Disclaimer: Neither Doumeki nor Watanuki or any of xxxHolic are of my creation. That honor belongs entirely to CLAMP. I'm just rearranging some of the pieces to my liking.

A/N: I won't be using honorifics. From here on, it's entirely probably that Doumeki and Watanuki will get a little OOC. This is my first fanfic (and will 99% likely be my only xxxHolic fanfic), so constructive criticism will be appreciated.

CONTENT WARNING: From this chapter on, some scenes will contain material of a nature that may not be suitable to readers under the age of 18. I can't control who reads this, but I hope that if you are under the age of 18 and you are reading this, that you at least have your parents'/guardians' permission to do so.

Although, if you can prove to me that you are over the age of 18 I will gladly email you the pieces that I edit out. You can reach me on facebook ProudMomma0713 or by email kindledragon22

If you are requesting the content I omit for guideline reasons, be ready to provide proof of identity and age.

Watanuki dropped to his knees after Doumeki's footsteps could no longer be heard echoing down the stone tunnel. His heart felt like it had crawled up into his throat, making speech impossible. The kiss had severely unsettled him, but when Doumeki hugged him he had lost his sense completely. He was even more confused when it came to figuring out why these things affected him so much.

"Hello," the princess's greeting pulled him back to attention. "I need to send you with a payment for your mistress."

"My employer. Yuuko is my employer." Watanuki felt he had to make that distinction for some reason.

"Please follow me to the vault," the princess waited for Watanuki to stand before walking slowly down the tunnel. After some turns had been made in silence, she spoke again. "Are you alright? You seem a little pale."

"I'm...fine. Just a little disoriented."

"Do you like him?"

"Who?"

"The archer. Do you like him?"

"That's a rather difficult question to answer."

"Do your best, please."

"He gets on my nerves. He never shows any emotion. When I try to speak to or spend with the girl I like he usually butts in. However, he is always protecting me and rescuing me. If it weren't for him, I might not be here now. I used to think that I hate him, but now I'm not sure how I feel towards him."

"Would you call him a friend?"

"I suppose."

"Could you see him as more than a friend?"

Watanuki stopped walking and looked at the princess as if she had grown an extra head. "What do you mean by that?" His voice was strangely calm as he asked.

"Could you see him as something more than just a friend? To the fey, what humans call homosexuality is not uncommon. Here, matches are made for various reasons. Politics, social standing, business, and even love, although that is rare. However, since parties in politics, business, and minor royalty did not always have a son and daughter to match for their purposes, it became common practice to match two sons or two daughters. To us, such a thing is normal. I know that humans stil struggle with this concept though."

"I...haven't ever thought of him in that way."

"But could you?" The princess turned and resumed walking.

The tunnel felt colder suddenly, and then they were standing in front of a large silver door. "I don't know."

The princess smiled and pulled open the door.

Doumeki focused on his breath as he drew back the last arrow. Today was the semi-finals. The finals would be held on the next two days, the scores from the two days would be averaged to determine the winner. The winner would receive a weekend vacation at the inn and an international scholarship for the college or university of their choice. Doumeki frankly didn't care about any of that. He only wanted to exchange Watanuki's new token for another gift.

He closed his eyes, slowly released his breath, and let the arrow loose. he only opened his eyes after hearing the soft thwump of the arrow embedding itself deep in the target. He smiled to himself. Dead-center.

"Very good, Doumeki," Yuuko walked to him from the stands as the other archers and spectators made their way to the refreshment table. "Don't rush off just yet. It would be a good idea to wait for a hard copy of the contest results today, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah."Doumeki replied absently. He was already thinking of what he could request as a gift.

Yuuko smiled as Doumeki walked to the announcing booth to request a copy of the day's results. She had faith that Doumeki would escape his bonds to the fey court. She knew that for all of Watanuki's protests about Doumeki's presence, he had come to hold a warm feeling for him. Who wouldn't come to like their constant protector and rescuer at least a little?

Watanuki sat in the bedroom, the tote bag and jeweled sword on the bed next to him. The sword was interesting. He could feel power in it, and he knew that Yuuko would be very pleased with her payment. He jumped when he heard the distant sound of footsteps. It had to be Doumeki, because none of the fey's footsteps could be heard.

As the footsteps grew closer, Watanuki's heart began to beat faster. He had to remind himself to breath when his vision started to blur around the edges. Soon, he could no longer hear the footsteps approaching for the sound of his blood rushing in his ears.

"Hello." Doumeki stepped into the doorway and just stood there.

