Title: Change
Author: kbtwilight
Fandom: xxxHolic
Prompt: 027 "It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not." - James Gordon.
Claim: General for Tsubasa RC and xxxHolic
Completed: 5/200
Rating/Warnings: PG/Slash (Donuts), spoilers through current chapters. I was just going to leave this at the last chapter, but I figured it could use an ending.
Word Count: 764
Summary: Watanuki finally figures it out... with some help.
Notes: I'm not sure how I feel about the beginning of this one, but I thought it ending worked out pretty well.
Disclaimer: CLAMP owns them...

Watanuki scowled as he packed away his book and reached to get the empty bentou from under his desk. Lately, his and Doumeki's relationship had taken an unexpected turn, though in what direction he wasn't sure. He had been hoping the archer himself would shed some light on the situation, but he had just spouted some Haruka-san-like quote at him and gone back to eating Watanuki's bentou

He was concentrating so hard on his dilemma that he couldn't even get properly excited about walking home alone with Himawari-chan. Doumeki had practice. The dark haired girl was waiting for him at the school entrance. He gave her the best greeting he could muster, and the two started walking.

"Watanuki-kun, has something been bothering you?" The bespectacled boy began to deny any such "botherance" vigorously, all while laughing nervously in his head, 'Am I really that transparent?'

"You can tell me," she said softly. He stopped talking instantly. He knew that, even though had had told her firmly that it didn't matter to him, Himawari-chan still didn't really trust herself to be around him. He knew that it would mean a lot to her for Watanuki to confide his problems in her. He hesitated. What could it hurt?

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Watanuki wondered where to begin. He couldn't tell her the same lie he had given Doumeki, besides, the other boy hadn't really seemed to buy it.

After a few minutes more hesitation, in which Himawari-chan waited patiently, he decided the best thing he could tell her was the truth.

He turned off the road and lead the unlucky girl to the park, he figured he would need to sit down and that Yuuko could just wait a few more minutes for her sake. Himawari-chan followed him happily and the two of them made their way to the nearest park bench. One Watanuki recognized with a pang of regret. Sitting down, he took another deep breath before plunging forward.

"I-it's… Doumeki." Himawari-chan seemed frustratingly unsurprised, he sighed. "Something has changed ever since…" A shadow pasted over the brunette's eyes and he hurried on, "Something's different between us and I'm not sure what it is. I don't know how to act around him." She gave him a smile he would almost call sad.

"You really don't know?" He stared at her in shock. Was he the only one that didn't know? Yuuko-san knew, Moro-chan and Maru-chan had been singing gleefully when he asked her that morning so they probably knew, Doumeki knew, Himawari-chan knew; why was he the only one that couldn't figure it out?! Himarwari-chan gave him a brighter smile and said in a slow, meaningful voice, "Watanuki-kun and Doumeki-kun really are good friends." She paused, "More than good friends." Then she was gone, walking away from that park bench that held so many memories.

-.-.-.-

Watanuki barely remembered making dinner that night. He brought Yuuko-san sake without admonishment and cleaned without complaint. He probably would have agreed to any insane errand without thinking about it, had Yuuko-san any errands that needing running.

Himawari-chan couldn't have meant what he thought she meant. There was no way. No possible way in this world, or in any of the world's Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun had traveled to. He barely even liked the guy. He was not in love with Doumeki Shizuka.

He began scrubbing the dishes with more fervor as he attempted to will this thought away. It wasn't, possible. Or was it? Try as he might, he couldn't get those three words to leave his head. Was it possible?

He thought about the way he felt everytime Doumeki got hurt on his behalf and… it hurt. It was true that the two had gotten closer ever since Doumeki had shared his blood to keep Watanuki alive, but that didn't necessarily have to mean they… liked each other… like that.

…but it was possible.

-.-.-.-

Doumeki hadn't been expecting Watanuki to barge into his room quiet so late at night, though he had given him permission. He also wasn't expecting the bentou that was unceremoniously shoved in his face by a blushing Watanuki. Ah, he had figured it out.

"Took you long enough."

"You could have just told me you know!" For once, Doumeki didn't plug his ears, but rather smiled at Watanuki's tantrum. He opened the bentou, probably leftovers but better than anything he could make, and took a bite of inari sushi.

"More interesting to watch you figure it out on your own." The bag that hit him upside the head didn't even hurt.