Indiscriminate Happenings
Fandom: xxxHoLiC
Characters/Pairing: Doumeki/Watanuki, Himwari, Tanpopo, OC, OC
Prompt:10:8- Tender
Rating: T
Chapter Genre: Romance/Horror
Summary: When times seem at their worse, all it can take to pull one out of the dark is a comforting presence that stays at their side no matter what.
I

The noise was beginning to wear on his nerves and so far one of the only factors that had managed that wasn't actually the person but more his actions. But this, -Doumeki nearly winced at a particularly loud bang directly behind him- this was going too far.

Their school had been under construction since the beginning of summer and it was in the middle of their third month back; the work was supposed to be finished before the students return. His advanced Japanese Literature teacher, Himura-sensei, paused in his overly loud lecture at the noise, sighed, then paged the office and exchanged words with the secretary. He hung up the phone, gathered his material, and instructed the students to leave the classroom and head to 3b, whose normal inhabitants were away on a trip that day.

Along their traipse to 3b Doumeki caught sight of Watanuki shuffling towards them at the other end of the hall, attempting to balance a large stack of books that his teacher had asked him to bring back to the library. The boy staggered and the pile teetered, then recovered, smiling sheepishly as Himura-sensei helped right him, having strode forward before they fell with what would have been an overly loud, resounding crash to the ground. Doumeki watched them closely, eyes narrowing dangerously when the teacher patted Watanuki's shoulder, fingers sliding down his arm in an overly familiar and casual manner, and the seer flinched away imperceptibly to anyone but him.

A noise, strange and out of place in their surroundings had both the protector and protected looking around trying to locate the source. Watanuki took a step back, squinting at the dark staircase they stood in front of, ignorant of Himura-senei's startled inquiry at the sudden space between them. The slow groaning noise ceased abruptly then morphed into a shriek, deformed piano notes clunking as the massive instrument banged down the stairs, gaining speed until it smashed into the instructor not two seconds later into the wall. Flecks of blood splattered onto Watanuki's blank face, the books slipping from his fingers as he stared at the place the man was standing.

Doumeki rushed forward, grabbing the boy and dragging him away. He dully noted that his classmates were screaming and running, desperate to get away from the grisly sight that coated the hallway. The thin glasses usually perched so meticulously on Watanuki's nose skittered across the smooth floor, blood transferring from the pools onto the lenses and frames, and Doumeki's hand took their place, completely blacking out the smaller teenagers vision. Watanuki didn't resist, allowing himself to go peacefully with the older boy, instead clutching at the arm wrapped around nearly wrapped around his neck.

"D-Doumeki..." he stuttered, voice trembling as the realization sank in that he had witnessed an actual death instead of the aftereffects of one.

"Don't," he commanded firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"No, wait." There was a certain urgency in Watanuki's voice that he, as much as he wanted to, couldn't deny. Slowly he unwrapped his arms, turning Watanuki to face him before removing his hand entirely. "I need to see something."

Against his better judgment (which he almost never went against) he moved aside and followed Watanuki's faltering steps up the stairwell, eyes combing the black passage. He kept a comforting and steadying hand on Watanuki's arm just in case, unwilling to take any further chances than he already was.

There were windows whose light didn't reach the stairway, dimly illuminating the dusty, rarely used storage area. Watanuki strode straight to the wall directly before the way, hand reaching out to touch something but falling short, letting his eyes confirm what it was that he was seeing. With a soft sigh and a moment of hesitation that could have gotten them in trouble with the police he turned, shakily pressing against Doumeki's side, small shivers wracking his body.

They left before the authorities found them out and school was let out for the rest of the week.
II

"Ah, Watanuki-kun!" Doumeki recognized the boy approaching them as one from his class; Kikumaru Makoto, a diminutive, shy brunette that tended to stay to himself instead of imposing himself on others and was always unfailingly polite.

Rather like Watanuki, in Doumeki's opinion.