"Uh...he-hello,"Watanuki stammered out a reply and swallowed nervously."Did... How did you do today?"

"I won again."

"Is that so?"

"Yuuko reminded me to get a copy of the results today." Doumeki held out the heavy paper.

Watanuki reached for the paper, his hand shaking slightly. "Who's token did you exchange today?"

No one's, yet." Doumeki replied as he reached inside his archery uniform.

Watanuki's gaze locked on the place where Doumeki was reaching into his clothing. Breathing became difficult again as Doumeki pulled out the tie that he had given him this morning. "My tie..." Watanuki said softly as his face became hot.

"Yes."

"What do you want as a gift?"

"A meal."

"You get food everyday."

"That's not the kind of meal I mean." Doumeki finally stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"What kind of meal doesn't have food?"

"Idiot," Doumeki said as he stopped in front of Watanuki.

Watanuki looked up at him. He felt paralyzed. He wanted to stand but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Doumeki's face looked strange. The blank expression was gone, replaced by one that Watanuki didn't recognize at all. If he had to describe it, he would say it looked hungry. It was similar to the way Yuuko looked at a bottle of sake, but much more intense. His legs finally responded to his brain and he stood.

"Idiot," Doumeki said affectionately. He watched Watanuki's face for a sign that he understood.

Watanuki stood after a moment, though he still looked up at Doumeki's face. "I don't understand," he said.

"Can I show you?"

"Tell me first."

"If I tell you, you might refuse."

Watanuki lost his strength as realization dawned. The princess knew. Somehow, she knew that Doumeki wanted Watanuki as more than a friend. Doumeki's reply had triggered a replay of their conversation. He didn't know what to say. If he refused, would Doumeki stop protecting him? Would he still come to his rescue the next time Watanuki was in danger? Watanuki sat on the bed as he became dizzy. What did he really have to lose if he said yes? If he hated it he could say so and hope that Doumeki would stop. It was unlikely that anyone would find out about it. Yuuko would probably know somehow, but Watanuki knew that she wasn't prone to gossip.

"Show me," Watanuki said in a timid whisper.

Doumeki didn't say a word and his expression didn't change as he stepped forward and leaned down to place his hands on Watanuki's knees. Watanuki felt the heat of Doumeki's palms through the cloth if his pants. His knees felt like they were being burned. Watanuki didn't, couldn't, resist as Doumeki gently pushed his knees apart and stepped forward to stand between them. His heart climbed up into his throat again as Doumeki's hands skimmed up his thighs, only to drop down to his stomach when Doumeki let his hands slide off onto the bed before reaching Watanuki's hips.

Doumeki swooped in and claimed his mouth. Suddenly put off balance, Watanuki's hands grabbed onto the back of Doumeki's uniform to keep himself from falling backward. The kiss robbed him of his breath while spurring his heart into a staccato rhythm. When he was sure that he would pass out from lack of air, Doumeki broke the kiss and leaned in a little more, his breath tickling Watanuki's ear.

"You are the meal, and I'm going to devour you." Doumeki whispered in his ear and then began to kiss and nibble his way down Watanuki's neck.

Watanuki was sure that he was melting. His body felt languid and hot. He drew in a sharp breath when Doumeki worked his hands between the mattress and his bottom to lift him further back onto the bed. Doumeki followed as Watanuki let himself lay back. Doumeki kissed him again, and Watanuki completely lost the ability to form a coherent thought when Doumeki started to unbutton his shirt.

Content omitted to keep this fanfiction within the rating guidelines, as MA content is strictly forbidden (and I really don't want to be banned).

Doumeki tightened his arms lightly around Watanuki's sleeping form. He really couldn't believe that he had finally gotten to hold Watanuki. It had been a secret fantasy for a while. He didn't even really know when he started to see Watanuki in that way, but gradually his awareness of Watanuki had increased. Before he knew it, Doumeki had found even Watanuki's annoying and frustrating quirks cute and endearing. Every time Watanuki would burst into theatrics Doumeki would want to pin his arms in a hug and kiss him into silence. He would purposely request difficult foods to set Watanuki off, knowing that he was probably only making Watanuki dislike him more. While he was thankful that he could protect Watanuki and had thus far always managed to rescue him successfully, He couldn't stop the sudden skip his heart would do when Watanuki would scream in terror or ended up in danger somehow.

"Archer," Doumeki didn't recognize the voice that filtered through the closed door. "Your presence is requested by the queen.

Reviews are welcome and I hope to post the next chapter soon.

Regards,

Blanche