Piffle World (scene 3)
Remember when I finished the second Piffle World AU with a note that I would leave where things went from there to your imagination? Well, that may not have quite been the entire truth:
(Some weeks later)
To Watanuki's unmitigated horror, not only did Tomoyo not fire Doumeki on the spot, she didn't even seem to believe anything untoward had taken place.
"Harassment? Why, I haven't noticed anything of the sort at all," Tomoyo said, deftly hitting the off button on her video camera. "You must know our company policy states that you need to be able to back up claims like this with the testimony of a third party."
"But he only does it when he knows no-one else is watching!" Watanuki argued helplessly, feeling revenge slipping through his fingers. "He does it most when there's no-one else here at all!"
"When there's no-one else here at all?" said Tomoyo, sounding puzzled. "Oh my, you aren't working here after hours again, are you Watanuki? You know what trouble we'll be in with the occupational health and safety people – they fret so terribly over these things! And I've just been slipped word they may be planning a surprise inspection any day."
When Watanuki got back later, the first thing he said was, "I'm working from home tonight." He began clearing off his desk in a businesslike manner.
After a few moments of silence, Doumeki began doing likewise. A minute or two later, Watanuki looked up and glared at him accusingly.
"You are not coming with me! It's my house!"
"I'm not working here if you're not," said Doumeki, shoving files into folders in his usual haphazard manner.
"Then go home! Your home, the one you're always complaining you don't see enough anymore!"
Doumeki looked at him sceptically. "Are you sure you trust me to get this stuff done without supervision?" he asked, shoving the last few files into other files without looking at them. Watanuki's eyebrow twitched – impulses to keep an eye on Doumeki and conflicting desires not see him at all were visibly waring in his head.
"You," he hissed, "have ulterior motives, and don't think I don't know it!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Doumeki evenly.
Watanuki threw his arms in the air, but he didn't stop Doumeki following him home that evening.
(And since I've gotten this far, but I probably won't be finishing the scene it starts, have one extra little line from further on in the chronology – probably not set the next morning, but probably not all that far in the future either )
When Watanuki woke up the following morning, he was not half so horrified by the discovery that he'd slept with Doumeki as he was to learn that he was going to be late for work.