"Kikumaru-kun," Watanuki greeted quietly, subdued since the purposeful accident. "How are you today?"

"Fine, thank-you," Kikumaru replied, a small smile on his lips. He glanced nervously at Doumeki, mouth twitching and wavering. "W-would you mind coming with me for a second?" he asked softly, scratching the back of his head. "I have something I need to speak with you about."

Doumeki made to tail them when Watanuki agreed but a look from the smaller boy had him stopped in his tracks. He frowned at Watanuki's back as the seer and the practical stranger moved further away from his, and crossed his arms.

When Watanuki glanced back to make sure he had stayed where he was supposed to, he thought that it looked like the archer was pouting and a smile quirked over his mouth.

"Ah- I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, Watanuki-kun," Kikumaru said softly, blushing. "But this is about Himura-sensei..."

Watanuki tensed, smile dropping immediately and fingers curling into a tight, white knuckled fist. "Look, Kikumaru-kun, I had nothing to do with-"

"No, no!" The smaller teens hands waved and his head shook. "It's not that! I was just... Before... it happened, did he say anything odd to you? You... looked scared for a moment."

Dark blue eyes scrutinized him with a certain.... professionalism that Kikumaru couldn't deny was there. They measured the truth in his words, and a small surge of well-deserved mistrust and anger at the presumptions of his classmates about his involvement in Himura-sensei's macabre death. He could suppress the tiny flinch that tightened his face.

"You're an empath?" Watanuki asked gently, eyes immediately dropping their glare. Kikumaru flushed and paused, nibbling his lip and twisting his hands, anxiously looking between Watanuki and Doumeki, the archers arms crossed and glaring at them, keeping a vigilant watch to make sure nothing happened that he didn't approve of.

"H-how could you tell?" he stuttered, shrinking back into himself. He vaguely noticed that Kunogi Himawari stood beside Doumeki, casting worried glimpses between them and the temple brat, delicate fingers pressed against her lips. Watanuki chuckled quietly, not in a way that suggested he was mocking, but more in a manner that depicted understanding to a certain extent.

"Let's just say that there's a reason everyone thinks I'm crazy and it's because of something similar." This time the smile was self-depreciating. "So what was it that you actually wanted to talk to me about?"

"About Himura-sensei..." Kikumaru trailed off, breathing deeply and reminding himself that Watanuki would most likely understand the predicament. "He said something to you. What was it?"

Watanuki remained silent for a moment, sighing and dropping his head, eyes slipping closed. "He propositioned me. I didn't accept." As he glanced up Kikumaru swore his right eye flashed gold. "Then he was crushed by a piano."

"Good," he sighed, relief nearly overwhelming him in its intensity. "I'm glad he didn't force you."

"Don't worry," Watanuki whispered, making to reach out before pulling back and allowing his emotions to embrace Kikumaru, comforting him with the joy, love, and happiness he felt everyday. "I won't tell anyone anything."

Kikumaru smiled shakily as Watanuki turned and left, envious of the tender gestures Doumeki made at the return, one strong, scarred hand placed in the small of his back and the other gently entwining with Watanuki's. Himawari giggled and clapped at them, the tiny yellow bird that was a constant presence with her chirping with her.

He turned and left.
III
Originally it was supposed to have Makoto and Kimihiro together in the Home Ec. Room throwing cake batter at Doumeki during his gym class and then accidentally starting a food fight. However, it's getting late and I have morning band class at seven tomorrow morning, so yeah. XD Kikumaru was the only name I could think of, so I made a part of Eiji's family get molested by a pedophile teacher. I'm so sorry Makoto-kun!! T.T Makoto came from Karin (Chibi Vampire) by the way, and Ren is totally in love with him, not even kidding. And I've only watched one episode (ah the wonders of youtube)~! ^^ I look forward to episode 18.

Anybody else seen August Rush? Cause it's pretty damn amazing. And I still have requests left to fill, so better help me or I'll find the prompts myself! ^^