wouldn't see her in school the rest of the week, but rather than look disappointed or sad, she'd smiled her most adorable smile. "Oh yes! Doumeki-kun mentioned you two are going on a trip together!" Even her sweet voice couldn't take away the embarrassing sting of the words.

"It's not! I mean, I," he'd tried to say, but,

"I hope you have a wonderful time!" she'd cut across him, and he held her well wishes in his heart like a protective charm against what was to come.

"I've been thinking," said Doumeki, suddenly, breaking Watanuki out of his resentful reverie.

"You think?" Watanuki shot back, but Doumeki ignored him.

"We should have a cover story, at least so we're on the same page when people ask us why we're at this retreat." Watanuki despised the idea of being on the same page with Doumeki about anything, but he had to admit he had a point. "Especially because I can pass for older, but you always look like a high school student-"

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

"-so I was thinking," Doumeki continued, his hands over his ears and voice raising by maybe half a decibel, "we eloped-"

"UGH!"

"-because our families didn't approve of our relationship, but a few years in, we've realized marriage is a lot harder than we thought it'd be, and as much as we'd like to, we can't sustain a functional domestic partnership on feelings alone." He waited a moment, then took his hands away from his ears, clasped them in his lap and rested his forearms on his thighs. Watanuki said nothing, and in the stunned silence he felt his anger and disgust ebb away in spite of himself. Doumeki then leaned forward slightly, his expression completely serious, clearly inviting him to give his opinion.

"You've… Thought a lot about this," said Watanuki, eventually. Doumeki just shrugged and Watanuki gripped his hair and cried out in frustration. "WHY IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY?!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You know what I mean!" Doumeki tilted his head to the side.

"Were you impressed? Was that a compliment?"

"Of course not! I just didn't think you had the depth for such a good cover story, that's all."

"Ah." Watanuki turned away, muttering darkly, his arms and legs entangling themselves.

The scenery flew past the windows as the train sped them further and further south, leaving the city for lush green countryside. "Did you bring food?" asked Doumeki, after a while.

"Yes," sniffed Watanuki, digging under his seat for the boxes neatly wrapped in cloth. He set them on the little table between them, and Doumeki was on them like a circling vulture. "You could at least say thank you, considering how early I had to get up this morning to prepare all this!" Doumeki looked up at Watanuki, his expression deadpan as ever even with his mouth full of rice and vegetables. He nodded and swallowed.

"We'll be completely convincing on this retreat."

"I WASN'T ACTING!" Watanuki stormed, heat rushing up his neck. Doumeki just shrugged again and Watanuki hugged his knees to his chest and glared out of the window, at the floor, at the ceiling, anywhere but at the person across from him who he hated so much.

They fell into a silence, and an hour or so passed in relative calm, then, "Hey-"

"My name's not 'hey!' You can't call a guy 'hey' at the best of times, but especially not if we're supposed to be married!" Doumeki leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious again.

"Watanuki." Very resentfully, Watanuki turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"We arrive in ten minutes, you should probably pack this up."

Watanuki exploded into a tirade, but got to his feet and began to gather all the empty food containers and put them away with an unnecessary ferocity. Soon enough, the train slowed down and pulled into the station. They gathered their bags and stepped out onto the platform, Watanuki slightly ahead of Doumeki so he didn't have to look at him.

What do you all think of Doumeki's plan? It seems to suit them well so far, but...

I think of reviews when I summon my kekkai, leave me some!